UFC FIGHT NIGHT 63
APRIL 4, 2015
LIVE FROM FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA
=====Fox Sports 1 Prelims=====
Good morning, everyone! Time for some early MMA action to kick off this Saturday. Jon Anik and Brian Stann welcome the audience as the first fighter is already in the cage.
PRELIM FIGHT ONE: RON STALLINGS VS. JUSTIN JONES (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Stalling landed a solid early strike, but Jones walked him down and drove him to the cage. Jones tried to set something up, but Stalling circled out. Stallings landed a brutal body kick and Jones was hurt bad. Jones covered up and Stallings tried to finish him off with several punches and strikes. Jones did a nice job recovering, though, and landed a few hard counter-strikes before turning Stallings around and taking him down. Stallings started cinching up a choke, but Jones scrambled out and they clinched at the cage. Jones went for a throw, but Stalling stuffed it. The action slowed a bit in the clinch. Jones finally backed off and tried to land a couple of strikes. He missed them both and shot back in. Jones landed some knees to the legs. He ate a hard knee to the body and dropped an arm to block that spot. Stallings got brief separation, but Jones got right back into him. They traded knees, but Stallings got his back put on the cage again. The round ended on the cage.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Stallings. Though Jones pressed Stallings to the cage for much of the round, it was the sequence of strikes from Stallings on the cage that won him the round.
ROUND TWO: Jones tried to rush ahead wildly, but he missed a few strikes before taking a hard right hand to the jaw. Stallings got in another shot before Jones finally shot in. Stallings stuffed the takedown attempt once again, but Jones just kept him on the cage with a high single leg attempt. They were finally separated. Jones missed some more strikes and Stallings went back to the body kick. Stallings got in a hard knee to the body in a brief clinch. Stallings just avoiding everything thrown by Jones here. Jones drove him back in a clinch again. This is simply wall and stall from Jones, who looks out of his depth against the better striker and isn’t sure what to do here. After taking a few more strikes, Jones finally scored a takedown on the cage. He did a little damage, but not much. Stallings ended the round going for a kimura.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Stallings. Jones is probably going to get it on the scorecards due to the takedown, but the wall and stall should go against Jones here.
ROUND THREE: Jones missed several strikes again and got countered. He shot in, Stallings sprawled, but Jones kept up with it into the clinch. He tried to drop down, but got held off, and they were separated again. Stallings may need to do more offensively because the stalling at the cage could be playing against him here. Stallings landed several kicks and punches in combination. He sprawled to stuff a takedown and landed several strikes, but Jones pressed him to the cage again. Jones backed off but missed a few strikes. Stallings escaped and backed Jones up to the cage, landing a combination and inexplicably clinching and getting turned around. Further stalling before they were separated again. Stallings got in a leg kick. Jones shot in, got shrugged aside, and landed a couple of strikes. Stallings got in a couple of strikes. Jones got in and Stalling grabbed a Thai clinch, landing a few hard knees before getting driven to the cage again. Jones missed a few punches and shot in again. Stalling threw down some hammer fists to the back to end the round.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Stallings. He had such an edge in the striking game that his continued initiating of clinches himself just didn’t make sense. There’s every possibility the judges screw him here, but that should be his win.
WINNER: Stallings via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (*) Not a very good fight, Jones’ striking is seriously lacking, and with Stallings allowing himself to get clinched and slowed down significantly it brought the fight down. Stallings had some fun striking at times, but they were few and far between there.
