UFC Fight Night Prelims: Plodding Francisco Trinaldo Sinks Akbarh Arreola

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Akbarh Arreola learned a hard lesson: Fighting Francisco Trinaldo from one’s back with the requisite tools is a lost cause.

Trinaldo employed takedowns and ground-and-pound, as he cruised to a unanimous decision over Arreola in a preliminary lightweight duel at UFC Fight Night “Maia vs. LaFlare” on Saturday at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro. All three cageside judges arrived at the same verdict: 30-27 for Trinaldo (16-4, 6-3 UFC).

The Brazilian struck for takedowns in all three rounds, often countering ill-advised leg kicks from Arreola (23-9-1, 1-2 UFC). Once on the mat, Trinaldo settled in closed guard and applied his ground-and-pound with elbows, hammer fists on short punches. He landed the cleaner blows on the feet, as well, clocking Arreola with a series of clubbing lefts throughout their 15-minute contest.

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Souza Wins 10th Straight

Former Jungle Fight champion Edimilson Souza knocked out Katsunori Kikuno with a wicked counter right hand in the first round of their undercard tilt at 145 pounds. Souza (16-3, 3-0 UFC) finished it 91 seconds into round one, as he recorded his 10th consecutive victory.

Kikuno (22-7-2, 2-2 UFC) spent his time circling incessantly with his back to the cage. Souza bided his time, caught the ex-Deep titleholder changing levels and folded him with a straight right to the face.

Kikuno then collapsed to the mat, where he was met with a hammer fist from the Brazilian.

Silva Scores Controversial Submission

Chute Boxe’s Leandro Silva submitted Drew Dober with a second-round guillotine choke in a preliminary lightweight affair. Referee Eduardo Herdy called a stop to festivities 2:45 into round two despite the fact that Dober (15-7, 1-3 UFC) was coherent, active and in the process of escaping the choke from half guard.

After a closely contested first round, Silva (18-2-1, 2-2 UFC) got in gear in the second. He secured a pair of takedowns, slid to side mount and attempted to move to Dober’s back, catching the half-guard guillotine in the subsequent transition. The American remained calm and began to free himself, only to have Herdy intervene without cause.

Silva, 29, has rattled off seven wins in eight appearances.

Teixeira Sweeps Past Carrizosa

High-volume striking, repeated takedowns and a busy top game carried Chute Boxe export Leonardo Mafra Teixeira to a unanimous decision over Cain Carrizosa in a three-round undercard battle at 155 pounds. Teixeira (12-2, 1-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 marks, winning for the sixth time in seven outings.

Carrizosa (6-2, 0-2 UFC) briefly floored the Brazilian with a right hand early in the first round but became less and less of a factor as the match moved forward. Teixeira paired multi-punch combinations with stinging leg kicks and effective clinch work before mixing in takedowns.

He bottled up Carrizosa on the canvas in the second and third rounds, battering him with ground-and-pound and achieving full mount twice across the final five minutes.

Giagos Choke Submits Oliveira

Former Tachi Palace Fights and Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Christos Giagos submitted Jorge Antonio Cezario de Oliveira with a first-round rear-naked choke in a preliminary lightweight scrap. Oliveira (7-2, 0-2 UFC) conceded defeat 3:12 into round one in a fight that was never competitive.

Giagos (11-3, 1-1 UFC) executed a takedown inside the first 40 seconds, climbed to full mount roughly a minute later and went to work with his ground-and-pound. The Team Oyama representative avoided an attempted heel hook and eventually shifted to Oliveira’s back, sinking the choke as part of a beautiful transition.

The tapout followed soon after.

The 25-year-old Giagos has won five of his past six bouts.

Serrano Uppercut KOs Syler

Onetime Olympian Freddy Serrano knocked out American Top Team’s Bentley Syler with a ringing right uppercut in the third round of their undercard clash at 125 pounds. Serrano (2-0, 1-0 UFC), who represented Colombia as a freestyle wrestler in the 2008 Olympics, brought it to dramatic close 94 seconds into round three.

Syler (5-1, 0-1 UFC) was largely ineffective. Serrano punched in combination, often punctuating two- and three-punch volleys with kicks to the head and leg. The 35-year-old Colombian also mixed in takedowns in the first and third rounds, as he kept Syler off-balance.

In the third round, Serrano caught the Florida-based Bolivian moving forward, uncorked the uppercut and sent him crashing to the canvas in an unconscious state.