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UFC aired another decent-looking UFC on ESPN fight card from the UFC Apex that was headlined by a heavyweight scrap between Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov.
Josh Emmett and Shane Burgos squared up for a featherweight co-main event, in what ended up being a potential fight of the year candidate. The women from the Bantamweight division, Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneau, faced off in one of the fights on the main show of the UFC on ESPN card.
Welterweights Lyman Good and Belal Muhammad had a stand-up affair in the second fight of the main card. A catchweight contest between Jim Miller and Roosevelt Roberts rounded up the main card that had a few potential matchups capable of stealing the show at UFC on ESPN.
Let's run through the UFC results and highlights of UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov:
UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov Results - Prelims
Bobby Green def. Clay Guida via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Tecia Torres def. Brianna Van Buren via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Marc-Andre Barriault def. Oskar Piechota via TKO (punches) (4:50, Round Two)
Gillian Robertson def. Cortney Casey via submission (rear naked choke) (4:32, Round Three)
Justin Jaynes def. Frank Camacho via TKO (punches) (0:41, Round One)
Lauren Murphy def. Roxanne Modafferi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27. 29-28)
Austin Hubbard def. Max Rohskopf via TKO (retirement) (5:00, Round Two)
UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov Results - Main Ca
#5 Jim Miller vs. Roosevelt Roberts (Catchweight - 160 lbs)
It's astounding when you think of the fact that Jim Miller has been fighting in the UFC since 2008. Nearly twelve years later, Miller stepped inside the Octagon for the 35th time in 2020.
The experienced veteran took on UFC prospect Roosevelt Roberts in the main card opener, and this one didn't last long.
It all ended with a first-round armbar submission.
Roosevelt sent in a kick in the early stages, and Miller read it thoroughly, caught it and took the fight to the ground. Miller assumed top control and held onto the dominant position as he managed to ping Roberts on his back.
'The Predator' attempted to get back up on his feet, but Miller wanted to wrap things up quickly, and he trapped Roberts' arm. Miller extended the arm and forced a verbal tap out of Roberts.
The 36-year-old Lightweight returned to the win column with the submission victory, and 'A-10' seems like he still has a lot left to offer in the stacked 155 lbs division.
Result: Jim Miller def. Roosevelt Roberts via submission (armbar) (2:25, Round One)
#4 Lyman Good vs. Belal Muhammad (Welterweight)
This Welterweight showdown was the fans' favorite of taking home the fight of the night honors for UFC on ESPN 11, and both men didn't disappoint by putting on an action-packed stand-up war. Muhammad got the better of Good at the end of a highly entertaining fight.
UFC on ESPN: Good vs. Muhammad matches expectations
Muhammad took the first round in the books by getting the better of the striking exchanges. Belal had more volume, and most importantly, he landed. His 1-2 were on point as Good was having issues while attempting to cut off the edge. Good ended strong with a combination.
Belal continued the excellent form as he moved around smoothly and landed shots at will. The second round was closer as Good rallied to land a string of combos and kicks. Muhammad, however, still did enough to get the nod from the judges in the second round.
Lyman Good picked up his game in the final round as he pressed forward and took the fight to Belal Muhammad. Good hurt Muhammad with many heavy blows. Belal was in danger of undoing the good work done in the previous round.
Muhammad didn't give it all away as he landed a clutch double leg takedown at the end. He transitioned to the body triangle and looked for the RNC as the fight came to a close. The groundwork during the dying stages of the battle saved it for Belal.
Result: Belal Muhammad def. Lyman Good via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
'Remember The Name' gave the fans a good reason to indeed remember his name.
#3 Raquel Pennington vs. Marion Reneau (Women's Bantamweight)
The women took center stage next at UFC on ESPN, and both fighters were coming off loses and needed wins to steady the ship.
The first round was relatively close as both changed kicks early on before engaging in some dirty boxing and close-range striking in the clinch. Reneau took control of the clinch against the cage, and while she couldn't get her opponent down, she did enough to win the round.
Reneau picked up from the first round and forced the clinch against the cage. A misplaced knee to the groin strike from Reneau momentarily stopped the fight. Pennington took her time, and the fight resumed. The break seemed to have helped Raquel as she came out all guns blazing with a flurry of strikes.
Reneau closed the distance and locked in the clinch. Pennington was dangerous in the Thai clinch with the knees. Those knees were brutal! Reneau used the incoming knees to score a takedown. Pennington got back up and flipped the position to land blows from the top. Reneau threatened with the arm triangle from the back Raquel got her arm out and both were back on their feet. Pennington had doubled up on the number of strikes over her opponent as the round came to a close. Raquel pulled the fight in her favour.
