Istela Nunes v. Ariane Carnelossi

Round one opened up with both women wasting no time and immediately throwing extremely heavy punches.  The most noticeable thing initially was the undeniable speed advantage of Nunes.  However, Carnelossi was unshaken and continued to press forward with heavy shots and continue pursuing clinches and takedowns.  The opening round could have gone to either fighter in the judges eyes.  Round two was a little more clean cut for Carnelossi as she was able to get her grappling going easier and maintain some top control.  Round three Nunes came out trying to be more diligent with her takedown defense but she was unable to hold out.  Carnelossi finally secures a takedown and begins ground and pound until she eventually can take the back of Nunes.  From there it was only a matter of time until she could lock in a rear naked choke and force the tap.  Carnelossi by round three submission. 

Danaa Batgerel v. Brandon Davis

Upon booking, this fight had immediate intrigue.  Brandon Davis was making his return back into the UFC after leaving the organization and winning three straight fights.  Batgerel on the other hand, was trying to continue proving that he’s an elite striker in his division after knocking out his past two opponents in round one.  The fight started quickly with both fighters showing a high interest in heavy punches.  Neither fighter threw many kicks and after a few exchanges it was clear that Batgerel again was the more elite striker in the Octagon.  He eventually lands a huge overhand and immediately drops Brandon Davis which appeared had ended the fight.  Davis however, was highly impressive and somehow remained conscious and got back to his feet.  Unfortunately for him, he was only back on his feet for a matter of seconds before Batgerel lands a few more devastating blows and drops him again.  It was at this point that referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight.  For the third fight in a row, Batgerel by first round TKO.  

Lupita Godinez v. Luana Carolina 

In the opening round, the first thing that was immediately noticeable was the significant size and length advantage of Luana Carolina.  Secondly, the sole focus of Godinez was going to be clinching and pursuing takedowns the entire fight.  Carolina did a decent job at fending off the takedown attempts early but near the end of the round Godinez does secure one.  From there she ends the round chasing an arm bar but just barely running out of time allowing Carolina to survive and escape the dan ger.  Rounds two and three, Carolina did even better with her takedown defense and began slowly pulling away in the striking department utilizing her reach advantage.  It was these two rounds that ended up being just enough to get the nod in the judges eyes.  Carolina by unanimous decision. 

Ramazan Emeev v. Danny Roberts

This fight was a classic case of striker vs. grappler.  Danny Roberts being the well polished boxer throwing precise and lethal punches while Emeev looks to evade and pursue clinches and takedowns.  Round one was closely contested but it may have gone to Emeev in the judges eyes.  Round two was also close but Emeev was able to get a couple of takedowns and was constantly pursuing ground strikes and submissions.  Roberts did show good scrambling ability and cardio but the round was clearly won by Emeev.  Round three was maybe the most competitive of the entire fight and was hardest to judge.  When the fight ended it appeared that Emeev had done enough to get the nod.  However, the judges saw it the other way in a very close bout.  The most concerning factor of the judges cards was that one judge saw the fight 30-27 for Roberts.  That particular score card will very likely be a topic of heavy controversy in the upcoming week of discussions.  Roberts by split decision. 

Andrew Sanchez v. Bruno Silva

In the opening round Silva quickly gets Sanchez pinned against the cage and rips three or four consecutive body shots that land flush followed by an uppercut.  From there Sanchez immediately wants no more part of the striking and begins heavily chasing the takedown.  He eventually secures the takedown and is able to control Silva on the ground for a decent portion of the round.  Silva ends up getting back to his feet but then suffers a low blow pausing the fight.  Shortly after that he immediately suffers an even harder low blow which once again pauses the fight.  The round was close but Sanchez may have done just enough due to the control on the ground for a decent period of time.  In the second round Sanchez secures a takedown much quicker than the previous and is able to again control Silva but this time for a much larger portion of the round.  A clear cut round for Sanchez.  Round three things took a quick turn when Sanchez came out and appeared completely gassed.  It appeared that all that wrestling in the first two rounds led him right into a brick wall as far as cardio was concerned.  Silva sensing the change along with knowing that he needed a finish immediately turned up the intensity and went to work.  He began landing heavy head shots and even more body shots that were not only higher in number but also harder in force.  Sanchez began to crumble and was fading even faster.  The referee tried to give him the benefit of the doubt but eventually there were just too many consecutive shots with not enough retaliation from Sanchez.  The fight is stopped.  Silva by round three TKO.

