Getty Images/UFC
Norma Dumont is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s women’s bantamweight division.
Dumont (12-2) defeated Irene Aldana (15-8) by unanimous decision in a hard-fought bout at the top of the prelims for UFC 306 at the Sphere at the Venetian in Las Vegas on Saturday. Aldana struggled to find Dumont from the start, struggling with Dumont’s speed, lateral movement and striking variety. An already close bout became even more dramatic when Dumont inflicted a large gash on Aldana’s forehead in the second round. Blood quickly began to flow throughout both fighters’ bodies from a deep, vertical gash between the Mexican’s eyes. The cageside doctor extended the bout to a third round, which was Aldana’s best round, as she continued to land clean punches on the Brazilian despite the cuts that got in the way. However, it wasn’t enough to secure the victory, and Dumont won by unanimous decision score of 302-7. The win improves Dumont to 8-2 overall in UFC and 2-0 at bantamweight, positioning her as a potential title challenger in a new weight class. Aldana drops to 8-6 in the Octagon.
Bajamondes slams Torres
Ignacio Bajamondes (16-5) took advantage of Manuel Torres’ (15-3) aggression and caught him with a clean counter punch to secure a first-round stoppage victory. It took Bajamondes a few minutes to adjust to his opponent’s attack, while Torres tried to close the distance between himself and his taller opponent, landing some hard punches on the inside. Bajamondes got the idea, though, and took down a charging Torres with a beautiful short right punch in the middle of the first round. Torres recovered and got back to his feet, but a few minutes later, he tried to close the gap again and was hit with a beautiful stepping back right. Torres went down, but this time he quickly covered himself up, and referee Marc Goddard stepped in at 4 minutes and 6 seconds. The win improved Bajamondes’ UFC record to 5-2, while Torres’ first loss in the Octagon dropped him to 3-1.
Souza overpowers Jauregui
Ketlen Souza (15-4) surprised Yazmin Jauregui (11-2) with a devastating left punch and choked her unconscious in a major win on the flyweight undercard. Entering the cage nearly 4-1 behind the once-beaten Mexican, Souza appeared to struggle early against Jauregui’s speed and straight punches. But “Escuentazinha” remained aggressive, trying to close the distance and taking down his opponent with an overhand left. From there, Souza jumped onto Jauregui’s back and secured a rear-naked choke, holding on until referee Jason Herzog confirmed Jauregui was asleep. Herzog jumped in at 3:02 of the first round to save the dozing Brazilian, improving Souza to 2-1 in the Octagon since joining UFC. Jauregui is now 3-2 with the promotion.
Van defeats Chailes with a Barnburner
Stepping up with less than two weeks notice, Joshua Vann (11-2) made the most of the opportunity, defeating Edgar Childes (11-6) in a highly entertaining flyweight fight that included a second round that was an instant “Round of the Year” candidate. Vann didn’t look good early on. In the first round, he struggled to deal with Childes’ length, jabs and especially his kicks to the calf, and within minutes Vann was bouncing around and hurting his bruised left leg. Vann came back big in the middle round, countering Childes’ leg kicks with punches and taking the lead with heavy body shots. Vann looked to end the fight midway through the round, but Childes fought back and caught Vann firmly in a guillotine hold late in the round. The win improved Vann’s Octagon record to 4-1, putting his knockout loss to Charles Johnson behind him. Childes is now 1-2 with 1 no contest at UFC.
Rosa Jr. overpowers Aori
Raul Rosas Jr. (10-1) made history in his opening bout, becoming the first fighter to win on the Sphere with a ground-heavy performance against Kyren Aoli (25-12, 1st round no-contest). The 19-year-old bantamweight phenom effortlessly dispatched “The Mongolian Killer” in the first and third rounds, riding effective ground-and-pound and threatening with back takes and submission attempts to nearly shut him out in those two frames. The middle rounds were much more competitive, with Aoli staying on his feet and keeping his distance well against his taller opponent, stabbing “El Nino’s Problem Boy” with a powerful overhand right. The cageside judges scored the bout by unanimous decision, 29-28, in favor of Rosas Jr., improving his record at UFC to 4-1. Aoli is now 3-4 with one no-contest in the promotion.
Source link
