The UFC managed to put on another great event Saturday night.
The UFC was on big FOX Saturday night and brought with them a card that featured a Top 10 Featherweight matchup at the top of the card. The UFC has had a ton of events in a row, and this one came to us from Orlando, Florida. This is the first time in almost 3 years the UFC visited Orlando, and they brought with it a ton of fun matchups. The main event was a Top 10 Featherweight matchup as Josh Emmett (13-2 #4 Ranked Featherweight) and Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens (27-14 #7 Ranked Featherweight) did battle. In what appeared to be a title eliminator the co-main event had Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade (18-6 #2 Ranked Women’s Strawweight) and Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres (10-2 #5 Ranked Women’s Strawweight). The UFC had another excellent event this time on FOX with entertaining fights all night. The decisions were all fun fights, and we saw plenty of great finishes. With 12 fights on the cards let’s jump into it.
We started the night on UFC Fight Pass at Bantamweight as Albert “The Warrior” Morales (7-4-1) welcomed the undefeated Manny “The Bermudez Triangle” Bermudez (11-0) to the UFC.Morales came out quickly with a low leg kick, and then a right hand that landed and stunned Bermudez briefly. Bermudez shot in for a takedown and worked his way to mount. Bermudez actually transitioned to a triangle on the bottom and was pulling it tight. Morales was unable to finished the triangle and started to attack an arm. Bermudez briefly went to the triangle again, but instead had an arm trapped in his legs. Morales tried to spin away, and Bermudez grabbed a guillotine. Morales again, however, was able to avoid a submission attempt, but now Bermudez was on top. Morales was trying to work his way off his back with strikes, but Bermudez was keeping him down. Morales did finally buck Bermudez off of him and they clinched against the fence briefly. Morales brought the fight back to the mat and started landing heavy ground and pound. Bermudez grabbed of a guillotine, but Morales snuck out just prior to the round coming to an end. Round 2 started with both guys trading and Morales landed another hard right hand early. Morales again was on top of Bermudez trying to do damage. Bermudez was forced to get back on his feet by Morales, and then Bermudez went for a takedown and scored it. He immediately got a guillotine and transition to being in a mounted guillotine and getting the immediate tap. This was a solid debut for Bermudez. He knew he was struggling on the feet, and used his superior grappling abilities to get the fight to the ground to close it out. Bermudez has a bright future ahead of him if he can put together some solid striking to go with his excellent ground skills.
We jumped down to Flyweight as Eric “Showtime” Shelton (11-5) took on Alex Perez (20-4).Perez came right out and ripped a right hand as Shelton answered with a right of his own. Perez snuck in a nice straight right hand. Perez then got the fight to the mat and was controlling Shelton on the ground. Perez was landing some good elbows, but Shelton was able to escape and get back up. Perez landed another big shot on the feet, and his forward movement was not letting Shelton get off any offense. Perez scored a late single leg with just under 10 seconds left and held him down as the round ended. Perez was coming forward again early in round 2, and found a home for a hard right hand that caught the attention of Shelton. Perez was finding a home for his strikes on the feet, and Shelton went for a takedown. The sprawl from Perez worked well, and then he ended up on top on the mat with 3 minutes to work. Perez was just all over Shelton on the mat and keeping him on his back. Shelton battle back to a seated position, but Perez was keeping him on the mat. The rounded ended with Perez keeping Shelton on the ground much like the entire round had gone. We headed in to round 3 and Perez came right out looking for the takedown. Perez got the takedown and was holding Shelton down on the mat. Shelton finally got back to his feet and started to let his hands go a little. Perez then went for yet another takedown late in the round and got it with just over a minute left. Shelton tried to fight out and get back to his feet, but Perez stayed on top of him and rode that out to the end of the fight and round. The judges scored this 30-27 across the board for Alex Perez. That is 2-0 thus far for Perez in the UFC, and despite the missed weight, he has looked great in both appearances. Perez is in a weight class that has a lot of options and is always searching for contenders. Another win after this could find him in the Top 15 at Flyweight.
