UFC 284 Prelims: Modestas Bukauskas Makes Triumphant Return, Upends Tyson Pedro

Modestas Bukauskas returned to the Ultimate Fighting Championship for the first time in more than a year and laid claim to a unanimous decision over Tyson Pedro in the featured UFC 284 light heavyweight prelim on Saturday at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. All three judges sided with Bukauskas (14-5, 2-3 UFC): 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.

Pedro (9-4, 5-4 UFC) executed a takedown in the first round and consolidated it with positional control and modest ground-and-pound. However, he seemed to run out of gas quickly, and from there, a painfully plodding encounter developed between the two men. A late replacement for Mingyang Zhang, Bukauskas allowed the visibly fatigued Aussie to stay competitive through relative inactivity, though he managed to pick up his pace down the stretch. The two-time Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder connected with two- and three-punch combinations on the flat-footed Pedro in the third round before eventually pinning him to the fence and flurrying with shots to the head in the waning seconds.

Bukauskas, 29, has pieced together a three-fight winning streak.

Opportunistic Culibao Strangles Baghdasaryan

Joshua Culibao withstood an accidental groin strike and what appeared to be an intentional head butt, as he disposed of Glendale Fighting Club’s Melsik Baghdasaryan with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their featherweight scrap. Culibao (11-1-1, 3-1-1 UFC) sealed the deal 2:02 into Round 2.

Baghdasaryan (7-2, 2-1 UFC) spent much of the first five minutes building a lead with body kicks and straight punches, one of which drew considerable blood from his opponent’s nose. The aforementioned groin strike—heel connected flush with the cup—resulted in a brief pause but interrupted his rhythm and forced him to start over in the second round. There, Culibao countered a leg kick with a jab, shoved the off-balance Dana White’s Contender Series graduate to the canvas and jumped immediately to the back. Before Baghdasaryan realized what was unfolding, the choke was in place. Culibao then tightened his squeeze and prompted the tapout.

The defeat was Baghdasaryan’s first since April 12, 2014 and halted his run of consecutive victories at seven.

Rodrigues Blitz Folds Ross

Former Jungle Fight champion Kleydson Rodrigues rebounded from a controversial decision loss to C.J. Vergara in May and took care of Shannon Ross with punches in the first round of their flyweight confrontation. Ross (12-7, 0-1 UFC) succumbed to blows 59 seconds into Round 1, suffering the second sub-minute setback of his career.

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Team Nogueira’s Rodrigues (8-2, 1-1 UFC) overwhelmed the Australian newcomer with speed, power and technique. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate doubled over Ross with a kick to the midsection, pinned him to the fence and cut loose with a blinding barrage of punches to the body and head until referee Matt Wynne had seen enough.

The 27-year-old Rodrigues now has five first-round finishes to his credit.

Mullarkey Handles Replacement Prado

Magnus MMA product Jamie Mullarkey outstruck and outgrappled the previously unbeaten Francisco Prado to a unanimous decision in their three-round lightweight tilt. Mullarkey (16-5, 4-3 UFC) carried all three scorecards by 30-27 counts, winning for the fourth time in five appearances.

A short-notice substitution for Nasrat Haqparast, Prado (11-1, 0-1 UFC) struggled to muster meaningful offense. Mullarkey short-circuited his efforts with a pair of takedowns, one in the first round and another in the third, and applied enough ground-and-pound to hack open a small cut near the former Samurai Fight House titleholder’s right eye. On the feet, the Aussie moved in and out with his punches, countered effectively and incorporated occasional kicks at all levels, keeping Prado off-balance with a variety of attacks.

The 28-year-old Mullarkey has posted back-to-back victories since his March 5 defeat to Jalin Turner.

Surging Jenkins Outduels Shainis

Sound boxing combinations and crushing low kicks spurred former Eternal MMA champion Jack Jenkins to a unanimous decision over Don Shainis in a three-round featherweight battle. All three judges scored it for Jenkins (11-2, 1-0 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

Shainis (12-5, 0-2 UFC) had his moments—he achieved full mount in the second round and threatened with a kimura in the third—but found himself outgunned by the well-rounded Aussie. Jenkins tortured his lower lead leg with kicks, mixed in body-head combinations and flexed his superiority in a majority of their grappling exchanges, fishing for a rear-naked choke at the end of Round 2. He cut off any possibility of a Shainis rally in the third, where he paired a takedown with a move to full mount in one sequence and connected with a brutal front kick to the face in another.

Jenkins heads into his next assignment on an eight-fight winning streak.

Suphisara Chokes Vanquishes Reed

Bang Tao Muay Thai representative Konklak Suphisara put away Elise Reed with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their women’s strawweight pairing. Suphisara (8-3, 5-2 UFC) brought it to a close 44 seconds into Round 2, authoring the first submission win of her 11-fight career.

Bleeding heavily from the nose and sporting a grotesque bruise on the outside of her left leg, Reed (6-3, 2-3 UFC) conceded a takedown in the first round but sprang a reversal, settled in top position and applied her ground-and-pound before progressing to the back. Time ran out on her bid to finish—a reality she lived to regret. Suphisara struck for another takedown early in the middle stanza, climbed to the back and cinched the choke before her adversary could effectively fight the hands.

Suphisara, 27, has recorded four victories across her past five outings.

Undefeated Bilder Downs Young

Former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Blake Bilder remained unbeaten with a unanimous decision over City Kickboxing’s Shane Young in a three-round featherweight affair. Bilder (8-0-1, 1-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 marks from the cageside judges.

Young (13-7, 2-4 UFC) fought well in spurts but failed to effectively cut off the cage and spent too much time walking into punches while following the circular movements of his opponent. Bilder paired a takedown with positional control and intermittent ground-and-pound in the first round, held his own in the standup exchanges in the second and turned up the heat in the third, where he connected with leg kicks, overhand rights and sneaky jabs.

The 29-year-old Young has lost three fights in a row.

Newcomer Oliveira Stuns Tukhugov

Chute Boxe prospect Elves Brener Oliveira made a successful—albeit contentious—promotional debut and eked out a split decision over the heavily favored Zubaira Tukhugov in a three-round lightweight clash. Judges Derek Cleary and Evan Field scored it 29-28 and 30-27 for Brener, while Barry Foley saw it 29-28 for Tukhugov.

A short-notice replacement for Joel Alvarez, Oliveira (14-3, 1-0 UFC) connected with the flashier strikes and opened multiple cuts on his American Kickboxing Academy-trained counterpart. Tukhugov (20-6-1, 5-3-1 UFC) answered with clubbing right hands, clean jabs and crisp crosses, though he often uncorked them as single shots. The superficial damage he suffered was more of a nuisance than a real concern. Oliveira left his imprint on the match with a switch knee in the first round and a spinning backfist in the third, offering the judiciary something to remember in an otherwise forgettable encounter.

Oliveira, 25, has rattled off three straight victories.