ATLANTA — Khalil Rountree Jr. dominated Eryk Anders in every facet on Saturday at UFC 236, cruising to a unanimous decision win (30-26 on all three judges scorecards).
From the start, Rountree attacked Anders with hard inside leg kicks that had his opponent’s thigh a bright red after the first round. Rountree did most of his damage in the second, dropping Anders multiple times with punches and followed up with hard kicks. The third was more of the same from Rountree, as Anders was never able to get in a rhythm.
Rountree outlanded Anders 79-16 in significant strikes, 38 of which were to the legs. He has now won two of his past three bouts, and Anders has dropped four of his past five.
Dwight Grant defeats Alan Jouban by split decision
Dwight Grant defeated Alan Jouban by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30) in a fight that saw little action between both fighters. Fans rained down boos throughout three rounds as neither fighter landed many significant strikes. Jouban was able to take down Grant in the final seconds of the third round for some ground-and-pound but it was too little, too late. Grant improved to 10-2. Jouban has now lost three of four.
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After losing a split decision to Dwight Grant, Alan Jouban has questions for the judges. For more UFC action, sign up for ESPN+ ESPNplus.com/PPV.
Nikita Krylov defeats Ovince Saint Preux by second-round submission
Nikita Krylov entered his bout with Ovince Saint Preux having fought 30 times professionally, all of which ended early. Make that 31. Midway through the second round, Krylov picked up Saint Preux and threw him to the mat. He quickly transitioned to his opponent’s back, landing punches and hard elbows. Krylov then sunk his forearm underneath Saint Preux’s chin for the rear-naked choke. Krylov (25-6) has now won five of his past six. Saint Preux (23-13) has lost two in a row.
Matt Frevola defeats Jalin Turner by unanimous decision
Matt Frevola edged Jalin Turner on the scorecards, doing just enough both on the feet and ground to pull off a unanimous decision victory (30-27 for all judges). Turner landed some shots in the standup and was able to break free from some takedown attempts — but not all. He was sent to the ground on multiple occasions through three rounds. Frevola landed ground-and-pound from on top, particularly in the third after ducking a punch and getting the takedown. The bout almost ended early after Turner got poked in the eye from a Frevola upkick, but he was later deemed eligible to continue. It was Frevola’s first win since August 2017.
Alexandre Pantoja defeats Wilson Reis by first-round TKO
Alexandre Pantoja dropped Wilson Reis midway through the first round with a straight right and pounced immediately with follow-up punches. The referee jumped in to stop the action 2 minutes, 58 seconds into the fight. Pantoja (21-3) has now won three straight. Reis (23-10), a former UFC flyweight title challenger, has lost four of his past five.
Max Griffin defeats Zelim Imadaev by majority decision
Max Griffin and Zelim Imadaev made their distaste for each other known in the lead-up to their fight. The bad blood produced a back-and-forth battle that saw Griffin edge his opponent by majority decision (29-27, 29-27 and 28-28). Imadaev was deducted a point early in the first round for grabbing the fence, resulting in the unique scores. Both fighters traded shots throughout, but Griffin’s multiple takedowns seemed to do more to his opponent than Imadaev’s flashy attempts that often just missed. It was Imadaev’s first professional loss in nine fights. Griffin (15-6) rebounded after two straight losses.
Khalid Taha defeats Boston Salmon by first-round TKO
Khalid Taha’s introduction lasted longer than his fight with Boston Salmon, as he dropped his opponent with a hard left hook moments into the bout. He immediately pounced, landing two more quick shots to Salmon’s face before the referee stepped in to end the bout officially 25 seconds into the first round. Taha has now split his past four. It was Salmon’s second loss in eight professional fights.
Belal Muhammad defeats Curtis Millender by unanimous decision
Belal Muhammad’s ground game proved too much for Curtis Millender, winning by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 30-26). After a first round that saw both fighters feeling each other out, Muhammad went to his elite takedown abilities to grab control. In both the second and third rounds, Muhammad was able to get Millender to the mat and landed hard shots from above. It was enough to earn the big victory to improve to 15-3. Millender now has two losses in a row after a fast start in the UFC.
Montel Jackson defeats Andre Soukhamthath by unanimous decision
Montel Jackson’s takedown and grappling skills were on full display against Andre Soukhamthath, winning the matchup by unanimous decision. Jackson took his opponent to the mat throughout the fight and did most of his damage from above. In the third, after an accidental groin shot that had Soukhamthath in a ton of pain and lying on the ground, he got up and took Jackson down. But within a second Jackson reversed position and was in full mount. He rained down blows and stayed in the position for most of the third. Jackson improved to 8-1 and Soukhamthath fell to 13-7.
Poliana Botelho defeats Lauren Mueller by unanimous decision
Poliana Botelho appeared gassed as she came out of her corner for the third round, but fortunately for the Brazilian flyweight, she had clearly won the first two rounds with strong clinch work and timely grappling, and was able to make it to the finish line to win for the sixth time in her past seven outings. All three judges gave her the fight — the only women’s bout of the night — with 29-28 scores. Lauren Mueller dropped her second in a row.
Brandon Davis defeats Randy Costa by second-round submission
Brandon Davis had to withstand an early onslaught from Randy Costa, a UFC newcomer who had won all four of his previous pro fights by first-round knockout. But Davis stood in there, took Costa’s best shots and delivered his own in return in an all-action bantamweight opener. And early in the second round, Davis got the fight to the canvas, where he secured a rear-naked choke at 1:12 to halt a two-fight losing streak.