Category: Sports

UFC on ESPN+ 9: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy Full Report

On Saturday, UFC headed to Ottawa for a card crammed full of Canadians. Besides the home country fighters competing, the show also featured a ranked Lightweight clash between “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone and “Ragin’” Al Iaquinta. Let’s look through the whole evening of fights.

Preliminary Card

Bout 1: Mitch Gagnon (12-4) vs. Cole Smith (6-0) (Bantamweight)

Ottawa’s evening of fights started with Mitch Gagnon facing Cole Smith in a Canadian versus Canadian matchup. Early in the first round, Gagnon found himself threatened by a standing kimura attempt. Smith landed a takedown after they were against the cage for a couple of minutes. They got back up moments later and went back against the cage. When they returned to striking, Smith was trying for kicks frequently. Smith was able to bring the fight to the ground in the second and try for a rear naked choke. Gagnon stayed defensive for the rest of the round but didn’t get finished by submission. Gagnon opened the third round very aggressively, advancing on Smith quite a bit. Smith was dropped by some strikes, giving Gagnon an opening. Gagnon tried for an armbar but it didn’t work. They stood back up and then went back down when Gagnon put in a guillotine. Smith got out of the move and took back mount. Smith put in a rear naked choke in the final minute. Gagnon’s mouthpiece also came out during this. The fight went the distance, relying on the judges to choose the fate of the fighters. The judges gave Cole Smith the win unanimously (29-28, 29-28 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

FighterRound 1Round 2Round 3Total
Gagnon991028
Smith1010929

Bout 2: Arjan Bhullar (8-1) vs. Juan Adams (5-0) (Heavyweight)

Two up-and-coming Heavyweights in Arjan Bhullar and Juan Adams faced each other in the next bout. The first round was purely stand-up, with Adams throwing way more punches. Adams came out very aggressively in the second round. Bhullar landed a single leg takedown after a minute. Adam’s had his mouthpiece knocked out, which Bhullar’s corner noticed and repeatedly told him about. They got up shortly after, with not much happening on the ground. Bhullar landed a takedown late in the final round. Both fighters slowed their pace significantly in the third round. The judges all gave Arjan Bhullar the victory (29-28 29-28 & 30-27). Bhullar called out Andrei Arlovski after the fight.

My Scorecard:

FighterRound 1Round 2Round 3Total
Bhullar991028
Adams1010929

Bout 3: Kyle Nelson (12-2) vs. Matt Sayles (7-2) (Featherweight)

The next prelim bout was Kyle Nelson versus Matt Sayles. The first round opened with an aggressive stand-up battle between the two. Nelson was shoved down at one point and was given numerous hammer fist and normal strikes on the ground. Nelson survived the large volume of strikes, and then put Sayles in position for a leg lock. Sayles escaped the move and got into top mount where he landed even more strikes. Nelson was denied a takedown attempt early in the second. Later on however he landed more takedowns. Nelson tried for a rear naked choke for a while, and even had it in at one point but lost control. Nelson shot for tons of takedowns in the final round, not having much success. He did land one takedown but fell into a trap where Sayles took control and put in a head and arm choke to win the bout.

My Scorecard:

FighterRound 1Round 2Round 3Total
Nelson910
Sayles109

Bout 4: Nordine Taleb (14-6) vs. Kyle Prepolec (12-5) (Welterweight)

In the next fight, Nordine Taleb fought UFC newcomer Kyle Prepolec. The first round had very cautious striking from both fighters. The second round was similar but had Taleb landing some harder hitting combos. Prepolec was seemingly hurt by a kick in the final seconds of round three, as he sort of stopped and grabbed his leg. The fight went the distance with the judges giving Nordine Taleb the unanimous victory (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

FighterRound 1Round 2Round 3Total
Taleb10101030
Prepolec99927

Bout 5: Vince Morales (8-3) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (7-1) (Bantamweight)

Aiemann Zahabi, a brother of Firas Zahabi fought Vince Morales next. The first round was a slow one with Morales being the aggressor. The second was much of the same, although Zahabi did land a takedown in the final two minutes. The two fighters went all fifteen moments, not having many defining moments. The scorecards read a unanimous decision for Vince Morales (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

FighterRound 1Round 2Round 3Total
Morales1091029
Zahabi910928

Bout 6: Sarah Moras (5-4) vs. Macy Chiasson (#14) (4-0) (Bantamweight)

Finishing off the preliminary part of the card was Sarah Moras and Macy Chiasson. In the fist five seconds of the bout, Moras scored a takedown. Chiasson got into a top position and started to land strikes. Moras tried for a takedown at the start of the second, but Chiasson was able to gain control on the ground. Chiasson landed a flurry of strikes from above, making referee Yves Lavigne stop the bout.

My Scorecard:

FighterRound 1Round 2Round 3Total
Moras9
Chiasson10

Main Card

Bout 7: Andrew Sanchez (10-4) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (11-1) (Middleweight)

Starting the main card was Andrew Sanchez and Marc-Andre Barriault. A story was told on commentary before the fight, explaining how these two fighters sparred the day before they were offered a fight against each other. Funny coincidence. Sanchez is a Tristar Fighter but got boos when being introduced. Sanchez landed a takedown in the first minute of the bout. They traded strikes while on the ground. In the final minute of the round Sanchez landed another takedown but Barriault got up immediately. Barrialt had dominant striking in the second round, making Sanchez clinch up. Sanchez kept getting it hard but never got dropped. Barriault defended a takedown for a while but eventually got tripped and went down. Sanchez had control on the ground for a good chunk of the round. The fight went all three rounds. The judges gave Sanchez the win via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28). The crowd did not approve of this.

My Scorecard:

FighterRound 1Round 2Round 3Total
Sanchez1081028
Barriault910928

Bout 8: Walt Harris (12-7) vs. Sergey Spivak (9-0) (Heavyweight)

We saw a Heavyweight battle in the next bout on the card. Walt Harris fought Sergey Spivak. Early on, Harris was landing strong punches and knees. Spivak completely covered up and fell, getting hit more and more until the referee intervened.