PRELIM FIGHT TWO: SHAMIL ABDURAKHIMOV VS. TIMOTHY JOHNSON (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Abdurakhimov took the center off the bat and they circled around one another. Abdurakhimov landed an inside leg kick and circled away. He caught a kick and landed a right hand. He backed off and landed a few counter-strikes as Johnson stepped ahead. Johnson tossed out several strikes to move forward and get the clinch, but Abdurakhimov turned him around and separated fairly quickly. Abdurakhimov connected on a straight right. Johnson swung and missed after getting shrugged aside from a brief clinch. Abdurakhimov landed a couple more strikes. Clearly better on the feet here. Johnson got in on another clinch and landed a knee to the body. Abdurakhimov got warned several times about grabbing the fence and the referee took a point away. Wow. They restarted and Johnson landed a strike. Johnson pressed ahead into another clinch, and landed some knees. Abdurakhimov turned him around and landed a punch before separating. They clashed heads as both stepped in. Abdurakhimov caught a kick and nearly took Johnson down with it. Johnson connected on an uppercut out of a clinch. Abdurakhimov landed a hard straight right. Johnson ducked in and scored a nice takedown and passed immediately to mount. Abdurakhimov covered up and Johnson continued throwing strikes. Abdurakhimov was covering his face a bit, but Johnson kept throwing strikes and the referee yelled at Abdurakhimov to fight back. He said it several times, but Abdurakhimov wasn’t doing much but covering up, and the ref waved it off. Wow again. Very surprising fight.
WINNER: Johnson via TKO at 4:57 of the first round
STAR RATING: (*+) That was just a weird fight. Abdurakhimov was clearly the better striker, but Johnson ultimately scored that really nice takedown and passed to mount with ease there late. Abdurakhimov looked like he simply gave up there, and I have no problem with that stoppage, even as the round was close to ending.
PRELIM FIGHT THREE: GRAY MAYNARD VS. ALEXANDER YAKOVLEV (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Maynard tried to rush in with a couple of combinations early, but wasn’t finding a home for his strikes. Yakovlev ducked under another rush and scored a big slam into half guard. Maynard powered his way back up pretty quickly. Yakovlev landed a hard knee to the body before separating. Maynard shot in and nearly scored a trip takedown of his own. It led to a clinch on the cage with Maynard pressing Yakovlev back. They battled for a bit but were finally separated. Maynard landed a straight right hand. Yakovlev got in with a hard body kick. Maynard faked a takedown and used it to land a right hand. Maynard stepped in with a few punches. Yakovlev landed two hard body kicks. Maynard nearly pulled off a sweep and tried to grab a headlock. Yakovlev turned him around and pressed him to the cage, eating a knee before backing off. Maynard landed a body punch. They traded kicks after things slowed a bit. Maynard landed a couple of right hands. Yakovlev got in a knee in the clinch to close out the round.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Maynard. Close round, though not a ton of activity from either. Maynard gets a slight edge for pressuring throughout the round.
ROUND TWO: Yakovlev moved forward and was looking for an opening. He threw a high kick that was blocked. They traded body punches in a nice exchange. Maynard timed a takedown well and got Yakovlev down. Maynard tried to complete it to keep Yakovlev down, but Yakovlev got up to his feet. Maynard stayed on him with a body lock and landed some knees to the thigh. He continued trying to drag Yakovlev down, but Yakovlev managed to turn back into him to get separation. Yakovlev got in a body kick. They collided in the center and Yakovlev landed a knee. Maynard threw a couple of punches wildly that were blocked. Maynard landed a left hand and avoided the counter. Yakovlev landed a few punches in succession as Maynard got in close. Maynard shot in again but got stuffed. He ate a couple of strikes there. Yakovlev dropped Maynard with a straight left. He tried to follow up on the ground, but Maynard managed to recover. He got to his feet, but ate several more strikes and shot in. Yakovlev sprawled, then turned over and landed a knee to the body. He got in some strikes and did damage. Maynard tried to tie him up and wound up on his back. Yakovlev got in a strike and Maynard turned into him to survive the round.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Yakovlev. Maynard’s chin is shot, and Yakovlev cost himself a very real chance to finish that fight right there.
