Author: admin

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back on FOX Sports 1 for the upcoming UFC Fight Night 83 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, which takes place this Sunday night (Feb. 21, 2016) inside CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“Cerrone vs. Oliveira” is headlined by the welterweight showdown pitting 155-pound import Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone against Brazilian banger Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira. In the “Steel City” co-main event, Derek Brunson continues his march toward middleweight title contention with a 185-pound brawl opposite Roan Carneiro.

All that and so much more.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 83 fight card below, starting with the Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, and then the remaining undercard balance on FOX Sports 1 at 7 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 9 p.m. ET, also on FOX Sports 1.

Many of our readers check-in before, during and after the televised fisticuffs to share their thoughts on all the exciting action. Therefore, feel free to leave a comment (or 83) before you split and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it always turns out to be a great discussion.

Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps and post-fight analysis after “Cerrone vs. Oliveira.”

Without further delay, see below for the latest UFC Fight Night 83 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)

UFC FIGHT NIGHT 83 QUICK RESULTS:

Donald Cerrone vs. Alex Oliveira
Derek Brunson vs. Roan Carneiro
Cody Garbrandt vs. Augusto Mendes
Dennis Bermudez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
Chris Camozzi vs. Joe Riggs
Shane Campbell vs. James Krause
Alex Garcia vs. Sean Strickland — Strickland def. Garcia by TKO (punches) at 4:25 of Round Three
Oluwale Bamgbose vs. Daniel Sarafian — Bamgbose def. Sarafian by KO (head kick and punches) at 1:00 of Round One
Leonardo Augusto Guimaraes vs. Anthony Smith — Smith def. Guimaraes by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Nathan Coy vs. Jonavin Webb — Coy def. Webb by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Marion Reneau — Evans-Smith def. Reneau by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-27)
Lauren Murphy vs. Kelly Faszholz — Murphy def. Faszholz by TKO (punches and elbows) at 4:55 of Round Three
Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Anthony Hamilton — Abdurakhimov def. Hamilton by unanimous decision (30-27, 39-28 x2)

UFC FIGHT NIGHT 83 PLAY-BY-PLAY:

170 lbs.: Donald Cerrone vs. Alex Oliveira

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Round 4:

Round 5:

Final result:

-end-

185 lbs.: Derek Brunson vs. Roan Carneiro

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Final result:

-end-

142 lbs.: Cody Garbrandt vs. Augusto Mendes (catchweight)

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Final result:

-end-

145 lbs.: Dennis Bermudez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Final result:

-end-

185 lbs.: Chris Camozzi vs. Joe Riggs

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Final result:

-end-

155 lbs.: Shane Campbell vs. James Krause

Round 1: Campbell tries a low kick early. Body kick blocked. Krause shoots in on the fence. Campbell lands a knee upstairs and a scramble ensues. Campbell shrugs off an outside trip and separates. 1-2 lands for Krause, Campbell comes back with an overhand right. Krause shoots in again, presses Campbell against the cage. Campbell lands a body kick and they trade jabs. Left hook from Krause. Two minutes in. 1-1-2 from Krause, right hand, body shot. Campbell low kick. Body kick and 1-2 seems to wobble Campbell, who landed a right hand as he ate one. They tie up on the fence, two minutes to go.

They separate and Krause goes to work with body shots and looping rights. Campbell trips Krause up, eats a body shot. Solid kicks by Campbell and a big right cross. One minute to go. Campbell starting to dial in his punches and kicks, only for Krause to take him down.  Krause takes Campbell’s back on the way up. Krause locks up the rear-naked choke, but Campbell survives by the skin of his teeth. 10-9 Krause.

Round 2: Krause continues to advance, tries to shoot quickly and they scramble. Campbell takes top position. Krause threatening an armbar, attempts to stand and avoids a head kick on the way up. He cracks Campbell with a pair of right hands and ties up. One minute in. Krause looks for a double-leg, manages to drag Campbell and take side control. Two minutes in. Krause working for the back once again, one hook in. Campbell attempts a scramble and Krause locks up the choke. Campbell somehow scrambles out and lands on top once again. Two minutes to go.

Krause makes it back to his feet with Campbell attached to his waist. Krause turns to face him after taking a knee to the body. One minute to go. They separate. Krause shoots and completes an outside trip, only for Campbell to roll through. Krause doing work on the fence. Campbell sweeps him down, only for Krause to shoot in response and take top position again. Round ends there. 10-9 Krause.

Round 3:

Final result:

-end-

170 lbs.: Alex Garcia vs. Sean Strickland

Round 1: Garcia shoots right away, only for Strickland to scramble his way to a rear waistlock. Strickland shoves him down and looks to navigate upkicks. One minute in. Hard upkick connects, but Strickland takes half guard. Right hand lands for “Tarzan,” who manages to shrug off another pair of upkicks and drop punches. Two minutes in. Garcia not doing much to stand or improve position here. Strickland lands a hard pair of elbows. Brutal punches from Strickland. Garcia manages to survive and drive through for a takedown of his own into guard. Two minutes to go.