My Scorecard:

FighterRound 1Round 2Round 3Total
Harris
Spivak

Bout 9: Brad Katona (8-0) vs. Merab Dvalishvili (8-4) (Bantamweight)

Undefeated Brad Katona fought Merab Dvalishvili in the next bout. After a close striking battle for the first couple of minutes, Dvalishvili scored a takedown. They both stood back up shortly after. Katona tried for a takedown too but found himself in a clinch that ended with Dvalishvili landing a trip and getting a takedown himself. At the start of the second round, Dvalishvili got another takedown. Dvalishvili was dominant throughout the round, landing a good trip takedown at the end as well. In the final round, Dvalishvili out-wrestled Katona. The scorecards were all in agreement, giving Dvalishvili the win (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

FighterRound 1Round 2Round 3Total
Katona99927
Dvalishvili10101030

Bout 10: Cub Swanson (#10) (25-10) vs. Shane Burgos (11-1) (Featherweight)

UFC veteran Cub Swanson faced younger fighter Shane Burgos in the next fight. The first round was kickboxing only from both fighters. The second round was very much the same. Swanson came out much more aggressively in the third round. Swanson tried for a takedown, but didn’t fully get it, being stuck against the cage for a while. Burgos had his moments in the second half of the round. The judges were split on the decision, but the majority selected Burgos as the winner (30-27 Swanson, 30-27 Burgos & 29-28 Burgos).

My Scorecard:

FighterRound 1Round 2Round 3Total
Swanson910928
Burgos1091029

Bout 11: Derek Brunson (#9) (18-7) vs. Elias Theodorou (#13) (16-2) (Middleweight)

In the co-main event slot was a battle between ranked Middleweight fighters Derek Brunson and Elias Theodorou. Brunson scored a takedown within the first minute of the fight. He took the back and put in a rear naked choke, but Theodorou escaped. Brunson kept trying for it but stopped being able to once Theodorou stood up. Both fighters, but especially Theodorou were throwing lots of kicks. While neither fighter had an amazing second round, and the crowd voiced their opinion on this, Theodorou out-struck Brunson. Brunson had an amazing takedown in the third, picking up and carrying Theodorou, then slamming him on is back. The final round ended with the crowd booing the two fighters. Derek Brunson won the fight unanimously (29-28, 29-28 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

FighterRound 1Round 2Round 3Total
Brunson1091029
Theodorou910928

Bout 12: Al Iaquinta (#4) (14-4-1) vs. Donald Cerrone (#8) (35-11) (Lightweight)

Finally, it was time for the main event. In the main event, Al Iaquinta faced Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. The first round was a feeling out process, with Cerrone landing a solid knee when Iaquinta tried for a takedown at one point. The second round was similar, with both fighters landing some good strikes periodically. In the third round Iaquinta started to bleed from his nose quite a bit. They started to really open up with strikes at the end of the third round. Iaquinta was dropped with a punch in the final seconds of the third. Cerrone landed strikes on the ground until the round ended. Iaquinta was dropped yet again in the fourth with a front kick. He got up shortly after. Cerrone strung together a good combination of punches in the final minute of the fourth. Iaquinta had a takedown blocked in the final seconds of the round. The fight went all 25 minutes with the final round being another methodical striking battle between the two. The fight was stand-up with periodic moments of fighting on the ground due to a knockdown. The judges gave “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone the win Unanimously (49-45, 49-45 & 49-46). Cerrone celebrated with his son.

My Scorecard:

FighterRound 1Round 2Round 3Round 4Round 5Total
Iaquinta91099946
Cerrone10910101049

UFC returns next week with the PPV event UFC 237. In the main event, Rose Namajunas will attempt to defend her Strawweight Championship against Jessica Andrade. The show will take place in Brazil, and feature home country talent like Anderson Silva and Jose Aldo on the main card.

Kyle Busch Wins Atlanta Truck Race, Breaks All-Time Record

Kyle Busch broke Ron Hornaday’s record of NASCAR Truck series wins on Saturday after winning the Ultimate Tailgating 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Busch also won the first two stages of the race, making it a full race sweep, similar to the one in the Xfinity Series earlier in the day.

Despite being billed as “Hotlanta” by many, today the speedway was under misty and foggy conditions. The 130 lap race had two 40 lap stages, with the final stage being 50 laps.

The race had two red flags at the end. The first was to clean up after a crash involving Spencer Boyd, Austin Wayne Self, Chad Finley, Stewart Friesen, Parker Kligerman and Jesse Little. The second one was thrown up after the cars had just started rolling again, this time due to weather. The race was able to get back going with five laps under green. The finale of the race had rookie Harrison Burton and Kyle Busch on the front row.

There were three incident cautions in the race. Two were from Natalie Decker going into grass, and the third was John Hunter Nemechek spinning out.

The Gander Outdoors Truck Series returns next Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Strat 200. Kyle Busch will be racing once again tomorrow in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 for the Monster Energy Cup Series. The broadcast for the race starts at 2 PM Eastern Time.

Austin Hill Wins NextEra Energy Resources 250 In Overtime

Austin Hill won the NextEra Energy Resources 250 after a yellow flag plagued evening at Daytona International Speedway. The win kicks off the season for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, which was known as the Camping World Truck Series the year before. “I knew we had a truck that could compete. Got a little scarce there at the end. (I) Thought that the 98 at the end would get me,” said hill in victory lane. Hill didn’t find himself with much competition by the end of the race as around 10 trucks were still left on the track.

There were numerous incidents that involved more than five drivers, with the biggest two being on lap 54 and 98. The latter of the two pushed the race into NASCAR Overtime, with the race not concluding until second overtime was done. The race had 11 cautions in total. Numerous cars were on fire over the course of the evening. Sheldon Creed and Natalie Decker had to make fast exits of their trucks because of this.

Christian Eckes and David Gilliland started on the front row for the race. Gilliland found himself in the front of the pack for a significant amount of time, eventually dropping back due to a penalty from driving ahead of the pace car when going to pit lane under caution.

Austin Hill was worried at the end that he wouldn’t have enough fuel. “I didn’t have any confidence to be honest with you,” said Hill when reflecting on his emotion during the race about the fuel.

The Gander Outdoors Truck Series will return next week when NASCAR heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway. NASCAR has two more days at Daytona International Speedway, with the Powershares QQQ 300 on Saturday and the famous Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Jimmie Johnson Wins 2019 Advance Auto Parts Clash Under Red

A week from the Daytona 500, Hendrick Motorsports had an impressive Sunday in Florida. After the team solidified two of their cars on the front row for the race in seven days, veteran driver Jimmie Johnson won the “Advance Auto Parts Clash” exhibition race. The lead came on the final green lap when Johnson collided with race leader Paul Menard, sending him into the pack of cars behind him. A red flag came out on the 58th of scheduled 75 laps due to rain, with the race subsequently ending afterwards.

“(A) Really big day for the 48 team… An epic day across the board,” said Johnson during the post-race press conference. He went on to say that today’s success was “a great sign for the week ahead.” His last Cup Series win came in 2017 at Dover International Speedway, with his highest 2018 placing being third at Bristol Motor Speedway. Johnson is a two time Daytona 500 winner.