ROUND THREE: Yakovlev looked for the straight left again. He faked ducking in and landed a nice right hook. Maynard shot in but got stuffed easily. Yakovlev landed a few strikes, but Maynard stayed relentless on him and briefly took him down. Yakovlev got to his feet, ate a knee, and turned back into Maynard before separating. Yakovlev landed another right hand. Maynard shot in, but Yakovlev stuffed it, then scored a brief trip of his own. Maynard again shot in, but Yakovlev again stuffed him on the cage. He got separation again. Yakovlev landed the left hand again, but couldn’t follow it up. He hit Maynard with several strikes as he was coming in, then stuffed another attempt into the clinch. Maynard landed a right hand. The crowd got a bit restless about the fight as things slowed a little. Yakovlev ducked under a strike, grabbed Maynard’s leg, and scored a trip takedown into half guard. Maynard brought him back to guard. Yakovlev landed a few strikes from the top. Maynard briefly turned into him, but Yakovlev passed to half guard. Maynard got him back to guard before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Yakovlev. He was already out-striking Maynard, and sealed it with the late takedown after stuffing all of Maynard’s attempts that round.
WINNER: Yakovlev via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (*+) Maynard is just a far cry from the fighter he was four years ago. He just is. Yakovlev’s takedown defense was impressive, and he had some decent striking, but there wasn’t a ton to take away from this one for him. Maynard needs to take a serious look at retirement, because it just seems like he doesn’t have it in him to be successful at this level anymore, and his chin is a serious concern.
PRELIM FIGHT FOUR: LIZ CARMOUCHE VS. LAUREN MURPHY (WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Murphy rushed straight ahead. Carmouche threw a leg kick and shot in. Murphy held it off and remained standing. Murphy drove Carmouche to the cage with double underhooks. She dropped down after eating some punches and elbows, but Carmouche did a good job holding it off. Murphy got in some knees, but Carmouche continued to hold her off. Carmouche went for a throw but Murphy stuffed it. The clinch battle continued, but Murphy wasn’t advancing, and the ref finally separated them. Murphy came straight back ahead with Carmouche circling on the outside. Murphy landed a punch to the body. Carmouche got in a push kick to the body herself. Murphy landed a right hand. Carmouche connected on a body kick. Carmouche landed a nice right hand after she missed a knee. Carmouche with a counter-right after checking a kick. She landed a leg kick, then shot in. Murphy stuffed her again and drove her to the cage in the clinch again. Murphy got in a knee. Carmouche landed some strikes with her back on the cage. Murphy completed a late takedown just before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-10. Neither fully earned that round outright. Carmouche did more striking damage, including in the clinch, while Murphy pressed that clinch and scored the late takedown.
ROUND TWO: Carmouche opened with some kicks. Murphy walked her down to back her to the cage. Carmouche missed a couple strikes. She connected to the body. She went for a spinning kick to the body, then grabbed a front headlock as she sprawled on a takedown attempt. She landed a knee as they got to the feet, but Murphy clinched her to the cage again. Carmouche landed some elbows and continued to throw other strikes as she stuffed the attempt. More strikes from Carmouche with her back on the cage. Murphy just not getting anything in offensively in these clinches, and isn’t having success getting Carmouche down. They were again finally separated. Could have happened sooner. They traded kicks. Carmouche got in a right hand but ate the counter-punch. Carmouche threw a straight kick to the body. Carmouche went for a cartwheel kick. She tried to throw Murphy out of a clinch, but wound up on her back. She tried to kick Murphy off, but Murphy held position. Carmouche kept a high guard and didn’t take any damage before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Carmouche. Murphy might get it for keeping Carmouche backed up and for that late takedown, but she’s not doing much offensively at all. Brian Stann’s commentary has been surprising in this one, as he seems to think Murphy’s walking away with it, but she hasn’t actually done much of anything.
