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UFC 2020: When Sven Took Charge II


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The UFC announces a new in-house drug testing program

 

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The UFC announces a new in-house drug testing program

 

Thursday of Week 1 of April 2020

 

The UFC today formally unveiled the details of their new in-house drug testing program, and, while the initial announcement of the program was met with scepticism, it does seem that the promotion is living up to its word when it comes to penalties that will be incurred by fighters who fail tests.

 

The tests will cover the same drugs as normal test, soft drugs, TRT, and PED’s, although the penalties for each type of failure do differ;

 

Failing a test for soft drugs will incur a one-year suspension.

 

Failing a test for TRT will incur a two-year suspension

 

Failing a test for PED’s will incur a three-year suspension.

 

According to the UFC, fighters who fail a test will have the right to appeal, but if a fighter fails in his appeal, or chooses not appeal at all, then they will have to serve the full term of the suspension before they will be booked for a fight.

 

These penalties are much stronger than normal commission testing, and the UFC hopes that athletic commissions throughout the country and elsewhere will take their lead when it comes to such things. The UFC also said that any champion who fails a test, for any reason, and either fails in their appeal or does not lodge one, will be stripped of their championship.

 

The UFC will be drug testing fighters when their events are held in unregulated states or countries, where there is no commission testing, and this includes the UK, where they will be running an event in just over a week.

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<p>Shevchenko blasts Calderwood</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="UtIYShY.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/UtIYShY.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-size:24px;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Shevchenko blasts Calderwood ahead of their fight</span></strong></span></p><p> </p><p>

<em>Wednesday of Week 2 of April</em></p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="pcyudxn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/pcyudxn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

Although their fight is still a couple of months away; Shevchenko defends her title against Calderwood at UFC 251 on Saturday of Week 4 of June. UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentine Shevchenko has attempted to land the first blow on her opponent by aiming some decidedly negative remarks towards the challenger. </p><p> </p><p>

During an interview to promote the upcoming fight, Shevchenko seemed to doubt the merits of Calderwood as a challenger, with the champion questioning whether or not Calderwood has the mettle to stand up the kind of pressure that she’ll be facing in their encounter.</p><p> </p><p>

Calderwood has yet to respond to the remarks made by Shevchenko.</p></div><p></p><p></p>

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Anthony Johnson returns to the UFC

 

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Anthony Johnson returns to the UFC

 

Friday of Week 2 of April

 

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When he took the reins of the UFC, Sven Lundgren said that he would attempt to lure fighters out of retirement; this has proven to be no idle boast as it was announced today that Anthony Johnson is out of retirement and has signed an exclusive contract with the UFC.

 

Johnson, one of the hardest hitting fighters in the sport, has competed in three different weight classes in the UFC in the past, and will now compete in a fourth as Johnson will be part of the heavyweight division. The UFC’s heavyweight roster is now on notice that a new and very dangerous threat is now part of their ranks; who will be the first fighter to step forward and take on one of the most powerful punchers that mixed martial arts has ever seen?

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Duško Todorović out of UFC Fight Night 171

 

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Duško Todorović out of UFC Fight Night 171

 

Tuesday of Week 3 of April

 

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Duško Todorović has been forced to withdraw from his fight against John Phillips at UFC Fight Night 171: Edwards vs. Woodley. Todorović has suffered an injury during training, and it will be least a month before he can resume physical activity.

 

Due to the proximity of the event, no replacement for Todorović can be found, therefore Phillips has been removed from the card.

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Calderwood responds to Shevchenko

 

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Calderwood responds to Shevchenko

 

Wednesday of Week 3 of April

 

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As expected, Joanne Calderwood has responded to the recent remarks made about her by UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentine Shevchenko. Ahead of their fight at UFC 251 in June, Shevchenko had questioned whether or not Calderwood had the mettle to stand up to the pressure that she’d face in their title fight.

 

In a radio interview, Calderwood was asked about Shevchenko’s remarks, and Calderwood said that Shevchenko’s remarks had actually made her confident. Calderwood felt that you only make statements like the ones Shevchenko made if you’re worried about your opponent and are trying to bolster your own confidence. Calderwood said that she believes Shevchenko has revealed a weakness, and Calderwood says that she will exploit that weakness when she takes on Shevchenko at UFC 251.

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<p>Kelvin Gastelum criticises Robert Whittaker</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="UtIYShY.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/UtIYShY.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-size:24px;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Kelvin Gastelum criticises Robert Whittaker</span></strong></span></p><p> </p><p>

<em>Thursday of Week 3 of April 2020</em></p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="9GqRQ2s.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/9GqRQ2s.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

In a surprising move, Kelvin Gastelum has made some critical remarks towards Robert Whittaker, whom Gastelum will be fighting at UFC 251 on Saturday of Week 4 of June.</p><p> </p><p>

Posting on his social media account, Gastelum said that Whittaker is too slow for someone with his combination of wrestling and striking, with Gastelum further stating that Whittaker should have waited for an easier opponent to come along rather than agreeing to fight him, but that Whittaker’s pride got the better of him.</p></div><p></p><p></p>

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UFC Fight Night 171: Edwards vs. Woodley

 

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UFC Fight Night 171: Edwards vs. Woodley

 

Date: Saturday of Week 3 of April 2020

Location: London

Attendance: 1,534

Gate: $300,664

Critical Rating: 75%

Commercial Rating: 74%

 

Commentary Team: John Gooden and Dan Hardy

 

Preliminary Card

 

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Women’s Flyweight: Shana Dobson (3-4) vs. Rachael Ostovich (4-5)

 

The night’s action got off to a decent start with Shana Dobson taking on Rachael Ostovich. Dobson was able to outwork Ostovich for much of the fight and her superior conditioning allowed Dobson to stay in control throughout. Ostovich was no pushover, though, and she did put up some strong resistance, but her inability to defend against the strikes of Dobson eventually saw Ostovich sustain a nasty cut above the eye that the cageside doctor was asked to check and he immediately ruled it as a fight ender.

 

Result: Shana 'Danger' Dobson beat Rachael Ostovich by TKO (cut) in 4:06 of Round 3

 

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Women’s Strawweight: Alex Chambers (5-5) vs. Syuri Kondo (6-3)

 

Our second fight of the evening was another decent outing, this time with Syuri Kondo facing Alex Chambers. As with the previous fight, it was somewhat one-side, with Kondo dominating the action and Chambers putting up consistent but ultimately futile resistance. Although Chambers was able to control Kondo with clinchwork and a takedown late in the second round, it wasn’t enough to offset the rest of the fight and Kondo eased to a unanimous decision victory.

 

After the fight, Kondo was interviewed via translator, and, while it wasn’t the best of interviews, Kondo’s personality won over the fans and she was given a round of applause when it was over.

 

Result: Syuri Kondo beat Alex 'Astro Girl' Chambers by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27 and 29-28)

 

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Heavyweight: Shamil Abdurakhimov (20-5) vs. Ben Rothwell (37-12)

 

This heavyweight contest was, for as long as it lasted, a great slugfest, with neither fighter showing much in the way of defence, both of them content to stay on offence. It was a fight that you felt could end at any moment and it ended just past the half-way point of the first round; Abdurakhimov dodged right hook from Rothwell and countered with an uppercut that left Rothwell a crumpled heap.

 

Result: Shamil 'Abrek' Abdurakhimov beat 'Big' Ben Rothwell by Knockout (punch) in 2:24 of Round 1.

 

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Welterweight: Bartosz Fabiński (15-3) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov (12-0)

 

It took until the third round for Rakhmonov to be able to defend against the takedowns of Fabiński, by which time he’d been totally controlled on the mat and had been forced to fend off a determined attempt at a rear-naked choke. And while Rakhmonov dominated most of the third round, he couldn’t get a finish and Fabiński gained the expected unanimous decision victory.

 

Result: Bartosz Fabinski beat Shavkat Rakhmonov by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

 

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Heavyweight: Tom Aspinall (7-2) vs. Yorgan De Castro (6-0)

 

It was superior conditioning that made the difference in this tightly contested fight, one that was mainly a striking battle. Aspinall, who was making his UFC debut, was able to work at a consistent pace, while De Castro faded as the fight went on. Despite pushing Aspinall all the way, to where one judge gave him the fight, De Castro came up short and the home favourite took the split-decision.

 

Result: Tom Aspinall beat Yorgan De Castro by Split-Decision (30-27, 29-28 and 28-29)

 

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Featherweight: Makwan Amirkhani (15-4) vs. Mike Grundy (12-1)

 

For a fairly one-sided affair, this was a good fight, with Grundy dominating Amirkhani with grappling and clinchwork that involved dirty boxing. There seemed to be little that Amirkhani could offer in the way of resistance whenever Grundy got a hold of him, with Grundy even pulling off a slam at one point. Once the fight got to the ground, Grundy was even more dominant, and in the second round Grundy was almost effortlessly able to take Amirkhani down and manoeuvre into a rear naked choke and get the quick submission.

