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Kiwi lightweight Brad Riddell has continued his hot streak in the UFC with another action-packed victory.
After dropping the first round to Brazilian Alex da Silva (21-3), Riddell (9-1) stormed home with his stellar attack and defense to claim a unanimous decision victory at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi.
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Ludovit Klein kicks Shane Young during their clash at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi.
The victory was the Christchurch-born fighter’s sixth on the rebound, including three of three in the UFC to make a solid case for a top 15 ranked opponent in his next fight.
UFC 253 is spearheaded by Nigerian-Kiwi star Israel Adesanya’s middleweight title defense against Brazilian Paulo Costa, with City Kickboxing teammates of Adesanya Riddell, Kai Kara-France and Shane Young also on the card.
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Riddell, who won his first two UFC appearances in exciting fashion, lived up to his thrilling reputation when he shrugged off a slow start that saw him beaten twice in the first round.
Da Silva continued to apply pressure early in the second, but supported by a determined defense, Riddell kept the fight going to take control.
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Ludovit Klein celebrates his first round win over Shane Young.
He increased his performance and regularly caught his opponent with combinations to rob him of momentum heading into the final round.
And with the fight there for the taking, he caught da Silva with several clean shots in the first minute and never looked back.
Riddell out landed da Silva 86-70, even beating his significant hit count 67-54. But the numbers only tell part of the story, as he inflicted much more damage, leaving the Brazilian with a very inflamed right eye.
While an accidental hit to the eye, which video replays clearly showed was a punch, gave Da Silva a breather midway through the third round, it didn’t matter.
Riddell completely dominated the final minutes with a barrage of strikes to win the decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28 in his favor.
Previously, Young’s return to the Octagon was a fight to forget for the Kiwi featherweight, who was knocked out just over a minute in the first round by Slovakian Ludovit Klein.
Young (13-5) was making his first appearance in more than 18 months and was forced to prepare for a new opponent shortly after Nate Landwehr retired last week.
Klein (17-2), who stepped in to make his UFC debut after building a seven-game winning streak, lost the weight by 4 pounds (1.8 kg) but the fight went ahead and the 25-year-old proved he’s one. for watch.
After a brief period of sensation, Klein exploded with a big kick to the head followed by an uppercut that knocked Young’s head back and sent him crashing to the canvas.
The referee quickly stepped in to stop the fight after 1 minute 16 seconds to leave Young with a 2-2 record in the UFC.
