Ji Yeon Kim def. Melinda Fabian via Split Decision (Women’s Flyweight/125)
Jenel Lausa vs. Ulka Sasaki (Flyweight/125)
Prefight Notes: Ulka Sasaki has the distinction of being the tallest flyweight in the division and will have a 5-inch height advantage in this fight. Jenel Lausa holds a pro boxing record of 7-0 though so its hard to say how much Sasaki intends to use his striking tonight therefore that height advantage might not mean much.
Round 1: Sasaki shoots for a single leg in the fist three seconds of the fight and Lausa is down against the cage. Sasaki is controlling the wrist and Lausa is just looking to his corner for advice. He is trying to stand up and briefly does but Sasaki scores with a double leg. Sasaki is maintaining control from the top position. Lausa uses the fence to nearly sweep Sasaki but can’t quite manage it. Lausa briefly gets up again but Sasaki drags him back down. Sasaki really wants the back here but Lausa chooses to plant his shoulders to the mat to keep Sasaki from achieving his goal. Lausa tries to scramble but Sasaki controls his hips and has him down again and he has mount. Sasaki is landing shots with 15 seconds left in the round. Sasaki attacks the arm for an armbar just as the clock expires. 10-9 Sasaki
Round 2: Sasaki is looking for the takedown again early, he’s running in but Lausa is bit more aware this time. Nice inside low kick by Lausa lands and it causes Sasaki to stumble. Hard shot there. Sasaki lands a body kick, but it lacked much power, still though Lausa didn’t seem to like it. Lausa is swinging for the fences and lands an uppercut as Sasaki shoots but Sasaki powers through and completes the takedown. Sasaki transitions to a sort of north/south position, and he briefly goes knee on belly before taking the mount. He is landing some punches but is likely just trying to get Lausa to open up or give up his back so that he can find a submission. Sasaki has pinned Lausa’s right hand beneath his body and he is landing some nice shots, Lausa tries to roll but Sasaki takes the back. Good stuff here. He has the forearm beneath the neck of Lausa and it looks like trouble here. Lausa taps and its all over! Sasaki looked fantastic on the ground here tonight but props to Lausa for surviving that first round and landing some good shots in the second.
Result: Ulka Sasaki def. Jenel Lausa via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Round 2, 4:04
Matt Schnell vs. Naoki Inoue (Flyweight/125)
Round 1: Schnell lands a left hook about a minute into the fight. First notable action so far. Schnell lands a nice jab, straight right combination, and a follow up left hook over the top. Inoue lands a right hand during a brief clinch. Inoue is starting to land a bit more frequently, scoring with a nice left hook with two and a half minutes left. Inoue lands a hard jab and left hook, and Schnell returns with a flurry. Good back and forth round so far. Schnell lands a left hook that seemed to briefly stun Inoue, but he is right back in the fight. 45 seconds remain in the round. Schnell is throwing the same jab and left hook combination over and over, but he keeps landing it. 10-9 Schnell
Round 2: Schnell slips a jab early and lands a 1,2 with a low kick finish to start the round. Inoue has some serious speed but isn’t connecting so far in this round. Schnell has Inoue’s jab timed perfectly and is making him pay every time he throws it. Schnell seems to be focusing on the lead leg of Inoue at this point and he is landing low kicks anytime that Inoue tries closing distance. Inoue lands a nice straight right off a mis timed left hook by Schnell. Hard jab lands for Inoue. Schnell lands a nice front kick that he initially disguised as a low kick. I’m not sure that I’ve seen that in the UFC before but don’t hold me to that. Inoue is having lots of success with his jab and might be landing more over all, but Schnell is certainly landing the more damaging strikes and that’s why I have him ahead. 10-9 Schnell
Round 3: They tie up early, each man has an under hook. Inoue forces Schnell against the fence but can’t hold him there and they are back in the center. Inoue lands a nice jab and follows it up with a low kick. Schnell is looking still looking to land a big shot, but Inoue has proven evasive so far tonight. Inoue lands a right hand, but Schnell returns a left and right of his own. Inoue lands a body kick and another jab. Schnell is really looking for that big shot and he is allowing Inoue to tally up lots of strikes here in what is a very important round. This fight has been very close. 10-9 Inoue (29-28 Schnell)
