Chris Clements is caught on his back by Matthew Riddle during their welterweight bout at UFC 149 inside the Scotiabank Saddledome on July 21, 2012 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Nick Laham via UFC.com)
At the start of Saturday nights UFC 149 post-fight press conference, Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White was quick to announce the “Fight Night” winners along with the gate totals for the Scotiabank Saddledome event.
Winning $65,000 in Calgary, Alberta was Ryan Jimmo for “Knockout of the Night,” Matt Riddle for the “Submission of the Night,” with “Fight of the Night” going to Bryan Caraway and Mitch Gagnon.
The event broke the live gate total record for the Saddledome, bringing in $4.1 million with an announced attendance of 16,089.
“We shattered the record here, which was set by the Rolling Stones,” stated White to the gathered media.
UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao took place on July 21, 2012 with the promotions fist visit to Calgary. Bouts took place on the web (Facebook.com/UFC), on television (FX) for the six prelim matches, and then on pay-per-view for the five main card matches.
Former MFC light heavyweight champ Ryan Jimmo needed seven-seconds to win his Octagon debut, finishing Anthony Perosh with a one-punch knockout. At the ring of the bell both fighters would step into the center of the Octagon and Jimmo would catch Perosh with a right hand to the temple sending the Aussie to the mat. He’d follow it up with one more punch but the match was over.
Riddle faced Chris Clements in the opening pay-per-view bout, looking for a “Fight of the Night” bonus. Clements would control things standing, forcing Riddle to fall back on his wrestling. Into the third round, with both fighters near the fence Clements would attempt a spinning elbow which Riddle ducked and was able to turn into a standing arm-triangle choke. He used a trip to take Clements to the mat and was able to flatten out to force the tap.
With Caraway finishing Gagnon in the third round with a rear-naked choke submission, both fighters put on an exciting match that White felt they deserved the “Fight of the Night” bonus. Gagnon would control the first, with a fresher looking Caraway turning things around in the second and third. After a takedown along the fence, Caraway was able to take Gagnon’s back, and was able to sink in the submission after some hand fighting.