UFC Fight Night Adelaide
December 1, 2018
Adelaide, Australia from Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Live on UFC Fight Pass (7 PM ET), and Fox Sports 1 (8 PM ET)
Fox Sports 1 Prelims
(3) Elias Garcia vs. Kai Kara-France (Flyweight)
ROUND ONE: Garcia goes for an immediate take down. A heel hook attempt by Garcia. France on top. A triangle attempt by Garcia gets the fight back on the feet. Garcia knocks France down. France back up, but taking big shots. He seems to have recovered. Garcia pulls guard, but France lands huge shots and hurts him. He stays on top for the rest of the round. Even with the knockdown, Garcia probably falls short. Kara-France up 10-9
ROUND TWO: France comes out swinging. BIG STRIKES by France. France keeps hurting him. France trips Garcia and follows him to the ground. Some good shots by France. A DEEP triangle attempt by Garcia. France escapes the triangle but is put into a deep armbar. He seems like he’s about to tap. He gets out France on top, and is landing good shots. France landing good shots. France postures up and is landing big. Garcia grabs the leg, but is getting hit hard. Fight is about to be stopped. Garcia fights it off. Round ends. Both men were in deep trouble at different points, but Kara-France takes it pretty easily. Kara-France 20-18
ROUND THREE: Garcia gets a takedown, but France gets back up. Left hook by France. Big hooks by France. France walking him down. Good left by Garcia. Big right overhand by France. Another big hook. An uppercut KNOCKS DOWN Garcia. Garcia holds France on the ground. Ref separates them. Right away, Garcia continues to get pounded on. Garcia tries for a takedown but fails. He tries again but Garcia gets on his back and pounds him. A stale mate with France on the back. Garcia slips out and gets on top. France gets up. Garcia dives for a takedown, but is blocked. France landing big shots from stack guard. France hits him hard. End round 3. The easiest round to judge so far. Kara-France should win 30-27.
Result: Judges Scorecards- 30-25 x2, 30-26, for winner by Unanimous Decision, Kai Kara-France
Analysis: A good fight for Kara-France. He shows a good potential, in a division that is very thin, but we’ll have to see what happens with the Flyweight division before we’re able to tell how he’ll do. Very good striking, and very good takedown defense for him as well. The 30-25 judges decision intrigued me. Rounds obviously for Kara-France, but 10-8’s are a stretch, so how the judges see the rounds, and how they rate them could be big in fights coming up. Great fright for Kara-France, however, with recent Flyweight cuts, Elias Garcia will probably get a pink slip in a matter of weeks.
(4) Keita Nakamura vs. Salim Touahri (Welterweight)
ROUND ONE: Here We Go! Only one shot landed :45 in. Another right attempt from Touahri. Leg kick by Touahri. Both men swing and miss. Left by Nakamura. Missed shots by both. Big leg kick by Nakamura. Big right to the body of Nakamura. Left by Nakamura. Nakamura takedown attempt blocked. That’s the round. Lots of prancing around, almost nothing notable. Hard to judge because of the lack of anything, but Nakamura pretty much threw nothing, so Touahri up 10-9
ROUND TWO: Nakamura takedown stuffed. Good left by Touahri. Right hook drops Touahri. Nakamura goes for an elbow, but misses. Touahri clinches against the cage. Knees in clinch by Touahri, but Nakamura fires back with big elbows. Shots landed by Nakamura. Big hook by Touahri misses. Nice combo by Nakamura which knocks Touahri back. Big body shot from Touahri. Big combo by Touahri. Solid left from Touahri. Lots of misses. Round ends. 19-19
ROUND THREE: Lots of kicks by Nakamura. Nakamura shoots, but is blocked. Nakamura throws. Lots of misses. Right hook by Nakamura. Nakamura shoots again, Touahri blocks again. Exchange of jabs. Nakamura shoots, and is blocked again. Left by Nakamura. Another left. Right jab by Nakamura. Body shot by Touahri. Clinch, knees from both. End Round 3. Nakamura should win 29-28, but neither guy did anything so it could go either way.
Result: Judges Scorecards- 30-27 Nakamura, 29-28 Touahri, 29-28 Nakamura for the winner by Split-Decision, Keita Nakamura.
Analysis: A very boring fight. Neither guy did anything impressive. That’s all I can say.
