- Anthony Smith(205.5) vs. Ryan Spann (206)
- Devin Clark(206) vs. Ion Cutelaba (205)
- Mandy Bohm(125.5) vs. Ariane Lipski (126)
- Christos Giagos(155.5) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (155.5)
- Tony Gravely(135.5) vs. Nathan Maness (135)
- AntonioArroyo (186) vs. Joaquin Buckley (184.5)
- TafonNchukwi (204.5) vs. Mike Rodriguez (202)
- PannieKianzad (136) vs. Raquel Pennington (135.5)
- Zhu Rong(158)* vs. Brandon Jenkins (155.5)
- J.P. Buys (136)vs. Montel Jackson (136)
- Sarah Alpar(126) vs. Erin Blanchfield (125)
- Carlston Harris(170) vs. Impa Kasanganay (170.5)
- HeiliAlateng (136) vs. Gustavo Lopez (135)
- Hannah Goldy(125) vs. Emily Whitmire (125)
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HannahGoldy (125) vs. EmilyWhitmire (125)
Round 1
After a week to catch our collective breaths, the UFC is back witha marathon of combat. A what? A marathon. The what? Amarathon. Fourteen fights are on the dockettonight, so without further ado, we begin in the flyweight divisionwith a match between two women in dire need of a win. Both Whitmire(4-4, 2-3 UFC) and Goldy (5-2, 0-2 UFC) have lost their last twoconvincingly, so something’s gotta give and one should get back onthe winning track. The first referee of the evening is ChrisTognoni, and with no touch of gloves, it’s on with the show!Whitmire advances to take the center of the cage, and both land legkicks one after the other. When Goldy lands one, Whitmire respondsin kind, and she sneaks up a head kick that just misses. Whitmirebacks off with a one-two, and as she retreats, Goldy presses herinto the cage and tries to throw her to the ground. Whitmirecounters with a trip to throw her opponent on her back, where Goldygets stacked up when on her back before she kicks Whitmire off ofher. Whitmire tries to climb into her foe’s guard, avoiding theupkick and an armbar setup to find a place to attack. “24K” bucksher off at the right moment, where she pops back to her feet andthe two clinch up. Whitmire is quick to throw her right back downto the canvas, where she slides down into guard so she can land afew strikes from above. She looks to pass to half guard, succeedingas Goldy turns her back to try to stop it. Whitmire pulls her backdown to the mat so that she can do some damage, but Goldy protectsherself well. Goldy gets to her knees, and in an instant, Whitmirecircles around and takes her back to set up a rear-naked choke.Goldy is able to stop it and twist around to her back, where shepushes Whitmire away with upkicks. “Spitfire” leaps forward intothe guard, evading the foot that zooms past her face, but she landsright into a dangerous position. Goldy immediately puts her legs up to snag anarmbar, and Whitmire defends well until Goldy isolates an arm andcranks on it. Whitmire tries to stand up and free herself from theprecarious place, but her elbow extends to the point of no return.Whitmire yells out to verbally submit, and Tognoni is quick tointervene before Whitmire’s arm gets torqued too far. An emotionalGoldy lets loose a guttural scream, a few tears and someDMX-inspired barking for good measure as she celebrates the firstwin of her UFC career.
The Official Result
Hannah Goldy def. Emily Whitmire R1 4:17 via Submission(Armbar)
HeiliAlateng (136) vs. GustavoLopez (135)
Round 1
Moving right along to the bantamweight division, Lopez (12-6, 1-2UFC) will try to lift his UFC record to .500 at the expense ofAlateng (14-8-1, 2-1 UFC) – and should the former win, he will dropAlateng’s Octagon record to that .500 mark. Referee Keith Petersonis in charge of the action for this 135-pound tilt, and nonsensehas been successfully ejected from the premises. A glove touchprecedes the action, and Lopez grins from ear to ear as he takesthe center of the cage. Alateng loads up on several looping shots,and Lopez dances out of the way. Lopez winds up with one of hisown, and they clash together and are too close to land theirstrikes. They clinch up for a moment, before Lopez pushes off andlooks to set up an angle to attack. The American circles aroundfrom the outside, dodging and weaving single strikes while notthrowing much of his own. Lopez walks face-first into a huge righthand, but he is ready to brawl, and both men swing for the fencesand clock the other. They both absorb punch after punch flush onthe chin without budging, until Lopez backs away to take a breathand land a slapping calf kick. Alateng continues to load up onright hands as Lopez dances around the outside, and he clipsAlateng coming in with a left hook. They crack one another, andAlateng bites down on his mouthpiece to charge ahead and attackwith haymakers. Alateng calms himself down with wild strikes toconnect with a straight one-two, but he abandons that quickly to goback to throwing hammers. Lopez meets him with a left hand, andAlateng does not even notice the blow landed. Alateng stalks himdown, and he gets off a right hand that opens a cut on the cornerof Lopez’ left eye, and Lopez smiles as he notices the blood. Theyfeint and fake towards one another, both respecting the other’spower, but not afraid to engage as they crash together and nearlybang their heads into one another. Alateng steps back so that hecan race ahead with a flying knee, and Lopez watches him fly pasthim. The round ends with a tense exchange.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 LopezBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 LopezBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Alateng
Round 2
The bantamweights come out with a glove touch, and Lopez dartsforward but gets his lead leg kicked hard. Lopez tries to returnthe favor, and Alateng is out of the way in time. Lopez keepsmoving on the outside, drifting left and right as he avoids thepunches that come his way. When Alateng loads up on a punch, Lopezkicks low and sends Alateng staggering away. Lopez connects withanother heavy calf kick, and Alateng recoils his leg as it alreadyappears to be bothering him. The fighter from China lands a heavyright hand, and Lopez shakes it off to score a calf kick. Lopezsits down on a pair of right hooks that fluster Alateng for amoment, but Alateng gathers his thoughts to send a right handstraight across the forward bow. Alateng stands his foe up with aright and then a left, and he charges ahead with a right hand thatsends Lopez rebounding off the cage wall. Lopez escapes before hisfoe can follow up, and he scores a thudding calf kick that Alatengcan do nothing but absorb cleanly. Lopez sticks out a left hand andtries to check a leg kick coming his direction, and he suddenlyleaps forward with a right hand and a takedown attempt. AlthoughAlateng hits the ground for a second, he sprawls and springs backto his feet. Lopez interrupts an advancing Alateng with a powerfulkick to the calf, but Alateng grits through it and puts two punchestogether. Lopez continues to chip away at the leg while Alatengswipes at him, and the round ends with them staring across the cageat one another.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 AlatengBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 AlatengBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Lopez
Round 3
There is a final glove touch to check in the last round, andAlateng begins snapping out several jabs that hit nothing but air.Lopez absorbs a left hand to the body and dodges a right hand overthe top, and Alateng tries to push the pace and gets countered witha right hand. A stalemate ensues as they try to wait for a mistake,as they toss out single kicks at one another from afar. Lopezswipes out with a trio of left hands, and Alateng dodges them andtags Lopez on that damaged eye. Alateng fires off a left hook thatglances off the chin and may have hurt Lopez, but he does notfollow it up with anything. Lopez takes a deep breath, and heappears to have awakened, as he charges ahead recklessly with aswarm of punches. He smashes Alateng on the chin several times towobble his foe, and he ends a lengthy combination with a takedown.Alateng gets back up, grabs the fence and has his hand slappedaway. Lopez tries to continue the takedown even as Alateng grabsthe fence again and again, and Peterson loudly warns him to stopholding the cage. After a blatant snag where he stops a takedown,Peterson pauses the fight and deducts a point from Alateng forrepeated fence grabs. When the action resumes, put right back inthe same position where they left off, Alateng gets away with onemore grab of the fencing. Lopez bullies him to the ground andstarts pounding on him, and the damage begins to mount as Petersontakes a close eye on the proceedings. Alateng manages to get backup to his feet after toughing out a rough sequence, and he reversesthe position to put Lopez on his back. Lopez welcomes this, as hegrabs hold of the neck and squeezes with a suddenly tightguillotine choke. As Alateng twists and turns, he pops his neckout, and Lopez kicks off. One final wild exchange ensues, andAlateng hits his opponent so hard that Lopez goes spinning aroundto bounce off the cage wall. Lopez survives to the bell, and thejudges will certainly have their hands full with this one. A drawwould not be out of the question here.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Lopez (29-27 Lopez)Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-8 Lopez (29-27 Lopez)Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Lopez (29-27 Lopez)
