UFC FIGHT NIGHT 91
JULY 13, 2016
LIVE FROM SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
After a whole three days off, the UFC is back with another live event tonight on Fox Sports 1 in their first ever trip to South Dakota. Topped by an excellent bantamweight fight between Michael McDonald and John Lineker, the event brings several intriguing bouts to fans in Sioux Falls, and we’ll have full round by round coverage on tonight’s main card as it kicks off at 9PM ET. We’ll have preliminary card results prior to that, so stick with us all night to follow along!
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=====
-Andrew Nicholson def. Devin Clark via KO at 4:57 of the first round
-Rani Yahya def. Matthew Lopez via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:19 of the third round
=====Fox Sports 1 Prelims=====
-Scott Holtzman def. Cody Pfister via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
-Cortney Casey def. Cristina Stanciu via TKO at 2:36 of the first round
-Sam Alvey def Eric Spicely via submission (standing guillotine choke) at 2:43 of the first round
-Katlyn Chookagian def. Lauren Murphy via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
=====Fox Sports 1 Main Card=====
-Jon Anik and Kenny Florian on the call tonight. They give preview tonight’s main event and run down what’s yet to come on the main card here tonight.
FIGHT ONE: LOUIS SMOLKA VS. BEN NGUYEN (FLYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Smolka went for a side kick and Nguyen immediately rushed him. Smolka went for a head and arm throw but got planted on his head, and Nguyen quickly passed to mount. Smolka nicely escaped and got to his feet! Then scored a takedown of his own into side control. Nguyen quickly moved him to half guard, then got up and transitioned to back mount in a ridiculous scramble out of butterfly guard. That was fantastic. Smolka defended and tried to turn into him, but Nguyen countered the movement to take mount again. Smolka rolled, then scrambled and got top position. Nguyen locked on an omoplata and reversed back to top position. Smolka immediately attacked for a leg lock, but Nguyen defended. Smolka pulled off another sweep to take top position back in half guard. Dammit this fight is fun. Nguyen tried to escape but Smolka got in a bunch of strikes from top position. He went for a choke but lost it. Then he set up for a D’Arce choke and nearly locked it on. Nguyen defended and tried to escape, but Smolka locked it back on. Again Nguyen escaped, only for Smolka to latch on with a big choke attempt again. He gave it up and landed some big elbows and transitioned to mount. Smolka was doing a ton of damage from the top in the final 45 seconds, though Nguyen stayed alive and escaped to guard while the assault was happening. That round was fantastic.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Smolka. What a fight so far. Great ground work and transitions from both, with Smolka finally getting an edge in the second half of the round with strikes to open up those sub attempts.
ROUND TWO: Nguyen tried to take Smolka’s back standing early, but Smolka countered to get himself on top. He tried to set up a guillotine choke on the cage and nearly had it before Nguyen scrambled. Smolka went back to his elbows from half guard and landed several big strikes. Nguyen tried to get out with an omoplata but Smolka transitioned well to regain position. He hurt Nguyen with several strikes. He attacked for a leg, but gave it up and regained half guard to throw more punches and elbows. Nguyen was clearly in trouble and kind of just trying to stay alive. Nguyen briefly got to his feet, but ate a knee and got taken right back down. Nguyen got to a knee but ate a couple hard knees to the body. Smolka continued the assault as Nguyen tried to scramble to his feet. Smolka went for the high guillotine again, lost it, then went for a triangle. He lost that as well, but easily reversed to get back on top. He went for another choke, but settled for mount. Nguyen gave up his back and Smolka quickly locked on a choke, but Nguyen again escaped. Smolka landed some big strikes and turned back over to mount. Nguyen tried to survive and Herb Dean nearly stumbled into both fighters while wavering on stopping it. Smolka kept firing and Dean finally brought an end to it. Great performance from Smolka, great heart from Nguyen to survive as long as he did. Really good fight.
WINNER: Smolka via TKO at 4:41 of the second round
STAR RATING: (***+) Great fight. Nguyen’s heart and refusal to quit kept him in that one, but Smolka just had too much violence in him tonight to be denied. In another side note here, Nguyen’s corner actually threw in a towel as Dean finally stepped in to stop it. Some guys definitely too tough for their own good, and Nguyen took a lot more damage than perhaps needed to know that fight was done.
