Tag: Diego Sanchez

The Good, Bad and Strange from Fight Night 42

The UFC lightweight division is one of the most talent-rich collectives under the promotion’s banner, and the race for future title opportunities is an ongoing affair.
Former champion Benson Henderson is on a mission to reclaim the 155-pound strap, and…

The UFC lightweight division is one of the most talent-rich collectives under the promotion’s banner, and the race for future title opportunities is an ongoing affair.

Former champion Benson Henderson is on a mission to reclaim the 155-pound strap, and surging Dagestani Rustam Khabilov is eager to solidify himself as one of the major players in the lightweight fold. Their paths crossed on Saturday at Fight Night 42 when the UFC made its debut showing in the Southwestern MMA stronghold of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Their main event showdown held heavy implications as to which fighter would progress in his efforts for a title shot despite the current paused state of the championship picture.

Current belt holder Anthony Pettis has been out of action since winning the title last August and is not slated to return until December when he will square off with current No. 1 contender Gilbert Melendez. This creates a scenario where there is no direct path to a title opportunity, but that didn’t stop Henderson and Khabilov from stepping into the Octagon to battle for supremacy.

It was figured to be a bout between two dynamic grapplers, and that’s exactly what it turned out to be. The two lightweights went back and forth in a wrestling-heavy affair with each man finding moments of success throughout the first three rounds of the fight.

In the fourth round, the former lightweight champion blasted Khabilov with a right hand that dropped the Dagestan-born fighter to the canvas. With Khabilov hurt, Henderson pounced and ended the fight with a rear-naked choke.

While the headlining bout determined who would elevate his status toward a title shot, the co-main event between Diego Sanchez and Ross Pearson held much different implications.

Diego “The Nightmare” Sanchez had lost back-to-back outings and three of his last four coming into his bout with The Ultimate Fighter winner.

With a particularly poor showing in his most recent fight and a rough patch that has led many to question whether the original “Ultimate Fighter” still has miles left in his engine, Sanchez needed an impressive showing in his hometown to silence the doubters.

While Pearson wasn’t facing the exact same situation as his opponent, the circumstances surrounding his career as of late certainly added an element of pressure coming into Fight Night 42. Where the heavy-handed Brit was once considered a promising prospect in the lightweight ranks, a tough run at 155 pounds led to him dropping down into featherweight waters.

Pearson was automatically figured to become a major player at 145, but after a knockout loss to Cub Swanson in Atlantic City back in 2012, the Team Alliance fighter decided to return to the lightweight division. Pearson immediately validated that decision by winning his next two fights, but a “no contest” against Melvin Guillard last October served to cool his momentum down a bit.

While Pearson wasn’t fighting for his job on Saturday night, he was certainly fighting for relevancy in the competitive lightweight mix, and that is a pressure he shared with Sanchez. It was figured to be a wild, action-packed affair, and while the bout certainly had its moments, the end result was one of the worst displays of judging to come across the MMA landscape in quite some time.

Despite Pearson landing crisp countershots and keeping Sanchez on his heels throughout the entire fight, the cageside judges awarded Sanchez the split-decision victory. One of the judges, Jeff Collins, even went as far to call all three rounds for Sanchez despite him being dropped by a big shot in the second round.

The end result was Sanchez breaking a two-fight skid in front of his hometown crowd and Pearson having a hard-earned victory taken away from him by two of the three officials sitting cageside.

In addition to insanity at the top of the card, the UFC’s debut showing in Albuquerque was a fine mixture of leather-slinging fun and face-punching goodness. Several veterans battled to keep their roster spots, while a handful of rising prospects looked to keep the buzz around them going strong. And of course, there can’t be a UFC event without a few curious happenings sprinkled on top.

Let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from Fight Night 42.

 

The Good

There is no question Benson Henderson has his sights set on getting his hands back on the lightweight title. 

While “Smooth” lost the strap to Anthony Pettis at UFC 164 last August, The MMA Lab product has been putting in the work to get himself back into a title opportunity. The 30-year-old barely edged out Josh Thomson in his last fight at UFC on Fox 11 back in January, and he wanted to turn up the heat on his bid to get within distance of another shot at the 155-pound strap. 

He certainly took a huge step in that direction with an impressive victory over Rustam Khabilov in the main event at Fight Night 42. While the Dagestan-born fighter had some success with his grappling early, Henderson hung tough and cranked up the pressure in the later rounds of the fight.

It was a close affair going into the fourth, but Henderson kept things out of the judges’ hands by dropping Khabilov with two big shots and finishing the Jackson/Winkeljohn-trained fighter with a rear-naked choke.

With the win, Henderson has now won back-to-back outings and bolstered his running total to nine of his last 10 showings. In his post-fight interview with Jon Anik, the former belt holder vocalized his frustration that the lightweight title is not being defended by the current champion and suggested the UFC send any potential contenders his way. 

With Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez not slated to fight until December, there is plenty of real estate for Henderson to have at least another showing inside the Octagon. With his current position and the state of the title picture, a bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov to determine the No. 1 contender would be a perfect matchup.

Since his first attempt at flyweight gold was thwarted back in January of 2013, John Dodson has been on a mission to get another crack at the title. While injury has kept that particular run idle at times, when “The Magician” has been inside the Octagon, he’s looked like an absolute monster.

The 29-year-old took a step in that direction by starching Darrell Montague at UFC 166 back in October and took a definitive leap to the front of the line with his stoppage victory over John Moraga on Saturday at Fight Night 42. While the beginning of the fight was light on action, the finish was a whirlwind. Dodson crushed Moraga with a knee that broke Chicano’s nose and crumbled him to the canvas.

The Albuquerque native pounced on his wounded opponent with a flurry of shots but was unable to finish Moraga off before the end of the round sounded. Yet, in between rounds, the cageside doctor determined Moraga’s nose was too damaged to go on, and Dodson earned the win via TKO.

With the win, Dodson has now been successful in seven of his last eight showings, with his only loss on that run coming against current champion Demetrious Johnson at UFC on Fox 6 in Chicago. 

Following his win, Dodson used his post-fight interview time with Jon Anik to display impressive microphone skills as he made a strong vocal play for the next title shot. “Mighty Mouse” will attempt to defend his flyweight strap against Ali Bagautinov next weekend at UFC 174, and The Ultimate Fighter 14 winner made it clear he is looking to face the winner.