Garcia not doing terribly much from the top. One minute to go. Now Garcia gets a couple of solid shots in before the bell.10-9 Strickland.

Round 2:  Garcia plods forward and briefly stings Strickland with an overhand right. Strickland pops him with a straight right, staying at range. One minute in. 1-2 by Strickland. Big right by Garcia, who stumbles after landing a left hand. Strickland working behind his jab. Two minutes in. Garcia trying to counter but coming up a bit short. Lead hook connects. Strickland’s bloodied up Garcia’s nose with his jab. Two minutes to go.

Jab exchanging in the center. Strickland avoids some wide punches. Leg kicks from Strickland and more stiff jabs. Garcia shoots and plants Strickland on his back in the center. One minute to go. Strickland working a good defensive guard, controlling Garcia’s posture and wrists. Garcia trying to land some meaningful shots before the bell. 10-9 Strickland.

Round 3: Strickland staying active with his jab and low kicks in the early going. Solid hook lands around Garcia’s guard. Garcia shoots after taking a leg kick and completes a takedown into guard. One minute in.  Garcia looking to posture up and land better shots, lands a left hook as Strickland scrambles up. Right hand by Strickland when Garcia looks to change levels again. Two minutes in. Left hook connects. Garcia sitting back, eating jabs and straight shots from Strickland. Two minutes to go.

Garcia shoots from quite a ways out, can’t quite complete the takedown. Garcia moving forward, still taking shots. One minute to go. Strickland sprawls on a shot and seems to stumble Garcia with a stiff jab. Garcia’s legs aren’t there and a straight right drops the Dominican flat.

Final result: Strickland def. Garcia by TKO (punches)

-end-

185 lbs.: Oluwale Bamgbose vs. Daniel Sarafian

Round 1: Bamgbose circling early on. Not much contact in the first minute. As I write that, Bamgbose rocks Sarafian with a head kick, then knocks him clean out with an uppercut while he’s on the ground.

Final result: Bamgbose def. Sarafian by KO (head kick and punches)

-end-

185 lbs.: Leonardo Augusto Guimaraes vs. Anthony Smith

Round 1: Low kick from Smith to start, then a body kick that Guimaraes catches. Solid punches by Guimaraes. One minute in. Smith pressuring. Check hook lands for Smith, then a left behind a head kick. Smith just  misses on a counter uppercut. Two minutes in. Hard flurry from Smith, who seems to have the momentum. Punching combo and a knee to the body. Guimaraes comes back with a body shot. Two minutes to go.

Smith looks for a right downstairs. Guimaraes circling, not offering much in return. Flying knee by Smith and he tries to press when Guimaraes slips. Guimaraes swings a pair of right hooks. One minute to go. Good 1-2 by Smith wobbles Guimaraes’ ears, then another heavy right lands on the fence. Lead right and knee by Smith, who’s going to work on the fence with brutal shots. Guimaraes firing back but he’s getting torn up. 10-9 Smith.

Round 2: Smith continues to press forward and rips Guimaraes on the fence, but gets rattled by the punches coming back. Guimaraes lands a hard right and forces Smith to shoot. Smith brings him down to his rear, then finally to his back. One minute in. Guimaraes scooting to the fence. Smith working his way to mount, can’t do so but does get half guard. Two minutes in. Guimaraes tries a roll, can’t dislodge Smith, who just about has the back. Guimaraes utilizing wrist control. Two minutes to go.

Guimaraes in turtle position, looking to break Smith’s grip. Guimaraes makes it to his feet, only to get suplexed for his troubles. One minute to go. The refereee stands them up from turtle position, bizarrely enough, and Guimaraes rips him with a series of punches. Smith shoots and Guimaraes sprawls, taking the back before the bell. 10-9 Smith.

Round 3: Guimaraes is the fresher of the two, but Smith pops him with a counter left. Check hook lands. Brutal body and head shots by Guimaraes; Smith does not look good right now. Body shots from the Brazilian and Smith shoots, staying glued to a leg. One minute to go. Guimaraes looking for the rear crucifix, then goes front headlock and back to the crucifix. Smith trying to drive forward and take top position. Two minutes in. Solid punches and hammerfists from Guimaraes as Smith tries to wrap up a wrist. Two minutes to go.

The ref again stands them up from a one-sided position. Guimaraes goes to the body and leg. Guimaraes just plodding forward, winging shots. one minute to go. Smith trying to throw back, shoots once more. Guimaraes gets the rear crucifix. Guimaraes keeps up the attack until the bell. 10-8 Guimaraes.

