Jermall Charlo Gets Unanimous Victory Over Brandon Adams

In a homecoming fight for Jermall Charlo, the WBC Middleweight Champion successfully defended his gold in a 12 round battle with Brandon Adams. Winning on all three scorecards quite decisively (119-109, 120-108 & 120-108), Charlo picked up his 28th career victory in the NRG Arena in his hometown of Houston, Texas, USA.

While the scorecards were one-sided in favour of Charlo, it wasn’t an easy fight for him. Adams was frequently hard to hit and displayed a good chin, never getting knocked down during the 36 minutes of competition. Also, Charlo admitted afterwards that he hurt one of his hands “in like the second round.”

The victory was the first defence of the WBC Middleweight Championship for Charlo, defending the interim belt once beforehand. Canelo Alvarez is the most prominent Middleweight champion, holding the WBA Super, IBF and The Ring Championships. Demetrius Andrade and Robert Brant also hold belts in the division.

In the co-main event slot, Erickson Lubin picked up a fourth-round stoppage victory over Zakaria Attou. Attou’s corner threw in the towel after he endured a knockdown.

Jermall’s twin brother Jermell Charlo fought last week in Nevada, defeating Jorge Cota in three rounds. The victory was a bounce back from his first pro loss, losing to Tony Harrison via decision on a card he shared with his brother.

Richard Commey Gets Eighth Round Stoppage Over Ray Beltran

Richard Commey picked up an eight round stoppage against Ray Beltran on Saturday in Temecula, California, USA at the Pechanga Resort & Casino. Commey retained his IBF Lightweight Championship, in what was his first appearance since defeating Isa Chaniev in February to win it.

Commey had the edge from the start, scoring two knockdowns on Beltran in the first round, and yet another in the fifth. In the eighth round, it was a left hook from Commey that sent Beltran to the floor. Despite his willingness to continue, the referee made the decision to end the bout.

Ray Beltran’s battle started early this week when he didn’t make weight the day before. Despite not making weight initially, by Saturday, Richard Commey weighed more due to rehydration.

The fighters clashed heads twice in the fight, with the right eye of Commey swelling because of this. Upon both collisions, it looked like Commey got the worse of the exchange.

In the co-main event in Temecula, Carlos Adames defeated Patrick Day in a 10 round bout to retain his NABO and NABF Super Welterweight Championships. The scorecards favoured him unanimously (97-93, 97-93 & 98-91).

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 3 Episode 2 Full Report

Last week on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series we only had four fights on the card. For the first time this season we had a five fight card, with a main event between two fighters getting a second chance on the show. Let’s see who got UFC contracts after their performances.

Bout 1: Victor Reyna (10-3) vs. Miguel Baeza (6-0) (Welterweight)

In the first bout, we had Victor Reyna versus Miguel Baeza in a Welterweight bout. Despite the weight class, Reyna came in 7 pounds over the limit. After two minutes of uneventful stand-up, Baeza dropped Reyna with a right hand. The fight went to the ground where Baeza was in top position. Reyna tried getting up, letting Baeza take the back and try for a rear naked choke. They stood up in clinch where Reyna escaped the submission. At the start of the second round Reyna landed a punch which made Baeza fall. He got up shortly after and clinched up with Reyna. While Baeza had tons of dominant strikes throughout the round, at the end he was taken down twice by strikes. The second time he went down due to knees but was saved by the bell, with Reyna wanting the fight to be called. In the third round, Reyna was coming forward with strikes consistently. Reyna was landing shots from top position but got caught in a triangle choke as the fight ran out of time. All three judges gave Miguel Baeza the nod on their scorecards (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Reyna	9	9	10	28
Baeza	10	10	9	29

Bout 2: Miles Johns (8-0) vs. Richie Santiago (7-1) (Bantamweight)

The next bout was a Bantamweight contest. Miles Johns put his undefeated record against Richie Santiago. The first round had explosive fists from both fighters. Johns landed a takedown two minutes into the bout. In the opening moments of the second round, Santiago was knocked down by punches. He went to the ground to try for a hold but eventually brought it back to stand-up. He threw a few more punches and then landed another takedown. In the third round, Johns landed punches and knees that brought Santiago to the floor. Santiago hung on and stopped the roll that Johns was on. After they were on the ground for a little the referee stood them up. Both tired, they traded strikes until the fight came to a close. Miles Johns was given the unanimous decision win (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Johns	10	10	10	30
Santiago	9	9	9	27