*** Winning on a consistent basis is an incredible feat at the highest level of MMA, and Rafael dos Anjos has solidified himself in the lightweight upper tier because of it. The Kings MMA fighter’s bid for a title opportunity was derailed by Khabib Nurmagomedov in his last outing, but the Brazilian reignited those fires with a second-round finish of Jason High on Saturday night. 

Despite the fight being at elevation, RDA remained sharp throughout as he picked up an impressive victory at Fight Night 42. He has now won six of his last seven showings and will certainly face another contender in his next outing.

*** The lightweight division is a difficult place for up-and-coming fighters to establish themselves, but Piotr Hallmann took a big step in that direction on Saturday night. The 26-year-old MMA Lab product submitted 155-pound staple Yves Edwards in the second round of their tilt to pick up his second win under the UFC banner. While Hallmann was coming off a setback in his most recent showing, his win over Edwards will certainly move him a few rungs up the competitive lightweight ladder.

*** Bryan Caraway may be on one lower side of the recognition scale with his girlfriend Miesha Tate, but Kid Lightning is quietly climbing his way up the bantamweight ladder. The Ultimate Fighter 14 alum picked up his second consecutive victory at Fight Night 42 with an impressive performance where he submitted highly touted prospect Erik Perez in the second round of their tilt. With the win, Caraway has now won three of his four showings at 135 pounds and should draw a solid name in his next outing. 

*** Ring rust is a very real circumstance in MMA, but apparently Lance Benoist is immune to such things. After being out of action for the better part of two years, he returned to face Bobby Voelker on the preliminary portion of the card.

Coming off back-to-back losses, Benoist definitely needed a win to keep his roster spot intact, and he outworked the former Strikeforce veteran to pick up the unanimous-decision victory. It wasn’t the most exciting performance, but Benoist did what he needed to do in order to get back into the win column at Fight Night 42.

*** The pressure was certainly on Scott Jorgensen coming into Fight Night 42. While Young Guns was once challenged for the bantamweight title under the WEC banner, a rough patch led him to make the drop down to flyweight, where he was figured to go on another title run. Yet, his first two showings at 125 pounds ended in losses, and he carried a three-fight skid into his bout with Danny Martinez.

Despite a touch-and-go moment where he was dropped in the second with a strong left hand, the Idaho-based fighter stormed back and used his superior wrestling to pick up the unanimous-decision victory. While his win in Albuquerque was his first as a flyweight, it will keep him relevant in the ever-developing 125-pound fold.

*** Glendale Arizona’s MMA Lab had five fighters on the card in Albuquerque, and Jon Tuck was the first representative out of the gates. The Super Saiyan was coming off a loss in his last showing and needed a victory over Jake Lindsey to get things back on track.

While Tuck certainly had moments in the fight where he faded, his power shots and takedowns were enough to hold the advantage over the promotional newcomer. In a strange turn, Tuck landed several heel kicks from the back position that forced Lindsey to verbally tap and took his record to an impressive 8-1.

*** The journey from barista to victory inside the Octagon finally reached fruition for Patrick Cummins on Saturday night. Durkin famously left his job serving coffee back in February to take an ill-fated bout with Daniel Cormier back in February at UFC 170 on short notice and suffered a first-round knockout for his troubles.

He came into his bout with Roger Narvaez with a lot to prove and took at least a small step in that direction by getting the second-round TKO finish. While getting his first UFC win was big in validating his place on the roster, the bout was a sluggish affair and one where Cummins didn’t provide much wow en route to the victory.

 

The Bad

While it’s unusual to deem an entire undercard worthy of mention in this category, the five bouts that led up to the main card were collectively lackluster. The undercard was simply bad. Moving on.

In the 20-plus years mixed martial arts has been in existence, there has certainly been some dubious scoring where fighters emerged victorious when there was no way possible this should have been the case. The best example in recent memory came when Matt “The Hammer” Hamill put a takedown clinic on Michael Bisping at UFC 75 back in 2007.

The Hammer found himself on the business end of a split decision to the brash Brit in a turn that led the MMA community to cry foul and suggest there was “home cooking” since the fight was in Bisping’s native country.

While I would love to say such things don’t exist in MMA, the judges’ score in the co-main event between Ross Pearson and Albuquerque native Diego Sanchez is strong evidence of its existence. Despite Pearson outstriking Sanchez at every turn and dropping him in the second, The Nightmare somehow took the split-decision victory with one judge giving all three rounds to Sanchez.

Where forward pressure has been the determining factor for some judges in the past, Sanchez’s typical forward movement was pretty much nonexistent on Saturday. He scored no takedowns, rarely landed clean punches and ate crisp countershots from Pearson on a consistent basis.

There is no doubt in my mind the judges took a hard-earned victory away from Pearson at Fight Night 42. Furthermore, I’m certainly not alone in my train of thought, as the MMA community lit Twitter up when the decision was announced.

The massive consensus is that Pearson won the fight, and it is a shame he lost. Since returning from a dip down into featherweight waters, The Real Deal was starting to find his legs in the lightweight fold, and this awful decision will prove to be a costly setback. 

After 16 years as a professional mixed martial artist, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone with a negative thing to say about Yves Edwards.

The Thugjitsu Master has been a staple in the lightweight ranks for nearly two decades and has a collection of notable wins to his credit over that span. That said, Edwards has been in choppy waters as of late, and he was in dire need of a win against Piotr Hallmann at Fight Night 42.

Coming into his bout with The MMA Lab-trained fighter, Edwards had gone 1-3-0-1 no contest over his last five showings. The 37-year-old stepped into the Octagon needing to prove he still belonged on the lightweight roster, and unfortunately for Edwards, Hallmann proved to be too much.

The 26-year-old Polish fighter pressed the action in the stand-up department until locking in a fight-ending rear-naked choke in the second round. 

With the loss, the American Top Team veteran has been kept out of the win column in his last four showings, and it could certainly bring an end to his run in the UFC.

The process of building buzz and hype in the fight game is certainly difficult to do and a situation that comes with a unique amount of pressure. The UFC is largely considered to be the place where the best of the best compete, and once a fighter jumps into those waters, there is no going back.

When Erik “Goyito” Perez emerged onto the scene in back 2012, it didn’t take long for him to pick up steam. In addition to his two impressive victories right out of the gates, he also became one of the primary points of focus for the organization’s push into the Mexico market.

That said, the first two names he added to his resume weren’t of the highest quality, and questions lingered as to how well the Albuquerque transplant would do when faced with stiffer competition.

The 24-year-old came up short in his first bout against top competition when he was defeated by Takeya Mizugaki via split decision at Fight Night 27 last August. Perez would bounce back to find victory in his next outing, but the pressure was certainly on him coming into his bout with Bryan Caraway at Fight Night 42.