The day had numerous run-ins with sporadic weather, with two red flags going out earlier in the race. There were slight amounts of rain visible during the Daytona 500 Qualifying earlier as well.

Paul Menard had a successful outing before finding himself in a wreck on lap 54. He started on pole position, joined by Kyle Busch, who fought in the middle of the pack for most of the race. Most of the field was involved in the collision at the end.

NASCAR will have four days of racing to start on the 15th with their two Clash races. On the following days there will be NextEra Energy 250, the NASCAR Racing Experience 300 and the Daytona 500.

UFC 230: Daniel Cormier Successfully Defends Heavyweight Championship via Submission

On Saturday UFC put on their third show inside Madison Square Garden. This has become something of a tradition for the brand, with the MSG events being a supercard. Two years ago UFC made their New York City debut when Conor McGregor defeated Eddie Alvarez in the the second round at UFC 205. Last year at UFC 217 George St. Pierre defeated Michael Bisping on a three title card. This time around it’s Daniel Cormier versus Derrick Lewis for the Heavyweight Championship.

This card was something that was originally set to be a supercard, but didn’t become such a thing after many fights falling through. The biggest of fight cancelled was Nate Diaz versus Dustin Poirier in what could be considered a fan friendly fight. There was also another championship bout that was originally planned for this card, being Valentina Shevchenko versus Sijara Eubanks for the Flyweight Championship. This did not happen because Shevchenko was rebooked for a fight against Joanna Jędrzejczyk on the December Toronto card. Eubanks was given Roxanne Modafferi in a prelim bout on this card instead.

The main event of the evening was Daniel Cormier versus Derrick Lewis. Lewis is fighting in a miraculous turnaround time from his last bout at UFC 229 against Alexander Volkov. In that bought Lewis was seconds away from losing on the scorecards when he got a stoppage win on Volkov. Lewis received a spike in Instagram followers, around triple the amount he had before after giving an entertaining post fight interview. Cormier is coming off a summer victory against Stipe Miocic. He broke the Heavyweight fighter’s streak of title defenses with a first round knockout. Some say that Miocic deserved the rematch before others due to his dominance as a champion before his loss.

Below the main event was 11 other bouts. Starting off the PPV was Israel Adesanya versus Derek Brunson. Adesanya has put on dominant performances lately, with his last one coming at  The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale against Brad Tavares. In the co-main event slot for the evening was Chris Weidman versus Jacare Souza. Weidman fought on the 205 card two years ago and made his return to his home state with this bout. Before any of this happened, the evening began on UFC’s OTT service UFC Fight Pass with the Early Prelims.

  1. The first fight on the Early Prelims was slightly delayed since the second bout between Brian Kelleher versus Montel Jackson was cancelled. Opening the show was Marcus Rogerio de Lima versus Adam Wieczorek. Both heavyweights were on the ground for the majority of the first round. De Lima had top position most of the time and started to land strikes in the final 20 seconds. The second round was mostly stand-up, with de Lima landing more shots. By the end of the second round Wieczorek was wobbling around the place. The commentary team took a liking to de Lima’s leg kicks throughout the second. The final round went in the way of de Lima but did not have any noteworthy action. All three judges had it 30-27 for de Lima.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
De Lima 10 10 10 30
Wieczorek 9 9 9 27
  1. Continuing on with the UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims, Kurt Holobaugh had his second fight in his current run in the promotion. Holobaugh was a pickup from the Contender Series, but his fight from the series is no longer valid due to a drug test. Since then he has also lost a fight. He faces Shane Burgos who is coming off his first loss since coming into the UFC. Both fighters were absolutely swinging for the first two minutes of the bout. Holobaugh seemed to have the advantage in the stand-up field. Burgos got dropped two minutes in from a punch but seemed to recover quickly from it. When Holobaugh went to the ground to land more punches he found himself in an armbar that ended the bout. It was an amazing turn of events for Burgos.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Holobaugh
Burgos
  1. Finishing off the early prelims was Matt Frevola versus Lando Vannata. Frevola is a new UFC fighter who lost his debut fight after winning a Contender Series bout. Vannata hasn’t won in a long time, losing two fights and tying one since 2017. Both of these fighters were absolutely explosive in the first round. Frevola got dropped from a kick but recovered very quickly. He was also given some breathing room as the fight was paused for his mouthguard to be put back in. With under two minutes left in the first Vannata looked like he was in trouble when he got tagged with a right. In the final seconds of the round there was absolute chaos. Frevola landed an amazing flurry of strikes then tried for a Guillotine in the final moments. Vannata escaped the Guillotine before time ran out. Early in the second round Frevola got tagged hard with kicks, then dropped with a right moments later. Frevola showed an amazing chin, being able to recover and stay up despite being continually pelted. Frevola tried for a takedown in the final moments of round two but fell into a Guillotine. Lucky for him the time in the round ran out. In the third Vannata caught Frevola’s leg for a takedown but took 3 or so punches clean to the head on the way down. Frevola got a takedown of his own with just over a minute left, but Vannata got up very shortly after. The fight went the distance leaving the judges to decide. This could have went both ways, so it did. The judges scored it a draw (29-28, 28-28 & 28-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Frevola 10 9 10 29
Vannata 9 10 9 28
  1. Starting off the UFC Prelims on FS1 was Lyman Good versus Ben Saunders. This fight was close until Good landed uppercuts in a clinch that took Saunders out. This was a very quick finish that caught me off guard.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Good
Saunders
  1. After the quickest finish of the night, the next bout was Julio Arce versus Sheymon Moraes. In the first minute of the fight Arce got dropped hard by a right hook. He was able to recover on the ground and make his way back to his feet. Later in the round Arce mounted Moraes and kept trying for a Rear Naked Choke. In the second round Arce started bleeding heavily, which had the commentators worried. With just over a minute left in the second, Arce floored Moraes with a strike. Both of these guys were so bloodied that it was disgusting. The fight went the distance after a close strictly kickboxing final round. The judges gave Moraes the win via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-26).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Arce 9 10 9 28
Moraes 10 9 10 29
  1. The next bout was a rematch from The Ultimate Fighter. Sijara Eubanks fought Roxanne Modafferi for the second time in their careers. Eubanks did not make weight the day before, but this fight was still on. The first minute and a half of the first was striking where, while nobody was doing visible damage, Eubanks was more dominant. Eubanks landed a takedown, making most of the first round stay on the ground. Modafferi continued to look not that confident in stand up in the second round. Eubanks seemed to have more power in her strikes. Modafferi had decent ground game at the end of round 2 as both fighters were very tired. Modafferi looked the best striking-wise in the third because she landed much more shots. Eubanks ended up out-powering in the third similarly to how she did in the first, except with less power. The fight went to the judges who tallied it in favour of Eubanks Unanimously (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
#4 Eubanks 10 9 10 29
#7 Modafferi 9 10 9 28
  1. Finishing off the preliminary card was Jason Knight versus Jordan Rinaldi. The first round was mostly on the ground with Rinaldi on top. While Knight had more significant strikes in the round, Rinaldi had control for the majority of the time. In the second round Rinaldi was dominating and trying for moves on the ground but Knight was able to defend. Rinaldi put in a Rear Naked Choke in the third round that Knight somehow found a way out of. The fight went the distance with both guys being very tired by the end. The judges gave the fight to Rinaldi by quite the margin (30-27, 30-25 & 30-26)

