UFC News & FeaturesUFC on ESPN 25 Prelims: Gritty Nicolae Negumereanu Takes Split Verdict Over Aleksa Camur
Letting it fly in Round #UFCVegas29 pic.twitter.com/yi5ju3Zxhu
— UFC (@ufc) June 19, 2021
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The 26-year-old Romanian secured his first promotional triumph at UFC on ESPN 25, taking a hard-fought split-decision triumph over Strong Style Fight Team representative Aleksa Camur in a light heavyweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Michael Bell and Tony Weeks scored the fight 29-28 in favor of the Korona Sports Centre export, while Eric Colon had it 29-28 for Camur.
While Camur (6-2, 1-2 UFC) had a clear edge in technical boxing
ability, Negumereanu was able to make it an increasingly ugly
affair as the bout progressed. He consistently pressured his foe,
absorbing everything Camur had to offer while landing plenty of
heavy shots of his own. Negumereanu (10-1, 1-1 UFC) also was able
to slow the tempo down on occasion thanks to clinches against the
fence -- along with multiple unpenalized fence grabs -- and the
bout’s lone takedown. Camur has lost back-to-back contests after
beginning his mixed martial arts career with six consecutive
victories.
Jandiroba Injures Murata's Arm, Wins Via Stoppage
Virna Jandiroba has extreme confidence in her guard for a reason. The Brazilian threatened Kanako Murata with an armbar in the opening round before their strawweight bout was halted after two frames due to damage incurred from that maneuver. The cageside doctor waved off the matchup of former Invicta Fighting Championships title holders after Round 2 once it was apparent that Murata’s left arm was badly compromised.
Jandiroba (17-2, 3-2 UFC) began the fight by clipping Murata (12-2, 1-1 UFC) with multiple right hands. The Brazilian shifted gears later in the period when she pulled guard near the fence, a move that initially resulted in her absorbing heavy ground-and-pound from the Japanese judoka. It didn’t take long before Jandiroba trapped her foe in an armbar, and though Murata defended diligently, the damage was already done.
Murata spent the duration of Round 2 with her left hand held low, which allowed Jandiroba to land right hands and right high kicks nearly at will before the doctor stoppage. Murata sees an eight-bout winning streak come to an end in defeat.
Related » UFC on ESPN 25 Round-by-Round Scoring
Williams Outstrikes Semelsberger
Kalinn Williams demonstrated he is capable of going the distance in victory by earning a three-round verdict over Matthew Semelsberger at welterweight. All three cageside judges saw the bout in favor of “Khaos the Ox Fighter:” 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Semelsberger (8-3, 2-1 UFC) sees a five-bout winning streak snapped in defeat.
Williams was his usual explosive self in Round 1, when he buckled his foe with a right hand and flurried for a finish against the fence. Though he wasn’t able to put Semelsberger away, Williams (12-2, 3-1 UFC) did open a cut on the bridge of his opponent’s nose during the sequence. While Semelsberger did enjoy some success landing counter right hands, the bout was characterized by Williams’ periodic explosive punching combinations. Ultimately, Semelsberger was unable to match Williams’ output.
Parisian Takes Split Verdict Over Martinez
Dana White’s Contender Series alum Josh Parisian secured his first Octagon triumph, earning a split-decision triumph over Guam’s Roque Martinez in a heavyweight duel. Junichiro Kamijo and Tony Weeks submitted 29-28 scorecards in favor of Parisian, while Eric Colon had it 29-28 for the Rizin Fighting Federation veteran.
Martinez (15-8-2, 0-3 UFC) took the fight to Parisian in the early going, as he pressured and forced multiple clinches, where he landed hard uppercuts and elbows in close quarters -- one which cut the Scorpion Fighting System product under his left eye. Over time, however, the taller and heavier Parisian (14-4, 1-1 UFC) was able to push his opponent into the fence more consistently while landing a better variety of strikes at range. Martinez’s pace slowed considerably after Round 1, which ultimately led to his demise.
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.
Glenn Returns from Layoff, Fells Silva with Counter Left
Ricky Glenn returned from a near three-year absence in style, making short work of Joaquim Silva in a lightweight encounter. “The Gladiator” put his Brazilian adversary away with a barrage of punches just 37 seconds into the opening round. Glenn had been sidelined since November 2018 following a lengthy recovery from hip surgery.
Glenn made Silva (11-3, 4-3 UFC) pay for his aggression in short order. The former World Series of Fighting title challenger caught his foe with a perfectly-placed counter left hand that put “Netto BJJ” on his rear. Glenn (22-6-1, 4-3 UFC) immediately pursued the finish with follow-up punches, and the bout was halted when Silva dropped to the canvas once again after briefly returning to his feet.
O’Neill Chokes Procopio Unconscious
Tiger Muay Thai prospect Casey O'Neill remained unbeaten in her fledging MMA career, as she submitted Nova Uniao’s Lara Procopio in a flyweight encounter. The Scotland-born Aussie rendered her opponent unconscious with a rear-naked choke 2:54 into Round 3 for her second consecutive finish within the Las Vegas-based promotion.
O’Neill got stronger as the fight progressed. The 23-year-old known as “King” began to assert herself in the second stanza, when she scored a takedown and threatened with a toe hold before ending the round landing ground-and-pound from above. O’Neill (7-0, 2-0 UFC) was more dominant in Round 3, as she landed another takedown and then secured a crucifix from her back, peppering Procopio (7-2, 1-2 UFC) with hammerfists to the side of the head. From there, O’Neill moved to mount and then back control — locking in the fight-ending maneuver when the Brazilian attempted to stand. Shortly thereafter, Procopio fell back to the canvas as she succumbed to the pressure of the squeeze.
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