Tag: volkan oezdemir

UFC Fight Night 138 live results: Volkan Oezdemir vs. Anthony Smith

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 138: Oezdemir vs. Smith, emanating from the Avenir Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.

The Octagon heads to New Brunswick and Moncton for the first time with a light heavyweight bout that could have title shot implications riding on it with two heavy hitters known for quick knockout wins.

Volkan Oezdemir looks to get back into the win column after coming up short in a title fight in January as he takes on hard-hitting Anthony Smith, who has won two straight fights over former champions since moving up to 205 pounds. Oezdemir lost to UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 220 in January, and makes his return here, while Smith has back-to-back first-round knockout wins over Rashad Evans and Mauricio Rua.

In the co-main event, Michael Johnson steps in on short notice looking for his second straight win as he takes on Artem Lobov. Also on the main card is a pair of fights at 205 pounds as Misha Cirkunov battles Patrick Cummins, and Gian Villante takes on Ed Herman.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.

UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT

> Stevie Ray (21-8, 5-3 UFC) vs. Jessin Ayari (16-4, 1-1 UFC)
Lightweights

They trade kicks to start. Ayari switching stances but eats a low kick from Ray. Ray with more low kicks. Ayari lands a right hand. Ray lands a left hand. Ray back to some leg kicks. Ayari lands an uppercut as Ray was rushing in. Ayari with a combo as he is finding his range. Ray misses a punch and eats a counter right from Ayari. Ray with a side kick to the body. Ayari with a body kick. Ray lands a punch. They trade leg kicks. Ray with a high kick. 10-9 Ayari.

Ray with a combo but nothing lands clean. Ray goes back to the leg kick. Ray continuing with the leg kicks. Ray goes for a high kick. Ray going back to the leg kicks and Ayari not countering or checking them. They trade inside the pocket and just misses a head kick. Ray lands some solid left hands. Ray lands a left cross. Ayari with a big right hand. Ray with a leg kick. They clinch for a second and Ayari lands a forearm on the break. They trade punches and Ray with a leg kick. Ayari with a late uppercut. 10-9 Ayari, 20-18 Ayari.

They trade early to start the final round. Ray back to landing the low kicks. Ray with more leg kicks. Ray with some left hands. Ray with a head kick that is blocked. Ray just misses a big left hand. They trade and clinch but break. Ayari lands a combo. Ayari lands a right hand and follows it with an uppercut and Ray is in trouble. Ray does land some leg kicks. They trade punches and Ayari lands a combo. Ayari lands the jab. Ray barely lands a head kick. Ray lands some punches. They trade to end the fight. 10-9 Ayari, 30-27 Ayari.

Official Result- Stevie Ray def. Jessin Ayari by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

> Arjan Bhullar (7-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. Marcelo Golm (6-1, 1-1 UFC)
Heavyweights

Golm with a leg kick. They trade punches. Golm with a leg kick. They clinch for a moment. Bhullar with a jab. Golm trips him up with a leg kick. Golm with the jab. Bhullar with a snap jab. Bhullar lands another jab. Golm with another big leg kick. They trade jabs. Bhullar with an uppercut. They clinch but break. Golm lands a right hand and a leg kick. Bhullar lands a jab. They clinch again and Bhullar lands as they break. Golm with another low kick. 10-9 Bhullar.

Golm with a leg kick. Bhullar lands a right hand against the fence. Golm with another big leg kick. Golm lands a knee in the clinch and Bhullar stumbles. They clinch against the fence. They trade knees. Bhullar tries for a takedown but Golm escapes. Golm with a leg kick. Golm with a knee followed by a right hand and a left hook. Golm with more leg kicks. They trade and then clinch. They battle for underhooks but neither doing much. Bhullar lands an uppercut. 10-9 Golm, 19-19.

Bhullar lands an uppercut as he goes into the clinch against the fence. Golm’s foot is swollen. Bhullar with some foot stomps. They break. Golm lands a right hand. Golm with a high kick. Bhullar gets a takedown and is in the guard of Golm. Bhullar with some punches from the top. Bhullar with an elbow from the top. He postures up to land a right hand to the body. Bhullar staying on top but not doing much. Bhullar starts to land some right hands against the fence. Strong finish from Bhullar. 10-9 Bhullar, 29-28 Bhullar.

