Jairzinho Rozenstruik Finishes Andrei Arlovski In 29 Seconds on UFC 244 Prelims

Jairzinho Rozenstruik extended his undefeated record on Saturday, defeating Andrei Arlovski in 29 seconds on the preliminary card of UFC 244.

Rozenstruik got his win in no time, rushing his opponent with strikes. He landed a counter left hook which dropped Arlovski, giving him a walk-off victory.

The win not only continues his career-long undefeated record, but continues his UFC-long run of victories via finishing his opponent.

Rozenstruik fought once in RIZIN, defeating Andrey Kovalev at RIZIN 10. He was signed to a UFC contract after getting another win on the regional level.

The loss puts Arlovski at 1-3 1 NC in his last five outings, and 3-6 1 NC in his last 10.

This article is part of a series of coverage called the “JMMA Tracker.” The series keeps track of Japanese MMA fighter’s activities in other promotions around the world.

UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz Full Preview

Ever since mixed martial arts have been legalized in New York State, UFC has made an effort to do an annual large show at Madison Square Garden. The first time, it was Conor McGregor becoming a “Champ-Champ,” dethroning lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. The next year it was MMA legend Georges St-Pierre returning to win a belt off of Michael Bisping. Last year, Daniel Cormier built on his legacy, making his first heavyweight championship defense against Derrick Lewis. This year is a little different.

Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz will headline the show, although a belt with lineage won’t be on the line. Instead, a new belt is being introduced, and will be awarded to the “BMF (Baddest M*****F*****).” Along with the main event is also a stacked card, even down to the preliminary portion. Celebrating their 500th show, live from Madison Square Garden on Saturday, here’s a look at UFC 244.

Bout 1: Julio Arce (16-3) vs. Hakeem Dawodu (10-1-1) (Featherweight)

The evening will begin on UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 PM EDT with a battle of two featherweight prospects. Julio Arce and Hakeem Dawodu are both currently with a 3-1 record in the UFC. Dawodu most recently finished Yoshinori Horie with a head kick at UFC 240. Arce also finished his last fight with a head kick, defeating Julian Erosa in the third round. This will be Arce’s second appearance at Madison Square Garden.

Bout 2: Lyman Good (20-5) vs. Chance Rencountre (14-3) (Welterweight)

The welterweight division has a real pick-em bout between Lyman Good and Chance Rencountre on the prelims. While being the more experienced fighter, Good is returning from a loss to Demian Maia. Rencountre hasn’t faced anyone big like Maia yet, but is currently on a two-fight winning streak.

Bout 3: Katlyn Chookagian (12-2) vs. Jennifer Maia (17-5-1) (Catchweight 127 lbs)

While only being in the UFC for three years, Katlyn Chookagian has racked up an impressive promotional record of 5-2. She attempts to better that against Jennifer Maia, who is currently riding a victory against Roxanne Modafferi. Maia missed weight on Friday by one pound, causing the fight to be moved from flyweight to a catchweight bout.

Bout 4: Andrei Arlovski (28-18) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (8-0) (Heavyweight)

At 8 PM EDT, the broadcast will move to TSN 5 for four final preliminary bouts. The first of the four is between Andrei Arlovski and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Arlovski recently snapped a winless streak of four bouts by defeating Ben Rothwell. While experience weighs heavily on Arlovski’s side, he will have to try to snap the undefeated record of Rozenstruik. The Suriname fighter has won twice via stoppage since joining the UFC. More notably, Rozenstruik finished Allen Crowder in nine seconds in June.

Bout 5: Brad Tavares (17-5) vs. Edmen Shahbazyan (10-0) (Middleweight)

Young and undefeated fighter Edmen Shahbazyan will see his biggest UFC challenge yet when he faces Brad Tavares on Saturday. Tavares is a UFC veteran who got into the promotion in 2010 by winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 11. To compare, Tavares has been in the UFC for six years more than Shahbazyan has been doing MMA. Tavares hasn’t fought in over a year, with his last fight being a decision loss against Israel Adesanya in July of 2018 (for reference, Adesanya has fought four times since then). Shahbazyan most recently finished Jack Marshman in just over a minute at UFC 239.

