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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 71
JULY 15, 2015
LIVE FROM SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
=====UFC Fight Pass Prelims=====
-Lyman Good def. Andrew Craig via TKO at 3:20 of the second round
Note: Good cracked Craig with a big right hand midway through the second and pounced on the ground. Solid official UFC debut for the former Bellator Champ.
Note: Terrible fight. Casey did just enough to edge each round, but there was very little happening at any point of the fight. Completely forgettable.
=====Fox Sports 1 Prelims=====
-Sean Strickland def. Igor Araujo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Note: Should have been 30-26 across the board, as the first round was clearly a 10-8. Regrardless, after failing to finish it in the first, Strickland held control of the action from there to take the clear decision.
Note: Not a great fight. Yahya may have done enough to edge two of those rounds, but neither really had a ton of offense through that 15 minute fight. The takedowns from Yahya likely made the difference.
-Jessica Andrade def. Sarah Moras via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Note: Credit to Moras - she nearly pulled off a rear naked choke in the final seconds - but she got her ass kicked in this fight. Tons of offense from Andrade, very little from Moras but desperate defense until the very end of the bout.
-Sam Sicilia def. Yaotzin Meza via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Note: Really odd performance from Sicilia. He was clearly the better striker coming in, but he made it a lot more difficult by grappling with Meza throughout much of the fight. Not a great performance, but he did enough to win the decision.
=====Fox Sports 1 Main Card=====
-Following a brief intro from Jon Anik and Kenny Florian, it's right to the main card action.
FIGHT ONE: ALAN JOUBAN VS. MATT DWYER (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Jouban looked to walk forward early. He tossed out a couple of strikes and Dwyer countered. Dwyer went for the superman punch but missed the mark. Very tentative action from both early. Dwyer landed a hard strike that knocked Jouban down, but as he engaged on the ground and went for a guillotine, Jouban popped out and got on top. Dwyer kicked him off and got back to his feet. He tried to come forward aggressively, but missed a couple of strikes. Jouban clinched up, and they jockeyed for position against the cage. Jouban got in a couple of hard strikes before Dwyer separated. Things slowed down a little bit. Jouban got in a hard body kick and tried to press forward. Jouban got in a body kick and a few strikes. He pressed Dwyer back and got in a bunch of strikes, then he landed an illegal knee as Dwyer was on the ground. On replay that was a clear illegal knee. Unfortunate. Herb Dean takes a point. Wow. Questionable, but not unacceptable. Jouban rushed in with a few strikes. Dwyer landed a few hard strikes. Jouban fired back at the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Dwyer. That point deduction might be a killer for Jouban. He was hurting Dwyer late, but he got hurt early, and he now likely needs to finish to take this one.
ROUND TWO: Dwyer came straight ahead to start the second, though didn't really connect on anything early. They traded strikes and Dwyer got the better of it. Jouban landed a right hand counter. Jouban connected on a hard straight left and tried to push ahead. Jouban side-stepped a kick after some slowed down action. Jouban landed a hard body kick. He went back to the body with another kick. He got in high with a kick, then blocked the response from Dwyer. Jouban landed a really nice counter-hook as Dwyer stepped in. Dwyer tried to stalk, but Jouban did a good job circling out. Dwyer shot in but got stuffed. Jouban got in another hard kick to the body. Jouban tried to press in, but Dwyer avoided damage. They clinched up and Jouban tried to drag him down. He failed, but landed a nice elbow to break. He got back in to the body with another kick. He dropped Dwyer with a head kick. He landed some elbos and punches on the ground, but let Dwyer back up. He pressed him to the cage and landed some big strikes, but Dwyer threw some back. Dwyer looked at the clock. Jouban backed him up with another big combination. Jouban landed a big punch to the body. Jouban landed a few more big strikes against the cage, including a cartwheel kick before the horn. Nice finish.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jouban. Close to a 10-8 with how much damage he did.
