UFC on Fox 29 FULL REPORT

Cole Henry, MMATorch Contributor

UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims

Bantamweight  Luke Sanders(11-2) vs. Patrick Williams(8-5)

Round 1: Long feeling out process to start the fight. Sanders lands a nice let hand that knocks Williams down, but he pops right back up. Another left hand by Sanders finds the mark, straight left I believe. Williams is looking for a takedown, he creates a scramble off a missed right hand by Sanders and gets a body lock. He’s looking to take the back standing. Sanders manages to separate the hands and they’re back in the center. Sanders is having success on the feet, Williams seems intent on getting the fight to the ground. Sanders gets a takedown, but they don’t stay down long. 10-9 Sanders

Side note: Williams has a bad gash on his forehead. Its leaking pretty bad and will be interesting to watch as the fight goes on.

Round 2: Williams is showing signs of exhaustion. Sanders is forcing Williams to circle against the cage and is having a lot of success with his left hand. Its been the focal point of the fight so far. Williams lands a nice low kick, he’s mostly been on the defensive for the last several minutes. Williams lands a big right hand that sends Sanders backwards and he ends the round with a takedown. Close round. Sanders mostly controlled the round but that last bit of offense by Williams should give it to him. 10-9 Williams

Round 3: Williams is having some success with his low kicks. He definitely needs this round if he wants to win the fight. Sanders is just sticking to the game plan and at this point he made need to change things up a bit. He’s looking to land a big left hand but in the mean time Williams is landing lots of shots. Just as I say that he lands his left hand and a bit of a flurry afterwards. Williams is in a daze, but Sanders has let up with his attack. Big right with a follow up left by Williams. This is a very close fight. 10-9 Sanders but it could go either way. This was a very close fight. (29-28 Sanders)

Result: Luke Sanders def. Patrick Williams via Unanimous Decision (30-27,30-27,29-28)

Bantamweight Matthew Lopez(10-2) vs. Alejandro Pérez(20-6-1)

Round 1: Lopez gets a quick takedown and gets the back of Alejandro Perez. He has a rear naked choke, but it isn’t deep, and Perez is fighting his way out of it. They’re back on the feet and Perez is attacking the legs but you have to wonder if his confidence was shaken by the quick takedown. Lopez lands straight right and follows it up with a double leg and Perez is down again. Lopez has the back again as the round ends. 10-9 Lopez

Round 2: Perez comes out with a nice one, two combo. Lopez fires back with a leg kick. Perez has a clinch and may have hurt Lopez with a knee. Lopez is trying to get away, but Perez is rushing in and tagging Lopez in the body. Lopez is hurt and the referee steps in. Nice stoppage by Perez in a fight that he was losing.

Result: Alejandro Perez def. Matthew Lopez via TKO (Knees and Punches) Round 2, 3:42

Heavyweight Arjan Bhullar(7-0) vs. Adam Wieczorek(9-1)

Round 1: Bhullar lands a nice over hand left to start the fight and lands a high crotch single. Bhullar is working from top position. He is doing much aside from landing the occasional short right hand, he’s mostly just controlling from this position. Wieczorek isn’t doing much to get up. He has his feet on the hips but doesn’t seem to be looking for anything. Nice short elbow from the bottom by Wieczorek. The ref steps in and stands the fighters up. Not a bad stand up, he never transitioned out of guard and wasn’t landing any notable strikes. 10-9 Bhullar

Round 2: Bhullar lands a nice right hand to start the fight. Bhullar pushes his opponent against the fence and gets a quick takedown. Wieczorek is working from his back and has a sort of side guard type thing. He throws his leg over Bhullars left shoulder and is looking for an Omoplatta! Wow Bhullar taps and its all over!! You don’t see those every day. Tough loss for Bhullar but he’d looked good up until the submission.

Result: Adam Wieczorek def. Arjan Bhullar via Submission (Omoplatta) Round 2, 1:59

Side-Note: That was the second Omoplatta in UFC history.

