Jeff Hougland was pulled from a high-profile bout against top bantamweight Renan Barao to take this fight against Yves Jabouin, and he desperately needed to put on a good performance to prove he was worth the opportunities put in front of him.
Instead, it was Jabouin who looked like the man inching closer to a title shot, picking apart Hougland with an impressive striking attack and an improved ground game.
The win is the third straight for “The Tiger” and it now looks as though Jabouin is slowly working towards a title shot.
What we’ll remember about this fight
The spinning back kick of Yves Jabouin is a terrifying technique.
Hougland was never completely in the fight, and a lot of that was due to the body shots landed by his opponent, as Jabouin was able to keep him on the outside and pick him apart on the feet.
Overall, this was a very impressive win for Jabouin.
What we learned about Jeff Hougland
Joe Silva may have thought otherwise, but Jeff Hougland is nowhere near ready to fight the best in the bantamweight division.
Hougland was completely outclassed on the feet by Jabouin, and he will need to make some major adjustments before he steps into the cage against the top tier of 135 lb fighters.
What we learned about Yves Jabouin
Yves Jabouin is ready to make some noise in the bantamweight division.
After two close decision wins in his last two bouts, Jabouin made sure there was no question that he deserved the win tonight, as he dominated Hougland from bell to bell.
The bantamweight division doesn’t have a ton of top contenders, so expect Jabouin to get a decent opponent in his next fight.
What’s next for Hougland
Hougland will need to bounce back after this one, and a fight against highly-touted prospect Nick Denis would be perfect.
What’s next for Jabouin
Jabouin was originally set to fight Mike Easton on this card, and that matchup has fight of the night written all over it. Let’s reschedule that one.
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