Read on for UFC Fight Night early prelim results...
THEODOROU vs ALVEY
It wasn’t pretty, but Elias Theodorou got the job done in the UFC FIGHT PASS featured bout against Sam Alvey, winning their middleweight bout at TD Place Arena in Ottawa via unanimous decision.
Scores were 29-28 and 30-27 twice.
While the action wasn’t particularly compelling, Theodorou easily controlled the first round behind his unorthodox movement and kicks. Alvey was baffled by his foe’s game plan, not getting any shots off until the closing seconds of the frame.
Alvey finally scored with an uppercut at the midway point of round two, but Theodorou quickly locked up with the Californian and cleared his head as the two grappled against the fence until referee John McCarthy restarted the bout. Theodorou got back on the board with a hard kick, but Alvey kept marching forward, albeit ineffectively.
The fans and Alvey were frustrated by the lack of action in the third round, but Theodorou was sticking to what was working, and despite Alvey’s smile turning to a scowl as he chased the Canadian, it wasn’t enough to get him within punching range.
With the win, Toronto’s Theodorou moves to 13-1, Alvey falls to 26-8, 1 NC.
More from Fight Night Ottawa: Results | Post-fight bonus recap | Thompson wins technical battle vs MacDonald | Cowboy wins co-main; Bosse claims thriller | Saggo, Jotko, Soto among winners in Ottawa prelims | Theodorou, Markos nab early wins | Octagon interviews: Stephen Thompson and Rory MacDonald, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Steve Bosse | Backstage interviews: Stephen Thompson, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Joanne Calderwood | FIGHT PASS customers: Watch the early prelims on demand | Best pics from Fight Night
MARKOS vs. JONES-LYBARGER
Strawweight contender Randa Markos showed off improved striking in her bout against Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger, winning a unanimous decision.
Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 twice for Markos, now 6-4; Glendale’s Jones-Lybarger falls to 6-3.
Much of the first round was a war of attrition at close range, but when Jones-Lybarger got a takedown late in the frame, the action heated up, with Markos nearly locking up a leg before ending the round with a barrage of ground strikes.
The next two frames stayed primarily on the feet, each fighter getting her shots in, but Markos landed the harder blows, keeping her unbeaten record in Canada intact.
Markos didn’t make weight for the bout, coming in at 117.5 pounds.
COVINGTON vs. MEUNIER
Welterweight prospect Colby Covington rebounded well from the first loss of his career, submitting late replacement Jonathan Meunier in the third and final round.
The first round was easy to score for former college wrestling standout Covington, who kept Meunier grounded for much of the frame. It appeared to be more of the same in round two, but Meunier did show signs of life as he looked for submissions from the bottom position. Covington was undeterred though, and he kept swarming his foe with his ground assault.
Covington dropped Meunier with a spinning back fist early in round three, and while he didn’t finish with his strikes, he did so with his grappling, sinking in a rear naked choke that produced the tap out at the 4:06 mark.
With the win, Fort Lauderdale’s Covington moves to 9-1; Quebec City’s Meunier, who replaced the injured Alex Garcia, falls to 7-1.
BAGAUTINOV vs. HERRERA
No. 10-ranked flyweight contender Ali Bagautinov held off a spirited effort from rising star Geane Herrera, winning a three-round unanimous decision in the opener.
Scores were 30-27 across the board.
Bagautinov’s kicks were flying fast and hard in the first round, and once he had Herrera thinking about them, he began mixing punches in, landing with several before taking the Floridian to the mat. There, Bagautinov continued to tee off with his right hand as Herrera looked to lock up a leg, but to no avail.
Herrera got some daylight in the second when he nearly sunk in a reverse triangle on the aggressive Bagautinov, but the Dagestan native pulled free and went back to work with his ground-and-pound attack. Midway through the round, Herrera got back to his feet and scored a takedown of his own, quickly taking his foe’s back. Bagautinov reversed position and got back on top, where he stayed until the closing moments of the round.
Needing a finish to win, Herrera almost got it when he locked up Bagautinov’s arm in the final 90 seconds, but the former world title challenger managed to get free and make it to the horn, upping his record to 14-4 with the decision victory. Tampa’s Herrera falls to 9-2.