 

Result: Mike Grundy beat 'Mr. Finland' Makwan Amirkhani by Submission (rear naked choke) in 1:57 of Round 2

 

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Women’s Flyweight: Ashlee Evans-Smith (6-4) vs. Molly McCann (10-2)

 

‘Meatball’ Molly McCann was the overwhelming crowd favourite here, to no surprise, and she gave a performance worthy of that fan support. Weathering the early offence of Evans-Smith, McCann responded with some great strikes, and, late in the first, responded to a missed right cross with a right hook that dropped Evans-Smith; McCann followed up with a furious fistic frenzy that forced the referee to stop the fight and give McCann a hugely popular first round victory.

 

Result: 'Meatball' Molly McCann beat 'Rebel Girl' Ashlee Evans-Smith by Knockout (punch) in 4:26 of Round 1

 

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Featherweight: Gabriel Benítez (21-7) vs. Lerone Murphy (8-0-1)

 

Lerone Murphy lived up to his nickname of ‘The Miracle’ with this fight, coming in as the massive underdog (+640 to -810) but pulling out a performance that left the fans buzzing. Murphy’s efforts seemed to be wearing him out by the third round, but Benítez was unable to capitalise and Murphy held on to go the distance and gain a wildly popular unanimous decision and upset the oddsmakers.

 

Fired up by his victory, Murphy, buoyed by fan support, expressed his interest for a fight with Bobby Moffett.

 

Result: Lerone 'The Miracle' Murphy beat Gabriel 'Moggly' Benitez by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27 and 29-28)

 

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Light Heavyweight: Paul Craig (12-4-1) vs. Ryan Spann (17-5)

 

The final preliminary fight of the night saw our second consecutive upset, again with the native crowd favourite securing victory. Craig came in as the +240 underdog against Spann, the -310 favourite, but the oddsmakers didn’t take into account Craig’s ability to cut weight as he entered the cage significantly bigger than his opponent. This size advantage gave him the power to have Spann reeling after only a minute of combat, and, while Spann was able to weather the storm, this exchange told the story of the fight, with Spann again left reeling late in the second round, and he failed to see the round out with Craig landing a jab-uppercut counter that left Spann down and out right at the end of the round.

 

Result: Paul 'Bearjew' Craig beat Ryan 'Superman' Spann by Knockout (punch) in 4:57 of Round 2

 

Main Card

 

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Lightweight: Marc Diakiese (14-3) vs. Jai Herbert (10-1)

 

The main card got off to a good start for the British fans with Marc Diakiese putting on a showcase performance against Jai Herbert. The precision striking of Diakiese was too much for Herbert throughout the fight, with both punches and kicks giving him problems, and, by the end of the fight, Herbert was noticeably limping.

 

After being declared the winner, Diakiese was interviewed and he used his time to challenge Davi Ramos to a fight.

 

Result: Marc 'Bonecrusher' Diakiese beat 'The Black Country Banger' Jai Herbert by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

 

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Bantamweight: Alejandro Perez (21-8-1) vs. Jack Shore (12-5)

 

If fans were still at the concession stands when this fight started, they would have missed the whole thing because this one barely last a minute. Once Shore powered Perez to the ground, it was all over as Shore peppered Perez with punches, forcing Perez to defend himself and leaving him open to a guillotine choke that secured a quick tap.

 

Result: Jack 'Tank' Shore beat Alejandro 'El Diablito' Perez by Submission (guillotine choke) in 1:06 of Round 1

 

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Middleweight: Darren Stewart (11-5, 1NC) vs. Marvin Vettori (14-4-1)

 

The first round of this fight was physically gruelling, with much of it seeing Vettori pressing Stewart back up against the cage and both men jockeying for positional control, and it appeared to take a little out of Stewart who was breathing a little heavier by the end of the round. Things became more of a striking battle in the second round and this didn’t appear to be to Vettori’s liking because he was soon taking Stewart down, though not in the most pretty of manners. But it did end up with Stewart turtled up, and Vettori began landing a series of power punches to Stewart, who was barely defending himself, and it took a number of big strikes before referee Herb Dean decided to step in and stop the contest.

 

Result: 'The Italian Dream' Marvin Vettori beat Darren 'The Dentist' Stewart by TKO (strikes) in 3:07 of Round 2

 

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Middleweight: Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos (22-6) vs. Jack Marshman (23-9)

 

For much of its duration, this fight was a pure striking contest, both fighters content to stand and throw punches and kicks. Marshman outworked Dos Santos for the majority of the fight, and even when he began to tire, Marshman was able to keep at it, employing dirty boxing to keep control of the fight and slow the pace down and ride out the remainder of the fight.

 

Result: Jack 'The Hammer' Marshman beat Elizeu 'Capoeira' Zaleski Dos Santos by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

 

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Welterweight: Nicolas Dalby (18-3-1, 1NC) vs. Danny Roberts (17-5)

 

This was a very competitive affair, a tightly contested striking battle between two evenly match fighters. Both men exchanged jabs and hooks throughout the fight, both of them doing damage, but neither able to land a decisive blow that would end the fight or at least truly turn things in their favour.

 

Result: Nicolas 'Sharpshooter' Dalby beat Danny 'Hot Chocolate' Roberts by Split-Decision (29-28, 29-28 and 28-29)

 

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Middleweight: Derek Brunson (20-7) vs. Darren Till (18-2-1)

 

As always in the UK, Darren Till got a superstar reaction coming out. That loud reaction was sustained for the majority of the first round, with Till able to beat Brunson to the punch, and kick, with Brunson soon displaying a slight limp. Late in the round, Brunson surprisingly went for a takedown, which he managed to get, but there was no time for him to do anything else. In the second round, Brunson went for the takedown, eventually getting in, and while Brunson controlled Till on the ground for the majority of the round, he couldn’t deliver much damage. Till was able to keep the fight standing in the third round and his superior striking skill was enough to keep scoring points, piling on the damage, with Brunson unwilling to get in close to try for another takedown, and it was Till who came away with the unanimous decision victory.

 

In his post-fight interview, Till was as charismatic as usual and, by the end of the interview, the fans were cheering loudly for their hero.

 

Result: Darren 'The Gorilla' Till beat Derek Brunson by Unanimous Decision (30-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

 

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Welterweight: Leon Edwards (18-3) vs. Tyron Woodley (19-4-1)

 

It was time for the main event of the evening, with Edwards getting a tremendously raucous ovation, while Woodley, to no surprise, was a total villain to the fans, although their booing didn’t seem to faze Woodley who maintained his usual indifferent demeanour.

 

The first round was almost all stand-up, with Woodley, primarily a wrestler, very willing to trade punches with Edwards. It was fairly even until late in the round when Woodley connected with a right hook that dropped Edwards. Naturally, the fans were roaring, despite the fact that their countryman was down and in trouble; Woodley went for the finish, first with strikes and then an armbar, but Edwards was able to hold on and survive until the end of the round.

 

The second round had barely started when Edwards missed a left cross, and Woodley countered with a left jab and right uppercut that sent Edwards crashing to the mat; Woodley followed up with a barrage of heavy punches and the referee was quickly forced to jump in and stop the fight, and the fan responded with loud boos and jeers as their countryman had fallen in defeat.

 

Woodley was interviewed after the fight, and, even though the fans were still booing, he was very complimentary about both them and his opponent, with Woodley stating his desire to once more become the welterweight champion.

 

Result: Tyron 'The Chosen One' Woodley beat Leon 'Rocky' Edwards by TKO (strikes) in 0:30 of Round 2

 

Post-Fight Bonuses

 

Fight of the Night: Darren Stewart vs. Marvin Vettori

Performance of the Night: Lerone Murphy

Knockout of the Night: Molly McCann

Submission of the Night: Jack Shore

 

Predictions

 

CageRage: (13/16)

mattu29: (9/16)

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UFC 249: The Unbeatable vs. The Unstoppable

 

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UFC 249: The Unbeatable vs. The Unstoppable

 

Date: Saturday of Week 4 of April 2020

Location: Florida

Attendance: 12,117

Gate: $2,374,932

PPV Revenue: $141,668

Critical Rating: 69%

Commercial Rating: 98%

 

Commentary Team:

 

Preliminary Card

 

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Lightweight: Rustam Khabilov (24-4) vs. Jim Miller (31-14, 1NC)

 

The first fight of the night was a decent outing, most of which saw Miller having to fight off his back as Khabilov was content to smother him on the ground. Miller did well off his back and even managed to sweep Khabilov a few times to get the fight back standing, allowing Miller to land some good strikes. Even so, the judges ended up giving the fight to Khabilov.

 

In his post-fight interview, Khabilov said that he wanted to fight Beneil Dariush next because he felt like that Dariush would be a good challenge for him.

 

Result: Rustam 'Tiger' Khabilov beat Jim Miller by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

 

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Welterweight: Rafael dos Anjos (29-13) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (22-4-1, 1NC)

 

Kim came into this fight as the +360 underdog against the -460 favourite dos Anjos, but he combined striking and defensive grappling to set up a three-punch combination in the second round that left dos Anjos down and dazed. Kim pounced with some heavy ground-and-pound that eventually saw the referee step in to stop fight, and give Kim the upset victory.

 

Kim’s post-fight interview was all-class, as you’d expect from Kim, as he showed great respect to dos Anjos and called him a worthy opponent.

