News Ticker

UFC Fight Night 128: Full Report

Cole Henry, MMATorch Contributor

April 21, 2018

Early Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)

Welterweight  Tony Martin(12-4) vs. Keita Nakamura(33-8-2, 1NC)

Round 1: They touch gloves and we’re off. This is the first fight at 170 for Martin and judging by the pre-fight comments he has very high hopes for the division. Nakamura lands a nice straight right off a Martin leg kick. Big right hand my Martin, and Nakamura losses his footing. He may have been hurt there but he didn’t show it. Another huge right by Martin. He’s putting some nice combos together so far. Martin appears to have a speed advantage and certainly has the size advantage. Martin tossed out a lazy jab and followed it up with a straight right on the button. Nakamura is eating some big shots and decides to look for a takedown. He’s got Martin down, but he’s caught in a guillotine. Looks like Martin is just going to ride out the round though, he doesn’t look to be applying much pressure. 10-9 Martin

Round 2: Martin is landing some hard inside leg kicks early. Nakamura is being very patient. He just lunged into a right hook, but Martin was nowhere to be found. Martins jab seems to be throwing off Nakamura’s game. Martin is standing in front of Nakamura and picking his shots. Nice left hook by Martin. Nakamura lands a grazing body kick, but Martin keeps moving forward. Head kick by Martin, and Nakamura is looking for a takedown but gets caught in a guillotine, but the bell will save him. 10-9 Martin

Round 3: Nakamura goes for a takedown early and gets it, but Martin has an arm and is looking for a kimura. Nice escape by Nakamura and he has Martin in a sort of front headlock position. Nice escape by Martin and they are back in the center. Nakamura dropped his mouth piece and we have a brief pause. Straight right by Martin lands on the button. Nakamura is pressuring a bit more in this round, but he still isn’t throwing much volume and he is allowing Martin to land at will. Nakamura grabs a leg and gets a takedown with 30 seconds left, but Martin has an arm and is looking for an Americana as the round ends. 10-9 Martin (30-27 Martin)

Result: Tony Martin def. Keita Nakamura via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 3x)

Prelims (FS1)

Light heavyweight #10Corey Anderson(10-4) vs. #11Patrick Cummins(10-4)

Round 1: Pat Cummins has one hell of a mustache. He looks like John L. Sullivan right now. Cummins looks for a takedown early and gets a body lock, but Anderson is making him work. They separate, and Anderson lands a straight left. Nice knee by Anderson, he’s rushing in and landing some big shots on Cummins. Takedown attempt by Anderson but he can’t get it and Anderson is landing more big shots against the fence. Cummins right eye is busted up and he’s looking flustered. Uppercut, left hook combination lands for Anderson and he shoots and completes a takedown. Cummins pops right back up but Anderson is still on him with a body lock. Anderson completes another double leg and quickly takes the back. 10-9 Anderson

Round 2: They clinch early, and Cummins lands some uppercuts in the clinch. Anderson is landing shots at will and Cummins is backing up. Double leg attempt by Anderson and Cummins is down again. He briefly gets up, but Anderson drags him right back down and takes the back. Cummins manages to shake him and they’re back in the center. Nice uppercut by Anderson and he follows it up with another takedown. Cummins is worn out while Anderson looks like he could go for five more rounds. 10-8 Anderson

Round 3: Anderson doesn’t waste much time and gets a takedown. He’s on the back of a turtled Pat Cummins. Anderson is flirting with a rear naked choke but look like he’s mostly focused on control. This is an impressive performance by Corey Anderson, especially in the wrestling department. He’s completely controlling a pretty good wrestler and making him look defenseless. Anderson now has the back with both hooks in and 90 seconds to find a finish. Props to Cummins for not giving up but Corey Anderson looked fantastic tonight. 10-8 Anderson (30-25 Anderson)

Result: Corey Anderson def. Pat Cummins via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)

Welterweight Siyar Bahadurzada(23-6-1) vs. Luan Chagas(15-2-1)

Round 1: Bahadurzada strikes first with a hard leg kick. Chagas throws a leg kick of his own but its caught and Bahadurzada takes him down. Hard right hand on the ground by Bahadurzada. He’s landing some body hooks, but Chagas is controlling him from the bottom. Bahadurzada is having success landing with his right hand. Chagas creates a scramble though and he’s got Bahadurzada’s back with a body triangle and 2 minutes remaining. Bahadurzada is defending well but Chagas is trying hard for the rear naked choke. Good defense by Bahadurzada and he powers up to his feet, but Chagas drags him right back down with 10 seconds left. 10-10 Draw

Round 2: Big right hand by Bahadurzada to start the round but Chagas is walking him down. They’re trading big shots in the center, but neither are landing. Bahadurzada lands a nice right hand and Chagas goes for a take down but can’t get it. Bahadurzada lands a front kick to the body and Chagas is hurt! Chagas is doubled over and Bahadurzada puts him away with an uppercut! Great finish by Bahadurzada!

