UFC FIGHT NIGHT 86
APRIL 10, 2016
LIVE FROM ZAGREB, CROATIA
The UFC makes their first ever trip to Croatia on Sunday with a 13-fight card from the Arena Zagreb. The preliminary card kicks off at 10:30AM ET, with the main card on Fox Sports 1 set to begin at 2PM ET. We’ll have quick results and commentary on the prelims this morning, leading into round by round coverage of the main card – headlined by the heavyweight bout between Ben Rothwell and Junior dos Santos. Follow along with us right here all day!
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=====UFC Fight Pass Prelims=====
– Bojan Velickovic def. Alessio Di Chirico via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Note: Somewhat questionable decision, but entertaining fight after a dull and tentative first round. Di Chirico was winning the stand up exchanges throughout the fight (most especially in the third round, making the 30-27 score incomprehensible), but Velickovic was competitive as well. The best moment of the fight came in the second as Di Chirico scored a takedown, only to get countered immediately with a kimura from Velickovic. It was a nasty submission hold, but Di Chirico managed to survive to the horn.
– Jared Cannonier def. Cyril Asker via KO at 2:44 of the first round
Note: Cannonier looked very good here. He stuffed a takedown attempt early with a great sprawl, he ducked some punches, landed counters, and picked Asker apart a bit until landing a huge left hook that dropped him. Asker went out, but the ref’s inaction forced Cannonier to deliver even more punishment with a series of hammerfists and elbows that had Asker out cold.
– Lucas Martins def. Robert Whiteford via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Note: Unfortunately disappointing. Had a few moments sporadically of action, and most of the actual offense came from Martins, but it just wasn’t a good fight. Lots off boos rained down from the crowd.
=====Fox Sports 1 Prelims=====
– Damian Stasiak def. Filip Pejic via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:16 of the first round
Note: Dominance from Stasiak against the debuting Pajic. He was just very clearly the superior grappler, and after securing a trip for his second takedown, he maneuvered into position to take Pajic’s back. From there, the choke came on quick, and Pajic was forced to tap after he couldn’t break the hold. Nice work from Stasiak to kick off the FS1 prelims.
-Mairbek Taisumov def. Damir Hadzovic via TKO at 3:44 of the first round
Note: Really fun one round fight. Hadzovic was delivering strikes as well as he was taking them early on, but Taisumov’s accuracy and variety of attacks started to take over in the latter half of the round. He finished things off with a fantastic combination up against the cage, dropping Hadzovic with a great uppercut. Highly entertaining undercard fight here.
-Alejandro Perez def. Ian Entwistle via verbal submission (punches) at 4:04 of the first round
Note: Entwistle was attacking desperately for heel hooks from the outset, even complaining that Perez was greased up at one point, leading to the ref checking his legs and saying Perez was fine. The leg lock attacks continued, but Perez defended well throughout, and started unloading punches. Entwistle continued trying to attack the leg through the punches until finally the damage became too great for him to deal with. He just covered up until he could yell out a submission to the ref.
With time to kill, the Jared Cannonier-Cyril Asker bout is replayed.
– Zak Cummings def. Nicolas Dalby via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Note: Entertaining fight with an excellent first round. Cummings was the more accurate striker throughout the bout, kept Dalby off balance and out of range, and worked in some top control and submission attempts as well. Dalby suffers his first career loss, but he was competitive throughout in a fun closer to the prelims.
=====Fox Sports 1 Main Card=====
MAIN CARD FIGHT ONE: MARYNA MOROZ VS. CRISTINA STANCIU (WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Stanciu lined Moroz up, then jumped in with a knee, driving Moroz to the cage in a clinch. Stanciu jumped a guillotine, arm in, but she didn’t have it fully locked in and couldn’t bring Moroz down. She lost the hold and Moroz got top position, landing punches. Stanciu landed a few upkicks as Moroz stood above her, but Moroz slowly worked her way down into her guard. Moroz landed some hard strikes to the gut as as she sat up. Stanciu threw a bunch of kicks, at least one of which looked to be illegal with Moroz down, but they both stood and separated. Stanciu went high with a kick that was off the mark. Moroz landed a solid two punch combination. Moroz landed a couple counter strikes as Stanciu got in to clinch up, then landed a trip takedown of her own into side control. Moroz wound up taking Stanciu’s back in a scramble. She was up a bit high to go for a choke, but she got in some Strikes. Moroz tried to set up a one-armed neck crank/choke, but ran out of time with the horn sounding.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Moroz. Good round for the Ukrainian fighter, who simply out-worked Stanciu on the ground.
