Tag: UFC on ABC 2

UFC on ABC 2 results: Marvin Vettori outwrestles Kevin Holland for unanimous decision win

Marvin Vettori is now on a five-fight winning streak after defeating Kevin Holland at UFC on ABC 2.

[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] keeps adding wins to his latest streak.

The UFC middleweight contender picked up another victory Saturday and now finds himself on a five-fight winning streak. Vettori outpointed [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] in a unanimous decision in the UFC on ABC 2 headliner.

Vettori completely exploited Holland’s suspect wrestling defense and dominated the entire fight in the grappling department.

From the first round, Vettori (16-3-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) took down and controlled Holland (21-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at will. The Italian fighter landed ground-and-pound and even attempted submissions throughout the fight, but Holland did a great job at surviving and staying in the bout. However, Holland’s success didn’t extend from defending Vettori’s ground attacks. He had a tough time defending takedowns and getting up off the ground.

Holland did connect with some good shots while they fought on the feet at the beginning of each round, but nothing significant or close to ending the fight.

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Vettori now hold wins over Cezar Ferreira, Andrew Sanchez, Karl Roberson, Jack Hermansson, and Holland as part of his most recent streak. His last defeat came to current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya back in 2018.

Holland, who took the fight on short notice after Darren Till withdrew, is on a two-fight losing streak, as he had lost a decision to Derrick Brunson three weeks ago at UFC on ESPN 21.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ABC 2 results include:

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Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill are down for Julian Marquez’s challenge

Let’s find out who’s the best at badminton and pickleball in Kansas City.

Be it entertainment or sports, UFC middleweight [autotag]Julian Marquez[/autotag] has a knack for maximizing his platform and grabbing the attention of mainstream stars.

Last time after UFC 258, it was Miley Cyrus agreeing to be his Valentine, although it’s debatable whether he fumbled his response.

This time, on Saturday after he choked out Sam Alvey at UFC on ABC 2, Marquez used his air time on national network TV to issue a callout of Kansas City Chiefs star players Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill.

The challenge: badminton or pickleball, the latter of which I’ve never heard of.

Check it out (via Twitter):

“If you guys wanna see who the pound-for-pound champ is of Kansas City, you’re coming after me. This magnificent beard tops all of what you guys have to bring.”

Just like with Miley, this worked! One by one, they responded.

Kelce

Mahomes

Hill

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Twitter reacts to Marvin Vettori’s wrestling-heavy win over Kevin Holland at UFC on ABC 2

See the top Twitter reactions to Marvin Vettori’s win over Kevin Holland in the UFC on ABC 2 main event.

[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag]’s ascent as a middleweight contender continued on Saturday when he beat [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] in the UFC on ABC 2 main event.

Vettori (17-4-1 MMA, 7-2-1 UFC) extended his unbeaten freak to five fights when he outworked Holland (21-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) over the course of five rounds to win a unanimous decision at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Vettori’s victory over Holland at UFC on ABC 2.

UFC on ABC 2 results: Arnold Allen outworks Sodiq Yusuff, advances to 8-0 in UFC

Arnold Allen emerged victorious over Sodiq Yusuff in a matchup of “next generation” featherweights at UFC on ABC 2.

The UFC on ABC 2 co-main event was touted as a matchup of the “next generation” of featherweight contenders, and in the end [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] was the winner over [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag].

Allen’s (17-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) key moments of kicking power, as well as an ability to control the fight in the clinch, were the difference in a unanimous decision victory over Yusuff (11-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) by scores of 29-28 across the board.

Yusuff found himself taken down by Arnold less than 40 seconds into the fight after throwing a sloppy kick. He tried to submit Allen from bottom, then created a scramble to get the fight back up to the feet. They spent the next several minutes exchanging strikes, and eventually Allen connected with a hard left hand that made Yusuff stumble. He recovered quickly, but Allen kept good pressure on, pressing Yusuff against the fence in the late stages of the round.

