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A fun night of fights had an unfortunate ending, as the UFC Fight Night 159 main event between Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens was called a no-contest because of an eye poke…
A fun night of fights had an unfortunate ending, as the UFC Fight Night 159 main event between Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens was called a no-contest because of an eye poke…
Jeremy Stephens has made a reputation for his incredible toughness and knockout power in his lengthy UFC career. Both of those qualities were on full display against Josh Emmett as he picked up a second-round TKO finish in the main event of UFC on Fox …
Jeremy Stephens has made a reputation for his incredible toughness and knockout power in his lengthy UFC career. Both of those qualities were on full display against Josh Emmett as he picked up a second-round TKO finish in the main event of UFC on Fox 28 from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
UFC on Fox passed along the highlight of the finish:
The two heavy-handed featherweights got off to a relatively slow start. Both fighters were gauging distance for much of the round, but when Stephens finally committed to an attack, he paid for it as Emmett landed a strong counterhook:
Stephens wasn’t about to have that exchange define the fight, though.
Coming out in the second round, Stephens reminded everyone that he’s always in a fight as long as he’s standing. He didn’t stop being aggressive, and it succeeded big-time when a massive left hook found Emmett’s chin.
Stephens threw a knee that was close to being illegal in the following moments, but a follow-up elbow was what really brought the fight to a halt as he locked in the second-round finish. Upon further review, some of the follow-up elbows may have been illegal.
Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com broke down the controversial nature of the finish:
After the bout Stephens did some campaigning for a title shot. He came into the fight ranked No. 8 in the division, but Emmett was No. 4:
Regardless of whether he gets the title shot he’s seeking, it’s simply impressive that Stephens continues to rise through an up-and-down career in the UFC that spans back to 2007:
The Orlando crowd didn’t just witness the final featherweight scrap, though. It was a night that had a little bit of everything, as noted by Reed Kuhn of Fightnomics:
Main card (FOX now)
Undercard
Tecia Torres vs. Jessica Andrade
There were very few fans in Orlando or watching at home that wouldn’t want to have seen two more rounds of Tecia Torres and Jessica Andrade, but after three rounds it was Andrade who got her hand raised by unanimous decision.
The battle between two elite women’s strawweight showcased a difference in styles. Torres took a lead in the first round with her quick counterstriking:
But it wasn’t long before Andrade came storming back in the second round with her powerful takedown game. She had multiple takedowns that saw Torres go airborne:
The punch-counterpunch rhythm of this fight made it one of the most exciting of the night. Andrade continually pushed forward while Torres was active off her back while on the ground, and a crisp counterstriker in the standup.
Ultimately, the judges preferred Andrade’s aggression and the power behind the shots that she landed.
The win gives Andrade back-to-back wins after her failed bid against Joanna Jedrzejczyk to win the title. With Rose Namajunas now holding the belt, Andrade might have earned herself a title shot with this hard-fought win.
Ilir Latifi vs. Ovince Saint Preux
In the ever-shallow light heavyweight division, Ilir Latifi might have gone and made himself a title contender with a first-round finish of Ovince Saint Preux. The powerful 205-pounder wasted little time in putting No. 5 Ovince Saint Preux out.
Despite a relatively large reach and length disadvantage for the Swede, he was able to close the distance by lunging forward, landing a big bomb and latching onto a standing guillotine for the choke. UFC on Fox Sports posted the finish:
Latifi took advantage of the spotlight by calling out Daniel Cormier for a shot at the light heavyweight title. While a win over Saint Preux isn’t usually the fodder for a title shot, he just might be under consideration. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful broke down the argument for why he’s next:
Cormier is next slated to take on heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, so a matchup with Latifi isn’t likely to come to fruition anytime soon. However, another win could make him the odds-on favorite to welcome Cormier back to light heavyweight.
Mike Perry vs. Max Griffin
Welterweight Max “Pain” Griffin was supposed to be a sacrificial lamb to get Mike “Platinum” Perry off the schneid, but he didn’t do a good job of that. Instead, Griffin got himself back in the win column with a unanimous decision win over Perry.
