Veronica Hardy vs. Juliana Miller

The opening round of this bout is surprisingly an all-striking affair aside from a brief scuffle at the end of the round.  During the striking exchanges Hardy was landing the better shots catching Miller flush on several different occasions.  Miller was undeterred and kept pressing forward but despite this Hardy appeared to win the round.  In the second round Miller forces the grappling immediately.  Hardy is slick though and is able to end up in top control.  Miller attacks several different submissions while on her back and although they looked very threating, Hardy finds a way to survive.  This round was much closer and could have gone to either fighter.  In the final round the grappling exchanges quickly happen again.  Every time the fight hits the ground Miller is attacking submissions, one after another.  The attacks always look menacing, but Hardy is able to continuously escape.  In between attacks Hardy is landing strikes and is constantly scoring.  In the final minute of the round Hardy lands a flush head kick that sounds like a gunshot upon contact.  The crowd erupts and it is just icing on the cake for her.  All three judges give her every single round.  30-27’s across the board in an absolutely brilliant comeback performance for Hardy.  Hardy by unanimous decision.

Jai Herbert vs. L’udovit Klein

In the first minute of the opening round the fighters exchange lightning fast jabs and straight punches until Klein catches a kick and lands a nice trip.  From his back Herbert is doing a nice job of elevating the hips of Klein.  He then attacks an armbar that almost enables him to get back up but Klein defends nicely and is able to remain in top control.  Eventually Herbert starts landing up kicks that are extremely effective.  He opens up a nasty cut on Klein and even drops him at one point.  The damage is considerable and allows Herbert to get back up while Klein is dazed.  It is a great opening round for Herbert despite being in an inferior position for a decent portion of the round.  His damaging shots landed from the back are more than enough to win the round.  In the second round Klein utilizes a lot of clinches in an attempt to stifle some of Herbert’s offense.  Despite this attempt, Herbert is always able to break away and continue his dangerous striking attacks.  Herbert is still landing but Klein lands a flush elbow and a few other strikes of his own which makes this a much closer round this time.  In the final round there is an accidental low blow from a knee thrown by Herbert.  The fight is paused but quickly resumes as Klein reports that he is okay to resume.  The fighters start back quickly and aggressively.  Shortly thereafter, Herbert lands yet another accidental low blow.  This proves to be very costly as a point is taken away.  However, when reviewing the replay, it appears the second low blow actually hit the hip rather than the groin.  Unfortunately for Herbert, the point was still taken away.  Herbert lands a quick takedown when the fight resumes, and it could be helpful for him in trying desperately to win the round to offset the point deduction.  The final minute is competitive but it feels like Herbert may have done enough to edge out the round.  In the end though, the point deduction proves costly.  The fight is ruled a majority draw.

Joanne Wood vs. Luana Carolina

The first round of this bout is very active with lots of aggression.  There is a high output of strikes from both fighters mixed in with clinching.  The round is competitive with each fighter having plenty moments of success but there seemed like a small chance that it was edged by Wood. In the second round Carolina starts utilizing her reach better and is landing some nice strikes from distance.  Wood begins to struggle a bit with the reach discrepancy but she stays tenacious and keeps pressing forward.  Late in the round Wood lands a nice foot sweep that gets a loud reaction from the crowd.  It is another close round but may have been edged out by Carolina.  In the final round it is once again competitive.  Carolina appears to be edging out the early portion of the round but later in the round Wood starts to rally.  In the final minutes she lands some flush shots that swell up the right eye of Carolina considerably.  In the end the fight was close, but the judges give the edge to Wood.  A much needed win to get her back on track.  Wood by split decision.

Jake Hadley vs. Malcolm Gordon

This fight was short lived.  Early in the round Gordon is aggressive and moving forward with aggressive strikes.  However, Hadley waits for an overextension and lands an absolutely brutal body shot that buckles Gordon.  When Gordon hits the ground he shells up in the fetal position while Hadley rains down follow-up punches.  The body language tells the referee that he doesn’t want to continue.  The fight is stopped, and Hadley has the quickest win of the night up to this point.  Hadley by first round TKO.

Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Dusko Todorovic

This fight is short lived like the previous one but unfortunately for Todorovic, it is due to a nasty injury to his knee.  During an exchange, his knee buckles and shortly thereafter he collapses to the ground grasping at his knee.  The referee quickly steps in and stops the fight.  It is later shown on a replay that he suffered a hard knee kick earlier in the round but it is unknown if that played any part in the injury.  Duncan by first round TKO.