ROUND TWO: Stanciu landed a body kick to start the offense in the second. Moroz landed a combination and avoided the counter. Stanciu threw out a kick to the body again. Stanciu continued going to the body with her kicks as Moroz methodically worked forward. Stanciu got up top with a good kick after a period of inactivity from both. Little action threw the first half of the round. Moroz finally got in with a right hand, but Stanciu pressed back with a good combination. Moroz landed a combination and got in close. Stanciu tried to jump a guillotine, but Moroz got free, fought off a knee bar, then took Stanciu’s back. She tried to get her hooks in, but Stanciu turned into her. Moroz got in a hard elbow, but lost position in a scramble. Stanciu kicked her off and got up to her feet. Moroz landed a hard left hand late before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Moroz? Hard round to score, if only because there was so little activity for long stretches of the frame. Moroz edges it for me slightly, though there’s an argument for it going to Stanciu.
ROUND THREE: Stanciu tried to throw out some labored kicks early. Moroz had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction bringing a brief pause to the round. They traded strikes in the center as the reset. Stanciu pressed forward with some kicks. Stanciu continued to work her kicks to the legs and body. Moroz landed a strike, but ate a few more counter kicks as she came in. Stanciu landed her best punch of the fight. She countered a trip attempt with one of her own and got on top. Moroz attacked from the bottom for an armbar. Stanciu tried to stay heavy to defend. Moroz continued trying to transition into the armbar, but as Stanciu defended she tried to set up an inverted triangle from the top. Neither had anything secured, leading to a stalemate for a bit until Moroz got her head free. Moroz attacked the arm again and went belly down. Stanciu defended well, and held on to the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Moroz. Stanciu had some moments that round, and more offense on the feet, but Moroz gets the slight edge again with the reversal and strong takedown attempt.
WINNER: Moroz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**-) Solid fight. Not a ton of offense at times, but entertaining enough.
MAIN CARD FIGHT TWO: IGOR POKRAJAC VS. JAN BLACHOWICZ (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Pokrajac tried to rush in early, with Blachowicz landing some heavy counter strikes. Pokrajac landed a couple of strikes, then Blachowicz took him down. Big “Igor” chant from the hometown crowd. Blachowicz passed to half guard and tried to find an opening for damage. Pokrajac regained guard. Blachowicz postured up at the cage, landing a few strikes. He stood up, then dropped into half guard with a big strikes. Pokrajac rolled a gave up his back. Pokrajac stood and shook Blachowicz off him, getting on top into Blachowicz’s guard. Pokrajac landed an elbow. He stood and threw down a strike. Blachowicz attacked for an arm but lost it. Pokrajac stood. He ate an upkick, but dropped back in with a few strikes. Pokrajac got in some elbows and punches from the top. Pokrjac passed to half guard. Pokrajac passed over to mount, though Blachowicz was sitting up on the cage. Pokrajac went for a late guillotine but wasn’t in position to finish it. He let it go just before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Pokrajac. He lost the first half of the round, but had a much better second half to steal the frame back.
ROUND TWO: Pokrajac tried to rush in, eating a couple of counter strikes. Pokrajac connected on a couple, but ate several on his way in. He clinched briefly, but backed out and ate a couple more strikes. Pokrajac got in for the clinch again, but got turned around. Blachowicz dropped for a takedown attempt but got stuffed. He landed a few body punches. He backed off with a major combination. He landed several big strikes. Pokrajac returned fire with Blachowicz trying to encourage the firefight. Blachowicz hurt Pokrajac badly, but as he clinched to throw more strikes he allowed Pokrajac to recover. Pokrajac fired back at the cage. Blachowicz scored a takedown, but Pokrajac got back to his feet much to the delight of the crowd. Pokrajac pressed in and landed several major strikes, but Blachowicz countered with a takedown. Things stalled out for a bit as Blachowicz tried to get his wits about him. He landed some strikes to stay busy, but wasn’t doing a ton. The crowd booed a bit. Blachowicz stood, then passed into side control. They stood up and Blachowicz landed a head kick. Pokrajac pressed back forward with a few strikes and clinched. Blachowicz got in a knee. Pokrajac landed a big two punch combo. Blachowicz got in another knee before the horn. Crazy round.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Blachowicz. Pokrajac did a bunch of damage in his own right, but Blachowicz did more, and had a lot of time in top control as well.