Bout 3: Michael Lombardo (8-1) vs. Kyle Daukaus (6-0) (Middleweight)

In the first round, another undefeated fighter in Kyle Daukaus fought Michael Lombardo. After both fighters fought in stand-up and clinching up against a cage, Daukaus tried for a guillotine from bottom position. They got back up but went back down shortly after as Daukaus threw Lombardo down. On the ground in the second round Daukaus showed a variety of submission moves on the ground, making him dominant throughout the round. In the final round, Daukaus got a takedown. He tried for submissions for a long time, having Lombardo completely on the defence throughout. He put in a rear naked choke at the end of the third round that Lombardo endured although it was close. Kyle Daukaus won the fight quite decisively (30-25, 30-26 & 29-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Lombardo	9	9	8	26
Daukaus	10	10	10	30

Bout 4: Justin Gonzales (9-0) vs. Zach Zane (12-7) (Featherweight)

Attempting to continue the trend of undefeated fighters winning, Justin Gonzales fought Zach Zane. Right off the bat, Gonzales landed some hard strikes. On the ground, Gonzales stayed on top of Zane for most of the round. In the second round, Gonzales caught a kick and landed punches while holding onto the leg. On the ground, Gonzales tried for a rear naked choke. It never got put on well enough for a bout to end. Seconds into the final round Gonzales landed yet another takedown. They got back to their feet for a while where Gonzales landed a knee and some punches before landing yet another takedown. The fight went all 15 minutes with Justin Gonzales winning unanimously (30-26, 30-26 & 30-26).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Gonzales	10	10	10	30
Zane	9	9	9	27

Bout 5: Alton Cunningham (7-1) vs. Tony Johnson (7-2) (Light Heavyweight)

The final bout of this episode was between people who didn’t have the best outcome in their last DWTNCS bookings. Alton Cunningham lost via stoppage in his first Contender Series fight. Also worth noting that was a Middleweight fight. Tony Johnson was taken off his Contender Series fight after being injured weeks before. On this show, they both had a second chance. Both fighters had hard strikes right off the bat. Johnson seemed to take control with punches and knees. Cunningham landed a takedown which slowed down the fight. There was a huge swelling above Cunningham’s right eye that started to develop in the first round. The second round had a lot of fighting up against the cage. After being up against the cage for a long time the referee separated the fighters. They exchanged punches at the end before the horn went. The decision for this bout was all three judges giving the win to Tony Johnson (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Cunningham	9	10	10	29
Johnson	10	9	9	28

At the end of the night Dana White decided that Miguel Baeza and Miles Johns will sign to the UFC. Baeza gave an emotional interview afterwards talking about how he does everything for his family.

Laying Down Leather #5: Heavyweight Dream Booking, The Korean Zombie and More!

After a short absence due to high school exams, Laying Down Leather is back for another issue. For those who are first-time readers, Laying Down Leather is a series where I discuss my opinions on the numerous topics I cover on many websites. Let’s get started.

MMA

This weekend UFC held an event in Greenville, South Carolina. Overall it was a fun show. Shows that have tons of decision finishes are sometimes boring, but I didn’t find much difficulty with watching this show. Besides the main event, my two favourite moments were the opening fight between Deron Winn and Eric Spicely, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik leaving no doubt in only nine seconds.

Chan Sung Jung AKA “Korean Zombie” had nothing short of an explosive victory of Renato Moicano in the main event. The overhand right he landed at the start was a thing of beauty, with the bout ending shortly after to nobodies surprise. I haven’t seen a ton of The Korean Zombie in my lifetime, but I haven’t ever not enjoyed a bout of his. Consider me a fan.

Boxing

While I didn’t cover it last week, I did cover Tyson Fury’s victory over Tom Schwartz. Not only was Fury’s in-ring skill showcased, with his finishing sequence being amazing along with the numerous punches he dodged when up against the ropes, but his personality was also put on display. His serious walk through the hall followed with the “Living In America” themed walkout made him look like a star. I know the heavyweight division is a whole mess right now, but I really want to see him versus Deontay Wilder next.

Speaking of the heavyweights, I had a thought about them this week. This is pure fantasy booking since Dillian Whyte is scheduled for a fight in a month, but if he wasn’t, I’d rather see Whyte versus Anthony Joshua 2 to decide who faces Andy Ruiz Jr. Whyte has had an amazing run since losing to Joshua back in 2015, picking up nine wins in a row. It would be a fun way to shoehorn Whyte into a scenario he deserves to be a part of but isn’t being included in.

