In our co-main event of UFC on FOX 23 earlier tonight (Sat. January 28, 2016) No. 5-ranked welterweight Donald Cerrone met No. 12-ranked Jorge Masvidal inside the Octagon. The first round opened up with an exchange of leg kicks from both men, before Masvidal got into his groove and began landing combinations flush to the
In our co-main event of UFC on FOX 23 earlier tonight (Sat. January 28, 2016) No. 5-ranked welterweight Donald Cerrone met No. 12-ranked Jorge Masvidal inside the Octagon.
The first round opened up with an exchange of leg kicks from both men, before Masvidal got into his groove and began landing combinations flush to the face of ‘Cowboy’. ‘Gamebred’ ended his onslaught with what looked like a knockout win at the end of the first round; however, referee Herb Dean claimed the bell rang before he waved the contest off.
In the second round Masvidal took advantage of a dazed Cerrone, finishing the contest with a slew of unanswered shots against the cage. With the win over one of the UFC’s biggest stars, Masvidal could very well be looking at huge step up in competition next.
You can check out the full fight video highlights from Masvidal and Cerrone’s scrap right here:
A title shot against surging women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes wa potentially on the line when Valentina Shevchenko met Julianna Pena in the main event of tonight’s (Sat., January 28, 2017) UFC on FOX 23 from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. And when it was all said and done, “Bullet” had left absolutely no doubt
A title shot against surging women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes wa potentially on the line when Valentina Shevchenko met Julianna Pena in the main event of tonight’s (Sat., January 28, 2017) UFC on FOX 23 from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.
And when it was all said and done, “Bullet” had left absolutely no doubt a to whom the most deserving 135-pound woman in the UFC was. In the days leading up to the high stakes bout, many thought ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ would hold the wrestling and grappling edge, but it was actually Muay Thai champion Shevchenko who proved she had the superior ground game in Denver.
After scoring two telling takedowns early, Shevchenko was taken to the mat in the second round by Pena, where the TUF 18 winner seemed to regain the advantage by controlling the fight. But “Bullet” soon turned the tables with a awe-inpisring armbar that left a twisting Pena no choice but to tap. After the win, Shevchenko got her in-fight staredown with Nunes to hype up the biggest fight in the women’s bantamweight division.
Watch the full fight video highlights of her biggest-ever win right here:
On Saturday night, the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado played host to the UFC’s first live fight card on “Big FOX” for 2017, and it was quite an eventful evening. In the main event, dangerous striker and Holly Holm conquerer Valentina Shevchenko proved she is the definitive next person in line to challenge UFC Women’s […]
On Saturday night, the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado played host to the UFC’s first live fight card on “Big FOX” for 2017, and it was quite an eventful evening. In the main event, dangerous striker and Holly Holm conquerer Valentina Shevchenko proved she is the definitive next person in line to challenge UFC Women’s […]
With Ronda Rousey’s career possibly over, the UFC women’s bantamweight division is officially trying to move on. The first step in doing so? Determining the next challenger for reigning champion Amanda Nunes. While picking out the top contender ca…
With Ronda Rousey’s career possibly over, the UFC women’s bantamweight division is officially trying to move on. The first step in doing so? Determining the next challenger for reigning champion Amanda Nunes. While picking out the top contender can sometimes be a difficult task, the women’s bantamweight was down to a two-horse race between UFC on Fox 23 main eventers Julianna Pena and Valentina Shevchenko.
Pena established herself as one of the most compelling young talents at 135 pounds on The Ultimate Fighter 18. Racking up wins over women’s MMA pioneer Shayna Baszler, former rival Sarah Moras and accomplished boxer Jessica Rakoczy, she set herself up to become an instant contender in what was at the time a shallow division.
A catastrophic knee injury saw her shelved for a prolonged length of time. But any doubts about her progression or health were dismissed when she returned in 2015 and broke off three consecutive wins, including a clean decision over former top contender Cat Zingano. That put her on strong footing for a title shot and likely would have been enough to secure her one, if not for Shevchenko’s sudden rise.
That rise came at UFC on Fox 20. After taking a solid win over Sarah Kaufman in her UFC debut, Shevchenko was given a bout against Nunes in her second fight with the promotion. While she lost a straightforward 29-28 decision, she demonstrated strong cardio, resiliency and grappling to go along with her established striking. And that earned her a high-profile fight opposite Holly Holm.
Despite entering the fight as an underdog, Shevchenko shocked fans and pundits by neutralizing the former champ’s offense and scoring a unanimous 49-46 decision win. That win, and the strong ratings it produced, vaulted Shevchenko right back into the title picture, despite her owing a loss from the champ that is less than a year old.
That gave this UFC on Fox 23 tilt big, clear stakes in the bantamweight division and beyond. And that bright spotlight gave Shevchenko a big opportunity to shine.
From the very beginning, both women’s approaches were clear. Pena inched forward and steadily lowered herself for a shot while Shevchenko fought behind her punches. At first, it seemed like this would favor Pena, as she controlled much of the action with her clinch work, but Shevchenko managed to keep her striking in check with well-timed trips. Pena hunted for submissions from underneath, but ultimately Shevchenko took the round, likely on her minutes-long control from the top.
The second round was much of the same, but this time, Pena managed to avoid Shevchenko’s sneaky clinch takedowns and eventually score a takedown of her own. That moral victory, however, was quickly followed by a legitimate loss.
After absorbing some punches in full guard position, Shevchenko whipped her hips around and locked up a lightning-quick armbar. Pena attempted to roll her way out, but Shevchenko stuck with her every move and forced the tap.
It was a shocking ending to a fight where Pena was expected to own a major advantage on the ground, and one that cements Shevchenko’s place as an elite-level bantamweight. After the official decision was read, Nunes entered the Octagon and seemingly accepted a proposed rematch with the former muay thai champion.
