UFC News & FeaturesUFC 281 Prelims: Renato Carneiro Rear-Naked Choke Subdues Brad Riddell in New York
Renato
Carneiro sent a warning to the rest of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division: Do not
forget about him.
The American Top Team-trained Brazilian submitted Brad Riddell with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their featured UFC 281 prelim on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Carneiro (17-5-1, 9-5 UFC) finished it 3:20 into Round 1, as he rebounded from his March 5 defeat to Rafael dos Anjos.
Riddell (10-4, 4-3 UFC) was a non-factor. Carneiro bludgeoned him with punches, drawing blood under his right eye. He scrambled onto the City Kickboxing rep’s back after an attempted takedown, went to work on the choke and eventually snaked his arms in place. Riddell had no choice but to tap.
Former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Ryan Spann punched out Dominick Reyes in the first round of their light heavyweight encounter. The physically imposing 6-foot-5 Spann (21-7, 7-2 UFC)—who missed weight for the match by 0.6 pounds—closed the deal 1:20 into Round 1.
On a four-fight losing streak, Reyes has not visited victory lane since Oct. 18, 2019.
Erin Blanchfield disposed of former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Molly McCann with a kimura in the first round of their women’s flyweight confrontation. McCann (13-5, 6-4 UFC) conceded defeat 3:37 into Round 1, her three-fight winning streak having run its course.
Blanchfield (10-1, 4-0 UFC) was flawless. She executed a takedown inside the first minute, moved to side control and progressed to the mounted crucifix. Elbows and punches flowed unabated into McCann’s face, the scene growing more uncomfortable by the moment. From there, Blanchfield framed a kimura, cranked on the arm and repositioned herself once it was clear she lacked the leverage she needed. The onetime Eddie Bravo Invitational champion attacked McCann’s left arm yet again, bit down on the kimura and forced the tap.
The 23-year-old Blanchfield has won seven fights in a row.
Repeated takedowns, suffocating positional control and the ever-present threat of a submission carried “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 semifinalist Andre Petroski to a unanimous decision over Wellington Turman in a three-round middleweight battle. Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28—all for Petroski (9-1, 4-0 UFC).
Turman (18-6, 3-4 UFC) had his moments, particularly in the first round. There, he attacked the lower extremities with kicks and zeroed in on the Petroski midsection with hooks from both hands and the occasional knee strike. It was not enough to keep the Daniel Gracie protégé at bay. Petroski overwhelmed the young Brazilian for much of the final 10 minutes. He snatched a tight guillotine choke in the third round, achieved full mount on multiple occasions, forced Turman to carry his weight and generally made life miserable for the Teixeira MMA product.
Petroski, 31, has now pieced together four consecutive victories.
Serra-Longo Fight Team’s Matt Frevola cut down onetime Brave Combat Federation champion Ottman Azaitar with punches in the first round of their lightweight scrap. The previously undefeated Azaitar (13-1, 2-1 UFC) crashed and burned 2:30 into Round 1.
Frevola (10-3-1, 4-3-1 UFC) walked through considerable fire, absorbed a few front kicks to the body and lured the Jupps Fight Team representative into range. Azaitar pressed the 2017 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate to the fence but wandered to close to the fire while doing so. Frevola followed two short right hands with a devastating left hook that sent the “Bulldozer” crashing to the canvas, then delivered two more shots to the head before referee Dan Miragliotta could arrive on the scene.
It was the fifth first-round finish of Frevola’s career.
Former KSW champion Karolina Kowalkiewicz posted her second win in as many appearances with a unanimous decision over Silvana Gomez Juarez in a three-round women’s strawweight clash. Kowalkiewicz (14-7, 7-7 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28 marks from all three members of the cageside judiciary.
A strong first round fed Kowalkiewicz’s confidence. She drove Juarez to the floor behind a right hand, moved to the back, secured position with a body triangle and worked toward a rear-naked choke, all while bleeding valuable time off the clock. From there, she relied almost entirely on her standup. Kowalkiewicz pushed the Entram Gym export backward, piled up points with her jab and even mixed in a few knees from the clinch. Juarez (11-5, 1-3 UFC) fired back on occasion—she appeared to stagger her American Top Team-trained counterpart more than once with powerful right hands—but missed out on opportunities to change the direction of the fight.
Juarez has lost three of her past four bouts.
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 27 winner Michael Trizano wiped out Seung Woo Choi with punches in the first round of their featherweight tilt. Trizano (10-3, 4-3 UFC)—who missed weight for the match by 1.6 pounds—drew the curtain 4:51 into Round 1.
