Following a rather newsworthy week focused on Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, this weekend saw focus return to the cage with three key shows in three days from Bellator, Invicta FC, and UFC on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday respectively.
No titles were on the line this weekend, but the action was intense nonetheless. Bellator’s offering was headlined by a trilogy fight between Derek Campos and Brandon Girtz. The two lightweights didn’t let off the gas for the full ten minutes the fight lasted. Girtz suffered a nasty cut on his forehead thanks to a Campos knee. The cut was bad enough for many to call for a stop to the fight, but the action continued for a second round. The two went toe to toe for the second frame but the fight was stopped in between the second and third rounds due to the severity of the cut.
Invicta wasn’t quite as wild but delivered a solid evening of action. The main event from Kansas City saw former UFC vet Milana Dudieva take on newcomer Mara Romero Borella. Borella took a tightly contested split-decision that saw her do her best work on the mat. The flyweight improves her record to 11-4 with one no contest.
Sunday’s UFC event from Glasgow was headlined by a welterweight bout between grappler Gunnar Nelson and Santiago Ponzinibbio. Ponzinibbio predicted a knockout heading into the fight and he delivered on his promise in short order. After eating some stiff shots early in the fight, Ponzinibbio rocked Nelson with a right and followed up with a left the dropped him before finishing the fight with strikes on the ground to secure the shocking upset win.
While not the biggest of fight weekends by any means, all three cards delivered in their own way, making for a fun weekend of MMA for fans.
SUNDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…
-Full results from this afternoon’s show from Glasgow:
Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Gunnar Nelson via KO at 1:22 of round one
Cynthia Calvillo def. Joanne Calderwood via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Paul Felder def. Stevie Ray via TKO at 3:57 of round one
Jack Marshman def. Ryan Janes via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Khalil Rountree def. Paul Craig via KO at 4:56 of round one
Justin Willis def. James Mulheron via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Danny Roberts def. Bobby Nash via KO at 3:59 of round two
Alexandre Pantoja def. Neil Seery via submission at 2:31 of round three
Galore Bofando def. Charlie Ward via KO at 2:10 of round one
Danny Henry def. Daniel Teymur via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-26)
Brett Johns def. Albert Morales via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)
Leslie Smith def. Amanda Lemos via TKO at 2:53 of round two
-Performance bonuses with Ponzinibbio, Paul Felder for his knockout of Stevie Ray, and to Danny Henry and Daniel Teymur for their fight of the night on the undercard.
-Gunnar Nelson blamed an unnoticed eye poke as contributing to his knockout loss.
-Galore Bofando scored an unlikely knockout win on the undercard when he threw his opponent, Charlie Ward, to the mat head first, knocking him unconscious.
-Neil Seery retired as promised following his submission loss to Alexandre Pantoja.
Post-fight Press Conference Video: HERE
NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: SATURDAY NEWS DIGEST 7/15: White addresses Trump at Mayweather-McGregor, Gegard Mousasi debut date, Bellator 184 news, Conor-Khabib talk
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