LIVE! Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA Results, Streaming Updates TONIGHT!

Former UFC champions compete in a rematch 15 years in the making!

Happy Friday!

It’s Sept. 8, 2023, and former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight kingpin, Fabricio Werdum, is fighting another former champion, Junior dos Santos … again! Okay, so it’s minus the gloves, and they’re old and in the best shape of their unencumbered-by-United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) lives, but whatever, let’s fire up the senior circuit and watch some old-timers go to work.

Indeed, it’s Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred promotion, coming to you live from inside VySar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., starting at 6 p.m. ET on YouTube.com (it will also stream in the video player above and right here).

Again, we’ve got two highly recognizable names in the mixed martial arts (MMA) world and while the humor is lessened by having to explain any joke, each of them look like they’re about to say, “I’m In The Best Shape Of My Life.” It would’ve been cool to get this rematch five or 10 years ago, but better than nothing, right?

Let’s see if Werdum’s improved striking is enough to get him past the big hands of “JDS” or if the heavy-hitting baldy can make it 2-0.

In other action, the Gamebred card is sprinkled with other former UFC veterans, so there’s plenty of familiarity on the undercard for everyone to enjoy. In a world of countless “Assassins” and “Pitbulls,” Maki “Coconut Bombz” Pitolo stands out from the rest. He brings with him a large swath of experience, having fought seven times under the UFC and Bellator banners. He faces off with Joel Bauman, who also once had a cup of coffee with Bellator, but just for one measly fight.

Every Pitolo fight is fireworks, so look for this one.

Going along the experience ladder, there’s Anthony Njokuani and his 15 UFC/WEC fights to really bring it back for us old dogs. He’ll be fighting a man 12 years his junior, former UFC and Professional Fighters League (PFL) veterean, Brandon Jenkins.

That’s not all.

Not to sound like a broken record, but for a minor-league MMA event, we’ve got even more UFC products going at it, bringing up the name value. Local Florida redemption story, Irwin Rivera, is squaring up with Mississippi’s Joshua Weems (yup, he’s a UFC vet … and so is his opponent, too). And so is Brandon Davis, just to list the names of every ex-UFC man on this card.

Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA: ‘dos Santos vs. Werdum’ Quick Results:

265 lbs.: Junior Dos Santos def. Fabricio Werdum — Decision (split), 30-27 x2, 28-29
185 lbs.: Joel Bauman def. Maki Pitolo — TKO (strikes), 2:36 Rd 2
135 lbs.: Joshua Weems def. Irwin Rivera — Decision (unanimous), 30-27 x3
145 lbs.: Ago Huskic def. Brandon Davis — Decision (unanimous), 29-28 x3
170 lbs.: Anthony Njokuani def. Brandon Jenkins — Decision (unanimous), 30-27, 29-28 x2
140 lbs.: Joey Ruquet def. Joe Penafiel — TKO (strikes), 3:01 Rd 2 — HIGHLIGHTS!
155 lbs.: Jhonasky Sojo def. Tyler Hill — TKO (ground & pound), 4:52 Rd 1
205 lbs.: Reggie Northrup def. Cody Herbert — Decision (unanimous), 30-27, 30-26 x2
150 lbs.: Shahzaib Rindh def. Carlos Guerra — TKO (ground & pound), 2:41 Rd 1
145 lbs.: Juan Alvarez def. Christopher Wingate — Submission (Heel Hook), 0:13 Rd 1

Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA: ‘dos Santos vs. Werdum’ Play-By-Play Updates:

Junior Dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum

Round 1: Werdum in blue, JDS in black. Dos Santos with a big leg kick that lands as Werdum was on one leg, so it sends him to the canvas. Werdum gets up and lands one back. Awful takedown attempt by Werdum from way too far out. Dos Santos with a counter right. JDS circling and angling, trying to find an opening. Leg kicks by both men is the majority of the action so far. Werdum getting happy feet when Dos Santos gets close, and that could be problematic down the line. Nice low kick by JDS. Better takedown attempt by Werdum, gets a single… trips JDS down, he’s right back up. Werdum tries to get the back, Dos Santos gets to the cage to prevent it. Oh, there’s a right hand by JDS and Werdum has a big cut above or by his right eye. He’s down and JDS continues into his guard, but he plays it carefully there until the round ends.

