Al Iaquinta extended his win streak in impressive fashion in a unanimous decision win over UFC newcomer Kevin Lee on the UFC 169 preliminary card Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Iaquinta, a training partner of UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, was able to land repeated power right hands and combinations on Lee, who at just 21 years old showed tons of potential. He knocked Lee down with a huge punch early and also came close on a heel hook in the first round.
Lee showed poise beyond his years, however, and in the second round took Iaquinta down and locked in a rear-naked choke that had his opponent wincing. Iaquinta withstood the choke and the two fighters ended up going the distance with all judges scoring the bout for Iaquinta. The win was Iaquinta’s third straight since losing in the finals of TUF Live.
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Lightweight Rashid Magomedov survived a rough first round to win a unanimous decision over Tony Martin.
Martin took Magomedov down early and attempted a slew of submissions, including a tight armbar that appeared would force a tap from the Russian, however Magomedov escaped.
Magomedov had a slight advantage in a relatively uneventful second round before pouring it on and dominating the third. He came close on a tight guillotine, but Martin survived to lose a decision.
“I came late to the U.S. for my camp,” Magomedov said. “There are no excuses, but I could be better than I was tonight.”
In flyweight action, Chris Cariaso topped Danny Martinez by unanimous decision. Both men now have identical 16-5 records; Cariaso has won two straight and it ended Martinez’s four-fight win streak.
TUF 17’s Clint Hester improved to 3-0 in the UFC after a fan-friendly unanimous decision win over fellow middleweight Andy Enz.
New Jersey’s Nick Catone won a split decision over England’s Tom Watson. Despite being outstruck 54-34, Catone was able to land timely takedowns and control Watson on the ground for a large percentage of the fight. The win, which was Catone’s return to the 185-pound division, snapped a two-fight losing streak. It was Catone’s first fight since December 2012.
In the opening bout of the evening, TUF 16 veteran Neil Magny picked up a unanimous decision win over UFC newcomer Gasan Umalatov.
“These past six weeks was about being mentally prepared,” Magny said. “It feels great to put it all together.”
