UFC 253: Kiwi Brad Riddell roars home as Kai Kara-France, Shane Young drop on Fight Island



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Kiwi flyweight Kai Kara-France has suffered a second round submission loss to American Brandon Royval at UFC 253.

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Previously, City Kickboxing teammate Brad Riddell 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.

Brad Riddell made three of three in the UFC with a win over Alex da Silva.

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Brad Riddell made three of three in the UFC with a win over Alex da Silva.

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.

“It really puts me in the top 20. I deserve to be in the top 20 and have someone hanging around,” Riddell said. “I’m sure everyone is a little nervous about me knocking on the door.” your door too.

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“This is a sports and entertainment business, it’s acting and entertaining. I feel like every fight I’ve had so far, I’ve acted and entertained myself. So as long as I keep doing that, the bosses will be happy, my bank account is going to be happy, and that’s how I want it to be. “

UFC 253 on ‘Fight Island’ is spearheaded by Nigerian-Kiwi star Israel Adesanya’s middleweight title defense against Brazilian Paulo Costa, with City Kickboxing teammates of Adesanya, Riddell, Kara-France and Shane Young also on the billboard.

Riddell, who won his first two UFC appearances in thrilling fashion, lived up to his thrilling reputation when he shrugged off a slow start that saw Da Silva take him down twice and finish the first round with a choke attempt.

Da Silva continued to apply pressure early in the second, but supported by a determined defense, Riddell kept the fight going to take control.

Alex da Silva got off to a good start, but Brad Riddell returned home to claim victory.

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Alex da Silva got off to a good start, but Brad Riddell returned home to claim victory.

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.

Ludovit Klein kicks Shane Young during their clash at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi.

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Ludovit Klein kicks Shane Young during their clash at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi.

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.

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