A classic striker versus grappler matchup took place in the lightweight division as Canadian kickboxing prospect John Makdessi locked horns with hard-nosed veteran Dennis Hallman.
Makdessi, a native Canadian, looked to keep his unblemished record in tact by defeating the veteran. At UFC 129 in April, Makdessi scored an impressive spinning back fist knockout over another grappling expert in Kyle Watson.
This fight was supposed to be Hallman’s return to the 155-pound division, but the former welterweight was only able to cut to 158.5 pounds and was fined a portion of his purse.
Round One: Hallman immediately clinched and looked for a takedown along the fence. Makdessi grabbed the fence to try to stay on his feet, but Hallman got him to the mat. Hallman rained punches and locked in both hooks. Hallman flattened out the Canadian and hammered away. Makdessi turned over to his back and absorbed a series of elbows from Hallman. Makdessi gave up his back again and Hallman locked in the fight-ending rear-naked choke.
Speaking with Joe Rogan afterward, “I didn’t want to stand up with that kid. Luckily my gameplan worked,” Hallman proclaimed. “I apologize to John for missing weight. I plan on staying at 155.”
Official Result: Dennis Hallman def. John Makdessi by submission(rear-naked choke). Round 1, 2:58
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Rob Tatum is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com. For anything related to MMA, you can follow Rob on Twitter @RobTatumMMA.