While he had only lost once under the UFC banner, there isn’t much room for error where hyping a prospect is concerned. Unfortunately for Perez, the experience factor played a major role in his fight on Saturday night, as Caraway worked his way to a fight-ending rear-naked choke in the second round.

Perez now finds himself in a position where he has lost two of his last three showings, and while those setbacks won’t put him in jeopardy of losing his job, his loss to Caraway will do extensive damage to the buzz that was surrounding the Jackson/Winkeljohn-trained fighter coming into Saturday.

*** While the bout between Sergio Pettis and Yaotzin Meza looked like a high-action tilt on paper, the actual result was anything but. When two fighters are both coming off losses, there is typically some urgency to get down to business when they step back into the Octagon.

But that wasn’t the case for Pettis and Meza. The two bantamweights spent the entire first round at distance as each attempted to feel the other out. Pettis moved laterally, and Meza followed along.

In the second round the younger Pettis landed a head kick, and in the final round Meza scored a takedown late. Throughout the 15-minute snoozer, those two exchanges were the only two notable moments. Pettis ultimately took the unanimous decision on the judges’ cards while the Albuquerque crowd rained down boos. It just wasn’t good. At all.

*** In the gritty world of mixed martial arts, Bobby Voelker is as game as they come. The Kansas City native is notorious for his “take one to give one” fighting style and has put on many exciting fights throughout his career.

That said, his time under the UFC banner has been unforgiving, as Vicious had lost all three of his showings coming into his tilt with Lance Benoist in Albuquerque. Voelker definitely needed a win to keep his spot, and that just didn’t happen.

Benoist used kicks and his clinch game to keep Voelker in check as he picked up the unanimous-decision victory. While Voelker’s style certainly yields exciting fights—that wasn’t the case on Saturday night—it is difficult to make a case for retaining employment on four straight losses.

*** First impressions under the UFC banner are crucial, and newcomer Jake “The Librarian” Lindsey didn’t do himself any favors on Saturday. While his undefeated track record and gritty fighting style created a bit of buzz coming into the fight, his performance against Jon Tuck will be memorable for all the wrong reasons.

After being outworked by The MMA Lab-trained fighter for the opening two rounds, The Librarian verbally tapped in the final round due to a series of heel strikes Tuck dropped on his rib cage from the back position. While those shots were undoubtedly uncomfortable, Lindsey took the first loss of his career in a fashion in which few fighters ever do.

*** Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High could be facing some serious trouble in the aftermath of his bout with Rafael dos Anjos. While The Kansas City Bandit was upset that referee Kevin Mulhall stepped in to stop the fight after the Brazilian dropped him and was raining down punches, his post-fight shove on the referee is something that is going to land him in hot water.

There is no doubt that emotions run high inside the cage, but shoving an official is an out-of-bounds move for a fight-game rookie. And certainly so for a veteran like High. 

 

The Strange

Let it be noted that Saturday night’s card being the UFC’s first visit to Albuquerque just sounds strange in nature. With the gym at Jackson/Winkeljohn’s producing so many high-level fighters for such an extended period of time, MMA and the dusty desert city seem to go hand in hand.

But with Las Vegas being a short clip away and the city not considered a major sporting market, the organization was slow to pull the trigger on bringing an event to the ABQ.

Nevertheless, Saturday marked the first time the Octagon touched down in The Duke City, and the fighting faithful were apparently welcomed with a massive grasshopper invasion. The hop-friendly insects were present by the score and proved to be a nuisance during the fight-week festivities.

Much to the surprise of this writer, it had nothing to do with hometown hero and faith-inspired warrior Diego Sanchez’s walkout. How cool would that have been if he could have found a way to work that one in?

Moving on to the action inside the cage, it didn’t take long for the strange to start rolling inside Tingley Coliseum on Saturday. During the second bout on the card between Jon Tuck and Jake Lindsey, the action was a solid mixture of back-and-forth throughout the first two rounds.

Tuck had a slight edge going into the third, but he wouldn’t have to expend much more energy, as the bout ended in the opening stages of the final frame.

Tuck put Lindsey on the canvas once again, and took The Librarian’s back while looking for the choke. While he was attempting to find the submission, The MMA Lab product started dropping heel kicks to Lindsey’s rib cage in an effort to soften his opponent up.

Even though shots of that nature are typically more of an annoyance than an actual threat, Lindsey looked to the referee and issued a verbal submission to bring an end to the fight.

The referee waived his arms, and confusion reigned supreme across social media. Covering this sport I’ve personally seen many fights end in curious fashion, but this is the first time I’ve ever witnessed a fighter verbally tap due to heel kicks from the back mount.

While the action inside the Octagon ultimately dictates who wins and loses on fight night, there was another element at play on Saturday in the form of Albuquerque’s elevation. Where Denver’s mile-high setting is a notoriously difficult place for fighters to compete, The Duke City’s 6,700-foot elevation certainly had the potential to create problems at Fight Night 42.

Although a large portion of the bouts went off without a hitch on Saturday, there were a handful of tilts where the fighters involved were zapped of their energy after the opening round—the most noticeable of which came in the bout between Bobby Voelker and Lance Benoist, where the two welterweights battled with the ferocity of two out-of-shape heavyweights inside the cage.

Despite altitude having its way with the fighters on the card at Fight Night 42, the elevation didn’t seem to bother Mel Gibson who was sitting cageside with a collection of UFC talent on Saturday. Yes, you read that right. Captain Martin Riggs was in the house to watch some face-punching in Albuquerque.

If an appearance by Mr. Gibson didn’t stamp the overall strangeness of what went down in Albuquerque, the Russian accent taken on by Greg Jackson certainly did.

The MMA guru was in the corner of Rustam Khabilov during his main event tilt with Benson Henderson, and the notorious Fram Cam picked up Jackson talking to the Dagestani in English but with a peculiar Russian accent. If that isn’t strange then I just don’t know what is.

The final entry I’ll make into my musings about Fight Night 42 is the new addition of my “Tweet of the Night.” As I stated in my “Good, Bad and Strange from Fight Night: Berlin,” Twitter is a lively place when the action is rolling inside the cage.

As you can obviously tell, I’ve started to include many of the gems I find on social media during the ruckus. With that in mind, I’m going to end every GBS column with one tweet I felt won the evening.

The winner of Fight Night 42 “Tweet of the Night” is Matt Brown @MattBrownM2. Congrats, good sir, your scientific mind is fantastic.

