UFC 245: Covington vs. Usman Live Report

UFC’s final pay-per-view of the year was a big one, with three championship fights on the card. Headlining the trio of fights was Colby Covington challenging Kamaru Usman for his UFC Welterweight Championship. Stay tuned throughout the night for live results.

Quick Results:

Early Prelims (UFC Fight Pass / 6PM EST)

Bout 1: Punahele Soriano def. Oskar Piechota via KO (RD 1, 3:17)

Bout 2: Jessica Eye def. Viviane Araujo via Unanimous Decision

Bout 3: Brandon Moreno def. Kai Kara-France via Unanimous Decision

Bout 4: Chase Hooper def. Daniel Teymur via TKO (RD 1, 4:34)

Prelims (ESPN 2, TSN 5 / 8PM EST)

Bout 5: Matt Brown def. Ben Saunders via TKO (RD 2, 4:55)

Bout 6: Omari Akhmedov def. Ian Heinisch via Unanimous Decision

Bout 7: Irene Aldana def. Kelten Vieira via KO (RD 1, 4:51)

Bout 8: Geoff Neal def. Mike Perry via TKO (RD 1, 1:30)

Main Card (PPV / 10PM EST)

Bout 9: Petr Yan (13-1) vs. Urijah Faber (35-10) (Bantamweight)

Bout 10: Jose Aldo (28-5) vs. Marlon Moraes (22-6-1) (Bantamweight)

Bout 11: Amanda Nunes (18-4) vs. Germaine de Randamie (9-3) (UFC Bantamweight Championship)

Bout 12: Max Holloway (21-4) vs. Alexander Volkanovski (20-1) (UFC Featherweight Championship)

Bout 13: Kamaru Usman (15-1) vs. Colby Covington (15-1) (UFC Welterweight Championship)

Results:

Bout 1: Punahele Soriano (6-0) vs. Oskar Piechota (11-2-1) (Middleweight)

In the first bout of the evening, undefeated Punahele Soriano made his UFC debut against Oskar Piechota. There was an exchange in the second minute of the fight where both fighters threw strikes. Piechota was hit with a left hook that dropped him. Soriano couldn’t finish on the ground with strikes. He got on Piechota’s back. As they got back up, Piechota tried for a kimura. He transitioned into a guillotine, throwing one knee while holding it. Soriano got out of it and took Piechota back down. They got back up and returned to striking with just over two minutes left in the round. Soriano was coming forward with punches, cornering Piechota up against the cage. He landed another left hook which knocked out Piechota to end the fight. Proving himself to be a good prospect, Punahele Soriano made a strong UFC debut. Piechota was emotional after the fight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Soriano
Piechota

Bout 2: Jessica Eye (14-7) vs. Viviane Araujo (8-1) (Flyweight)

In the next fight, high ranked flyweights Jessica Eye and Viviane Araujo faced off. Since Eye came in over the 126 lb flyweight limit, she gave up some of her fight purse. Araujo landed a good hook in the first minute of the round. Araujo got a takedown off of catching a kick. They got back up with a minute left in the round. Eye was the more active fighter, including many strikes to the body. Araujo stopped a takedown, keeping it in stand-up.

The second round had more close striking. Araujo caught another kick, but this time she couldn’t get a takedown. Araujo got a well-timed double leg takedown with two minutes to go in the round. Eye got up after being down for only half a minute. Eye continued to be the more active and accurate striker.

The final round was similar to the ones before. Eye stopped numerous strikes throughout the round. This round was possibly the closest one for strikes. When going to the scorecard, Jessica Eye walked away with the win unanimously (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Eye 10 10 10 30
Araujo 9 9 9 27

Bout 3: Brandon Moreno (15-5-1) (#5) vs. Kai Kara-France (20-7) (#6) (Flyweight)

Staying in the flyweight division, two more ranked flyweights in Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France faced off. In the first few minutes of the fight, both fighters were swinging hard. Kara-France landed a good punch that hurt Moreno halfway through the round. Moreno connected with a solid head kick in the final minute. No doubt Moreno was in the fight this round, but getting clipped a few times put him behind on the scorecard.

Moreno had a good second round, coming forward with more strikes, putting pressure on Kara-France. Moreno was stringing together some great combinations. Kara-France started to show damage on his face.

The final round was, just like the rounds before, explosive. Moreno slipped backwards in the second minute. Both fighters took turns throwing combinations. Moreno kept taunting by throwing his arms up. Kara-France was pacing the outside of the octagon for most of the third round. They were swinging until the very last second of the fight. Both of them showed damage on their faces at the end. Heading to the scorecard, all three judges had it for Brandon Moreno (29-28, 29-28 & 30-27).

My Scorecard: 

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Moreno 9 10 10 29
Kara-France 10 9 9 28

Bout 4: Daniel Teymur (7-3) vs. Chase Hooper (8-0-1) (Featherweight)

Finishing off Fight Pass Early Prelims, undefeated Chase Hooper fought Daniel Teymur. The small crowd that was inside the T-Mobile Arena sounded very supportive for Hooper. Hooper tried for a takedown early on, but Teymur locked in a guillotine choke. He got out of the choke, although it looked scary for him for a second. Hooper stayed on his back on the ground. He got up later and took the back of Teymur while standing up. They went to the ground, where Hooper tried for a rear naked choke when he wasn’t throwing punches. He had the choke under the chin, but Teymur did escape it eventually. Hooper got on top of Teymur and landed elbows and punches until the referee intervened. Escaping an early guillotine, Hooper went on to give a dominant performance in his UFC debut.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Teymur
Hooper

Bout 5: Matt Brown (21-16) vs. Ben Saunders (22-12-2) (Welterweight)

In the first ESPN prelim fight, veterans Matt Brown and Ben Saunders fought. Brown got a trip takedown in the first minute of the fight. Saunders threatened a triangle choke from the bottom. Brown endured the hold, eventually escaping the position. They stayed on the ground until the round ended.

Brown landed a good high kick in the first minute of the fight. Saunders was packing up against the cage. Saunders pulled guard, taking the fight to the ground. He was bleeding significantly from the head. The referee stood them up with 30 seconds left in the round due to inactivity. Saunders dropped to the ground in the final seconds. Brown landed strikes from top position until the referee intervened.

My Scorecard:

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

Bout 6: Ian Heinisch (13-2) (#10) vs. Omari Akhmedov (19-4-1) (#14) (Middleweight)

In the next bout, up and comers Ian Heinisch and Omar Akhmedov faced off. Heinisch shot for a takedown in the first minute but didn’t get it. Akhmedov got some good punches through after that. Akhmedov secured a good double leg takedown with just over a minute left in the round. They weren’t on the ground for too long.

Akhmedov continued to succeed in the second round with his counter-puncher role. With that being said, Heinisch landed some good shots as well. Akhmedov shot for another takedown, this time not fully getting Heinisch to the ground. Heinisch had Akhmedov up against the cage as the round closed out.

A knee to the body hurt Akhmedov halfway through the final round. A hook hit Heinisch that hurt him too. Spotting Akhmedov’s momentum, Heinisch landed a takedown. They got up and stayed in a clinch up against the cage. Heinisch got another takedown, this time taking the back of Akhmedov. Heinisch landed strikes from the position. They got up for the final 30 seconds, where Heinisch got hurt by more strikes. The fight all 15 minutes, with all three judges giving the nod to Omari Akhmedov (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Heinisch 9 9 9 27
Akhmedov 10 10 10 30

Bout 7: Ketlen Vieira (10-0) (#2) vs. Irene Aldana (11-5) (#10) (Bantamweight)

Continuing on the prelims, undefeated bantamweight Ketlen Vieira faced Irene Aldana. The winner of this fight would presumably be next in line for a bantamweight shot. The first round had a very close striking battle. Aldana started to bleed on the lower lip near the end of the round. In the final seconds of the round, Aldana scored a left hook which floored Vieira. She landed a right hand on the ground which took her out cold. Irene Aldana moved to the front of the bantamweight line by ending Ketlen Vieira’s undefeated record with a thunderous knockout.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Vieira
Aldana

Bout 8: Mike Perry (13-5) vs Geoff Neal (12-2) (#14) (Welterweight)

The final preliminary fight of the card was between Mike Perry and Geoff Neal. Perry got rocked by a head kick in the second minute of the fight. Neal dropped Perry with punches up against the cage, which was enough for the referee, stepping in and ending the fight. Perry was cut on the nose after the exchange. Handing Mike Perry his sixth loss as a pro, Geoff Neal should expect to climb up the welterweight rankings more. After the fight, Neal honestly admitted that he needs another fight or two before going for a belt.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Perry
Neal

Bout 9: Petr Yan (13-1) (#4) vs. Urijah Faber (35-10) (#12) (Bantamweight)

Starting off the main card, Urijah Faber came out of retirement to face Petr Yan. Faber landed a good knee early on. It was a slow and methodical start for both fighters. Faber caught a kick and initiated a clinch, but Yan spun out of it. Yan was landing good punches every once in a while.