Ludovit Klein v. Nate Landwehr

According to the oddsmakers, Ludovit Klein was expected to win this bout pretty handily.  In the opening round Klein comes out and lands the better strikes and appeared to do enough to win the round.  Round two however, Klein began showing subtle signs of slowing down in the cardio department as well as throwing shots with a slight decrease in intensity.  Meanwhile Landwehr was starting to pick up the pace and find his rhythm.  Round three Landwehr picked up where he left off in the second and continued his increased pace and confidence.  Klein was still showing signs of decrease and eventually the fight hits the ground with Landwehr locking up a choke on an already tired Klein.  There is a struggle and Klein is able to evade but shortly thereafter Landwehr is able to lock up the same choke again and this time it’s much tighter.  After trying his best to escape Klein is left no choice but to tap out.  Landwehr by third round submission.  

Manon Fiorot v. Mayra Bueno Silva 

This fight was highly anticipated as Manon Fiorot has left a huge impression on the UFC and it’s fans with her two opening dominant performances in the UFC.  She draws a tougher opponent this time out against Silva.  In the opening round Fiorot is absolutely getting the better of the striking exchanges but Silva continues walking forward and shrugging it off while making faces that imply the strikes are having no effect on her.  Round two was more of the same and although it can be intimidating to land repeatedly on your opponent and have them continue to march forward while making faces, the fact didn’t change that Silva was now down two rounds.  Going into the third Silva finally had shown some signs of frustration to her coaches in the corner between rounds.  She would need a finish in this round to secure a victory in this fight.  Early in round three Fiorot lands a few more strikes and then quickly secures a takedown which was a smart change up.  Silva eventually gets back to her feet where Fiorot proceeds to dominate landing the far higher quantity and quality strikes.  Silva continues to make faces and act like it doesn’t bother her but she does it with a face dripping in blood.  By the end of the fight, Fiorot had more than doubled the amount of strikes landed by her opponent.  This was a very clear cut victory allowing the hype train to continue to move forward.  Fiorot by unanimous decision.  

Jim Miller v. Erick Gonzalez

This fight made history for two different reasons.  Number one, Jim Miller now officially has fought in the UFC more than any other fighter in history.  Erick Gonzalez was making his debut in the UFC.  So the second record set was the biggest discrepancy of UFC bouts ever between two fighters.  Round one started off competitive with Gonzales holding his own.  He not only landed flush on Miller and dropped him at one point but he also landed a very surprising takedown that nobody saw coming.  Round two however was when all that experience shined through for Miller.  Towards the end of the first round Miller realized that his counter left was landing.  So he stuck with that again in the second and eventually landed flush dropping Gonzalez instantly and quickly following up with a couple strikes.  The referee stepped in and stopped the fight immediately.  For Miller, this was his first finish by strikes since July of 2016.  A hard loss for the debut of Gonzalez but a valuable lesson nonetheless.  Miller by round two TKO.

Andrei Arlovski v. Carlos Felipe 

This fight was very closely contested.  Neither fighter has really shown themselves to be knockout artists in the past few years so it was anticipated that one of them would win by decision.  Arlovski continued on his path of smarter fighting and better defense which has helped him in the recent years to win 3 out of his last 4 fights.  Felipe was the one bringing the pressure for a majority of the fight and narrowly was missing some heavy shots.  Arlovski was able to continue evading by an inch and continue to do enough to outpoint Felipe and win rounds.  By the third round both were exhausted and leaning on each other.  Their movement was much slower and Felipe continued to try and pursue but his cardio was struggling as well.  In the end, Arlovski did enough to get the judges nod and now increased his recent success to 4 wins out of his last 5 fights.  Arlovski by unanimous decision. 

Aspen Ladd v. Norma Dumont 

This bout ended up being a little less exciting than most had hoped for, especially for a main event.  Ladd was coming back after a two year layoff and was moving up in weight class.  Unfortunately for her, she was getting a good sized featherweight and was unable to ever get her takedowns going.  For Ladd’s success in the UFC, it has always been her bread and butter to land takedowns and initiate her vicious ground and pound.  However, Dumont was too strong and had the edge in striking so she was able to win round after round while Ladd continued to struggle in finding any rhythm.  Dumont wins the first three rounds pretty clearly and an argument can be made that she also won the fourth and fifth rounds.  The judges opinions did vary on rounds number four and five.  Regardless, Dumont did enough coast to a somewhat lackluster victory, although she did add a very good name to her resume.  Dumont by unanimous decision.