Heading back up to Bantamweight we got a matchup of veterans as Rani Yahya (25-9 1NC) took on Russell Doane (15-8). Yahya came right out and scored a takedown almost immediately. Yahya had double under hooks and was holding Doane down looking to transition. Yahya was peppering knees to the upper chest of Doane on the mat. Yahya transitioned and landed two knees to the back the last one landing on the spine, and forcing the referee to stop and take the position away from Yahya. They danced around the cage with no punches exchanged in the last 35 seconds. Yahya again took control in round two. Yahya scored a takedown and was eventually able to get to Doane’s back. Yahya had the body triangle in and Yahya was peppering his face with shots. Yahya just kept working to try and see if he could find an opening for a rear naked choke. Yahya was on Doane’s back like a backpack as Doane stood up. Doane stood with him on his back in front of his corner, and that at the last second Doane lunged forward, and Yahya smashed his head off the mat before the round came to an end. Yahya appeared a bit dazed walking back to his corner after that, and it may have some lasting effects as the fight wore on. Doane threw an overhand right, and then a front kick to push Yahya back. Doane was trying to stalk Yahya around the cage, but Yahya was doing a good job avoiding any problems. Doane threw a body kick that was caught by Yahya who tried to transition to a takedown. Yahya was struggling to get the takedown, and eventually, Doane ended up on top on the mat. Yahya, however, worked his way to reverse the position back to the top position with almost 4 minutes left. Yahya was able to transition to a head and arm choke against the fence. Doane had nowhere to go but to submit. Rani Yahya again finishes off an opponent via submission. Yahya has one game plan, and he again executed it perfectly. Yahya will need to keep improving on the feet, but his grappling is just magnificent.
The final Fight Pass Prelim had UFC veteran “Smile’N” Sam Alvey (32-10) welcome Marcin Prachnio (13-3)to the UFC at Light Heavyweight). Prachnio went for a body kick, but Alvey came over the top and landed a shot that pushed him back to the mat. Prachnio recovered and got back to his feet, but was in a standing guillotine against the fence. Prachnio eventually was able to get out and we were back in the middle of the cage. Both guys landed big right hands and we were back in the center of the Octagon. Alvey worked two low leg kicks that both landed and really seemed to affect Prachnio. Prachnio ate a big shot that dropped him, and Alvey backed off making Prachnio get up. Prachnio came rushing forward and Alvey just absolutely rocked him with another right hook that dropped Prachnio and ended this one. Sam Alvey finished off his Light Heavyweight debut with a big knockout and really looked impressive on the feet in this one. He took advantage of a hurt fighter coming forwarded and just absolutely leveled him with a right hand.
Kicking off the FOX prelims at 170lbs we had as Ben “Killa B” Saunders (21-9-2) and Alan “Brahma” Jouban (16-6). Jouban landed a hard inside leg kick, and Saunders came over the top with a glancing right hand. Saunders tried to rush forward and land, but Jouban did a good job evading major damage. Jouban returned fire with a hard combination that connected. Saunders, however, kept stalking forward and landed a hard combination that had Jouban shaking his head back as if to say it didn’t hurt him. That is a telltale sign that a fighter has been hurt. Saunders kept creeping forward and landing right hands on Jouban. Jouban ripped multiple leg kicks, and Saunders tried to dip in for a takedown, but a knee to the head of Saunders had him hurt. Saunders recovered and didn’t take a ton of damage, but a leg kick from Jouban stumbled Saunders. Then as they kept moving around the cage Saunders through a low kick that connected with Jouban’s cup and we had a brief stoppage. Jouban threw a spinning wheel kick, which just missed. Jouban landed another hard leg kick that stumbled Saunders. and Jouban pounced on him on the mat. Jouban let him get back to the feet, and the leg kicks just came back again from Jouban. Both guys missed with right hands to start round 2. Jouban circled and hit a head kick that was blocked and stumbled Saunders. Jouban rushed forward, and this was a melee of elbows from Jouban. Saunders was able to stay on his feet and ended up in the clinch, and both guys were landing. Jouban eventually backed off and Jouban was able to move in and out and land leg kicks. Saunders just moved forward like a zombie but was eating heavy shots. Jouban was just getting the cleaner of the exchanges, and then an inside leg kick and a hard left hand on the jaw folded Ben Saunders up and put this one away. Alan Jouban got back on the winning track with just a really impressive performance against Ben Saunders. Jouban used his leg kicks to set up his punches, and that is how he ended the fight. Jouban is stilla very dangerous fighter, and at 10lbs he is another guy who can make his way into the rankings.