(5) Wilson Reis vs. Ben Nguyen (Flyweight)
ROUND ONE: Here We Go! Body kick by Nguyen. Reis grabs the leg. Reis takes him down, but Nguyen gets right back up. Reis takes him down again. Keep him down. Reis takes the back in clinch. Nguyen changes position and breaks the clinch. Left by Nguyen. Overhand right by Reis. Hooks by both. Good leg kick by Nguyen. Reis with another takedown. Reis with another takedown. 10-9 Reis
ROUND TWO: Hooks for Reis.Reis with another takedown. Nguyen gets up to clinch. They break. They both land hooks. More hooks landed. Nguyen blocks a takedown. Both men miss huge shots. Takedown by Reis. Back up. Nguyen lands a knee. Reis tries for another takedown. Blocked,and we get another clinch. Another takedown for Reis. Nguyen gets back up. End round 2. 20-18 Reis
ROUND THREE: Nice left seems to hurt Reis. Elbow from Nguyen. Combos exchanged. Reis takedown blocked. Uppercut from Reis. Nguyen avoiding punches. More combos. Reis dives for a takedown. He’s blocked. Goes for another, and takes him down again. Nguyen gets back up. Lots of dancing. Reis dives for another takedown and lands it, but Nguyen gets on top and gets up. End round 3. 29-28 Reis
Result: Judges Scorecards- 30-27 x3 for winner by Unanimous Decision, Wilson Reis
Analysis: A very slow fight, a Reis seemed determined to just control Nguyen on the ground. Not many strikes being thrown at all, and whenever it got interesting we saw a takedown or clinch. Wasn’t as bad as the last fight, but another stinker. Hope the show picks up.
(6) Yushin Okami vs. Alexey Kunchenko (Welterweight)
ROUND ONE: Here We Go! Some leg kicks form both men. Okami shoots, and is blocked. Kunchenko lands more leg kicks and a jab. Jabs from both. Okami with an overhand. More leg kicks from both. Jabs by Okami. Clinch by Okami. Okami holds clinch, and ref breaks it. End round 1. Just leg kicks. I guess Okami wins the round because of the clinch. 10-9 Okami.
ROUND TWO: Jabs and leg kicks from both continue. Hooks from both. Okami shoots, is blocked. Okami holds on, but Kunchenko gets up. Okami goes again, it blocked, and they hold. Ref stands them up. Okami shoots again, is blocked again, and Okami is stood back up. Kunchenko hits Okami with an overhand, and knocks him down, but the round ends. 19-19
ROUND THREE: Leg kicks and jabs continue. Okami’s knees are bloody from sliding on the canvas numerous times. Kunchenko hits him, and rocks him, but Okami shoots again, is blocked again, and they clinch. Still clinching. Okami takes big elbows when trying to take him down. Big shot from the clinch from Kunchenko. Okami tries another takedown, is blocked, and stood backed up. A big body shot from Kunchenko. Yet another takedown attempt by Okami, ref stands him up again. Another shoot, another block. And another. Okami stood up again. Big hooks by Kunchenko. Head kick by Kunchenko. Okami shoots, and fails again. End of fight. 29-28 Kunchenko
Result: Judges Scorecards- 30-26 x2, 30-27 for winner by Unanimous Decision, Alexey Kunchenko.
Analysis: Nothing good to say about the Undercard. A dreadful 2 hours. Kunchenko shows potential, and he was exciting, but Okami shows that he is literally insane, by the definition of “trying the same thing over, and over, and hoping for a different result.” and this gave us a miserably boring fight, to cap a miserably boring card so far. 4 fights, 4 decisions. Hopefully we see a turnaround.
