Ailin Perez v. Stephanie Egger

The opening round of this bout was a scrappy one. Perez makes her debut in this fight and comes out with all kinds of wild enthusiasm. Once the grappling exchanges begin it is clear that Egger has a slight strength advantage. However, the scrappiness of Perez makes the round very competitive. The first portion of the round is mainly going Egger’s way but eventually Perez starts to reverse and even hurts Egger late in the round. This may have been enough to edge out the round in her favor. In the second round Perez comes out aggressive again but the strength of Egger is able to hold her ground. Egger eventually reverses the grappling control and spends a good amount of time clinching Perez against the fence. This leads to an eventual takedown in which Egger is now threatening submissions and landing good ground strikes. In the final 30 seconds Egger is on the back of Perez and is trying to find the rear naked choke. She is punching from behind and eventually gets Perez distracted just long enough to sneak her arm under the chin. Perez tries to hang on until the end of the round but the choke is too tight. She is left no choice but to tap out. Egger by second round submission.

Khalid Taha v. Cristian Quinonez

This fight was a quick one. Taha comes into the fight a pretty heavy favorite but Quinonez doesn’t seem to honor that. From the very beginning Quinonez is walking forward and disrespecting the space of Taha. He forces Taha on the back foot constantly which is causing him all types of complications. The variety of different strikes that Quinonez is throwing also causes problems for Taha. Eventually Quinonez lands a nice right hand as Taha is entering which instantly drops him. Quinonez quickly follows up with another strike while Taha is trying to get up. Taha falls back down and Quinonez lands a couple more quick strikes. The referee rushes in to stop the fight. Taha protests as it did appear that the stoppage may have been a bit early since Taha was still defending. Despite this Taha was hit several times consecutively so there was only so much he could complain about. Quinonez by first round TKO.

Benoit Saint-Denis v. Gabriel Miranda

The first round of this fight was a wild one. Miranda is the more aggressive and spastic fighter in the round but Saint-Denis was able to withstand most of it and land some shots of his own. Each fighter had their moments of landing good shots and takedowns. The crowd is very wild and loving every minute. With about 90 seconds left in the round Saint-Denis lands a blistering shot that drops Miranda instantly. Saint-Denis follows him to the ground with more strikes but Miranda is trying his best to survive. He eventually gets back to the feet and then gets blasted with more flush shots. He drops again and is hit with another barrage but somehow barely makes it out of the round. In the second round Miranda tries to rally but within the first minute he is quickly hit and dropped again. This time he falls more limp and is not showing a lot of fight to survive this time. The fight is quickly called off and Saint-Denis gets another nice win added to his resume. Saint-Denis by second round submission.

Fares Ziam v. Michal Figlak

The opening round is all action in this one. Both fighters come out aggressive and are in non stop punching and grappling exchanges. There is never really a moment of rest for either fighter. Each have their moments of winning the grappling and landing the better shots. In the final 30 seconds Figlak throws in an armbar attempt but Ziam is able to escape and land a couple good shots. When the round ends Figlak stands up and there is a lot of blood pouring from his forehead. A very exciting back and forth round that could’ve gone to either fighter. In the second round the madness continues. Early in the round Ziam lunges across the cage and gets a takedown. This makes two takedowns in the fight for him which is very surprising. Up until this fight he had only ever gotten two takedowns in his entire career. This could be Ziam’s new approach in pursuit of a very much needed win. The second round ends up mostly going in his favor and is a clear cut round for him. In the final round Ziam continues with his nice strikes and occasional grappling. Figlak never goes away and continues to stay scrappy but by the end of the fight it was clear that Ziam had done enough to win. The judges agreed. Ziam by unanimous decision.

