Saturday night’s UFC on FOX 7 preliminary card featured a number of outstanding performances, but it was a trio of fighters from Team Alpha Male who stood out above the pack.
Teammates T.J. Dillashaw, Joseph Benavidez, and Chad Mendes all earned stoppage victories, adding to the run of success that started last weekend when team founder Urijah Faber collected a fourth-round submission win over Scott Jorgensen in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale. Since former UFC fighter Duane (Bang) Ludwig has moved into the head coaching role with the Sacramento, Calif.-based outfit, the group has looked outstanding, both inside the Octagon and outside of the UFC as well.
Dillashaw started the run of success for the team with a first-round technical knockout victory over Hugo (Wolverine) Viana. The former Ultimate Fighter finalist got clipped with a hook early, but managed to press forward and take Viana’s back. Just passed the midway point of the frame, Dillashaw connected with a straight right hand down the middle that staggered the former TUF Brazil contestant, and from there, the ultra-competitive bantamweight prospect pounced.
Former bantamweight and flyweight title challenger Benavidez was the second Alpha Male into the cage, and the only one who saw the second round, but that doesn’t mean his performance was any less impressive than his teammates.
The charismatic fighter originally from Las Cruces, N.M., dominated Darren Uyenoyama throughout, keeping the feet standing, forcing the decorated grappler into a striking contest where he was completely overmatched.
Late in the second frame, Benavidez connected with a thunderous kick to the body that clearly hurt Uyenoyama. Though he tried to weather the storm, Benavidez connected with another forceful blow to the body, this time dropping his opponent. A few more strikes on the ground followed, forcing the referee to step in and wave off the contest.
The final bout of the preliminary card featured the final member of the trio, and Mendes wasted little time getting his night over with. A blistering overhand right caught Darren Elkins right on the temple, putting the surging contender on roller skates, and Mendes capitalized. The former featherweight title challenger pressed in behind punches, landed another heavy blow that floored his foe, and picked up his third consecutive first-round TKO victory.
All three of the Team Alpha Male athletes have to be considered in contention in their respective divisions.
Dillashaw is probably the furthest off, though he’s now picked up four straight wins since losing to John Dodson in the Season 14 finale, including consecutive stoppage wins just five weeks apart. Benavidez could be offered a rematch with flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson after this performance, though it’s unsure when the injured champion will be ready to return to action, and whether or not the UFC intends to keep him matched up with John Moraga as originally planned.
Mendes, meanwhile, is stuck in a logjam near the top of the featherweight division, and it’s one that won’t clear up any time soon. He’s going to have to fight again at least once before earning another title shot, but at least there are plenty of worthwhile match-ups available to him.
The Team Alpha Male triumvirate was not alone in putting forth impressive performances on Saturday night though, not by a long shot.
Yoel Romero opened the show — and his UFC career — with a 92-second knockout victory over Clifford Starks, dropping the Arizona-based fighter with a beautiful flying knee that earned one of two Knockout of the Night bonuses and set the tone for the entire evening. In the next bout, Anthony Njokuani then dropped Roger Bowling with a brilliant left hook midway through the second round of their lightweight contest.
Jorge Masvidal came away with a hard-fought decision win over Tim Means, while unbeaten lightweight prospect — and two-time TUF contestant — Myles Jury had a blistering knockout win over Ramsey Nijem, catching the TUF 13 finalist with a big right hand as he pressed forward for one of the UFC-record eight KOs on the night.
But what fight night would be complete without a questionable decision? In the penultimate preliminary card contest, Montreal’s Francis Carmont earned a heavily booed unanimous decision win over former Strikeforce fighter Lorenz Larkin, with scores of 29-28 across the board.
Many believed Larkin had done more than enough to win the fight. He was the more active striker of the two, and stuffed almost every takedown attempt Carmont put forward. When he was taken down, the former light heavyweight either popped right back up, or remained active from the ground, using a beautiful kimura sweep to regain top position late in the third.
Unfortunately for Larkin — and much to the displeasure of the MMA community on Twitter — the judges thought otherwise, and awarded the contest to Carmont, and the Tristar fighter originally from Paris, France, now moves to 5-0 in his UFC career.