Result: Siyar Bahadurzada def. Luan Chagas via KO (Body-kick, and uppercut) Round 2, 2:40

Bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili(7-3) vs. Ricky Simon(10-1)

Round 1: Dvalishvili lands a big right hand to start the fight. He’s throwing some wild strikes, lots of spinning strikes. Dvalishvili gets a quick takedown but can’t keep Simon down for long. Head kick landed by Dvalishvili, and he follows it up with a nice combination. Dvalishvili is keeping an insane pace right now, and he drops Simon with a big right hand! Simon is up but Dvalishvili is chasing him down! He completes a takedown, and Simon is taking a beating here. I did not do this round justice. It was hard to keep up with the pace. 10-9 Dvalishvili

Round 2: Simon is coming out much more aggressive than he did in the first. He just misses with a spinning back fist. Both guys are throwing but neither is landing. Dvalishvili gets a takedown, and briefly goes for the back but Simon shakes him and makes him pay with a knee. Dvalishvili over extends on a punch and Simon gets a nice takedown. They don’t stay down long and they’re back in the center. Dvalishvili gets a quick takedown but Simon pops right back up. Big right-hand lands for Dvalishvili but Simon is hanging tough with 15 seconds left. Dvalishvili gets another takedown as the round ends. 10-9 Dvalishvili

Round 3: They’re trading jabs in the center to start the round. Simon gets a takedown, first notable moment of the round. Simon is in half guard and trying to pass. He’s looking for an arm-triangle but Dvalishvili escapes to his feet. Dvalishvili is looking for a takedown but can’t quite get it. Both men are tired. Nice uppercut but Dvalishvili and he gets a takedown, but Simon catches him in a guillotine and its deep! 30 seconds left and Dvalishvili is caught, his face is turning red, but he’s fighting it. 15 seconds left! 10 seconds! Dvalishvili is going to survive! That choke was deep and that’s something you need to see for yourselves. 10-9 Simon (29-28 Dvalishvili)

The commission is in the cage, I think they are discussing the finish. They might be saying Dvalishvili was out, but I can’t tell right now. He appeared to survive, I don’t see how they can say it was a stoppage, but we’ll see. The replay shows that it was close…hard to tell if he was out or not but its going to decision. They ruled it a TKO victory for Ricky Simon at 5:00 minutes of the third round. Very strange finish there, not sure why it was a TKO, but I guess its because they decided the finish after the fight. Weird. I think the commission should review this.

https://twitter.com/UFCONFOX/status/987868805887016960

Result: Ricky Simon def. Merab Dvalishvili via TKO Round 3, 5:00

Welterweight Ryan LaFlare(13-2) vs. Alex Garcia(15-4)

Round 1: Garcia goes for a takedown early, but Laflare sprawls and ends up with a front head lock. Back in the center and Garcia lands a nice leg kick. Garcia move forward and lands a short-left hand. Laflare grabs him and they’re fighting for position in the clinch. Nice knees to the body by Laflare. Laflare is controlling Garcia with double under hooks against the cage, Garcia can’t do much here. Laflare is doing a good job of ducking under Garcia’s punches and grabbing body locks. Inside leg kick by Laflare trips Garcia down to the mat but he pops right up as the round ends. 10-9 Laflare

Round 2: Nice body kick by Laflare to get things started. Laflare ducks under a shot and gets a takedown. Garcia grabs an ankle and manages to wind up on top. Garcia is working to take the back, he has one hook in. Laflare uses a butterfly sweep to get back to his feet, nice work there. Laflare gets a takedown of his own and now he’s on top in half guard. Laflare isn’t doing much but this is probably winning the round for him. He might be looking for an arm triangle but its hard to tell. 10-9 Laflare

