UFC Fight Night Gaethje vs. Vick (FIGHT PASS PRELIMS)
Rani Yahya def. Luke Sanders via Submission (Heel hook) Round 1, 1:31
Drew Dober def. Jon Tuck via Unanimous Decision
Joanne Calderwood vs. Kalindra Faria (Flyweight/125)
Round 1: Faria scores with a takedown early but Calderwood is defending well from her back. She lands a hard elbow as she separates, and then drops back down with another hard elbow. Calderwood is looking to set up an armbar but Faria is very aware of it. She is controlling well from the top and has so far done a great job of making this her fight. Calderwood is threatening with a triangle! Faria might be in trouble here! Its over! That was a very nice submission from the back by Joanne Calderwood. It looks like she cranked the arm at the end and it ended up being a triangle/armbar combination that ended the fight.
Joanne Calderwood def. Kalindra Faria via Submission (Triangle/armbar) Round 1, 4:57
UFC Fight Night FS2 Prelims
Mickey Gall vs. George Sullivan (Welterweight/170)
Round 1: Mickey Gall score with a quick takedown and takes the back of George Sullivan. Gall has a body triangle and is threatening with a rear naked choke. Its under the chin and Sullivan is in trouble. Its over! Quick work there by Gall and he shows us yet again that he is good BJJ and is very capable of ending the fight from his opponents back. He remains an interesting prospect in the welterweight division.
Result: Mickey Gall def. George Sullivan via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Round 1, 1:09
Markus Perez vs. Andrew Sanchez (Middleweight/185)
Round 1: Sanchez is using his wrestling early to control the fight. He forces Perez against the fence and he’s looking for an inside trip, but Perez is defending well. Perez looks for a spinning elbow but Sanchez ducks underneath and secures another body lock. Perez looks like he’s already just trying to land a big shot. 10-9 Sanchez
Round 2: Perez lands a big left hand early and Sanchez felt it. Sanchez lands a serious of punches to the body, but Perez returns a solid right straight of his own. Perez lands a solid left body kick. Sanchez is taking some shots here and he’s not returning much. Sanchez lands a solid right hand and secures a body lock. He’s not controlling the fight against the fence, but Perez quickly creates separation and lands a hard elbow. Sanchez lands a nice right hand that sends Perez backing against the fence, but he appears to be alright. Perez lands another hard kick to the body. Sanchez lands a nice combination though and Perez could be hurt from that but it’s hard to tell. Perez has an interesting ability to remain remarkably calm regardless of what’s going on in the fight. Sanchez scores a takedown just before the bell and that probably makes this his round. 10-9 Sanchez but it was close. Perez landed some good shots through out the round.
Round 3: Sanchez appears fresh and comes out very aggressively early. Perez lands with a left hand but he’s looking tired. Perez is starting to look a little out of synch with his foot work as well. Jab lands for Sanchez. Perez is losing his mind all of a sudden, he’s yelling and throwing wild strikes, but Sanchez is maintaining his composure. Teep lands for Sanchez. Perez is starting to lose his cool here. Sanchez has two under hooks, but Perez is managing to stay on his feet. Sanchez is just outworking him at this point, and Perez knows it. Perez tries a bicycle kick but misses…30 seconds remain in the fight. Sanchez lands a nice uppercut as the round ends. 10-9 Sanchez (30-27 Sanchez)
Result: Andrew Sanchez def. Markus Perez via Unanimous Decision
Cory Sandhagen vs. Iuri Alcantara (Bantamweight/135)
Round 1: Alcantara gets a takedown early and has an armbar and its deep and this might be over. Sandhagen is defending though but its deep. My god his arm is bent! What is going on! He just isn’t tapping! Sandhagen escapes the armbar and he is landing heavy elbows from the top! Alcantara is in serious trouble here! Sandhagen is landing big lefts from the top! This is insane! Alcantara is looking to grab hold of a leg but Sandhagen is defending and landing big shots from the top! Sandhagen is going to finish this fight! Alcantara is exhausted and Sandhagen is all over him! He takes the full mount! Alcantara will survive the round but he is tired. Please if you are reading this find a way to watch that round. Words can’t describe it. That armbar was very deep and Sandhagen found a way out. Just incredible stuff. 10-9 Sandhagen
Round 2: Alcantara comes out with a desperation elbow but Sandhagen avoids the shot and follows Alcantara to the ground. Alcantara is tired and bloodied, and Sandhagen is pouring on shots. Its over! Wow that was an absolutely incredible fight! It was sloppy but once Sandhagen escaped that armbar in the first it seemed like Alcantara was broken.