ROUND THREE: Pokrajac tried to press but got countered early. They traded strikes in the center. Blachowicz landed a left hook. He rushed at Pokrajac with a knee and clinched. He dropped for a double leg takedown, but Pokrajac held it off. Blachowicz landed a big uppercut. He missed a couple of strikes and backed out. Pokrajac pressed in and landed a big right hand, but then immediately got taken down. Blachowicz got into half guard and tried to get in some offense. The action stalled out a bit on the ground. Pokrajac got in a couple elbows off his back. Blachowicz landed some strikes to the body. He continued to stay busy enough to avoid a stand up. Pokrajac was stuck on his back and couldn’t do much but defend, and the crowd was not happy about that. Blachowicz started getting through with strikes. Pokrajac tried to kick him off, but he held position. Blachowicz managed to keep position through to the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Blachowicz. The top control was the difference, as Blachowicz got things slowed down, and did what he needed to do in order to (more than likely) get this win.
WINNER: Blachowicz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**) Second round was a ton of fun, third round not so much, but all in all not a bad light heavyweight fight.
MAIN CARD FIGHT THREE: TIMOTHY JOHNSON VS. MARCIN TYBURA (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Johnson worked from the outside early, landing a few right hands as Tybura tried to press in. Both missed strikes in the center. Johnson pressed ahead and they both connected on a few strikes. Tybura landed a solid uppercut. They clinched up and Johnson pressed Tybura to the cage. Very grind-y work on the cage. They were eventually separated due to inactivity. Tybura got in a right hand after Johnson missed a couple strikes. Johnson landed a good left hand. Lots more inactivity on the feet from both. Johnson swung wildly and missed. Tybura missed one of his own. Neither landed a thing before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Johnson. I suppose. This is going to be a long, dull fight at this pace.
ROUND TWO: Johnson played aggressor early. He missed several, but landed a big strike that cut Tybura open. He kept swinging, but Tybura connected on a strike. Johnson reacted, then clinched up. Tybura turned him around and tried to get a takedown, but it was defended well and they separated. Johnson moved forward. He landed a solid left. Tybura connected on a couple jabs. He landed a hard body kick. Johnson landed a right hand. Johnson tried to paw out a jab, but neither was doing much of anything. This is awful. They traded jabs in the center. Johnson missed several strikes. Johnson got in with a left. Johnson finally hurt him late with a few straight jabs, but Tybura clinched up to make it to the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Johnson. This is a bad fight, but Johnson’s doing more than Tybura.
ROUND THREE: After very little activity to begin, Tybura shot in and scored a takedown. He was bleeding badly from his head and it was pouring on the mat. He tried to take Johnson’s back, but Johnson escaped and got back to his feet. Johnson clinched and ate a knee to the body. Tybura threw some ineffectual strikes with his back on the cage. Johnson threw some really week knees to the thighs to feign doing something of substance. They were separated again. Tybura rocked Johnson with a head kick and tried to rush him at the cage. Johnson survived and defended on the cage. Tybura landed a big elbow, but Johnson slowed him down again in the clinch. Tybura got in a hard knee with his back on the cage. The clinch work continued to stall out until Johnson finally backed off. Tybura went for the head kick again, but missed. Johnson landed a right hand. Tybura got in another big knee as Johnson leaned in. He landed a couple more strikes before the horn sounded.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Tybura. Not enough overall offense for any kind of 10-8, but he had his best offense in that round. Probably too little too late.
WINNER: Johnson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (*) Not the worst heavyweight fight ever, but it certainly wasn’t a good one.
MAIN CARD FIGHT FOUR: FRANCIS NGANNOU VS. CURTIS BLAYDES (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Blaydes landed a solid jab with a hard leg kick behind it. Blaydes shot in, but Ngannout stuffed it. Blaydes held onto a clinch, but Ngannou continued to defend. They jockeyed for position on the cage. Ngannou landed a knee to the body. He backed out with a couple strikes. Ngannou beat Blaydes to the punch in the center. Both missed a couple. Blaydes landed a back fist after missing a strike. Ngannou wobbled Blaydes with a straight left. He recovered quickly as Ngannou didn’t engage. Ngannou dropped him with another left, but Blaydes got his wits and shot in. Ngannou held him in the clinch, but it was allowing him to recover. Blaydes finally circled out. Blaydes shot in for a well timed takedown. Ngannou tried to get up on the cage, but Blaydes worked for it, keeping him planted. Blaydes got in some short strikes, but Ngannou got back to his feet and separated. Ngannou connected on a few strikes in combination. Blaydes landed a late jab, then ate a counter just before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Ngannou. Blaydes still in this, but Ngannou’s had the more effective offense thus far.