Bout 6: Shane Burgos (12-1) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (15-3) (Featherweight)

Two experienced UFC fighters in Shane Burgos and Makwan Amirkhani will face off on the prelims. Burgos is a New York fighter who competed on the MSG show last year as well. He most recently bested Cub Swanson in a split decision bout in May. Amirkhani has fought only half as many times as Burgos in the past three years, but is still a young and successful fighter. He defeated Chris Fishgold with an anaconda choke in June, sounding his return after a one year absence.

Bout 7: Corey Anderson (12-4) vs. Johnny Walker (17-3) (Light Heavyweight)

The preliminary card will finish off with Corey Anderson and Johnny Walker competing. Walker has become a famous name within the promotion due to his flashy KO victories. His most recent appearance, while being a cakewalk of a fight, sidelined him for some time. This was because his post-fight celebration which included falling on the canvas dislocated his shoulder. Anderson is a step up in competition for Walker. Anderson is on a three-fight winning streak, most recently beating Ilir Latifi. The majority of Anderson’s career has happened in the UFC, unlike Walker’s. Will Walker put on another memorable performance, or will Anderson out-wit the Brazilian’s dangerous flashes of offense?

Bout 8: Kevin Lee (17-5) vs. Gregor Gillespie (13-0) (Lightweight)

The main portion of the show will kick off at 10 PM EDT on pay-per-view. Starting the main card will be lightweight gatekeeper Kevin Lee facing undefeated Gregor Gillespie. Despite having a six-fight winning streak in the UFC and having never lost, Gillespie flies under the radar of many. It’s possible that a win over a name of Lee could finally give him attention. Lee is conditioned to fighting five round fights, having last done a three round fight in 2017. Lee is 2-3 in his last five, all up against fighters of a similar calibre.

Bout 9: Derrick Lewis (21-7) vs. Blagoy Ivanov (18-2) (Heavyweight)

While Derrick Lewis fights on the main card this year against Blagoy Ivanov, it’s a clear step down from main eventing, which he did in 2018. Lewis is on a two-fight losing streak, recently dropping to Junior dos Santos on the main event of a fight night card. Ivanov is considered an up-and-coming fighter within the division. He bounced back from his UFC debut loss by recently defeating Ben Rothwell and Tai Tuivasa.

Bout 10: Stephen Thompson (14-4-1) vs. Vicente Luque (17-6-1) (Welterweight)

Vincente Luque has been on the rise lately, defeating high level welterweights. Most recently, Luque got a split decision win over Mike Perry. He will look to add Stephen Thompson to his list of names on Saturday when they match up on the main card. Thompson has been absent since his knockout loss to Anthony Pettis. He also lost to Darren Till in the fight before then. He will aim to return to his winning ways against a seemingly unstoppable Luque.

Bout 11: Kelvin Gastelum (16-4) vs. Darren Till (17-2-1) (Middleweight)

Darren Till was an undefeated fighter a year ago that was near championship material. He was pushed into a fight against Tyron Woodley for the welterweight belt in 2018. The fight was one-sided, with Woodley ending Till’s championship hopes in under two rounds. Till then went against Jorge Masvidal in March, getting finished via punches in less time than his championship outing lasted. In hopes of finding success, Till moves down to middleweight for his fight against Kelvin Gastelum. The bout is no step down in competition, as Gastelum was the runner-up to face Robert Whittaker and unify the middleweight belts. He got bested by Israel Adesanya in April, losing via scorecards. Before then, Gastelum had wins over Michael Bisping and Jacare Souza.

Bout 12: Jorge Masvidal (34-13) vs. Nate Diaz (20-11) (Welterweight)

The main event of the show sees Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz face off in a five round competition. The winner receives the BMF Championship, a one-use belt to determine the “Baddest M*****F*****.”

Masvidal’s rise in popularity was quite out of left field. The welterweight has been in the game for longer than most people at this point, and has stayed at a mid-level or gatekeeper status for a long time. After a brutal victory over Darren Till in early 2019, Masvidal went viral with a flying knee knockout to Ben Askren. The knockout was brutal and online basically overshadowed the two championship bouts that happened that night as well.

The story of Nate Diaz lately is similar to his opponent. Diaz has been popular before, but his mid-2019 run could be described as a resurrection. After losing to Conor McGregor in 2016, Diaz disappeared until late 2018. He was scheduled to be on the 2018 MSG show, facing Dustin Poirier. That fell through after Poirier got injured, putting Diaz back on the bench. Diaz finally made his long-awaited return in the summer of 2019, defeating Anthony Pettis at UFC 241.