Faber attempted a single leg takedown halfway through the second round which Yan avoided. Right after, Yan came forward with punches which sat Faber down. Faber was hit with more strikes, but recovered and got back to his feet. He landed a punch to Yan which hurt him. Yan threw an elbow which dropped Faber again. Faber was cut open badly at this point. There was huge swelling beside his left eye. He got back up again but was thrown down by Yan. The referee stopped the fight with a minute or so left so that a doctor could check on it. Boos from the crowd ended when they realized the fight would not get called off. They resumed with Yan in top position on the ground. They got back up, but Yan secured another takedown in the final seconds of the round.

In the final round. Yan hit Faber with a head kick which dropped him again and ended the bout. With dominant striking throughout the fight, Petr Yan finally ended the fight in the third round. After the fight, Yan called out Henry Cejudo.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Yan 9 10
Faber 10 8

Bout 10: Jose Aldo (28-5) vs. Marlon Moraes (22-6-1) (#1) (Bantamweight)

The final fight of the evening that was not for a championship was between Jose Aldo and Marlon Moraes. The fight was Aldo’s official move from featherweight to bantamweight. Moraes landed a head kick in the first few seconds of the fight. He opened the fight with good strikes but calmed down once Aldo started to answer back. Moraes started to work the outside, pacing to the side or backwards. Aldo landed some solid punches in the final moments of the round. Moraes went into a clinch and threw Aldo to the ground.

Just like the round before, Aldo was the fighter constantly coming forward. Aldo had a much better second round, putting together head and body combinations. Moraes was more active in this round, but his pace had slowed down quite a bit compared to the round before.

Aldo continued to walk down Moraes in the third round, not landing much but doing the better job. He stopped a takedown attempt from Moraes in the final minute, eating a combination of punches in the exit. Going to the scorecards to find a winner, we had a split decision in favour of Marlon Moraes (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28). The crowd was upset with the decision it seemed.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Aldo 9 10 10 29
Moraes 10 9 9 28

Bout 11: Amanda Nunes (18-4) vs. Germaine de Randamie (9-3) (#1) (UFC Bantamweight Championship)

The first of three championship bouts in the evening was for the UFC Bantamweight Championship. Attempting to defend one of her two belts, Amanda Nunes fought Germaine de Randamie in a rematch from 2013. Nunes caught a leg kick early on but couldn’t connect on a follow-up punch. Nunes scored a double leg takedown in the second minute of the fight. They got up shortly after, where Nunes put in a guillotine. They went back to the ground, where de Randamie popped out of the choke. They stood back up and went into a clinch against the cage. Nunes got another takedown. She did ground and pound more this time. She continued with the shots for quite a while. De Randamie threw a couple good upkicks. Nunes put in an arm triangle for a while. She let go and went back to hammerfist punches. Somehow, de Randamie survived the onslaught and made it into the second round.

At the start of the second round, de Randamie was landing some good punches. Nunes got another takedown in the second minute of the round. The referee stood them up due to inactivity eventually. De Randamie landed a good question-mark kick when they got up. In a clinch, de Randamie was throwing knees. Nunes got another takedown. From the bottom, de Randamie tried for a triangle choke. Nunes got out of it quite quickly.

Nunes got her fifth takedown in the first minute of round three. After being in a dominant position for a while, Nunes started to open up with ground and pound. When Nunes got back up, she was hit with upkicks.

Nunes got yet another takedown at the start of the fourth round. All of her takedowns were perfectly timed, right when de Randamie couldn’t stop them. From the bottom, de Randamie tried for a triangle choke. Nunes escaped then went back to her feet. Nunes threw de Randamie back to the ground. Nunes threw strikes every once in a while from top position until the round ended.

Before the final round, we were shown a crowd shot of championship boxer Claressa Shields. Similar to the rounds before, Nunes landed a takedown at the start of the final round. They stayed on the ground for many minutes. The fight ended in this position, going all 25 minutes. When consulting the scorecards, Amanda Nunes retained her UFC Bantamweight Championship (49-44, 49-46 & 49-45). After the fight, Nunes sent her condolences to Walt Harris’ family.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Total
Nunes 10 10 10 10 10 50
De Randamie 8 9 9 9 9 44

Bout 12: Max Holloway (21-4) vs. Alexander Volkanovski (20-1) (#1) (UFC Featherweight Championship)

In the co-main event of the evening, Alexander Volkanovski challenged for Max Holloway’s Featherweight Championship. The first round was a game of striking chess. Volkanovski shot for a takedown in the final minute of the first round, but Holloway stopped it.

Holloway’s left leg was showing quite some damage early in the second round. Volkanovski continued to chip away at it. In the fourth minute of the round, Holloway switched his lead leg to his right leg. Holloway landed a good combination of strikes in the final minute of the round. They had Holloway’s leg heavily iced in-between rounds.

Volkanovski kept coming in for a punch or two then dipping out of distance. He caught a leg from Holloway and used that to come in for a right straight. Holloway landed a good shot halfway through the round which seemingly hurt Volkanovski. Just like the left leg, Volkanovski was consistently landing kicks to the right leg. Holloway got a good knee to the body in. The fight was heating up as the round was closing out.

In the first minute of the third round, Volkanovski had some good punches. Volkanovski shot for a takedown in the second minute of the round, but Holloway stopped it again. Holloway was doing good counter-punching throughout this round. They got into a good trade of strikes in the final minute of the round, their most dangerous exchange yet.

At the start of the final round, each fighter took turns swinging on eachother. In the second minute of the final round, Holloway got a body kick that was damaging. Volkanovski had a good string of punches in the fourth minute. He failed to land a takedown. Volkanovski put on a body lock in the final few seconds of the fight. They completed all three rounds, needing judges to determine who prevailed. When going to the scorecard, Alexander Volkanovski won on every judge’s card (48-47, 48-47 & 50-45).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Total
Holloway 10 9 9 10 9 47
Volkanovski 9 10 10 9 10 48

Bout 13: Kamaru Usman (15-1) vs. Colby Covington (15-1) (UFC Welterweight Championship)

Main eventing the pay-per-view, UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman attempted to make his first ever championship defence against Colby Covington. The first round saw Usman dominant with striking at the start. Covington started to turn the tides halfway through the round. The tempo of strikes in the first round was amazing. Covington connected with a good left hook in the fourth minute. Usman did a body shot which hurt Covington. One round in, nobody landed a takedown.

Just like the round before, the second round was a kickboxing battle. Real jabbing battle in the third minute of the fight. Really testing each other’s chins. There was a pause with two minutes to go in the round was Usman was accidentally kneed in the groin. The crowd was in uproar over this. Covington was retreating in the final minute.

While the pace did slow down in the third round, both fighters were still landing hard shots. In the final minute of the third round, both fighters had strong surges of striking. When Covington was coming forward with punches near the end of the round, fingers got in the eyes of Usman. They paused the fight and had a doctor check on him. He was able to continue the fight. In-between rounds, Covington told his corner that he broke his jaw.

Covington had a powerful charge forward in the first minute of the fourth round. This round was mostly Usman, although Covington had an amazing combination of punches in the second half of it. In the final minute of the round, the referee paused the action to warn both fighters to keep it clean.

Heading into the final round, the fight had yet to go to the ground yet. Covington got stunned by a punched in the final two minutes of the fight. He started to circle the outside of the cage sluggishly. Usman dropped Covington with just over a minute left in the round. He got dropped again seconds later. Usman kept on Covington with hammerfist strikes for a few moments until the referee stepped in to end the bout. In a close, fast and epic battle, Kamaru Usman finally silenced his most promising challenger, via stoppage at that, to retain his Welterweight Championship.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Total
Usman 9 10 10 10
Covington 10 9 9 9

UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington Full Preview

In 2019 the UFC saw lots of title changes. Some were returns to power like Stipe Miocic’s win over Daniel Cormier. Others were, of course, a continuation of past success, like Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov. And of course, there were new names added to the mix like Israel Adesanya and Weili Zhang being crowned champions. Before the year concludes, the promotion will put on one last pay-per-view event, including three championship bouts.

