UFC Fight Night Bangor Prelims: Jussier ‘Formiga’ Grapples Past Zach Makovsky
Jussier da
Silva made Zach
Makovsky play his game.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt lured Makovsky into repeated scrambles and showed off the gifted grappling skills for which he has become known, claiming a unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night “Bader vs. St. Preux” on Saturday at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine. Da Silva (17-3, 3-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28s across the board, handing the man they call “Fun Size” his first setback at 125 pounds.
Da Silva jumped to a clear lead after 10 minutes. The former Shooto
Americas champion twice advanced to Makovsky’s back, threatening
with various submissions. Da Silva scrambled behind the American in
the second round, worked into a dominant position by setting his
hooks and then corralled Makovsky with a body triangle. Repeated
rear-naked choke attempts came next, and though Makovsky (18-5, 2-1
UFC) dodged the bullet, “Formiga” had widened his advantage.
Makovsky started to turn the tide in the third round, where the onetime Bellator MMA titleholder countered a da Silva takedown into top position, passed guard to side control behind standing-to-ground punches and scored with ground-and-pound. Already down two rounds, Makovsky’s efforts went for naught.
Sara McMann leaned on takedowns and an oppressive top game, as the 2004 Olympic silver medalist eked out a split decision against previously unbeaten MMA Lab representative Lauren Murphy in a preliminary women’s bantamweight affair. All three judges scored it 29-28, two of them siding with McMann (8-1, 2-1 UFC).
Murphy (8-1, 0-1 UFC) had her moments. The 31-year-old Alaskan gave McMann fits with her defensive guard and fought effectively from her back, letting loose with a steady stream of elbows and punches. Alas, in the eyes of two of the judges, Murphy afforded McMann too much time in top position in the 15-minute encounter. Though the wrestler’s ground-and-pound was mild at best and her guard passing largely non-existent, she did enough to get by on the scorecards.
Onetime British Association of Mixed Martial Arts titleholder Tom Watson threw the brakes on a two-fight losing streak, as he captured a unanimous decision from Sam Alvey in a preliminary middleweight scrap. All three cageside judges arrived at the same verdict: 29-28 for Watson (17-7, 2-3 UFC).
Leg kicks were Watson’s weapon of choice, and he made the most of them. He rocked Alvey twice in the first round and again in the second, moving out to a commanding lead at the 10-minute mark. Alvey on occasion sent counters knifing through the Englishman’s defenses, but his punches lost much of their steam as his lead leg became increasingly compromised.
Out of nowhere in the third round, Alvey (23-6, 0-1 UFC) made his move. He answered a crisp left hand from Watson, pushed him backward and unleashed a violent volley of accurate punches to the head that had the 32-year-old ducking for cover. However, the finish Alvey needed never came to fruition, and Watson survived to see the scorecards.
Intense forward movement, a punishing clinch game and a handful of takedowns carried former King of the Cage champion Frankie Saenz to a unanimous decision over Kings MMA prospect Nolan Ticman in a preliminary clash at 135 pounds. Saenz (9-2, 1-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 30-27 marks, as he recorded his fifth consecutive victory.
After a competitive first round, Saenz went to work. He drew Ticman (4-2, 0-1 UFC) into close-quarters skirmishes, as he mixed knees to the thigh and body with wicked standing elbows and short punches to the head. Saenz did some of his best work in round three, where at one point he transitioned to Ticman’s back in one fluid motion during a takedown and threatened to end it with a rear-naked choke.UFC Fight Night “Bader vs. St. Preux”
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt lured Makovsky into repeated scrambles and showed off the gifted grappling skills for which he has become known, claiming a unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night “Bader vs. St. Preux” on Saturday at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine. Da Silva (17-3, 3-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28s across the board, handing the man they call “Fun Size” his first setback at 125 pounds.
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Makovsky started to turn the tide in the third round, where the onetime Bellator MMA titleholder countered a da Silva takedown into top position, passed guard to side control behind standing-to-ground punches and scored with ground-and-pound. Already down two rounds, Makovsky’s efforts went for naught.
McMann Hands Murphy First Defeat
Sara McMann leaned on takedowns and an oppressive top game, as the 2004 Olympic silver medalist eked out a split decision against previously unbeaten MMA Lab representative Lauren Murphy in a preliminary women’s bantamweight affair. All three judges scored it 29-28, two of them siding with McMann (8-1, 2-1 UFC).
Murphy (8-1, 0-1 UFC) had her moments. The 31-year-old Alaskan gave McMann fits with her defensive guard and fought effectively from her back, letting loose with a steady stream of elbows and punches. Alas, in the eyes of two of the judges, Murphy afforded McMann too much time in top position in the 15-minute encounter. Though the wrestler’s ground-and-pound was mild at best and her guard passing largely non-existent, she did enough to get by on the scorecards.
Watson Holds Off Alvey to Halt Two-Fight Skid
Onetime British Association of Mixed Martial Arts titleholder Tom Watson threw the brakes on a two-fight losing streak, as he captured a unanimous decision from Sam Alvey in a preliminary middleweight scrap. All three cageside judges arrived at the same verdict: 29-28 for Watson (17-7, 2-3 UFC).
Leg kicks were Watson’s weapon of choice, and he made the most of them. He rocked Alvey twice in the first round and again in the second, moving out to a commanding lead at the 10-minute mark. Alvey on occasion sent counters knifing through the Englishman’s defenses, but his punches lost much of their steam as his lead leg became increasingly compromised.
Out of nowhere in the third round, Alvey (23-6, 0-1 UFC) made his move. He answered a crisp left hand from Watson, pushed him backward and unleashed a violent volley of accurate punches to the head that had the 32-year-old ducking for cover. However, the finish Alvey needed never came to fruition, and Watson survived to see the scorecards.
Surging Saenz Downs Ticman
Intense forward movement, a punishing clinch game and a handful of takedowns carried former King of the Cage champion Frankie Saenz to a unanimous decision over Kings MMA prospect Nolan Ticman in a preliminary clash at 135 pounds. Saenz (9-2, 1-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 30-27 marks, as he recorded his fifth consecutive victory.
After a competitive first round, Saenz went to work. He drew Ticman (4-2, 0-1 UFC) into close-quarters skirmishes, as he mixed knees to the thigh and body with wicked standing elbows and short punches to the head. Saenz did some of his best work in round three, where at one point he transitioned to Ticman’s back in one fluid motion during a takedown and threatened to end it with a rear-naked choke.UFC Fight Night “Bader vs. St. Preux”
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