Result: Cody Sandhagen def. Iuri Alcantara via TKO (Punches) Round 2, 1:01
James Krause vs. Warlley Alves (Welterweight/170)
Round 1: Krause is looking for a single leg early, but Alves shakes him off. Alves is now controlling things against the fence. Krause drops down for some reason and Alves follows him and takes his back. Krause pops right out though. They’re working against the fence, Krause appears to be looking for a trip. He has an under hook but can’t make anything happen. Alves creates a bit of separations and just misses with a head kick. Alves catches a Krause kick and knocks him to the ground but Krause pops right up and lands a solid punch to the body. For some reason I thought Alves would have a noticeable size advantage, but he really doesn’t. Krause lands a hard kick to the body as the round ends. Good competitive round but it seemed like Krause was in control for the most part and he landed some good body shots. 10-9 Krause
Round 2: Alves comes out early and lands a nice shot, but Krause quickly closes the distance and forces the fight against the fence. They separate, and Krause quickly lands a solid right straight. Alves misses with a big right hand of his own. Krause lands a body kick and Alves shakes it off. Krause lands a big knee and Alves is hurt! Krause is attacking and lands a solid uppercut as Alves backs away! Krause is landing big lefts and rights against the fence and this fight is over, Alves is out on his feet! James Krause just seems to be getting better and better and moving to Welterweight has certainly been a good decision for him. He never landed a huge shot aside from that knee but he kept up a steady stream of strikes and eventually Alves just couldn’t keep up.
Result: James Krause def. Warlley Alves via TKO (Knee and Punches) Round 2, 2:28
Eryk Anders vs. Tim Williams (Middleweight/185)
Round 1: Anders is a huge favorite here tonight, 10-1 in fact. Low kick lands for Williams. Anders is taking his time here. Anders looks like he’s trying to set up an uppercut. Williams lands a front kick that gives him a little space to work. Head kick lands for Tim Williams. Anders is very relaxed and hasn’t thrown much yet, but you can see that he’s setting something up. They collide, and Williams grabs a pair of under hooks briefly before they separate. Williams lands a solid jab. Anders connects with a left hand and Williams fires off a jab in return. Williams caused Anders to stumble with an inside leg kick, and now he’s working for a takedown. He completes it and takes the back with about 10 seconds left. Good round for Williams but it seems like Anders just never found his way. He fought Lyoto Machida in a similar fashion and was eventually out pointed. 10-9 Williams
Round 2: They collide briefly, and Williams lands a nice short left hook as they separate. Anders eats a left hand closing the distance and Williams reverses the position. Williams scores with a big takedown and he’s now got the back. Anders stands though, with Williams still on his back. Anders manages to escape the situation and they are back in the center. Anders connects with a big left hand and then another. Uppercut lands for Anders and he follows it up with a straight left. Williams is busted open, but he shoots for a takedown and completes it. Anders isn’t having it though and pops right up, leaving Williams down on the mat. Williams has a quarter guard and escapes out of the back. They are back on the feet and Anders connects with a solid left hand, and a hard elbow. Anders lands with another uppercut and a hard knee to the body. 30 seconds remain in the round. Anders lands a left hook and just misses with a head kick. 10-9 Anders
Round 3: Anders connects early with a counter left hand and Williams is down. He allows Williams to stand and they are back in the center. Williams connects with a right hook and Anders certainly felt it. Body kick lands for Williams. Williams throws an ill-advised low kick and Anders socks him with one hell of a right hook. Williams drops levels for a takedown, but Anders defends it. 30 seconds left in the round. Williams connects with a big spinning back fist but falls to the mat! Williams attempts to stand, and Anders connects with a huge head kick. It looked like a soccer kick, which it was in a way, but it was legal, and Williams was OUT. Impressive stuff there and great performance overall for Anders.
