Once again, Max
Holloway proved that he is simply too much to handle for every
featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship but one.

In the main event of
UFC on ESPN 44 on Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri, the
31-year-old Hawaiian (24-7) took a decision over streaking
contender Arnold
Allen. However, it was a memorable scrap for all 25 minutes, as
Allen (19-2) had more apparent success against Holloway than any
featherweight not named Alexander
Volkanovski has in nearly a decade.

In a fight contested completely on the feet, “Almighty” landed in
volume and with stinging power and, just as importantly, kept
Holloway from getting his usual forward march truly going.

Nonetheless, Allen was clearly behind on the scorecards going into
the final frame, and with his head coach Firas Zahabi’s
acknowledgement between rounds that he needed a finish, the Brit
did his best to oblige. Allen came out with a furious pace, landed
numerous hard punches and several head kicks, and appeared to have
Holloway hurt a few times, if not seriously compromised. Holloway
fired right back, however, refusing to get on his bicycle and even
knocking Allen down as the final horn sounded.

In the end, the judges scored the fight unanimously (49-46, 49-46,
48-47) in Holloway’s favor. The win elevated his UFC record to 20-7
and left him a very interested observer of Volkanovski’s scheduled
title defense on July 8 against Yair
Rodriguez, against whom Holloway already has a win. Allen’s
first UFC loss left him at 11-1 in the Octagon and snapped a
12-fight win streak.

Barboza Melts Quarantillo

Edson
Barboza may be in the final act of his career, but there is
always room for one more on his legendary highlight reel.

Barboza (23-11) needed barely half a round to victimize Billy
Quarantillo in their co-headlining featherweight affair. The
Brazilian, who turned 37 in January, came out looking as sharp and
serious as ever, meeting Quarantillo’s pursuit with lateral
movement, punch counters and some of his trademark leg kicks. On
several occasions in the brief fight, Quarantillo looked to close
the distance with an overhand right before changing levels. Halfway
through the round, Barboza sniffed out one such attempt, ate the
punch and met the level change with an intercepting right knee.

Quarantillo was separated from his senses instantly, collapsing in
a heap at the base of the fence. No follow-up was necessary, as
referee Keith
Peterson swooped in to stave off further punishment.

The sensational knockout elevated Barboza’s Octagon record to 17-11
and evened up his tally at 3-3 since dropping from lightweight to
featherweight a few years ago. Quarantillo fell to 5-3 in the
promotion, having alternated wins and losses after a 3-0 start.

Murzakanov Drops, Outlasts Jacoby

Azamat
Murzakanov kept his professional record spotless, though
Dustin
Jacoby certainly made it interesting.

In their main card light heavyweight showcase, Murzakanov’s
aggression, hand speed and power clearly had Jacoby uncomfortable,
which was only exacerbated by the Russian’s sporadic but timely
takedown attempts. “The Professional” dropped Jacoby with punches
in Round 1, busting up his nose in the bargain.

Murzakanov knocked him again late in Round 2, in a flurry that
might have precipitated the end of the fight if time had not
expired. Clearly behind on the scorecards, Jacoby came roaring back
in the final frame, fighting with aggression, hurting Murzakanov
and even hitting a takedown of his own, but it was not enough. The
judges awarded the fight to Murzakanov via unanimous 29-28 scores,
bringing the 36-year-old’s record to 13-0 overall (3-0 UFC) and
positioning him for a possible Top 10 matchup in his next outing.
“The Hanyak,” valiant in defeat, fell to 18-7-1 as a pro and has
now lost two straight after going on a 6-0-1 tear upon rejoining
the UFC in 2020.


Cutelaba Brutalizes Boser

Tanner
Boser took over two years preparing to drop to light
heavyweight; Ion
Cutelaba took barely two minutes to show him that his new
division is not short on power, either.

Cutelaba (17-9-1) came out in typically aggressive fashion, moving
forward and trying to land big right hands, while Boser (20-10-1)
circled out and looked to counter. Ninety seconds in, the Moldovan
mauler caught Boser with a right that staggered him badly, and from
there the end was not long in coming. “The Hulk” flung Boser down
and threw a torrent of punches as he tried to stand back up. Caught
against the fence and eating a stream of unanswered blows, Boser
was rescued by referee Keith
Peterson, who stopped the mugging at 2 minutes, 5 seconds of
Round 1.

The quick and brutal beating got Cutelaba back on track from a
career-worst three-fight losing streak and lifted his UFC record to
6-8-1.

Boser, who had whittled down from nearly 250 pounds to around 225
since his Octagon debut in 2019 ahead of the move to 205, fell to
4-5 in the promotion.

Munhoz Outworks Gutierrez

Pedro
Munhoz righted the ship at Chris
Gutierrez’s expense, reminding the Ultimate Fighting
Championship bantamweight division that he is one of its very best
fighters.

Munhoz (20-7, 2 NC) entered the Octagon having won just once in his
last six fights. Desperately in need of some positive momentum, he
fought like it, using relentless pressure and pace to win what
seemed like every minute of the fight. Munhoz got off to a hot
start, dropping Gutierrez (19-5-2) with a big left and dominating
the rest of the first round with ground-and-pound, submission
attempts and a brief advance to side control.

There would not be another single moment of game-changing offense
from “The Young Punisher,” but the tone had been set: Munhoz
marched Gutierrez down for the balance of the fight, reducing him
to throwing single strikes off the back foot. Gutierrez made an
effort to turn the tide in the final round, throwing some spinning
attacks and even, in the closing moments, a rolling thunder kick,
but nothing landed with effect.

The cageside judges scored the fight for Munhoz by unanimous 30-27
tallies, bringing the 36-year-old’s UFC record to 10-7 with two no
contests. Gutierrez, who came into “UFC Kansas City” with a 7-1-1
Octagon record, had a four-fight win streak broken in defeat.


Garcia Boxes Up Guida

Perhaps reasoning that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Rafa Garcia
used a rinse-and-repeat approach to sweep all three rounds against
the ageless Clay
Guida.

Garcia (15-3) leaned heavily on his jab, punctuated by a few
judiciously applied low kicks and right crosses, to frustrate Guida
(38-23) in the UFC Kansas City main card opener. Guida, newly shorn
of his trademark locks, was his usual self on the feet, bobbing and
weaving while looking to bounce into range and land hooks, but his
usual ground assault was nowhere to be seen, especially in Round 1,
when he did not attempt a single takedown.

Garcia took the fight “The Carpenter” gave him, nearly doubling his
previous personal best in terms of strikes landed and leaving
Guida’s face bloodied and swollen by the end. After three rounds,
Garcia took the unanimous decision, sweeping all three rounds on
the scorecards, and the lone moment of suspense came when Guida
pulled off his gloves in the cage, only to spring a “gotcha” in his
interview and proclaim that he was not, in fact, retiring.

The win elevated Garcia’s Octagon mark to 4-3; the 40-year-old
Guida fell to 18-17 in the promotion.

Continue Reading »
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Max Holloway Turns Aside Arnold Allen in UFC on ESPN 44 Headliner