Final result: Smith def. Guimaraes by unanimous decision

-end-

170 lbs.: Nathan Coy vs. Jonavin Webb

Round 1: Coy moving forward, Webb circling. Straight left by Coy, counters by Webb. Another left by Coy, met by a right hook from Webb. Straight right lands for Webb as they continue to trade punches. One minute in. Another right hand, then a counter right as Coy flies in and they engage on the fence. Another right hand by Webb. Coy pops him with a jab. Two minutes in. Webb doing a lot of moving. Two minutes to go.

They’re both throwing, they’re just not landing much. Straight left by Coy. Coy fires a combination and Webb shoots. Coy sprawls on it and briefly threatens an anaconda before going to work with short blows. Forty seconds to go. Webb tries a Brazilian kick, eats a glancing body kick. 10-9 Coy.

Round 2: Coy still pressing forward. Counter right by Webb and he takes Coy’s back in a scramble. Webb working towards an armbar but Coy pulls his arm free and sprawls. Coy looking for a Japanese necktie briefly. One minute in. Webb pops up and they trade knees in the clinch. Good right hand by Webb on the exit. Webb shoots, stopped. Two minutes in. Body kick from Webb. They clinch and trade knees until Coy takes him to the fence. Webb works the front headlock, but Coy continues to drive and brings Webb down. Two minutes to go.

Coy continues to drive, grinding his way through a Kimura attempt. Coy looking for the back, Webb regains half guard. One minute to go. Full mount for Coy, who’s now looking for an arm-triangle. Webb regains half guard and goes for a leg at the bell. 10-9 Coy.

Round 3: Straight left by Coy. Webb looking for counters. Another left by Coy, who stops a takedown. He tries one of his own and Webb counters into the rear crucifix. One minute in. Coy driving in with his head stuck in the front headlock, manages to down Well and get his head free. Two minutes in. Coy keeping up the grind in half guard against the fence. Coy looking for the back. Two minutes to go.

Webb in turtle position as Coy looks to put in hooks. Webb manages to get to his feet with a minute to go, but gets pulled right back down. Webb falls back for a desperation leglock, but Coy steadily works his knee free and avoids the follow-up guillotine attempt. 10-9 Coy.

Final result: Coy def. Webb by unanimous decision

-end-

135 lbs.: Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Marion Reneau

Round 1: Front kick from Reneau to start things off. Body kick from Evans-Smith in return. Reneau showing a solid jab early. Low kick connects. One minute in. Another body kick by Evans-Smith. They clinch and Evans-Smith lands well inside. More dirty boxing. Reneau chases her down with a flurry and rocks her with a right hand. Evans-Smith wobbles, but manages to cover up and survive. Two minutes in. Evans-Smith lands a body kick after some glancing exchanges. Two minutes to go.

Evans-Smith lands a straight right. Low kick by Reneau. Low kick by Reneau, body kick by Evans-Smith. One minute to go. Lead uppercut by Evans-Smith met by counters. Reneau catches a body kick and takes Evans-Smith down. Evans-Smith scrambles up and gets caught in a vicious-looking guillotine that Reneau rides all the way to mount. She can’t finish before the bell. 10-9 Reneau.

Round 2: Evans-Smith opens with a low kick, eats a hard teep. Low kick exchange. Body kicks from Evans-Smith. One minute in. Reneau eats a counter uppercut. Not much volume from Reneau this round. Evans-Smith staying busy but not terribly accurate. Two minutes in. Body kick from Evans-Smith, jabs from Reneau. Low kicks from Reneau, eats one in return. Two minutes to go.

Reneau connects with another low kick. Body kicks. One minute to go. Another low kick lands for Reneau. Counter right. Evans-Smith pressing forward in the last half-minute, throwing body kicks. 10-9 Reneau.

Round 3: Is Fight Pass misbehaving for anyone else? It just paused and skipped forward twenty seconds. Body land body kicks and Reneau fires a right hand behind hers. Hard low kick connects. One minute in. Evans-Smith catches a teep and takes top position, standing over Reneau after a scramble. The ref isn’t satisfied and stands Reneau up. Two minutes in. Another low kick by Reneau. Teep. Two minutes to go.

Evans-Smith just misses with a head kick as Fight Pass continues to be awful. They trade kicks, Evans-Smith landing to the body. One minute to go. No urgency from either side, really. Evans-Smith catches a kick and ties up on the fence. Good elbow inside. Knees and elbows, Reneau comes back with a right on the exit. 10-9 Evans-Smith.