Result: Matt Schnell def. Naoki Inoue via Split Decision
Yan Xiaonan vs. Viviane Pereira (Women’s Strawweight/115)
Round 1: 10-9 Xiaonan
Round 2: Xiaonan lands a hard-low kick. She’s attacking the lead leg over and over and Pereira isn’t doing much aside from standing in front of her. Xiaonan rushes in with a left hand but can’t connect and Pereira makes her pay with a hard body hook. Xiaonan lands yet another low kick and manages to just avoid Pereira’s return fire. They are both throwing some pretty wild strikes with about 90 seconds in the round. Not much is landing for either fighter. Pereira lands a hard over hand right but can’t follow it up. She is having a hard time dealing with the reach of Xiaonan. Nice jab lands for Xiaonan. Pereira lands a left hand and follows it up with a hard right as the round ends. 10-9 Xiaonan
Round 3: More of the same in the early part of the round. Xiaonan is very good at getting out of the way of shots thrown her way. She uses simple strikes and combinations with good movement and that’s so far been enough to keep Pereira off her game. 10-9 Xiaonan
Result: The referee raised the wrong fighters hand which led to a bit of an awkward moment but Yan Xiaonan def. Viviane Pereira via Unanimous Decision
Jake Matthews vs. Shinsho Anzai (Welterweight/170)
Round 1: Anzai shoots early and eats a hard knee from Matthews. Anzai is attempting to maintain control against the fence and is having success so far. They separate, and Matthews lands some hard punches in the clinch before scoring with a single leg takedown. Matthews is in top position and landing some hard shots. Anzai just gave up his back and Matthews had a rear naked choke. Anzai is out! Wow that was a great performance by Jake Matthews! Anzai came out hot and Matthews just systematically broke him down before scoring the nice RNC finish.
Result: Jake Matthews def. Shinsho Anzai via Technical Submission (RNC) Round 1, 3:44
Song Kenan vs. Hector Aldana (Welterweight/170)
Prefight Notes: This is the first fight in three years for Hector Aldana. He has a tough match up tonight in Song Kenan who has finished 12 of 13 opponents in his career.
Round 1: Aldana comes out early with a flurry but nothing notable lands. Hard leg kick lands for Aldana. He is putting everything into these strikes. Aldana scores with a double leg but Kenan pops right back up. Hard leg kick lands for Aldana. Aldana catches a kick from Kenan and plants him on his back with a double leg but again Kenan pops right back up. 10-9 Aldana
The eye lid of Aldana is badly cut and they are working on it in-between rounds.
Round 2: Aldana comes out with a hard-low kick early and Kenan fires one off in return. Kenan lands a hard-right body kick and then another. Aldana is moving forward but surely, he felt those kicks. They are both circling away from the power hand, lots of respect being shown by both guys here. Aldana rushes in with a jab and a straight right but neither manage to find Kenan. Kenan lands a shot and Aldana slips, Kenan rushes in and lands a few shots before Aldana circles out. They just mentioned on commentary that Song Kenan was scheduled to face Phil Baroni at some point in the past. Its so disappointing to know that we missed out on another chance at seeing “The Best Eva”. We have a brief time out due to a foul, but they are right back at it and Song Kenan lands a HUGE right hand! It was an overhand I believe or possibly a straight right. Kenan is attacking on the ground and its all over!! Good stuff by Song Kenan and his impressive finishing percentage lives on!
Result: Song Kenan def. Hector Aldana via TKO (Punches) Round 2, 4:45
Rolando Dy vs. Shane Young (Featherweight/145)
Prefight Notes: Rolando Dy is the son of former WBC Champion Rolando Navarrete
Round 1: 10-9 Young
Round 2: Young is threatening early with a takedown. Dy fights him off but Young is landing some hard shots and Dy is busted open. Dy is circling away from the power hand of Young and landing shots when Young attempts to follow him. Good counter punching by Dy. Young goes for a takedown but Dy gets an under hook and holds him up. This is a messy round. They briefly clinch and both guys land some good shots. Not much defense going on here. Young lands a hard elbow and Dy covers up and falls against the fence! Dy is down and Young is swarming and it’s all over!