While it could be described as unexpected that these two fighters would headline one of the biggest cards of the year, their collision makes sense. Two fighters who are in the same division, both have charisma, both had a boom at a similar time, and are both considered real badasses.

UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards Preview

While UFC has made numerous appearances on ESPN’s internet streaming service “ESPN+,” on Saturday the promotion will be making only it’s fourth appearance on the network’s flagship channel. Main eventing UFC on ESPN 4 will be Rafael dos Anjos and Leon Edwards. Dos Anjos will arguably play gatekeeper against Edwards, who is on a seven-fight winning streak. Before the main event is a dozen other MMA bouts.

Bout 1: Domingo Pilarte (8-1) vs. Felipe Colares (8-1) (Bantamweight)

Starting off the evening will be a string of three bantamweight bouts. With equal records, Domingo Pilarte and Felipe Colares will open the night. Pilarte impressed Dana White on the second season of the Contender Series, earning a contract which will begin off this weekend. Colares is hoping to bounce back from his debut in February when he lost via decision, giving him his first career loss.

Bout 2: Mario Bautista (6-1) vs. Jin Soo Son (9-3) (Bantamweight)

The second bout will be a battle of two fighters hoping to come back from a debut loss in the UFC. Mario Bautista got his first professional L back in January, losing to Cory Sandhagen. Jin Soo Son lost to Petr Yan in his respective debut. Soo Son trains out of Korean Zombie MMA, who’s top talent is of course “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. Mario Bautista trains at The MMA Lab. Prior to his UFC career, Soo Son was a veteran fighter in the JMMA promotion “DEEP.”

Bout 3: Ray Borg (11-3) vs. Gabriel Silva (7-0) (Bantamweight)

In the final men’s bantamweight fight of the night, Ray Borg will face the undefeated Gabriel Silva. Borg lost in March against Casey Kenney after struggling to find a fight throughout 2018. Kenney was actually the second replacement fighter for the bout, with Pingyuan Liu and Kyler Phillips being injured and pulled from the bout previously. Before then, Borg’s last fight was a championship loss to Demetrious Johnson. Gabriel Silva will defend his undefeated streak in his UFC debut. He got a quick round one win in his last fight in the LFA promotion.

Bout 4: Roxanne Modafferi (23-15) vs. Jennifer Maia (16-5-1) (Flyweight)

Roxanne Modafferi, one of women’s MMA’s biggest names, faces Jennifer Maia, who started her UFC run around this time last year. While Modafferi has fought since 2003, he UFC career started in only 2017, having a 2-2 record since. Similarily, Maia has a 50/50 win rate in the UFC, only fighting twice though. They’re both coming off of wins, both via decision.

Bout 5: Sam Alvey (33-12) vs. Klidson Abreu (14-3) (Light Heavyweight)

Entering his 18th UFC bout, Sam Alvey will face Klidson Abreu, who will only be experiencing his second walk to the octagon. Alvey will aim to break his two-fight losing streak, getting finished via punches two times in a row. Abreu will try to get his first victory in the UFC, losing to Magomed Ankalaev via decision in his first outing.

Bout 6: Raquel Pennington (9-7) vs. Irene Aldana (10-4) (Bantamweight)

Veteran UFC fighter Raquel Pennington will fight Irene Aldana in the next matchup. Pennington hasn’t won since 2016, losing to two high profile fighters in Amanda Nunes and Germain de Randamie, who have both main evented their last bouts. Meanwhile, Aldana sees herself attempting to improve to four wins in a row, turning her UFC career around after starting it off with two losses.

Bout 7: Alex Caceres (14-12) vs. Steven Peterson (17-8) (Featherweight)

The preliminary portion of the card will conclude with Alex Caceres and Steven Peterson. Throughout Caceres’ near decade long UFC career he has had a shaky record. He hopes to break even in his UFC career with a win, currently being 9-10 in the promotion. Peterson will also aim to break even, but with a much smaller record of 1-2 in the UFC so far.