Final result: Evans-Smith def. Reneau by split decision

-end-

135 lbs.: Lauren Murphy vs. Kelly Faszholz

Round 1: Murphy stalking forward aggressively, eats a set of right hands before landing a leg kick. Solid boxing by Faszholz early on. Hard punches. They clinch and Faszholz presses Murphy against the cage. Knees inside by Faszholz as they jockey for position. One minute in. Solid left hands. Superman punch from Faszholz after they separate. She’s winning these exchanges in a big way thus far, stuffs a takedown. Two minutes in. Murphy connects with a 1-2. Pair of rights from Faszholz knock an off-balance Murphy to the mat and they briefly tie up. 1-2 by Faszholz to counter a body kick. Two minutes to go.

Body kick and right hand from the newcomer. Big right cross by Murphy and now Faszholz is on the retreat. Another hard right hand and Murphy shoots in. One minute to go. Faszholz defending on the fence, bleeding from her nose. Knees to the thigh from Murphy. 10-9 Faszholz.

Round 2: Murphy moves right back into range, but Faszholz dings her with a right on her way into the clinch. Murphy doing better in the clinch than in the beginning of the last round. Knees inside, they separate. One minute in. Faszholz flurries, eats a hard right hand in return. Superman punch lands once again for Faszholz. Faszholz stuffs a takedown attempt. Two minutes in. Murphy continuing to advance, eats a left hook and a looping right. Counter right from Murphy. Lead right by Faszholz knocks Murphy back. 1-2 comes back at her. Two minutes to go.

Low kick exchange. Brief clinch. Both land right hands. Faszholz low kick and they clinch. Double unders for Murphy. One minute to go. Right hand on the break by Faszholz. Spinning back fist draws a wag of the finger. Faszholz catches a front kick and works to take Murphy’s back. Murphy fights it off until the bell. 10-9 Faszholz.

Round 3: Murphy goes right back to it and they trade punches. 1-2-3 by Murphy, 2-3 by Faszholz. Murphy shoots in and completes her first takedown of the night, landing in guard. Overhook for Faszholz. One minute in. Muprhy not posturing up, just landing short blows as Faszholz plays defense. Two minutes in. Faszholz occasionally bringing up a high guard or going for wrist control. Mission Control attempt. Murphy takes her to the fence and looks to stack her. Two minutes to go.

More short blows from Murphy, who’s turned Faszholz away from the cage. A scramble ensues and Murphy manages to take mount with a minute to go. Solid shots by Murphy and Faszholz is a bloody mess. Murphy slamming home shots from a high mount. Down come the punches and elbows and Murphy gets the stoppage she was looking for in the waning seconds.

Final result: Murphy def. Fazholz by TKO (punches and elbows)

-end-

265 lbs.: Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Anthony Hamilton

Round 1: Abdurakhimov light on his feet, circling. Hamilton shoots, eats an uppercut for his trouble. Hamilton changes levels again and eats a hard salvo of punches. One minute in. Hamilton still plodding forward, eating short shots. Uppercut by Abdurakhimov, right hand by Hamilton. Abdurakhimov again whacks him with right hands when Hamilton ducks down. Two minutes in. Abdurakhimov backs away from some slow punches. Abdurakhimov changes levels, nothing there. Lead right by the Dagestani. Two minutes to go.

They tie up briefly. Abdurakhimov staying busy with counters, staying out of range. Hamilton with a counter right off a leg kick, eats uppercuts in the clinch. He comes back with knees. One minute to go. Abdurakhimov shoves him away, then stops another takedown. 10-9 Abdurakhimov.

Round 2: Hamilton looks gassed already. Hard right hands from the Dagestani. They trade uppercuts in the clinch. Abdurakhimov tries to spin, but manages to stop the subsequent takedown attempt. Good right hand on the break. Abdurakhimov circling, potshotting the flat-footed Hamilton. Two minutes in. Abdurakhimov changes levels, then drills Hamilton with right hands on the break. They lock up once again. Two minutes to go.

They trade body blows. Abdurakhimov lands a left hook as he makes space. Hamilton tries a side kick, eats a right hand. One minute to go. Hamilton swings and steps into the clinch, eating punches once again with nothing to show for his efforts. 10-9 Abdurakhimov.

Round 3: Hamilton lunges in with a right hand and opens a cut midway up Abdurakhimov’s forehead. Hamilton driving in hard, but gets shoved away and popped with a right hand. Hamilton lands a right and Abdurakhimov clinches. Elbow by Hamilton on the exit. One minute in. Counter right from the American after taking a low kick. Abdurakhimov grazes him with a spinning back kick. Right hand by Abdurakhimov. Two minutes in. Abdurakhimov lands an uppercut and knee to the head, showing yet more dirty boxing inside. Good exchange in the center. Two minutes to go.

Back to the clinch. Abdurakhimov loses his mouthpiece, prompting a pause in the action. Uppercuts by the Dagestani on the restart. Spinning back fist met by a body shot from Hamilton. One minute to go. Stiff jab by Abdurakhimov. They trade right hands and clinch. They separate with a little over ten seconds left. 10-9 Abdurakhimov.

