Nikolas Motta v. Cameron VanCamp

This fight is very short lived. As the fight begins there is a huge and glaring size difference between the two fighters. Motta is the much smaller fighter but he is the one landing and finding success. VanCamp is leaving his chin high up in the air and is using almost zero head movement. He’s getting grazed with punches and it begins to feel like he’s going to get caught with a good one if he doesn’t start being more cautious. It doesn’t take long before that exact thing happens. Motta blitzes in again with a hard left hook that lands flush. VanCamp drops immediately and Motta blitzes him with a barrage of follow-up shots. VanCamp curls up in a ball which signifies to the referee that he no longer wants to fight. The stoppage comes in shortly after and Motta has another quick finish added to his record. Motta by first round TKO.

Javid Basharat v. Tony Gravely

The opening round of this bout is pretty competitive. For the first part of the round it is Gravely who is finding the momentum. He lands a takedown or two and is making Basharat really work. There is an accidental head butt half way through the round that opens up a significant cut over the left eye of Basharat. As the round progresses Basharat starts finding success of his own. The round is very close and could have gone to either fighter. In the second round Basharat really starts picking up steam. He starts utilizing his size and is overpowering Gravely when the grappling exchanges take place. In addition to that he is overwhelming Gravely with his wide variety of strikes that are all landing frequently. He is butchering the legs, body and head of Gravely. This round is a clear cut win for Basharat. In the final round

Gillian Robertson v. Mariya Agapova

The opening round of this fight is a wild ride. Robertson seems to have a single objective which is grappling. She pursues the takedown at all costs. Unfortunately for her there are several instances where Robertson is pursuing the takedown but getting her head bashed repeatedly with punches and elbows. She is being careless with her head position and is paying the price by taking repeated blows. Eventually she starts getting the grappling going. Agapova puts forth a good fight but the key factor is that Robertson is making her work. Agapova is known to fade after the first round. Despite the good moments of grappling for Robertson it is a clear cut round for Agapova due to all the punches and elbows she landed. In the second round Robertson gets right back to the grappling and is working to collect on her early investments of making Agapova work. She gets a quick takedown and is immediately pursuing submissions again. Agapova is still scrambling but eventually Robertson locks up a choke. Agapova tries to survive but eventually she starts making faces and is even biting her tongue due to the choke. She refuses to tap but eventually goes limp and is clearly out. The referee stops the fight and Agapova is still making a strange face and shaking in a very concerning way. Another nice win for Robertson to add to her record. Robertson by second round submission.

Trey Ogden v. Daniel Zellhuber

The first round is mainly a feeling out process for these two fighters. Zellhuber has a clear size advantage and utilizes his height and reach to stay on the outside and pick at Ogden. Despite this, his output is not quite enough and it feels as though he may have been edged out by Ogden just due to the higher output. In the second round Zellhuber picks up the activity but Ogden does as well. The round is another close one but it feels like it may have once again been edged out by Ogden. In the final round Zellhuber comes out with urgency but it only last for the first 30 seconds. He then falls back into his lower output and is once again throwing single shots. This doesn’t seem to be enough to come from behind the way he needs to. It’s almost as if he thinks he’s ahead in the fight. He still finds his moments and has success but he just seemed to be outworked slightly in every round. The judges agree. Ogden by unanimous decision.

Loma Lookboonme v. Denise Gomes

This fight was very exciting. Normally Lookboonme kind of cruises in her fights by overwhelming her opponents with high volume and slick combinations. However, in this fight she really had to earn it. In the beginning of the opening round she is getting the better of the striking until Gomes gets fed up and starts forcing the grappling exchanges. Once the fight hits the ground Gomes is constantly looking for submissions. Lookboonme is constantly under attack and is having to fight off the submission attempts but several of them are in very deep and dangerously close. She survives the round and is doing damage of her own when not under attack but the round became much closer once the grappling started. In the second round the chaos continues. Both fighters land good strikes on the feet and when the grappling ensues it is once again nonstop action. Gomes is always threatening submissions and Lookboonme keeps finding ways to escape. In between the submission attacks Lookboonme is landing good ground strikes but Gomes capitalizes on her moments to strike as well. The round is once again close and both fighters are giving each other all they can handle. In the final round it is more of the exact same. On the feet it is a muay thai fight with punches, kicks and elbows. On the ground it is a BJJ scramble at all times. Each fighter has their moments and they are constantly reversing each other and stealing the momentum back and forth. Gomes has her best round in the third and is clearly winning for a good chunk but then Lookboonme reverses and now has her time to dominate. There are several moments throughout the fight where it looks as though the finishing potential is there but the scrappiness always prevails. It feels as though these two women were born to fight each other. The fight is extremely competitive but in the end the judges felt it was Lookboonme who had done enough for the win. Lookboonme by unanimous decision.

