UFC FIGHT NIGHT: CYBORG VS. LANSBERG
SEPTEMBER 24, 2016
BRASILIA, BRAZIL AT NILSON NELSON GYMNASIUM
LIVE ON UFC FIGHT PASS (6:30 PM ET) AND FS1 (8 PM ET)
The UFC train keeps rolling along with tonight’s Fight Night from Brazil. It’s Cyborg’s first time in a UFC main event so the ratings will be interesting to see in a few days but before that, Lina Lansberg looks to play spoiler. Michael Grocke will be covering the prelims and Mike Hiscoe has you covered for the main card. Enjoy the fights!
Fight Pass Prelims
(1) Glaico Franca vs. Gregor Gillespie (Lightweight 155 lbs.)
ROUND ONE: Both fighters come out swinging. Nice right by Franca to start that hurts Gillespie. Gillespie shoots in and is stuffed. They trade shots in the middle of the octagon. Gillespie gets the first take down, but Franca is up quickly. Gillespie keeps Franca backed against the cage. Gillespie with another takedown and has Franca’s back as he works for a submission. Franca slips out the back door and they reset. Less than a minute left and Franca looks gassed. Gillespie ends the round with another take down.
10-9 Gillespie
ROUND TWO: They start the second trading punches. Big right hand by Franca but Gillespie recovers and gets another takedown. They reset at 3:30. The pace slows with three minutes left in the round. Gillespie pushes Franca against the cage, but Franca pushes him off. Franca stuffs a takedown attempt. Both fighters are gassed as Franca is taken down again. Gillespie works ground and pound. Gillespie is wearing Franca out with his wrestling. The round ends with Franca on back for the second straight round.
10-9 Gillespie
ROUND THREE: Franca has some work to do as the third round begins. Gillespie backs Franca up against the cage and works the legs of Franca. Gillespie with another takedown and continues to control top position. Halfway through the round and it’s all Gillespie as he works his ground and pound. Franca pops up quickly but is brought back down instantly. Nothing is really landing but Gillespie is staying busy enough to not get stood up. The fight ends with Gillespie on top.
Gillespie 10-9
Result: Gillespie by UD (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Grocke’s Viewpoint: That was a dominating performance by Gregor Gillespie. Just an excellent way to debut. He got caught early in the fight and recovered quickly and took control of the fight from that point on.
(2) Vicente Luque vs. Hector Urbina (Welterweight 170 lbs.)
ROUND ONE: Urbina comes out with a few kicks that don’t land. Urbina eats a big right hand, but seems to recover. Urbina leads with a few more kicks and gets destroyed by an overhand right from Luque. Luque lands a few more heavy shots, down goes Urbina and the fight is over.
Result: Luque by KO in Round 1 (1:00)
Grocke’s Viewpoint: Wow that was quick! Huge shots that all landed flush. Luque has some power, that’s for sure.
(3) Alan Patrick vs. Stevie Ray (Lightweight 155 lbs.)
ROUND ONE: Both fighters circle and Patrick takes Ray down but he’s up quickly. Patrick keeps Ray on the cage, but Ray reverses and gets the takedown. Patrick reverses and has Ray in trouble as he looks for an arm bar. Ray is out but is taken down immediately. Patrick looks for position and gets to half guard. Patrick maintains top position as Ray tries to work out. Patrick keeps control waiting for Ray to make a mistake. The round ends with Ray on his back.
Patrick 10-9
ROUND TWO: Patrick lands a quick left and follows with a right that lands. Patrick gets another takedown and has Ray against the cage. Patrick maintains good top control and continues to work. Ray stalls by controlling Patrick’s wrist looking for the ref to stand them up but is unsuccessful. Patrick continues looking for a submission. With a minute and a half left they are stood up. Ray stuffs a guillotine attempt and gets a takedown. Ray has Patrick’s back but too close to the end of the round for him to work into anything.
Patrick 10-9
ROUND THREE: Patrick lands a big left hand and gets a takedown. Ray tries unsuccessfully for a knee bar as Patrick maintains control. Instead of trying to stand up, Ray keeps looking for submissions while on his back. Patrick continues to stay busy enough to not get stood up. Patrick looks for a Kimora while catching his breath. The round ends with Patrick trying to get a submission. Not much happened there though.
