UFC 274 Prelims: Francisco Trinaldo Defies Age, Outduels Danny Roberts

43 & still going strong 💪

[ @MassarandubaMMA | #UFC274 ] pic.twitter.com/k25S4gi6nV

— UFC (@ufc) May 8, 2022

Even at 43 years old, Francisco Trinaldo still has plenty left in the tank.

The Brazilian veteran improved to 2-1 at 170 pounds, defeating Danny Roberts via unanimous decision in a preliminary welterweight bout at UFC 274 at Footprint Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., on Saturday night. All three judges submitted tallies in favor of the Evolucao Thai export: 29-28, 30-26, and 30-27. “Massaranduba” has won five of his last six appearances within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Roberts had some success with rangy kickboxing techniques in the opening stanza, but he couldn’t match his opponent’s power in the long run. Trinaldo put “Hot Chocolate” on skates with a short right early in Round 2, and doubled him over with a body shot against the fence before spending much of the period in top position. Roberts (18-6, 7-5 UFC) brawled willingly with Trinaldo (28-8, 18-7 UFC) in the final frame only to be put on wobbly legs once again thanks to a left hand from the Brazilian. While the Englishman made it to the final horn, Trinaldo had already put his stamp on the fight.

Chiasson Holds Off Dumont

“The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner Macy Chiasson survived a late charge from Norma Dumont to secure a split-decision triumph in a featherweight clash. Judges Eric Colon and Chris Flores submitted 30-27 scorecards for the Fortis MMA product, while Junichiro Kamijo had it 29-28 in favor of Dumont, who missed weight by 0.5 pounds on Friday. After the victory, Chiasson seemed inclined to remain at 145 pounds rather than return to the bantamweight division.

Chiasson initially took control behind intelligent movement and varied striking, as she kept the fight at her preferred range in Round 1. That gradually gave way to a more grappling-heavy approach, where Chiasson landed multiple takedowns and spend large periods of time shoving her opponent into the fence. Dumont displayed an increased sense of urgency in the final stanza and tagged her foe with heavy punches, but she wasn’t able to create separation from Chiasson long enough to deliver the necessary finish.

Royval Rallies, Chokes Out Schnell

Former Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder Brandon Royval survived some early adversity to rally for a submission victory against Matt Schnell in a matchup of flyweight contenders. The Factory X representative ensnared Schnell (15-6, 5-4, 1 NC UFC) in a guillotine choke to elicit a tapout at the 2:14 mark of Round 1. Royval has finished nine of his victories by way of submission, including three in Ultimate Fighting Championship competition.

Schnell, who tragically lost his mother during his training camp, came out with aggression and dropped Royval (14-6, 4-2 UFC) with a right hand during a furious exchange. Schnell pounced for a finish, and an entertaining series of scrambles on the canvas ensued. Royval eventually broke free and returned to his feet for a moment before diving on a guillotine as Schnell attempted to stand near the fence. The squeeze was tight, and Schnell was tapped out with both hands in a matter of seconds.

Related » UFC 274 Round-by-Round Scoring

Ivanov Grinds Past de Lima

Former World Series of Fighting champion Blagoy Ivanov was successful in his first bout in nearly two years, taking a unanimous verdict against American Top Team representative Marcos Rogerio de Lima in a grinding heavyweight affair. Ivanov gradually made it his type of ugly fight to earn a trio of 29-28 scorecards — the Bulgarian’s sixth consecutive appearance to go to the judges in the Octagon.

De Lima (19-8-1, 8-6 UFC) initially made Ivanov pay for his attempts to close the range with power-punching combinations, but those outbursts became less frequent as the fight progressed. Ivanov (19-4, 1 NC, 3-3 UFC) absorbed the best his Brazilian foe had to offer, and he began to have more success landing punches and forcing his way into the clinch. In Round 3, Ivanov opened a cut near de Lima’s right eye with a punching combination of his own, and it was “Pezao” who began initiating takedowns and tie-ups as his stamina waned. A late takedown from de Lima wasn’t enough to turn the fight in his favor.