Live from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, UFC 245 will be headlined by Colby Covington facing Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman. In the co-main event of the card, Featherweight Champion Max Holloway will attempt to defend his belt against Alexander Volkanovski. Also on the main card is Amanda Nunes putting her Bantamweight belt up against Germain de Randamie. Along with the three championship fights are also 10 other fights.

Full Card:

Early Prelims (UFC Fight Pass / 6:30 PM EST)

  1. Punahele Soriano (6-0) vs. Oskar Piechota (11-2-1) (Middleweight)
  2. Jessica Eye (14-7) vs. Viviane Araujo (Flyweight)
  3. Brandon Moreno (15-5-1) vs. Kai Kara-France (20-7) (Flyweight)
  4. Daniel Teymur (7-3) vs. Chase Hooper (8-0-1) (Featherweight)

Prelims (ESPN 2, TSN 5 / 8:00 PM EST)

  1. Matt Brown (21-16) vs. Ben Saunders (22-12-2) (Welterweight)
  2. Ian Heinisch (13-2) vs. Omari Akhmedov (19-4-1) (Middleweight)
  3. Kelten Vieira (10-0) vs. Irene Aldana (11-5) (Bantamweight)
  4. Mike Perry (13-5) vs. Geoff Neal (12-2) (Welterweight)

Main Card (PPV / 10:00 PM EST)

  1. Petr Yan (13-1) vs. Urijah Faber (35-10) (Bantamweight)
  2. Jose Aldo (28-5) vs. Marlon Moraes (22-6-1) (Bantamweight)
  3. Amanda Nunes (18-4) vs. Germaine de Randamie (9-3) (UFC Bantamweight Championship)
  4. Max Holloway (21-4) vs. Alexander Volkanovski (20-1) (UFC Featherweight Championship)
  5. Kamaru Usman (15-1) vs. Colby Covington (15-1) (UFC Welterweight Championship)

Bout 1: Punahele Soriano (6-0) vs. Oskar Piechota (11-2-1) (Middleweight)

Kicking off the evening on the UFC Fight Pass Prelims at 6:30PM EST will be Punahele Soriano and Oskar Piechota. Undefeated Soriano will be making his UFC debut, as he previously earned his contract through the last season of Dana White’s Contender Series. He had previously competed in well-known regional promotions like PFL, LFA and Titan FC. Piechota is 2-2 in the UFC, losing his last two.

Bout 2: Jessica Eye (14-7) vs. Viviane Araujo (8-1) (Flyweight)

When Viviane Araujo faced Talita Bernardo back at UFC 237, it was a short-notice appearance. At the same time, however, it was an impressive performance, putting eyes on her despite it being an early prelim performance. She has since won again, prevailing over Alexis Davis at UFC 240. This time she will challenge Jessica Eye, who is her biggest challenge in the promotion so far. Eye recently got her three-fight winning streak broken by a failed challenge to Valentina Shevchenko’s Flyweight Championship. She lost in the second round via a brutal head kick knockout. Attempting to bounce back from the loss, Eye finds herself on the early prelims of this show. Eye missed weight by five pounds for this fight, and will be fined 30% of her purse for going over the 126 pound flyweight limit.

Bout 3: Brandon Moreno (15-5-1) vs. Kai Kara-France (20-7) (Flyweight)

Keeping it in the flyweight division, red hot Kai Kara-France faces Brandon Moreno. France has had a great run since joining the UFC a year ago, going 3-0 in his appearances. Moreno recently fought his way back into the UFC with a win in regional promotion LFA. His previous UFC run finished with a record of 3-2. His returning fight to the UFC was a draw against Askar Askarov at UFC Mexico City. Moreno will aim to break into the win column finally at UFC 245.

Bout 4: Daniel Teymur (7-3) vs. Chase Hooper (8-0-1) (Featherweight)

Finishing off the early prelims, undefeated prospect Chase Hooper faces off against Daniel Teymur. Hooper first appeared on Dana White’s Contender series at the age of 18. He has since fought in CFFC, Island Fights and Titan FC, and finally has gotten a chance in the UFC. His opponent, Teymur, recently picked up his first win in the UFC, snapping a three-fight losing streak.

Bout 5: Matt Brown (21-16) vs. Ben Saunders (22-12-2) (Welterweight)

The preliminary card will continue on ESPN 2 (TSN 5 in Canada) at 8PM EST with four more fights. The first of four is a battle between two UFC veterans that have struggled lately. Saunders is currently on a three fight losing streak, last losing to Takashi Sato. Matt Brown will be returning from a two-year layoff, with his last fight being a win over Diego Sanchez. Before then, he had his own three-fight losing streak. Brown battled back from a torn ACL this year, which pulled him from a 2018 bout against Carlos Condit.

Bout 6: Ian Heinisch (13-2) vs. Omari Akhmedov (19-4-1) (Middleweight)

In the next bout, Ian Heinisch will aim to bounce back from his first lost since joining the UFC, but it won’t be easy against someone like Omari Akhmedov. Heinisch has a 2-1 record in the promotion, recently losing via decision to Derek Brunson. Akhmedov has a far more experienced of 7-3-1, but has avoided defeat in his last five in a row.

Bout 7: Ketlen Vieira (10-0) vs. Irene Aldana (11-5) (Bantamweight)

Five fights into her UFC career, Ketlen Vieira has yet to be defeated. She will be tested yet again on Saturday, going up against Irene Aldana. Aldana has been very active this year, with this fight being her fourth in 12 months. Aldana recently got a win over Vanessa Melo in September. Vieira hasn’t fought since 2018, with her last win being over Cat Zingano.

Bout 8: Mike Perry (13-5) vs Geoff Neal (12-2) (Welterweight)

Finishing off the preliminary portion of the card will be “Platinum” Mike Perry facing Geoff Neal. Perry has been 5-5 in his last 10, which isn’t the best record ever, but his entertaining fighting style and character has kept him at a high level. Neal of the other hand has been 4-0 since joining the UFC in 2017.

Bout 9: Petr Yan (13-1) vs. Urijah Faber (35-10) (Bantamweight)

Starting off the pay-per-view main card will be up and coming Petr Yan facing Urijah Faber. Yan surpassed five-straight wins in the UFC earlier this year, defeating Jimmie Rivera. This fight is Faber’s second since his return to MMA, which started in July when he beat Ricky Simon in under a minute. Placed as a large underdog for this fight, Faber winning this fight would turn a lot of heads in MMA.

Bout 10: Jose Aldo (28-5) vs. Marlon Moraes (22-6-1) (Bantamweight)

The final non-championship fight on the card will be a high-level bantamweight clash between Jose Aldo and Marlon “Magic” Moraes. This fight is Aldo’s official move from featherweight to bantamweight. In his last fight, Aldo lost via decision to Alexander Volkanovski. Moraes is also coming off a loss, failing to capture the vacant Bantamweight Championship against Henry Cejudo.

Bout 11: Amanda Nunes (18-4) vs. Germaine de Randamie (9-3) (UFC Bantamweight Championship)

The first of the triple header of fights features Amanda Nunes attempting to defend her bantamweight belt against Germaine de Randamie. Despite being the only two-division champion on the card and a fighter which many have argued is the best female mixed martial artist of all time, Nunes is being placed halfway through this main card. Nunes last defended her belt in July, defeating Holly Holm with strikes in the first round. She became a two-division champion just under a year ago, stopping Cris Cyborg with punches in under a minute.

This fight is a rematch, as de Randamie and Nunes first met in 2013 on a fight night card. In that matchup, Nunes won with elbows in the first round. However, that was the last time de Randamie has lost. She won the Featherweight Championship in 2017 against Holly Holm, but dropped it before defending it. Two wins later, de Randamie finds herself in another championship position. Whether she can follow through with the win again will be seen.

Bout 12: Max Holloway (21-4) vs. Alexander Volaknovski (20-1) (UFC Featherweight Championship)

For many years now, Max Holloway has been the king of the featherweight division. Earlier this year he flew too close to the sun when trying to compete in the lightweight division as well, losing to Dustin Poirier. But, in the featherweight division, Holloway has been undefeated since 2013. His more recent wins were against Brian Ortega and Frankie Edgar. In the co-main event of UFC 245, Holloway will see another challenger in Alexander Volkanovski. 

The Australian with an impressive pro record has yet to lose in the UFC, with a record of 7-0, Volkanovski has become one of the top names in the division. He most recently defeated Jose Aldo at UFC 237.

