UFC FIGHT NIGHT 87
MAY 8, 2016
LIVE FROM ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
The UFC is back with another daytime Sunday event today, making their debut in the Netherlands in the city of Rotterdam. Alistair Overeem kickstarts a fresh new contract with the organization when he takes on Andrei Arlovski in the main event, while “Bigfoot” Silva and Stefan Struve try to keep some semblance of relevance alive in the heavyweight field in the co-main. We’ll have live round by round coverage of today’s main card as it begins at 2PM ET, and we’ll update quick results on this morning’s prelims as they happen. Stick around with us all day for fight coverage, reaction, and more!
Note for App Users: For fastest refresh rate on our fight result updates throughout the event, we recommend you visit our mobile-friendly browser-based website at http://www.mmatorch.com. Our App unfortunately doesn’t update article changes in real time, but our mobile site does, so there will be delays in live results on our app but not on our mobile site during the event.
Also for App users, swipe right to view next article, swipe left to view previous article.
=====UFC Fight Pass Prelims Quick Results=====
-Ulka Sasaki def. Willie Gates via submission at 3:30 of the second round
-Leon Edwards def. Dominic Waters via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Kyoji Horiguchi def. Neil Seery via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
=====Fox Sports 1 Prelims Quick Results=====
-Reza Madadi def. Yan Cabral via TKO at 1:56 of the third round
-Josh Emmett def. Jon Tuck via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
-Magnus Cedenblad def. Gareth McLellan via TKO at :47 of the second round
-Rustam Khabilov def. Chris Wade via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
=====Fox Sports 1 Main Card=====
We’ve got Jon Anik and Kenny Florian on the call this afternoon, and we’re ready to kick off this first ever main card in the Netherlands for the UFC.
FIGHT ONE: HEATHER JO CLARK VS. KAROLINA KOWALKIEWICZ (WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Clark opened with a couple kicks, but got hit pretty quickly with a hard right hand counter. Clark came back in with a solid overhand right, then a jab shortly after. They traded jabs, then exchanged in the center. Kowalkiewicz overextended but got in a few strikes as Clark tried to clinch. Kowalkiewicz landed a few hard strikes but then ate a counter right. They clinched up in the center. Kowalkiewicz got in a hard elbow. Clark returned fire on the break. Kowalkiewicz got in a few strikes and ate a counter. Clark landed a hard right hand, then another strike before shooting in. Kowalkiewicz held her off, landed a nice knee, and circled out. Kowalkiewicz continued throwing multiple strikes at a time. Clark landed another big right hand, then closed the distance to clinch up again. Kowalkiewicz broke her off with an elbow. She slipped on a kick but popped up. Clark landed a big combination, but had another takedown stuffed. They battled in the clinch. Kowalkiewicz landed another big right hand as she finally backed Clark off, then rushed in with a combo. She landed a nice flurry of strikes. She tossed out a kick. Clark missed a few strikes. Kowalkiewicz landed a hard spinning back kick to the body, and got in another combination. Clark fired back with a short combo and shot in. They ended the round in the clinch. Fun opening round.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Kowalkiewicz. Clark did some damage, and had some solid offense in the round, but Kowalkiewicz finished strong and was much more active in her striking overall.
ROUND TWO: Clark landed a couple of punches and kicks early. Kowalkiewicz landed a nice combination that stunned Clark. She tried to walk her down to the cage, and picked a few spots for strikes. Clark closed distance and clinched. She managed to score a brief trip but Kowalkiewicz immediately scrambled to her feet. They continued fighting in the clinch, trading knees. They traded punches in the center after finally separating. Clark got in a couple strikes, beating Kowalkiewicz to the punch. Kowalkiewicz connected on a nice combination. They exchanged right in the center. Clark landed a solid left hand. Clark missed a few strikes, then landed a right hand before getting countered. Kowalkiewicz landed another right hand, then Clark clinched up again. Kowalkiewicz landed a nice series of knees followed by an elbow up at the cage. Clark clinched up again and turned her around. Kowalkiewicz stuffed another takedown, then hurt Clark with a couple short elbows. She kept up the attack, trying to walk Clark down. She landed more knees after a flurry. She stuffed another clinch and briefly had Clark’s back. In a crazy sequence late, Clark went for a takedown, got reversed, then had to fight off an armbar attempt to the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Kowalkiewicz. She continues to put out much more offense overall, and further damage is being delivered as a result. Solid fight so far.
