UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus
Curtis Demands a Title Shot
April 13, 2022
Main Card
Curtis Blaydes(16-3) vs Chris Daukaus(12-5)
Curtis Blaydes is putting pressure on the heavyweight division’s top dogs. Blaydes took more than a round to throw a powerful right hand that felled Chris Daukaus and rendered him defenseless against the ensuing ground punches that effectively concluded the UFC Columbus main event.
Blaydes, the No. 5 heavyweight in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings, won his second consecutive fight, and when asked what he should do next, he didn’t mince words in his post-fight interview. “I think I deserve an interim title shot against Ciryl Gane,” Blaydes said. “I want next. I want the title shot. We can do it anytime this summer. June, July, August, I’m down.”
Joanne Wood(15-8) vs Alexa Grasso(14-3)
Joanne kicked off the match with a kick and rushed forward. Grasso would greet her with elbows/forearms in the clinch. When they got down to the ground, Grasso was on top, guarding them.
With nearly half of the round remaining, Wood was able to make it back up. She went on the attack once more, pressing forward and employing her Muay Thai skills. Grasso, on the other hand, was back in the driver’s seat not long after. She dragged Wood down, hooking him and securing the rear-naked choke. Wood had no choice but to tap it because it was deep beneath the chin. Alexa Grasso will likely join Manon Fiorot in the title race after her third consecutive win at flyweight.
Matt Brown(25-19) vs Bryan Barberena(17-8)
At UFC Columbus, the welterweight brawl between Bryan Barberena and Matt Brown was an easy choice for “Fight of the Night.”
With three rounds of gritty action, Barberena and Brown brought the house down at Nationwide Arena. The crowd was less enthusiastic about a 50-50 decision in favor of Barberena, who was pitted against Columbus native Brown. However, each fighter received an additional $50,000 for their efforts. Brown was also sent to the hospital as a precautionary measure.
Askar Askarov(14-1-1) vs Kai Kara-France(24-9)
In Round 1, Askarov showed off his exceptional wrestling by tripping Kara-France and swiftly establishing side control. He then grabbed Kara-back, France’s locked his knees in place while Kara-France stood up with Askarov on his back, and went looking for a choke. To evade Askarov’s hands and make it past the first five minutes, Kara-France battled them off. Round 2 started off better, with Kara-France putting his quick hands and takedown defense to work. 
He landed punches early in the fight, then immediately rose to his feet after being knocked down again. As he backed Askarov up to the fence, Kara-France unleashed big punches and counter-strikes while stuffing takedowns. The third round would very certainly be the deciding round. Kara-France kept letting his hands go, swinging wild at times but evading Askarov’s takedowns. Askarov, on the other hand, managed to get a hold of Kara-France and seize his back, only to be shaken off before he could fully establish his dominance. Kara-France resisted another takedown attempt and returned to his boxing, constantly out-punching Askarov. Kara-France appeared to have fully turned the bout around, and all three judges agreed, giving her the victory. Kara-France has now won three straight fights and four of his last five to put himself in contention to challenge for the UFC flyweight championship.
Neil Magny(26-9) vs Max Griffin(18-9)
Magny tied “GSP” for the most welterweight wins in UFC history with 19 after a split decision win against Max Griffin at UFC Columbus on Saturday. It was not an easy task. Magny’s career has been defined by his ability to finish strong, and he had to demonstrate that ability against Griffin after being knocked out in the first round. Throughout the fight, Griffin’s right hand and unusual mobility proved to be an effective combination, particularly in Round 1 when he landed a clean shot that knocked Magny out. Magny, on the other hand, was able to rebound and finish strong. 
Magny maintained his effort in Round 2, absorbing more right hands while also countering with straight punches down the middle. He was able to drag the elusive Griffin into a few back-and-forth exchanges, and at the end of a close round, he appeared to be the aggressor once more. Magny had a clear frame in the third round, when he resorted to his wrestling and took Griffin’s back. He exerted unrelenting pressure to Griffin and almost knocked Griffin out with a dunk right before the final buzzer, though he wasn’t able to do much harm. With the exception of Griffin’s early knockdown, neither boxer appeared to have pulled away in a competitive bout, and the scoring reflected that, with two 29-28s in Magny’s favor and one in Griffin’s favor.
Marc Diakiese(15-5) vs Viacheslav Borshchev(6-2)
Diakiese (15-5) won a majority decision against Viacheslav Borshchev (6-2) following three rounds of brutal ground warfare on Saturday’s UFC Columbus main program. Diakiese won the bout 30-27 on all three judges’ scores. Diakiese’s strategy was evident from the start as he attempted to wrestle with Borshchev, a less experienced MMA fighter with a boxing and kickboxing background./cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70676346/1387896841.0.jpg)
Borshchev fought off takedown attempts well at first, even scoring clean punches off a break, but Diakiese committed to his wrestling and eventually got Borshchev on his back. Despite the fact that Diakiese took little damage in the first round, it was an easy frame for him to win. The remaining two rounds were even more lopsided, with Diakiese scoring takedowns to start Rounds 2 and 3 and Borshchev having no answer on the ground. Diakiese either employed ground-and-pound or focused on dominating Borshchev, with a Diakiese slam in the final round when Borshchev attempted to stand being one of the fight’s highlights. After losses to Rafael Alves and Rafael Fiziev, Diakiese regains his winning streak. He improves to 6-5 in the UFC. Borshchev has lost his first fight in the UFC after a good debut against Dakota Bush in January.
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