Geek for Technique: Best Moves From UFC 232 Prelims

UFC 232 is now available on Amazon Prime.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday brought UFC 232 to The Forum in Inglewood, California. These are the best moves from the “Jones vs. Gustafsson 2” prelims:





Montel Jackson earned his first UFC victory over Brian Kelleher in under two minutes. Kelleher looked to negate Jackson’s height and reach advantages by putting on the pressure and striking in the pocket. However, a minute into the fight, Kelleher became too aggressive and got caught with a beautiful clinch elbow behind the ear before Jackson locked up the brabo choke for the win.





Curtis Millender put on arguably the best performance of the prelims, as he picked apart Siyar Bahadurzada from bell to bell. Millender stayed patient for most of the fight and looked to counter Bahadurzada’s aggressive leads, utilizing the perfect mixture of knowing when to let the opponent come to him and when to look for the finish. Millender’s footwork and precise striking were reminiscent of a young Jon Jones. It should not surprise anyone if he winds up in the Top 10 in 2019.





Uriah Hall authored one of the best comebacks of the year when he knocked out Bevon Lewis in the third round. The first two rounds saw Hall hassled by Lewis’ pressure, as he found himself stuck in the pocket against the cage, a position from which he historically struggles. However, the two-time Ring of Combat champion is never out of a fight. Roughly a minute into the third round, Hall landed a picture-perfect counter right hook that ended the fight.





Top bantamweight prospect Nathaniel Wood defeated Andre Ewell via submission late in the third round. Wood handled Ewell from the opening bell, outstriking him 61-15 on the feet and on the ground. With just 45 seconds left in Round 3, the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder took the fight to the ground, quickly took Ewell’s back and locked up the rear-naked choke for the win.





Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Ryan Hall submitted former two-division UFC champion B.J. Penn with a heel hook in the first round. Hall had not fought in over two years, but he did not miss a beat and easily defeated the legendary Penn, dropping the Hawaiian to 1-8-1 across his last 10 appearance. Hall threw a leg kick into an orthodox stance before rolling for the leg and securing the heel hook.





Petr Yan put on perhaps the best performance of his brief UFC tenure when he finished Douglas Silva de Andrade by corner stoppage after the second round. Yan got the better of Silva on the feet but decided to fully showcase his skills and take the fight to the ground. Once it hit the canvas, Silva did nothing but cover up while Yan fired off relentless ground-and-pound to finish out the round. Silva’s corner had seen enough and threw in the towel after Round 2. Yan, now 3-0 in the UFC, has established himself as a prospect everyone should be monitoring in 2019.



Former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Megan Anderson defeated Cat Zingano with a nasty toe-poke head kick to the eye. The fight was picking up speed when Anderson rushed Zingano with a 1-2 and punctuated the combination with a head kick. Her toe scraped Zingano’s eye, forcing her to turn away and leaving the referee no choice but to call for the stoppage.

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