Bout 8: Andrei Arlovski (27-18) vs. Ben Rothwell (36-11) (Heavyweight)

Both experienced fighters in the UFC, Andrei Arlovski and Ben Rothwell find themselves in similar positions, attempting to snap losing streaks. Arlovski’s record has been 2-8 & 1 NC since the start of 2016. Arlovski hasn’t seen a victory in his last four fights, and has went to decision in his last seven. Rothwell is only on a two-fight losing streak, which ended his 2013-2016 run of victories, defeating names like Alistair Overeem, Matt Mitrione and Josh Barnett, all via stoppage.

Bout 9: Francisco Trinaldo (23-6) vs. Alexander Hernandez (10-2) (Lightweight)

Six months ago, Alexander Hernandez had a lot of eyes on him heading into a fight with Donald Cerrone. He was a big talker against “The Cowboy,” confident that he would win. The outcome ended up being anything but that, as Cerrone finished him in the second round with strikes. Hernandez makes his return after suffering his first UFC loss, facing Francisco Trinaldo. It’s another matchup of a younger Hernandez versus a veteran, although Cerrone was much more of a veteran than Trinaldo is. So far in 2019, Francisco Trinaldo has struggled to get a fight. He’s missed out on two different events so far due to opponents pulling out of getting injured. He hasn’t fought in just under 10 months, but his last fight was a victory over Evan Dunham.

Bout 10: James Vick (13-3) vs. Daniel Hooker (17-8) (Lightweight)

It has been seven months since Dan “The Hangman” Hooker has fought, and rightfully so. His recent loss to Edson Barboza was a beating of brutal proportions, even by MMA standards. He hung in the fight, but only by the smallest extent until it was ended. James Vick is on a two-fight losing streak. He lost a main event against Justin Gaethje last year, and wasn’t favoured in a decision against Paul Felder back in February.

Bout 11: Greg Hardy (4-1) vs. Juan Adams (5-1) (Heavyweight)

Two very fresh heavyweights in Greg Hardy and Juan Adams battle on the main card. Controversy continues to follow Hardy through his UFC career, as many object to him fighting in the UFC due to his domestic violence case in 2014. He was found guilty of assault and communicating threats, with 18-months of probation and 60-days of jail. However, the sentence was dropped after the victim in the case didn’t appear in court during the appeal. Hardy avoided any punishment over the case. He has since come through the UFC series “Dana White’s Contender Series,” and has a 1-1 record in the promotion. Adams comes into the fight after facing his first career defeat to Arjan Bhullar. Before then he defeated Chris De La Rocha in his UFC debut.

Bout 12: Alexey Oleinik (57-12-1) vs. Walt Harris (12-7) (Heavyweight)

In the co-main event slot is a heavyweight clash between Alexey Oleinik and Walt Harris. Harris is coming off his quickest victory ever, finishing Sergey Spivak in under a minute. He will face a much more experienced Oleinik, who is returning after a one round loss to Alistair Overeem. If you’re looking for a fight that will finish, it should be this one, as Oleinik has only went to decision eight times in his 70 fight career. Similarily, Edwards has only went to decision three times in his 20 fight career.

Bout 13: Rafael dos Anjos (29-11) vs. Leon Edwards (17-3) (Welterweight)

The main event of the show will be Rafael dos Anjos and Leon Edwards. Anjos has had double the amount of professional bouts as Edwards, but his matchup with dos Anjos can be justified by his seven-fight winning streak. Dos Anjos defeated Kevin Lee in a four round battle back in May, which was a bounce back from two five round decision losses, losing to Kumaru Usman and Colby Covington. Edwards defeating dos Anjos would make it the highest profile victory of his career yet, with the biggest one besides that being a win against Donald Cerrone. Continued success in the welterweight division could lead Edwards to a bout with the Champion Kumaru Usman. If the fight were to be made, it would not only be a title shot, but also a chance for Edwards to avenge a loss from 2015.

Similar to many of UFC’s recent fight nights, the show will start at an earlier time than the usual PPV time (10PM E/7PM P). The main card will begin at 9 PM Eastern Time, with the preliminary card starting three hours prior to that.

UFC on ESPN+ 8: Jacare vs. Hermansson Full Report

Last Saturday, Jacare Souza faced Jack Hermansson in a Middleweight clash in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Along with that matchup was 12 other bouts. Here’s a recap of what went down that evening at the BB&T Center last week.

