UFC 273 results and video: Aleksei Oleinik gets 60th win with scarf hold submission of Jared Vanderaa

The UFC 273 preliminary card is underway. Bantamweight veteran Julio Arce kicked things off with an impressive unanimous decision over Daniel Santos, strawweight debutante Piera Rodriguez used her wrestling to get the decision win over Kay Hansen, and heavyweight submission threat Aleksei Oleinik showed that even in his mid-40s he is not to be messed with on the ground… just ask Jared Vanderaa. Here’s how those fights played out.

Aleksei Oleinik def. Jared Vanderaa by submission (scarf hold) at 3:59 of round 1 – Heavyweights

Oleinik clubbed Vanderaa with a couple of awkward right hands that should’ve never been able to make contact. Vanderaa clipped Oleinik with a right hand. Oleinik had Vaneraa in a clinch and pulled guard, but Vanderaa wanted no part of Oleinik’s guard. He scrambled to Oleinik’s back and looked to submit the submission specialist. He sought the rear-naked choke, then transitioned to a triangle choke buthe lost the position. Oleinik took Vanderaa’s back with both hooks in and then advanced to the scarf hold. Tap time! Win number 60 for the 44-year-old.

Piera Rodriguez def. Kay Hansen by unanimous decision (29-28 x3) – Women’s Strawweights

Not a whole lot was happening in the first two minutes, then Hansen shot for a double leg, turned to a body lock, then after some serious determination secured the takedown on the Venzeuelan after switching to a single leg. Rodriguez did well to get back to her feet immediately. Rodriguez was caught off guard by a level change and Hansen scored a double leg takedown into Hansen’s butterfly guard. Hansen landed a powerful shot on the ground and then threatened an arm triangle late but didn’t have enough time.

Hansen caught a Rodriguez kick and looked for another takedown against the fence, to no avail. Very little happened on the feet. Suddenly Piera had a single leg takedown on Hansen and took the back in an interesting scramble. She threw a couple of strikes before turning over to back mount. Dueling leglocks were exchanged with a bout a second left in a round that had little in it and then Rodriguez stole it late.

The Venzeuelan got another takedown early in the final round but didn’t do a whole lot offensively. She kicked at Hansen’s legs before letting her get back to her feet. A quick left hand caught Hansen and Rodriguez was able to do some work in the clinch against the fence. Action really stalled out in the closing minutes and that was bad news for Hansen. A knee and a body kick backed Rodriguez up but Hansen was taken down one more time for good measure. A win for Rodriguez in her UFC debut and a third loss in a row for Hansen (who also missed weight).

Julio Arce def. Daniel Santos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) – Men’s Bantamweights

This was billed as a fun matchup given the styles of both men and it certainly lived up to the billing. Santos pressured heavily and was winding up on big shots, notably connecting on a solid right hand while Arce looked to jab him while off the backfoot. It looked like the Brazilian was swinging for the knockout at all times, and he showed off his creativity with a diving upward elbow. Arce opted to be more patient and economical with his strike selection in the face of a storm of whirlwind offense. A head kick by Arce buckled Santos’ legs but somehow stayed on his feet, but Arce definitely had Santos in trouble as the round drew to a close.

Santos continued his aggression and array of spinning attacks, but Arce was the one who had the more effective offense. In round two he thudded home a couple of kicks to Santos’ body. The tendency of Santos to rush in predictably allowed Arce to either counter or just move away. After some success against the cage with punches, Santos took a couple of rib roasting punches from Julio. Two rounds in the books and undeniably two rounds for Arce.

Round three was more of the same; Arce jabbing Santos while Santos relentlessly comes forward but with little consistent offensive success. A clinic on superior footwork and counterstriking by Julio Arce on his way to a comfortable unanimous decision win. The only downer for him was missing weight.