Curtis Blaydes routs Alexander Volkov for fourth UFC earn in row

LAS VEGAS — UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes dominated Alexander Volkov with wrestling Saturday evening, earning his fourth consecutive victory in a suffocating unanimous determination.

Featherweight Josh Emmett gained a unanimous decision above Shane Burgos in a thrilling joint efficiency throughout the penultimate bout of the newest demonstrate from the enthusiast-free UFC Apex health and fitness center in the blended martial arts promotion’s hometown.

Blaydes (14-2) showcased his top-quality wrestling competencies from the start out from Volkov, taking down the towering Russian within just the to start with 10 seconds and then dominating the 1st 3 1/2 rounds. Volkov (31-8) landed his have takedown late in the fourth and nailed Blaydes with a number of strikes early in the fifth, but Blaydes pushed by means of and gained by bending the combat to his very clear strengths on the floor.

“It’s always a good knowledge to know you can go 25 minutes, and there’s items you will need to work on, but you master them in a get,” Blaydes reported. “I will need to perform on my conditioning after the 3rd round, but I’m happy with the win. Volkov is legit, and I’m 1 action closer to a title shot.”

The 6-foot-7 Volkov flew to the U.S. with no crystal clear idea how he will get household to Russia owing to travel constraints amid the coronavirus pandemic. He had won 7 of his previous 8 fights, but hadn’t competed since his a person-sided victory in excess of Greg Hardy in Moscow very last yr.

Blaydes gained on the judges’ scorecards 49-46, 48-47 and 48-46.

Blaydes and Francis Ngannou are the most probably contenders to get the future shot at the UFC heavyweight title immediately after winner Stipe Miocic completes his trilogy with former two-belt champ Daniel Cormier at UFC 252 on Aug. 15. Ngannou is liable for the only two losses of Blaydes’ profession, profitable their bouts in 2016 and 2018.

Emmett and Burgos put on the overall performance of the evening with a interesting slugfest, with Emmett successful 29-28, 29-28 and 29-27. The 35-12 months-old Emmett (16-2) persevered by way of a knee injury in the initial round to land two knockdowns and a dominant 3rd round, but Burgos absorbed remarkable punishment and imagined he had acquired a final decision.

“Dana, I informed you, get that checkbook completely ready!” Emmett shouted immediately immediately after the fight in the direction of UFC President Dana White, who arms out the promotion’s bonuses for excellent performances.

The celebration was the fourth of 5 consecutive UFC displays held in excess of five weekends with no followers on its company campus. Following up coming week’s demonstrate headlined by Dustin Poirier’s meeting with Dan Hooker, the UFC will transfer to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi for 4 displays in 14 days, beginning with UFC 251 on July 12.

Veteran Jim Miller finished Roosevelt Roberts with an armbar in the very first spherical of his most up-to-date milestone combat. The 36-yr-aged Miller (32-14) matched Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s report 35th physical appearance in a UFC cage, and his 21st UFC victory remaining him trailing only Cerrone (23) and Demian Maia (22) in the promotion’s background.

Previous bantamweight title contender Raquel Pennington (11-8) gained only her next get since 2016 with a apparent conclusion over 42-yr-old superior faculty trainer Marion Reneau. Pennington’s fiancée, Tecia Torres, snapped her 4-struggle skid since 2017 with a one-sided final decision around Brianna Van Buren on the early undercard.

Justin Jaynes had a storybook UFC debut, halting Frank Camacho with strikes in just 41 seconds. The 30-yr-outdated Jaynes accepted the struggle only 3 times in the past when Matt Frevola was pulled from the Las Vegas card due to the fact of a teammate’s good coronavirus exam.

In two matchups pitting seasoned veterans, Lauren Murphy received a unanimous selection over fellow veteran flyweight Roxanne Modafferi, and Bobby Green managed his earn above Clay Guida.