Vicente Luque Grinds Past Rafael dos Anjos in UFC on ESPN 51 Main Event

Vicente Luque remains a force in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division.

Repeated takedowns and a grinding clinch game carried the Kill Cliff Fight Club standout to a unanimous decision over Rafael dos Anjos in the UFC on ESPN 51 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Scores were 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47—all for Luque (22-9-1, 15-5 UFC), who passed his first test since suffering a career-threatening brain bleed.

Dos Anjos (32-15, 21-13) stood his ground for much of the 25-minute battle but had no real answer for the size and strength deficits with which he was faced. Luque bullied him at close range, stole momentum with takedowns and frustrated his fellow Brazilian across wide swaths of time. Dos Anjos was effective in open space—he even cut loose with a flying elbow at one point—but struggled to manage distance consistently.

Swanson Decision Stings Dawodu

World Extreme Cagefighting holdover Cub Swanson rebounded from his Oct. 15 defeat to Jonathan Martinez with a contentious split decision over Champion’s Creed MMA export Hakeem Dawodu in the three-round featherweight co-main event. All three cageside judges struck 29-28 scorecards for Swanson (29-13, 14-9 UFC).

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Dawodu (13-4-1, 6-4 UFC) seemed to seize the reins with powerful leg kicks, a potent jab and effective counters. Swanson answered with the occasional flurry but spent too much time in the clinch, where he appeared to be at a clear disadvantage. Dawodu tenderized his body with knees and mixed in a few elbows off the breaks. Swanson made his move late in the third round, where he delivered a takedown, pinned the Canadian to the mat while working toward an arm-triangle and chipped away with punches.

The 32-year-old Dawodu has lost three of his past five bouts.

Resurgent Rountree Buries Daukaus

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 finalist Khalil Rountree brought down Chris Daukaus with punches in the first round of their light heavyweight showcase. Daukaus (12-7, 4-4 UFC) succumbed to blows 2:40 into Round 1, as he suffered his fourth straight setback.

Syndicate MMA’s Rountree (12-5, 8-5 UFC) initially engaged the Martinez Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu standout in the clinch, then thought better of the approach. He sliced through Daukaus’ defenses with a booming straight left that sent the former heavyweight crashing to the canvas. Rountree followed up with a hammerfist and another sweeping left, prompting the stoppage from referee Herb Dean.

Rountree, 33, has posted four consecutive victories, three of them finishes.

Lucindo Arm-Triangle Vanquishes Viana

Fight House prospect Iasmin Lucindo disposed of former Jungle Fight champion Polyana Viana with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their women’s strawweight feature. Viana (13-6, 4-5 UFC) raised the white flag of surrender 3:42 into Round 2, as she was submitted for just the second time in her 19-fight career.

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Lucindo (15-5, 2-1 UFC) upped her aggression after a quiet first round in which neither woman produced much action of note. She buckled Viana with a stiff right hand early in the middle stanza, reset in open space and swooped in for a well-timed takedown. Lucido operated from half guard, softened her opponent with shoulder strikes and short punches, framed the choke and cleared her legs. Viana surrendered moments later.

The 21-year-old Lucindo has rattled off nine wins in 10 appearances.

Dobson Breaks Into UFC Win Column

Strong Style Fight Team product A.J. Dobson called upon leg and body kicks, occasional punching combinations and opportunistic takedowns, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Tafon Nchukwi in a tepid three-round middleweight attraction. Dobson (7-2, 1-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 29-28 marks from the three-member judiciary.

Nchukwi (6-4, 2-4 UFC), who missed weight for the bout by 3.5 pounds, failed to string together meaningful offense and relied instead on single punches and kicks. Dobson twice tripped the Lloyd Irvin-trained Cameroonian to the floor and did so to great effect in the third round. There, he spent extended minutes in top position, shifted to half guard and racked up points with modest ground-and-pound.

The victory was Dobson’s first since he punched his ticket to the UFC with a rear-naked choke submission of Hashem Arkhagha on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2021.

Overweight Fremd Outpoints Pickett

Factory X rep Josh Fremd outdueled Jamie Pickett to a clinch-heavy unanimous decision across three rounds in an uneventful middleweight main-card opener. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Fremd (11-4, 2-2 UFC), who missed weight for the match by three pounds.

Pickett (13-10, 2-6 UFC) never got in gear. Fremd leaned on his superiority in the clinch in all three rounds but did his best work in the middle stanza. There, the Slippery Rock University graduate twice threatened Pickett with guillotine chokes—the former Next Level Fight Club champion appeared to briefly lose consciousness at one point—but failed to procure a finish. Pickett struck for a takedown in Round 3, only to surrender his advantage on an ill-advised kimura attempt. Fremd assumed top position for a time, then settled back into the comfort of the clinch, at which point he connected with knees to the thighs and bled the remaining time off the clock.

The 34-year-old Pickett has lost four fights in a row.

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