Bout 13: Kamaru Usman (15-1) vs. Colby Covington (15-1) (UFC Welterweight Championship)

In the main event of the evening, Colby Covington gets his well overdue Welterweight Championship shot against Kamaru Usman. Covington has been known more for his character lately as opposed to his fights. Known for outwardly showing his pro-Trump politics and flaunting things like girls on Instagram, Covington has made himself either genuine or ingenuine anti-hero. But whether his character is insufferable or not, his skill is undeniable. He defeated Rafael dos Anjos in 2018 to become the interim Welterweight Champion, but had that belt taken away from him when he couldn’t compete in a June fight due to injury. After a dominant win in August against Robbie Lawler, the fight against Usman was set.

Usman has been undefeated in his UFC run thus far. He took down longtime welterweight king Tyron Woodley back in March, going five rounds with him at UFC 235. Both with very scorecards depend backgrounds in wrestling, it will be interesting to see who puts on the better performance on Saturday.

UFC 245 is UFC’s second-last show of 2019, with its season finale taking place on December 21st in Busan, Korea, with UFC on ESPN+ 23.

Pancrase 311 Full Report

Quick Results (Click to Skip to Bout):

Prelims:

  1. Satoshi Date def. Kenji Yamanaka via Split Decision
  2. Daiki Nishimura def. Kento Mizutani via Unanimous Decision
  3. Kazuki Itaya def. Nobuhisa Kudo via Unanimous Decision
  4. Yuki Takahashi def. Kaneaki Watanabe via Triangle Choke (RD 1, 1:40)
  5. Sho Sekihara def. Shigeki Iijima via TKO, Punches (RD 1, 2:17)
  6. Karen DATE def. Diana via Unanimous Decision

Main Card:

  1. Naoki Arikawa def. Ryosuke Kano via Split Decision
  2. Taiyo Hayashi def. Shinmare Komori via Unanimous Decision
  3. Teppei Maeyama def. Takafuma Ato via TKO, Punches (RD 1, 2:29)
  4. Ryuichi Miki def. Masatatsu Ueda via Split Decision
  5. Mariya Suzuki def. Nori DATE via Split Decision
  6. Victor Hugo def. Shinsuke Kamei via Unanimous Decision
  7. Luthando Biko def. Taiki Akiba via Unanimous Decision
  8. Saimon Oliveira def. Wataru Mimura via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 1:14)
  9. Emi Fujino def. Hyun Ji Jang via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 3:20) (Interim Pancrase Strawweight Championship)

Bout 1: Tiger DATE (7-11-7) vs. Kenji Yamanaka (7-7-1) (Flyweight) (3×3)

The first bout of the evening was Tiger DATE facing Kenji Yamanaka. The DATE team was represented quite well on this card. Yamanaka landed a trip takedown off of a body lock in the first minute of the fight. DATE got back up, putting Yamanaka against the fence still in the body lock. He landed knees to the back of Yamanaka’s legs while in the clinch. Yamanaka landed some punches as he started to push DATE against the cage. They returned to stand-up striking for a moment before the round ended.

Yamanaka put on another body lock at the start of the second round. DATE took the back of Yamanaka halfway through the round. He tried for a rear naked choke until the round concluded.

The final round started with a good striking battle. Yamanaka landed a jab halfway through the round that dropped DATE. They went to the ground after that. Yamanaka threw DATE to the ground in the final seconds of the fight as they got back up. The fight went the distance with the win going to Tiger DATE via split decision. He was wearing a tiger mask and cape after the fight.

Bout 2: Daiki Nishimura (1-1) vs. Kento Mizutani (2-3) (Flyweight) (3×3)

In another flyweight fight, Daiki Nishimura fought Kento Mizutani. Nishimura’s last fight was a win at Pancrase 307 over Yuma Nakajima. Mizutani attempted a takedown in the first minute of the fight. He eventually secured the takedown, although Nishimura was able to flip over into top position. He landed strikes from above. This continued until the round concluded.

The second round had more striking at the start than the first one. Nishimura got a takedown with a minute left in the round. Mizutani got up and tried for a takedown of his own, but Nishimura fought it off until time ran out.

Mizutani got a double leg takedown after a minute of inactive stand-up from both fighters in the third round. They got back up with 30 seconds left in the round. Nishimura had the better striking in the final moments. Mizutani shot for another takedown as the fight ended, but didn’t finish the takedown. Consulting the scorecards, it was Daiki Nishimura that walked away with the unanimous decision win.

Bout 3: Kazuki Itaya (6-10) vs. Nobuhisa Kudo (9-8) (Bantamweight) (3×3)

In the next preliminary bout, two bantamweights in their 40’s in Kazuki Itaya and Nobuhisa Kudo fought. Kudo kept on the outside of the cage for most of the first round. Itaya didn’t throw many punches though. Kudo got a takedown, then landed another in the last minute after Itaya got back up. They went to the ground again in the closing moments of the round. Kudo tried for an armbar, but ran out of time while trying to finish it.

Kudo got a single leg takedown as the second round started. Kudo landed on his back, with Itaya getting up and throwing kicks to the legs. The referee stood them back up, where Itaya went back to being the better striker. Kudo fell on his back, and Itaya went into top position on the ground. When they returned to stand-up, Itaya stuffed a takedown from Kudo.

Kudo tried for a single leg takedown at the start of the third round but had no luck. He failed again moments later. Itaya was aware that all Kudo wanted to do was bring the fight to the ground, and did everything possible to avoid that. Kudo chased a takedown until the round ended. Kazuki Itaya walked away with the win via unanimous decision.

Bout 4: Yuki Takahashi (7-2) vs. Kaneaki Watanabe (6-8)(Featherweight) (3×3)

In the next preliminary fight, featherweight with an impressive record Yuki Takahashi faced Kaneaki Watanabe. Takahashi landed a triangle choke to Watanabe who was on his knees in the first minute of the fight. He kept with the choke until Watanabe went out cold in what was a disturbing way. Nonetheless, an impressive return for Yuki Takahashi, who hadn’t fought for three years prior.

Bout 5: Shigeki Iijima (3-5) vs. Sho Sekihara (2-0) (Bantamweight) (3×3)

In the next fight, undefeated bantamweight Sho Sekihara faced Shigeki Iijima. Both guys were landing hard fists early on. Sekihara was landing the better combinations. Iijima engaged in a clinch, and was put against the cage by Sekihara. With a minute left in the fight, Iijima got clipped with a right hook. Sekihara kept coming forward with punches to a retreating opponent. He kept going with punches until the referee stepped in. Sho Sekihara finished his first year as a professional MMA fighter with three straight wins.

Bout 6: Karen DATE (0-0) vs. DIANA (0-0) (Strawweight) (3×3)

The final preliminary bout saw two debuting pros in Karen DATE and Diana face-off. Diana was throwing lots of leg kicks early on. As people from Team DATE tend to do, DATE was throwing side kicks. When Diana would catch a kick, DATE would throw and connect with many punches. They were in a clinch against the cage in the final minute of the first round, where DATE continued to go to work.

DATE showed some good counter-punching at the start of the second round. They were in a clinch against the cage for a while which was eventually broken up by the referee. DATE got some more good shots in then got a trip takedown in the final minute.

DATE had Diana up against the cage in a clinch for most of the final round. It could be imagined that both fighters were very fatigued at this point. The fight went all three rounds, with Karen DATE getting the win via decision.

Bout 7: Ryosuke Kano (7-6) vs. Naoki Arikawa (4-1-1) (Flyweight) (3×3)

Before the main card, a promo was played for Pancrase 312. The commercial included mention of Yoshinori Horie, who will be on the next card, returning from the UFC.

In the first main card fight of the evening, Ryosuke Kano and Naoki Arikawa fought in a flyweight bout. This was Arikawa’s third appearance in Pancrase this year, both previous outings were wins. Arikawa was on the outside of the decagon at the start of the fight. The first round had a good striking battle. Kano got a takedown in the final minute, although Arikawa got up immediately. Kano secured another one in the final 10 seconds of the fight.

Kano went for a single leg takedown in the second round. Arikawa tried to defend the takedown by trying for a guillotine. They stood back up and returned to striking. Kano started to bleed from the nose. Arikawa got a trip takedown, but like all of the other previous takedowns, they got back up. At the end of the round Kano was walking very flat-footed while Arikawa was still bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Kano shot for a takedown in the first minute of the third round, but this time Arikawa fully stopped it. They went into a body lock against the cage. They returned to normal striking halfway through the round. Kano was landing the better punches in this round. Arikawa shot for a takedown this time, getting it but getting his back taken right after. They finished the fight on the feet. After nine minutes of competition, we had a split decision. Winning on two of the three scorecards was Naoki Arikawa.