ROUND TWO: Blaydes landed a couple of nice jabs early. Ngannou connected on a combo. Blaydes landed a big right hand, but immediately got countered. Blaydes shot in but got stuffed. Ngannou connected on a combination. They traded jabs. Ngannou got the better of it. Blaydes shot in and cut off a reversal to get into side control. Ngannou easily escaped and got back to his feet. He turned Blaydes around, landed a strike, and separated. Blaydes’ right eye was swelled shut. Ngannou wasn’t doing a ton, but he continued to land when he engaged. Ngannou got in a hard inside leg kick. The action had slowed to a crawl for a bit. Ngannou got in a little more offense to the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Ngannou. The fight could be stopped on the closed up eye.
-As they come back from break, the doctor did call a stop to the fight due to the swelled shut eye. The ref for some reason tried to argue with the doctor. Really terrible officiating on his part to try to have the fight continue in that spot.
WINNER: Ngannou via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of the second round
STAR RATING: (*) Wasn’t much of a fight overall. Ngannou got in the better offense, and did enough damage to that right eye of Blaydes to force the stoppage. Good call from the doctor.
MAIN CARD FIGHT FIVE: GABRIEL GONZAGA VS. DERRICK LEWIS (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Lewis opened with a head kick. Gonzaga got backed up to the cage, and Lewis landed a right hand before stuffing a takedown attempt. Gonzaga stayed heavy in a clinch. He eventually finished the takedown into side control. Gonzaga landed an elbow, then passed to mount. Lewis tried to break free, and he managed to work to his feet. Impressive escape. He landed an elbow behind him and turned into Gonzaga in the clinch. He landed a knee. Gonzaga stayed heavy on him again, but was stalling out. Lewis stuffed another takedown attempt and they were separated. Lewis ate a counter as he telegraphed a strike, and it was back to the clinch. Wall and stall city. They were eventually separated again. Lewis then came forward and unleashed a huge combination on the cage that dropped Gonzaga late! He landed a few more strikes on the ground and that was it. Brutal flurry from Lewis, with a massive right hand doing the most damage in the midst of it.
WINNER: Lewis via KO at 4:48 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) Finish was great. The four minutes and 40 seconds before that rush were not. Still, good win for Lewis, who continues to showcase ridiculous power in this heavyweight division.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SIX: BEN ROTHWELL VS. JUNIOR DOS SANTOS (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Dos Santos worked on the outside as Rothwell tried to move forward. He landed a right hand on the outside. Rothwell tried to rush him at the cage after landing a right hand, but dos Santos fired off. Rothwell landed a body kick. Dos Santos landed a right hand again, but it wasn’t flush. Rothwell pressed forward and dos Santos tossed out a couple of body jabs. Rothwell went for the flurry again but didn’t connect. Rothwell got in a leg kick. Dos Santos landed a left as Rothwell connected on an overhand right. The crowd was in dos Santos’ corner with a big “Cigano” chant. Rothwell got in a right hand again. Dos Santos went over the top with a right but Rothwell took it. Rothwell tried to press in again, but dos Santos circled out without absorbing much damage. Dos Santos got in a left hand. Dos Santos landed a nice right hand. Dos Santos got in to the body with a couple strikes. He landed another combination. Dos Santos landed a jab. He got in one more body strike before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 dos Santos. Rothwell got in some offense and moved forward a lot, but dos Santos was more active with his strikes overall.
ROUND TWO: Dos Santos tried to work some foot movement overall. Both missed as they threw strikes at the same time. Dos Santos got in some strikes on the outside. Rothwell landed a hard leg kick. Dos Santos connected on a couple strikes to the body. He landed a jab, then a right hand. Rothwell got in to the body with a right hand behind it. Dos Santos circled out to get away. He landed a big combination. Dos Santos landed another hard right hand. He got in a jab from the outside. Rothwell landed a leg kick. He tried to rush in but dos Santos avoided him. Dos Santos went for a superman punch but missed. Dos Santos landed a jab to the body again. Dos Santos got in with a right hand again. Dos Santos got in another combination as he circled away from Rothwell’s offense. Rothwell then poked him in the eye, bringing things to a halt. On replay that was blatant extended fingers to the eye. Dos Santos restarted after a short time and went back on the offensive. He landed a hard front kick. Rothwell’s right eye was swelling up and the nose was bleeding. Dos Santos continued to connect before Rothwell could close distance. Dos Santos landed another left hand and circled out. Dos Santos again with more offense. He rocked Rothwell with a right hand. He landed a huge push kick that sent Rothwell to the ground just before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 dos Santos. Another really good round for dos Santos. This is the best he’s looked in years.
