By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker was this past weekend and it featured some exciting fights. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown.
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker
GOOD/BAD- Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Andrei Arlovski
Lots of jabs and short strikes as both men try to find their range.
They both mix in some kicks as well but this first round doesn’t see much in the way of damaging strikes. The second round begins with more
stuttering offense by Cortes-Acosta. Arlovski isn’t able to land much as he tries to counter. Cortes-Acosta begins dancing several times
during this round. I don’t know if it’s that or something else but
Arlovski wakes up and starts unloading on Cortes-Acosta before the second round ends. The third round starts with a kick from Arlovski and we’re back to the slow and stuttering offense from both fighters.
They’re both attacking the body. Cortes-Acosta lands a few good power
punches but Arlovski weathers them and the fight ends. We go to the judges to render a verdict. Cortes-Acosta wins the decision and
improves to 11-1 while Arlovski drops to 34-23 with 2 No Contests and has lost 3 straight fights. This was kind of a bleh fight. I don’t want to be a hater but there just wasn’t a lot of excitement. Good win for Cortes-Acosta.
GOOD- Bruno Ferreira stops Phil Hawes
Hawes pumping the jab early as Ferreira can’t get the takedown. Ferreira tries again but gets popped with a left hook for his effort.
Ferreira won’t be deterred and lands a nice throw into side control. Ferreira lets him up and they both land some good strikes. Ferreira’s ultra aggression pays off as he drops Hawes with a powerful left hand and follows up with some more huge punches to force the referee to jump in to stop the fight with five seconds remaining in the first
round. Ferreira improves to 11-1 while Hawes drops to 12-6 and has lost 3 straight fights. Good win for Ferreira.
GOOD- Mario Bautista vs. Ricky Simon
They’re both firing kicks early before mixing in some punches. Simon gets a takedown but Bautista is quickly back up. Simon goes back to the kicks and they fight on the fence for a bit. They exchange more strikes before the first round ends. The second round begins with them
trading more kicks before mixing in some punches. They fight on the fence for a bit. Bautista’s getting the better of the exchanges but Simon won’t stop or back down. Simon can’t get a takedown despite
repeated attempts and the second round ends. The third round starts with more quick striking exchanges before Simon gets a takedown.
Bautista quickly stands and goes back to landing some more battering strikes. Simon’s being pushed back but he won’t give up so Bautista
turns up the heat. The fight ends as Simon tries for a few takedowns but can’t get them as Bautista nails him with some power strikes. The fight ends so we go to the judges to render their verdict. Bautista wins the decision to improve to 14-2 and has won 6 straight fights while Simon drops to 20-5. Good win for Bautista.
GOOD- Jim Miller submits Gabriel Benitez
They exchange punches before mixing in some kicks early. Both fighters are hitting hard. They fight in the clinch for a moment, with Miller landing some heavy knees. They trade kicks and punches before the first round ends. The second round begins with more striking exchanges. Miller is landing some nice leg kicks. Benitez fires back with some good strikes that force Miller to try for a takedown. He gets it and controls the grappling for the rest of the second round.
The third round starts with more heavy striking exchanges. Both men are delivering and absorbing some good damage before Miller gets another takedown. Benitez tries to escape but Miller forces the tap from a neck crank about three and a half minutes into the third round.
Miller improves to 37-17 with 1 No Contest while Benitez drops to 23-11. Good win for Miller.
GOOD- Magomed Ankalaev stops Johnny Walker
Walker’s landing some good leg kicks early. Ankalaev responds in kind with his own kicks. Walker continues to land good kicks but Ankalaev is firing back with his own strikes. They keep landing low kicks until Ankalaev catches Walker down low just before the first round ends. The second round begins with Ankalaev landing some nice strikes but Walker is firing back. Ankalaev is avoiding more and more of Walker’s offense and forcing him to move with his pressure. Walker stays away from most of the danger until he gets blasted with a huge overhand right from Ankalaev that drops him. A follow up punch ends the fight a bit over halfway through the second round. Ankalaev improves to 19-1-1 with 1 No Contest while Walker drops to 21-8 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Ankalaev.
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Ryan Curtis (6-4) is a flyweight fighter from Ireland. Leah McCourt (8-3) posted about Ryan and the terrible incident that happened to him. Details are light but he was involved in a life-altering incident during a training session last week. Ryan suffered a broken back, neck, and dislocated spine. Donations are being raised for his family. Our thoughts and well-wishes are with him and his family at this time.
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s Beginning. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths.
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life.
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace.
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence,
the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- KoZ Compendium Thank you very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank.
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
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