Result: Shane Young def. Rolando Dy via TKO (Punches) Round 2, 4:42
Shane Young is giving one hell of a post-fight speech. I don’t know what to say about it. It was something else. I feel like I just learned some shit.
Felipe Arantes vs. Song Yadong (Bantamweight/135)
Round 1: Good defense by Arantes early in the fight. Yadong has a very clear speed advantage and Arantes might just be covering up and anticipating a later moment in the fight. Arantes lands a nice jab, but Yadong is quick and returns fire with two or three shots of his own. His speed is really unbelievable. Arantes falls to his back and Yadong follows him and lands some hard shots. Arantes has a half guard but Yadong is still landing some hard shots. Arantes recovers guard but his back is flat on the mat. Arantes is working his hips a bit now, but Yadong stops him in his tracks with a hard elbow. Arantes really needs to either get up or try to create some space and look for a submission. 10-9 Yadong
Round 2: Yadong lands a right hand to start the round. Arantes is down, I think he just fell to his back, but it could have been from a shot. Arantes has Yadong in his guard but he really hasn’t been able to threaten from there and Yadong is landing some hard elbows from the top position. Arantes rolls and gives up his back in the process, but Yadong can’t get any hooks in and Arantes rolls to his back. Yadong lands a hard shot and Arantes turtles. Yadong has him in a terrible position right now and is landing some hard shots. He is looking for an arm-triangle and he has it. Arantes is trying to escape and does just that. Good escape but he basically just gave the position to Yadong in the first place. Arantes escapes to his feet, good work there, and he is looking to score. He shoots in for a leg but Yadong backs against the fence and they are fighting for position there. Yadong lands a fierce elbow right to the temple of Arantes and its over! Damn that was a hard shot.
Result: Song Yadong def. Felipe Arantes via KO (Elbow) Round 2, 4:59
Teruto Ishihara vs. Petr Yan (Bantamweight/135)
Round 1: Ishihara scores with a double leg early but Yan pops right back up. Yan lands a 1,2 that seemed to stun Ishihara a bit. Yan stuffs a takedown attempt from Ishihara. Ishihara avoids a jab from Yan but eats a hard-right hook. Ishihara is looking to get away, but Yan connects with a big shot and Ishihara is down! He briefly recovers but Yan is on him and lands another hard shot and Ishihara is out! Impressive debut for Petr Yan.
Result: Petr Yan def. Teruto Ishihara via TKO (Punches) Round 1, 3:28
Main Card
Li Jingliang vs. Daichi Abe (Welterweight/155)
I had to go to my office and missed this fight but from the post-fight commentary it sounds as if Jingliang used pressure to keep Abe off his game in route to his fifth win in his last six fights.
Result: Li Jingliang def. Daichi Abe via Unanimous Decision
(9)Jessica Rose Clark vs. (10)Jessica Eye (Women’s Flyweight/125)
Round 1: Eye lands a clean shot early that causes Clark to stumble. Clark throws a lazy jab and steps in with a nice right hand that connects. Nice right hand by Eye, it looks like she is starting to figure out Clark’s head movement. Jab lands for Eye. Eye is staying composed and all of her shots are counting. Clark seems a bit frazzled right now but its still early. Clark throws a 1,2 with a high kick follow up that connects. Clark appears to have herself a bit more under control at this point. Eye lands a nice left body kick as the round ends. That was the best round Eye has had in a while. 10-9 Eye
Round 2: Clark starts the round out with a hard over hand right. Eye is utilizing her kicks well and has been able to control the distance with them. Clark throws a kick, but Eye catches it and takes Clark down to the ground. Clark is right back up though, and they are back in the center of the octagon. They are just standing in front of each other and that seems to be benefiting Eye a bit more than Clark. Eye lands a solid right hand with a high kick follow up. One minute remains in the round. Eye moves in for a body kick, but Clark connects with an over hand right. She’s had some success with that particular punch tonight. Clark moves forward and lands a few shots as the round ends. 10-9 Clark
