UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MAGNY VS. PONZINIBBIO
NOVEMBER 17, 2018
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA FROM PARQUE ROCA ARENA
LIVE ON UFC FIGHT PASS (7 PM ET) and FOX SPORTS 1 (8 PM ET)
Fox Sports 1 Prelims
Here We Go!
(3) Laureano Staropoli vs. Hector Aldana (Welterweight)
ROUND ONE: Staropoli seems nervous. Aldana swinging big. Missed spinning backfist by Staropoli. Flurries end with swelling on Staropoli forehead. Aldana cut. Staropoli swinging like crazy, with a vicious knee. Aldana has a really bad swelling on his left eye. Staropoli has a massive swelling on his forehead. Ref stops fight to check on Aldana’s eye. Fight continues. Heavy hands by Staropoli. Staropoli with a blocked head kick, followed by a left hook that rocks Aldana. Leg kicks by Aldana. A flying knee miss by Staropoli which ends with him on his back. Big leg kick and jab by Staropoli. Big hooks by both men. Staropoli’s swelling has gotten worse. Swelling is about 2-3 inches high on Starapoli’s head. End Round 1. Starapoli through the wilder shots, and harder shots but Aldana landed many more shots. Aldana up 1-0. Although, judges could be swayed by the wild throws by Staropoli. Aldana 1-0
fROUND TWO: Ref stops fight to check on Aldana’s eye. Fight back on. Aldana is kicked low, ref stoppage for the moment. Aldana hurting bad from the low shot, but it didn’t seem too bad of a shot. Fight is back on. Kicks by Staropoli. Aldana with a big right. Big leg kick by Aldana countered with a big jab by Staropoli. Big jab by Aldana. Aldana backed up, Staropoli with big shots, but they go back to the center. Jabs by Staropoli. Lots of misses and blocks by both men. Aldana clinches. Knees to the leg of Staropoli. Both men swinging big. Aldana’snose is now cut and bleeding. A big uppercut lands on Aldana. End Round 2. Staropoli throuws lots of big shots, lands very few, but takes the round due to lack of activity from Aldana. 1-1
ROUND THREE: Ref stops the fight to check on Aldana’s eye again. Eye is much more swollen, but fight continues. Aldana throws a flurry of power shots, but lands just a few. Aldana’s cut is back open. Big overhand by Staropoli. Staropoli with a combo of jabs. Plenty of throws and misses from both men. Jabs land and hurt Aldana. Staropoli throws a spinning elbow and misses. Knee to the body of Aldana. Aldana has thrown almost nothing this round. Overhands blocked by Aldana. Big shots landed from Staropoli. More big shots landed. End Round 3. Aldana puts out another slow round, but even slower then round 2. Staropoli threw much more, and landed much more. Staropoli should win 2-1
Result: Judges Scorecards- 30-27 x3 Laureano Staropoli gets the win via Decision.
Analysis: This fight started as a barn burner with both men throwing big, but as the fight went on, past round 1, both men slowed, with Aldana slowing significantly. The fight was mediocre with a good performance by Staropoli. The crowd shows how the rest of the show may go for the other 2 Argentinians fighting tonight. Lots of shots were thrown by Staropoli in Round 1, but he didn’t land much. However, almost every combo thrown, whether landed or not drew a huge reaction from the crowd as if he rocked him. We have seen the crowd make the decision for the judges before, and we may see it tonight if it is the judges decision. This should put in urgency for the Argentinian opponents later tonight. An overall sub-par start to the night.
