By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
UFC Fight Night: was this past weekend and featured some exciting
fights and a few finishes. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown.
UFC Fight Night:
GOOD- Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles
They start off trading a few strikes and that continues throughout a
fairly active first round. The second round begins with more of the same, with both men winging out some powerful-looking strikes but also
neither seeming to ever be in danger. The third round starts with still more of the same fine type of action. Malott is connecting with more strikes. This fight feels like it never left first or maybe
second gear. The fight ends so we go to the judges to render their verdict.
Malott wins the decision and improves to 11-2-1 while Giles drops to
16-7 and has lost 3 straight fights. Good win for Malott.
GOOD- Dustin Stotlzfus stops Marc-Andre Barriault
Stotlzfus immediately drops Barriault with a good kick. Stotlzfus
jumps on top of him and grabs a guillotine choke before letting it go to throw some strikes down at Barriault. They grapple around a bit more, as Stoltzfus nearly ends the fight with a Brabo choke, before
Barriault explodes back to his feet. They start trading bombs before Stoltzfus unloads a massive five-punch combination that finishes with
a huge right hand on Barriault’s chin that drops him. The referee is forced to jump in to stop the fight nearly four and a half minutes into the first round.
Stoltzfus improves to 16-6 while Barriault drops to 16-9 with 1 No Contest and has lost 3 straight fights. Great win for Stoltzfus.
GOOD- Jasmine Jasudavicius submits Ariane Lipski
They’re trading strikes early as they both bide their time.
Jasudavicius gets a takedown to close the first round. The second
round begins with more of the same, Lipski going for combinations
while Jasudavicius works her jab before getting another takedown.
Jasudavicius moves to mount as she unloads her ground-and-pound onto
Lipski. Jasudavicius pours it on with a torrent of strikes but Lipski survives the round. The third round starts with Jasudavicius
repeatedly trying for a takedown. She gets it on the third try and starts smashing Lipski in the face again before transitioning to a Brabo choke that forces the tap halfway through the third round.
Jasudavicius improves to 12-3 and has won 3 straight fights while Lipski drops to 17-10. Good win for Jasudavicius.
GOOD- Brendson Ribeiro vs. Caio Machado
They’re trading a lot of single strikes early but are also both
effective at avoiding absorbing too much damage from their opponent.
The second round begins with more strip club-style action, mainly
singles, but Machado is more active. The third round starts with some heavy strikes being landed but both men are clearly tired. Neither
fighter is landing at a high percentage but they’re also both showing
good head and body movement. The fight ends so we go to the judges to render their verdict.
Ribiero wins the Split Decision to improve to 16-7 with 1 No Contest while Machado drops to 8-4-1 and has lost 3 straight fights. I thought
Machado won but it was a good win for Ribeiro.
GOOD- Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas
They start off very active as they trade strikes. Namajunas is
effective with her jab and probably won the first round. The second
round begins with a flurry of strikes before Namajunas throws
Blanchfield to the mat. She’s quickly back up, though, and they resume
striking. They’re popping each other and stuffing any takedown
attempts and the second round ends. The third round starts with
Namajunas smashing Blanchfield with a big right hand and they’re both
trying to end the night of the other. Blanchfield gets a takedown but
can’t do much as they reach a stalemate and the third round ends.
The fourth round opens with both women landing and absorbing several
heavy strikes from the other. They fight against the cage for a moment
before resuming attacking each other with heavy strikes and the fourth
round ends. The fifth round begins with another slugfest before
Blanchfield gets a takedown and works some ground-and-pound with some
big elbows. Namajunas works her way back to her feet and they grind a
bit until the fight ends. We go to the judges to render their verdict.
Blanchfield wins the decision to improve to 13-2 while Namajunas drops
to 13-7. Good win for Blanchfield.
GOOD- Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi
The fight starts tentatively for a bit until both fighters begin
popping each other. Moreno lands a few good punches before the first round ends. The second round begins with leg kicks being traded.
Moreno is showing his speed as he’s connecting with more strikes
before the second round ends. The third round starts with both
fighters trading punches and Albazi is showing the effects, as he’s cut and has swelling under his eye. Moreno’s speed is allowing him to
exert control over this fight but Albazi is tough and won’t go away.
The fourth round opens with a brawl but both fighters show toughness
and keep slugging. Again, Moreno’s speed is the deciding factor here as he lands more but Albazi is fighting hard. The fifth round begins
with an Albazi eyepoke early but Moreno is able to quickly resume.
Moreno is tearing into Albazi but Albazi is too tough and keeps coming forward. He won’t be stopped but it’s clear who’s won this fight we go
to the judges to render their verdict.
Moreno wins the decision to improve to 22-8-2 while Albazi drops to 17-2 and has his 6 fight winning streak snapped. Great win for Moreno.
*************
UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad (24-3, 1 No Contest) has been
injured and has pulled out of his upcoming title defense against
Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0) next month on December 7th at UFC 310.
Muhammad posted pictures of the bone infection in the middle toe of his left foot, which has ballooned way up. I wish him a quick and
speedy recovery.
There’s been no word yet as to whether Rakhmonov will remain on the card or not.
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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