Final result: Abdurakhimov def. Hamilton by unanimous decision

-end-

UFC heavyweight contenders Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski are scheduled to square off in the headliner of UFC Fight Night Rotterdam — and they’re teammates at Jackson-Wink MMA.

UFC heavyweight contenders Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski — who both train out of Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, NM — are set to clash in the main event of UFC Fight Night 87, according to a report from Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter.

Little Saturday breaking news for you. Alistair Overeem’s opponent for UFC Rotterdam main event will be teammate Andrei Arlovski.

— Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) February 20, 2016

Despite being teammates, both fighters will be doing their camps at Jackson-Wink MMA.

Greg Jackson told MMA Fighting that both men will train at different times with different coaches, and that he will be in Arlovski’s corner. “Usually I would step out, but Andrei is a special case,” he said.

Overeem (40-14, 1 NC) is currently riding a three-fight winning streak with a pair of TKO wins over former champion Junior dos Santos and Stefan Struve, and a decision over Roy Nelson at UFC 185 in March 2015. “Reem’s” last loss was a surprising first-round finish to the hands of Big Ben Rothwell in 2014. He re-signed with the UFC in free agency after the JDS knockout.

Arlovski (25-11, 1 NC) returned to the UFC nearly two years ago and won four fights in-a-row, including knockout victories over Travis Browne and Antonio Silva. However, the former UFC titleholder’s seven-fight winning streak came to a crashing end when he was knocked out by top contender Stipe Miocic last month at UFC 195.

UFC Fight Night 87 takes place live from Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands on May 8. No other bouts have been confirmed for the card at this time, although Struve vs. Bigfoot Silva is targeted for the event.

The latest event for World Series of Fighting (WSOF) took place earlier tonight (Sat., Feb. 20, 2016) inside Next Level Sports Complex in Garden Grove, Calif., airing live on NBC Sports Network.

WSOF 28’s main event was a Bantamweight title showdown where Marlon Moraes went for a record-tying third defense against top challenger Joseph Barajas (only former 155-pound kingpin Justin Gaethje has been as successful as a WSOF champion).

Did Moraes prevail or did Barajas knock him off in a huge surprise?

Moraes was content to fire off incredibly loud leg kicks until Barajas could take no more. His right leg buckled and referee John McCarthy waved it off as he crumpled at 1:13 of the first round. With his quick one-sided win, Moraes successfully becomes the second man to defend his title three times in WSOF.

Zombie Prophet illustrates how nasty the final kick was in slow motion.

Marlon Moraes vs Joe Barajas #WSOF28 SloMo via LEG KICK! pic.twitter.com/Stc3dJyaHw

— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) February 21, 2016

The defending champion spoke to Joey Varner after the stoppage.

“First of all, I want to thank that man up there, Jesus Christ who gave me the health to be here and blessed me with my team and beautiful family. This camp was very hard. BJ, Chris, Frankie (Edgar) they helped me a lot. I wanted to mix it up. I wanted to let go (with) everything I had. Any 135-er can take that leg kick and they are going to get hurt bad. Frankie always tells me weight doesn’t matter. I’m going to fight anybody. I don’t want to sound cocky, but I can beat anybody. I came from nothing and I’m the champion. I will be for a long time.”

Second from the top was a pair of contenders looking to challenge the Bantamweight champion. “Lucky” Timur Valiev was unbeaten in WSOF coming in, while the debuting Chris Gutierrez came in with a six-fight win streak on the line.

Did Gutierrez make it “lucky” No. 7 or did Valiev move one step closer to a title shot?

Fights fans will want to watch this one more than once to determine their scores. One judge gave every round to Valiev, who was lighter on his feet, stringing together combos and chased down Gutierrez with almost reckless abandon in the third round.

In hindsight, maybe that was because he thought he was behind on the scorecards … and he would have been right. Two judges scored the fight 29-28 for Gutierrez. The first round was close enough to go either way, but after a decisive second round by Valiev, I’m still scratching my head as to what Gutierrez did better than Valiev in round three.

Here’s a second round highlight of Valiev’s flashy striking techniques via Zombie Prophet.

Timur Valiev vs Chris Gutierrez #WSOF28 Double Spinning Shit pic.twitter.com/w84uRjvSFP

— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) February 21, 2016

Welterweight fights rounded out the rest of WSOF 28’s main card. One such fight featured Iron Ring and The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) alum Jamie Yager, coming back after a three-year layoff to face a late replacement fighter named Daniel McWilliams.

If you knew nothing about this fight other than the fact “The Animal” McWilliams had a 13-32 record going in, you could probably predict a short and decisive fight for Yager. That’s exactly what we got. The hapless McWilliams was thrown to the ground after he attempted a takedown and submitted via armbar at just 39 seconds.

Zombie Prophet captured the moment for posterity.

