UFC Fight Night 202 Prelims: Ignacio Bahamondes Sinks Brabo Choke on Overweight Zhu Rong

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Ignacio Bahamondes checked another box in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division, as he submitted Zhu Rong with a brabo choke in the third round of their featured UFC Fight Night 202 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rong (18-5, 1-2 UFC), who missed weight by four pounds, conceded defeat 1:40 into Round 3.

Bahamondes (13-4, 2-1 UFC) chipped away with crisp jab-cross combinations, bruising leg kicks and sneaky body shots, slowly but surely taking the steam out of the former Wu Lin Feng champion. Rong executed a takedown early in the third round, only to be swept immediately in a demoralizing sequence. Bahamondes cut off his next attempt at a desperate double-leg takedown, clamped down on the neck and moved to a dominant topside position to prompt the tapout.

The successful submission was the first of Bahamondes’ 17-fight career.

Nunes Handles Newcomer Pascual

Potent left hands, intermittent body kicks and strong defensive grappling spurred Josiane Nunes to a unanimous decision over promotional newcomer Ramona Pascual in a three-round women’s featherweight battle. Nunes (9-1, 2-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 marks from the judges.

A short-notice substitution for Jennifer Gonzalez, Pascual (6-3, 0-1 UFC) landed close-range knees in the first half of the fight and managed to complete a couple of takedowns but offered little else in terms of meaningful offense. Nunes nearly finished it in the second round, where she staggered the Syndicate MMA export with a jarring left hand, swarmed with punches for a knockdown and eventually moved to the back. Pascual survived but emerged with serious damage to her right eye and failed to make headway from that point forward. Nunes continued to tear into her with left hands and avoided any potential potholes in Round 3.

Nunes, 28, has won eight fights in a row.

Related » UFC Fight Night 202 Round-by-Round Scoring

Promising McKinney Throttles Ziam

Sikjitsu rep Terrance McKinney submitted Fares Ziam with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their lightweight encounter. McKinney (12-3, 2-0 UFC) brought it to an emphatic close 2:11 into Round 1, pushing his run of consecutive victories to five.

Ziam (12-4, 2-2 UFC) swept “T.Wrecks” off his feet with a leg kick during one of their early exchanges, only to lose the subsequent scramble and wind up in bottom position. McKinney progressed to side control, climbed to full mount and eventually attached himself to the Frenchman’s back. Soon after, the choke was in place and Ziam’s fate was sealed.

The setback snapped a two-fight winning streak for Ziam.

Brahimaj Choke Submits Gillmore

Ramiz Brahimaj submitted “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 alum Micheal Gillmore with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their welterweight confrontation. Gillmore (6-5, 0-2 UFC) bowed out 2:02 into Round 1, suffering his second straight setback.

A short-notice replacement for Jonny Parsons, Brahimaj (10-4, 2-2 UFC) executed an early takedown, climbed to the back and threatened the neck. Gillmore denied his initial advances but only prolonged the inevitable. Brahimaj moved to full mount, applied some ground-and-pound and ultimately returned to the back. From there, he connected his arms on the choke, tightened his squeeze and forced the tap.

Fortis MMA Brahimaj has alternated wins and losses in each of his last eight outings.

Surging Hernandez Edges Altamirano

Close-range knee strikes, punching bursts to the head and a few takedowns spurred VFS Academy prospect Carlos Hernandez to a split decision over former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Victor Altamirano in a three-round flyweight pairing. Judge Dave Hagen scored it 29-28 for Altamirano, while Sal D’Amato and Michael Bell struck 30-27 and 29-28 scorecards for Hernandez.

Altamirano (10-2, 0-1 UFC) leaned heavily on his kicks, targeted the body and handled himself well in the clinch. Hernandez (7-2, 0-1 UFC) often answered in single strikes but connected with the more impactful blows and benefitted from the takedowns he managed to complete.

The 28-year-old Hernandez has rattled off eight consecutive victories.