UFC Fight Night 117 Saitama: Recap

Yushin “Thunder” Okami took on Ovince Saint Preux.

The UFC made a quick turnaround just 6 days removed from their last event to come to us live from Saitama, Japan. The Saitama Super Arena which was one of the homes for PRIDE in its heyday had a huge crowd there welcoming the Octagon. The card was headlined by the return of former Middleweight Title Challenger Yushin “Thunder” Okami (32-8) who took on Ovince Saint Preux (20-10 #6 Ranked Light Heavyweight). The co-main event had two former Women’s Strawweight Title Challengers going head to head with Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha (15-2 #1 Ranked Women’s Strawweight) and Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade (16-6 #4 Ranked Women’s Strawweight). The main card was super entertaining with a ton of great fights and a fight was one of the best of the year. These cards the UFC keeps putting up that fly under the hype radar have consistently delivered, and that is a good sign. The UFC needs to add more promotion to these and bring in the casual fan because if you watched this card there’s almost no doubt you would come back for another card in the future. Let’s take a look at all 10 bouts from Japan.

There again was no UFC Fight Pass Prelims and FXX kicked off the night as “The Ace” Hyun Gyu Lim (13-7-1) welcomed Daichi Abe (6-0) to the UFC. Abe was out landing body kicks early and was countering Lim at every point. Abe cracked Lim again with a big left hand. Lim almost seemed tentative to throw, because of the countering from Abe and his success in responding. Lim landed a big right hand that appeared to stumble Abe, but he recovered quickly. Abe was doing a great job staying out of the range of Lim, and it was clearly beginning to frustrate Lim who was throwing heavy shots that were missing. The round ended with both guys trying to land, but there was little success. Early on in round 2 as Abe was coming at Lim, there was a straight eye poke that paused the action and to give Abe a chance to get the doctor to look at him. This was an extended delay and the doctor left the cage and came back in. Abe came back with some anger in him and landed a big right hand that pushed Lim back. Abe was trying his best to keep Lim back and landed a solid leg kick. Lim hit a big overhand right as Abe was coming in and that backed of Abe for a moment. Lim then came back with a straight right that Abe had to eat on the chin. Abe was trying to work his way back using low kicks and they were starting to have an effect on Lim. Abe went for another low kick, and Lim responded with a right hand that connected and may have hurt Abe. Abe hit a big right hand right as the round was ending that sent Lim down to one knee and he bounced up right as the round expired. Round 3 started and both fighters traded low kicks. Lim again uncorked a right hand that connected. Lim jabbed Abe and was starting to really move around the cage trying to find openings. Abe kept throwing low kicks, but it was leaving him open for right hands from Lim. Lim was starting to land combinations that were finishing with hard right hands. Abe was really only throwing low kicks and just eating punches from Lim. With less than 30 seconds left Abe hit a huge right hook that floored Lim and he hopped on him. Lim bounced back to his feet covered in blood pouring from his now broken nose. Abe then scored a late trip takedown and ended the fight in side control with a big elbow. The judges scored this one 29-28 across the board for Daichi Abe who used that power in different spots to clinch the victory. Lim looked so good with his crisp striking, appearing to dominate rounds, but that last 30 seconds of the fight won it for Abe. Abe is a fun prospect who has a long road ahead of him, but with power like that, he is a threat against anyone he steps into the cage with.