Trevin Giles v. Louis Cosce

The first round of this fight is very uneventful. For the first few minutes the fighter just circle each other and throw almost nothing. Once they finally do throw they are half hearted jabs and an occasional leg kick. As the round comes to a close not much has happened and hard to even know which fighter will get credit for winning the round. In the second round the activity picks up a bit for the first half of the round. In the second half of the round it picks up even more. The fighters finally start to trade. Each fighter lands a couple good shots but in the final minute Giles initiates the grappling and is able to take the back of Cosce while still standing. He holds the clinch and throws shots from behind. The round was close again but the clinch control and strikes at the end may have been enough to steal the round for Giles. In the final round Cosce comes out and gets an immediate takedown. He assumes top control and uses heavy pressure to keep Giles pinned down. He attacks a head and arm choke but Giles is able to escape. Cosce then stays heavy on top but is not throwing much of anything. This is very surprising considering the fact that he could very well be down two rounds and need a finish. He does not show any urgency and after a lackluster show of ground control Giles eventually escapes back to the feet. Giles then takes the back and clinches from behind again. From here he throws knees and once again starts scoring points from the clinch. The fight comes to an end it is not one either fighter should be particularly proud of. In the end the judges felt it was Giles that had done enough. Giles by unanimous decision.

Damon Jackson v. Pat Sabatini

This fight did not last long. The fighters meet in the middle of the cage and circle each other for a few seconds before actually engaging. Once Sabatini finally comes in to engage he is lowering himself like he is going to attempt a takedown and Jackson greets him with an up kick. The kick lands flush and wobbles Sabatini. From there Jackson blitzes after him with more strikes and eventually lands a takedown with authority. He quickly takes the back and though Sabatini is trying to recover the barrage is just too much for him. Jackson gets in full mount on top of Sabatini’s back and just throws bomb after bomb to the side of Sabatini’s head. The referee warns him to protect himself but the blitz is just too much. The fight is quickly stopped and Jackson immediately starts crying. His brother had recently passed away and this was clearly the moment that all of the emotions finally came rushing in. A very impressive performance against his toughest opponent to date. Jackson by first round TKO.

Anthony Hernandez v. Marc-Andre Barriault

The first round of this bout has a lot of good action. In the early striking exchanges both fighters are landing hard and flush strikes until Hernandez starts pursuing the grappling. At first the takedowns are hard to get and Barriault is landing good strikes on the head of Hernandez as he’s bent over to clinch the body. Eventually Hernandez lands the takedown but Barriault is fresh and still has plenty of energy to scramble and eventually work his way back to the feet. Hernandez just stays relentless the entire round and is always throwing punches or pursuing another takedown. The nonstop attack is making Barriault constantly work. Hernandez is using cardio as a weapon and it is already starting to wear on Barriault. Both fighters have success in the round but it is Hernandez who outworks Barriault and wins the round. In the second round Hernandez gets right back to work and is once again using his cardio as a weapon. It is nonstop attacks of moving forward and either landing hard strikes or pursuing the takedowns. He lands a few more good takedowns throughout the round and is always landing ground strikes or pursuing submissions. Barriault is forced to constantly work and this is all going exactly how Hernandez had planned. Another clear cut round in the favor of Hernandez. In the final round Hernandez is right back to work and once again landing takedowns. The heart of Barriault is on full display but the resistance is slowly starting to fade. Eventually Hernandez is finally able to lock in a choke. Barriault tries to fight it off but eventually he is unconscious. The fight is stopped and Hernandez has once again delivered a masterclass performance. Hernandez by third round submission.

Tanner Boser v. Rodrigo Nascimento

In the first round Boser is showing off his clear speed advantage as he always does in fights. Each time the fighters throw Boser is so much faster and is able to move in and out quickly with fast footwork. However, Nascimento is eventually able to close the distance and clinch which then leads to a takedown. The one weak part of Boser’s game is the ground. Once he gets to the ground he almost always just lays flat on his back and rarely shows any urgency to get back up. Nascimeno lays on top and throws ground strikes to score points. Luckily for Boser he finds one key moment this time and is able to scramble back up. He gets back to work with the fast striking but it may not have been enough to steal the round back. In the second round Boser lands a good shot halfway through the round and finally hurts Nascimento. Boser blitzes after the wobbled Nascimento but gets overly excited and Nascimento is able to land another takedown. From there Nascimento is once again dominating on top and is landing strikes while mixing in submission attempts. The round was looking so good for Boser early but now there is a possibility that Nascimento was able to steal the round late. In the final round Boser tries to keep it on the feet but he is slightly slower now due to fatigue. Nascimento once again backs Boser to the fence and ducks under for a takedown. Boser is now flat on his back again and he can feel the fight slowly slipping away from him. Nascimento doesn’t land any big shots but does just enough for the referee to allow him to lay on top and in control. The final few minutes expire and Boser is has to finish the fight was virtually no offense. A frustrated Boser has likely lost another fight due to his grappling deficiencies. The judges agree. Nascimento by unanimous decision.