Bout 8: Mayo Komori (9-2) vs. Taiyo Hayashi (7-7) (Featherweight) (3×3)

The next featherweight fight was between Mayo Komori and Taiyo Hayashi. With an even record, Hayashi came into this fight after losing his last two appearances in Pancrase. Komori wore a Christmas hat and party sunglasses during his walkout. Shintaro Ishiwatari, who will fight on RIZIN 20, was in Hayashi’s corner for this fight. Hayashi scored a takedown early on from a body lock. Komori worked his way up to his feet, still being pinned up against the fence. They stayed against the fence until the referee separated them. Komori landed a great head kick in the final minute of the first round. Komori put Hayashi up against the cage then hopped on his back. He landed hammerfists from the position until the round ended.

Komori took Hayashi’s back again at the start of the second round. Hayashi worked on the ground until he was in top position. They stood back up and traded wild punches. Hayashi put Komori against the cage and threw more punches. He threw knees and punches to a cornered Komori. This moment in the round was the most dominant part for either fighter.

Komori opened the final round with a takedown. They got back up a minute later. Hayashi clinched up with Komori up against the cage. They had a good back and forth battle up against the cage, ending with Hayashi landing a hip toss in the final 10 seconds of the fight. When going to decision, Taiyo Hayashi got a unanimous decision victory.

Bout 9: Takafumi Ato (9-9) vs. Teppei Maeyama (4-7) (#10) (Strawweight) (3×3)

The next fight was a strawweight clash between two fighters who have both fought many times in Pancrase before. Maeyama was the first ranked fighter on the card, coming in at #10. Ato was the faster worker early on. Maeyama avoided a spinning backfist and shot for a double leg takedown. When they got back up, Ato had good strikes. Ato hurt Maeyama with a left hook, dropping him with a right straight. Maeyama attempted to recover with wrestling, throwing Ato around the decagon. Maeyama took Ato’s back on the ground. They got back up and returned to stand-up with a minute left in the round. Maeyama caught a leg kick, throwing a counter right hook which floored Ato and ended the fight. Showing exactly how to recover and make a comeback, Teppei Maeyama snapped a two-fight winning streak with a first round stoppage. He showed lots of remorse after the stoppage, staying on the ground with Ato for a minute or so.

Bout 10: Ryuichi Miki (20-12-4) (#9) vs. Masatatsu Ueda (16-4-2) (#3) (Flyweight (3×5)

Before the next fight, 2019 IMMAF bantamweight silver medalist Reo Yamaguchi announced that he will try for a gold medal next year at the IMMAFs. Moving to five-minute rounds for the rest of the night (apart from one more fight), the next bout was between experienced flyweights Ryuichi Miki and Masatatsu Ueda. Ueda had a clear height advantage over Miki. Both fighters traded leg kicks early on. Miki put Ueda up against the cage. Ueda tried for a trip takedown but Miki got up immediately. They went back to striking for the final minute. The first round was a real feeling out process between the two.

Miki shot for a takedown early in the second round but couldn’t get it. Ueda was throwing a head kick which didn’t connect but looked powerful. Miki caught a low kick for a takedown in the third minute, but Uedaz was able to flip it over into his own takedown. Miki took top position despite being taken down. They traded short distance strikes on the ground. Miki landed some more substantial strikes as the round ended.

Miki landed a good knee to the body during an exchange in the first minute of the third round. With a minute left in the round, Miki chased a takedown, but Ueda stopped it and put him against the cage in a clinch. They went back to striking in the final moments. Miki scored a spinning backfist before the fight ended. Quite a slow-paced fight from the start to the end. When going to a decision, it was a split decision that went in favour of Ryuchi Miki.

Bout 11: Nori DATE (3-3) vs. Mariya Suzuki (1-3) (Flyweight) (3×3)

In the next fight, new-ish MMA fighter Mariya Suzuki fought Nori DATE. DATE has been on a layoff since 2017, having last fought before Suzuki debuted in MMA. This fight was the Pancrase debut for DATE. She was supposed to fight on Pancrase 308 against Hyun Ji Jang, but that plan went out the window when she missed weight. DATE assumed the outside of the cage as where she would fight from right as the fight started. Suzuki clinched up against the cage. When they approached the blue corner, the tape for the blue corner came off of a wall and became attached to DATE’s left foot. As the round was closing, DATE scored a takedown and took the back of Suzuki.

Just like in the first round, DATE started the round up against the cage. DATE charged at Suzuki a minute into the round, putting her up against the cage. When they returned to striking, Suzuki struck DATE with a good counter right hook. DATE landed a good spinning backfist. Suzuki put DATE against the cage again with a minute left in the round. She secured a takedown with 30 seconds left.

They went into a clinch in the opening seconds of the final round. Suzuki eventually got a trip takedown. From the bottom position, DATE tried for some sort of leg move, but it did not hurt Suzuki. In yet another split decision on this card, Mariya Suzuki got the victory.

Bout 12: Victor Hugo (19-4) vs. Shinsuke Kamei (3-1) (#13) (Featherweight) (3×5)

In the next fight, the much more experienced Victor Hugo faced Shinsuke Kamei. Hugo was aggressive from the start, charging at Kamei and trying for a clinch. Hugo got a takedown after a minute of battling against the fence. Hugo was dominant throughout, eventually starting to pour strikes on.

At the start of the second round, Hugo landed a counter right hook which floored Kamei hard. Kamei recovered but was taken to the ground because of the shot. Kamei got up halfway through the round, but Hugo stayed on his back. They returned to striking with two-minutes left in the round. Kamei came forward with a lot of punches in the final minute of the round, but Hugo’s use of space and movement allowed him to avoid most of the strikes. Hugo got another takedown as the second round ended.

Both fighters had good punches at the start of the third round. Hugo stopped the back-and-forth momentum by scoring a takedown. Not much happened on the ground until Hugo got up and took the back of Kamei in the final minute. He tried for a rear-naked choke but let go once Kamei flipped onto his back. The fight went all three rounds, with all three judges giving Victor Hugo the nod. In a dominant performance, Hugo earned the 20th professional win of his career.

Bout 13: Luthando Biko (6-2) vs. Taiki Akiba (10-8-1) (#4) (Flyweight) (3×5)

Successful EFC fighter Luthando Biko made his Pancrase debut in his next fight, facing longtime Pancrase fighter Taiki Akiba. Akiba shot for a double leg takedown in the first minute, but Biko out-muscled him, keeping it on the feet. Biko tried for a takedown for numerous minutes as well, and Akiba was able to fend it off. While Biko fought for a takedown and never got it, he was on the offence for most of the round.

Biko finally got a takedown at the start of the second round, catching Akiba off guard after he threw punches. When Akiba got up, Biko kept a body lock on him. Akiba landed a good trip takedown, although Biko got right up because of momentum. Biko threw Akiba down with two minutes left in the round. He eventually got on his back and tried for a rear-naked choke. Akiba rotated around and took top position.

Biko was throwing Akiba around in the third round. Akiba would get up, get thrown back down, then the cycle would repeat. From start to finish in the third round, Biko was the better fighter. Winning via unanimous decision, Luthando Biko put on a strong performance for his Pancrase debut.

Bout 14: Saimon Oliveira (16-3) vs. Wataru Mimura (10-2-2) (Catchweight 148 lbs) (3×5)

In the co-main event of the card, Wataru Mimura stepped in on short notice to face Saimon Oliveira in a catchweight bout of 148 lbs. Mimura was charging at Oliveria early, shooting for a double leg takedown. Oliveira tried for a guillotine choke from the clinch. While holding Mimura’s head, Oliveria threw knees to the body. He tried again for the guillotine, dropping to the ground with the choke on deep. Mimura went out cold, ending the fight. With a scary choke victory, one-time ACB fighter Saimon Oliveira made a good Pancrase debut.

Bout 15: Hyun Ji Jang (3-2) vs. Emi Fujino (24-11) (#1) (Interim Pancrase Strawweight Championship) (5×5)

 

In the main event of the show, JMMA veteran Emi Fujino fought Hyun Ji Jang for the Interim Pancrase Strawweight Championship. When Fujino did her walkout, she had fellow women’s fighters cheering her on. Among them was Mei Yamaguchi, Mina Kurobe and RIZIN Super Atomweight Champion Ayaka Hamasaki. Also, included in her corner for this fight was Shizuka Sugiyama. The first round purely a close stand-up battle.

Fujino had her first good combination of punches in the second minute of the second round. Fujino then clinched up with Jang against the cage. In the clinch, Fujino landed good knees to the head. She tried for a guillotine choke to Jang, who was stuck up against the cage. She ran out of time in the round while trying the choke still.

