UFC Fight Night 107 didn’t blow the doors off the hinges Saturday, but it provided several quality finishes.
In the main event, Jimi Manuwa established himself as a top contender in the light heavyweight division with a swift knockout against Corey And…
UFC Fight Night 107 didn’t blow the doors off the hinges Saturday, but it provided several quality finishes.
In the main event, Jimi Manuwa established himself as a top contender in the light heavyweight division with a swift knockout against Corey Anderson.
Manuwa will be a very interested observer of the upcoming Daniel Cormier title defense against Anthony Johnson April 8. Did he do enough to earn the title shot?
Also in action, Gunnar Nelson took care of Alan Jouban in short order via submission. The win moves Nelson back into the welterweight picture and puts Jouban back on the preliminary card.
So, the question begs: What’s next? That’s what we’re here to decipher. Here is a look at the matches the UFC should make for the winners and losers following UFC Fight Night 107.
No. 9-ranked UFC welterweight Gunnar Nelson put on another brilliant performance on Saturday, submitting Alan Jouban with a slick guillotine choke at UFC Fight Night 107 in London. The Straight Blast Gym product may not share the trash-talking prowess of his teammate Conor McGregor, but Nelson has quietly ascended to the top of the welterweight
The Straight Blast Gym product may not share the trash-talking prowess of his teammate Conor McGregor, but Nelson has quietly ascended to the top of the welterweight division regardless.
That’s not to say the Iceland native didn’t have a good deal of hype when he signed with the UFC back in 2012. At the time, Nelson was a perfect 9-0, and was already well known as a European prospect with submission chops and an unorthodox yet effective karate-based stand up game.
Now five years removed from his UFC debut, it’s clearer now that Nelson, 28, has become the dark horse contender of the 170-pound weight class. In analyzing his UFC career, it’s hard to ignore Nelson’s ability to finish fights. All but one of his Octagon victories have come by way of submission. That’s his bread and butter even though he often rocks his opponents before ending the bout on the mat, and he did just that to dangerous Muay Thai striker Jouban today. Check out the impressive stoppage:
Nelson’s only two losses have come at the hands of bulldozing BJJ wizard Demian Maia and a narrow decision loss to Rick Story. Despite his modest two-fight win streak, Nelson has worked his way up the ranks, and has certainly earned a crack at a top five welterweight. Nelson vs. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Robbie Lawler, or even Jorge Masvidal sound like some seriously fun fights, and fights with title shot implications.
Perhaps the most endearing aspect of Nelson (16-2-1) is the fact that his ascent to the top of his weight class was not accomplished through trash talk and mind games. Nelson’s relatively quiet warpath has put every welterweight on notice, and Saturday’s victory over Jouban puts him on the cusp of becoming a contender in a division that could use some fresh blood at the top, especially after welterweight champ Tyron Woodley’s most recent title defense over “Wonderboy”.
No one is clamouring for a third fight between the two, leaving the winner of Maia and Masvidal next in line, but no one else really beyond that at this juncture.
And that’s why Nelson’s submission win over Jouban was so crucial for the division at large.
If submission wins spoke as loudly as McGregor-level trash talk, he would probably already had a title shot by now. But at this point in Nelson’s UFC tenure, it’s become hard to ignore his case for a shot at the belt.
Just don’t expect him to trash talk his way there.
UFC London, better known as UFC Fight Night 107, aired Satuday from the O2 Arena in London, England. What looked like it might be a thin card on paper produced some exciting action, despite having two bouts pulled from the card last minute. In the end, four fighters wound up taking home Performance of the […]
UFC London, better known as UFC Fight Night 107, aired Satuday from the O2 Arena in London, England. What looked like it might be a thin card on paper produced some exciting action, despite having two bouts pulled from the card last minute. In the end, four fighters wound up taking home Performance of the […]
UFC Fight Night 107 emanated from the O2 Arena in London, England today (Saturday, March 18, 2017) and saw light heavyweights go to battle in the headliner. It was not a long battle. Manuwa felled Anderson with a pair of left hooks in the very first round. The second one sent Anderson face-planting into the
UFC Fight Night 107 emanated from the O2 Arena in London, England today (Saturday, March 18, 2017) and saw light heavyweights go to battle in the headliner. It was not a long battle. Manuwa felled Anderson with a pair of left hooks in the very first round. The second one sent Anderson face-planting into the canvas, unconscious before he hit the mat. Manuwa walked away with no follow-up blows needed, and walked away another $50,000 richer for his efforts.
