UFC Fight Night 212 Prelims: Leomana Martinez Outduels Brandon Davis

In a competitive bout, explosive bursts proved to be the key for Leomana Martinez.

The Glory MMA & Fitness representative garnered a split-decision triumph against Brandon Davis in the featured UFC Fight Night 212 prelim at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Michael Bell and Tony Weeks scored the bantamweight bout 29-28 in favor of Martinez (10-3, 2-1 UFC), while Junichiro Kamijo submitted a 29-28 tally for Davis (14-10, 2-7 UFC).

Martinez likely swung the fight in his favor in a couple of key moments. The first came in Round 1, when he clipped Davis with a left hook in what was otherwise a closely-contest frame. A more emphatic statement occurred toward the end of the second period, as the former Fury FC title holder wobbled his foe with a spinning backfist, dislodged hs mouthguard and dropped Davis with a subsequent flurry of punches. Davis survived the salvo and made it to Round 3, where he enjoyed success with rangy right hands, a takedown and ground-and-pound. It ultimately wasn’t quite enough to undo the damage that had already been done.

Malkoun Rolls Past Maximov

Jacob Malkoun took advantage of a compromised Nick Maximov, cruising to a three-round verdict in a middleweight tilt. The PMA Super Martial Arts member earned a trio of 30-27 scorecards from the cageside judges for his third victory in his last four Octagon appearances.

Maximov (8-2, 2-2 UFC) buckled his opponent with a left hook early in the opening frame, but it was all downhill from there for the Nick Diaz Academy product. Shortly thereafter, Maximov appeared to injure his right leg and spent the rest of the bout limping and grimacing while moving about the cage. Malkoun (7-2, 3-2 UFC) took advantage, as he walked his man down and teed off with punches to the head while landing takedowns virtually at will. “Mamba” never found that extra gear for the finish, however, and Maximov was able to gut it out until the final horn.

Related » UFC Fight Night 212 Round-by-Round Scoring

Brito Submits Short-Notice Foe Alexander

Former Fusion Fighting Championship title holder Joanderson Brito submitted fellow Brazilian Lucas Alexander in a featherweight clash. The Chute Boxe Bauru representative brought the show to a close with a rear-naked choke 2:02 into Round 1. Brito has won 12 of his last 13 professional outings and has scored back-to-back first-round finishes in the Octagon.

Brito (14-3-1, 2-1 UFC) showcased his strength at the outset, slamming Alexander (7-3, 0-1 UFC) to the canvas on multiple occasions. After one of those slams, “Tubarao” hopped on his opponent’s back when Alexander returned to his feet. From there, Brito hunted for openings to apply the choke and found it after landing a hammerfist that caused Alexander, who was a short-notice replacement for Melsik Baghdasaryan, to briefly lift his chin. Once the submission was secured, Alexander fell to the canvas and tapped out in a matter of seconds.

Rodriguez Edges Hughes

Venezuela native Piera Rodriguez blended striking and takedowns effectively to capture a closely-contested unanimous decision triumph over Fortis MMA export Sam Hughes in a strawweight encounter. All three cageside judges submitted 29-28 tallies in favor of “La Fiera.”

Hughes (7-5, 2-4 UFC) kept Rodriguez (9-0, 2-0 UFC) on her heels with consistent pace and pressure, but she was unable to gain a discernable advantage in exchanges on the feet. Rodriguez, meanwhile, did solid work with knees and elbows in close quarters while offsetting her adversary’s forward movement with multiple takedowns. While Hughes never stayed down for long, Rodriguez’s commitment to wrestling likely helped her earn the nod on the scorecards.

Japanese Prospect Taira Armbars Vergara

Japanese prospect Tatsuro Taira kept his undefeated record intact, as he submitted Dana White’s Contender Series alum C.J. Vergara in a flyweight contest. Taira (12-0, 2-0 UFC) forced Vergara to tap to an armbar 4:19 into Round 2 — the Paraestra Okinawa product’s sixth career victory by way of submission. Vergara (10-4-1, 1-2 UFC) missed weight by three pounds on Friday.

The 22-year-old Taira was able to control the majority of the bout through his grappling. He landed two takedowns in the opening stanza and logged valuable control time before Vergara was able to scramble out of danger. In Round 2, Taira forced Vergara to the fence, worked his way to his foe’s back and tripped him to the mat. From there, the ex-Shooto champion ">threatened with a rear-naked choke for much of the period before transitioning to the fight-ending maneuver. Vergara stood in hopes of escaping the submission but had no choice but to tap once Taira straightened out his arm.

Rodriguez Overwhelms Jackson

Pete Rodriguez made short work of Mike Jackson, winning via technical knockout in the evening’s opening bout at welterweight. A knee to the head and a couple follow-up punches brought an end to the contest 1:33 into Round 1 to give “Dead Game” his first promotional triumph.

Rodriguez (5-1, 1-1 UFC) was the aggressor from the outset, as he pressured Jackson (1-2, 1-2, 1 NC UFC) with punches, hurting his foe with a right to the body during an initial exchange. The iKon Fighting Federation veteran later backed Jackson into the cage with a punching combination and then connected with the decisive knee when the Houston-based combat sports photographer was caught dipping his head. “The Truth” was already out as Rodriguez sealed his victory with a couple more shots.