The Official Result
Gustavo Lopez vs. Heili Alateng is ruled a Unanimous Draw (28-28,28-28, 28-28)
CarlstonHarris (170) vs. ImpaKasanganay (170.5)
Round 1
Drifting up to the welterweight division, two men with impressivesubmission victories in their last outings come to blows whenKasanganay (9-1, 2-1 UFC) meets Harris (16-4, 1-0 UFC). Neither manhas ever been tapped out before, so will tonight be the first? Likereferee Mark Smith, we will find out soon. The gloves are nottouched, as both men instead take a stride on the edge of the cage.Harris is the first to engage, waltzing forward to lob a wide righthand. Kasanganay dodges and moves away, but Harris is intent onclosing the distance with it as he punches his way into a clinch.When Kasanganay is able to escape, Harris just misses with a righthand on the break. “Mocambique” slaps away a punch to score aheavier one of his own, and he fires off a head kick. They bothexchange with huge punches, and Harris appears stunned but keeps astiff upper lip to not let his opponent know he may be hurt. Theybite down on their mouthpieces and throw for the fences, withlittle interest in defense as they both go for a home run shot.Harris backs off with a leg kick, and he blocks a punch with anelbow so that he can swing a left hand. Harris swats at his manwith a right hand over the top, and he digs his shin intoKasanganay’s liver. Both men blast the other with massive punches,and it is Harris that gets the better of the exchange as Kasanganaystaggers back. Harris follows him and smashes him in the face witha left hand that sends Kasanganay careening to the ground.Kasanganay rolls over and gets to his knees, but Harris is on himin a hurry as he tries to finish the job. As the Guyanan pounds onhis foe with strike after unanswered strike, one or two may land tothe back of the head, but enough mount until Smith steps in to calla halt to the fight. Kasanganay stands back up and protests thestoppage, but there is nothing more he can do as the fight isover.
The Official Result
Carlston Harris def. Impa Kasanganay R1 2:38 via TKO(Punches)
Sarah Alpar(126) vs. ErinBlanchfield (125)
Round 1
Someone in this next bout will earn their first UFC win – barringan unusual outcome – when Invicta FC vet Blanchfield (6-1, 0-0 UFC)makes her debut against “Too Sweet” Alpar (9-5, 0-1 UFC). Theflyweights will draw officiating from referee Chris Tognoni, andthey have no interesting in touching gloves as they want to getdown to business straight away. Both women throw punches in bunchesin the early going, with Alpar charging in recklessly as she throwshands and a leg kick. Alpar turns her forward momentum into atakedown try, but Blanchfield stuffs it and boots her in thestomach. Blanchfield connects with several straight punches,snapping Alpar’s head back repeatedly as Alpar tries to recoveragainst the wall. Blanchfield sneaks up an elbow that clips Alparon the side of the head, and she pours it on before Alpar grabshold of her to clinch up. Blanchfield strings together multipleshort combinations together that practically land one after theother without any defense stopping them. Blanchfield breaks up thepunches with a big body kick, and Alpar fires back with a righthand to get Blanchfield to back away and reset. She sticks her lefthand into Blanchfield’s face, but Blanchfield advances andcontinues to drill Alpar in the face with punches. When they closein, Blanchfield elbows her in the chops for good measure.Blanchfield ties her up and pursues a takedown try, but Alpar’sstrength allows her to stay upright and turn her opponent about.Blanchfield trips her adversary’s legs out from beneath her so thatshe lands on top in side control in a hurry. Blanchfield uses heavyshoulder pressure to keep Alpar from bucking her off, and she worksher way over to three-quarter mount. Blanchfield slashes down withelbows from this dominant position, and she switches it up topunches as she claims full mount. Alpar turns over, and Blanchfieldstarts blasting her with punches and elbows from above. Alpar isable to get half guard back as she takes blows to the face, soBlanchfield opts to strike the midsection instead. Alpar holds onfor dear life to keep “Cold Blooded” tight and stop the damage.Blanchfield sits up and drills Alpar with a few punches, beforeAlpar kicks off. Blanchfield scores several kicks to Alpar’s legswhile Alpar is flat on her back, and the round ends.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 BlanchfieldBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 BlanchfieldBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Blanchfield
Round 2
Blanchfield comes out of her corner with a head kick, and Alparswats at her with punches but Blanchfield walks through them toland a leg kick and a heavy combination. Blanchfield scores a frontkick to the body and just misses with a superman punch, but sheregains her footing and starts to peck away at her opponent withjabs. Blanchfield checks a kick and continues to land punches onthe chin, and she mixes them up with a few head kicks to keep Alparguessing. “Too Sweet” gets off a sweet left hand that backsBlanchfield off, but only for a moment, before Blanchfield pressforward, lands a few punches and hits a takedown. Alpar falls toher seat with her back against the fence, and Blanchfield tries toslide around and take her back as she gets a single hook in.Blanchfield uses the odd position to knee Alpar in the ribsrepeatedly, and Tognoni warns her to avoid the spine. Blanchfieldslips her left arm around the chin as she sets up a rear-nakedchoke, and when that falls short, she strings together a long salvoof left hands. Blanchfield continues to pound on Alpar with thesepunches, and gets off another stinging knee to the side. “ColdBlooded” shows no mercy as she keeps on working ground-and-pound,and she bowls Alpar over to land more strikes. Blanchfield is ableto land in half guard when she drags Alpar out away from the cagewall, and Alpar hangs on fight. Blanchfield grinds her elbow on theneck and face of her opponent as she makes Alpar’s life miserable,but her striking pace wanes as she tries to gain an advantageousposition instead of deal damage. Blanchfield gets back to thethree-quarter mount position, and she rains down blows until thebell sounds.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 BlanchfieldBen Duffy scores the round: 10-8 BlanchfieldBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Blanchfield
Round 3
Despite likely being way down on the scorecards, Alpar is amped upand ready to fight in the third round. She reaches out with severalright hands, and alternates rights to the head with lefts to thebody. Blanchfield pounds her opponent’s body with a kick, and sherings Alpar up with punches. Alpar absorbs a leg kick and severalpunches as she backs up into the fence, and her own leg kickscannot get Blanchfield off of her. Instead, Blanchfield wadesforward into the melee and drills Alpar in the body with a knee.Blanchfield tries to drag Alpar down, but is content to work frominside the clinch. A break allows Alpar to blast Blanchfield in theface with a knee, surprising Blanchfield and making her take amoment to back off and gather her thoughts. Alpar appears energizedfrom this, as she lands several punches and a few kicks for goodmeasure. Blanchfield kicks the body, punches her way into closerange and hits a body lock takedown to put Alpar flat on her back.“Cold Blooded” goes from half guard to side control without mucheffort, and Alpar spins and gets to her knees. Blanchfield fishesfor a front choke when Alpar is kneeled down, but there is nothingthere as Alpar sits up. Blanchfield climbs on to try to slidearound to a back take, and she puts Alpar flat back down as shelands punches. Blanchfield sits up with about a minute to go toopen up with punches, and Alpar survives and pulls her opponentback to half guard. Blanchfield pushes the legs off so that she canget back to side control on the other side, and Alpar is quick topush her feet off the cage. Blanchfield does not let her off thehook, squeezing down with an odd angled arm-triangle choke as Alpartwists and turns. With seconds to go, Blanchfield gains mount onelast time and rains down punches, and Tognoni tells Alpar to fightback. She does just enough to survive to the final bell, but thiswas one-way traffic for the newcomer practically from beginning toend.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Blanchfield (30-25Blanchfield)Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Blanchfield (30-26Blanchfield)Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Blanchfield (30-26Blanchfield)
