It’s clear Cub Swanson’s takedown defense still needs some work. Frankie Edgar dominated him with excellent wrestling skills en route to a last-second submission win in the fifth round. Per MMA Junkie, Edgar said he would take Swanson’s title shot, and he seemed to have done just that.
He maintained top position for much of the bout and subsequently eliminated Swanson’s striking prowess. From top position, Edgar rained down elbows and punches in a one-sided beatdown.
By the time the fight was over, Swanson’s face was a bloody mess. Per UFC.com, Edgar had landed seven takedowns.
Edgar came in to the fight a lock to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. At 33 years old, The Answer looks to be ready for another title shot. He faced Jose Aldo in Feb. 2013 and lost a close unanimous decision.
It will be interesting to see what he does with another opportunity.
Swanson will likely see his chances at a world title put off once again. After such a decisive loss, it’s hard to tell just where this loss puts him in the title picture.
Here’s a look at the rest of the results from Saturday night’s scraps. Just below the table is a brief summary of every bout leading up to the main event.
UFC Fight Pass Prelims
Doo Ho Choi Eliminates Juan Puig…Quickly
Choi needed just 18 seconds to stop Puig in the event’s opening fight. The 23-year-old South Korean flattened Puig seconds into the bout and reigned down shots on his fallen foe to get the quick stoppage.
That’s how you make an impression in your UFC debut.
We’ll have to wait to see him in the cage against better opposition, but Choi has the look of an exciting fighter.
Knockout Scores a…Knockout
No, this is not a ring-card girl. Paige VanZant is a pretty vicious and relentless strawweight who made an explosive UFC debut of her own. Despite a great effort from her opponent, the 20-year-old stopped Kailin Curran in the very first round with a barrage of punches.
With a very marketable look and some skills to match, VanZant could be on her way to stardom at 115 pounds.
Fox Sports 1 Prelims
Akbarh Arreola Overwhelms Yves Edwards
Arreola looked sharp in his stand-up game and even smoother in his transitions from striking to grappling.
A hard right-hand uppercut dropped Edwards early. Arreola pounced and worked his way into an armbar submission win.
This makes five losses in a row for Edwards. The cut line cometh.
Robbery
The first controversial decision of the night came when James Vick somehow won a decision over Nick Hein. Despite a six-inch height disadvantage, Hein floored Vick twice in the first round. He hurt him again in the second round.
Vick showed nice recovery skills, but it seemed as if Hein deserved a 29-28 decision win. Instead, Vick got the decision, and some of the judges even had the bout scored 30-27 in his favor. The MMA community frowned upon these numbers.
Roger Narvaez Pulls out a Tough One
For a little over a round, Luke Barnatt looked to be getting the better of Roger Narvaez. The Texan known as The Silverback took over midway through the second round.
In the third, he hurt Barnatt bad and battered him until the final bell.
Narvaez tried diligently to grab a submission victory in the final two minutes, but Barnatt survived with some solid submission defense. Still, two of the three judges were impressed enough with Narvaez‘s work to give him the decision.
Several folks of note didn’t agree with the decision.
Ruslan Magomedov Outstrikes Josh Copeland
When the big fellas take the cage, the expectation is that fans will see an explosive knockout. This one went the distance, but it wasn’t because Magomedov and Copeland weren’t throwing with bad intentions.
As it turned out, Magomedov‘s kicks were the story of the bout.
He kept Copeland off balance and hurt the girthy American on one occasion in the second round. Magomedov showed great dexterity for a heavyweight. It’ll be interesting to see him in the future.
Main Card
Matt Wiman Outlasts Issac Vallie-Flagg
In a bout that wasn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing, Wiman did the better work from the clinch and showed himself to be the better man on the mat.
He had Vallie-Flagg in danger of being submitted on multiple occasions but couldn’t get the finish. The most compelling part of this scrap came after the final bell. The two men jawed at each other and had to be separated.
Still, it was good to see this one end.
Benavidez Wins a Thrilling Scrap
Joseph Benavidez and Dustin Ortiz came to throw bombs. Benavidez rocked his opponent a few times, but to Ortiz’s credit, he bounced back and fired his own shots.
Despite Ortiz’s efforts, Benavidez‘s hands were quicker, and his scrambling was far better when the fight went to the mat. Benavidez needed to string some wins together after being knocked out by flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in Dec. 2013.
Benavidez submitted Tim Elliott in April, and he now adds another strong win to his resume.
Camus Outworks Pickett
One judge for the Brad Pickett-Chico Camus bout must have been blindfolded for 15 minutes. That judge scored this bout three rounds to none in favor of Pickett. Camus didn’t exactly dominate Pickett, but he clearly won the fight.
It might have been feasible to see a scenario where Pickett won two rounds, but to imply that he pitched a shutout was absurd.
In the end, the right man got the decision. Pickett has now lost two fights in a row. At age 36, that’s a dangerous spot for the man from London, England.
Barboza‘s Striking Too Much for Green
Edson Barboza‘s kicks troubled Bobby Green from the beginning of the fight. A spinning kick connected in the first round that wobbled Green. Barboza also landed a few hard counterpunches that got Green’s attention. More than anything, the threat of the kicks to the head and legs kept Green from doing the work he normally does in the striking game.
Barboza has won five of his last six fights. He is quickly moving into a place of contention in the lightweight ranks.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
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