UFC Fight Night 141 ‘Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round-by-Round Scoring
Nov 24, 2018 Comments
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Francis Ngannou
- Alistair Overeem vs. Sergei Pavlovich
- Jingliang Li vs. David Zawada
- Vince Morales vs. Yadong Song
- Alex Morono vs. Kenan Song
- Lauren Mueller vs. Yanan Wu
- Rashad Coulter vs. Yaozong Hu
- Jessica Aguilar vs. Weili Zhang
- Martin Day vs. Pingyuan Liu
- Syuri Kondo vs. Xiaonan Yan
- Kevin Holland vs. John Phillips
- Louis Smolka vs. Su Mudaerji
Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 141 coverage kicks off Saturday at 3:30 a.m. ET.
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Louis Smolka vs. Su Mudaerji
Round 1
Smolka meets Mudaerji in the center of the cage and immediately drives him against the cage with a high single-leg shot. Mudaerji hits Smolka with a hard knee to the body, and the Hawaiian gives him one in return. Mudaerji breaks out of the clinch with a slashing elbow, then catches Smolka with a left hand as the “Last Samurai” shoots again. Smolka nearly winds up on the wrong end of the takedown attempt before finally wrestling Mudaerji to the ground with 3:30 on the clock. Smolka tries to pass guard, gets stuffed back and elbowed in the face by Mudaerji, who’s making things difficult for Smolka here at the midway point of the round. Smolka eats a few hard elbows, then postures up to drop shots straight down on Mudaerji. A failed armbar attempt from Mudaerji exposes his back, which Smolka takes with both hooks. Mudaerji flips over to escape the dangerous situation, breaking out of an arm-triangle choke in the process. Mudaerji gives up his back again, turtling up on his knees as Smolka sits up to try and pound him out. Referee Thomas Fan tells Mudaerji to fight back, then allows the Chinese fighter to take another 15 seconds of unanswered strikes until the horn sounds.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-8 SmolkaBrian Knapp scores the round 10-8 Smolka
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Smolka
Round 2
Smolka goes straight across the cage again, but this time Mudaerji is waiting with a combination that sends the Hawaiian shooting for another takedown. Mudaerji drives several hard elbows into the side of Smolka’s head while defending the shot. Smolka keeps working for the takedown, however, and eventually puts Mudaerji on his back in the center of the cage. Mudaerji nearly hits a triangle, but Smolka wiggles free. Moments after escaping the submission attempt, Smolka catches Mudaerji in a tight armbar, and the “Tibetan Eagle” is forced to submit.The Result
Louis Smolka def. Su Mudaerji via Submission (Armbar) R2 2:07Kevin Holland vs. John Phillips
Round 1
The southpaw Phillips presses forward at the bell, kept at range by a few push kicks from his taller opponent. Holland gets backed up to the wall and has to bail out as Phillips fires heavy combinations. Phillips keeps pressing and walks into a body kick from Holland, and it looks like a bad one. Phillips backpedals immediately, doubled over and protecting his body. Somehow, despite taking several additional front kicks and punches, Phillips stays on his feet and in the fight. Halfway through a busy opening round, Phillips is on the advance again. Holland catches him in the Thai clinch and drives a pair of hard knees up the center, but again Phillips swings back and Holland circles away after taking a glancing punch. Holland comes over the top of Phillips’ next pair of hooks with a clean counter left. After landing another body kick, Holland hits Phillips with an accidental kick to the groin. Referee Peter Hickmott calls time, Phillips takes 30 or 40 seconds to recover, and the middleweights get back to action with 90 seconds remaining. Both men stand still in place in the center, waiting for the other to strike. Holland acts first, hitting Phillips with another kick to the body, now one to the lead leg. Phillips blocks a right high kick but eats a straight right hand behind it. Inside the 10-second clapper, Holland drives Phillips to the ground with a flying knee, then tries to pound him out and runs out of time.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-8 HollandBrian Knapp scores the round 10-8 Holland
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Holland
Round 2
Holland lands a couple leg kicks before Phillips tags him with a hook and puts him on the mat in the center of the cage. Holland pops back to his feet and gives Phillips a touch of gloves and a nod of the head. Phillips rushes the American against the fence and swarms him with hooks; Holland puts up a high guard and makes a show of rolling as he blocks the punches, then circles away. Phillips keeps pressing and takes a stiff jab, now another hard shot to the body, and suddenly the Welshman looks to be slowing down. Halfway through the fight now, and Phillips continues to come forward, walking into front kicks and one-twos from the rangy Holland. Phillips leaps forward with a series of big right hands, one of which rattles the brain of Holland, who’s forced to circle away in a hurry. Phillips clinches Holland against the fence with 60 seconds remaining. Holland breaks free and looks up to the big screen to check on a newly opened cut over his right eye. Holland finishes the round strong, punishing Phillips with several hard body kicks and a left high kick that goes through Phillips’ glove.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 HollandBrian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Holland