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Knight 9 9 8 26
Rinaldi 10 10 10 30
  1. The PPV portion of the show kicked off with Israel Adesanya versus Derek Brunson. Leading up to this fight the idea was that it would be the experienced kickboxer Adesanya versus Brunson who is the much better boxer. Very early on in the first round Brunson clinched up and went to the fence. Brunson got taken off the cage after grabbing Adesanya’s shorts twice. Adesanya flipped off Brunson while referee Herb Dean was talking to Brunson. There was the option to take away points because of this, but it didn’t happen. Adesanya guarded a takedown attempt well, but Brunson went to the cage on another attempt right after. Adesanya landed a flurry of kicks, knees and punches in the final minute that had Brunson in a defensive mode. Brunson got dropped over and over until the fight got stopped with ten seconds left. What gave Adesanya the win wasn’t his stellar kickboxing but rather his ability to keep the fight in his own wheelhouse. After this fight the newly signed fighter from ONE Championship Ben Askren was shown in the crowd.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
#6 Brunson
#9 Adesanya
  1. In what feels like a main card bout that was swept under the promotional rug, Karl Roberson fought Jack Marshman. In the first round Roberson was moving and swinging faster than Marshman. Marshman got clipped mid-way through the round but stayed standing. Near the end of the round the commentary team pointed out that the volume of punches from Roberson had significantly dropped off. Through round two and three Marshman continued to get hit but at a much slower pace than round one. It was consistently the left hand that Roberson was landing. With two and a half minutes left Roberson landed a takedown. The final round ended with most people already considering Roberson the winner. Judges gave Roberson the win Unanimously (30-26, 30-26 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Roberson 10 10 10 30
Marshman 9 9 9 27
  1. The tenth fight of the evening was Dave Branch versus Jared Cannonier. Cannonier had quite the confident walkout. Branch got a pop from the crowd after being billed out of Brooklyn. Branch landed a takedown but didn’t stay on the ground for long. Cannonier was landing more strikes throughout the round and had decent ground defence. At the start of the second round Branch got absolutely floored by a right, and took a few more shots on the ground before the ref stopped it.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
#7 Branch 9
Cannonier 10
  1. The co-main event of the evening was Chris Weidman facing Jacare Souza in a Middleweight bout. The crowd was wildly in favour of Weidman, but that’s no surprise because he is one to wear his home state on his sleeve. The fight was very neutral in the first round until Weidman landed a combo with his hands clean. After this moment it seemed like both guys started to open up much more. Souza started to throw and connect more in the second round. Souza was bleeding from the nose badly in the second. Souza slipped and fell after throwing a kick in the final minute of the second. Souza and Weidman were clinched against the cage until the final moments of the round when they went back to stand up. With over two minutes left Souza dropped Weidman with a strikes. You could tell from the moment Weidman was down that he was out. Souza stared at Weidman who was down, not throwing any extra punches because he assumed it was over. The referee didn’t end it and Weidman clutched Souza’s foot, so Souza did four more shots before the ref ended it. Souza looked disappointed that the referee did not end it. This was quite the comeback as Souza was down 2-0 heading into the third. The whole third round Souza was being more aggressive than the two before.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
#3 Weidman 10 10
#5 Souza 9 9
  1. Up next was the main event of the evening in Madison Square Garden. Double champion Daniel Cormier defended his Heavyweight championship against Derrick Lewis, who achieved stardom after his viral victory against Alexander Volkov. In the first minute of the fight Cormier landed a takedown. Lewis got up with over two minutes left in the first, still pinned against the cage by Cormier. Cormier landed a trip which brought Lewis back to the ground. They stayed on the ground until the first round ran out. Similar to the first, Cormier spent a minute closing a distance in the second and then landed a takedown. On the ground Cormier put in a Rear Naked Choke that made Lewis tap quickly. The commentary team knew almost immediately that it was over once it was put in. After the fight Cormier called out Brock Lesnar, telling him to bring his WWE Universal Championship if he faces him.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Total
© Cormier 10
#2 Lewis 9

UFC wraps up 2018 with two December PPV cards. The first of the two takes place in Toronto with Max Holloway and Brian Ortega in the main event. Also in another title fight is Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Valentina Shevchenko fighting for the vacant UFC Flyweight Championship. UFC 232 is the company’s final event of the year, with Jon Jones returning to face Alexander Gustafsson in a Light Heavyweight Championship bout. Below them is also Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes fighting for the Featherweight Championship.

Next week UFC heads to Denver, Colorado for Fight Night #139. It’s the finale of UFC’s 25th Anniversary celebrations, with the event taking place in the same city that the first UFC event was held in. The main event is “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung versus Yair Rodriguez. The co-main event is equally entertaining as it has Donald Cerrone versus Mike Perry.

Jacare Souza To Replace Luke Rockhold in UFC 230 Co-Main Event

Earlier today news broke that Luke Rockhold is off of the UFC 230 co-main event due to injury. Since then Jacare Souza has announced that he will step in to face Chris Weidman, per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. He takes this co-main event fight two weeks away from the show, as the show is set to take place on November 3rd at Madison Square Garden.

This change leaves Dave Branch out of a fight. Branch was scheduled to fight Souza on the 230 card but due to the scheduling has been put out of the fight. It was reported that he might have an opponent in Jared Connonier, but nothing is 100% as of yet. As previously mentioned in the original report about Rockhold, this card has experienced tons of cancelled fights for numerous reasons.

Some order is restored to the MMA world after a chaotic headline broke earlier today.

Bellator Fights Reported 8/11/18 – 8/17/18

With a Bellator event this Friday, the promotion has been hot on announcing bouts.

Roy Nelson vs. Sergei Kharitonov – Bellator 207

Sergei Kharitonov and Roy Nelson will both compete in their third Bellator fight against each other at Bellator 207. Before this news was broken by MMAJunkie there was already another Heavyweight clash between Matt Mitrione and Ryan Bader set as the main event of the evening. That fight is a semi-final of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. The winner meets the winner of a Fedor vs. Sonnen fight.