The return from a two-year layoff for Shinso “Animal” Anzai (10-2) was next as he took on Luke “The Jedi” Jumeau (12-10). Anzai came out looking to find a left hand early, but Jumeau was able to stay away from it before they both exchanged right hands. Anzai was controlling the Octagon and moving forward, but Jumeau was doing a good job staying out of trouble. Jumeau ducked and just missed a right hand. Anzai didn’t miss landing a left hand that appeared to hurt Jumeau who immediately went for the clinch. Anzai reversed the position and had him pressed up against the cage. Jumeau was able to push him off and get the fight back to the center of the cage. Anzai lowered his head and came forward and Jumeau ripped a hard straight right. Anzai was forced to clinch and ate a knee to the body for his effort. Anzai came forward eating a counter left hand and then a front kick to the face prior to round 1 ending. Anzai immediately came out in round two and tried to get a takedown that had Jumeau down for just a second, but he got back to his feet. Anzai did land a big left hand that had Jumeau backpedaling across the cage. Anzai came in throwing a ton of shots that all were avoided including a big head kick that missed wildly and saw him hit the mat and Jumeau could land a few shots as Anzai worked his way back to his feet. Anzai was moving forward and trying to land left hands and was connecting. Anzai changed levels and shot for a takedown and got it. Anzai was applying pressure to Jumeau on the mat with his shoulder, and just landing pitter-patter body shots. Jumeau had his arm wrapped around Anzai’s head briefly, but that did not last long. Anzai was just on top of Jumeau in half guard, but not doing a ton of damage. Jumeau was able to escape and get back to his feet and Jumeau was starting to move forward and landed a big uppercut. Jumeau hit one more overhand right and one last uppercut before the round ended. Anzai again started the round looking for a takedown, but Jumeau was able to stuff it. Jumeau missed with a right hand, and Anzai shot for a takedown that was stopped by the fence. Jumeau was able to reverse the position and landed a short left hand against the cage. Anzai again went for a takedown, and it was stopped and reversed by Jumeau. Anzai, however, reversed that and was continuing to try and go for a takedown, but Jumeau was able to avoid it and then land a right hand. Anzai was not backing down and continued to come forward throwing. Anzai landed two big knees in the clinch, and Jumeau eventually had to grab and force him up against the cage. Jumeau separated and landed a big knee on a takedown attempt from Anzai. Anzai kept looking for takedowns, but Jumeau was doing a great job avoiding them and even briefly had a shot at Anzai’s back. Jumeau had Anzai pressed up against the cage and he rattled off 3 straight upper cuts. The fight ended with Jumeau pressing Anzai up against the cage. The judges scored this one 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 all for Shinzo Anzai. This was the correct decision the constant pressure from Anzai made the difference. Anzai’s wrestling and cardio held up during the fight and it was ultimately what got him the win. After a two-year layoff, this was a big win in his return. He will need a few more fights to see if he can make some headway in the division, but with those skills, he has a bright future.

UFC newcomer Syuri Kondo (6-0) stepped into the Octagon against Chan-Mi “Ottogi Girl” Jeon (5-2) in the Women’s Strawweight Division. Jeon led out with a right hand that connected. These two were really feeling each other out, and not finding any clean shots to land. Kondo was using her jab to try and control Octagon. Kondo landed a nice right hand and was really pressuring Jeon who had to run out o the pressure to the other side of the Octagon. Jeon did land a head kick, but the pressure was constantly coming from Kondo. Kondo landed a few jabs and ripped a right hand that connected. The rounded ended with some small exchanges, but nothing of significance. To kick off round 2 Kondo came out and landed a nice push kick and more combinations. Jeon caught a front kick and countered nicely over the top. Jeon missed with a spin kick and Kondo ripped a leg kick right after. Kondo hit a big right hand that seemed to wobble Jeon, but she recovered quickly. Kondo was getting the punches in there faster and it was really starting to become evident. Kondo did not stop pressing forward, but Jeon was not backing away from the pressure. Kondo had Jeon on her bike a little bit forcing her to run around the cage to avoid being back up against the cage. Kondo missed with a wild spinning back fist and Jeon came forward landing shots just prior to the round coming to an end. The 3rd and final round started and Jeon was trying to move forward, but Kondo was able to avoid all of the shots. Kondo was moving in and out and when she stepped in she was hitting her hard with the jab. These two ladies were both just standing and trading without anyone getting the upper hand. Kondo was moving forward, but not really taking over the fight. Jeon was complaining of an eye poke, but the referee di not see it and we went right back to action. Jeon was trying to land combinations and Kondo landed a nice body kick. Kondo kept moving forward and hit a spinning back kick to the body. These two ladies left it all out there and ended the round trading in the middle of the Octagon. The judges scored this one 29-28 Jeon, 30-27 Kondo, and 30-27 for the winner Syuri Kondo by split decision. Hard to tell a lot from this performance, outside of the constant pressure and cardio from Kondo was impressive. She was really able to put the pace on Jeon and make sure that the judges could take that into consideration. Kondo has that extensive kickboxing background and that will go a long way in the Women’s Strawweight Division.