Nasrat Haqparast v. John Makdessi

The first round of this fight was fairly tame and measured. Haqparast chose to stay on the outside and wait for Makdessi come to him. This is normally Makdessi’s approach so to see a reversal in the styles was interesting. Makdessi walked forward and Haqparast had a counter striking approach but since the strikes were even the forward pressure may have edged out the round for Makdessi. In the second round Haqparast changed it up though. He starts coming forward and increased his output by a considerable amount. He starts finding momentum and lands at least three times the amount of strikes that Makdessi lands. A very clear cut winning round for Haqparast. In the final round Makdessi tries to increase his pressure and output but the speed of Haqparast serves him well. In the final minute Haqparast lands two takedowns and although the round was closer than the second, the takedowns were enough to seal the deal. Haqparast by unanimous decision.

Abusupiyan Magomedov v. Dustin Stoltzfus

This fight was over almost instantly. The opening bell sounds and Magomedov walks forward and throws an upkick that lands flush. Stoltzfus’ head flies back and then Magomedov blitzes forward to land more shots. He throws a blistering uppercut that also lands flush. This shot drops Stoltzfus and Magomedov lands a few more flush shots. The onslaught was aggressive and quick leaving the referee no choice but to stop the fight. A very impressive win that took only 19 seconds for Magomedov. Magomedov by first round TKO.

Nathaniel Wood v. Charles Jourdain

The first round of this bout was very exciting. Wood comes out looking sharp with his lightning fast striking and tight defense. Jourdain throws his usual jump knees, hard punches and head kicks. For the most part Wood stays fairly safe and is using his speed to avoid most of the danger. Wood lands flush on two different occasions which clearly hurts Jourdain and sends him wobbling backwards. The round is close but was clearly won by Wood. In the second round Jourdain comes out aggressive but eventually is taken down by Wood. He works his way back up to the feet quickly. The fighters continue to exchange and although Jourdain stays aggressive it’s the speed of Wood that continues to give him problems. The round is close again but it feels as though Wood has edged it out. Going into the final round it is likely Wood winning two rounds to zero making Jourdain in desperate need of a finish if he wants to get this win. In the final round Jourdain gives his all to try and rally but the speed, precision and pure skill of Wood is just too much. This was a huge win for Wood in his new division and he is now officially a contender who has put the division on notice. Wood by unanimous decision.

William Gomis v. Jarno Errens

The opening round of this bout was an interesting one. Gomis has a really awkward style but it is surprisingly effective. He stands very flat footed and waits for his opponent to throw. He looks like a very easy target to hit but he reacts very quickly and is able to evade and counter for most of the attacks. Errens has his moments as does Gomis but it feels as though Gomis may have edged out the first round. In the second round Gomis lands a nice takedown and is able to accrue a couple minutes of control time. However, Errens also has his moments and even hurts Gomis at one point. Despite this Gomis hangs tough and continues to make it a very scrappy fight. It will be a tough round to score as both fighters had big moments in the round. In the final round the fight stays competitive. Neither fighter is giving an inch and the scrambles continue to be competitive. The powerful strikes of Gomis continue to wow the crowd and he once again uses wrestling to edge out the round. The fight is a close one but in the end the judges felt that it was Gomis who had done enough. Gomis by unanimous decision.

Alessio Di Chirico v. Roman Kopylov

This fight was a very intriguing matchup because these fighters are basically carbon copies of each other. Each fighter is similar in height/build and fights in an almost identical style. As such, this resulted in a very competitive, back and forth battle. In the first round Kopylov lands some good shots but Chirico eats them and stays pressing forward. Then Di Chirico lands a few good ones of his own. It is a tough round to score and feels like it may be this way throughout the fight. In the second round the fighters continue where they left off. Di Chirico is walking forward but it is usually Kopylov who throws the first strike in the engagements. Kopylov is landing the slightly better strikes and even lands an occasional foot sweep with authority. This may have edged out the round for him. In the final round the close fight continues until Kopylov finally lands several flush punches consecutively. The shots are too much and Di Chirico falls forward onto his face. A very explosive finish for an otherwise close fight. Kopylov does a nice job to take the judges out of the equation. Kopylov by third round TKO.