Benson Henderson vs. Saad Awad – Bellator 208

Benson Henderson and Saad Awad are set to square off in October at Bellator 208 in the promotions third visit to the state of New York. MMAJunkie broke the news Tuesday that this fight will go down. Awad’s last fight was in June, beating Ryan Couture in a first round stoppage. Henderson is also coming off an impressive performance at Bellator 196 beating Roger Huerta in the second round through submission. They will be fighting on the same card as the highly anticipated bout between Fedor Emelianenko and Chael Sonnen in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix Semi-finals.

Cheick Kongo vs. Timothy Johnson – Bellator 208

On the same card as the previously mentioned Henderson vs. Awad bout is Cheick Kongo versus Timothy Johnson. The story was broken live on ESPN’s Ariel And The Bad Guy talk show. Bellator veteran Cheick Kongo hopes to spoil the welcoming party for Johnson, whose last bout was in the UFC back in February.

Patricio Freire vs. Emmanuel Sanchez – Unnamed Show

Friday afternoon MMAJunkie reported that Patricio Freire will face Emmanuel Sanchez in a November fight in Israel. Bellator has made two trips to Israel, airing tape delayed shows, and aims to do so once again with two Bellator veterans. While a date is set for the fight, the name/number of the Bellator show is not yet known. Freire recently won the sequel bout against Daniel Weichel after going five rounds. Sanchez is on a four fight win streak, recently getting a first round Triangle Choke finish against Sam Sicilia.

UFC Fight Night Boise Report: Dos Santos Wins After 5 Rounds

Last week Daniel Cormier defeated Stipe Miocic, and was looking down on the fight game from his throne, one championship on each shoulder. History was made that will not be forgotten for a long time. As the dust is still settling, UFC provided a 13 fight card from Boise, Idaho for the first time in UFC history. Headlining the card is Junior Dos Santos facing Blagoy Ivanov who has the experience in MMA, but steps into a UFC octagon for the first time in his career. In the co-main event prettyboy Sage Northcutt faces Zak Ottow. For those who didn’t know, Northcutt was one of the many talents discovered on Dana White’s web series called “Looking For A Fight”. Before that fight, the main event and many more, the evening starting with Jessica Aguilar and Jodie Esquibel on the UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims.

 

  1. The first fight on the Early Prelims was a Strawweight fight between Jessica Aguilar and Jodie Esquibel. This fight was originally scheduled for UFC Fight Night: Utica, but was cancelled after Aguilar had a “chapped lips” issue. Aguilar’s bad luck goes even farther back than last month, with another fight of hers being cancelled in February. This is Aguilar’s first fight in 2018. In the first round both fighters were able to hold their own, with Aguilar being better by a margin on my scorecard. The second round was closer to call than the first. Esquibel’s corner seemed confident that the scorecards had it 1-1 while Aguilar’s corner was saying that she is up 2-0 but “you never know” with the judges. The fight went the distance, giving us the chance to see what the judges actually thought. The judges gave Aguilar the win Unanimously (30-27, 29-28 & 29-28).

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Aguilar 10 10 10 30
Esquibel 9 9 9 27

 

  1. Continuing the three fight UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims was Mark De La Rosa against Elias Garcia in a Flyweight bout. Both of these guys are really young and have a lot of wins on their record already. In the first round Garcia mounted De La Rosa, with DLR getting rid of him by spinning many times. When put in an Armbar later in the round he used a similar spinning tactic. Two very interesting moments in the round. In the second round De La Rose put in a Rear Naked Choke that made Garcia tap. De La Rosa did not call anyone out after the fight, saying that he wants to “stay humble”.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
De La Rosa 10
Garcia 9

 

  1. Finishing off the Early Prelims was ranked fighter #7 Liz Carmouche against Jennifer Maia. In the second round Carmouche was aggressively looking for a finish, trying with strikes then an Armbar until the round ended. The fight went all three rounds. Carmouche walked away with a victory Unanimously (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28).

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Carmouche #7 10 10 10 30
Maia 9 9 9 27

 

  1. Starting the prelims on FS1 was Kurt Holobaugh versus Raoni Barcelos. The two Featherweights were very close in the first round. The commentary team predicted that the fight would not make it past the first round, but it instead went to the third round. AQ flurry of strikes by Barcelos dropped Holobaugh making referee Herb Dean stop the fight.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Holobaugh 9 10
Barcelos 10 9

 

  1. Justin Scoggins faced Flyweight Said Nurmagomedov in the second prelim fight. Said was hired in January, this being his first UFC fight. He is a cousin to UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. There was an interesting moment in the third round where the two fighters were stood up while Nurmagomedov was throwing strikes. Said Nurmagomedov ended up winning the fight via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Scoggins 10 9 9 28
Nurmagomedov 9 10 10 29

 

  1. Alexander Volkanovski faced #10 rank Darren Elkins in the next fight. During the fighter introductions it is shown on the broadcast that Israel Adesanya, who won the main event at TUF27 last week, was applauding Volkanovski while wearing one of his shirts. In the first round Volkanovski put in a pretty convincing Guillotine, but Elkins escaped. Eklins got dropped with a strike later in the first round but recovered. Volkanovski dropped Elkins once again and slipped in a Guillotine as the round ended. The ref was giving Elkins more leeway than usual. Volkanovski had him in the palm of his hand during the second round. The fight (somehow) went the distance. It’s worth being applauded itself that Elkins survived past round 1. The judges gave Volkanovski the win Unanimously (30-27, 29-28 & 29-28).

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Volkanovski 10 10 10 30
Elkins #10 8 9 9 26

 

  1. Finishing off the preliminary card was #15 rank Eddie Wineland versus #13 rank Alejandro Perez in the Bantamweight class. The fight was very close for all three rounds. Nobody was being super aggressive, and the fight stayed standing for the most part. In the final 10 seconds Perez started swinging like crazy. The official decision was a Unanimous Decision for Perez (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Wineland #15 10 9 9 29
Perez #15 9 10 10 28

 

  1. Kicking off the main card, Cat Zingano who is #6 Bantamweight rank faced #7 rank Marion Reneau. This fight, which travelled at a slow pace for all three rounds went to decision. Zingano won, absolutely dominating the scorecards (30-27, 30-27 & 30-26). She gave a very emotional, feel good interview after the fight.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Zingano #6 10 10 10 30
Reneau #7 9 9 9 27

 

  1. In the next bout Chad Mendes faced #12 rank Featherweight Myles Jury. Mendes last fought in 2015 when he lost to Frankie Edgar, coming off his loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 189. Basically, this is the start of the Chad Mendes redemption arch. Minutes into the first round Mendes dropped Jury with a left then finished the fight on the ground with more strikes. He was excited to be back in his interview afterwards.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Mendes
Jury #12

