UFN 23 – Rani Yahya pulls off the upset and a unanimous decision win over Mike Brown in Fort Hood, Texas

Brazilian submission machine, Rani Yahya made an impressive octagon debut tonight at UFC Fight Night 23 in Fort Hood, Texas, defeating former champion, Mike Brown via unanimous decision to prove he has a big future at 145 pounds.
Yahya lands a low kick to begin as Brown stalks him looking to land a big punch. Brown lands that big shot as Yahya drops to his knees and looks for some sort of takedown. Brown moves away and both men return to the feet. Yahya with more kicks as Brown looks to attack again. Yahya shoots in and almost takes Brown’s back but the situation is reversed. Brown really should have separated as Yahya switches again and has a hold of both of his legs. Brown with an attempted guillotine choke as Yahya looks to progress. Brown looks to stand but Yahya has a hold of a guillotine and drags him back down. Brown gets free but he can’t shake Yahya off and return to his feet for long. Yahya takes brown’s back in the final second, looking for the choke, but he just can’t get it. MMABay scores the round 10-9 Yahya.
Kick from Yahya lands, and another, and another. Brown lands a big right hand and a knee but Yahya jumps guard and has a hold of his opponent. Brown decides to dump Yahya to his back and finds himself caught in a loose guillotine. Brown pops his head out and looks to stack Yahya up and lands some bombs but he just can’t get it done. Yahya looks to spin out and scrambles back to his feet. Brown pushes him up against the fence but Yahya has a hold of the neck again. Both men separate and Brown looks to stalk again. Yahya with some nice kicks to keep the distance. Brown throws the right hand but Yahya ducks under and pushes his opponent up against the fence. Brown breaks free and looks to stalk again, avoiding a takedown attempt this time. Brown goes for a D’Arce choke but he can’t get it in time. MMABay scores the round 10-9 Brown.
Yahya looks to close the distance from the off and pushes Brown up against the fence. Brown tries to fight him off but Yahya stays relentless and takes the fight to the ground eventually. Yahya with some annoying ground and pound from the top. Brown rolls out but Yahya takes his back in a sitting position. The two go to their sides before Yahya flattens him out and rains down punches from above. Rear-naked choke attempt from Yahya before moving to the mount. Again he gets the back and hammers Brown with punches. The referee stands the two back up and threatens Yahya with a point deduction. Yahya shoots in but Brown takes Yahya’s back this time. Time ticking away and Yahya gains top position in the final seconds. MMABay scores the round 10-9 Yahya. The judges scored the bout 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 in favour of Yahya.