Susurkaev might have hoped, but he achieved his desired result
just four days after he competed on Dana White’s Contender
Series.
The 24-year-old Russian prospect waded through serious adversity in
his
Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, as he dispatched Eric Nolan
with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their featured
UFC 319 middleweight prelim on Saturday at the United Center in
Chicago.
Nolan (8-4, 0-1 UFC) conceded defeat 2:01 into Round
2.
Susurkaev (10-0, 1-0 UFC) was slow out of the gate. Nolan doubled
up on his jab, paired uppercuts with left hooks and picked his
shots from the outside. He had Susurkaev badly dazed late in the
first round but ran out of time. The one-minute respite did not
benefit Nolan. Susurkaev took top position on a failed leg lock
attempt from the Dante Rivera
protégé, flirted with an arm-triangle and advanced to the back.
From there, he flattened out Nolan, snaked his arms in place for
the choke and let his squeeze do the rest.
Meanwhile, onetime Thunderstrike Fight League champion Michal
Oleksiejczuk disposed of Gerald
Meerschaert with punches in the first round of their
middleweight tilt.
Meerschaert (37-20, 12-12 UFC) bowed out 3:03 into Round
1.
Oleksiejczuk (21-9, 9-7 UFC) blasted the Kill Cliff Fight Club rep
with sharp one-twos and denied his telegraphed takedown attempts
with ease. He rocked Meerschaert with a left uppercut followed by a
left hook, reset and decked him with a one-two. Oleksiejczuk then
pounced on his fallen counterpart and tore into him with punches
and hammerfists until referee Herb Dean had seen enough.
The resurgent 30-year-old Oleksiejczuk has now delivered 16 of his
21 pro victories by knockout or technical knockout.
Further down the undercard, ex-Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder
Lupita
Godinez outstruck Jessica
Andrade to a hard-fought unanimous decision in their
three-round women’s strawweight scrap. Godinez (14-5, 9-5 UFC) drew
29-28 scores across the board, winning for the second time in as
many outings.
Godinez (14-5, 9-5 UFC) seized the reins across the first two
rounds, where she connected with potent one-twos, overhand rights
and a persistent jab. She mixed in a takedown in the middle stanza,
made a pass at an arm-triangle and eventually climbed to full
mount. To her credit, Andrade did not go down quietly. The GAEA
Project cornerstone crowded Godinez for much of the third round,
forced her into a brawl and let fly with winging power punches from
both hands. Even so, the finish Andrade needed failed to
materialize, and her rally fell short.
Andrade, 33, has suffered three setbacks in a row.
Elsewhere, Factory X export Alexander
Hernandez sprang the upset and cut down Chase
Hooper with punches in the first round of their lightweight
encounter. Hernandez (17-8, 9-7 UFC) drew the curtain 4:58 into
Round 1, as he put his third consecutive win in the books.
Hooper (16-4-1, 8-4 UFC) utilized his height and reach advantages
but saw all his good work unravel in an instant.
Hernandez floored him on the end of a vicious counter right hand
with time running down, assumed a crouched position above him and
cut loose with unanswered punches to prompt the
stoppage.
It was the eighth first-round finish of Hernandez’s career.
Deeper into the prelims, MMA Lab standout Drakkar
Klose rebounded from a Dec. 14 knockout loss to Joel
Alvarez with a unanimous decision over former Ring of Combat
champion Edson
Barboza in a three-round lightweight confrontation. All three
judges turned in 29-28 scorecards for Klose (16-3-1, 10-3 UFC).
The 39-year-old Barboza (24-13, 18-13 UFC) tried to keep pace with
sweeping leg kicks and a punishing jab. However, Klose landed
virtually all the impactful strikes. He had Barboza reeling with a
volley of right hands in the second round and exacted a significant
toll in the clinch, where he unleashed foot stomps, close-range
punches and slashing elbows over the top. A thudding lead right
hand was Klose’s weapon of choice from distance, and he made
optimal use of it in the back half of the match.
Barboza has lost back-to-back bouts.
Finally, Team Alpha Male’s Joseph
Morales put away the previously unbeaten Alibi
Idiris with a triangle choke in the second round of “The
Ultimate Fighter 33” flyweight final.
Idiris (10-1, 0-1 UFC) raised the white flag of surrender 3:04 into
Round 2.
Morales (13-2, 2-2 UFC) struck for a takedown midway through the
first round, progressed to full mount and threatened with an
arm-triangle before moving to the back and securing position with a
body triangle. He nearly finished it with a rear-naked choke in the
closing seconds. The bell saved Idiris, but his situation only
deteriorated from there. Morales forced him to retreat with a
series of hooks to the body in the second round, swarmed with
punches and again attached himself to the Naiza Fighter
Championship titleholder’s back. Idiris reversed into top position,
only to wander into the triangle. The tap followed soon after.
The 30-year-old Morales has rattled off four straight
victories.
In other action, Karine
Silva (19-5, 5-1 UFC) laid claim to a unanimous decision over
Dione
Barbosa (8-4, 2-2 UFC) in their three-round women’s flyweight
affair, earning 29-28 marks from all three cageside judges.