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Holland
Round 3
Holland hits an easy takedown in the opening seconds, changing levels as Phillips overcommits on a wind-up right hand. Phillips eats several punches before climbing back to his feet. As soon as they stand, Holland lifts and dumps Phillips back to the mat, then begins peppering the Welshman with punches while trying to take the back. Phillips is on his knees, leaning forward, Holland on his back with one hook in. Holland sits up to drill Phillips in the side of the head with an elbow, then pulls Phillips backward, still trying to establish back-mount. Holland still only has one hook in when he tries a rear-naked choke, allowing Phillips to twist out of it and drive forward. Holland takes him straight back to the ground, then steps over to full mount with two minutes left to fight. Phillips bucks and rolls, winding up on top in Holland’s half guard. Holland catches an arm as Phillips drops punches but can’t finish the armbar attempt. With 70 seconds remaining, Holland sits up and ankle-picks Phillips down at the base of the fence. This time, Holland explodes into the back-take and wraps his arm around Phillips’ neck for the RNC before Phillips can defend. Phillips resists for a few seconds, recognizes he’s stuck and taps out.The Result
Kevin Holland def. John Phillips via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) R3 4:05Syuri Kondo vs. Xiaonan Yan
Round 1
Yan goes on the offensive immediately, attacking Kondo with several low kick-right hand combos. Kondo tries to fire back, but Yan continues to land the harder, cleaner strikes. Yan slows her pace a bit in the second minute, throwing her right hand more carefully but no less accurately; the left side of Kondo’s face is bright red by the middle of the round. Kondo takes a turn coming forward now, but she’s looking tentative after three minutes of eating punches and taking low kicks. Yan barely misses the target with a spinning elbow in the late stages of the round, catching Kondo on the gloves instead.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 YanBrian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Yan
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Yan
Round 2
Yan continues to pick at Kondo with low kicks and step-off counters, while Kondo continues to look for single punches with mixed success. Kondo shows a glimmer of hope when she catches Yan in a Thai clinch, but her efforts to attack the body are overpowered by the larger, stronger Yan. Halfway through the round, Yan remains firmly in control of an all-standup battle. Kondo surprises Yan with a spinning backfist, then grabs the Thai clinch again and lands a knee to the gut. Yan keeps hunting for a spinning backfist of her own, bouncing it off Kondo’s gloves each time. Kondo tries to get the clinch again and eats a pair of hooks for her trouble. Kondo is still coming forward at the end of the round, though her face is showing the damage from the numerous counters she’s absorbed. However, now Yan is sporting a mouse under her right eye, too.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 YanBrian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Yan
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Yan
Round 3
Yan counters a right low kick from Kondo with a heavy right hand over the top. Kondo keeps walking forward until she’s in range to land another spinning backfist, then Yan circles away. Now it’s Kondo’s turn to counter a low kick, popping Yan with a short right hand up top. Kondo keeps grasping for the clinch but finds herself shoved away. Two minutes in, the strawweights meet back in the center of the cage. The action remains the same as it has been for most of the last 12 minutes: Kondo trying to barge forward and land big punches, Yan picking her off with speedier, more accurate counters. The only difference now is the increasingly lumped-up visage of Kondo, who now has a knot on her right temple, a cut on her nose and swelling around the eyes. Yan stings Kondo with a right hand, and the Chinese fighter gets the final strikes of the bout with four consecutive spinning backfists.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 Yan (30-27 Yan)Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Yan (30-27 Yan)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Yan (30-27 Yan)
The Result
Xiaonan Yan def. Syuri Kondo via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) R3 5:00Martin Day vs. Pingyuan Liu
