Author: Brian Mazique

In the main event of UFC 197 in Las Vegas on Saturday, Jon “Bones” Jones won the interim UFC light heavyweight championship with a lopsided unanimous-decision win over Ovince Saint Preux. Jones didn’t look his best, but his C-game was enough to win 50-44, 50-45, 50-45 on the three judges’ cards.

ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto and MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani didn’t give Jones high marks for his performance:

Per MMA Mania, Jones talked about his inability to pull the trigger with his offense:

Bones seemed tentative despite winning every round. He controlled the action with more activity, but he began to dominate in the third and fourth rounds when he started landing hard slams. The last slam in the fourth round seemed to injure Saint Preux’s left arm, and Jones subsequently landed tons of elbows from the top position.

While no one was calling Jones’ performance a vintage showing, it’s hard to imagine any other light heavyweight in the world beating OSP so easily while not producing his best effort.

Jones didn’t accept the interim title after the fight, and he explained why, per MMA Mania:

Originally, Jones was supposed to face UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier to regain the title he forfeited when the UFC suspended him and stripped him of the belt in April 2015. However, Cormier suffered an injury during training camp, and Saint Preux stepped in to take his place.

Jones defeated Cormier in January 2015 via unanimous decision. Per the UFC PPV broadcast, their rematch is set for later this year. It could potentially take place at UFC 200.

 

Mighty Mouse Continues His Dominance

Demetrious Johnson is amazing. In the co-main event, the UFC flyweight champion made an Olympic medalist look like a run-of-the-mill fighter. Johnson destroyed Henry Cejudo in the first round with some excellent work in the clinch.

After Cejudo took him down, Johnson quickly got to his feet and did major damage in close quarters. A series of knees to the midsection and elbows to the head left Cejudo reeling backward.

Johnson doesn’t get paid by the hour, so he pounced on Cejudo like he was double-parked. A straight right hand sent him into the cage, and another knee dropped Cejudo to his knees. The referee stepped in to stop the fight, and Johnson had yet another successful defense of his title.

MMAFighting.com showed its appreciation for Johnson’s fighting prowess:

How easy was Johnson’s night? He did a quick interview backstage for the UFC’s Twitter account moments afterward:

Here’s a look at all of the results from UFC 197.

 

Main Card

• Jon Jones def. Ovince Saint Preux via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-45, 50-45).
• Demetrious Johnson def. Henry Cejudo via first-round technical knockout.
• Edson Barboza def. Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
• Robert Whittaker def. Rafael Natal via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
• Yair Rodriguez def. Andre Fili via second-round knockout.

 

Fox Sports 1 Undercard

• Sergio Pettis def. Chris Kelades via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
• Danny Roberts def. Dominique Steele via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
• Carla Esparza def. Juliana Lima via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
• James Vick def. Glaico Franca via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

 

Fight Pass

• Walt Harris def. Cody East first-round technical knockout,
• Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Clint Hester via first-round submission (arm triangle).
• Kevin Lee def. Efrain Escudero via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

 

The Finishes

De Lima Smokes Hester

Marcos Rogerio de Lima took advantage of an early stumble by Clint Hester. De Lima pounced on Hester, taking the top position, and he didn’t allow his opponent to stand again until after he had submitted him.

An arm triangle finished Hester, but the vicious ground-and-pound did the damage. He was tapping before the submission hold was even locked in securely.

Kel Dansby of The Corner doesn’t think fans will see Hester in a UFC cage for a while:

 

Harris Takes East South

Walt Harris is a unique heavyweight. He’s extraordinarily agile for a man in his division, but he has tons of striking power. Cody East found that out firsthand Saturday night. 

After a few competitive exchanges, Harris landed a short and quick straight left hand that dropped East. Harris rained down shots on East until the referee stopped the bout. Throughout the broadcast, promos were hyping East’s debut and his time on the Lookin’ for a Fight YouTube series.

Jeff Wagenheim of Sports Illustrated and the Washington Post captured East’s predicament:

 

Rodriguez Scores Highlight-Reel Finish

Yair Rodriguez put Andre “Touchy” Fili to sleep with a brutal jumping switch kick to the chin in the second round. Fox Sports’ Jon Anik and Sherdog.com were impressed by Rodriguez’s striking display:

Dynamic striking attempts are Rodriguez’s calling card. He will try just about anything in the Octagon, and it’s making him one of the most exciting prospects in the UFC. He came into the fight unranked, but that could change after Saturday’s performance.

 

What’s Next? 

UFC Fight Night Rotterdam

Two ultra-popular and destructive heavyweights will headline a UFC Fight Night card in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on May 8. Alistair Overeem will take on Andrei Arlovski in a fight that will almost certainly end before the final horn.

