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After the break, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns with a quite unusual Fight Night like the one staged at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Five matches in a main card where few athletes shone. The result of a matchmaking probably distracted by the imminent arrival of UFC 280.
Waiting, therefore, for the great appointment that will focus on the main event between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, here is the summary of what happened at UFC Vegas 61 and our usual report cards.
- MIKE DAVIS VS VIACHESLAV BORSHCHEV
First match that takes place according to a precise leitmotif and is the one sanctioned by Mike Davis in the wrestling stages. The American fighter in fact managed to dominate Borshchev in all three rounds, taking refuge in his wrestling and moving the contest to the ground if necessary.
A control to which he also added a profitable ground and pound which allowed him to win the contest by unanimous decision.
Vote 6.5 for Davis. Vote 4 instead for Borshchev, who came out very reduced from this matchup.
- SODIQ YUSUFF VS DON SHAINIS
In the second challenge scheduled, the Sodiq Yusuff show. In fact, the Nigerian took a few seconds to get rid of the victim Don Shainis.
A relentless sequence, which began with very solid clinch knees and ended with a violent guillotine who forced his opponent to surrender.
Yusuff’s devastating victory that deserves a 8 in the report card for the performance. Vote 3 instead for Shainis, who appeared absolutely not up to par with his opponent.
- RAONI BARCELOS VS TREVIN JONES
Unbalanced comparison also that between Raoni Barcelos and Trevin Jones.
In fact, Barcelos emerged by unanimous decision at the end of three rounds conducted with great skill above all from the striking point of view.
17th career victory for the Brazilian and vote 7 for him. It does not go beyond the 5 instead Jones.
- RANDY BROWN VS FRANCISCO TRINALDO
In the co-main event match that is decidedly more balanced between Randy Brown and Francisco Trinaldo.
Start of the challenge immediately fun. The first ring was played by Brown with a sudden right that sent Trinaldo knockdown. The Brazilian’s response, however, came immediately with a takedown and a subsequent attempt at an armbar that postponed everything. on the tracks of equilibrium.
In the second round, unpredictability still reigns supreme, with exchanges on both sides in a practically mirror image.
Everything thus postponed to the last take where it was Trinaldo who took the initiative by bringing the dispute to the ground and working from Brown’s closed guard.
An attempt that however did not allow him to triumph since the judges awarded Randy Brown with a questionable verdict of unanimous decision.
Fourth consecutive victory e 6 in report card for the Jamaican-born fighter.
Same grade – 6 – despite the defeat also for Trinaldo.
- MACKENZIE DERN VS YAN XIAONAN
In the main event, the highly anticipated confrontation at the top of the women’s strawweight division among the number 5 in the ranking Mackenzie Dern and number 6 Yan Xiaonan.
A challenge that proved to be very tough with five rounds in the balance from start to finish.
In the first round it was Yan who landed the most significant shots with a basic but at the same time very effective striking.
In the second, instead, it was Dern who closed the distance and brought the match to a terrain more congenial to her: that of jiu jitsu.
The Brazilian also came close to ending the challenge with a triangle of arms, but found Yan’s careful defense who, after surviving the submission attempt, she returned to the charge in the third round imposing himself once again with his striking.
Same script also in the fourth round. In fact, Yan continued to hammer for another five minutes, highlighting all of them the boxing gaps of Dern.
Below in the score and with little chance of winning if not finalization, Dern tried everything in the last round with a sprint start in which she quickly gained first the mounts and then the back of her opponent.
From that position however she failed to carry out any submissionsclashing with an extreme defense on the part of Yan which thus imposed itself by majority decision.
A result that on the one hand highlighted the strength of the Chinese and on the other highlighted a new downsizing of the Brazilian’s ambitions.
The votes? 6.5 for Yan. 5.5 for Dern.
