Jeff Neal probably left the cage with a bittersweet taste in his mouth.
The Fortis MMA mainstay suffered a knee injury in the first round of the highly anticipated UFC 308 prelims on Saturday at the Etihad Arena, with the grizzled Brazilian veteran scoring a technical knockout win over Rafael dos Anjos. , held a spot on the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight line. in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Referee Mark Smith waved off the decision 1 minute and 30 seconds into the first round as Dos Anos (32-18, 21-15) clutched his left leg, which was celebrating his 40th birthday.
Neal (16-6, 8-4 UFC) was aggressive from the start. He dropped the Nova Uniao star with a sharp one-two and also landed a surprise takedown, but on both occasions he chose to miss and stand. Moments later, another left hand clattered from the side of dos Anjos’ head, causing his knees to buckle beneath him, marking an anti-climactic end to the fight.
Meanwhile, former Vendetta Fight Nights champion Ivo Aslan attacked previously undefeated promotion newcomer Rafael Cerqueira with punches in the first round of their light heavyweight bout. Cerqueira (11-1, 0-1 UFC) checked out 51 seconds into round one. Aslan (14-1, 2-0 UFC) clipped the Brazilian with a left hook, nailed him to the fence and tore him apart with brutal punches. head and body. Cerqueira remained upright, but appeared to stand up several times. He covered along the cage and took shot after shot, forcing referee Mark Goddard to intervene.
The 28-year-old Aslan is on a six-fight winning streak.
Further down the undercard, American Top Team’s Mateusz Rebecki defeated Miktibek Olorubayi by split verdict after three bloody rounds at the 160-pound catchweight. All three members of the Cageside Judiciary submitted a 29-28 scorecard: Sal D’Amato and Ben Cartlidge of Rebecchi, and Jacob Montalvo of Olorubai.
The 32-year-old Rebecchi (20-2, 4-1 UFC) exploded the Team Alpha Male Export with a series of overhand lefts in the first round, resulting in a grotesque hematoma that caused him to die by Olorubai. His right eye was swollen and almost closed. A cageside doctor examined the injury and cleared him to proceed. Olorubai (13-2-1, 2-1 UFC) fought back in the middle and increased the pressure, resulting in a careless collision of heads that resulted in a cut on the right side of his opponent’s forehead. Blood gushed from the wound, soaking the canvas and the two men. Rebecchi landed the Kyrgyz native Osh with a powerful left hook and unleashed a series of terrifying ground-and-pound strikes that nearly finished him off in the third round. Olorubai managed to survive the assault, but appeared on autopilot with a severe nosebleed as he stood up. They battled evenly until the end, bringing the crowd to its feet in appreciation of a strong contender for “Fight of the Year.”
Rebecchi has won 17 of his last 18 matches.
Also, UFD Gym representative Abspyan Magomedov defeated Bruno Ferreira with an arm triangle choke in the third round of a back-and-forth middleweight bout. Ferreira (12-2, 3-2 UFC) took the white flag 3:14 into the third round, suffering the first submission loss of his 14-fight career.
Magomedov (27-6-1 UFC, 3-2 KOs) fought on his feet and on the ground, but did not escape unscathed. Ferreira staggers him with a right hand and immediately hits a head kick in the middle stanza. Magomedov then managed to escape a guillotine choke and regain at least some of his abilities during the exchange on the mat. He overcame fatigue in the third round, landing two takedowns and eventually climbing to full mount. From there, Magomedov performed an arm triangle, settled into half guard, and tightened the squeeze to tap out.
Magomedov, 34, has been on a winning streak since losing a decision to Kaio Boralho at UFC Fight Night 232 in November.
Toward the end of the draw, in the first round of the heavyweight showdown, Fortis MMA professional Kennedy Nizechukwu eliminated former Island Fight champion Chris Barnett with a knee to the body and follow-up punches. Barnett (23-9, 2-3 UFC), who was given late notice to replace Justin Tafa, succumbed to the blows 4:27 into round one.
Nzechukwu (13-5, 7-5 UFC) took full advantage of his height and reach, targeting his opponent with a jab, a cutting left hand and a series of front kicks to the body. At one point, Barnett suffered a serious leg injury that reduced him to almost a sitting duck. Nzechukwu pounced on the visibly weak Georgia-based heavyweight from the back of his knees to the midsection, driving him to the mat with a defensive shell and using a final barrage of punches to prompt a stoppage. .
With this win, Nizechuk’s losing streak ended at two.
Finally, undefeated Extreme Couture standout Farid Basharat used clean combination punches, effective counters, and well-timed takes to win a unanimous decision from Victor Hugo in a three-round featherweight scrap. Down, requiring deft footwork. All three cageside judges scored it for Basharat (13-0, 4-0 UFC): 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.
Hugo (25-5, 1-1 UFC) fought well in spurts, passing with multiple leglocks, connecting with spinning back elbows, and landing spectacularly at times – but his opponent’s overwhelming There was no real answer to the diversity of attacks. Basharat racked up points with surgical right hands, sharp leg kicks, and sharp one-twos, all smoothly sliding in and out of range. He snuck in behind Hugo late in the third round, secured position with a body triangle, and added ground and pound to disrupt his recent performance.
The loss was Hugo’s first since March 22, 2014, and ended his winning streak at 14.
In other bouts, Ismail Naudiyev (24-7, 3-2 UFC) takes on former M-1 Global titleholder Bruno Silva (23-12, 4-6) in three rounds at middleweight. Defeated UFC) by unanimous decision and took the world by storm. Matching 30-27 point scorecard. American Top Team’s Rinat Fakhreddinov (23-1-1, 5-0-1 UFC) will defeat former Legacy Fighting Alliance Champion Carlos Real Miranda (21-6, 0-1 UFC) He received a controversial unanimous decision from the UFC and was suddenly replaced. Fight against Nursulton Ruzhiboev – A three-round welterweight bout, the cageside judges scored it 29-28, 29-28, 30-27.
