Chad “Money” Mendes proved why he is the No. 1 contender in the featherweight division on Saturday in Fairfax at UFC Fight Night 63. He secured a statement-making first-round TKO win over Ricardo “The Bully” Lamas.
A titanic right hand put Lamas down near the cage. Mendes smothered Lamas looking for the finish, but the Bully showed resilience. However, Mendes was unrelenting. Lamas never recovered and Mendes ultimately earned the stoppage win.
Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting, Ben Fowlkes of USA Today and BR MMA commented on what might have been a late stoppage.
Jeremy Botter of Bleacher Report accurately tags Mendes with the unofficial title.
Mendes has been unbeatable when facing any opponent not named Jose Aldo. The win took his record to 17-2 overall with both defeats coming at the hands of Aldo. Coming into the bout, it was clear the winner would have a great shot at earning another chance to challenge fight the title.
Mendes might have to win another bout before he can find out if the third time is the charm. Aldo may not be the holder of the gold when Mendes officially re-establishes himself as the top contender in the division.
The champion will defend the belt against Conor McGregor at UFC 189 on July 11 in one of the most anticipated fights of the year. There’s another pivotal featherweight bout on tap next month that could effect Mendes.
Frankie Edgar and one of the newest additions to the featherweight division, Urijah Faber will battle at UFC Fight Night Philippines on May 16. It’s possible Mendes could face the winner of Edgar vs. Faber. The fighter who emerges from that scrap would seemingly be in line to challenge for the title in their next bout.
In any case, the rest of the year should be an exciting one for the featherweight division.
Here’s a look at the results from every fight on the card.
Prelims
Stallings’ Stand-Up Brings First UFC Victory
In the opening bout, Ron Stallings used superior striking skills to earn a unanimous decision over Justin “Lazy Bones” Jones. Despite being taken down two times in the bout, Stallings’ stand-up output dwarfed Jones’ striking numbers.
Stallings landed 50 significant strikes to just 23 for Jones. That’ll usually get the job done. Stallings snapped a two-fight losing streak with the win. The skid included a loss via doctor’s stoppage against Uriah Hall in his debut.
A bad cut over his eye forced the stoppage in that bout. On Saturday, Stallings got the win in the big show. Afterward, he was raring to go and looking for the next challenge. Per MMA fighting, Stallings said:
His fighting heart is undeniable, so the MMA community likely would have no issue watching him again.
The Mustache Smashes The Russian
Sporting a mustache that was a military-vaudevillian hybrid, Timothy Johnson overpowered Shamil Abdurakhimov in the very first round. Iain Kidd of Bloody Elbow comments on Johnson’s outstanding facial hair.
Abdurakhimov looked to be getting the best of Johnson on the feet most of the first round. He did have a point deducted for grabbing the fence four times, but that wasn’t his ultimate undoing.
Late in the first round, Johnson timed Abdurakhimov’s kick and scored an expertly executed double-leg takedown. Johnson quickly moved to full mount and pounded Abdurakhimov out with a series of unanswered punches.
Yakovlev Pulls Out Win over Maynard
Alexander Yakovlev was able to fight off most of Gray Maynard’s attempts to take the fight to the ground. On the strength of a longer reach and some powerful left hands, Yakovlev clearly controlled the last two rounds of the bout.
He dropped Maynard and had him in trouble in the second round. Instead of going for the finish, Yakovlev was content to go for a front face lock. Maynard recovered, but couldn’t get anything going in the last 1.5 rounds.
Yakovlev dropped from 170 pounds to the 155-pound division for this fight. He looked good against Maynard, but doesn’t yet look like a potential contender in the division.
Maynard has lost four fights in a row and looks done as a serious contender. Jason Floyd of the MMA Report adds perspective on Maynard’s drought.
You have to wonder how long Dana White will allow Maynard to occupy a spot on the roster.
Lauren Murphy Gets Robbed
Someone call the police. Lauren Murphy had something taken from her in her bout against Liz Carmouche. While their bout wasn’t a blowout, Murphy appeared to win the first two rounds, but she didn’t get the nod from the judges.
Murphy spent 7:14 in ground control compared to just 1:56 for Carmouche. You would then expect Carmouche to have enjoyed a big advantage in striking, right? Umm…no.
Carmouche landed 25 significant strikes and Murphy 23. Carmouche had three takedowns (two in the third round) and Murphy had two.
When the decision was read, Murphy looked visibly upset and she wasn’t the only one. Rob Tatum of Combat Press chimed in:
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden might be on to something with his rationale on the decision.
