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Drops close one in Vegas
Stewart lost to Kevin Holland via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 28-29) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Both men came out firing in this one. Unfortunately for Stewart, it was Holland who got the considerably better of the action over the course of the first ten minutes. Stewart made a significant push in Round 3 to close the gap, but the damage was already done. Overall, Stewart hung tough in a fight in which the Vegas oddsmakers gave him very little chance of winning as a significant +290 underdog. Stewart fights frequently and will put forth an impressive performance every now and again, but he's mostly just valuable roster depth. "The Dentist" falls to 5-6 (1NC) over his first dozen UFC bouts.
Both men came out firing in this one. Unfortunately for Stewart, it was Holland who got the considerably better of the action over the course of the first ten minutes. Stewart made a significant push in Round 3 to close the gap, but the damage was already done. Overall, Stewart hung tough in a fight in which the Vegas oddsmakers gave him very little chance of winning as a significant +290 underdog. Stewart fights frequently and will put forth an impressive performance every now and again, but he's mostly just valuable roster depth. "The Dentist" falls to 5-6 (1NC) over his first dozen UFC bouts.
Quick turnaround against Holland
Stewart will face Kevin Holland in a middleweight bout at a UFC event scheduled for Sept. 19, Marcel Dorff of MMADNA reports.
ANALYSIS
Stewart got back into the win column Aug. 9, when he defeated Maki Pitolo via submission (guillotine choke). He's now won three of his past four fights, but Holland has put together a small win streak of his own. He defeated Joaquin Buckley via TKO (punch) at UFC on ESPN+ 32. Both fighters will have relatively quick turnarounds, but Holland has advantages in height and reach.
Stewart got back into the win column Aug. 9, when he defeated Maki Pitolo via submission (guillotine choke). He's now won three of his past four fights, but Holland has put together a small win streak of his own. He defeated Joaquin Buckley via TKO (punch) at UFC on ESPN+ 32. Both fighters will have relatively quick turnarounds, but Holland has advantages in height and reach.
Clamps in guillotine
Stewart defeated Maki Pitolo via submission (guillotine choke) at 3:41 of Round 1 at UFC on ESPN+ 32 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Stewart was content to patiently wait in the center while Pitolo circled outside, and the striking battle was relatively even in the few exchanges over the first few minutes. It was a takedown attempt from Pitolo that changed the tide of the fight, however. Stewart caught Pitolo's neck in a guillotine before falling to his back and securing the position. He had Pitolo caught, and that was the end of it. The win helps Stewart bounce back from a loss to Bartosz Fabinski and improve to 3-1 in his last four fights. He'll also take home a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts.
Stewart was content to patiently wait in the center while Pitolo circled outside, and the striking battle was relatively even in the few exchanges over the first few minutes. It was a takedown attempt from Pitolo that changed the tide of the fight, however. Stewart caught Pitolo's neck in a guillotine before falling to his back and securing the position. He had Pitolo caught, and that was the end of it. The win helps Stewart bounce back from a loss to Bartosz Fabinski and improve to 3-1 in his last four fights. He'll also take home a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts.
Looking at early-August bout
Stewart is lined up to face Maki Pitolo in a middleweight matchup at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Aug. 8, Nolan King of MMAJunkie.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Stewart last competed in the UFC in October of 2019, picking up his fourth win in five fights against Deron Winn (his only loss in that time came against Edmen Shahbazyan, who is headlining the Aug. 1 card). Since then, a scheduled matchup in London fell through, and Stewart instead picked up a fight under the banner of Cage Warriors, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Bartosz Fabinski. Now back with the UFC, Stewart will be matched up against a pure knockout artist in Pitolo. Pitolo has just two UFC bouts to his name, most recently coming through as an underdog and knocking out Charles Byrd at UFC 250.
Stewart last competed in the UFC in October of 2019, picking up his fourth win in five fights against Deron Winn (his only loss in that time came against Edmen Shahbazyan, who is headlining the Aug. 1 card). Since then, a scheduled matchup in London fell through, and Stewart instead picked up a fight under the banner of Cage Warriors, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Bartosz Fabinski. Now back with the UFC, Stewart will be matched up against a pure knockout artist in Pitolo. Pitolo has just two UFC bouts to his name, most recently coming through as an underdog and knocking out Charles Byrd at UFC 250.
No longer facing Vettori
Stewart's scheduled matchup against Marvin Vettori at UFC London appears to be cancelled following the event's relocation, MMAJunkie.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The UFC will be relocating the weekend's event, per an official statement, which leaves fighters like Stewart unable to secure travel plans on short notice, especially given the recently-imposed restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19. Vettori is back in the US and looking to schedule a new opponent on short notice, so it's unclear if this matchup will come to fruition at a later date. Stewart had been a (+150) betting underdog for the proposed matchup.
The UFC will be relocating the weekend's event, per an official statement, which leaves fighters like Stewart unable to secure travel plans on short notice, especially given the recently-imposed restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19. Vettori is back in the US and looking to schedule a new opponent on short notice, so it's unclear if this matchup will come to fruition at a later date. Stewart had been a (+150) betting underdog for the proposed matchup.