The Official Result
Erin Blanchfield def. Sarah Alpar via Unanimous Decision (30-25,30-25, 30-26)
J.P.Buys (136) vs. MontelJackson (136)
Round 1
At bantamweight, Jackson (10-2, 4-2 UFC) will try to hold the lineagainst former flyweight Buys (9-3, 0-1 UFC), with the formerpossessing a massive height and reach advantage over his SouthAfrican foe. Referee Herb Dean will be ready to get in the middleof the action should something go awry, but there is a glove touchto demonstrate that there is no ill will between the two. Buyscomes out quickly but backs off as Jackson walks him down, and Buysthrows out a few punches and a leg kick in rapid succession.Jackson slaps them away and dodges a head kick that soars past hishead, and he easily stuffs a diving takedown try. Jackson lands aheavy blow, and Buys again charges in to pursue a takedown. Jacksonstops the first try, but when Buys redoubles his effort, he uses abody lock to put “Quik” flat on his back. Buys lands in half guard,and he takes full mount. Jackson times the pass to turn to hisknees, and Buys latches on immediately for a rear-naked choke.Jackson fights the hands and frees his neck, but Buys is on him topunish him. Jackson decides to stand up, and doing so drops Buysoff from him. Buys shoots in low for a takedown, and Jackson snagshis neck with a guillotine choke that is cinched up tight. Buysstruggles and scrambles well enough to get away, and as the twojockey for position, Jackson holds on to the back. Both men getback to their feet, and Jackson tags Buys with a right hand.Jackson ducks down just long enough for Buys to jump guard with aguillotine choke of his own, and he uses the choke attempt to takemount until Jackson rolls him over. “Young Savage” rolls for anarmbar from his back, and Jackson punches his way out of the dangerwhile Buys wraps his legs around his head. Buys gives up his backso that he can stand up as they continue to scramble, and Jacksonpressures him down and knees him in the side of the head. Jacksonknees the thigh several times from behind until this furiouslypaced round ends.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 JacksonBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 JacksonBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Buys
Round 2
Before the round begins, Dean sternly warns Buys from grabbing thefence, as he did so in the previous round to stop a takedown try.Jackson walks forward when the second frame begins to kick his manin the body. When Buys tries to clinch up, Jackson grabs the handand blasts his opponent in the face with a few left hands. Thefirst hurts him, and the second sends him crashing to the ground.Jackson climbs on top, but he cannot do anything with it as Buysfights back to his feet. Buys looks to threaten with a kimura, andhe bails on it to jump up for a guillotine choke. Jackson carrieshim across the cage like a sack of potatoes, but he does not slamhim down in a Hughesian fashion. Instead, he use the opposite wallto scrap Buys off from the choke, so that he can put Buys down onthe floor head-first. Jackson lands sporadic ground strikes as henullifies his grappling-friendly foe, and Buys holds on tight sothat few can land. This position provides a stalemate, until Buyspowers back to his feet and gets kneed in the face. Jackson holdsan arm around Buys’ back as he tries to land knees and drag himback down, and Buys furiously squirms like an angry toddler untilhe breaks free. Jackson catches a body kick, and he counters with aright hand out of the Anderson Silva playbook to put Buys down tothe ground. Jackson lets him back up instead of diving down intohis guard, and Buys thanks him with a kick that is not caught. Buyslooks to close the distance, and Jackson uses Buys’ momentumagainst him to trip him down to the mat. Buys defends with heelstrikes to the gluteus maximus and holds on to a kimura from hisback, and when the clapper sounds, Buys shakes his head. The roundends in this position.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 JacksonBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 JacksonBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Jackson
Round 3
The gloves are touched to clock in the last stanza, and Buys beginsthe attack with a front kick up the middle. Jackson answers himwith a stiff one-two, and Buys points to his elbow mockingly andgets clocked with a one-two that sends him flying to the ground.Jackson considers stepping over to the guard to end the fight, butafter a few strikes, he stands back up and lets Buys up. Jacksonclips Buys with another right hand, forcing Buys to clinch up.Jackson tries to get off a knee to the body, but it clatters offthe knee and draws a break. Only 40 seconds pass before Buys isgood to resume, and they miss touching gloves and have to do it asecond time to make it “official.” Jackson sits Buys down with avicious right hand, and he may have set a record for the mostknockdowns in a fight for a bantamweight in the process. Jacksonlets him back up so that he can work him over with strikes, untilBuys grabs on to him and gets pulled to the canvas. The actionstalls out from this position as Buys holds on to guard, and heshifts to butterfly guard before closing it back up. When Buys aimsfor a submission try, Jackson punches himself out of the positionto the body and head. Buys then pulls for a kimura to sweepposition, and Jackson claims that Buys is holding his gloves.Jackson punches the body a few times to soften him up, but Buys isstill locked on to that kimura from his back. Jackson uses his kneeto disallow Buys from advancing the two-on-one wrist lock to adangerous place, and the fight comes to an end.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Jackson (30-27 Jackson)Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Jackson (30-27 Jackson)Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Jackson (29-28 Jackson)
The Official Result
Montel Jackson def. J.P. Buys via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27,30-27)
ZhuRong (158)* vs. BrandonJenkins (155.5)
Round 1
On extremely short notice, 21-year-old Chinese prospect Rong (17-4,0-1 UFC) now finds himself taking on “The Human Highlight Reel”Jenkins (15-7, 0-0 UFC) instead of his previously planned opponentof Dakota “Hairy” Bush. Rong did miss weight for the fight, comingin two pounds heavy, and he apologizes with a glove touch as thetwo come together before referee Chris Tognoni. Right before thefight starts, Tognoni has someone toss a rag in the cage to cleanup a large wet spot. Tognoni boots the rag out of the cage and thefight begins, with Rong attacking first. Rong lands a punch or two,and Jenkins backs off to land several leg kicks. He scores a fewpunches, and a kick bounces off the cup. Rong tells Tognoni he doesnot need a break, and Jenkins apologizes. The fighters trade legkicks, and Jenkins mixes things up entirely with an axe kick. Thelegs continue to get kicked, with this strike the primary mode ofoffense thus far for both men. Jenkins sticks out a few jabs and aleg kick, and Rong responds with a pair of hooks that back Jenkinsoff. “The Human Highlight Reel” looks to emulate recent success byleaping forward with a flying knee, but Rong sees it coming andstops it. The Chinese fighter blasts Jenkins in the face with aright hand, sending him staggering but grinning back to the wall.Jenkins recovers and slaps out several leg kicks, and when onelands, Rong gives him a thumbs-up. Rong walks through jabs to throwa few hooks, and Jenkins spins with a kick. Rong comes in closeenough to avoid the strike, and as soon as Jenkins sets his legsdown, he smokes Jenkins with a right hand. The American falls tothe ground in a daze, and he protects himself from most of thestrikes that come at him while on his back. Rong gets a few elbowsin before Jenkins scrambles back to his feet. Rong takes his backand looks to set a choke up, and he gets away with a fence grab.Jenkins gets pushed over and eats a ferocious right hand from abovethat shakes the cobwebs loose. Jenkins turns around on his seat asRong pounds on him with strikes, and Rong nails him with twostanding-to-ground punches to the body and head. When Jenkinsclimbs back to his feet, Rong greets him with an elbow, and thehorn blares.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 RongBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 RongBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Rong