We headed down to Women’s Strawweight as Maryna “Iron Lady” Moroz (8-3 #14 Ranked Women’s Strawweight) took on Angela “Overkill” Hill (8-4).Moroz landed a few front kicks early, but Hill was looking to move forward. Hill threw a low leg kick that hit but just missed with an overhand right. Moroz tried to move in and missed with a spinning back kick. Hill landed two hard right hands over the top. Hill was continuing to land leg kicks, and the overhand rights were following everything. Hill kept pushing forward and tried a knee late in the round as the bell sounded. The second round started with more of the same from Hill. Hill was landing the right hands and eventually, we ended up in a clinch. Hill took the fight to the mat and ended up in the guard of Moroz. Hill was trying to posture up, but it ended up with Moroz getting back to her feet. Moroz tried to land a head kick that was blocked, and then an uppercut from Hill landed. Hill backed up, and Moroz came forward and grabbed for a clinch against the cage. Hill threw a knee to the body, and some elbows and punches came flying from Moroz as the bell sounded. We jumped to the third and final round and it started with Moroz looking to land straight punches right down the middle. The jab was starting to land for Moroz. They exchanged leg kicks, and Moroz was continuing to move forward. Hill returned with three punches that all connected. Hill landed another good string of punches, and Moroz was missing with many of her shots in return. Moroz then feinted low and landed a left hand. Moroz was most certainly throwing more shots in each exchange, and he was landing. Hill landed a nice right hand over the top, but Moroz came back with multiple body kicks that landed. Hill hit a nice left-right combination, and rushed forward with a knee and then the clinch against the fence. Hill hit a big elbow as they pushed off the cage and broke apart. Moroz landed a hard uppercut just prior to the round and fight coming to an end. The judges decided this one and came back with scores of 30-27 across the board for the winner Angela Hill. This was a big win for Hill over a ranked opponent. The former Invicta FC fighter now can really try to build and move up in the 115lb division. Her striking is fun to watch, and she just continues to get better.
Former Women’s Bantamweight Title Challenger Sara McMann (11-5 #7 Ranked Women’s Bantamweight) went up against Marion “The Belizean Bruiser” Reneau (9-3-1 #8 Ranked Women’s Bantamweight).After some feeling out McMann ripped a big right hand, and latched on and slammed Reneau down to the mat. McMann was immediately on top and in the crucifix position. Reneau was able to move out of the crucifix, but she was stuck under McMann. McMann just kept transitioning to the crucifix and laying punches down on Reneau. McMann just kept working on top of Reneau and using her much better grappling to her advantage. McMann would grab for the crucifix and Reneau would get out, but McMann would put it right back on her. McMann ended the round with a real flurry of punches in the crucifix position and was just unloading at the bell. We started round 2 and McMann was feinting takedowns and looking to land on the feet. Reneau was staying outside of McMann’s range. Reneau uncorked a hard right hand that appeared to stumble McMann, and they were just going at it. McMann tried to drop down for a takedown, but it was stuffed. As McMann stood up a big knee came from Reneau. They traded a bit, and Reneau again stopped a takedown. McMann backed off, and Reneau was trying to trade, and McMann jumped in for a takedown. McMann, however, landed right inside of a triangle choke. Reneau was really squeezing and trying to soften up McMann. Reneau rolled to her right and was able to tighten it up, and McMann was forced to tap. Marion Reneau came back from a disastrous 1st round to just really put on a show in the second round. The big right hand is what changed this fight. Reneau was able to get that Jiu Jitsu going, and take this one home. For Reneau, it was the biggest win of her career, and that is a fact. She should be getting a top 5-ranked opponent next.