Round 3: Jessica Eye lands a nice jab and body kick combination. Her kicks have been the story of this fight, but Clark is more than holding her own and seems to be the aggressor at this point in the fight. Eye lands a nice body hook. Eye is doing a god job of avoiding the bigger shots that Clark is throwing. Eye scores with a takedown with 80 seconds remaining and, in a fight, as close as this one that could be crucial. Eye is on top in half guard. Clark isn’t doing much to get up, her shoulders on the mat and Eye isn’t letting her get any hooks. Heavy pressure from the top by Eye. 10-9 Eye (29-28 Eye)
Result: Jessica Eye def. Jessica Rose Clark via Unanimous Decision
(7)Ovince St. Preux vs. (13)Tyson Pedro (Light-Heavyweight/205)
Round 1: OSP lands his trade mark left body kick as the round starts. Pedro lands a high kick and OSP is down. OSP is looking for a takedown but Pedro has a guillotine! OSP escapes and they are fighting for position in the clinch. Nice hip toss by OSP! Pedro briefly gets OSP down with a trip but can’t keep him there. Pedro looks for a takedown but OSP falls on top of him and lands some hard ground and pound! OSP is attacking for a kimura and Pedro taps! Wow! I think it was actually an Americana! Fantastic performance by OSP! He was hurt badly and came back to submit a very good grappler! Just a great performance by OSP and he never fails to deliver!
Result: Ovince St. Preux def. Tyson Pedro via Submission (Americana) Round 1, 2:02
(11)Donald Cerrone vs. (13)Leon Edwards (Welterweight/170)
Round 1: Cerrone eats a kick going for a takedown but he seems to be alright. Edwards is looking for a takedown against the fence but Cerrone is defending well. Cerrone is busted open. Edwards lands a hard elbow as they separate. Cerrone lands a nice low kick. Cerrone shoots for another takedown but Edwards won’t allow it. Cerrone initiates the clinch and looks for another takedown but he’s just having no luck there. Edwards lands one leg kick and then another. Inside low kick lands for Edwards. They have slowed a bit since the beginning of the round. 10-9 Edwards
Round 2: Leon Edwards lands a nice body kick to start the round. They briefly clinch, and Edwards lands several hard elbows. He seems to be just a step ahead of Cerrone tonight. Cerrone changes levels for a takedown but again he just can’t get Edwards down. Edwards lands another hard elbow and Cerrone is wearing it. Low kick lands for Edwards. Cerrone connects with a right hand, he really needs to start landing if he wants to stay in this fight. We have a time out in the action due to a low blow by Cerrone. Edwards will get some time to recover. 10-9 Edwards
Round 3: Edwards lands a hard-left hand but Cerrone flurries and lands several hard strikes of his own. Cerrone lands a hard uppercut. His boxing looks like its starting to find its rhythm. Cerrone has a body lock against the fence. Cerrone shoots in for a takedown but Edwards stands his ground. Another takedown attempt by Cerrone and another great defensive effort by Edwards. 10-9 Cerrone
Round 4: Edwards lands a hard-left hand off a Donald Cerrone low kick. Edwards lands a grazing head kick but Cerrone doesn’t seemed bothered by it. Edwards lands a short-left hand that seemed to knock Cerrone off balance. Hard body kick lands for Edwards. Cerrone finally completes a takedown but can’t hold Edwards down for long. Cerrone catches a kick from Edwards and nearly scores a takedown but the Brit manages to maintain his balance. 10-9 Cerrone? Very close round.
Round 5: nice low kick lands for Cerrone. Edwards catches a kick and tries to push Cerrone down but can’t manage it. Cerrone gets a pair of under hooks and forces Edwards against the cage. Cerrone scores a takedown with 90 seconds remaining. That was huge for him. He is in top position with Edwards fighting to get back to his feet. He knows how crucial these last 50 seconds are. They are back on the feet and in the center of the octagon. Low kick lands for Cerrone with 30 seconds remaining. They are both swinging as the round ends. 10-9 Cerrone (48-47 Cerrone)
Result: Leon Edwards def. Donald Cerrone via Unanimous Decision
Performance Bonuses (Opinion):
Fight of the night: Donald Cerrone vs. Leon Edwards
Performance of the Night: Ovince St. Preux
Performance of the Night: Jake Matthews
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