Lucas Fernando Shuts Down Billy Elekana’s Wrestling in Impressive Victory

Lucas Fernando apparently showed up to UFC Vegas 124 with two things on his mind. Beat up Billy Elekana’s body and make him regret every takedown attempt.

Fernando spent three rounds throwing heavy combinations, nasty knees, and kicks that made Elekana’s night absolutely miserable. Even when Elekana finally got the fight to the ground, Fernando refused to give him anything. When the final horn sounded, Fernando walked away with a unanimous decision victory and a statement performance.

Round 1 – Both fighters met in the center of the Octagon, but Fernando immediately took control with his aggression. He attacked Elekana’s legs and body with kicks while firing straight right hands that forced his opponent backward.

Elekana struggled to establish his offense as Fernando continued marching forward and throwing with bad intentions. Fernando clearly had no interest in feeling things out, and he made that obvious from the opening seconds.

Fernando then turned up the pressure, throwing a punch upstairs before following with a high kick and spinning back kick. The spinning kick connected to the body, although the referee briefly questioned whether Fernando had landed below the belt. After a quick look, the referee confirmed the strike was legal, and the action continued.

Meanwhile, Elekana finally started fighting back, sneaking in a clean left hand as he looked to stand his ground. However, Fernando quickly closed the distance, secured the clinch, and drove Elekana against the fence.

Fernando immediately went to work with a knee to the body, but Elekana managed to reverse the position. Elekana then looked for a takedown, hoping to slow down Fernando’s relentless attack.

Unfortunately for Elekana, Fernando wasn’t having any of it. He used his strength to reverse the position again before punishing Elekana with knees to the body and head.

With his back against the fence, Elekana managed to connect with another straight left hand. However, that only seemed to encourage Fernando to become even more aggressive.

Fernando unleashed combinations, mixing punches with knees upstairs and downstairs as Elekana struggled to find an answer. At one point, Fernando put together a ridiculous sequence that started with a knee to the body. He followed with a right hand downstairs before finishing the combination with a nasty body kick.

By this point, Elekana had little choice but to cover up as Fernando continued unloading against the fence. Fernando ripped another knee into the body before following with hooks to the head, keeping Elekana trapped under constant pressure.

Eventually, Fernando backed away and gave Elekana some breathing room. However, Elekana immediately attempted another takedown, hoping to finally change the direction of the fight.

Once again, Fernando shut it down and made him pay for the attempt. He went right back to attacking the body, making it painfully clear that Elekana wasn’t getting anything for free.

Round 2 – Fernando picked up right where he left off, opening the second round with another leg kick. However, Elekana quickly answered with a straight left hand, showing he wasn’t about to let Fernando have everything his way.

Fernando responded with a nasty right hook upstairs, forcing Elekana to close the distance and initiate the clinch. Elekana drove Fernando against the fence and searched for a takedown, but once again, Fernando refused to go down.

After creating some separation, Fernando connected with a beautiful one-two combination that snapped Elekana’s head backward. Elekana immediately closed the distance again, dragging the fight back into another clinch against the fence.

However, Fernando continued making Elekana pay for every second they spent tied up. He drove a couple of hard knees into Elekana’s body before creating separation and returning to striking range.

From there, the round turned into a wrestling battle along the fence. Elekana repeatedly searched for takedowns, hoping to finally put Fernando on his back and establish some control.

Unfortunately for Elekana, Fernando’s takedown defense continued holding strong. Every time Elekana tried to change levels or improve his position, Fernando answered with more knees to the body.

As the round wound down, neither fighter could completely break the cycle along the fence. Elekana kept hunting for takedowns while Fernando continued punishing the body, making every failed attempt a painful experience.

Round 3 – Heading into the final round, Elekana appeared to need a finish if he wanted to steal the victory. Unfortunately for him, Fernando had absolutely no intention of letting that happen.

Fernando immediately returned to threatening with high kicks, keeping Elekana guessing as he looked to close out the fight. However, Elekana managed to catch one of those kicks and quickly turned it into a takedown attempt.

Once again, Fernando’s takedown defense proved difficult to crack. Elekana drove him against the fence, but couldn’t immediately find a way to put him on the canvas.

However, Elekana finally found the breakthrough he’d been searching for all night. With just over three minutes remaining, he managed to drag Fernando to the ground and establish top position.

For the first time in the fight, Elekana had Fernando exactly where he wanted him. He immediately started working to pass guard, hoping to improve his position and unleash some much-needed ground-and-pound.

Unfortunately for Elekana, Fernando wasn’t about to make things easy. He maintained a strong guard, kept Elekana directly in front of him, and constantly fought to control his opponent’s arms.

Meanwhile, Elekana struggled to create enough space to land anything significant. Every time he looked to advance or open up his offense, Fernando found a way to shut things down.

With the clock working against him, Elekana desperately needed to make something happen from top position. However, Fernando remained disciplined, neutralizing the offense and preventing Elekana from turning his takedown into a fight-changing moment.

Ultimately, Fernando’s defense held strong through the final horn. After controlling the early action and surviving Elekana’s late grappling attack, Fernando earned a unanimous decision victory.

Official Result: Lucas Fernando def. Billy Elekana via Unanimous Decision (29-28×3)

The post Lucas Fernando Shuts Down Billy Elekana’s Wrestling in Impressive Victory appeared first on Cageside Press.