Jang went into a clinch after Fujino threw strikes in the first minute of the final round. Fujino went back to throwing knees from the clinch. While Jang was reaching for a knee, Fujino took the back of Jang. She put in a rear-naked choke that got under the chin of Jang. After being in the position for quite a while, Jang tapped out. In an emotional moment, Emi Fujino won the Interim Pancrase Strawweight Championship. After her interview, all of her supporters got in the decagon to pose with her and congratulate her. As mentioned by the commentary, lots of DEEP Jewels alumni were in the cage.

Pancrase will have it’s first 2020 show on February 16th, with former UFC fighter Yoshinori Horie facing Yojiro Uchimura.

Lindsey VanZandt Interview: Unfamiliar Land, Familiar Foe

Lindsey VanZandt has never fought or even travelled overseas, but she won’t let that faze her heading into her RIZIN 20 bout against RENA.

“I’m just looking at it as another fight. I try to look at all fights as just another fight,” said VanZandt in an interview on Tuesday.

The fight on New Year’s Eve will be a rematch, as VanZandt previously got a first-round rear-naked choke win over RENA at Bellator 222. VanZandt used a similar approach heading into that fight.

“I fought at Madison Square Garden, and everybody was making a really really big deal about it, and it is a big deal ‘cause it’s Madison Square Garden and I’ve lived in New York my whole life so it was really cool to fight there, but I kept telling myself ‘just another fight Lindsey’ because it puts so much pressure on you… after, it’s like I took it all in and was like ‘oh my god, I can’t believe that this just happened.’ So, it’s cool and I’ll do the same thing when I’m over there (in Japan).”

The fight will mark the fifth bout that the New York fighter has entered in 2019, the most that she has done in a single year. Going 3-1 in the year so far, VanZandt has picked up wins in Bellator and Invicta FC. All three wins were via stoppage within the first two rounds.

“I like to stay as active as possible. My manager knows that and always tries to get me fights. Especially if I’m not injured and healthy so we get as many in as possible. It just makes more comfortable now having more experience.”

“In this year I’ve gained a lot more experience stand-up wise and I’ve gained more confidence in stand-up and I guess I’m finally becoming more of myself,” said VanZandt when reflecting on her past year of growth.

Her opponent, RENA, had an eight-year career in Shoot Boxing prior to making her MMA debut in 2015. Through kickboxing and MMA, RENA has finished opponents 16 out of her 41 wins. RENA has primarily fought in RIZIN lately, with a record of 8-2 in the promotion.

Just like their first meeting, RENA and VanZandt will compete at a catchweight of 112 lbs. “I’ve been at 110 (pounds) for the last couple of months or so. I mean, I should probably start bulking right?” said VanZandt. “Sometimes I forget to eat. Just cause I’m training so much, sometimes I have to tell myself ‘yeah eat a snack right now.’” In the past, VanZandt usually fought at atomweight (105 lbs).

VanZandt will leave for Japan before Christmas but noted that she’ll celebrate the holidays a couple days before the trip. And while heading into her fight focused, she’ll make sure to do indulge in the countries tourist attractions as well.

“We’ll definitely have time to do sightseeing and stuff like that because you can only train so much in a day … Both of my coaches have been there and they know some cool stuff to do so I’m excited.”

While VanZandt has yet to make a formal New Year’s resolution list, one goal is clear already:

“I want gold around my waist. I want the champ of something, I’m thinking Invicta, they might be having a tournament soon or something … I finally feel like I’m ready. It’s funny because all of the title shots I have gotten as an amateur I lost, so I’m excited to finally get some kind of belt.”

Miyuu Yamamoto Versus AMP The Rocket Announced For RIZIN 20

A 108 lbs bout between Miyuu Yamamoto and AMP The Rocket was confirmed for RIZIN 20 on December 31st, 2019 via Twitter.

The bout was originally reported by Mike Skytte on December 4th, who said the fight was “close to being finalized.”

Yamamoto’s last fight was a loss to Seo Hee Ham via punches in the second round at RIZIN 19. The fight before then was a decision victory over Kanna Asakura at RIZIN 16.

AMP, also known as Suwanan Boonsorn is an up-and-coming fighter from Thailand who has mostly fought in the regional promotion DEEP Jewels. Her RIZIN debut was at RIZIN 18, losing via armbar to Ayaka Hamasaki in a non-championship bout.

A notable win for AMP came in 2018 when she beat now-UFC fighter Loma Lookboonmee via armbar.

RIZIN 20 will take place on New Year’s Eve, with the broadcast starting at 1AM EST on FITE.tv.

Here’s the full card for RIZIN 20 so far:

  1. Ayaka Hamasaki (19-2) vs. Seo Hee Ham (22-8) (RIZIN Super Atomweight Championship)
  2. Kai Asakura (14-1) vs. Manel Kape (14-4) (RIZIN Vacant Bantamweight Championship)
  3. Jiri Prochazka (25-3-1) vs. C.B. Dollaway (17-9) (RIZIN Light Heavyweight Championship)
  4. RIZIN Lightweight GP Grand Final
  5. Johnny Case (27-6-1) vs. Tofiq Musaev (16-3) (RIZIN Lightweight GP Semi-Final)
  6. Patricky Pitbull (22-8) vs. Luiz Gustavo (10-1) (RIZIN Lightweight GP Semi-Final)
  7. Tenshin Nasukawa (35-0) vs. Rui Ebata (41-2-3) (123 lbs Kickboxing Special Rules)
  8. Taiju Shiratori (18-5-1) vs. Taiga (21-10-1) (136 lbs Kickboxing)
  9. Yuki Motoya (23-7) vs. Patrick Mix (12-0) (135 lbs)
  10. Mikuru Asakura (11-1) vs. John Teixeira (146 lbs)
  11. Lindsey VanZandt (7-2) vs. RENA (9-3) (112 lbs)
  12. Vitaly Shemetov (23-10) vs. Simon Biyong (6-1) (205 lbs)
  13. Jake Heun (14-9) vs. Satoshi Ishii (22-10-1) (231 lbs)
  14. Shintaro Ishiwatari (26-7-4) vs. Hiromasa Ogikubo (19-4-2) (134 lbs)
  15. Miyuu Yamamoto (5-4) vs. AMP The Rocket (4-2) (108 lbs)

Emi Fujino Stops Hyun Ji Jang In Three Rounds, Becomes Pancrase Interim Strawweight Champion at Pancrase 311

Emi Fujino became the interim Queen of Pancrase Strawweight Champion on Sunday, defeating Hyun Ji Jang at Pancrase 311 at Shinkiba Studio Coast in Tokyo, Japan.

Halfway through the third round, Fujino put a rear naked choke on Jang, who was on her knees. Jang did not fight the position much before tapping out.

The win makes it the third in a row for Fujino. Her previous four-fight winning streak was lost to Viviane Araujo in 2018. Araujo was promoted to the UFC in her next fight.

In the co-main event of the evening, Brazilian pro Saimon Oliveira put Wataru Mimura to sleep with a guillotine choke in the second minute of the first round.

Pancrase 311 was the promotion’s last event of the year. They plan to return for 10 events at Studio Coast in 2020, with the first event in mid-February.

A full report of Pancrase 311 will be uploaded to the website later this week.

UFC on ESPN 7: Overeem vs. Rozenstruick Full Report

After three weeks out of the spotlight, UFC returned with another event. Live from the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C., USA, UFC on ESPN 7 was headlined by Alistair Overeem and Jairzinho Rozenstruick. Before the main event, there was 11 fights, including numerous bouts that featured ranked fighters.

Bout 1: Trevor Smith (15-9) vs. Makmud Muradov (23-6) (Middleweight)

The first preliminary fight of the evening was UFC veteran Trevor Smith facing Makmud Muradov, who was having his second fight in the promotion. Muradov displayed his jab early in the first round. Smith countered with a kick in the second minute, connecting with the groin of Muradov. They went back to fighting quite quickly. While Muradov mostly out-punched Smith in the first round, he tested out a flying knee and a kick in the closing moments.

Muradov kept a fast pace of strikes throughout the second round. Smith tried for a takedown in the final minute of the fight, although Muradov got back up in short time. Muradov landed a knockdown in the final seconds of the round, putting in a rear naked choke until the clock ran out. Smith could have easily been saved by the round ending.

