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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 79
NOVEMBER 28, 2015
LIVE FROM SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
Spend the morning with MMATorch as we follow along with the UFC's debut event in South Korea. Benson Henderson takes on Jorge Masvidal in the main event, topping an eleven fight card on UFC Fight Pass. We'll have full play by play on the main card starting at 8AM ET, but we'll also be bringing quick results with some commentary on the prelims, which kick off dark and early at 5AM ET.
=====UFC Fight Pass Prelims Quick Results=====
-Dominique Steele def. "Maestro" Dong Hyun Kim via KO at :27 of the third round
NOTE: Hell of a violent fight. First round had a crazy pace with some great exchanges, including a few rapid fire flurries from both of them in concert. Steele then took over from there with his grappling, controlling the second round with takedowns and ground and pound. He finally finished it in the third, picking Kim up high and slamming him to the canvas. Their heads clashed on the landing, stunning Kim, and Steele finished it off with a few brutal elbows to the jaw.
- Marco Beltran def Ning Guangyou via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
NOTE: One of the least enjoyable UFC fights of the year. Almost nothing happened through 12 and a half minutes, while Beltran finally got some significant offense in late in the third. Just a terrible, terrible fight, especially at this hour in the morning. The crowd, which was great and very into the first fight, just went dead from this one.
-Fredy Serrano def. Yao Zhikui via TKO (injury) at :44 of the first round
NOTE: Nasty, unfortunate injury took Zhikui out of this one. He rushed in with a flurry of strikes, but Serrano quickly ducked and picked him up for a takedown. Zhikui tried to put his right arm down to hold off the attempt and his elbow just went out. Serrano landed a bunch of punches and Zhikui couldn't defend himself. He was in severe pain as it was stopped.
-Seo Hee Ham def. Cortney Casey via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
NOTE: One of the better strawweight fights we've seen in the UFC to date. Excellent pace throughout, with a ton of offense from both fighters. They had some wild striking exchanges, each scoring with significant strikes. Ham seemed to take control late as Casey faded off some big strikes, but it was highly competitive and entertaining overall. Casey was shocked by the decision, understandable given the damage she did in the fight, but it was close overall. Very good fight.
-Tae Hyun Bang def. Leo Kuntz via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
NOTE: Lots of missed opportunities for Kuntz in that one. Bang was exhausted for much of the last 11 minutes of that fight, and Kuntz even had a tight rear naked choke on at one point, only to fail to finish it. Regardless, another entertaining fight that got off to a hot start with Kuntz busting up Bang's eye before getting dropped within seconds. Tons of back and forth throughout from there, and despite being dead tired, Bang's power strikes continued to land, and that gave him the win.
-Mike de la Torre def. Yui Chul Nam via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
NOTE: Spurts of excitement and violence, muddled a bit by extended clinch battles that slowed things down. There was a lot of back and forth offense though, with de la Torre getting in more damage overall to edge out the decision.
-Dongi Yang def. Jake Collier via TKO at 1:50 of the second round
NOTE: Very competitive back and forth fight for most of it. Yang took a nasty eye poke in the first and came out angry on the restart. Collier had some offense on the feet. In the second, Collier nearly finished things with a knee bar, but as he lost the hold, Yang beat him up with a big series of punches to force the stoppage. Solid.
=====UFC Fight Pass Prelims=====
FIGHT ONE: DOO HO CHOI VS. SAM SICILIA (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Choi took the center early. Sicilia stepped in and got dropped with a short combo. He recovered and got back to his feet. Sicilia landed a big strike. Choi landed another big strike. They clinched briefly and reset. Big exchange, with Sicilia landing a couple. Choi then knocked him down! Choi with a few strikes on the ground and Sicilia was out. Wow. Only the second time Sicilia's been stopped by strikes.
WINNER: Choi via TKO at 1:33 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***) That was awesome. Sicilia connected on some significant strikes there, but that was the Doo Ho Choi show. He's now spent less than two minutes in the Octagon in two victories, and has looked great in both. Great finish for Choi, and at 24 he's got a serious future in this division.
FIGHT TWO: YOSHIHIRO AKIYAMA VS. ALBERTO MINA (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Akiyama looks jacked to the gills. He took the center, and Mina circled on the outside, opening up with a couple of kicks. They traded leg kicks. The crowd cheered every bit of Akiyama offense. Akiyama's leg seemed to buckle off a kick after he missed a spinning move, but he soldiered on. Mina popped in with a straight right. He threw a front kick that nearly connected. Akiyama landed a kick. Mina returned fire. Things remained in first gear for a while, neither really picking up the pace. Akiyama landed a jab. More kicks traded. Mina shot in but got stuffed. He tried for a flying knee but was out of range. Mina landed a short punch. Akiyama fired back himself. Mina shot in late and scored a takedown. He looked for an arm but the horn sounded.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Mina. Close round with not a lot happening overall, but Mina seemed to have slightly more offense.
