UFC Fight Night 188 Prelims: Ben Rothwell Chokes Out Chris Barnett

BIG win for Big Ben!! @RothwellFighter finishes Barnett in Round 1 at #UFCVegas27! pic.twitter.com/i7bfYuGcBC

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) May 22, 2021

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Ben Rothwell kept landing punches until Chris Barnett had no choice but to look for a way out.

The former International Fight League standout battered Barnett with heavy strikes on the feet, which set up a modified guillotine choke submission victory at the 2:07 mark of Round 2 in their UUFC Fight Night 188 heavyweight contest at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Rothwell (39-13, 9-7 UFC) has been victorious in three of his last four Octagon appearances.

Barnett, who was a short-notice replacement after two different opponents fell through for Rothwell, hung tough for as long as he could. The tide turned when Rothwell landed a takedown in Round 1, passed to mount and briefly threatened with a rear-naked choke. Barnett was able to scramble back to his feet in that instance, but his resolved waned in the second frame.

Though Barnett (21-7, 0-1 UFC) proved willing to trade in the pocket with his much taller adversary, Rothwell’s barrage of offense — including several heavy uppercuts — gradually took its toll. Eventually, Barnett shot a telegraphed takedown and Rothwell sprawled with ease before locking in the fight-ending maneuver.

“This was very much a must win. What’s the saying? Super necessary,” Rothwell said. “My back was against the wall. Props to him for stepping up and coming in here. I had to show him, not yet. Not today, not on my watch.”

McGee Wears Down Silva

“The Ultimate Fighter 11” winner Court McGee halted a three-bout skid with an impressive unanimous decision triumph against Claudio Silva in a welterweight matchup. The Factory X representative gradually wore his adversary down to earn scorecards of 30-26, 30-26 and 29-27 in his favor. The 38-year-old Silva has lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his professional tenure.

McGee (20-10, 9-9 UFC) set the tone for his victory behind stout takedown defense and solid right hands in the opening stanza. When his efforts to get the action to the canvas failed, Silva’s stamina waned and McGee took advantage, as he stuffed a takedown into Round 2, reversed into top position and bloodied his foe with elbows from top position. “The Crusher” also locked in an arm triangle choke late in the period but was unable to pass to the proper position to complete the submission.

Silva (14-3, 5-2 UFC) emptied his tank in Round 3, attacking with kicks and punches to the body and briefly stunning McGee with a left to the head. McGee survived that initial onslaught, however, and controlled the majority of the round through his grappling.

Related » UFC Fight Night 188 Round-by-Round Scoring

Silva Demolishes Rodriguez

Bruno Silva earned his second stoppage victory in as many Octagon appearances, as he made short work of Victor Rodriguez in a flyweight scrap. The Pitbull Brothers representative brought the show to a close 60 seconds into Round 1, the fifth-fastest knockout in the history of the 125-pound division.

Silva (12-5-2, 1 NC, 2-2, 1 NC UFC) wasted little time bringing the fight to his opponent. He landed a glancing right hand before sucking Rodriguez into the clinch, where a hard knee to the chin put the Alaska native on shaky legs. Moments later, Silva connected with a crushing right hand that sent Rodriguez (5-4, 0-2 UFC) to the floor, where the Brazilian landed approximately four follow-up punches before referee Chris Tognoni stepped in to wave off the contest.

Culibao Earns First Promotional Triumph

Joshua Culibao secured his first Octagon victory, as he outpointed China Top Team representative Nuerdanbieke Shayilan in a featherweight affair. The Australian earned a trio of 29-28 scorecards from the cageside judges.

Shayilan (19-7, 0-1 UFC) expended plenty of energy in Round 1, when he pressed his foe into the fence and attempted multiple takedowns. Though the Chinese fighter controlled position in the period, he paid the price with a fading gas tank down the stretch. As the bout progressed, Culibao (9-1-1, 1-1-1) opened up, landing jabs, straight right hands and stinging calf kicks while keeping the fight upright. By Round 3, Shayilan was bleeding profusely from the nose as the damage from Cuilabo took its toll.

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Dvorak Chokes Out Short-Notice Foe Ronderos

David Dvorak wasted little time in dispatching short-notice foe Juancamilo Ronderos, winning via submission 2:18 into the opening stanza of their flyweight encounter. Dvorak (20-3, 2-0 UFC) locked in a one-arm rear-naked choke to force the tap and earn his 16th straight professional triumph. Ronderos (4-1, 0-1 UFC) was a replacement for Raulian Paiva, who was hospitalized following a difficult weight cut on Friday.

Dvorak found a consistent home for his right hand during exchanges, and it was an overhand right that ultimately backed up Ronderos to set the stage for the finish. From there, the Czech Republic native took Ronderos’ back in a scramble and secured the fight-ending maneuver. Dvorak has 10 first-round finishes to his credit.

Ismagulov Successful in UFC Return

Damir Ismagulov shook off the rust following a nearly two-year layoff to capture a unanimous decision triumph over Rafael Alves at lightweight. All three cageside judges submitted 29-28 tallies in favor of the Orenburg, Russia, native, who was competing for the first time since a decision triumph over Thiago Moises on Aug. 31, 2019.

Ismagulov shook off a slow start in which he was dropped by an Alves (19-10, 0-1 UFC) combination and then briefly trapped in a guillotine in the opening moments of Round 1. The Boets MMA representative was able to pop his head free from the submission and dominate the remainder of the stanza with punches and elbows from top position.

Ismagulov showcased proficient standup in Round 2, as he stunned his foe with a counter jab and later sat him down with a left hook before ending the frame in top position yet again. Alves did his best work in the final period, upping the volume on his striking offense — including a spinning back kick to the head. Ismagulov (23-1, 4-0 UFC), whose right eye appeared to be compromised, held off the Brazilian’s late surge to make it to the final horn.