Tai Tuivasa – JackWannan.com

It’s been a while since UFC fans saw the Middleweight Championship up for grabs. The last time was when Robert Whittaker triumphantly overcame Yoel Romero in a rematch just under 16 months ago. Injury, including a hernia which sidelined the champion from a February fight with Kelvin Gastelum has kept the Aussie on the bench. In that time a lot has changed. Gastelum is no longer the next in line, but instead Israel Adesanya, who has had a meteoric rise since the start of his brief UFC career.

With a main event of an Australian versus a Nigerian born New Zealander, the fight was the perfect one for bringing the UFC to the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As expected, the show is set to feature many more Oceanic fighters throughout. The evening is set to begin with two bouts on UFC Fight Pass at 7PM EST (9AM AEST).

Bout 1: Khalid Taha (13-2) vs. Bruno Silva (11-3-1) (Bantamweight)

The evening, or if you’re there live, the morning kicks off in the bantamweight division with Khalid Taha and Bruno Silva. Taha has a 1-1 UFC record, recently getting a quick KO victory over Boston Salmon. Silva will be making his promotional debut, being 3-1-1 in his last five MMA bouts before entering the octagon. Khalid Taha missed the bantamweight limit by one pound, giving up 20% of his fight purse due to it.

Bout 2: Nadia Kassem (5-1) vs. Ji Yeon Kim (8-2-2) (Flyweight)

The final Fight Pass bout sees two flyweights coming off of losses collide. Kassem recently took a loss to Montana de La Rosa via armbar. Ji Yeon Kim fell to Antonina Shevchenko via decision. Kim is one of the only Korean fighters in the UFC that doesn’t come from Team MAD, who is the biggest gym in the country. When the weigh-ins were livestreamed, Kim weighed in at 128 lbs, two pounds above the flyweight limit.

Bout 3: Megan Anderson (8-4) vs. Zarah Fairn Dos Santos (6-2) (Featherweight)

After an hour of the early prelims, the broadcast will flip to ESPN 2 (TSN 5 in Canada) as Megan Anderson will face Zarah Fairn dos Santos. Anderson is one of the more prominent fighters in the very thin division. She will try to spoil Dos Santos’ entrance into the UFC. Anderson lost to Felicia Spencer in her last outing, being bettered by a rear naked choke in under four minutes.

Bout 4: Brad Riddell (6-1) vs. Jamie Mullarkey (12-2) (Lightweight)

The fourth fight sees the first New Zealander on the card in Brad Riddell appear against Australia’s Jamie Mullarkey. Neither fighter has been in the UFC before. Riddell trains at Adesanya’s gym “City Kickboxing,” with appearances at Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand as well.

Bout 5: Callan Potter (17-8) vs. Maki Pitolo (12-4) (Welterweight)

Three months ago, Maki Pitolo literally fought his way to a contract, defeating Justin Sumter in just over 90 seconds on “Dana White’s Contender Series” to get signed to the UFC. Pitolo’s first fight on the “big stage” will also be quite literally on a big stage, as Marvel Stadium seats 56,000. He will face Australia’s Callan Porter, who is attempting to come back from his debut loss to Jalin Turner this year.

Bout 6: Jake Matthews (14-4) vs. Rostem Akman (6-1) (Welterweight)

The preliminary portion of the card will wrap up with Jake Matthews and Rostem Akman. Both coming off a loss, Matthews is the favoured fighter in the exchange due to more experience, especially within the UFC. Matthews lost to Anthony Rocco Martin recently, ending his three fight winning streak from before. Akman’s last loss was his first one as a pro, as Sergey Khandozhko ruined his debut.

Bout 7: Yorgan de Castro (5-0) vs. Justin Tafa (3-0) (Heavyweight)

UFC will go live on pay-per-view at 10PM EST (Noon AEST), beginning with Yorgan de Castro versus Justin Tafa. Neither heavyweight has fought in the UFC before. De Castro earned his spot through the Contender Series, defeating Alton Meeks in one round to convince UFC’s scouts to sign him. Tafa has been undefeated in his three fights, competing in the Australia-based MMA promotion Xtreme Fight Championships.

Bout 8: Luke Jumeau (13-4) vs. Dhiego Lima (14-7) (Welterweight)

After a year-and-a-half absence from the octagon, New Zealand’s Luke Jumeau will face Dhiego Lima, who has been active and successful during that same time period. Jumeau’s last win was in early 2018, breaking the undefeated record at the time of Daichi Abe. Lima broke his two-fight losing streak with a win over Chad Laprise earlier this year. He most recently defeated Court McGee via decision.

Bout 9: Tai Tuivasa (10-2) vs. Sergey Spivak (9-1) (Heavyweight)

Back at UFC 226 in mid-2018, Tai Tuivasa won tons of fans with a dominant main card performance over Andrei Arlovski, as well as doing a “shooey” after the fight. Sadly, Tuivasa hasn’t found success since then, losing to Junior dos Santos and Blagoy Ivanov. He will have another chance to return to the win column when facing Sergey Spivak. The Ukranian fighter was undefeated before his UFC debut, getting TKO’d by Walt Harris. Both fighters have yet to win after a loss in their professional career, and one might be able to change that on Saturday.

Bout 10: Al Iaquinta (14-5-1) vs. Dan Hooker (18-8) (Lightweight)

The co-main event of the show features lightweight gatekeeper Al Iaquinta versus teammate of Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker. Iaquinta is coming off a loss to Donald Cerrone, main eventing a Fight Night in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Hooker is a real up-and-coming lightweight, having a UFC run with only one blemish thus far, that being a painful loss to Edson Barboza. His last fight was against James Hook, making quick work of him, finishing the fight just halfway through the first. No doubt Hooker has had some big tests in the UFC already, but another one, maybe his biggest, is on Saturday.

Bout 11: Robert Whittaker (20-4) vs. Israel Adesanya (17-0) (UFC Middleweight Championship)

The main event of the show sees UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker fight in a unification bout against the Interim Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya. Whittaker’s last fight was a war, going the distance against Yoel Romero, despite a hand injury early on. He has since been on the bench. While he has rested and trained, Adesanya established himself within the division. Already 3-0 in the UFC, “The Last Stylebender” put his name on the map with a one round victory over Derek Brunson at Madison Square Garden last fall. He faced UFC legend Anderson Silva three months later, defeating him in the main event of UFC 234 (which Whittaker would have headlined if not for an injury). His most recent win was against Kelvin Gastelum, which cemented him as the next challenger. The fight, which arguably could be the best 2019 has seen gave Adesanya his interim championship.

Israel Adesanya is often billed as an up-and-comer despite his age contradicting that. His short run in the UFC only tells part of the story. Adesanya has a 75-5 kickboxing record, including appearances in high level promotions like GLORY and Kunlun Fight League. He also has a 5-1 boxing record, all being three-to-four round fights. While 17-0 in MMA isn’t a little, it’s not telling the full story to not mention everything else.

Many questions are brought up heading into this weekend: Can Robert Whittaker return after the absence? Will he be the same? Is it too soon for Israel Adesanya? Is he getting ahead of himself? But, thankfully, these questions will only be asked for a little more time. When the PPV goes down on Saturday night, people will (hopefully) be left with a conclusive answer to all of those questions.

UFC returns with a fight night next week from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, USA. The card is headlined by ranked strawweights Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Michelle Waterson. The promotion’s next pay-per-view event after this is UFC 244. The stacked show will take place from Madison Square Garden. Headlining the show will be Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal, fighting for the BMF Belt.

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

Tag: Tai Tuivasa

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