Recently Showtime put their documentary on Mauro Ranallo titled “Bipolar Rock ‘N’ Roller” on Youtube for free. I watched it when it came out and I highly recommend it. It shows Ranallo’s struggle with mental health, more specifically bipolar disorder. The doc shows how mental health isn’t glamorous, but it’s important and affects everyone. He’s been a longtime mental health advocate throughout his career and this movie showed why it’s such an important issue to him.

Wrestling

I’m happy to announce I’ll be reviewing the G1 Climax 29 shows this summer. Starting on July 6th, I’ll be reviewing the shows as they come out. I’ve been very excited for this tournament and can’t wait to see how it plays out. The lineup is stacked, with the A block looking amazing. The additions of KENTA and Jon Moxley offer some fresh matchups.

This Week on The Site and Beyond!

I plan to put out a lot of music content this week, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Besides that, expect coverage of the Saturday UFC show in Minneapolis, maybe some boxing coverage and some different stuff. I have a lot of ideas I will be testing out in the summer. See ya around.

UFC on ESPN+ 12: Moicano vs. Korean Zombie Full Report

On Saturday, UFC made their debut in South Carolina on Saturday with a Featherweight main event. Both coming off losses, “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and Renato Moicano faced off in the main event. Below them were 10 other fights taking place in a wide array of weight classes. Deron Winn and Eric Spicely kicked off the evening.

Preliminary Card

Bout 1: Deron Winn (5-0) vs. Eric Spicely (12-4) (Middleweight)

Starting off the evening was a clash of middleweights, between Deron Winn and Eric Spicely. Between these two fighters, the biggest disparity was height. Early in the first round, Winn was able to get close and land hard strikes and then keep the distance afterwards. After a while, it felt like Spicely was purely in a defensive mode. Spicely was able to land a knee to the body many times when in a clinch. Spicely seemed to get more comfortable in the second half of the fight. In the second round, Winn was stringing together combinations. He had Spicely cornered many times, just unloading punches. Winn’s dominant punches continued through to the end of the second round. The final round felt like a turnaround for Spicely, who started to land more strikes and block takedown attempts. Both fighters were tremendously tired in the final minutes. The fight went the distance with all three judges giving it to Deron Winn unanimously (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Winn	10	10	9	29
Spicely	9	8	10	27

Bout 2: Molly McCann (8-2) vs. Ariane Lipski (11-4) (Flyweight)

In a flyweight contest, Molly McCann faced Ariane Lipski in the next bout. McCann seemed to be fired up before the fight while Lipski was calmer. The first round had very close striking between both fighters. McCann landed a hard takedown at the end of the first. McCann did a similar last-minute takedown in the second round. In the final round, a cut became visible on McCann’s head. McCann’s personality was apparent throughout the fight. The fight went the distance with both of them swinging until the bell. The judges gave Molly McCann the unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
McCann	10	10	10	30
Lipski	9	9	9	27

Bout 3: Allen Crowder (10-3) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (7-0) (Heavyweight)

Moving to the biggest weight class of all, Allen Crowder faced Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Not even 10 or five seconds into the bout, Rozenstruik landed a left jab which put down Crowder. He landed a couple more punches before the fight ended.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Crowder
Rozenstruik

Bout 4: Matt Wiman (16-7) vs. Luis Pena (6-1) (Lightweight)

In the next matchup, Matt Wiman made a return after a long absence to face Luis Pena. In the first minute, Pena landed a knee in the clinch that cut open Wiman quite a bit. There was a pause in the fight due to the cut, but it continued. Wiman shot for a takedown but Pena got the best of it, landing strikes from top position. Pena landed, even more, strikes to the head on the ground, making the cut more severe. Before the second round started a doctor looked at Wiman’s cut once again. He was given the green light to continue. Another takedown attempt by Wiman was taken over by Pena. At the start of every round, Pena would apply pressure by immediately walking up to Wiman until he was up against a wall. In the final round, Wiman fell down, which allowed Pena to rain down strikes from above. After enough strikes, Pena won the fight via TKO.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Wiman	8	9
Pena	10	10

Bout 5: Ashley Yoder (6-4) vs. Syuri Kondo (6-2) (Strawweight)

