The UFC has landed in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada for Fight Night 138. The Canadian fans are in for a treat with a solid six-fight main card. Before Volkan Oezdemir takes on rising light heavyweight prospect Anthony Smith in the main event, 10 other fighters will make their walk to the Octagon. An exciting bantamweight […]
The UFC has landed in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada for Fight Night 138. The Canadian fans are in for a treat with a solid six-fight main card.
Before Volkan Oezdemir takes on rising light heavyweight prospect Anthony Smith in the main event, 10 other fighters will make their walk to the Octagon.
An exciting bantamweight bout will keep the main card rolling as two up and coming fighters look to crack the top 15 with impressive performances.
Andre Soukhamthath has had a rough go in the UFC thus far. He has gone 1-3 since signing with the promotion and he most recently dropped a unanimous decision to Sean O’Malley at UFC 223 this past March.
Aso for the 24-year-old Jonathan Martinez, he is making his promotional debut in Moncton, and the one they call “Dragon” is looking to scorch Soukhamthath in his first Octagon appearance.
Round One
Martinez opens up with a hard leg kick. Soukhamthath looking to pick his shots but Martinez not giving him much time as he is continually firing that leg kick. Soutkhamthath clips Martinez with a right hand and Martinez drops. Soukhamthath locks in a choke but the UFC newcomer defends. The fighters get back to their feet and Soukhamthath walks Martinez down with a nice head & body combo that backs Martinez up to the cage. Soukhamthath drops Martinez again in the last 10 seconds of the round.
Round Two
Round two starts with Martinez throwing some body kicks but Soukhamthath walks right through them to land his own strikes. The referee inexplicably separates the fighters then lets them fight. The break allowed Martinez to catch his wind and subsequently landed the trip takedown on Soukhamthath. Martinez lands a barrage of elbows as Soukhamthath gets back to his feet. The round ends with the fighters circling.
Round Three
Soukhamthath walking forward looking to land big shots but Martinez is looking to clinch. The fighters exchange a series of elbows to each other’s head and the fight ends up against the cage again. This time with Martinez in control. Soukhamthath trips Martinez and ends up in side control. Both guys appear to be pretty gassed here in the last minute of the fight. Soukhamthath looked for a triangle attempt but nothing was there. The fight ends as Soukhamthath looked for a standing arm triangle.
Andre Soukhamthath defeats Jonathan Martinez via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28)
Rising UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley picked up a hard-fought win over Andre Soukhamthath on the main card of last weekend’s (Sat., March 3, 2018) UFC 222 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, but it didn’t come without a price. Dominating Soukhamthath in the stand-up game for the better part of the first two rounds, […]
Rising UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley picked up a hard-fought win over Andre Soukhamthath on the main card of last weekend’s (Sat., March 3, 2018) UFC 222 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, but it didn’t come without a price.
Dominating Soukhamthath in the stand-up game for the better part of the first two rounds, “Sugar” appeared on his way to finishing the bout with a varied offense of pinpoint strikes.
But in the third round, O’Malley injured his leg throwing a kick and was unable to even stand, a fact that apparently went over Soukhamthath’s head as he inexplicably ground O’Malley and laid on him until the fight ended. Because of the glaring mistake, O’Malley won by unanimous decision and promptly gave a unique post-fight interview to Joe Rogan.
In it, O’Malley said the injury was nothing that a little ‘medicine’ at his after party couldn’t fix, and he may have been referencing the custom strain of marijuana that he discussed in the week leading up to UFC 222. Either way, O’Malley was far from shy about chronicling his own medicating, even with a cast on his leg, at his after party.
He released a video online via Fancy Combat enjoying some sizable marijuana cigarettes, some healthy snacks, and even a golden weed boxing glove not unlike the one once gifted to Nate Diaz.
Sean O’Malley defeated Andre Soukhamthath, but he didn’t leave unscathed. Rising bantamweight O’Malley was in for a tough test against Soukhamthath on the main card of UFC 222. The two did battle inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Early in the fight, Soukhamthath looked to move a bit gingerly on his left leg. […]
Sean O’Malley defeated Andre Soukhamthath, but he didn’t leave unscathed.
Rising bantamweight O’Malley was in for a tough test against Soukhamthath on the main card of UFC 222. The two did battle inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Early in the fight, Soukhamthath looked to move a bit gingerly on his left leg. He landed a right hand. O’Malley went for a wheel kick. He landed an outside leg kick that briefly sent his opponent to the canvas. O’Malley connected clean with a kick as Soukhamthath went for the clinch. O’Malley dropped his opponent with a right hand. A head kick had Soukhamthath wobbled near the end of the round.
Soukhamthath swung for the fences early in round two. A left hand was there for O’Malley. Soukhamthath was able to take down his opponent. O’Malley went for a triangle and landed elbows. He transitioned into an arm bar, but Soukhamthath slipped out.
O’Malley locked in a guillotine choke, but Soukhamthath rolled out and gave up position. O’Malley kicked his opponents arms while he was down, which is legal. O’Malley went for a rear-naked choke near the end of the round.
Soukhamthath moved forward and went for a takedown. O’Malley thwarted the attempt. A front kick to the body was there for O’Malley. Soukhamthath sensed O’Malley’s leg was hurt and took him down. He tried going for a choke, but nothing doing. O’Malley got back up and hobbled on one foot. He was taken back down and winced in pain. A spinning elbow was there for O’Malley. The final horn sounded and Soukhamthath blew a huge opportunity by refusing to stand up.
