Luana Pinheiro v. Sam Hughes

Pinheiro comes out in the opening round and is a little bit more measured than how she started in her last fight. But it doesn’t take long before she starts blitzing with her punching attacks and throwing with 100% power. She lands one shortly thereafter and then quickly does a hip throw to blast Hughes to the ground. Hughes tries to scramble but each time she makes any progress Pinheiro quickly ragdolls her back into a controlled position. After several scrappy attempts Hughes is finally able to get back to her feet but only with a few seconds left in the round. A clear cut winning round for Pinheiro. In the second round Hughes comes out a little more aggressive knowing that she is now behind on the scorecards. For the most part though Pinheiro is too elusive and Hughes is just swinging at air. As the round progresses though Hughes does start landing a few stiff jabs which garners a little bit of respect from Pinheiro. In the final seconds of the round Pinheiro blitzes and lands a hard shot which is able to drop Hughes instantly. Hughes hangs in though and survives the round. In the third and final round Pinheiro begins showing some signs of fatigue which can be expected with her taking the fight on only a weeks notice. Hughes increases her pressure and hunt for the finish but Pinheiro is too good with her footwork and remains elusive. The fight goes to the scorecards and is a clear cut victory as well as a good learning experience for both fighters. Pinheiro by unanimous decision.

Shayilan Nuerdanbieke v. Sean Soriano

The first minute of this fight is mostly a feeling out process. Soriano throws occasionally while Nuerdanbieke remains mostly dormant. About halfway through the round Nuerdanbieke finally sees his chance and shoots in quickly for a beautiful takedown. Soriano is able to quickly reverse though which is highly impressive against such a good grappler. The fight ends up back on the feet and both fighters exchange occasional blows until the round expires. A tough opening round to score but may have gone to Soriano. Round two begins to unfold and it continues to be clear that Soriano has an obvious advantage in the striking. Nuerdanbieke eventually ends up in top control on the ground which is his best option to find victory. Soriano tries to scramble several times but Nuerdanbieke stays one step ahead and remains in control. As the round ends, Nuerdanbieke has spent a majority of the round in control on the ground which should’ve been enough to win him the round. The final round begins and the fight may be even on the score cards. Nuerdanbieke secures a takedown much quicker in this round and is able to take the back. From there he continues to pepper shots from behind while occasionally threaten the neck of Soriano. As several scrambling attempts take place Soriano is still unable to escape due to the tightly secured body triangle held by Nuerdanbieke. As the round ends Nuerdanbieke has spent almost the entire round in control which proves to be enough to win him another clear cut round and making it a much easier fight for the judges to score. Nuerdanbieke by unanimous decision.

Cody Durden v. Qileng Aori

A majority of the opening round belonged to Cody Durden. He stayed very aggressive with his wrestling and was able to secure three takedowns throughout the round. As the round neared it’s end however, Durden began showing clear signs of early fatigue. In the second round Durden toughed it out through his fatigue but Aoriqileng may have done enough to win the round by stuffing takedowns and landing the better of the striking exchanges. Just like in the previous fight, we may be tied heading into the final round. As the third round begins Durden decides to empty his gas tank early and goes full force for another takedown attempt. He eventually secures it but not without huge amounts of resistance from Aoriqileng. With 90 seconds left in the round Aoriqileng is able to do a nice judo throw which sends Durden flying. The result is both fighters scrambling back to their feet and being extremely exhausted. Aoriqileng tries to land some shots but Durden is smart and dives for another clinch. As the round is fianlly over both fighters are extremely gassed and the winner is not clear cut. The judges are left to decide once more and in the end it was the relentless wrestling that proved to be just enough. Durden by unanimous decision.

Loma Lookboonmee v. Lupita Godinez

This fight makes history for Lupita Godinez as she sets the UFC record for most fights in the shortest amount of time. This was the third fight for Godinez in just 43 days. In the opening round Godinez comes out aggressive with the blitzes in striking and eventually attempts her first takedown but is reversed and thrown into the air by a judo throw from Lookboonmee. The ground control only last a couple of seconds as Godinez is able to quickly scramble and both fighters resume to the feet. From there both fighters exchange occasional strikes as Godinez continues trying to clinch here and there. The round ends and it is a tough round to score for the judges. Round two begins and Godinez is able to secure a takedown very quickly. Lookboonmee is able to scramble out eventually and once again the fighters are back on their feet. The fighters exchange striking briefly and Godinez once again clinches and is able to eventually turn it into a takedown. With Lookboonmee on bottom and her back pressed against the cage, Godinez peppers with shots while continuing to remain in top control for the remainder of the round. A clear cut round in the favor of Godinez. In the third and final round Godinez continues on her grappling aggression and although Lookboonmee puts up plenty of resistance it is the persistence of Godinez that eventually wins out. Another closely contested round but it appeared that Godinez had done enough to win the round and the fight. The judges agreed. Godinez by unanimous decision.