Round 1
Liu presses forward at the bell and is immediately pushed backward by Day with a side kick to the body. The Chinese fighter keeps coming, drives Day against the fence and goes after a single-leg takedown. Day balances on one leg, peels Liu off his legs and hops away. Liu meets Day back in the center, where the bantamweights size up one another with jabs. Liu catches a kick and sends Day tripping backward to the wall, throwing big right hands at the Hawaiian. Day hits the wall and whips around, trying to take Liu’s back on the feet. Liu blocks the back-take, snares Day in a guillotine and jumps guard. The choke looks tight, but Day defends perfectly by stacking up Liu at the base of the fence, alleviating the pressure on Day’s neck. Back on the feet, Liu goes shooting for a takedow and winds up on his knees, fending off a brabo choke setup. Day abandons the choke and gets back on his feet; Liu appears to hit him with an illegal upkick in the transition, but Day looks no worse for wear as he heads back to the corner.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 DayBrian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Liu
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Liu
Round 2
Liu gets in Day’s face at the start of round two, backing up “The Spartan” to the wall with punches, then grabbing hold and looking for an early takedown. Day defends and stuffs Liu to the ground, but Day stands up after Liu tries to catch him in a shifty guard. Day is taking charge of the boxing at the midway point of the round, landing looping shots to the ribs and head of Liu, and appearing unconcerned with Liu’s sparse counters. Liu jumps guard, deflects a few elbows, and now Day wants him back on his feet. Day misses with a spinning backfist but catches Liu with a left hand behind it. Liu looks to be in trouble in the last 20 seconds as Day catches him with several body shots before decking him with a left hand.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 DayBrian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Day
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Day
Round 3
Day starts the final round strong, going body-head with several hard combinations, then wobbling Liu with a left hook to the side of the head. Liu jumps guard again; Day tells him to get up. Suddenly, Liu sends Day crashing to the canvas with a straight right hand. Day fights his way out of a deep figure-four guillotine attempt and winds up on top. Now it’s Day putting Liu in danger with a brabo choke, but Liu fights his way free of it. The pendulum swings again as Liu takes Day’s back and secures back-mount with a body triangle. Liu tries to soften up Day with punches, hunting for a rear-naked choke. Liu is looking to set up an arm-triangle choke and slide off the back, but his right arm is trapped underneath Day’s body. Day throws over-the-shoulder right hands, landing several clean shots to the face as he fends off Liu’s choke attempts in the last 30 seconds.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 Liu (29-28 Day)Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Liu (29-28 Liu)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Liu (29-28 Liu)
The Result
Pingyuan Liu def. Martin Day via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) R3 5:00Jessica Aguilar vs. Weili Zhang
Round 1
Aguilar marches straight at Zhang, who keeps “JAG” at bay with kicks for a few seconds but ultimately winds up pressed against the fence. Aguilar looks for the early takedown; instead, it’s Zhang who connects with an elbow and trips the American to the ground, landing in side control on Aguilar’s left side. Aguilar eats another dozen elbows as she tries to pivot and escape, but Zhang has her pinned down in side control. Aguilar is getting bloodier and bloodier as Zhang drives her head into the canvas with short, hard elbow strikes. Zhang takes full mount; Aguilar tries to escape out the back door and gets caught in a triangle. Now, Zhang drops to her back and cinches the choke, pulling Aguilar’s arm across her body and punishing her with more elbows and punches. Aguilar isn’t tapping to the triangle, so Zhang latches on to the veteran’s right arm, releases the triangle and extends the limb to secure the submission with an armbar.The Result
Weili Zhang def. Jessica Aguilar via Submission (Armbar) R1 3:41Rashad Coulter vs. Yaozong Hu
Round 1