ROUND THREE: Jouban came ahead. Neither landed much of consequence early. Dwyer tried to press in but ate a counter-strike. Jouban tried to play the aggressor as neither landed much of anything. Jouban landed a hard kick to the body. He blocked a return strike. Both slowed down considerably in the final round. Dwyer got in a short combo. Jouban blocked a couple of strikes. He got in a combo at the cage and shot for a takedown. He completed it with over a minute left in the round. Jouban landed several big strikes. Dwyer tried for a kimura but Jouban got out. Jouban got in a knee to the body and a big series of strikes late. Dwyer tried to get out late. He got to his feet and Jouban threw a cartwheel kick. Dwyer got on top off of that for the final ten seconds.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jouban. He did more offensively, but slowed down from that second round. This one will completely depend on the first round, and whether the judges deemed the second a 10-8, which I doubt. Sense a draw coming up.
WINNER: Jouban via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
STAR RATING: (**) Solid fight, a little surprised by the decision, as I thought Dwyer had done enough to win the first. Still, Jouban did a lot more down the stretch, and had an argument for a 10-8 in the second, so not the worst decision.
FIGHT TWO: KEVIN LEE VS. JAMES MOONTASRI (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Lee pressed Moontasri back early and landed some strikes on the cage. He avoided a big punch and landed a couple more as he pressed forward. Lee countered a punch with a body kick. Both missed jumping kicks. Moontasri landed one low but Lee kept moving on. Le landed a nice left hand. Moontasri then poked Lee in the eye. Actually both connected with the eye poke there. Actually, on replay, Lee's was a punch, not a poke. He was OK to continue and came straight ahead. He got in a flurry, and shot in, avoiding a flying knee. Moontasri tried to hold off the takedown but Lee picked him up and slammed him in a suplex. He took Moontasri's back, and Moontasri tried to escape. Lee locked on the rear naked choke and forced the tap! Huge win for Lee after a series of decision victories.
WINNER: Lee via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:56 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Really nice work from Lee. He's had a few decision wins in a row, so that finish is a big step forward for the 22-year-old in his UFC run.
FIGHT THREE: SCOTT JORGENSEN VS. MANVEL GAMBURYAN (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Gamburyan moved ahead early, but Jorgensen avoided his attacks. Gamburyan kept it up and landed a right hand. Jorgensen went for a takedown, but Gamburyan grabbed for a tight guillotine. Jorgensen rolled through a couple of times and escaped. Gamburyan got to his feet and then scored a takedown. Jorgensen tried to get out and to his feet, but Gamburyan stayed on him. He did work up, but Gamburyan took him back down. Jorgensen got back to his feet with Gamburyan on his back, then turned into him. They traded knees and one of Jorgensen's went low, bringing a halt to the action. On the replay that was a bad separation. Clean strike. They restarted in that position, and Gamburyan immediately turned Jorgensen around. He picked him up and slammed him, then tried to take his back. Jorgensen escaped and got on top. He landed some big strikes, but then got knocked down by Gamburyan! Jorgensen covered up, but got slammed back down. He recovered again and got to his feet. He separated with a strike. Jorgensen tried to get inside on Gamburyan but didn't have the range down. They traded right hands. Gamburyan got in a body kick. He grazed Jorgensen with a right hand before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Gamburyan. They each had some offense in that round, but Jorgensen has to be a lot more careful exchanging with the heavy handed Gamburyan.
ROUND TWO: Gamburyan tried to be aggressive early, but Jorgensen landed a nice combo early. Gamburyan landed a groin shot that brought a halt to things. On the restart, Gamburyan came back ahead, but Jorgensen countered well. Gamburyan shot in for a single, but Jorgensen avoided the takedown and scored a big body kick. He went for a leg himself, but gave it up. Gamburyan went for a choke, but lost it, and Jorgensen got in on the front headlock position. He landed some strikes, then got in a knee as Gamburyan popped up. Gamburyan grazed him with a right hand after a brief tentative spot. He missed an elbow, but kept moving forward. He shot in but Jorgensen stuffed it at the cage. Jorgensen continued to hold him off on the cage, but started to get dragged down. Gamburyan finally completed it, but Jorgensen immediately got to his feet and took Gamburyan down. He tried to take the back but lost position in a scramble. The clinch went back to the feet, and Gamburyan got in a couple of strikes late.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jorgensen. I think he did more overall, but it's possible Gamburyan took that round on the scorecards.