Patrick 10-9
Result: Patrick by UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Grocke’s Viewpoint: A good technical fight. Patrick’s wrestling and takedowns were the difference in this fight. He controlled Ray throughout the entire fight allowing him to score the upset win.
FS1 Prelims
(4) Erick Silva vs. Luan Chagas (Welterweight 170 lbs.)
ROUND ONE: Both fighters start out keeping range, feeling each other out. Silva with a few rights that don’t land. Silva goes to the body. Slow pace to start. Heavy kick from Silva. A big left hook from Chagas drops Silva, but he recovers quickly. Both fighters back to the center of the ring circling. Nice combination from Chagas. They trade punches but Chagas is beating Silva every time landing the bigger shots. Chagas shoots but is stuffed. Silva lands a big right hook and Chagas is in trouble. Silva pounces, lands a few more shots as the round ends.
Silva 10-9
ROUND TWO: Chagas lands a kick to the groin on Silva and time is called. Silva recovers quickly and is taken down immediately. Silva has top control and then stands whilke Chagas remains on his back. Silva landing some nice shots through Chagas’ guard. Both fighters scramble and are back to their feet. Chagas follows with a big elbow through Silva’s guard that hurts him. Chagas is smothering Silva landing elbows. More ground and pound from Chagas and he goes for an arm bar but is unsuccessful. Silva reverses and now has control. The round ends with Silva almost getting a submission. Had the round lasted ten more seconds Chagas was tapping to a RNC.
Silva 10-9
ROUND THREE: The third round starts with both men gassed. They trade jabs. A nice body kick lands for Silva. They scramble and Chagas pins Silva against the cage. They are broken up quickly and they reset at the center of the cage. The pace has definitely slowed down here in the third round. Silva lands some nice jabs and follows with a right. A left hook stuns Silva but he recovers. Silva continues to land jabs and quick right hands. A big uppercut and right hook lands for Silva. Chagas goes for a sloppy takedown but Silva steps behind, takes Chagas’ back and taps him out.
Result: Silva by submission – RNC in round three (3:57)
Grocke’s Viewpoint: That was an entertaining fight. Although I had Silva winning the first two rounds, Chagas was also doing damage. As the fight progressed, Chagas clearly was running on fumes. The third round was all Silva as Chagas had nothing left. That was a good win for Silva.
(5) Jussier Formiga vs. Dustin Ortiz (Flyweight 125 lbs.)
ROUND ONE: Ortiz lands a body shot to start. Jussier gets the takedown early and moves to side control. Ortiz continues to fight from his back not looking to stand up. Formiga maintains control waiting for Ortiz to make a mistake so he can take his back. It doesn’t happen and Ortiz reverses and is control. Formiga is busy on his back as Ortiz continues to maintain control. Both fighters keep busy as Ortiz ends the round in control.
Ortiz 10-9
ROUND TWO: Ortiz opens the second with a kick that misses. Both fighters circle. Ortiz goes for a headlock and is instead taken down by Formiga. Formiga maintains control and there’s the mistake he was waiting for as he takes Ortiz’s back. He keeps dominate position as works to get under Ortiz’s chin. Ortiz is defending Formiga’s submission attempts, but has another 40 seconds to go before the end of the round. Formiga continues to work for the submission as the round ends.
Formiga 10-9
ROUND THREE: Both fighters trade kicks to start the last round. They trade punches in the middle of the cage. They scramble and Formiga takes Ortiz’s back and looks for a RNC. Ortiz continues to defend well from underneath, but he’s not in good position. Jussier has a body triangle and looks for the submission. Ortiz turns into Formiga and reverses and now has top control. The round ends shortly after. Formiga dominated that round until the last twenty seconds.
Formiga 10-9
Result: Formiga by UD (30-27, 29-27, 29-28)
Grocke’s Viewpoint: Both fighters fought a good fight. I think they each had good game plans coming into the fight. The difference is Jussier Formiga is just a better fighter. Good fight.
(6) Rani Yahya vs. Michinori Tanaka (Bantamweight 135 lbs.)
ROUND ONE: Both fighters trade kicks. Yahya follows with a jab, then shoots in and gets a takedown and has a deep choke on Tanaka. Tanaka fights off the submission attempt and tries to reverse. Yahya maintains control for a second, but is then reversed by Tanaka. With a minute and a half left Tanaka gains control. He pushes Yahya against the cage looking for a submission as the round ends.