Preliminary Card

Bout 1: Court McGee (19-7) vs. Dhiego Lima (13-7) (Welterweight)

Kicking off the evening was Court McGee versus Dhiego Lima. In the first round, Lima was circling the outside, trading blows with McGee. McGee would be the one advancing but would get hit when he would come too close. A takedown attempt was blocked by Lima with under two minutes left. Another takedown attempt by McGee was reversed by Lima. McGee did a judo throw, but Lima got back up, putting them both back against the cage. Lima continued out-striking in the second round, landing a good overhand right at one point. Lima was dominant for most of the final round as well. There was a moment with less than ten seconds left, where Lima actually got dropped by a shot but might have been saved by the bell. The judges gave Lima a split decision victory (30-27 Lima, 29-28 McGee & 29-28 Lima).

My Scorecard:

Fighters	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Lima	10	10	10	30
McGee	9	9	9	27

Bout 2: Angela Hill (8-6) vs. Jodie Esquibel (6-4) (Strawweight)

Angela Hill took a short notice fight against Jodie Esquibel in the second bout. Hill had a big height and reach advantage over Esquibel. The first round had Hill showcasing her striking throughout. Hill had a good trip after catching Esquibel’s leg after a kick. Hills successful kickboxing continued in the second round. She finished strong at the end of the round. Early in the final round, Esquibel dropped Hill with a right. The fight had some exciting closing minutes, including a knee to the head that landed perfectly by Hill. The judges gave Hill a Unanimous decision victory (29-28, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighters	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Esquibel	9	9	9	27
Hill	10	10	10	30

Bout 3: Jim Miller (29-13) vs. Jason Gonzalez (11-4) (Lightweight)

Jim Miller had his children at octagon-side for this bout. Miller landed a good left jab early on. Miller landed a takedown after a minute of competition. Miller put in a rear naked choke shortly after, which made Gonzalez tap out.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Gonzalez
Miller

Bout 4: Gilbert Burns (14-3) vs. Mike Davis (7-1) (Lightweight)

The preliminary section of the show started with Gilbert Burns and Mike Davis in a Lightweight matchup. Burns was utilizing his strong kicks in the first round. Davis did a good job blocking a takedown attempt. Upon the second attempt, Burns landed a takedown. Davis landed a good strike after getting back up that made Burns back up. Burns landed a second takedown in the final minute. Very early in the second round, Burns landed yet another takedown. He did lots of strikes and elbows while in top mount. Among some of the many strikes that Burns landed on the ground was palm strikes. With under a minute left in the second round, Burns locked in a rear naked choke that ended the contest. He was trying for the move for a while and was able to do so for good after some grinding.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Davis	9
Burns	10

Bout 5: Carla Esparza (13-6) vs. Vima Jandiroba (14-0) (Strawweight)

In the next bout, Carla Esparza faced UFC newcomer Vina Jandiroba. Esparza landed a takedown very early in the first round. They stood up a minute and some change later, but Esparza landed another successful takedown shortly after. They had a good battle during this exchange. Jandiroba landed a takedown in round two. Esparza did a good job at escaping the bottom position and moving back to stand-up. Esparza landed a takedown but found herself in a guillotine. Jandiroba let the move go eventually. Esparza got another takedown at the start of the third round. In the second half of the final round, Esparza connected with a kick to the head after a failed takedown attempt. The fight went all 15 minutes. This contest was a great grappling battle where both fighters had their moments. The judges gave Carla Esparza the Unanimous victory (30-27, 39-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Esparza	10	9	10	29
Jandiroba	9	10	9	28

Bout 6: Andrei Arlovski (#15) (27-18) vs. Augusto Sakai (12-1-1) (Heavyweight)

In a Heavyweight clash, Andrei Arlovski fought Augusto Sakai. Arlovski got a decent reaction from the crowd when he was introduced by Bruce Buffer. The first round had both guys fight very conservatively in stand-up only. The second round was very much the same. There was a pause in the final minute of the second round as Sakai took a groin kick. The fight went the full distance and never made it’s way to the ground. The judges gave Sakai the win via Split Decision (29-28 Sakai, 29-28 Arlovski & 29-28 Sakai).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Arlovski	9	10	10	29
Sakai	10	9	9	28

Bout 7: Ben Saunders (22-11-2) vs. Takashi Sato (14-2) (Welterweight)

Ben Saunders challenged former Pancrase fighter Takashi Sato in the next bout. Sato found himself backtracking after he was hit with a right hook in the first. It was clear that both fighters were interested in keeping this fight in stand-up. After a minute of the second round, Sato dropped Saunders with a left jab. He landed elbows on the ground that made the referee stop the bout. Saunders looked ugly with a cut on his head afterwards.

