UFC Fight Night 101 (also known as UFC Melbourne) went down tonight (Saturday, November 26, 2016) from the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. The Fight Night card was headlined by a middleweight showcase between top ten 185-pounders Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson.
Whittaker and Brunson engaged in a one-round slugfest of epic proportions. ‘The Reaper’ was able to survive Brunson’s assaults near the fence despite eating some hard shots. To Brunson’s credit, he too was able to withstand some hard counters from Whittaker as he charged forward. But in the end a head kick and follow-up punches put Brunson down for good. The dramatic first-round victory ran Whittaker’s winning streak to six straight. He figures to face a top-five opponent his next time out.
In the co-main event, Andrew Holbrook snagged the upset victory over hometown prospect Jake Matthews by unanimous decision. Holbrook leaned on his offensive grappling throughout the fight. He landed a few takedowns of his own, but he did his best work from the bottom when taken down by Matthews. He threatened with multiple leg lock and kimura attempts while also doing some work with kicks on the feet.
See how Twitter reacted to these exciting bouts below:
— midnite (@123midnite) November 27, 2016
Whittaker with a face like he just saw someone looking through his phone from across the room. #UFCMelbourne
— Tommy Toe Hold (@TommyToeHold) November 27, 2016
https://twitter.com/EliasTheodorou/status/802749187813154816
Whittaker has really nice boxing, great upper body movement. Brunson is historically awful at tucking his chin, but hits like a truck.
— Iain Kidd (@iainkidd) November 27, 2016
There is zero technique here, but that is okay. BLEED! JUST BLEED! #UFCMelbourne
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) November 27, 2016
Brunson looks proud the way he holds that chin up. #UFCMelbourne #ThugjitsuThoughts????
— Yves Edwards (@thugjitsumaster) November 27, 2016
Brunson is a SAVAGE.
— JustBleedMMA (@JustBleedMMA) November 27, 2016
Brunson got Werdumed! #UFCMelbourne
— Tommy Toe Hold (@TommyToeHold) November 27, 2016
When are dudes going to learn that sprinting at your opponent and reaching for punches is a reaaaaaaaaaaal bad idea?
— Suzanne Davis (@SoozieCuzie) November 27, 2016
Whittaker tags Brunson on the chase!!!! #UFCMelbourne https://t.co/o8Bt6eJckW
— #UFCMelbourne (@ufc) November 27, 2016
If you ever wanna show someone bad fight IQ…show em this fight
— Adel Brki? (@AdelBrkic) November 27, 2016
Wow! Whittaker! #UFCMelbourne
— Megan Olivi (@MeganOlivi) November 27, 2016
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, HERB?!!!!
— Mookie Alexander (@mookiealexander) November 27, 2016
Holy fuck. Nobody was trying to see R2
— caposa (@GrabakaHitman) November 27, 2016
I see where Derek Brunson got his strategy for tonight. #UFCMelbourne pic.twitter.com/49db8mImKs
— Josh Sánchez (@jnsanchez) November 27, 2016
ROBERT WHITTAKER #UFCMelbourne pic.twitter.com/ljT49jSYrd
— MMA GIFS (@mma_gifs_) November 27, 2016
Best round I've seen in a LONG LONG time. Whittaker vs Brunson. GOOD LORD! #UFCMelbourne
— Brendan Schaub (@BrendanSchaub) November 27, 2016
Damnnn!! Whittaker is no joke! Stayed calm thru the Brunson onslaught, and capitalized on an opening with a BIG left hand!#UFCMelbourne
— Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMaster_UFC) November 27, 2016
Exactly. Can't sprint at a guy untouched. https://t.co/BeGeDo8hsj
— Kyle Kingsbury (@Kingsbu) November 27, 2016
Another disastrous night of picks in the books. pic.twitter.com/FdjrqqEY20
— Fernanda Prates (@NandaPrates_) November 27, 2016
Whittaker defeats Brunson via TKO pic.twitter.com/aWwiC53ZKM
— UFC Insiders (@UFCInsiders) November 27, 2016
NO SEXY DANCE FOR YOU @chaddundas #UFCMelbourne pic.twitter.com/ky1GZNJyJI
— midnite (@123midnite) November 27, 2016
Agony & Ecstasy #UFCMelbourne pic.twitter.com/krYJsZ0AyS
— Zombie Prophet (@ZPGIFs) November 27, 2016
Color me damned impressed that Whittaker was able to keep Brunson from running him over.
— Zane Simon (@TheZaneSimon) November 27, 2016
Don't let Brunson's mistakes distract from Whittaker's timing, counters, and overall striking skills. He's a really, really good fighter.
— Patrick Wyman (@Patrick_Wyman) November 27, 2016
Hoping Brunson makes some adjustments. I feel like hes done that in a few fights and had major success. He paid for it tn. He'll bounce back
— Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMaster_UFC) November 27, 2016
Brunson with the Ronda Rousey when she fought Holly Holme gameplan.
— superCalo (@superCalo) November 27, 2016
"Co main event Matthews vs Holbrook" is pretty depressing to say. #UFCMelbourne
— MiddleEasy (@MiddleEasy) November 27, 2016
Holbrook looking to break the youngin' with relentless pressure. #ufcmelbourne
— The Spartan (@EliasTheodorou) November 27, 2016
When I was 22 I couldn't even figure out what was a reasonable tip for a pizza, let alone fight in the UFC. #UFCMelbourne
— Tommy Toe Hold (@TommyToeHold) November 27, 2016
Holbrook with submission attempt after submission attempt! Thought he was taking either the arm or the foot home. #UFCMelbourne
— Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMaster_UFC) November 27, 2016
Holbrook trying to pull a Max Holloway and Matthews is like WUT M8? Nah bro. #UFCMelbourne
— Justin Golightly (@SecretMovesMMA) November 27, 2016
Here we go! #UFCMelbourne pic.twitter.com/N42otQk4pm
— #UFCMelbourne (@ufc) November 27, 2016
What a win for Holbrook. https://t.co/lHwM7Brm4K
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 27, 2016
Holbrook: The plan was to get on him, don’t give him space. Pressure, pressure, pressure. Until he gets tired. #UFCMelbourne
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) November 27, 2016
The post Twitter Reacts To Whittaker’s Gorgeous Knockout appeared first on LowKick MMA.