The next preliminary bout saw Syuri Kondo face Ashley Yoder. Yoder landed a takedown in the opening minute. She was dominant on the ground for the whole round, trying for many different submission moves. At the start of the second Yoder failed to land a single leg takedown. When they went on the ground once again, Yoder was back to being her dominant self. At the start of the third round Kondo put in a standing guillotine but couldn’t close out the fight with it. Yoder brought it back to the ground and continued her success until the fight ran out of time. The fight went to Ashley Yoder, with the scorecards being more than favouring to her (30-26, 30-25 & 30-24).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Yoder	10	10	10	30
Kondo	9	9	9	27

Bout 6: Dan Ige (11-2) vs. Kevin Aguilar (17-1) (Featherweight)

Finishing off the prelims was Dan Ige and Kevin Aguilar. Aguilar had a cut open on his face in the first round which made him bleed quite a bit. Ige dropped Aguilar with a left after a few minutes and then got in top position. Ige landed a takedown minute into the second round, but Aguilar got into top position. Aguilar landed what looked like a wrestling move, putting Ige on his back and dropping him. He tried for an armbar afterwards but it didn’t work. From top position, Aguilar landed tons of strikes before the round concluded. The final round had stand-up from both fighters, with Ige’s boxing being showcased. Aguilar was eating tons of punches and knees. Ige landed a single leg takedown with under a minute left, but then stood back up. He survived the full fight but didn’t look sharp at the end. All three judges decided that Dan Ige should get the victory (29-28, 29-28 & 29-27).

Main Card

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Ige	10	9	10	29
Aguilar	9	10	9	28

Bout 7: Alessio Di Chirico (12-2) vs. Kevin Holland (15-4) (Middleweight)

Starting off the main card was Alessia Di Chirico versus Kevin Holland. Shortly in the first round the fighters clinched up against the cage. In the final minute of the first Di Chirico landed an elbow that seemingly shook Holland. Many times in this fight they would have a standing clinch where Holland was the only one landing strikes. While he was the only one, the strikes weren’t that powerful. Holland started to move weir in the second round, almost like he was just running the clock and trying to not engage. When he went to his corner he felt his right shoulder. He told his corner his shoulder popped out. He decided to keep fighting. The final round had close striking between both fighters with not much engagement. The fight went the distance. All three judges gave the fight to Kevin Holland (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Di Chirico	10	10	10	30
Holland	9	9	9	27

Bout 8: Andrea Lee (#10) (10-2) vs. Montana De La Rosa (#11) (10-4) (Flyweight)

In the first fight of the evening with ranked fighters, Andrea Lee faced Montana De La Rosa. The first round had striking for the first couple of minutes. De La Rose landed a takedown, with Lee taking it up to a standing clinch shortly after. De La Rosa landed another takedown, but Lee brought it back up almost immediately. Early in the second round, Lee was able to fully stop a takedown attempt. De La Rosa started bleeding through her nose in the second round. Lee was landing good punches. De La Rosa landed a takedown near the end of the second round and in the opening minutes of the third. On the ground, Lee was trying for a triangle choke but couldn’t get it in fully. From top position, Lee landed punches. The fight ended with Lee on De La Rosa’s back. Andrea Lee was scored the winner unanimously (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Lee	9	10	10	29
De La Rosa	10	9	9	28

Bout 9: Andre Ewell (14-5) vs. Anderson dos Santos (20-7) (Bantamweight)

In the next matchup, Bantamweights Andre Ewell and Anderson dos Santos squared off. The first round had both fighters were throwing hard punches. Ewell was eventually walking down Dos Santos and continuously landing strikes. The second round was not as intense as the first round, but it was still close striking. There was a pause in the round as Dos Santos was poked in the eye. Dos Santos took the fight to the ground and tried for some moves but Ewell eventually got out. Dos Santos shot for a takedown many times in the third round but wasn’t successful. Eventually, the fight got to the ground where Dos Santos took top position. For all of the second half of the round, Dos Santos was stuck to Ewell. The fight went all designated 15 minutes. The fight went to Andre Ewell unanimously (29-28, 29-28 & 29-27)

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Ewell	10	10	9	29
Dos Santos	9	9	10	28

Bout 10: Bryan Barberena (14-6) vs. Randy Brown (10-3) (Welterweight)

In the co-main event slot of the evening, Bryan Barberena faced Randy Brown. This fight in all of its rounds was a close striking battle. In the final round, Brown upped the tempo of punches and started to take over the fight. He had Barberena backtracking and not throwing much. After Brown landed a knee to the head and a few more punches, the fight came to a close.