 

Result: Dong 'Stun Gun' Hyun Kim beat Rafael dos Anjos by Knockout (punch) in 2:41 of Round 2

 

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Light Heavyweight: Bojan Mihajlovic (10-6) vs. Jonathan Wilson (7-3)

 

The first round of this fight wasn’t much to write home about, but the action picked up in the second round; Wilson missed with a jab, and, before Mihajlovic could react, Wilson made up for the miss with a vicious right cross that left Mihajlovic out cold.

 

Wilson’s post-fight interview saw him call for a fight with Eryk Anders.

 

Result: Jonathan 'Johnny Bravo' Wilson beat Bojan Mihajlovic by Knockout (punch) in 1:27 of Round 2

 

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Heavyweight: Tanner Bosser (17-6-1) vs. Sergey Spivak (10-2)

 

The heavyweights were next, and, despite giving up considerable weight to his opponent, Sergey Spivak delivered an incredible finish, splitting Bosser’s guard in the second round with a brutal uppercut that saw Bosser drop like a sack of potatoes.

 

Result: Sergey 'The Polar Bear' Spivak beat 'The Bulldozer' Tanner Boser by Knockout (punch) in 3:22 of Round 2

 

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Women’s Strawweight: Amanda Bobby Cooper (3-5) vs. Felice Herrig (14-8)

 

The women provide a great fight next with Cooper and Herrig both putting it all on the line in search for the win. It was mostly a striking battle, with the only ground action coming for a brief moment late on in the fight. Until that point, it was a competitive affair with both women landing, Herrig even opening up a cut above the eye of Cooper in the second round. But it wasn’t enough to offset the rest of the fight and Cooper came away the winner with the unanimous decision victory.

 

Result: Amanda 'ABC' Bobby Cooper beat Felice 'Lil' Bulldog' Herrig by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

 

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Women’s Bantamweight: Raquel Pennington (10-8) vs. Marion Reneau (9-5-1)

 

The action only got better in this contender for Fight of the Night, with a come-from-behind victory for Raquel Pennington. After being completely dominated for two rounds and change, Pennington finally landed a significant strike just past the half-way mark of the third round; Pennington dropped Reneau with a right cross, and she pounced on her chance to win, Pennington unleashing everything she had and forcing the referee to jump in and stop the fight.

 

Pennington’s excitement was still evident in her post-fight interview as she called the fight a career highlight, and it was clear just how much this win meant to her.

 

Result: 'Rocky' Raquel Pennington beat Marion 'The Belizean Bruiser' Reneau by TKO (strikes) in 3:06 of Round 3

 

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Featherweight: Ricardo Lamas (19-8) vs. Jeremy Stephens (28-18)

 

This was a very competitive, quite decent fight, with some fine moments of action. There wasn’t anything to really separate the two fighters, neither one of them able to establish their superiority over the other, so it wasn’t a shock to see this got a split-decision, and it would be Stephens who caught the break and got the nod.

 

And in his post-fight interview, Stephens’ first order of business was to make it clear that he was unhappy over having only won by split-decision, as he felt he should have won by unanimous decision. Who the...is that guy?

 

Result: 'Lil' Heathen' Jeremy Stephens beat Ricardo Lamas by Split-Decision (29-28, 29-28 and 28-29)

 

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Bantamweight: Hunter Azure (8-0) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (12-0)

 

After a dour first round, things picked up somewhat, although the most significant strike of the fight came early in the second when Nurmagomedov landed a right headkick that opened a cut above the eye of Azure. The majority of the fight saw lots of grappling and clinching, but little of real note, and Nurmagomedov ended up getting the unanimous decision victory in his UFC debut.

 

Result: Umar Nurmagomedov beat Hunter Azure by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

 

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Women’s Bantamweight: Sijara Eubanks (4-4) vs. Sarah Moras (6-5)

 

Eubanks ignored Moraes’ offer to touch gloves at the start of the fight, and was quickly made to pay; it didn’t take long for Moraes to get Eubanks down to the mat and, from there, decimate her with elbows to set up a D’Arce Choke that quickly had Eubanks tapping out.

 

Result: Sarah 'Cheesecake' Moras beat Sijara 'Sarj' Eubanks by Submission (D'Arce Choke) in 2:10 of Round 1

 

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Welterweight: Lyman Good (21-5, 1NC) vs. Belal Muhammad (16-3)

 

This one had a finish that came out of nowhere; Muhammad quickly took Good down, and was doing a good job of keeping him neutralized. But with lighting speed, Good managed to grab the arm of Muhammad and throw his legs up to secure a triangle choke. Muhammad fought to break free but was unable to and he had no choice but to tap out before was rendered unconscious.

 

Good was very positive towards Muhammad in his post-fight interview, calling him an opponent who knew how to handle himself.

 

Result: Lyman 'Cyborg' Good beat Belal 'Remember the Name' Muhammad by Submission (triangle with armbar) in 4:05 of Round 1

 

Main Card

 

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Middleweight: Uriah Hall (15-9) vs. Ronaldo Souza (26-8, 1NC)

 

As with an earlier fight, a refusal to touch gloves was a portent of bad things to come, in this case, for Uriah Hall. Souza quickly took the fight to the ground, and, while Hall was able to keep a tight guard, he couldn’t do so for long and Souza was able to isolate a leg and quickly secure a leglock and force a submission out of Hall.

 

In his post-fight interview, Souza express interest in a match with Jack Hermansson, which would be a fight that would give Souza the chance to avenge a prior loss.

 

Result: Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza beat Uriah 'Primetime' Hall by Submission (ankle lock) in 2:37 of round 1

 

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Welterweight: Santiago Ponzinibbio (27-3) vs. Stephen Thompson (15-4-1)

 

This was a much anticipated contest in the welterweight division and it turned out to be a very competitive affair. The first round was fairly even, and, while Thompson landed his fair share of blows, it was Ponzinibbio who delivered the more obvious damage when he opened up a cut above the eye of Thompson right at the end of the round, a cut that Thompson’s cut-man quickly went to work on once the round was over.

 

Thompson came out strong in the second round, Wonderboy’ perhaps fired up by being busted open, and while his strategy won him the round, Thompson was noticeably tiring in the third, giving Ponzinibbio the chance to power Thompson to the mat, albeit in an ugly fashion. Thompson took a few heavy shots before he was able to escape and get to his feet, and now it was Ponzinibbio who was looking tired. However, the Argentinean was able to see out the round in control, stuffing a late takedown attempt from a gassed Thompson, and Ponzinibbio earned himself a unanimous decision victory.

 

Not one to rest on his laurels, Ponzinibbio used his post-fight interview to challenge former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, a fight that, were it to take place, could possibly determine a challenger for the current champion, Kamaru Usman.

 

Result: Santiago 'Gente Boa' Ponzinibbio beat Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28 and 30-28)

 

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Featherweight: Max Holloway (21-5) vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov (18-1)

 

Fresh off of the loss of his featherweight title, it was expected that Max Holloway would be determined prove that he was still one of the top featherweights in the world, and he did that in remarkable fashion with an incredible showing against a fighter who was considered a future great in the division, Zabit Magomedsharipov. Holloway almost immediately landed a great right hook, one that had Magomedsharipov backing up and covering up. Sensing victory could be at hand, Holloway went for a spectacular flying knee, and, while Magomedsharipov, blocked the worst of it, the blow gave Holloway the chance deliver a right hook that had Magomedsharipov barely able stand; in fact, it was only the cage that was keeping him up.

 

A right head kick finally put Magomedsharipov down, and a series of punches was enough for the referee to stop the fight and Max Holloway had rebounded from his title loss in the best fashion possible.

 

Result: 'Blessed' Max Holloway beat Zabit Magomedsharipov by TKO (strikes) in 0:59 of round 1

 

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Women’s Strawweight: Jessica Andrade (20-7) vs. Rose Namajunas (8-4)

 

It was rematch time now, as Rose Namajunas took on the Jessica Andrade, with Andrade having wrested the strawweight title away from Namajunas in the first encounter back at UFC 237. Namajunas would be going into this fight to both avenge that loss and stake a claim to a title fight, while Andrade would be fighting for the first time since having lost the strawweight title to Weili Zhang last August.

 

The fight was intense while it lasted, both women throwing with bad intentions but not able to land anything of note. Both fighters seemed evenly matched, and then Namajunas executed a well-timed feint that left Andrade open for a superb right high kick that caught Andrade flush; Andrade wobbled as she tried to remain upright but she was soon hitting the mat. Namajunas smelled blood and the ‘Thug’ was unleashed as Rose hammered away at Andrade; with Andrade offering no resistance the referee was forced to jump in and stop the fight, and ‘Thug’ had perhaps done more than enough to gain the title shot she so richly deserved.

 

Result: 'Thug' Rose Namajunas beat Jessica 'Bate Estaca' Andrade by TKO (strikes) in 3:52 of Round 1

 

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UFC Featherweight Champion: Alexander Volkanovski © (22-1) vs. Chan Sung Jung (16-5) for the UFC Featherweight Championship

 

With his title victory over Max Holloway being something of an upset, Alexander Volkanovski was looking to prove his win was no fluke, while the ‘Korean Zombie’ was hoping to become South Korea’s first ever UFC champion

 

As soon as the bell rang, Volkanovski began working for a takedown, and was successful, forcing Jung to pull guard. Volkanovski smothered Zombie against the ground, content to do just enough to stay busy and keep Jung there while he figured out his next move. Then, as Volkanovski was delivering punches to the body of Jung, the Korean Zombie seized the opening and grabbed one of the arms of Volkanovski; before Volkanovski could react, Jung twisted around, threw his legs up and secured a tight armbar, and, before he knew what was happening, Volkanovski was hurriedly tapping out. The fans went crazy as the fan favourite Korean Zombie had stunned Volkanovski with a submission out of nowhere and had made history by becoming the first ever South Korean UFC champion.