ROUND THREE: Carmouche landed some counter-strikes. Murphy landed an inside leg kick. Carmouche connected with a side kick to the body. They traded kicks. Murphy missed a couple of strikes. Carmouche shot in and scored a big takedown. Murphy got her back to the cage quickly, though, and tried to stand. She landed some punches as Carmouche tried to drag her down. Murphy kept landing elbows and the crowd booed a bit as Carmouche seemed to be stationary. Murphy worked back to her feet and clinched, pressing Carmouche back to the cage. She got Carmouche’s back standing. Carmouche held off a takedown attempt with a few elbows. More clinching with Carmouche trying to land short strikes as she stuffed the attempt. Carmouche landed a throw, but they stood again as Murphy tried to take her back. More in the clinch. Carmouche landed several elbows as Murphy went for the takedown again. Carmouche nearly pulled off the switch, but Murphy put her on her back. Carmouche again got up and it was back to the clinch. Just not a lot of actual offense happening in these clinches. Murphy got in some knees. Carmouche pulled off another trip into side control. She landed a couple of elbows but ran out of time.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Carmouche. She should take that back with the final trip takedown, but so little happened in this fight that it could go either way here. I think Carmouche won, because Murphy just didn’t do much of anything with her numerous clinch attempts.
WINNER: Carmouche via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (*) Just a bad fight. Really dull with very little actually happening throughout.
=====Fox Sports 1 Main Card=====
MAIN CARD FIGHT ONE: DUSTIN POIRIER VS. CARLOS DIEGO FERREIRA (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Ferreira immediately backed Poirier up and landed a couple of strikes. They traded strikes in a furious exchange. Ferreira hit an arm drag out of a clinch but Poirier rolled out and clinched. Very fast start to this one. After a brief time in the clinch, Poirier separated. Ferreira landed a strike and Poirier taunted him by wagging his finger. They traded strikes in another crazy exchange. Ferreira landed a groin shot and things were brought to a halt. On the restart they swung at each other again and Ferreira closed the distance to clinch. Poirier turned him around and separated with a couple of strikes. Poirier connected on a hard body kick. More strikes traded. Ferreira backed Poirier up, but then got dropped by a huge punch from Poirier. Ferreira tried to recover with a takedown but got reversed. Poirier got back up. He landed a few big strikes and dropped Ferreira again! Poirier landed a bunch of strikes on the ground and it looked like Ferreira went out a couple of times before the ref stepped in. Huge, huge, huge performance from Dustin Poirier. Wow.
WINNER: Poirier via KO at 3:45 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***+) Awesome fight. Both were throwing everything they could at each other from the outset, and Poirier took Ferreira’s best strikes before knocking him down. He stayed patient, smartly made Ferreira stand again, and dropped him once more before finishing it on the ground. Excellent stuff.
MAIN CARD FIGHT TWO: CLAY GUIDA VS. ROBBIE PERALTA (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Guida did his head bob and threw out a leg kick. Peralta returned fire with a couple of kicks. Guida missed a few strikes. Peralta pawed out a couple of jabs. He landed a hard jab with a leg kick behind it. Guida shot in off a kick but Peralta stuffed it with really solid balance against the cage. Guida picked him up and scored the takedown, but Peralta held onto a head lock and scrambled to the cage. He got to a knee. Guida landed a few body strikes, but Peralta got back up to his feet. Guida went for another slam and got into half guard. Guida briefly looked to set up an arm triangle, but Peralta got out and got to his knees. He blocked several strikes as Guida tried to sneak behind him to take his back. Peralta tried to get up, but Guida held him down. Guida landed some knees to the body and tried to drag him back. Peralta got to his feet and Guida tried to climb up to take his back. Guida stayed on him and landed a knee to the thigh as the round ended.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Guida. He didn’t do much with his position, but controlled Peralta throughout regardless.
