UFC 215 emanated tonight (Saturday, September 9, 2017) from the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, main-evented by a rematch between women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko. Their closely contested bout, which Nunes took by split decision, did not take home any bonus money. The Fight of the Night went to Jeremy Stephens and […]
UFC 215 emanated tonight (Saturday, September 9, 2017) from the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, main-evented by a rematch between women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko. Their closely contested bout, which Nunes took by split decision, did not take home any bonus money.
The Fight of the Night went to Jeremy Stephens and Gilbert Melendez for their scrap to kick off the main card. Speaking of kicking, Stephens did plenty of it, badly damaging Gil’s lead leg in the first round with low leg kicks. Melendez would soldier on, repeatedly picking himself up off the canvas when another kick took out his leg. Compromised though he was, Melendez continued to move forward and take the fight to Stephens, eating more than his fair share of punches for his trouble. But his refusal to go quietly earned him and Stephens matching $50,000 bonus checks.
The Performance of the Night bonuses went to main carders as well, as Henry Cejudo and Rafael dos Anjos took home an extra $50,000 for finishing their opponents.
Cejudo had grappling ace Wilson Reis in trouble from the jump with his powerful striking and impenetrable takedown defense. Early in round two, a Cejudo right cross rocked Reis and sent him crashing to the canvas. Follow-up right hands sealed the first finish of Cejudo’s UFC career.
Dos Anjos put the welterweight division on notice by submitting Neil Magny with an arm-triangle in the very first round. His sophomore effort at 170 was even more impressive.
His sophomore effort at 170 was even more impressive than his debut in which he decisioned Tarec Saffiedine. A leg kick tripped Magny to the ground and RDA pounced into top position. From there, he methodically advanced position to the mount, where brutal ground and pound helped him frame the fight-ending choke.
Keep it locked to LowKickMMA for all your UFC 215 post-fight coverage.
The main card of UFC 215 began with a featherweight clash between Gilbert Melendez and Jeremy Stephens inside the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. Melendez dropped down below the 155-pound division for the first time since 2005. “El Nino” was in search of his first victory since Oct. 2013. A leg kick got things started for […]
The main card of UFC 215 began with a featherweight clash between Gilbert Melendez and Jeremy Stephens inside the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.
Melendez dropped down below the 155-pound division for the first time since 2005. “El Nino” was in search of his first victory since Oct. 2013.
A leg kick got things started for Stephens. He continued to land leg kicks. Some bad swelling formed on the lead leg of Melendez. “El Nino” was hobbling on his leg and fell to the canvas. He got back up and Stephens opened up with a combination.
A right hand followed by a jab landed for Melendez. Another leg kick was there for “Lil’ Heathen.” The former Strikeforce lightweight champion went down again from that injured leg. The round ended with Stephens landed a punch on the ground.
A doctor allowed Melendez to enter the second round. A jab was there for “El Nino.” Melendez switched stance. He landed a knee following a combination. Stephens looked to kick the other leg. Time was called for an unintentional low blow, but it was brief.
Melendez fell to the canvas again off a leg kick. He got back up and moved gingerly. Stephens went high with a kick. A body kick was there for Stephens. An uppercut followed by a hook landed for Melendez. Another leg kick dropped Melendez as the round came to a close.
Stephens continued to keep up the pace in the final round. He landed a right hand that got through Melendez’s guard. Another leg kick got Melendez down. “Lil’ Heathen” show Melendez respect for his toughness. A knee was there for “El Nino.” A hard kick to the leg dropped Melendez. He got back up, but dropped again. Stephens was in top control as the final horn sounded.
The decision was obvious.
Final Result: Jeremy Stephens def. Gilbert Melendez via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)
The UFC 215 fight card has experienced some shakeups, but the Edmonton, Alberta crowd at Rogers Place will still be treated to the culmination of a bitter rivalry in the Amanda Nunes-Valentina Shevchenko main event.
The pay-per-view was supposed …
The UFC 215 fight card has experienced some shakeups, but the Edmonton, Alberta crowd at Rogers Place will still be treated to the culmination of a bitter rivalry in the Amanda Nunes-Valentina Shevchenko main event.
The pay-per-view was supposed to be anchored by Demetrious Johnson going for 11th consecutive title defense in the flyweight division. However, opponent Ray Borg was forced to withdraw from the bout due to an illness, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.
