UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Duncan

UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Duncan

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Renato Moicano took care of his American Top Team teammate Chris Duncan on Saturday with a second-round submission in their lightweight main event. The card went down at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, with finishes all night long.

Main Event – Renato Moicano vs. Chris Duncan

Fighting your own training partner is never easy, but Renato Moicano (21-7-1) made it look simple. The veteran had lost two straight coming in and needed a statement performance. He got one.

Moicano was the cleaner fighter from the start. He controlled the range well and kept picking Duncan (15-3) apart with sharp shots in round one. Duncan tried to make it work with leg kicks and kept pushing forward, but he could never really get anything going offensively while Moicano was making him miss all night.

Round two started the same way, and then Moicano landed a left hook that dropped Duncan clean. From there, it was over. He got the fight to the ground, worked some nasty ground strikes, and then climbed to the back. Once he had the body locked up, it was just a matter of time before he found the neck and got the tap.

It was exactly the kind of win Moicano needed. He looked sharp, he looked focused, and he reminded everyone that he is still a real problem at 155.

Co-Main Event – Virna Jandiroba vs. Tabatha Ricci

Virna Jandiroba (23-4) came in needing a win after losing a title fight to Mackenzie Dern last October, and she handled business against Tabatha Ricci (12-4) over three rounds.

The game plan was simple. Jandiroba used her wrestling to control where the fight happened, and she executed it perfectly. She kept taking Ricci down in the first two rounds and spent a ton of time on top, wearing her out. Ricci had a few nice moments on the feet but could never really string anything together before Jandiroba would shoot in and take her back to the mat.

Ricci had her best round in the third when Jandiroba started to slow down a little but the damage was already done. All three judges gave it to Jandiroba, and she reminded everyone why she is still one of the best in the strawweight division.

Full Card Recap

Main Card

• Renato Moicano def. Chris Duncan — Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Round 2, 3:14
• Virna Jandiroba def. Tabatha Ricci — Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Brendson Ribeiro — Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Round 1, 2:52
• Ethyn Ewing def. Rafael Estevam — TKO (Punches), Round 3, 1:44
• Tommy McMillen def. Manolo Zecchini — TKO (Knees and Punches), Round 1, 3:57
• Jose Delano def. Robert Ruchala — Unanimous Decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)

Preliminary Card

• Thomas Petersen def. Guilherme Pat — Majority Decision (28-28, 29-27, 29-27)
• Alessandro Costa def. Stewart Nicoll — TKO (Liver Shot), Round 2, 4:56
• Darrius Flowers def. Lando Vannata — TKO (Punches), Round 2, 0:52
• Alice Pereira def. Hailey Cowan — KO (Knee), Round 2, 4:24
• Tresean Gore def. Azamat Bekoev — Submission (Guillotine Choke), Round 3, 3:27
• Dione Barbosa def. Melissa Gatto — Majority Decision (28-28, 29-27, 29-27)
• Kai Kamaka III def. Dakota Hope — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

What’s Next?

Renato Moicano showed he still belongs near the top of the lightweight division with that finish. He has been around long enough to know how to get the job done, and a ranked opponent makes sense for him next.

Virna Jandiroba is right back in the title picture after that win. She took out a top 10 opponent in Ricci and looked in control for most of the fight. Another big name, and she could be right back in a title fight conversation.

Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev keeps rolling. Nine and zero with eight first-round stoppages is not something you see often. He is one of the most exciting young prospects in the sport right now, and he needs to be fighting ranked guys as soon as possible.

Tommy McMillen went 10-0 on Saturday and looked every bit the part. He has finished in nine of those ten wins, and his style is the kind fans will love. Give him another tough test and see how far this kid can go.

Be sure to tune into FSM’s Main Event with Kalani Lua (@KLua11) on Franchise Sports Media for all the latest in combat sports.

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Alex Hernandez – Franchise Sports Media
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