Closing out the FXX Prelims we saw Keita “K-Taro” Nakamura (33-8-2 1NC) and Alex “The Great White” Morono (13-5) square off at 170lbs. Morono came out and immediately tried to throw a huge right hand that missed. The two then danced around the cage for a long time before really engaging with around 3 minutes left. Nakamura hit a very hard body kick that hurt Morono and forced him to cover up and backpedal. Morono came back at him after recovering and missed with a head kick. Morono was starting to throw more and landed a nice body kick before just missing with a spinning back fist. Morono was trying to pressure as much as possible, but Nakamura avoided any major problems as the round ended. Morono had a nice cut over his right eye, but that did not prevent him from coming forward immediately in round 2. Morono was continuing to come forward, but Nakamura was countering with body kicks that were starting to add up. Nakamura ripped a big head kick that Morono was able to walk through. Morono was doing a great job controlling the cage, but Nakamura was landing the better of the shots throughout the round. Morono ripped two more right hands that were partially blocked after Nakamura landed another big body kick. Nakamura mixed in a head kick that snuck in, and Morono ended the round with a big flurry that was mostly blocked by Nakamura. Round 3 started with the two both trading simultaneous left hands. Just under a minute in Nakamura changed levels and snuck in a takedown, but wasn’t able to keep Morono down long. Nakamura snapped a straight left off Morono’s chin. Morono was able to rush forward and land a nice combination. Nakamura ripped a high kick that was partially blocked. Morono then landed a big punch and it opened up a gushing cut on the left side of Nakamura’s head that was just pouring blood down his chest. Nakamura went for another takedown, and Morono tried a guillotine, but all the blood made it easy to escape. Morono battled back to his feet very quickly. Nakamura landed yet another body kick. These two went hard at it for the last 30 seconds with both guys landing clean shots as the round and fight came to an end for another decision. The judges scored this one 29-28 Nakamura, 29-28 Morono, and 29-28 for the winner by split decision Keita Nakamura. This was a tough one to call as far as the decision goes, but Nakamura did just enough probably with the takedowns to deserve the win. Nakamura needs to show more of the ground game, but his patience on the feet was key in to not over extending himself and putting himself in bad spots against the very aggressive Morono.

The first fight of the main card on FXX was Jussier Formiga (20-5 #5 Ranked Flyweight) and Ulka Sasaki (20-5-2). Sasaki came out early and ripped a nice body kick along with some solid punches. Formiga tried to clinch up, but Sasaki pushed him off. Sasaki ripped a nice knee but ate a hard left hand. Formiga was able to shoot in and secure a takedown. Sasaki tried to roll out but ended up giving p his back to Formiga who immediately went for a rear naked choke. Sasaki was able to avoid it early, but it eventually was locked in deep, and it was just a matter of time before the submission came. Formiga came out and did exactly what he needed to do to get the early finish. Formiga will need to string together probably one more win against a high ranked opponent before he is back in real title contention.

Two Lightweights entered the cage next with Teruto “Yashabo” Ishihara (11-4-2) and Rolando “Dy Incredible” Dy (8-6-1 1NC) took center stage. Both fighters came out and traded kicks immediately. Ishihara then a few seconds later ripped a huge left hand that dropped DY. Ishihara swarmed Dy, who was doing a good job to survive. Ishihara was all over him including a huge elbow. Dy was able to work his way back to his feet, but it was brief as he grabbed a single leg and took him right back down. Ishihara was landing big elbows from the top position that did serious damage.  Ishihara was being smart and not unloading his entire gas tank, while he pressed his weight down on him from the very controlling top position. Dy was just unable to get out of the bottom position and was trying to keep Ishihara in his closed guard. Ishihara landed a few more punches from the top as the round came to an end. The second round started with Ishihara pressing forward, and Dy landed a low knee that paused the action briefly. Ishihara on the restart ate a huge head kick and went in for a takedown, that was successfully defended by Dy. Ishihara threw a low kick, but Dy countered with two big punches that landed. The two traded clean left hands and were standing up in the center of the Octagon. Dy tried to keep moving forward, but Ishihara ripped another big left hand before they clinched up and had Dy pressed against the cage briefly. Dy snuck in a hard left, and two really hard body kicks as the round came to a close. Ishihara came straight at Dy in round 3 and ate a huge knee to the chin that dropped Ishihara to his knees and into a takedown attempt. Dy was having none of it and battled off the cage back to the center of the Octagon. Dy landed another knee that landed low, and again we went to a break. Once the action got back underway Ishihara ripped a big head kick that landed. Then mere seconds later Dy ripped a high kick of his own that landed. Then again in another exchange Dy threw a low kick that landed directly on the groin and we was stopped again as Ishihara was allowed to recover. This one was way more obvious than the first two and Ishihara was in a lot of pain. After Ishihara was recovered the referee pulled Dy to the center and took a point for the third low kick. Dy was going to have to finish this one after the dominant 1st round and this. Ishihara immediately went for the takedown and secured it. Dy fought his way back to his feet, but Ishihara was on top of him and had him pressed up against the cage. Ishihara ripped a low leg kick that was very hard as we got just below a minute. Dy was stalking him trying to move forward, but Ishihara was staying on the outside. Dy landed a big head kick with just over 10 seconds, but Ishihara was able to walk through it and the round and fight came to an end. The judges scored this one 28-27, 28-27, and 29-27 all for Teruto Ishihara. This was a nice win for Ishihara who was able to battle through adversity of the low blows. His left hand has so much power and he landed that big knockdown early. Ishihara is interesting, but this was a big win to get back on the ride side of the results column moving forward.

