UFC 208
February 11, 2017
Brooklyn, New York from Barclays Center
Live on UFC Fight Pass (7:00 PM ET), Fox Sports 1 (8:00 PM ET), and pay-per-view (10:00 PM ET)
Tonight’s show marks UFC’s second major event in the New York City area. While not nearly as big as UFC 205, UFC 208 has a very solid main card with several fights being very important to their respective divisions. Of course, the main event will crown the first ever UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion. The second from the top fight features Anderson Silva, trying to reaffirm is relevancy at middleweight taking on heavy-hitter Derek Brunson.
MMATorch.com fighter rankings are included in the listings.
Enjoy the fights and be sure to follow me on Twitter @MikeHiscoe for more thoughts tonight and all week.
Fight Pass Prelims
(1) Ryan LaFlare vs. Roan Carneiro (Welterweight 170 lbs)
Result: LaFlare by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28)
FS1 Prelims
(2) Rick Glenn vs. Phillipe Nover (Featherweight 145 lbs)
Result: Glenn by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
(3) Nik Lentz vs. Islam Makhachev (Lightweight 155 lbs)
Result: Makhachev by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-27)
(4) Wilson Reis (#6) vs. Ulka Sasaki (Flyweight 125 lbs)
Result: Reis by unanimous decision, 29-28 across the board.
They announced Will Brooks vs. Charles Oliveira for UFC 210 from Buffalo, Michelle Waterson vs. Rose Namajunas for April 15 from Kansas City on Fox as well as Cub Swanson vs. Artem Lobov as the main event for an April 22 Fight Night from Nashville.
(5) Randy Brown vs Belal Muhammad (Welterweight 170 lbs)
Result: Muhammad by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Pay-per-view Main Card
Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, and Daniel Cormier are all calling the action tonight. I’m not normally a fan of three-man booths, but it will at least lighten the load a bit for Anik, who will be calling near weekly shows for the foreseeable future.
Anderson Silva says it’s always a been a dream of his to fight in New York City. Holly Holm wants to be the first female two division champion.
FACE THE PAIN
The newly adopted rules for a grounded opponent, fouls for outstretched fingers, and more liberal 10-8’s are in effect tonight.
(6) Dustin Poirier vs. Jim Miller (Lightweight 155 lbs)
ROUND ONE: Poirier came out with leg kicks while Miller looked to close the distance and initiate a brawl. Miller shot for a deep double-leg but Poirier defended and they clinched against the cage. Poirier with an uppercut on the break. Miller landed a left on a counter to a leg kick. Miller again landed a counter right hand. Poirier caught a body kick and tripped Miller to the mat. Miller scrambled and took Poirier’s back and worked for a rear-naked choke. Poirier spun out and gained top position. They both stood up and traded shots against the cage and had some words for each other after the bell. 10-9 Miller
ROUND TWO: Big leg kick from Miller almost tripped up Poirier early. Poirier rocked Miller in another wild exchange and Miller immediately went for a single-leg takedown but didn’t get it. Poirier started connecting more frequently while Miller tried to recover. Poirier teed off on him and Miller tried to fight back but Poirier looked much fresher and landed the bigger shots. Miller went for another takedown but Poirier defended and they clinched against the cage. Poirier worked some body shots in the clinch and tripped Miller for the takedown. Poirier decided to let him up. Poirier swung for the fences in the closing moments of the round. 10-9 Poirier, 19-19.
ROUND THREE: Miller with more leg kicks to start. Miller dropped him with a leg kick and Poirier may be hurt as Miller kept going for the leg. Poirier mixed up his stance to avoid the leg kicks. Poirier got a takedown to get away from the kicks. Miller went for submissions from the bottom while Poirier looked to gain position. They got back up and Miller pushed him against the fence. They went back to the mat and Miller worked for a Kimura. He lost it and Poirier landed some late shots from the top as the horn sounded to end the fight. 10-9 Miller, 29-28 Miller. Poirier was limping badly once he got up. Poirier was on his stool and couldn’t get up for the decision without support from his corner.
Result: Poirier by majority decision (28-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Hiscoe’s Analysis: Very good fight and another razor close Jim Miller fight. Miller wasn’t able to capitalize quite enough on Poirier’s hurt leg. Who knows how long Poirier will be out but it’s still a good bounceback win for him.
