UFC FIGHT NIGHT 74
AUGUST 23, 2015
LIVE FROM SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIM QUICK RESULTS
-Misha Cirkunov def. Daniel Jolly via KO at 4:45 of the first round
Note: Complete domination by Cirkunov on the ground. Rudimentary striking, but real good work on the ground, and he finished Jolly off with strikes from back mount.
-Shane Campbell def. Elias Silverio via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Note: Both gassed heavily by the third, but Campbell was able to survive the grappling of Silverio in the first to edge most of the final ten minutes with his own takedowns and striking. Not a great fight, but a solid performance from Campbell.
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIM QUICK RESULTS
-Chris Kelades def. Chris Beal via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Note: Surprisingly enough, the 30-27 Beal score is the one that doesn’t make sense. They seemed to split the first two rounds, and the third was extremely close, with both scoring with strikes in a wild and sloppy finish to the fight. 29-28 either way was a fine score, and Kelades happened to pull it off for two judges.
-Nikita Krylov def. Marcos Rogerio de Lima via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:29 of the first round
Note: De Lima had a tight guillotine locked on at one point, then after losing it attempted to roll for a kneebar; unfortunately for him, Krylov avoided that spot with a fence grab, took his back, got both hooks in, and locked on a tight choke with his forearm across the throat. De Lima tapped quick for his first ever submission loss.
-Felipe Arantes def. Yves Jabouin via submission (armbar) at 4:21 of the first round
Note: Jabouin was actually controlling position for much of the round, then Arantes attacked for the armbar, swept Jabouin, and completed the hold for the tap. Great finishing sequence from the Brazilian.
-Frankie Perez def. Sam Stout via TKO at :54 of the first round
Note: Stout’s just completely shot. His chin is gone. He had never been stopped by strikes in his career through 30 fights, and now he’s been knocked out in three straight. Nice win for Perez, but a clear sign that Stout’s just got nothing left in that chin to keep doing this.
-In a completely out of nowhere move, Perez retired in the cage after the win.
Perez: “I train with the best team on the planet… I have the utmost confidence to beat anyone in this division. Me being at 26, man, this is my first win in the UFC and my last. I’m done after this. I’ve brought my dreams to come true, and I’m ready for the next chapter of my life. I’m done putting my family and my body through all this.”
FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD
-Jon Anik and Brian Stann welcome us to the main card and break down tonight’s main event to get things moving.
FIGHT ONE: MARYNA MOROZ VS. VALERIE LETOURNEAU (WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Letourneau got in a few kicks early. Moroz fired out a short combo. Letourneau got in a hard right hand. Moroz fired back. Fast start there. Letourneau landed another hard right. Moroz had a few strikes blocked. They each blocked a few strikes from the other. Moroz popped in with a few jabs. They traded strikes with Moroz getting in to the body, but Letourneau scoring to the head. Letourneau dropped Moroz with a right hand. Moroz recovered but Letourneau got on top in side control. Moroz tried to get some space, but Letourneau held position well. Letourneau got in some punches from side control and tried to lock on a crucifix. Moroz tried for some type of inverted triangle, but it was only on Letourneau’s head. The position stalled out a bit and the crowd got a little restless. Moroz was trying to attack an arm from that position, but wasn’t able to do anything with it before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Letourneau. Moroz got clipped badly there, and she left herself open to it there. She has to bounce back strong because she’s absolutely behind after that round.
ROUND TWO: Moroz landed some good kicks to the body early, mixing in some punches as well. She reached in a punch and got countered. Moroz connected on a combination. She threw several more but got hit by a couple in return. Letourneau landed a hard kick to the body. Moroz got in with another combination. Moroz landed another body kick, but Letourneau fired off a right hand. Moroz landed a right hand, but got countered right away again. They traded kicks. Letourneau got in another hard right hand after Moroz left her hands down off a kick. Moroz got in a few strikes. She tried to grab a clinch, but Letourneau held her at bay. They traded punches again. Letourneau again landed a hard right hand. Moroz missed a spinning back fist attempt. Letourneau got in a short combo starting with a body kick. Moroz hurt Letourneau with a right hand. She tried to jump for a submission. They started trading, and Moroz ate some strikes to land hers. Moroz landed another, but ate the counter. Letourneau landed a couple of right hands. She got in a jab. Letourneau landed a left before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Moroz. Very close round, and Letourneau’s got an argument, but Moroz hurt her and was a bit more active overall. Very close round, though, and could easily go the other way.