My Scorecard:

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

Main Card

Bout 8: Roosevelt Roberts (7-0) vs. Thomas Gifford (17-7) (Lightweight)

The main card kicked off with Roosevelt Roberts facing Thomas Gifford. After a few minutes of stand-up, Roberts scored a takedown. Gifford tried a guillotine from the bottom position. When in top position, Roberts landed a few elbows. Roberts put together a good combo of punches at the start of round two. While Gifford was up against the cage he put in a guillotine but Roberts escaped. The two fighters found themselves in an interesting north-south position whilst being up against the cage. Roberts landed a good combo in the third and then went into a clinch, which ended benefitting Gifford as he got a takedown from it. Gifford was in a top position for a while, but they did eventually get back to stand-up. Roberts got a takedown and stayed in a top position for the rest of the final round. All judges gave Roosevelt Roberts the win (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Roberts	10	10	10	30
Gifford	9	9	9	27

Bout 9: John Lineker (#8) (31-8) vs. Cory Sandhagen (10-1) (Bantamweight)

#8 ranked Bantamweight John Lineker fought Cory Sandhagen in the next bout. Sandhagen had a clear size advantage over Lineker. Lineker was landing very powerful punches in the first round. Both guys were doing some good trading, staying completely stand-up in the first round. Sandhagen landed a takedown halfway through the second but couldn’t get any work done on the ground. The second round included more close stand-up. It felt like in the final round these guys heated up even more than before. After Lineker hit Sandhagen with a great combo, Sandhagen went for a desperation takedown. Lineker put in a guillotine and held onto it until the round ended. This was a great performance from both fighters, with Sandhagen getting the split decision win (29-28 Sandhagen, 29-28 Lineker & 29-28 Sandhagen). The crowd booed after hearing this.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Lineker	10	9	10	29
Sandhagen	9	10	9	28

Bout 10: Glover Teixeira (28-7) vs. Ion Cutelaba (14-3) (Light Heavyweight)

The next main card contest was Glover Teixeira versus Ion Cutelaba. Cutelaba got in Teixeira’s face during the introductions. Cutelaba landed a good head kick early on. Even though Cutelaba did most of the work in the first round, he was given a cut beside his right eye. Cutelaba did a spinning back fist which dropped Teixeira. While he was hit with more strikes, Teixeira recovered and then tried for a standing guillotine. There were a couple of times in the fight where Cutelaba almost connected with an illegal kick. Teixeira’s strikes started to heat up more in the second round. He failed to land takedowns during the round but got Cutelaba down by shoving him. Teixeira put in a rear naked choke on the ground after a great sequence on the ground.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Teixeira	9
Cutelaba	10

Bout 11: Mike Perry (12-4) vs. Alex Oliveira (20-6-1) (Welterweight)

The next bout was Mike Perry versus Alex Oliveira. Both fighters showed off their dance moves during the walkouts. At the start of the first round, Oliveira was trying many types of kicks. He tried his spinning back kick many times. Oliveira landed some heavy fists and then went into a clinch against the cage. Perry landed a good combo in the final seconds of the first round which had Oliveira shelling up. Oliveira found himself on the ground after a minute of the second round, whether that was due to a strike or a shove isn’t clear. Perry slammed Oliveira, but he got up right after. Perry landed some good strikes on the ground as the second round had a minute left. Oliveira dislocated a toe at the end of the second round but got it “popped back in” in-between rounds, per Joe Anik. After a slow first half of the final round, Perry started to tg Oliveira with strikes. Perry started to pepper on right hooks as Oliveira was shelled up against the cage. The fight went the distance, with the judges giving Mike Perry the unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Perry	9	10
Oliveira	10	9

Bout 12: Greg Hardy (3-1) vs. Dmitry Smoliakov (9-2) (Heavyweight)

In the co-main event slot, Greg Hardy faced Dmitry Smoliakov, someone who’s been sent into the promotion to obviously take the fall. Hardy dropped Smoliakov with over three minutes left in the first. He landed a few more strikes before the referee stepped in to end the fight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Hardy
Smoliakov

Bout 13: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (#4) (26-6) vs. Jack Hermansson (#10) (19-4) (Middleweight)

