UFC Vegas 118 Prelims: Allesandro Costa shines on finish-heavy undercard

Alessandro Costa took a calculated risk, filled in for Imanol Rodriguez on short notice and capitalized on his opportunity.

The Lobo Gym product took built some more momentum in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as he wiped out Matt Schnell with punches in the first round of their featured

UFC Fight Night 278 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Schnell (17-11, 7-9 UFC) bowed out of their 130-pound catchweight affair 2:32 into Round 1.

Costa (16-5, 4-3 UFC) bided his time, made his reads and hit the accelerator when the situation called for it. He dazed and felled Schnell with a clean left hook, sprawled on a desperation takedown attempt, pinned the American beneath him and let fly with rapid-fire hammerfists until the job was done.

Meanwhile, MMA Lab mainstay Marcus McGhee outstruck and outmaneuvered John Yannis to a unanimous decision in their three-round bantamweight battle. All three judges turned in scorecards for McGhee (11-2, 5-1 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

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A late-notice replacement for Jakub Wiklacz, Yannis (10-5, 1-2) UFC) made the longtime John Crouch apprentice work for every inch of ground he gained. McGhee fought effectively from the orthodox and southpaw stances, as he unleashed a persistent jab, kicks to all levels and sporadic counters. Yannis seemed to steady himself in the middle stanza, but his output plummeted across the final five minutes. McGhee seized the reins, piled up points and sewed up loose ends against the ex-Fury Fighting Championship titleholder.

McGhee, 36, has won seven of his past eight bouts.

Further down the undercard, onetime Combate Global champion Edgar Chairez took out Bruno “Bulldog” Silva with a club-and-sub rear-naked choke in the first round of their flyweight clash. Silva (15-9-2, 5-6 UFC) clocked out 4:13 into Round 1, suffering his first submission defeat since Sept. 24, 2011.

Chairez (14-6, 4-2 UFC) troubled the Fight Ready product with his length and reach. He decked Silva with a right cross, allowed him to stand, eventually lured him into another exchange and sat him down a second time by pairing a right uppercut with a left hook. Chairez pounced on his fallen prey, climbed into full mount, progressed to the back and cinched the fight-ending choke.

The 30-year-old Chairez has rattled off three straight victories.

Elsewhere, Chelsea Chandler rebounded from consecutive losses to Yana Santos and Joselyne Edwards, as she dismissed Lioness Studio standout Priscila Cachoeira with an armbar in the first round of their women’s bantamweight confrontation. Chandler (7-4, 3-3 UFC) sealed the deal 3:42 into Round 1.

Cachoeira (13-9, 5-9 UFC) turned her powerful hands loose, only to be met with return fire. Chandler dropped the Brazilian with a left hook to the top of the head and a follow-up right hand, powered into top position and floated to the back. From there, the Cesar Gracie disciple activated her ground-and-pound, transitioned to the armbar and forced the tap.

It was Chandler’s first successful submission in almost six years.

Deeper into the prelims, Chute Boxe export Joanderson Brito put away Jordan Leavitt with a ninja choke in the first round of their featherweight encounter. Leavitt (13-4, 6-4 UFC), who entered the cage on the strength of back-to-back victories over Kurt Holobaugh and Yadier Del Valle, waved the white flag of surrender 4:19 into Round 1.

Brito (19-5-1, 7-3 UFC) stymied the Syndicate MMA rep’s repeated bids for takedowns and tie-ups, then waited for him to make a mistake. Leavitt soon crashed forward with an ill-advised double-leg attempt and wandered into the Joao Emilio protégé’s waiting arms. Brito bit down on the choke, cut off avenues of escape and prompted the tapout.

The 31-year-old Brito now boasts 16 finishes among his 18 professional wins.

Finally, former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Ketlen Souza dispatched Ariane Carnelossi with punches and a head kick in the first round of their women’s strawweight rematch. Souza (17-6, 4-3 UFC) drew the curtain a cool 94 seconds into Round 1.

Carnelossi (15-5, 3-4 UFC)—who had stopped her Brazilian compatriot with a body kick in their first meeting seven years ago—tested the waters with jabs to the body, a few leg kicks and the occasional multi-punch burst. Souza was unimpressed. She staggered Carnelossi with an overhand right, floored her with a subsequent head kick and slammed the door with a sweeping standing-to-ground left.

It was the sixth first-round stoppage of Souza’s career.

In other action, Jeisla Chaves (8-0, 1-0 UFC) eked out a split decision—29-28, 28-29, 29-28—over Yuneisy Duben (6-2, 0-2 UFC) in their three-round women’s flyweight tilt.