UFC 222 Live Report

Cole Henry, MMATorch Contributor

UFC Fight Pass Prelims

Light heavyweight Jordan Johnson(8-0) vs. Adam Milstead(8-1)

Round 1: They’re exchanging early and both men are finding some success. Milstead seems to have the advantage on the feet at least half way through the first round. Johnson is winding up and throwing big strikes, but they aren’t finding a home. Johnson gets a body lock and is now controlling Milstead against the fence. Milstead is having a hard time making anything happen. Just as I say that he lands an elbow that forces a separation. I can’t imagine that this is the game plan that Johnson had in mind but who knows. Johnson gets another body lock as the round ends. He is controlling the grappling exchange but still not really doing anything with them. Good round for Milstead. 10-9 Milstead

Round 2: Johnson lands a nice body shot as he moves in for a body lock. He’s controlling Milstead against the fence. He’s landing short shots on Milstead, but not much is happening. Johnson has a high single, but Milstead is going to fight it off. Anytime that Milstead creates any separation he lands big shots, but Johnson is sticking to him like glue. The ref just separated them and they’re back to the center. Johnson gets another body lock and drags Milstead down to the turtle position. He’s looking to take the back but can’t find the second hook. Johnson allowed him up and he’s holding him against the fence again and landing short shots. The ref just separated them again. I don’t think I agree with that one. They’re back in the center. 10-9 Johnson

Round 3: Johnson comes out early with a low kick. Milstead catches it and makes him pay with an over hand right. Johnson briefly gets Milstead against the fence but can’t hold him there. Milstead is throwing some heat on these punches, and they seem to be making Johnson a bit nervous. They’re both landing shots here as they exchange, but Milstead’s are heavier. Johnson set up a nice takedown with a jab and Milstead is down. This is a close round, he needs to make something happen here. Milstead is working to his feet while Johnson holds on. Nice knee by Milstead but he is still caught against the fence. Milstead separates in the final seconds and lands a few shots as the round ends. 10-10 Draw (29-29 Draw) Johnson might get the win here but it was a close and draw wouldn’t be crazy.

Result: Johnson via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

Analysis: Not a very exciting fight but Johnson got the job done. The crowd didn’t like the decision, but I think that was due more to Johnson’s style than anything else. He remains undefeated.

Bantamweight #7 Bryan Caraway(21-8) vs. Cody Stamann(16-1)

Round 1: Caraway looks for a takedown early, but Stamann shakes him off. Caraway grabs a leg and forces his opponent against the fence. They separate briefly, but Caraway quickly closes the distance and shoots for another takedown. Stamann is getting man handled right now. He needs a momentum shift. Caraway is doing a great job of making this his fight. Nice jab by Caraway and he follows it up with a nice takedown. Caraway is trying to advance position, but Stamann has him caught in a half guard. Nice pass by Caraway and he’s now controlling from side mount. Terrible position for Stamann, he’s taking short shots here. Caraway is looking for an armbar, but the round is going to end. 10-9 Caraway

Round 2: Stamann is quick on his feet. He moved in with a right hand that landed. Caraway looks for a takedown, but Stamann stuffs it. Stamann has a clear speed advantage here on the feet. Caraway is holding his own but would be best served getting this fight down. He gets a body lock and forces Stamann against the fence, but they quickly separate. Caraway is struggling for a takedown in the waning seconds of the round, but he can’t find it. 10-9 Stamann

Round 3: Nice right hand by Stamann to open the round. Caraway appears to be slowing down. Nice leg kick by Stamann. Caraway might be best served pushing the pace here. He isn’t going to be able to score a takedown at this point against a much fresher man. Stamann avoids a right hand by Caraway after landing a body shot left hook combo of his own. Caraway closes the distance with a jab and forces Stamann against the fence. Stamann quickly escapes though. Caraway shoots for a double leg, but Stamann easily steps away. Stamann is starting to pick Caraway apart here. Weak takedown attempt by Caraway, but Stamann shakes it. Caraway is turning it up, I’m not sure where the energy is coming from. He has Stamann against the fence and is landing little shots. Caraway is again struggling for a takedown, but Stamann shoots for one of his own and gets countered with a Caraway guillotine at the round ends. Damn! That’s was a great final round and its going to be a hard one to score but I think Caraway pulled it out. 10-9 Caraway (29-28 Caraway)

Result: Stamann via spit decision  (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

Analysis: I know none of you are here for my opinion, but I don’t agree with this decision. Caraway should have won this fight. He clearly won the 1st, and the effort he gave in the final moments of the 3rd should have given him the victory. Either way though it was a nice win for Stamann who will move into the top 10 now.