Jamie Yager vs Daniel McWilliams #WSOF28 pic.twitter.com/gTU0ci7x29

— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) February 21, 2016

Yager spoke to Varner about how it felt to win so fast.

“Definitely satisfying. I’m back — back for good. 2016 is going to be my year. My friends, my family, my team, everybody who was here make some noise!! That’s an old school technique I learned from my original wrestling coach. I know most people are used to seeing me use the muay thai striking but tonight we got a quick submission — in and out.”

The other Welterweight bout on tap was the somewhat middling fighter with the somewhat clever nickname Andrew “The” Ramm putting a 4-3 record up against the more successful Ozzie “The Outlaw” Alvarez at 6-3.

Ramm got got kicked square in the face with a spinning back kick 0.01 seconds before round three ended. Ramm was slumped by the strike and would have been finished with additional time, but he was already out-wrestled and outworked for the majority of the fight, leading to 30-27 X2 and 29-28 for Alvarez by unanimous decision.

Zombie Prophet shows us the finish that Alvarez ALMOST got.

Ozzie Alvarez vs Andrew Ramm #WSOF28 NICE KICK! pic.twitter.com/gfCU9wbDoj

— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) February 21, 2016

Complete WSOF 28 Results:

Marlon Moraes (c) vs. Joseph Barajas — Moraes via TKO 1:13 R1.
Timur Valiev vs. Chris Gutierrez — Gutierrez via SD 27-30, 29-28 X2.
Jamie Yager vs. Daniel McWilliams — Yager via sub 0:38 R1.
Andrew Ramm vs. Ozzie Alvarez — Alvarez via UD 30-27 X2, 29-28.
Steve Ramirez vs. Kyle Estrada — Ramirez via KO 1:01 R1.
Heinrich Wassmer vs. Keenan Lewis — Wassmer via sub 3:02 R3.
Mike Kubeska vs. Fard Muhammad — Muhammad via MD 28-28, 29-27, 28-27.
Garrick Evans vs. Isaias Alvarado — Alvarado via TKO 3:21 R1.
Eric Steans vs. Jalin Turner — Turner via KO 0:38 R1.

Check out our live streaming results RIGHT HERE to see who else made a name for themselves inside the cage at WSOF 28 in Memphis tonight.

Marlon Moraes vs Joe Barajas #WSOF28 pic.twitter.com/wRGoAx8S2e

— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) February 21, 2016

Marlon Moraes vs Joe Barajas #WSOF28 SloMo via LEG KICK! pic.twitter.com/Stc3dJyaHw

— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) February 21, 2016

When World Series of Fighting (WSOF) Bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes speaks about the future of his division he must hear an echo because it’s awfully empty in there.

Moraes, 16-4-1, has run through everybody the company has put in front of him dating back to the very first WSOF event in 2012.

It was no different tonight (Saturday, Nov. 20, 2016) inside Next Level Sports Complex in City Garden Grove, Calif., for WSOF 28.

Moraes wasted little time dispatching challenger Joe Barajas, landing a vicious kick to the inside of his right leg that seemed to blow out the fighter’s knee. The finish came at an official time of 1:13.

Barajas joins eight other fighters easily handled by Moraes in WSOF, including Miguel Torres, Tyson Nam, Brandon Hempleman, Carson Beebe, Josh Rettinghouse, Cody Bollinger, Josh Hill and Sheymon Moraes.

The situation is so bad that apparently Moraes literally begged WSOF executives to sign free agent Aljamain Sterling from the UFC so that he’d have somebody worth fighting for the title.

“Not just told, but I begged because I knew this guy is a big name,” Moraes said Monday on The MMA Hour. “He’s a great fighter. He works very well for the promotion, and I think it was a smart move by the UFC, keeping him, because he can make a lot of noise in this division.

“He’s one of the guys I look up at,” Moraes added, “and it would be a pleasure having a guy like that on the roster, so I could be fighting a guy like this and prove where I belong.”

Sadly for Moraes, UFC re-signed the number-five ranked bantamweight to a “lucrative” multi-fight contract which means the WSOF champion may need to go the Jessica Aguilar route if he wants to find his way into a fight with real competition.

For full results from WSOF 28 including play-by-play and recaps click here.

Who’s the better Cowboy? It is most likely Alex Oliveira, who is an actual cowboy. Luckily, we’re not here to to watch a display of horsemanship, pistols and ropin’ steers. We’re here to watch a fistfight.

Two former lightweights turned welterweights with the same nickname battle for control of the octagon shaped ranch this February 21, 2016 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

One sentence summary

David: The ultimate cowboy battle for ranch supremacy… or something.

Phil: Shootout at the Muai Thai Corral.