Kickboxing legend Gokhan “The Rebel” Saki (1-1) made his UFC debut next against Henrique “Frankenstein” da Silva (12-4). Da Silva came out looking to touch gloves, and Saki backed off. Saki was starting to unload landing a big right hand. Saki followed up with a head kick and a big left heft. Saki hit a huge straight left hand, and this one put da Silva to the ground. Saki stayed on his feet and asked for him to get back to his feet. Da Silva immediately tried to go for the takedown, but Saki’s takedown defense was good and kept himself on his feet. Saki was just overwhelming da Silva on the feet and picking him apart with big left hooks. Da Silva was covering up and finally pushed himself off the cage and trying to move forward. The clinch from da Silva came next and a takedown attempt, but yet again Saki was able to stuff the takedown and even threw da Silva to the mat. Saki let him stand, and then there was a clinch that let da Silva land three big knees that Saki had to walk through. Saki was starting to slow and da Silva was opening up a bit landing a huge head kick and now Saki was looking to be on the ropes. Saki was pressed up against the cage and Silva was unloading hooks. Saki then out of nowhere ripped a gigantic left hand that just shut off Henrique da Silva and the ref stopped the fight. Gokhan Saki made a great impression in his UFC debut. He clearly slowed as the round went on, and just before the knockout, he was really getting teed off on. That power tough from Saki will be a force to be reckoned with as he gets his UFC career off the ground.

The PRIDE legend Takanori “The Fireball Kid” Gomi (35-14 1NC) returned to Japan to take on Dong “The Maestro” Hyun Kim (15-8-3). Gomi was working his way forward and cutting off the Octagon early. Both fighters were being very patient and quickly out of nowhere Kim landed a straight right put Gomi on his back. Dong Hyun Kim then followed up and finished off the fight very quickly. This has to be the end for Gomi and his career with yet another 1st round loss. For Dong Hyun Kim this will look good in the history books when it comes to beating a big name, but this was not really a fight. He will be back in the cage sooner rather than later with another opponent across from him. If this is the last we see from Gomi his career was utterly impressive including the PRIDE lightweight championship, but it now seems like his chin is completely gone and it may be time to hang up the gloves for good.

