UFC Fight Night 106 Prelims: Kevin Lee Choke Submits Francisco Trinaldo in Brazil
Kevin
Lee can back up his bravado.
The outspoken Detroit native continued his rise on the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight ladder, as he submitted Francisco Trinaldo with a second-round rear-naked choke in the featured UFC Fight Night 106 “Belfort vs. Gastelum” prelim on Saturday at the Olympic Training Center in Fortaleza, Brazil. Trinaldo (21-5, 11-4 UFC) bowed out 3:12 into Round 2, his seven-fight winning streak having run its course (online betting).
Lee (15-2, 8-2 UFC) navigated some choppy seas. Trinaldo had him in
trouble on multiple occasions in the first round, an overhand left
upstairs and a left hook to the body doing the damage. Lee turned
the tide in the second, where he wobbled the Brazilian kickboxer
with a head kick, countered a takedown into top position and
climbed to full mount. From there, he forced Trinaldo to surrender
his back, secured a body triangle and cinched the fight-ending
choke.
The 24-year-old Lee has put together four straight wins, three of them finishes.
Multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Sergio Ramos utilized a sizeable reach advantage in earning a unanimous verdict over Davi Ramos in a three-round undercard affair at 170 pounds. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Moraes (12-2-1, 6-1-1 UFC), who has not lost a fight in almost five years.
A replacement for the injured Max Griffin, Ramos (6-2, 0-1 UFC) countered effectively at times but could not close the distance often enough to make meaningful headway. Moraes was content to peck away from the outside with jabs and front kicks, mixing in occasional combinations before scooting out of danger.
The loss snapped a modest two-fight winning streak for Ramos.
Former Bellator MMA and Tachi Palace Fights champion Joe Soto took a unanimous decision from 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Rani Yahya in a preliminary bantamweight confrontation. Soto (18-5, 3-3 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28, 29-27 and 29-27 nods from the judges.
Yahya (23-9, 8-3 UFC) was surprisingly aggressive on the feet, as he controlled much of the first round with knees, punches and kicks. However, his output came at a price. The two men clashed heads in the middle stanza, resulting in a serious gash to Soto’s scalp. Blood poured from the wound, but a deteriorating Yahya could not capitalize. Winded and weary, he saw Soto seize control late in Round 2 and carry his newfound momentum into the third. There, the Californian sprawled on a takedown, assumed top position and dropped elbows and punches. A late Soto takedown squashed a potential rally from the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
Soto, 29, has pieced together a three-fight winning streak since his UFC 195 loss to Michinori Tanaka in January 2016.
Michel Prazeres submitted “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 2 alum Joshua Burkman with a north-south choke in the first round of their undercard pairing at 155 pounds. Burkman (28-15, 6-10 UFC) conceded defeat 1:42 into Round 1, then removed his gloves and left them in the cage.
Prazeres (22-2, 6-2 UFC) clipped the Utah native with a left hook and unloaded with punches, nearly forcing the stoppage inside the first minute. Later, he secured a takedown on the still-dazed Burkman, passed to side control and wrapped him in the choke to prompt the tapout.
The 33-year-old Prazeres has rattled off four consecutive victories.
Jeremy Kennedy kept his perfect professional record intact, as he captured a unanimous decision from “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” winner Rony Mariano Bezerra in a preliminary featherweight tilt. All three cageside judges scored it for Kennedy (10-0, 2-0 UFC): 29-28, 29-28 and 29-27.
They battled to a virtual stalemate through two rounds. Kennedy nosed in front in the third, where he executed repeated takedowns and consolidated them with occasional ground-and-pound and bottled up Bezerra (14-7, 4-4 UFC) with stifling positional control. The 24-year-old Canadian prospect has gone the distance in each of his past four appearances.
Paulo Henrique Costa could not have been more impressive in his promotional debut, as the former Jungle Fight champion blitzed Garreth McLellan with first-round punches in a brief undercard scrap at 185 pounds. A fill-in for the injured Alex Nicholson, McLellan (13-6, 1-4 UFC) succumbed to blows 77 seconds into Round 1.