In the co-main event, another heavyweight matchup between Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Stefan “The Skyscraper” Struve will get the cage warm for Overeem and Arlovski. It could be a night capped with explosive finishes.

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Bellator welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov was too big and strong for Benson Henderson on Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The 25-year-old Russian dominated the former UFC lightweight champion and scored a lopsided unanimous-decision victory.

The three judges all scored the fight 50-45 in favor of Koreshkov, and a few rounds were so one-sided that they could have been scored 10-8.

Brent Brookhouse of MMAJunkie.com shared his takeaways from the Bellator 153 main event:

Henderson had beaten Brandon Thatch at welterweight in the UFC, but Koreshkov proved to be on another level. At 6’0″, he enjoyed a three-inch height advantage and proved to be much stronger than Henderson in every area. The latter struggled to close the distance from the beginning of the bout.

When he did get into range, Koreshkov smoked him with hard right hands and vicious kicks to the body. To Henderson’s credit, he took all of the shots and didn’t fold, but he looked like a man fighting above his weight class.

Henderson was making his Bellator debut after signing with the promotion as a free agent. He had a long run in the UFC that included several main event bouts and the aforementioned run as the 155-pound champion. His decorated resume made the victory sweeter for Koreshkov.

In some ways, this win was not just a triumph for Koreshkov but also for Bellator as an organization. Former UFC fighters have come to Bellator before, but most of them have landed with the promotion after they had failed in the higher-profile organization.

Henderson is the first to come to Bellator while still highly respected and considered a top title contender. For one of Bellator’s champions to not only defeat but also to dominate a newcomer like Henderson in this way says something for the improving caliber of fighters in President Scott Coker’s organization.

If you find a publication that ranks fighters regardless of promotion, you can bet Koreshkov jumped a few notches with this win.

Here’s a look at all of the results from the Spike card.

 

Bellator 153 Results

• Michael Page def. Jeremie Holloway via submission in first round (toe hold).
• Brent Primus def. Toninho Furia via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).
• Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos def. Brennan Ward via submission in first round (knee bar).
• Patricio “Pitbull” Freire def. Henry Corrales via submission in second round (guillotine).
• Andrey Koreshkov def. Benson Henderson via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45).

 

Notable Finishes

MVP Is Electric

If you’ve never seen Michael “Venom” Page fight and you’re a fan of MMA, you’ve been deprived of something special. The only thing bigger than Page’s flamboyant personality is his finishing ability.

Normally, Page finishes opponents with his dynamic arsenal of strikes. On Friday, Page showed us his advanced submission game. Jeremie Holloway’s game plan was to close the distance and pressure Page. That didn’t work out.

After running into a hard right hand in the opening seconds that knocked him off his feet, Holloway fell victim to an inverted toe hold against the cage as he went for his own leg lock. It happened so quick that referee John McCarthy almost didn’t notice Holloway tapping desperately.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden was impressed by Page’s new wrinkle:

When it was over, Page taunted, danced and added another level to the huge hype train that is building behind him. Page’s next opponent was announced during his post-fight interview. Per the Spike broadcast, Page will be headlining a card in his hometown of London when he takes on Fernando Gonzalez.

Bellator provided Bleacher Report with the poster art shortly after Page’s win:

There’s no doubt that the 29-year-old Page, who is now 10-0 with nine stoppage wins, is one of Bellator’s best stars. If he continues to win and impress, he’ll be fighting for the welterweight title in no time.

 

Cyborg Contorts Ward

Brennan Ward came in with the hype, but his night ended with a fizzle. In Ward’s hometown, Brazilian veteran Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos submitted him within a minute. As usual, Ward came charging in while looking for the quick finish, but Santos was ready for him.

As soon as their bodies clashed, Santos dropped to the mat, looking to control Ward’s leg. Ward didn’t defend the attempt properly, and it took just a few seconds before Santos had his leg extended with a deep knee bar.

Ward tapped and may have suffered an injury during the finish. Many in the MMA community, including Josh Gross of the Gross Point Blank podcast, were surprised by the outcome:

Ward looks the part of a title contender, but he lacks some of the basic techniques to defeat fighters with varied skill sets. While Santos is a veteran, he’s just 21-16 in his career, and he’s also 38 years old.

Ward is just 27, but after this disappointing loss, his career is at a crossroads.

 

Pitbull Guillotines Corrales

Patricio Pitbull came back strong after losing his featherweight title to Daniel Straus in November. It was their third meeting, and the first that Straus won.

Facing Henry Corrales in the co-main event, Pitbull battled through a lackluster first round to earn the stoppage in the second. Known for his massive punching power, Pitbull showed off his powerful submission game as he locked in the standing guillotine.