ROUND THREE: Clark threw two high kicks early. Kowalkiewicz tried to advance, and Clark landed a few strikes. Kowalkiewicz landed several in combination once again. Clark landed an inside leg kick. Kowalkiewicz got a high clinch, then landed a couple elbows. Clark got in a hard body kick. They clinched up again. Clark threw some knees as Kowalkiewicz threw some body punches. Clark finally backed off. Kowalkiewicz barely missed a spinning back fist, then connected on a short combination. Clark got in a strike. Kowalkiewicz nearly took her back standing, but it got back to the cage in the clinch. Kowalkiewicz got in some more knees and elbows before circling out. Clark landed a strike. Kowalkiewicz returned fire. Kowalkiewicz landed another big combo. She hurt Clark with several strikes and stuffed a takedown attempt. Clark drove it to the the cage in the clinch again. Kowalkiewicz backed her out. She landed a big uppercut with strikes behind it. They traded strikes with both connecting. Kowalkiewicz went for a jump knee. She landed several big strikes, Clark fired back. Kowalkiewicz again with a flurry. Clark shot in and got stuffed again. They traded again. Kowalkiewicz circled out and landed another nice flurry of strikes. Clark got in a few strikes. Kowalkiewicz busted her up again. They traded, and Kowalkiewicz fired off yet another ridiculous flurry at the horn. Great performance from Kowalkiewicz.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Kowalkiewicz. Great offensive output from Kowalkiewicz. She continued firing off combination after combination, and was willing to let herself get hit on several occasions in order to continue getting her strikes in. Fun fight.
WINNER: Kowalkiewicz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (***) Tons of fun. Kowalkiewicz kept throwing flurries at will, and though Clark’s output was much lesser, she still landed some significant offense of her own. Just mostly entertaining start to finish, with a good overall performance from Kowalkiewicz.
FIGHT TWO: NIKITA KRYLOV VS. FRANCIMAR BARROSO (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Krylov threw out a front kick right off the bat. He looked to be the early aggressor. Barroso landed a left hand. He shot in but got stuffed. Krylov got Barroso to the cage and teed off. Barrose tried to fire back but ate a lot more strikes than he landed before clinching up. Krylov turned him around and landed a few knees. Barroso got in a knee. Things stalled out in the clinch with neither advancing. They traded some more ineffectual knees, but seemed to be waiting to be broken up as the ref just stood staring them down. Krylov got in a knee to the body and a right hand. Barroso fired off some wild strikes and backed Krylov up. Barroso landed a nice uppercut as he shot in but got stuffed. He turned it into a body lock and dragged Krylov down, but only briefly. Krylov got to his feet and got separation. Krylov landed a few strikes as he backed Barroso up, then clinched. Ugh, this is not good. More minor knees. Barroso finally backed him off. Krylov went for a front kick to the face. They traded strikes. Barroso missed a right hand.Krylov fired off a few strikes, then ate a couple more. Krylov then shot in again. He got stuffed, then finally fired off a few strikes to end the round.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Krylov. This is a bad fight.