Welterweight Dhiego Lima(14-6) vs. Yushin Okami(34-11)

Round 1: Okami last competed at light-heavyweight against Ovince St. Preux and here he is now at welterweight. Okami gets a quick takedown, but Lima is back on the feet. Okami is maintaining a body lock though and is controlling Lima well. Okami completes another takedown and gets the back. Tough spot for Lima. Okami has transitioned to the mount, but Lima quickly recovers guard. Lima appears out of his element here and is just holding on. Okami isn’t doing anything and I would be considering a stand up if I was the ref. Just as I say that he opens up with a nice left hand and again goes for the back, but Lima fends him off. Total dominance on the ground by Okami. It was positional dominance, he didn’t deliver much damage, but Lima wasn’t able to do anything.  10-8 Okami

Round 2: After a short feeling out, process Okami shoots for a takedown but Lima defends it. Okami can’t be deterred though and quickly goes for another. He uses it to force Lima against the fence and is now looking for a single leg takedown. Lima takes a knee and Okami takes the back with one hook in. He’s looking for a rear naked choke, or maybe not. He now has half-guard against the fence. Lots of grappling here but Okami isn’t looking for a finish or even to land strikes. He seems content with controlling Lima. Lima nearly pulled off a sweep, but Okami wouldn’t let him complete it and he is now controlling Lima again against the fence. Lots of movement by both guys. Okami takes the back standing and uses a body lock to take Lima down again. This is a classic Yushin Okami type performance and he is up 2 rounds. 10-8 Okami (I know these rounds will probably be 10-9 but Okami is totally dominating with his grappling and should be credited for it.

Round 3: Lima lands a jab in the opening seconds and sprawls an Okami takedown attempt. Okami held onto the leg though and managed to end up on Lima’s back. This must be frustrating for Lima. Okami has the back with the right hook in but Lima manages to stand up. This fight reminds me of the Damian Maia-Matt Brown fight. Okami is controlling every aspect of this fight and Lima is just surviving. Okami is on top, he might be looking for a choke but its hard to tell. Okami has spent 10:47 of this fight on top with 2 minutes to go. Okami is landing short shots from the top. They probably don’t hurt but at this point I don’t think it matters. He has just dominated Lima with his grappling tonight. 10-8 Okami (30-24 Okami)

Result: Yushin Okami def. Dhiego Lima via Unanimous Decision (30-26 3x)

Women’s flyweight Shana Dobson(3-1) vs. Lauren Mueller(4-0)

Round 1: They’re exchanging early. Mueller lands a nice left hand, but Dobson returns one of her own. Mueller forces Dobson against the fence but they quickly separate. Muller lands a nice right straight, left hook combination. Dobson is using the jab to keep Mueller back and Mueller is struggling with finding an answer. She rushes in and lands a nice right hand on Dobson, but Dobson quickly reestablishes position with the jab. Mueller lands a counter right hook, but Dobson keeps moving forward. Dobson changes levels looking for a takedown, but Muller gets a knee down and keeps herself on the feet. 10-9 Mueller but it was close.

Round 2: Dobson comes out with a jab and follows it up with a nice right straight. Nice right hand by Dobson. She looks like she’s finding her groove. Mueller gets a body lock and they’re fighting for position against the fence. Dobson has a really good jab and is using it well and its starting to control the fight. Mueller just doesn’t have an answer for it. She can’t get inside. Mueller lands a body kick and rushes in! She tags Dobson a few times and busted the nose of her opponent. She evened the round out there towards the end, but I think Dobson probably did enough. 10-9 Dobson