Yahya 10-9
ROUND TWO: The round opens with a kick to the groin by Yahya. After a few seconds the fight continues. They trade punches, Yahya goes for a takedown but is taken down himself by Tanaka. Tanaka tries a judo throw but is unsuccessful. Yahya reverses and pins Tanaka against the fence, and then takes him down. Yahya gets to side control, but Tanaka powers up. Tanaka pins Yahya up against the cage and then takes him down. After a few seconds both fighters are up. Yahya gains control again and has another takedown. Tanaka reverses and has top position with ten seconds left. Too little, too late for Tanaka just like in the first round.
Yahya 10-9
ROUND THREE: Tanaka comes out aggressively trying to make something happen. They scramble and Tanaka gets a takedown. With four minutes left Tanaka works from on top. Good ground and pound from Tanaka until suddenly they are stood up. Big right hand from Tanaka and scores another takedown. Yahya looks gassed as Tanaka scores with punches on top. Yahya reverses with a minute and a half left and now Tanaka looks spent. Both men appear to be tired as not much is happening under a minute left. The round ends with both fighters attempting to trade lackluster punches.
Tanaka 10-9
Result: Yahya by UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Grocke’s Viewpoint: I expected Tanaka to tap within the first minute and a half of the opening round. Kudos to him for surviving. Both fighters spent most of the fight looking for the submission. Yahya’s ground game was too much for Tanaka to handletonight.
(7) Gilbert Burns vs. Michel Prazeres (Lightweight 155 lbs.)
ROUND ONE: Prazeres catches a kick from Burns and lands a big right putting him on the mat. Prazeres is content to let Burns up. Prazeres is landing some big shots. Nice leg kick from Burns. Burns lands a groin shot and Prazeres is given a minute. Back to the action and Prazeres lands another leg kick. Prazeres gets a takedown and Burns is up instantly. Burns misses badly on a head kick. He tries another one and misses again, then misses a spinning elbow. The round ends with both fighters standing in the middle of the cage.
Prazeres 10-9
ROUND TWO: Both fighters start aggressively until Prazeres takes a thumb to the eye. Time is given for a second and the fight resumes. Both fighters are throwing big punches but few are landing. Prazeres takes another groin shot. Back to the action and Prazeres scores a takedown. Prazeres lands a niceleg kick. Burns shoots and is stuffed. They trade leg kicks. Both fighters circle and trade kicks. Prazeres stuffs another takedown attempt. Big overhand right from Prazeres. Burns looks gassed just throwing one shot at a time. The round ends, and it’s all Prazeres.
Prazeres 10-9
ROUND THREE: Burns opens the round with a takedown attempt that is stuffed by Prazeres. Big body shot by Prazeres that hurts Burns. Burns goes down and Prazeres lands a few shots from on top. Prazeres lets Burns up and continues to land punches. Halfway through the round and Burns doesn’t look to have much left. He continues to throw one punch at a time. Nice leg kick by Prazeres. Under a minute to go as each trade kicks to the body. With thirty seconds left Burns decides to turn it up a notch or three. Neither fighter lands any significant shots as the two scramble to end the fight.
Prazeres 10-9
Result: Prazeres by UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Grocke’s Viewpoint: That was all Michael Prazeres. He beat Burns to the punch, stuffed takedown attempts and controlled the fight from start to finish. An excellent showing for Prazeres.
FS1 Main Card
Thanks to Michael Grocke who did a great job covering the prelims. Mike Hiscoe with you now for the main card. Follow me on Twitter @MikeHiscoe for more commentary tonight and throughout the week.
(8) Godofredo Pepey vs. Mike De La Torre (Featherweight 145 lbs.)
ROUND ONE: Pepey came out with a spinning back kick that hurt De La Torre. De La Torre recovered and they started throwing down in the middle of the cage. Pepey with big knees against the cage. De La Torre may not be fully with it. Pepey got a takedown and took his back rather easily. He delivered punches from the top and got the rear naked choke in but lost it. He tried again and it was tight and finished him.
Result: Pepey by submission at 3:03 of round one.
