Jessica Andrade impressively made her case for a second shot at the strawweight title, as she scored a one-punch knockout of Karolina Kowalkiewicz in the UFC 228 co-main event at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Andrade blitzed Kowalkiewicz with hooks as the fight began and hurt her immediately. It looked like the end was near, but Kowalkiewicz was able to clear her head and rip off some flush shots of her own. Ninety seconds in, the bout appeared to settle into a less frantic pace, but Andrade didn’t get the memo, as a single right hand put Kowalkiewicz down and out, with referee Kerry Hatley immediately stepping in at 1:58 of round one.
The No. 2-ranked Andrade moves to 19-6 with the win. The No. 4-ranked Kowalkiewicz falls to 13-3.
MAGOMEDSHARIPOV vs DAVIS
Featherweight sensation Zabit Magomedsharipov continued to shine, as he won his 12th consecutive bout, submitting Brandon Davis in the second round.
After a measured first round, Magomedsharipov pressed the action with his grappling game in the second frame, and he got Davis to the mat in the second minute. Davis got up twice, but the Dagestan native dragged his foe back down the first time, and the second, it was a slam that grounded Davis. Davis kept battling, but on a subsequent visit to the mat, Magomedsharipov ended matters with a “Suloev Stretch” kneebar that put an end to the bout at 3:46 of round two.
The No. 15-ranked Magomedsharipov moves to 16-1 with the win. Mississippi’s Davis, who replaced the injured Yair Rodriguez on short notice, falls to 9-5.
RIVERA vs DODSON
No. 5-ranked bantamweight contender Jimmie Rivera bounced back from a June loss to Marlon Moraes with a workmanlike three-round unanimous decision over the No. 7-ranked John Dodson.
Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for New Jersey’s Rivera, now 22-2. New Mexico’s Dodson falls to 21-10.
The bout was close throughout, but once Rivera’s timing diluted the effects of Dodson’s speed, he took the lead and kept it. It wasn’t an action-packed battle, but Rivera got the job done as he returned to the win column against a legit contender.
ALHASSAN vs PRICE
Fireworks were expected in the main card opener between welterweight power hitters Abdul Razak Alhassan and Niko Price, and it was Fort Worth’s Alhassan getting the last word, as he halted Florida’s Price in less than a minute.
The bombs were flying immediately, and while Price got in a good right hand, as the exchanges progressed, Alhassan’s punches were landing with devastating frequency, with a left-right-left dropping Price and ending matters. The time of referee Jacob Montalvo’s stoppage was :43 of round one.
With the win, Alhassan moves to 10-1 with 10 first-round knockouts; Price falls to 12-2 with 1 NC.
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