Alen Amedovski v. Joseph Pyfer

This fight went as expected, unfortunately for Amedovski. Coming in off of three consecutive losses, two of which he was finished in, Amedovski is booked against the scary Pyfer. Amedovski approaches this fight more patiently and doesn’t just plow forward carelessly like he usually does. Despite this, it only delays the inevitable. Pyfer stalks him calmly and looks for his openings. He lands some occasional strikes while slowly backing Amedovski up looking for the big one. Eventually Pyfer sees his opening and lands the big one. It comes via a flush and blistering right hand that drops Amedovski instantly. Amedovski stares up at the sky completely dazed and Pyfer moves in to land the one single follow up shot that is needed. The fight is stopped immediately. A very impressive debut performance for Pyfer after coming off a great Contender Series victory. Pyfer by first round TKO.

Andre Fili v. Bill Algeo

The first round of this fight an exciting one. Fili comes out looking very good in this bout. He is doing a nice job at landing punches from range and over time he starts landing head kicks repeatedly. Algeo is somehow able to eat them but not without being cut and wobbled. Fili keeps the range and is fighting from distance beautifully. Algeo stays scrappy and determined but the round is clearly won by Fili. In the second round Algeo starts to improve and find some success. He stays plotting forward and is finally landing some decent strikes. The harder strikes are landed by Fili but Algeo lands a few more throughout the round. A late surge by Algeo also helps to likely sway the judges with a good final impression. In the final round Fili both fighters press on with urgency knowing the fight is likely on the line. They both have good moments on the feet but then the fight hits the ground and Fili takes the back. He locks up a rear naked choke that looks extremely tight. Somehow Algeo keeps fighting and is able to pull the hands away several times. Fili keeps hunting the choke but is unable to get it. Algeo eventually starts blasting punches behind his head and is landing flush. It brings up an interesting question as to which fighter is winning that exchange. In the end two of the judges end up leaning slightly in the favor of Fili. He does just enough to scrape by with the win against a tough opponent. Fili by split decision.

Chidi Njokuani v. Gregory Rodrigues

The opening round of this bout was the round of the night by far. Early on, the momentum is all Njokuani. He lands a flush knee that wobbles Rodrigues badly and opens up a giant gash in between his eyes. The blood is pouring heavily as Njokuani stays on him, searching for the finish. Rodrigues hangs tough and just keeps fighting back. He eventually lands some really hard shots of his own and even gets a takedown. Njokuani shows urgency and surges back to his feet but he clearly has a fight on his hands now. The fighters continue to trade on the feet and then Rodrigues gets another takedown. Njokuani gets up once again but he had to use even more energy this time. They continue to trade on the feet and this time Rodrigues lands flush and hurts Njokuani. Rodrigues blitzes after him and is now searching for his own finish. Njokuani is wobbled badly but finds a way to survive. What a round. In the second round Njokuani now looks fatigued. Rodrigues gets the fight to the ground but this time they are in the middle of the cage and Njokuani is not showing any urgency to get back up. Rodrigues takes mount and starts raining down blows. Njokuani has nothing left to escape and eventually just shells up. This body language tells the referee that he is done. The fight is stopped and Rodrigues has somehow survived being badly wobbled and suffering one of the worst cuts we’ve ever seen. Another insane performance from the RoboCop. Rodrigues by second round TKO.

Cory Sandhagen v. Song Yadong

Sandhagen comes out with some surprising tactics in the first round. He is quickly going for takedown attempts and when he does get the takedown he clinches against the cage. He is usually known for being a sniper in the striking department but he is mixing up the tactics now. Song does a good job to defend but Sandhagen is mixing up the attacks and keeping Song guessing. In the striking exchanges they are competitive but the variety of Sandhagen is confusing for Song. The round is close but it feels as though Sandhagen has edged out the round. In the second round Sandhagen continues the takedown attempts and peppering shots from the outside. He keeps a good distance and Song is having to aggressively lunge in to the close the distance for his strikes. Both fighters have good moments and land some nice shots but Sandhagen is persistent on continuing the grappling pursuits. Before the round is up Sandhagen lands a nasty lead elbow and opens up a monstrous cut on the eyebrow of Song. The cut is comparable to the severity of the cut in the previous fight but in a worse location. The doctor assesses the cut in between rounds but decides it is okay for Song to continue. In the third round Sandhagen continues to pepper shots and occasionally pursue takedowns. Song presses forward with heavy shots but is still having trouble landing. The blood pouring in his eyes is not helping him. The round once again feels edged out by Sandhagen. In between rounds the doctor looks at the cut again and says he does not like it but is now leaving it up to the referee. Song is allowed to continue yet again but is under close watch. The fourth round is more craftiness displayed by Sandhagen and more heart shown by Song. There are more shots landed and more grappling exchanges which just continues to irritate the cut. In between rounds the cut is looked at once again but this time Song is not so lucky. The cut is just too bad and the fight is called off. Sandhagen by fourth round TKO.