The co-headliner between talented welterweights Alan Jouban and Gunnar Nelson ended in similarly devastating fashion. In round two, a Nelson cross hammered into Jouban’s face, putting him on roller skates. “Gunni” snapped down the wounded Jouban and snatched a guillotine, the tap coming immediately. Nelson took home one of the four Performance of the Night bonuses.
Third from the top, Marlon “Chito” Vera played spoiler in Brad Pickett’s retirement fight in front of his hometown crowd. After dropping the first two rounds to Pickett’s wrestling, Vera came out aggressive in round three as Pickett began to slow. He hammered the Brit with punches and kicks for the first four minutes. In the final minute, a flush Vera head kick dropped Pickett where he stood, and follow-up hammerfists brought the fight to a close. The impressive, short-notice finish netted Vera the third Performance of the Night check.
The lone undercard bonus was wrapped up long before the main card started. Marc Diakiese put on a jaw-dropping display of power and athleticism, blowing away Teemu Packalen with a single right hand in the first round. Packalen was on the defensive from the start, as Diakiese sent powerful spinning kicks at him. “Bonecrusher” then lunged forward and cracked Packalen, who staggered backward and collapsed. The referee jumped in right away, saving Packalen from further punishment. Diakiese pushed his record to 3-0 in the UFC and made himself $50,000 richer with the scintillating performance.
Keep it locked to LowKickMMA for all your post-fight news and analysis.
For the second time in as many fights, Jimi Manuwa dealt an impressive knockout to an opponent. This time the opponent was Corey Anderson and the event was UFC Fight Night 107 from the O2 Arena in London, England.
The 37-year-old defeated Anderson via …
For the second time in as many fights, Jimi Manuwa dealt an impressive knockout to an opponent. This time the opponent was Corey Anderson and the event was UFC Fight Night 107 from the O2 Arena in London, England.
The 37-year-old defeated Anderson via first-round knockout. MMAjunkie tweeted out the official result for the main event:
The matchup between Anderson and Manuwa was a classic wrestler vs. striker affair on paper. Anderson attempted to impose his will on the fight early on, missing on a single-leg takedown and creating a scramble.
But Manuwa wanted no part of that. Instead, he went to work looking to land his powerful striking.
Once he settled in, it didn’t take long. Manuwa landed a crushing left hook that stymied Anderson and sent the London fans home happy.
MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani described the ending and gave his thoughts on the overall card:
Manuwa gave his own commentary on the knockout after the fight, per MMA Fighting:
He didn’t stop there, though. Manuwa went on to call for a title shot against the winner of Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson and professional boxer David Haye:
Those goals might be lofty for the No. 4-ranked light heavyweight, but this is a division that desperately needs some new names to join the usual suspects. This might just be the fight that launches him into that stratosphere.
The light heavyweight main event wasn’t the only notable bout on this card, though. The Fight Pass main card featured the final fight for a featherweight prospect bout, the swan song for a British fan favorite and a memorable performance from Gunnar Nelson.
Here’s a look at the complete results from the event as well as a closer look at each of the main card fights.
Main Card
Jimi Manuwa def. Corey Anderson, KO (Round 1, 3:05)
Gunnar Nelson def. Alan Jouban, submission (Round 2, 0:46)
Marlon Vera def. Brad Pickett, TKO (Round 3, 3:50)
Arnold Allen def. Makwan Amirkhani, split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
Prelims
Joseph Duffy def. Reza Madadi, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Francimar Barroso def. Darren Stewart, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Timothy Johnson def. Daniel Omielanczuk, split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Leon Edwards def. Vicente Luque, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Marc Diakiese def. Teemu Packalen, KO (Round 1, 0:30)
Bradley Scott def. Scott Askham, split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Unless your name is Demian Maia, you really don’t want to be on the ground with Gunnar Nelson.