Round 3: Mueller comes out early with a nice right hand that seemed to stun Dobson. Dobson gets a takedown though and is working to establish control. Mueller manages to stand up, but Dobson still has a body lock. Mueller reverses it with under-hooks though and now has Dobson against the fence. They separate though, and Dobson looks for a low kick. Mueller catches the kick and trips Dobson to the ground. She is on top in side control and Dobson is in a tight spot. Mueller is looking for mount, but Dobson scrambles and they’re back on the feet. Dobson’s face is pretty busted up, but she is still in it. Dobson landed a body kick and Mueller seems to be hurt. Dobson moves in but Mueller trips her and Dobson is down but quickly gets back up. Good effort by both fighters here tonight. 10-9 Mueller (29-28 Mueller)

Result: Lauren Mueller def. Shana Dobson via Unanimous Decision (29-38 3x)

Welterweight Gilbert Burns(12-2) vs. Dan Moret(13-3)

Round 1: Moret took this fight on short notice so its needless to that this is a huge opportunity for him. Gilbert Burns comes over the top with an over hand right that lands. Moret seems to be giving up some size here. Burns is having success with a body kick. Moret lands a big right hand, his most notable of the fight so far. Moret is getting through with some big shots! But Burns stops him in his tracks with a takedown. Burns is a BJJ World Champion so Moret needs to find a way up. Moret has an under-hook and manages to stand with his back against the cage. Burns quickly gets him down again and the round ends with him dropping a few shots down and avoiding up kicks frim his opponent. 10-9 Burns

Round 2: Burns lands a hard-right body kick to start the round. Burns lands a hard-right hand, and Moret is hurt. Moret is back peddling but Burns is chasing him down! He lands a big shot and Moret goes down and its over! It looks like the finishing combo was an uppercut that hurt him, followed up with an over hand right and some left and right straights against the fence. Nice win for Burns who remains a dark horse fighter in this division.

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/985274834069237760

Result: Gilbert Burns def. Dan Moret via KO (Punches) Round 2, 0:59

FOX Prelims

Middleweight #13Krzysztof Jotko(19-3) vs. #15Brad Tavares(16-5)

Round 1: They are starting out slow. Tavares strikes first with a right hand but Jotko stays composed. Jotko is starting to pick up the speed a little bit. Tavares lands a right hand. He’s been looking for that same punch all round. Tavares throws the same right hand again, this time Jotko ducks and lands a knee in the clinch. Tavares recovers and shoves Jotko against the fence, but they quickly separate. Jotko appeared to be looking for a takedown as the round ended but instead pulled guard. Interesting sequence there. 10-9 Tavares

Round 2: Tavares rushes in with a right hook as the round starts but eats a counter left for his troubles. Jotko catches an Brad Tavares body kick and lands a nice uppercut as Tavares tried to back out. Tavares is bleeding above the right eye. Jotko just ducked into a body kicked and it hurt him. Tavares rushes in but decides to clinch Jotko. Tavares is controlling Jotko against the fence with a body lock. Jotko briefly gets a reversal but Tavares doesn’t let him have it for long and they quickly separate. Tavares landed a hard knee and he is making Jotko miss with everything he’s throwing. 10-9 Tavares

Round 3: Jotko’s corner is telling him that he needs to turn up the aggression. He comes out early and lands a high kick. I have Jotko down two rounds so its possible that he needs a finish if the judges agree with me. Tavares over extends on a right hand, and Jotko counters with a right hand and goes for a takedown. Tavares stays on his feet and lands a counter right hook off a Jotko uppercut. Jotko is down and Tavares is landing shots from the top and its over. Nice win for Tavares and that was just his second finish in 16 UFC fights. His last finish was against Phil Baroni in 2011.

