UFC on ESPN 7: Overeem vs. Rozenstruick Full Report

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

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

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

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

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

My Scorecard:

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

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

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

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

My Scorecard:

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

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

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

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

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

My Scorecard:

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

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

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

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Mitchell
Sayles

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

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

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

My Scorecard:

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

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

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

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Alves
Means

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

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

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

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

My Scorecard:

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

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

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

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

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

My Scorecard:

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

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

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

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

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

My Scorecard:

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

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

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

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

My Scorecard:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Scorecard:

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

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

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

Cody Stamann versus Yadong Song Set For UFC on ESPN 6

It was reported on Wednesday by Gene Wang of the Washington Post that ranked UFC bantamweights Cody Stamann and Song Yadong would face off on December 7th. The fight joins seven other bouts scheduled for “UFC on ESPN 6,” which will be live from the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., USA.

Song Yadong is riding a seven-fight winning streak, being 4-0 within the UFC. He is currently ranked 13th in the bantamweight division.

While Cody Stamann doesn’t have as flawless as a recent record, he sure comes close to it, holding a 4-1 UFC record, recently defeating Alejandro Perez. Before his loss to Aljamain Sterling in 2018, the “Spartan” had won 10 bouts in a row.

The show is currently headlined by UFC veterans Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris. Overeem previously main evented a card against Alexey Oleinik, getting a finish near the end of the first round. Coincidentally, Walt Harris also beat Oleinik in his last fight, but in a much more sudden 12-second finish.

Here’s the full card for UFC on ESPN 6:

Alistair Overeem (45-17) vs. Walt Harris (13-7) (Heavyweight)
Aspen Ladd (8-1) vs. Yana Kunitskaya (12-4) (Bantamweight)
Claudia Gadelha (17-4) vs. Cynthia Calvillo (8-1) (Strawweight)
Stefan Struve (29-11) vs. Ben Rothwell (36-12) (Heavyweight)
Carlos Condit (30-13) vs. Mickey Gall (6-2) (Welterweight)
Cortney Casey (8-7) vs. Virna Jandiroba (14-1) (Strawweight)
Bryce Mitchell (11-0) vs. Matt Sayles (8-2) (Featherweight)
Cody Stamann (18-2) vs. Yadong Song (Bantamweight)

UFC 239: Jones vs. Santos Full Report

UFC’s annual “International Fight Week” was headlined by two title fights this year. As usual, live from Las Vegas, the 12 fight card saw Champions Jon Jones and Amanda Nunes face their respective challengers, Thiago Santos and Holly Holm. The card also had big names like Jorge Masvidal, Ben Askren, Luke Rockhold and more. With knockouts, records broken and more, let’s look at UFC 239.

Bout 1: Pannie Kianzad (11-4) vs. Julia Avila (6-1) (Bantamweight)

The first fight of the evening was the debut of Julia Avila and the return to the UFC for Pannie Kianzad. Very early in the bout Kianzad had Avila pinned up against the cage. Avila turned it around, putting Kianzad up against the cage. She landed elbows and knees. They broke free for more stand-up, but Kianzad clinched up against the cage once again. Leaving clinch she landed a good two punch combo. Avila landed more strikes which backed Kianzad up against the cage. Early in the second round it was Avila who engaged in a clinch. Avila landed a takedown later on but got up shortly after. Kianzad landed a good flurry of strikes in the fourth minute which cut Avila. Avila had a flash of greatness seconds after, putting together punches which had Kianzad panicking. Avila landed a hard front kick in the final seconds of the round. Avila defended a takedown and took control on the ground as the round closed out. Kianzad was dropped with strikes a minute or so into the final round. Avila went into top position on the ground. She took her back after Kianzad rolled around. Avila tried for a rear naked choke but Kianzad got out of it. Avila stayed on control on the ground until the round concluded. Julia Avila was given the victory via the judges (30-27, 30-26 & 30-26).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Kianzad	9	9	9	27
Avila	10	10	10	30

Bout 2: Chance Rencountre (13-3) vs. Ismail Naurdiev (18-2) (Welterweight)