ROUND THREE: Jorgensen was looking for an opening early, but had to block a couple of strikes. Gamburyan landed a hard leg kick and pressed Jorgensen back. Jorgensen way to hesitant to engage. He tossed out a couple of strikes that weren't all that significant. Gamburyan landed a couple of strikes. Jorgensen finally popped in with a good right hand. They traded punches. Jorgensen got in a solid kick and a body punch. He landed another right hand, avoiding a counter. Jorgensen landed another hard strike with a left hand. He backed away from a rush. Gamburyan landed a left after a takedown attempt. Gamburyan got in some punches off the cage. Jorgensen stuffed a takedown attempt and landed a knee on the way up. Gamburyan landed a hard left hand. Gamburyan landed a hard leg kick. They traded punches again. Gamburyan landed a hard right hand late. He shot in but got stuffed. Jorgensen landed a couple of elbows. He continued to hold off the attempt. Gamburyan threw some punches that were wildly off the mark. Jorgensen separated and landed a body kick. He got in another couple strikes before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Jorgensen. Comes down to how that second round was scored in my opinion. Could go either way here.
WINNER: Gamburyan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (*+) Yeah, I can see it. Not a great fight overall, but nothing horrible. Don't have a problem with the decision.
FIGHT FOUR: HOLLY HOLM VS. MARION RENEAU (WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Slow start from both, but Reneau opened up the offense. Holm got in a few minor strikes, but very little happened in the first half of the round. That relative inactivity continued throughout much of the round, as neither managed to score much in the way of strikes. Reneau got in a body kick late, but Holm continued playing the aggressor. She landed a few strikes, but they weren't the most effective. Holm landed a strike that caused a mouse to form under Reneau's right eye. They traded kicks late.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-10. Very little offense overall from either. Very tentative opening frame.
ROUND TWO: After some more minimally effective work from both in the first minute, they each scored kicks to the body in the second. Still a very slowly paced fight, bringing out some boos from the crowd. Holm got in a short combination. She got in another as Reneau tried to press forward. Holm got through with a couple of strikes. Reneau seemed quite unsure what to do as her corner yelled at her. She got in a body kick. She tried for another and ate a combination. She got in a side kick. Still not a ton overall happening in this fight. Holm got in a kick to the body. She backed Reneau up and got in a solid combination. She landed a few side kicks to the body. Reneau connected to the body. Holm caught the kick and Reneau tried to pull guard. Holm just shoved her off and didn't follow her to the ground. Reneau tried to throw a couple kicks off her back before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Holm. Reneau looked completely unsure of herself on the feet. She needs to find a way to bring this to the ground.
ROUND THREE: Holm landed a few kicks to the lead leg early. Holm pressed Reneau back with a short combo and more kicks. Reneau slowly tried to move back in, but continued to find no success there. She seemed to take an eye poke but it wasn't stopped. Holm got in another short combo. Holm again got in with a few strikes. Very little of consequence actually happening in this one. Holm went for another combination of strikes. Reneau just not doing anything. Holm landed a hard leg kick. She got in another brief combo. Reneau went down briefly on an exchange, then ate another body kick as she stood up. Holm got in with a few strikes. She landed a few hard kicks. Reneau avoided another rush. Holm finally connected on a real solid right hand, and then Reneau tried to jump guard. Holm slammed her down and stood up out of her guard. The ref made Reneau stand with over 30 seconds left. Holm came back ahead with a strike. She got in another short strike. Brief combo. Holm landed another flurry late before the horn. The crowd booed a bit. Not a good fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Holm. Reneau just did almost nothing in this fight. Disappointing.
WINNER: Holm via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (*) It wasn't the most offensively bad fight of the year, but it was extremely dull through much of its duration. Just not an entertaining fight, and the crowd booed after the decision.
