Masvidal paired effective boxing with his underrated and often overlooked grappling chops, as he claimed a unanimous decision over Cruickshank at UFC on Fox 12 “Lawler vs. Brown” on Saturday at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. All three cageside judges scored it for Masvidal (27-8, 4-1 UFC): 29-28, 29-28 and 29-27.
Cruickshank (15-5, 5-3 UFC) was effective with his kicks and floored the American Top Team mainstay with a crushing right hand roughly a minute into round one. However, Masvidal quickly regained his senses and proceeded to walk down “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 alum on the feet. “Gamebred” mixed in clinches and takedowns with his punches, battering Cruickshank with ground-and-pound and threatening with the occasional submission; a second-round brabo choke had Cruickshank in legitimate danger. Masvidal put his stamp on the fight late in round three, where he avoided a standing kimura attempt, countered a takedown into top position and assaulted Cruickshank with punches on the ground.
Kingsbury (11-6, 4-5 UFC) enjoyed limited success in the standup but could not stay upright long enough to make headway. A two-time NCAA All-American wrestler, Cummins delivered one takedown after another -- he totaled 11 in the fight -- and chewed up the American Kickboxing Academy representative with short elbows, forearm strikes and clubbing punches from top position.
A graduate of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8, Kingsbury has lost four fights in a row.
Means threw with more regularity and variety, and he landed more frequently. Perpetuo (17-5, 0-2 UFC) did his best work inside the opening five minutes, but his output dwindled in the second half of the fight. Means staggered the Brazilian with a short left hook in round two and piled up the points with accurate punches and kicks, all while using his lanky frame and excellent footwork to stay out of range. Perpetuo appeared to suffer an injury to his left arm -- perhaps by blocking a kick -- and fought one-handed for the entirety of the third round.
Ortega (9-0, 1-0 UFC) secured a takedown inside the first minute and transitioned immediately to his adversary’s back. His hooks sunk, the 23-year-old newcomer went to work on the finish. Ortega calmly snaked his arms into position and executed the choke with de la Torre still in a standing position. “El Cucuy” was left with no choice but to tap out.
Arreola (22-8-1, 0-1 UFC) leaned heavily on his kicking game, as he targeted the Brazilian’s midsection with regularity. However, the Mexican veteran ran out of steam in the second half of the match. Silva closed with a flourish, as he swarmed Arreola with punches, knees and standing elbows in the waning moments, putting an exclamation point on his latest triumph.
Stahl (9-1, 0-1 UFC) pushed a merciless pace in the first round, pressing the fight with forward movement, clinches and punches. A well-placed uppercut from Burns left the Swede with a damaged nose, compromised his ability to breathe and slowed his advance.
Over the course of the final 10 minutes, Burns established himself with well-disguised knees and crisp punches. The 28-year-old Brazilian struck for a takedown in the second round and cracked Stahl with a spinning elbow on the break in the third, making the most of his opportunities.
Outside of her commitment to the clinch and a third-round takedown, Carneiro (6-2, 0-1 UFC) executed little in terms of meaningful offense. Jedrzejczyk, 26, operated behind a stiff jab, peppering the Brazilian with multi-punch bursts throughout the 15-minute battle. The Polish import also mixed in close-quarters knees, standing elbows and a front kick to the face.
The second Israeli fighter ever to compete inside the Octagon, Lahat neutralized “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 graduate with multiple takedowns and throws. He did his best work in the second round, where he scrambled onto Siler’s back and later transitioned to a triangle choke. Siler (23-13, 5-4 UFC) survived to see round three and made his move there, twice attaching himself to the back of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. The John Hackleman protégé flattened out Lahat in the closing seconds but could not score the finish he needed.
view original article >>