Round 2
Jenkins nods and offers a glove touch, and Rong obliges and dodgesa jump knee into a spinning kick. Rong counters a strike with twoheavy punches, pressing the newcomer back to the wall. Rong liftsJenkins’ leg in the air to put him down, and Jenkins gets up thanksto a sneaky fence grab. Rong is on him as Jenkins tries to findspace, and he keeps holding tight when Jenkins snags hold of thewall a few more times. When Rong gets him down, Jenkins gets up bypulling on the wire. Rong hits a double to put Jenkins flat on thefloor, and Jenkins closes his guard before looking for somesubmission angle on his back. The 21-year-old ignores any setup sothat he can pound on Jenkins with punches and elbows, and he uses afew strikes to pass guard while keeping Jenkins pressed against thewall. Jenkins kicks off and glances an upkick off the chin, butRong is not concerned as he leans back down into the guard. Jenkinsdoes everything he can from his back to kick off, and the Chinesefighter gloms on to him and takes his back. With one hook in, Ronglooks for a rear-naked choke, and Jenkins gets to a knee whiledefending it only to get pulled right back down. Rong slices overto mount, and as soon as he does, Jenkins kicks off the cage wall.Rong lands several punches to the back of the head as this uncalledfoul-filled fight continues, and Jenkins rolls through it to taketop position miraculously. Rong stands up and gets kneed in theface, and Rong shakes it off and turns around to throw heavypunches and elbows. Tognoni tells Jenkins to defend himself, soJenkins jumps in the air with a flying knee. Both men trade heavypunches, and Jenkins eats two to spin with a back fist right beforethe buzzer.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 RongBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 RongBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Rong
Round 3
There is a glove touch to begin the last round, and Jenkins startswith a few punches to the body and head. He lands a crisp righthand up top, and Rong reels and boots him in the belly. “The HumanHighlight Reel” swings with everything he has left, with low kicksand punches, but Rong is so not concerned about the strikes that helets Jenkins come back to the center of the cage to brawl with him.Rong knocks Jenkins back with a right hand, and he backs away againto let Jenkins back into it. Rong ducks down for a body shot, andJenkins spins with a back fist that makes him fall off-balance. Thefighter from China bowls him over and hops into his guard, butJenkins is quick to scramble and get to his knees and back up. Rongpulls him back down, and he starts working Jenkins on the side ofthe head with punches. A successful no-look elbow from behindsurprises Rong, allowing Jenkins to buck the back control that Rongwas hunting for so that he could try to get back up. Rong pouncesback down, and he grabs the cage to hold Jenkins down as Tognonislaps his hand away. Jenkins stands back up as Rong holds on to hisback, and he gets yanked right back down as he reaches out to anyfence that can keep him up. Rong gets in a hook as he aims for backcontrol, and Jenkins smiles and laughs even while Rong is slugginghim with punches. Rong lands punches and forces a scramble,allowing him to get on top to land punches from above. Rong starts smashing Jenkins with punches, and hestops so that he can shake his finger to his corner. Tognoni tellsJenkins to fight back as Rong wails into him, and Rong rides hisback and punches him with undercuts – that is, uppercuts that gounder the armpit, a la Dan Henderson to Fedor Emelianenko. A fewmore punches from Rong are enough for Tognoni to call it, andJenkins gets to his knees confused about the stoppage. Tognoniexplains that he has taken enough damage, and some might disputewhether a stoppage was merited.
The Official Result
Zhu Rong def. Brandon Jenkins R3 4:35 via TKO (Punches)
PannieKianzad (136) vs. RaquelPennington (135.5)
Round 1
Buried on the prelims is a ranked bantamweight battle between theUFC’s #12 135er in Kianzad (15-5, 4-2 UFC) against ex-titlechallenger Pennington (11-8, 8-5 UFC). The line of this bout goingto decision is high at -340, and the numbers back that up with 27of their combined 39 bouts reaching the scorecards including eachwoman’s last four appearances. Ready for whatever comes is refereeMark Smith, and the two do not touch gloves before throwing down.Pennington darts in with a punch, and Kianzad counters her.Pennington does not like this, so she rushes in to clinch in ahurry. Pennington holds tight as Kianzad looks for separation, andshe turns Pennington around thanks to a stern knee to the body. Thetwo fight for position tightly pressed in the clinch, trading kneeshere and there, until Kianzad suddenly hits a trip and dropsPennington a knee. Kianzad holds on to a seat belt type positionwith an arm around the back, leading Pennington to lift her foe’sleg up. She sets it down when she cannot get Kianzad down, and shedrops low for a takedown try. Kianzad tries to frame off and get afew knees off, and she does this with a left hand and a knee to themidsection. Pennington sets up a Thai plum and belts Kianzad withuppercuts, but Kianzad ignores them as she elbows her opponent.Kianzad gets off a big knee, and Pennington returns fire with thesame blow. Pennington lifts a knee up to stifle body blows, andKianzad considers using it for a takedown but abandons it so thatshe can knee on the other side. Kianzad tees off on Pennington withshort punches, and Pennington turns her around so that she can kneeher back. “Rocky” pursues a single, but she cannot get Kianzaddown. The clinch resumes just as soon as it breaks, and Kianzadknees her adversary in the midsection. The round ends in thistightly wrapped standing position.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 KianzadBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 KianzadBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Kianzad
Round 2
With no gloves touched, Pennington instead springs forward with asuperman punch that dings Kianzad on the chin. Kianzad grabs holdof her and turns her to the wire, where we resume the position thatwe left the previous round. Smith already calls for action after 40seconds, so Kianzad lets it rip with knees on the inside andpunches. Pennington breaks off and reaches out with a left hand,but Kianzad sticks it, moves and counters. Pennington wades backinto the clinch, and Kianzad stings her with an elbow after apause. “Banzai” pushes away and lands a trio of punches, andPennington charges ahead with a few jabs before clinching up again.Pennington does work on the inside with short punches, beforeripping Kianzad’s leg out beneath her and putting the Swede on herback. Kianzad is quick to set up a triangle choke from her back,but Pennington ignores it and pushes the legs away so that she canland punches. Kianzad goes for the triangle again, holding on toPennington’s arms to keep her from throwing. When Pennington stopsthis, Kianzad kicks off, and in the process, she gives up her back.The former title challenger gets her hooks in, but nothing comes ofit. A lull in activity allows Kianzad to scramble, but the womanformerly known as “Sexy Scramble” may have fallen into a trap asPennington follows her every step of the way to wind up on top.Although Kianzad gets up, Pennington keeps her pressed to the cage.A few punches from Kianzad to the body end the round.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 PenningtonBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 PenningtonBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pennington
Round 3
