Taleb, Markos among winners on UFC 186 Fight Pass prelims
Nordine Taleb def. Chris Clements via unanimous decision
Chris Clements had nothing for Nordine Taleb on the floor, and that was the difference on Saturday night.
Taleb took Clements down at will and controlled the Canadian on the floor without unleashing too much damage, though he did open up a gash above Clements right eye with a massive elbow from top control.
Every time Clements was back up to his feet, he went for broke, employing the Bart/Lisa Simpson strategy of winging heavy shots in the hopes of turning things around with one clean shot.
It wasn't to be, though, as Taleb avoided almost everything Clements threw at him, and violently dragged him to the canvas whenever he felt he was in danger.
Taleb is grinding this one out. He’s five minutes away from being 3-0 in the UFC. Not bad for a guy who was 0-2 on two seasons of TUF.
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) April 25, 2015
Valerie Letourneau def. Jessica Rakoczy via unanimous decision
The strawweights continued to shine in the second bout of the evening, as Valerie Letourneau generally outclassed Jessica Rakoczy in all aspects of the game en route to a spirited unanimous decision victory.
Rakoczy showed uncommon toughness during the 15-minute war, surviving an extremely tight triangle-choke/armbar in the first round, before having the right side of her face completely mangled as she sported some Hunchback of Notre Dame-esque swelling.
#UFC186 ► Así quedo el ojo de Jessica Rakoczy cortesía @elrocktagono #SabadoDeGanarSeguidores #ElRocktagono #UFC pic.twitter.com/sRwiVtGL8B
— Bardock UFC (@2712eliot) April 25, 2015
Unfortunately for Rakoczy, her toughness was rewarded with a steady stream of strikes on the feet, as Letourneau blasted her with punches, elbows and big kicks to the body.
Randa Markos def. Aisling Daly via unanimous decision
In the evening's curtain-jerker, Randa Markos and Aisling Daly engaged a grueling, scramble-filled brawl, with Markos emerging with her hand raised after 15 minutes.
Markos' high-level grappling was on display in the opening stanza, as she came close to choking Daly into unconsciousness with an incredibly tight arm-triangle.
Daly bounced back in the second, controlling "Quiet Storm" in the clinch along the cage, before opening up a big gash above Markos' eye with some ground-and-pound on the floor.
With the bout likely tied a round apiece, Markos took control in the final frame, dominating Aisling with suffocating top control and threatening with a deep armbar for much of the final 1:30 as Daly desperately tried to escape.