(4) Humberto Bandenay vs. Austin Arnett (Featherweight)
ROUND ONE: Big leg kick by Bandenay. Arnett throws overhand and body shot both blocked. Bandenay lands a solid jab, but Arnett lands one that seems to rock him. Bandenay constantly throwing a left head kick. Clinch by Arnett. Another head kick thrown by Bandenay, but its blocked again. Bandenay gets hit by a solid right jab. Clinch by Arnett. takedown by Bandenay, but they immidietly get back up. Big shots landed by Bandenay. Arnett lands a stiff jab. Takedown by Arnett. Round 1 ends. Bandenay desperately searching for a big left punch of kick. 1-0 Bandenay
ROUND TWO: Blocked kick thrown by Arnett. Arnett lands some short jabs. Front body shots being thrown by Arnett. Clinch by Arnett. Knees to the body of Bandenay. Arnett holding on to the clinch. Low shot from Arnett, Bandenay gets a break. Fight is back on. More body shots from Arnett. Bandenay catches a kick, and lands a big punch that knocks Arnett down. Arnett gets back up and clinches Bandenay up against the cage. They break. Bandenay seems gassed. Takedown attempt by Arnett, but its blocked. Clinch against the cage again. Both men go fro big elbows, both miss. Bandenay takes Arnett sdown,but Arnett catches him in a Guillotine, but round 2 ends. Even with the knockdown by Bandenay, Arnett held him against the cage for most of the round. 1-1
ROUND THREE: Body shot caught by Bandenay. More body shots thrown by Arnett. Left hook seems blocked by Bandenay. Big body kick from Bandenay. Left hook lands for Arnett. Uppercut and hook land for Arnett. Left jab from Arnett. Takedown by Arnett. Arnett in side control. Arnett in Bandenay’s full guard, but is landing big shots. Arnett lands some more shots from full guard on top. Arnett lands more shots. Arnett lands big shots that bounce Bandenay’s head off the mat, but the round ends. Arnett definitely takes the round, and should win 2-1
Result: Judges Scorecards- 29-28, 29-27 x2 all for the winner Austin Arnett. Austin Arnett wins by unanimous decision.
Analysis: A fight that Bandenay started very strong in, showed he didn’t have much of a gas tank, as he didn’t even land 20 combined strikes in the next two rounds, and landing less than 5 in Round 3. Another sub-par fight that slowed after round 1. Arnett clearly had a good pace, but didn’t really use it that much in the last two rounds.
(5) Alexandre Pantoja vs. Ulka Sasaki (Flyweight)
ROUND ONE: A grapple-fest is expected, and lets see what happens. Quick hands from both. Pantoja goes for a takedown that ends with Sasaki on top. Triangle attempt by Pantoja. Into an arm bar, but Sasaki spins out. Sasaki remains on top. Pantoja takes his back. Rear-naked choke on the chin, he gets in under, and Sasaki taps.
Result: Alexandre Pantoja wins via Rear-Naked Choke in Round 1 (2:18).
Analysis: Pantoja finishes Sasaki with his own favorite submission. A very quick exciting fight. Sasaki was on top, but was simply outclassed, and Pantoja handled him with ease. No problem for Pantoja, who is certainly one win away from being a top contender now with his second straight win .
(6) Michel Prazeres vs. Bartosz Fabinski (Welterweight)
ROUND ONE: Fabinski towers over Prazeres by 6 inches with a 7.5 inch reach advantage, lets see if that is as crucial as it sounds. Quick swinging, and Prazeres KNOCKS HIM DOWN in 11 seconds. Prazeres raining down heavy shots. Full mount for Prazeres. Fabinski gets up, but Prazeres grabs the neck, and rolls backwards and locks in a guillotine choke. Fabinski taps. Ref doesn’t see it. Fabinski taps again,and the fight is over
Result: Michel Prazeres wins via Top Guillotine Choke in Round 1 (1:02)
Analysis: I said the show started slowly, but this fight was terrific. Fabinski looked like he hurt Prazeres with the first punch, but Prazeres threw a big overhand and knocked him down, pounded him, grabbed the neck, and Fabinski tapped. The #9 ranked Welterweight Pranzeres definitely gets a Top 5 fight next, after destroying a much bigger manwho hadn’t ever been finished. Pranzeres now riding an 8 fight win streak definitely earns him a main event, or pay-per view main card fight. Who could he face? Well, we have a great wrestler named Ben Askren who just joined the UFC Welterweight Division, Wrestler vs Jiu Jitsu. Well, that sounds good, but it won’t happen, and now Prazeres wants to move back to Lightweight. So do we see a Kevin Lee rematch, or maybe a fight against Tony Ferguson? Whatever way he goes, he will definitely be getting a big fight, a big name, and he is certainly someone who is close to a Championship fight with another big win.
