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UFC Fight Night 80: VanZant vs. Namajunas Card, Live Stream Info and Predictions

To take the next step toward superstardom, No. 7-ranked strawweight Paige “12 Gauge” VanZant must defeat No. 3-ranked Rose “Thug” Namajunas in Las Vegas on Thursday at UFC Fight Night 80. The bout will be the main event in the first of three UFC e…

Thursday’s card will take place at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan and will be broadcast exclusively via live stream on UFC Fight Pass.

At the same venue on Friday, the finale of The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber will take place. The dynamite featherweight scrap between Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes is the main event.

Then on Saturday, perhaps the most anticipated card in the promotion’s history will take center stage at the MGM Grand. Two world titles will be on the line as UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will defend his belt against interim titleholder Conor McGregor.

If that weren’t enough, UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman puts his title on the line against Luke Rockhold.

The first of the three cards features several young, promising up-and-coming stars. VanZant is just 21 years old with a 6-1 professional record. She’s undefeated in three UFC bouts.

Namajunas is just 23. While she has a modest 3-2 professional record and a 1-2 mark in the UFC, Namajunas is a respected submissions grappler who should be VanZant‘s first true test.

Looking like a fighter ready for combat, Namajunas appears in this UFC Europe tweet, sporting her new action-heroine look and showing love to the Lithuanian flag:

Also on the card is former Ultimate Fighter winner Michael “Maverick” Chiesa (12-2), who turned 28 on Monday. He’ll take on the grizzled veteran and No. 14-ranked lightweight Jim Miller (25-6, 1 NC) in the co-main event.

Nineteen-year-old lightweight sensation Sage Northcutt (6-0) will make his second appearance in the UFC as he takes on Cody Pfister (12-4-1).

Also, undefeated 27-year-old middleweight Elias Theodorou (11-0) will get a stiff test from Thiago Santos (11-3). A win could push Theodorou into the Top 15—or close. You can view all of the fighter rankings at UFC.com.

Let’s take a look at all of the scheduled bouts, viewing information and predictions.

Santos Will Shock Theodorou

There are few middleweights who are as strong as Theodorou, but he has a tough matchup in Santos.

The Brazilian is a dynamic and underrated striker who is capable of dynamic finishes. His last two first-round wins over Andy Enz and Steve Bosse are proof.

Theodorou likes to put pressure on opponents by constantly coming forward. While he displays excellent cardio, his striking is inconsistent. At times, he throws beautiful high kicks. Other times, he looks heavier on his feet and less graceful.

Santos is the type of athlete who can make him pay for his lack of sharpness. If you haven’t seen Santos fight, picture a larger Edson Barboza. If this fight goes the distance, chances are Theodorou will have worn Santos down and spent a hunk of time in top control.

However, that’s not the way this one will go down. In what will likely amount to one of the more shocking results of the night, Santos is the pick by second-round TKO.

His speed and power will catch Theodorou and derail his rise up the middleweight ladder.

Northcutt Will Continue His Rise

He may look like Mark-Paul Gosselaar from Saved by the Bell, but Sage Northcutt‘s opponents are often the ones wishing they could be rescued. All six of Northcutt‘s wins have come by finish, with four coming by way of KO/TKO.

That includes his explosive UFC debut against Francisco Trevino at UFC 192 in October.

Expect another dominant performance from the impressive teenager. Pfister is terribly slow on his feet, and his striking will be leagues behind Northcutt‘s when it comes to speed and explosiveness.

By the midway point of the first round, Northcutt will have had his way with Pfister en route to a first-round stoppage.

Chiesa‘s Improved Striking Will Lead to Victory

Back in July 2013, Chiesa dropped Jorge Masvidal in a bout at UFC on Fox 8. Chiesa lost the fight via submission, but that moment when his striking upstaged his celebrated grappling game was a turning point.

Chiesa talked about that and his overall improved striking in an interview with MMAFightingonSBN. As you can see, Namajunas isn’t the only one on the card who has taken a trip to the barber:

The stats support Chiesa‘s claim. Per FightMetric.com, he is 3-1 since the loss to Masvidal, and he’s landed more strikes than his opponents in all but one of those four fights.

In the interview above, Chiesa says his fight with Miller “will come down to stand-up.” He’s right. Both men are excellent on the ground and probably won’t find much of an advantage there.

