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UFC Fight Night 164 Prelims: John Dodson Upsets Hyped Prospect Nathaniel Wood

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John Dodson still has some magic in his lightning-quick hands.

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“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 winner dispatched former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Nathaniel Wood with punches in the third round their UFC Fight Night 167 bantamweight prelim on Saturday at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Dodson (21-11, 10-6 UFC) sealed the deal 16 seconds into Round 3, authoring his first finish in nearly four years.

Wood (16-4, 3-1 UFC) paired check left hooks with straight right hands and a trip takedown in the first round, only to squander his momentum against the elusive Jackson-Wink MMA mainstay. Dodson started to turn the tide in the middle stanza and made his move at the start of the third. There, he clipped and floored Wood with a counter left hook and pounced with follow-up punches to prompt the stoppage.

The defeat snapped Wood’s eight-fight winning streak.

Rodriguez Guillotine Submits Means


Dana White’s Contender Series alum Daniel Rodriguez submitted former King of the Cage champion Tim Means with a guillotine choke in the second round of their welterweight scrap. Means (29-11-1, 11-9 UFC) conceded defeat 3:37 into Round 2.

A short-notice replacement for Ramazan Emeev, Rodriguez (11-1, 1-0 UFC) shined in his organizational debut. The 33-year-old obliged Means with standup exchanges and turned around a competitive first round when he floored “The Dirty Bird” at the horn. Rodriguez had his counterpart reeling with punches again in the second round, pushed him backward and clamped down on an opportunistic guillotine while standing.

Rodriguez has posted seven straight wins, six of them finishes.

Holtzman Tops Resurgent Miller


Scott Holtzman won for the fifth time in six starts, as he pocketed a unanimous decision over onetime Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Jim Miller in a three-round lightweight encounter. All three judges sided with Holtzman (14-3, 7-3 UFC): 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.

Miller (31-14, 20-13 UFC) outstruck the former hockey player in the first round, only to fade down the stretch. Holtzman employed bruising clinch, countered effectively at range, bloodied the 45-fight veteran’s nose and opened a cut under his left eye. Miller appeared to run out of gas in the latter stages of the bout, which precluded him from mounting a comeback.

The setback halted Miller’s modest two-fight winning streak.

Related » UFC Rio Rancho Round-by-Round Scoring


Relentless Clark Downs Townsend


Takedowns, top control and occasional ground-and-pound spurred Devin Clark to a clear-cut unanimous decision over Dequan Townsend in a three-round confrontation at 205 pounds. Scores were 30-27, 30-26 and 30-26, all for Clark (11-4, 5-4 UFC), who has rattled off five wins in eight outings.

A short-notice substitution for Gadzhimurad Antigulov, Townsend (21-11, 0-3 UFC) offered little in the way of meaningful resistance. Clark took down the Murcielago MMA rep at will, advanced to full mount at one point and cut loose with short punches and elbows from top position. The outcome was never in doubt.

Townsend, 33, has suffered three consecutive defeats.

Grinding Dvalishvili Stymies Kenney


Former Ring of Combat champion Merab Dvalishvili leaned on takedowns, positional control and ground-and-pound, as he cruised to a unanimous decision over Casey Kenney in a three-round bantamweight clash. Dvalishvili (10-4, 3-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-25 and 29-28 marks from the judges.

Kenney (13-2-1, 2-1 UFC) was competitive in the first round but became less so as time wore on. Dvalishvili chipped away at the Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder across the first 10 minutes, then hit the accelerator. The Serra-Longo Fight Team export delivered a series of takedowns in the third round, which culminated with his advancing to the back, flattening out Kenney and unleashing punches until the horn sounded.

The loss snapped Kenney’s run of consecutive victories at six.

Chiasson Dominates Replacement Young


Repeated takedowns, smooth guard passes and steady ground-and-pound carried “The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner Macy Chiasson to a unanimous decision over Shanna Young in a three-round women’s bantamweight tilt. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-26 for Chiasson (6-1, 4-1 UFC), who bounced back from her first professional defeat in September.

A short-notice replacement for Nicco Montano, Young (7-3, 0-1 UFC) was out of her depth. Chiasson executed takedowns in all three rounds, bottled up the former King of the Cage champion and generally made life miserable for the promotional newcomer. She set the tone with a busy Round 1, where she overwhelmed Young with pace and volume.

Young has lost twice in her last three appearances.

Paiva KOs Reeling De La Rosa


Raulian Paiva knocked out Factory X representative Mark De La Rosa in the second round of their undercard pairing at 125 pounds. Paiva (19-3, 1-2 UFC) drew the curtain 4:42 into Round 2, as he closed the book on a two-fight losing streak in resounding fashion.

De La Rosa (11-4, 2-4 UFC) struggled to get in gear. Paiva tagged him repeated throughout the first round, denied his attempted takedowns and racked up points with both hands. Late in the middle stanza, he continued to pepper De La Rosa with jabs and uncorked a crushing right hand that brought it to a sudden close.

The 25-year-old De LaRosa has lost three fights in a row. Advertisement
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