Author: Thomas Gerbasi

 
 After two losses to Cub Swanson and Charles Oliveira, featherweight veteran Jeremy Stephens went old school in his bout against fellow contender Dennis Bermudez and the result was a back-and-forth war won by the “Lil’ Heathen” via third-round knockout.“Those last two losses were close decisions,” Stephens said. “I had to go back and think about those old school fights. I was a white belt when I beat (current lightweight champion) Rafael dos Anjos, and I look back and it was my mindset that beat him.”

“These fights just keep getting b … Read the Full Article Here

Flyweight prospect Louis Smolka impressed against Dublin veteran Neil Seery, using a slick ground game to sail to a three-round unanimous decision win.All three judges saw it 30-27 for Kapolei’s Smolka, now 9-1; Seery falls to 15-11.Watch Again on UFC Fight PassSeery had success with the overhand right whenever Smolka got close in the early going, and with less than a minute gone, one of those rights put the Hawaiian on the deck. In the ensuing scrambles, Seery got cut under the right eye, but the Irishman responded by fishing for submissions. Eventually though, it was Smolka who took … Read the Full Article Here

Brazilian phenom Thomas Almeida improved to 20-0 in the main card opener, surviving a furious first-round assault from veteran Brad Pickett to come back and finish their bantamweight bout in the second with an emphatic knockout.“I had a very tough opponent,” Sao Paulo’s Almeida said. “Brad is a very tough guy, but I took a little time to get into the fight, and afterwards I handled it.”Pickett’s hooks to the head and body served him well as the bout began, producing swelling under Almeida’s right eye. Nearly two minutes in, Pickett rocked the Brazili … Read the Full Article Here

It wasn’t the 30th birthday party Brandon Thatch wanted, but Iceland’s Gunnar Nelson was happy to get back in the win column after suffering the first loss of his career last October, submitting Denver’s Thatch in the first round of their welterweight bout. “I’m usually confident when it goes to the ground that it’s going to be a finish,” Nelson, who lost a decision to Rick Story in his last bout, said. “It wasn’t different this time.”
Related Content – Gunnar Nelson Backstage InterviewNelson held his own with Thatch while sta … Read the Full Article Here

The final UFC 189 preliminary bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas produced the evening’s first finish, with Matt Brown and Tim Means getting after it for nearly five minutes Saturday until Brown won via submission late in the opening round.“I’m looking to be a champion still,” Brown, who broke a two-fight losing streak, said. “I ain’t going nowhere.”Brown was on the offensive early, but Means got into the fight just as fast, briefly jarring “The Immortal” with an elbow at close range. An inadvertent eye poke by Brown brought a … Read the Full Article Here

 
“Do you see me?”
It was a question screamed, not asked, of UFC president Dana White by bantamweight contender Cat Zingano— a consequence of trying to be heard over the screams of more than 10,500 fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena who had just watched the Coloradan stop Amanda Nunes in the third round of their UFC 178 bout.
The win was the most important of the 32-year-old Zingano’s career, and one that didn’t seem possible after the first five minutes of the bout. But if anyone knows how life can change in the matter of minutes, it’s Zingano. But … Read the Full Article Here