Light heavyweight contender Corey Anderson delivered a career-best effort in the UFC Hamburg co-main event at Barclaycard Arena, winning a shutout three-round decision over former world title challenger Glover Teixeira.
Scores were 30-27 across the board for the No. 9-ranked Anderson, now 12-4. The No. 3-ranked Teixeira falls to 27-7.
Anderson looked good in the first round, using his striking to set up takedowns, and while Teixeira fought off his opponent’s early attempts, with a little over two minutes left, Anderson got the takedown, setting off a sequence of Teixeira getting up and Anderson putting him back down. Teixeira did sink in a guillotine choke late, but the horn intervened.
Teixeira upped his work rate to begin round two, but it was a right hand from Anderson that stunned the Brazilian. Anderson pounced and got the fight back to the mat, but Teixeira recovered and got upright and back to work. It was Anderson taking Teixeira down in the final minute, though, capping off another good round, and it was more of the same in the third, as Anderson kept Teixeira from getting into any kind of rhythm.
AZAITAR vs MIRANDA
Middleweight newcomer Abu Azaitar picked up a win in his UFC debut, defeating Brazilian veteran Vitor Miranda via unanimous decision.
Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Azaitar, now 14-1-1 with 1 NC. Miranda falls to 13-7.
The wild-swinging Azaitar came to fight, throwing both hands at Miranda from the time the two were waved into battle. Miranda was cool under pressure, though, and with under two minutes left, he changed things up with a takedown. Azaitar eventually got free late in the round and, again, the Morocco product was winging hooks, allowing him to finish the frame strong.
Miranda got the fight back to the mat in round two, nearly locking in an arm triangle, and while Azaitar escaped and rose to his feet, he was grounded again moments later. This time, Miranda got into mount, but Azaita powered his way free and into the top position. A restart from referee Kevin Sataki followed in the final minute, with Azaitar then defending a Miranda takedown attempt and landing ground strikes as the round ended.
Azaitar opened round three with a takedown of his own, Miranda responding with an armbar attempt. Azaitar stayed cool until Miranda abandoned the attempt, but the Brazilian stayed on top until Azaitar reversed position with a little over a minute left.
TYBURA vs STRUVE
Marcin Tybura snapped a two-fight losing streak, defeating fellow heavyweight contender Stefan Struve via unanimous decision.
Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for the No. 9-ranked Tybura, now 17-4. The No. 13-ranked Struve falls to 32-11.
The European heavyweights fought tactically in the first round, Struve landing some hard kicks to the leg while Tybura likely earned the frame thanks to a pair of takedowns. But neither fighter was surging into the lead.
Tybura put the fight back on the mat early in round two and he kept it there until the final two minutes, bloodying Struve’s chin with a hard elbow. That appeared to fire up the “Skyscraper,” who got back to his feet and stunned Tybura with a kick to the face before getting grounded once more just before the horn. And it was that ground game that allowed Tybura to control the pace and place for the fight in the third again, setting up the unanimous decision victory.
ROBERTS vs ZAWADA
No stranger to adversity, welterweight veteran Danny Roberts dug deep to escape with a hard-fought split decision over late replacement foe David Zawada.
Scores were 29-28 twice and 27-30.
Whether on the feet or the mat, Roberts held the edge in round one, but Zawada was in every exchange in both spots, nearly locking up the Brit’s arm in the closing seconds of the frame.
Zawada got the bout to the mat in the opening minute of the second round, and while Roberts rose quickly, Zawada’s second takedown was even more emphatic. A scramble saw Roberts take control from the top position, but Zawada stayed active from the bottom as he looked for a submission before taking over on top.
In the third, Zawada went all-in for a choke, but Roberts was able to survive. He wasn’t out of trouble, though, and Zawada sought the choke again before Roberts was able to bull himself into the top position. Zawada returned the favor moments later before the two stood and traded blows until a final trip to the canvas that left both fighters spent.
With the win, Liverpool’s Roberts improves to 16-3. Dusseldorf’s Zawada, who replaced the injured Alan Jouban, falls to 16-4.
HAQPARAST vs DIAKIESE
Hamburg’s own Nasrat Haqparast made his hometown fans happy in lightweight action, upsetting England’s Marc Diakiese via unanimous decision.
Haqparast (9-2) had a good first round, landing a couple hard left hands while simply outworking Diakiese, who did more moving and smiling than throwing punches. The “Bonecrusher” did rip off a great left to the body, but Haqparast was able to walk through it.
Diakiese (12-3) picked up the pace a bit in the second, but the patient pressure of Haqparast was impressive, and late in the round, that pressure forced the Brit to the mat, where a series of strikes bloodied Diakiese and had him in trouble as the horn sounded.
Haqparast continued to push the pace in the final round, punishing Diakiese with each charge. Diakiese, his eye swelling shut, kept gamely trying for a way to turn the fight around, but Haqparast had an answer for everything, leading to a victory via scores of 30-27 twice and 30-26.
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