Official Result- Arjan Bhullar def. Marcelo Golm by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)

> Te Edwards (6-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Don Madge (7-3-1, 0-0 UFC)
Lightweights

They come out firing early. Edwards lands a right hand but Madge drops him with a left hand. Edwards gets up and gets a takedown. Crazy opening thirty seconds. Edwards in the guard of Madge. Madge looking for an armbar and has it locked in but Edwards is rolling out and gets out and is on his feet. Nice escape by Edwards as that was in deep. Madge going for another armbar. Edwards escapes and gets to his feet. Edwards goes back into Madge’s guard. Edwards stands back up. The referee orders Madge to his feet. Edwards lands a right hand and Madge lands a knee followed by a body kick. 10-9 Madge.

Madge lands a big head kick that rocks Edwards and then lands another that drops Edwards and finishes him off with some more punches right at the start of the second round. Huge win by Madge as he gets the brutal finish.

Official Result- Don Madge def. Te Edwards by knockout (head kick) at :14 of Round 2

FOX SPORTS 2 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT

> Sarah Moras (5-3, 2-2 UFC) vs. Talita Bernardo (5-3, 0-2 UFC)
Women’s Bantamweights

They trade early on. Moras lands a solid combo. Bernardo with a leg kick. Bernardo with a leg kick followed by one to the body. Moras with a right hand. Bernardo with another leg kick. Moras lands a solid right hand. Bernardo goes for a takedown but Moras defends well. Moras lands a clean right hand. Bernardo wobbles Moras but Moras initiates a clinch. Bernardo gets a takedown and looks to pass guard. Moras with some elbows from the bottom. Bernardo passes to side control and to the half-guard. Bernardo ends the round looking for a choke. 10-9 Bernardo.

They trade early and Moras misses a big right hand. She does land one a moment later. They continue to trade and Moras is landing more. Bernardo playing a lot of defense and then lands a right hand followed by a high kick. Moras with a right hand. Bernardo lands a combo but eats a right hand from Moras. Bernardo gets a trip takedown into side control. She goes into the mount for a moment. Bernardo looking to set up a choke but Moras is landing elbows from the bottom. Bernardo back to side control and looking to take the back but Moras spins out. 10-9 Bernardo, 20-18 Bernardo.

Moras gets a quick takedown to start the third. Moras looking for the mount but allows Bernardo to reverse and she is in the guard of Moras. Bernardo in side control and pinning Moras to the mat. Moras trying to spin out but Bernardo has her pinned down. Bernardo looking for an arm. Moras trying to roll for a leg but eating punches from Bernardo. They get to their feet and Bernardo goes for a takedown but Moras reverses and has the back and is landing punches and looking to lock in a choke but Bernardo able to escape. Moras landing elbows from the bottom. They get to their feet. Moras lands a late combo and lands big punches at the end. 10-9 Moras, 29-28 Bernardo.

Official Result- Talita Bernardo def. Sarah Moras by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

> Calvin Kattar (18-3, 2-1 UFC) vs. Chris Fishgold (17-1-1, 0-0 UFC)
Featherweights

Fishgold with a leg kick and then gets a takedown. Kattar gets to his feet and Fishgold has the neck but lets go. Fishgold starts landing big punches as he has Kattar pinned against the fence. Fishgold clinches. They break. Fishgold with a leg kick. Fishgold with some punches. Fishgold lands a big right hand. Kattar eats it well. Kattar with a flying knee. Kattar lands the jab. Fishgold is bleeding under his left eye. Kattar with a solid jab. Fishgold lands a right hand on a combo. Kattar lands an uppercut. Kattar lands a big punch that drops Fishgold and he goes into the guard and lands some punches and finishes Fishgold off. Kattar with the big finish in the first round after surviving some big punches.

Official Result- Calvin Kattar def. Chris Fishgold by TKO (punches) at 4:11 of Round 1

> Thibault Gouti (12-4, 1-4 UFC) vs. Nasrat Haqparast (9-2, 1-1 UFC)
Lightweights

Haqparast with a solid combo but gets poked in the eye by Gouti. Back to action quickly though. Haqparast lands a big left hand that wobbles Gouti. He lands a couple more left hands. Haqparast lands a combo. They trade and Haqparast lands some big punches. Gouti lands a right hand. Haqparast drops Gouti with a left hand but Gouti gets back to his feet and runs off. Haqparast with a body kick and then a left hand. Haqparast with another big combo. Gouti with a right hand to the body. Haqparast with another combo. Gouti with a right hand to the body and then to the head. 10-9 Haqparast.