Left hooks from both men resulted in a rare double knockdown inside the first 30 seconds and set the stage for an utterly wild encounter. Choi (10-6, 3-5 UFC) staggered the Team Tiger Schulmann standout twice with left hooks but could not drive home the final nail. Trizano leaned on his jab and clean one-twos, slowly but surely chipping away at the Korean brute’s defenses. Late in the first round, he connected with an exquisite counter left hook. Choi collapsed to the canvas, covered his head to avoid further punishment and succumbed to follow-up punches.
The victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for Trizano.
Montel Jackson overcame a slow start to outstrike and outmaneuver former two-division Ring of Combat titleholder Julio Arce to a unanimous decision in a three-round bantamweight affair. All three cageside judges scored it for Jackson (12-2, 6-2 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
Arce (18-6, 5-4 UFC) completed a takedown inside the opening stanza but was otherwise ineffective. After a relatively competitive first 10 minutes, Jackson dropped him with a stiff jab in Round 3, swooped into top position behind heavy ground-and-pound and dodged an attempted triangle from the Team Tiger Schulmann rep. Once Arce finally cleared the cobwebs and managed to return to his feet, he failed to turn the tide with the time he had left.
Jackson, 30, will carry a three-fight winning streak into his next assignment.
City Kickboxing export Carlos Ulberg put away onetime Real Xtreme Fighting champion Nicolae Negumereanu with punches in the first round of their light heavyweight pairing. Negumereanu (13-2, 4-2 UFC) checked out 3:44 into Round 1, suffering his first setback since March 16, 2019.
Ulberg (6-2, 2-2 UFC) softened the Romanian with kicks to the body and leg, probed for openings and cut loose with a chopping overhand left. Negumereanu hit the deck in a dazed state and absorbed two clubbing right hands to the head, the follow-up shots prompting referee Kevin MacDonald to act.
The 31-year-old Ulberg has rattled off three straight victories, two of them finishes.
The American Top Team-trained Brazilian submitted Brad Riddell with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their featured UFC 281 prelim on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Carneiro (17-5-1, 9-5 UFC) finished it 3:20 into Round 1, as he rebounded from his March 5 defeat to Rafael dos Anjos.
Advertisement
Related » UFC 281 Round-by-Round Scoring
Riddell (10-4, 4-3 UFC) was a non-factor. Carneiro bludgeoned him with punches, drawing blood under his right eye. He scrambled onto the City Kickboxing rep’s back after an attempted takedown, went to work on the choke and eventually snaked his arms in place. Riddell had no choice but to tap.
Spann Devastates Reeling Reyes
Former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Ryan Spann punched out Dominick Reyes in the first round of their light heavyweight encounter. The physically imposing 6-foot-5 Spann (21-7, 7-2 UFC)—who missed weight for the match by 0.6 pounds—closed the deal 1:20 into Round 1.
The 32-year-old Reyes (12-4, 6-4 UFC) had no answer for the heavy
artillery being lobbed in his direction. Spann knocked the Teixeira
MMA export off-balance, threatened with a guillotine choke and
drifted back into open space.
He caught Reyes moving forward with a crushing short left hook that
folded the Stony Brook University graduate where he stood. Spann
then took aim on his fallen opponent with a driving downward punch
before the stoppage was called.
On a four-fight losing streak, Reyes has not visited victory lane since Oct. 18, 2019.
Blanchfield Kimura Dismisses McCann
Erin Blanchfield disposed of former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Molly McCann with a kimura in the first round of their women’s flyweight confrontation. McCann (13-5, 6-4 UFC) conceded defeat 3:37 into Round 1, her three-fight winning streak having run its course.
Blanchfield (10-1, 4-0 UFC) was flawless. She executed a takedown inside the first minute, moved to side control and progressed to the mounted crucifix. Elbows and punches flowed unabated into McCann’s face, the scene growing more uncomfortable by the moment. From there, Blanchfield framed a kimura, cranked on the arm and repositioned herself once it was clear she lacked the leverage she needed. The onetime Eddie Bravo Invitational champion attacked McCann’s left arm yet again, bit down on the kimura and forced the tap.
The 23-year-old Blanchfield has won seven fights in a row.
Relentless Petroski Smothers Turman
Repeated takedowns, suffocating positional control and the ever-present threat of a submission carried “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 semifinalist Andre Petroski to a unanimous decision over Wellington Turman in a three-round middleweight battle. Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28—all for Petroski (9-1, 4-0 UFC).