FIGHT FIVE: JOSH THOMSON VS. TONY FERGUSON (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Lots of movement early on. They traded kicks, neither landing all that well. Ferguson pawed out a couple of jabs and then threw out a front leg kick. Thomson avoided the walk down, then landed a trip as Ferguson threw a kick. Ferguson popped to his feet. Thomson took him down quick but Ferguson again popped to his feet. He pressed in with a couple of hard body kicks. Thomson landed a jab over the top. Ferguson landed another hard jab. He landed a front kick and tried to find his range. Ferguson got in with a couple more hard kicks. Thomson swung wildly but didn't find a home for his punches. He got in with a right hand shortly thereafter. Ferguson walked him down and landed an inside leg kick. Thomson countered a kick with a couple of punches. Ferguson backed away from a rush. He threw out a couple of high kicks that were blocked. Ferguson went for a jump kick, then tossed out several kicks in a row. He threw a flying knee, but it got caught and he got taken down. Ferguson tried attack for an inverted triangle but Thomson got out. Ferguson attacked for an arm but Thomson held position. He landed a couple of right hand strikes late. He got in an elbow before the horn. Hard round to score.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Ferguson. Did more offensively by a slight margin. Very close round, though.
ROUND TWO: Ferguson kept up the aggressiveness, trying to walk Thomson down early. Thomson connected on a short combination. They traded punches wildly. Ferguson rolled out after a punch, then came in with a hard kick to the body. He got in with another, then rocked Thomson with a huge elbow. He followed Thomson to the ground and started raining down elbows. Thomson turned into him and Ferguson kept on the attack on the ground. Thomson turtled up and Ferguson grabbed a crucifix and landed some elbows. Herb Dean separated them after saying Ferguson grabbed the fence. Ferguson came back ahead and landed a few strikes. Thomson tried to swing wildly back, but he wasn't landing much. Ferguson landed a hard jab. Thomson got in a right hand. Ferguson landed another really hard strike. Thomson was rocked. Ferguson got overaggressive and wound up on his back, but he locked on a triangle and cut Thomson open with some elbows. Thomson got himself out of the triangle, but Ferguson attacked for the kimura off the bottom. He turned him over with the sweep but lost the hold. Thomson again got out. Ferguson landed some more strikes. He tried to step over into mount but Thomson escaped. He ate a couple strikes but swung wildly as he got to his feet before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Ferguson. Great round for Ferguson, and he came close to stopping it on a couple of occasions. Thomson's tough as all hell, though, and he's not going away easily.
ROUND THREE: Thomson caught an early kick, but couldn't get Ferguson down. He tried to press him back, but ate several jabs. Thomson landed a couple more strikes with his back on the cage. Ferguson with another hard combination. Ferguson got in a nice elbow. He landed a really hard elbow in the center of the cage. Thomson tried to press in but couldn't get in range as he was bleeding profusely. Ferguson landed another elbow. He sprawled on a takedown attempt. Ferguson tried to throw Thomson off with movement. He landed a hard leg kick, then one to the body. They traded leg kicks. Ferguson hurt him again with a body kick, btu Thomson fired back with a couple of strikes. Ferguson continued to press ahead. He got in a hard forearm late. Ferguson landed another hard body strike. He landed another major knee and briefly went for a D'Arce choke, but Thomson got free. Thomson went for a spinning back fist. Ferguson somersaulted again. Thomson shot late and got a clinch, but Ferguson bucked him off. They grappled to the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Ferguson. Not as good as the second round, but another strong round in Ferguson's favor. Should be a big win for him here.
WINNER: Ferguson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
STAR RATING: (**+) Big win for El Cucuy. The second round was highly entertaining, and though the third round didn't follow up much on it, that frame was still quite excellent and some of the best action of the night thus far.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SIX: FRANK MIR VS. TODD DUFFEE (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: They both looked to trade early. Mir landed a counter. Mir connected with the better of an exchange. He rocked Duffee on the cage. Duffee recovered and hurt Mir. They both fired wild strikes. THey clinched with Duffee pressing Mir to the cage. He backed out and reset. Wild opening minute. Duffee hurt Mir with a left. Mir knocked Duffee out cold with a huge left! What?!?! That was insanity. That counter-left was perfectly placed to the jaw and Duffee went unconscious.
WINNER: Mir via KO at 1:13 of the second round
STAR RATING: (***-) As wild and crazy as you're going to get in a fight like that. Duffee threw all defense out the window and decided to throw sloppy strikes against a guy who still has ridiculous power. That one's on him. Still, give Mir credit for taking some big shots himself and finishing things off quickly.
-That's another one in the books this week. We're not done with the live events, either, so make sure to stick with us at MMATorch for further reaction to this fight and more as we move ahead to Saturday's UFC Glasgow event.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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