UFC Brooklyn is underway and the prelims just concluded with longtime veteran Donald Cerrone successfully making his return to the lightweight division. Cerrone dropped the promotion’s #11 lightweight Alexander Hernandez with a head kick, and then finishing him off with ground strikes in the second round. Cerrone will likely be ranked here soon, but can he actually make a run at the belt?
The UFC’s #10 ranked women’s flyweight Joanne Calderwood controlled multiple phases of the fight en route to a unanimous decision victory over UFC newcomer Ariane Lipski. Calderwood has now won three fights in the featherweight division and called out the #1 ranked flyweight, Jessica Eye, in her post-fight interview.
Alonzo Menifield remained undefeated in his UFC debut by knocking out Vinicius Moreira in the opening round. Being an athletic striker at 205 pounds has proven to be a winning combination, so at just 8-0 don’t be surprised to see Menifield shoot up the rankings in no time. Kicking off the ESPN portion of the UFC Brooklyn prelims, Cory Sandhagen dropped Mario Bautista with a flying knee, and then went on to submit his opponent with an armbar, all in the first round. This makes three fights in the UFC for Sandhagen, and each of them were won by way of finish.
ESPN Prelims:
Donald Cerrone def. Alexander Hernandez by TKO at 3:43 of round 2: Lightweight
Hernandez came out aggressively feinting and landed a big punch. Cerrone changed levels and got himself a takedown, but Hernandez scrambled back up to his feet. Hernandez pressured forward aggressively again, but Cerrone did a descent job of moving and countering with his cross. The punches of Cerrone began to add up as he opened up the face of Hernandez by the time the round ended.
Hernandez clinched up with Cerrone and tried to press him up against the cage, but Cerrone was able to escape back into open space. The punches of Cerrone began to land again, prompting Hernandez to unsuccessfully try and close the distance. A couple of mean knees and elbows scored for Cerrone from the clinch, and then a head kick dropped Hernandez. Several ground strikes later and the referee was pulling Cerrone off of Hernandez. Well then.
Joanne Calderwood def. Ariane Lipski by unanimous decision (30-26 x2, 30-27): (W) Flyweight
Lipski came out throwing punches to the face of Calderwood. The distance was then closed and Calderwood landed solid elbows as she held Lipski up against the fence. Calderwood picked up a takedown and dropped some more bows on her opponent. Lipski exposed herself to an arm triangle and escaped by exposing her back. Calderwood aggressively attacked an armbar inside the final 30 seconds of the round, but Lipski was able to hang on.
Lipski began the second act by throwing her punching combinations. Calderwood was much more willing to exchange on the feet in this round. She was in and out with her strikes as Lipski began to throw her punches with less speed. Even with less heat on them, when the punches of Lipski landed they still registered harder than anything Calderwood threw.
The volume was there for Calderwood in the final round. She hit her opponent with a wide variety of punches and kicks and in and out footwork. Lipski was able to switch gears and muscle a takedown and rack up some top control. Calderwood got crafty and locked up an armbar, but Lipski was able to escape and remain on top until time ran out.
Alonzo Menifield def. Vinicius Moreira by TKO at 3:56 of round 1: Light Heavyweight
Menifield blasted his foe with heavy hands right out of the gate, knocking down Moreira. Instead of staying on the ground, Menifield opted to stand back and continue with his boxing attack. Moreira was able to close the distance and force Menifield up against the cage. A massive right hand clocked Moreira as he tried a spinning kick, which dropped him to the floor. Menifield moved in for the kill, landing several clean ground strikes that caused the referee to stop the fight.
Cory Sandhagen def. Mario Bautista by submission (Armbar) at 3:31 of round 1: Bantamweight
Sandhagen got his punch to kick combos working early for him as he pressed forward. A flying knee dropped Bautista, but Sandhagen gave up position in pursuit of the finish. Bautista went for a slamming takedown but found himself fighting out of a triangle. Bautista fought it off but a wave of submission attempts crashed over him. It was an armbar that sealed the deal for Sandhagen, prompting Bautista to tap.