Corrales tapped almost immediately as Pitbull leaned back to add torque. It’s unclear whether Pitbull has done enough to justify a fourth fight with Straus, but there is a path emerging for the two men to meet again for the gold.

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In Bellator MMA‘s first international event, Patricky “Pitbull” Freire easily outfought a passive Kevin Souza to earn a unanimous-decision victory in the featured fight in Torino, Italy, on Saturday night.

A poised and controlled Patricky took the openings Souza gave him. Souza never looked to set up any power shots. Instead, he seemed content to let Freire land the occasional strike. In the past, Freire has rushed in while looking for the stoppage and gotten into trouble.

In recent fights, he’s been more careful. He showed that same approach against Souza. With the latter offering little in the way of offense, it wound up being an easy night of work for Freire. Here’s a look at all of the results in Italy:

• Patricky Freire vs. Kevin Souza: Freire via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
• Alessio Sakara vs. Brian Rogers: Sakara via TKO (2:29 Round 2).
• A.J. McKee vs. Danilo Belluardo: McKee via TKO (2:44 Round 1).
• Anastasia Yankova vs. Anjela Pink: Yankova via submission (armbar, 1:35 Round 1).
• Daniele Miceli vs. Daniele Scatizzi: Scatizzi via TKO (3:20 Round 1).

 

Sakara Delights Hometown Crowd

Alessio Sakara is an Italian MMA legend. If you need any proof of that, the evidence was in the volume from the crowd when Sakara began his cage walk. The Italian fans only got louder every time Sakara came close to landing a shot against Brian Rogers.

The first round was close, but Rogers may have taken it with the judges, as he took Sakara down and held him in place for most of the frame. In the second, Sakara rebounded as fatigue seemed to slow Rogers.

Sakara landed a huge right hand above Rogers’ right ear, wobbling him, and then landed another right hand that sent him to the canvas. The crowd erupted, and Sakara had an emotional victory. Bellator MMA shared the finish:

It’s unclear whether Sakara will continue to fight. When asked during the post-fight interview, he said he would answer Bellator’s call as long as he could fight in Italy. He’s not a serious contender at 205 pounds, but there’s no doubt he can fill a stadium of MMA fans in his home country.

 

McKee Has the Key to a Lockdown Division

If you think the Bellator featherweight division is on lock, 21-year-old phenom A.J. McKee wants you to know he has the key. On Saturday, he had no problem solving Milan’s Danilo Belluardo. McKee moved to a perfect 4-0 in his pro MMA career with a first-round technical knockout.

The crowd did its best to spur on Belluardo, but McKee outclassed him in every way. McKee even had to shake off a low blow early in the first round. After getting a brief moment to recover, he wasted no time finishing Belluardo. Here’s a look at the finish, via Bellator MMA:

McKee talks like a guy who is ready to challenge for the title, but in reality, he probably needs two or three more fights before he’s ready for the best 145-pounders.

 

What’s Next?

Benson Henderson will make his Bellator MMA debut April 22, when he’ll challenge welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov in Uncasville, Connecticut. Henderson is a former UFC lightweight champion and arguably the biggest free-agent signing in Bellator history.

This is an important fight, as it will probably draw the attention of fans who might otherwise watch only UFC events.

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Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Rashad Evans temporarily went to sleep Saturday night in Tampa, Florida, and Glover Teixeira was reading the bedtime story. The powerful Brazilian leveled Evans with a hard left hook in the first round and finished his dazed opponent with a right hand.

Evans slumped to the mat face-first, and referee Herb Dean stopped the onslaught. Fox Sports UFC reacted to Teixeira’s win:

Teixeira has had some impressive wins in his career, but this one was perhaps the most impressive. The 36-year-old Evans is past his prime, but Teixeira’s ability to knock 205-pounders out cold is noteworthy. The victory was the third in a row for Teixeira.

When the fight was over, he called out Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, who was in attendance.

“You don’t want to wait around for [Daniel] Cormier and [Jon] Jones. You want to do business; let’s do business,” Teixeira said, per the Fox broadcast.

A bout between Teixeira and Johnson is a knockout fan’s dream. They might be the two hardest punchers in the division, and it seems impossible for that fight to go the distance. The winner would also seemingly be assured of a title shot.

Consider this an open plea to the UFC matchmakers: Make that fight happen. 

 

Thug Rose Outduels Torres

In a hotly contested co-main event, Rose “Thug” Namajunas used a late takedown in the third round to eke out a unanimous-decision win over Tecia Torres in a rematch of a July 2013 bout, when the two were in Invicta.

A left-right combination by Torres rocked Namajunas in the second round, but she showed toughness and poise. The 23-year-old had a takedown in the first round to go with the one in the third, which helped offset Torres’ advantage in significant strikes (61-46), per UFC.com.

