UFC 206 results: Emil Meek rides, grinds Jordan Mein to win Octagon debut

Jordan Mein — who retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) at just 25-years-old back in 2015 — returned to action at UFC 206 tonight (Sat., Dec. 10, 2016), kicking off the pay-per-view (PPV) event inside Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, against Octagon newcomer Emil Meek.

After an explosive and competitive first round, Mein faded down the stretch and ultimately had no answer for the pressure and pace of Meek, who earned a unanimous decision after 15 minutes of action.

Meek — who earned a UFC opportunity with a violent knockout over Rousimar Palhares earlier this year — came out of his corner the aggressor, looking to land low kicks and push the pace. Mein was able to catch one and take the Norwegian to the ground, but quickly let him back up. Shortly thereafter, Mein did it again, but this time began to put in some work from the north-south position. Meek, however, was able to slip out the back door and immediately began to put it on Mein — landing several clean strikes that appeared to stun his opponent. Mein returned fire, though, landing a few hard shots that made Meek think twice about engaging in a firefight. Meek whiffed on a left cross and Mein once again scored a takedown, ducking under and not allowing him to get out too easy. Once he did break free, Meek landed a combination that had Mein retreating almost immediately. Meek missed on a flying knee and the two more or less jockeyed for position along the cage until the round ended.

Between rounds, Meek’s corner asked him about a potential rib injury, but nothing substantial was revealed through the translator. He came out winging wild punches, perhaps trying to score a quick finish before anything got worse. He boxed up Mein along the cage and then scored a takedown of his own as the action slowed. Meek attempted an arm-triangle choke, but Mein was able to defend it with ease. The next attempt minutes later, though, was much deeper, forcing Mein to buck and panic until he was finally able to escape. Meek delivered some solid ground-and-pound as the round came to a close.

Meek began the third and final frame once again with his legs, pressuring Mein with kicks and using them to close the distance. After little more than one minute, Meek was able to once again score a takedown after brief exchange along the fence. Mein, at this point, was clearly exhausted. Much like the second round, he allowed Meek to ride-and-grind him for basically a full round. Perhaps the long layoff — combined with the pressure and pace set by Meek — was just too much to overcome.

Regardless, he did have a few bright spots, particularly early in the match. Whether or not Mein decides to continue on after tonight will obviously be decided in the near future. Meanwhile, the near UFC future for Meek — who admitted in his post-fight interview that his rib was, indeed, ‘fucked’ — looks promising.

For complete UFC 206: “Holloway vs. Pettis” results, including play-by-play updates, click here.

Jordan Mein — who retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) at just 25-years-old back in 2015 — returned to action at UFC 206 tonight (Sat., Dec. 10, 2016), kicking off the pay-per-view (PPV) event inside Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, against Octagon newcomer Emil Meek.

After an explosive and competitive first round, Mein faded down the stretch and ultimately had no answer for the pressure and pace of Meek, who earned a unanimous decision after 15 minutes of action.

Meek — who earned a UFC opportunity with a violent knockout over Rousimar Palhares earlier this year — came out of his corner the aggressor, looking to land low kicks and push the pace. Mein was able to catch one and take the Norwegian to the ground, but quickly let him back up. Shortly thereafter, Mein did it again, but this time began to put in some work from the north-south position. Meek, however, was able to slip out the back door and immediately began to put it on Mein — landing several clean strikes that appeared to stun his opponent. Mein returned fire, though, landing a few hard shots that made Meek think twice about engaging in a firefight. Meek whiffed on a left cross and Mein once again scored a takedown, ducking under and not allowing him to get out too easy. Once he did break free, Meek landed a combination that had Mein retreating almost immediately. Meek missed on a flying knee and the two more or less jockeyed for position along the cage until the round ended.

Between rounds, Meek’s corner asked him about a potential rib injury, but nothing substantial was revealed through the translator. He came out winging wild punches, perhaps trying to score a quick finish before anything got worse. He boxed up Mein along the cage and then scored a takedown of his own as the action slowed. Meek attempted an arm-triangle choke, but Mein was able to defend it with ease. The next attempt minutes later, though, was much deeper, forcing Mein to buck and panic until he was finally able to escape. Meek delivered some solid ground-and-pound as the round came to a close.

Meek began the third and final frame once again with his legs, pressuring Mein with kicks and using them to close the distance. After little more than one minute, Meek was able to once again score a takedown after brief exchange along the fence. Mein, at this point, was clearly exhausted. Much like the second round, he allowed Meek to ride-and-grind him for basically a full round. Perhaps the long layoff — combined with the pressure and pace set by Meek — was just too much to overcome.

Regardless, he did have a few bright spots, particularly early in the match. Whether or not Mein decides to continue on after tonight will obviously be decided in the near future. Meanwhile, the near UFC future for Meek — who admitted in his post-fight interview that his rib was, indeed, ‘fucked’ — looks promising.

For complete UFC 206: “Holloway vs. Pettis” results, including play-by-play updates, click here.