10-9 Dos Santos

Round 2: Werdum’s hurky-jerky striking isn’t working so far against the fundamentally sound Dos Santos. Werdum missing a series of kicks — front, crescent, hook… nothing landed. Werdum blitzes forward and gets in a right hand. Jab from Dos Santos. Slow round here. Werdum lands a nice right that backs JDS up. He waives Werdum forward, who obliges him with a blast double. Dos Santos defends and tries to beckon him into his guard as JDS stands.

10-9 Werdum

Round 3: JDS’s offense has plummeted here. He’s flicking out a jab, but no combos and very few power shots. I wonder if he’s scared of a takedown. A nice jab bloodies up the other eye of Werdum. There’s a TD attempt and JDS stuffs it. Two minutes left. Dos Santos on the front foot now, as Werdum is trying to take stock of what little he can see now. JDS 1-2.

10-9 Dos Santos

Final result: Junior Dos Santos def. Fabricio Werdum via split decision.

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Maki Pitolo vs. Joel Bauman

Round 1: Bauman in gold, Pitolo in black. Pitolo with an overhand that nearly lands. Bauman with a knee stomp. Pitolo comes in to a clinch and gets a takedown. Bauman doesn’t accept the position and works out of it and up. Bauman eats a clean left. Pitolo works on a clinch takedown. Bauman uses a kimura to get Pitolo off him and now he has the back. They work into a clinch and Bauman bombz Pitolo right in the coconuts. We’re back up and Bauman hits a left. Sweet left hand by Bauman.

10-9 Bauman

Round 2: Bauman lands a clean left as the first significant strike of the round. Bauman has worked Pitolo to the fence and is letting Bauman stand at his range, picking him apart. Maki is bleeding around both eyes. Pitolo isn’t finding the range at all. Big right hand stumbles Pitolo back. Bauman smells blood and he follows Pitolo, disassembling him as Pitolo tries to cover up on the fence. High kick. Body shot. Right hook. Ref steps in and that’s that.

Final result: Joel Bauman def. Maki Pitolo via knockout

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Irwin Rivera vs. Joshua Weems

Round 1: Both men in white, so we’ll go by hair. Rivera with the black faux-hawk and Weems has a brunette undercut. Weems with some kicks to start. Stomps on the knee, tries to the head. Rivera not throwing much, just pressing forward. We’re halfway through the round and Rivera’s barely thrown a thing. Irwin blitzes, and either knocks Weems down or he slipped, but Weems pops back up immediately and blasts forward for a takedown. He’s on top in guard. Passes to side. Rivera regains full. Weems with a couple punches to the body, but Rivera gets his legs into play, pushes Weems off and gets up. They’re back and separate. Weems tries a takedown, gets shucked and thrown to the ground.

10-9 Weems

Round 2: Replay showed that Weems slipped, rather than knocked down with that flurry, so I feel better about giving him round one. S[inning back kick by Weems. Right to the body. Rivera seems confused by all this action and pace. Rivera misses, Weems with a counter-right. Irwin clips a left and immediately bloodies the eye of Weems. Weems hits a straight right. Rivera gets in a counter right now. They finally stand and trade a bit with Weems getting in a right hand. Leg kick lands for Rivera. Weems hits a big left and a right, but Rivera literally dances it off.

10-9 Weems

Round 3: Weems comes out like a house ablaze and is landing some good shots during this 30 seconds of hyper-activity. Rivera nearly gets a big slam, but Weems amazingly keeps himself from being flattened. Rivera pushes him to the ground, but doesn’t follow him. They do continue the clinch and now Rivera tries a guillotine. Weems defends and gets out. Rivera up, Weems tries to take the back, can’t do it and they separate. Weems emptying the gas tank on Rivera. Weems tries a takedown and Rivera somersaults out of the attempted ankle-pick. Weems just throwing and out-voluming Rivera here in the third.

One minute to go. Rivera stuffs a takedown. They swing at each other at the end.

10-9 Weems

Final result: Joshua Weems def. Irwin Rivera via unanimous decision

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Brandon Davis vs. Ago Huskic

Round 1: Huskic in white, Davis in green. Huskic with a good liver kick early. Huskic using his kicks early. Both legs — quick ones and an occasional power one. Davis with a nice lead left. Lands a counter right, too. Huskic keeping up the leg attacks. They’re enjoying this fight, high-fiving each other occasionally during slow points in their flow. Neat hook by Davis. Huskic knocks Davis’ mouthpiece out with a right hand and then politely lets him go retrieve it. Rights land for both.