ROUND TWO: Peralta was swinging a bit wild early on, and Guida shot in and scored a quick takedown. Peralta worked his way back up to his feet and Guida tried to keep the grind on with a single leg attempt. Peralta landed some body strikes and continued to hold of the attempt. Peralta continued to defend, but Guida stayed on it. Finally they were separated. The crowd booed for some reason. Peralta landed an uppercut. Guida immediately shot back in and we’re back to the clinch. Guida got cut open at some point and he was bleeding badly. More of this grinding clinch work from Guida without advancing. Peralta continued holding off the attempt. He landed a strike in brief separation. The ref separated them again. Finally. Peralta landed a leg kick. He connected on a couple of strikes. Peralta missed a strike. He landed a hard leg kick. Peralta landed a body kick and had a head strike blocked late.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Peralta. I know Guida’s clinch’s are going to wind up scoring the round for him from the judges, but Peralta did the most damage and stuffed all but the first takedown.
ROUND THREE: Peralta missed a couple of strikes. He kept looking for openings, but then Guida landed a head kick as he faked a shot. Peralta landed an uppercut. Guida went high with the kick again. Guida timed a takedown and briefly got Peralta down. He then picked him up and brought him down in the center. Guida tried to set up an arm triangle choke and passed to mount with it. Guida tried to pass, but Peralta escaped the hold. Nice work from Peralta there. Guida tried to pass and got to side control. Peralta scrambled and got to his knees on the cage. He got back to his feet, but time’s running out for him. Peralta landed some elbows as Guida went for another takedown. Guida stayed on the attempt and finally picked Peralta up for another slam into side control. Peralta escaped to his feet just before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Guida. Peralta cost himself that fight by letting Guida dictate things in the clinch and with those takedowns. Guida didn’t actually do much on top, as per usual, though he did try the one submission attempt. Not a great fight, though.
WINNER: Guida by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (*+) Grind, clinch, takedown, get stuffed, takedown, grind, etc. It was a Guida fight, Peralta just didn’t offer up a ton of resistance to it.
-Jon Anik did an interview with Rampage Jackson via satellite where Rampage mumbled his way through it as he was drowned out further by arena music. Some real high energy from Rampage there…
MAIN CARD FIGHT THREE: JULIANNA PENA VS. MILANA DUDIEVA (WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Pena came out firing, and Dudieva ducked under to pick her up for a takedown. Pena somehow landed on her feet and clinched. Dudieva pulled off a nice throw into half guard, though Pena quickly defended off her back and got in a butterfly guard. Pena rolled through for a leg, then scrambled to her feet. She then scored an easy takedown to side control, and then mount as Dudieva tried to hold a headlock. Pena started firing down punches and elbows from the top. Dudieva was avoiding some of the strikes, but Pena continued to do damage. Dudieva tried to kick off the cage, but Pena held her spot. She wasn’t getting through with a ton of her strikes, but she started slowing it down to land elbows. Dudieva gave up her back and ate a few strikes. Dudieva turned back around and Pena got right back to mount. Dudieva continued to cover up, but Pena was starting to get through more with her elbows and the ref finally stepped in. Great return from Pena. Relentless in her ground and pound.
WINNER: Pena via TKO at 3:59 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) Great work from Pena. Wasn’t much of a fight, and once she got that mount the finish was just an inevitability.
MAIN CARD FIGHT FOUR: MICHAEL CHIESA VS. MITCH CLARKE (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Chiesa pressed Clarke back immediately, but Clarke got in a solid counter-strike. They wound up quickly getting into a clinch and battling briefly. Clarke separated with a couple of strikes. Chiesa pressed back in and they clinched again. Neither got an advantage and they separated. Another quick clinch and Chiesa landed a nice throw, but Clarke almost immediately scrambled out to his feet with double underhooks on Chiesa. Chiesa pulled off another throw, but again Clarke worked back to his feet nicely. Chiesa landed a few elbows and Clarke backed off. Chiesa rocked Clarke with a combination. He pressed him back and landed another big combo, but Clarke took all of those shots and slowed it down in the clinch again. They jockeyed for position and traded knees. Chiesa pulled off another quick throw and took Clarke’s back, locking on the body lock in the process. Clarke defended a couple of choke attempts well. Chiesa tried to spin around to mount but Clarke looked to turn into him. Chiesa turned it into an armbar attempt but lost it from a scramble by Clarke. Really good ground battle here. Clarke sat up at the horn. Good round.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Chiesa. Solid opening frame. Chiesa did some real nice work with the throws, and the final minute and a half of ground work was great from both.