Fighting in his home state of Florida, Perry came out swinging even more recklessly than usual. Griffin wasn’t to be overwhelmed, though; he was patient in knowing when to go on the attack and when to get out of dodge.
Jed Meshew of MMAFighting.com noted the lack of development for Platinum:
It’s a disappointing development for Perry. The fiery 26-year-old has shown some promise as an exciting action fighter, but this makes two losses in a row, and it’s becoming evident there’s a limit to just how far he can climb up the rankings.
With the UFC badly needing some marketable personalities, Perry is one of the biggest losers of the fight card, while Griffin certainly made himself a fighter to watch in the division.
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Sometimes you need to separate the wheat from the chaff. UFC on Fox 28, going down Saturday from Orlando, Florida, might need a particularly conscientious eye if we’re ever going to have enough raw materials for a decent loaf of bread.
Josh Emmett and …
Sometimes you need to separate the wheat from the chaff. UFC on Fox 28, going down Saturday from Orlando, Florida, might need a particularly conscientious eye if we’re ever going to have enough raw materials for a decent loaf of bread.
Josh Emmett and Jeremy Stephens are two reputable action fighters, but it will take more than that main event for this card to break free of the downward pull of last month’s UFC on Fox 27. That event broke a series record for television ratings—in a bad way.
But enough about that. Let’s be positive now. Let’s get stoked for the greatest sport on Earth. Are you with me? Here are three fights you definitely, absolutely can’t miss this Saturday.
Strawweight
Jessica Andrade (17-6) vs. Tecia Torres (10-1)
Odds (per OddsShark): Andrade -320, Torres +260
Airs on: Fox
This could be a wild affair, with both women notorious for blistering, volume-based attacks backed by gavel-to-gavel endurance.
Lest you doubt is, Andrade is fifth among active fighters with 6.45 strikes landed per minute, according to UFC stat keeper FightMetric. Torres isn’t terribly far behind with 4.77.
Torres uses her punches to set up takedown entries. Ditto Andrade to an extent. Andrade showed strength in last fall’s win over Claudia Gadelha, during which she landed multiple slam takedowns, but she loves to be aggressive on the feet. Torres likes to use volume striking to outpoint opponents, but this is one of the few opponents where, on paper, that doesn’t seem like a sound strategy.
Keep in mind also that the 5’2″ Andrade used to compete at 135 pounds. She’s only one inch taller than Torres but should have a substantial size advantage when they step in the cage.
Bottom line: This will be an exciting fight between two fighters with similar games. Andrade would seem to have an advantage in each of their strong suits. She’ll get a win in another violent contest, even if she can’t get the finish.
Andrade, unanimous decision
Welterweight
Mike Perry (11-2) vs. Max Griffin (13-4)
Odds: Perry -340, Griffin +280
Airs on: Fox
Mike Perry is a firebrand. He engenders feelings, the positive kind and the other kind, whether he’s wildly seeking skulls inside the cage or kicking up his feet during interviews.
Perry is a headhunter, but he’s got more skill than he gets credit for. He has great athletic talent to complement his pure power, using good movement and instincts both in and out of the pocket.
Griffin is the clear underdog in this one, but Max Pain has been around the block. He held gold in both Tachi Palace Fights and West Coast Fighting Championships before getting The Call in 2016. He has razor-sharp kickboxing, and the ground skill he lacks will not be a factor here. If Perry intentionally drags this fight to the mat at any point, I’ll eat a sock.
With a 1-2 UFC record, Griffin is probably fighting for his UFC roster spot. He’ll need to keep Perry at bay with kicks and long-range boxing. Perry is a bulldog at getting inside, though, and after losing his last contest has some recovering of his own to do. Platinum Mike prevails but not before Griffin makes it interesting.
Perry, TKO, Rd. 3
Welterweight
Alan Jouban (15-6) vs. Ben Saunders (21-8-2)
Odds: Jouban -240, Saunders +200
Airs on: Fox
Nothing not to love in this matchup. Why it’s buried in the middle of this undercard I’ll never know.