In the Co-Main Event 2 former title challengers for the UFC Women’s Strawweight Title Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha (15-3 #1 Ranked Women’s Strawweight) and Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade (17-6 #4 Ranked Women’s Strawweight) went head to head. These two came out and Gadelha was leading out with right hands. Gadelha continued to sneak in big shots, and was the faster of the two-fighters in the early going. Andrade responded with a big loping left hand that landed flush. As Andrade was moving forward the counter punching and inside clinch work from Gadelha was getting the better of the fight. Gadelha landed some short elbows and opened up a cut on the brow of Andrade. Andrade went for a takedown, and Gadelha grabbed for a guillotine while Andrade went for a slam, but Gadelha held on even though she was flipped through the air. Andrade did end up on top, and was moving around a lot trying to find a good position on top. Andrade was landing some nice left hands from the top position as blood was pouring out of her forehead. Andrade was peppering Gadelha with elbows from the top as the round came to an end. Both fighters came out in round 2 sporting blood on their faces as Gadelha had a cut on her left eye. Gadelha came out and immediately landed a takedown, but Andrade got back to her feet. Andrade then went for a takedown and Gadelha got back to her feet just as quickly. They were then back in the center of the cage and it was Andrade moving forward. Gadelha tried to use that forward momentum by going for a double leg, but Andrade was able to stuff it and end up on top trying to land ground and pound. Gadelha battled back to her feet, but ate a huge knee to the body from Andrade. These two ladies were absolutely trading hammer shots. Andrade was relentlessly moving forward and connected with a big right hand and Gadelha was being forced to cover up and not really responding with any offense. Gadelha looked exhausted and went for single leg takedown that was easily stuffed. Andrade was all over her landing huge shots as Gadelha was trying to get back to her feet. Andrade just kept moving forward and unloading on Gadelha. Andrade grabbed for a single leg, but Gadelha was able to stop it. Andrade got caught in a very late guillotine that looked very tight, but the bell sounded. The two fighters slapped hands and hugged at the beginning of round 3 and it was Andrade looking to pressure again early. Gadelha went for a weak takedown, but it was stuffed and then Andrade had her clinched up against the cage. Andrade scooped her up with a single leg and slammed her down to the mat. Andrade was digging with body shots from top position and punishing Gadelha. Andrade was just pummeling Gadelha whose face was a bloody mess with still 2 plus minutes left in the fight. Andrade postured up and was just unloading from the top. Andrade was all over her eventually transitioning in to side control and just hitting her with hammer fists that were landing at will. Gadelha finally rolled off her back and was working to get back to her feet, but the fatigue had clearly gotten the best of her. Andrade transitioned and got her back. Gadelha got turned around, but just stayed pressed up against the cage and was eventually slammed to the mat as the fight came to an end. The judges scored this one 30-25, 30-26, and 30-27 all for Jessica Andrade. This was one of the best fights of the year, and it was an absolute war. Andrade was so impressive, and her cardio is without question one of the best in the Women’s Strawweight Division. Her next fight almost has to be for the title after just dominating the top contender in the division. The experience in the loss to Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-0 Women’s Strawweight Champion) clearly paid off, and she is one of the most entertaining and talented female fighters on the roster today who will be challenging for the belt sooner rather than later.

The Main event was here and the former Middleweight Title Challenger Yushin “Thunder” Okami (32-9) took on former UFC Light Heavyweights Contender Ovince Saint Preux (21-10 #6 Ranked Light Heavyweight). Okami came right out and looked for a takedown, and almost appeared to pull guard on Saint Preux. OSP was working to transition, but Okami was keeping him at bay. OSP was able to transition to the Von Flue choke using his shoulder pressure to make Okami go unconscious. AT this point it is getting ridiculous how easily OSP gets the Von Flue choke in. He has 3 of the 5 total Von Flue choke finishes in UFC history. Okami’s strategy totally failed him and OSP came out and proved that he still has a ton to offer to the Light Heavyweight Division. OSP will get a top 5 opponent next and at this point, he may Von Flue choke himself into a title shot.

Outside of potentially renaming the Von Flue choke to the Saint Preux choke UFC Fight Night 117 had a lot to offer and was another underrated card that really delivered. The early decisions were entertaining very close contests which was a solid start. The UFC couldn’t ask for better more entertaining cards on free TV. This is just a precursor however to the big event 2 weeks from now. UFC 216 will come live on October 7th from Las Vegas and it features 2 title fights and one with a chance at history. The rescheduled Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (26-2-1 Flyweight Champion) and Ray “The Tazmexican Devil” Borg (11-2 #3 Ranked Flyweight) will Co-Main event the card after it was forced off UFC 215 due to Borg getting sick. Johnson will be able to set the record for consecutive title defenses with a victory overly the big underdog Borg. The card is headlined by an Interim Lightweight Title fight featuring Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson (23-3 #2 Ranked Lightweight) and Kevin “The Motown Phenom” Lee (16-2 #7 Ranked Lightweight). Ferguson is a dangerous fighter on the feet with knockout power and great submission skills, and Lee is a rising prospect whose rear naked choke is nothing to mess with. That card is really solid, and the UFC could be launching a new star at 155 and creating history all in one night.