In addition to the loss of the heavyweight clash between Francis Ngannou and Junior dos Santos due to a potential doping violation for JDS, the card has taken a considerable hit.
There’s still some fights worth getting excited about, though. The women’s bantamweight title rematch should be a fun bout, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos is continuing his welterweight campaign and Gilbert Melendez will make his featherweight debut.
Here’s a look at the main card along with the latest odds from OddsShark and a closer look at some of the biggest fights on this card.
Main Card
AmandaNunes(EVEN) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (-130) for the women’s bantamweight championship
Rafael dosAnjos(-175) vs. NeilMagny(+145) welterweight bout
Henry Cejudo (-325) vs. Wilson Reis (+250) flyweight bout
IlirLatifi(-105) vs. Tyson Pedro (-125) light heavyweight bout
Jeremy Stephens (-115) vs. Gilbert Melendez (-115) featherweight bout
Note: All odds are in moneyline form. For instance, -900 means that a bettor would have to bet $900 dollars to win $100.
Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko
The Nunes vs. Shevchenko matchup has high expectations to be a good one. Carrying a card that has been through the ringer, the hope is that they’ll close out the night with an action fight.
Gilbert Melendez—who knows a thing or two about action fights—believes that the championship fight is his main competition for Fight of the Night.
“I believe Valentina will become stronger and more dominant as it goes along. Amanda Nunes really lets those hands go and I think she’s getting very good at her striking,” Melendez said, breaking down the fight per Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting. I didn’t give her that much credit earlier, but she’s really blossomed, I have to say if [Melendez and opponent Jeremy Stephens] don’t get Fight of the Night, they probably will.”
It’s hard to argue with Melendez’s logic. Nunes is a quick starter who will look for the early finish. She has finished 11 of her 14 wins inside the first round so she’ll look to press right away.
If Shevchenko can survive that initial onslaught we are in for a war, though. In the first fight Nunes had just enough gas left in the second round to earn the first two rounds on the judges’ scorecard.
By the third, she was hanging on to win the decision. Shevchenko dominated the third round in such a way that it’s hard not to see her once again dominating the later rounds.
With the title fight going five rounds, that leaves Shevchenko with three rounds to work with if she happens to drop the first two again to the champion. That’s plenty of time to complete the comeback this time around.
Prediction: Shevchenko via decision
Henry Cejudo vs. Wilson Reis
Because Demetrious Johnson’s latest title defense was taken off the main card, a battle between two of the champions former challengers was promoted to the pay-per-view. Henry Cejudo and Wilson Reis will square off in a fight that could determine who gets a shot at redemption against the champion.
Johnson is to the point now where the division is all but cleaned out so rematches could be the next phase of his title reign. Cejudo figured to be one of Johnson’s toughest outs, but Mighty Mouse ended the fight early with brutal knees in the clinch.
That performance was a bit of an aberration for both Johnson and Cejudo. Mighty Mouse isn’t generally the kind of striker that ends fights in the first round and Cejudo scored an early takedown, but wasn’t able to maintain top position.
Reis lasted longer in his bout with the champion, but was more thoroughly dominated. Where Cejudo at least scored a takedown and showed glimpses of competing, Reis was outlanded 108-16 in significant strikes, per FightMetric before succumbing to a third-round submission.
Still, Reis feels that his grappling chops are in line with Cejudo and it will be a big part of his gameplan on Saturday night.
“I have an aggressive wrestling style, too,” Reis said, per FloCombat. “I like to take people down. I’m looking for an opportunity all the time, so, just because he is an Olympic champion, I will not take that part of my game out of my strategy. I believe very much in my takedown abilities, so I will fully rely on my wrestling and jiu-jitsu against him.”
That might not be the best idea. Cejudo is an Olympic gold medalist level wrestler and he has transitioned that discipline well into his MMA repertoire.
Reis is an accomplished grappler, but he’s been taken down in losses to Jussier Formiga and Iuri Alcantara. It should be more of the same here as Cejudo proves too powerful for the Brazilian.
Prediction: Cejudo via third-round TKO
Jeremy Stephens vs. Gilbert Melendez
The people’s main event on Saturday might just be the featherweight bout between division mainstay Jeremy Stephens and debutante Gilbert Melendez.
After a run at lightweight that included a Strikeforce championship and two shots at the UFC strap, El Nino will make the move down to 145 pounds. Greeting him will be a fighter in Stephens who has taken on the best of the best in the division.