ROUND TWO: Clarke circled around early on in the round. Chiesa missed a few strikes as he closed the distance. Clarke ducked down for a single leg and landed some foot stomps. Chiesa held off the attempt and they were separated. Chiesa went high with a kick that was partially blocked. Clarke missed a few strikes and ate right hand. Back to the clinch. Chiesa pulled off another sweep and took Clarke’s back with three minutes to work. Chiesa landed some hard strikes and kept looking for a submission opening. Clarke rolled and got to his feet, but Chiesa held the body lock and stayed on his back. Still great defense from Clarke. Chiesa went for the rear naked choke but lost it as they fell down. Chiesa got in a few elbows in from behind Clarke in some unique offense. Clarke continued to defend to the end of the round.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-8 Chiesa. He’s dominating the ground action, but Clarke’s ground defense is still keeping him in this one.
ROUND THREE: Both missed some strikes early. Clarke landed a front kick to the body. He tried to press forward, but wasn’t connecting on much. Chiesa missed a big elbow. He landed a straight left. Clarke landed to the body and landed a left hook behind it. Clarke got in a straight kick to the body. Chiesa timed a couple of counters well. Clarke got Chiesa backed up and landed a few strikes. Both were taking some damage from each other here. Chiesa landed a short combo after catching a kick. Chiesa rocked him with a right hand. They traded punches. Clarke landed a left hook. Chiesa got in a flying knee to the body. He pressed Clarke back with a left. He connected on a right hand. Clarke landed a right hand. Clarke landed a nice left after a faked shot. Clarke with a short combo. He popped Chiesa’s head with a jab. Clarke got in a few more strikes. Chiesa rocked him with a two punch combo. They traded big punches once more. Chiesa landed the straight left again. Clarke went for a big uppercut. Clarke landed a couple again. Both slowed a little. Chiesa got in a couple of hard body kicks and landed a left. Chiesa went for a spinning kick late. He went for a throw late and connected on a right hand at the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Chiesa. Had a bit more that actually got through, but great heart from Clarke in trying to do something to win when he knew he was down two rounds. Close final frame, but this was Chiesa’s fight. Entertaining bout.
WINNER: Chiesa via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (***-) Very entertaining fight. Chiesa just did a great job everywhere, and though he took some damage in the third round there, that was very clearly his win. Really nice performance.
-They air a real excellent video package on the UFC 189 World Tour with Aldo and McGregor.
MAIN CARD FIGHT FIVE: JORGE MASVIDAL VS. AL IAQUINTA (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: They both circled around each other to start things off. Masvidal landed an inside leg kick. Iaquinta got in with a hard one himself. Masvidal landed a good jab. Iaquinta shot in for a single leg, but got stuffed and ate a knee for his troubles. Masvidal blocked a few strikes in a combination from Iaquinta. Masvidal landed a short hook. Iaquinta got in some kicks to the body. Masvidal connected on a flying knee. He landed a hard kick to the body, then a short left hook. Iaquinta caught a low leg kick and landed a rgith hand. Masvidal worked his jab well as Iaquinta tried to close the distance. Iaquinta threw a hard outside leg kick. He missed the overhand right and Masvidal fired out a leg kick. Iaquinta missed an uppercut. Masvidal went for a spinning head kick. He tagged Iaquinta with a combo. Iaquinta went for a heel hook after pulling guard but Masvidal got out. Masvidal rocked him again and tried to finish things on the ground. Iaquinta made it to the end of the round but his face got busted up late.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Masvidal. Huge final 30 seconds from Masvidal there. Iaquinta could be in trouble here as he’s getting beat to the punch quite a bit. Great speed and accuracy from Masvidal there late.
