UFC FIGHT NIGHT 62
MARCH 21, 2015
LIVE FROM RIO DE JANEIRO
=====UFC Fight Pass Prelims Quick Results=====
-Fredy Serrano def. Bentley Syler via KO at 1:34 of the third round
Note: A plodding, boring fight until Serrano landed an absolutely sick uppercut for the knockout. He tossed in a diving hammerfist that was completely unnecessary, but that was one hell of a highlight in the finish.
-Christos Giagos def. Jorge de Oliveira via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:12 of the first round
Note: Complete domination on the ground from Giagos. Over a minute in mount, then just bullied de Oliveira around to score the choke. Bad job by the referee, who didn’t recognize de Oliveira’s first tap and made him tap again.
=====Fox Sports 2 Prelims Quick Results=====
-Leonardo Mafra def. Cain Carrizosa via unanimous decision (30-26,30-27,30-27)
Note: Mafra actually got knocked down in the opening minute, but he took over on offense after recovering from that, and kept it a mostly one-sided affair the rest of the way.
-Leandro Silva def. Drew Dober via submission (referee incompetence) at 2:45 of the second round
Note: This was one of the single worst referee calls in UFC history. Silva went for a guillotine choke, but Dober had half guard on the other side and was not in danger of going out. As he dropped an arm to the floor to post up and pop his head out, the referee – the same one who made de Oliveira tap multiple times earlier tonight – stepped in and stopped it, calling it a tap out. Unbelievably terrible work from the referee, screwing Dober over completely.
-Kevin Souza def. Katsunori Kikuno via KO at 1:31 of the first round
Note: Brutal straight right hand from Souza caught Kikuno right on the chin and he went out. Not much more to it than that; nice highlight for Souza.
-Francisco Trinaldo def. Akbarh Arreola via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Note: Dull fight. Trinaldo’s wrestling and top control allowed him to dictate the fight, but there wasn’t much to see here.
=====Fox Sports 1 Main Card=====
-Jon Anik and Kenny Florian are on the call tonight, though it was a Mike Goldberg voice over introducing the broadcast, calling this a “stacked card.” Nope. That’s not at all what it is, Goldie.
MAIN CARD FIGHT ONE: GODOFREDO “PEPEY” CASTRO VS. ANDRE FILI (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Pepey threw out a jumping kick to start things off. After both tested the range a bit, Pepey grabbed a body lock and went for a takedown. He managed to briefly trip Fili up, but Fili got right back to his feet. With his back on the cage, Pepey jumped up for a flying triangle! Fili tried to get his arm in to defend. Fili continued to effectively defend the hold, trying to step over. Pepey continued defending as Pepey tried to force the tap. Fili landed a couple of hard strikes and just stayed patient. Pepey pulled Fili’s head down and Fili quickly tapped! Man, great stuff from Pepey again. That’s three straight really entertaining finishes from him.
WINNER: Pepey via submission (triangle choke) at 3:14 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***) That was excellent. Pepey jumped into that triangle with his back on the cage, Fili did a really good job defending as long as he could, but Pepey stuck with it until he found the opening to finish. Highly entertaining. Likely to go downhill from here.
MAIN CARD FIGHT TWO: GILBERT BURNS VS. ALEX OLIVEIRA (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Some early feeling out from both fighters, then Burns got in close and scored an early takedown. He landed a couple of strikes and went to pass, but Oliveira escaped and got to his feet. Burns briefly looked for a standing choke but gave it up, and they tried to battle for position on the cage. They eventually separated. Oliveira threw out a short combination with a strike or two getting through. Oliveira caught Burns with a huge counter-right hand. He landed another right hand as he got Burns covering up. Burns was definitely affected by the previous couple of combinations. Oliveira pressed him back with a few strikes, but Burns covered up. Oliveira got in with a straight kick. He missed a couple of strikes. Burns got in with a counter-right. Both missed some strikes late in the round. Oliveira landed a leg kick before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Oliveira. Could have an upset on our hands if this keeps up. Oliveira did some significant damage that round.
ROUND TWO: Burns moved forward early and closed the distance, but it stalled in the clinch. The crowd didn’t like that much. Oliveira continued to hold off the takedown attempt. Burns got in a couple of strikes, but Oliveira turned him around and separated with a couple of hard strikes. Burns got in a couple of strikes and avoided the counters. Oliveira threw a hard uppercut, but it was blocked. He connected on another one after a jab. Burns landed a leg kick. Oliveira connected on a couple of hard jabs. He landed with two hard right hands. Burns connected on a strike. They traded shots in the center. Oliveira got in with the uppercut again. If Burns comes back to pull this out, his stock is still going to take a hit. Oliveira landed a solid body strike. Burns landed a kick to the body. Oliveira landed a hard right hand and rushed in for the clinch. Burns got in a knee, but Oliveira kept him on the cage. Oliveira got in a knee of his own and ended the round in the clinch.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Oliveira. The short notice replacement and underdog is coming through with a big performance here. Burns is not looking very good in this one.