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Diego Sanchez vs. Ross Pearson: What We Learned from Lightweight Tilt

Saturday night, UFC Fight Night 42 went down from Albuquerque, New Mexico. One of the bouts on the main card featured tough lightweights Diego Sanchez and Ross Pearson going to war.
In a crazy turn of events, Sanchez took a questionable decision over P…

Saturday night, UFC Fight Night 42 went down from Albuquerque, New Mexico. One of the bouts on the main card featured tough lightweights Diego Sanchez and Ross Pearson going to war.

In a crazy turn of events, Sanchez took a questionable decision over Pearson. Despite a heavy consensus that Pearson won the fight 30-27, Sanchez won on two of the judges’ scorecards to earn another UFC victory.

Here is what we learned from their interesting affair.

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

The decision. It was so awful that it was laughable.

Pearson landed more strikes. He was more accurate. He did more damage. He did almost everything better and more efficiently.

Never leave it in the hands of the judges. That’s what you should remember.

 

What We Learned About Pearson

He is really evolving as a fighter. He has stepped his game up in his last few fights, and it got overshadowed by an unjustified loss. 

He is a great striker who has rounded off his game nicely. He should be a marketable fighter in the U.K. if he isn’t already.

 

What We Learned About Sanchez

The car is running out of gas. Sanchez will always be a fan favorite and a lovable wild man, but he hasn’t looked great in years.

He has been gifted some decisions lately and hasn’t looked like the fighter he was earlier in his career. Perhaps he has come to the end of his road.

 

What’s Next for Pearson?

Pearson shouldn’t move down much here because he won that fight in theory. When the UFC returns to Japan, a bout opposite Japanese legend Takanori Gomi would be an awesome little scrap worth keeping an eye on.

 

What’s Next for Sanchez?

As Pearson shouldn’t move down from his loss, Sanchez shouldn’t move up much. Perhaps a bout against fellow longtime UFC vet Mark Bocek would provide a good measuring stick for him going forward.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight Night 42 Results: Benson Henderson Submits Rustam Khabilov, Diego Sanchez Wins B.S. Hometown Decision Against Ross Pearson


(“My God, that is the flattest nose I’ve ever seen. Rustam, would it be okay if I prayed for you?” / Photo via MMAFighting)

The UFC visits Albuquerque for the first time this evening with UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov, a fun little card focusing on Southwestern talent under 170 pounds. In the main event, former lightweight champion Benson Henderson will go for the finish like he always does (LOL!) against Dagestani suplex-monster Rustam Khabilov. Plus: Hometown hero Diego Sanchez takes on Ross Pearson, former flyweight title challengers John Dodson and John Moraga will bounce around the Octagon faster than the human eye can detect, and Bryan Caraway will be booed loudly against Mexican bantamweight Erik “Goyito” Perez.

Handling the liveblog for tonight’s FOX Sports 1 main card will be none other than Ryan Harkness, who will be typin’ out round-by-round results after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page for all the latest updates, and as always, follow us on twitter for additional deep thoughts.


(“My God, that is the flattest nose I’ve ever seen. Rustam, would it be okay if I prayed for you?” / Photo via MMAFighting)

The UFC visits Albuquerque for the first time this evening with UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov, a fun little card focusing on Southwestern talent under 170 pounds. In the main event, former lightweight champion Benson Henderson will go for the finish like he always does (LOL!) against Dagestani suplex-monster Rustam Khabilov. Plus: Hometown hero Diego Sanchez takes on Ross Pearson, former flyweight title challengers John Dodson and John Moraga will bounce around the Octagon faster than the human eye can detect, and Bryan Caraway will be booed loudly against Mexican bantamweight Erik “Goyito” Perez.

Handling the liveblog for tonight’s FOX Sports 1 main card will be none other than Ryan Harkness, who will be typin’ out round-by-round results after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page for all the latest updates, and as always, follow us on twitter for additional deep thoughts.

UFC Fight Night 42 preliminary card results
– Sergio Pettis def. Yaotzin Meza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
– Lance Benoist def. Bobby Voelker via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
– Scott Jorgensen def. Danny Martinez via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
– Jon Tuck def. Jake Lindsey via submission (heel kick to the liver — seriously), 2:47 of round 3
– Patrick Cummins def. Roger Narvaez via TKO, 2:28 of round 2

Hi I’m Ryan. With our other CagePotato writers recovering from the combat fatigue caused by last weekend’s doubleheader, Ben has called me in as reinforcement to break down the action for posterity and any poor souls working weekend nightshift that can’t follow along with fancy moving picture options. Check back after every round for my oh so qualified technical breakdown and all the fart jokes you’ve come to expect from this site.

Erik Perez vs Bryan Caraway

Round 1: Caraway goin for takedowns but being rejected. Perez pushes things into the cage but gives his neck up and Caraway goes for the guillotine, ending up on the bottom. It looks moderately dangerous as guillotines go but you see it ain’t coming so Caraway lets go and they end up back on the feet.

Caraway catches the leg and forces a takedown, grabbing Perez’s back in the scramble. Perez rolls to try and escape but Caraway holds on and works a choke. Perez manages to sip Caraway off his back and get into guard, but Caraway grabs Perez’s neck and uses it to get back to his feet.

The two face off and Perez starts to let go, hitting Caraway with a big knee. Caraway, sensing his chances shrinking the longer he doesn’t grapple, shoots in and tangles up with Perez along the cage. Perez throws a backward facing elbow as the round ends.

Round 2: Perez mixes things up by hitting a takedown but Caraway reverses things fast and ends up in side control. Caraway lulls Perez and then is suddenly in full mount, and then back control. And then back control with body lock! Perez lowers his hands like “What’s this biz around my waist” and faster than you can say “Hello, Japan” Caraway has his arms around his neck. He switches the choke to a gable grip and Perez holds on for about five seconds before tapping out.

Bryan Caraway dominates Erik Perez on the ground and secures the rear naked choke at 1:52 (Round 2)

Yves Edwards vs Piotr Hallman

Round 1: The two circle and feel each other out. Yves kicks while Piotr wings shots. Yves is light on the feet, bouncing and circling, endlessly circling. Piotr returns a kick but accidentally pokes Yves in the eye, which is impressive because his poking hand had nothing to do with the actual strike. Yves takes a minute and gets back to the action.

Two two trade exchanges and Hallman steps in for a halfhearted takedown attempt. Edwards rebuffs him and is starting to let go with some slick in/out combinations. Piotr goes in for another takedown, shoving Edwards against the cage and then swinging him to the ground with his leg. Yves springs back to his feet and engages, pushing Hallman against the cage and then disconnecting with a violent elbow.