Result: Brad Tavares def. Krzysztof Jotko via KO (Punch) Round 3, 2:16

Flyweight #6Wilson Reis(22-8) vs. #10John Moraga(18-6)

Round 1: Moraga is keeping it on the feet early. He side steps a Reis takedown attempt and lands a right hand. Reis again goes for a takedown but Moraga sprawls. Moraga lands a right hand and stuffs a Reis takedown attempt. He has a front choke, but transitions to a guillotine as Reis forces him against the fence. He should let go here but doesn’t and Reis lifts him and slams him. Reis is on top, but Moraga gets back up with some help from the fence. Reis tries getting the fight back down, but Moraga shakes it off. They separate, and Moraga lands a right uppercut. Reis lands a big left hand, and follows it up with a double leg attempt, but Moraga ends up tripping him and is on top with ten seconds left. Reis, reverses it and will ride out the round on top. Lots of action there. 10-9 Moraga but it could go either way. Moraga landed some good shots and mostly held off the take down, but Reis did have some big moments of his own

Round 2: Moraga lands a short right hand to start the round and follows it up with a big left hook. Moraga is landing and making Reis miss. Reis is looking for a takedown and gets it but Moraga pops right back up. Reis is tenacious though and goes for another one, this time he completes it. Reis has Moraga down against the fence, but Moraga has a head lock or guillotine, hard to tell. They separate, and Reis lands a nice body kick. Reis is sticking to Moraga against the fence and appears to be the stronger man in this situation. Back in the center and Moraga lands a couple shots before Reis again closes the distance and forces the fight against the fence. This is a much better round for him. Moraga gets a separation and lands a big flying knee. Reis is hurt! But he gets a quick takedown, and Moraga is down. Reis has the back with both hooks in. I don’t think I need to tell you that this is a bad position. Moraga reverses it though and is now in top position. He’s landing short elbows from the top, but Reis is making it difficult by holding on from the bottom. 10-9 Reis

Round 3: Reis gets a quick takedown. The scoring of this fight could be anything right now, either guy could have an argument and being up 2-0. Reis is in side-control but takes the back and Moraga rolls over, basically giving it to him. Moraga pops up though, and they are back against the fence. They’re boxing in the center, and Moraga just landed an uppercut. Reis is looking for a takedown and gets it. They’re in a weird position here and are quickly back on the feet. Reis doesn’t like it there though and takes the fight back to the ground. Reis has the back, but Moraga is defending well. 60 seconds left. Reis has a body triangle, and its making it difficult for Moraga to move. Moraga is bleeding from the forehead, and according to Jon Anik its from a collision he had with the cage. This fight will end with Reis still on Moraga’s back. 10-9 Reis (29-28 Reis)

Result: John Moraga def. Wilson Reis via Unanimous Decision (29-28 3x)

Welterweight Muslim Salikhov(12-2) vs. Ricky Rainey(13-4)

Round 1: Salikhov lands a fierce leg kick as the round begins. Rainey is throwing leg kicks of his own, but they are being checked. The ref steps in as Salikhov takes a finger to the eye, and the doctor is now looking at it. Back to the action, and Salikhov lands another hard leg kick. Rainey looks for a takedown but Salikhov catches him with under hooks and they stay on the feet. Rainey lands a right hook, left straight combination. Rainey is looking good on his feet despite the experience difference when it comes to striking between these two men. Rainey throws a body kick, but Salikhov catches and throws Rainey down but lets him up. Back in the center and Salikhov lands a left hook but is stagnant aside from that right now. Rainey gets a clinch and is landing some nice knees from there. 10-9 Rainey but a draw wouldn’t shock me.

Round 2: Salikhov lands a body hook and a left hook combo, but he’s mostly just throwing single strikes so far in this round. Rainey has a clinch but ends up with his own back against the fence. Salikhov lands a nice right hand but Rainey is making him miss most of his attempted strikes. Rainey isn’t doing much either though, mostly just playing defense. Nice right low kick by Salikhov. Salikhov is backing up and landing body kicks. He counters a Ricky Rainey left hand with a big over hand right and Rainey is down. Salikhov follows it up with three big shots on the ground and its all over.