ROUND THREE: Letourneau countered the first strike with a body kick. She landed a hard right hand. She tripped Moroz up and got on top in Moroz’s guard. Moroz tried to attack for a kimura, but had to give that up. She tried to get her legs up to attack again, but Letourneau did a very good job defending. Neither was advancing much in this position as it continued to drag on. Letourneau stayed just busy enough to avoid a stand up while avoiding Moroz’s attacks. Moroz got Letourneau set up for a triangle choke attempt. She never tried to secure the hold properly, and Letourneau simply stepped up and out. They traded strikes back on the feet, with Moroz landing a couple of strikes. They traded strikes again. Moroz tried to leave it in the cage with some aggressive combinations, but then let the output fade when she needed to be desperate. Letourneau walked her down and they traded strikes to the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: Letourneau. Probably her best overall performance in the UFC thus far. Good work in the third to secure the round and the fight.
WINNER: Letourneau via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**) The deserving fighter won. Letourneau did much more offensively, scored that knockdown in the first round, and didn’t get herself into too much trouble. Not the greatest fight, but it was a good performance overall from Letourneau.
FIGHT TWO: OLIVIER AUBIN-MERCIER VS. TONY SIMS (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: OAM tried to advance off the bat, but Sims did a solid job moving around the cage. OAM wasted little time shooting in. Sims initially stuffed it, but OAM picked him up and brought him down at the cage. Sims tried to escape to his feet while OAM tried to drag him back down. He briefly got to his feet, but OAM picked him up on his shoulder, walked a few feet, then slammed him down. He quickly transitioned to Sims’ back and locked on a body triangle. He looked for the rear naked choke but didn’t get under the chin and had to let it go. Sims continued to defend well, but OAM still had plenty of time with which to work. Sims tried to buck out, but with the body lock on he couldn’t get free. Sims made it out of the round as OAM couldn’t find anything in three and a half minutes of top position.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 OAM. Close to a 10-8 but not enough offense overall for that.
ROUND TWO: OAM tried to close the distance, but Sims avoided the first shot well. OAM landed a hard kick to the body. He shot in again and got a body lock against the cage. He scored a trip takedown and nearly had Sims’ back, but Sims got to his feet and turned into him on the cage. OAM tripped him back up and worked from top position in Sims’ guard. OAM tried to pass but got held in guard. He stood up, but Sims got back to his feet. OAM went for the single leg takedown, then got him to a knee and dragged him down. Sims tried to escape up the cage and managed to get back to his feet. OAM landed a strike to the body. He shot in again but got stuffed initially at the cage. Sims Tried to stay up, but got put right back down off the single leg attempt. Aubin-Mercier got in a little bit of offense, but mostly rode out the round.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 OAM. This is going poorly for Sims, and he’s not having any success keeping OAM at bay. It’s not a pretty fight, but so far the strategy is working for the Canadian.
ROUND THREE: OAM landed a kick, but Sims hit him with a counter-strike. OAM shot in as he didn’t want to strike with Sims at all, and tried to drag it to the ground. Sims landed some hammer fists and elbows as he held off the takedown attempt. The strikes were doing some significant damage, but several were to the back of the head, barely drawing a warning. OAM finally dragged him off balance a bit, and got on top. Sims’ corner screamed at him to scramble out. He got to his feet, and he got himself free. OAM shot in again, and Sims went for a desperation guillotine. He lost it, and OAM got into side control. Sims tried to escape, but OAM took his back as he did. OAM went for the rear naked choke again, but wasn’t even close with it. Not a ton of activity from OAM in this fight when he’s been in dominant positions. He just settled for position to some boos.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 OAM. Tempted to give that one to Sims for the strikes while holding off the takedown attempt. Really uninspired stuff from OAM tonight, as he was just content to hold position rather than actually trying to finish the fight.
WINNER: Aubin-Mercier (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (*+) Never really moved to another level, and was a little disappointing to see Aubin-Mercier fail to attack much for submissions given the positions he had.
FIGHT THREE: CHAD LAPRISE VS. FRANCISCO TRINALDO (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Laprise came straight ahead throwing a few high kicks. He continued to try to connect on that blow as Trinaldo effectively blocked those strikes. He got in a solid inside leg kick. Laprise landed a hard counter-strike. Laprise got in with the high kick. He landed another inside leg kick, with a few strikes behind it. Trinaldo then dropped Laprise out of nowhere! Laprise tied him up in a clinch and pulled guard to give himself time to recover. He gave up his back and Trinaldo flattened him out. Dean told Laprise to fight back, but Trinaldo continued dropping down strikes to force the stoppage. Big upset for the Brazilian over the undefeated Laprise, who was doing real well before he got clipped.