My Scorecard:

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

Bout 11: Renato Moicano (#5) (13-2-1) vs. Chan Sung Jung (#12) (14-5) (Featherweight)

The main event of the evening was Renate Moicano facing “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. In the opening seconds of the first round, Sung Jung landed an overhand right which dropped Moicano. Moicano stayed alive on the ground, but not for long as Sung Jung eventually rained down strikes that ended the bout.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Total
Moicano
Sung Jung

UFC’s weekly series called Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series is currently running it’s third season, with the second episode airing on Tuesday night this week. The next UFC event will be on Saturday next week, where Francis Ngannou will face Junior dos Santos live on ESPN. The next PPV event is on July the 7th, with Jon Jones versus Thiago Santos headlining the two title fight card.

Korean Zombie Pulls Off First Round Victory Over Renato Moicano

Chan Sung Jung, better known as “Korean Zombie” had a quick and dominant performance on Saturday over Renato Moicano. Sung Jung came in as the underdog, being the #12 ranked Featherweight facing the fifth-ranked fighter. Although it was scheduled for five rounds, not more than a minute was needed for Sung Jung to get the victory at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, USA.

The fight only lasted a minute, with Sung Jung taking control of the fight with a strong overhand right which dropped Moicano. On the ground, Sung Jung tried for a rear naked choke on top position and landed strikes after Moicano flattened out on the ground. The referee stopped the contest with just a few seconds left in the first minute.

Sung Jung has now tripled his losses with wins, extending his record to 15-5. Renato Moicano was only given his third career loss from this bout, with the previous one coming from Jose Aldo back in February. The Korean Zombie bounced back from a previous prolific loss to Yiar Rodriguez, where an elbow landed in the final seconds of the fifth round.

Laying Down Leather #4: Cejudo, Prince Naseem and More!

Good morning and welcome to another issue of “Laying Down Leather.” In this series I offer my weekly thoughts on the many topics I write about online and follow. This series is usually done on Monday, but due to complications, it’s coming out on Wednesday this week. It’ll be back on it’s usual schedule next week.

MMA

Last weekend was UFC 238, with Henry Cejudo defeating Marlon Moraes in the main event. Cejudo became a double champ, now holding the bantamweight and flyweight championships. It was a short but entertaining fight, with Cejudo clearly changing his gameplan after not having a successful first round of the fight.

The show, in general, was very entertaining. Aljamain Sterling and Pedro Munhoz stole the show on the prelims, putting on an absolute war. The co-co-main between Tony Ferguson and Donald Cerrone wasn’t all we wanted it to be, but still was good. Valentina Shevchenko’s KO victory to retain her Flyweight Championship against Jessica Eye was equally horrifying and amazing.

This weekend’s Bellator show is amazingly stacked. In the final of the Welterweight tournament, Rory MacDonald and Neiman Gracie battle for five scheduled rounds. Veterans in Chael Sonnen and Lyoto Machida square off. Bellator’s favourite heel Dillon Danis sees his second challenge in the octagon. Darrion Caldwell gets his rematch against RIZIN’s Kyoji Horiguchi.

The talent on the show spills onto the prelims, with Aaron Pico returning to face Adam Borics. Also, RIZIN and Shoot Boxing talent RENA (being billed as “Rena Kubota” for this show) will face Lindsey VanZandt in her debut outside of the United States. It should be a fun evening, just like the DAZN X Bellator shows in the past have been.

Wrestling

Earlier this year I was very closely following New Japan Pro Wrestling. I would review every event right here on this site. I’ve stopped doing that, but I plan to come back to doing it during the summer. When you look at what’s been happening in the promotion as of late, it looks like an amazing time to jump back in. The G1 Climax is happening soon, with the lineup looking pretty good. Jon Moxley has put his name in the hat for the G1, which alone sets up many great matchups. I want to watch the Dominion show, but I don’t know if I’ll have time. If I do watch it, I’ll write something in the next issue of this.

Boxing

I can’t say I watched much boxing this week, although I saw a great documentary. Sky Sports put together a 25-minute long doc called “When Naz Hit New York,” a film detailing when featherweight boxer “Prince” Naseem Hamed made his American debut against Kevin Kelley. The fight itself is absolutely great, with both fighters putting on an absolute war. The film made me want to watch full fights that included Prince Naseem as he seemed like quite the entertaining fighter. I highly recommend watching the documentary. Even if you don’t care too much about Hamed, the soundtrack itself makes the video worth watching.

The documentary was made ahead of Anthony Joshua’s American debut against Andy Ruiz Jr., which obviously didn’t go as well as Naseem’s.

