UFC FIGHT NIGHT 90
JULY 7, 2016
LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
The first of three UFC events in three nights comes to UFC Fight Pass tonight, and the UFC Lightweight Championship will be on the line in tonight’s main event. We’ll have our live report for the card right here throughout the night as the event kicks off at 6:30PM ET, with commentary and results throughout the prelims with a full round by round report on the night’s main card. Follow along with us right here tonight!
Note for App Users: For fastest refresh rate on our fight result updates throughout the event, we recommend you visit our mobile-friendly browser-based website at http://www.mmatorch.com. Our App unfortunately doesn’t update article changes in real time, but our mobile site does, so there will be delays in live results on our app but not on our mobile site during the event.
Also for App users, swipe right to view next article, swipe left to view previous article.
=====UFC Fight Pass Prelims=====
-Vicente Luque def. Alvaro Herrera via submission (D’Arce choke) at 3:52 of the second round
NOTE: Solid performance from Luque. He landed better combinations on the feet, wore Herrera down on the ground, and eventually secured a really nice D’Arce/anaconda choke variant from a somewhat awkward position on the cage. Good submission.
-Marco Beltran def. Reginaldo Vieira via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:04 of the second round
NOTE: Entertaining fight; really sloppy at times, with some moments of inactivity that brought things down a bit, but the violence from both made it stand out. Beltran got in some good work in the first round after Vieira held him on the ground a bit, and turned things around when he was taken down in the second with a crazy sequence. He hurt Vieira badly with two upkicks that nearly knocked the Brazilian out; he then spun out of a leg lock attempt, landed a few more strikes, got Vieira’s back, and finished off the fight with the RNC. Nice work and another solid fight to get this night and weekend started.
-Gilbert Burns def. Lukasz Sajewski via submission (armbar) at 4:57 of the first round
NOTE: Another really fun prelim fight. Sajewski started off with some solid offense, but Burns turned things around with a big strike midway through. He followed with some big combinations, added in some grappling, landed more once it got back up, then pulled off a great late submission on the ground. He got Sajewski’s back with a body lock on, but as time was running down he let it go, tossed his leg over Sajewski’s face to grab the arm, and forced the tap with almost no time left in the round. Very nice finish.
-Felipe Arantes def. Jerrod Sanders via verbal submission (armbar) at 1:39 of the second round
NOTE: Sanders controlled the majority of the first round in top position after Arantes lost hold of a D’Arce choke, then got the fight to the ground early on in the second. Arantes remained active off his back, and got his legs over and in position to snatch Sanders’ right arm from guard, and Sanders had to yell out to tap before further damage was done. Another great submission win; four in a row on this card to kick off International Fight Week.
-Pedro Munhoz def. Russell Doane via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:08 of the first round
NOTE: What an absolutely insane fight. Doane was busting Munhoz up early with body strikes, and was getting in several significant combinations, but Munhoz turned things around when he connected on a bunch of strikes in combination himself. He then used his momentum to score a takedown. He tried to get Doane’s back, Doane got to his feet, and then Munhoz somehow set up a guillotine choke as he snuck back around. Munhoz’s arm was all the way in and it looked like he was going to escape, but Munhoz cinched it right back up and forced a tap. Hugely entertaining brawl with a nutso submission.
-Anthony Birchak def. Dileno Lopes via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
NOTE: Sloppy as all hell, really ugly through much of it. Lopes wanted to grapple a lot early and couldn’t keep Birchak down. Birchak wanted to strike at times and occasionally did damage, but his output was limited as he continued to fight off takedown attempts. Some offense got in from each, but they both got real tired down the stretch and very little was effective. They ended the fight with hands on their hips looking at each other in the final five seconds. Ugly, especially coming after such a long break due to multiple finishes earlier.
-John Makdessi def. Mehdi Baghdad via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
NOTE: Brutal fight. Hard to score. Both scored with their offense at a relatively comparable clip, including in a ridiculous third round that saw Makdessi end things on top despite nearly getting finished early on. Fight could have gone either way, nothing wrong with the decision.