 

Jung was understandably thrilled in his post-fight interview, and the fans roared their approval as the Zombie stated his intention to rein as champion for a very long time.

 

Result: 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung beat Alexander 'The Great' Volkanovski by Submission (armbar) in 3:19 of Round 1 to win the UFC Featherweight Championship

 

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UFC Lightweight Champion: Khabib Nurmagomedov © (28-0) vs. Tony Ferguson (25-3) for the UFC Lightweight Championship

 

It was now time for the main event, and, as the fighters were making their respective entrances, the commentary team went over how this fight had been booked on four previous occasions, but that each time the fight had been booked, something had come up to force the fight to be scrapped. Now, however, things had finally come together and the most anticipated lightweight fight in UFC history was about to happen.

 

Because of that, the atmosphere of the fight was intense, and there was a huge negative reaction when Ferguson declined to touch gloves. Fighters who refused to touch gloves had gone 0-for-2 so far this evening; would Ferguson complete or prevent the hat-trick?

 

The first half of round one was all Ferguson, who used his striking to great effect for both offensive and defensive purposes; not only did he tag Khabib a few times, but Ferguson also kept Khabib from getting in close enough to clinch up. Eventually, though, Khabib did get a hold of Ferguson, but the champion could do little more than press Ferguson against the cage, leaning on him hard to wear him down.

 

In the second round, Khabib was able to establish early clinch-control and he once more kept Ferguson pressed up against the cage, this time for an extended period. But after Ferguson managed to get free, he nailed Khabib with a right cross that dropped the champion and had the fans going crazy. Ferguson pounced, first trying to finish Khabib with strikes, and then trying to secure a D'Arce choke, which Khabib worked hard to defend against despite his stunned state, but Ferguson had easily done enough to win the round.

 

The third round was almost entirely a replication of the second half the previous round, with Khabib getting dropped early on, and Ferguson, despite some deep breaths, able to make multiple submission attempts, and while Khabib defended against them all, it was only late on, when the pace slowed the referee ordered a stand-up, that Khabib got back to his feet, but he had no time to try and do anything else.

 

In the fourth round, Khabib, after taking some good shots, managed to get a hold of Ferguson but could only take hold of a leg and he had to settle for pressing the challenger up against the cage. They were there for a while, exchanging short punches but not doing much of anything else, and, with just over 90 seconds left, the referee ordered a separation. And it was just moments later than Ferguson dropped Khabib again, again with the right hook, and again kept going for submissions that Khabib was desperately fighting off until the round ended.

 

It was looking bleak for the champion heading into the fifth round; he was well behind on the scorecards, and he need to pull a very big rabbit out of the hat to preserve both his title reign and his undefeated streak.

 

Khabib opened up the round by going for an immediate takedown, which he got. Khabib ended up in the guard of Ferguson and quickly began working to move into side-control, but in the process the champion left an opening for the challenger to try and scramble free, an attempt which ended up with the challenger in top position and the champion having to pull guard. Neither fighter seemed willing to do much from this position; Ferguson was happy to ride things out, and Khabib seemed wary of further submission attempts. The referee eventually ordered the fighters to their feet.

 

By now, even an athlete like Ferguson was beginning to slow down, but his corner loudly encouraged him to keep going, knowing full well that the title was within reach. Ferguson land some more punches, Khabib unable to avoid them; the champion dove in for a takedown, but again could only get hold of one leg of the challenger and had to settle for pushing him back up against the cage. Khabib quickly tried to get Ferguson in a Muay-Thai clinch and tried to land a knee, but he was too exhausted to land the blow and Ferguson was able to escape as the fight came to an end.

 

A huge roar went up from the fans, excited at the prospect of history being made and the unbeaten Khabib finally being beaten. Ferguson raised his arms in confident celebration while a disappointed Khabib trudged back to his corner, clearly believing that his run as a champion and an unbeaten fighter was about to end. As both fighters conferred with their respective corners, the scorecards were tallied and both fighters were brought to the centre of the cage for result to be announced.

 

There was no surprise in either the result or the reaction to the result, with the fans cheering loudly when Tony Ferguson was announced as the winner and new UFC Lightweight Champion. Ferguson looked exhausted but thrilled as the title belt was placed around his waist, and he looked very comfortable as champion.

 

In his post-fight interview, Ferguson expressed his relief at being champion as well as a firm belief that his reign would be a long and successful one.

 

Result: Tony 'El Cucuy' Ferguson beat Khabib 'The Eagle' Nurmagomedov by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45 and 50-45) to win the UFC Lightweight Championship

 

Post-Fight Bonuses

 

Fight of the Night: Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas

Performance of the Night: Dong Hyun Kim

Knockout of the Night: Sergey Spivak

Submission of the Night: Chan Sung Jung

 

Predictions

 

CageRage: (6/16)

CageRage (Overall): (19/32)

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Robert Whittaker responds to Kelvin Gastelum’s remarks; other news

 

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Robert Whittaker responds to Kelvin Gastelum’s remarks

 

Tuesday of Week 1 of May 2020

 

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Robert Whittaker has responded to remarks that Kelvin Gastelum made about him on social media a couple of weeks ago. Gastelum had criticised Whittaker for being too slow for him, and said what Whittaker should have waited for an easier opponent for his comeback fight.

 

On his own social media account, Whittaker dismissed Gastelum’s remarks as being total nonsense, with Whittaker also saying that Gastelum talks a lot for a guy with a number of bad habits and no championships to show for it.

 

Whittaker and Gastelum will fight at UFC 251: Night of the Nightmare, which takes place on Saturday of Week 4 of June.

 

Stefan Struve gains his black belt in jujitsu

 

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<p>UFC’s in-house drug testing claims its first victims</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="cG1mhfY.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cG1mhfY.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">UFC’s in-house drug testing claims its first victims</span></strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <em>Thursday of Week 1 of May 2020</em></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="QBfofvY.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/QBfofvY.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="ojvJB6N.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ojvJB6N.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> The first casualties of the UFC’s more stringent drug testing policy are Bartosz Fabiński and Makwan Amirkhani.</p><p> </p><p> Fabiński beat Shavkat Rakhmonov by unanimous decision, while Amirkhani was submitted by Mike Grundy. </p><p> </p><p> It is not yet known if either fighter will appeal.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50712" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><strong>From the author:</strong> I thought there was a decent chance that I’d catch one fighter with the first round of in-house drug testing, but I wasn’t really expecting to catch two. Sven is happy with the results.</div></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p>
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Announcement of UFC on ESPN 9

 

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Announcement of UFC on ESPN 9

 

Saturday of Week 1 of May (AM)

 

The UFC today announced that UFC on ESPN 9 will take place on Saturday of Week 1 of July in Pennsylvania, and that the main event will be major fight in the welterweight division, one that is also a very intriguing one, as Michael Chiesa will take on Nate Diaz.

 

Michael Chiesa moved up to the welterweight division at the end of 2018, and has won three straight; a submission victory over Carlos Condit, and a pair of dominant unanimous decision victories over Diego Sanchez and Rafael Dos Anjos. With a victory over Nate Diaz, Chiesa would find himself on the brink of a title shot, and an emphatic victory may be enough to put Chiesa in the position of number one contender.

 

Nate Diaz is returning to action after his high-profile loss to Jorge Masvidal in the headline fight at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, for the unofficial ‘BMF Championship’. Diaz had shown guts with a courageous performance, and, although the defeat was bitter setback for the Stockton native, the memory of that defeat may fuel Diaz in this ESPN headline attraction. Victory is crucial for Diaz as he hopes to show that he belongs in one of the UFC’s most stacked divisions, but he won’t have it easy against an opponent who, despite his run of form, may be one of those underrated in the division.

 

In the co-headliner, the returning Anthony Johnson will make his first foray into the heavyweight division, and the hard-hitting Johnson will be facing an opponent with some very heavy hands of his own, as Johnson will be facing the former heavyweight champion, Junior Dos Santos. Johnson was a monster in the welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight division, boasting some of the most brutal knockouts in UFC history, and he’ll be hoping he can add to that résumé at the expense of a legend of the sport.

 

Dos Santos has stepped up to the plate in a big way, accepting a fight against perhaps the hardest hitting man in the sport after suffering back-to-back losses to similarly heavy handed opponents, Curtis Blaydes and Francis Ngannou. But risks must be taken by Dos Santos if he is to find a way back to the top of a division he once ruled with a literal iron fist, and if he can spoil the return of ‘Rumble’, then Dos Santos will have taken a very big step towards proving that he is deserving of still being ranked among the elite heavyweights.

 

Robbie Lawler’s fight with Diego Sanchez will now provide added firepower, as it has been moved from UFC 251 to take place on this loaded card. This is fight that long-time fans of the sport will be salivating over, as the former welterweight champion takes on the first ever winner from The Ultimate Fighter.