(Especially since Jouban beat Perry in December 2016, but hey, it’s none of my business.)
Both of these men use muay thai to rough up opponents. Saunders’ knee strikes are legendary, and he knows how to use every bit of that rangy 6’2″ frame and 77″ reach (Jouban, by comparison, is 6’0″ with a 73″ reach). Jouban, however, is a more complete striker who can control range and score without relying on brawls or scrambles.
This will probably play out on the feet, but each man has some jiu-jitsu in his pocket as well. In fact, they train together at 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu in Los Angeles, leading Saunders to admit that neither man really wanted this matchup.
“It’s just an unfortunate situation, but it is what it is,” Saunders told MMAjunkie Radio (h/t John Morgan of MMAjunkie). “We’re both fighters. We’re both professional, so we’re going to accept that.”
Saunders also acknowledged the tantalizing matchup. With 26 finishes between them (including nine knockouts for each man), this one’s pretty much a lock to be entertaining.
“As far as stylistic matchup, man, it’s fireworks,” Saunders said. “I don’t think you can get much better.”
The killer instinct may not be out in full force given the friendship involved, but there’s no question they’ll put on a show.
Jouban, unanimous decision
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Jeremy Stephens knocked out Doo Ho Choi to prevail in the main event of UFC Fight Night 124 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. In the second of the two main event fights, Jessica-Rose Clark earned a unanimous decision over Paige VanZant.
Stephens p…
Jeremy Stephens knocked out Doo Ho Choi to prevail in the main event of UFC Fight Night 124 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. In the second of the two main event fights, Jessica-Rose Clark earned a unanimous decision over Paige VanZant.
Stephens provided the most excitement on the night as he dispatched of Choi in the second round.
The turning point came when Stephens hit Choi with a hard right hand. That sent the 26-year-old to the canvas, where Stephens followed up with a right elbow. Choi tried to keep Stephens back, but Stephens landed another vicious right-handed shot.
The referee stepped in after the 31-year-old Iowa native hit a series of left elbows without reply.
The UFC shared a replay of the final sequence:
Below are the full results from UFC Fight Night 124 and a brief overview of how the rest of the main card shook out.
UFC Fight Night 124 Results
Main Card
Jeremy Stephens def. Doo Ho Choi, TKO (Round 2, 2:36)
Jessica-Rose Clark def. Paige VanZant, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Kamaru Usman def. Emil Meek, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Darren Elkins def. Michael Johnson, submission (Round 2, 2:22)
Preliminary Card
James Krause def. Alex White, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Marco Polo Reyes def. Matt Frevola, knockout (Round 1, 1:00)
Irene Aldana def. Talita Bernardo, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Kyung Ho Kang def. Guido Cannetti, submission (Round 1, 4:53)
Jessica Eye def. Kalindra Faria, split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
J.J. Aldrich def. Danielle Taylor, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Mads Burnell def. Mike Santiago, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
The biggest moment of the night didn’t involve any of the fighters on the card.
Former welterweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes walked down to the Octagon nearly seven months after a truck he was driving collided with a train. Doctors placed Hughes in a coma shortly thereafter.
The UFC shared the tribute video that played before Hughes’ arrival, as well as Hughes’ arena entrance to overwhelming cheers from the St. Louis crowd:
The scene moved many on social media:
In the co-main event, VanZant suffered her third defeat in her last four fights.
An arm injury played a role in the result. Fox Sports: UFC shared a clip that showed that VanZant informed her corner she suffered a fracture in her right arm in the first round:
The fracture appeared to come when she misfired somewhat on a spinning back fist, with her right wrist and forearm catching Clark in the head.
Since she was essentially fighting with one arm, VanZant was unable to land many significant blows, and she couldn’t get too bold with offense for fear of aggravating the injury.
That opened a door for Clark, who remained careful so as not to receive a left jab or kick from VanZant. The 30-year-old picked her spots well and connected with enough to be the clear winner.