Haqparast lands some punches but Gouti is returning fire. Gouti with a right hand to the body but eats a body kick from Haqparast. Gouti with an uppercut. Haqparast has his back against the fence. Gouti with a leg kick. Haqparast with a combo. Haqparast lands a big left hand. Gouti lands a right hand. They trade punches. Haqparast with a combo and then a body kick. Haqparast lands a big left hand. Haqparast landing more big punches as he’s turning up the volume in the round. Haqparast hurts Gouti with a body kick. They trade punches. Haqparast with some left hands at the end. 10-9 Haqparast, 20-18 Haqparast.

Haqparast lands a leg kick. Gouti lands a combo. Haqparast with a big left hand that wobbles Gouti. Gouti firing back and moving forward despite being hurt. Haqparast buckles Gouti with a body kick and Haqparast comes forward with punches and Gouti is running away. Gouti is crumbling to the ground and Haqparast gets on top and is landing punches. This could be stopped. Both men are tired. Gouti surviving on the bottom as he has Haqparast tied up. Haqparast with some elbows from the top. Haqparast with some more punches from the top. They get to their feet and Haqparast lands a left hand. Gouti with a lot of heart shown in this fight. 10-8 Haqparast, 30-26 Haqparast.

Official Result- Nasrat Haqparast def. Thibault Gouti by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 30-26)

> Nordine Taleb (14-5, 6-3 UFC) vs. Sean Strickland (19-3, 6-3 UFC)
Welterweights

They trade early. Taleb circling away. Strickland lands a left hand. Taleb with some leg kicks after a trade of punches. Both looking for openings. Taleb lands a counter left hand as he ducks away from Strickland’s punches. Taleb with a leg kick. Taleb lands a left hook. Strickland with the jab. Strickland is throwing with a lot of volume but missing almost all of them. Taleb landing a lot more. They trade is close range. Taleb with a chopping leg kick. Taleb with an uppercut. 10-9 Taleb.

Taleb with a leg kick. Strickland controlling the Octagon but isn’t doing much with it. Taleb lands a lead left hand. Taleb with a quick inside leg kick. Taleb with a body kick. Strickland lands the jab. Strickland with a right hand. Strickland drops Taleb with a right hand. Taleb gets back to the feet. Strickland looks to land but gets stumbled by a teet kick from Taleb. Strickland landing combos against the fence. Strickland rocks Taleb with a right hand and goes to the mat. Strickland gets in the guard and lands some punches. Strickland with a big right hand in the guard and the referee stops the fight. Big finish by Strickland as Taleb is upset with the stoppage.

Official Result- Sean Strickland def. Nordine Taleb by TKO (punches) at 3:10 of Round 2

FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT

> Alex Garcia (15-5, 5-4 UFC) vs. Court McGee (18-7, 7-6 UFC)
Welterweights

McGee with a leg kick. Garcia lands a left hand. McGee with some kicks but Garcia grabs the leg and gets a brief takedown. They get to their feet and Garcia has the back. Garcia with some knees from the back. They are standing and Garcia has a hook in and trying for a choke but doesn’t have a good position. They break. Garcia lands some punches and a big right hand. McGee lands a body kick. Garcia with a right hand. McGee gets a late takedown and lands some punches. 10-9 Garcia.

Garcia with a punch and McGee drops Garcia with a punch and McGee gets in side control and is landing. McGee looking to set up an arm-triangle but switches to the half-guard. McGee goes to the full guard of Garcia. Garcia just hanging on and is looking for the referee to stand them up. McGee with an elbow from the top. McGee with some body punches. They are stood up. Garcia lands a left hand. Garcia goes for a takedown but McGee scrambles up. McGee going for a takedown against the fence and gets it. McGee ends the round on top. 10-9 McGee, 19-19.

McGee with a leg kick. Garcia lands a left hand. Garcia gets a brief takedown but McGee gets up and is looking for a takedown against the fence. Garcia lands an uppercut on the break. McGee tries a takedown but falls backwards. They get to their feet and McGee back looking for a takedown. They scramble and Garcia takes the back. Garcia working for a choke. McGee gets to the top and is landing punches. McGee with elbows and he is putting a stamp on a win as the fight ends. 10-9 McGee, 29-28 McGee.

