Tag: Ovince Saint Preux

Ovince Saint Preux did it again.  

The UFC light heavyweight submitted Yushin Okami in Friday night’s main event at UFC Fight Night 117 in Japan via Von Flue choke.       

The Von Flue submission was only the fifth such submission in UFC history and the third of OSP’s career—the organization might as well rename the choke The Von Preux at this point.

As soon as the fight started, Okami shot for a takedown, which was stuffed by OSP. At first glance, it appeared Okami’s strategy was to pull-guard, which would’ve been effective against any other 205-pound fighter besides OSP, who can finish any fighter from any position.

The fight also marked the second time in UFC history that a bout had zero significant strikes, per Michael Carroll:

It took less than two minutes for OSP to secure the choke once he was on the ground and to put Okami to sleep. Fighters going up against OSP need to learn not to fall in this trap, otherwise OSP will continue to take advantage of his opponent’s ignorance to attention to detail.

Coming into the night as the No. 6 light heavyweight in the world, OSP will move up the ranks once again. 

UFC Fight Night 117 was great from top to bottom, especially the main card. 

Here are the final results from Friday night, including full-fight analysis for each bout on the main card:

                       

Jessica Andrade def. Claudia Gadelha (30-25, 30-26, 30-27)

Dong Hyun Kim def. Takanori Gomi via first-round TKO (1:30)

Gokhan Saki def. Henrique da Silva via first-round KO (4:45)

Teruto Ishihara def. Rolando Dy via unanimous decision (28-27 x2, 29-27)

Jussier Formiga def. Ulka Sasaki via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:30 of R1

                            

Formiga in Fine Form Against Sasaki

In the first bout on the main card, Jussier Formiga entered the Octagon with Japan’s own Ulka Sasaki. After standing up with Sasaki for a couple of minutes, Formiga shot for the takedown and was able to get on top of him.  

Formiga was able to get Sasaki’s back and lock in the body triangle as he continued to chase a rear-naked choke. It wasn’t long before Formiga was able to overpower Sasaki and flatten him flat on his stomach, securing the rear-naked choke for the first-round finish.

It’s a disappointing loss for Sasaki, who had a couple of good moments in the opening exchanges, even bloodying Formiga’s nose with a couple of straights that landed flush.

But Formiga, who was the overwhelming favorite coming in, was able to seal the deal away from home, which goes a long way for him as he looks to get back after losing to Ray Borg back in March. He is already a Top Five fighter at 125 pounds, and a rematch with Wilson Reis could be in his future to secure a shot at a title eliminator bout.

                            

Ishihara survives despite multiple low blows

Fan favorite Teruto Ishihara needed a victory after dropping his last two fights to Artem Lobov and Rolando Dy, and he was able to get back to his winning ways against Dy in an impressive performance.

Things started off well in the opening minute, Ishihara dropped Dy with a left hand that Dy never saw coming.

A few more clean shots were all Ishihara would land flush on Dy as he kept him on the ground, but the pressure he kept on Dy was enough to stop the referee from standing them up.

Dy was clearly exhausted after being on his back for the majority of the first round, fighting off Ishihara’s unrelenting pace until the horn sounded.

The pair of fighters continued to go back and forth in the second, each landing clean strikes of their own until the third round, when Dy sent Ishihara to the ground with a combination of knees.

A couple of low blows halted the action throughout the fight, but Ishihara was able to continue after Dy’s right foot landed below the belt for the second time.

Unfortunately, Dy was not done hitting Ishihara in the groin, hitting him for the third time.

Dy ended up losing a point, which ended up being costly as he lost the decision to Ishihara 28-27, 28-27, 28-27.

                                                     

Saki Announces His Arrival to UFC

For the diehard MMA fans, this was the main event of the night.

The highly anticipated UFC debut of Gokhan Saki, one of the most decorated kickboxers in the world, against Henrique da Silva had many fight fans and pundits excited, including Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting:

To no one’s surprise, Saki’s striking was a spectacle, connecting with da Silva at will in the opening two minutes of the fight, bloodying the right side of da Silva’s face as he defended for his life against the cage.

Perhaps it was an adrenaline dump from the excitement of his first fight, but Saki began to breathe deeply and even put his hands on his hips, gasping for breath.

But just when it looked like da Silva would take advantage of Saki’s exhaustion, Saki came out of nowhere with one of the most thunderous left hooks you’ll ever see.

It was walk-off finish for Saki, who just became one of the most popular newcomers to the UFC in some time. He even earned a nickname: Saki Bomb!

                                

Kim Makes Quick Work of Gomi

Well, that didn’t last long, did it?

Takanori Gomi is a legend in Japanese MMA and has been one of the more entertaining fighters the UFC has produced. But his fight against Dong Hyun Kim was a train wreck, to say the least.

Gomi didn’t last more than 90 seconds inside of the Octagon as Kim landed a straight right that buckled him and followed that with some beautiful ground-and-pound to get the stoppage. It was hard for Kim to speak even though he won the fight, as he mentioned how Gomi was someone he looked up to.

Ariel Helwani summed it up best for the diehard fight fans who have seen Gomi take enough damage over his storied career:

                                          

Andrade Puts on Performance of Her Career

Fight. Of. The. Night.

When Claudia Gadelha dismantled former title contender Karolina Kowalkiewicz earlier this year, many thought she would be in line for a title shot for another fight with Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Instead, she signed on the dotted line to take on Jessica Andrade, and it would be an understatement to say both fighters didn’t disappoint.

Within two minutes, Andrade’s forehead opened up from a cut due to a barrage of straights and elbows. Gadelha then went for a takedown and got caught in a clinch. Andrade, to the enjoyment of everyone watching, picked up Gadelha and power-slammed her over head and onto the canvas.

From there, Andrade kept control of Gadelha on the ground and landed some nice ground-and-pound until the first round ended.

Andrade dominated the fight in the second round until the closing seconds, when Gadelha wrapped her legs around Andrade and tried to secure a guillotine. The choke was tight, but the bell saved Andrade.

In the third, Andrade power-slammed Gadelha again and laid down some effective yet gruesome ground-and-pound.

Andrade took over in Round 3 as Gadelha appeared to have gassed out. She punished Gadelha’s body and wouldn’t stop until the final horn sounded.

Andrade’s performance was good enough to win via unanimous decision.

If you missed this fight, you missed out.

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