(7) Glover Teixeira (#6) vs. Jared Cannonier (Light Heavyweight 205 lbs)
Teixeira is coming off of a devastating knockout to Anthony Johnson. We’ll see what kind of effect the quick loss had on him as Cannonier is an up and coming talent to watch out for. If any fight is going to end tonight’s string of decisions, this is the one.
ROUND ONE: Teixeira landed a couple of shots early on Cannonier who was playing it very safe. Teixeira took him down and worked some body shots while trying to pass guard. He sunk in a guillotine as Cannonier tried to get up but was able to roll out of it. Teixeira worked some ground and pound from half guard and took full mount. He landed some shots but lost mount quickly. Cannonier scooted back to the cage and stood up. He rocked Teixeira late in the round but couldn’t capitalize. 10-9 Teixeira. They showed Teixeira’s legs buckling after a punch late in the round there.
ROUND TWO: Teixeira looked to have his legs back under him. Teixeira took him down relatively easily and went right to half guard. Teixeira landed some good elbows from Cannonier’s guard. Cannonier defended well but wasn’t able to do much to get back to his feet. Teixeira went back to half guard and out of nowhere, the ref decided to stand them up. Cannonier missed a big uppercut while Teixeira was hesitant to pull the trigger. Nice right hand from Teixeira with 10 seconds to go. 10-9 Teixeira, 20-18.
ROUND THREE: Teixeira grabbed a single right away and again went to half guard. Glover got cut from an elbow from the bottom. He got full mount and Cannonier started scrambling to escape. Teixeira maintained his mount position and landed some shots until Cannonier scrambled back to half guard. Teixeira went back to mount and landed a big elbow. Teixeira took his back and had about 20 seconds to sink in a choke. Cannonier got up and the round ended. 10-8 Teixeira, 30-26.
Result: Teixeira by unanimous decision (30-26 across the board)
Hiscoe’s Analysis: Not a great fight, but a good rebound for Teixeira who is now back in the mix in a weak light heavyweight division. Cannonier was exposed for not having very good wrestling. Teixeira was dominant but his boxing wasn’t as strong as we’ve seen from him in the past. Teixeira said he hurt his shoulder shortly before the fight, hence why he focused on takedowns.
They aired a promo package for UFC 209 next month focusing on the Woodley-Thompson rematch.
(8) Ronaldo Souza (#2) vs. Tim Boetsch (Middleweight 185 lbs)
Combined age of 73 for this fight. Boetsch is a huge underdog but anything can happen here. That said, I expect Jacare to make quick work of him.
ROUND ONE: Souza went for an early takedown but Boetsch defended. Boetsch tried to stay light on his feet with lots of head movement. Boetsch landed a nice right hand. Jacare took him down against the cage and passed to side control quickly and worked for a mount. He got to mount and landed some punches before grabbing an arm and cranking it for the kimura submission.
Result: Souza by submission at 3:41 of the first round.
Hiscoe’s Analysis: Jacare proved why he is considered one of the top middleweights in the world. Once he got the mount on Boetsch, there was nothing Boetsch could do to defend. Assuming Romero and Bisping are fighting next, it’s tough to say what to do with Jacare going forward. Perhaps they can try and make the Rockhold fight again. He told Bisping to stop running in his post fight interview.
(9) Anderson Silva (#8) vs. Derek Brunson (#10) (Middleweight 185 lbs)
Brunson is tailor made to make Anderson Silva look good here but he also hits hard and if he connects, it could be lights out for Silva. Silva walked out to the song “Doom” by his son, Kalyl.
ROUND ONE: Silva was very flat-footed to start, seemingly waiting for Brunson to make the first move. Brunson landed a right hand and Silva countered. Brunson went for a takedown but Silva defended. Brunson landed some big shots and rushed in for a clinch. Silva doesn’t have the defensive speed that he used to. Brunson landed two leg kicks. Silva rushed in and landed some punches and a spin kick. Silva initiated a Muay Thai clinch and Brunson retaliated with punch after punch. Silva slipped on a flying knee attempt late. 10-9 Brunson.
ROUND TWO: Brunson missed a takedown attempt. Silva countered a leg kick with a right hand. Big left from Brunson connected but Silva kept moving forward. Brunson complained of an eye poke and went right for a takedown. Silva got up quickly. Brunson clinched against the cage and landed some short elbows. They broke and Brunson missed a takedown attempt. Silva landed a leg kick. Silva started some of his dancing and landed a kick followed by a sharp right jab. Silva with some swagger as the round ended. 10-9 Brunson, 20-18.