The undefeated Costa (9-0, 1-0 UFC) wasted neither time nor energy. He pushed McLellan to the fence, let his hands fly and sprawled out of a last-ditch takedown before putting away the South African with lefts, rights and a series of devastating hammerfists.
McLellan, 35, has lost three fights in a row.
The outspoken Detroit native continued his rise on the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight ladder, as he submitted Francisco Trinaldo with a second-round rear-naked choke in the featured UFC Fight Night 106 “Belfort vs. Gastelum” prelim on Saturday at the Olympic Training Center in Fortaleza, Brazil. Trinaldo (21-5, 11-4 UFC) bowed out 3:12 into Round 2, his seven-fight winning streak having run its course (online betting).
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The 24-year-old Lee has put together four straight wins, three of them finishes.
Moraes Outpoints Replacement Ramos
Multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Sergio Ramos utilized a sizeable reach advantage in earning a unanimous verdict over Davi Ramos in a three-round undercard affair at 170 pounds. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Moraes (12-2-1, 6-1-1 UFC), who has not lost a fight in almost five years.
A replacement for the injured Max Griffin, Ramos (6-2, 0-1 UFC) countered effectively at times but could not close the distance often enough to make meaningful headway. Moraes was content to peck away from the outside with jabs and front kicks, mixing in occasional combinations before scooting out of danger.
The loss snapped a modest two-fight winning streak for Ramos.
Resurgent Soto Downs Yahya
Former Bellator MMA and Tachi Palace Fights champion Joe Soto took a unanimous decision from 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Rani Yahya in a preliminary bantamweight confrontation. Soto (18-5, 3-3 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28, 29-27 and 29-27 nods from the judges.
Yahya (23-9, 8-3 UFC) was surprisingly aggressive on the feet, as he controlled much of the first round with knees, punches and kicks. However, his output came at a price. The two men clashed heads in the middle stanza, resulting in a serious gash to Soto’s scalp. Blood poured from the wound, but a deteriorating Yahya could not capitalize. Winded and weary, he saw Soto seize control late in Round 2 and carry his newfound momentum into the third. There, the Californian sprawled on a takedown, assumed top position and dropped elbows and punches. A late Soto takedown squashed a potential rally from the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
Soto, 29, has pieced together a three-fight winning streak since his UFC 195 loss to Michinori Tanaka in January 2016.
Prazeres Choke Submits Burkman
Michel Prazeres submitted “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 2 alum Joshua Burkman with a north-south choke in the first round of their undercard pairing at 155 pounds. Burkman (28-15, 6-10 UFC) conceded defeat 1:42 into Round 1, then removed his gloves and left them in the cage.
Prazeres (22-2, 6-2 UFC) clipped the Utah native with a left hook and unloaded with punches, nearly forcing the stoppage inside the first minute. Later, he secured a takedown on the still-dazed Burkman, passed to side control and wrapped him in the choke to prompt the tapout.
The 33-year-old Prazeres has rattled off four consecutive victories.
Unbeaten Kennedy Outduels Bezerra
Jeremy Kennedy kept his perfect professional record intact, as he captured a unanimous decision from “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” winner Rony Mariano Bezerra in a preliminary featherweight tilt. All three cageside judges scored it for Kennedy (10-0, 2-0 UFC): 29-28, 29-28 and 29-27.
They battled to a virtual stalemate through two rounds. Kennedy nosed in front in the third, where he executed repeated takedowns and consolidated them with occasional ground-and-pound and bottled up Bezerra (14-7, 4-4 UFC) with stifling positional control. The 24-year-old Canadian prospect has gone the distance in each of his past four appearances.
Costa Smashes McLellan in Debut
Paulo Henrique Costa could not have been more impressive in his promotional debut, as the former Jungle Fight champion blitzed Garreth McLellan with first-round punches in a brief undercard scrap at 185 pounds. A fill-in for the injured Alex Nicholson, McLellan (13-6, 1-4 UFC) succumbed to blows 77 seconds into Round 1.
The undefeated Costa (9-0, 1-0 UFC) wasted neither time nor energy. He pushed McLellan to the fence, let his hands fly and sprawled out of a last-ditch takedown before putting away the South African with lefts, rights and a series of devastating hammerfists.
McLellan, 35, has lost three fights in a row.
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