Rafa Garcia v. Natan Levy

This fight begins with Levy throwing some very precise and blistering shots as well as becoming within inches of landing a devastating head kick. As the kick misses however, Garcia is able to secure a body lock and take Levy down to the ground. Garcia remains in top control for about a minute and then Levy scrambles and the fighters end up back on their feet. The fighters trade a few shots before the clinches and grappling resumes. As the round ends Levy has put up a good fight against the aggressive grappling attempts of Garcia but it may not have been enough to win him the round. Round two begin to play out and it becomes clear that Levy is going to try to increase his own grappling now. He lands a couple of much needed takedowns but each time Garcia is able to eventually work his way back to the feet and later lands one of his own as well. As the round comes to completion it is a much better round for Levy but not clear cut and could have gone to either fighter. In the third round Garcia begins to get back on his grappling persistence. Levy does a nice job at limiting the control time of each but it is the persistence of Garcia that keeps the momentum in his favor. By the end of the final round it appears that Garcia has done enough to secure the win. The judges agree. Garcia by unanimous decision.

Tucker Lutz v. Pat Sabatini

The opening round of this bout was a mostly dominant one for Pat Sabatini. He secures the takedown fairly easily and then takes the back of Lutz where he threatens the rear naked choke and remains in control for a majority of the round. Round two begins and Sabatini wastes no time at all in securing another takedown. From there he is all over Lutz switching from strikes to choke attempts and constant pressure. Lutz tries to hang tough but by the time the round ends he not only lost another round but lost it in an even more convincing fashion. In the third round Lutz is able to get a takedown of his own which is basically the first good thing that’s happened for him in the fight. Unfortunately for him, Sabatini gets up in a matter of seconds and then gets another takedown of his own. As the round passes the halfway mark time is running out for Lutz. Sabatini continues to grapple and control making it impossible for Lutz to ever get anything going. Lutz was shut out the entire fight. An easy and clear cut result for the judges to determine. Sabatini by unanimous decision.

Adrian Yanez v. Davey Grant

This fight was expected by many to be a Fight of the Night contender. Both fighters have exceptional striking while at the same time are known to be hit fairly frequently. As the first round begins to play out Grant is landing the better of the kicking exchanges but Yanez shows a slight edge in the punches landed. Both have their moments of landing significant damage on the other and as the round ends it is a toss up as to who won in the judges eyes. Round two begins and the fighters get right back to action with no feeling out process. Shortly into the round there is an accidental eye poke by Grant and the fight is paused giving Yanez time to recover. When the fight resumes Grant shoots in immediately for a takedown but Yanez defends. As the round continues to progress Yanez opens up a cut on the nose of Grant and by the time the round ends there is a lot of blood on his face, body and shorts. Another closely contested round and another tough call for he judges to determine. In the third round Grant gets right back to business landing some good hooks and continued kicks to the body. Yanez lands as well but the difference seems to be that Yanez rolls with the punches when he’s hit making it so that Grant lands with a little bit less power. Both fighters land plenty of strikes though and both are taking a significant amount of damage. As the final buzzer sounds and the fight is complete, both fighters are definitely feeling the pain. There is no clear cut winner but it appears that Yanez might’ve had the edge in just the slightest of margins. The judges agree. Yanez by split decision.

Rani Yahya v. Kyung Ho Kang

In the first round of this bout it was clear that Kang was the much younger, stronger and larger fighter. His advantage in the athletic ability was beyond apparent. But Yahya has made a career off of being smarter and more skilled than his opponents and this fight was no different. In the first round Kang landed the better of the striking exchanges and even had Yahya rocked and in trouble on several instances. But Yahya is able to survive the round and from there he gets to work. In round two he secures the takedown and takes the back of Kang while locking in a body triangle. He controls from there a majority of the round peppering shots from behind and always threatening rear naked chokes. A clear cut round for Yahya. In round three it was more of the exact same. Yahya secures another takedown and after a bit of scrambling he ends up on the back again with another body triangle locked in. Kang tried to scramble and escape but was just never able to. Another smart and admirable performance by Yahya the long time veteran. Yahya by unanimous decision.