Fox Sports 1 Main Card
(7) Cynthia Calvillo vs. Poliana Botelho (118 lb Catchweight)
ROUND ONE: Kicks thrown and missed by Botelho. Calvillo with a takedown. Back up. Head kicked block by Calvillo. Missed body shot by Botelho. Neither fighter landing anything. Big left jab by Calvillo, and a takedown by Calvillo. Calvillo in half-guard. Knees to the body. Short elbows to the head of Botelho. Elbows to the body. More body shots on the ground by Calvillo. Botelho turns her back, Calvillo hitting her hard. Grabs Botelho’s neck from a weird position, jumps on the neck, and that’s it!
Result: Cynthia Calvillo wins via Rear-Naked Choke in Round 1 (4:48)
Analysis: Botelho looked okay on the feet, but when the fight went to the ground, Calvillo simply outclassed her. Calvillo returns from a 1-year suspension to get a first round finish, and most likely puts herself right back in the rankings, and most likely draws herself a top 10 opponent next.
(8) Guido Cannetti vs. Marlon Vera (Bantamweight)
ROUND ONE: Cannetti fails to complete an early ttakedown. Vera gets a takedown. Cannetti gets back up. Cannetti rocks Vera with an overhand right, and takes him down as quick as possible. Cannetti lands some good hammer fists. Vera gets up and gets into a clinch. They break. Cannetti hurts Vera with a head kick and combo. Vera clinches. They break. Vera clinches again. Cannetti takes him down. Cannetti in full guard. Cannetti stands up, Vera stays on the ground. Leg kicks to the downed Vera. End of Round 1. Obviously Cannetti’s round. 1-0 Cannetti
ROUND TWO: Head kick landed by Cannetti. Flying knee blocked, but Vera clinches and lands HUGE knees and knocks Cannetti down. Cannetti gets up but is taken down and put in a guillotine but he gets out. They stand back up, and Vera clinches lands HUGE upper cuts, and knees. Vera takes him down, puts in a rear-naked choke, and Cannetti taps.
Result: Marlon Vera wins via Rear-Naked Choke in Round 2 (1:31)
Analysis: What a comeback. Vera was hurt bad in round 1, but came back and picked his shots, and steamrolled Cannetti in the second round. Vera’s knees in the clinches were brutal, and were the moves of the fight, and the determining factor in the fight.
(9) Cezar Ferreira vs. Ian Heinisch (Middleweight)
ROUND ONE: Heinisch pushing forward. Takedown by Ferreira. Heinisch gets back up. Big elbow by Heinisch when breaking from the clinch. Both exchange leg kicks. Heinisch continues to move forward. Heinisch blocks the takedown. They clinch up. Heinisch blocks another takedown, and catches him in a guillotine. Ferreira gets out. Ferreira now on top. Armbar attempt by Heinisch. Ferreira escapes, and round 1 ends. Heinisch seems gassed, but he takes round 1. 1-0 Heinisch
ROUND TWO: Ferreira gets an immidiate takedown. Heinisch gets up, and is taken down again. Heinisch attempts a kimura. Heinisch gets off the ground. Big leg kick by Heinisch. Ferreira with a good jab. Both collide heads. Heinisch lands a hook. Ferreira gets another takedown. Heinisch gets back up. Heinisch may have broken one of his hands. Ferreira blocks a takedown. Heinisch knocks down Fereirra down, and starts to pound him, but the round ends. Surprisingly, Ferreira seems the more exhausted of the two. Heinisch takes round 2. 2-0 Heinisch
ROUND THREE: Heinisch going for right overhands. Takedown by Ferreira. Heinisch back up again. They clinch, and break. Stiff left hand from Ferreira. Both men going for a takedown in clinch. Big uppercuts and Heinisch rocks Ferreira, and takes him down. Big elbow on the top. Heinisch landing short punches on the ground. They break, but Heinisch rocks him again. Ferreira clinches. They break. Heinisch walks him down. Another clinch, but big knees by Heinisch. Big forearm shot by Heinisch. Ferreira gassed, and just takes some shots from a very gassed Heinisch to end the round. The fight should go 3-0 Heinisch, but all of the rounds were close.
Result: Judges Scorecards- 30-27, 29-28 x2 for the winner by Unanimous Decision Ian Heinisch. Ian Heinisch wins by Unanimous Decision
Analysis: For someone coming into their first UFC fight off of DWTNCS and on short notice against a great fighter, a dominant performance was unexpected, but Heinisch proved he is the real deal, and someone to keep a very close eye on.