Result: Eryk Anders def. Tim Williams via KO (Head kick) Round 3, 4:42
(6) John Moraga vs. (14) Deiveson “Daico” Figueiredo (Flyweight/125)
Round 1: Moraga lands an outside low kick early in the first round. Daico has a red stripe through his hair that reminds me of Ryo Chonan. Moraga lunges in with a left hand that just misses. Daito is stalking early, but Moraga cracks him! Daito is briefly in trouble but scores a takedown and he is now in top position. John Moraga has a closed guard and he’s mostly just holding on, he’s doing nothing to get up. Just as I say that he goes for an armbar but Daico easily shakes it. He is now threatening with an ankle lock but its mostly just positional, Daico doesn’t appear to be in any real trouble. He drops down for a toe-hold, but Moraga pulls out as the round ends. Moraga landed a nice shot and looked good off his back at certain moments, but I think that the top control will probably be enough to earn the round for Daico. 10-9 Daico
Round 2: Moraga opens the round with a solid body kick. Daico moves in with his hands low and Moraga lands a short right hand and just misses with a left hook. Daico closes the distance and completes the takedown after securing a waist control. Moraga is busted open and Daico is controlling the fight from half guard. Moraga is up but Daico lands a big shot and Moraga is down again! But again, he is right back up and they are swinging! Daico lands a hard punch to the body and Moraga is down! The ref steps in and this fight is over! Daico is now blatantly stealing the post-fight celebration of Tito Ortiz…but he just knocked out a top ten fighter, so I guess we can let it slide. He should be the next contender for the World Title if the UFC doesn’t go with a Demetrious Johnson/Henry Cejudo rematch.
Result: Deiveson “Daico” Figueiredo def. John Moraga via TKO (Punch to body) Round 2, 3:08
Jake Ellenberger vs. Bryan Barberena (Welterweight/170)
Round 1: They clinch early, and Ellenberger lands a big right hand over the top. Barberena is looking very sloppy early on. Body kick lands for Ellenberger. Barberena connects with a right hand and Ellenberger is down! He recovers but Barberena connects with another right hand and Ellenberger is hurt. Barberena follows Ellenberger to the ground and lands a few shots and its over. The series of punches that Barberena threw to end the fight were technically terrible but they got the job done. Ellenberger has probably competed in the UFC for the last time and if so he’s been an exciting fighter to watch over the years.
Jake Ellenberger announced his retirement in his post fight speech. Hats off to him. He was an absolute killer a few years back and his KO over Jake Shields is something that I’ll never forget.
Result: Bryan Barberena def. Jake Ellenberger via TKO (Punches) Round 1, 2:26
(11) Cortney Casey vs. (14) Angela Hill (Strawweight/125)
Round 1: They are trading early. Casey looks a bit timid and Hill is taking advantage. Uppercut lands for Casey, and Hill returns a right hand of her won. Casey lands a nice combination. Casey secures a waist lock and competes a takedown. Hill is threatening off her back with an armbar, but it looks like Casey can survive it. Casey is out, and they are back on the feet. Hill lands a big right hand in the waning seconds of the round, but Casey survives it. 10-9 Casey but it was close. She landed some good shots on the feet and scored with a takedown, but Hill threatened with the armbar and landed some nice shots in the final moments of the round.