Welterweight Mike Pyle(27-13-1) vs. Zak Ottow(15-5)

Round 1: Mike Pyle doesn’t look like a 42-year-old athlete, but he is, and he’s announced that this will be his final fight. He’s had quite a few notable wins and has been fun over the years. Ottow is very aggressive early and lands a big right hand that puts Mike Pyle down. He attacks, but Pyle is looking for the wrist and attempting to defend himself but Ottow is ferocious and the ref steps in. Rough end for Mike Pyle.

Result: Zak Ottow def. Mike Pyle via TKO (Punches)  at 2:34 of Round 1

Analysis: Ottow was the better fighter. He was quicker, hit harder and didn’t have much trouble ending the fight. Ottow was awarded his BJJ Blackbelt post fight and congratulated Pyle on his career in his interview. Classy move. Mike Pyle attempted to talk post fight but his emotions overcame him. Rogan gave him the typical send off.

FS1 Prelims

Middleweight C. B. Dollaway(17-9) vs. Hector Lombard(34-8-1, 2NC)

Round 1: Dolloway throws a head kick early. Could be a sign of things to come. Nice body kick by Dolloway. Dolloway connects with a jab. Lombard is just standing in place and Dolloway is making him pay. Dolloway lands another solid body kick. Lombard rushes in but doesn’t land much. Slow paced fight so far but Dolloway is getting the better of the exchanges. As the round ended Lombard landed a big shot that hurt Dolloway badly. Hard to tell if it was legal. They cut to commercial as soon as it happened, but I would imagine we will see some controversy. Following the replay, it was clearly an illegal shot. This will probably be a disqualification.

Result: CB Dolloway def. Hector Lombard via Disqualification

Analysis: That was all very weird, and it dragged out for quite a while. It was clearly an illegal shot, in fact it appeared that two illegal shots landed. Rough loss for Lombard but that was a clear mistake on his part. 

Bantamweight #8 John Dodson(20-9) vs. #10 Pedro Munhoz(15-2-0, 1NC)

Round 1: Dodson is showing off his speed advantage early. Nice jab by Dodson. He follows it up with a good knee. Munhoz throws a body kick but Dodson catches it and trips him down. Munhoz eats a body kick. He isn’t doing much on the feet. 10-9 Dodson

Round 2: Dodson is just quicker and managing to land while Munhoz isn’t. Dodson lands a body shot and isn’t there when Munhoz returns a right hand. Munhoz lands a grazing head kick, and a nice jab. Dodson is landing but just isn’t doing any damage. Dodson takes a shot to the groin and he’s down. He’s going to get a few moments to recover. 10-10 Draw

Round 3: Munhoz lands a big right hand to start the round, and the another! Dodson is complaining of another groin strike. The ref separates them. I’m not sure if that was actually a groin strike, hard to tell. Dodson lands a couple straight lefts. Nice jab by Munhoz. Munhoz is finally looking for a takedown, and he gets it. He should have been looking for one a lot earlier. Dodson is struggling to get up and is taking some knees as the round ends. 10-9 Dodson (30-28 Dodson)

Result: John Dodson def. Pedro Munhoz via Split Decision  (29-28, 29-28, 27-30) 

Lightweight Beneil Dariush(14-3-1) vs. Alexander Hernandez(8-1)

Round 1: They exchange early and Hernandez blasts Beneil Dariush with a left hand and he’s out cold! What an upset! Wow!

Result: Alex Hernandez def. Beneil Dariush via KO (Punch) at 0:42 of round 1

Analysis: That was a huge upset win for Alex Hernandez. He took this fight on short notice and then made short work of a solid vet in Beneil Dariush. 