WINNER: Trinaldo via TKO at 2:43 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Kind of a shocking finish, but big win for Trinaldo. Really didn’t see it playing out like that, but he hurt Laprise with that left, and didn’t let up on the ground.
FIGHT FOUR: PATRICK COTE VS. JOSH BURKMAN (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Burkman landed a leg kick and Cote responded with a right hand. Burkman took a side stance and threw a kick to the leg. He went for a spinning move, but Cote was too close and grabbed a clinch. Burkman defended and got separation. Cote landed an overhand right. They traded punches, with Burkman getting the better of the exchange. Burkman got in a knee to the body as Cote clinched. Burkman again got free. They traded punches and Burkman again got the better of an exchange. Cote clinched again, avoiding a brief guillotine attempt. Burkman turned him around and they separated. Cote closed the distance and they exchanged strikes again. Burkman got in a knee to the head in a brief clinch. Cote tried to walk him down again. Cote shot in for a single leg, but Burkman stuffed the takedown attempt well. Cote got in a few strikes. He tried to drop down, but Burkman continued to fight off the takedown attempt. Burkman turned him around again. He got in a knee and they battled for position. Burkman got in a hard elbow as Cote landed a left. Cote landed a hard leg kick. Burkman missed an overhand right. Cote again tried to close the distance. He rocked Burkman with an overhand right. Burkman was wobbled, but Cote didn’t have time to capitalize.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Burkman. Nearly stolen by Cote late, but he didn’t have quite enough offense with the rest of the round to steal it, I don’t think.
ROUND TWO: Cote came forward aggressively early> He landed a right hand counter as Burkman missed a strike. Cote clinched, but they did very little up against the cage. The crowd was firmly behind Cote, but he was just content throwing some minor body strikes in that clinch. He finally got pushed off, then stepped in with a leg kick. Burkman got in with a leg kick. Cote missed a counter right off a leg kick. He got in a couple of body kicks. Burkman scored an excellent trip takedown into side control out of nowhere. Cote rolled to his knees and worked to his feet. Burkman grabbed a headlock briefly before backing off. Cote got the better of an exchange of strikes. Burkman’s output has massively slowed after how the first round ended. They traded punches again. Cote landed the right hand and Burkman shook his head. Cote shot in for a takedown, but Burkman stuffed it. Burkman missed a wild right hand. He missed again with Cote standing right in front of him. He stayed out of range on a late kick as well.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Cote. Burkman’s output was a lot less than in the first round, and though Cote didn’t do a ton, it was more than enough to give him the round.
ROUND THREE: Burkman threw a couple of early strikes and tried to rush Cote. He hurt him against the cage and tried to unload. Cote recovered and Burkman punched himself out a bit. Burkman landed a right hand, but things slowed down. He stepped in with another nice overhand right. They both missed a couple of strikes in the center. Burkman landed a side kick to the body. Cote dropped Burkman with a right hand! He started unloading on the ground and actually ran into the ref who couldn’t quite decide if he was going to step in immediately. He let it go a bit, but Cote didn’t let up, so he finally stopped the bout. Well then. On the replay that right hand caught Burkman right on the temple.
WINNER: Cote via TKO at 1:26 of the third round
STAR RATING: (**+) Elevated by that final minute and a half. Dragged during the second round, but that was a crazy wild final 86 seconds, and an unexpected finish from the Canadian.
FIGHT FIVE: ERICK SILVA VS. NEIL MAGNY (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Magny came ahead early, but neither was eager to engage early. Magny feigned a shot but gave it up quick. Magny pawed out a couple of strikes and covered up as Silva looked to counter. Silva slipped off a spinning elbow and Magny got on top in side control. That was laughably bad. Silva exploded out to his feet and then scored a takedown of his own. He passed easily to side control. He landed a hard shoulder strike. Magny tried to defend as Silva tried to advance position further. He dropped down a couple of elbows. He was trying to get to north-south, but Magny avoided it, scrambled to his feet, and took Silva down. Silva tried to scramble but got briefly mounted. He gave up his back, but scrambled back to his feet. Magny tried to drag him back down, but Silva fought him off. Magny nearly completed a takedown, but Silva stayed up and turned into him. Magny held a body lock. He scored another takedown, took Silva’s back, and flattened him out. He landed some hard strikes, but Silva covered up. Silva held on and made it to the end of the round.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Magny. Well, much better bounce back from the Maia loss than expected. Silva didn’t seem to completely waste his energy that round, so we’ll see what he’s got left as this gets out of the first round.