The final frame begins with the two women wanting to trade at adistance. Both land body kicks, and they reach out with jabs.Kianzad spins with a back fist, and Pennington is able to avoid itjust in time. “Rocky” pushes in to tie her Swedish adversary up,and they jockey for position against the wire with dirty boxingtraded between them. Pennington lands a thumping knee to the body,and Kianzad eventually makes her way free from her back on thewall. Pennington follows her with a few punches, and she pushesKianzad into the other side of the fence. The two slash at oneanother with elbows as they remain in close range, and Penningtonducks down with a left hand. She follows it with a one-two thatstaggers Kianzad, and Pennington ignores a standing guillotinechoke setup to mash Kianzad into the fencing. Kianzad frames her upwith an elbow and a few knees, allowing her to get some space.Pennington gives chase, and she leaps ahead with a superman punchso that she can enter clinch position again across the cage.Kianzad knees the body to force a separation, and she steps in witha knee up the middle that Pennington takes flush. “Rocky” gets offa front kick on the chin, and she grabs hold of Kianzad. When shetries to let go to find a better angle, Kianzad hangs on and smacksher a few times. As Pennington goes low with a kick, Kianzadstrings a few punches together. Pennington charges from one side ofthe cage to the other so that she can engage and latch on to herfoe, but Kianzad sees it coming and counters her with a knee. Thewomen go from clinch to fighting in a phone booth, and Penningtonhurts Kianzad with a few right hands. Kianzad stumbles back acrossthe cage, and before Pennington can reach her, the final bellsounds. This was a close one, and it would not be surprising ifeither woman gets her hand raised.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pennington (29-28 Pennington)Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Pennington (29-28 Pennington)Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pennington (29-28Pennington)
The Official Result
Raquel Pennington def. Pannie Kianzad via Unanimous Decision(29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
TafonNchukwi (204.5) vs. MikeRodriguez (202)
Round 1
Put an end to the preliminary card is a light heavyweight bangerwith two brawlers in Rodriguez (11-6, 1 NC; 2-4, 1 NC UFC) andNchukwi (5-1, 1-1 UFC) that both post knockout rates at or above80%. Referee Herb Dean has his eyes peeled for the potentialviolence that is about to ensue in the cage, and the gloves aretouched before they are hurled at one another. Nchukwi reaches outfirst with a right hand, and Rodriguez circles away and tries tostick out a few jabs. Nchukwi loads up on a punch to the body, anda leg kick comes up short as well. “Slow” lances the body with aslow front kick with his toes outstretched, and Nchukwi crashesforward and clinches up to push his foe into the wall. Rodriguezfights back with a few high knees, and Nchukwi starts swinginghammers one after the other with Rodriguez’ back against the wire.Rodriguez tries to defend with a knee up the middle and an elbow,and Nchukwi gives him two elbows right back that stand up straightup. Nchukwi rips a few elbows from very close range as he works onRodriguez in the clinch, getting shots off to the body. Rodriguezis able to get Nchukwi off of him with a knee and a solid righthand, but Nchukwi does not appear flustered by it. “Slow” utilizesa quick jab to decent effect, breaking up the oncoming blows fromthe shorter Cameroonian. Nchukwi muscles his way forward and sweepsRodriguez’ leg out beneath him to put him on his back hard. In halfguard, Nchukwi sits up and hacks with elbows and slams him in theface with punches. The American turns to his knees and avoids mostof the heavier blows, and he works his way back up to his feet onlyto be elevated and tossed back down to the floor. Rodriguez walksup the cage to stand, and Nchukwi grabs hold of him to keep himmashed against the wall in the clinch. Nchukwi elbows him a fewtimes with short but powerful shots, and Rodriguez cannot get spaceto let loose with his longer limbs. Nchukwi sits back so that hecan throw bombs, and he does so to the body and head as Rodriguezwinces but gets some space. As Nchukwi advances, Rodriguez pickshim off with a few punches, and they grab hold of one another rightbefore the bell.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 NchukwiBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 NchukwiBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Nchukwi
Round 2
Gloves are touched by the light heavyweights to resume thefestivities, and Nchukwi strikes first in the form of a low legkick. Rodriguez is ready to get his jab going again, and he keeps asafe range to avoid a pair of strikes that come up short. Nchukwiducks down and tries to throw bombs, but Rodriguez sticks and movesto stay at his preferred distance. Nchukwi steps forward and crackshim with a left hand, and this slows him enough so that Nchukwi canfollow after him and unload to the body. Rodriguez gets off aone-two, and Nchukwi does not even budge. Rodriguez kicks the leadleg as Nchukwi barrels down on him, and Nchukwi decides he can dothat do so he hammers Rodriguez’ leg with a kick. Nchukwi attackswith a salvo of punches until they tie up against the fencing, andboth are taking deep breaths. A pair of short knees to the thighlead to four power punches from Nchukwi, and this forces Rodriguezto act, breaking free of the dangerous clinch. Rodriguez getsjabbed when he chops at the leg, and takes a few glancing blows sothat he can kick at Nchukwi’s leg again. Rodriguez rolls justenough to not take the brunt of a huge left hand, and Rodriguezsticks him with an uppercut up the middle. Enraged, Nchukwi giveschase and bullies Rodriguez back with a barrage of battering blows.In the midst of his combination, Nchukwi scores a spinning backelbow that beans the Beantown native, but Rodriguez stays upright.When Nchukwi tries to punish him on the inside, Rodriguez is ableto circle away just in time. Nchukwi walks him down and throwsheavy hooks, but the speed of these strikes is diminishing,allowing Rodriguez to snap out quicker punches. Nchukwi does notseem concerned when he absorbs strikes to his chin, and insteadloads up with a left hand that could have knocked out a bull moose.Somehow, Rodriguez takes it cleanly and remains upright at thebell.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 NchukwiBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 NchukwiBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Nchukwi
Round 3
Both men meet in the center of the cage and touch hands beforegetting after it. They both land cleanly with heavy strikes, oneafter the other, and Nchukwi’s appear to have more impact asRodriguez gets knocked back when taking them. Rodriguez backs offand pumps out the jab a few times, but Nchukwi bears down on him sothat he can tie him up and jump up with a knee. Rodriguez pusheshim off, and Nchukwi swarms him with wild punches. A right and aleft pound into Rodriguez’ jaw, but the Massachusettsrepresentative has a solid chin as he takes them cleanly. Nchukwipours it on with everything he has, and a few punches hit Rodriguezso hard that his mouth starts bleeding and stays open. Rodriguezdoes not seem concerned, as he reaches out with left hands. Nchukwicrashes in, throws heavy punches, and backs off. When he backs off,Rodriguez peppers him with a few jabs, and one jab stops a loopingpunch. Two massive left hands connect about as cleanly as theycould on the beard of Rodriguez, and Rodriguez continues to takepunishment and fire back. Nchukwi rips the body with a right hand,and Rodriguez counters him with a sharp left hand. He follows thecounter with a front kick and a few punches, but Nchukwi is readyto come back at him with a loud leg kick and a leaping right hook.Nchukwi walks through punches so that he can push into the clinch,and he knees Rodriguez a few times up close. Rodriguez pushes awayfrom Nchukwi’s face, and Nchukwi thanks him for this byuppercutting him. Rodriguez starts to power up, with a one-two, andthen a three-punch combination followed by a knee up the middle.Nchukwi’s non-reaction makes Rodriguez frustrated, who tries tododge power shots so that he can tag Nchukwi with longer, rangiershots. With seconds left in the round, Nchukwi ducks down and hitsa takedown, putting Rodriguez on his back to ride out theround.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Nchukwi (30-27 Nchukwi)Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Nchukwi (30-27 Nchukwi)Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Nchukwi (30-27 Nchukwi)
The Official Result
Tafon Nchukwi def. Mike Rodriguez via Unanimous Decision (30-27,30-27, 30-27)
AntonioArroyo (186) vs. JoaquinBuckley (184.5)
Round 1
