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UFC on ESPN 20 results: Matt Schnell sticks and moves his way to split decision over Tyson Nam

After more than a year away from the octagon, and after two prior bookings fell by the wayside, Matt Schnell returned and got back to his winning ways on Fight Island.”

Schnell (15-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) edged past Tyson Nam on the scorecards in their main-card bout at UFC on ESPN 20, which took place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, as the Shreveport, La., native showed his boxing skills en route to a split decision victory.

Nam (20-12-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC) calmly took the center of the cage and looked for openings as Schnell fired off some range-finding jabs and kicks. Then, after a few kicks of his own, Nam started to let his hands go and immediately scored with a slick left-right combination.

However, it was Schnell who settled into his rhythm, and the 31-year-old continued to beat Nam to the punch, though Nam appeared untroubled by his opponent’s strikes and responded to one exchange with a solid left hook. Schnell kept the pressure on, however, and appeared to briefly stun Nam with a rapid combination as his faster, more frequent punches started to cause the 37-year-old a few issues toward the end of Round 1.

Schnell started Round 2 in the same way he finished Round 1, by sticking and moving, beating Nam to the punch, and connecting regularly. But Nam started to up the intensity and loosened Schnell’s mouthpiece when a solid right hand found its mark. However, it was Schnell’s strikes that appeared to have the greater effect as the cumulative damage from “Danger’s” strikes started to show on Nam’s face.

Perhaps sensing that the fight was drifting away from him past the midway mark, the Hawaiian bit down on his mouthpiece and let fly in the final seconds of the round. But, despite connecting with a couple of clean shots, Nam was unable to knock Schnell out of his stride.

Round 3 saw both men up the pace, with Nam, in particular, looking to raise his intensity as he started to stalk Schnell around the cage. While Nam increased his strike count, Schnell got on his bike and ensured he stayed on the move as he continued picking off his man on the way in.

Eventually the bout went all the way to the scorecards, with the judges scoring it 28-29, 29-28, 29-28 to give Schnell the victory.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 20 results include:

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ufc-on-espn-20-results-matt-schnell-split-decision-tyson-nam

UFC on ESPN 20 results: Viviane Araujo dominates gritty Roxanne Modafferi

Viviane Araujo’s showing at UFC on ESPN 20 was a dominant one.

For the majority of the 15-minute bout, Araujo (10-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) outworked former UFC women’s flyweight title challenger Roxanne Modafferi en route to a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).

The women’s flyweight bout was part of the UFC on ESPN 20 main card at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. It aired on ESPN.

Throughout the fight, Araujo displayed the skill differential between herself and Modafferi (25-18 MMA, 4-6 UFC) in various areas. The gap in the levels of the two fighters’ striking, in particular, was on full display.

Late in Round 1, Araujo appeared to be close to a submission. However, the sequence never played out in full as the horn sounded.

In Round 2, Modafferi landed her best offense of the night – a right hand that briefly stunned Araujo. A second later, however, Araujo was back to dominating.

Round 3 was more of the same, with Araujo having her way with Modafferi on the feet and on the ground. A late Araujo takedown put a stamp on an already one-sided performance. Swollen and bloody, Modafferi displayed her signature toughness and veteran grit en route to the final horn.

VIVI! 🇧🇷

A stunning performance by @ViviAraujoMMA to get the W.

[ #UFCFightIsland8 | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/SwtOyG4THn

— UFC (@ufc) January 20, 2021

With the victory, Araujo turns a lone unanimous decision win over Montana De La Rosa in September into a winning streak. Araujo has only lost once since 2017 – a unanimous decision defeat to Jessica Eye in December 2019.

As for Modafferi, her streak of alternating losses and wins continues. Since her UFC return, a December 2017 title fight vs. Nicco Montano, Modafferi has never accumulated a winning streak or losing skid.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 20 results include:

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ufc-on-espn-20-results-viviane-aruajo-dominates-roxanne-modafferi-fight-island

Watch Neil Magny knock out Craig White ahead of UFC Fight Island 8

Neil Magny faces Michael Chiesa on Wednesday in the main event of UFC Fight Island 8. Watch Magny’s performance against Craig White at UFC Liverpool in 2018 to prepare for the match-up.

(Video courtesy of UFC)

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/watch-neil-magny-knock-out-craig-white-ahead-of-ufc-fight-island-8

Watch Michael Chiesa defeat Diego Sanchez ahead of UFC Fight Island 8

Michael Chiesa has won three straight to start off his UFC welterweight career, including this performance against Diego Sanchez at UFC 239 last year. Chiesa faces Neil Magny in the main event of UFC Fight Island 8 on Wednesday.

(Video courtesy of UFC)