Hu kicks at the legs of Coulter before digging an underhook and shoving the American against the fence. Coulter tries to escape, gets pinned to the wall as Hu goes to double underhooks. Coulter fires knees to the body, though a few appear to bounce off Hu’s arms. Hu releases and backs up to throw a right hand, but Coulter sees it coming and covers up. Coulter gets backed with a left hook to the body and a kick to the leg, and now Hu is able to trap him on the fence again. Coulter absorbs a few more knees, then busts free and comes forward swinging. Hu is cut open just above his right eye as he backs up. Coulter sends him to the canvas with an overhand, but Hu powers back to his feet even as Coulter sizes him up for a guillotine. Inside the final two minutes of the round, Hu is turning the tables, charging on the suddenly slowing Coulter and putting the American in danger with heavy shots. Hu slows his assault to hug Coulter against the wall. Coulter breaks Hu’s grip and tries to turn out the lights on “Totoro” in the final 20 seconds. Hu manages to get hold of Coulter one last time to finish the round safely in the clinch.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 CoulterBrian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Coulter
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Coulter
Round 2
Hu isn’t giving Coulter much space to operate early in round two, pinning the “Daywalker” to the fence with an underhook and putting weight on him. Hu releases and takes a step back to swing wild punches at Coulter, who makes Hu think twice with a counter right hand. The tired light heavyweights meet back in the center of the cage, now halfway through the round and the fight. Hu lands four straight low kicks on Coulter, nearly chopping him down with the last one. Coulter answers with a straight right hand, then double-pumps his jab to force Hu backward. Things have really slowed down by the final minute of the round, with Coulter mostly throwing single jabs. Hu gets something going in the last 20 seconds, slamming Coulter with a pair of heavy right hands. Coulter backpedals, eats a clinch knee and winds up held against the wall at the horn.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 CoulterBrian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Coulter
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-10
Round 3
Hu goes after the legs of Coulter at the start of round three, then goes body-head with punches and shoves Coulter to the wall again. Hu tries a Thai clinch but takes an uppercut from Coulter up the middle before his knee can connect. Coulter walks his way to the center of the cage momentarily, only to be pushed back to the fence. Half a round remains as Hu holds Coulter on the outside. Hu steps back to attack, seems to have Coulter covering up, then Coulter fires off a counter and marches forward. Hu’s face is busted up now, bleeding from his nose after numerous jabs from Coulter. The “Daywalker” comes over the top of a Hu leg kick with a hard right hand. Both fighters look exhausted as they trade punches in the final minute. Hu digs a hard left hand into the body of Coulter, who just nods and walks forward. The 205ers trade leg kicks as the final seconds tick down.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 Hu (29-28 Coulter)Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Hu (29-28 Coulter)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Coulter (30-28 Coulter)
The Result
Rashad Coulter def. Yaozong Hu via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) R3 5:00Lauren Mueller vs. Yanan Wu
Round 1
Mueller hops forward at the start of the bout, though she’s kept on her toes by the speedy kicks and lunging punches of her opponent. Wu throws a spinning backfist, but it’s timed by Mueller, who gets an underhook and pushes Wu to the fence. The flyweights trade positions in the clinch a few times, with Wu landing on the outside at the halfway point of the round. The fighters separate inside the two-minute mark, with both women landing punches on the exit. Mueller knocks an off-balance Wu to the ground in the center of the cage. When the “Princess Tiger” tries to pounce, her rushed ground-and-pound leaves her right arm exposed. Wu catches hold of the limb and extends the arm in a flash; Mueller knows she’s caught and taps out the moment the armbar is locked up.The Result
Yanan Wu def. Lauren Mueller via Submission (Armbar) R1 4:00Alex Morono vs. Kenan Song
Round 1
Morono lands the first punch with a glancing overhand right about 40 seconds into the round. Song answers with a thudding kick to the body. Morono lowers his head, steps inside and lands the right hand again, then ties up and drives Song against the wall. Morono releases to land a short elbow strike, denies a clinch from Song and clubs the Chinese fighter with two or three more overhand rights, leaving Song with a bloody mouth. By the end of the round, Song is already in rough shape, with damage to his lower lip and underneath both eyes.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 MoronoBrian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Morono
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Morono
Round 2