ROUND TWO: Krylov came out firing with a huge head kick and a flurry on the cage. Barroso landed in return, causing Krylov to clinch again. Barroso turned him around, but neither did much in the position. Barroso finally grabbed a body lock and scored the takedown, but he got quickly swept. Krylov landed some strikes, then stood to deliver more but ate a huge upkick. Krylov landed a head butt and got a warning. Should have been stood up for the foul. This ref is bad. Krylov fought off an armbar attempt, then landed a couple strikes. Barroso went for an omoplata but Krylov spun out and got into half guard. Barroso kicked Krylov off, then nearly got a triangle as Krylov got sloppy. Barroso gave up his back and tried to get to his feet, but Krylov kept him on the ground and went for a rear naked choke. He locked it on and forced the tap. Alright then.
WINNER: Krylov via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:11 of the second round
STAR RATING: (**-) Second round was an improvement, but it was still such sloppy technique from both fighters. Absolutely ugly fight, with a really odd finishing sequence given the choke wasn’t under the chin or even cinched up entirely. Barroso quit.
FIGHT THREE: GERMAINE DE RANDAMIE VS. ANNA ELMOSE (WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: De Randamie getting a huge home country reaction. She missed a front kick early, kept pressuring, then landed a few strikes before a clinch. Elmost turned her around and got in some body work as she tried to take de Randamie down. De Randamie defended well against the cage. Elmose stayed on the takedown attempt, but couldn’t get her all the way down. They jockeyed for position on the cage and Elmose eventually kept de Randamie up against the cage. De Randamie got a Thai clinch and landed a couple of big knees before separating. She landed a jab, then a right hand. She hurt Elmose with a big right hand, then shrugged off a shot and got on top, though she let Elmose up immediately. De Randamie landed a big jab, and the crowd continued to react favorably to every strike landed. She missed an uppercut, but got another Thai clinch to deliver some more brutal knees to the head and body. She landed a huge knee to the gut and Elmose crumpled, allowing her to finish it off with a right hand. Well done.
WINNER: De Randamie via TKO at 3:46 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) All for de Randamie’s performance once she got going. The knees up against the cage were nasty, and that she got it done in front of a home country crowd makes it even better.
FIGHT FOUR: GUNNAR NELSON VS. ALBERT TUMENOV (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Nelson popped out a hard one-two combination. TUmenov got in a kick. Nelson landed a big left hand as he leapt in. Tumenov landed a big body kick. Nelson with a nice combination, though Tumenov tagged him back. Tumenov got in a solid body punch. Nelson landed a nice side kick to the body. Nelson’s gut was bright red from the body strikes. Nelson with a combination. He had a kick blocked and got tagged. Nelson then landed a big strike and drove through with a well timed takedown. He quickly passed to mount. Nelson got in a couple short strikes. Nelson pulled Tumenov away from the cage. He postured up with a quick short elbow. Tumenov tried to buck him off but Nelson held firm. Nelson got in another elbow. Tumenov continued trying to escape to no avail, and he got hit again by a big elbow. Nelson continued to work effectively in the mount. He got in a couple elbows but Tumenov then escaped to his feet. Nelson got off balance on that last elbow. He landed a nice right hand jumping in. Tumenov got in a solid strike. He landed a side kick late, then one more punch before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Nelson. Good opening round. Tumenov’s power is not to be trifled with, but Nelson did a good job offensively on the feet and on the ground.
ROUND TWO: Nelson closed distance early, but Tumenov got in a solid body strike at the cage. Nelson landed a right hand, but shortly after ate a big body kick. Nelson closed distance and shot in. They broke out and Tumenov landed. Tumenov landed a big kick. He caught one of Nelson’s and got in a couple strikes. Nelson then scored a much needed takedown with more than three minutes to work. He passed immediately to side control and then beautifully to mount. Tumenov tried to buck out to escape, but Nelson took his back and got a body triangle locked on. He landed some hard strikes as he tried to open him up to look for a choke. Tumenov tried to defend and Nelson just crushed his jaw with the choke on the chin. He cinched it up tightly and Tumenov tapped in pain. That was nasty.
