THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER 21 FINALE
JULY 12, 2015
LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
=====UFC Fight Pass Prelim Quick Results=====
-Willie Gates def. Darrell Montague via TKO at 1:36 of the first round
Note: Gates hurt Montague with a right hand, and once he had him staggered just brutalized him on the ground. He tossed out a bunch of strikes, a couple of hard knees to the body, and forced the stoppage. Nice work to kick off the card.
=====Fox Sports 1 Prelims Quick Results=====
-George Sullivan def. Dominic Waters via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-25, 29-28)
Note: Sullivan had Waters hurt several times but failed to finish the fight. He faded hard, and it got a bit ugly in the second and third rounds.
-Trevor Smith def. Dan Miller via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)
Note: Completely one-sided fight. Smith got Miller to the ground in each round and mostly kept him there, doing varying levels of damage. Not much of a fight.
-Jerrod Sanders def. Russell Doane via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Note: Ugly fight, and Doane cost himself a win by being too eager to grapple when he had the edge on the feet. Sanders didn’t do much well, but his wrestling essentially won out.
-Josh Samman def. Caio Magalhaes via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:52 of the first round
Note: Just an absolutely fantastic performance from Josh Samman. He busted Caio Magalhaes up on the feet, and he transitioned to a standing RNC beautifully, dragged Magalhaes down, and forced an emphatic tap. In an unfortunately disgusting display of poor sportsmanship, Magalhaes spit blood at Samman when Samman went to shake his hand after the bout.
=====Fox Sports 1 Main Card=====
-After a brief intro from Jon Anik and Brian Stann, it’s quick on to the first fight on the main card.
FIGHT ONE: MAXIMO BLANCO VS. MIKE DE LA TORRE (148.5 LB. CATCHWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Blanco rocked de la Torre with a strike, and Yves Lavigne stepped in immediately as De La Torre was grabbing his leg. Woah. De La Torre was rocked by a two-punch combo, and was wobbled a bit, but he immediately started coming right back after Blanco’s leg as Lavigne was stepping in. Really bad stoppage by Lavigne.
WINNER: Blanco via TKO at :16 of the first round
STAR RATING: (n/a) De La Torre may have gone on to lose that anyway, but he wasn’t even given a chance. Unfortunate. That’s one of Lavigne’s worst moments as a ref in the Octagon.
FIGHT TWO: ANGELA MAGANA VS. MICHELLE WATERSON (WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Magana rushed straight ahead and got a clinch, pressing Waterson to the cage. Waterson got in a solid knee with her back on the cage. Magana wasn’t really doing much with the clinch. They traded knees at the cage. Waterson then pulled off a slick hip toss and got on top into half guard. Magana gained guard. She tried to attack off her back but Waterson avoided it. Magana went for an armbar and Waterson went to defend. Waterson stepped over Magana’s head but there was a lot of pressure on her arm. She got her head free. Magana held onto her arm, but she finally escaped. She tried to roll to take Magana’s back, but Magana stood. Waterson landed a knee on the way up. She pulled off another throw and passed to the mount. She got in a few strikes from the top. Magana escaped and Waterson went for an armbar of her own. Magana escaped, but Waterson got back to the mount to end the round.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Waterson. Magana did have the one armbar attempt, but Waterson negated that with a couple of nice throws and some good top position, along with her own brief armbar attempt and solid defense.
ROUND TWO: Waterson landed a nice right hand as Magana tried to close distance. Waterson connected on a couple of strikes. She caught a kick and threw Magana to the ground, making her stand back up afterward. She landed a nice right hand. She just missed a head kick. Waterson tossed out a couple of solid kicks. Magana landed a strike. Waterson landed a two punch combo. Waterson got in some great knees to the body in a brief center-cage clinch. Magana caught a kick and got into Waterson’s guard off the ensuing trip up. Waterson attacked for an armbar and tried to flatten Magana out. Magana got out but Waterson transitioned into the mount from the attempt. Waterson postured up. She landed some strikes from the top as Magana tried to get her to half guard. She failed, and Waterson held position. Magana tried to buck out, but Waterson popped up and landed a hard elbow to the face. Waterson looked for another armbar, but Magana caught the leg to get back to half guard. Waterson landed some hard elbows from the top. Magana tried to attack for a heel hook, but Waterson got out and took back top position into side control and then mount. Waterson landed some big strikes from the top. She attacked for the arm again late but couldn’t finish the hold.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-8 Waterson. Dominant round. Magana is worn out already and just surviving at this point.