 

Also taking place is female MMA pioneer Roxanne Modafferi taking on Lauren Murphy. Irena Aldana faces the first woman to ever win The Ultimate Fighter, Julianna Peña. And the main card opens up with a heavy hitting encounter in the light heavyweight division with Nikita Krylov going up against Volkan Oezdemir.

 

All this action takes place live on ESPN on Saturday of Week 1 of July.

 

Main Card

 

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Welterweight: Michael Chiesa (17-4) vs. Nate Diaz (20-12)

 

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Heavyweight: Junior Dos Santos (21-7) vs. Anthony Johnson (22-6)

 

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Middleweight: Robbie Lawler (28-14, 1NC) vs. Diego Sanchez (30-12)

 

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Women’s Flyweight: Roxanne Modafferi (21-6) vs. Lauren Murphy (12-4)

 

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Women’s Bantamweight: Irena Aldana (12-5) vs. Julianna Peña (9-3)

 

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Light Heavyweight: Volkan Oezdemir (17-4) vs. Nikita Krylov (26-7)

 

Preliminary Card

 

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Featherweight: Arnold Allen (16-1) vs. Darren Elkins (24-8)

 

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Welterweight: Abdul Razak Alhassan (10-1) vs. Anthony Martin (17-5)

 

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Bantamweight: Raphael Assuncao (27-7) vs. Rani Yahya(26-10-1, 1NC)

 

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Women’s Bantamweight: Bethe Correia (11-4-1) vs. Sara McMann (12-5)

 

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Flyweight: Raulian Paiva (19-3) vs. Matt Schnell (14-5)

 

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Light Heavyweight: Devin Clark (11-4) vs. Shamil Gamzatov (14-0)

 

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Lightweight: Thibault Gouti (12-5) vs. Michael Quinones (8-3)

 

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Bantamweight: Thomas Almeida (22-3) vs. Johnny Eduardo (28-12)

 

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Bantamweight: Kwan Ho Kwak (9-2) vs. Pinguyan Liu (15-6)

 

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Women’s Flyweight: J.J Aldrich (8-4) vs. Polyana Viana Mota (10-4)

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Main Card

 

 

 

Welterweight: Michael Chiesa (17-4) vs. Nate Diaz (20-12)

 

 

 

Heavyweight: Junior Dos Santos (21-7) vs. Anthony Johnson (22-6)

 

 

 

Middleweight:Robbie L awler (28-14, 1NC) vs. Diego Sanchez (30-12)

 

 

 

Women’s Flyweight: Roxanne Modafferi (21-6) vs. Lauren Murphy (12-4)

 

 

 

Women’s Bantamweight: Irena Aldana (12-5) vs. Julianna Peña (9-3)

 

 

 

Light Heavyweight: Volkan Oezdemir (17-4) vs. Nikita Krylov (26-7)

 

Preliminary Card

 

 

 

Featherweight: Arnold Allen (16-1) vs. Darren Elkins (24-8)

 

 

 

Welterweight: Abdul Razak Alhassan (10-1) vs. Anthony Martin (17-5)

 

 

 

Bantamweight: Raphael Assuncao (27-7) vs. Rani Yahya(26-10-1, 1NC)

 

 

 

Women’s Bantamweight: Bethe Correia (11-4-1) vs. Sara McMann (12-5)

 

 

 

Flyweight: Raulian Paiva (19-3) vs. Matt Schnell (14-5)

 

 

 

Light Heavyweight: Devin Clark (11-4) vs. Shamil Gamzatov (14-0)

 

 

Lightweight: Thibault Gouti (12-5) vs. Michael Quinones (8-3)

 

 

 

Bantamweight: Thomas Almeida (22-3) vs. Johnny Eduardo (28-12)

 

 

 

Bantamweight: Kwan Ho Kwak (9-2) vs. Pinguyan Liu (15-6)

 

 

 

Women’s Flyweight: J.J Aldrich (8-4) vs. Polyana Viana Mota (10-4)

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UFC on ESPN 8: Cejudo vs. Cruz

 

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UFC on ESPN 8: Cejudo vs. Cruz

 

Date: Saturday of Week 1 of May 2020

Location: Washington

Attendance: 3,992

Gate: $698,600

Critical Rating: 74%

Commercial Rating: 81%

 

Commentary Team: Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Dan Hardy

 

Preliminary Card

 

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Lightweight: Joseph Duffy (16-4) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (14-2)

 

Most of this fight saw Tsarukyan using his wrestling to keep Duffy clinched up against the cage, with both men then exchanging short strikes. It was gruelling but not necessarily overly exciting; things only really picked up in the third round, with Tsarukyan too tired to grapple as effectively and so giving Duffy the chance to better use his striking. But Tsarukyan managed to hold on, literally at times, to ride out the clock and gain the unanimous decision victory.

 

And Tsarukyan made the most of his post-fight interview, saying that he’d like to fight Drakkar Klose, who we’d see in action later in the evening.

 

Result: Arman Tsarukyan beat Joseph 'Irish Joe' Duffy by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

 

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Welterweight: Chad Laprise (13-4) vs. Cole Williams (11-2)

 

Similar to the first fight, this was a mixture of striking and clinches. Laprise controlled the first half of the fight, Williams the second, with Williams finally able take Laprise down in the third round. But his failure to finish Laprise was costly, based on how the rest of the fight had gone, and Laprise got the nod when we went to the judges.

 

Result: Chad 'The Disciple' Laprise beat Cole 'The Edge' Williams by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

 

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Women’s Featherweight: Norma Dumont (4-1) vs. Zarah Fairn dos Santos (6-4)

 

Unlike the previous two fights, this was a pure striking battle, and, also unlike the previous two fights, this was fairly one-sided, with dos Santos dominating her opponent from beginning to end. Late in the second, Dumont suffered a nasty cut under her eye, the most significant damage of the fight, so dos Santos left her mark here in more ways than one.

 

Result: Zarah Fairn Dos Santos beat Norma 'The Immortal' Dumont by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

 

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Flyweight: Ryan Benoit (10-6) vs. Tyson Nam (16-11-1)

 

This was mostly a striking battle, with Nam outlanding Benoit for much of the fight. The third round saw Benoit turn to his wrestling to take control, which he was successful in, but he couldn’t get the finish he needed, and, while he won the round, Benoit still ended up losing the fight.

 

Result: Tyson Nam beat Ryan 'Baby Face' Benoit by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

 

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Bantamweight: Casey Kenney (14-2-1) vs. Song Yadong (15-4-1, 1NC)

 

This was a great fight, with Yadong putting a performance that belied his status as a +250 underdog. For the first two rounds, Yadong was nailing Kenney with some great pinpoint striking, that Kenney had little answer for, and the underdog seemed to be on his way to an upset victory. But early in the third round, Kenney managed to slam Yadong to the mat, and soon manoeuvred into side-control before going for an armbar that Yadong was too tired to defend against, and Kenney secured the armbar to get the tap and gain a come-from-behind victory.

 

Fired up by his win, Kenney issued a challenge to John Dodson in his post-fight interview.

 

Result: Casey Kenney beat Yadong 'The Terminator' Song by Submission (armbar) in 1:27 of Round 3

 

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Featherweight: Mirsad Bektic (13-3) vs. Calvin Kattar (20-4)

 

This wasn’t the most thrilling of fights, with Bektic happy to keep Kattar pressed up against the cage, and Kattar unable to do anything about it. In the third round, Bektic managed to get the fight to ground very quickly, and Kattar spent the rest of the round fending off submission attempts, making this fight an easy one for the judges to score.

 

Result: Mirsad Bektic beat 'The Boston Finisher' Calvin Kattar by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

 

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Lightweight: Bobby Green (24-10-1) vs. Drakkar Klose ( 11-2-1)

 

The result of the fight doesn’t tell an accurate story, with Klose dominating much of the fight, mostly with clinch work against the cage, but also with a number of submission attempts in the third round. Green had his moments, but he was never really in this fight, making the split-decision something of a head scratcher. Even Green getting one round was a puzzler.

 

It wasn’t a shock to see Klose remark upon the judging in his post-fight interview, with Klose saying what everyone else was thinking; that he should have been given the unanimous decision victory.

 

Result: Drakkar Klose beat Bobby 'King' Green by Split Decision (29-28, 30-27 and 28-29)

 

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Middleweight: Tim Boetsch (21-13) vs. Charles Byrd (10-6)

 

This wasn’t the most exciting of fights, but it was a decent brawl. Both men started to tire as fight progressed, Boetsch a little more than Byrd. Things hit the mat late in the third and a battle of submissions saw Boetsch almost get his arm hyper-extended, but he escaped danger. It went to the judges, and, in the upset, Byrd, the +260 underdog, edge Boetsch out with a split-decision victory.

 

Result: Charles 'Kid Dynamite' Byrd beat Tim 'The Barbarian' Boetsch by Split-Decision (29-28, 29-28 and 28-29)

 

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Light Heavyweight: Sam Alvey (33-13, 1NC) vs. Michael Oleskiejczuk (14-4)

 

This was slowly developing nicely until about a minute in when Alvey landed a left hook that had Oleksiejczuk backing up and then covering up. Alvey seized his opening and dropped Oleksiejczuk with a left hand, following up with relentless punches to knock Oleksiejczuk out and get the stoppage in less than ninety seconds.