On the feet, Chiesa‘s five-inch height and four-inch reach advantage will be key. The southpaw (6’1″, 75″ reach) should be able to establish his jab and find a home for some left hands. That’s the combination that put Masvidal down.

Chiesa won’t stop Miller, but he will win by unanimous decision.

VanZant Is Too Skilled for Namajunas

Namajunas isn’t coming to the arena to be a footnote in VanZant‘s rise up the UFC’s popularity and fighter rankings, but she won’t have enough to stop 12 Gauge. Both women are battlers who have shown the ability to gut out tough victories.

That said, Namajunas is primarily a grappler who doesn’t figure to be able get the best of VanZant during stand-up exchanges. Per FightMetric.com, VanZant has landed 5.16 strikes per minute compared to just 2.88 for Namajunas.

The former has also been the more accurate striker with a connect rate of 60 percent compared to 39 for Namajunas. Also, Namajunas‘ defense has been spottier. She has absorbed 51 percent of the strikes thrown at her, while VanZant has only eaten 39 percent.

One might perceive Namajunas to have an advantage on the ground, but the numbers don’t back that up entirely. She does have three submission wins compared to two for VanZant, but the latter’s takedown defense has been far better at 61 percent to 28 for Namajunas.

Obviously, the opponents in these fights play a role in the stats, but there’s enough of an advantage in the numbers to assume VanZant has a definitive edge in striking and that she’s at least comparable on the ground.

Based on that, VanZant should win a clear decision, but don’t rule out a stoppage win by TKO or submission in the third or fourth round.

Statistics for entire fight card can be found at FightMetric.com.

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Bellator 147 Results: Winners, Scorecards, Reaction from Thomson vs. Villaseca

Josh “The Punk” Thomson easily defeated Pablo Villaseca via second-round TKO in Bellator 147’s main event in his hometown of San Jose, California, on Friday night. It was clear from the start of the fight, the younger, less experienced Villaseca w…

The 28-year-old from Chile was having issues finding a home for any of his strikes, and whenever the fight got into close quarters, Thomson’s superior wrestling saw him dominate.

There was one sequence in the first round when Thomson transitioned through three separate submission maneuvers in an effort to finish Villaseca. To Villaseca‘s credit, he escaped, but it only prolonged the inevitable.

In the second round, Thomson again took Villaseca to the ground. This time, instead of looking for submissions, the 37-year-old veteran simply pounded away on Villaseca until referee Scott Herzog called an end to the bout.

Here’s a look at the finish:

Thomson could probably pursue a title shot against lightweight champion Will Brooks, but it doesn’t sound like that’s what he wants. Per the Spike broadcast, he was told about this tweet from Brooks:

Instead of accepting the champion’s challenge, Thomson pushed that potential fight aside and decided to talk about fighting Michael Chandler—a guy Brooks already beat twice for the title.

Why? Brooks seemed to know the answer:

He offered more after Thomson’s disrespectful move:

Is that really good for Bellator or mixed martial arts on a whole? It doesn’t seem like it, but clearly it’s Thomson’s prerogative. It does make you wonder why Brooks can’t seem to get any respect—no matter how much he wins.

Here’s a look at all the results from Friday night’s card:

**Bellator 147 Card and Results**
Matchup	Weight Class	Results
Adam Piccolotti vs. Mario Soto	Lightweight	Piccolotti by submission (second round, rear-naked choke)
Virgil Zwicker vs. Brian Rogers	Light Heavyweight	Rogers by submission (second round, arm-triangle choke)
Patricky Freire vs. Derek Anderson	Lightweight	Anderson by decision (29-28×2, 28-29)
Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Daniel Weichel	Featherweight	Weichel by decision (30-27×3)
Josh Thomson vs. Pablo Villaseca	Lightweight	Thomson by TKO (second round, unanswered punches)

Rogers Chokes Out Zwicker

Brian Rogers is known for his powerful striking. On Friday night, he used his submission skills to take the victory over Virgil Zwicker. In the first round, Rogers proved to have superior quickness.

He was able to get off kicks to Zwicker‘s legs and midsection without much resistance. Rogers put his stamp on the first frame by securing a late takedown and working from side control through most of that round.

