By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
UFC 312 was this past weekend and it featured some good fights, one finish, and two successful title defenses. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown.
UFC 312
GOOD- Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado
They’re exchanging strikes early and start brawling. They both show good toughness and Prado gets a takedown before the first round ends.
The second round begins with more striking exchanges and Prado is cut
on his nose. That matches the one on his right eyebrow. Prado tries a few times to get another takedown but Matthews denies them and cuts
Prado on his hairline before the second round ends.
The third round starts with more of the same kind of striking exchanges, where Matthews is throwing and landing more. Prado is game but he just can’t
take over and the fight ends. We go to the judges to render their verdict.
Matthews wins the decision to improve to 21-7 while Prado drops to 12-3. Decent win for Matthews.
GOOD- Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato
They exchange strikes for a bit before Bellato gets the fight to the mat. Crute works some effective ground-and-pound until the first round
ends. The second round begins with some trading of strikes before Crute tries a few times to get a takedown but can’t. They continue beating each other up and both men are showing signs of fatigue before
the second round ends.
The third round starts with some strong leg
kicks by Bellato before he gets a takedown. They’re quickly back up and trading strikes for the rest of the fight. We go to the judges to render their decision.
The fight is ruled a majority draw. Crute’s record is now 12-4-2 while Bellato’s record is now 12-2-1. Good fight.
GOOD- Tallison Teixeira stops Justin Tafa
After going for a takedown and not getting it Teixeira nails Tafa with a knee to the body followed by an elbow to the nose that drops Tafa. A few follow-up punches forces the referee to jump in to stop the fight
a little over thirty seconds into the first round. Wow.
Teixeira improves to a perfect 8-0 and has never left the first round while Tafa drops to 7-5 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Teixeira.
GOOD- Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez
Zhang was looking to defend her UFC Strawweight Championship for the
third time in this reign and the fourth overall. Suarez quickly gets a takedown and Zhang slowly works her way to top position before the
first round ends. The second round begins with a few strikes being thrown before they’re back to the mat. Zhang works some ground-and-pound before Suarez gets back to her feet. They’re back to
the mat and Zhang lands some good short strikes before the second round ends. The third round starts with Suarez continually going for a
takedown that Zhang fights off and beats on her with some stiff strikes. Suarez is relentless with her takedown attempts but none are
effective and she’s only getting beaten up in the process as the third round ends.
The fourth round opens with Zhang reversing a Suarez takedown into one
of her own. Zhang peppers Suarez for the rest of the fourth round with
enough strikes to avoid a standup. The fifth round commences with Suarez still trying for a takedown but Zhang fighting her off with strikes. They go to the mat, with Zhang on top. Zhang continues to
nail Suarez with constant damage until the fight ends. We go to the judges to render their verdict.
Zhang wins the decision to improve to 26-3 and has won 5 straight fights while Suarez is handed her first loss and drops to 10-1. Grear win for Zhang, who defends her UFC Strawweight Championship for the fourth overall time.
GOOD- Driscus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland
Du Plessis was looking to defend his UFC Middleweight Championship for
the second time here. Strickland does what he always does, move forward behind his jab. Du Plessis counters with attacks from all angles and the first round ends. The second round begins with more of
the same. Most of these are single strikes, or a two-strike
combination, and the second round ends. The third round starts with
both men accidently fouling the other but neither fighter is
compromised so the action continues. More hard-hitting strikes land
throughout this round that finishes with a quick Du Plessis takedown.
The fourth round opens with Du Plessis busting up Strickland’s nose.
Both fighters are staying under control but throwing extremely
dangerous strikes that could end the fight at any moment. Good toughness on display as the fourth round ends. Strickland casually
realigns his nose in between rounds. Yikes. The fifth round commences with more heavy striking from these great competitors. Strickland is a
bloody mess as the fight ends.
Du Plessis wins the decision to improve to 23-2 and has won 11 straight fights while Strickland drops to 29-7. Good win for Du Plessis, who defends his UFC Middleweight Championship for the second 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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