 

In his post-fight interview, Alvey said that he knew his power would be there because it’s something that he knows he can always rely on.

 

Result: 'Smile'n' Sam Alvey beat Michal 'The Hammer' Oleksiejczuk by Knockout (punch) in 1:20 of Round 1

 

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Heavyweight: Blagoy Ivanov (18-3, 1NC) vs. Marcin Tybura (18-6)

 

Tybura mixed up his strikes with some takedowns to provide a combination that Ivanov had real trouble with. Ivanov provided only modest resistance, and he was unable to utilize his noted ground game.

 

Result: Marcin 'Tybura' Tybura beat Blagoy Ivanov by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

 

Main Card

 

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Lightweight: Donald Cerrone (36-14, 1NC) vs. Anthony Pettis (22-10)

 

The main card to this ESPN spectacular kicked off in epic fashion with a fantastic fight between two old adversaries.

 

Cerrone and Pettis had first met back in January of 2013 in a fight that Pettis won in the first round after delivering a devastating kick to the body of Cerrone that left the ‘Cowboy’ down and in severe pain. Now, seven years and change later, Cerrone was out for revenge.

 

The first round saw both men exchange strikes, counters and feints, Cerrone and Pettis taking up where they had left off the last time they fought. Both fighters landed some good shots but none of them were good enough to do any serious damage, at least that we could see, and the fans were still cheering when both men went back to their corners at the end of the round.

 

In the second round, it was more of the same, this time with Cerrone focusing on kicks to the body. Then, with about a minute left in the round, Cerrone landed a right hook that dropped ‘Showtime’. Cerrone started pounding away on Pettis, and it looked bad, but Cerrone seemed to favour his hand, and, when he committed to his strikes in order to compensate, Pettis saw his chance to sweep Cerrone, which he took. Yet the resultant scramble saw Pettis end up underneath Cerrone in the north-south position, and Pettis had to fend off an armbar attempt as the round came to an end.

 

The fans were still buzzing when the third and final round began, and so they went crazy when Pettis delivered a spinning backfist out of nowhere and dropped Cerrone hard. Mindful that this was his moment to win a fight where he couldn’t take any chances with the judges, Pettis blitzed Cerrone with punches, and the ‘Cowboy’ could do nothing to defend himself and the referee quickly called a halt to the fight with just over a minute gone in the round.

 

In an obvious good mood after his spectacular finish, Pettis used his interview time to call for a rematch with another former opponent, Carlos Diego Ferreira, who had beaten Pettis earlier in the year.

 

Result: Anthony 'Showtime' Pettis beat Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone by TKO (strikes) in 1:10 of Round 3

 

OJkzJAc.jpgjd3Ws5b.jpg32DlmKa.jpg

 

Light Heavyweight: Magomed Ankalaev (13-1) vs. Ion Cuțelaba (15-5, 1NC)

 

We had another rematch next, this time for a much more recent bout; Ankaleav and Cuțelaba had first met a few months ago at UFC Fight Night 169, in a fight that saw a highly controversial ending, with the referee inexplicably stopping the fight in favour of Ankalaev while Cuțelaba was still standing and intelligently defending himself.

 

The rematch was a good, competitive fight, and the first round saw neither fighter landing anything that caused their opponent problems, so there was no chance for a premature stoppage. But that’s not to say that no damage was done, because just past the half-way mark of the round, Ankalaev landed a hard right hand and was then seen to noticeably wince. This clearly threw Ankalaev off his gameplan because he started playing a more defensive game and there wasn’t a whole lot to the rest of the round.

 

Whether or not he knew about his opponent’s pain, Cuțelaba opened up the second round more aggressively, taking the fight to Ankalaev, and just over a minute into the round, Cuțelaba landed a crunching straight right hand to the jaw of Ankalaev and the Russian hit the mat hard. Cuțelaba wasn’t about to let this chance go to waste, especially after prior events, so he started pounding on Ankalaev with everything he had, and a few powerful blows were enough for the referee to step in and call the fight off.

 

There was no controversy this time.

 

Through his interpreter, Cuțelaba said that he was so happy to avoid another controversial outcome, that he was going to celebrate in style and find a local club to party at, and that his fans are welcome to join him.

 

Result: Ion 'The Hulk' Cutelaba beat Magomed Ankalaev by TKO (strikes) in 1:53 of Round 2

 

K6P8Mp0.jpgjd3Ws5b.jpgwzvbwaO.jpg

 

Featherweight: Brian Ortega (14-1, 1NC) vs. Yair Rodriguez (13-2)

 

The big surprise in this fight wasn’t that it didn’t go the distance, but that it didn’t go past the two-minute mark.

 

Rodriguez started out strong and it’s possible that unsettled Ortega, because he never seemed to get into his groove. This was made evident when Rodriguez landed a right head kick that saw Ortega on clearly unsteady feet. Rodriguez followed up with a second head kick, one that landed hard and dropped Ortega, ‘T-City’ in serious trouble; Ortega was given no chance to recover, because Rodriguez was immediately battering him with a series of heavy shots and the referee had no hesitation in stopping the fight.

 

Result: Yair 'El Pantera' Rodriguez beat Brian 'T-City' Ortega by TKO (strikes) in 1:52 of Round 1

 

LOxf9Ch.jpgjd3Ws5b.jpgSJXLaSy.jpg

 

Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes (13-2, 1NC) vs. Walt Harris (13-7, 1NC)

 

This was a good heavyweight slugfest and, like most such encounters, this one didn’t go the distance. Both fighters landed some good blows early on, and, although neither was too hurt, it seemed like Harris was getting apprehensive about the shots Blaydes was dishing out. As the round went on, Harris slowed his pace down, perhaps because he was tired or to avoid the risk of taking some the wild strikes Blaydes was putting out there.

 

With the first round winding down, a second round was looking certain; then, late on, Harris dodged a right hand and delivered vicious right cross that saw Blaydes stagger and then fall to the ground. Harris leaped in and began delivering some sickening shots to the face of Blaydes, and the referee didn’t wait long before pulling Harris away and bringing the fight to an end.

 

Result: Walt 'The Big Ticket' Harris beat Curtis 'Razor' Blaydes by TKO (strikes) in 4:50 of Round 1

 

ky3CzA4.jpgjd3Ws5b.jpglTsjeOC.jpg

 

Bantamweight: Aljamain Sterling (18-3) vs. Petr Yan (14-1)

 

Going into tonight, it seemed likely that the winner of this fight would be the first in line to challenge whoever emerged from the main event as the UFC’s bantamweight champion. And, with how this contest ended, it now looks certain that we know the next challenger for the bantamweight title.

 

After an exchange of strikes early on, Yan went for a spin kick that saw Sterling catch his foot and take Yan to the mat, forcing him to pull guard. Sterling worked hard to pass the guard of Yan but he only managed to get into half-guard. When Sterling again tried to fully pass the guard, he lost control of Yan and a scramble ensued, but Sterling managed to get a hold of Yan from behind and he took him down to the mat and this time Sterling landed in side-control.

 

Sterling kept going for submissions, armbars and kimuras, and while Yan was able to fend them off, Sterling was able to get a kimura on tight and Yan was forced to tap out with just eleven seconds left in the round.

 

Sterling had not only secured the submission but he’d scored a major victory and virtually assured himself the spot as the next challenger for the bantamweight championship.

 

Result: Aljamain 'Funk Master' Sterling beat Petr 'No Mercy' Yan by Submission (kimura) in 4:49 of Round 1

 

J1R7ynM.jpgjd3Ws5b.jpguLrIGMO.jpg

 

UFC Bantamweight Champion: Henry Cejudo © (15-2) vs. Dominic Cruz (22-2) for the UFC Bantamweight Championship

 

The first round opened with Cejudo immediately going for a takedown, but Cruz anticipated the move and sprawled, blocking the attempt. After taking a punch to the ribs, Cejudo began throwing feints and moving around, perhaps attempting to lure Cruz into throwing a wild strike that he could counter with a takedown, but Cruz refused to take the bait. Cruz landed a nice punch that opened up a gash under the eye of Cejudo, who became more aggressive in his attempts take the initiative and force the opening for a takedown. Cejudo was eventually able to get the takedown, but he left himself open to a guillotine choke, Cruz’s favourite hold; Cejudo pulled free of the grip of Cruz and ended up in the guard, although, for the rest of the round, he did little more than keep Cruz smothered against the mat.

 

In the second round, quickly Cejudo tried to take Cruz down but Cruz was ready for it and was able to thwart the attempt, showing that his training for this fight had clearly been focused on defending against takedowns. Cruz combined that with a high strike output, though not necessarily power punches, to keep Cejudo both off-balance and at bay, and this strategy appear to be frustrating the champion; Cejudo kept trying to grapple but Cruz’s strategy was shutting him down. Cejudo managed to get a takedown late on; again, Cruz countered with a guillotine, but again Cejudo was able break free.

 

The third round saw Cejudo again trying to take Cruz down, and, eventually, he was able to take the challenger down. Yet he once more was left open to a guillotine attempt, although Cejudo was able to pull his head free. Cejudo was patient as he tried to figure out his next move, but Cruz was able to play a great defensive game, and, with activity eventually slowing down, the referee ordered the fighters back to their feet with just under a minute to go in the round. Cejudo pressed forward for another takedown attempt, but Cruz was too quick with the counterpunches and he kept Cejudo at bay.

