Francis Marshall once again established his foothold in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division with a split decision win over Denis Buzkudza on Saturday in the prelims of UFC on ESPN 62 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Judges Ben Cartlidge and Junichiro Kamijo scored the fight 29-28 for Marshall, while Adalaide Byrd scored it 30-27 for Buzkudza.
Marshall (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC), filling in as a last-minute replacement for Danny Silva, started strong. He spent much of the first round in the clinch, stalling for time, before dropping Buzkudja in the second with a devastating right hook. Marshall panicked, looking for the finish, but the former Ring of Combat champion survived and slowly turned the tide. Buzkudja (12-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) regained his composure, landing left hooks on both leads and counters, and a sharp jab that bloodied Marshall’s nose. But it wasn’t enough. Marshall fought back in the third round, stepping in with rights and sneaking punches through his opponent’s guard to close the distance and buy time in the clinch.
Meanwhile, WAR Training Center alum Zachary Reese used multiple takedowns and a series of hard body kicks to earn a clear, unanimous decision victory over fellow Dana White Contender Series alum Jose Medina in a three-round middleweight bout. All three cageside judges had the bout scored 30-27 for Reese (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC). Reese has won consecutive bouts since a knockout loss to Cody Brundage on Dec. 2.
Medina (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) took his fair share of damage, but he refused to run away. Rees repeatedly staggered Medina with liver kicks in a dominant first round, landing a barrage of power punches, takedowns, hard ground-and-pound and a tight guillotine choke. When it became clear the fight wasn’t going to be stopped, Medina settled into a more manageable pace. Rees continued to target the body in the final 10 minutes, racking up more takedowns in the third round and overcoming fatigue and frustration to get to the finish line. The 33-year-old Medina is coming off a string of setbacks before returning to action.
Further down the undercard, Team Alpha Male’s Viacheslav Borshev bounced back from a submission loss to Chase Hooper on May 11 to defeat former Fusion Fighting Championship titleholder James Lontop in a three-round lightweight bout. Judge Eric Colon scored the fight 29-28 for Lontop, while Cartlidge and Michael Bell scored the fight 29-28 and 30-27 for Borshev (8-4-1, 3-3-1 UFC).
Lontop (14-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) held his own against the Russian kickboxer and nearly pulled off a comeback. Borshev landed two or three jabs, had good counters and landed powerful kicks to the legs, torso and head. He also overcame a nasty eye poke that led to a two-minute stoppage in the first round. Lontop fought back with pressure and power in the final five minutes, but his efforts were in vain.
This was Rontop’s first decision loss in nearly six years.
Meanwhile, former Strikers Cage Championship titleholder Jacqueline Cavalcanti used smooth footwork, evasive lateral movement and multi-directional stand-up attacking to win by split decision over Josiane Nunes in a three-round women’s bantamweight bout. Judge Ron McCarthy scored the decision 30-27 for Nunes, while Sal D’Amato and Chris Lee scored the decision 29-28 for Cavalcanti (7-1, 2-0 UFC).
Nunes (10-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) relied heavily on her concussive overhand left, making her mostly a one-trick fighter. Some punches landed, but many missed. Cavalcanti fended off Nunes’ power, chipping away at her with relentless jabs, the occasional well-timed counter, and kicks to the legs, head and body. Cavalcanti’s right uppercut proved to be an effective weapon late in the bout, as Nunes recklessly dug into the pocket, exposing her chin.
The 26-year-old Cavalcanti has now won five straight fights.
Finally, Kong Wang was the hotly anticipated and spectacular winner in her promotional debut. The 2013 World Wushu Championship gold medalist knocked out Victoria Leonardo with punches in the first round of the women’s flyweight pairs bout. Leonardo (9-6 KOs, 1-4 UFC) was eliminated 62 seconds into the first round, the unexpected victim of the second-fastest finish in the history of the 125-pound division.
Wang (6-0, 1-0 UFC) got her points. She tested Leonardo with leg kicks and jabs, then landed powerful punches with surgical precision. Wang led the Elite Combat Academy representative into a devastating one-two – a sharp jab followed by a powerful right cross – that dropped her on the spot, no follow-up shots necessary.
The 32-year-old Wang has defeated four of his first six opponents, three of them within the first round.