The main event of the card was Jacare Souza versus Jack Hermansson. Hermansson took the fight on short notice. The first couple of minutes in this fight was a feeling out process. Hermansson landed a combo of strikes that dropped Jacare, and then he tried for a guillotine on the ground. Jacare did a good job at escaping the submission move and then got back to his feet. After a minute if striking in the second round, Hermansson scored a takedown. From top position, Hermansson landed strikes frequently. The crowd started to lose their patience with the groundwork. At the start of round three, Hermansson tried for a takedown but was unsuccessful. Souza started to land more strikes in this round. Souza blocked a couple more takedowns in this round. Souza blocked yet another takedown attempt as round four started. Hermansson strung together some good punch combos at the start of this round. Souza showed some good head movement when he wasn’t getting hit. In the final round, Hermansson was aggressive from the start, landing a takedown after some strikes. Both guys started to connect with strikes in the final minute of the fight. Hermansson landed a takedown as the fight came to a close. The judges unanimously gave Jack Hermansson a victory (49-46, 48-47 & 48-47).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Total
Souza	9	9	10	9	9	46
Hermansson	10	10	9	10	10	49

UFC on ESPN+ 8: Jacare vs. Hermansson Preview

Two weeks before UFC holds it’s next PPV event in Rio de Janeiro Brazil, they are set to hold a smaller event in Sunrise, Florida. Live from the BB&T Center, the 13 fight card is main evented by Jacare Souza and Jack Hermansson. The main event underwent numerous changes, and now finds itself in a situation of a younger fighter facing a gatekeeper of the Middleweight division. But before we get more into that, let’s break down the preliminary card.

Preliminary Card

Bout 1: Court McGee (19-7) vs. Dhiego Lima (13-7) (Welterweight)

Kicking off the show will be Court McGee versus Dhiego Lima. Since he won season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2010, McGee hasn’t had an easy run in the promotion. Although this is true, he is heading into this fight after a decision win against Alex Garcia from October. Lima was a part of a season of The Ultimate Fighter as well, but found himself on the losing end of the finale on two occasions. His last fight was his most significant one in the promotion thus far, defeating Chad Laprise in one round at UFC 231. He still has room to prove himself after his entrance, exit and the return to the UFC.

Bout 2: Angela Hill (8-6) vs. Jodie Esquibel (6-4) (Strawweight)

After he round one armbar loss in March, Angela Hill took a short notice fight against Jodie Esquibel for this card. The spot which was originally being held by Jessica Penne was vacated after she suffered an injury. Both fighters will be looking to recover from recent losses. Penne has lost to notable fighters in her last few bouts, those being Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Jessica Aguilar. Hill is also on a losing streak, but to smaller names like Randa Markos and Cortney Casey.

Bout 3: Jim Miller (29-13) vs. Jason Gonzalez (11-4) (Lightweight)

Jim Miller has been with the UFC since 2008, but a recent series of losses has booted him to a low spot on the prelims for this show. He has lost to the likes of Dustin Poirier, Anthony Pettis, Dan Hooker and Charles Oliveria in recent fight. He’ll be facing Jason Gonzalez, a fighter who has had a much shorter career within the promotion. Gonzalez has been absent from MMA since 2017, with his last loss being against Gregor Gillespie.

Bout 4: Gilbert Burns (14-3) vs. Mike Davis (7-1) (Lightweight)

Mike Davis won’t have an easy entrance into the UFC, as his first bout will be against Gilbert Burns. He competed in Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series in mid-2018, but has since fought twice more in the Island Fights promotion. He’s never won a fight via decision, which might make it a quick bout against Burns, who has gotten 12 of his 14 wins via stoppage. Like many people on this card, Burns had a different opponent originally, that being Eric Wisely.

Bout 5: Carla Esparza (13-6) vs. Vima Jandiroba (14-0) (Strawweight)

Now long-time UFC Strawweight fighter Carla Esparza will be welcoming newcomer Vima Jandiroba on Saturday, having the potential to take away her undefeated streak. Jandiroba got her most recent wins from the Missouri based promotion Invicta FC, fighting twice in 2018. Esparza has recently lost to Claudia Gadelha and Tatiana Suarez, two notable fighters in the division. Her original opponent for this weekend was Livia Renata Souza, but she pulled out due to injury.