ROUND THREE: Waterson landed an early high kick and stuffed a takedown attempt. Waterson landed a couple hard kicks. She landed a short combo, then got in a front kick to the face. Magana just slowly plodding ahead. Waterson landed a combo, then took Magana’s back standing and easily slammed her. She took Magana’s back and flattened her out. Waterson trapped an arm and started throwing strikes. Waterson tried to sneak her arm in to go for the choke. She locked it on and forced the tap. Very good performance from Waterson in her debut, though that’s with the caveat that Magana’s just not very good.
WINNER: Waterson via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:38 of the third round
STAR RATING: (**) Completely one-sided, but it was a nice debut from Waterson, showcasing her well rounded skill set against an opponent meant to be cannon fodder.
-It’s an FS1 show tonight, which means will have a lot of time filler with quick finishes. They preview Wednesday’s main event between Frank Mir and Todd Duffee.
FIGHT THREE: JORGE MASVIDAL VS. CEZAR FERREIRA (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE:Ferreira opened the striking with a body kick. He got in another and avoided a counter strike. Ferreira landed a hard left hand and followed with a body kick. Masvidal smiled. Ferreira landed a kick. He ducked under a strike and scored a takedown. Ferreira got into half guard and fought off Masvidal’s defensive attempts to move him to guard. Masvidal escaped in a scramble. He landed a hard knee to the body. Ferreira got in with a short elbow. Ferreira landed a body kick. Ferreira landed a right hook. He went high with a kick that was blocked. Masvidal popped in with a hard right hand. Ferreira shot in but Masvidal did a good job defending at the cage. After a brief separation, Ferreira shot back in. Masvidal rocked him with an elbow with his back on the cage, then knocked him down! He landed a few strikes on the ground and it was all over! Masvidal with a big stoppage win in his welterweight debut. Nice.
WINNER: Masvidal via KO at 4:22 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) Was a solidly competitive opening round, and then Masvidal did a great job sneaking in that elbow on the cage. That hurt Ferreira badly, and Masvidal quickly followed it up. Nicely done.
-Masvidal called out Matt Brown after, saying, “Matt Brown, you want to get your ass kicked, holla at me man.”
FIGHT FOUR: MICHAEL GRAVES VS. VICENTE LUQUE (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: They exchanged strikes early and Graves quickly scored a takedown. He landed several strikes as Luque worked his way back up to his feet. Luque got free but ate an elbow on the way out. Luque came ahead and landed a couple of strikes. Graves clinched up and drove Luque to the cage. Not much happened there and Luque got free. They traded strikes in the center. Luque came forward with a solid combination. Graves then shot in and scored a takedown. Luque tried to escape but Graves kept him down. He landed a couple of strikes, but Luque worked his way to the cage and tried to get up. Luque got up to his feet with Graves on him at the cage. Graves landed some knees to the legs, then backed off with a couple of strikes to the face. He landed a hard leg kick, just missed a spinning back fist, and got in a kick to the body. Luque moved forward and landed a nice knee to the body. He got in a short combo. Graves shot in and scored a takedown off another knee. Luque tried to counter out with his back on the cage. He got in some elbows as Graves tried to fully drag him down as the round ended.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Graves. Luque’s having success on the feet, but has to find a way to stay standing to take further advantage there.
ROUND TWO: Luque landed a few strikes, but Graves shot in and scored a takedown. Luque nearly got on a choke, but Graves escaped. Luque scrambled to his feet and Graves held control at the cage. Graves threw a knee to the head as Luque was playing the fingers on the ground game. They really need to retract that rule. They reset after a warning. Luque connected on a few strikes and drove forward. He landed a knee to the body in the clinch. Luque tried to back out and ate a strike. Graves shot in for a single leg and drove Luque down at the cage. Luque got to a knee and tried to get back up. Graves tried to hold him down. Luque got back up to a knee and got to his feet, but got dragged back down. This is now a dull wrestling match on the cage. Graves not doing much from the top. He finally threw a few strikes as he got into half guard. He stayed busy, but wasn’t doing much more than that. Luque tried to buck up, but Graves held him down. Luque got to the cage but got dragged down. Luque tried to scramble out but almost got his back taken. He finally got up with Graves again holding the front headlock. Luque keps his hand on the ground. The crowd booed. Graves got in a knee and Luque put his hand back down. Graves got in an elbow at the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Graves. Luque not able to do much when he’s getting planted, but Graves isn’t doing a ton with these takedown attempts.