Round 2: Casey lands a right hand early and shoots for a double leg. Hill has an under hook and manages to stay on her feet and create separation. Casey is coming forward with some big hooks, but Hill is defending well. Hill connects with a solid kick to the body. Casey drops down for a double leg, but Hill manages to stay up. She’s shown great takedown defense tonight so far. Hill lands a right hook and then a left after ducking under a wild right hand from Cortney Casey. Hill connects with a right straight, body kick combination but Casey keeps moving forward. She eats an elbow from Hill just as the round ends. Hill started gaining confidence as the round went on and started connecting with a lot more of her shots. Still though Cortney Casey is staying composed and she is still very much in this fight. 10-9 Hill
Round 3: Lots of short punches are being exchanged early. Casey rushes forward with a combination and lands a few solid shots. Hill is throwing lots of volume but not many are connecting, while the exact opposite can be said for Casey. Casey connects with a left and right and Hill returns the favor. They are basically going shot for shot at this point. Hill connects with a right hook and body kick with 40 seconds left in the round. 10-9 Casey (29-28 Casey) Good fight between two top 15 strawweight’s. Casey stayed focused, landed what she threw, and did a good job of avoiding the big, high-light level strikes that Hill attempted. I still think that Hill is going to explode into the title picture someday but tonight wasn’t that break through performance that she will need.
Result: Cortney Casey def. Angela Hill via Split Decision
Michael Johnson vs. Andre Fili (Featherweight/145)
Round 1: Johnson connects with a solid jab and follows it up with a left hook and then a right. Fili connects with a leg kick, but Johnson fires back a hard-left hand. Johnson connects again with the left hand. Nice low kick for Johnson, but Fili fires back with a hard kick to the body. Johnson looks fast and accurate tonight but the way he blocks head kicks makes me nervous and Fili is throwing lots of them. 10-9 Johnson
Round 2: Johnson blocks a head kick early, and then kicks Fili in the groin. Back to the action and Johnson again finds a spot for that left hand and its right on Fili’s chin. Fili fires off a jab but misses. Fili scores a takedown off a Michael Johnson kick and he has Johnson’s back. Johnson stands with Fili still on his back in the backpack position. He has both hooks in, but Johnson is defending well so far. Fili has an arm under the neck and Johnson drops to his back. Johnson escapes the choke, but Fili still has the back with both hooks in. Johnson is jut biding his time, and Fili is letting him rest. Johnson pops his right hip out and rolls into Fili’s guard. Fili is down, and Johnson is landing some big shits with 30 seconds left in the round. Johnson lands a hard elbow from Fili’s guard as the round ends. Johnson looked good in the final half minute, but Fili dominated the round otherwise and nearly got a finish with that rear naked choke. 10-9 Fili
Round 3: Fili starts the round off with two high kicks, but Johnson avoids both, or blocks them rather. Johnson throws a big right hand but Fili ducks and takes the back, dragging his opponent down in the process. Johnson escapes though, and they are back in the center. Johnson needs to work here because Fili could very well be ahead in this round. Fili seems content to throw kicks and back away from the approaching Michael Johnson. Johnson just misses with a left hook, but then connects with a straight right on the follow up. Fili is hard to hit, he’s had some great head movement tonight and his movement overall has been great. Johnson closes the distance and is looking for a takedown against the fence with 45 seconds remaining. Johnson is working for it but eats a knee for his troubles. Close fight. 10-9 Fili (29-28 Fili) In two fights since dropping down to featherweight Michael Johnson has had a great first round, and then he’s slowly faded throughout the second and third. This will be an interesting decision.
Result: Michael Johnson def. Andre Fili via Split Decision
**It was a close fight and Fili was clearly upset by the decision. Johnson did just enough to get the job done but he really needs to work on his cardio, or whatever it is that is causing him to fade. Michael Johnson asked for prayers in his post-fight speech for his friend’s young son who is suffering from cancer.
(10) James Vick vs. (7) Justin Gaethje (Lightweight/155)
Round 1: Vick is keeping the distance with teep and front kicks. Gaethje looks a bit tentative but he’s probably just looking for a way in. He moves in with a flurry and briefly forces the fight against the fence, but they separate just as quickly. Gaethje moves in with a left and just misses but connects with a HUGE right hook and Vick is out COLD! Wow! He landed one more shot on the ground, but it was totally unnecessary. Vick was sleeping before he hit the ground. Vick just never managed to get going and once he got hit he never had a chance at recovering.
Result: Justin Gaethje def. James Vick via KO (Punch) Round 1, 1:27
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