Surprise, surprise.
Rumors of Dan Henderson’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Just ask Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch, whom the 44-year-old destroyed in the first round of the main event of UFC Fight Night New Orleans on Saturday night.
It took just 30 seconds for Henderson’s famed right hand to land on Boetsch’s jaw and for the latter to buckle under its immense force. Boetsch wobbled, and Henderson took it him with a flurry that finished with hard shots against the cage.
Referee John McCarthy would call an end to the bout and Henderson had his first win since March 2014 when he stopped Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. It was a classic performance from one of the most notorious sluggers in the sport’s history.
We knew the fight wouldn’t go the distance, but it was surprising to see Henderson level a rugged fighter like Boetsch at this stage of his career. The loss was Boetsch’s second in a row, and Bleacher Report MMA thinks it might lead to dismissal from the promotion:
Henderson’s win capped off an exciting night of fights as several from the MMA community, such as B/R’s Jonathan Snowden and MMA Junkie’s Brent Brookhouse, shared their enjoyment of the card:
Here’s a look at all of the results and breakdown of each bout before the main event:
UFC Fight Pass Prelims
Chimmy Taps Out to Teco
Jose Alberto “El Teco” Quinonez scored a submission win over Leonardo “Chimmy” Morales, and it didn’t take very long. Quinonez locked on the deciding rear-naked choke and forced Morales to tap out just 2:24 into the first round. It was Morales’ second loss in as many fights in his brief UFC career.
Quinonez bounced back from a losing performance in his UFC debut against Alejandro Perez at UFC 180 in November 2014. In such a quick fight, it was difficult to see how much he might have improved, but it’s safe to say Morales’ place with the promotion might be in jeopardy.
Collier Ekes Out Split Decision
Jake Collier’s striking earned him a split-decision win over Ricardo Abreu in the final Fight Pass prelim bout. Abreu was able to secure three takedowns in the fight, but two of the judges were more impressed with Collier’s striking in two of the three rounds.
In the first round, Collier made it appear as if he’d win easily. He out-landed Abreu 26-17, but the Brazilian was able to implement his grappling to make the fight a bit closer the rest of the way.
Ultimately, Collier would prevail to shake off a TKO loss in his UFC debut to Vitor Miranda in December 2014. The St. Louis native will need to continue to develop his takedown defense to improve. Abreu was able to exploit that aspect of Collier’s game later in the fight.
Abreu’s UFC record dropped to 1-1 after he won his UFC debut over Wagner Silva Gomes back in May 2014.
He may have experienced some Octagon rust after a 13-month layoff. He should get another shot to establish himself in the UFC.
Fox Sports 1 Prelims
Proctor Beats the Buzzer
After a thrilling back-and-forth 2 ½ rounds, Joe Proctor landed a hard knee on Justin Edwards’ midsection in the last 30 seconds of the third round. Proctor landed a follow-up combination and then locked in a guillotine.
Edwards did his best to escape the hold, but ultimately the move would render him unconscious. Referee Myron Gaudet noticed Edwards’ limp body and called an end to the bout.
UFC’s official Twitter account talked about Proctor’s performance:
The loss was the third in a row for Edwards, who might be in some danger of losing his spot on the roster. This was Proctor’s sixth fight with the UFC, and he improved to 4-2 with the promotion. The win was the fifth of his career by submission.
The loss was especially disappointing for Edwards considering he may very well have won the first two rounds of the fight.
Wade Out-Works Giagos
By controlling the center of the Octagon and securing a total of four takedowns, Chris Wade had too much juice for Christos Giagos. The New Yorker moved to a perfect 3-0 in the UFC and 10-1 overall with the unanimous-decision win.
Wade’s pressure and stand-up game led to a 32-28 edge in significant strikes.
Giagos is known for his boxing ability, but Wade proved to be the superior striker as well. This was his the former’s second loss in three UFC fights.
Ebersole’s Knee Gives Way
It was clear Omari Akhmedov’s game plan was to attack Brian Ebersole’s lead knee. Hard kicks in the first round injured Ebersole, and he was unable to come out for the second round.
Quite honestly, it was clear the 34-year-old veteran didn’t have much chance to win. Akhmedov’s aggression, speed and strength had Ebersole overmatched. The knee injury prevented Ebersole from suffering an injury above the waist later in the bout.
The loss was Ebersole’s 17th against a remarkable 51 wins. He teaches the sport to younger fighters, and it might be time he does that full time. Per MMA Fighting, Ebersole seems to understand that it’s time to walk away:
Akhmedov is 3-1 in the UFC, with his only loss coming at the hands of the highly touted Gunnar Nelson.
His punches are a bit wide and wild, which makes him vulnerable to takedowns, but his power is apparent.
Biggest Hook Kick…Ever
You might see a more graceful and quick hook kick, but you’ll probably never see a bigger guy land one as clean as Shawn Jordan did against Derrick Lewis.
