UFC Fight Night 187 Prelims: Angela Hill Routs Ashley Yoder in Strawweight Rematch

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Everything went according to plan for Angela Hill.

The former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder outstruck and outmaneuvered Ashley Yoder to a unanimous decision in the featured UFC Fight Night 187 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Hill (13-9, 8-9 UFC), who rebounded from back-to-back decision losses to Claudia Gadelha and Michelle Waterson.

Yoder (8-7, 3-6 UFC) was woefully ineffective. Hill drove home one clubbing right hand after another, kept her honest with occasional leg kicks and blew up any efforts to turn the tide in the clinch. She enjoyed her clearest her success when she targeted the body with straight punches and gnarly close-range knee strikes. Hill faced almost no adversity in the 15-minute bout, and even though she conceded two takedowns, she managed to stay active on the bottom and steer clear of any danger.

Hill now owns a 2-0 advantage in her head-to-head series with Yoder, having previously beaten “The Spider Monkey” at “The Ultimate Fighter 25” Finale in 2017.

Jourdain Stops Newcomer Rojo

Former TKO Major League MMA champion Charles Jourdain put away Marcelo Rojo with punches in the third round of their featherweight duel. Stopped by strikes for the first time in his 23-fight career, Rojo (16-7, 0-1 UFC) succumbed to an accumulation of blows 4:31 into Round 3.

Jourdain (11-3-1, 2-2-1 UFC) withstood the Entram Gym product’s considerable efforts in the first half of the match, then slowly seized control of the action. Subtle stance switches allowed the Canadian to protect his damaged left leg and connect with jabs from both hands. Jourdain floored the Combate Americas veteran with a straight left in the third round, followed up with ferocious ground-and-pound and made his final push once they returned to their feet. He corralled Rojo along the fence and buried a right hook into his ribs. The Argentinian fell to the mat, at which point referee Mark Smith had seen enough.

The 25-year-old Jourdain his pieced together a 6-2-1 record across his last nine starts.

Related » UFC Fight Night 187 Round-by-Round Scoring

Yahya Choke Submits Rodriguez

American Top Team’s Rani Yahya submitted Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Ray Rodriguez with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their bantamweight tilt. Rodriguez (16-8, 0-2 UFC) conceded defeat 3:09 into Round 2, suffering his third setback in four appearances.

Yahya (27-10-1, 12-4-1 UFC) spent much of the first round establishing his superiority, as he executed a takedown, settled in half guard and smothered the Ultimate Submission Academy rep with crushing top control. The 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist secured another takedown early in Round 2, framed the arm-triangle choke and brought it to a close.

The victory was Yahya’s first Aug. 25, 2018.

Haqparast Sinks Unbeaten Garcia

Crisp combinations, devastating kicks to multiple levels and airtight takedown defense spurred Tristar Gym standout Nasrat Haqparast to a unanimous decision over former Combate Americas champion Rafa Garcia in a three-round lightweight affair. Haqparast (13-3, 5-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 marks from the judges.

Garcia (11-1, 0-1 UFC) impressed in his promotional debut, but the gulf between the two men seemed to grow over time. Haqparast executed his game plan flawlessly, as he unleashed kicks to the body and head, multi-punch bursts and occasional stepping elbows. Garcia was a stationary target once the fight reached the third round, his opponent picking him apart with educated hands and feet.

Haqparast has won five of his past six bouts.

Aldrich Edges Struggling Casey

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 quarterfinalist J.J. Aldrich recorded her fifth win in seven outings, as she eked out a split decision over Cortney Casey in a competitive three-round flyweight encounter. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28, two of them siding with Aldrich.

Aldrich (9-4, 5-3 UFC) leaned on takedowns and control in a 15-minute scrap that was full of give and take. Casey (9-9, 5-8 UFC) zeroed in on her adversary with leg kicks, clinch knees, elbows and occasional punching flurries but struggled to maintain momentum. Aldrich struck for pivotal takedowns in the first and third rounds, held her own in the standup exchanges and managed to leave the cage with her hand raised.

Casey, 33, has lost five of her last seven fights.

Control-Minded Frey Stymies de Paula

Timely takedowns and suffocating positional control carried former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Jinh Yu Frey to a unanimous decision over Octagon newcomer Gloria de Paula in a three-round strawweight battle. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Frey (10-6, 1-2 UFC).

De Paula (6-2, 1-0 UFC) was effective at range. The Chute Boxe-trained muay Thai stylist enjoyed a strong middle stanza, where she attacked Frey with leg kicks, crisp combinations and close-range knees, opening a small cut on the bridge of the Fortis MMA rep’s nose. However, it was not enough to erase what unfolded in the first and third rounds. There, Frey completed takedowns and piled up control time. She did her best work when it mattered most, climbing to full mount midway through the final period before advancing to de Paula’s back, securing her position with a body triangle and hunting rear-naked chokes.

The win closed the book on Frey’s two-fight losing streak.

Surging Semelsberger Waylays Witt

Clinch Academy export Matthew Semelsberger made his presence known in the welterweight division, as he knocked out Jason Witt with a counter right hand in the first round of their undercard pairing at 170 pounds. Witt (18-7, 1-2 UFC) hit the deck 16 seconds into Round 1, losing for the second time in three appearances.

Semelsberger (8-2, 2-0 UFC) set the trap and countered a low leg kick with a searing straight right that sent his counterpart crashing to the canvas. Witt’s head bounced off the canvas upon impact, leaving the James Krause protégé defenseless against the punches that followed before referee Chris Tognoni could arrive on the scene.

The 28-year-old Semelsberger has rattled off five straight victories, three of them finishes.