By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
PFL: Austin: Eblen vs. Kasanganay and UFC Fight Night: du Plessis vs. Usman were this past weekend and featured a lot of exciting fights. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown.
PFL Austin: Eblen vs. Kasanganay
GOOD- Jesus Pinedo stops Joey Ruquet
They start off trading kicks and not much else. This continues until Pinedo forces Ruquet back into the fence and unloads a tremendous flurry of blows that drop him and eventually force the referee to jump in to stop the fight with ten seconds left in the first round.
Pinedo improves to 26-8-1 while Ruquet drops to 11-5 and has his 4 fight winning streak snapped. Good win for Pinedo.
GOOD- Caolan Loughran vs. Julio Arce
They trade some strikes as they grind on the fence for a while, trying to get position. They trade strikes in the clinch before Loughran gets a takedown and the first round ends. The second round begins with the fighters trading more strikes and Loughran is bleeding a lot now. They keep trading and Arce is doing some real damage now. The third round starts with Arce landing some good combinations. Loughran is tough and is fighting back but Arce is pulling away with this round. The fight ends so we go to the judges to render their verdict.
Arce wins the decision to improve to 22-7 while Loughran drops to 11-4. Good win for Arce.
GOOD- Rafael do Nascimento submits Lewis McGrillen
They trade strikes for a bit before Nascimento gets a takedown but McGrillen is right back up. Both opponents are fighting hard and trying to crush their opponent. Nascimento gets another takedown but lets McGrillen up after a scramble and the first round ends. The second round begins with McGrillen pressuring with strikes from multiple angles. Nascimento gets a takedown and after some big elbows, clamps on a rear-naked choke and forces the tap a little over two minutes into the second round.
Nascimento improves to 13-3 and has won 4 straight fights while McGrillen drops to 12-2 and has his 4 fight winning streak snapped. Good win for Nascimento.
GOOD- Johnny Eblen stops Impa Kasanganay
This fight was to crown an Interim PFL Middleweight Champion.
They start off trading strikes, with Eblen pouring it on and cutting Kasanganay near his eye. Eblen works the clinch for the rest of the first round. The second round begins with more of the same and the crowd boos as Eblen clinches. Eblen continues wearing down and tearing into Kasanganay, who’s trying to keep pace but Eblen’s pace is too much. The third round starts with still more of the same. Kasanganay is trying but Eblen is just too much and he keeps hurting his opponent with strikes. Eblen lands a flurry that starts with punches, continues with a huge elbow and more punches that drop Kasanganay and force the referee to jump in to stop the fight a bit over halfway through the third round.
Eblen improves to 18-1 while Kasanganay drops to 20-7.
Good win for Eblen, who’s the new Interim PFL Middleweight Champion.
UFC 329
GREAT- Tommy McMillen stops Alberto Montes
McMillen flies out of the gate with strikes from all angles. Both fighters are swinging away and Montes hurts McMillen with two elbows then drops him with a jaw. McMillen is right back up and they’re bombing away at each other. McMillen drops Montes with a flurry and lets him up so they can continue smashing each other. They brawl to finish a frenetic first round that’s worth the price of admission alone. The second round begins with the action going 0 to 100 real quick. McMillen’s pace is unbelievable. He’s landing strikes at a torrid pace that doesn’t seem possible to keep up. He’s doing it so far, as the second round ends. The third round starts with McMillen dropping Montes with body shots. Montes is trying his best but it’s like fighting a 6-armed windmill in a tornado. Montes is tough but McMillen is overwhelming him and he’s getting smashed so the referee jumps in to stop the fight three and a half minutes into the third round. What an amazing fight. Good luck following that.
McMillen remains undefeated at 11-0 while Montes drops to 12-2 and has his 4 fight winning streak snapped. Great win for McMillen.
GOOD- Tabatha Ricci vs. Fatima Kline
They trade strikes through most of the first round until Ricci misses with a throw attempt and has to work her way back to her feet. Kline barely misses with a big knee and the first round ends. The second round begins with some strikes being traded and Ricci getting a quick takedown. Kline uses her reach to score some nice strikes and nearly finishes the fight at the end of the second round, as she locks on a rear-naked choke that’s tight but Ricci is saved by the bell. The third round starts with Kline taking Ricci to Suplex City. Ricci keeps trying but she can’t stop Kline from imposing her will. The fight ends so we go to the judges to render their verdict.
Kline wins the decision to improve to 10-1 and has won 4 straight fights while Ricci drops to 12-5. Good win for Kline.
GOOD- Chase Hooper submits Mitch Ramirez
They trade some strikes before Hooper gets a takedown. Hooper maneuvers around and locks in a right rear-naked choke that forces the tap a bit over two minutes into the first round.
Hooper improves to 17-5-1 while Ramirez drops to 8-4 and has dropped 3 straight fights. Good win for Hooper.
GOOD- Jared Cannonier vs. Christian Leroy Duncan
They trade some strikes and clinch against the fence for a while. This continues until the end of the first round. The second round begins with more clinchwork but also some powerful strikes that hurt each man. Duncan seems to roll with it better and hurts Cannonier again. But then Cannonier battles back and it seems he has the advantage. However, Duncan reverses that and now he’s on top dropping strikes down while Cannonier grabs the fence twice to try to stand. The third round starts with more striking exchanges and some takedowns. This is a war of wills, as neither man will give up. Duncan is landing a lot more but Cannonier refuses to stop. The fight ends so we go to the judges to render their verdict.
Duncan wins the decision to improve to 15-2 and has won 5 straight fights while Cannonier drops to 18-10. Good win for Duncan.
GOOD- Dricus du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman
Usman starts with punches as du Plessis starts with kicks. du Plessis staggers Usman with a punch behind the ear and starts ripping into him with calf kicks. They trade strikes for the rest of the first round. The second round begins with du Plessis landing some big head kicks and a huge knee when Usman drops down for a takedown. Usman is too tough, though, and he’s firing back. du Plessis continues pounding on him and eventually drops Usman. du Plessis continues battering Usman until the second round ends. The third round starts with more of the same. Usman’s chin is allowing him to stay in this fight but he keeps absorbing a lot of strikes. That’s some crazy toughness, as du Plessis is cracking him with good power strikes repeatedly.
The fourth round opens with du Plessis doing the Palpatine before both men start nailing each other with power strikes. Usman keeps recovering from being staggered incredibly quickly. It makes you wonder how many times he can do it? Or if it’s possible for du Plessis to even finish him at this point? The fourth round ends. The fifth round commences with still more of the same, as du Plessis keeps hurting Usman with hard strikes. It’s wild how much damage Usman has taken and recovered from and he’s even managed to hurt du Plessis a few times. The fight ends so we go to the judges to render their verdict.
du Plessis wins the decision to improve to 24-3 while Usman drops to 21-5. Good win for du Plessis.
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