 

  1. Niko Price faced Randy Brown in the next fight. Brown won the first round standing up. In the second round we saw a very unique finish, with Price putting Brown to sleep while Price was on the bottom. After the finish he threw his mouthguard out of his mouth, a similar celebration that we saw last week when Dan Hooker won his fight.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Price 9
Brown 10

 

  1. In a Featherweight fight, Rick Glenn faced Dennis Bermudez.This fight went all fifteen minutes, leaving the win and loss to each fighter in the hands of the judges. Rick Glenn won via Split Decision (29-28, 30-27 & 29-28)

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Glenn 10 9 10 29
Bermudez 9 10 9 28

 

  1. In the co-main event spot for tonight is Zak Ottow versus Sage Northcutt. Northcutt is one of those guys that sticks with you because of his look and personality. Ottow had control for most of the first round when he took Northcutt to the ground. Racing the clock Northcutt was looking for a finish on the ground. Ottow seemed to really gas out in the second round, and Northcutt took advantage of that. Northcutt got a win after landing Hammerfists on the ground.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Ottow 10
Northcutt 9

 

  1. Now it became time for the main event. #8 rank Heavyweight Junior Dos Santos faces newcomer to the UFC Blagoy Ivanov. The first three rounds were back and forth. Ivanov’s best round was the third. Dos Santos had finger poking issues throughout rounds, with Herb Dean bringing him to a corner to fix his gloves in the fourth. In the fourth round the crowd started a stomping chant, trying to get the two fighters to engage more. Ivanov got hit in the eye again in the final round, being checked by the doctors. No point was taken away, despite the commentators believing there was good reason to. All three judges had scorecard Unanimously in favour of Dos Santos (50-45, 50-45 & 50-45).

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Total
Dos Santos #8 10 9 9 10 10 48
Ivanov 9 10 10 9 9 47

 

UFC usually runs Saturday evening events like we saw tonight, but next week when the octagon travels to Hamburg, Germany, it will have a special start time of 10:30 AM EST for the Early Prelims on Sunday (2PM EST for Main Card). Headlining the card is Shogun Rua and Anthony Smith. UFC is many many weeks away from their next PPV, when TJ Dillashaw defends his Bantamweight Championship against Cody Garbrandt in a rematch. That card goes down on August 4, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Ending off this week in UFC was Junior Dos Santos on top in Boise.

UFC 226 Report: Daniel Cormier Becomes New Heavyweight Champion

Daniel Cormier attempted to do what only one other person has done. Cormier challenged Stipe Miocic for his Heavyweight Championship while already being the Light Heavyweight Champion. Stipe faced Cormier with his goal being to extend his win streak, and also extend his historic title reign. This proclaimed superfight headlined the July 7th UFC 226 card capping off UFC’s International Fight Week. Below them was 10 other fights including another attempt at the Michael Chiesa and Anthony Pettis fight which was thrown away in April after Conor McGregor attacked a fighter bus. Derrick Lewis faced Francis Ngannou in what was predicted to be an explosive Heavyweight clash, whether it lived up to its hype or not is easy to answer: No. But besides that, there were many more big names going down this card who were ready to make history. The evening started on UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims with Jamie Moyle facing Emily Whitmire.

 

  1. Starting off the evening was Jamie Moyle versus Emily Whitmire in a Strawweight fight. It’s been over a year since Moyle has fought, with her last fight being a decision loss at UFC 212. The first round and a half was boxing only with Whitmire swinging way more and landing more than Moyle. In the third round Whitmire got a good takedown and used the opportunity to land ground strikes. The fight went all 15 minutes with Whitmire having the advantage almost the whole way through. The judges gave Whitmire the win Unanimously (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28). In the post-fight interview Whitmire was happy about how she has finally made it to the UFC. She also mentioned the issue she has with Vinny Magalhaes who wouldn’t corner her but then showed up to the event today.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Moyle 9 9 9 27
Whitmire 10 10 10 30

 

  1. Ending off the one hour early-prelims is Lightweight Gilbert Burns against Dan Hooker. In the first round Burns got dropped many times. Hooker dropped Burns with a left that made the ref call off the fight. Burns was looking good, maybe even the better of the two until Hooker started landing bombs. Hooker also did a good move where he immediately turned a takedown attempt from Burns into a submission move. After the fight Hooker cut a good promo saying that he needs a top 10 fight because booking him against unranked fighters is just getting them hurt.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Burns
Hooker

 

  1. Over to FS1, Curtis Millender fought Max Griffin in a Welterweight fight. During this fight Millender really liked using knees. Griffin was the one who was more aggressive when it came to looking for takedowns. The third round determined the result for the whole fight. Millender started really landing bombs with a minute left. The scorecards determined the fate for both fighters, with the judges all seeing it the same, 2-1 for Millender. Millender gets the Unanimous victory (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Millender 9 10 10 29
Griffin 10 9 9 28

 

  1. Lando Vannata and Drakkar Klose faced off in the second FS1 fight. Klose has quite the unique name. The first round was close (or should I say Klose), but went in favour for Klose on my scorecard. In the second round Klose was really targeting the legs of Vannata, and you could tell that it was hurting him. Judges all gave Klose the unanimous win with a clean sweep scorecard (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27)

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Vannata 9 9 9 27
Klose 10 10 10 30

 

  1. Our first fight this evening that has two ranked fighters is Raphael Assuncao against Rob Font. Commentators mentioned that the winner of this fight could be next in line for a Bantamweight title fight. Rob Font got dropped once in the first round, recovering very quickly. In the third round Rob got accidentally poked in the eyes. He was checked out by the doctor, but was able to finish the round. All three judges gave Assuncao a 30-27 win (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27). After the fight Assuncao sounded desperate for a title shot saying “Boss what do I have to do?” He gave a composed promo saying that even though he isn’t finishing his opponents, he is on a winning streak.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Assuncao #3 10 10 10 30
Font #11 9 9 9 27

 

  1. Finishing off the prelims we have Paulo Costa, who put on a very impressive showing last time he was on PPV. He faces #9 rank Uriah Hall. The battle between Hall and Costa was intense in the first round, but took a break when Hall was hit square in the cup. Costa was absolutely in control of the fight until it was paused once again for a hit to the groin. Hall took a longer time to heal after this second hit. No point was deducted from Costa. In the second round both Costa and Hall were swinging like crazy. Costa got the better of the absolute war in the second round, dropping Hall, causing the ref to stop the fight. Costa wasn’t the cleanest fighter in the first round, and that most likely played into his victory, but with that being said it’s worth mentioning that Costa is a real threat to the Middleweight division. If it wasn’t for Costa ending it in the second round, the prelim should would have most likely went over it’s time slot, into the PPV time slot.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Hall #9 9
Costa #10 10