Former Bantamweight Champion Renan “The Baron” Barao (36-6 1NC) was trying to get back on track as he took on Brian “Boom” Kelleher (19-8) to close out the prelims. Kelleher came right out moving forward and threw a low leg kick that just touched Barao. Kelleher was trying to move in and out to try and connect. Barao landed a nice low leg kick that landed. Kelleher just kept moving forward and not respecting the hands of Barao. A hard leg kick from Barao that appeared to buckle Kelleher for a second, but he responded with a right hand. The right hand just kept flying from Kelleher, and he landed a hard one that led to a clinch against the cage from Barao. Kelleher pressed off the cage and ended up in the dominant position against the cage. Kelleher landed a nice elbow against the cage, and then they were separated. Kelleher just kept coming forward and Barao landed two good punches. Kelleher clipped Barao with a right hand that dropped Barao, who popped right back up. Kelleher missed with 2 follow up punches and Barao clinched Kelleher spinning him against the fence. That is where we ended round 1. WE headed to round 2 as Kelleher opened up with a takedown attempt that was stopped. They then clinched against the cage, and Barao reversed the dominant position. They separated and Barao landed a hard straight right hand. Kelleher landed a hard body kick and a leg kick. Kelleher again tried for a level change takedown, but they ended up against the cage. The two stayed clinch, and Kelleher grabbed for and completed a double leg takedown. Barao, however, did not stay down long however and got back to his feet. Kelleher kept him pressed up against the cage and was trying to grind down the former champion. The referee broke them apart and they were back to trading. Barao landed some good shots and a hard left hand came from Kelleher. Barao was forced to block a hard head kick, and Kelleher bounced away. Kelleher came rushing forward with a right hand and then pressed him up against the cage. Barao had him pressed up against the cage, but Kelleher changed the position and then the referee separated them again as the round came to an end. Barao tried to come out fast in round 3 but was missing. Barao threw a jumping knee that was easily avoided. Kelleher kept moving forward and landed a body shot followed by a spinning back fist that partially landed. Kelleher went for a takedown, but Barao stopped it again. Kelleher was just getting to the shots first. Kelleher came in hit a hard straight hand followed by another spinning back fist that connected. Barao was just eating shots at this point. Kelleher clinched him up and was pressing him up against the cage. They separated, and it was more of an onslaught from Kelleher. A big right hand stumbled Barao, and Kelleher was just unloading with big shots. Barao was staying on his feet but eating uppercuts. Barao tried for a takedown, but it was stopped. Barao responded with a hard left hand, but more rights came from Kelleher who had Renan Barao seriously hurt late in the fight, but he made it to the bell. The judges scored this one 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 all for Brian Kelleher. This was the biggest win for Kelleher in the UFC. Beating a former champion in such a convincing fashion goes a long way. Kelleher is a really good prospect, and outside of early first-round submission loss he has been in nothing but very entertaining fights. He will absolutely be ranked after this performance.