The main card opener should begin with a bang, as the UFC puts thewin-or-lose highlight-reel creator Buckley (12-4, 2-2 UFC) againstdurable Brazilian Arroyo (9-4, 0-2 UFC). All of Buckley’s stoppagewins have come by knockout, while Arroyo has never been stoppedwith strikes. On the other hand, Arroyo has recorded his last fewfinishes by submission, and Buckley has never been tapped. Anythingcould happen, and referee Mark Smith has his head on a swivel forthe middleweight action. They do not touch gloves, and Buckley hopsforward and sweeps with a low kick that comes up short. Asubsequent kick scores, and he tries to plant a side kick to themidsection but Arroyo is well out of the way. The Brazilian spinswith a sudden wheel kick, and Buckley sees it coming and gets outof the way. Both men swing and miss with powerful strikes, untilBuckley lands kicks on the in and outside of his foe’s leg. Arroyolands a straight right hand that sends “New Mansa” flying back tothe cage, but it appears to have been a stumble and not from thedamaging blow. Buckley comes back with a head kick, and they bothmiss with head kicks that would separate their heads from theirrespective shoulders. Buckley ducks square into a front kick as heunleashes a right hand, but it is Arroyo that falls to his backafter delivering the blow. The Brazilian uses an upkick to backBuckley away, and he gets back to his feet. The power strikes areinaccurate towards one another, and an inside leg kick from Buckleyslaps into Arroyo’s cup. Arroyo centers himself after 30 seconds,and the fight resumes as they touch hands. Arroyo goes after a lowkick and then follows it with a high kick, and Buckley absorbs someof it and wears it well. “New Mansa” lets loose with a head kickthat is at least a foot off the mark, but his inside calf kickconnects cleanly. Arroyo steps in with a side kick to the knee,leading Buckley to respond with a question mark kick. Arroyo timesan advancing Buckley to sit down on a high kick that nails Buckleyin the chest. Buckley tries to get off a flying knee, but midair,Arroyo pushes him back. Buckley goes after a kick, and he fallsover as he misses. Arroyo tries to get on top and work him over,but Buckley springs back to his feet and blocks a head kick thatcomes right after. The American suddenly changes levels, dragsArroyo down to a knee, but cannot keep him there before the roundends.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 ArroyoBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 ArroyoBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Arroyo
Round 2
Buckley comes out of his corner charging, but all he comes up withis a leg kick. Arroyo pays him one back, so Buckley springs toaction with one more. Buckley strides ahead with a pair of jabs tothe longer man, and he flings a head kick that is easily blocked.The middleweights go tit-for-tat with leg kicks, and their headkicks are either protected or avoided entirely. Buckley turns hiships into an inside leg kick, causing a momentary grimace on theface of the Brazilian as his thigh turns a brilliant shade of red.As Arroyo tries to back off, he goes for a back kick, and the kickclacks into Buckley’s cup. Buckley does not want to slow down, sohe waves the foul off and continues pushing forward with shortcombinations. One salvo of strikes leads them to clinch up, andArroyo backs him off with a knee to the sternum. Arroyo keeps hishands down and he lands a leg kick, following it up with a stiffjab as his hands go back to his waist. His feints have Buckleyjumping away from him, and Buckley finally bites down to attack andis forced to block a high kick. Buckley tries to launch one back athim, but when it comes up hitting air, he whacks the lead leg.Buckley advances, and Arroyo times a perfect flying knee thatcollides directly into his chin. “New Mansa” eats it like St. Louisbarbeque and presses in to clinch, but nothing can come from it.Buckley backs off as Arroyo stands, seemingly bored, in the centerof the cage. The round ends as Arroyo goes for a jumping switchkick, only to pull it back before it connects so that it does notland after the bell.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 ArroyoBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 ArroyoBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Arroyo
Round 3
Arroyo offers a touch of gloves, but Buckley is not interested inthat. Instead, he chops down the inside thigh of his opponent, andArroyo nearly falls over reaching after him with something. Buckleysteps in with a head kick, but he cannot get it high enough to landwhere he intends. Buckley fires a heavy leg kick, and it getschecked as he takes a funny step. Suddenly, Buckley shoots in for atakedown, and Arroyo stuffs it and circles around to take his back.Buckley explodes back to his feet and lands a right hand, andArroyo backs him off with a low kick. As a hematoma forms aroundhis right temple, Buckley blitzes forward with looping right hooks,and a sharper, short left hand surprises “New Mansa.” The Americancontinues to attack, keeping Arroyo on his heels and forced todefend. Buckley wings a right hand that goes around theside of Arroyo’s head, hurting him, and an uppercut practicallylifts Arroyo off the ground before sending him face-down to theground. Buckley knows this is his moment, so with everything he hasleft, he leaps down and pummels Arroyo with right hammerfists.The sledgehammers continue to lay waste to Arroyo until he goeslimp with his hands at his sides. Smith recognizes that theBrazilian is out, and he rushes in to stop the fight. Very possiblydown on the scorecards, Buckley scores yet another fantasticknockout, doing so against an opponent that had never before beenknocked out.
The Official Result
Joaquin Buckley def. Antonio Arroyo R3 2:26 via KO (Punches)
TonyGravely (135.5) vs. NathanManess (135)
Round 1
The magic word for this potential bantamweight brawl is “Mayhem,”which is appropriate since it is the nickname of the once-beatenManess (13-1, 2-0 UFC). He finds himself in the cage againstGravely (21-6, 2-1 UFC), who dropped his UFC debut and then rattledoff a pair of wins. Referee Keith Peterson clears the Octagon ofall nonsense left strewn about, and the gloves get touched beforefists and feet go flying. Gravely is the first to strike, using abody kick to solid effect. Gravely then kicks low, and he backsaway when Maness tries to pay him back. Gravely stings his opponentwith a right hand to make “Mayhem” retreat, and he steps in with aknee. Maness returns fire with a right hand, and he checks a legkick before Gravely shoots in on him for a double. Maness stuffs itwith ease and pushes away, where he sticks out a jab and evades abody kick. Although two punches from Gravely come up short, a legkick does land for him. Gravely puts on the pressure, landing legkicks and working the body all while avoiding jabs. Gravely has ahigh kick blocked, and he tags Gravely with an uppercut. Manesstakes it square on the jaw and counters with a right hand, butGravely is there to greet him with a right hand and a takedown try.Maness gets back to his feet as Gravely tries to set up a choke,and suddenly reverses the position and hits his own takedown to putGravely on the ground for a moment. Gravely blasts back up to hisfeet, and he strings a few punches together to close the distanceand allow him to pursue a body lock. The two jockey for position asthey stay tightly pressed to the wall, with Gravely landing shortpunches to the body as Maness tries to fight out. Maness liftsGravely up with a knee to the chest, which allows him to back away.Maness times a right hand as Gravely advances for a takedown,stunning Gravely but not stopping the takedown in its tracks.Instead, Gravely crashes in to squeeze Maness into the wire, and helands a few punches and a leg kick when Maness pushes him back.Maness counters a body kick with a huge overhand left, and Gravelyeats it like a steak. Maness pushes out a jab, and Gravely sitsdown on a right hand and knocks “Mayhem” down to the ground in acrumpled heap. Gravely slams him in the face with a few punches totry to finish the job, and Maness is saved by the bell.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 GravelyBen Duffy scores the round: 10-8 GravelyBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Gravely
Round 2
Maness appears at least partially recovered coming into the round,but Gravely does not let him off the hook as he advances and startsto slug Maness in the face with vicious punches. The Virginianknocks Maness around with his blows, until Maness is able to tiehim up. He hands on just long enough until Gravely can break offand try to lay into him with wild punches. Maness stuffs a takedowntry and threatens with a choke attempt, but Gravely breaks the gripand stands back up. Maness sticks out a few jabs as Gravely is moreinterested in throwing haymakers, and Maness slips a punch and slings a right hand thatcatches Gravely right on the button. Gravely's eyes roll around inhis head as he stumbles back and falls to the ground, and Manessgives chase. "Mayhem" unleashes the mayhem with jackhammering fistsinto the side of Gravely’s head again and again until Gravely goesout for a moment. A few more punches actually wake Gravely backup, and Peterson has seen enough. What a comeback, and what afight!