Result: Muslim Salikhov def. Rickey Rainey via KO (Punches) Round 2, 4:12

Middleweight Tim Boetsch(21-11) vs. Antônio Carlos Júnior(10-2-0, 1nc)

Round 1: Antonio Junior lands a leg kick to start the fight. 60 seconds in and Boetsch is mostly just letting Junior work. Junior goes high with a head kick that just misses. Boetsch is being uncharacteristically calm in this fight. He’s allowing himself to get hit. Boetsch throws a front kick that Junior catches. Boetsch avoids a Junior takedown, but they are now fighting against the fence with Junior in control. Junior gets a takedown but Boetsch manages to get up for a moment only to get taken down again. Junior has the back and is landing some shots from there. He’s looking for a Rear Naked Choke, and Boetsch taps! Nice performance by Antonio Carlos Junior in what was his fifth straight win.

Result: Antonio Carlos Junior def. Tim Boetsch via submission (Rear Naked Choke) Round 1, 4:28

FOX Main Card

Women’s strawweight #7Michelle Waterson(14-6) vs. #10Cortney Casey(7-5)

Round 1: Waterson is sticking and moving early. Casey has a size advantage, but she can’t catch Waterson. Casey lands a big right hand that sent Waterson moving backwards. Casey lands another right with Waterson against the fence and it looked like it hurt her. She gets a clinch though and lands a nice elbow as she backs out. Waterson lands a nice straight right but slips. Back on the feet Waterson gets a takedown and is now in Casey’s guard. Casey is working for a triangle, but Waterson shakes it. Casey throws up an armbar, but Waterson escapes it as the round ends. 10-9 Casey

Round 2: Casey lunges in with a flying knee and misses but manages to close the distance. Waterson grabs a leg though and gets a single leg takedown. She now finds herself back in Casey’s guard. Casey is looking for a triangle. It was deep for a second by Waterson manages to escape. She’s looking for an Omoplatta but doesn’t have it set up quite right. Waterson is pressuring, but Casey just threw up another armbar! Waterson escaped though. Good work there on the ground by both fighters. Casey works her way back up only to eat a hard kick from Waterson as the round ends. 10-9 Waterson

Round 3: Casey lands a high kick as the round starts. Waterson follows it with a couple of body kicks. Casey lands a right hand and forces Waterson against the fence. Waterson reverses though and is maintaining control against the fence. Casey is having the most success when they are striking in the center, but she keeps closing the distance. She is losing when they tie up though. Casey just went for a hip toss, but Waterson shrugged it off only for them to both fall to the mat. Casey is looking for an armbar, but Waterson manages to escape yet again. Casey is looking for a heel hook, but Waterson shakes that one too. They’re back on the feet and this could be a big chance for Casey to move ahead in what is a very close fight. Waterson looks for a takedown, but Casey stuffs it and ends up on Waterson’s back. She has the hooks and is looking for the finish. She transitions from a rear naked choke to an armbar and its deep! Wow Waterson was saved by the bell! 10-9 Casey (29-28 Casey) Could go either way though.

Result: Michelle Waterson def. Cortney Casey via Split Decision

Middleweight Israel Adesanya(12-0) vs. Marvin Vettori(12-3-1)

Round 1: Adesanya is finding the low kick early. Vettori closes the distance and grabs a body lock. Adesanya is against the fence, but not for long and they are back in the center. Adesanya managed to avoid several trip takedown attempts there. Vettori seems content to stand and trade with Adesanya, and he is holding his own. Adesanya keeps landing the low kick though and Vettori isn’t doing much to stop them. They briefly stop the action as Vettori takes a poke to the eye. Back to the action and Vettori lands a nice jab. 10-9 Adesanya

Round 2: Vettori goes for a takedown early, but Adesanya gets an under-hook and keeps the fight standing. More low kicks by Adesanya are finding the mark. Adesanya lands a hard-standing elbow, and Vettori tries to say it was an eye poke but Herb Dean knows better, and they keep fighting. Vettori just hit with Adesanya with the double birds and threw a couple shots that Adesanya avoided as the round ends. 10-9 Adesanya