Turman (18-6, 3-4 UFC) had his moments, particularly in the first round. There, he attacked the lower extremities with kicks and zeroed in on the Petroski midsection with hooks from both hands and the occasional knee strike. It was not enough to keep the Daniel Gracie protégé at bay. Petroski overwhelmed the young Brazilian for much of the final 10 minutes. He snatched a tight guillotine choke in the third round, achieved full mount on multiple occasions, forced Turman to carry his weight and generally made life miserable for the Teixeira MMA product.
Petroski, 31, has now pieced together four consecutive victories.
Frevola Waylays Unbeaten Azaitar
Serra-Longo Fight Team’s Matt Frevola cut down onetime Brave Combat Federation champion Ottman Azaitar with punches in the first round of their lightweight scrap. The previously undefeated Azaitar (13-1, 2-1 UFC) crashed and burned 2:30 into Round 1.
Frevola (10-3-1, 4-3-1 UFC) walked through considerable fire, absorbed a few front kicks to the body and lured the Jupps Fight Team representative into range. Azaitar pressed the 2017 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate to the fence but wandered to close to the fire while doing so. Frevola followed two short right hands with a devastating left hook that sent the “Bulldozer” crashing to the canvas, then delivered two more shots to the head before referee Dan Miragliotta could arrive on the scene.
It was the fifth first-round finish of Frevola’s career.
Resurgent Kowalkiewicz Downs Juarez
Former KSW champion Karolina Kowalkiewicz posted her second win in as many appearances with a unanimous decision over Silvana Gomez Juarez in a three-round women’s strawweight clash. Kowalkiewicz (14-7, 7-7 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28 marks from all three members of the cageside judiciary.
A strong first round fed Kowalkiewicz’s confidence. She drove Juarez to the floor behind a right hand, moved to the back, secured position with a body triangle and worked toward a rear-naked choke, all while bleeding valuable time off the clock. From there, she relied almost entirely on her standup. Kowalkiewicz pushed the Entram Gym export backward, piled up points with her jab and even mixed in a few knees from the clinch. Juarez (11-5, 1-3 UFC) fired back on occasion—she appeared to stagger her American Top Team-trained counterpart more than once with powerful right hands—but missed out on opportunities to change the direction of the fight.
Juarez has lost three of her past four bouts.
Trizano Counter Zaps Choi
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 27 winner Michael Trizano wiped out Seung Woo Choi with punches in the first round of their featherweight tilt. Trizano (10-3, 4-3 UFC)—who missed weight for the match by 1.6 pounds—drew the curtain 4:51 into Round 1.
Left hooks from both men resulted in a rare double knockdown inside the first 30 seconds and set the stage for an utterly wild encounter. Choi (10-6, 3-5 UFC) staggered the Team Tiger Schulmann standout twice with left hooks but could not drive home the final nail. Trizano leaned on his jab and clean one-twos, slowly but surely chipping away at the Korean brute’s defenses. Late in the first round, he connected with an exquisite counter left hook. Choi collapsed to the canvas, covered his head to avoid further punishment and succumbed to follow-up punches.
The victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for Trizano.
Favored Jackson Handles Arce
Montel Jackson overcame a slow start to outstrike and outmaneuver former two-division Ring of Combat titleholder Julio Arce to a unanimous decision in a three-round bantamweight affair. All three cageside judges scored it for Jackson (12-2, 6-2 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
Arce (18-6, 5-4 UFC) completed a takedown inside the opening stanza but was otherwise ineffective. After a relatively competitive first 10 minutes, Jackson dropped him with a stiff jab in Round 3, swooped into top position behind heavy ground-and-pound and dodged an attempted triangle from the Team Tiger Schulmann rep. Once Arce finally cleared the cobwebs and managed to return to his feet, he failed to turn the tide with the time he had left.
Jackson, 30, will carry a three-fight winning streak into his next assignment.
Impressive Ulberg Thumps Negumereanu
City Kickboxing export Carlos Ulberg put away onetime Real Xtreme Fighting champion Nicolae Negumereanu with punches in the first round of their light heavyweight pairing. Negumereanu (13-2, 4-2 UFC) checked out 3:44 into Round 1, suffering his first setback since March 16, 2019.
Ulberg (6-2, 2-2 UFC) softened the Romanian with kicks to the body and leg, probed for openings and cut loose with a chopping overhand left. Negumereanu hit the deck in a dazed state and absorbed two clubbing right hands to the head, the follow-up shots prompting referee Kevin MacDonald to act.
The 31-year-old Ulberg has rattled off three straight victories, two of them finishes.
« Previous Renato Carneiro: Post-Fight Reaction came ‘Natural’
Next UFC 281 ‘Adesanya vs. Pereira’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring »
More