Women’s strawweight Ashley Yoder(5-3) vs. Mackenzie Dern(5-0)

Round 1: They are brawling early. Dern is throwing some wild strikes and quickly backs Yoder against the cage. She’s looking for a takedown, but Yoder isn’t giving it up easy. Yoder misses with a head kick and Dern throws more crazy hooks. Dern is controlling Yoder against the fence. She is landing some shots from the clinch. Back in the center, Dern rushes in again and Yoder gets out of dodge. Dern is taking a page of out Wanderlei Silva’s playbook with some of these strikes. Dern is attempting to take the back standing, but Yoder manages to shake her. Yoder just landed a nice counter left off a wild hook by Dern as the round ends. 10-9 Dern

Round 2: Dern quickly closes the distance and Yoder is back against the cage. The ref separates them after several moments of inactivity. Yoder lands a big shot that rocks Dern but she’s going to recover. Dern is attacking with low kicks but leaving herself a bit exposed in the process. Yoder lands a nice left straight, but Dern has a chin. Dern is throwing some heavy hooks but they’re mostly missing. She’s having some success with the low kick though. 10-9 Dern but it was much closer than the first.

Round 3: Dern quickly closes the distance and puts Yoder against the fence. They quickly separate, and Yoder lands a couple of hard shots. Dern locks up again and is looking for a double leg takedown, but Yoder fights it off. Dern gets a takedown and quickly takes the back. Yoder is in trouble. Dern takes the mount and is landing shots. She’s looking for a rear naked choke, but Yoder isn’t folding. She’s fighting it but it’s getting tighter. Yoder escapes! Dern still has the back though; Yoder’s best hope is to survive the round. 10-9 Dern (29-28 Dern)

Result: Mackenzie Dern def. Ashley Yoder via Split Decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Analysis: Rough debut for Dern but she got the win and that’s what matters. She was dominant once she got the fight to the ground, but she looked rough on the feet and struggled getting a takedown. 

 

Main Card Pay-Per-View

Women’s bantamweight #6 Cat Zingano(9-20) vs. #5 Ketlen Vieira(9-0)

Round 1:  Nice inside leg kick by Zingano to start the round. Zingano lands a left high kick, more to the neck than head though. She follows it up with a nice right hand. She is having a lot of success with her left leg and body kick. Really just the left kick in general, Vieira isn’t doing a good job of protecting that side. Vieira gets a nice trip takedown and is landing shots from the top. 10-9 Zingano

Round 2: Zingano comes out early with a left body kick. Vieira gets a clinch though and hip tosses Zingano to the mat. She takes the mount position and is looking for an Arm Triangle choke, but Zingano won’t have it and slips out. Vieira maintains top position though and is doing what she can to escape Zingano’s guard. Vieira has maintained top position for several minutes now, and Zingano has essentially been defenseless. 10-9 Vieira

Round 3: Early take down by Vieira. It hasn’t been overly exciting, but she has dominated Zingano here tonight. Her grappling is going to be a problem for most people in this division. Zingano is up and is attacking, she is landing knees and punches, but Vieira quickly manages to take control with a clinch. The ref separates them and they’re back in the center. 10-9 Vieira (29-28 Vieira)

Result: Ketlen Vieira def. Cat Zingano via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Heavyweight #10 Stefan Struve(32-9) vs. #12 Andrei Arlovski(26-15-0, 1NC)

Round 1: Arlovski is attacking the lead leg of Struve with low kicks. Body lock by Arlovski, and he trips Struve down to the mat. Arlovski lets him up without landing anything significant. Arlovski avoids a flurry of strikes and again drag Struve down with a body lock. They’re quickly back on the feet. Struve threw a flying knee, or maybe just a knee, he’s huge and it was honestly hard to tell. Arlovski is having success with the body lock, he’s using it now to control Struve against the fence, and trips one final time as the round ends. 10-9 Arlovski

Round 2: Arlovski is down early and Struve is attacking with a heel hook. He gives up on it and is looking to take Arlovski’s back. Struve attempts to slam Arlovski but can’t quite manage it. Arlovski gets a takedown but can’t keep Struve down and the ref quickly separates. Arlovski flurries towards Struve and takes an eye poke for his troubles. 10-9 Arlovski

