Curtis Blaydes stifles Volkov in UFC heavyweight bout

UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes dominated Alexander Volkov with wrestling Saturday night, earning his fourth consecutive victory in a suffocating unanimous decision.

Fearweight Josh Emmett won a unanimous decision over Shane Burgos in a thrilling joint performance during penultimate bout of latest show from fan-free UFC Apex gym in mixed martial arts promotion's hometown.

Blaydes (14-2) showcased his superior wrestling skills from start against Volkov, taking down towering Russian within first 10 seconds and n dominating first 3 1/2 rounds. Volkov (31-8) landed his own takedown late in fourth and nailed Blaydes with a few strikes early in fifth, but Blaydes pushed through and won by bending fight to his clear strengths on ground.

“It’s always a good experience to kw you can go 25 minutes, and re’s things you need to work on, but you learn m in a win,” Blaydes said. “I need to work on my conditioning after third round, but I’m happy with win. Volkov is legit, and I’m one step closer to a title shot.”

6-foot-7 Volkov flew to U.S. with clear idea how he will get home to Russia due to travel restrictions amid coronavirus pandemic. He had won seven of his last eight fights, but hadn't competed since his one-sided victory over Greg Hardy in Moscow last year.

Blaydes won on judges' scorecards 49-46, 48-47 and 48-46.

Blaydes and Francis Nganu are most likely contenders to get next shot at UFC heavyweight title after champion Stipe Miocic completes his trilogy with former two-belt champ Daniel Cormier at UFC 252 on Aug. 15. Nganu is responsible for only two losses of Blaydes' career, winning ir bouts in 2016 and 2018.

Emmett and Burgos put on performance of night with a fascinating slugfest, with Emmett winning 29-28, 29-28 and 29-27. 35-year-old Emmett (16-2) persevered through a knee injury in first round to land two kckdowns and a dominant third round, but Burgos absorbed tremendous punishment and thought he had earned a decision.

“Dana, I told you, get that checkbook ready!” Emmett shouted immediately after fight in direction of UFC President Dana White, who hands out promotion's bonuses for outstanding performances.

event was fourth of five consecutive UFC shows held over five weekends with fans on its corporate campus. After next week’s show headlined by Dustin Poirier’s meeting with Dan Hooker, UFC will move to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi for four shows in 14 days, beginning with UFC 251 on July 12.

Veteran Jim Miller finished Roosevelt Roberts with an armbar in first round of his latest milestone fight. 36-year-old Miller (32-14) matched Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s record 35th appearance in a UFC c, and his 21st UFC victory left him trailing only Cerrone (23) and Demian Maia (22) in promotion’s history.

Former bantamweight title contender Raquel Pennington (11-8) earned only her second win since 2016 with a clear decision over 42-year-old high school teacher Marion Reneau. Pennington's fiancée, Tecia Torres, snapped her four-fight skid since 2017 with a one-sided decision over Brianna Van Buren on early undercard.

Justin Jaynes had a storybook UFC debut, stopping Frank Camacho with strikes in just 41 seconds. 30-year-old Jaynes accepted fight only three days ago when Matt Frevola was pulled from Las Vegas card because of a teammate's positive coronavirus test.

In two matchups pitting seasoned veterans, Lauren Murphy won a unanimous decision over fellow veteran flyweight Roxanne Modafferi, and Bobby Green controlled his win over Clay Guida.

Im credits: AP