ROUND TWO: Magny scored with a right hand early on. He backed Silva up, and avoided a spinning side kick. Magny pawed out a couple of jabs. Silva threw a jump kick but it missed. He got in with a left hand. Silva landed to the body with a kick. Magny tried to rush in but got shoved aside. Magny landed a few jabs and a hard uppercut. Silva swung and missed attempting to counter. Silva landed a couple of kicks. He barely missed a strike, then ate a knee from Magny. He threw a spinning kick high but it was blocked. Silva missed another big wild strike. And another. Magny got in with an uppercut. Magny landed a short combination, but Silva grabbed a body lock and slammed him to the ground. Magny held wrist control and landed a few strikes from the bottom. Silva passed, but Magny got back to his feet in transition. Magny went for his own takedown, but Silva held it off on the cage. He stayed on Silva in the clinch. The action slowed in the clinch. They finally separated. Silva landed a hard body kick. Magny got in a combination and avoided the counters in the final seconds.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Magny. Silva’s just not having much success with anything. He’s going to need a flash KO or to find a submission in the third in order to win this one.
ROUND THREE: Magny landed a hard kick. Silva got in a couple of leg kicks. Silva pressed in with a couple more leg kicks. He just barely missed a big left hand. He connected on another one. They traded strikes. Magny landed a couple of jabs. Magny stayed out of range as Silva tried to hunt him down. Silva landed a hard leg kick with a right hand behind it. Silva missed a strike and ate a knee off a brief clinch. Magny got in a few strikes. Magny caught a kick and shot in. Silva quickly separated. Magny popped in with a few more strikes. They both missed strikes in close. Magny landed a few jabs, then landed a hard knee. He ducked under a strike and scored a takedown. Silva got back to his feet, then scored a throw of his own with just over a minute left to work. Magny scrambled to his feet and held a clinch. Silva got him turned around, but time was running out on him. The crowd booed the stalled clinchwork. Magny landed a knee and separated. Magny landed a jab and a few more punches. No desperation from Silva. Silva tried to give chase but Magny kept his distance at the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Magny. Good bounce back from getting out-classed just three weeks ago. Silva just couldn’t find much success in this one at all.
WINNER: Magny via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**) 29-28 Silva is a criminal scorecard. Just awful. Really don’t know what round he could have been given, let alone getting two of them. It wasn’t a very good fight, but it’s impressive that Magny was able to perform like he did just three weeks after Demian Maia halted his seven-fight winning streak.
-Because pacing is always a problem on these FS1 events, we get a look ahead to the Johnson-Dodson rematch in two weeks at UFC 191. At this pace this card will go well over midnight ET if the main event were to go the distance.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SIX: MAX HOLLOWAY VS. CHARLES OLIVEIRA (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Oliveira tried to come forward early, and Holloway circled out a bit. Oliveira caught Holloway low, but it wasn’t flush and Holloway kept on. Holloway landed a couple of nice combinations, and landed several strikes to the body. He circled out as Oliveira tried to get close, then popped in with more body strikes. He got in a short hook as he side-stepped a strike. Holloway did a very good job circling and avoiding Oliveira’s strikes. He stuffed a takedown attempt and stood out as Oliveira tried to pull guard. Oliveira stood, but then grabbed at his shoulder. Holloway threw a couple of strikes but then Oliveira dropped down and the fight was called off. Oliveira looked to be grabbing his collarbone, and this is going to end on an injury. Well that sucks. Not clear on the replay exactly what happened, but it may have been as their arms got locked up when Oliveira tried to pull guard. Not sure if something broke, if he tore a muscle or a tendon, or what, but we’re sure to get more info once he gets examined. That’s just really, really unfortunate.
WINNER: Holloway via TKO (injury) at 1:39 of the first round
STAR RATING: (n/a) Didn’t even have time to get going. Massively unfortunate. Anik mentioned a potential pinched nerve as a possibility, but again, hard to say at this point.
-Well, that’s an unfortunate ending to the only really anticipated fight on this card. Thanks for joining us here tonight anyway! We close out August with Bellator on Friday night, then kick off September with UFC 191 in 13 days, so make sure to stick with us at MMATorch as the summer continues!
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