 

In the fourth round, it was Cruz who became the aggressor, throwing a lot of punches and a few kicks, most of which landed, giving Cejudo trouble. The champion eventually managed to get a hold of Cruz, although he only managed to force him back against the fence. Despite Cejudo’s best efforts, he couldn’t do much with Cruz from this position, the challenger expertly using the fence to his advantage, and the action eventually slowed down enough for the referee to order a separation. With time winding done, Cejudo again went for the grapple, but Cruz was just too sharp, and as the round ended, it was not looking good for the champion.

 

Perhaps flustered and resorting to instinct, Cejudo went back to his grappling efforts, and, after some initial resistance, Cejudo managed to catch the leg of Cruz off a kick and take him down to the mat. As was the case earlier in the fight, Cejudo had to defend against a guillotine attempt as he took Cruz down. Cruz kept trying to get double underhooks on Cejudo but the champion was able to defend against them and responded with a series of punches to the body of his opponent. Late on, the action slowed down to where the referee ordered a stand-up, and there was little time left for anything else to happen, and the rounded ended to modest applause and it seemed like a title change was on the cards.

 

Indeed, when the decision was announced, it was Cruz who came out as the winner, earning a comfortable victory with scores of 49-46, 50-45 and 49-46, and reclaiming his spot as UFC Bantamweight Champion.

 

Result: Dominick Cruz beat Henry 'The Messenger' Cejudo by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 50-45 and 49-46) to win the UFC Bantamweight Championship

 

Post-Fight Bonuses

 

Fight of the Night: Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis

Performance of the Night: Casey Kenney

Knockout of the Night: Sam Alvey

Submission of the Night: Aljamain Sterling

 

Predictions

 

CageRage: (8/16)

CageRage (Overall): (27/48)

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<p>Bellator 241 results; and a pair of dirty cheats have been caught</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>Saturday of Week 1 of May 2020</em></p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="LwV6mTu.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/LwV6mTu.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<em>Sunday of Week 1 of May 2020</em></p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="oedMTnF.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/oedMTnF.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="VE7RDIU.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/VE7RDIU.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="Z95lF65.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Z95lF65.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="gBnxdo8.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/gBnxdo8.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

Sarah, I'm very disappointed in you.</p></div><p></p><p></p>

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<p>Clay Guida pulled from UFC Fight Night 172</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="UtIYShY.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/UtIYShY.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-size:18px;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Clay Guida pulled from UFC Fight Night 172</span></strong></span></p><p> </p><p>

<em>Friday of Week 2 of May 2020</em></p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="zJOVkKa.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/zJOVkKa.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

UFC Fight Night 172 has lost one of the fights that had been scheduled to take place on the preliminary card.</p><p> </p><p>

At the weigh-ins tonight, it was announced that Clay Guida had suffered a minor pectoral injury and is out of his fight against James Vick. Due to the timing of the injury, there was no chance of finding a replacement for Guida, and so Vick has also been removed from the card. There is no word on whether or not the fight will be rescheduled for a later date.</p><p> </p><p>

Everyone on the card made weight, and there were no other issues to note.</p></div><p></p><p></p>

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<p>UFC Fight Night 172: Anderson vs. Shogun II</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="vsaa7XB.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/vsaa7XB.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-size:24px;"><strong><span style="color:#2F4F4F;">UFC Fight Night 172: Anderson vs. Shogun II</span></strong></span></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Date</strong> Saturday of Week 2 of May 2020 <strong>Location:</strong> Utah</p><p>

<strong>Attendance:</strong> 3,298 <strong>Gate:</strong> $472,263</p><p>

<strong>Critical Rating:</strong> 75% <strong>Commercial Rating:</strong> 74%</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Commentary Team:</strong> Jon Anik, Dan Hardy and Brendan Fitzgerald</p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-size:18px;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Preliminary Card</span></strong></span></p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="smVvc8p.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/smVvc8p.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="z6RD2nG.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/z6RD2nG.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Women’s Strawweight:</strong></span> Nadia Kassem <em>(5-2)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Tina Lahdemaki <em>(5-1)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">Nadia Kassem put in a strong performance here, walking down Lahdemaki and dominating the action for the majority of the contest, utilizing footwork and cage control. It wasn’t until the third round that Lahdemaki even got into the fight, taking Kassem down right away and controlling her for most of the round. And whilst it won her the round, it wasn’t enough to win her the fight and Kassem got the unanimous decision victory.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> Nadia '187' Kassem <strong><em>beat</em></strong> Tina 'Jelly Bean' Lahdemaki <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by Unanimous Decision </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)</em></strong></span></p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="eMa4oKk.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/eMa4oKk.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="5tqAGEl.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/5tqAGEl.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Welterweight:</strong></span> Li Jinglang <em>(17-6)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> James Krause <em>(27-8)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">This was a great fight, all-action, all stand-up. Krause and Li exchanged a number of good shots, a lot of them landing hard. It was a very competitive fight while it lasted, with Li slightly edging ahead of Krause in the first round. The second round seemed to be starting out in the same vein as the first when Krause landed a right high kick that had Li covering up; Krause pressed his advantage and delivered a powerful right hook that had Li barely able to stand and it was clear the cage was the only thing keeping him upright.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">

Krause landed a powerful uppercut and then a big right hand that had Li’s neck snapping back, and Mario Yamasaki finally decided Li had taken enough punishment and the referee casually stepped in to stop the fight.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> 'The' James Krause <strong><em>beat</em></strong> Jingliang 'The Leech' Li <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by TKO </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(strikes)</em></strong></span> in 0:34 of Round 2 </p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Flyweight:</strong></span> Alex Caceras <em>(15-12, 1NC)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Doo Ho Choi <em>(14-4)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">This was decent although not quite the type of fight that most people might have expected it to be, as it ended up being mostly a battle for clinch control and grappling, one that Choi dominated. Caceres had no success until almost the end of the third round, but, by that time, Choi had done more than enough to comfortably take the victory.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> 'The Korean Super Boy' Doo Ho Choi <strong><em>beat</em></strong> Alex 'Bruce Leeroy' Caceres <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by Unanimous Decision </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)</em></strong></span> </p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="WTMNSqx.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/WTMNSqx.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="77oVUtv.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/77oVUtv.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Bantamweight:</strong></span> Enrique Briones <em>(16-7-1)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Nathaniel Wood <em>(16-4)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">This fight was a totally one-sided affair, with Wood walking right through Briones, making light work of what little resistance Briones was able to put up before tapping him out with a rear naked choke.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> Nathaniel 'The Prospect' Wood <strong><em>beat</em></strong> 'Henry Bure' Enrique Briones <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by Submission </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(rear naked choke)</em></strong></span> in 2:23 of Round 1 </p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="UcEGQff.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/UcEGQff.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="cgqJYXC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cgqJYXC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Flyweight:</strong></span> Jordan Espinosa <em>(14-7, 1NC)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Jussier da Silva <em>(23-7)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">The first round saw Formiga dominate Espinosa in the stand-up, with Formiga making good use of the Muay Thai clinch. In the second round, Espinosa took Formiga down early, but he couldn’t do anything with his control, and, when the fight was stood back up, Formiga dropped Espinosa with a superb right kick to the head, although Formiga may have paid a price in the resultant follow up because he appeared to hurt his hand. The third round was almost all clinching, with Formiga once again able to employ the Muay Thai clinch to great effect.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> Jussier 'Formiga' da Silva <strong><em>beat</em></strong> Jordan Espinosa <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by Unanimous Decision </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)</em></strong></span></p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="c73iFZW.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/c73iFZW.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="wnlmTKT.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/wnlmTKT.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Middleweight:</strong></span> Omari Akhmedov <em>(20-4-1)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Gerald Meerschaert <em>(31-12)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">This was a solid fight that was fine but not really outstanding. It was a close contest, with both men looking good at various points but neither one outshining the other, so it wasn’t a shock that, when it went to the judges, we got a split-decision, and Gerald Meerschaert was the fortunate one and got the nod.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> 'GM3' Gerald Meerschaert <strong><em>beat</em></strong> Omari Akhmedov <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by Split-Decision </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(29-28, 30-27 and 28-29)</em></strong></span> </p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="GW02uvL.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/GW02uvL.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="0Z4q7oW.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/0Z4q7oW.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Light Heavyweight:</strong></span> Gadzhimurad Antigulov <em>(20-6)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Johnny Walker <em>(17-5)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">Johnny Walker went into this fight looking to once more find his footing in the light heavyweight division, having recently gone from looking less like a potential title challenger and more like a flash-in-the-pan. Walker succeeded for the most part, using his precision striking to deliver enough damage to take decision, but there were still areas, in the conditioning or weight-cutting department, where Walker still had room to improve, because was looking exhausted when the fight was over.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> Johnny Walker <strong><em>beat</em></strong> Gadzhimurad 'Highlander' Antigulov <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by Unanimous Decision </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)</em></strong></span> </p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="VvrVgfM.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/VvrVgfM.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="AqoaIah.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/AqoaIah.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Heavyweight:</strong></span> Marcus Rogerio de Lima <em>(17-6-1)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Sergey Pavlovich <em>(14-1)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">While he couldn’t get the finish off an early head kick that rocked his opponent, victory did eventually come to Sergey Pavlovich, with an uppercut dropping de Lima late in the first round and some massive right hands finishing the job and getting the stoppage.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> Sergey Pavlovich <strong><em>beat</em></strong> Marcos 'Pezao' Rogerio de Lima <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by TKO </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(strikes)</em></strong></span> in 3:44 of Round 1</p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="gUZhtI9.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/gUZhtI9.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="6Zn33Yt.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/6Zn33Yt.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Heavyweight:</strong></span> Juan Espino <em>(9-1)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Jair Rozenstruik <em>(10-0)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">The heavy-hitting freight train that is Jair Rozenstruik found itself derailed in this upset, with Juan Espino taking him down early and almost thwarting all of Rozenstruik’s efforts to escape before locking on a kimura and getting the submission.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">