WINNER: Nelson via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:15 of the second round
STAR RATING: (***) Great stuff. Brutal body work, nice striking display from Nelson, and just excellent ground work from Nelson. Fantastic.
FIGHT FIVE: ANTONIO “BIGFOOT” SILVA VS. STEFAN STRUVE (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Silva rushed across looking to take Struve down, but he got dropped with two strikes and a massive knee to the body. He kept up a single leg attempt, but Struve started unloading elbow after elbow until the ref finally stepped in. Yet another huge moment for the Dutch heavyweight in front of a home country crowd. Silva looked out from one of the first elbows in that sequence on the ground and probably ate six or seven more before the ref finally stepped in. Great win for Struve, but Bigfoot’s shot.
WINNER: Struve via TKO at :15 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Great moment for Struve in front of his home country crowd. Between he and de Randamie this crowd’s happy into the main event, now it’s on Overeem to send them home that way.
-Struve gives a tribute to fallen teammate Jordan Parsons in his post-fight interview, wearing a black armband with “JP” on it as he talked about him.
-We get more promos for UFC 198, which have been coming intermittently throughout the afternoon.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SIX: ALISTAIR OVEREEM VS. ANDREI ARLOVSKI (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Arlovski took the center and looked to walk Overeem down. He rushed in with a huge flurry on the cage. Overeem covered up well, let Arlovski get in his shots, then he clinched up and circled out. Arlovski closed distance again and Overeem clinched up and landed a hard knee to the body. They stalled out a bit in the clinch. Overeem finally broke with a nice knee to the head. He backed up and avoided a right hand, circling around to reset. Overeem missed a strike but grabbed a Thai clinch and landed a nice knee to the head. Both missed strikes leading to a brief clinch, but they separated and reset again. Overeem landed a hard kick to the body and Arlovski put his right arm down to protect that spot. They circled around each other a bit more. Overeem got in a couple leg kicks. He switched stances back and forth a bit. Clinch again and Overeem scored a nice trip. He got down into Arlovski’s guard and landed some short body strikes. Arlovski controlled well from the bottom to avoid damage early. Overeem got in a hard right hand with about 20 seconds left. He stood and ate an up kick, and didn’t get in another strike before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-10. Could go either way. Arlovski’s early blitz was some of the most effective offense of the round, though Overeem had a brutal body kick and the trip takedown. Still, he did nothing on the ground with that position. Too close to definitively give it to either; up in the air.
ROUND TWO: Arlovski tossed out a few strikes though Overeem was a bit out of range. Very slow start. Overeem got in a two punch combo. He landed a right and covered up as Arlovski tried to rush with a counter. Overeem rocked Arlovski with a jump kick to the head, then dropped him immediately with a right hand! Arlovski covered up on the ground, ate a few more strikes, and the ref stepped in. Fantastic highlight-reel finish after a less than stellar first round. Man what a finish. Overeem dislocated his toe on that jump kick to the jaw, and got it reset after the finish. Awesome end to what has been an enjoyable afternoon event.
WINNER: Overeem via TKO at 1:12 of the second round
STAR RATING: (***) All for the finish alone. The first round wasn’t very good outside of a few spurts of offense, but Overeem in the second was excellent.
-Overeem calls for a Heavyweight Title shot in New York at UFC 205 on Nov. 12, then a title defense back in the Netherlands in 2017. Him getting the next shot makes sense for the UFC at this point, though whether they wait until November to book the fight remains to be seen.
-Thanks for joining us here today! We’ll have reactions, commentary, and more on the event this week as we lead into next week’s loaded UFC 198 pay-per-view event from Brazil!
Note for App Users: For fastest refresh rate on our fight result updates throughout the event, we recommend you visit our mobile-friendly browser-based website at http://www.mmatorch.com. Our App unfortunately doesn’t update article changes in real time, but our mobile site does, so there will be delays in live results on our app but not on our mobile site during the event.
Also for App users, swipe right to view next article, swipe left to view previous article.
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