The 265-pound Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native extinguished Lewis with the kick and subsequent ground-and-pound in the second round. The initial attack was a perfectly placed shot on Lewis’ chin, and he immediately wobbled to the canvas.
Jordan wasted no time pounding his opponent until referee Gabe Barahona called an end to the bout. Front Row Brian saw some Sweet Chin Music in Jordan’s maneuver:
It was the second time Jordan has defeated Lewis. The latter had a few moments in the first round when he opened a cut over Jordan’s left eye, but he couldn’t finish him.
The two met in 2010, and Jordan won that fight by decision. He has now won three straight bouts and he’s in position to move into the Top 15 in the next rankings. Lewis once looked like a potential contender, but he has lost two of his last three fights.
He’ll have to go back to the drawing board.
Main Card
No Glow for Bruce Leeroy
Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres was obliterated by a vicious counter left hook from Francisco Rivera just 2q seconds into the bout.
Rivera landed a series of punches on the fallen Caceres before referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the bout. There was some light protest from Caceres, but one look in his eyes as he was struggling on the mat proved the stoppage was just.
It was a huge win for Rivera, who had lost his last two fights to Takeya Mizugaki and Urijah Faber. His power is formidable, and he hopes to challenge a ranked 135-pound fighter in the near future. During the post-fight interview, Rivera asked UFC officials for a Fight Night bonus for his work.
It looks as if they heard him:
Caceres has now lost three fights in a row. He has to make some serious adjustments if he’s to find the form that made him one of the better young fighters in the UFC.
Another First-round Stoppage
In a game of I Can Top That, Anthony Birchak decimated Joe Soto in the first round. It wasn’t as quick as Rivera’s win, but he left even less doubt with the finish.
A straight right-hand counter floored the usually rugged Soto. Birchak got the finish after a flurry left Soto momentarily unconscious against the cage. After losing via heel hook to Ian Entwistle after getting overly aggressive in December 2014, Birchak showed why he was a high-profile addition to the UFC last year.
Soto has now lost both of his UFC bouts. He stepped in as a late replacement for Renan Barao at UFC 177, where he got an unexpected title shot against TJ Dillashaw. He’s still a legitimate pro, but another loss will make him susceptible to the cut line.
Birchak may make some noise at 135 pounds, but we’ll need to see more of him before he can be known as a contender.
“Gross” Ortega Wins Exciting Bout
Displaying a solid, well-rounded and crowd-pleasing style, Brian Ortega scored a third-round TKO win over Thiago Tavares. The stoppage came with just 48 seconds left in the bout as Ortega landed a flurry of punches that forced Miragliotta to rescue Tavares from further damage.
In the weirdest moment of the night, Ortega dropped this quote, captured by Bleacher Report MMA:
OK, Brian. Aside from that bit of weirdness, you had a really strong performance, but I’m going to back away from you slowly now.
Tavares has been fighting in the UFC since 2007. He made a solid account of himself, but the 24-year-old Ortega is one to watch over the next few years in the featherweight division.
First-Round Finishes Keep Coming
Tweet and image from Fox Sports: UFC
New Orleans native Dustin Poirier continued his assault on the lightweight division with a relentless first-round TKO win over Yancy Medeiros. Poirier looks like a different guy at 155 pounds. He landed a powerful right hand that staggered Medeiros early, but the tough Hawaiian survived momentarily.
Poirier looked for the submission as he took Medeiros’ back.
After allowing his man to return to his feet, Poirier would hurt Medeiros again. This time, he wouldn’t allow him to escape the finish. Poirier’s combinations found the mark with brutal regularity, and referee John McCarthy stopped the bout.
In time, Poirier will have to be considered a legitimate contender for the lightweight title. Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter has a new dream fight, and I can’t argue with him one bit:
OK, You Know the Drill
Tweet and image from Fox Sports: UFC
To no one’s surprise, the Ben Rothwell vs. Matt Mitrione bout ended in a first-round finish. However, most might have expected Mitrione to be the victor. He was the more nimble fighter, but the massive and awkward Rothwell used his strike-catching stance to initiate a grapple and choke that saw Mitrione submit in seconds.
It was one of the fastest submissions I’ve ever seen in professional mixed martial arts. Quite honestly, it looked as if Mitrione got caught in a guillotine and panicked. He hit the canvas as the move turned into more of a front choke, but Mitrione was tapping with both hands by that time.
Things got bizarre and awesome when Rothwell delivered a WWE-style promo during his post-fight interview. Fox Sports’ Jon Anik wouldn’t play along as he refused to let Rothwell drop the mic and leave. It was like Rothwell’s mom said: “Ben, stop acting crazy and let the nice man interview you.”
Despite Anik’s party-pooping approach, Rothwell drew rave reviews for his mic work from Botter and Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting:
If the WWE needs a new heel, Rothwell might be willing to listen to a phone call from Triple H.
It was an exciting and bizarre night that UFC fans aren’t going to forget anytime soon. Let’s hope next week’s pay-per-view is as entertaining.
All stats per UFC.com unless otherwise noted.
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