UFC on Fox 22 Prelims: Paul Craig Armbar Submits Luis Henrique da Silva in Sacramento

Paul Craig handled his business like a seasoned vet. The onetime British Association of Mixed Martial Arts titleholder submitted the previously unbeaten Luis Henrique da Silva with a second-round armbar in the featured UFC on Fox 22 prelim on Saturday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California (online betting). Craig (9-0, 1-0 UFC) drew the curtain 1:59 into Round 2, as he made an immediate splash in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight division.Silva (12-1, 2-1 UFC) spun his wheels. Craig got his attention with clinch uppercuts, secured a takedown and tore into him with elbow-laced ground-and-pound before threatening with a guillotine choke inside the first five minutes. Silva retreated to his corner at the end of the Round 1 visibly winded and with significant damage to both eyes. Early in the middle frame, Craig pulled the Brazilian into his guard, wrapped him a triangle choke and then transitioned to the armbar.Hirota Nets First Octagon Victory Former Deep and Sengoku champion Mizuto Hirota successfully navigated significant height and reach disadvantages to register a unanimous decision against Cole Miller in a preliminary featherweight pairing. Hirota (18-7-2, 1-2-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 marks from the judges. Miller (21-11, 10-9 UFC) stunned the Japanese veteran with a right hand in the first round but was otherwise a non-factor. Hirota assumed top position in all three rounds, either through takedowns or superiority in the scrambles, and lit up the American Top Team export with ground-and-pound. He kept Miller pinned to the mat for roughly four minutes in Round 3, removing any chance of a rally for “The Ultimate Fighter 5” graduate.Covington Upends Frustrated Barberena Repeated takedowns, a smothering clinch game and improving standup spurred American Top Team’s Colby Covington to a unanimous verdict over Bryan Barberena in a 15-minute confrontation at 170 pounds. The once-beaten Covington (11-1, 6-1 UFC) drew 30-27 scores across the board. Barberena (12-4, 3-2 UFC) had no answer for the NCAA All-American wrestler. Covington executed multiple takedowns in all three rounds, grinded away in the clinch and was surprisingly effective in the striking exchanges. Barberena did everything in his power to push the 28-year-old out of his comfort zone, only to find himself on the mat or against the cage in what became a rinse-and-repeat nightmare. Covington has pieced together a three-fight winning streak since his submission loss to Warlley Alves a little more than a year ago.Morono Wins Seventh Straight Former Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder Alex Morono overcame a rough start to earn a …

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