-Alberto Mina def. Mike Pyle via KO (flying knee) at 1:17 of the second round
NOTE: That’s going to be right up there with the best knockouts of the year by the end of 2016. Mina was already in full control of the fight, having dominated Pyle throughout the first round, and he took advantage of a slightly shaken opponent in the second. Pyle got turned around and stumbled to the cage, and Mina ran across and connected on the flying knee right to the jaw. Pyle’s head snapped back, he went down hard, and a couple more strikes put him out cold. Tons of highlights on this undercard.
=====UFC Fight Pass Main Card=====
No need to switch over to a new stream tonight, as the entirety of this card is staying on the same feed (as it always should have been for these Fight Pass only events). Jon Anik and Brian Stann on the call tonight and doing a fantastic job as always with the prelims.
-After a solid short spot for Lesnar-Hunt on Saturday’s card and a respectful “in memory of” card for Ryan Jimmo, the main card kicks off with a really good video package for the rest of tonight’s fights. More of this, less “Face the Pain” UFC in 2016.
FIGHT ONE: JOSEPH DUFFY VS. MITCH CLARKE (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Duffy went for a high kick early that was blocked. Then he decimated Clarke with a right hand that just spun him around and floored him face first to the mat. Clarke tried to get his wits about him but Duffy was immediately on him. He quickly took Clarke’s back and locked on a rear naked choke. Beautiful quick work from the Irishman to bounce back from his loss to Dustin Poirier.
WINNER: Duffy via submission (rear naked choke) at :25 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Fourth fastest submission in UFC history at lightweight. Awesome work from Duffy. That right hand was perfect, and getting position on the scramble on the ground was academic.
FIGHT TWO: ALAN JOUBAN VS. BELAL MUHAMMAD (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Muhammad took the center as Jouban tried to circle around the cage. Jouban landed a low blow and things briefly halted, but Muhammad wanted to continue. Jouban scored a big left hook that sent Muhammad to the ground, and he followed down into Muhammad’s guard. Muhammad wound up sweeping to get to his feet, then went for a takedown of his own which he completed. Jouban scrambled to his feet but ate some strikes on the way up. Muhammad pulled off a brief trip as Jouban tried to exit and then they separated to reset on the feet. Jouban landed a nice kick to the body. Muhammad landed a strike. Jouban landed a huge kick to the face that dropped Muhammad. He tried to finish things off on the ground, landing elbow after elbow and continuing to do ridiculous amounts of damage, but Muhammad continued trying to scramble and escape. The beating continued for a bit until Muhammad finally slowed the attack down. Jouban dropped down with a ridiculous right hand and then Muhammad somehow escaped to his feet and clinched to slow things down. Jouban got in a knee to the body. They separated late. Jouban got in one more leg kick before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-8 Jouban. Two knock downs, with the second nearly finishing things, along with a ton of offense after that head kick made that a dominant round for Jouban.
ROUND TWO: Muhammad didn’t look any worse for wear, and moved forward immediately with some strikes. Jouban landed a couple hard kicks. He avoided a shot after missing a right hand. Muhammad landed a solid left hand up by the cage. He walked Jouban down and landed another hard jab. Jouban got in a hard kick to the body. Jouban landed another huge knock down that Muhammad somehow immediately popped back up from. This guy’s chin is ridiculous. He clinched up to slow things down, and succeeded in doing so to get his head back. He shot for a takedown and stayed busy. Muhammad started to bleed from the bridge of his nose. Jouban continued to stuff the takedown attempt, but he was getting held at the fence. Muhammad continued trying for the takedown but Jouban finally got free and started moving forward. He didn’t get much going, and let Muhammad walk him back to the cage again. Jouban got in a leg kick. He connected on a few jabs in the center, then got in to the body with a kick. Muhammad had several strikes blocked. Muhammad shot in and scored a takedown with 12 seconds left. Jouban immediately got up before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Jouban? Muhammad had some control and a little offense, but that knockdown likely gave it to him.