ROUND TWO: Slower start to the second. Masvidal went for an axe kick but wasn’t in range for it. Masvidal landed a few jabs. He got in with a kick to the body. Iaquinta landed a couple of body strikes. Masvidal slipped, but landed a body kick as Iaquinta came back after him. Masvidal landed a jab right to the cut under Iaquinta’s eye and it started bleeding heavily. Masvidal continued landing punches as Iaquinta got in close. They traded kicks. Masvidal missed a jumping knee. Iaquinta landed a hard leg kick. He landed a right hand and Masvidal shouted “whoo” back at him. Iaquinta missed another big overhand right. Masvidal landed a couple more jabs. He landed a hard body kick. Iaquinta connected with some body shots. Masvidal caught a kick and landed a hard right hand. He countered with a strike as Iaquinta moved forward. Iaquinta opened up with a few strikes. He shot in for a single leg but got stuffed before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Masvidal. He’s just scoring more offense overall in this fight.
ROUND THREE: Iaquinta landed a couple of early strikes. Masvidal landed a hard body kick. They traded a few strikes, but things were a bit slower in the early part of the round. Iaquinta got a bit more active, but he wasn’t scoring a ton of strikes. Masvidal’s output has certainly slowed a bit as the fight has worn on. Iaquinta kept landing kicks to the lead leg of Masvidal and it was taking a toll. Iaquinta landed a jab. He blocked a head kick attempt from Masvidal. Iaquinta dropped his arms and tried to goad him into a firefight. Then he popped Masvidal’s head back with a right hand. He tried to roll in for a leg lock to no avail. He started pressing further on the feet and landed a couple more right hands. Iaquinta landed a hard jab. Masvidal landed a hard body kick. Iaquinta pressed in and Masvidal landed a couple of punches. He got in another body punch. He landed a couple of jabs. Iaquinta got in a couple of late leg kicks. He landed a couple of strikes to close out the round.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Iaquinta. Maybe? Really close round, damage done by both, lot of output late. Fun fight, but I think Masvidal should take it here.
WINNER: Iaquinta via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
-The crowd booed the decision, and Iaquinta went off on them, leading FS1 to go audio silent for a solid 5-10 seconds while he let off a string of expletives their way.
STAR RATING: (**) Solid and competitive fight, but I absolutely thought Masvidal won the first two rounds and I’m not in agreement with that decision at all. Still, he slowed down after that crazy end to the first, and could have cost himself the fight as Iaquinta remained active, even though I thought Masvidal was landing more consistent strikes.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SIX: CHAD MENDES VS. RICARDO LAMAS (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Lamas missed an early high kick and Mendes landed one to the lead leg. They exchanged inside leg kicks. Lamas landed a hard uppercut as Mendes ducked down and Mendes smiled and acknowledged it. Lamas landed a couple of hard leg kicks to the lead leg. Mendes stepped away from a couple of high kick attempts. Lamas landed another hard leg kick to the lead leg. Mendes tried to close the distance and Lamas landed a couple of jabs. Lamas went high with a kick that was blocked. Mendes dropped Lamas with a right hand. He landed a few strikes but Lamas got to his feet. Mendes rocked him with a knee and dropped him with a left. Lamas tried to grapple and Mendes grabbed a headlock as they stood. Lamas just fellas he tried to back up. Mendes stayed on him and landed a huge left under the arm as Lamas was on his hands and knees. He looked at the ref to ask how much longer this needed to continue and it was stopped. Yep, Mendes is absolutely the second best fighter in this division.
WINNER: Mendes via TKO at 2:45 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Big time performance from Mendes. Lamas was lighting his leg up with kicks, and was doing a solid job with building up early damage in his punches as well. Then Mendes showed why his power strikes and finishing instincts are top notch. He’s the best featherweight in the world not named Jose Aldo, and another one like that will get him back to a third fight with Jose Aldo.
-That’s the show today. Thanks for hanging out with us here this afternoon, we’ll have more on these results throughout the weekend as we move on to another day event next week from Poland!
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