Pennington's hands were explosive and crisp in the final round. Raquel engaged in the Thai clinch after cracking Reneau with an elbow to the forehead, and the signature knees were on display yet again. Another clinch, and it was the same story as the knees from Pennington kept coming in. "Rocky'' had the strength advantage and she used it exceptionally well all throughout the round. Pennington was all over Reneau with the strikes that came in from all angles. She was ferocious as she stuffed a takedown attempt and just looked to see out the final thirty seconds.
Result: Raquel Pennington def. Marion Reneau via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
The superior Thai clinch work and the nasty knees from Raquel were the deciding factors in the fight as she scored a UD victory.
#2 Shane Burgos vs. Josh Emmett (Featherweight)
The ranked featherweights focused on the task of moving up the rankings for a potential shot against the king of the division, Alexander Volkanovski. Josh Emmett lived up to his promise by stopping the Shane Burgos hype train with a UD win at UFC on ESPN 11.
Shane Burgos did what he'd told in the build-up to the fight as he didn't back away from Emmett's heavy-handed strikes. Emmett overcame a scary moment as he seemed to have hyperextended his left knee early on in the fight. Burgos kept cracking Emmett with the calf kicks while Emmett kept connecting with the rights and combos.
Burgos absorbed several strikes as he stayed in the pocket and counter-attacked after getting hit. Emmett kept landing. Burgos kept moving forward. These guys were trading, and it made for a wholly engaging fight. Emmett shot for the takedown at the end, and he ended with two prominent rights after ditching the mat game.
Emmett put in the work as he landed massive rights. They came in one at a time but had a lot of pop behind them. The fight was a display of some clean striking from both men. Burgos' inside leg kicks were swift. Emmett's jabs and rights were solid as expected. Burgos had the upper hand in the significant strikes department as he was more calculated of the two and connected on the counter.
Emmett dropped Burgos with a big right. Shane was rocked, but he wasn't out as he invited Josh into his guard. Burgos didn't spend a lot of time on the back as he got back up. An accidental groin strike on Emmett gave both men a much-needed break. Emmett landed two massive overhead rights, and Burgos marched forwards as if they were jabs.
Emmett caught Burgos by surprise with an overhead left. Burgos went crashing to the mat, but he recovered from the drop. Emmett wanted to end the fight strong, and he kept landing clean strikes. Burgos got rocked with another right, but he miraculously stayed on his feet. Barely!
This was an insane fight. It was so good that Dana White gave the men a standing ovation.
Result: Josh Emmett def. Shane Burgos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
That was satisfying. Check out the highlights of what was easily one of the better fights of the year.
#1 Alexander Volkov vs. Curtis Blaydes (Heavyweight)
It was the Curtis Blaydes show in the UFC on ESPN main event.
Blaydes wasn't messing around as he landed the first takedown of the fight after twenty seconds. He dominated the first round after getting the hooks from the back. Curtis cracked Volkov with knees to the back, and the Russian had nowhere to go. Blaydes was putting on a wrestling clinic in the first round as he stayed busy with the knees and punches from the back. It was relentless pressure from Blaydes, and Volkov has no answer as he was trapped. That may have been a 10-8 for Blaydes.
Blaydes came in hot with a flurry of strikes and Volkov wasn't expecting as he was more concerned about defending the takedowns. He landed with an overhead right, changed levels and took the fight back to the ground. The clock burnt as Blaydes controlled the fight in Volkov's guard. Blaydes landed a series of elbows that would have woken Drago up.
Alexander did a better job of defending the takedowns as he stuffed two attempts. However, Blaydes looked sharp on his feet too, and the jabs landed for him. Curtis had Volkov trapped against the cage for a majority of the round.
The fourth round, as you may have imagined, was like a carbon copy of the ones that preceded it. Blaydes landed his 12th takedown of the fight - a heavyweight record, and Volkov was just physically and mentally out of the contest at this point. The fight, somehow, shifted in Volkov's favor as they got to their feet and Volkov managed to stuff the takedown, hurt Blaydes with knees as he landed a takedown himself.
Blades looked laboured in the championship round. Volkov connected with a big kick as Blaydes came in. The clock was against Volkov, and Curtis waited for his chance to shoot for the takedown. Blaydes had an unofficial count of 24 takedown attempts, which was ridiculous. Blaydes was tired, but he still managed to score a few more takedowns before seeing it through until the end.
Wrestling trumped striking in this one. Blaydes also broke the single-fight heavyweight record by completing 14 takedowns. Monstrous!
Result: Curtis Blaydes def. Alexander Volkov via unanimous decision (49-46,48-47, 48-46)