Joaquin Buckley v. Nassourdine Imavov

This fight was an exciting one. From the very beginning the size advantage for Imavov was shocking to see. He looked almost two weight classes bigger than Buckley. Despite this, Buckley was constantly lunging forward trying to close the distance with lunging punches. Unfortunately for him, he was having a lot of trouble getting anything to land. The height mixed with the footwork had Buckley swinging at air for a good amount of the fight. In the first round the strike count was close which would make it a tough fight to score for the judges. In the second round however, Imavov starts to pull away. This was partly due to the fact that Buckley was now getting careless with his strikes. He was lunging more and more which left him overextended when he missed. Imavov starts landing good strikes and is also able to accrue some control time in the grappling department. This round was clear cut in the favor of Imavov. In the final round Buckley continues to display his heart and tenacity. He continues swinging for the fences but has a bit more luck this round because Imavov is finally starting to slow down. The clearly fatigued Imavov is encouraging Buckley to continue lunging in hopes of finding the homerun shot. He never quite finds the shot he wants but his display of heart was definitely commendable. In the end the judges felt that it was Imavov who had clearly won the fight. Imavov by unanimous decision.

Robert Whittaker v. Marvin Vettori

The opening round of this bout is close but it is Whittaker who is doing the better work. Vettori is the fighter who is constantly walking forward but Whittaker bounces around on the outside and uses his blitzing approach when he’s ready to attack. The speed and agility of Whittaker gives Vettori some problems. As always, Vetorri is not discouraged and continues to press forward with his usual aggression. The round is close but it appeared to go to Whittaker. In the second round Whittaker starts pulling ahead. He has now figured out the rhythm of Vettori and is landing good strikes. He starts pulling ahead and is able to evade most of everything Vettori is throwing in return. This round is clear cut in the favor of Whittaker. In the final round Whittaker’s momentum increases even more. He has the timing down beautifully and almost everything he is throwing is landing flush. He even wobbles Vettori a couple of times which is something that almost never happens. The fact that Vettori is eating the shots is just that much of a testament to his durability. By the end of the round Whittaker has now run away with this fight and the momentum is one hundred percent his. The judges agree. Whittaker by unanimous decision.

Ciryl Gane v. Tai Tuivasa

The opening round was a measured one for Gane in this main event fight. He stays on the outside and picks at the heavy swinging Tuivasa. The forward pressure of Tuivasa is constant and he is always stalking forward looking to land the knockout shot or to at least spark a brawling sequence. Gane is wise to this and plays it smart. He constantly is using footwork and evading the danger nicely. He picks at Tuivasa with single shots and does enough to clearly win the round. In the second round Tuivasa continues stalking forward throwing heavy looping punches. Gane continues to evade but the shots are getting closer. Gane throws straight kicks up the middle to sting the stomach and keep the distance. The second round is much more crazy than the first. It is nonstop back and forth action. Gane hurts Tuivasa but he continues to press forward. Eventually Tuivasa finally lands one of the haymakers he’s been searching for. It drops Gane instantly. Tuivasa blitzes after him and throws another heavy shot but Gane somehow has the presence to leap back up though dazed and under attack. He then hurts Tuivasa and sends him stumbling backwards. Both fighters are hurt and throwing bombs at each other. The crowed erupts. It is a tough round to score but was absolutely action packed. In the third round Tuivasa continues to stalk forward but the sharp stabbing front kicks of Gane continue to hit Tuivasa in the stomach. He’s taking so many in this fight and each one hurts him more and more. He tries to press on but the look on his face each time another one lands says it all. Gane also lands stiff jabs that are lightning fast as well. Eventually the onslaught of Gane’s accruing shots are just too much. Tuivasa finally has had enough and falls. Gane stands over him and lands the finishing blows. The referee stops the fight and the crowd erupts for their local hero. What a fight. Gane by third round TKO.