Khabib Nurmagomedov continues to have a leg up on the competition. | Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images
Repeated clinches and takedowns, stifling topside grappling and punishing ground-and-pound drove the unbeaten Dagestani lightweight to a one-sided unanimous decision over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on Fox 11 on Saturday at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. All three judges arrived at the same verdict: 30-27 for Nurmagomedov (22-0, 6-0 UFC).
Dos Anjos (20-7, 9-5 UFC) could not hold off the two-time combat sambo world champion. Nurmagomedov dragged him to the canvas in all three rounds, set up shop and went to work with his punches and elbows. Dos Anjos was never in danger of being stopped, but the reality of his situation had to have been difficult to swallow. The defeat halted his streak of five straight victories.
Baczynski (19-11, 5-4 UFC) was game but outmatched. Alves tore into him with kicks to the legs, body and head, all while mixing in tight punching combinations. He opened a cut near Baczynski’s right eye with a left hook in the first round and another close to his left eye with a close-quarters knee strike in the second. However, the kicks to the legs were the difference, as repeated impacts echoed through the arena.
“It was very hard [being out for so long],” Alves said. “When something you love is taken away from you, it’s challenging, but I tried to focus on the good and on this comeback. Everything happens for a reason, and this feels great.”
Healy (29-19, 0-4 UFC) struggled to keep up in the standup exchanges, as “Gambred” tore into him with clean accurate punches and occasional kicks to the head and body. Masvidal surrendered takedowns in each of the first two rounds but returned to an upright position almost immediately, absorbing little to no damage from the man they call “Bam Bam.” The 29-year-old Miami native secured a takedown of his own late in round three, turning the tables on the clinch-minded Healy.
Masvidal has won four of his last five fights.
Payan (14-6, 0-3 UFC) landed early to the head and body but could not keep the 25-year-old Columbia, Mo., native at bay. White sent him crashing to the canvas with a straight left and polished off the victory with half a dozen unfettered right hands to the face. “The Spartan” has finished nine of his 10 foes, five of them inside one round.
Magalhaes (8-1, 3-1 UFC) crippled the Ohio-based Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt with a left hook to the solar plexus, followed with an overhand right and drove him to the mat with a knee strike to the midsection. A series of unanswered punches brought it to close and gave Magalhaes his third consecutive win.
Mein (28-9, 2-1 UFC) controlled much of the match with his length and reach. The 24-year-old Canadian paired a multi-pronged standup attack with well-disguised takedowns. Knees, leg kicks and punching combinations were all put to use with regularity. Mein put the Brazilian on his back in all three rounds, consolidating his takedowns with substantial ground-and-pound.
An injury replacement for Santiago Ponzinibbio, Perpetuo (17-4, 0-1 UFC) threatened Mein with a kneebar in the third round and rattled him with a left hook in the final minute, but the former Shooto champion failed to turn the tide completely in his favor. The loss snapped Perpetuo’s seven-fight winning streak.
Borg (6-1, 0-1 UFC) was exception in spurts. The 20-year-old delivered three slams in the 15-minute battle and transitioned to Ortiz’s back on multiple occasions. However, he was at his best in the second round, where he escaped from bottom position, struck for a takedown and moved to Ortiz’s back, threatening first with a rear-naked choke and then a neck crank.
Ortiz survived and moved on to round three, where he popped the Tucson, Ariz., native with jabs and executed a pair of head kicks. Borg made one last push for victory, again moving to his counterpart’s back, but the finish he needed failed to materialize in the waning moments.
Bektic (8-0, 1-0 UFC) was effective in the clinch and utilized an aggressive top game with heavy ground-and-pound, especially in the first and third rounds. In the second, Skelly (11-1, 0-1 UFC) staggered him with a stiff right hand, only to squander his work with a pair of illegal knee strikes against the cage. The Team Takedown was penalized a point as a result, and though Bektic was badly hurt, the promising Bosnian regained his faculties and gathered himself for a final push. A pair of key takedowns carried the 23-year-old through round three.
The two newcomers traded takedowns and reversals during their brief encounter, with May moving to full mount at one point. However, Lewis (10-2, 1-0 UFC) kept his cool, escaped to top position and turned his heavy hands loose after his 6-foot-8 counterpart suffered an apparent knee injury. A 29-year-old New Orleans native, Lewis has finished each of his last four opponents.
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