ROUND THREE: Burns quickly grabbed a body lock, scored the takedown, and passed immediately to mount. That was huge to start the round. Oliveira tried to scoot to the cage, but Burns held position. Oliveira escaped from that mounted position briefly, but Burns passed back and tried to posture up. Oliveira again tried to escape and Burns went for an omoplata. Oliveira tried to escape, but Burns kept the shoulder lock on. Oliveira continued trying to defend and get his arm free. He rolled through and kept working for it, though Oliveira continued to escape. He finally lost it, but transitioned back to mount. Burns went for a mounted triangle, lost it, but got the triangle itself back on. He lost it again and went for the armbar. He got that one locked on and Oliveira tapped! Ok, hell of a third round from Burns after a bad ten minutes to start this one out. He’s still got a long way to go, but that was some really good work that round.
WINNER: Burns via submission (armbar) at 4:14 of the third round
STAR RATING: (**+) Oliveira had a really good showing through ten minutes as the short-notice underdog, but he got beat on the ground by a really, really good grappler. Burns’ late transition to mount from that omoplata was awesome, and he scored the submission finish to keep himself undefeated. He’s got some holes that he needs to work on, but when you’re that good on the ground, I guess you’re never fully out of a fight.
MAIN CARD FIGHT THREE: AMANDA NUNES VS. SHAYNA BASZLER (WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Nunes opened with a hard outside leg kick. Baszler tried to move forward, but ate a hard right hand, then a left to the body. Nunes landed another hard leg kick. Nunes got in a hard straight kick, then a brutal two punch combo. Baszler was hurt and Nunes backed her up.. Baszler shot in, but couldn’t get Nunes down. Nunes landed another hard outside leg kick and backed Baszler up. She landed a hard left hand and connected on a few more strikes. Nunes landed another hard leg kick and Baszler went down in pain. Nunes threw a few strikes on the ground and referee Mario Yamasaki stepped in… at which time Nunes landed a a couple more, drawing some admonishment from Yamasaki after the fact. Completely unnecessary strikes there. She went and apologized to Baszler afterward.
WINNER: Nunes via TKO at 1:56 of the first round
STAR RATING: (*) There just wasn’t anything to that fight. Baszler’s unfortunately a shot fighter at this level, and Nunes was hurting her badly early and often. The additional shots after Baszler went down hard from the leg kick were unfortunate, and absolutely not the way that spot should be handled. I don’t know if this tells us anything about Nunes, but she did what she was supposed to do here.
-Preview for the UFC Fight Night 63 main event between Chad Mendes and Ricardo Lamas in two weeks in Fairfax, Va.
MAIN CARD FIGHT FOUR: LEONARDO SANTOS VS. TONY MARTIN (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Santos got in a body kick to start things offensively. Martin pawed out a few strikes. Santos connected on some kicks to the lead leg. Martin threw a right hand after a kick, but ate a counter-strike from Santos. Martin got in a right hand as he pressed in. Martin shot in and went for a takedown. Santos initially held it off on the cage, then turned Martin around. Martin countered his attempt nicely with a throw, but Santos quickly worked to his feet. Martin took his back standing, but lost it as Santos turned into him. The crowd booed the clinch work as Martin held a body lock. He tried very hard for a takedown, but couldn’t completed it. They were separated with a little over a minute left in the round. Martin got in a leg kick. Martin tossed out a hard right hand. He connected on another, then got in a leg kick. Santos shot in late, but got stuffed and turned around on the cage. They were there to the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-10. Competitive round that neither took decisively. Could go either way, but they negated the offense of one another throughout.
ROUND TWO: Both missed some strikes early on. Martin fired out a hard kick to the lead leg, then slipped on a right hand strike. Santos connected on a short counter-strike. Martin landed a hard leg kick. He got in a couple of right hands. Santos landed a solid overhand right of his own. Martin shot in, but Santos held him off, then tripped him down. Martin got his back to the cage, but Santos turned him to keep him planted. Santos then easily passed to mount and Martin gave up his back. Martin tried to defend as Santos tried to set up the rear naked choke. Santos stayed on it, then locked on the RNC and forced the tap. That turned quickly off that takedown.
WINNER: Santos via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:29 of the second round
STAR RATING: (**) Not much to the fight before the takedown and Santos getting that choke. It was a nice ending sequence, but he wasn’t doing much effectively before then.
MAIN CARD FIGHT FIVE: ERICK SILVA VS. JOSH KOSCHECK (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Koscheck came straight ahead and threw a couple of punches. Silva landed a couple of hard kicks and circled out. Koscheck shot in, but Silva snuck behind him. They battled for takedowns in the clinch on the cage, but things stalled out. Referee Mario Yamasaki finally separated them. Koscheck came straight ahead again and both missed big overhand rights. Silva landed a hard body kick. He dropped Koscheck with a straight left . Koscheck shot and Silva sprawled, looking to set up a choke. Koscheck rolled to his back and Silva got in his guard. He landed some elbows, got in a couple of punches, but then Koscheck kicked him off and got to his feet. Koscheck landed a right hand. Silva missed a couple of strikes. Then he landed a straight left and staggered Koscheck. He missed a couple more as he tried to capitalize on the cage. Silva got in another big kick to the body. Koscheck looked up at the clock with a minute and a half left in the round. Silva landed another left. He blocked a high kick, then went back to the body. Koscheck missed another winging overhand right. Koscheck tried to press Silva back. Silva turned him around and landed a hard few strikes. He went for a guillotine late and pulled guard. Koscheck tapped. Yep, there it is.