Stephens is far from elite at this stage in his career. He’s just 2-5 in his last seven fights. But he’s always a scrappy challenge, having three Knockout of the Night and three Fight of the Night honors to his name.
There’ll be plenty of motivation to do well, too. After all, the man postponed his wedding to take the fight.
“I got the call and I said, ‘alright, who’s the opponent?’, Stephens said, per Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting. “They said ‘Gilbert Melendez,’ and I said ‘hang on, let me call my fiancee real quick’ and see if she’s willing to do it.”
Stephens decision might just pay off in this case. Melendez hasn’t been impressive of late either. He’s on a three-fight losing streak and is just 1-3 since coming over to the UFC from Strikeforce in 2013.
At this point, this fight comes down to which fighter has more left of their prime. The 31-year-old Stephens might just have the advantage in that category over the 35-year-old Melendez.
Expect the motivated Stephens to edge out Melendez in a fight that should feature plenty of action.
Jeremy Stephens doesn’t believe Gilbert Melendez will bring anything new to the table on Sept. 9. At UFC 215 inside the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Stephens and Melendez are set to throw leather. “Lil Heathen” has lost his last two bouts. Melendez is on a three-fight skid. Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, Stephens said “El Nino” should’ve […]
Jeremy Stephens doesn’t believe Gilbert Melendez will bring anything new to the table on Sept. 9. At UFC 215 inside the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Stephens and Melendez are set to throw leather. “Lil Heathen” has lost his last two bouts. Melendez is on a three-fight skid. Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, Stephens said “El Nino” should’ve […]
Sara McMann vs. Ketlen Vieira McMann’s recent form has been pretty flawless, so much so that her losses to Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, and Amanda Nunes seems like they happened an eternity ago. McMann looks confident and strong, and it is certainly going to take some serious talent and skills to put an end to […]
Sara McMann vs. Ketlen Vieira
McMann’s recent form has been pretty flawless, so much so that her losses to Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, and Amanda Nunes seems like they happened an eternity ago. McMann looks confident and strong, and it is certainly going to take some serious talent and skills to put an end to her momentum. Time, however, is not on McMann’s side, she is 36 years old and so she certainly does not have too many years of competitive fighting ahead of her to look forward to. Whatever she wants to be and prove, this is her time now to do it at UFC 215.
On the other side of the octagon is going to be Ketle Vieira. Vieira is not exactly as well known and is considerably inexperienced in the UFC. She was promoted from the Brazilian MMA and her current record is an impressive 8 – 0.
We think Vieira is going to taste defeat for the first time in the UFC at the hands of McMann.
Neil Magny vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
Rafael Dos Anjos has moved weight divisions from lightweight to welterweight and his welterweight debut went pretty the way he would have hoped for. It was crucial that he get a win in the debut and he did. Anjos is considerably a more unknown fighter amongst the fans and he has never really gotten the spot light much. Now on UFC fight night 215, he is going to come up against Neil Magny who certainly is no push over.
Magny is solid all round, but we would still put our money on Rafeal Dos Anjos for this one, his experience should be enough to carry him through.
Jeremy Stephens vs. Gilbert Melendez
Gilbert Melendezs’ last three outings in the lightweight division have all been losses and he is now making a move to the featherweight division to hopefully churn out some victories there. Melendez will be looking to getting back to winning ways when he comes up against Wilson Reis.
Reis, you can rest assured, is not going to make it easy for Stephens. The Former EliteXC champion has been consistent so far and will make Melendez work for it!
Gilbert Melendez is giving Jeremy Stephens his due ahead of their Sept. 9 bout. Melendez is taking the trip back down to featherweight to do battle with “Lil’ Heathen” inside the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. The two will clash at UFC 215. “El Nino” will be going for his first win since Oct. 2013. […]
Gilbert Melendez is giving Jeremy Stephens his due ahead of their Sept. 9 bout. Melendez is taking the trip back down to featherweight to do battle with “Lil’ Heathen” inside the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. The two will clash at UFC 215. “El Nino” will be going for his first win since Oct. 2013. […]
The UFC 215 fight card has experienced some shakeups, but the Edmonton, Alberta crowd at Rogers Place will still be treated to the culmination of a bitter rivalry in the Amanda Nunes-Valentina Shevchenko main event.