FIGHT TWO: KYLE NOKE VS. KEITA NAKAMURA (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Noke rocked Nakamura immediately with two jabs, but Nakamura recovered and fired off a couple strikes. They traded some strikes as Nakamura got his wits about him again. Noke continued to connect with his jab and several kicks. Nakamura got in a short right hook. Noke landed another hard jab. He blocked a kick. They traded again. Nakamura got in a big head kick. Noke returned fire, but ate a few more strikes. Nakamura landed another hard combination but got taken down. He quickly got to his feet. Nakamura landed a couple more strikes. Noke landed a nice side stepped back hand. They each connected with hard punches in a nice exchange. Noke landed a couple kicks. Nakamura pressed him back with a strike and Noke fired back. The action slowed for a bit late until Nakamura backed Noke to the cage. Noke landed a nice head kick, then a jab, and finished the round with a body strike.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Noke. Close round after that initial blow, but Noke did enough to edge it out. Nakamura’s very much alive in this one, though.
ROUND TWO: Noke opened with a head kick. Nakamura fought through it and fired off a few strikes. Noke landed a nice strike and sprawled well to stuff a takedown attempt. Nakamura tried to keep Noke backed up to the cage. Noke got in a couple kicks as he circled around. Noke landed a nice jab that popped Nakamura’s head back. Nakamura shot in to duck under a strike but Noke easily disengaged. Things slowed down a bit and Nakamura tried to pick up the pace. They traded kicks. Nakamura tried to make something happen but didn’t really get anywhere. Nakamura finally closed distance and landed a good body kick. He landed a right hand, then several more punches in combination. With Nakamura closing in, Noke ducked down and scored a brief takedown. Nakamura got to his feet but Noke stayed on his back standing. He landed some hard knees to the thighs of Nakamura before backing off. They separated. Nakamura landed a couple strikes that busted Noke up. He landed a big combination up against the cage. As he backed off he threw a knee that caught Noke and dropped him! Nakamura pounced and got on top. He immediately passed to mount and started throwing strikes. Noke gave up his back late and Nakamura locked on a rear naked choke! Just as it seemed Noke was going to make it to the horn he tapped out! Noke literally tapped at the last second of the round. Great win for Keita Nakamura.
WINNER: Nakamura via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:59 of the second round
STAR RATING: (***) Another really good fight to start off this card in Sioux Falls. Both of these first two main card fights have been as good or better than almost everything from International Fight Week (save a couple of standout exceptions).
FIGHT THREE: DANIEL OMIELANCZUK VS. ALEKSEI OLEINIK (HEAVYWEIGHT)
–Note: The UFC is now going with that spelling for Oleksiy Oliynyk. They’ve had it differently in the past.
ROUND ONE: Oleinik immediately closed distance and they each landed some big strikes. He then shot in and patiently worked to bring Omielanczuk to the ground. Omielanczuk tried to get his back on the cage to move up but got held down. Oleinik tried to control a wrist to improve position. He passed to mount and tried to set up from there. He got in a couple strikes but Omielanczuk got out of the mount to his half guard. The crowd was quick to boo patient ground action here. Oleinik got in a couple elbows, then tried to throw some hammerfists to score further. He postured up in half guard to land several hard strikes. Omielanczuk escaped to get back to his feet, but Oleinik stayed on him heavy in the clinch. He landed some big punches in close before shooting for another takedown. He completed it to bring the fight to the ground again. He landed some strikes and took Omielanczuk’s back late in a nice transition. The round ended in that position.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Oleinik. No questions on that one. Not much of a fight here.
ROUND TWO: Omielanczuk rocked Oleinik to start the second round, then got into top position on the ground. Immediate turnaround from the last frame. However, while Omielanczuk was on top, Oleinik attacked for a leg, and he reversed position to get on top. He went for a head and arm choke, lost it, and Omielanczuk reversed position again to take top position for himself. He landed a few elbows and punches as he tried to score points up against the cage. Oleinik escaped and again reversed to the aggressor spot on the ground. They finally both got up and traded punches. Oleinik didn’t like it, and pressed in for another takedown. He completed it and immediately passed to mount. Oleinik tried to go for an armbar. He lost it and attacked for a triangle, but Omielanczuk landed some big strikes from the top late as he defended.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Omielanczuk. Oleinik has a case for the round, but he took a ton of damage that round.
