VANCOUVER, BC, June 11 – Lightweight Sam Stout, a standup specialist who hadn’t finished an opponent in nearly four years, ended that drought in dynamic fashion Saturday at Rogers Arena with a monstrous left hook that put MMA pioneer Yves Edwards out cold at 3 minutes 52 seconds of the opening frame. The dramatic, show-stopping knockout brought Vancouver fans to their feet for Stout, a native of London, Ontario and a Shawn Tompkins and Keebo Robinson protégé. Watch post-fight interview
Dana White later described it as “One of the most vicious knockouts in UFC history” and awarded Stout the post-fight bonus for Knockout of the Night.
Edwards (40-17-1) had scored a takedown early but could do little from the top. He had actually tagged Stout with a decent right hand, but Stout stood in the pocket and countered with the fateful blow. Stout (18-6-1) has now won four of five.
Chris Weidman vs. Jesse Bongfeldt
New York’s Chris Weidman remained unbeaten on the strength of a fight-ending guillotine choke over Canada’s Jesse Bongfeldt. The former Division I All-American wrestler absorbed a hard kick to the body early in the first round and answered with a lateral drop throw. He buttered Bongfeldt (15-5-1) up with some ground-and-pound and caught him during a scramble back on their feet at 4 minutes 54 seconds of the round. Watch post-fight interview
Weidman (6-0, 2-0 UFC) credited his training partners at Matt Serra’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school for the submission, named Sub of the Night.
“My meniscus actually popped when I was on top but luckily I toughed it out and it worked out,” the 26-year-old said. “Yeah, I’ve had four knee surgeries, so it’s pre-existing … But I work out at Matt Serra’s academy and I work with the best jiu-jitsu players in the world.”
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Mike Massenzio
Returning to the Octagon following minor knee surgery, Krzysztof Soszynski earned a unanimous decision win over Mike Massenzio, who took the fight on only several days’ notice. The late replacement scored three takedowns in the first round, but it was all Soszynski from then on, forcing the New Jerseyian to retreat for much of the fight, tagging him with combos and wearing him down with a sustained ground-and-pound assault in round three. The native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada won a unanimous decision, pushing his record to 22-11-1 and apologizing to his countrymen immediately afterward for not producing a more entertaining and conclusive result. See post-fight interview
James Head vs. Nick Ring
Calgary’s Nick Ring won his 12th straight fight, pounding James Head for over two rounds before finishing off the Oklahoman with a rear naked choke in the third round. The 27-year-old Head (7-2) floored the Canadian in the first round but could not weather the fast-paced assault thereafter. Ring, a former cast member on season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter, repeatedly scored takedowns and clobbered Head on top with punches, which made it difficult to see Head’s face through the generous flow of blood. See post-fight interview
Dustin Poirier vs. Jason Young
Featherweight Dustin Poirier’s stock continues to rise after turning away a competitive challenge from British up-and-comer Jason Young. The first two rounds played out as a kickboxing match, with the southpaw Poirier (10-1) storming his 24-year-old early with hard punches. The athletic Young (8-4) did not back down, returning fire with some heavy leather of his own and answering the Louisianan’s leg kicks with some of his own. Poirier’s intensity and fervor served notice that the 22-year-old would not suffer a letdown after the biggest win of his career, a January 1 domination of then-No.1 contender Josh Grispi. Watch post-fight interview
By the second stanza, Young sported a small cut above his eye that caused blood to stream down his face. The pair exchanged some hard shots late in the round, but Poirier finished strong with a hard shot and heavy knee to the body followed by a takedown to cinch the round. Three takedowns in the final round secured the unanimous victory for Poirier by scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
Joey Beltran vs. Aaron Rosa
A good, old-fashioned slugfest between two Mexican-Americans climaxed with Beltran overwhelming his Texas adversary early in the third round for a TKO stoppage. Both heavyweights had lowered their heads and traded blows for stretches of the fight but the exchanges took a heavy toll on Rosa, who fell to 16-4. “The Mexicutioner,” meanwhile, improved to 13-5. Watch post-fight interview
Darren Elkins vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Bloodied, but not beaten. That cliché applied to Darren Elkins, who narrowly escaped with a unanimous decision victory despite fighting the last two rounds of the fight with a bloody coat on his face. In what was primarily a standup affair, the lankier Elkins seemed to control the first round on the strength of aggression and landing more combinations – though the Japanese black belt judoka did land two hard right hands that the former Indiana state wrestling champion shook off. Watch post-fight interview
By the second round, Elkins’ face was reddened and blood streamed from a cut over his left eye. He kept with the same plan, content to try and score from the outside, with Omigawa occasionally scoring with counterpunches. In the third round, Omigawa secured a takedown and controlled on top for a minute and a half or so. Elkins’ face was a bloody mess and he seemed to be slowing down, yet Omigawa (12-10-1) did not show a sense of urgency himself and opted not to ramp up his attack. The 35-year-old Omigawa seemed stunned when Bruce Buffer announced the judges’ decision, and many fans at Rogers Arena met the verdict with a chorus of boos. It was Omigawa’s fourth loss in the UFC versus zero wins. Elkins, who was making his debut at featherweight, improved to 13-2, 2-1 in the UFC.