After the fight, O’Malley was in severe pain. He had to lay on his back while doing the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
Final Result: Sean O’Malley def. Andre Soukhamthath via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-28)
Round 1: O’Malley starts things off with a couple of good attacks to the legs. Soukhamthath’s leg is hurt a bit after that attack but he hides it well. Soukhamthath lands a nice right hand but O’Malley continues to press forward. A ni…
Round 1: O’Malley starts things off with a couple of good attacks to the legs. Soukhamthath’s leg is hurt a bit after that attack but he hides it well. Soukhamthath lands a nice right hand but O’Malley continues to press forward. A nice spinning wheel kick just lands for O’Malley. A leg kick from O’Malley takes Soukhamthath’s leg […]
In a few hours, tonight’s (Sat., March 3, 2018) UFC 222 will begin from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s not the most star-studded card by any means, and it even lost its main event when featherweight champ Max Holloway was forced out of his anticipated showdown with Frankie Edgar, a bout that was […]
In a few hours, tonight’s (Sat., March 3, 2018) UFC 222 will begin from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It’s not the most star-studded card by any means, and it even lost its main event when featherweight champ Max Holloway was forced out of his anticipated showdown with Frankie Edgar, a bout that was replaced by an impromptu women’s featherweight match-up between champ Cris Cyborg and Yana Yunitskaya.
‘The Answer’ stayed on the card as well, taking a huge risk in facing surging contender Brian Ortega in a co-main event where his reward will be the positioning he already had. It’s a great fight, the legend vs. upstart cliché at the highest level and an under-the-radar candidate for the most compelling match-up of 2018 thus far. Unfortunately, however, that almost certainly won’t add up to a high number of pay-per-view buys alone in the currently fickle, MMA-swamped climate.
But UFC 222 isn’t only about time-honored and battle-tested vets like Cyborg and Edgar – far from it, in fact.
The event from top to bottom is a showcase of hyped-up young talent that could represent the future of the UFC in the form of potential stars in Ortega, bantamweight Sean O’Malley, and women’s strawweight Mackenzie Dern.
And the UFC needs new stars.
Following a banner 2016 where Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey propelled the promotion to an unheard-of string of million-plus pay-per-view buys, the company was sold to Endeavor (formerly WME-IMG) and has since sunk to a concerning valley of low numbers on both pay and cable television.
I won’t delve into the details, some in Endeavor’s control and some out of, of why that has happened – much of the MMA world, including myself, has been guilty of harping too much on the supposed demise of the UFC and MMA as a whole to the point we may not appreciate the crop of insanely amazing, hard-working, and talented fighters we have competing right before our very eyes.
UFC 222 is a showcase of just that, one the likes of which fans rarely get treated to because it’s so difficult to have go off without a hitch.
Photo: Kyle Terada for USA TODAY Sports
Ortega has won five straight bouts after a no contest due to a failed drug test in his first Octagon appearance; the Gracie jiu-jitsu product steadily dispatched an improving caliber of talent by way of submission and T/KO in a manner we rarely find.
True, he’s hittable as we’ve seen in a few of his recent bouts, namely his scintillating submission over top-ranked veteran Cub Swanson in his last fight. He can also snatch a fight-ending hold on the best literally out of thin air, as we saw in his scintillating submission over Swanson. Ortega is fully deserving of his Top 3 ranking.
He’s also a man with a focus on philanthropy after having risen above a potential life of gangs, so the California-based Ortega is a refreshing, unique personality who could become a champion unlike we’ve ever seen.
Stephen R. Sylvanie for USA TODAY Sports
O’Malley, a lithe bantamweight who first made his debut with a first-round knockout on ‘Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series,’ is a much different kind of prospect.
The brash young knockout artist then won his official debut by unanimous decision over Terrion Ware at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 26 Finale in December.
He’ll now face Andre Soukhamthath in his second UFC match-up, and he has future star written all over him. He’s confident, even cocky, and his accurate striking style makes ‘Suga’ just the kind of fighter fans will pay to see compete.
Dern needs nary an introduction.
The daughter of Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Wellington “Megaton” Dias, Dern is one of few grapplers to defeat Gabi Garcia in the gi, and has transitioned well into MMA so far with an undefeated 5-0 record. She’ll now fight in the big leagues when she meets Ashley Yoder in the featured preliminary bout at UFC 222.
That could start tonight, and the entirety of MMA will be watching to see if the Dern hype train will truly kick into high gear in 2018.
All of it adds up to UFC 222 being a rare, exciting card where the potential future stars of MMA are competing, even if it doesn’t break the bank in terms of PPV buys. These three competitors have so much talent and charisma that it could be said Ortega, O’Malley, and Dern will still become future stars in the UFC no matter if they win or lose at UFC 222.
After such a down period, the sport needs them and fighters just like them, and that’s why this card is so special.
Take a break from the oft-discussed downfall of MMA, look at the card, sit back, and enjoy a night that could possibly be referenced as the starting point of something special.
Andre Soukhamthath will replace Bryan Caraway and take on Luke Sanders at UFC Fight Night 123 next month, the promotion announced. Caraway suffered an injury and was forced out of the event, which takes place from the SaveMart Center in Fresno, Califor…
Andre Soukhamthath will replace Bryan Caraway and take on Luke Sanders at UFC Fight Night 123 next month, the promotion announced. Caraway suffered an injury and was forced out of the event, which takes place from the SaveMart Center in Fresno, California and features Cub Swanson vs. Brian Ortega. Soukhamthath (11-5) has dropped his two […]