ROUND THREE: Jouban landed several kicks early in the round to the legs and body. Muhammad shot in but Jouban sprawled nicely to stay on his feet. They clinched up and things stalled out. Jouban finally got separation. Muhammad tried to walk him down and got caught by a counter. Jouban worked from the outside with a few more punches and kicks. He blocked a high kick attempt. Jouban connected on an inside leg kick. Muhammad went high with another kick that was blocked. Jouban landed to the body. Muhammad finally connected on a combination. He landed several big strikes up at the cage. Jouban tried to clear out, but Muhammad kept the pressure on. Jouban finally backed him out with a couple of jabs. Jouban landed a few more jabs. Muhammad pressed in with another combination. They traded body kicks. Muhammad landed a hard right hand at the end of a combination. He continued to connect and Jouban was struggling to defend or return fire. Muhammad kept the attack up and Jouban kept having trouble. Muhammad would not let up on the cage. They traded strikes again. Jouban landed a couple. He ate a big uppercut and Muhammad wouldn’t let him off. He landed a partially blocked spinning back fist at the horn. Crazy final two minutes there.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Muhammad. Ridiculous chins on both guys in this fight. Credit to Muhammad for never letting up on his attack in the third after very nearly getting stopped in this fight. Should still be a win for Jouban, or at worst a draw, but who knows how the judges scored things here.
WINNER: Jouban via unanimous decision (28-27, 29-28, 29-27)
STAR RATING: (***-) Elevated greatly by Muhammad’s ridiculous ability to stay in that fight. His effort in the third was fantastic despite being way behind after the first two rounds, and people should want to see him fight again after that.
-Jouban said he broke his hand in the second round and was trying to survive in the final round. He called for a spot in the top 15 and a fight in New York this November.
FIGHT THREE: ROY NELSON VS. DERRICK LEWIS (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Lewis opened with a couple kicks to the body. Nelson missed an overhand right and Lewis landed a nice knee to the body. Nelson grabbed a clinch and tried to take Lewis down, but got held off at the cage. He landed some knees to Lewis’ thighs but then stalled out, leading to boos quickly from some in the crowd. Lewis just looked bored as he held off the attempt, and he waited for a separation. Nelson got in some more knees to the thighs, leading to more boos, and McCarthy separated them. Nelson wasn’t happy with something. Nelson came back ahead with a few head kicks and body kicks, doing some significant damage before Nelson shot in and took him down. Nelson wanted to pass, but he was at the cage. Lewis managed to get out and to his feet. He landed several big knees to the body. He added a few more strikes to the head, then another big knee to the body. Nelson shot in again and things stalled out as Lewis stuffed him. Lewis continued to conserve energy in the clinch as Nelson did very little. More boos from the crowd. They were separated again. Nelson’s stomach had a massive welt on it. Lewis landed a huge flurry of strikes again to the head and the body. Nelson covered up and defended, then scored a takedown into mount just before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Lewis. Despite Nelson’s takedowns, all of the offense that round came from Lewis. Smart fight from “The Black Beast” thus far.
ROUND TWO: Lewis connected on an overhand right early in the round. He threw a jumping knee! He ducked under Nelson’s overhand right attempt. Lewis threw a few strikes that were blocked, and Nelson slowly plodded back forward. Nelson landed a hard outside leg kick. Lewis returned fire. Lewis was limping a bit from the kick he took. He went high with a kick that was blocked. Both were moving extremely slow. Nelson missed the overhand right. Lewis missed a strike and it was back to a clinch. This could be a painful second half to the fight to watch. Lewis stuffed Nelson’s takedown attempt initially as some in the crowd booed. Nelson then finished the takedown and immediately moved to side control. He tried to lock down Lewis’ right arm for a crucifix, but he wasn’t doing much. Lewis then rolled and got to his feet. Nelson took him back down, though Lewis immediately (well, slowly) worked back to his feet again. Nelson then got him down a third time and worked back to side control. Lewis escaped and threw a couple of strikes before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Nelson. Awful heavyweight round. Both have little energy left, and Lewis did nothing to follow up on that first round.