Round 3: Vettori gets a takedown early and is in Adesanya’s half guard. Adesanya isn’t doing much from his back but Vettori isn’t doing much from the top either. A stand up for Vettori would be tragic at this point but he isn’t doing much. He should be taking advantage of this. Adesanya just went for a takedown of his own but failed and Vettori has the back standing. Vettori completes a takedown and is now in Adesanya’s guard. Adesanya is not looking good on the ground right now. He has been a very successful kickboxer, so you have to wonder how much experience he was with grappling. Herb Dean steps in and they are back on the feet. 10-9 Vettori (29-28 Adesanya)

Result: Israel Adesanya def. Marvin Vettori via Split Decision

Welterweight #12Carlos Condit(30-11) vs. Alex Oliveira(7-4-1, 2NC)

Round 1: Olivera starts the fight with a takedown and puts Condit on his back. He is controlling Condit from the top and avoiding submission attempts from his opponent. Nice sweep by Condit and he is on top. He went for a Von Flue choke but gave it up. Condit has the back with a body triangle and is looking for a rear naked choke. It was rough there for a minute but Olivera is going to survive the round. 10-9 Condit

Round 2: Olivera attacks Condit early with knees and punches. Olivera gets a takedown, but Condit starts looking for submissions immediately. Condit gets a reversal and double legs Olivera down to the ground. Olivera lands an elbow from the bottom and Condit is busted open. Olivera hits Condit with a big up kick and Condit stumbles down. Olivera slaps on a guillotine and Condit is fighting it but this choke is deep and its over!

Result: Alex Olivera def. Carlos Condit via Submission (Guillotine) Round 2, 3:17

Lightweight #5Dustin Poirier(22-5-0, 1NC)  vs. #6Justin Gaethje(18-1)

Round 1: Gaethje is attacking the legs early, just as he said he would. They are trading shots from a close distance. Gaethje is good at getting inside but Poirier isn’t letting him get away with anything and is returning shots of his own. When Gaethje covers his head, he leaves himself open to body shots. Gaethje throws a head kick and slips but quickly gets up. More leg kicks by Gaethje but Poirier is really pouring on the big shots here. Gaethje is taking a ton of punishment but keeps moving forward. 10-9 Poirier

Round 2: Poirier is picking up where he left off and throwing some heavy shots. Gaethje keeps hitting him with leg kicks though, and Poirier doesn’t like them. Gaethje pokes Poirier in the eye and Herb Dean separates them but they’re right back at it. Poirier seems to have slowed a bit, but he is still laying it on heavy. He went for a takedown, but Gaethje stepped away. Gaethje has Poirier against the fence and is landing some solid elbows, ends the round with a rolling thunder attempt but can’t land it. 10-9 Poirier

Round 3: They trade leg kicks to start the round. Poirier rushes in with a left hand that lands. Poirier gets a takedown but Gaethje pops right back up. Gaethje lands a hard leg kick and is turning up the attack. Gaethje forces Poirier against the fence and is landing some short elbows. Something has changed in Poirier, could just be fatigue causing it though. Gaethje lands another hard-low kick and Poirier is reacting worse and worse to these shots as the fight goes on. Poirier went for a takedown, but Gaethje stopped it and pushes him against the fence. Herb Dean steps in, looks like an eye poke. He’s taking a point and that is going to hurt Gaethje if this goes to decision. Wow…Poirier pokes Gaethje in the eye as the round ends. Great stuff. Draw (Gaethje won the round but the point deduction makes this round a draw)

Round 4: Poirier hurt Gaethje early with a left hand and this could mean trouble. Gaethje is trying to recover but Poirier is pouring on the shots and its over!

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/985343668557987841

Result: Dustin Poirier def. Justin Gaethje via TKO (Punches) Round 4, 0:33

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