Tyson Fury’s fight against Tom Schwartz should be a fun one to watch this weekend. Since people have already touted that there is a rematch in the works between Fury and Deontay Wilder, I’ll be interested to see if that will be addressed during the show.

Henry Cejudo Becomes Bantamweight Champ and Double Champ In Chicago

Henry Cejudo added his name to the short list of UFC double champions on Saturday after defeating Marlon Moraes for the Bantamweight Championship. After a succession of hammer fist strikes on the ground in the third round the referee stopped the fight, making Cejudo the winner. After his win in Chicago, Illinois at the United Center, Cejudo became the 7th UFC fighter to hold two belts at once.

The first round went more in Moraes’ favour, with his striking being what gave him the edge. In the second round Cejudo landed better strikes, consistently finding success with throwing knees while in a clinch. Cejudo took Moraes to the ground in the third where he tried for a guillotine choke, did elbows from a top position and then did hammerfist punches which lead to the fight’s conclusion.

After the fight he listed Dominick Cruz, Cody Garbrandt and Uriah Faber as who he wants to fight next. He also said he wants to fight at 145 pounds in the future.

Earlier on the card Valentina Shevchenko retained her Flyweight Championship, defeating Jessica Eye with a head kick KO.

All of the website’s coverage of UFC 238 can be found here

UFC 238 Full Report: Henry Cejudo Becomes Double Champ

On Saturday, UFC came back with their PPV event “UFC 238.” The stacked card included two championship bouts, with Valentina Shevchenko battling Jessica Eye and Henry Cejudo chasing his second belt against Marlon Moraes. Before we get to those bouts lets look at the prelims.

Preliminary Card

Bout 1: Katlyn Chookagian (#2) (11-2) vs. Joanne Calderwood (#6) (13-3) (Flyweight)

The evening started with the first of five women’s fights on the card. Katlyn Chookagian faced Joanne Calderwood. Early on in the bout Calderwood was utilizing her leg kicks quite frequently. Chookagian was more focused on throwing punches and knees. She seemingly was trying for a takedown but never really committed to it. Calderwood landed a takedown in the first minute of the second, with both fighters standing up shortly after. Chookagian started to land strong combos of punches in the second. Calderwood shot for a takedown but was denied by Chookagian. She did land a slam after catching a kick a minute later though. The round ended with Calderwood in a top position while Chookagian was an armbar. A very large hematoma started to form on Chookagian’s forehead as the round concluded. In the third around another kick was caught and turned into a takedown by Calderwood. Once they got back up, Chookagian landed another hard two punch combination. Calderwood taunted Chookagian in the final minute of the fight. The fight went the distance with Katlyn Chookagian winning the fight unanimously (30-27, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Chookagian	9	10	9	28
Calderwood	10	9	10	29

Bout 2: Eddie Wineland (23-13-1) vs. Grigorii Popov (14-2) (Bantamweight)

Despite a close age range between these two fighters, veteran UFC fighter Eddie Wineland fought newcomer Grigorii Popov in the next bout. Wineland was stalking down Popov right off the bat. He started to land good right hands that were shaking Popov. Popov got a cut around his left eye which was bleeding quite a bit. He landed a few good knees to the head in the round, although Wineland’s punches seemed to be more effective. Wineland tried for a takedown at the start of the second round although Popov denied it. Wineland got a takedown with two minutes left but was flipped back up in only seconds. With under a minute in the second round, Wineland dropped Popov with strikes. He tried for a guillotine but eventually gave up. With 30 seconds left in the round Popov was retreating. He took a knee after being dropped by more punches, making the referee step in and end the bout.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Wineland	10
Popov	9

Bout 3: Bevon Lewis (6-1) vs. Darren Stewart (9-4) (Middleweight)

The third early prelim bout was Bevon Lewis versus Darren Stewart. Early on in the bout Lewis was falling over when getting hit with leg kicks. He clinched up against the cage for a while afterwards. At the end of the first round both fighters landed quite a few punches after the horn. Lewis landed a knee mid-way through the second that looked good. The second round was a more inactive one from both fighters. The fight went the distance,w with the crowd booing them afterwards. The judges gave Darren Stewart the win (29-28, 29-28 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Lewis	9	10	9	28
Stewart	10	9	10	29

Bout 4: Yan Xiaonan (10-1) vs. Angela Hill (9-6) (Strawweight)