We headed to the main card on FOX as two hard-hitting Welterweights Mike “Platinum” Perry (11-3) and Max “Pain” Griffin (14-4) entered the Octagon.Perry immediately led off with a high kick that missed. Griffin was backing away and staying out of range. Griffin dipped in and landed two nice punches. Perry missed a hard right hand over the top. Perry grabbed a hold of Griffin and we had a clinch battle against the cage. They separated and Griffin landed a straight left, and then a right low kick. Griffin was doing a good job avoiding the big shots from Perry and staying out of major trouble. Perry ripped a nice left uppercut, but Griffin got out of any more danger. Perry landed a hard body kick. Griffin landed a nice right hand to the body. Griffin landed another nice combination and then a body kick. Griffin came forward again and landed multiple shots inside to Perry. He then missed with a swinging head kick, and Griffin grabbed a hold and took Perry down. Perry, however, got up and reversed it and threw Griffin to the mat. Perry took Griffin’s back late in the round and transitioned to mount as the round ended. Perry’s head was just covered in blood as he walked back to his corner. Griffin came out strong in round 2 landing a serious combination that finished with a right hand. Perry appeared stumbled a bit from the right hand, and two more right hands came from Griffin that had Perry stumble again. Griffin was the one leading the way just landing a ton of shots. Perry landed a nice leg kick, but then went for a kick and Griffin caught it and threw Perry to the mat. Griffin tried to grab for him on the mat but Perry got back to his feet. The two both landed big punches, and Perry’s left appeared to stun Griffin for a brief second. Perry was really wearing the damage with blood everywhere on his face and head. Perry was relentlessly moving forward, however. Perry moved forward, and a right-left combination dropped Perry to the mat. Griffin jumped on him and tried to throw some punches, but instead, they were wrestling and Perry got back to his feet. Griffin landed a big flurry against the fence, but Perry was able to survive and see a 3rd round. Perry threw a body kick that missed to start round 3. Griffin moved in, and Perry landed a very hard right hand that had Griffin backing up. Griffin was on his bike, and Perry grabbed on to him and tried to take his back, but Griffin shook him off. Griffin landed two hard leg kicks one on the inside and one on the outside. Perry tried to come in, and Griffin landed a nice clean right hook. Perry responded later with a hard left hand than a big right hand. Griffin seemed fine and landed a right hand of his own. Perry was trying to goad Griffin into a slugfest, but instead, Griffin landed a nice low leg kick. Perry was running at Griffin and uncorked a big head kick that grazed Griffin. They clinched, and Perry backed away and threw a wild right hook that just missed. Perry then grabbed for a takedown and we were clinched against the cage. Perry completed the takedown, and then the horn sounded. We went to the judges of this very fun fight and they scored it 29-27, 29-27, and 30-27 all for Max Griffin. This was a smart fight by Max Griffin. He never overextended himself to get himself in trouble against such a powerful fighter like Perry. If Griffin can keep fighting like that he will find a number next to his name sooner rather than later.
Two top 10 Light Heavyweights entered next as Ovince Saint Preux (22-11 #5 Ranked Light Heavyweight) took on Ilir “The Sledgehammer” Latifi (15-5 1NC #8 Ranked Light Heavyweight).Both fighters came out changing stances and waiting each other out. Latifi threw a few body shots and landed a hard leg kick. Latifi kept trying to jump in and throw, while OSP was very cautious in really throwing anything. Saint Preux threw a head kick that was avoided by Latifi. Latifi tried to come forward, and OSP landed a hard left hand. Latifi landed a hard left hand that dropped OSP. Latifi dove on him and started throwing tons of hammer fists on the mat. OSP tried to stand, and Latifi snatched a standing guillotine. The guillotine was tight and OSP was so out of it that a just moments later OSP went out cold. Ilir Latifi scored a huge upset victory in this matchup. Latifi was able to close the distance and that big left hand just set up the opportunity for the submission. In a wide-open division like this, it is a huge win like this that can launch him into the Top 5.
