Krause, Sandhagen light up Lincoln with electric finishes

KRAUSE!!!

HUGE knee from @TheJamesKrause leads to the 2nd round TKO! #UFCLincoln pic.twitter.com/JcOXHJqHql
— UFC (@ufc) August 26, 2018

JAMES KRAUSE vs. WARLLEY ALVES

Watching him operate at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday night, you wouldn’t have known James Krause was a sizable underdog against Warlley Alves.

From the outset, the former Ultimate Fighter contestant and assistant coach looked comfortable and confident, flicking out clean jabs and talking junk to the large Brazilian welterweight. He moved well and controlled the action in the clinch against the bigger man, frustrating Alves and sending him to the corner fatigued after the opening five minutes.

Early in the second, Alves started swinging for the fences and played right into Krause’s hands, leaving himself open for a beautiful stepping knee right up the middle that landed flush on the Brazilian’s chin, putting him on rubber legs. The former lightweight saw his opportunity and pounced, finding a home for enough clean follow-ups to prompt referee Kevin MacDonald to step in and wave it off.

With the second-round finish on Saturday, Krause moved to 25-8 for his career, while Alves had his two-fight winning streak snapped as his record slips to 13-3 overall.

Sandhagen gets it done!!@Cors_Life #UFCLincoln pic.twitter.com/3oHkC1406o
— UFC (@ufc) August 26, 2018

IURI ALCANTARA vs. CORY SANDHAGEN

Just 30 seconds into the fight, Cory Sandhagen found himself on the ground with his left arm trapped in an awkward armbar attempt and veteran Iuri Alcantara raining down hammerfists that left him busted up.

But where others would have tapped, Sandhagen stayed calm and worked his way free and that’s when he went on the offensive.

The Elevation Fight Team member got back to his feet and took the fight to Alcantara, steadily working him over with punches while avoiding sweep and submission attempts. When he cracked the Brazilian with a clean right hand late in the frame, the bantamweight turned up the volume, looking to get the finish before the first five minutes were up.

That didn’t happen, but it didn’t take long for Sandhagen to finish the deal in the second as he stunted the still-dazed Alcantara with the first shot out of the corner to begin the middle stanza before getting the stoppage 61 seconds into the round.

Now 2-0 in the UFC and on a four-fight winning streak, Sandhagen moves to 9-1 with the victory, while Alcantara drops to 35-10 (1 NC) with the loss.

ANDREW SANCHEZ vs. MARKUS PEREZ

After losing back-to-back fights due to fatigue and a lack of composure, Andrew Sanchez returned to the win column with a patient, measured victory over Markus Perez.

A standout wrestler who got dragged into brawls with Anthony Smith and Ryan Janes in 2017, Sanchez came forward with poise throughout Saturday’s contest, absorbing a steady diet of body kicks, but sticking to the game plan. Working behind clean, straight punches and strong control on the fence, Sanchez was able to neutralize Perez’s wild offense and respond in kind whenever “Maluko” managed to connect in space.

This was a workmanlike showing for the former Ultimate Fighter winner, who shifted his training to Montreal’s Tristar Gym in advance of this fight. With the win on Saturday night, Sanchez pushed his record to 11-4 overall, while Brazil’s Perez fell to 10-2 with the loss.

MICKEY GALL vs. GEORGE SULLIVAN

Mickey Gall didn’t waste any time getting back into the win column.

Following a 4-0 start to his professional career, the charismatic young welterweight suffered the first loss of his career last November at Madison Square Garden, coming out on the wrong side of the results against fellow Lookin’ for a Fight find Randy Brown.

FIRED UP!@MickeyGall #UFCLincoln pic.twitter.com/16nqS8Vsip
— UFC (@ufc) August 26, 2018

Saturday night in Nebraska, Gall immediately got in on a takedown and floated around to George Sullivan’s back, locking up a body triangle and softening up “The Silencer” with short punches. When the 37-year-old veteran tried to return fire, Gall laced his forearm under Sullivan’s neck and secured the finish at the 1:09 mark.

The 26-year-old Gall moves to 5-1 with five rear-naked choke finishes with the victory, while Sullivan slips to 17-7 (1 NC) overall with his third consecutive setback.

JOANNE CALDERWOOD vs. KALINDRA FARIA

Over the first four minutes of Saturday’s UFC FIGHT PASS featured prelim, Joanne Calderwood was on the defensive, looking to neutralize the offensive attack and guard passing of Kalindra Faria, who took the fight to the canvas almost instantly.

But late in the round, the Scottish striker isolated Faria’s right wrist and threw up a triangle choke, quickly locking it up tight. As the Brazilian looked to defend, Calderwood added an armbar into the mix and extended Faria’s left arm as the clacker sounded, signaling the final 10 seconds of the round.

With the clock ticking down, Faria was forced to work for an escape and in doing so, she gave Calderwood the opportunity to extend the armbar even further and was forced to tap, giving the returning former Ultimate Fighter contestant the first submission win of her career.

The returning Calderwood snapped a two-fight losing streak with her win on Saturday, moving to 12-3 overall while collecting her second win in the UFC flyweight division, while Faria has now lost three-in-a-row inside the Octagon and falls to 18-8-1 overall.

DREW DOBER vs. JON TUCK

Fighting in his home state of Nebraska for the first time in five years, Drew Dober made sure his homecoming was a successful one. From the outset, the Omaha native was the aggressor, and while he switched approaches mid-fight, the result was the same – complete domination for the popular hometown welterweight.

After spending the first half of the contest outworking Tuck in the striking exchanges, Dober changed things up and took the fight to the ground midway through the second and again to start the third. While Tuck tried to secure chokes on both entries, Dober popped his head free easily and stayed busy while on top, turning up the output and advancing positions down the stretch in the third en route to a clean sweep of the scorecards.

Following earning just a single victory in his first five Octagon appearances, Dober has now won three straight and five of his last six to stand at 6-4 (1 NC) overall in the UFC.

RANI YAHYA vs. LUKE SANDERS

Rani Yahya is on some kind of roll right now.

Saturday night, the Brazilian veteran carried a two-fight winning streak into the Octagon against Luke Sanders and just 91 seconds after the bout began, Yahya had collected a third-straight submission finish.

The grappling ace shot for a takedown right out of the gate and even looked to pull guard, but Sanders was having none of it. Back in the center of the cage, the Brazilian connected with a kick to the body that stung Sanders, forcing the American back into the cage. Yahya again dove in for the legs and pulled guard, attacking with a heel hook.

Sanders initially defended, but as he looked to sprint away, Yahya stayed sticky and switched legs, attacking the same move on the opposite side, trapping Sanders’ heel and forcing “Cool Hand” to verbally submit.

With the victory, Yahya moves to 7-1 in his last 8 fights and 26-9 (1 NC) overall, while Sanders falls to 2-3 in the Octagon and 12-3 overall.