Lerone Murphy vs. Gabriel Santos

As the fight begins Murphy sprints across and starts throwing heavy strikes.  Santos times one of the strikes and ducks under for a nice takedown.  After some scuffling Murphy finds his way into top control.  Santos attacks an armbar which is enough to eventually allow him a path to escape.  Back on the feet they get right back to throwing extremely heavy shots.  Every strike is thrown with full power and terrible intentions.  Both fighters land their share and the round is action packed.  In the second round Murphy utilizes the clinch early and starts to man handle Santos.  He lands brutal clinch strikes and eventually turns it into a takedown.  Santos works his way back to the feet quickly and later lands a takedown of his own.  He is able to take the back of Murphy and lock in the body triangle.  Murphy eventually escapes also, and the round is just nonstop back and forth action.  In the final round Santos lands an early takedown but it doesn’t last.  Back on the feet they continue to trade and damage each other.  The fight is competitive the entire time and it’s almost like these two were born to fight each other.  If the fans could watch them fight every weekend there would likely be no complaints.  In the end though, the judges felt that it was Murphy who had done just enough to edge it out.  Murphy by split decision.

Muhammad Mokaev vs. Jafel Filho

In the opening minute Filho storms across the cage and goes right after Mokaev.  He clearly is paying no mind to the fact that he is the biggest underdog on the card.  However, his aggression eventually gets him taken down which is the last place you want to be against Mokaev.  Mokaev controls him for a couple minutes while peppering strikes and scoring.  As the round ends, he appears to have clearly won the round.  In the second round the fighters start more calmly this time.  The stay staring at each other and throwing very few strikes for the first minute or so.  Once the exchanges do happen they are still much more tame this round.  The action and volume has decreased but in typical Mokaev fashion, he lands a takedown in the final minute which will likely be the difference to win him the round.  In the final round the fight hits the ground again and this time Filho attacks a knee bar that looks absolutely devastating.  Mokaev is in clear pain and is extremely vulnerable but he somehow just endures the pain and refuses to tap.  He eventually escapes and is able to find his way to a dominant position where he sinks in a choke.  Filho now looks completely gassed after spending so much effort on the knee bar so once he is being choked he gives in and taps fairly quickly.  A beautiful win for Mokaev although it comes at a cost.  He has a very concerning limp after the fight which makes one wonder if there is some serious ligament damage to that knee.  Regardless, he continues on his surge through the division and claims yet another impressive victory.  Mokaev by third round submission.

Sam Patterson vs. Yanal Ashmoz

This fight is yet another one that is over extremely quickly.  As the fighters meet in the middle, the first thing you notice is the extreme height and reach advantage.  Patterson has a six inch height advantage and a ten inch reach advantage.  The discrepancy jumps off of the screen.  As they begin to engage, Patterson immediately starts using his reach to throw jabs and straights.  It gives Ashmoz trouble closing the distance until he eventually he finds the mark.  He finally gets inside and lands a bomb that drops Patterson immediately.  From there Ashmoz is on top of him raining down punches, one after another.  The referee probably should have stopped the fight sooner, but he eventually finally does. However, he does so after Patterson takes a considerable amount of unnecessary damage.  Ashmoz by first round TKO.

Chris Duncan vs. Omar Morales

The opening round is a nice back and forth battle.  Morales lands the best shots though after having Duncan in a considerable amount of trouble.  He wobbles Duncan and then blitzes after him landing several flush follow-up shots. Duncan finds a way to survive but the round is clear in favor of Morales.  In the second round Duncan starts to find some success.  He lands a nice takedown and accrues a bit of control time while landing some decent ground strikes.  The round is close again but this one may have been edged out by Duncan.  In the final round Duncan continues to pursue takedowns but Morales continues to resist with everything he has.  This results in a power struggle along the fence.  Duncan stays glued to Morales which isn’t very exciting for the fans, but the result is the offense of Morales being completely stifled.  Duncan does absolutely nothing as far as damage but he’s trying to win a boring round by just holding Morales and hanging on him.  Morales is clearly frustrated but is not finding a way around it.  This proves to be the difference in an otherwise good-looking performance.  The struggles continue for Morales.  Duncan by split decision.

Jack Shore vs. Makwan Amirkhani

The opening round of this bout is a very competitive round.  Amirkhani starts off hot like he normally does in the opening round.  He comes straight after Shore and utilizes body locks and straight punches.  Shore has his hands full but hangs tough.  The round is close, but Amirkhani may have edged it due to his aggression and constantly making Shore respond to his attacks.  In the second round Shore starts to pick up his progress.  He starts landing flush shots on the feet and is stuffing the lunging takedown attempts of Amirkhani.  Despite having his way on the feet, Shore eventually lands a nice takedown and starts working to improve his position.  He eventually takes the back and sinks in a choke.  Amirkhani tries his best to escape but he has no luck.  He taps out and Shore has yet another impressive win on his resume.  Shore by second round submission.

Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze

The first round of this fight was surprisingly positive for Dolidze.  He lands flush a few times and even has Vettori looking concerned momentarily.  Dolidze continues to land the overhand right.  There was also an accidental headbutt earlier in the round that only added to the damage.  Vettori stays persistent and composed like he always does but it feels like the round is edged out by Dolidze.  In the second round the fighters continue to trade on the feet.  Vetorri lands jabs and an occasional straight but the bigger punches continue to be landed by Dolidze.  The overhand right keeps finding a home.  The second round is closer but may still have gone to Dolidze.  In the final round Vettori tries to improve his success but Dolidze is a formidable opponent.  The round stays competitive but as the final time expires, it feels like Dolidze might have edged it out.  However, the judges disagree.  Vettori by unanimous decision.

Jennifer Maia vs. Casey O’Neill

O’Neill comes into this fight nearly a two-to-one favorite but the fight does not play out that way.  From the opening bell Maia comes out determined and quickly starts getting the better of the striking exchanges.  O’Neill stays persistent but she can’t seem to find her rhythm.  Surprisingly, the entire first round takes place solely on the feet.  In the second round Maia continues edging out the exchanges.  O’Neill tries clinching to initiate some grappling but she is quickly denied.  Another round edged out by Maia.  In the final round it is more of the same.  Maia is always one step ahead and by this point O’Neill is bleeding a decent amount from her face.  She suffers a tough loss in this one but it will be a good learning experience for her.  Maia by unanimous decision.

Gunnar Nelson vs. Bryan Barbarena

This fight is a fairly quick one.  Barbarena comes out aggressive like he always does and starts throwing his haymakers.  The wide stance and elusiveness of Nelson proves to be a tricky puzzle for Barbarena.  It doesn’t take long before Nelson sees his opportunity and quickly initiates the grappling.  The fight hits the ground which is where Nelson always thrives.  He quickly starts maneuvering and before long he has a choke sunk in.  It doesn’t take long until Barbarena realizes he is trapped.  He taps out and Nelson has yet another submission on his record.  Nelson by first round submission.

Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev

The opening round of this high-level fight belongs to Fiziev.  He is hyper aggressive and lunges forward with breathtaking speed that gives Gaethje problems.  Fiziev throws everything with full power and extremely bad intentions.  Each fighter lands their share but Fiziev clearly wins the round.  In the second round however, things start to change.  Gaethje starts to shorten up his punches which helps him to find success.  He begins to land nicely and is constantly pumping the jab as well.  Fiziev is still lunging with everything he has but the short straight punches edge out the round for Gaethje.  In the final round Gaethje does the most damage of the fight.  He continues to land the jab and is continuing to find a home for the bigger punches as well.  Fiziev stays undeterred and continues marching forward but he is getting dinged up more than ever now.  By the end of the fight Fiziev’s face is badly battered.  This is the most damage we have ever seen on his face.  Gaethje finds a way to turn things around and pulls off the victory against a very hungry and dangerous opponent.  Gaethje by unanimous decision.

Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman

In the opening round of this main event title fight Usman comes out a little more cautious than usual.  Edwards stays at distance at picks at Usman who is the fighter constantly inching forward.  Both fighters land shots but it is Edwards who is landing the better shots by a longshot.  He lands some blistering body kicks as well as a flush right straight.  Usman keeps inching forward but the opening round belongs to Edwards.  In the second round Edwards continues to pick apart from the outside.  Usman keeps pressing forward but Edwards makes him pay with vicious body kicks and a flush knee to the head while Usman is dipping.  Later in the round Usman lands his best jab so far and then quickly parlays that into a takedown.  Edwards stays patient and within 30 seconds he works his way back to the feet and escapes from the clinch of Usman.  The round is much closer this time and could have gone to either fighter on the score cards.  In the third round Usman starts off calm and lulls Edwards into a false sense of security.  When inching forward Usman then fakes a strike and quickly leans down to snatch a leg.  He turns this into an instant takedown.  Edwards hops back up but stupidly grabs the fence while Usman is tugging on him which costs him a point deduction.  When the fight resumes Edwards lands more body kicks and a grazing knee to the face while catching Usman bending over again.  The round is close but is likely won by Usman.  If Edwards won, the round was even after the point deduction.  In the fourth round it is close for most of the round but in the final 90 seconds Edwards starts landing a variety of nice strikes.  This may have been enough to steal the round.  In the final round Edwards throws that lethal head kick again that ended the fight last time they met.  The kick is partially blocked but also partially lands.  After that he then has a beautiful sequence in which he lands a punch, knee to the body and then an elbow to the head.  The crowd erupts for their hometown hero.  Usman stays pressing forward but in the final minutes Usman doesn’t show any urgency to try and get the finish.  He just lunges forward and tries to clinch and hang on.  The crowd is disapproving and boos to show their dissatisfaction.  The time finally expires and it feels like Edwards did enough to edge out the win.  However, the point deduction could prove to be a huge factor.  In the end the judges decide that Leon did enough.  A close fight but he proves that he belongs and their last fight was no fluke.  And still.  Edwards by majority decision.