Hiscoe’s Analysis: Another very entertaining fight from Pepey who has become a reliable go to guy for fun fights on these Brazil shows. De La Torre never recovered from that kick early on and Pepey just kept pressuring him until he got the finish.
(9) Thiago Santos vs. Eric Spicely (Middleweight 185 lbs.)
ROUND ONE: Santos is one scary looking dude. Spicely went for takedowns immediately but Santos ended up on top. I don’t blame the guy for not wanting to stand with Santos. Spicely had a hold of Santos’s arm but he escaped and the got back up. Spicely got the takedown and worked hard to pass, throwing no punches in the process. He was stuck in half-guard trying to get to mount while also looking for a kimura. Spicely took his back and sunk a choke in and Santos tapped. This crowd is hushed. Spicely was a huge underdog.
Result: Spicely by submission at 2:58 of round one.
Hiscoe’s Analysis: Great win by Spicely who looked really good on the ground and beat a guy who had some hype behind him. He had the right game plan and stuck to it. They talked about how his back was against the wall and he needed a win and he pulled it out in enemy territory. He said since he beat the number 15 guy, he wants the number 14 guy next, who happens to be Rafael Natal. Why not?
(10) Francisco Trinaldo vs. Paul Felder (Lightweight 155 lbs.)
ROUND ONE: Both men exchanged kicks early. Trinaldo’s shots were a lot harder but Felder worked in some jabs and hit a spinning back fist. Tinaldo landed big shots after Felder missed a couple of times. Trinaldo held him against the cage and got a knee in and some elbows. Felder missed a spin kick. He landed a leg kick but Trinaldo countered with a combination of his own that did some damage. 10-9 Trinaldo.
ROUND TWO: Trinaldo landed more big shots on Felder, who looked to be a step slower. Trinaldo started bleeding from his left eye, though. Trinaldo took him down and Felder defended on the ground until getting cut big time by an elbow. There was blood everywhere on his face and on the mat. Trinaldo worked to take his back but Felder got up and pushed Trinaldo against the cage. He tried for a spinning elbow but it didn’t land clean. Round ended and Trinaldo looks fresh but Felder, not so much. 10-8 Trinaldo, 20-17 overall.
ROUND THREE: Felder’s corner stressed to get the finish with a head kick in between rounds. He definitely needs to finish. Trinaldo played it very safe, possibly feeling he’s up on the cards. Trinaldo landed a left that opened the cut back up and he started gushing all over the place. The ref stopped the fight to check the cut and you can see from a wide shot how gaping that cut is. The doctor stopped the fight after taking a quick look.
Result: Trinaldo by doctor’s stoppage at 2:25 of round three.
Hiscoe’s Analysis: Felder never really looked to be in this fight. The cut clearly hurt him but he was on his way to losing the fight anyway. Felder doesn’t have the explosiveness he had in the past. He may benefit from a change in camps or a new weight class for a fresh start. If Trinaldo can cut others with those elbows they way he did Felder, he can beat anybody.
(11) Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Silva (Heavyweight 265 lbs.)
ROUND ONE: The ref outside the cage checked Roy Nelson’s ponytail for something. What would he have in there? If he’s going to hide anything, it’s going to be in that beard. No one’s putting their hands in that thing though. Bigfoot looks huge next to Nelson but shuffled around the cage like he’s CM Punk. He landed a right to Nelson early and then a nice leg kick. Nelson came in looking for the home run show. Couldn’t get it and Silva was able to catch him but didn’t hurt him. Both guys took their time, Nelson was a little busier as the round went on. Two big rights from Nelson landed. Silva answered back but Nelson got away. Nelson went for a takedown but Silva defended. Nelson pushed him up against the cage and delivered small knees to Silva’s legs. 10-9 Nelson.
ROUND TWO: Silva countered well on Nelson’s big haymaker attempts. Nelson took a kick to the cup so we took a break. Back to the fight, Silva came in strong with a flurry and looked for a takedown. Nelson defended and landed a combo of his own. Nelson landed a big right hand. Silva looked rocked afterwards. Silva landed a body kick. Nelson answered back with a right hand that put him down and delivered a bevy of punches on the ground and Big John stopped it.
OK, right after the fight was stopped, Nelson went back and looked like he lightly kicked Big John. Not OK and not smart. Nelson earlier this week had expressed disappointment in Big John restarting his fight with Derrick Lewis in July. Whatever his beef is, he shouldn’t have done that.