ROUND THREE: Lewis missed a strike and got grazed with a counter. Lewis went high with a kick. He did the jumping knee again but got clinched up. More wall and stall from Nelson, who now threw some punches to the inside of Lewis’ legs. The crowd booed as Nelson tried to take it down. He completed it again. Nelson again wasn’t actually doing much in half guard, but the position was enough to keep him ahead. More boos rained down. Lewis managed to again get himself to a standing position, but Nelson stayed on him in the clinch with a body lock. Lewis got in a couple of elbows but got dragged down again. He again stood, but couldn’t escape the clinch. They got separated one last time with over a minute left. Lewis had a right hand blocked and he tried to plod ahead to do something late. He landed a hard kick to the body. Lewis landed a big right hand. He backed Nelson to the cage and landed several strikes in combination, but Nelson then ducked under another strike and clinched. Loud boos rained down. Lewis got in a few late uppercuts after backing Nelson off. He landed a huge right hand with about five seconds left that popped the crowd, but it wasn’t enough to put it away.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-10. Lewis’ offense not enough to steal it. Nelson did almost nothing with his clinch and the takedowns he wound up landing. Arguments either way. Bad fight after that first round, but that was to be expected.
WINNER: Lewis via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (*+) First round was what could have been expected, last ten minutes were bad. Fine with the decision; Lewis at least attempted to do something to win the fight in that final minute, whereas Nelson only wanted to hold tight to avoid damage while doing almost nothing with the takedowns he managed to secure.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: RAFAEL DOS ANJOS VS. EDDIE ALVAREZ (UFC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
ROUND ONE: Alvarez landed the first strike with a hard inside leg kick. Dos Anjos connected on a short combo. Alvarez went back to the kick, then got hit by a few strikes. Dos Anjos got in a few strikes. Alvarez landed a strike but ate a really big uppercut from the champ. Dos Anjos tried to cut him off to keep him at the cage. Alvarez landed a kick to the body. Dos Anjos got through with another straight left. A high kick was blocked but Dos Anjos fired off a left that connected. Alvarez shot in, but dos Anjos grabbed a choke and rolled through. Alvarez got to his feet and ate a strike after that exchange. Dos Anjos again got in a short combination. He then shot in. Alvarez nicely held off the takedown attempt. Dos Anjos landed a big strike. Alvarez rocked dos Anjos with a huge right hand and had him wobbled at the cage! Dos Anjos tried to stay in but he was getting pieced up against the cage. He stumbled back to the cage. Alvarez ran across and went for a flying knee but fell to the ground. He got up and took dos Anjos down. Dos Anjos somehow worked to his feet but Alvarez just started picking him apart. Dos Anjos wouldn’t go down as he was getting hit with strike after strike after strike and Herb Dean finally stepped in! What a fight from Eddie Alvarez! That’s the fighter fans have been waiting to see in the UFC. Wow.
WINNER: Alvarez via TKO at 3:49 of the first round
STAR RATING: (****) Just incredible. I thought it was possible we got a much more exciting Alvarez than in his last two fights because of dos Anjos’ pressure, and Alvarez stepped up in a way I don’t think anyone expected. That was the old Eddie Alvarez in there. That was the man we did not see against Donald Cerrone, Gilbert Melendez, or Anthony Pettis, and that man is the rightful UFC Lightweight Champion. Holy hell.
-Fighting back tears, Alvarez gave all the credit to his teammates and his wife for getting him here.
Alvarez: “I told you don’t bring the dog out. Don’t bring the dog out of me!”
That’s it for the first of three UFC events this weekend! We’ll be back with more tomorrow and throughout the rest of the weekend with live coverage, reactions, and more!
Note for App Users: For fastest refresh rate on our fight result updates throughout the event, we recommend you visit our mobile-friendly browser-based website at http://www.mmatorch.com. Our App unfortunately doesn’t update article changes in real time, but our mobile site does, so there will be delays in live results on our app but not on our mobile site during the event.
Also for App users, swipe right to view next article, swipe left to view previous article.
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