Morono backs up to avoid the early charges of Song, as the first minute of the round passes without much action. Morono takes a kick to the leg, gives Song a harder kick in return. Song tries a Superman punch and gets into a sloppy exchange with Morono as they run up against the fence, then circle back to the middle. The round is still up for grabs at the halfway point, and neither man looks to be in much of a rush to claim it. Morono is the busier of the welterweights down the stretch, sticking a few good jabs on the already busted nose of Song. The Chinese fighter continually paws at his nose and mouth, clearly bothered by the blood leaking from his face.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 MoronoBrian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Morono
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Morono
Round 3
Song presses the action in the first minute of the round, trying to set something up with low and push kicks. Morono seems unfazed, then shoots for a takedown and puts Song on the mat at the base of the fence. Song climbs back to his feet almost instantly, steps forward on Morono and walks into an uppercut. The welterweights tangle and spin against the fence, now with 2:20 on the clock. Morono takes the outside position with double underhooks, looking for a trip. Song peels him off and they go back to the center with just over 90 seconds remaining. Morono whips around with a spinning backfist and gets a finger in his left eye from Song’s outstretched hand. After a scary moment, the cageside doctor clears Morono to continue. The American lands a few more leg kicks in the closing moments, then backpedals to avoid Song’s last-ditch punches.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 Morono (30-27 Morono)Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Song (29-28 Morono)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Morono (30-27 Morono)
The Result
Alex Morono def. Kenan Song via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) R3 5:00Jingliang Li vs. David Zawada
Round 1
Zawada takes the center of the cage and creeps forward on Li, who flicks out his jab to test the range as the welterweights circle one another in the opening minute. Li swipes a looping right hand across the face of Zawada, then follows with a low kick. A straight right hand from Zawada sends Li dropping to his back, though “The Leech” appears to recover immediately from the knockdown. Zawada tries to pounce, but Li powers back to his feet, wraps up the German in a bodylock and trips him to the ground at the base of the fence. In the span of 40 seconds, Li has gone from being knocked down on his back to being in top position, stapling Zawada’s head to the canvas with forearm and elbow strikes. Zawada posts and works his way back up the fence, then comes forward slinging right hands at Li once again. Li is trying to bob and weave out of the way of the strikes, but Zawada is still tagging him with punches. Zawada tacks on a clinch knee, another right hand, and now Li needs to bail out of the firefight. Li gets his left underhook and uses it to pin Zawada to the wall, then backs up to throw punches. Zawada escapes without damage and easily dodges a spinning backfist from the Chinese fighter. Zawada shoots a late single and winds up hugging Li against the fence.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 ZawadaBrian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Zawada
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Zawada
Round 2
Li changes levels for an early takedown attempt, but he’s stood up in the center of the cage. Neither man does much in the opening minute of round two, as Li moves forward but doesn’t offer much for the waiting Zawada to counter. Li is able to touch Zawada with a few punches and low kicks while sidestepping the German’s heavy lead left hooks. Zawada gets tied up but breaks away with a knee to the gut and a hook to the cheek. Li connects with a reaching left hand, then a calf kick as he walks down Zawada in the final minute. A straight right hand puts Zawada on rubber legs in the last 10 seconds. Li tries to finish the job but can’t get the stoppage before the horn; Zawada looks upset at the end of the frame after taking a late punch or two.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 LiBrian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Li
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Li
Round 3
Li wastes no time in the final frame, getting straight after Zawada with a steady stream of leg kicks and hooks. Zawada is hobbled after a particularly hard outside leg kick, but he soon regains his footing and comes back to meet Li in the center of the cage. Li denies a weak takedown attempt from Zawada and rocks him with a heavy left hand across the face. Zawada is visibly fading here, while Li continues to build momentum with half a round remaining. Zawada shoots a single, driving Li against the fence, then releases after Li gives him a few elbows to the side of the head. Inside the final 60 seconds now, Li pressures Zawada backward to the fence and then levels him with a side kick that lands to the solar plexus. Zawada takes a seat at the base of the fence, holding up his hand in surrender, and Li drops a couple punches to force the stoppage from referee Peter Hickmott.The Result