Fox Sports 1 Main Card
(7) Jim Crute vs. Paul Craig (Light Heavyweight)
ROUND ONE: Spinning Back kick from Craig. Crute lands some strikes. Craig with a takedown. Crute almost gets up, but Craig holds him down. Crute reverses position and gets on top. Crute in half guard. Crute stands up. Crute trips, and gets hits with a knee on the way up, but Crute gets a takedown. Craig starts a triangle, but Crute gets to full mount and puts in a head and arm choke. Craig looks like he is about to tap, but Crute lets go, and lands some big shots. They stand up. Back kick by Crute. Craig shoots, but Crute lands in side control. Kimura attempt by Crute. End Round 1. Now here we go! A good fight! Crute up 10-9
ROUND TWO: Craig with some stiff jabs. Takedown by Craig. No strikes being thrown. Just a ground hold. Nothing happening but a ground hold. Crute gets out. Ref stands Craig up, and Craig shoots again immediately, but he’s blocked. Crute is on the back, but tries to stand up,and Craig catches the foot. Craig takes him down again. How Craig is getting away with just sitting in full guard, and throwing nothing, and not being stood up is astonishing. Crute flips into top guard and gets up, Craig told to stand up, and shoots immediately and Crute lands on top. Craig gets on top, and round ends. Crute layed on top for almost half the round, but did nothing. 20-18 Crute
ROUND THREE: Craig shoots, and is blocked. Crute on top. Crute not throwing much. Crute going for another arm triangle. He tightens it up. Still holding the choke. Crute breaks it after a transition to top mount. Both men gassed on the floor. Back in top mount for Crute. Crute landing elbows and buches. Another Kimura attempt, and Craig TAPS WITH 10 seconds LEFT! The first finish of the night.
Result: Paul Crute wins via Kimura in Round 3 (4:51).
Analysis: Finally a great fight. Crute was the far superior fighter for the whole fight. He certainly has a bright future.
(8) Suman Mokhtarian vs. Sodiq Yusuff (Bantamweight)
ROUND ONE: Mokhtarian gets hit with huge uppercuts in the clinch. Mokhtarian holds him against the cage. Yusuff reverses position. Knees from both men in the clinch. Yusuff throws big and hits Mokhtarian hard OVER AND OVER AND OVER. The most powerful combos I’ve ever seen. Yusuff walks him down. Mokhtarian leans against the cage. Yusuff unloads, and the ref steps in, THATS IT!
Result: Winner via TKO, Sodiq Yusuff in Round 1 (2:14).
Analysis: An early stoppage, as Mokhtarian wasn’t getting hit in the head,and was blocking, but he was soon to drop. An early stoppage, and the fight could have gone on, but the power, and punches Yusuff was throwing would have knocked Mokhtarian down just seconds later. I personally have NEVER seen such heavy combos in my life, nonetheless from a Batamweight. Every punch he threw was heard. The dude has serious power, but many top Batamweights are grapplers, so while he was able to stuff Mokhtarian, time will tell how he does against these guys. He definitely won’t be out striked, so we’ll have to see how he does.
(9) Jake Matthews vs. Anthony Rocco Martin (Welterweight)
ROUND ONE: Overhand miss by Matthews. Matthew charges forward but doesn’t land. Big leg kick by Martin. Matthews follows with a big leg kick of his own. Missed head kick by Martin. Leg kick by Martin. Both men swinging. Rocco saying come on. They swing and Matthews drops Rocco. Puts in a guillotine, but Martin seems to be fending it off. Martin in full guard. Matthews gets on top. End round 1. Knockdown steals the round for Matthews. 10-9 Matthews
ROUND TWO: Another leg kick by Martin. Huge overhand barley misses by Matthews.Matthews searching for the overhand. Good combo from Martin. Constant leg kicks by Martin. Martin gets tagged. Huge overhand miss by Matthews. Big body shots by both in the clinch. End round 2. 19-19
ROUND THREE: Nice uppercut from Martin. Big uppercut caught Matthews coming in. Martin gets on the back. Martin puts in an Anaconda choke, and MATTHEWS IS OUT. No tap, Matthews goes unconscious.
Result: Anthony Rocco Martin wins via Anaconda Choke in Round 3 (1:19).
Analysis: An impressive performance for both men, who both are usual grapplers, in a striking match, but when the fight hit the ground, Rocco was dominate, and caught Matthews in an Anaconda choke. Matthews didn’t want to tap,and went out. Great fight, and Rocco is definitely a future contender,and probably ears a number next to his name after this performance.
(10) Mark Hunt vs. Justin Willis (Heavyweight)
ROUND ONE: Hunt blocks a head kick. Hunt lands a leg kick. Leg kick for Willis. Hunt’s leg is cut. Big body kick from Hunt. Big swings and misses from both men. Body shot from Hunt. Willis lands an overhand. Nice right hand from Hunt. Big overhand barley misses for Hunt. Willis lands a nice jab. End round 1. 10-9 Hunt
ROUND TWO: Jab from Willis. Nice neck snapping jab from Willis. Hunt goes for a big overhand that kinda lands. Hunt gets jabbed again. Nice combo by Willis. Mark Hunt’s mouthpiece flies out. A quick timeout, and we’re back. More solid jabs for Willis. End Round 2. 19-19
ROUND THREE: And here comes Mark Hunt’s final UFC round. Big right by Willis. Hunt gets tagged again. Another right for Willis. Nice right for Willis. Now they’re trading big shots. A big Hunt punch hits the shoulder of Willis. Nice uppercut from Willis. Big knee from Willis. Willis with constant sharp jabs. Hunt misses a hook. Hunt gassed. End round 3.Hunt’s leg is bleeding bad. Should be 29-28 for Willis
Result: Judges Scorecards- 29-28 x3 for winner by Unanimous Decision, Justin Willis.