The technical striking element of the fight picked up to start the second round. Both men made adjustments with their approaches, and Yusuff had some good early connections with his hands. The tide turned back in Allen’s favor, though, when he hurt Yusuff with a head kick that had him on ice skates. Somehow Yusuff recovered, but he again found himself stuck against the fence and on the wrong end of the overall action in the round.

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Allen immediately shot for the takedown to start the final round, but he couldn’t keep Yusuff on the mat. He did pin him against the fence but couldn’t get anything going and eventually found himself reversed and back in Allen’s control. Allen burned the clock and rode out until the end, solidifying his victory on the scorecards.

Allen improved to 8-0 inside the octagon and took sole possession of the longest active winning streak in the UFC featherweight division after being previously tied with champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Although his name is being put alongside the champion, Allen said he needs to do more before he is mentioned as a realistic opponent.

“I’ve had a lot of decisions in the UFC,” Allen said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “I wanted to call out a top five or something after this, but I wanted a finish.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ABC 2 results include:

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UFC on ABC 2 video: Julian Marquez ruthlessly chokes Sam Alvey unconscious

“I just squeezed for dear life like I was trying to pop off his head.”

[autotag]Julian Marquez[/autotag] was out to get a finish against [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag], and he did just that.

Marquez stopped Alvey on the main card of Saturday’s UFC on ABC 2 in Las Vegas. Marquez (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) choked out Alvey unconscious with a rear-naked choke at the 2:07 mark of Round 2.

It was a wild fight from the start. Both fighters traded bombs and wobbled each other from start to finish in the first round of their middleweight clash. The second was similar, but Marquez had the better of the exchanges, constantly connecting and hurting Alvey.

In one of the combinations, Alvey dropped to the ground and looked to takedown Marquez with a double leg in hopes to survive and recover from Marquez combinations on the feet. “The Cuban Missile Crisis” sprawled and got behind Alvey where he was able to lock up a rear-naked choke and put Alvey to sleep.

You can watch the finishing sequence below (via Twitter):

“I saw him expose his neck up, so I went in for the rear-naked choke, but I know I can’t put my hooks in on him, so I just grabbed a hold, put my head on the side of his head, and just squeezed for dear life like I was trying to pop off his head,” Marquez said on the broadcast following the fight.

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Marquez is now 2-0 since returning to action from injury. The 30-year-old was out for over two years and made a comeback in 2021.

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UFC on ABC 2 results: Mackenzie Dern shuts down Nina Nunes, wins by first-round submission

Mackenzie Dern pushed her winning streak to four as she continued to make a push toward title contender status.

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] continues to look like a threat to the title.

The UFC strawweight contender picked up her fourth consecutive win, submitting [autotag]Nina Nunes[/autotag] with an armbar in the first round of their 115-pound clash at UFC on ABC 2.

The bout was part of the UFC on ABC 2 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.

Dern (10-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) was completely dominant against Nunes (10-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC).

The 28-year-old jiu-jitsu champion took down Nunes with ease early in the first, using a single leg takedown. From there began her handy work. Dern passed guard, side control, and then moved to mount. From there, Dern began working for an armbar. Nunes did all she could to defend and managed to fight it off for a good while, but Dern’s efforts eventually got the arm straight and Nunes to tap with just 12 seconds reminding in the first.

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Dern hasn’t tasted defeat since her 2019 loss to Amanda Ribas. Prior to that, Dern was unbeaten with a 7-0 start in her professional career. She said post-fight that she’s eyeing a fight with a top-five opponent next.

Nunes, on the other hand, is now on a two-fight losing streak. This was her return fight after stepping away from the fight game back in 2019 game due to pregnancy.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ABC 2 results include:

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UFC on ABC 2 results: Daniel Rodriguez busts up Mike Perry in dominant win

Daniel Rodriguez’s slick striking was the catalyst to a convincing victory over Mike Perry at UFC on ABC 2.

[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]’s slick striking was the catalyst to a convincing victory over [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] on Saturday at UFC on ABC 2.

Rodriguez was a step ahead of Perry from the outset as he bloodied and battered his foe for three rounds and, with the exception of a couple of non-impactful takedowns, cruised to a unanimous decision win by scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26.