They return to the center of the cage to trade combos and kicks. Yves catches a leg and pushes Edwards down, following into guard. Hallman moves to halfguard and is using the distance to throw better strikes. Edwards explodes to get up but Hallman’s got a grip on him and spins him back down. Edwards stands again, this time managing to slip around Hallman’s back. The two stagger to the cage and grasslehump for control as the horn sounds.

Round 2: Hallman comes in more aggressively with strikes, but his momentum is stopped as he eye pokes Edwards again, and again with an ‘inactive’ hand during a knee! The ref warns him again and they return to action. Hallman goes for a leg but Yves shucks him off. Piotr gets in real close and starts throwing combinations including what look like open handed slaps. The ref yells at him to close his damn hands, and a second later Yves throws an open handed Jon Jones special and pokes Hallman in the eye!

A minute later and another ‘What shall we do about eyepokes?’ conversation and we resume. Hallman shoots on Edwards and ends up with standing back control. Yves turns and breaks his grip, and throws a couple of combinations in response. He pushes Hallman against the cage and mixes between tying up and letting go to throw heavy body kicks and elbows. He starts to climb up onto Hallman’s back but ends up taken down and in guard.

Piotr really plants his base and lays heavy. He passes into half after a while and starts to unload, forcing Yves to roll over. He cuts Yves and hits him in the body with a big knee. Yves stumbles to his feet but Hallman drags him back down into half guard where he’s doing all that good ground and pound work. Yves gives up his back again but uses it to get to his feet. Hallman leans on Yves and works him over a bit as the round ends. Edwards is looking hella tired.

Round 3: Hallman controls the center of the octagon and pushes Yves into the cage. Edwards is not the light on his feet fighter we saw in round 1. Hallman uses his ‘spinning drag’ technique to pull Edwards down. Hallman slowly moves into his favorite position: half guard, and starts raining down strikes. Yves starts to do what he does every time he’s here and gives up his back. This time Hallman takes advantage and locks up the rear naked choke, squeezing a tap out of Yves.

Piotr Hallman via gastank, wrassling, and rear naked choke 2:32 (Round 3)

Jason High vs Rafael dos Anjos

Round 1: The two take the center of the Octagon, with Rafael faking and Jason throwing whoppers. Rafael starts to move and throws some high kicks. High grabs one and pushes Dos Anjos against the cage, getting a good grab around his waist, and dumpslamming him to the mat. Dos Anjos struggles to his feet and goes for High’s neck but High gets the same grip as before and slams Dos Anjos to the mat again.

Dos Anjos gets busy under High, grabbing for arms and creating space. High is staying out of bad positions but can’t get off any meaningful offense. He’s basically responding to Dos Anjos. Suddenly Dos Anjoys grabs a kimura and gets it behind High’s back! It looks pretty dangerous, but High rolls out of it, giving up position. They separate and return to the feet.

Dos Anjos is the aggressor on the feet, stepping in with solid combinations and hitting the body with kicks. He ties up with High against the cage and takes things to the ground. He immediately goes for the kimura, which High responds to by grabbing his shorts. “He’s grabbing his shorts!” Rafael yells to the ref. “He’s allowed” the ref responds. Life, it is unfair. Dos Anjos returns to the kimura but abandons it soon after. The round ends with Dos Anjos on top and High with that not so fresh look.

Round 2: High shows he’s still in it with a great head kick that lands well. Dos Anjos returns fire and clocks High with a good one, causing him to slip or stumble. High shakes his head but we all saw that. A second later things are stopped when Dos Anjos gets a thumb in High’s eye.

The ref barely gives High time to recover before starting the fight back up. And they go at it, throwing with some serious abandon. Rafael overextends himself with a leaping front kick and High pushes him back and down with a takedown. But Dos Anjos creates the space and gets back to his feet. They square off again. Dos Anjos is using simple head movement to keep High’s strikes off him and it’s working well. He’s just landing more than High, and those strikes are doing more.

Dos Anjos shoots in and takes High to the ground. He improves position to half and when High gets up, Dos Anjos catches him in some kinda sneaky choke setup. He jumps on it with abandon but High slips out. They work back up against the cage and struggle against each other before going back to rockem sockem action. High throws more of his patented violent hooks but they meet nothing but air. Dos Anjos threads a left hand up under High’s arm that catches him right on the chin. High goes down, and Dos Anjos swarms him. High comes to and grabs Dos Anjos, but Rafael is raining blows down with enough force that the referee steps in and stops it. High wasn’t goin nowhere.

Rafael Dos Anjos hits the button and takes Jason High out via TKO at 3:36 (Round 2)

John Dodson vs John Moraga

Round 1: John and John circle the center of the cage. John feints and John returns with a low kick. Dodson stays light on his feet, he’s dancing and throwing quick head kicks. Nothing landing but he’s got that elusive octagon control going. He steps in and chases Moraga with a hard right. Moraga returns with a headkick that goes too high. Moraga shoots a takedown and knees Dodson in the attempt. Dodson jogs a lap and starts running right back at Moraga to continue the fight – the ref has to stop him and properly reset the action. That wasn’t Dodson being dirty or angry, just the hyperactive weirdo he is. They return to trading combinations in the center of the cage.

Things slow down (relatively) as the two feint and fake for over a minute. Dodson shoots in and lands his strikes, Moraga shoots in and hits air. Moraga goes in for a takedown but they hit the cage and Dodson shucks him off. They slow down and circle before Dodson suddenly steps in and hits Moraga with a flurry. He lands a nice knee to the midsection when Moraga steps in to return fire. The round ends as Dodson slowly takes control on the feet.

Round 2: Dodson is starting to vibrate on the feet. He jumps in with a superman punch and somehow gets a jumping knee in too. Moraga seems to be stuck in a feinting pattern. The few times he tries to land on Dodson, Dodson is nowhere to be found. Dodson throws a kick that gets caught by Moraga, who uses the opportunity to actually punch Dodson in the face before powering him back against the cage. They go down in a tangle but it’s Dodson who ends up on top. They struggle before separating and returning to the center of the cage. Halfway point of the round.

Moraga catches Dodson with a body kick that has Dodson smiling – which as Joe Rogan likes to say, means it actually hurt. Moraga is using his kicks more effectively now and it’s Dodson who seems to be waiting and watching what Moraga does instead of the other way around. One minute left.