10-9 Huskic

Round 2: Much slower, more measured pace here. Davis slips on a head kick attempt. Davis with a pair of rights. Huskic’s output has slowed, but there’s a great leg kick that sends Davis to the mat. He’s back up. Huskic to the body. Davis grabs a clinch and has Huskic up against the fence, but doesn’t do anything with it as they break apart. Low kick by Davis. One in return. Davis with a left to the body and a right to the head. Huskic gets a guillotine position, but uses it to land a solid knee to the head.

10-9 Davis in a close round.

Round 3: Davis pushes forward and gets in the 2 of a 1-2. Left hand, eats a couple to the body, lands a knee. Huskic has his mouthpiece kinda slip out, rather than smashed out, and like before, the opponent allows the man to get it back in. Huskic firing off a couple combos here, but not really landing clean. Huskic seems content with trying to out-point Davis with jab-like kicks, but I’m not sure the quantity is enough when Davis occasionally lands a good power shot. Huskic catches a head kick, misses when he fires back one of his own. There’s a decent right hand to left to knee combo by Davis and he got in all of them. Huskic evades a head kick, eats one on the top of the skull. Davis with a takedown as the bell sounds.

10-9 Davis

Final result: Ago Huskic def. Brandon Davis via unanimous decision

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Anthony Njokuani vs. Brandon Jenkins

Round 1: Njokuani in black, Jenkins in white. Jenkins closes into a clinch, but Njokuani knees him repeatedly. Jenkins is walking into everything that Njokuani is throwing early. We’re about 60 seconds in, and I think that Anthony’s strike percentage is north of 80%. Eyepoke by Jenkins pauses the action. We’re back and Njokuani ducks under a punch and counters with a 3-piece. Jenkins lands a right, eats one for his troubles. Jenkins isn’t moving his head much, which has let the quicker Njokuani snipe away at his leisure.

Another eyepoke, but this was off an uppercut and the ref just kinda took Njokuani’s word on it. Replays showed it not to be the case and we’re back to action immediately thereafter. Left-right by Njokuani and Jenkins tries (and fails) on a takedown. Big right hand by Anthony. Superman punch. Knee.

10-9 Njokuani

Round 2: Jenkins with a calf kick and a couple shots to the body. He gets in an elbow, too. Easily the best moments of the fight for Brandon. Njokuani spins Jenkins around with a leg kick and uses that spin to kick him up high. Thai clinch and a big knee-3-2 combo. Njokuani punts him in the peanuts and we’ve got a break in the action. Jenkins with a right hand and a spinning back elbow that rocks Njokuani! Njokuani is stumbling and he goes to the ground after another elbow! Jenkins follows him down into full guard. Open-hand strikes by Jenkins, which is a bit of an odd choice.

Jenkins tries to posture up, but Njokuani uses it to push off and get up. Now Njokuani gets the takedown, gets on top and is striking down, but Jenkins reverses him. They’re up and scrambling and reversing and re-reversing and it’s the whole Uno deck of reverses right now. Jenkins ends the round on top.

10-9 Jenkins

Round 3: Jenkins with a nice kick to the body. Njokuani with a head kick that stuns Jenkins. Njokuani unloading a bit here, but Jenkins has recovered. Njokuani with a takedown and into half guard. Now full guard. Njokuani with some ground and pound here. Jenkins kicks him off, but can’t stand up in time before Njokuani can jump back on top of him. Njokuani is clubbing away to the body. Jenkins scrambles to the cage, but Njokuani isn’t letting him up and ends up in mount.

Njokuani is too high up and Jenkins reverses him. Jenkins getting in some nice elbows, trying to get this round back. Njokuani manages to finally stand, but has a Jenkins backpack on him. They’re still scrambling, almost a north-south here with Njokuani on top and trying to get in strikes.

10-9 Njokuani

Final result: Anthony Njokuani def. Brandon Jenkins via unanimous decision

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For more on Gamebred Bareknuckle and the upcoming event this weekend in Jacksonville click here.