The next bout was a welterweight battle between Chance Rencountre and Ismail Naurdiev. Early on both fighters were landing good shots. Rencountre had Naurdiev on the ground up against the cage for a while. The round ended in this position. At the start of the second round Rencountre got control on the ground again. He was on Naurdiev’s back this time. He started to throw punches. Naurdiev flipped over, but Rencountre still had half guard. They stayed in this position until the round concluded. Rencountre shot for another takedown twice in the third round but Naurdiev defended it. Both fighters had strong punches despite being visibly fatigued. Halfway through the round, Rencountre got on Naurdiev’s back once again. He flattened out Naurdiev and started to land punches. Naurdiev landed a takedown in the final seconds. Chance Rencountre was victorious, winning via scorecards (29-27, 29-28 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Rencountre	10	10	10
Naurdiev	9	8	9

Bout 3: Jack Marshman (23-8) vs. Edmen Shahbazyan (9-0) (Middleweight)

In the final early prelim bout, Jack Marshman faced a young and undefeated Edmen Shahbazyan. Joe Rogan pointed out that Shahbazyan was born the year he started to call UFC fights. In the first minute of the bout Shahbazyan landed a takedown. From above he landed hard punches. He put in a rear naked choke which made Marshman tap out in no time. Edmen Shahbazyan extended his undefeated record into double digits in a short bout.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Marshman
Shahbazyan

Bout 4: Alejandro Perez (21-7-1) (#13) vs. Yadong Song (14-4) (Bantamweight)

Starting off the preliminary card on ESPN was Alejandro Perez versus Yadong Song. The fight had close striking until Song dropped Perez cold with a right hook to end the fight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Perez
Song

Bout 5: Claudia Gadelha (16-4) (#5) vs. Randa Markos (9-6-1) (#14) (Strawweight)

In the first matchup that had two ranked fighters, Claudia Gadelha faced Randa Markos. Throughout the first round both fighters kept a hunched over stance and were somewhat inactive. The second round was much like the first except Gadelha shot for a takedown in the final seconds which wasn’t successful. The fight went the distance to the displeasure of the audience. The judges gave the fight to Claudia Gadelha (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Gadelha	10	10	10	30
Markos	9	9	9	27

Bout 6: Marlon Vera (15-5-1) vs. Nohelin Hernandez (10-2) (Bantamweight)

In another bantamweight bout, Marlon Vera fought Nohelin Hernandez. Vera took Hernandez’s back early in the first round. He tried for a rear naked choke for many minutes before transitioning into an armbar. Hernandez landed punches which got him out of the armbar predicament. Hernandez put in a d’arce choke as the round concluded. In the second round Hernandez got top position on the ground. He landed some punches before leaving the position, letting Vera stand up as well. Vera connected with a knee in stand-up which put Hernandez on the ground. Vera put in a rear naked choke which made Hernandez tap out.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Vera	9
Hernandez	10

Bout 7: Arnold Allen (14-1) vs. Gilbert Melendez (22-7) (Featherweight)

After a near two year break, Gilbert Melendez returned in this next fight to face Arnold Allen. This match concluded the preliminary card. The first round had Allen out-striking Melendez. The second round felt like more of the same. Allen landed a takedown in the first minute of the third round. They went back to their feet shortly after. All three judges gave the fight to Arnold Allen (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Allen	10	10	10	30
Melendez	9	9	9	27

Bout 8: Michael Chiesa (14-4) vs. Diego Sanchez (29-11) (Welterweight)

Moving to the main card, Michael Chiesa fought Diego Sanchez in a welterweight bout. A lot of the talk this weekend is from Diego Sanchez having one cornerman for this fight who doesn’t have much experience in MMA. Besides the absurdity, there is a possible health risk as a corner is supposed to look out for the health of their fighter. He sprinted out with a towel over his head during the walkout. In the first ten seconds of the fight Sanchez shot for a takedown. Chiesa was controlling on the ground, trying for a few submission holds. They stood back up where Chiesa landed some good knees. After being in a clinch for a while Chiesa threw Sanchez back to the ground. Chiesa took his back and put in a rear naked choke, but Sanchez escaped. He landed some elbows to the head and tried for it again but Sanchez escaped. They stood back up into clinch. Sanchez brought it back to the ground but Chiesa took the dominant position once again. The first round was a one-sided affair. Chiesa was the one to shoot for a takedown early in the second. He landed some punches to the head before they stood up once again. At one point Chiesa flattened out Sanchez and started to throw unanswered strikes. He put in a rear naked choke up Sanchez got out. Chiesa tried for a kimura until the second round concluded. The third round was another dominant one where Chiesa was always in control on the ground. The judges all had it in favour of Michael Chiesa (30-26, 30-26 & 30-26).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Chiesa	10	10	10	30
Sanchez	9	8	8	25