 

  1. Starting off the five fight PPV card was Gokhan Saki versus Khalil Rountree Jr. in a Light Heavyweight fight. This fight was not that busy for the first minute. After that, Rountree floored with a punch. Saki was given a chance to recover on the ground but Rountree continued with hammer fists on the ground until the fight ended. Rountree gave a very excited promo after the fight, screaming into the mic for some time.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Saki
Rountree

 

  1. The next fight is a re-do of what was supposed to happen in New York back in April. Due to the attack that McGregor did on the buses of fighters, Chiesa became a scratch on the card. This time around didn’t come without it’s problems too, as Chiesa missed weight, making this a 157.5 Catchweight fight. During the weigh-ins Chiesa announced to the media that this would be his last fight at Lightweight. In the first round Chiesa landed lots of takedowns. In between rounds Chiesa said he thinks Pettis greased for this fight. Pettis dropped Chiesa at the start of the second round with strikes, then put him in a Triangle Armbar to make him tap. After the fight Pettis says that he finished the fight early because he knows that’s what the fans want.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Chiesa #9 10
Pettis #12 9

 

  1. Welterweight Paul Felder faced Mike Perry in the ninth fight of the evening. Mike Perry is a fighter as much as he is a personality. The media that he did for this weekend was more than entertaining, saying that “somebody might die” while being interviewed by Fox and TSN. In the first round of the fight there was a cut due to some sort of accidental headbut. In the second round Felder got completely cut open from a forearm from Perry. A doctor was called in, and greenlit the fight to continue. Felder also mentioned in-between rounds that he thinks he broke his arm. Throughout the fight Perry had fantastic wrestling. Felder being the absolute tough guy that he is went the whole fight. The judges gave Mike Perry the win via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Felder 10 9 9 28
Perry 9 10 10 29

 

  1. This next fight was moved to co-main event just this week once Brian Ortega versus Max Holloway was thrown away due to Holloway having health issues. These two have seemed like all fun and games at press conferences and media, but once it came to the face-off yesterday, it got extremely heated. #5 rank Heavyweight Derrick Lewis faced #1 rank Francis Ngannou. It was expected for this fight to be fireworks right out the gates, but it ended up actually being very slow. Lewis was the only one trying to land strikes in the first round.

 

Lewis mentioned that his back was hurting in-between rounds. Lewis mentioned weeks ago on Ariel Helwani’s podcast that he takes shots to stop his back issues from happening, and that he won’t have that issue on fight night. So taking that into account, it’s odd that it ended up being an issue for him with this fight. Herb Dean warned both fighters near the end of the second round that they need to engage, and that if they don’t he will start taking points. The crowd booed in hatred after the fight ended. On commentary Rogan said this was the worst Heavyweight fight that he has ever seen. Ngannou landed a shot way after the horn went, giving the crowd even more of a reason to cause a ruckus. When we painfully went to the judges scorecards, Lewis was Unanimously given the win (29-28, 29-28 & 30-27).

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Lewis #5 10 10 10 30
Ngannou #1 9 9 9 27

 

  1. Finally, it’s time for the “Superfight”. Before the fight people notice that Brock Lesnar is at cageside. Cleveland’s Machine Gun Kelly was at Cageside as well since his music was playing during Stipe’s entrance. Near the end of the first round Miocic seemingly got hit in the eye. Cormier was given a warning. With the first round nearly over, Cormier dropped Miocic with a overhard right just as they were leaving a clinch, then finished him with strikes on the ground. It all happened so quickly. Going into this fight it seemed like a total David vs. Goliath battle when looking at their size differences. Cormier said afterwards that he knew beforehand that Miocic leaves clinch with his hands low, and that he capitalized off of it. After his interview with Joe Rogan, he called out Brock Lesnar for a fight. Lesnar came into the ring and shoved Cormier. “Push me now, you go to sleep later” is what Cormier said to him.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Total
Miocic (C)
Cormier

 

While some other fights on the card disappointed, the main event lived up to its hype. History was made, and new pages were opened in what could possibly be another historic fight later down the line. Daniel Cormier made quite the comeback from his loss against Jon Jones last year, ending with him crying in the ring. Cormier sits at the top of the fight game, with two belts around his shoulders.

 

Next week UFC presents a Fight Night event out of Boise, Idaho with Junior dos Santos and Blagoy Ivanov headlining the card. It happens on the same weekend that Bellator will run two events, one on Friday and the other on Saturday. The next big event for UFC is far down the line on August 4th, when Cody Garbrandt challenges TJ Dillashaw for the Bantamweight Championship at the Staples Center.

TUF 27 Finale Full Report: Adesanya Dominates In Scorecards

For wrestling fans, the best way to put the TUF 27 finale into their world is to call it the night before Wrestlemania. Tonight’s card has its own type of shine, but at the same time is a way to get everyone ready for what’s to come tomorrow. The Ultimate Fighter’s 27th season finale takes place in the Pearl Theatre, which is in Paradise, Nevada. Main event of the evening is Middleweight Brad Tavares versus Israel Adesanya. Below them on the main card is the finale for the Lightweight and Featherweight TUF tournament. To crown the Lightweight tournament winner, Mike Trizano faced Joe Giannetti. The Featherweight tournament saw Jay Cucciniello against Brad Katona. Below those three featured bouts were 9 other fights, starting on the UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims with Gerald Meerschaert facing Oskar Piechota.

 

  1. Starting off the evening was Gerald Meerschaert and Oskar Piechota in a Middleweight fight. In the first round Piechota was very dominant. He got a takedown early on, but got stood up. Piechota took it to the ground once again with a minute to go. In the second round Meerschaert was landing lots of strikes that were unanswered. After minutes of strikes, Meerschaert put in a Rear Naked Choke that put Piechota to sleep. From the first to the second round, it was quite the impressive comeback from Meerschaert.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Meerschaert 9
Piechota 10

 

  1. Ending off the early prelims was Matt Bessette against Steven Peterson in a Featherweight bout. Early into the first round Peterson went for a Guillotine that Bessette escaped. Bessette dominated with the strikes in the first and second round. The third round was much slower with both fighters gassing out. The fight went the distance, with the judges giving Peterson the win via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Bessette 10 9 9 28
Peterson 9 10 10 29

 

  1. Switching to FS1, Bryce Mitchell and Tyler Diamond, two members of Team Cormier in Ultimate Fighter, face each other. Both fighters were on the Featherweight part of Cormier’s team. The mutual respect between both fighters was really seen during this fight. Diamond got a takedown shortly after he was accidentally hit below. In the second round Mitchell put in a very right Triangle hold while elbowing his head. After being in the triangle for a long time, Diamond escaped. Diamond got a decent amount of strikes in at the end. It was hard to score the second round. Diamond had complete control in round 3, starting and finishing strong. The fight went the distance with Bryce Mitchell winning by Majority Decision (29-28, 29-28 & 28-28).