ROUND THREE: Graves immediately shot in but got stuffed. He clinched up and Luque landed a knee to the body as he got driven to the cage. Luque circled out. He landed a left hand. Graves shot in and Luque sprawled. He looked to set up a choke and Graves defended. Luque went for a D’Arce choke but wasn’t in the best position to finish it. Graves got free of that hold, but Luque held onto the front head lock and looked for the anaconda choke. Again, not in the right position to finish it. He landed some knees to the shoulders to try to open Graves up. Graves nearly escaped but Luque held the position and kept trying to set up the choke. Graves finally escaped and got on top of Luque with 80 seconds left. Luque got his back to the cage. Graves tried to drag him back down. Luque sat up, and worked slowly to his feet. Graves stayed on a takedown attempt, just sitting there and holding out. He scored a takedown at the horn and landed an elbow.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Luque. Too little, too late.
WINNER: Graves via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (*) Not a very good fight. Graves’ wrestling was the difference, but he just didn’t do a ton with it.
FIGHT FIVE: HAYDER HASSAN VS. KAMARU USMAN (TUF 21 FINALS)
ROUND ONE: Usman shot in early, but Hassan stuffed it. Hassan landed a knee to the body as he held off the attempt on the cage. Usman stayed on Hassan on the cage, and nearly dragged him down, but Hassan rolled out and scrambled to his feet. Usman landed a couple of hard strikes. Usman looks a lot bigger than Hassan here. Usman missed a left. Hassan barely missed a left. Usman clinched and landed several knees to the body. He drove Hassan to the cage. He scored a trip takedown into half guard. Hassan gave up his back as he tried to get to his knees. Usman stayed heavy on him and got a hook in. Hassan worked to his feet with Usman on his back and tried to shake him off. Hassan got to his feet but got taken back down. Hassan got back to his feet again but Usman just dragged him back down once more. He got both hooks in and tried to work. Hassan got to his feet again and tried to shake him off. Hassan tried to scramble out but Usman stayed on his back standing. He dragged Hassan down once more. Going to be a long night for ATT here at this pace. Usman tried to look for an arm triangle but Hassan defended. Usman landed a few elbows and punches late from the top.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Usman. He’s going to wear Hassan down badly at this pace. Hassan has to find a way to clip him quick without getting taken down, because he’s not stopping the takedowns well at all.
ROUND TWO: Hassan hurt Usman with an early uppercut, but got too aggressive and got taken down. Usman landed some big strikes from under the arm, then got the mount as Hassan tried to turn around. Usman went for the arm triangle choke from mount. Hassan was close to going out, but had enough to tap. Good work in that second round after he got hit with that uppercut. Blackzilians take the overall win with the bigger prize after choking away the $200K during the season.
WINNER: Usman via submission (arm triangle choke) at 1:19 of the second round
STAR RATING: (**) Real good work from Usman in that second round. First was a bit dull, but he wore Hassan down effectively, took a few punches in the second round, and then recovered with a dominant top game. Usman was one of the bright spots from a dull season, and he shined bright here as well to win the $300K.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SIX: JAKE ELLENBERGER VS. STEPHEN THOMPSON (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Thompson pawed out a couple jabs early as he set up in his side stance. Thompson landed a hard leg kick. Ellenberger got to the side of a kick attempt. Thompson landed a hard left hand as Ellenberger tried to step in. Thompson landed a strike. Ellenberger dropped Thompson! Thompson scrambled and slowed it down into the clinch, driving Ellenberger to the cage. Ellenberger got in a knee. They traded strikes. THompson then dropped down and tried for a takedown. Ellenberger landed some hard elbows and uppercuts to separate. Thompson rocked Ellenberger with a side kick to the face! Ellenberger went for a takedown and Thompson scrambled out and took his back. He landed some strikes as Ellenberger tried to get to his feet. He dragged him back down. Thompson landed some big strikes before Ellenberger scrambled up to his feet. Thompson landed two big left hands that sent Ellenberger reeling. He backed off. HE dropped Ellenberger with a spinning heel kick to the jaw! Ellenberger somehow wasn’t done and Thompson tried to finish on the ground. He wound up standing and letting Ellenberger up! He landed another spinning kick to the face! Ellenberger stumbled down, and Thompson added two more strikes on the ground before John McCarthy stopped it. Great fight, another highlight reel win for Thompson.
WINNER: Thompson via KO at 4:29 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***) Wonderboy fought through some adversity, then came back strong and hurt Ellenberger several times before scoring that final spinning kick for the finish. Awesome stuff.
-That brings an end to a very busy weekend, but we’ve got another very busy week ahead! Stick with MMATorch as we bring further reaction to the weekend’s events and move ahead to UFC Fight Night’s 71 and 72!
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