UFC 235 ESPN prelims results & highlights: Zabit beats Stephens, Walker wrecks Cirkunov

The UFC 235 prelims are in the books and the promotion’s #13 ranked featherweight Zabit Magomedsharipov just edged out the the #6 ranked Jeremy Stephens. Magomedsharipov has now won 13-fights in a row, five of those occurring in the UFC. A win over Stephens should position Magomedsharipov in a position to face a top-5 opponent in his next outing. The was the 30th UFC fight for Stephens.

The promotion’s #15 ranked light heavyweight Johnny Walker made quick work of the #14 ranked Misha Cirkunov, adding to his highlight reel with a spectacular flying knee finish in just 36 seconds. The explosive and exciting Walker is now 3-0 in the UFC, all of which came by brutal first-round finish. In an overzealous post-fight celebration, Walker injured his left arm, but hopefully it’s no big deal and he will be back in the Octagon in no time.

Before that, Cody Stamann picked up a sticky decision over the streaking Alejandro Perez. The win puts Stamann back into the win column, and breaks up a seven-fight run without a loss for Perez. Also on the prelims, Diego Sanchez turned back the clock tonight when he turned up and out-classed Mickey Gall. Sanchez owned the grappling exchanges, exhausting his less-experienced opponent and sniffing out a second-round TKO. Believe it or not, Diego Sanchez has now won back-to-back fights for the first time since 2011.

ESPN prelims:

Zabit Magomedsharipov def. Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Featherweight

Stephens calmly pressed forward as Magomedsharipov looked to counter on the back foot. Several hard leg kicks scored for Magomedsharipov as Stephens advanced towards him and tried to close the distance. Magomedsharipov landed an accidental cup kick that resulted in a brief pause in the action. A Showtime kick nearly missed for Magomedsharipov as the Russian began to open up.

Another cup kick from Magomedsharipov opened up the second round, but not much time was taken by Stephens to recover. A strong right hand landed for Stephens that caused Magomedsharipov to turn up the heat. Magomedsharipov then shifted gears and began to wrestle with his opponent. Stephens exposed his back, and Magomedsharipov controlled him for the rest of the round. After the bell sounded, the fighters proceeded to shove one another other before returning to their corners.

Stephens brought the pressure in the final round, backing up Magomedsharipov to the cage. Single strikes would score for Stephens here and there, but he wasn’t able to keep Magomedsharipov in front of him long enough to string together a combination. Magomedsharipov continued to play the outside, picking off his opponent as he tried to land the big shot.

Johnny Walker def. Misha Cirkunov by TKO at :36 of round 1: Light Heavyweight

Walker measured, measure, and measured. Then, BOOM! Walker unloaded a flying knee that collapsed Cirkunov. A few followup strikes later and the referee was stepping in to stop the fight. Wowsers!

Cody Stamann def. Alejandro Perez by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2) : Bantamweight

Some sticky standup occurred across the first-half of the opening round. Stamann was looking for his moments to get the fight to the ground, but Perez did a sound job of staying vertical. Some more calculated striking took place in the second frame. Stamann found some success with his left hand, but still struggled to get the fight to the floor. Perez had limited offense in this round. He wasn’t throwing nearly as much as his opponent, although he was able to fend ff the takedown attempts. Perez started the final round with a lifting takedown of Stamann, but the fight quickly returned to its feet. Stamann got back to throwing more volume than his opponent, dictating the pace and going first.

Diego Sanchez def. Mickey Gall by TKO at 4:13 of round 2: Welterweight

Sanchez stuffed Gall up against the cage looking to grappler with the less seasoned fighter. Gall gave up the takedown, and Sanchez began to grind away. Sanchez maintained control of his opponent, despite Gall’s attempts to get back to his feet.

Gall seemed to be fatigued just a minute into the second round, but he was still able to land some clean punches. Sanchez landed a hard knee from the clinch and Gall sort of just flopped to the ground. Sanchez started to push the pace, grinding on Gall and dropping some serious ground strikes. The referee began to warn Gall to improve his position, but the onslaught of Sanchez proved to be too much, and the fight was stopped.