Bout 9: Luke Rockhold (16-4) vs. Jan Blachowicz (23-8) (#6) (Light Heavyweight)

In-between fights news broke that Khabib Nurmagomedov and Nate Diaz got into an incident in the crowd at the event. Security separated them before things got out of control. The next bout was Luke Rockhold versus Jan Blachowicz. After landing many kicks, Rockhold shot for a takedown. He tried for a few minutes but never secured it. As the horn went at the end of the round, Blachowicz fired off a fury of strikes including a kick after the horn which dropped Rockhold. Rockhold stepped towards Blachowicz after the bell as if he was either angry or not sure if the round ended. In the second round Rockhold was hit with punches that made him fall like a tree. Referee Herb Dean stepped in shortly after to end the bout.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Rockhold	9
Blachowicz	10

Bout 10: Ben Askren (19-0) (#5) vs. Jorge Masvidal (33-13) (#4) (Welterweight)

In the next bout, two high ranked welterweights in Ben Askren and Jorge Masvidal faced off in a grudge match. In the first few seconds of the bout, Masvidal landed a flying knee which immediately knocked out Askren cold. Masvidal was in his face right after the fight ended. Ending at five seconds, it was the quickest fight in UFC history. Askren was guided out of the octagon before the decision was made.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Askren
Masvidal

Bout 11: Holly Holm (12-4) (#2) vs. Amanda Nunes (17-4) (UFC Bantamweight Championship)

In the co-main event slot of the evening, we had Holly Holm challenge Amanda Nunes for her UFC Bantamweight Championship. The first round was close until Nunes landed a kick to the head right her right leg which ended it.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Total
Holm
Nunes

Bout 12: Thiago Santos (21-6) (#2) vs. Jon Jones (24-1) (UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)

The main event of the evening was Thiago Santos challenging Jon Jones for his Light Heavyweight Championship. Jones had a huge reach advantage in this fight. Santos circled the outside while Jones stayed in the inside of the octagon. Jones caught a leg kick from Santos and tried a spinning back elbow when exiting the hold. Santos threw a few kicks to the leg in the opening minutes. After a combination of punches were thrown, Jones’ mouthpiece fell out. He put it back in and they continued. At the start of the second round the commentators claimed Santos hurt himself after throwing a kick. Santos fell and then was hit with a kick to the mid-section around halfway through the round. Santos landed some good combinations of kicks and punches as the round wound down. Santos kept exploding with punches in the third. Jones threw a flying knee but it either didn’t phase Santos or didn’t land. Santos slipped after throwing a leg kick, and was hit with an elbow when getting up. The elbow cut open Santos along the hairline. Jones landed a good head kick with 90 seconds in the third round. The crowd started to boo in the fourth round. Both fighters slowed their already slow pace, although Santos still exploded with punches a couple of times. Jones was often the one coming forward. Near the end of the round Santos’ injury became more apparent as he seemed to get the worst out of a kick that he threw. Santos continued with combinations in the fifth round, but it never seemed to hurt Jones. Jones threw more low kicks in this round to take advantage of the injury. The fight went all five rounds. Jon Jones got the victory via split decision (48-47, 48-47 & 48-47).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Total
Santos	10	10	9	9	9	47
Jones	9	9	10	10	10	48

UFC returns next week with a fight night from Sacramento, California. Germaine de Randamie and Aspen Ladd headline the 13 fight card. UFC veteran and Hall of Famer Urijah Faber returns in the co-main event, facing Ricky Simon. The next PPV is on July 27th, with Max Holloway defending his Featherweight Championship against Frankie Edgar.