WINNER: Silva via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:21 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**) Look, the fight just didn’t need to happen. Koscheck wasn’t having any real success, and instead it was just a matter of how much damage he was going to take before all was said and done. Koscheck needs to just not fight again, but good on Silva for doing what he was expected to do.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SIX: DEMIAN MAIA VS. RYAN LAFLARE (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: They traded punches early, both connecting in the opening exchange. Both felt each other out for a bit. LaFlare got through with a left hook. Maia shot in for a single leg, and though LaFlare tried to defend, Maia ultimately planted him and passed his butterfly guard. Maia tried to work from half guard, and worked to side control. LaFlare tried to escape, but Maia held top position back in half guard. Maia slickly moved to mount with two minutes to work. LaFlare tried to buck him off, and did manage to get Maia back to half guard. LaFlare continued defending well off his back to the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Maia. Strong round from Maia, but LaFlare’s defense is promising if he can get back into things as the fight wears on.
ROUND TWO: Little action through the opening minute. Maia shot in but LaFlare stuffed it. Maia timed another shot and planted LaFlare on his back. Maia tried to set up a pass, but LaFlare did a solid job locking it down. Maia again set up a fantastic pass to mount with a minute and a half left in the round. Maia looked to set up an arm triangle choke, but when he passed to side control he didn’t have it on right. He tried to get back to mount but LaFlare kept him in half guard. Maia passed back to mount and landed a few punches before the horn.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Maia. Close to 10-8. His ground control is excellent.
ROUND THREE: Another slow start to the round, but LaFlare tried to press in a bit more. He connected on a leg kick, but missed several other strikes. Maia landed a left. LaFlare got in with a body punch and a kick. Maia shot in, but LaFlare managed to get free. Maia landed a good jab. LaFlare got in with a leg kick. Maia shot in again. LaFlare countered it, and Maia essentially pulled guard. Maia locked up LaFlare’s right arm. LaFlare escaped, but Maia tried to lock up his leg. LaFlare popped to his feet, but got taken down again, with Maia passing to side control and quickly back to mount. Maia got in some strikes from the top. LaFlare kicked off the cage to escape, but Maia quickly advanced back to mount. LaFlare bucked off the cage again, but Maia was right back to the half guard. Lots of patient grappling, not a ton of offense. Maia finished the round throwing a few strikes.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Maia. LaFlare now officially needs to find a finish in the last ten minutes or he’s going to lose his first fight. His defense has been solid, but it’s not enough when Maia’s control game has been on point.
ROUND FOUR: Maia landed a solid combination early. LaFlare got in a body punch. LaFlare tried to chase but couldn’t do much effectively. Maia landed a straight left. Maia shot in again. LaFlare tried to scramble on the attempt, but again Maia took top position. More patience, and again he wound up in the mount. Maia worked to set up the arm triangle from the mount. He continued to slowly set it up, and LaFlare tried to fight it off. He continued to cinch the hold and LaFlare tried to escape. LaFlare got enough space to avoid the submission, but Maia rode out another round on top.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Maia. LaFlare’s not offering up much. It’s a continued lesson in frustration for him here, as Maia continued to work effectively on top. Would be nice to see a finish, but LaFlare’s tough.
ROUND FIVE: LaFlare landed an early strike. Maia shot in and nearly completed a takedown, but LaFlare scrambled nicely. Maia flopped to his back after another failed shot and he’s looking tired. LaFlare got in another couple of shots. Maia shot in, tried to pull guard, and LaFlare popped out again. Maia landed a jab. LaFlare got in a hard right hand and a kick. Maia again shot, but LaFlare countered to get on top in side control, then got to his feet. LaFlare landed a hard knee as Maia shot in. Maia again flopped and was forced to stand. LaFlare stuffed another shot and got on top. Sad, exhausted stuff from Maia here. This is Fabricio Werdum vs. Alistair Overeem II level bad. LaFlare got in a body kick. Maia cracked him with a straight left. LaFlare landed another knee, but this time Maia completed the takedown. Maia easily passed to side control despite his exhaustion. LaFlare tried to scramble, but Maia stayed on top and landed a couple of strikes. LaFlare swept and got to his feet. Maia flopped to his back before the horn and John McCarthy took a point.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-8 LaFlare. Not enough because of losing the first four. Really bad round to end a not really all that good fight.
WINNER: Maia via unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 48-46)
STAR RATING: (*) Maia’s top control grappling can be interesting to watch, and it was LaFlare’s defense that made it tougher for Maia there. Still, just not much to that one, and the fifth round took it down several notches.
-That closes out the UFC’s March schedule, though we finish up the month with Bellator and WSOF action next weekend. Thanks for joining us here tonight, we’ll have more to say throughout the week, and we’ll start looking ahead to one hell of a major stretch for the organization from April-July.
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