ROUND TWO: Akiyama landed a hard leg kick to start the round. Mina got one in, then landed a few strikes. Akiyama landed a few hard strikes and backed Mina to the cage. Mina's lead leg was turning purple from the kicks. Akiyama cracked Mina with a big uppercut, but Mina took it. Mina fired out a couple kicks. Akiyama landed another hard leg kick. Akiyama missed a few strikes in a counter attempt. Mina landed an elbow. Mina shot in late in the round but got shrugged off. Mina finally connected on a few strikes in combination and Akiyama clinched. He circled out. Mina caught Akiyama low with a kick and the action stalled. On replay that looked extremely painful. He took most of his allotted time before restarting. Akiyama went upstairs with a kick but it was blocked. Mina landed a hard left hand. He shot in, then landed a knee on the separation. Mina landed a huge combination and dropped Akiyama. He landed several big strikes. Akiyama got to his feet but Mina stayed on him with a huge flurry of strikes and got him down once more. Akiyama was saved by the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Mina. Stole it with that final 40 seconds, the most significant offense of the round by far.
ROUND THREE: Mina came out swinging. They traded kicks. Akiyama landed a big uppercut as Mina shot in. He backed Mina up and landed a hard right hand. He got in another nice uppercut. Mina clinched, but Akiyama circled out as the crowd chanted for him. Akiyama landed some more strikes. He sprawled off another shot. Mina tried to pull him to guard, but Akiyama stepped out. Mina's lead leg looked nasty. Akiyama tagged Mina with several strikes. Mina flopped again but was forced to stand. Akiyama landed an uppercut. Mina fired back a couple punches. Akiyama backed him up again and landed a big combination. They traded strikes. Mina nearly got Akiyama down, but Akiyama reversed and got on top. He landed several strikes, then made Mina stand back up. Mina slowly got to his feet. Akiyama landed a few jabs. Mina shot in again and flopped. He slowly got to his feet. Akiyama landed a left. Akiyama landed another hard leg kick. Mina flopped down. Akiyama landed a big strike. He unloaded some ground and pound late and ended the round on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Akiyama. Mina couldn't do anything with that badly damaged lead leg, but this one's going to come down to the first round. I had it for Mina, but Akiyama could have taken it as well. That final 40 seconds of the second round could potentially come back to bite Akiyama here. We'll see.
WINNER: Mina via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**+) It was a solid, somewhat entertaining, competitive fight. Akiyama won the fight, just not under the ten point must system, and I'm not sure the third should have been a 10-8, though it was certainly close. Rough loss for Akiyama given what he did in that third round, but he didn't do enough in the first ten minutes to take either of those rounds clearly.
FIGHT THREE: DONG HYUN KIM VS. DOMINIC WATERS (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Kim came forward and threw a cartwheel kick, but Waters caught him in a clinch out of the attempt and went for a takedown. Kim nearly tripped him up for a takedown of his own, but Waters held it off. Kim then pulled off a great throw into side control and locked him up in the mounted crucifix. Waters tried to kick off the cage, but Kim held position and punished him with punches and elbows. Kim continued to hold the crucifix position, and he landed strike after strike after Waters flailed and tried to escape. Waters tried desperately to cover his face, but Kim just kept peppering him with strike after strike after strike after strike until the referee had no choice but to step in. The crowd exploded in joy for the result.
WINNER: Kim via TKO at 3:11 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) Waters was clearly out-matched as the late replacement, but that was beautiful work from Kim with that judo throw into the mounted crucifix.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: BENSON HENDERSON VS. JORGE MASVIDAL (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Henderson circled on the outside early on, and both were tentative through the opening minute. Henderson popped in with a nice two-punch combo. He landed a hard body kick, then got in another left. Masvidal landed a body kick. Henderson connected on another short combo. Masvidal landed a hard kick to the lead leg. Masvidal got in another kick to the body. They traded punches. Henderson rushed in and landed a punch to the body. Henderson knocked Masvidal as Masvidal landed a body kick. Masvidal popped up and Henderson tried to score a takedown. Masvidal held it off, and landed a solid body strike on the break. Masvidal landed a couple hard body kicks. He fired off several more kicks and punches. Henderson landed a kick to the leg. Masvidal landed several more kicks. Henderson shot in for a takedown but again couldn't complete it. Competitive round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Masvidal. Lots of strong offense to the body from Masvidal. Close round, but Masvidal was more active overall.
