UFC on ESPN 29 Prelims: Austin Lingo Exhausts Luis Saldana in Attritive Featherweight Duel

Lingo with the late knockdown!

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Weaponized cardio made all the difference for Austin Lingo.

The Fortis MMA prospect overcame a difficult start, bit down on his proverbial mouthpiece and took a unanimous decision from Luis Saldana in the featured UFC on ESPN 29 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Lingo (9-1, 2-1 UFC) was awarded 29-28 marks by all three cageside judges.

Saldana (15-7, 1-1 UFC) opened a cut near the onetime Legacy Fighting Alliance headliner’s right eye and doubled him over with a body kick in a productive first round. However, his output dipped in the middle stanza, where Lingo applied maximum pressure, went headhunting with both hands and nearly knocked his adversary out of the air when he countered a flying knee with a right hook. Saldana further deteriorated in the third. Lingo stalked his prey around the cage, dropped him with a brutal right hand to the gut and assumed top position before he closed the round by advancing to the back and securing himself with a body triangle.

The loss was Saldana’s first in more than four years and slammed the door on his career-best five-fight winning streak.

Kelleher Routs Overmatched Pilarte

Well-timed takedowns, suffocating top control and steady ground-and-pound carried former Ring of Combat champion Brian Kelleher to a unanimous decision over Domingo Pilarte in a three-round bantamweight scrap. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Kelleher (23-12, 7-5 UFC), who has won four of his past six bouts.

Pilarte (8-3, 0-2 UFC) was essentially a non-factor. Kelleher executed takedowns in all three rounds, piled up more than 12 minutes of control time and added to his lead with punches, elbows and hammerfists from inside the guard. He threatened with a pair of guillotine chokes in the second round but otherwise seemed content to humiliate Pilarte with a death-by-a-thousand-cuts approach.

Operating out of Revolution Dojo, Pilarte has not posted a win since July 17, 2018.

Related » UFC on ESPN 29 Round-by-Round Scoring

Newcomer Nunes Fells Malecki

Striker’s House standout Josiane Nunes brought down the previously unbeaten Bea Malecki with a devastating overhand left in the first round of their women’s bantamweight affair. Malecki (4-1, 2-1 UFC) crashed and burned 4:54 into Round 1.

Nunes (8-1, 1-0 UFC) successfully navigated a visible height and reach disparity. Malecki pointed kicks at the Brazilian’s body, head and legs but failed to keep her at bay. Nunes wore down the Swede with merciless pressure and punching bursts, ultimately forcing her to wilt near the end of the first round. Malecki disengaged from a close-range exchange and circled off the fence, only to be met by the fight-ending blow. No follow-up shots were necessary.

The 27-year-old Nunes has rattled off seven consecutive victories.

Menacing Knight Waylays Cherant

Thornton Martial Arts export William Knight buried former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Fabio Cherant with punches in the first round of their light heavyweight tilt. Cherant (7-3, 0-2 UFC) faceplanted 3:58 into Round 1.

Knight (10-2, 2-1 UFC) set the tone with a series of brutal inside leg kicks and managed to weather the return fire. Cherant backed him to the fence with power punches at one point but led with his chin and paid the price. Knight leveled him with a compact left hook on the counter, trailed him to the canvas and sealed the deal with follow-up punches.

Cherant has not survived the first round in either of his UFC appearances.

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Spectacular Bahamondes Kick KOs Roberts

VFS Academy product Ignacio Bahamondes threw himself into “Knockout of the Year” contention, as he wiped out Roosevelt Roberts with a wheel kick in the third round of their lightweight tilt. Roberts (10-3, 4-3 UFC) hit the deck 4:55 into Round 3 and remains winless since May 30, 2020.

Clean combination punching, stinging leg kicks and airtight takedown defense buoyed Bahamondes’ attack. The 23-year-old Dana White’s Contender Series alum did not leave the cage unscathed, as Roberts carved out several cuts with a damaging jab. Still, the high output from Bahamondes (12-4, 1-1 UFC) ultimately overwhelmed the Adrenaline Martial Arts rep. Roberts disengaged from the clinch late in the third round, absorbed a close-range elbow strike and then at the spectacular fight-ending kick with five seconds left in the match.

Bahamondes has won three of his last four fights.

Brahimaj Choke Sleeps Palatnikov

Fortis MMA’s Ramiz Brahimaj put Sasha Palatnikov to sleep with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their welterweight pairing. Palatnikov (6-4, 1-2 UFC) raised the white flag 2:33 into Round 1, as he suffered his second straight setback at 170 pounds.

Brahimaj (9-3, 1-1 UFC) executed a takedown inside the first minute, threatened with an arm-triangle choke and climbed to full mount. The Bronx, New York, native then transitioned to the back and cinched the choke. Palatnikov fought to free himself but lost consciousness in the clutches of his determined counterpart.

The 28-year-old Brahimaj has delivered all nine of his victories by submission.