Whether that rematch happens is a question for another time, but it’s hard to dismiss Shevchenko’s chances, should it come to pass.
UFC on Fox 23 unfolded Saturday evening at Pepsi Center in Denver, and Valentina Shevchenko stole the show in the main event with a second-round victory via submission over a fiery Julianna Pena.
The triumph represented the second straight f…
UFC on Fox 23 unfolded Saturday evening at Pepsi Center in Denver, and Valentina Shevchenko stole the show in the main event with a second-round victory via submission over a fiery Julianna Pena.
The triumph represented the second straight for Shevchenko, who bested Holly Holm via unanimous decision in July to rise up the bantamweight ranks.
Pena secured the first clinch of the bout and used her knees to strike Shevchenko early, butShevchenko countered by notching the first takedown. That said, Shevchenko didn’t offer much in the way of effective offense, as SB Nation’s Bloody Elbow observed:
Pena followed up with a pair of takedowns in the second round, but Shevchenko came up with a stunning armbar as the frame drew to a close to wipe away thoughts of her initial inability to generate consistent strikes.
And considering she’s a kickboxer by trade, Shevchenko’s ability to pull off a win in that fashion was remarkable, according to MMA Fighting:
By virtue of Saturday’s win, Shevchenko is now primed for a showdown against Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight belt.
And with Nunes in attendance, Shevchenko didn’t hesitate to call out The Lioness in advance of one of the promotion’s most anticipated tilts, via the UFC on Twitter:
Before Shevchenko stole the show in dramatic fashion, the evening had a slew of compelling fights for the packed house to enjoy. Below, you’ll find a rundown of Saturday’s complete results along with a recap of the other three fights featured on the main card.
Main Card
Valentina Shevchenko def. Julianna Pena via a second-round submission
Jorge Masvidal def. Donald Cerrone via a second-round TKO
Francis Ngannou def. Andrei Arlovski via a first-round TKO
Jason Knight def. Alex Caceres via a second-round submission
Undercard
Sam Alvey def. Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Li Jingliang def. Bobby Nash via a second-round TKO
Jordan Johnson def. Luis Henriqueda Silva via unanimous decision
Eric Spicely def. Alessio Di Chirico via a first-round submission
Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Jeremy Kimball via a first-round TKO
Alexandre Pantoja def. Eric Shelton via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jason Gonzalez def. J.C. Cottrell via submission
Highlights and Analysis
Jason Knight appears to be going places.
On the heels of a unanimous-decision victory over Dan Hooker at a UFC Fight Night event in November, The Kid secured arguably his most impressive win to date on Saturday evening.
Matched up against Alex Caceres, the 24-year-old brought his tactical best and secured a victory via submission (rear-naked choke) in the second round.
Bloody Elbow broke down how Knight was able to stop Caceres in his tracks:
Knight has now won three fights in a row and is 3-1 in UFC fights, according to ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto.
And now that he’s riding a hot streak and has carved out a place for himself in the featherweight division, Knight has his eyes set on a showdown against Dooho Choi, according to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani:
The evening’s second showdown didn’t last as long.
As expected, Francis Ngannou made light work of Andrei Arlovski and dispatched his challenger 92 seconds into the first round.
UFC on Fox provided a breakdown of some of the elite striking that allowed Ngannou to take control and never look back:
With a third straight first-round win under his belt, Ngannou is now looking like a force to be reckoned with in the heavyweight division. And as Helwani noted, his rising star could make him a tough out for even the toughest heavyweights moving forward:
The final showdown before the main event featured a vicious brawl between Jorge Masvidal and Donald Cerrone, as the UFC documented on Twitter:
Masvidal appeared headed for a first-round TKO when he had Cerrone on the canvas and started to blast away, but Cowboy was saved by the bell to ensure there would be a second round.
As it turns out, the second stanza didn’t last long.
Masvidal continued to impose his will, and the fight was stopped in his favor a minute into Round 2, as UFC on Fox showed:
And while his performance was impressive from top to bottom, Okamoto raised an important point regarding Cerrone‘s fitness after he fought on Dec. 10 at UFC 206:
Cerrone will be back in the Octagon soon if his grueling track record is any indication, but Masvidal needs to be monitored as a welterweight wrecking ball now that he’s rattled off three straight wins over quality competition.
This evening’s (Sat., January 28, 2017) UFC on FOX 23 is in the books from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Top-ranked women’s bantamweight Valentina Shevchenko met second-ranked Julianna Pena for pivotal title positioning in the main event, with ‘Bullet’ submitting the brash TUF 18 winner with a picture-perfect armbar in the second round. In
This evening’s (Sat., January 28, 2017) UFC on FOX 23 is in the books from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.
Top-ranked women’s bantamweight Valentina Shevchenko met second-ranked Julianna Pena for pivotal title positioning in the main event, with ‘Bullet’ submitting the brash TUF 18 winner with a picture-perfect armbar in the second round.
In the co-main event, hometown favorite Donald Cerrone met veteran Jorge Masvidal in an exciting welterweight scrap where ‘Gamebred’ shocked the crowd by running through ‘Cowboy’ early in the second round after badly rocking him at the end of the first.
Elsewhere on the main card, quickly rising heavyweight prospect Francis Ngannou got by far the biggest win of his young UFC career by starching former champ Andrei Arlovski in the first round, and featherweight prospect Jason Knight picked up his biggest win as well, defeating The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) competitor Alex Caceres with a second-round rear-naked choke.
Check out the event’s post-fight press conference starting shortly after the main card right here:
With Ronda Rousey’s career possibly over, the UFC women’s bantamweight division is officially trying to move on. The first step in doing so? Determining the next challenger for reigning champion