The main card began with a bit of an upset as Darren Elkins submitted St. Louis native Michael Johnson in the second round.
Johnson appeared to be in the driver’s seat after looking like the stronger fighter in the first round. He maintained that advantage until Elkins got Johnson on his back and locked in a rear-naked choke. With nowhere to go, Johnson had little choice but to tap out.
UFC heavyweight Chase Sherman was among those calling for Elkins to get a marquee fight after notching his sixth win in a row:
Whereas Elkins’ turnaround was a big surprise, Kamaru Usman delivered exactly what was expected and largely dominated Emil Meek. Usman was especially adept at getting Meek on the ground, registering eight takedowns in the fight, according to UFC.com. Meek, on the other hand, didn’t even get an official takedown attempt.
Usman’s strategy wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing, but it’s hard to argue with the results. MMAjunkie’s Chamatkar Sandhu and former MMA fighter Dan Hardy offered differing opinions regarding the action inside the Octagon:
Hardy’s assessment brought to mind UFC president Dana White‘s comments after Tyron Woodley beat Demian Maia at UFC 214 last July. White lamented how he thought Woodley could’ve wrapped things up before the fight went to the judges’ scorecards.
As good as Usman performed, it wasn’t all that unfair to wonder how good he would’ve looked if he had been a little more aggressive with Meek.
After the fight, Usman called out Colby Covington. Covington would be a stern test for The Nigerian Nightmare, and it could prove an opportunity for him to silence his skeptics.
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After two long weeks, it finally arrived—the first UFC fight card of 2018.
On paper, it was a show that left much to be desired. There were no fights with title implications at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
No supersta…
After two long weeks, it finally arrived—the first UFC fight card of 2018.
On paper, it was a show that left much to be desired. There were no fights with title implications at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
No superstars entered the Octagon, either, unless you count reality television sensation Paige VanZant. Worse, with the loss of the Vitor Belfort vs. Uriah Hall bout on the day of the weigh-ins, there were no fighters who had ever held UFC championship gold.
Nothing happened to change that perception as the fighters engaged in one listless bout after another.
Then Matt Hughes limped out to the cage, just months removed from a collision with an actual train. It was a touching moment, with Hughes showing the fighting spirit that earned him a spot in the UFC’s Hall of Fame.
As if energized by the emotional display of courage and heart, the action immediately picked up. Kamaru Usman channeled Hughes himself, practically slamming his opponent right through the mat. Jessica-Rose Clark outgrappled VanZant, and Jeremy Stephens closed the show with a brutal beating of Doo Ho Choi.
There were human beings fighting in a steel cage. Punches and kicks were thrown. Joints were stretched. Necks were strangled. Sometimes, that’s enough.
As always, the final stat lines only reveal so much. These are the real winners and losers from UFC Fight Night 124.
For the literal-minded among us, full results are listed at the end.
It’s a new year and the slate is clean. The UFC heads to St. Louis to kick off the calendar with a featherweight clash headlining the bill at UFC Fight Night 124 in the Scottrade Center.
Contenders Jeremy Stephens and Doo Ho Choi will look to try to ig…
It’s a new year and the slate is clean. The UFC heads to St. Louis to kick off the calendar with a featherweight clash headlining the bill at UFC Fight Night 124 in the Scottrade Center.
Contenders Jeremy Stephens and Doo Ho Choi will look to try to ignite fireworks in the evening’s main event. It will be Choi’s first fight back since his loss in the 2016 Fight of the Year contender against Cub Swanson.
In the co-main event, MMA legend Vitor Belfort makes one final trip to the cage. Standing opposite him will be the dynamic Uriah Hall.
Who walks out of the cage with a win under their belt for the remaining months of the new year?
The Bleacher Report team is back. Steven Rondina, Scott Harris, Craig Amos and Nathan McCarter take a look at the four-fight main card to offer prognostications of the UFC’s first event of 2018.
Let’s jump in and see what the expert picks are for UFC Fight Night 124.