UFC Vegas 13 prelims results & video: Griffin nearly severs Brahimaj’s ear, Giles KO’s Lewis

The UFC VEGAS 13 preliminary card just finished up and we got all finishes.. one of which being a rather gruesome injury. Closing out this portion of the event, Trevin Giles stopped Bevon Lewis with punches in the third-round. Giles had his opponent’s number on the feet, and refused to allow Lewis to get the fight to the floor. It was in the final round when Giles hurt Lewis and put him away with a series of devastating hooks. This makes back to back wins for the full-time police officer.

Before that, Alexander Romanov remained perfect in his professional MMA journey by hitting a forearm choke that left Marcos Rogerio de Lima unconscious in the first-round. Although this submission is new to the UFC, Romanov has actually hit this maneuver multiple times throughout his career. In his post-fight interview, the heavyweight prospect called out previous scheduled opponent Marcin Tybura.

Also on the prelims, longtime promotional OG Darren Elkins scored a third-round submission over Eduardo Garagorri. Per usual, “The Damage” leaned on his wrestling and also had to absorb a few blows. This time, though, the veteran found a way to get a much needed win with this victory breaking up a four-fight losing skid. It should also be noted that this was Elkins’ 21st UFC featherweight tilt, and he holds the division’s record for most takedowns completed at 48.

UFC veteran Max Griffin had a strong showing against promotional newcomer Ramiz Brahimaj, earning a TKO stoppage in the third round due to a gruesome ear injury. Griffin was on point with his footwork, and began to pick apart his opponent the longer the fight went. It was a right hand that from Griffin right on the ear that caused the horrific injury and bringing the bout to a screeching halt. If you can’t help yourself and need to see the ear, it can be found be clicking HERE. This was a big win for Griffin as it gets him back into the win column, and is also his first finish since November of 2016.

Opening up the event, Gustavo Lopez pulled off a first-round rear-naked choke on the returning Anthony Birchak. These bantamweights went right at it, with Lopez scoring a knockdown before taking the fight to the floor. Thats where Lopez took the back and sunk the choke for his first UFC win.

**See complete results below

Prelims:

Trevin Giles def. Bevon Lewis by TKO at 1:26 of round 3: Middleweight

Giles went right at Lewis with heavy punches to get things going, and then earned a short-lived takedown. Lewis stood up and the fighters jockeyed for position up against the fence for a bit. On the break, Giles clipped Lewis, forcing a little stagger. The fight went back to the clinch against the cage, with Lewis leaning on Giles. With less than a minute remaining in the round, Giles dropped his foe with a stinging jab, and then took top position for the rest of the time.

The second round saw a much slower pace. Giles was pressing forward, but not with the same sort of aggression that he used in the opening act. Lewis spent a lot of time waiting, allowing Giles to be first and score.

Lewis was hunting for the takedown in the final act, but Giles wasn’t having it. Giles stuffed the takedowns and started to bomb on Lewis with some angry hooks. Lewis retreated to the cage, but that’s when he was attacked with another flurry that sent him falling tot he floor. The referee was right there to stop the fight before any unnecessary damage was dished out.

Alexander Romanov def. Marcos Rogerio de Lima by submission (Forearm Choke) at 4:48 of round 1 : Heavyweight

Romanov blasted a takedown right away to take top position. De Lima did an excellent job of finding enough space to scramble up to his feet. He then stuck Romanov with a flurry of punches that landed flush. Romanov tied up against the fence, stalling out the fight. Romanov was able to lock his hands together to achieve a bodylock takedown. In a rare submission for anyone not named Romanov, Alexander hit another one of his patented forearm choke and put De Lima to sleep.

Darren Elkins def. Eduardo Garagorri by submission (RNC) at 2:22 of round 3: Featherweight

Elkins went right at Garagorri with his classic rinse and repeat wrestling attack. Garagorri just couldn’t find any seperation. He would work hard to stand back up, but would quickly get taken right back down. The second round saw Elkins trying to lean on his wrestling again, but Garagorri did a better job of finding seperation. In open space, Garagorri was blasting Elkins with flush punches until the longtime UFC veteran finally got his takedown. The round ended with Elkins punching away from the full guard.

Garagorri stuffed the initial takedown attack in the final rounding clocked Elkins with some hard counter punches. Elkins found a way to clinch upon and jumped on the back of Garagorri while he was standing. The fighters fell to the ground as Elkins went hard for an RNC, prompting Garagorri to tap.

Max Griffin def. Ramiz Brahimaj by TKO at 2:03 of round 3: Welterweight

Griffin got started first, popping out his jab and attacking the legs. Brahimaj was composed and looking to pick his shots. A lot of feeling out went on after that, with neither man really opening up and both men being defensive.

An accidental cup kick forced Brahimaj to drop to the canvas in agony early in the second round. Brahimaj recovered and the fight got back underway. Griffin was the one throwing more volume as he utilized active footwork to give his foe a lot of different looks. Griffin was leading with his jab and then building off it, picking apart the UFC newcomer.

We got another accidental cup kick early in the third frame, just as Brahimaj tried to apply some pressure. The fight resumed and Max stung his opens with a stiff right hand. Griffin opted to clinch up, and the referee stepped in to stop the fight due to a right hand partially severing the ear of Brahimaj. Gross!

Gustavo Lopez def. Anthony Birchak by submission (RNC) at 2:43 of round 1: Bantamweight

This one got underway quickly, with both men clocking the other man with punches right out of the gate. Lopez clipped Birchak in an early exchange, briefly dropping the returning fighter. Lopez flurried and then shot in for a short-lived takedown. Birchak started to swing, but Lopez was one step ahead. Lopez took top position again, and pounded away until Birchak exposed his back. Lopez sunk in a rear-naked choke and Birchak went to sleep just as he tried to tap.