Analysis: So Mark Hunt’s final UFC fight is a loss, but a great UFC career not damaged at all. Justin Willis’ obvious strategy was quick, sharp jabs, and staying on that “bike”, gassing out Hunt, and avoiding taking a big shot. A good performance, I don’t know how he’ll do down the road, but he looks good today, and can definitely call for a fight in the top 10 now.
(11) Mauricio Rua vs. Tyson Pedro (Light Heavyweight)
ROUND ONE: Big right Rua. Rua gets knocked down. Rua locks up against the cage. Pedro escapes. Big right.Uppercut by Pedro. A huge Knee by Pedro. TONS OF UPPERCUTS. Rua is wobbly.Pedro tries for a takedown. A mistake. They break, and accidental headbutt drops Pedro. Pedro gets up and lands more furious combos. Big knees in the clinch from both. Rua tries for a takedown is blocked, tries again, and takes him down to end the round. 10-8 Pedro.
ROUND TWO: Pedro gets stunned and wobbles against the fence. Rua clinches. Rua trying to get to the back. Rua takes the back clinch. Rua gets the takedown. Pedro has a weak Kimura, and we’re at a stale mate. Pedro almost pulls Rua over with the Kimura, but Rua escapes, and remains in side control. Not much happening. A ref break seem imminent. Short little puches from Rua in side. Peedro sprawls and gets to his feet, but Rua still has the back. Another takedown for Rua. Pedro has landed 0 strikes this round. 10-8 Rua, so we see a very weird score of 18-18 through 2 rounds. 18-18
ROUND THREE: Pedro’s knee buckles, no contact. Pedro walks, and looks like he got knocked down. Rua gets on top and throws big hammer fists and THAT’S IT! It was not a punch that dropped Pedro, but rather he took a step back and rolled his ankle, and Rua followed him down and a TKO for Rua.
Result: Mauricio Rua wins via TKO in Round 3 (0:43).
Analysis: One of the only fights I’ve ever seen where fighters exchange such one sided rounds. I feel bad for Pedro, because something happened, an ankle injury,and that was the end. However, take nothing away from Rua, as he had a great comeback, and gets back in the W column.
NEXT: WHAT SHOULD BE NEXT FOR FRANCIS NGANNOU AFTER KNOCKING OUT CURTIS BLAYDES?
(12) Junior dos Santos vs. Tai Tuivasa (Heavyweight)
ROUND ONE: Tuivasa charges forwards, and collides with the cage. Tuivasa chasing dos Santos. Clinch by Tuivasa. Missed spinning back kick by dos Santos. Jabs from both. JDS with a nice right. Tuivasa clinches. Elbow on the break. Another spinning back kick by JDS. A big knee thrown by Tuivasa, and slips and falls, but JDS lets him get up. Big uppercut by JDS. Tuivasa with a leg kick that REALLY hurt JDS. Overhand right on the chin of JDS. Tuivasa 10-9. I have a feeling Tuivasa will gas pretty soon, but we’ll see.
ROUND TWO: Big overhands by Tuivasa. HUGE overhand. JDS breathing heavy. Body shot into clinch for Tuivasa. Both men get hit hard by punches and TUIVASA GOES DOWN. JDS on top, trying to finish. Both fighters throwing, with Tuivasa on the bottom, but he is getting pounded and thats it!
Result: Junior dos Santos wins via TKO in Round 2 (2:30).
Analysis: A terrific fight, and I think the finish should’ve been delayed, a little early, but I get it. A terrible under card, but a very good Main Card.
Fights To Make:
- Tai Tuivasa vs Justin Willis
- JDS vs Ngannou/Overeem
- Shogun vs Dominick Reyes/or loser Corey Anderson vs Ilir Latifi.
Show Grade: C
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