The final early prelim fight was Angela Hill facing Yan Xiaonan. In the first round Xiaonan was in top position but got caught in a triangle choke. Xiaonan survived the round, possibly being saved by the bell. The second round had some great striking from both figthers on display. Xiaonan landed a takedown in the finale minute of the round as well. The aggressive striking from both competitors continued through the third round. After the three roubnds, Yan Xiaonan won via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Xionan	9	10	9	28
Hill	10	9	10	29

Bout 5: Ricardo Lamas (#10) (19-7) vs. Calvin Kattar (#15) (19-3) (Featherweight)

The first prelim on ESPN fight was Ricardo Lamas versus Calvin Kattar. Halfway through the first round, Lamas was hurt by a left jab. Before then, they both had some close striking, with not much landing. Kattar landed a two strike combo in the final minute of the first that folded Lamas.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Lamas
Kattar

Bout 6: Karolina Kowalkiewicz (#10) (13-4) vs. Alexa Grasso (#13) (10-2) (Strawweight)

Heading back to the strawweight division, Karolina Kowalkiewicz faced Alexa Grasso in the next bout. Early on it seemed like Grasso’s punches was landing consistently. Not only that, Grasso had a higher amount of punches thrown. At the end of the round Grasso clinched up against the cage. While Kowalkiewicz landed more in the second, Grasso’s success continued. In the final round, Grasso did a good combo of knees to the head while clinching Kowalkiewicz. Both fighters were swinging like crazy in the final seconds. Grasso put in a standing rear naked choke until the round ended. The crowd was very loud for the end of this bout. The judges gave Alexa Grasso the win unanimously (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Kowalkiewicz	9	9
Grasso	10	10

Bout 7: Aljamain Sterling (#3) (17-3) vs. Pedro Munhoz (#4) (18-3) (Bantamweight)

Aljamain Sterling and Pedro Munhoz fought in an eliminator bout to continue the prelims. For most of the round Sterling had the more dominant striking, keeping a distance and coming in when he had something to throw. At the end of the round Munhoz landed a good knee that possibly shook Sterling. The second round was much closer, with Munhoz finding success with leg kicks. In the second half of the round Sterling was dropped by a kick. Munhoz tried for a guillotine from that position but let it go almost right after. Both fighters kept a fast tempo of strikes through to the end of the third round. Sterling was getting fired up at the end, shouting at Munhoz in-between strikes. The fight went the full three rounds with the judges giving it to Aljamain Sterling unanimously (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Sterling	10	9	10	29
Munhoz	9	10	9	28

Bout 8: Tatiana Suarez (#2) (8-0) vs. Nina Ansaroff (#3) (10-5) (Strawweight)

Finishing off the prelims was a top contender bout for the strawweights. Not only 30 seconds into the first round, Suarez shot for a takedown on Ansaroff. She got the takedown, with the fighters standing up against the cage with three minutes left in the round. Suarez brought the fight right back down to the ground. Suarez stayed dominant throughout the first round. There was a pause in the second round as Ansaroff was hit win the groin. Suarez failed a takedown attempt in the third round. The final round was Ansaroff’s wheelhouse as it stayed stand-up the whole time. Ansaroff fired off a great combo of strikes at the end of the round. The judges all gave the fight to Tatiana Suarez (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Suarez	10	10
Ansaroff	9	9

Main Card

Bout 9: Tai Tuivasa #11 (10-1) vs. Blagoy Ivanov (#13) (17-2) (Heavyweight)

Starting off the PPV was a heavyweight clash between Tai Tuivasa and Blagoy Ivanov. Halfway through the first round, Tuivasa was tagged by Ivanov. Ivanov tried for a guillotine standing against the cage but Tuivasa escaped. Tuivasa got shook by some punches in the final seconds of the first round as well. Ivanov was the one retreating in the opening minutes of the second round. Ivanov put in a guillotine at the end of the round. Tuivasa tapped, but it was a second after the bell, whether it was to submit or to just tell him to get off of him. Ivanov tried for the guillotine once again but lost control of it. When he tried for the standing guillotine again, he landed knees to the head while doing so. The fighters were tremendously tired by the final round. The fight went the distance. Blagoy Ivanov was given the victory unanimously (29-28, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Tuivasa	9	9	9	27
Ivanov	10	10	10	30

Bout 10: Jimmie Rivera (#7) (22-3) vs. Petr Yan (#9) (12-1) (Bantamweight)