Is there something wrong with Dodson? He’s not doing much at all. Finally he explodes and unleashes a flurry that goes from surprising Moraga to hurting him. Dodson smashes Moraga in the face with a knee and Moraga crumbles up against the cage. Dodson starts works him over, going for the finish. Moraga’s face bloods up but he keeps calm and holds on, surviving the round.

Round 3 (almost): We return from commercials to the doctor looking Moraga over. The cut doesn’t seem too bad but whatever it is, the doctor ain’t letting things go. The ref waves his hands above his head. The fight is over and John Dodson hummingbirds around the cage in celebration.

John Dodson defeats John Moraga via knee rhinoplasty and doctor’s stoppage. It is ruled TKO (Injury) Round 2 (5:00)

Diego Sanches vs Ross Pearson

Round 1: The fighters meet over the big Bud Light and start sorting out their range. Diego throwing big, Pearson ducking and dodging and working counters. Pearson seems happy to wait for Diego to charge in so he can hit him with one precise power shot. Diego probably realizes that but what is he gonna do? Stop coming in? Pearson shows some offense and slams Diego with a kick to the body. Diego seems to be trying with all his might to not brawl and instead box – he’s not leaping in like he was before.

The two continue to circle, waiting to explode. Diego catches a kick and almost forces things to get ugly by pushing Pearson against the cage but Pearson swings out. As the round ends Diego once again pressures Pearson onto the fence and throws heavy leather as Ross tries to escape out the side. There’s a winning strategy in this, but I have a feeling we’re gonna end up slugging it out the middle.

Round 2: Diego grabs Pearson by the leg and works a halfhearted takedown attempt. Ross shakes him off and Diego laughs because Diego is Diego. The two trade kicks with Pearson landing the more effective of the two. Diego grins more and does that ‘Bring it on!’ thing with his hands. But Pearson has Diego slowly moving backwards. Pearson stalks forward, doing good work with a heavy right hook. Sanchez starts responding to Ross’s attacks with flurries of his own but Ross is covering up well and then stepping out of range. Diego isn’t doing badly but volume and effectiveness wise Ross Pearson is taking this fight over.

One minute left in the round and Pearson drops Diego with a heavy right to the temple. Diego springs up and goes into berserker mode, putting the pressure on Pearson and finishing up a flurry with a spinning back kick. Pearson gets out of range and tries to slow the pace of the fight back down to where he was winning, but Diego brawls things up again at the end, finishing the round with a generally ineffective but still judge-pleasing flurry.

Round 3: The two square off and Diego throws a couple of attacks that Ross dodges off. Pearson responds with some kicks and punches to the body. He seems content to keep things in a combo-reset-combo pattern. Diego goes for a flying knee. That pretty much sums up where we’re at here: Pearson piling on the points with effective striking while Sanchez is grasping at spinning shit in the hopes one will take his opponent out.

Diego misses a spinning back kick and Pearson drags him up against the cage. They separate and Diego starts headhunting, throwing hooks so wild they spin him off center. We’ve got 1 minute left and some of the crowd is booing as they seem to know which way this is going – Pearson via decision. Diego throws another picture perfect spinning kick that misses by a mile. Pearson seems content to dodge and counter whatever comes his way. He catches a knee and pushes Diego against the cage, and for the 3 remaining seconds they throw down like He-Man action figures, big dumb hooks flying as the horn sounds.

Ross Pearson defeats Diego Sanchez Diego Sanchez defeats Ross Pearson via incomprehensible split decision. (27-30, 30-27, 29-28)

“Those judges should be ashamed.” -Kenny Florian

Benson Henderson vs Rustam Khabilov

Round 1: Khabilov steps in with a big uppercut and then switches his grip to Throw Mode, tripthrowing Benson half to the ground. Benson escapes and separates, then pushes forward with a flurry that backs Khabilov into the cage. The two square off and start feinting. Benson throws pawing strikes, Khabilov responds with a spinning kick. Benson charges in with a flurry, but Khabilov grabs him as he bounces off the cage and starts working a slam. Rustam has him right around the waist and goes for lift off … but Benson weaves his leg around Rustam’s and avoids it.

They separate with a minute left. Benson stalks Rustam but seems tentative to attack … tentative for Benson Henderson anyways. He throws caution to the wind and goes for a jump kick that ends up so wrong Rustam catches him mid air and dumps him onto the ground. The round ends with Rustam on top working position for ground and pound.

Round 2: Rustam throws a spinning backfist that barely misses, and Benson responds with an effective right to the face. Henderson is getting good at firing off strikes and then locking up against the cage. When Khabilov wrestles his way to an advantage position Benson then releases and escapes.

Khabilov is throwing heavy but hitting a lot of air. Henderson is coming in effectively but this time Khabilov drags him down and works the ground and pound. Henderson uses the bottom position to hit Khabilov a couple times before creating space and getting back to his feet. The two lock up again and this time Benson wins in the scramble as they fall to the mat, catching Rustam’s back and locking up a body triangle.

Benson holds the position for thirty seconds, working a choke. Khabilov takes advantage of a Henderson heel to the liver to spin out of the back control and force things back to their feet. The two wrestle up against the cage. Khabilov hits a judo throw but Henderson manages to stumble out of it, post with a hand, and end up still on his feet.

The two square off, with Henderson in the center. As Bendo goes in for an attack Khabilov catches him with a big right to end the round.

Round 3: Khabilov comes out swinging, heavy hooks that deflect off Henderson’s arms and shoulders. Benson goes for a kick and Khabilov grabs it, immediately shooting forward to explode with a strike before dragging Benson down. Khabilov wins the scramble and gets Benson in a north-south headlock. They struggle in this position for a bit before Benson gets back up and pulls his shoulders out from Rustam’s grasp.

Benson shoots in and clinches, but Rustam breaks away and dings Benson with a right on the way out. Benson continues to control the movement, pushing Rustam back. He strikes again, driving Rustam against the cage and then catching a surprise guillotine that Khabilov has to spin desperately on the ground to escape out of. They separate and square off with a minute left.

Khabilov takes a break from moving backwards to shoot in and take Henderson down with a big double leg. But it’s Henderson who ends up on top after the scramble by using a neat wrestling switch. He getts comfortable in half guard and is pelting Rustam’s head with short strikes as the round ends.

Round 4: Benson quickly pressures Rustam out of the center of the octagon, throwing combos, chasing Khabilov into the cage and then initiating the clinch before separating and setting the whole series up again. And suddenly out of nowhere Benson’s latest push to the fence comes with a big uppercut / left hand combo that hurts Khabilov bad. Henderson smells the blood and takes Rustam’s back as the crumples to the mat. A rear naked choke is already cinched tight by the time Khabilov is on the floor and it looks like the ref stops the fight because he’s worried Khabilov is already out and unable to tap.