In the second, Rogers had two kicks stray low. The second one caught Zwicker on the cup and forced a short delay. Rogers would be looking for the finish shortly thereafter.

He would get it after a scramble on the ground saw him take full mount. Rogers transitioned to an arm-triangle choke that forced Zwicker to tap out. Here’s a look at the winning moment:

Rogers needed this win in a major way. He had lost four of his last five fights. There’s no telling where another loss would have left him. Zwicker had his two-fight win streak stopped, but he’s a crowd favorite who will undoubtedly be back.

Piccolotti Bloodies and Submits Soto

Adam Piccolotti gave the guys in charge of scrubbing blood stains on the mat some work. After controlling the first round, Piccolotti opened a nasty gash across Mario Soto’s nose with elbows on the ground.

Soto would scramble to try and defend himself, but Piccolotti kept the pressure on his opponent. He took Soto’s back, cinched in the rear-naked choke and forced the submission.

Take a look at Piccolotti‘s finish:

The 27-year-old improved his record to 7-0. It was his second straight submission victory, and he’s 3-0 in Bellator. With a few more wins, he could find himself in position to challenge for the lightweight title. Maybe he’ll be willing to fight Brooks.

This was Soto’s Bellator debut; It’s safe to say things didn’t begin the way he’d hoped.

Anderson Outworks Patricky Pitbull

With length and activity, Derek Anderson overcame the powerful Patricky “Pitbull” Freire. The latter normally brings a ton of aggression into the cage. After losing to Anderson via unanimous decision in September 2013, it seemed he would be on fire for the rematch, but that wasn’t the case.

After taking the first round on the strength of his jab and punch-kick combinations, Pitbull‘s powerful left hooks slowed Anderson a bit.

Anderson wasn’t necessarily hurt, but it was clear the Brazilian got his attention.

After regaining his composure between the second and third rounds, Anderson resumed control of the bout as he controlled the distance with his striking. The bout was close, but the judges made the right decision in awarding Anderson the split-decision victory.

Daniel Weichel Dismantles Karakhanyan

Georgi “Insane” Karakhanyan looked quite pedestrian on Friday night against Daniel Weichel. The latter’s excellent boxing picked the former apart from the beginning of the first round until the last second of the third.

Karakhanyan had no answer for Weichel‘s jabs, hooks, counter right hands and front kicks. While Weichel never hurt Karakhanyan, the German landed all of the highest impact shots of the fight.

The judges rightfully scored the fight—all for Weichel. With the win, Weichel is in a great position to challenge Daniel Straus for the Bellator Featherweight Championship. Weichel was seemingly seconds away from winning the title from Patricio “Pitbull” Freire in June.

Pitbull caught him with a big shot late in the second round to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Straus would defeat Pitbull to win the title in November. Now Straus is the marked man Weichel is pursuing.

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Glory Kickboxing 26 Results: Winners, Scorecards, Reaction from Amsterdam

In front of a raucous crowd in Amsterdam for Glory 26, the fighters put on an amazing show on Friday evening. All of the fights were entertaining, but the card didn’t go over without controversy.
In the main event, Glory welterweight champion Niek…

In front of a raucous crowd in Amsterdam for Glory 26, the fighters put on an amazing show on Friday evening. All of the fights were entertaining, but the card didn’t go over without controversy.

In the main event, Glory welterweight champion Nieky “The Natural” Holzken retained his title with a split-decision victory over Murthel “The Predator” Groenhart (48-47, 49-46, 46-49). It was the first defense for the 31-year-old from Beek en Donk, Netherlands, who enjoyed the bulk of the fans’ support throughout the fight.

Groenhart is Dutch-Surinamese, so there was added incentive for both fighters to perform well in front of their countrymen.

Quite honestly, it was an odd decision as Groenhart looked to outwork Holzken through the first four rounds. Per the ESPN 3 broadcast, Groenhart landed more shots, but it appeared Holzken’s kicks may have had a bigger impact.

Glory and Showtime Boxing announcer Mauro Ranallo agreed:

Former Glory welterweight champion Joseph Valtellini wasn’t as understanding. He wondered aloud on Twitter about fan’s perception of the sport after what he believed to be an incorrect decision:

It didn’t appear as though Holzken had an answer for Groenhart’s cardio and consistent attack. The champion looked to be waiting on the challenger to slow down, but he never did. The 29-year-old Groenhart repeatedly landed a hard left hook to the body and kept his legs busy with kicks to the thigh.