Rodriguez expressed satisfaction after winning his fourth bout in five octagon appearances. He said the fight went precisely how he wanted it to.

“This is exactly what I expected. This is exactly what I wanted to do on this big stage,” Rodriguez said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “It couldn’t have gone any better than this. … This is exactly how I planned it out.”

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The bout opened up the UFC on ABC 2 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

They exchanged to start the fight, and Rodriguez landed the first big blow with a head kick. He followed by snapping back Perry’s head with the jab. Perry struggled with the range early in the fight, and Rodriguez repeatedly backed him up with combinations, showing pinpoint accuracy. Perry secured a takedown with 90 seconds remaining after taking a lot of shots standing, and he managed to burn some time from on top to get himself back in the fight.

Rodriguez (14-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) went back to working around his sharp jab, supporting it with leg and body kicks, as well as his straight punches. Perry (14-8 MMA, 7-8 UFC) landed a takedown with just over three minutes remaining, but he couldn’t keep Rodriguez down and was forced back into losing striking exchanges. Perry was too slow and had no answer for Rodriguez’s game.

With Perry’s face and nose looking mangled headed into the final round, Perry tried to make something happen by pressing forward and working toward another takedown. Rodriguez had his approach well scouted by that point, though, and stopped the shots that came his way. That allowed Rodriguez to keep landing his punches and kicks, closing the fight out strong.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ABC 2 results include:

UFC on ABC 2 video: Heavyweight Jarjis Danho obliterates Yorgan De Castro with perfect KO punch

This was brutal.

[autotag]Jarjis Danho[/autotag] ensured himself a highlight reel out of his first UFC win on Saturday.

The 37-year-old heavyweight obliterated Yorgan De Castro on the preliminary card of UFC on ABC 2 with a first-round knockout.

The punch that finished De Castro (6-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) couldn’t have been more perfectly timed or placed. After an even back-and-fourth, Danho (6-1-1 MMA, 1-1-1 UFC) caught De Castro with an overhand right to the temple that slept him instantly and sent him crashing to the canvas.

You can see the brutal finish below (via Twitter):

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The bout marked Danho’s first fight since September 2016. He was out for almost five years and was still hunting for his first UFC win as he had picked up a draw and a defeat in his first two bouts with the UFC.

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UFC on ABC 2 video: Impa Kasanganay rebounds from viral KO loss with submission win

Impa Kasanganay put his viral knockout loss to Joaquin Buckley in the past with a finish of his own at UFC on ABC 2.

The last time [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] entered the octagon, he was on the receiving end of one of the memorable knockouts in UFC history against Joaquin Buckley.

That type of outcome can crush a fighter for good, but not Kasanganay (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who on Saturday got back on track with a submission win over Sasha Palatnikov (6-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC on ABC 2.

Not only did Kasanganay win, but he did it in his welterweight debut, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. After putting his wrestling to use early, Kasanganay sunk in a no-hooks rear-naked choke in the second frame, forcing Palatnikov to tap out.

Check out the replay of the finish below (via Twitter):

Kasanganay was brutally knocked out with a spinning back kick to the face by Buckley last October at UFC Fight Night 179. The finish was voted MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Year” for 2020, but Kasanganay didn’t let it deter him.

He changed weight classes and managed to put away Palatnikov, starting a fresh chapter in his career.

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UFC on ABC 2 play-by-play and live results (11:30 a.m. ET)

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ABC 2 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Saturday’s UFC on ABC 2 event, and you can join us for live play-by-play and official results beginning at 11:30 a.m. (8:30 a.m. PT).

UFC on ABC 2 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ABC and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

In the main event, Marvin Vettori (16-3-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) takes on short-notice replacement Kevin Holland (21-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in a middleweight fight. Holland headlined a UFC show just three weeks ago, as well.

Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 11:30 a.m. ET for the prelims on ESPN/ESPN+ and 3 p.m. ET for the main card on ESPN.

To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC on ABC 2 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporters John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) and Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway) on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

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