Result: Nelson by KO at 4:10 of the second round.
Hiscoe’s Analysis: Not an overly impressive performance as Bigfoot is well past his sell-by date as a fighter, but he did what he had to do. He was looking for the knockout blow all fight and he got it. Silva needs to retire and Nelson isn’t too far behind him. Nelson said he was disappointed in the stoppage and thought it should have been earlier but he had to throw the extra punches to ensure the win. Anik didn’t really call him out on touching McCarthy, so maybe he didn’t actually touch him but came close.
(12) Renan Barao vs. Phillipe Nover (Featherweight 145 lbs.)
ROUND ONE: Nover landed a couple jabs to start. Should be good for his confidence. Barao landed a hard leg kick. Barao with a nice combo that connected. Nover’s jabs were countered by more hard leg kicks by Barao. Cruz’s analysis here is so specific, you can tell he’s spent a lot of time scouting Barao. Barao missed a big spin kick. Not much happening but 10-9 Barao.
ROUND TWO: Barao came in with a big right hand and landed a left on the way out. Barao countered with a left and started landing his kicks. Barao started pressing forward more, looking to pounce. Nover landed a jab. Barao missed the spin kick again. Nover got inside and landed a left but Barao was able to counter well and land kicks. Barao got a takedown off of a Nover kick. There was only a few seconds left so he didn’t do anything with it. 10-9 Barao, 20-18.
ROUND THREE: Nover’s corner was hyping him up for the fact that he’s even still alive in this fight. Barao’s corner called for a takedown and submission. Barao landed a straight right early in the round. Barao took Nover down against the cage but Nover got up. Nover ate a right hand soon after. Nover caught him with some inside elbows. Nover landed a couple shots as Barao faded a bit. Barao tried for another takedown and held him down until the end of the round. 10-9 Barao, 30-27.
Result: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 Barao by unanimous decision.
Hiscoe’s Analysis: Not much of a fight but Barao definitely earned the decision. The Barao of old seems to be history but he’s still a solid fighter, top 10 maybe top 5 as a featherweight. He’s probably not going to be the killer he was a few years ago but he can be competitive with the top featherweights. Hopefully he doesn’t decide to go back to 135 as that cut was brutal on him. Nover was commendable in staying in the fight right to the end and probably did better than most expected. This fight kind of killed the momentum of this show, which was really good up until now.
(13) Cris Cyborg vs. Lina Lansberg (Catchweight 140 lbs.)
ROUND ONE: Lansberg looks confident and Cyborg looks like Cyborg as Bruce Buffer does his thing. Lansberg moved fast to start but Cyborg caught up to her immediately and pressed her against the cage. Cyborg landed some knees. Lansberg tried to get out but Cyborg is too strong. They broke and Cyborg unloaded on her. More clinching on the cage and the ref broke them up as nothing was happening. The end up right back against the cage. Cybork took her down and got mount like it’s nothing. She rained down punches and Lansberg covered up, not really fighting back. She managed to get up and Cyborg put her back against the cage. She landed some big shots and bloodied up Lansberg as the round was winding down. Lansberg survived but didn’t do well here. 10-8 Cyborg.
ROUND TWO: Cyborg just unloaded on her immediately with no concern for anything Lansberg could answer with. Lansberg survived again and forced a clinch against the cage. Cyborg took her down though and was in side control. She landed punches from top position and covered up but didn’t fight back or try and get up. The fight continued and Cyborg mounted her and it was stopped after more punches from the mount. Pure demolition by Cris Cyborg.
Result: Cyborg by TKO at 2:29 of round two.
Analysis: Cyborg did exactly what UFC and everyone else expected of her here. The question now is, now what? People get that Cyborg is a fighting machine by now and she’ll need to start fighting real competition. That can be top 135ers moving up or they need to find some quality 145 lb women to build a division around. The whole weight issue has been silly so if UFC wants to keep using her, it has to be at 145 and people will have to get over the idea of her fighting Rousey or anyone else at 135 or even at a catchweight.
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a strong show overall with lots of finishes on the main card and the main event delivered as promised. I didn’t love the Barao fight but as the only decision on the main card, it didn’t drag the show down much at all.
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