Sensing some desperation in the air, Holzken picked up the pace in the fifth round. He landed a hard kick to the inside of Groenhart’s left knee. The shot buckled the challenger’s leg. It was easily the champion’s biggest shot of the fight, and it should have given him the round.

However, it could be argued that the fifth was the only round Holzken deserved to win in the fight. In any case, the official decision says that he retained the title. It was his second decision victory over Groenhart.

With the closeness of the latest match, Ranallo thinks a third bout may be in order:

After the dust settles, the 29-year-old Groenhart may want to pursue that opportunity, but for now, this one has to sting a little.

That was just one fight from a spectacular night of kickboxing. As Rob Tatum of Combat Press implies, even fans who didn’t like the decision in the main event shouldn’t let it spoil the rest of the card from Amsterdam:

Here’s the results of the televised bouts:

Matchup	Weight Class	Result
Mosab Amrani vs. Chi-bin Lim	Featherweight tournament	Amrani by first-round TKO
Shane Oblonsky vs. Maykol Yurk	Featherweight tournament	Yurk by second-round TKO
Lim vs. Oblonsky	Tourney Final	Amrani by first-round KO
(c) Rico Verhoeven vs. Benjamin Adegbuyi	Heavyweight Championship	Verhoeven by first-round KO
(c) Nieky Holzken vs. Murthel Groenhart	Welterweight Championship	Holzken by decision (49-46, 48-47, 46-49

Verhoeven Taps into His Power

Though he’s not normally known as a finisher, Glory heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven showed off his newfound boxing prowess on Friday.

In another rematch, Verhoeven destroyed Benjamin Adegbuyi in the first round with a titanic right hand that made the referee count completely unnecessary. Glory on Instagram has the entire sequence:

The 26-year-old Verhoeven has been sparring with newly crowned heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury. The workouts seem to be working as Verhoeven landed bigger punches in the first 60 seconds of his fight than Fury did in 12 rounds of “action” against Wladimir Klitschko on Nov. 28.

Verhoeven could be on the cusp of superstardom. He made his successful MMA debut on October 19 with a KO win over Viktor Bogutzki at RXF 20. MMA Fighting and Fox Sports’ Ariel Helwani would love to see Verhoeven continue down that path:

Per Ranallo, Verhoeven is open to any challenger in his next fight:

If he wants to truly take his earning potential to the next level, a move to the UFC or even into boxing might be a smart transition. As of now, he’s the baddest man in Glory.

Amrani is the Real Deal

If Glory 26 was anyone’s first time seeing 28-year-old, Dutch-Moroccan Mosab “The Jaguar” Amrani in action, that person had to have come away impressed. Amrani blew through two opponents en route to a definitive Glory featherweight tournament victory.

He earned a shot at champion Serhiy Adamchuk sometime in 2016.

In his first fight of the night, Amrani made quick work of Chi-bin Lim. Ruthless combination punching left the 36-year-old South Korean writhing in pain and stopped inside the first round. Tatum described the sequence that led to the end, and Caposa has the video to support the commentary:

Attempting to match Amrani’s impressive performance, Maykol Yurk crushed Shane Oblonsky in the second round of the other semifinal match to earn his shot at Amrani. Caposa also has the vicious kick and knee combination that stopped Oblonsky.

It appeared as though we might have a competitive tournament final. Not so much.

Amrani’s speed and precise striking quickly proved to be too much for Yurk. This liver shot in the first round, captured by Glory on Twitter, spelled the end for Yurk.

Amrani needed less than two rounds of work to prove himself worthy of a title shot. Adamchuk better be in the gym right now, because the Jaguar won’t be easy to tame.

After a night of drama and spectacular knockouts, we can only hope the next few Glory cards can live up to what this one delivered.

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Bellator 147: Thomson vs. Villaseca Fight Card, TV Schedule and Predictions

Josh “The Punk” Thomson has gone from being a little fish in a huge pond to becoming something of the big tuna. The former UFC veteran has instantly proved himself to be one of best lightweights—if not the best—in the Bellator ranks.
After …

After three straight losses to end his run in the UFC, Thomson made a smashing Bellator debut in September. He defeated the rugged Mike Bronzoulis via submission.