Round 3: Garcia catches a Laflare body kick and scores a takedown. Laflare is on bottom with one butterfly hook in and a tight body lock. Garcia is on top, but he can’t do anything unless he creates some space. The ref is threatening a stand up, and he follows through. Garcia wasn’t doing anything there. Garcia went for another takedown, but it was more out of desperation than anything I think, and Laflare easily sprawled it. Laflare has Garcia in an odd crucifix position right now, hard to explain. The ref is threatening a stand up and follows through again. 45 seconds remaining in the round. Laflare gets a quick takedown but Garcia rolls with it and is right back on his feet. 10-9 Laflare (30-27 Laflare)

Result: Ryan Laflare def. Alex Garcia via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 3x)

Main Card (FS1)

Lightweight Jim Miller(28-11-0, 1NC) vs. Dan Hooker(16-7)

Round 1: They are trading early. Dan Hooker is a wild man. Big knee by Hooker. Jim Miller grabs a leg and is looking for a takedown, but Hooker is making him work. He completes it and Miller is on top! Hooker escapes to his feet, and forces Miller against the cage. Another nice knee lands for Dan Hooker and Jim Miller needs to figure that out before he gets hit with a big one. Miller goes for a takedown and eats a huge knee from Dan Hooker! Miller is out but Hooker lands another big shot just to make sure. It was unnecessary because that knee put Miller out. Nice performance by Dan Hooker tonight.

Result: Dan Hooker def. Jim Miller via KO (Knee) Round 1, 3:00

Matt Serra is announced for the UFC hall of fame.

Bantamweight #8Aljamain Sterling(14-3) vs. #14Brett Johns(15-0)

Round 1: Lots of back and forth strikes to start the round. Sterling goes for a takedown from the body lock position, but Johns ends up falling on top of him. Sterling quickly reverses position though and is controlling Johns against the fence. Back in the center and Sterling lands a nice body kick. Johns gets a single leg, but Sterling holds on and they’re in a stalemate as the round ends. 10-9 Sterling

Round 2: Johns lands a big flying knee off a Sterling takedown attempt. Johns rushes in on Sterling but quickly gets taken down for his efforts. Sterling is controlling, but Johns manages to escape and is now pressuring Sterling against the fence. Sterling lands a big right hand and he’s turning it up, but Johns lands a nice counter shot! Sterling looking for a takedown with 2 minutes left. He gets it and Johns is trying to work his way and manages to do so with roughly 90 seconds remaining. Johns is back on his feet, but Sterling is keeping him against the fence. 1-minute remaining. The ref steps in and separates the fighters and they’re back in the center. Sterling lands a grazing front kick to the face, but Johns brushes it off as the round ends. 10-9 Sterling

Round 3: Johns looking for a hip-toss, but Sterling ends up taking the back. Lots of slow moments in this fight but Johns is at least showing that he belongs fighting the top guys. Sterling has looked good through out the entire fight. Nice knee by Sterling. Johns is struggling to escape control against the fence, but Sterling won’t let him breath. Johns looking for a double leg, but Johns is fighting it. The ref steps in and they’re back in the center. Sterling grabs the leg for a single with one-minute left, but Johns shakes it. Nice left hook by Johns but he’s running out of time here. He needs a finish. Sterling gets a big takedown with 30 seconds remaining. Great performance overall by the Funk Master. 10-9 Sterling (30-27 Sterling)

Result: Aljamain Sterling def. Brett Johns via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 3x)

Middleweight #8David Branch(21-4) vs. #12Thiago Santos(17-5)

Round 1: Nice inside leg kick by Santos to get things started. Another nice low kick by Santos, and Branch looks like he’s feeling them. Branch goes for a takedown but can’t get it and lands a huge right hook on the follow up!! Thiago Santos is out cold!

Result: David Branch def. Thiago Santos via KO (Punch) Round 1, 2:30

Heavyweight Justin Willis(6-1) vs. Chase Sherman(11-4)

Round 1: Willis lands a big left hand that wobbles Sherman. Another big shot lands for Willis and Sherman is taking some big shots. Willis lands a big right hand and Sherman is down! Willis is on top landing big shots! Sherman escapes though but eats a big left and right by Willis! Sherman forces Willis against the cage with 15 seconds left. 10-9 Willis

Round 2: Willis counters a big left right a right hook. Sherman is durable, but he is taking some shots here. Sherman lands a hard, low kick, and then pokes Willis in the eye. He’s going to take a moment to recover. Back to the action and they’re trading in the center. Sherman throws up a big head kick, but Willis catches it and shoves him to the ground. Willis is in guard landing some short shots as the round ends. 10-9 Willis