Benson Henderson goes for the finish and takes out Rustam Khabilov via rear naked choke 1:16 (Round 4). All things through Christ!

And that ends the night! Mercifully, we only had to see one fight on the main card go to the drooling moron squad assigned as judges. Here are my quick pick post-event awards:

  • The Shut Everyone Up Award goes to Benson Henderson for actually finishing a fight.
  • The Tank Abbott Award goes to Bryan Caraway for bringing the fish hook back.
  • The Nickname of the Night Award goes to Rafael Dos Anjos, who looked badass enough to deserve being called RDA.
  • The Judge of The Night Award goes to Jeff Collins for giving Diego Sanchez all three rounds against Ross Pearson.

Thanks for having me, Potato people! Feel free to get all social with my business and such, if that’s what you’re in to. And don’t forget to leave a comment on how bad Ross Pearson got f**ked.

UFC Fight Night 42: Live Results, Play by Play and Fight Card Highlights

UFC Fight Night 42 hits Albuquerque, New Mexico on Saturday night. The 11-fight event is capped off by a key matchup in the lightweight division.
No. 2-ranked contender Benson Henderson takes on No. 11-ranked challenger Rustam Khabilov in the main even…

UFC Fight Night 42 hits Albuquerque, New Mexico on Saturday night. The 11-fight event is capped off by a key matchup in the lightweight division.

No. 2-ranked contender Benson Henderson takes on No. 11-ranked challenger Rustam Khabilov in the main event.

Bleacher Report will have complete coverage of the event from start to finish.

UFC Fight Night 42 Fight Card

  • Benson Henderson (155.5) vs. Rustam Khabilov (156)
  • Diego Sanchez defeats Ross Pearson by split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
  • John Dodson defeats John Moraga by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of the second round
  • Rafael dos Anjos defeats Jason High by TKO at 3:36 of the second round
  • Piotr Hallmann defeats Yves Edwards via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:31 of the third round
  • Bryan Caraway defeats Erik Perez via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:52 of the second round
  • Sergio Pettis defeats Yaotzin Meza by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Lance Benoist defeats Bobby Voelker by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Scott Jorgensen defeats Danny Martinez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Jon Tuck defeats Jake Lindsey by TKO (verbal tapout) at 2:47 of the third round
  • Patrick Cummins defeats Roger Narvaez by TKO at 2:28 of the second round

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

STATBLASTER: 8 Mostly Accurate Pre-Fight Facts About UFC Fight Night 42


(Fact: No can defense Rustan Khabilov’s patented Crab Attack.)

While listening to the latest episode of the CME Podcast earlier today, I was somewhat surprised to learn that Patrick Cummins vs. Roger Narvaez will be the only bout on this weekend’s Fight Night 42: Henderson vs. Khabilov card *not* featured on Fox Sports 1. Cummins, who was previously heralded as “a beast” and “no joke” prior to getting smashed by Daniel Cormier at UFC 170, has fallen from co-main event-worthy to Fight Passable in just one UFC appearance. (At least they were able to find him an opponent, I guess.)

Cummins’ placement on the card is a kick in the balls to say the least, but likely not the biggest dick move a former Starbucks barista has ever been subjected to in his life. Regardless, the recent crash of “Durkin” stock is one of several interesting facts about Fight Night 42 that you probably won’t find in one of MMAJunkie’s insipid “Pre-Fight Facts” articles. Oh yes, shots have been fired.

That being the case, we decided to basically lift their idea and make it our own, bringing you lesser-known, funnier, and borderline inaccurate facts about Fight Night 42 and its competitors. What? If it’s good enough for Burger King, it’s good enough for CagePotato. Now let’s get started.

Stat #1: Fight Night 42 Marks the UFC’s First Trip to New Mexico

In keeping with its “As Real as it Gets” moniker, the UFC has finally decided to put on a night of fights in a state where the police officers are often more crooked than the criminals. Fight Night 42 marks the first time Zuffa has graced the “Land of Enchantment” since WEC 32 was held in Rio Rancho back in 2008, and the first time the UFC has ever held an event in the state best known as the setting of Breaking Bad. There will be no survivors.


(Fact: No can defense Rustan Khabilov’s patented Crab Attack.)

While listening to the latest episode of the CME Podcast earlier today, I was somewhat surprised to learn that Patrick Cummins vs. Roger Narvaez will be the only bout on this weekend’s Fight Night 42: Henderson vs. Khabilov card *not* featured on Fox Sports 1. Cummins, who was previously heralded as “a beast” and “no joke” prior to getting smashed by Daniel Cormier at UFC 170, has fallen from co-main event-worthy to Fight Passable in just one UFC appearance. (At least they were able to find him an opponent, I guess.)

Cummins’ placement on the card is a kick in the balls to say the least, but likely not the biggest dick move a former Starbucks barista has ever been subjected to in his life. Regardless, the recent crash of “Durkin” stock is one of several interesting facts about Fight Night 42 that you probably won’t find in one of MMAJunkie’s insipid “Pre-Fight Facts” articles. Oh yes, shots have been fired.

That being the case, we decided to basically lift their idea and make it our own, bringing you lesser-known, funnier, and borderline inaccurate facts about Fight Night 42 and its competitors. What? If it’s good enough for Burger King, it’s good enough for CagePotato. Now let’s get started.

Stat #1: Fight Night 42 Marks the UFC’s First Trip to New Mexico

In keeping with its “As Real as it Gets” moniker, the UFC has finally decided to put on a night of fights in a state where the police officers are often more crooked than the criminals. Fight Night 42 marks the first time Zuffa has graced the “Land of Enchantment” since WEC 32 was held in Rio Rancho back in 2008, and the first time the UFC has ever held an event in the state best known as the setting of Breaking Bad. There will be no survivors.

Seriously, New Mexico didn’t earn its reputation as a desolate wasteland of methed-out tweekers and power-hungry cops on a whim. Did you know that in 2013, a man was pulled over in a Walmart parking lot and forced to undergo a 14-hour cavity search that included 8 anal robings, two x-rays, multiple enemas, and a surgical colonoscopy? Or that no drugs were found in said man’s anus? Or that the man later won a settlement worth 1.6 million dollars? Or that, despite this backbreaking lawsuit, those cops still remain employed? There’s a fun stat for you: Each unwarranted anal probe is worth approximately 200 large in New Mexico.