We headed to the Co-Main event of the evening as Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade (18-6 #2 Ranked Women’s Strawweight) and Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres (10-2 #5 Ranked Women’s Strawweight) entered the Octagon.Andrade came right out moving forward and landed pushing Torres back. Andrade tried again, and Torres this time landed a right hand. Andrade kept her rushes coming forward, and it was again a right-hand counter from Torres. Andrade again was trying to move forward, but Torres was coming backfiring and really landing. Torres worked multiple left-right combinations. Andrade kept coming forward and landed a right hand of her own. Andrade continued to move forward, and Torres landed some shots, but Andrade pressed forward and clinched her against the cage. They clinched briefly then on the break Torres landed a hard right hand. Andrade grabbed her and ripped a knee to the body. Andrade avoided a right hand, and grabbed for a slam takedown and scored it right before the round ended. We were right back into the same pace for round 2 with Andrade pushing forward. Andrade then changed levels and scored a slam takedown on Torres. Andrade made her way to side control avoiding reverse triangle attempts from Torres. Torres got back to her feet and landed a hard right hand. Andrade was pushing forward, and more right hands from Torres as she was going backward. Andrade latched on, and Torres tried to reverse and take her back. Instead, Andrade literally tossed her off down to the mat. Torres got back to her feet, but they were up against the fence. Andrade dragged the fight back to the mat and was on top. Torres tried to grab an armbar, but she slipped out. An up kick from Torres caught the attention of Andrade who dropped down, and Torres grabbed for an armbar. Andrade slammed her down to break it and Torres tried to battle up to her feet. Torres ended the round pressing Andrade up against the cage and going for a takedown that was stopped. The third round started with Torres landing a low leg kick. Andrade rushed forward and scored a takedown. Torres tried to battle up to her feet, but Andrade stayed on top. Torres did get up, and we were clinched against the cage. They separated, but Andrade got right back on her and used a leg trip to score another takedown. Andrade was trying to lay down some heavy ground and pound. Andrade was just controlling everywhere on the ground. Torres kicked away and got up briefly. Torres got taken right back down, but Torres tried to take her back but Andrade had no issue getting out. Torres tried another up kick and got back to her feet only to be ripped right back down prior to the bell. The judges scored this one 29-27, 29-8, and 29-28 all for Jessica Andrade. The takedowns in round 2-3 and the relentless pressure won this one for Andrade. She now moves into a spot that has to make her yet again the number 1 contender for the Women’s Strawweight Title.
Finally, it was Main event time as Josh Emmett (13-2 #4 Ranked Featherweight) and Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens (27-14 #7 Ranked Featherweight) closed out the evening. Emmett was dancing around the outside and keeping the movement going. Stephens threw a low kick that landed, and Emmett threw one of his own. Emmett went for an overhand right, but Stephens answered with a left hand. Emmett feinted in and Stephens landed to the body. Emmett then threw a leg kick and it hit Stephens in the cup so we paused briefly. Emmett rushed forward to try and land a jumping knee and Stephens missed with a punch as they separated. Stephens tried for one of his own, but missed and fell backward. Stephens got back to his feet and landed a combination. Stephens landed a nice right hand and then a jab. Then a counter right hand from Emmett sent Jeremy Stephens to the mat. Emmett pounced on him and was trying to land ground and pound. A big elbow from Emmett on the mat, but Stephens got back up to his feet quickly. Stephens blocked a head kick and landed a body quick just prior to the horn. We jumped into round 2 as the two circled each other. Stephens blocked a head kick, and Emmett worked the leg kicks. Stephens swung with serious power but missed. Stephens landed a spinning back fist Stephens then in an exchange absolutely levels him with a left hand. Stephens dove down on to him and started unloading with elbows. Emmett was trying to scramble and Stephens threw a knee that was questionable to being legal, but that is a decision that has to made by the referee in the moment and it wasn’t. Stephens just unloaded elbows, and Dan Miragliotta had seen enough. That is two knockout victories in roughly a month’s time for Jeremy Stephens. He deserves a top 5 ranked opponent with title eliminator implications. Jeremy Stephens always comes out and puts on a show.
Yet another very fun night of fights from the UFC. We saw some serious wars in the Octagon tonight from the prelims to the main card. The bout between Saunders and Jouban, the Perry Griffin fight, Andrade Torres, and the main event were all fantastic. The UFC has been on a serious roll over the past 3 weeks, and hopefully as we head to UFC 222 next week we get yet another excellent card headlined by the return of Cris Cyborg (19-1 1 NC Women’s Featherweight Champion) and the UFC debut of former Invicta Bantamweight Champion Yana Kunitskaya (10-3 1NC). It is always fun when Cyborg is involved, so hopefully, we get yet another fun card.
