UFC Fight Night 99 results from last night: Ross Pearson vs Stevie Ray fight review, analysis

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight scrappers Ross Pearson and Stevie Ray threw down last night (Nov. 19, 2016) at UFC Fight Night 99 inside the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Island.

Pearson entered this bout on the heels of two straight losses, and the Englishman needed to right the ship. He was faced with a tough up-and-comer, but that’s a pretty standard situation for the long-time Lightweight veteran. Ray was also looking to bounce back from a loss, the first of his UFC career. He came up short opposite a strong wrestler in that bout, but Ray was looking to remind fans of his striking in that match up.

The first round proved just how close of a match up this was. Ray circled the outside, looking to maintain his distance and land kicks. Meanwhile, Pearson stalked his opponent, looking to slip into his boxing combinations. Pearson was unable to get into boxing range all that often, but he landed the harder kicks by a fair measure. However, Ray landed a higher volume of long kicks, and he also scored a big slam takedown near the final bell.

Both men have an argument for taking the opening round.

It wasn’t pretty, but Ray pulled away quite a bit in the second round. For a vast majority of the round, he stymied Pearson’s attempts to close the distance, landing lots of kicks. There weren’t the hardest blows, but they added up. Pearson really didn’t turn it up at all until the final minute. He landed some nice combinations and did solid work in that time period, but it wasn’t enough to overcome his lack of activity earlier in the round.

Pearson definitely needed something big in the final frame.

The Englishman stepped up his aggression in the third round, and he began to land more cleanly because of it. Ray kept to his kicks and counters game plan, and his counter punches did land a bit more often due to his opponent’s aggression. That said, Pearson did his best work in the third round. He landed more punches, including a repeated right body shot, and some nasty kicks. His opponent stayed in the fight and landed as well, but it was Pearson pushing the pace and landing the harder blows.

All in all, two of three judges awarded Stevie Ray the split decision. Somehow, all three judges had scorecards of 30-27, which doesn’t make much sense for either man. Regardless, Ray stuck to his gameplan and was rightfully awarded the win. The blueprint to taking out Pearson has been well-established, and Ray used that knowledge to his advantage.

In short, Ray never allowed his opponent to get into range. Pearson can kick reasonably hard, but he’s somewhat plodding and cannot move as fluidly as his opponent. When he’s forced to chase a kicker, he really does well, and that’s precisely what happened here.

It’s a solid win for the prospect.

On the other hand, Pearson looks about the same as ever. He’s a slick boxer when allowed to play his game, but he never looks all that good when he’s forced to fight with a different strategy. Pearson’s inability to adapt has cost him many times, and this is another example. His opponent made his strategy clear immediately, but Pearson never really switched it up to attack. If, for example, the boxer had shot for a couple takedowns — a skill he does have in his game — it could’ve been huge.

Had he landed, the veteran would be in top position, which is also known as winning the fight. Even if the shot failed, Pearson would’ve been in close range and may have been able to land something big.

Last night, Stevie Ray out-worked his opponent to a decision win. Who should the European face next?

For complete UFC Fight Night 99: “Mousasi vs Hall” results and play-by-play, click HERE!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight scrappers Ross Pearson and Stevie Ray threw down last night (Nov. 19, 2016) at UFC Fight Night 99 inside the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Island.

Pearson entered this bout on the heels of two straight losses, and the Englishman needed to right the ship. He was faced with a tough up-and-comer, but that’s a pretty standard situation for the long-time Lightweight veteran. Ray was also looking to bounce back from a loss, the first of his UFC career. He came up short opposite a strong wrestler in that bout, but Ray was looking to remind fans of his striking in that match up.

The first round proved just how close of a match up this was. Ray circled the outside, looking to maintain his distance and land kicks. Meanwhile, Pearson stalked his opponent, looking to slip into his boxing combinations. Pearson was unable to get into boxing range all that often, but he landed the harder kicks by a fair measure. However, Ray landed a higher volume of long kicks, and he also scored a big slam takedown near the final bell.

Both men have an argument for taking the opening round.

It wasn’t pretty, but Ray pulled away quite a bit in the second round. For a vast majority of the round, he stymied Pearson’s attempts to close the distance, landing lots of kicks. There weren’t the hardest blows, but they added up. Pearson really didn’t turn it up at all until the final minute. He landed some nice combinations and did solid work in that time period, but it wasn’t enough to overcome his lack of activity earlier in the round.

Pearson definitely needed something big in the final frame.

The Englishman stepped up his aggression in the third round, and he began to land more cleanly because of it. Ray kept to his kicks and counters game plan, and his counter punches did land a bit more often due to his opponent’s aggression. That said, Pearson did his best work in the third round. He landed more punches, including a repeated right body shot, and some nasty kicks. His opponent stayed in the fight and landed as well, but it was Pearson pushing the pace and landing the harder blows.

All in all, two of three judges awarded Stevie Ray the split decision. Somehow, all three judges had scorecards of 30-27, which doesn’t make much sense for either man. Regardless, Ray stuck to his gameplan and was rightfully awarded the win. The blueprint to taking out Pearson has been well-established, and Ray used that knowledge to his advantage.

In short, Ray never allowed his opponent to get into range. Pearson can kick reasonably hard, but he’s somewhat plodding and cannot move as fluidly as his opponent. When he’s forced to chase a kicker, he really does well, and that’s precisely what happened here.

It’s a solid win for the prospect.

On the other hand, Pearson looks about the same as ever. He’s a slick boxer when allowed to play his game, but he never looks all that good when he’s forced to fight with a different strategy. Pearson’s inability to adapt has cost him many times, and this is another example. His opponent made his strategy clear immediately, but Pearson never really switched it up to attack. If, for example, the boxer had shot for a couple takedowns — a skill he does have in his game — it could’ve been huge.

Had he landed, the veteran would be in top position, which is also known as winning the fight. Even if the shot failed, Pearson would’ve been in close range and may have been able to land something big.

Last night, Stevie Ray out-worked his opponent to a decision win. Who should the European face next?

For complete UFC Fight Night 99: “Mousasi vs Hall” results and play-by-play, click HERE!