It was another close round of striking for Muradov early on, keeping with the theme of the rounds before. Muradov landed right to the body, followed left and right hook that knocked Smith out cold to end the fight. Smith’s mouthpiece went flying out of the frame. Muradov finishes 2019 with six MMA wins.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Smith 9 9
Muradov 10 10

Bout 2: Virna Jandiroba (14-1) vs. Mallory Martin (6-2) (Strawweight)

Mallory Martin made her UFC debut on Saturday, facing Virna Jandiroba. Jandiroba got a takedown in the first minute of the fight. Jandiroba had quite the entrance, wearing an interesting hat and singing along to Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” Martin tried for a guillotine, which Jandiroba eventually popped out of. Jandiroba put in a triangle choke from top position which Martin escaped. Martin fought back to stand-up. Martin clinched up to Jandiroba against the cage. Jandiroba landed knees in the clinch. Jandiroba got another takedown in the final minute of the round, where Martin tried again for a guillotine. Jandiroba escaped before the round concluded.

In the first 20 seconds of the round, Jandiroba got another takedown. She took Martin’s back this time, trying for a rear naked choke. Jandiroba got the choke under the chin, with Martin tapping out eventually. Bouncing back from her first MMA loss as a pro, Virna Jandiroba got the win with a dominant performance.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Jandiroba 10
Martin 9

Bout 3: Matt Wiman (16-8) vs. Joe Solecki (8-2) (Lightweight)

The next fight was a fight between Dana White’s Contender Series winner Joe Solecki and Matt Wiman. Solecki scored a takedown in the first minute of the fight. Solecki took Wiman’s back and was dominant. He landed lots of strikes before trying for a choke. He stayed on the ground for the whole round, keeping Wiman in trouble.

Solecki got another takedown early in the second round. The referee stood them back up with over a minute left in the second round. Wiman tried for a guillotine choke on the ground as the round closed out.

As expected, Solecki got another takedown in the third round. Solecki got on Wiman’s back this time. Wiman was able to avoid chokes and strikes until the round ended. Wiman was shouting at Solecki while on the ground as the third round concluded. When going to the scorecards, Joe Solecki got his first win in the UFC via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Wiman 9 9 9 27
Solecki 10 10 10 30

Bout 4: Bryce Mitchell (11-0) vs. Matt Sayles (8-2) (Featherweight)

Undefeated “Thug Nasty” Bryce Mitchell fought Matt Sayles in the next preliminary fight. Mitchell got a single leg takedown early on. On the ground, Mitchell tried for an arm triangle choke which Sayles escaped. Mitchell put in a rare twister 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Mitchell
Sayles

Bout 5: Jacob Kilburn (8-2) vs. Billy Quarantillo (12-2) (Featherweight) 

In a double debut, Jacob Kilburn and Billy Quarantillo competing in their call-up fight. Early on Quarantillo was striking in a clinch. On the ground, Quarantillo tried for a north south choke. Quarantillo went back to full mount, letting go of the choke. He started to let his hands go on Kilburn while in dominant positions. After landing many punches on the back of Kilburn, Quarantillo tried for a rear naked choke. Kilburn survived the five minutes, but took tons of damage.

Quarantillo got another takedown as the second round started. Quarantillo tried for a triangle choke but couldn’t get it. After some tweaking to the triangle choke, Kilburn tapped out. He was given a belt after the fight and also told everyone that tomorrow is his birthday. 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Kilburn 8
Quarantillo  10

Bout 6: Thiago Alves (23-14) vs. Tim Means (28-11-1) (Welterweight)

The preliminary card wrapped up with Thiago Alves facing Tim Means. Both fighters were attempting to come back from a previous loss. Both fighters got to some fast paced striking early on. Means shot for a takedown which Alves avoided by staying against the fence. Means landed some good strikes. He knocked down Alves with a left hook in the third minute of the fight. Means put in a guillotine choke on the ground which tapped Alves out. A slick combination of strikes brought Alves to the ground, and grappling did the rest to give Tim Means the win.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Alves
Means

Bout 7: Rob Font (#10) (16-4) vs. Ricky Simon (15-2) (Bantamweight)

Kicking off the main card, Rob Font faces Ricky Simon. The last fight for Simon was his first loss since joining the UFC. Going into this fight, Font was ranked #10 in the featherweight division. Font got a double leg takedown in the first minute of the fight. They got back up, with Simon putting Font up against the cage. They split up shortly, going back to stand-up. Simon tried for his own takedown but Font stopped it. Simon had Font retreating after he landed a good combination. Simon got a takedown finally. When they got back up into a standing clinch, Simon landed some good knees to the head. Simon got another takedown, trying for a guillotine. Font stood up before escaping the choke. Font came forward with his own nice combination of strikes. Simon got another takedown in the final minute of the fight.

Font stuffed a takedown in the first minute of the second round. Font’s sharp striking, including a nice jab was showcased in the second round. Simon got a takedown in the third minute of the round, although it looked like Font was going to stop it for a second. They did get back up quite quickly. Font’s striking was showcased better in this round than the one before. Simon got another takedown in the final minute of the second round.

Both fighters had strong stand-up at the start of the third round. Simon got another takedown halfway through the final round. Font’s jab was further put on display. The fight went the distance and was praised by the crowd afterwards. By unanimous decision, Rob Font took the fight (29-28, 29-28 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Font 9 10 10 29
Simon 10 9 9 28

Bout 8: Cody Stamann (18-2) (#9) vs. Song Yadong (15-4) (#13) (Bantamweight)

In the first bout of the evening that was a battle between two ranked fighters, Cody Stamann fought Song Yadong. In the first round, Yadong was the first one to come forward with good punches. Stamann got a takedown in the second minute of the fight. Yadong tried for a guillotine on the ground. While cranking the guillotine, Yadong landed a knee to the head which is not allowed since Stamann was grounded. After a point was deducted, the fight resumed. Back in stand-up, Yadong was the better striker. Stamann got a single leg takedown as the first round concluded.

In the opening minute of the second round, Yadong stopped a takedown and went back to stand-up. He got another takedown with just over a minute left.

Stamann’s wrestling continued in the third round, getting another takedown and just smothering Yadong. When Stamann got on Yadong’s back he really started to let his fists go. Stamann finished strong, throwing lots of punches before the horn went. Heading to the judges, the fight was decided to be a majority draw. (29-27, 28-28 & 28-28)

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Stamann 9 10 10 29
Song 9 9 9 27

Bout 9: Aspen Ladd (8-1) (#5) vs. Yana Kunitskaya (12-4) (#7) (Bantamweight)

In the last of many bantamweight fights of the evening, Aspen Ladd fought Yana Kunitskaya in a ranked fight. They went into a standing clinch, with was broken after the referee saw Kunitskaya grab the fence. She put in another standing clinch only moments later. Ladd got a trip takedown with two minutes left in the round. Ladd got on the back of Kunitskaya and started to unload strikes. She did so until the round ended.

Ladd tried for a takedown in the second round, although Kunitskaya blocked the attempt. Ladd got a takedown upon another attempt. Just like the last round, Ladd stayed in top position until the round ended.

At the very start of the final round, Ladd dropped Kunitskaya with punches. Ladd went to the ground at took the back of Kunistkaya, throwing strikes until the referee stepped in. A dominant win for Aspen Ladd after suffering a tough first loss as a pro before.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Ladd 10 10
Kunitskaya 9 9

Bout 10: Stefan Struve (29-11) vs. Ben Rothwell (36-12) (Heavyweight)

Coming out of retirement, Stefan Struve fought Ben Rothwell on the next bout of this show. Struve landed leg kicks to start off. Rothwell put Struve up against the cage in the second minute. Struve was hit in the groin as the round was more than halfway through. Struve was down for a while, and took many minutes to regain his composure. Struve eventually went back to the fight.

Rothwell was hit in the groin in the first minute of the second round, although it didn’t take long to resume. As Rothwell was throwing kicks later in the second round, Struve was hit with another kick to the groin. A point was docked from Rothwell this time. Rothwell started rushing Struve when they resumed. Struve was dropped with uppercuts and finished in the closing seconds of the fight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Struve 10
Rothwell 9

Bout 11: Cynthia Calvillo (8-1) vs. Marina Rodriguez (12-0-1) (Strawweight)

My recap of Cynthia Calvillo vs. Marina Rodriguez can be found at Fansided MMA.

Result: Cyntia Calvillo vs. Marina Rodriguez via Majority Decision (29-28, 28-28 & 28-28).

Bout 11: Alistair Overeem (45-17) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (9-0) (Heavyweight)

In the main event of the evening, UFC veteran Alistair Overeem faced up and comer Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Before the fight started, Overeem offered to shake hands but Rozenstruik did not respond to the offer. Overeem landed a trip takedown in the second minute of the fight after a pretty slow start of a couple of minutes. He focused on strikes while in half guard. Rozenstruick almost escaped bottom position, but Overeem stopped it, transition into side control. Overeem landed some elbows to the head from the position. 