On Friday in the main event of Bellator 147 at San Jose State University, Thomson will attempt to move one step closer to a shot at the 155-pound title when he takes on the talented Pablo Villaseca.

The card will also feature an intriguing featherweight scrap between Daniel Weichel and Georgi Karakhanyan. Here’s a look at the main card on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET. The undercard is listed at Bellator.com and can be viewed on Spike.com at 7 p.m. ET.

Anderson’ Length Will Tame the Pitbull

Derek Anderson will enjoy a five-inch height advantage over Patricky “Pitbull” Freire on Friday. The feisty Brazilian is accustomed to overcoming size advantages, but this one is huge—not to mention Anderson is skilled.

Expect Anderson to utilize his above-average takedown defense and to keep his jabs and leg kicks coming on a regular basis. He’ll pick Pitbull apart with his striking and ride it to a unanimous-decision victory.

Weichel Will Stop the Aggressive Karakhanyan

Aggression is usually one of Karakhanyan‘s best attributes. Against Weichel, it will be his undoing.

Weichel is an excellent counter striker. He’ll enjoy a two-inch height advantage in this bout.

He also excels at executing chokes. Five of his last seven wins have come by submission. Each of the submission wins has been via choke.

Karakhanyan is an accomplished grappler in his own right, but Weichel is a little craftier. Whether this fight goes to the ground or stays standing, it would appear Weichel has the advantage. He appeared on MMA Odds Breakers and exuded confidence, as expected:

Despite the fact that Karakhanyan has never lost a professional bout via tapout, a submission win is the call in this one. Weichel is the type of opponent whose game is well-rounded enough to lure Karakhanyan into a trap.

Thomson Is Too Experienced for Villaseca

Thomson’s edge over Villaseca isn’t just pure experience; it’s also experience against top competition. The Punk has faced the best in the weight class throughout his career.

Aside from his lopsided loss to Tony Ferguson in July, Thomson has hung with or beaten most of the elite fighters he’s faced. The same cannot be said for Villaseca.

Most of his 11 pro fights have taken place in smaller promotions. His lone loss came to Bobby Cooper in June at Bellator 139. To put it plainly, he has yet to show he can compete on an elite level.

Thomson is on a mission to wear gold. Villaseca simply doesn’t have the tools to stop him. The Punk will secure another submission victory to earn a likely title shot.

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Glory Kickboxing 26: Amsterdam Fight Card, Live Stream Schedule and Predictions

Two championship fights are on tap Friday, December 4, from Amsterdam in the Glory Kickboxing series. In the welterweight division, the Netherlands’ Nieky “The Natural” Holzken will defend his title against his countryman Murthel Groenhart. The latter …

The heavyweight title will also be on the line. In a rematch of a Glory 22 clash in June, another home-standing champion in Rico Verhoeven will defend his title against Romania’s Benjamin Adegbuyi.

Verhoeven won the initial fight via lopsided unanimous decision. Like Groenhart, Adegbuyi earned his shot at Glory gold by winning a heavyweight tournament at Glory 24 in October.

Here’s a look at the full card and predictions.

Holzken‘s Superior Fight IQ Will Propel Him to Win

It was hard to not be impressed with Groenhart‘s performance at Glory 25. He battled through Nicola Gallo and Karim Ghajji en route to the tournament win.

He had previously struggled to make the lightweight limit, but since he has transitioned to welterweight, Groenhart seems to have found a home. He’s an active fighter who will pursue the KO finish early and often.

That will likely be his approach against Holzken as he seeks to make a statement and emphatically take the title. It will be a mistake.

Holzken is notorious for allowing opponents to wear themselves down early in the bout. He did that in August against Raymond Daniels at Glory 23.

Daniels came out like a house of fire early, but once Holzken had him timed, and his opponent had fatigued, the man they call the Natural took over. He stopped Daniels in that fight, and he’ll likely finish Groenhart in the same fashion.

Verhoeven Will Outlast Adegbuyi

Few heavyweights have the size to match up with the 6’6″ Adegbuyi. The champion is one of the few. At 6’5″ 260 pounds, the chiseled titan doesn’t possess the power that the Romanian challenger has, but his work rate and toughness should push him to a victory.

