UFC 271 Prelims: Ageless Andrei Arlovski Wins Third Straight, Takes Split Decision Over Jared Vanderaa

43 and still going strong 💪

[ @AndreiArlovski | #UFC271 ] pic.twitter.com/rZEWfZoqsG

— UFC (@ufc) February 13, 2022

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There seems to be no expiration date on Andrei Arlovski’s mixed martial arts career.

The former heavyweight king won for the fifth time in six outings at UFC 271, taking a split decision over Dana White’s Contender Series vet Jared Vanderaa in a preliminary bout at the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday night. Judges Jeff Rexroad and Douglas Crosby scored the fight 29-28 for the Belarusian, while Robert Alexander had it 29-28 in favor of Vanderaa (12-7, 1-3 UFC).

The 43-year-old Arlovski (33-20, 22-14 , 1 NC UFC) relied on the formula that has brought him consistent success at this stage of his professional tenure. He utilized superior hand speed and movement to keep the plodding Vanderaa at bay — connecting with several solid right hands throughout the contest while mixing in the occasional kick. To his credit, Vanderaa never stopped moving forward and upped his aggression in Round 3, but he was unable to put Arlovski in any serious danger.

O’Neill Spoils Modafferi’s Farewell

Casey O’Neill continues to look like a talent to watch in the female flyweight division, bringing an unceremonious end to Roxane Modaferri’s MMA career in a split-decision triumph. Judges Ivan Guzman and Kerry Hatley submitted 29-28 scorecards for O’Neill (9-0, 4-0 UFC) while Robert Alexander saw the fight in favor of Modafferi (25-20, 4-8 UFC). It is expected to be the final appearance for “The Happy Warrior,” who is viewed as one of the pioneers of women’s MMA.

“I’m OK with that last fight,” said Modafferi, who left her gloves in the center of the Octagon. “I gave everything that I had. It’s time for me to pass the torch to the next generation.”

O’Neill consistently battered Modafferi with stinging punching combinations, setting an Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight record for significant strikes landed in the process. In typical fashion, Modafferi was a game competitor, and her own punches bloodied O’Neill’s nose and caused swelling under her left eye. However, Modafferi simply couldn’t match her foe’s superior athleticism, punching power and volume, while her attempts to grapple came far too late to make a difference.

Phillips Triangle Armbar Dispatches Rojo

Kyler Phillips put on an offensive master class en route to a submission victory over Argentina’s Marcelo Rojo in a bantamweight pairing. The MMA Lab representative used a triangle armbar to elicit a tapout from his adversary 1:48 into Round 3, winning for the fifth time in six professional outings. Rojo, meanwhile, has lost three of four.

Phillips had all facets of his game working. He attacked Rojo (16-8, 0-2 UFC) with an arsenal of punching combinations to the head, kicks to all levels and knees in close quarters — all while mixing in well-time takedowns. “The Matrix” set the stage for the finish when he took Rojo down early in Round 3 and transitioned to a mounted triangle. From there, Phillips (10-2, 4-1 UFC) fell back and extended Rojo’s arm to end the bout and complete a thoroughly impressive performance.

Ulberg Cruises Past Cherant

Carlos Ulberg earned his first promotional triumph, taking a three-round verdict over ex-Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Fabio Cherant in a relatively uneventful light heavyweight scrap. All three cageside judges submitted 30-27 tallies in favor of the City Kickboxing export.

The majority of the bout was contested at Ulberg’s preferred pace and range, with Cherant (7-4, 0-3 UFC) largely hesitant to pull the trigger. Ulberg (4-1, 1-1 UFC) stalked his opponent methodically, picking his spots with punching combinations and a variety of kicks, notably opening a cut near his Cherant’s right eye with a check left hook in Round 2. Cherant’s lone bright spot came late in the opening stanza when he caught Ulberg holding his right hand low and dropped him with a left hand. It wasn’t nearly enough, however, as Ulberg was able to keep Cherant on his heels for the majority of the bout.