ROUND THREE: Oleinik shot in right off the bat, but got stuffed and ate a bunch of strikes. That eventually ended with Omielanczuk on top in Oleinik’s guard. Omielanczuk did a little bit of damage, but things stalled out and they were stood up. Oleinik got his mouthpiece back, shot in, and got stuffed in the clinch. He dropped down for the takedown to boos from the crowd, and he eventually finished it. This is bad. He got Omielanczuk’s back, locked a hook in, and went to work attacking for a choke. He tried to improve position and wound up losing it. Omielanczuk got into Oleinik’s guard, but couldn’t do much with it. They stalled out some more as the final minute wound down. Oleinik spit out his mouthpiece for a second time and it got the referee to stop the fight and stand them up to put it back in. Well that’s ridiculous. They traded strikes late, Omielanczuk scored a takedown, and Oleinik spit the mouth guard out again before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-10. Who cares? Neither were any good, neither “won” that final round, and a draw’s what they both deserve off that one. Bad fight.
WINNER: Omielanczuk via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (*-) Bad heavyweight MMA is bad. Oleinik’s face certainly looked the worse of the two by the end of it, but that was almost all from that second round. Scored it as the first judge did, and it would have been justified for the other two as well. As it’s rare, not surprised to see it go a different way. Regardless, too many words have already been dedicated to this awful fight.
FIGHT THREE: JOSH SAMMAN VS. TIM BOETSCH (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Samman landed a jab, caught a kick, and shot in. Boetsch held off the takedown attempt. They traded some knees, and then Boetsch pulled off a solid trip into top position himself. He got into half guard and landed a couple strikes. Samman tried to get his back to the cage and tried to get out to his feet. He did a solid job avoiding too much damage, but Boetsch stayed heavy on him on top. Samman finally stood and they worked in the clinch. Samman broke off with a right hand and looked to reset. Samman landed a kick, then shot in and clinched again. He got Boetsch’s back standing and got a hook in. Boetsch turned back into him and they continued in the clinch. Samman tried to stay heavy on Boetsch, but wasn’t getting anywhere on the cage. They traded punches with Boetsch getting the better of the exchange. Samman got in a jab but ate a hard leg kick. They traded punches again. Samman threw a head kick late that grazed Boetsch and he clinched. Boetsch pressed him back with a kick. Samman came back forward with a strong combo, but he ate a strike before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Boetsch. Close enough that there could be an argument for Samman, but that seems unlikely.
ROUND TWO: Boetsch pressed things early with a decent combination. Samman landed a big head kick with several strikes behind it, but Boetsch caught another kick to score a takedown. Samman tried to attack off his back, but Boetsch held strong early. Samman covered up, but a couple strikes got through. Samman tried to escape and nearly got mounted. He avoided that but Boetsch took the half guard. He landed a few elbows and then looked to set up a kimura. Samman tried to get his back to the cage to defend. The crowd booed as things stalled at the cage. Samman tried to escape out, but Boetsch held him down, postured up, and started throwing bombs. Boetsch locked up a hand and started throwing strikes. He hurt Samman and opened him up. The attack continued as Samman tried to cover up. He rolled to his knees, Boetsch stayed on him and kept throwing strikes, eventually leading to the stoppage. Samman’s face was messed up after that late work.
WINNER: Boetsch via TKO at 3:49 of the second round
STAR RATING: (**-) Odd fight. Samman played right into Boetsch’s game, and he paid a significant price for it. Wasn’t the greatest to watch, but good work from Boetsch given a lot of that was just given to him on a platter.