Round 3: Sherman gets a clinch early and lands a pair of knees. Willis manages to separate, and Sherman hits him with a jab and body kick combo. Sherman forces Willis against the fence and is landing short shots to the face of Willis. Willis is slowing down a bit. Sherman misses with a body kick and Willis hits him with an overhand right. More control against the fence by Sherman. They separate, and Willis lands a right hook, and follows it up with a nice left body hook. Left hook, right straight combination landed by Willis with ten seconds left. 10-9 Sherman (29-28 Willis)

Result: Justin Willis def. Chase Sherman via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 3x)

Featherweight #3Frankie Edgar(21-6-1) vs. #4Cub Swanson(25-8)

Round 1: Both men showing respect early. Nice right low kick by Edgar. Edgar lands a right hand and follows it up with a takedown attempt, but Swanson uses the cage to stay on his feet. Swanson felt that shot for sure. Swanson has a cut underneath his right eye. Swanson lands a short-left hook and they keep moving. Hard jab by Swanson, but he’s picking his shots here and probably lost this round on volume alone. 10-9 Edgar

Round 2: Edgar lands a nice jab to start the round. He goes for a takedown, but Swanson shakes it off they’re back in the center. Swanson is trying to stick and move but he can’t quite shake Edgar. Edgar lands a hard, low kick in the center of the octagon. Swanson slips on a kick, but lands two big hooks once he regains his footing. Edgar has a cut beneath the right eye. 10-9 Edgar

Round 3: Not much happening in the early part of the round. Swanson moves in and lands a hard-right hand. He’s going to need more of those if he wants to win this fight. Swanson avoids a left shot from Edgar but eats a right hand for his troubles. He returns a body shot, and whiffs on the follow up right hand. Swanson throws a high kick that just misses Edgar. Edgar closes the distance and is now controlling Swanson against the fence. Swanson manages to get a separation with a minute and a half left. Swanson lands a nice straight right, and a left follows it up. Swanson is finally turning it up, but it might be a bit late with just 20 seconds left. 10-9 Swanson (29-28 Edgar)

Result: Frankie Edgar def. Cub Swanson via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 3x)

Catchweight (157 lbs) #5Edson Barboza(19-5) vs. #6Kevin Lee(16-4)

Round 1: Barboza is landing leg kicks early but Lee quickly gets a takedown. Lee is on top landing some hard shots. Barboza has never shown much offense from his back, this could be real trouble for him. He recovers guard, but Lee is in control for the most part. Lee moves to side control, and then into mount. He is landing more shots from the top and is looking to take the back. Lee is landing tons of shots here, and now he has the back. Barboza is in real trouble. More elbows and punches landed by Lee. He has Barboza stacked and is landing more shots with 30 seconds left. Dominant round for Lee. 10-8 Lee

Round 2: Kevin Lee hits Barboza with a right hand, and Barboza shoots for a takedown but can’t get it. Right straight landed by Lee, and Barboza is tired. Lee goes for a takedown and gets it, and he’s back in top position with three and a half minutes left. Lee is landing lefts and rights from the top. He takes the mount and is landing more shots. Barboza just can’t do anything from here. Lee is completely dominant from here. Lee takes the back with one-minute left. Barboza is looking for an ankle but Lee is hitting him with hard elbows. 10-8 Lee its not even close. Very similar to the Barboza/Nurmagomedov fight.

Round 3: Lee starts the round with nice uppercut but eats hard shot and is staggered! Lee gets a takedown though and he’s safe. Lee is holding on and recovering. Barboza escapes and is back on his feet. Lee lands a nice knee that staggers Barboza. Barboza lands a nice body kick but Lee is tough and keeps moving forward. Lee lands a nice shot as the round is ending and Barboza lands one of his own. 10-9 Barboza

Round 4: Left hook by Barboza starts the round. Lee goes for a takedown and gets it. Lee is applying pressure from the top. Barboza is just holding on hoping for a standup but if Lee can hold him down he should be allowed to. Lee gets the mount with 90 seconds left in the round. 10-9 Lee

Round 5: Barboza stuffs an early takedown attempt. They just stopped the fight, I think it’s due to the cut above Barboza’s eye. Nice win for Kevin Lee.

Result: Kevin Lee def. Edson Barboza via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) Round 5, 2:38

Related Articles

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


All content copyright © TDH Communications Inc. 2020