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Diamond 9 9 10 29
Mitchell 10 10 9 28

 

  1. John Gunther, who as the broadcast team has mentioned many times, trims alpacas for a living outside of MMA. A fan even shouted something along those lines to him during the fight. Anyways, Gunther fought Allan Zuniga in a Lightweight fight. Gunther showcased successful ground game in the first round. In the second round Zuniga tried his hardest to stay off the ground where that’s all Gunther wanted to be at. Online people seemed to be really bored by this fight. In the final 10 seconds of the fight it really started cracking, with both fighters tee’ing off. It went the distance, like many fights tonight, with the judges giving John Gunther a Majority Decision (29-28, 29-28 & 28-28). In the post fight interview Gunther gave an Alpaca scream, or something. I can’t judge if the impression was accurate or not.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Gunther 10 10 10 30
Zuniga 9 9 9 27

 

  1. Up next was Luis Pena versus Richie Smullen. Luis Pena has an impressive afro, coining his nickname “Violent Bob Ross”. It has to be a very recent nickname for Pena since in his Sherdog photo he is bald. Smullen has three wins going into this fight, while Pena has two. After a few minutes of ground game Pena dropped Smullen with strikes. Pena then finished the fight with a Guillotine on the ground.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Pena
Smullen

 

  1. The final fight before the main card was Montana De La Rosa against Rachael Ostovich in a Flyweight bout. They both appeared in past seasons of TUF. The first round was mostly standing with De La Rosa landing many strikes that got Ostovich backing up. In the final round Ostovich put in an Armbar that the crowd was really behind. De La Rosa eventually escaped. Ostovich seemingly gassed out after the Armbar, because De La Rose started really getting her with strikes. De La Rosa was able to secure a win with a Rear Naked Choke.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
De La Rosa 10 9
Ostovich 9 10

 

  1. In the first fight on the main card, Alessio Di Chirico faced Julian Marquez in Catchweight 190 lbs. It was Marquez who missed weight, making this a Catchweight bout. The first round was nearly all stand up swinging. It was very hard to decide who got the first round. Marquez had a better second round than first, with good stand up game and a good attempt at a Kimura. The fight went the distance in easily one of the most entertaining fights of the night. The judges ruled in favour of Di Chirico via (30-27 Marquez, 29-28 Chirico & 29-28 Di Chirico).

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Di Chirico 10 9 9 28
Marquez 9 10 10 29

 

  1. In the eighth fight of the evening, #7 rank Flyweight Barb Honchak faced #8 rank Roxanne Modafferi. Modafferi showed off her personality at the Weigh-Ins yesterday, wearing a Dragon Ball-Z wig while standing on the scale. The first round was nearly all standing while Modafferi was completely dominant on the ground in the second. The fight came to a close in the second when Modafferi finished the fight with elbows on the ground.

 

My Scorecard:

Fight Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Modafferi #8 10
Honchak #7 9

 

  1. In the final fight before we crown TUF winners, we have Martin Bravo against Alex Caceres in a Featherweight fight. The first round of the fight felt like a warmup for Caceres. In the second round he really broke into a stride, landing lots of significant strikes and winning the round (on my scorecard). The third round was the closest, with Bravo showing more life than what he did in the second. Caceres seemed to panic in the third, going for a takedown at one point to slow the pace of the fight. The fight went the distance, with Caceres getting the Split Decision from the judges (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

 

My Scorecard:

Fight Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Bravo 10 9 10 29
Caceres 9 10 9 28

 

  1. In the first of two tournament finals tonight, Jay Cucciniello faced Brad Katona to crown The Ultimate Fighter Season 27 Featherweight Winner. Cucciniello lost in the first round of the bracket, but was given a second chance after Ricky Steele got injured and couldn’t fight. In the first round, which was a very slow round, Katona dropped Cucciniello with a strike. Since such little else happened in the round, that could have easily been what gave Katona the round. Early in the second round an almost identical situation happened. A minute in Katona got a takedown. The fight went all 15 minutes. All three judges gave Brad Katona a 30-26. Unanimously, Brad became an Ultimate Fighter (30-26, 30-26 & 30-26). Dana White was in the ring to award Katona with his trophy.

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Cucciniello 9 9 9 27
Katona 10 10 10 30

 

  1. From one tournament final to another. Mike Trizano faced Joe Giannetti to decide the winner from the Lightweight bracket. This fight was very uneventful, going the distance. The crowd booed in disapproval once the third round ended. By Split Decision Michael Trizano won (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Giannetti 9 10 9 28
Trizano 10 9 10 29

 

  1. Finally, the main event of the evening. The pacing of this show was completely off compared to the traditional UFC show. As this main event was getting started, UFC had just started to go over their schedule time slot, which ended at 1 AM Eastern. But enough complaining, because Israel Adesanya faced Brad Tavares #8 in a Middleweight clash. In the fourth round there was a pause in the fight so that medical at ringside could check a nasty cut around Tavares’ right eye. Looking at it in-between rounds, it was disgusting honestly. The cutman fit the whole tip of the cloth he was using into the gash to get blood. The type of injury you can’t fathom having. Adesanya was pretty dominant for most rounds except the first round, which could have went either way. These two guys were just slugging away round after round. The fight went all five rounds. The judges gave Adesanya the win via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 50-45 & 50-45).

 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Total
Adesanya 9 10 10 10 10 49
Tavares #8 10 9 9 9 9 46

 

Now that this event is out of the way, all sights are set on tomorrow’s card. Of course in the main event is Daniel Cormier moving up to Heavyweight to challenge Stipe Miocic for his Championship. The co-main event that was thrown away just days ago was Max Holloway versus Brian Ortega. The fight got taken off the card after a recurring health scare going on with Max Holloway. Hopefully he is able to heal up and be 100% sooner rather than later. Because of this scratch, Derek Lewis versus Francis Ngannou was moved into the co-main event slot. The two fighters have been no short of intense this weekend, with a face-off at the weigh-ins that got slightly physical. The card has many other exciting matchups all the way down the card, making it an exciting, very PPV worthy card. All has been said and done, and now it’s time to see who will come out victorious.