Victor Henry had patience, tenacity, and precision working together.
Josh Barnett’s longtime protégé defeated Lani Yahya with a head kick and follow-up punches in the third round of the featured UFC Preliminaries on ESPN 55 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday, leading to his Ultimate Fighting Championship title. He further deepened his position in the bantamweight division. Vegas. Henry (24-6, 3-1 UFC) prompted referee Jason Herzog to intervene at 2:36 into the first round.
Yahya (28-12-1 UFC, 13-6-1 UFC) pressured and outclassed the former deep champion in the first round, but gradually faded from that point on. Henry landed the 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championship gold medalist with a right hand late in the second round, followed by a flurry of elbows and punches that nearly finished him. Yahya survived, but it soon became clear that he was a depleted force. Henry picked him up on the outside in the third round and dropped him again with a right hand, inviting him to stand after a brief exchange on the ground. He cut Yahya off with a head kick, forced him into a shell of defense, and slashed him with punches until Herzog had seen enough.
Meanwhile, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 31 finalist Austin Hubbard returned to the winner’s circle with a unanimous decision over Michal Firak in a back-and-forth three-round lightweight battle. All three cageside judges gave the fight the same score, 29-28 for Hubbard (16-7, 4-5 UFC).
Firak (8-2, 0-2 UFC) doubled and tripled with his jab, remained technical and employed an effective clinch, but lacked the variety his opponent was looking for. Hubbard secured takedowns in the first and third rounds, attacking the legs with kicks and mixing in punches to the body and head. Firak made a late push in the third round, sneaking behind the Elevation Fight Team representative multiple times and burying his knee in his leg. But the lack of urgency in the Poles’ approach may have come at a cost.
Hubbard, 32, has won three of his past four matches.
Further down the undercard, Jackson and Wink’s mixed martial arts export Don Tail Mays Mays used his power punch combinations and steady jab to defeat Caio Machado in a three-round heavyweight showdown. A unanimous decision was made. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Mays, who bounced back from a decision loss to Rodrigo Nascimento on Nov. 4 (11-6, 4-4 UFC).
Machado (8-3-1, 0-2 UFC), a former Battlefield Fight League champion, scored in spurts but couldn’t land anything decisive. Mays sent the Brazilian to the floor with a counter right hand in the final seconds of the first round, followed by a series of thumping left uppercuts and several kicks at various levels. Machado lashed out late in the fight, but to no avail as he tired to lure the Louisville, Kentucky, native into a shootout.
Mays has won seven of his last 12 fights.
Elsewhere, Fight Science MMA alumnus Chris Padilla came on as an impromptu replacement for Gabriel Greene and sent James Rontop off with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their lightweight showdown. Ron Top (14-3, 0-1 UFC), who lost half a pound in weight in his promotional debut, was eliminated in the first round in 4 minutes, 33 seconds, ending his 12-fight winning streak.
The 28-year-old Padilla (14-6, 1-0 UFC) landed multiple takedowns and held his own in stand-up fights, waiting for his chance to show off. He grounded Lonetop late in the first round, made a nice transition to the back, and choked the Peruvian’s arm before he could mount a defense. After a brief struggle, Rontop tapped.
Padilla has won four straight.
Finally, former Ares Fighting Championship titleholder Ivana Petrovic overcame a slow start to eliminate Na Liang with an arm triangle choke in the third round of their women’s flyweight showdown. Petrovic (7-1, 1-1 UFC) bounced back from a decision loss to Luana Carolina on July 1, ending the third round 1:29 into the bout.
Liang (19-8, 0-4 UFC) lived up to expectations for the Norwegian with early takedowns, spinning punches and clinch sequences throughout the first round, but did little else as the fight progressed. I couldn’t do it either. Petrovic scored a takedown of his own midway through the middle stanza, climbed to mount and eventually worked his way to the back, at which point he counterattacked with ground and pound with his elbows, drawing blood and nearly finishing him. . His exhausted Liang proved powerless at the start of the third round. There, Petrovic secured another takedown, advanced to mount with minimal resistance, and secured a choke to end the bout.
Liang, 27, has not recorded a win since January 24, 2021 and appears destined to return to China’s regional scene.
In other bouts, former Invicta Fighting Championship titleholder Ketlen Souza (14-4, 1-1 UFC) defeated Marnik Mann (6-3, 0-0) in three rounds at women’s strawweight. He earned a unanimous decision over UFC (2 wins, 2 losses) and earned 30 points. 27 points overall. Maheshate Heisael (10-3, 2-2 UFC) defeated “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” Season 1 semifinalist Gabriel Benitez (23-12, 7) 28-29, 29-28, 29- He won a split decision at 28. -8 UFC) in his three-round lightweight pairing.