ROUND THREE: Big “Cigano” chants from the crowd to start the round. Dos Santos landed a right hand to the body. They traded strikes. Dos Santos continued to move well around the cage. He landed a left, but ate a combination from Rothwell in a rush. Dos Santos landed another nice right hand on the outside. He kept working to the body as well. Rothwell got in with a right hand. Dos Santos circled out. He barely missed a big right hand. He landed several to the body, then a hard jab to the head. Dos Santos landed another left hand. Two punch combo connected. He landed another nice right hand. Rothwell tried to close distance again but ate a right hand. Dos Santos connected on more before circling away. He got in the spinning back kick to the body. He landed more jabs to the body. He landed a hard right hand as part of a combination. Another spinning back kick to the body. He landed two more strikes late before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 dos Santos. Close to a 10-8, just not quite enough dominance. Still, easily his best fight since 2012.
ROUND FOUR: Dos Santos kept his movement up early, landing strikes, circling out, avoiding much from Rothwell. He landed another big right hand 40 seconds in. He landed a hard side kick to the body, then another punch there. Right hand landed to the head. More jabs to the body from dos Santos. Dos Santos landed another hard right hand, then a left, then another right hand. He took a breather, then came back in with a few more jabs. Rothwell getting very flat-footed. Dos Santos landed more jabs, then a quick hook before backing away from the counter. Dos Santos back to the jab. He landed a solid right hand. Dos Santos’ boxing continued to work effectively. Rothwell got in a big right hand, but dos Santos wasn’t fazed and came back with more of his own. He landed a couple, then circled out away from the corner. Rothwell again tried to rush forward, but missed strikes. Dos Santos landed some more, continuing to mess up Rothwell’s face. Dos Santos landed another combination. He took a couple strikes then circled out. Dos Santos landed some more strikes. Rothwell moved forward with a leg kick to end the round.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 dos Santos. This is still all dos Santos, and Rothwell’s going to need a finish to keep his hopes of any type of title run alive.
ROUND FIVE: Dos Santos kept Rothwell at bay with strikes from the outside. He landed a nice right hand. He got in to the body again and smiled. More jabs from dos Santos. Dos Santos with several more as Rothwell connected to the body. Dos Santos landed another left hook. Dos Santos went back to the body. Jab landed again. Dos Santos again beat Rothwell to the punch, timing his attacks well. He stayed out of range from a kick. Dos Santos landed a step-in knee to the head. Dos Santos landed another series of jabs to the body and head. He landed a hard two punch combo as Rothwell tried to walk him down. Dos Santos kept busy with jabs to the head and body as he continued circling and moving. He landed another hard jab. Rothwell connected on a left hand. Dos Santos landed another hard jab. Rothwell connected on a right hand, and dos Santos circled out on the other side. Dos Santos continued to outwork Rothwell with everything he did. He landed an overhand right. He went for the spinning high kick but it was blcoked. Dos Santos landed more to the body. He got in a hard front kick to the body. He landed a few more strikes in combination late. Rothwell got in one strike at the horn. Big, big, big win here for Junior dos Santos.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 dos Santos. By far the best performance he’s had in years. Can’t say that enough. Not entirely a return to form, but a very positive performance after years of brutal losses and less than stellar work in that cage.
WINNER: Dos Santos via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
STAR RATING: (**+) This was a fight and a spot for dos Santos where he needed something significant after his loss to Alistair Overeem and a not great performance over Stipe Miocic just over a year ago. He needed this win, he needed this type of performance, and he can now move forward. The follow up from here is important, but he showed he’s still got something left here.
-That’s our event on the day, thanks for joining us here! We’ll have more on the event this week as we move ahead to next week’s UFC on Fox 19 event from Tampa!
Note for App Users: For fastest refresh rate on our fight result updates throughout the event, we recommend you visit our mobile-friendly browser-based website at http://www.mmatorch.com. Our App unfortunately doesn’t update article changes in real time, but our mobile site does, so there will be delays in live results on our app but not on our mobile site during the event.
Also for App users, swipe right to view next article, swipe left to view previous article.
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