The Official Result
Nathan Maness def. Tony Gravely R2 2:10 via TKO (Punches)
ChristosGiagos (155.5) vs. ArmanTsarukyan (155.5)
Round 1
Ten fights are in the book so far, and the next one comes atlightweight between the resurgent “Ahalkalakets” – that is hisnickname – Tsarukyan (16-2, 3-1 UFC) against “The Spartan” Giagos(19-8, 5-4 UFC) on the latter’s second, far more successful UFCstint. Drawing the assignment for this 155-pound affair is refereeHerb Dean, and gloves are touched prior to being traded. Tsarukyankeeps his left hand outstretched as he plods forward, stalkingGiagos down right out of the gate. Tsarukyan slips a punch andlands two, following the brief combination with a head kick.Tsarukyan avoids a huge right hand as he suddenly changes levelsinto a takedown, but in the ensuing scramble, it is “The Spartan”who comes out on top. Tsarukyan scoots his backside to the fence,as Giagos has his hands locked around Tsarukyan’s waist. Tsarukyanwalks up to his feet without taking a blow, and Giagos claims thatTsarukyan is grabbing his glove. Giagos gets off a heavy elbow onthe break from the clinch, and he cautiously reaches out withseveral jabs. Tsarukyan lets a head kick fly, and he staggers Giagos with a left hand right afterblocking a kick. Giagos does not quite realize that he is in thedanger zone, as he falls back towards the wall and down to hisknees. “Ahalkalakets” punishes his man with hellacious strikes,railing into him with vicious right hands that put Giagos’ lightsout and switch them back on as he continues to land them. Deansees that Giagos is no longer defending himself, intelligently orotherwise, and he steps in to save Giagos from further damage. Invictory, Tsarukyan earns his first stoppage win in over threeyears, and he tells Sean Shelby that he is ready for higheropposition, calling out Dan Hooker or offering to face NasratHaqparast as Hooker is currently dealing with visa issues ahead ofhis fight next week.
The Official Result
Arman Tsarukyan def. Christos Giagos R1 2:09 via TKO(Punches)
Mandy Bohm(125.5) vs. ArianeLipski (126)
Round 1
Even though a ranked women’s match where both hold UFC records wellabove .500 were fighting on this card, instead the “featured fightof the night” slot goes to the “Queen of Violence” Lipski (13-7,2-4 UFC) against German newcomer Bohm (7-0, 1 NC; 0-0 UFC). RefereeMark Smith clocks them in without a glove touch, and instead legkicks from both women. Lipski lands a few punches, and Bohm raisesher arms like a Diaz brother to signal the strikes meant nothing toher. Lipski avoids a left hand to walk in with a few on the inside,and she dodges a leg kick to score one on Bohm. When Bohm tries tocrash forward and hit a takedown, Lipski reverses her and throwsthe German woman on her back. Bohm is able to spring back up, butwhen she pursues another takedown, Lipski pushes her down and takesfull mount. Bohm is able to recover full guard, and she tightens upthe body triangle from off her back. Lipski tries to slash her wayto break free with elbows, and Bohm is forced flat on her back asshe absorbs these strikes. Bohm continues to hold the leg griparound the waist to possibly draw a standup from Smith, and anelbow from the Brazilian shakes Bohm up and makes her stand up onher own. Bohm does this by kicking off, and she takes a right handas she gets to her feet. Both women grin at the other after theyload up on strikes, and a head kick gets blocked but still doessome damage on Bohm. “Queen of Violence” follows it up with aferocious right hand, and she chains several together to hurt Bohmand force Bohm to clinch up with her. With her back against thewall, Bohm slaps Lipski on the side of the head, and Lipski doesnot react. Instead, Lipski drills Bohm in the body with a trio ofknees, forcing Bohm to push off. A long left hand from Bohm getscountered, and when Lipski finishes striking, Bohm gives her apunch back. Lipski slips a punch and smacks Bohm with a left handright before the bell.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 LipskiBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 LipskiBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Lipski
Round 2
Both women come together to land body shots – punches, notbeverages – and they separate as Lipski takes the center of theOctagon. Bohm sticks out a few slow jabs to get her range, and shejust barely ducks a looping right hand that brushes past her hair.Lipski walks through a jab to try to smash Bohm in the face with anoverhand right, and she flips up a head kick from the other side.Lipski stings Bohm with a right hand, but before she can do anymore with it, Bohm pokes her a few times with jabs. Lipski chopsdown low with a kick as she tries to close in with hooks, and Bohmcatches her with a leg kick and a left hand. The jabs have markedLipski’s right eye up to a small degree, but she pays them no mindas she targets the body. Bohm tries to grab hold of her and force atakedown, and Lipski grabs her arm and aims a left hand that justmisses. They come together in a clinch, and Lipski is the one whostrikes by landing knees to the body. “Queen of Violence” puts acombination together that is punctuated with a head kick, andBohm’s offense dwindles to single jabs or slapping leg kicks. Thefew jabs are enough to get Lipski’s attention, and the Brazilianrushes in to clinch up with her and pull Bohm’s head down. She doesthis to blast Bohm in the face with several crisp knees, and Bohmwriggles her neck free so that she stops taking them flush. Lipskipaws out a few left hands after they break, and she times astraight right hand down the pipe that makes Bohm blink severaltimes. Bohm swings and misses wildly, as Lipski continues to walkher down and land to the body. A huge right hand from Lipski dropsBohm on her back, and Lipski follows her to the canvas in search ofa finish. Bohm threatens with a triangle choke setup, but Lipskiblows past that to get to north-south position. Before she can linka choke up, the round ends.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 LipskiBen Duffy scores the round: 10-9 LipskiBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Lipski
Round 3
The two women touch gloves to start out the last round, and Lipskimarches forward to throw hands. Lipski scores a clean head kickthat busts Bohm’s nose up, and Bohm suddenly charges ahead with aflying knee that bounces off the chest. “Queen of Violence” digsthe body with punches, and Bohm starts pouring it on withpunch-to-head kick combinations. Lipski kicks at the lead leg a fewtimes, doing enough damage to make Bohm lift her leg up from thedamage. Lipski sits back as she swats with a few low kicks, and sheslips a punch to land a right hand on the bleeding nose of heropponent. Bohm eats a body shot like a plate of schnitzel as Lipskilands practically at will. Lipski slips and rips a left to the bodyand a right to the head that hurts Bohm badly, and Bohm’s legsbetray her in a way that could force an immediate stoppage. Smithallows Bohm to fight her way out of it, with Lipski pounding on herwith hammerfists. Bohm manages to survive, and Lipski backs out ofher guard to force her to stand back up. Lipski kicks her in thebody, stops Bohm from catching it, and bowls Bohm back to thecanvas in side control. Bohm pulls her back to half guard as shegets elbowed to the face several times, with Lipski looking to seta choke up but pulling it back when she stands back up and welcomesBohm to stand again. Bohm closes in to clinch, and Lipski slugs itout with her to the body and head. Bohm gives strikes right back toher, and the flyweights trade leather right to the final bell.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Lipski (30-26 Lipski)Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-8 Lipski (30-26 Lipski)Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Lipski (30-26 Lipski)
The Official Result
Ariane Lipski def. Mandy Bohm via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27,30-27)
Devin Clark(206) vs. IonCutelaba (205)
Round 1