Fialho Left Hook Folds VanCamp

Andre Fialho scored his second consecutive knockout in UFC competition, making short work of Octagon newcomer Cameron VanCamp in a welterweight showdown. A left hook to the chin folded VanCamp, and Fialho dove in with one — mostly unnecessary — follow-up ground strike before the bout was halted. Fialho (16-4-1, 2-1 UFC) now has 12 career first-round finishes to his credit.

VanCamp (15-6-1, 1 NC, 0-1 UFC) was aggressive at the outset, and he appeared to momentarily stun Fialho with a right hand during an initial exchange. Perhaps emboldened by the success, VanCamp waded forward with reckless abandon, which left him open to the counter-left hook from Fialho. VanCamp’s left leg folded beneath him once the blow landed, and it was academic from there, as he suffered his first knockout in more than seven years.

Cortez Outgrapples Gatto

Tracy Cortez extended her professional winning streak to 10, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph against Melissa Gatto in a flyweight pairing. All three judges submitted 29-28 tallies in favor of the Phoenix native. Cortez’s last six victories have gone the distance..

The 28-year-old Fight Ready product relied on her wrestling and positional control to neutralize Gatto’s submission game. Cortez (10-1, 4-0 UFC) utilized perfectly-timed level changes in Rounds 1 and 3, and on the canvas, she landed periodic ground-and-pound while fending off her Brazilian opponent’s active guard. Gatto’s best moments came in the second stanza, when she punched her way into the clinch, took Cortez’s back in a scramble and threatened with an armbar. For the most part, however, Gatto (8-1-2, 2-1 UFC) was all to willing to cede top position to Cortez — and that cost her in the end.

Vergara Edges Rodrigues, Takes Split Decision

Fury FC veteran C.J. Vergara emerged from a back-and-forth battle with Kleydson Rodrigues to earn a split-decision triumph in a flyweight encounter. Eric Colon and Eric Curcio submitted 29-28 scorecards for Vergara, while Junichiro Kamijo saw it 29-28 in favor of Rodrigues, who had a five-fight winning streak snapped in defeat.

Vergara (10-3-1, 1-1 UFC) did his best work in Round 2 when he hurt Rodrigues with a body kick and then powered his way into top position following a failed takedown from his Brazilian opponent. From there, he spent the rest of the period dropping punches and elbows from inside his Rodrigues’ guard.

The rest of the bout was closely contested, as Vergara utilized consistent forward pressure along with a solid jab and lead hook to keep Rodrigues on his heels, while the Dana White’s Contender Series veteran countered with a multi-faceted arsenal of punching combinations to the head, kicks to the legs and body and a period of back control in the final stanza. Ultimately, Rodrigues (7-2, 0-1 UFC) didn’t do enough to sway the scorecards in his favor.

Godinez Dominates Carnelossi

Takedowns, positional control and ground-and-pound carried Mexico’s Lupita Godinez to a lopsided unanimous decision triumph against Ariane Carnelossi in a strawweight affair. All three cageside judges submitted scorecards in favor of the fighter known as “Loopy:” 30-27, 30-26 and 30-26.

Carnelossi never got a chance to get out of first gear. Godinez (8-2, 3-2 UFC) executed multiple high-impact takedowns, transitioned from one dominant position to another and battered her heavily-muscled Brazilian opponent with powerful punches and elbows from above. Godinez held the advantage even during the limited periods of time the bout was standing, rocking Carnelossi (14-3, 2-2 UFC) on a couple of occasions with right hands to set up her wrestling. Carnelossi sees a modest two-fight winning streak come to an end in defeat.

Newson Notches First UFC Triumph

Journey Newson secured his first promotional triumph with a three-round verdict over Dana White’s Contender Series alum Fernando Garcia in a bantamweight clash. The Impact Jiu Jitsu representative earned scorecards of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 from the cageside judges, bringing an end to Garcia’s five-bout winning streak.

Newson (10-3, 1-2, 1 NC) employed a kick-heavy attack throughout, landing leg kicks, standing side kicks and spinning kicks to keep his boxing-minded adversary at bay. Newson flashed power in his hands as well, stunning Garcia (10-2, 0-1 UFC) with a left hook in Round 2 and a clean straight right in Round 3. Garcia showcased his hand speed with quick counter combinations in the opening stanza but became increasingly less effective as the bout progressed.