Bout 6: Andrei Arlovski (27-18) vs. Augusto Sakai (12-1-1) (Heavyweight)

All of Andrei Arlovski’s recent bouts have followed a specific trend. They were against young talent, they went to decision, and they were all losses. He’ll be fighting young talent again on Saturday when he faces Augusto Sakai, but the finish and the winner is still to be found out. Sakai has fought for Bellator in the past, and had a win on the Contender Series which gave him a contract. He looks to continue his winning streak against a veteran Heavyweight.

Bout 7: Ben Saunders (22-11-2) vs. Takashi Sato (14-2) (Welterweight)

Finishing off the prelims will be Ben Saunders and Takashi Sato fighting in the Welterweight division. Sato is making his UFC debut in this fight. He came from Pancrase, getting a 14-2 record with his last fight being the main event of Pancrase 300. Saunders will be attempting to bounce back from a slump he’s been in, losing four of his last five bouts.

Main Card

Bout 8: Roosevelt Roberts (7-0) vs. Thomas Gifford (17-7) (Lightweight)

Starting off the main card portion of the show will be Roosevelt Roberts versus Thomas Gifford. Roberts will be putting his undefeated 7-0 record on the line in his second appearance after being scouted from Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Thomas Gifford will be making his UFC debut. His last six fights include five wins and one no-contest bout.

Bout 9: John Lineker (31-8) vs. Cory Sandhagen (10-1) (Bantamweight)

Cory Sandhagen’s 16-month career in the UFC has been nothing short of successful, racking up three stoppage wins since his debut. He has never entered the third round whilst on the big stage. What could be his hardest fight is when he faces veteran John Lineker. Out of Lineker’s 15 UFC fights he’s only lost three. Lineker will try to prevent a fourth loss on Saturday.

Bout 10: Glover Teixeira (28-7) vs. Ion Cutelaba (14-3) (Light Heavyweight)

Since 2014, Glover Teixeira has been losing nearly just as much as he’s been winning. After his win against Karl Roberson in January, Teixeira hopes to break his multi-year pattern when he faces Ion Cutelaba. This was a matchup that was originally planned for January, but due to Cutebala being injured was thrown out. Cutebala, A.K.A “The Hulk” has won both of his last two fights via first-round stoppage.

Bout 11: Mike Perry (12-4) vs. Alex Oliveira (20-6-1) (Welterweight)

Both coming off a loss, Mike Perry and Alex Oliveira will have a main card clash in the Welterweight divison. With four career losses, Perry had received three of those losses in his last four fights. Oliveira, who was originally supposed to face Jingliang Li, is coming off a late 2018 loss to Gunnar Nelson, having a 2-2 record in his last four fights. Win or loss, Oliveria hasn’t seen a decision finish since 2016. Perry was originally scheduled to face

Bout 12: Greg Hardy (3-1) vs. Dmitrii Smolyakov (9-2) (Heavyweight)

Greg Hardy has been a fighter that the UFC has backed from the start. A former NFL player, Hardy made his pro debut on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. After two first round wins and one regional fight, Hardy made his official UFC debut in January versus Allen Crowder. His dominant performance was lost due to an illegal knee strike in the second round. This didn’t do any favours for his already controversial past, being involved in a domestic violence case in 2014, with charges being dropped when the victim didn’t attend an appealing of the court ruling. He will face Dmitrii Smolyakov, who will be making his UFC debut.

Bout 13: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (26-6) vs. Jack Hermansson (19-4) (Middleweight)

In the main event, Jack Hermansson will get the biggest challenge of his career so far when he faces Middleweight gatekeeper Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. He’s currently on a three-fight winning streak, with his last wins all coming via stoppage. His last win came just under a month ago when he choked out David Branch in under a minute. While Souza is coming off a win against Chris Weidman in November, he’s been 50/50 in his last four fights. Besides experience, another distinct difference between these two is a nine-year age gap.

The 39-year-old fighter Souza would have actually been the younger fighter if his original opponent, 41-year-old Yoel Romero didn’t pull out due to illness. The initial matchup would have been a rematch between the two Strikeforce alumni, with Romero getting the nod via decision in their first meeting. The main event underwent numerous changes, with the originally planned matchup between Romero and Paulo Costa falling through. Romero then fell ill when Souza stepped up, allowing Hermansson to step up.