(10) Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Johnny Walker (Light Heavyweight)
ROUND ONE: A heavy-hitting bout is underway. Leg kicks by Walker. Lots of prancing. Another leg kick by Walker. Right head kick by Walker rocks Rountree, Walker clinches. Short elbow. Another short elbow and ROUNTREE IS DOWN. Ground and pounds, Rountree goes stiff. That’s it. Johnny Walker strolls on through Khalil Rountree.
Result: Johnny Walker wins via KO (Elbow) in Round 1 (1:57)
Analysis: All the hype around Johnny Walker seemed to be his size, that being he stands 6’6, and that he had really good KO power. Walker set up his shots. Every single shot he threw hurt Rountree pretty bad. I had a feeling he was setting up for the right head kick, he threw hit, he hit him, he hurt him, and they clinch. Seconds later he delivers sharp elbows, and then crazy ground and pound and Rountree out stiff. Walker will definitely get a ranked opponent next, and with this finish, he could be on the fast track to a title shot, possibly by the end of next year.
(11) Ricardo Lamas vs. Darren Elkins (Featherweight)
ROUND ONE: Low shot from Elkins. Fight back on. Lamas throws Elkins to the ground. Elkins gets back up, but cut already. Clinch shots from both men. They break. Elkins takedown is blocked. Missed spinning kick from Lamas. Combo from Elkins. Elkins tries for a takedown. Another clinch up. Lamas throws knees to the leg of Elkins. Big elbow missed from Lamas. Elkins counter hooks blocked. Elkins continues to counter. Stiff jab by Lamas. Elkins blocks a takedown and get on Lamas’ back. Lamas gets up, but is taken down. End of round. Not much from either guy, but late takedowns give Elkins the round. 1-0 Elkins
ROUND TWO: Leg kick by Lamas. Elkins throwing reckless swings. Lamas takes down Elkins. Elkins gets up. Solid head kick by Lamas. Hooks blocked by Lamas. Elkins lands some hooks. Question mark kick by Lamas ends inElkins landing a takedown. Lamas reverses and gets on Elkins back. Hits him with some solid shot. Heelhook attempt by elkins. Elkins gets a hard hammer fist for his trouble. Lamas lands some huge combos. Leg kick hurts Elkins. Another leg kick and Elkins cringes. More leg kicks, and the fight is almost over. More leg kicks, and Elkins can’t move the lead leg. Elkins searching really hard for a takedown. Head kick by Lamas. Round ends. Lamas delivered a ton of damage to “The Damage” but Elkins makes it out of the round. 1-1
ROUND THREE: Elkins limps out of the corner. Another leg kick. Elkins tries a takedown. Lamas with a jab that he receives right back. Clinch up by Elkins. Elkins swinging. Lamas throws him down. Elkins grabs his leg again. Lamas clinches and delivers a short elbow. Hard shot by Elkins. Lamas lands a takedown. Big left elbow on the ground by Lamas. Elkins a mess. Elkins whole face is blood red. Lamas lands some ground shots. Elkins gets hit with huge elbows. Elkins tries to turn, but Lamas delivers HUGE elbows, and HUGE Hammer fists and the ref stops the fight.
Result: Ricardo Lamas wins via TKO (Elbows and Punches) in Round 3 (4:09)
Analysis: Elkins wasn’t knocked out, and proved his nickname “The Damage”, but the fight had to be stopped. Elkins was a bloody mess, and couldn’t even see the shots coming. Elkins with a strong performance and impressive in being able to have a bum leg, and a bloody face, and still able to throw bombs. Overall, Lamas was more technical, and was the better fighter, he just proved it. Lamas does what hasn’t been done in around 5 years in finishing Elkins by TKO.