Round 3: Big leg kick by Struve and he follows it up with a body kick. Big right hand by Struve, but he takes it takes it and keeps moving forward. Arlovski gets a body lock and quickly gets the fight to the ground. Struve quickly gets up and lands a few big shots as the round ends. 10-9 Arlovski (30-27 Arlovski)

Result: Andrei Arlovski def. Stefan Struve via unanimous decision (29-28. 29-28 30-27)

Bantamweight Sean O’Malley(9-0) vs. Andre Soukhamthath(12-5)

Round 1: O’Malley causes Soukhamthath to stumble a bit with a low kick. He appears to be struggling to stand on it. He lands another solid kick that knocks Soukhamthath down but he’s right back up. O’Malley throws a spinning back fist that misses, but he lands a nice follow up head kick. O’Malley lands a series of head kicks and has Soukhamthath on a bicycle. He lands another big head kick as the round ends. 10-9 O’Malley

Round 2: Lots of back and forth action early, with O’Malley getting the better of most of the exchanges. Soukhamthath gets an awkward takedown, but O’Malley immediately starts attacking from the back with a triangle. He transitions to an armbar but can’t quite get it. He’s looking for a guillotine but can’t get that one either and they’re back on the feet. 10-9 O’Malley

Round 3: Soukhamthath attacks early with leg kicks and is looking for a takedown. He has a body lock but is struggling to complete the takedown and they separate. O’Malley just took a hard leg kick and is down. Soukhamthath is on top. It’s hard to tell how bad O’Malley’s foot is hurt but it does appear to be injured. O’Malley is up, but limping, he’s hurt. O’Malley is trying to survive here, and Soukhamthath is allowing it to happen. That was an interesting round. 10-9 Soukhamthath (29-28 O’Malley) He was badly hurt there at the end. It looked like the injury came when he threw a head kick earlier in the round. He was clearly in agony as the fight ended.

Result: Sean O’Malley def. Andre Soukhamthath via unanimous decision  (29-27, 29-27, 29-28)

Analysis: That was a great performance by O’Malley overall. He dominated in the first, and then managed to survive once he suffered an injury. 

 

Featherweight #2 Frankie Edgar(21-5-1) vs. #3 Brian Ortega(13-0-0, 1NC)

Round 1: Edgar lands a big left hook and then a big right. Ortega has a size advantage but is giving up a lot in the speed department. Edgar lands another big shot. Edgar’s speed is the biggest factor right now. Ortega just countered a low kick with a stiff right hand. Ortega grabbed a headlock, but Edgar quickly worked out of it. Ortega just stunned Edgar and he’s down! Frankie Edgar is out!! WOW! Brian Ortega just stopped Frankie Edgar! It looked like it was an uppercut that did the job. That was the first time that Frankie Edgar has ever been stopped.

Result: Brian Ortega def. Frankie Edgar via KO (Uppercut) at 4:44 Round 1

Analysis: Well that was crazy…Edgar got hit, and I expected him tom recover like always, but he didn’t. Tough loss for him, and it’s probably the end of his time as a title contender barring a miracle. Ortega is the real deal, and nobody can argue that anymore. 

Featherweight Championship (c) Cris Cyborg (19-1-0, 1NC) vs. Yana Kunitskaya (10-3-0, 1NC)

Round 1: Cyborg lands a huge shot out of the gate and Kunitskaya is hurt. Kunitskaya takes Cyborg down with an ankle pick, and nearly takes the back but can’t get the second hook. She’s now controlling cyborg against the fence. Cyborg separates and is landing some big shots! Kunitskaya is down and Cyborg is on top dropping big shots down onto her opponent and it’s all over!

Cris Cyborg def. Yana Kunitskaya via TKO (Punches) at 3:25 Round 1

Analysis: Cris Cyborg continues to dominate her division but did show a moment of weakness when she was taken down. Hopefully up next, she can get a fight with Amanda Nunes. No other obvious options remain aside from perhaps the Megan Anderson fight, but she is MIA right now. 

 

 

 

 

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