In the co-main event, we have reached the age-old question ofwhether “The Hulk” could take on a bear. Soon, in front of refereeKeith Peterson, we will have our answer when “The Hulk” Cutelaba(15-6-1, 1 NC; 4-5-1 UFC) meets “Brown Bear” Clark (12-5, 6-5 UFC)in the center of the Octagon. There is no interest in a glove touchfrom the light heavyweights and nonsense is left to a minimum, asCutelaba just wants to smash. Cutelaba starts off with a spinningback fist, and Clark rushes in and hits an early takedown to dragCutelaba down to the canvas. The Moldovan gets right back to hisfeet without much effort, and Clark grinds him into the wall to tryto get him back down. Cutelaba blocks a takedown try with a highknee, and he uses the other to thump on Clark’s chest a few times.Cutelaba pushes away with a heavy knee, and he rushes after Clarkwith a body kick. Clark swings and misses with a counter, but hedoes get a kick off to Cutelaba’s heavy plant leg. Cutelaba pawsout with a few jabs as he corks back a right hand, and he tries toblock a low kick as he slowly works his way in. Clark just misseslanding a hook kick, and he strides ahead to pop Cutelaba in thechops with a head kick. “The Hulk” does not register the blow, andinstead stalks Clark down before jumping ahead with a thuddingknee. Clark circles away so that he can chop down Cutelaba’s leg,much to the delight of his father. Cutelaba winds up with histhunderous right hand, and Clark falls to the ground lifelessly. AsCutelaba comes after him to hammer the nail, Clark comes to and isable to block the follow-up ground-and-pound. Peterson tells Clarkto defend himself, and Clark survives by grabbing on to one ofCutelaba’s arms. Cutelaba slugs him in the face a few times andlands a solid knee on the chin as well with Clark leaning againstthe cage. Cutelaba tries to strip his foe’s legs out beneath him,and Clark grabs the fence to stay upright. Peterson slaps his handaway and Cutelaba brings him back down. Clark, on his knees, getssmashed repeatedly with heavy punches. Clark stands up, andCutelaba wrenches him back down to take full mount. “The Hulk”smashes with elbows and thunderous punches, and Clark miraculouslymakes it to the first buzzer.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 CutelabaBen Duffy scores the round: 10-8 CutelabaBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Cutelaba
Round 2
Clark rises from off his back like the Undertaker between rounds,and he recovers enough to make it into the second round. Clarkwalks forward to pursue a takedown, and Cutelaba sees it coming andwings a right hand that just misses. Clark composes himself withmultiple leg kicks, and he just manages to escape a big right handthat soars past his chin. Cutelaba counters Clark coming in with acheck left hook, and Clark scores a high leg kick. “The Hulk”charges ahead with a bullying takedown, and he practically lands infull mount. Clark holds on for dear life on Cutelaba’s shoulders,keeping him close so that he cannot get off the brutal blows thathe ate at the end of the last round. Cutelaba sits up in a highmount with slashing elbows, and Clark protects his mug from some ofthem but others get through. Cutelaba opts against spending his gastank by forcing a finishing sequence, instead sitting up every sooften to hack with elbows. Clark tries to kick off, bucking andflailing with his legs, but the Moldovan is a 205-pound cementblock with jagged edges sitting on his abdomen. Clark kicks offsuddenly, turning around just enough to escape out the back door asCutelaba looks to tie an arm down for a possible submission. Clarkspins with a kick that is telegraphed and several feet away fromhis intended target. Cutelaba powers his way forward to press Clarkinto the fencing, and he knees Clark in the face before trippinghis leg out again. Clark is able to stay upright this time, but hetakes another knee that opens a cut. Cutelaba wrests him down tothe ground again, and Clark once more gets to a knee and to hisfeet. Cutelaba grinds with his full body weight, as if he weretrying to mash Clark through the wire like he was made of Play-do.The horn sounds, and Clark shouts a loud expletive.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 CutelabaBen Duffy scores the round: 10-8 CutelabaBrian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Cutelaba
Round 3
The doctors come in to check on Clark between rounds, with parts ofhis lower jaw smashed and his vision struggling. “Brown Bear” iscleared to continue, and he thanks the doctors and Peterson forallowing him to continue by shooting in for a takedown. He nearlylifts Cutelaba off the ground, but Cutelaba ultimately keeps hisbalance and breaks free. Instead of laying into Clark with strikes,he takes him back down and puts Clark flat on his back. WhenCutelaba tries to advance position and reclaim mount, Clark buckshim off and ambles back to his feet. Cutelaba keeps him pressedinto the chain-link fence, and Clark looks for a takedown andalmost trips Cutelaba to his back. Instead, the Moldovan reversesthe position and puts Clark down to the mat. With Clark stacked up,Cutelaba sits on top of him and pins an arm under his knee. Withhis right hand free, Cutelaba slams his fist into Clark’s face afew times. Cutelaba uses his knee to hold Clark down on his alreadyhammer-smashed face, and he climbs into full mount while Clark’sfather watches with dread from his corner. Cutelaba sits up andelbows Clarks a few times, and Clark bursts back to his feet in arage to start throwing hands with Cutelaba. The Moldovan tries totake him back down, but Clark turns the tables and takes “The Hulk”down and puts him flat on his back. In full guard, Cutelaba holdson and absorbs sporadic punches. Cutelaba kicks off and gets to aknee, and Clark lands a potentially illegal knee while Cutelaba wasgrounded. Clark lays into him with a few more punches, but thefinal bell sounds before anything of merit can come from the finalflurry. Clark collapses to the ground with the fight over, whileCutelaba stands and raises his arms triumphantly.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Cutelaba (30-25 Cutelaba)Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Clark (29-26 Cutelaba)Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Cutelaba (30-25 Cutelaba)
The Official Result
Ion Cutelaba def. Devin Clark via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 29-26,29-27)
AnthonySmith (205.5) vs. Ryan Spann(206)
Round 1
At long last, we have reached our headliner, in the form of a205-pound clash between former title challenger Smith (35-16, 10-6UFC) and rising Fortis MMA star Spann (19-6, 5-1 UFC). The finalcharge of the evening goes to referee Herb Dean, and there isnothing but respect between these two finishers – five decisions intheir 54 career wins points to this one likely ending before thefinal bell – touch gloves. Hang on tight. Smith lands first with achopping calf kick, and Smith reaches out with a long front kick asa response. Spann headhunts with a few wide hooks, and Smith stayslight on his feet and avoids them. Smith again targets that calf,and he pirouettes to avoid the counter that aims at his head. Smithsteps in with a left hand, and Spann counters with a check hook andgrabs “Lionheart” to charge him against the wall. Dean leaps out ofthe away to avoid getting caught up in the melee, and Smith blastsSpann with a huge right hand that puts “Superman” on the ground.Smith dives after him to pursue a finish, and he climbs on top.When he cannot get much in the way of ground-and-pound off, he optsto come around and pursue an armbar. Smith flips Spann over andcinches the armbar up, but Spann grits it out and stands up,allowing him to knee Smith in the chest with a strike like AndersonSilva did to Stephan Bonnar. Spann recovers to stand back up, buthe is still on rubber legs. Smith lands on him repeatedly, andevery time he does, Spann’s legs give out a little more beneathhim. “Superman” throws a punch so hard that he actually swingshimself down to the ground while simultaneously eating a straightright hand, and Smith jumps on to his light heavyweight foe topursue a finish. Smith circles around to take Spann’s back, wherehe gets his hooks in and elbows Spann in the side of the head.Smith flattens Spann out briefly, and he locks in arear-naked choke in a hurry. Spann has to tap out immediately withthe choke tight as can be. When Dean intervenes, Smith standsup and shouts “what about that ass-whoopin’” and Spann is fired upabout this. The two big men very nearly get into another brawlright after a wild round, and security floods the cage as Deankeeps them separate. Cooler heads do prevail, and Spann goes overto congratulate his victorious opponent. In his post-fightinterview, the profanity that spews from Smith’s mouth breaksESPN’s hyperactive censors, and the first half of his interview isblocked for sensitive listeners’ ears after watching nearly sevenhours of bloodsport. When he is allowed to be heard again, Smithcalls out Aleksandar Rakic, a man that defeated him in August, tomake their way to a title shot. Before the interview wraps up,Rakic tweets a response that he accepts and proposes they meet inDecember, and Smith answers, “Merry Christmas to me.” What anending to a tumultuous fight card. Next week, multiple belts are onthe line and a rematch many years in the making will come at UFC266. We will be here for it, and we hope you are too.
The Official Result
Anthony Smith def. Ryan Spann R1 3:47 via Submission (Rear-NakedChoke)
