Jiri Prochaska deals with pure violence.
The former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder threw punches at Aleksandar Rakic in the second round of the highly anticipated UFC 300 prelims at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. Rakic (14-4, 6-3 UFC) bounced back from a knockout loss to Alex Pereira on Nov. 11, checking out 3:17 into round two.
Prochaska (30-4-1 UFC, 4-1 UFC) endured some initial pain. Rakic tortured him with devastating kicks to his lower legs for much of the first five minutes, forcing him to change his stance. Prochaska was undaunted. In the second round, he kept Rakic wobbling with right hands, eventually forcing him to put on his skates and follow up with follow-up punches and knees to the head along the fence. It was the beginning of the end. Rakic ended up collapsing in the center of the cage, absorbing a barrage of his elbows and punches before avoiding contact. After several more punches fell, referee Herb Dean chose to intervene.
Meanwhile, Serra Longo Fight Team’s Aljamain Sterling completely controlled and neutralized Calvin Kattar in a three-round featherweight bout, dropping him to 145 pounds by a lopsided unanimous decision. . All three cageside judges gave the fight the same score, 30-27 for Sterling (24-4, 17-4 UFC).
Qatar (23-8, 7-6 UFC) was making his first appearance since Oct. 29, 2022, but never produced any meaningful offense. Sterling (24-4, 16-4 UFC) left the once-reigning bantamweight division and choked the New England Cartel product in three rounds, completing takedowns in every bout. They overpowered their control and made life generally miserable for their increasingly dissatisfied opponents. Catal had a look of resignation on his face for much of the third round as he was unable to match the efforts of the former 135-pound champion.
Sterling has won 10 of his past 11 games.
Elsewhere, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time Professional Fighters League champion Kayla Harrison passed her first test inside the Octagon with breathtaking ease, defeating Holly Holm in the second round. was finished with a rear naked choke. Women’s bantamweight scrap. Harrison (17-1, 1-0 UFC) shut the door 1:47 into the second round.
Holm (15-7, 8-7 UFC) chose to fight the decorated judoka in close combat and paid a high price for an approach that was questionable at best. Harrison came out on top in the first round and started using ground and pound. Punches and elbows were thrown, a clear tone was established, and we were set for what was to come. Harrison got a takedown from a head kick early in the middle and threatened a standing guillotine, throwing “Preacher’s Daughter” to the canvas for the second time. She climbed to full mount, moved backwards, and secured a choke that ended the match in a dominant display of her power and technique.
Harrison joined Amanda Nunes and Miesha Tate as the only women to stop Holm within range.
Not to be outdone, RoboGym’s rising star Diego Lopez sent Sodiq Yousaf flying with punches in the first round of their featherweight showdown. Yousaf (13-4, 6-3 UFC) succumbed to the blows 1:29 into round one, suffering his second setback in as many starts.
Lopez (24-6, 3-1 UFC) defeated the Lloyd Irvin protégé with several low kicks, called him on in a stand-up exchange at close range, and landed him twice with a brutal right uppercut. I pushed it to the floor. He powered up to full mount, belly-downed Yousaf, and polished off Dana White’s Contender Series alum with unanswered punches.
Lopez, 29, currently has 15 first-round finishes on his resume.
Elsewhere, American Top Team export Renato Carneiro showed considerable determination, holding on until the near finish, taking care of Jalyn Turner with elbows and punches in the second round of the lightweight division. Carneiro (19-5-1, 11-5 UFC) ended the second round 4 minutes, 11 seconds into the fight.
Turner (14-8, 7-5 UFC) appeared to sting the Brazilian with two front kicks to the body early on, but then landed a left hand late in the first round. I almost finished him off with a straight. Carneiro arrived on deck dazed, but the moment was ripe for the picking. Instead of following up, Turner chose to walk away in hopes of a sensational cancellation. Carneiro got back to his feet and survived the remaining seconds, recovering between rounds. ‘Moicano’ took down Turner about a minute into round three, moving to full mount and getting to work with his world-class ground skills. Carneiro eventually settled into three-quarter mount, trapping the American beneath him and loosening him up with strikes from above until the job was done.
Carneiro will be riding the momentum of his third straight win heading into his next match.
Paraná Vale Tudo star Jessica Andrade called for damaging leg kicks and well-timed takedowns in a split decision against Marina Rodriguez in their three-round women’s strawweight bout. All three assigned judicial commissioners scored 29-28: Adelaide Byrd and David Lethaby were chosen to replace Andrade, and Derek Cleary was chosen to replace Rodriguez.
Andrade (26-12 UFC, 17-10 UFC) took advantage of the opportunity he was given. She spent time in top position in the first and third rounds, taking heavy enemy punches as she advanced, damaging Rodriguez’s legs and relying on a swarming punch attack along the fence. I found that to be enough to get by. Rodriguez (17-4-2, 7-4-2 UFC) was effective on the perimeter, but too often allowed the “Bate Estaca” to close him in and break down his defense. Andrade dropped her to her knees with her final leg kick late in the third round, giving her judge another piece of evidence to consider.
Andrade, 32, has won back-to-back titles.
Former King of the Cage champion Bobby Green bounced back from a Dec. 2 knockout loss to Turner and brutally assaulted Jim Miller ahead of a three-round unanimous decision in the lightweight division. The players also had a tough time. Green (32-15-1 UFC, 13-10-1 UFC) dominated the scorecards with marks of 30-27, 30-25 and 29-26 from the cageside judges.
Miller (37-18 KOs, 26-17 UFC) staggered the Pinnacle MMA representative twice with left hands within the first five minutes, but could not match his opponent’s speed or ferocity. The tide changed in the second round, and what followed was a complete bloodbath. Green tore apart the right side of the former Cage Fury Fighting Championship titleholder’s face with a sharp jab and accurate multi-punch bursts. He stunned a battered and bloody Miller with a left hook late in the third round, then dropped him with a right hook. Heavy ground and pound ensued. Only Miller’s legendary endurance allowed him to reach the final bell.
Green, 37, has won three of his past four fights.
Finally, former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo defeated Team Alpha Male’s Cody Garbrandt with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their 135-pound pairing. Figueiredo (23-3-1 UFC, 12-3-1 UFC) decided the bout 4:02 into the second round, earning his third win in four starts.
Garbrandt (14-6, 9-6 UFC) took a cautious approach early on, preferring to counter with lightning-quick hands and chip away at powerful leg kicks. Figueiredo switched gears in the middle, landing a takedown and tightening the screws from the top position. He threatened with an arm-triangle and advanced to the back after Garbrandt provoked an ill-advised scramble. Figueiredo locked the Ohio native in a body triangle and slipped his forearm under his chin, prompting him to tap out.
This was Garbrandt’s first submission loss in his 20-fight career.