FIGHT FIVE: TONY FERGUSON VS. LANDO VANNATA (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Ferguson gave very little space early on, looking to be the aggressor early. Vannata landed a couple of strikes. He landed a hard punch, then connected on a kick to the groin that halted things for a bit. Ferguson landed an inside leg kick. Vannata threw a side kick to the body. Ferguson landed a hard body kick, then a short combo. He rocked Vannata with a jab that dropped him. Vannata popped up and threw a strike. Vannata rocked Ferguson with a spinning back fist! Ok then. Vannata landed another right hand. Ferguson went for a choke. He landed a strike that hurt Vannata. Vannata landed a spinning back fist that landed. Ferguson rocked him right back with a combination. This is ridiculous already. Ferguson landed a strike. He then missed a spinning attack. Ferguson landed a kick with a jab behind it. They traded strikes. Ferguson landed a hard jab, then a right hand as Vannata had his arms down. Ferguson got in to the body. Vannata fighting like a man with nothing to lose. They traded in the center. Ferguson hurt him with a big right hand, then several more strikes in combination. Vannata went for a takedown but got stuffed. Ferguson slipped, then landed a big combination. Vannata rocked Ferguson with a head kick! Holy shit! Ferguson desperately tried to recover and attacked a leg! What is happening right now?! Vannata avoided a submission, but countered the sub attempt. Ferguson went for an arm late but couldn’t complete it. No matter what else happens tonight, Lando Vannata’s earned his spot on the UFC roster.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Vannata. Ferguson had lots of offense himself, but Vannata hurt him worse and nearly finished that fight. I can’t believe I just typed that. Damn what a fight so far.
ROUND TWO: Vannata came out aggressively and they traded strikes early on. Ferguson popped Vannata’s head back with some jabs. He missed a strike. Vannata barely missed a couple strikes of his own. Ferguson landed again with a nice combination. Ferguson again connected on the jab several times. Vannata landed a grazing head kick that popped the crowd. Ferguson landed several body kicks that Vannata just nodded off, then he got rocked by a superman punch. Vannata tried to reset and Ferguson stayed on him. He landed a hard left hook, then several punches in combination. Ferguson went for the standing guillotine, and got Vannata to the ground as he turned it into an anaconda choke instead. He locked it on and Vannata tapped. Such an entertaining and at times ridiculous fight.
WINNER: Ferguson via submission (announced as D’Arce choke) at 2:22 of the second round
STAR RATING: (****-) What a ridiculously entertaining fight. On Ferguson’s end, that’s why you elite fighters don’t take short notice fights like that very often. Credit to him for getting the best of it eventually, but this wound up being much riskier than most could have expected. For Vannata – a natural featherweight, mind you – I don’t know how you have a better debut in a loss than what he just had. Incredible effort against one of the best lightweights in the world on short notice, and he’s going to get some significant opportunities out of this one would have to believe.
Ferguson: “Eddie Alvarez I know you want to fight me. If you want an easy fight, go ahead and get Conor, but I’m right here at your front doorstep and I’m ready to sign on the dotted line.”
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SIX: MICHAEL MCDONALD VS. JOHN LINEKER (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Big “USA” chant to start off the night from the South Dakota crowd. McDonald took the center. He checked a kick from Lineker. He got in a decent front kick to the body. Lineker missed a big overhand right. He got back in with an inside leg kick. McDonald landed a left hand in a short exchange. They traded again as Lineker hoped to stalk. McDonald landed a nice two-punch combo that clearly popped Lineker’s head back. He ducked under another big strikes. Lineker dropped McDonald with a right hand. They traded strikes and Lineker dropped him with a left. They traded again and McDonald returned fire. Lineker stayed on him and dropped him again! McDonald got to his feet and fired back. Lineker backed him up to the cage and both threw with abandon. Lineker landed a huge left hand that knocked McDonald out cold! McDonald faceplanted and Herb Dean was late on the stoppage as a few more strikes landed. Holy shit John Lineker. Wow.
WINNER: Lineker via KO at 2:43 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***) Are you kidding me? For Lineker to do what he just did is special. Not only because of his size not only because of the division, but also because of the fighter he just destroyed in less than three minutes. McDonald survived as much as he could, and got in a few big strikes of his own in those ridiculous flurries, but this insane Brazilian buzzsaw isn’t going anywhere until he gets his title fight.
Speaking of that, it’s exactly what he called for after the win.
Lineker (in English): “Dominick Cruz, I’m coming for you baby!”
-Thanks for joining us for this fourth event in less than a week from the UFC! We’ll continue reacting to tonight’s fights and all of this month’s actions to date as we continue moving forward into a new UFC landscape under new ownership as the year goes on!
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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