Adegbuyi will be especially dangerous early in the fight. He’s going to want to turn things around from his first meeting with Verhoeven.

The champion’s defense has been excellent. He’ll keep Adegbuyi at bay early, only to take him out in deep waters late in the fight. Normally Verhoeven doesn’t finish opponents, but he’ll make the exception the second time around. He’s been working on his striking with a pretty notable boxer, per Michael Stets of Nerdcoremovement.com:

We should see some of the results of that sparring against Adegbuyi. Expect a third-round stoppage win in one of Verhoeven‘s best performances.

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UFC Fight Night 79 Results: Winners, Scorecards from Henderson vs. Masvidal Card

In a fight that should have delighted the hearts and eyes of mixed martial arts purists, Benson “Smooth” Henderson defeated Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal via split decision in the main event at UFC Fight Night: Seoul on Saturday.
The UFC recognized th…

The UFC recognized the winner of the main event, whose mother is Korean, and acknowledged the awesome crowd on hand for the promotion’s first event in South Korea:

Both Henderson and Masvidal are the epitome of the term mixed martial artist. They are highly trained in several disciplines, thus those who saw this bout witnessed a pugilistic chess match. In the end, Henderson was a little quicker on his feet and with his hands, and he also had an answer for every one of Masvidal’s attempts to submit him.

There weren’t any huge, debilitating strikes landed, but Henderson clearly seemed to land the most telling blows. He dropped Masvidal in the first round with a well-placed and well-timed right hand. The shot looked to catch the veteran contender off balance, as he was also throwing a kick at the same time.

Masvidal looked to have Henderson in trouble in the fifth round. He locked in a guillotine that Henderson had to work earnestly to escape, but his expert-level submission defense allowed him to maneuver out of the hold.

Per UFC.com, Henderson landed more significant strikes in all five rounds, he landed three takedowns to none for Masvidal and spent nearly twice as much time in top control. Quite honestly, the victory should have come by unanimous decision.

When it was over, Henderson issued a semi-challenge to an unknown fighter, per Fox Sports’ Ariel Helwani:

We’re not sure who he was talking about, but there’s a few names that come to mind. Georges St-Pierre is rumored to be returning to the UFC. Could Henderson be targeting him next? That would be a pretty entertaining scrap worthy of main event status on almost any card. It would also likely lead to a title shot for the winner.

Henderson also gave credit to Masvidal, per MMAFighting.com:

Masvidal might be the most underrated fighter in the UFC. He never gets mentioned among the elite guys in his division, yet he doesn’t have any real weaknesses. Perhaps his only problem is that he’s not a finisher, and that leaves him subject to judges decisions on too many occasions. Too often they do not go his way. Back in April, Masvidal lost a disputed split decision to Al Iaquinta.

Henderson has had some bad luck with judges. His loss in January to Donald Cerrone was a tough setback. But overall, he seems to have a better handle on winning close and competitive fights.

Originally, Henderson was supposed to face Thiago Alves in South Korea, but the Brazilian was injured and had to be replaced by Masvidal, who was scheduled to face Dong Hyun Kim in the co-main event.

In his post-fight interview, Masvidal expressed regret for not having the preparation time to get ready for a five-round bout:

Hopefully, fans and the powers that be will recognize Masvidal’s skill level and keep him in the mix to face other top opponents in the welterweight division.

The Stun Gun Electrifies the Crowd

The South Korean-born Dong Hyun Kim aka “The Stun Gun” made quick work of Dominic Waters. In one of the more lopsided fights you’ll see, Kim smoked Waters and culminated the fight with a mounted crucifix.

Kim pounded away on Waters’ face until the referee stopped the bout.

Per UFC.com, Kim landed 91 strikes to none for Waters. It doesn’t get more one-sided than that. Waters was a late replacement for Masvidal once he moved up to the main event, and he fought like someone in over his head.

When the fight was over, Kim was asked who he wanted next. Per the UFC Fight Pass broadcast, the No. 7-ranked welterweight said he wanted to avenge a 2012 loss to Demian Maia.

Demian Maia? Really?