In his post-fight interview, Espino acknowledged his underdog status and said that it motivated him a great deal in this fight as he looked to prove the oddsmakers wrong.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> Juan 'El Guapo' Espino <strong><em>beat</em></strong> Jair 'Bigi Boy' Rozenstruik <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by Submission </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(kimura)</em></strong></span> in 3:18 of Round 1 </p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-size:18px;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Main Card</span></strong></span></p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="ExwrJ11.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ExwrJ11.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="IYFzV5o.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IYFzV5o.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Featherweight:</strong></span> Shane Burgos <em>(13-1)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Josh Emmet <em>(15-2)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">Josh Emmett came into this fight with a significant size advantage, a testament to his ability to cut weight, but size doesn’t give you the ability to take a punch, or, in this case, a kick. A right head kick just past the two minute mark resulted in Emmett doing the proverbial ‘chicken dance’ and a big right hand put him down. Burgos pounced on his opportunity and unloading a powerful series of right hands and the referee was forced to step in and call this fight off just fifteen seconds later.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">

In his post-fight interview, Shane Burgos wasted no time in trying to line up his next fight as he issued a challenge to Zabit Magomedsharipov.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> 'Hurricane' Shane Burgos <strong><em>beat</em></strong> Josh Emmett <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by TKO </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(strikes)</em></strong></span> in 2:13 of Round 1</p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="ewr6KtQ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ewr6KtQ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="XRdGKTG.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/XRdGKTG.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Heavyweight:</strong></span> Augusto Sakai <em>(14-1-1)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Alexander Volkov <em>(31-7)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">Volkov dropped Sakai early in the first round with a powerful headkick, and while he couldn’t get the finish with the follow up, Volkov was able to take side-control when Sakai tried to sweep him. From there, Volkov was able to take the back of Sakai off an attempt to take mount. Sakai was able to shrug Volkov off though, but it was the only success of any kind Sakai had in the round.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">

Volkov went into the second round relaxed and confident, and maintained a constant pace. And when Volkov decided to press the action, it forced a mistake from Sakai who missed a right cross and left himself open to right high kick that had Sakai out on his feet, with a right hook finishing the job and Saki was out before he even hit the ground.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> Alexander 'Drago' Volkov <strong><em>beat</em></strong> Augusto Sakai <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by Knockout </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(punch)</em></strong></span> in 3:28 of Round 2</p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="8DTf8ZG.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/8DTf8ZG.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="WcroSMm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/WcroSMm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Flyweight:</strong></span> Rogério Bontorin <em>(16-2)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Kai Kara-France <em>(21-8, 1NC)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">This fight was great, with Kai Kara-France putting in a real showcase performance. Kara-France was constantly pressing forward and taking the fight to Bontorin, and he was able to effectively deal with whatever Bontorin was able to throw at him. Late in the second round, a crunching right hook from Kara-France had Bontorin reeling, and a right uppercut dropped him. Kara-France destroyed Bontorin with punches, and, at literally the lasts second, the referee halted the fight and Kara-France had won by TKO.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">

In his post-fight interview, Kara-France didn’t hesitate to give a name when asked who he wanted to fight next, with Kara-France saying that Joseph Benavidez was the man he wanted to next step foot into the cage with.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> Kai 'Don't Blink' Kara-France <strong><em>beat</em></strong> Rogerio Bontorin <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by Knockout </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(punch)</em></strong></span> in 4:59 of Round 2 </p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="5usmk7M.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/5usmk7M.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="tJ9caCS.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tJ9caCS.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Bantamweight:</strong></span> Cody Garbrandt <em>(11-3)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Jimmie Rivera <em>(22-4)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">Cody Garbrandt set the tone of the fight when he overtly refused to touch gloves; clearly, his mind was on fighting rather than showing sportsmanship. The fight itself was a good one, fairly fast and furious, with plenty of punches thrown and no attempt made to take the fight to the ground. Three minutes in, an exchange of punches saw Cody miss a jab but land the follow up right cross and Rivera was dropped. A series of right hands soon followed and the referee had no option but to stop the fight, giving Garbrandt the win and halting his losing streak.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">

Fired up by his win, Garbrandt used his post-fight interview to challenge Pedro Munhoz, Garbrandt determined to avenge the loss he suffered to Munoz in their previous encounter.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> Cody 'No Love' Garbrandt <strong><em>beat</em></strong> Jimmie 'El Terror' Rivera <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by TKO </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(strikes)</em></strong></span> in 3:32 of Round 1</p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="4dDAbDC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/4dDAbDC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="vztY1pz.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/vztY1pz.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Lightweight:</strong></span> Paul Felder <em>(17-5)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Kevin Lee <em>(18-6)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">This was a good fight, although not always one for the casual. Part way into the first round, after an exchange of strikes that saw neither fight gain an advantage, Lee shot in for a takedown and got Felder down to the mat. Lee tried to pass the guard of Felder but could only get to half-guard, where, for he remained for almost two minutes as Felder completely neutralized his efforts to both improve his position and deliver damage. Lee did eventually manage to get into side-control, and Felder was forced to fend off repeated submission attempts for the rest of the round.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">

In the second round, Lee went for the takedown early, having had success with the tactic in the first round, and he was able to get the fight to the mat. This time, Lee was able to get into side-control a little quicker, although it still took a lot of effort as Felder made Lee work hard to succeed. Lee landed a knee to the ribs of Felder, and the reaction of Felder gave Lee the chance to grab the arm of Felder and work for a kimura; Lee got his grip nice and tight, cranked hard, and got the tap out.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> 'The Motown Phenom' Kevin Lee <strong><em>beat</em></strong> 'The Irish Dragon' Paul Felder <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by Submission </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(kimura)</em></strong></span> in 2:57 of Round 2 </p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="1QtjinT.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1QtjinT.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="rMqtFo7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rMqtFo7.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Light Heavyweight:</strong></span> Corey Anderson <em>(13-5)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Mauricio Rua <em>(26-11-1)</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">As soon as the fight started, Anderson went for a takedown, perhaps remembering how Chael Sonnen had dealt with Rua when Sonnen had taken him on in the first UFC headliner on FSN 1. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">

Anderson began peppering Rua with some short punches, and the PRIDE legend immediately responded with a series of submission attempts, Rua going for triangle and armabrs. Anderson was able to defend against them, but he couldn’t do much else and he ended up simply smothering Rua against the mat. This led to a lull in activity, and the referee ordered the fighters back to their feet. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">

Rua tried to bait Anderson into a striking exchange, but Anderson wasn’t having any of it, so Rua forced the issue, landing a few good strikes but, when he tried a head kick, Anderson was ready for it and he caught the foot of Rua and took him to the mat as round came to an end.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:'Palatino Linotype';">

The second round saw both fighters standing and trading, Rua finally able to get the striking battle that he was after. Rua started to get the better of the exchanges, so Anderson shot in for another takedown and got it. Anderson was careful to keep Rua close and tight, mindful of ‘Shogun’s’ submission game. But Rua only needed that one opening, no matter how small, and Rua managed to grab the arm of Anderson and spin around and throw his legs up to lock in a tight armbar; Anderson was forced to tap out right away, and the legend had once more turned back Father Time.</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>Result:</em></span></strong></span></span> Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua <strong><em>beat</em></strong> Corey 'Overtime' Anderson <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by Submission </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(armbar)</em></strong></span> in 3:03 of Round 2 </p><p> </p><p>

<strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Post-Fight Bonuses</span></strong> </p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Fight of the Night:</strong> Shane Burgos <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Josh Emmet</p><p>

<strong>Performance of the Night:</strong> Juan Epsino</p><p>

<strong>Knockout of the Night:</strong> Kai Kara-France</p><p>

<strong>Submission of the Night:</strong> Mauricio Rua</p><p> </p><p>

<strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Predictions</span></strong></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>CageRage:</strong> (8/15)</p><p>

<strong>CageRage (Overall):</strong> (35/63)</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>mattu29:</strong> (10/15)</p><p>

<strong>mattu29 (Overall):</strong> (19/31)</p></div><p></p><p></p>

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<p>PFL and Invicta FC results</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>Saturday of Week 2 of May 2020</em></p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="cnZ7eeI.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cnZ7eeI.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="GgWlfPX.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/GgWlfPX.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p>

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