ROUND TWO: Henderson tossed out a few push kicks. Masvidal got back in to the body with a kick. Both were cautious as they looked for openings. Henderson landed a hard body kick. Masvidal caught the next kick and Henderson shot. Masvidal sprawled. Masvidal teed off as Henderson got back to his feet, but Henderson fired back and separated. He came back in for a clinch. Masvidal pressed him to the cage, but Henderson turned him back around with double underhooks. Masvidal circled around and got separation with a short combo. Masvidal went high with a kick that was blocked. Masvidal landed a few more body kicks. Henderson went high with one that was partially blocked. He landed a couple of punches. Henderson shot for the single leg again. Masvidal defended with a guillotine attempt. Masvidal went for the guillotine, but Henderson rolled through and grabbed a front headlock of his own. Masvidal tried to put his hand on the ground, but Henderson pulled it up to knee him in the head three times. He got in a few more knees to the body before the horn.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. Strong finish edged another close round to Henderson for me. The knees were really well done there late.
ROUND THREE: Henderson threw a front kick to the face that got a smile out of Masvidal. Masvidal pressed in and scored a couple kicks to the body and leg. Henderson landed a nice right hand as Masvidal stepped in. He connected on a hard kick to the body. Henderson landed a few punches and shot in. Masvidal stuffed it and landed a couple elbows. Henderson got in a couple elbows behind him. Masvidal held off the takedown attempt and they hockeyed for position. Masvidal nearly got Henderson down, then tried to take his back standing. Henderson turned back into him again. Masvidal went for the guillotine but was blocked. Masvidal landed short punches as he continued to stop the takedown attempt. They traded knees and Henderson landed low at the break, leading to a stop in the action. As they restarted, Masvidal pressed forward. He got in a kick to the body. Henderson landed a jab. They traded near the cage. Henderson landed a right hand. He barely missed a combo. He connected on a kick to the body, then a knee, and a right hand. Masvidal landed a body kick with a right hand, then landed a groin shot at the horn. Herb Dean called time to give Henderson his five minutes to recover from the groin shot.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson? Another toss up. Masvidal could have taken that one, and was pressing in quite a bit himself. Close fight.
ROUND FOUR: Henderson stepped in with an elbow and followed with a punch. He blocked a few kicks. Henderson connected on a counter right. Henderson with another shot in for the single leg. Hasn't had any success with these attempts. He threw some kicks to Masvidal's planted leg. Henderson kept Masvidal's back on the cage, but wasn't advancing. They traded knees and jockeyed for position. Henderson landed a strike to circle out. Masvidal got in a solid punch. They traded strikes. Henderson clinched. He finally powered Masvidal to the ground, but Masvidal escaped as Henderson tried to take his back. He landed a couple elbows back on the feet before Henderson could circle out. Henderson ducked under a strike and scored a takedown, but Masvidal popped up and took Henderson's back standing. Henderson went for a kimura. Masvidal patiently defended and wound up on top of Henderson. Henderson tried to attack from the bottom, then scrambled out to his feet. Henderson threw a flying knee late.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. Another really close round, and scores are likely to be all over the place on this one.
ROUND FIVE: Henderson landed a nice punch to the body, but ate a knee. Henderson threw the flying knee and used it to set up a shot. Masvidal landed an elbow, but Henderson took him down. He popped right up, but Henderson stayed on him. Masvidal landed a few short strikes as Henderson tried to stay on the takedown attempt. Masvidal went for the guillotine and drove Henderson to the ground. Henderson escaped, but wound up down. Masvidal went to the sprawl, but Henderson got back up to his feet. Masvidal landed a knee to the body as he pressed Henderson's back to the cage. He threw a spinning elbow, then a body kick. Henderson grabbed a body lock and shot in. He got Masvidal's back standing and landed a couple knees to the thighs. Masvidal went for a switch, but Henderson wound up in mount. Masvidal escaped but Henderson took his back standing. Henderson wound up back on top up against the cage. Masvidal worked back to his feet. Henderson dragged him back down and took his back. Masvidal escaped and Henderson sprawled. Masvidal tried for a takedown but got stuffed. Henderson did the splits to hold off an attempt, and Masvidal got in a knee at the end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. Really good grappling exchanges there in a close and evenly matched fight. Neither really did enough to clearly establish themselves as the winner in this one, so the scores are going to be quite interesting.
WINNER: Henderson via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 49-46)
STAR RATING: (***) Just a really competitive, mostly compelling fight. Each of the five rounds was close, and there were arguments for any number of scores at the end of it. Henderson winning seems right, but that opinion may change upon rewatch.
-That's another event in the books! Thanks for joining us here this morning; we'll have more on the month's results this week as we head into another extremely packed month to close out 2015!
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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