The next bout was Jimmie Rivera versus Petr Yan. In the final seconds of the first round Rivera was dropped be a strike. He survived until the horn went. Rivera was knocked down at the end of the second after a close competition. Yan was dominating the fight. Yan did a great spinning move to escape a single leg takedown attempt in the third. A pause happened in the third round after Yan was eye poked. The fight went all the rounds, with the judges giving Petr Yan the win (29-28, 29-28 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Rivera	9	9
Yan	10	10

Bout 11: Donald Cerrone (36-11) (#4) vs. Tony Ferguson (25-3) (#2) (Lightweight)

In the final fight before title bouts, two people who don’t need an introduction, Donald Cerrone and Tony Ferguson, fought. Both fighters had their moments in the first round although Cerrone was landing better shots. Cerrone’s nose started to bleed heavily in the second round. Cerrone landed a takedown with two minutes to go in the second. They went back to stand-up right after they went down. In the second round Ferguson landed tons of head strikes, making it a dominant round for him. Ferguson landed a right hand a second after the second round horn went. The crowd booed quite heavily for this. There was a pause before the final round was set to start because Cerrone’s right eye had completely swollen up. The doctors did not allow him to fight, ending the bout in-between rounds. They checked a replay and made sure the shot after the bell to make sure the strike wasn’t what caused the eye swelling. The fight ended due to a doctors stoppage and Tony Ferguson was given the victory. After the fight Ferguson told Joe Rogan to talk to Cerrone.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Cerrone	10	9
Ferguson	9	10

Bout 12: Valentina Shevchenko (Champion) (16-3) vs. Jessica Eye (#1) (14-6) (Flyweight Championship)

In the first of two championship belts of the evening, Valentina Shevchenko fought Jessica Eye for the Flyweight Championship. Shevchenko was landing body kicks early on. She landed a body lock takedown in the first minute of the bout. Shevchenko was dominant on top for the rest of the round, putting Eye in trouble a few times. At the start of the second round, Valentina Shevchenko landed a kick to the head that floored Eye and ended the bout. There was a lot of worry about Eye afterwards as she was on the ground for a long time.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Total
Shevchenko	10
Eye	9

Bout 13: Henry Cejudo (14-2) (C) vs. Marlon Moraes (#1) (22-5-1) (Bantamweight Championship)

In the main event of the show, Henry Cejudo faced Marlon Moraes for the Bantamweight Championship. Moraes had quite striking at the start of the first round. Cejudo shot for a takedown after a minute or so but didn’t secure it. Moraes continued to have dominant striking through the first. Near the end of the second round Cejudo started to land some punches that looked to be damaging Moraes. Cejudo got much more aggressive. In clinch he landed knees to the head. Moraes shot for a takedown which was blocked. Both fighters were teeing off as the horn went. A timeout was called in the third round as Moraes was eye poked. Cejudo continued to see success with knees in a clinch in the third round. Cejudo put Moraes in a guillotine on the ground which looked pretty snug. He leg go of it, and did a knee to the body. Moraes tried for a submission hold that didn’t work either. Cejudo landed elbows from above in increments. He stood up and landed hammer fist strikes which made the referee end the bout. Henry Cejudo became one of the only people who have been a UFC double champion (Flyweight and Bantamweight). After the fight he called out Dominick Cruz, Cody Garbrandt and Uriah Faber, and said he wants to move up to 145 pounds sometime.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Total
Cejudo	9	10
Moraes	10	9

As UFC concluded tonight, Henry Cejudo and Valentina Shevchenko continued to reign supreme. UFC’s next event is on the 22nd, with Renato Moicano facing Chan Sung Jung AKA “Korean Zombie” in Greenville, South Carolina. Two events after that, UFC 239 will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas during International Fight Week.

Full coverage of UFC 238 can be found here

Valentina Shevchenko Retains Flyweight Championship With KO Win

Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko earned her first UFC Flyweight Championship defence on Saturday, defeating Jessica Eye in the second round via head kick. From the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA, Shevchenko landed a head kick in just under a minute of the second round, not needing any extra strikes to close out the contest.

The fight was in the co-main event slot of UFC 238, with Henry Cejudo versus Marlon Moraes for the Bantamweight Championship in the main event of the show.

The first round was a dominant one for Shevchenko as well, as she scored a takedown after landing some decent striking, notably body kicks. She stayed in control on the ground until the round ended. The finish of the fight had people worried as Jessica Eye was on the ground for quite some time before getting up.

Valentina Shevchenko earned her championship back in December, defeating Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 231 in Toronto.

For full UFC 238 coverage, head to the website’s MMA frontpage.