ROUND THREE: Brunson failed on a takedown attempt and Silva landed a knee to the body. Silva landed a right jab. Brunson landed a big knee in the clinch. Brunson landed more punches underneath Silva’s Muay Thai clinch. Silva landed a kick that may have been low but the fight continued. Brunson landed a takedown with 90 seconds to go. Brunson landed some light punches but nothing big from Silva’s guard. Silva pushed Brunson off getting up at the end of the fight and then they hugged. 10-9 Brunson, 30-27.
Result: Anderson Silva by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 30-27
Hiscoe’s Analysis: That was a terrible decision, I don’t see how Silva won that fight. Silva was very emotional afterward and was crying when Joe Rogan went to interview him. He said thank you to everyone for coming, thank you Dana, thanks to his family and God. He said sometimes he’s hurt but he fights for his family. He said he’s too old for fighting, and the new guys are too fast and strong. This sounds like a retirement speech, but he’s not saying that outright. Not the greatest fight and a really disappointing performance from Silva who would have annihilated Derek Brunson a few years ago.
They showed Cris Cyborg in the stands. She doesn’t look like she’s making 145 anytime soon.
(10) Holly Holm (#4 WBW) vs. Germaine de Randamie (Featherweight Championship 145 lbs)
De Randamie came in well under the 145-pound limit which tells you everything you need to know about the merits of this championship.
ROUND ONE: Germaine wit a kick early and Holm countered with a punch. Holm stayed busy from the start, was light on her feet and circling the perimeter of the cage. Holm threw some low kicks and ate an elbow from de Randamie on an exchange. De Randamie connected with a right hand. Holm throwing a lot of low kicks but kept getting caught coming in. Holm went for a takedown but didn’t get it. She held her against the cage and looked to get her down. She couldn’t get it and the round ended. 10-9 de Randamie for landing the bigger shots.
ROUND TWO: Big body kick from de Randamie early on. Holm whiffed on a couple punches and de Randamie countered with a big straight right hand. Holm clinched against the cage but de Randamie defended the takedown well while Holm threw some knees to the legs and body. Holm would not let de Randamie go for any reason. The round ended and de Randamie landed a big combo that was clearly after the horn and it actually stunned Holm. One punch was right at the horn and the second was well after and she should have held up. 10-9 Holm, 19-19.
ROUND THREE: Holm went back to her boxing and low leg kicks. De Randamie attempted to counter and landed more often than not. De Randamie threw a nice combination finishing with a stiff kick to the body. Holm clinched her against the cage and de Randamie reversed the position. De Randamie landed a big right hand on the break. Holly was cut on the right eye. Holm landed a big head kick at the very end of the round that hurt her. De Randamie landed two punches after horn again. The ref warned her saying he would deduct a point if she did it a third time. 10-9 Holm, 29-28.
ROUND FOUR: Holm clinched against the cage again. She worked for a takedown but couldn’t get it. The ref separated them for lack of action. Holm threw more low kicks while de Randamie looked for counter opportunities. Holm clinched her against the cage again. Holm had a lot of trouble trying to take her down. De Randamie landed some knees as they broke apart. 10-9 Holm, 39-37.
ROUND FIVE: De Randamie with a nice counter right and leg kick to open the round. Holm stayed busy with kicks. De Randamie landed a nice left hand. Holly caught her with a short left hand on an exchange that dropped de Randamie. Holm went back to the clinch and wasn’t doing much. The ref separated them again and de Randamie was bleeding from her forehead. Holm pushed her back against the cage while her corner yelled at her to break away and kickbox. De Randamie landed knees from the clinch. The crowd has been booing heavily since the end of the last round. They broke apart with 15 seconds left. De Randamie landed two punches to end the fight. 10-9 Holm, 49-46 Holm. Very close fight, though.
Result: Germaine de Randamie by unanimous decision (48-47 across the board)
Hiscoe’s Analysis: Not an exciting fight and not a great start for this new division. It was a close fight and de Randamie earned the win even though I had it scored the other way. The crowd wasn’t being kind and was booing during de Randamie’s interview. She said she go caught up in the heat of the moment when she threw punches after the horn. Had a point been taken away it would’ve been a draw, which would have been a disaster. Rogan brought up Cyborg and de Randamie said she was hurt so we will have to wait.
That’s it for tonight, thanks for reading everybody!
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