Torres also landed 93 total strikes, compared to just 48 for Namajunas.  

With Saturday’s win, Namajunas is in position to be the next woman to get a shot at the strawweight title. She could face the winner of the Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Claudia Gadelha scrap July 8. Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com thinks that’s in order:

Namajunas‘ popularity seems to be booming after this win and her last over Paige VanZant. A bout between her and Jedrzejczyk would be one of the biggest in the division.

 

UFC on FOX 19

• Teixeira defeats Evans by KO (punches, Round 1 1:48).
• Namajunas defeats Torres by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
• Khabib Nurmagomedov defeats Darrell Horcher by TKO (punches, Round 2, 3:38).
• Cub Swanson defeats Hacran Dias by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Fox Prelims

• Michael Chiesa defeats Beneil Dariush by submission (face crank, Round 2, 1:20).
• Raquel Pennington defeats Bethe Correia by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
• Santiago Ponzinibbio defeats Court McGee by TKO (punches, Round 1, 4:15).
• Michael Graves defeats Randy Brown by submission (rear-naked choke, Round 2, 2:31).

Fight Pass Prelims

• Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos defeats Omari Akhmedov by TKO (punches/knees, Round 3, 3:03).
• Cezar Ferreira defeats Oluwale Bamgbose by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27).
• John Dodson defeats Manny Gamburyan by TKO (punches, Round 1, 0:47).

 

The Finishes

Dos Santos Outfights Akhmedov

Dos Santos and Akhmedov had a fierce battle to open the show. The two men looked to split the first two rounds before Dos Santos finished the bout in the midst of a fierce exchange in the third frame.

Akhmedov was first hurt by knees to the midsection, but a big right hand wobbled him. And Dos Santos wasted no time going for the finish. He launched a strike-filled assault on Akhmedov before referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in to stop the fight. The Brazilian lost a close split decision against Nicolas Dalby in his UFC debut in May. 

This victory was what he hoped to accomplish in the UFC. Ahmedov was once a highly touted prospect, but he has now lost two straight.

 

The Magician Makes Gamburyan Disappear

John “The Magician” Dodson made a statement in his return to the bantamweight division. Dodson won season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter, but he had been competing as a flyweight since the UFC created the division in 2012.

On Saturday, Dodson destroyed Manny Gamburyan with his impressive blend of speed and power. Gamburyan is known for his toughness, but he was no match for Dodson. The Magician looks like a man on a mission at 135 pounds.

In his career, Dodson owns a victory over former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw. With one or two more wins, he should be in position to challenge for a shot at the the 135-pound crown.

 

Graves Buries Brown

Randy Brown had an excellent first round against Michael Graves, but he couldn’t put his opponent away. The second round was a different story. Graves got the upper hand on the ground and used a rear-naked choke to make Brown submit.

Both fighters came in undefeated, but Graves is the only one who’ll carry that distinction into his next fight. Brown is going to be kicking himself for not taking advantage of his opportunities to finish in the first round.

 

Ponzinibbio Punishes McGee

As usual, Court McGee came out aggressive, but Santiago Ponzinibbio proved to be the better fighter. He took a couple of shots from McGee early, but once he opened up with hard right-leg kicks and a fierce straight right hand, McGee was in trouble.

Ponzinibbio was stalking McGee by the midway point of the first round, and one of the aforementioned right hands put McGee on the canvas. The Argentinian pounced and pounded out McGee until Dean called a halt to the beating.

McGee is a bit of gatekeeper. He’s tough, but legitimate contenders should handle him. That’s what Ponzinibbio did. He has now won two fights in a row.

 

Chiesa Squeezes Dariush

Michael Chiesa got the biggest win of his career Saturday. He submitted Beneil Dariush via face crank in the second round after a left hand dazed him in the first round. Chiesa collected himself and continued to show off his improved striking game to gain an advantage on Dariush. 

Ultimately, he took Dariush‘s back from a standing position. He looked to lock in the rear-naked choke, but he couldn’t get his forearm under Dariush‘s chin. That didn’t matter. Chiesa was able to apply enough pressure to make Dariush submit.

Chiesa has now won three fights in a row. After the bout, he called out Tony Ferguson. That could be an entertaining matchup.

 

Nurmagomedov Is Impressive in His Return to the Octagon

Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the scariest lightweights in the world, but injuries had kept him out of action for almost two years. Nurmagomedov took out his frustrations on Darrell Horcher. Nurmagomedov was supposed to face Ferguson, but an illness forced the latter out.

After a dominant first round, Nurmagomedov finished off a dominant performance with more ground supremacy. The 27-year-old Russian pounded Horcher out until referee James Warring stopped the bout.

 

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