Joanne Wood v. Taila Santos

Joanne Wood came into this fight after being very recently married. She put off her honeymoon to try and come in and get another win on her record. Unfortunately for her she was fighting Taila Santos. It was expected that Santos would try and dominate Wood with her grappling and athletic ability. Unfortunately for Wood it didn’t even get to that point. The first round is progressing with minute by minute passing and Santos is still not attempting any takedown attempts. Just as it starts seeming to be a questionable approach Santos lands flush and drops Wood instantly. She jumps on her quickly following up with strikes. She then secures a rear naked choke and although Wood is trying to fight it off and hang tough, she eventually is left no choice but to tap out. A very impressive club/sub for Santos as she continues on her warpath. Santos by first round submission.

Michael Chiesa v. Sean Brady

The first round of this bout was an interesting one. Before too much could happen Chiesa accidentally eye pokes Brady forcing the fight to be stopped temporarily. Once the fight resumes only a short amount of time passes before Chiesa accidentally lands yet another eye poke, this time it opens a small cut below the left eye of Brady. The referee issues a stern warning and the fight resumes. The fighters continue to trade shots and eventually the grappling begins. Surprisingly, it is Brady that gets the takedown and has some top control temporarily but Chiesa is eventually able to get back to the feet. The fighters continue the round on the feet and it appears as the best shot landed in the round is by Chiesa which has started a good amount of blood pouring from the nose of Brady. Round two begins and the fighters begin trading shots immediately. Chiesa is getting a slight edge in the striking exchanges by throwing straight shots right down the center. With only two minutes left in the round, Brady is able to land another takedown. He takes the back of Chiesa and is continuing to threaten rear naked chokes. In the end, he never really does much in the way of offense with his takedowns. But in a fight that is this closely contested, these takedowns could prove to be the deciding factor. Round three begins with the coaches of Chiesa urging him to let everything go in this round. They want him to go all out in the final round and empty the tank. Chiesa comes out in a more aggressive posture and is pressing forward with serious intent. He lands several hard shots and somewhat rocks Brady but Brady is able to quickly clinch and save himself from the onslaught. He eventually lands a takedown and once again is on the back of Chiesa. The scrambling begins for Chiesa but it is apparent in this fight that the grappling strength of Brady is what is causing serious problems for Chiesa. Chiesa was able to escape and throw up a serious flurry of strikes in the final seconds but it was the grappling control of Brady that may have once again won him the round. The judges agreed. Brady by unanimous decision.

Miesha Tate v. Ketlen Vieira

Round one of the main event begins and Tate comes out a little bit tentative. Each time they do finally exchange strikes Vieira is getting the better of them by a slight edge. Tate is having trouble dealing with the length of Vieira and closing the distance. When the fight finally ends up in a clinch along the fence Vieira is able to get a partial takedown but Tate is able to keep up enough defense that Vieira never fully secures the takedown before the round ends. In the second round Tate continues to struggle trying to get into range without getting stung by Vieira. But as time passes she begins to land some decent shots and even a couple of partial head kicks. When the fighters do exchange though, there is a clear power advantage in favor of Vieira. As the round ends it is another closely contested round and not a clear cut round for either fighter. In the third round it is more of the same with both fighters having their moments at times and at other times both just circling each other. Neither of the rounds up to this point have been clear cut and sometimes in fights that are this close the judges will give the slight nod to the fighter who is moving forward the most. Up to this point it has been Tate who is the clear aggressor and moving forward. In the fourth round Miesha is finally able to secure a body lock on Viera along the fence and start to open up some of her dirty boxing. Tate also lands a couple of really hard and flush strikes out in the open when exchanging. Up to this point though, it is the power advantage that is standing out for Vieira. The final round begins and the winning fighter is completely unknown. Both fighters exchange like they know the fight is on the line. As they continue to trade each have their moments. But what separated the final round from others is that a badly bleeding nose for Tate began and by the time the final buzzer sounds her left eye is completely swollen shut. A great performance for both fighters but in the end, it was the more powerful shots that were landed by Vieira that won out. Vieira by unanimous decision.