Stats

Donald Cerrone 28-7-1 NC

Odds: -300

Alex Oliveira 14-2-1 Draw -1 NC

Odds: +250

History / Introduction to the fighters

David: Cerrone is finally moving up in weight like all the cool kids. After a lifetime of pugilism, he’s ready to avoid the weight cut, and begin anew. He’s coming off a pretty brutal loss to Rafael dos Anjos. But that’s always been his MO; either win spectacularly or fail spectacularly. And he doesn’t lose often. This move is still kind of a question mark. I think his style is actually quite fine for the division. The stigma 170 used to have of nothing but Hughesian dynamics has waned. In its place are fighters akin to what lightweight has to offer. But that’s also what makes the move curious.

Phil: As long as Cerrone is the same guy he’ll have a place in whatever division he wants. The dos Anjos fight is an aberration in more ways than one- I reckon the fans and Cowboy himself both know that he’s just not mentally cut out for title fights. He does not enjoy the burdens of expectations at all, and would way rather just be crazy Cowboy, taking fights at the drop of a dime. I think he can still do that up a division, although he’ll likely get his momentum stopped further away from the peak. That’s, of course, assuming he’s the same Cerrone. I feel like I’ve been saying it for years, but when does this insane lifestyle start to take it’s toll?

David: Oliveira came out of nowhere. He had a ton of fights packed into a small window of time before getting the call, and then lost in his UFC. To casual fans, the matchup likely inspires “Oliviera?? Which one?” responses. But with the cowboy hat, and entertaining style, he’ll be distinguishing himself in victory or defeat.

Phil: Cowboy is as Cowboy does. Like his namesake, Oliveira likes action, and often. With a ton of physical gifts and an innate knack for violence, there’s a solid chance he’s going to be the same kind of blood’n’guts mainstay that Cerrone’s become. The difference is that one Cowboy is at the beginning of his lucrative action-fighting career, and the other is in the later acts, and thus question is if this represents the young whippersnapper getting a lesson taught to him by the old hand, or the passing of the torch.

What are the stakes?

David: Not sure, to be honest. In a division like welterweight where the rankings are fairly rigid in UFC terms, Oliveira winning will mean potentially nothing short term. But Cerrone winning could be the kind of thing Dana will push. It just depends on how. And I wonder if Cerrone will get the same activity he got at lightweight.

Phil: Yeah, not much for a main event. The main thing is that Oliveira will get a pretty big boost if he beats Cerrone. Donald is many things, but an easy out he is not, and he’s only lost to the top shelf fighters in the deepest division around. Even if an Oliveira win comes purely due to Cowboy falling apart (which, as mentioned, has to happen at some point), he can make some real headway in whatever division he chooses to make his mark.

Where do they want it?

David: Cerrone has always been a striker not as versatile as advertised, but more efficient than assumed as a result. He’s a kickboxer built on the strong of knees and kicks at range, and pocket exchanges with elbows and short hooks. He’s a stellar grappler, gifted offensively at throwing his legs and hips into position that force the opponent into unexpected exchanges.

Cerrone is an efficient fight philosopher as well; despite his reputation, he’s not a basket case when it comes to pressuring. His losses can be reduced to losing to the hyperaggressive, and losing to the eccentric.

Phil: After so many fights on the big stage, everyone knows what Cerrone’s flaws are. The flip side of this is that those flaws are surrounded by battle-tested defenses which are very difficult for all but the most elite fighters to get past. Primarily he’s just not terribly quick on his feet and doesn’t have great head movement or sharp hands, all of which leads to his general problem with pressure. Getting to those vulnerabilities, though, is easier said than done. Boxing-only approaches get diced up from the outside by kicks. Closing the distance risks a step knee or an elbow, and takedowns have been almost completely ineffective since his time in the WEC.

David: Oliveira will have no qualms with keeping this fight on the feet. The first thing to note about Oliviera is his movement. Dare I say, boxing afiocionados, that his movement has shades of Emanuel Augustus, bouncing up and down like a marionette needing an exorcism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=955OG5bRAjA
It’s not entirely predictable, which makes it that much more effective. A striker like Cerrone will definitely have problems, especially if Oliviera uses his movement to pressure more than usual while staying active. His punches are looped around like he’s making shockwave snow angels. He chambers them quick, and supports it all with a kicking game that aims to penetrate rather than pinch.

Phil: Maybe a just a tiny bit less funky than Augustus. But the general principles aren’t far off- using a more squared up stance to build angles off a wide base. Oliveira is still rough-hewn in his approach, but he obviously has a very clear idea of what he wants to do, as well as a hell of a lot of physical toughness and power. The main thing which concerns about him is that he appears to be focusing on his grappling more of late… and I’m not sure if that’s optimal. He’s a good striker, sure, but he still needs a lot of work. Left hook, a rather overused right uppercut and a nice fadeaway counter right (which I don’t think will have much opportunities against Cerrone’s style) are not the kind of foundational pieces which you can build a game off. Increasingly we’ve seen an aggressive but energy-inefficient power grappling and clinch game, where he just hauls opponents around like so many sacks of potatoes.