Thankfully, Fight Night 42 is being held in Albuquerque, where local police only use homeless people as target practice. Thank science Michael Chiesa isn’t fighting on the card, or we could have a real disaster on our hands.

Stat #2: Ben Henderson Does Not Actually Finish Fights

According to Ben Henderson in the above promo for Fight Night 42, the former lightweight champion “doesn’t fight to win rounds” and “ends fights.” The funny thing is, that statement is absolutely crazyballs bananas.

It’s been some 4+ years since fight fans have seen Henderson score a victory inside the distance, and you’d have to go back to his pre-UFC days to find it — a first round submission via guillotine over Donald Cerrone in their rematch at WEC 48. Henderson’s most recent fight — a split decision victory over Josh Thomson — was a particularly fine example of the dichotomy that exists between how “Smooth” perceives himself as a fighter and how he actually fights. A great guy Bendo may be, but a finisher he is not.

Oddly enough, Henderson’s four year streak of decisions isn’t even the longest dry spell on the Fight Night 42 main card. No, that honor belongs to Diego Sanchez, of all people, who has not finished a fighter since TKOing Luigi Fioravanti six years ago. Let it be known that on this day, an indirect correlation between quail eggs and knockout power was discovered, right here on CagePotato.

Stat #3: Rustam Khabilov, Like, Really Enjoys Suplexing the Sh*t Out of People

We’ve touched on this before, but Rustam Khabilov’s *two* victories via suplex is a stat that bears repeating. While his suplex-induced KO of Vinc Pichel at the TUF 16 Finale was the one that made him (moderately) famous, Khabilov’s powerbombing of Akin Duran at M-1 Challenge 2009 was easily the more brutal of the two. It took just 28 seconds for “Tiger” to suplex Duran into retirement that night, and he hasn’t lost any sleep over it since.

Stat #4: John Dodson is Not an Adult, But a 7-Year-Old with Werner Syndrome

(Unconfirmed, but c’mon)

Stat #5: This Could Be the Last Time We See Yves Edwards in the UFC

Despite holding the lightweight record for bouts in the UFC (19, including 10 victories), Yves Edwards will likely be fighting for his career come Saturday night. The “Thugjitsu Master” has scored just two victories in his past six contests, dropping decisions to Daron Cruickshank, Isaac Vallie-Flagg, and only being spared a loss after being KO’d by Yancy Medeiros thanks to a positive post-fight marijuana test on Yancy’s part (Yaaancy!).

Matched up against Piotr Hallman, the 64-fight veteran’s career is likely winding down. Whether in victory or defeat, Edwards is and always has been a gamer, and we’d love to see him go out on a big victory before calling it quits for good. Currently a +160 underdog to his relatively unknown opponent, we think he stands a great chance of walking away with an upset win at Fight Night 42. Preferably via some crazy flying shit like in the video above.

Stat #6: Brian Caraway is Kind of a Douchebag

Seriously, f*ck that guy.

Stat #7: Bobby Voelker Has Yet to Win a Fight in the UFC

(Photo via Getty.)

Typically, a three-fight skid is enough to earn anyone not named Leonard Garcia a seat in the UFC unemployment line, especially when those losses comes in a fighter’s first three performances. Bobby Voelker, however, possesses the unique ability to absorb just enough damage to not get knocked out (save the Lawler fight) while absorbing far too much to win, and has earned high praise from Dana White for doing so:

“He’s 0-3, and he’s not going anywhere,” said White following Voelker’s most recent loss to William Macario at UFC 168. “He took the Robbie Lawler fight on short notice, and tonight he was busted up and keeps moving forward, keeps trying to win.”

Should Voelker come up short against Lance Benoist this weekend and somehow remain employed, he will join such rare company as Dan Hardy, Mark Hominick, Steve Cantwell, and Elvis Sinosic to lose four straight fights without receiving a pink slip. The little victories, Nation. The little victories.

Stat #8 — Nobody knows what the “dos Anjos” in Rafael dos Anjos means.

(The title of this 2013 film is absolute gibberish.)

Although linguistic scholars have almost unanimously confirmed that “dos” = “of” in Portuguese, the meaning of “anjos” was lost centuries ago according to experts in the field, along with the meanings of San Diego, BM, and #yolo.

Hopefully, these facts will only enhance your Fight Night 42 viewing experience this weekend, but if they don’t, you’re probably not a *real* fight fan anyway.

–J. Jones

UFC Fight-Picking Contest: Win a Copy of ‘In the Blood’ Starring Gina Carano!


(Stay tuned for our Fight Flicks review of the movie, coming later this week.)

Today marks the home video release of In the Blood — that GIF-tacular action movie starring Gina Carano — which is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD. Our dear friends at Anchor Bay Films have hooked us up with a Combo Pack that contains the flick in all three formats, and we figured we’d put it up for grabs in another UFC fight-picking contest. You want it? Well listen up.

This Saturday, UFC Fight Night 42: Henderson vs. Khabilov goes down at the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Check out the fight card here, and submit a prediction for any fight on the lineup in the comments section below. The most accurate guess will win the In the Blood combo pack. Your picks should be in this format…


(Stay tuned for our Fight Flicks review of the movie, coming later this week.)

Today marks the home video release of In the Blood — that GIF-tacular action movie starring Gina Carano — which is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD. Our dear friends at Anchor Bay Films have hooked us up with a Combo Pack that contains the flick in all three formats, and we figured we’d put it up for grabs in another UFC fight-picking contest. You want it? Well listen up.

This Saturday, UFC Fight Night 42: Henderson vs. Khabilov goes down at the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Check out the fight card here, and submit a prediction for any fight on the lineup in the comments section below. The most accurate guess will win the In the Blood combo pack. Your picks should be in this format…

Ben Henderson def. Rustam Khabilov via split decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-48)
or
Jon Dodson def. John Moraga via submission (triangle-armbar), 2:50 of round 3
or
Patrick Cummins def. Roger Narvaez (who??) via TKO, 3:17 of round 1

In other words: Winner’s name first, and include the method of victory, time of stoppage, round of stoppage, or the judges’ scores if you think the fight will go the distance; we’ll need that in case of a tie-breaker. Please submit your picks to the comments section by Friday night at midnight ET. Winners will be announced the following Monday. Only one entry per person, please. Any questions, let us know in the comments section (or if the comments section isn’t working, as is often the case, tweet us @cagepotatomma).

Good luck everybody, and thanks to Anchor Bay Films and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment for making this happen.