(12) Neil Magny vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (Welterweight)
ROUND ONE: Some jabs my Magny. A right hand by Ponzinibbio. Ponzinibbio hurts Magny. Magny keeps grabbing his eye. Ponzinibbio targeting the eye. Right hand by Ponzinibbio. Magny still can’t open his right eye. Ponzinibbio keeps Magny on the fence. Body shot by Magny. Ponzinibbio with a jab. Magny keeps his back to the fence. Over the top right by Ponzinibbio. Ponzinibbio walking him down. Overhand right by Ponzinibbio and hurts Magny. Ponzinibbio starts landing but the round ends. Very easily Ponzinibbio’s round. 1-0 Ponzinibbio
ROUND TWO: Magny comes out aggressive. Jabs by Magny. Leg kicks by both. Leg kick knocks Magny down. Seems like a trip. Overhand by Ponzinibbio. Stiff body shot by Ponzinibbio hurts Magny. Magny tries to pull guard, but fails. Magny hobbling on his lead leg. Magny with more jabs. Ref stops the fight to check on a cut below the eye. A very very bad spot for a cut. Magny grabs the eye again. Another leg kick knocks Magny down. Every time Magny’s leg is touched he winces in pain. Ponzinibbio’s cut is getting bad. Ponzinibbio wipes his face. Magny tries for a takedown, but its blocked. Ponzinibbio with a big right, and big jabs. End round 2. Ponzinibbio takes the round with ease, but the cut may be a problem as the fight goes on. 2-0 Ponzinibbio
ROUND THREE: An accidental headbutt was the cause for the cut on Ponzinibbio. Leg kicks bye Magny. Jabs by both. Leg kick by Ponzinibbio. Both men with big swings and misses. Another leg kick by Ponzinibbio and Magny is hopping. Big shots by Ponzinibbio. Leg kick by Magny. Big swings by both, but no landings. Ponzinibbio with big punches on the cage. Magny hopping some more. Ponzinibbio seems to be tiring, Ponzinibbio’s cut is back open. Big jab by Magny. End of round 3. Ponzinibbio takes it again. 3-0 Ponzinibbio
ROUND FOUR: Magny seems to be turning it around a little bit, but he now need a finish. Big right by Magny. Another leg kick knockdown for Ponzinibbio. Magny shoots, and is blocked. Another leg kick knockdown. Other leg kick knockdown. Its about over. Magny kicked in the leg again. Ponzinibbio with a big shot, and Magny goes out cold.
Result: Santiago Ponzinibbio wins via KO (Right Hand) in Round 4 (2:36)
Analysis: An absolute destruction in the Main Event, as Magny wasn’t close to winning a round, and lost the 4th, as well as a couple earlier rounds possibly 10-8. Ponzinibbio comes into his home country and puts on a dominant performance the jumps him into the top 7 most likely, as well as the right to draw a Top 5 opponent next. A great show ends with not a great fight, but a great destruction. After an early, lackluster start to the show, the Undercard finished strong, and the Main card was one of the best of the year with 5 finishes in 6 fights. A great show, one of my favorites, even though it seemed a bit lackluster at first look. This show proved that the look of a show, doesn’t mean much at all, because this is definitely one of my favorite shows of the year.
Performances of the Night: Santiago Ponzinibbio, Michel Prazeres , Johnny Walker, and Ian Heinisch
Submission of the Night: Cynthia Calvillo
KO of the Night: Johnny Walker
Fight of the Night: Cezar Ferreira vs. Ian Heinisch
Fights To Make: Lets finish this off with possible fight to make-
Johnny Walker vs Shogun Rua- This fight makes sense because Rua is ranked lower, but ranked. This not only gives Walker a ranked opponent, but it gives the fans two heavy hitters.
Michel Prazeres vs Dustin Poirer- If Prazeres goes down like he wants to, this is the fight to make. Clearly we won’t see Poirer/Diaz, so lets get a great grappler/striker vs a great grappler/striker. With this win the #9 ranked Welterweight will clearly jump in rankings, and a fight vs Poirer makes an interesting fight for both.
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Dos Anjos- Ponzinibbio is a great striker, but can he hang in there with a great grappler? A win for Usman, Dos Anjos’ next opponent, makes him needing a rebound, which Ponzinibbio can take. Usman winning gets him a title shot, but an Usman loss, we know Dos Anjos doesn’t get a shot because of his last loss, so Ponzinbbio gets a fight with a higher ranked Dos Anjos for the shot at Tyron Woodley.
So after this incredible show, what fights do you want to see next for tonight’s winners or losers? Sound off in the comments, or let us know @mmatorch on Twitter, or let me know @JokerFan21 on Twitter.
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