Related » UFC 271 Round-by-Round Scoring

Lawrence Survives Late Scare, Holds Off Martinez

American Top Team’s Ronnie Lawrence held off a third-round charge to capture a unanimous verdict against Houston native Leomana Martinez in a bantamweight showdown. All three judges saw the fight in favor of Lawrence: 29-27, 29-27 and 29-28. Lawrence (8-1, 2-0 UFC) has won five straight professional outings.

Lawrence was in complete control over the first 10 minutes. He dropped Martinez (9-3, 1-1 UFC) three times, secured top position and threatened with a rear-naked choke to silence a pro-Martinez crowd. Martinez fought with an appropriate sense of urgency in the final stanza, as he floored Lawrence twice and swarmed for the finish before rolling for an armbar when his opponent responded with a desperation takedown. Ultimately, Lawrence was able to escape and regain top control to ride out the victory from there.

Malkoun Outworks Debuting Dobson

Jacob Malkoun’s gas tank was his best friend, as he gradually wore down Strong Style Fight Team representative A.J. Dobson in a middleweight affair. The PMA Super Martial Arts member earned a trio of 29-28 scorecards from the cageside judges to hand Dobson his first career setback.

In the early going, Dobson’s slick combination punching and takedown defense made it seem as though a long night was in store for Malkoun (6-1, 2-1 UFC). However, Malkoun never wavered in his approach, and he dragged his opponent to the canvas in Rounds 2 and 3 while landing effective ground-and-pound from above. As the fight progressed and Malkoun racked up more control time, Dobson (6-1, 0-1 UFC) offered no answers on the canvas.

Bloodied Silva de Andrade Rallies, Taps Morozov

Douglas Silva de Andrade shook off a rough opening round and rallied for a scintillating submission victory against ex-M-1 Global titleholder Sergey Morozov at bantamweight. The 36-year-old Brazilian brought the show to a close when he rendered Morozov unconscious with a rear-naked choke at the 3:34 mark of Round 2.

Morozov (17-5, 1-2 UFC) started quickly in the opening frame, when he dropped Silva de Andrade (28-4, 6-4 UFC) with an uppercut, busted him open with an elbow from top position and then rocked his foe with a knee when he attempted to stand. Though he was bleeding profusely for the rest of the contest, Silva de Andrade was undeterred. He took control in Round 2 by flooring Morozov twice with body-head punching combinations before the action shifted to the canvas, where he took the back, adjusted the choke and put the Kazakhstan native to sleep.

Wells Chokes ‘Blood Diamond’ Unconscious

Jeremiah Wells overwhelmed City Kickboxing prospect Mike Matheha, winning via submission in a welterweight contest. Wells (10-2, 2-0 UFC) secured his second consecutive first-round finish in the Octagon when he rendered “Blood Diamond” unconscious with a rear-naked choke at the 4:38 mark of Round 1. All four of Wells’ professional submission victories have come via rear-naked choke.

Wells wasted little time forcing a tie-up with his striking-minded opponent and after a brief struggle, he powered Matheha to the canvas with a body-lock takedown. From there, he spent the majority of the round punishing his foe with ground-and-pound and threatening with chokes. When Matheha (3-1, 0-1 UFC) attempted to stand, Wells was able to slide his arm under the chin and eventually put his adversary to sleep — even without securing his hooks.

Grishin Slips Past Overweight Knight

Straight punches, kicks at range and sturdy defensive wrestling carried Maxim Grishin to a unanimous decision over Dana White’s Contender Series alum William Knight in a heavyweight bout. All three judges submitted 30-27 scorecards in favor of the former Professional Fighters League competitor.

Although he missed weight by 12 pounds on Friday, Knight (11-3, 3-2 UFC) still appeared to be significantly smaller than his opponent in the cage. Grishin (32-9-2, 2-2 UFC) got Knight’s attention in Round 1 with a head kick to the face and then was largely content to control the range with a variety of kicks to the legs and midsection. Knight’s best moment came in the second frame, when he slammed Grisin to the canvas. However, Grishin was able to scramble into top position in relatively short order. The majority of Knight’s attempts to take the action to the canvas were denied, and Grishin largely dictated the action with strikes at range.