While UFC Fight Night 114 looked as though it lacked star power, it was arguably one of the more entertaining Fight Night cards of the year. Brandon Moreno, the hometown fighter from Tijuana, Mexico, was outclassed by Sergio Pettis through five rounds despite having the early advantage in the opening frame.
It can be argued Moreno won the first round 10-8 due to his impressive grappling, as he had a body triangle in place, seeking a rear-naked choke. However Pettis proved he was the better fighter Saturday night in Mexico City with an impressive decision victory (49-46, 48-46, 48-46).
As mentioned, Moreno dominated the opening five minutes, but Pettis didn’t let up once the second round began, showcasing his superiority in striking. Pettis laid it on Moreno with his ability to trade shots on the feet until the fifth round when Moreno desperately attempted to bring the match back to the canvas, but Pettis wanted nothing to do with that.
It was a deserved victory for Pettis, who looks to climb the flyweight rankings, but his future is left in the balance as Ray Borg is set to face off against the champion, Demetrious Johnson, next month at UFC 215. Depending on the outcome, Pettis may receive a title shot against Borg or Johnson, but it’s safe to say he has, at the very least, elevated himself to a position as a contender in the 125-pound division.
Aside from Saturday night’s main event, here are the rest of the results from UFC Fight Night’s 114 main card:
Main Card Results
Sergio Pettis def. Brandon Moreno via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-46, 48-46)
Alexa Grasso def. Randa Markos via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Niko Price def. Alan Jouban via TKO (strikes) at 1:44 of R1
Humberto Bandenay def. Martin Bravo via KO (knee) at :26 of R1
Sam Alvey def. Rashad Evans via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Alejandro Perez def. Andre Soukhamthath via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Perez gets decision
It wasn’t easy for Alejandro Perez, but he managed to scrape out a controversial victory over Andre Soukhamthath.
Some might argue that Perez’s victory was surprising, especially under the new unified MMA rules, since he was dropped three times throughout the fight, but Perez overcame adversity to take the win.
Soukhamthath was clearly upset at the end of the bout, but maybe it would’ve been in his interest to look for a finish after knocking his opponent to the ground for a third time, rather than holding up three fingers toward Perez as he laid on his back on the canvas. Soukhamthath got cocky and refused to go in for the kill, which cost him dearly.
All credit goes to Perez for coming back and giving Soukhamthath a fight, taking him down with relative ease throughout the second and third rounds. Hopefully, Soukhamthath learns to never leave a fight to the judges’ scorecards.
Smilin’ Sam takes care of Evans
Rashad Evans clearly still has the athleticism and ability to make weight in the UFC, but he never looked dangerous against Sam Alvey, a heavy-handed, flat-footed, stand-up striker. Evans wasted so much movement bobbing and weaving without throwing any real punches. Sure, he went for takedowns in the first round, but they weren’t very successful.
Evans dropped down to the 185-pound division looking for redemption, but his second wind as a UFC fighter is starting to remind me of how poor BJ Penn has looked inside of the Octagon in recent bouts.
Alvey didn’t have to do much against Evans other than be the active striker, which is exactly what he did. It wasn’t one of the more entertaining fights of the night, but Alvey was active enough to put the pressure on Evans, cutting off the Octagon and controlling the distance.
Evans landed one good, solid punch in the third round to remind UFC fans of his one-punch knockout power, but there was no real intent to follow up with a combination or a takedown. Anytime Evans did anything remotely positive, he immediately backed away and began circling Alvey. The only reason Alvey won is he proved to the judges he wanted it more by marching forward with the intent to land punches.
The former light heavyweight champion needs to make up his mind about what he wants to do next. Saturday’s loss is Evans’ fourth in a row, dating back to 2015. For his legacy’s sake, this should be his last fight in the UFC.
Bandenay makes most of debut
There isn’t much to say about Humberto Bandenay’s UFC debut against Martin Bravo except, wow.
Bandenay, the massive underdog in the fight, landed a perfectly timed knee to Bravo’s chin, knocking him out in 26 seconds flat. Bravo, who was fighting in front of his home crowd, came out aggressively and looked ready to throw down. Unfortunately, he couldn’t read Bandenay’s counter knee, which shut his lights off.
For Bandenay, whose father died recently, Saturday night’s fight meant a lot. And hopefully he’ll be able to string together a couple of impressive fights to solidify himself as a player in the UFC featherweight division.
The Price is right
Nike Price is one bad man.
Unbeaten as an amateur and now 10-0 as a pro, Price came into Saturday night’s bout against Alan Jouban as an underdog but quickly provided his critics with an impressive finish in the first round.
Similar to the Bandenay bout, this fight lasted less than two minutes, but Jouban appeared comfortable in the Octagon for the first minute of the fight. Seemingly out of nowhere, Price landed a well-timed punch to Jouban’s jaw that sent him to the canvas.
Price’s follow-up kick didn’t appear to land after the punch, but the damage was already done. There shouldn’t be any controversy about an early stoppage as Jouban struggled to get back to his feet even after the fight was stopped. Price put his name on the map and could be one to watch in the 170-pound division.
Grasso earns split decision
It wasn’t the most dominant of performances, but Alexa Grasso did enough in the judges’ eyes to defeat Randa Markos in the co-main event.
Grasso was the more active fighter in the first round, landing solid combinations on the feet, but she looked vulnerable anytime she went into the clinch. In the second, Markos took advantage.
She dominated the round with grappling, not giving Grasso an opportunity to get into a rhythm. In the third, Markos took down Grasso and seemed content to lay on top of her for the decision victory, but Grasso was able to push Markos off her to get back on her feet.
Once there, the fight was Grasso’s to lose. Grasso showed superior boxing and striking and used her activity to win over the judges. Whether Grasso will be able to make much noise in an increasingly competitive strawweight division remains to be seen, but for the time being, she earned her first victory inside of the Octagon.
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