If Kim is trying to avenge losses, why would he not target Tyron Woodley, whom he lost to via TKO in August 2014? Perhaps that doesn’t feel like a winnable fight for the Stun Gun. In any case, he looked great against Waters.

Here’s a look at the rest of the results:

Benson Henderson defeated Jorge Masvidal by Decision (Split, 49-46, 48-47, 47-48)
Dong Hyun Kim defeated Dominic Waters by TKO (Punches), Round 1
Alberto Mina defeated Yoshihiro Akiyama by Decision (Split, 29-28×2, 28-29)
Doo Ho Choi defeated Sam Sicilia by KO (Punch), Round 1
Dongi Yang defeated Jake Collier by TKO (Punches), Round 3
Mike De La Torre defeated Yui Chul Nam by Decision (Split, 29-28×2, 28-29)
Tae Hyun Bang defeated Leo Kuntz by Decision (Split, 29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Seohee Ham defeated Cortney Casey by Decision (Unanimous, 29-28 x3)
Fredy Serrano defeated Yao Zhikui by TKO (Injury), Round 1
Marco Beltran defeated Ning Guangyou by Decision (Split, 29-28×2, 28-29)
Dominique Steele defeated Dong Hyun Kim by KO (Slam and elbows), Round 3

Highlights of the Card

Slam of Steele

Dominique Steele is a powerfully built and explosive welterweight. He showed that power and explosion in the opening bout on the card against Dong Hyun Kim.

Check out this first-round KO via slam and elbows from the UFC Twitter account:

That’s a rude welcome to the UFC for Kim, who was in his debut with the promotion. It’ll take some real guts to come back from a devastating and scary KO loss like this one.

Steele had lost his debut via TKO against Zak Cummings in July, so this was a great bounce-back win.

Serrano Slams and Injures Zhikui

Slams were prevalent and damaging during the prelims. In the opening round, Fredy Serrano slammed Yao Zhikui and the latter fell awkwardly on his elbow. You can see the sequence in the tweet from the UFC:

You can’t see everything in the video above, but per the UFC Fight Pass broadcast, Zhikui suffered a dislocated elbow. That is what forced the referee to stop the bout.

Yang Pounds Collier

The finish didn’t come via slam, but Dongi Yang crushed Jake Collier all the same. The end came in the third and final round of a fairly competitive bout. Yang powered ahead with more stamina in reserve than his American opponent.

A series of punches put Collier in peril, and Yang swooped in for the finish. It was Yang’s UFC debut and his 14th win. Thirteen of those victories have now come by KO. He’s one to watch in the middleweight division.

Korean Superboy Has Star Potential

Doo Ho Choi is just 24 years old, and he has the looks of an elite finisher. On Saturday, he walked through an experienced and tough veteran in Sam Sicilia.

The latter had his moments. He appeared to hurt Choi in the opening moments of the fight, but the Korean had already dropped the veteran. Choi landed a well-placed knee, but Sicilia would not back up. Electing to stand and trade proved to be his undoing.

Moments later, Choi would land a right hand that knocked Sicilia out. It was short, but quite the impressive scrap and performance from Choi.

Akiyama Loses Tough One

Despite the adulation from an adoring South Korean crowd, the legendary Yoshihiro Akiyama came up on the short end of the judges’ decision against Alberto Mina.

The first round was the pivotal frame. Per UFC.com, Akiyama landed 18 significant strikes to 17 for Mina, but the latter secured a takedown. Depending on how each judge scored the opening round likely dictated who they gave the nod to.

The second round was all Mina as he dropped Akiyama with a hard right hand. Akiyama would dominate the third round as he had the crowd energy behind him. When it was over, it felt as if Akiyama had won, but when you look at the bout from a round-by-round standpoint, the decision wasn’t a horrible one.

Even with that bit of perspective, the UFC asked fans who they thought won the fight. The results were drastically in favor of Akiyama:

What’s Next?

UFC Fight Night: Las Vegas is the next card on tap for the promotion. On December 10, Rose Namajunas will give rising star Paige VanZant the biggest test of her young career.

With the Ronda Rousey-Holly Holm fight still fresh in fans’ minds, this one should garner a good amount of attention. It is the first high-profile women’s fight since Holm’s huge win. VanZant has serious star potential. Namajunas will be looking to derail her path to mainstream notoriety.

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