Overeem went into a standing clinch in the second round. He put Rozenstruick up against the cage and landed strikes. With two minutes left in the fight, the referee brought the fighters back to stand-up. Rozenstruick ate lots of hard strikes in the round, not showing much weakness from it.

Rozenstruick opened the third round with some punches. Overeem tried for a double leg takedown in the first minute of the third round but didn’t get it. He tried for another one with two minutes left in the round, this time securing it after some fight.

Rozenstruick had his first jolt of offense in the fourth round. With under two minutes left in the round, Rozenstruick came forward with another good combination, including a head kick.

The pace of the striking in the final round was much slower. After the 10-second clapper hit at the end of the fifth round, Rozenstruick threw a right hook which dropped Overeem and ended the fight. The punch cut the top lip of Overeem very deeply. With the hard knockout win, Jairzinho Rozenstruick extended his undefeated record into double digits. The win was also his first that went into the fifth round. After the fight he called out Francis Ngannou.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Total
Overeem 10 10 10 10
Rozenstruick 9 9 9 9

UFC returns next week with UFC 245, a pay-per-view headlined by three championship fights. Here’s how the card looks as of right now:

  1. Kamaru Usman (15-1) vs. Colby Covington (UFC Welterweight Championship)
  2. Max Holloway (21-4) vs. Alexander Volkanovski (20-1) (UFC Featherweight Championship)
  3. Amanda Nunes (18-4) vs. Germaine de Randamie (9-3) (UFC Bantamweight Championship)
  4. Jose Aldo (28-5) vs. Marlon Moraes (22-6-1) (Bantamweight)
  5. Petr Yan (13-1) vs. Urijah Faber (35-10) (Bantamweight)
  6. Mike Perry (13-5) vs. Geoff Neal (12-2) (Welterweight)
  7. Ketlen Vieira (10-0) vs. Irene Aldana (Bantamweight)
  8. Ian Heinisch (13-2) vs. Omari Akhmedov (19-4-1) (Middleweight)
  9. Matt Brown (21-16) vs. Ben Saunders (22-12-2) (Welterweight)
  10. Daniel Teymur (7-3) vs. Chase Hooper (8-0-1) (Featherweight)
  11. Brandon Moreno (15-5-1) vs. Kai Kara-France (20-7) (Flyweight)
  12. Jessica Eye (14-7) vs. Viviane Araujo (8-1) (Flyweight)
  13. Punahele Soriano (6-0) vs. Oskar Piechota (11-2-1) (Middleweight)

Anthony Joshua Regains Heavyweight Belts From Andy Ruiz Jr. After Unanimous Decision Win

Anthony Joshua regained his WBO, IBF, IBO and WBA heavyweight belts in a rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr. on Saturday in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Joshua got the belts back via unanimous decision after fighting for 12 rounds (118-110, 118-110 & 119-109).

Joshua fought on the outside for all of the fight, consistently jabbing Ruiz away and using his height and reach advantage.

“The first time was so nice, I had to do it twice,” said Joshua in the ring after the fight, talking about becoming a two-time champion.

“I gained too much weight, but I don’t want to make any excuses,” said Ruiz, talking about coming into the fight at 283 lbs, 15 more pounds than his first meeting with Joshua.

Ruiz asked the crowd afterwards who wanted to see a trilogy fight between the two.

In the co-main event of the evening, undefeated Diego Pacheco got a first round knockout victory over Selemani Saidi in a fight that was scheduled for four rounds.

In the bout before that, rising heavyweight fighter Michael Hunter fought to a draw with 40-year-old veteran Alexander Povetkin.

 

Michael “Venom” Page and Yusaku Nakamura Among Names Announced In 2 Additional Bellator Japan Bouts

The announcement of two more Bellator Japan bouts was broken on Saturday via Twitter, including well-known promotional star Michael “Venom” Page.

MVP will face former UFC fighter Shinsho Anzai at a catchweight of 173 lbs. Japan’s Anzai recently picked up a win at DEEP Impact 91 against Yoichiro Sato. Including a 2-2 UFC run, Anzai has a professional record of 11-3.

Page recently got a victory at Bellator London over Gianni Melillo, his second win since his first pro loss which came via knockout against Douglas Lima in May.

The matchup will be under unified MMA rules, unlike some other bouts on the card which follow RIZIN’s ruleset.

Also announced for Bellator Japan was Yusaku Nakamura and Makoto Shinryu facing off. The fight will have RIZIN MMA rules, and will be held at 127 lbs.

Nakamura has appeared in RIZIN many times, both as a kickboxer and MMA fighter. He debuted in the promotion at RIZIN 10, losing to Tenshin Nasukawa. After a loss to Manel Kape, Nakamura got his first win in the promotion at RIZIN 16 over Topnoi Tiger Muay Thai.

Shinryu is a frequent fighter in regional Japanese promotion DEEP, currently on a three fight winning streak. His singular loss as a pro comes from Tatsumitsu Wada, a fighter who got promoted to ONE Championship in 2018.

Bellator Japan will take place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on December 29th. The event will be broadcasted live on DAZN and the Paramount Network, starting at 10PM EST.

Here’s a full look at the Bellator Japan card as of right now.:

  1. Fedor Emelianenko (38-6) vs. Rampage Jackson (38-13) (Heavyweight)
  2. Sidney Outlaw (14-3) vs. Michael Chandler (19-5) (160 lbs Catchweight)
  3. Lorenz Larkin (21-7) vs. K-Taro Nakamura (35-10-2) (Welterweight)
  4. Ilara Joanne (9-4) vs. Kana Watanabe (8-0-1) (Flyweight)
  5. Goiti Yamauchi (24-4) vs. Daron Cruickshank (22-12) (Lightweight)
  6. Andy Nguyen (6-8) vs. AI (5-1) (Strawweight)
  7. Ren Hiramoto vs. Takahiro Ashida (Catchweight 150 lbs Kickboxing)
  8. Ryuichiro Sumimura (14-7) vs. Jon Tuck (10-5) (Lightweight)
  9. Jarred Brooks (15-2) vs. Haruo Ochio (19-7-2) (Strawweight)
  10. Hiroto Uesako (16-8) vs. Yusuke Yachi (20-9) (Lightweight)
  11. Michael Page (16-1) vs. Shinsho Anzai (11-3) (Catchweight 173 lbs)
  12. Yusaku Nakamura (16-6-1) vs. Makoto Shinryu (9-1-1) (Catchweight 127 lbs)

Benson Henderson Out of Rematch Against Michael Chandler At Bellator Japan, Replaced By Sidney Outlaw

News broke on Twitter late Wednesday night that Benson Henderson was pulled from his Bellator Japan fight against Michael Chandler due to injury. Replacing him will be Sidney Outlaw.

“I got an injury, and I will not be able to participate in the December 29th festivities in Japan,” said Henderson in a video announcement on Twitter. “I’m hoping that Bellator reschedules it for later on – Chandler and I.”

The new matchup between Chandler and Outlaw will be at a catchweight of 160 lbs.

Outlaw returned to Bellator last month, defeating Roger Huerta via unanimous decision. His previous fight in Bellator was in 2014, when he got a win over Mike Bannon.

He has fought in larger American regional promotions like CFFC, Island Fights and Ring of Combat.

Chandler’s fight against Henderson was meant to be a rematch, as they previously matched up in the UFC, where Chandler won via decision.

Chandler’s last fight was a loss to Patricio Pitbull in just over a minute via punches.

Bellator Japan will happen on December 29th at 10 PM EST on the Paramount Network and DAZN, live from Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Here’s how Bellator Japan, also known as Bellator 237 looks as of right now:

  1. Fedor Emelianenko (38-6) vs. Rampage Jackson (38-13) (Heavyweight)
  2. Sidney Outlaw (14-3) vs. Michael Chandler (19-5) (160 lbs Catchweight)
  3. Lorenz Larkin (21-7) vs. K-Taro Nakamura (35-10-2) (Welterweight)
  4. Ilara Joanne (9-4) vs. Kana Watanabe (8-0-1) (Flyweight)
  5. Goiti Yamauchi (24-4) vs. Daron Cruickshank (22-12) (Lightweight)
  6. Andy Nguyen (6-8) vs. AI (5-1) (Strawweight)
  7. Ren Hiramoto vs. Takahiro Ashida (68 kg Kickboxing)
  8. Ryuichiro Sumimura (14-7) vs. Jon Tuck (10-5) (Lightweight)
  9. Jarred Brooks (15-2) vs. Haruo Ochio (19-7-2) (Strawweight)
  10. Hiroto Uesako (16-8) vs. Yusuke Yachi (20-9) (Lightweight)