That’s a simple fact of life and a lesson Alan Jouban learned the hard way in the co-main event from the O2 Arena.
The Icelandic welterweight dragged Jouban to the mat in the opening round where he put on a grappling clinic for the rest of the round. He plied his ground game, working his way to mount and clearly winning the round.
From there, Nelson went to work in the second round showcasing his striking. Nelson used his precise counterstriking to crack Jouban’s jaw, sending him to the mat. This time, Nelson was quick to follow, slapping on a guillotine choke.
Brett Okamoto of ESPN described the finish:
The UFC posted the highlight finish:
This is the kind of win that should continue Nelson’s ascent up the welterweight rankings. He sits at No. 9 in the rankings, but after this win, it might be time for Nelson to take another high-profile fight.
Nelson has now won back-to-back fights since a unanimous-decision loss to Maia. As long as he doesn’t draw the Brazilian again, he should have the grappling advantage over anyone else he fights next.
Brad Pickett vs. Marlon Vera
“One Punch” Brad Pickett was just over a minute from walking away from the sport of MMA with about as nice an ending as he could hope for. The English veteran was working Marlon “Chito” Vera through the first two rounds of the fight and appeared to be up on the cards.
That was until Vera unleashed a hellish head kick that landed flush and ruined the storybook ending:
Pickett—who once beat UFC champion Demetrious Johnson and fought 18 times in WEC and UFC—showcased a little power in the opening round, dropping Vera with a sharp left hand:
Pickett’s striking stood out in the first round, but it was his grappling that won the second frame. One Punch earned a takedown early in the round and spent the majority of the five minutes working his ground-and-pound against Vera, who offered little resistance.
Josh Gross of the Guardian paid homage to Pickett. Although he never really elevated to contender status, he won four Fight of the Night bonuses throughout his career and was a true fan favorite.
Arnold Allen vs. Makwan Amirkhani
The featherweight bout between Arnold Allen and Makwan Amirkhani was supposed to be a close battle of prospects to kick off the card, and it didn’t disappoint. The 23-year-old Allen and 28-year-old Amirkhani went at each other for three rounds taking turns being in control of the bout, but it was Suffolk native Allen who got the nod on two of the judges’ cards.
Amirkhani had some moments in the ground game. The fight featured plenty of high-level grappling exchanges.
However, Allen was the one who held the advantage when the fight was on the feet. The UFC posted some highlights of Allen’s powerful striking that helped him get the W:
Although Allen was technically the hometown fighter, he still took the time to address the doubt from the England crowd after the fight, per Ben Fowlkes of MMAjunkie:
This is a huge win for the young Allen. He continues his undefeated streak in the Octagon at 3-0 while also putting Amirkhani’s own 3-0 start to a halt.
It’s safe to say this isn’t the last we’ll see of Allen, as he’s found a way to stand out in the loaded featherweight division.
UFC Fight Night 107 may have lacked star power, but it still contained some pretty interesting fighters—and some doggone interesting fights.
The main event of the card, which aired Saturday on UFC Fight Pass, pitted heavy-striking light heavyweig…
UFC Fight Night 107 may have lacked star power, but it still contained some pretty interesting fighters—and some doggone interesting fights.
The main event of the card, which aired Saturday on UFC Fight Pass, pitted heavy-striking light heavyweight Jimi Manuwa against grinder Corey Anderson. With the card taking place at the O2 Arena in London, Englishman Manuwa was the crowd favorite.
The winner of the bout was looking at a big leap forward in the light heavyweight division, as was the victor in the co-main event, which featured welterweights Alan Jouban and Gunnar Nelson in a striker-grappler matchup.
As noted, there was no big star anchoring the card. But you don’t need star power to have a quality card—there was intrigue all up and down the lineup in London, and as usual, the final stat lines only reveal so much. These are the real winners and losers from UFC Fight Night 107.
For the second time in as many fights, Jimi Manuwa dealt an impressive knockout to an opponent. This time the opponent was Corey Anderson and the event was UFC Fight Night 107 from the O2 Arena in London, England.