Thomas Lakes, MMA Fighting
Greg Hardy and Ben Sosoli faced each other in a Heavyweight clash tonight (Fri., Oct. 18, 2019) at UFC on ESPN 6, which took place inside TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. It was not a fun fight, but Hardy got the nod.
Hardy landed a low kick first but ate a big left hand. Sosoli struck again moments later with another hard left. Hardy returned with a nice high kick. Hardy landed a counter cross, absorbed a left. Hardy landed a stiff jab and a hard inside low kick. Big left hand to the mid-section connected for Sosoli. Hardy connected twice with his right hand, and the second seemed to stun his foe momentarily. Another hard low kick landed for Hardy, who was working well from distance. Overhand left glanced off the chin of Hardy. Clean right hand connected from Hardy. Another one. Three!
Quick jab from Hardy started the second round. Decent body kick landed for the former NFL player. Sosoli rushed forward and tried to start a combination, but Hardy escaped at an angle and landed a cross. More good low kicks scored for Hardy, which seemed to effectively slow his opponent. Sosoli landed two good punches on the counter. Hardy absorbed an overhand while simultaneously landing a low kick. Sosoli was having a difficult time closing the distance against his longer foe, though Hardy wasn’t throwing a ton of strikes himself. Hardy did commit to the low kicks, which landed well. Sosoli scored with a decent overhand.
It wasn’t a great round, but Hardy was definitely ahead on the cards. Between the second and third round, Hardy used an inhaler while on the stool, which is illegal.
Sosoli jabbed to start the third but ate a low kick. Another low kick landed for Hardy, and a counter cross for good measure. Good right hook scored for Sosoli. Sosoli began to land at a bit better of a pace, but Hardy’s low kicks were still controlling distance. Hardy landed a right hand and pulled back to avoid the overhand counter. Body shot landed for Sosoli. Low kick from Hardy briefly swept his foe to the mat. Both men were looking pretty tired. Hardy absorbed a big punch while mid-low kick, but he shook it off. Sosoli landed a big left after faking a takedown attempt. The bout ended with Sosoli chasing his foe around the Octagon.
It was not a fun fight, but ultimately Hardy’s improved range striking proved the difference maker. However, we’ll have to see if Hardy’s inhaler use comes back to bite him.
Result: Greg Hardy defeats Ben Sosoli via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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