Jingliang Li def. David Zawada via KO (Kick to the Body) R3 4:07Vince Morales vs. Yadong Song
Round 1
Song controls the center of the cage in the early going, the “Kung Fu Monkey” staying in his wide stance as he follows Morales around the outside. Song connects with his first punch of the fight, a straight right hand, then follows with a kick to the American’s lead leg. Morales gets caught leaning but puts his guard up in time to deflect Song’s leaping knee. Song is still holding the center of the cage, keeping Morales stuck on the outside. Song has touched Morales with a few heavy right hands, but nothing seems to have affected “Vandetta” too badly yet. The Chinese fighter’s low kicks have reddened Morales’s left leg by the end of the opening round. Song finishes the round with a buzzer-beater spin kick that doesn’t quite land flush on Morales’ head.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 SongBrian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Song
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Song
Round 2
Morales starts to turn things around in the second stanza, putting Song on his back foot with some early pressure and combinations. Even when Song begins hopping forward again, it’s Morales’ short bursts of offense scoring points in the exchanges. Suddenly, Song looks a bit more tentative, seemingly stuck in waiting mode as he looks to uncork another spinning kick. Again, Song controls the center of the cage throughout the majority of the round, but the striking isn’t as one-sided as in the opening frame. Song's most effective weapons throughout the round are his low kicks which continue to wear on Morales' lead leg.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 SongBrian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Song
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Song
Round 3
Song switches things up by hustling Morales to the canvas at the base of the fence, then trying to posture up for some ground-and-pound. Morales powers his way back to his feet, only to be spun back to the mat by Song around the midway point of the round. Morales creates some space with a butterfly guard, then grabs for a leg but can’t get any purchase on his heel hook attempt. Now with 90 seconds left, Song backs up and allows Morales to his feet. Morales has a nasty lump on the left side of his brow as he bites down on his mouthpiece and trades punches with Song in the last minute. Morales tries to pull off a last-second knockout, but backs up to avoid the surge and the 135ers finish the fight clinching on the fence.Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round 10-9 Song (30-27 Song)Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Song (30-27 Song)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Song (30-27 Song)
The Result
Yadong Song def. Vince Morales via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) R3 5:00Alistair Overeem vs. Sergei Pavlovich
Round 1
Overeem crouches low with a high guard as he circles Pavlovich, feinting and testing the reactions of the Russian newcomer. Pavlovich clips “The ‘Reem” with a right hand, then shoves him away when Overeem attempts to tie up. An uppercut leaves Overeem covering up momentarily, but he recovers and drives forward to push Pavlovich against the wall. Pavlovich spins to the outside position in the clinch and walks Overeem out toward the middle, then the Dutchman reclaims control and marches him back to the fence. Pavlovich drops levels to try a double-leg, and now Overeem abandons the clinch to step back to the center. Overeem swings a big right hand at Pavlovich, tries to grab the Russian in the Thai clinch and winds up tossing him to the ground. Overeem kneels down in Pavlovich’s open guard, then stands over him with 60 seconds on the clock. Suddenly, Overeem turns up the volume on his right hands, smashing Pavlovich’s face with thunderous hammerfists. Pavlovich eats a couple punches before going fetal and turning away from Overeem. The body language is not good, and Overeem continues to pour on the right hands, prompting referee John Sharp to step in for the stoppage.The Result
Alistair Overeem def. Sergey Pavlovich via TKO (Punches) R1 4:21Curtis Blaydes vs. Francis Ngannou
Round 1
English referee Marc Goddard is the third man in the cage for tonight’s five-round heavyweight main event. Ngannou opens with a leg kick, then underhooks the arm of Blaydes when the American tries to change levels. An overhand right from Ngannou bounces off the temple of Blaydes, taking the legs out from under him immediately. Ngannou tries to pound him out on the ground, but Blaydes somehow climbs back to his feet under fire. Ngannou gives Blaydes no space to recover, wrapping him up around the waist and smashing away with right hands until he goes down. Referee Goddard pulls Ngannou off, stopping the fight; Blaydes recovers quickly and protests, but he was clearly in trouble in the moments before the stoppage.The Result
Francis Ngannou def. Curtis Blaydes via TKO (Punches) R1 0:25Related Articles