Insight from previous fights?

David: I can’t really claim one particular fight of reference. Oliviera is the right mix of aggressive and eccentric that has given Cerrone trouble on their own. The question is whether or not Oliviera is defensively capable. The Piotr Hallmann bout was a good look into this question. Cerrone has to be a much more active puncher if wants to make this the kind of fight that’s simply his to lose.

Phil: Alex is talented, but if there is one thing that has historically not troubled Cerrone, then it’s talent, or at least talent on it’s own. His ledger has a number of skilled and athletically gifted fighters who came up against him before they reached the height of their powers: Edson Barboza, Miles Jury, Charles Oliveira. He slaughtered them all. I think the most relevant is probably the criminally underrated Adriano Martins. Physically huge, powerful and aggressive, he gave Cerrone some real problems, shortly before Cowboy punted him upside his head. I think Oliveira is still at that stage in his career- one where he can trouble Cerrone, but not where he’s likely to consistently win rounds or stop him. Cerrone is brilliant at finding cracks of inexperience and driving his foot right through them.

X-Factors

David: Something I think we both predicted even before Dos Anjos caved in Cerrone’s spleen, and something that isn’t exactly some grand insight, but it’s gotta be Cerrone’s body “softness”. It’s one of those elements of analysis you don’t think of but it makes intuitive sense. If you can have a “soft chin”, why not a “soft stomach”? Whatever the anatomical case, Cerrone definitely seems more vulnerable than most to strikes to the body. Oliveira is mostly just a headhunter, but it’s not like he won’t attempt thoracic torment. Especially if his coaches are doing their job.

Phil: I’d like to point out that given the participants, neither of us even bothered to pick “short notice” as an X-factor. Anyway, while I’ve already been a bit down on Oliveira’s chances, he does possess one thing which has given Cerrone problems: reach, with an extra 4 inches over WEC Cowboy. Those who can stand at a distance where they can outland Cowboy with punches without having to impale themselves on the step knee have always had an easier time of it. Even RDA is an example of this- he’s not as tall or rangy as Cowboy, but his punches are long and ramrod-straight.

Prognostication

David: Despite the really strong elements to Olivera’s game that can give Cerrone trouble on their own, Oliviera doesn’t piece them well into the kind of sum I’m confident will finish Donald. Cerrone is still a smart, violent fighter on the feet. Except for Diaz, it’s always been moments of offense that took away Cerrone’s sails and I’m not sure Olivera has the fluid game to exploit Cerrone in singular moments. Donald Cerrone by TKO, round 3.

Phil: I can really see Oliveira hurting Cerrone early, or maybe even finishing him. However, I don’t think he’s shown the propensity for body shots which has been historically necessary to finish Cerrone, or the level of craft to consistently win rounds either on the feet or on the ground. American Cowboy’s getting up there in terms of ring time, but coming in there and trying to out-athlete Donald Cerrone has always been a losing proposition. Donald Cerrone by submission, round 3.

Now that last night’s (Friday, Feb. 19, 2016) epic failure is in the history books and we can reflect on the monumental disaster that was the co-main event of Bellator 149 (described by Joe Rogan as the worst fight ever), let’s take this time to share some reaction from the Interwebs.

Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 was mercilessly mocked far and wide by mixed martial arts (MMA) fans forced to endure two and a bit rounds of some of sloppiest and pathetic fighting the world has ever seen. Witness the reactions below.

First off, this “tribute video” to the fight doesn’t even really require commentary or mockery. It basically just shows how utterly friggin’ terrible the fight was.

Next up, the ESPN Deportes commentators trying hard to keep their act together during this clown car circus act.

And then, the GOAT, Cathal Pendred gives his “Gracie breakdown” of the finish:

There doesn’t seem to be any sign of a ‘Gracie Breakdown’ for the #KimboVsDada5000 fight. So I decided to make one. pic.twitter.com/jNrDwe5uGV

— Cathal Pendred (@Pendred) February 20, 2016

Following the fight, UFC heavyweight Derrick “The Beast” Lewis was having good laugh about Kimbo’s team coming back to his dressing room screaming “give him some oxygen!”

Kimbo team yelling “give him some oxygen”

A video posted by @thebeastufc on Feb 19, 2016 at 9:45pm PST

Good times, good times. But actually, not really, as Dada 5000 needed to be brought back to life in the ambulance after the fight and was in critical condition overnight for his insane 40-pound weight cut.

The good news is that he’s OK and will live, but it’s certainly no laughing matter that this farce nearly resulted in a fatality last night. And what did the Spike TV folks say about airing that debacle?

Not our fault, dude.

Sounds like Scott Coker has some ‘splainin’ to do.