A victim and beneficiary of a few controversial decisions, Benson Henderson calls for an evaluation of the overall judging in MMA.
This was a tough one for a game and tough Murphy.
The Diamond Shines
In his return to the lightweight division, Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier impressively dispatched Diego Ferreira in the first round. Poirier’s striking and overall strength looked exceptional.
A stiff left hand dropped Ferreira midway through the first round. Ferreira tried to recover, but Poirier didn’t smother his dazed opponent as Yakovlev had done earlier on the card. Once the fighters were stood up, Poirier seized the opportunity. A right hand put Ferreira back on the canvas and the bout was stopped shortly thereafter.
The UFC didn’t had no words…just a symbol.
Stephanie Haynes of Bloody Elbow lauds Poirier’s choice to have the fight stood up.
He’ll need a few more wins to join the championship fray at lightweight, but Poirier is an exciting addition to the division. We might see that next scrap sooner rather than later. In the postfight interview, Poirier said he would be included on the June 6 card in his native New Orleans. Stay tuned.
Gassy Guida Overpowers Peralta
Clay Guida had more problems with indigestion than he did with Robbie Peralta. Guida’s stamina, powerful takedowns and dominant positioning were too much for Peralta through three rounds. Peralta wanted to utilize his striking, but Guida never gave him the space to operate.
Guida landed four highlight-reel takedowns to smash the air out of Peralta’s chances of winning the fight. He had six takedowns in all and he spent 11:04 in top control.
Between the first and second rounds, Guida unleashed a burp that sounded like it came from the mouth of an untrained beast. For manners sake, he apologized to his cornermen, but Botter was taken aback.
I guess it depends on your sense of humor. UFC president Dana White had a different response.
I’m not sure what I’ll remember more from this fight; Guida’s dominance or his release of air.
The Vixen Vanquishes Dudieva
The women’s bantamweight division is starving for serious contenders to Ronda Rousey’s crown. Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Pena may be the next serious challenger—or at least as serious as there is in the world.
Pena dominated Milana Dudieva from start to finish and secured a brutal first-round TKO. From the beginning of the bout, Pena came looking to land bombs. Dudieva secured a trip, but Pena easily transitioned to full mount.
After Pena pounding away for a little over a minute, referee Keith Peterson called an end to the bout. This was Pena’s return to the Octagon after an injury kept her out of action for a year. She clearly made a statement with her performance.
Snowden likes Pena’s potential, but thinks she’s not quite ready for the big time.
Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting has an excellent idea for a next opponent for Pena.
Both Reneau and Pena have looked excellent early in their UFC careers. With almost every other 135-pound contender having had their shot at Rousey, it would be good to see those two battle for the next shot.
Chiesa Takes it to Clarke
Michael Cheisa and Mitch Clarke exchanged trash talk at the weigh-in, but only Chiesa backed up his words. Known primarily for his grappling, Cheisa showed off his improved striking. He landed 102 head strikes and secured two takedowns as he had Clarke on his heels most of the fight.
BR MMA recognized Chiesa’s willingness to push the action.
Clarke had some moments early in the third round, but Chiesa quickly regained control of the bout. During the post-fight interview, Chiesa said he wants to be in the top 15. He probably needs another win before he consider himself a legit contender.
And the Judges Struck Again…
Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal deserved the decision against “Raging” Al Iaquinta, but he didn’t get the love from the judges. After dropping Iaquinta, opening up a bad cut on Raging Al’s eye, and nearly stopping him in the first round, he seemed to take his foot off the gas in the second. That opened the door for the second questionable decision of the evening.
Iaquinta increased his activity, but didn’t appear to do much damage. In the third round, Masvidal did the better work with his accurate boxing and well-placed body kicks.
Iaquinta’s best moments were confined to two straight-right hands and 20 leg kicks. The disparity in the judges’ scorecards (30-27 for Masvidal and 29-28 for Iaquinta twice) and the significant strikes stats suggests Masvidal should have been the winner.
Gsmebred out-landed Iaquinta 104-66 in significant strikes in the fight. Tatum didn’t think Iaquinta deserved the nod in this one either.
When the decision was read by Bruce Buffer, the crowd booed loudly, Masvidal left the cage and Iaquinta wasn’t happy with the way the fans reacted.
Floyd gives more perspective with the round-by-round strike totals.
Adam Martin of the Toronto Sun captured Iaquinta’s profanity-laced reaction.
Thank goodness for seven-second delay.
Aside from the two questionable decisions, UFC Fight Night Fairfax was entertaining. Based on the clear and legitimate results, you’d have to say that Mendes and Pena were the biggest winners of the event.
Stats per UFC.com
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