Offical Result- Court McGee def. Alex Garcia by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-28)

> Gian Villante (16-10, 6-7 UFC) vs. Ed Herman (23-13 1 NC, 10-9 1 NC UFC)
Light Heavyweights

They trade early. Herman already cut open. Villante with a body kick but eats a right hand from Herman. They trade right hands. They are both swinging hard. Villante with a right hand to the body. Villante with a head kick. Herman with a combo. Villante with a jab. Herman lands a right hand. Villante rocks Herman with a combo and then a big left hand has Herman in trouble. Villante lands a right hand. They trade big punches late. 10-9 Villante.

They trade and Herman lands a jab that may have poked Villante in the eye. Herman with another jab. Villante circling away. Villante lands an uppercut. They continue to trade punches with each landing hard shots but both eating them well. Villante with a left hook. Villante with an overhand right. They trade right hands. Villante bleeding now from around the nose. Herman lands a right hand. Villante breathing heavy. Villante with a hard right hand followed by a left and then another right. 10-9 Villante, 20-18 Villante.

Villante with a leg kick. Villante with the jab stops Herman’s right hand from connecting. The pace has slowed down. They are throwing punches but not with a lot of volume. Each are connecting when they throw. Villante with an inside leg kick. They trade against the fence. Herman shoots for a takedown but it is defended. They trade in close range. Villante goes for a takedown but they are so sweating that they slipped away. Villante with a high kick. They trade kicks at the end. 10-9 Herman, 29-28 Villante.

Official Result- Gian Villante def. Ed Herman by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

> Andre Soukhamthath (12-6, 1-3 UFC) vs. Jonathan Martinez (9-1, 0-0 UFC)
Bantamweights

Soukhamthath with a kick to start. Martinez with a high kick. Martinez with a front kick. Soukhamthath with a body punch. Martinez with an inside leg kick. Soukhamthath drops Martinez with a right hand and pounces on top of Martinez. Soukhamthath has the neck and looking for a D’arce choke. Soukhamthath with a knee to the body as they stand. We have a brief timeout for a low blow. Soukhamthath with a combo to the body followed by some knees against the fence. They continue to trade and Soukhamthath is landing more as he lands a spinning back elbow. Soukhamthath drops Martinez with a right hand at the end. 10-9 Soukhamthath.

Soukhamthath pressuring Martinez to start the second as he pushes him to the fence. Soukhamthath with an elbow followed by a knee followed by a flying knee. Soukhamthath with a big flurry of punches against the fence followed by a knee to the body. They clinch and trade knees. Martinez gets a takedown and is in the half-guard. Martinez with some punches from the top. Martinez with some elbows from the top. Martinez with some elbows to the shoulder of Soukhamthath. They get to their feet and trade knees before breaking. Martinez with a body kick. Martinez with a step-in elbow followed by a flying knee. 10-9 Martinez, 19-19.

Martinez pushes Soukhamthath against the fence and has underhooks. Soukhamthath with a flying knee and then some elbows over the top. Soukhamthath now has Martinez in trouble. Martinez lands a knee and now pushes the fight against the fence. Foot stomps from Martinez. They reverse positions. Martinez with a knee but Soukhamthath gets a brief takedown. They battle for wrist control in the clinch. Soukhamthath with a takedown. They scramble to their feet and Martinez lands a left hand. Soukhamthath gets a takedown and has the back and that might seal him the fight. 10-9 Soukhamthath, 29-28 Soukhamthath.

Official Result- Andre Soukhamthath def. Jonathan Martinez by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28)

> Misha Cirkunov (#11, 13-4, 4-2 UFC) vs. Patrick Cummins (#14, 10-5, 6-5 UFC)
Light Heavyweights

Cirkunov with a left hand that rocks Cummins early. Cummins goes for a takedown but Cirkunov has the neck. Cirkunov with body punches. Cirkunov with lots of short body punches. They break for a moment and battle for underhooks. Cirkunov gets a takedown straight into the mount. Cirkunov setting up an arm-triangle. He has it locked in and Cummins taps out. Cirkunov with an impressive showing as he gets back into the win column.

Official Result- Misha Cirkunov def. Patrick Cummins by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:40 of Round 1

> Michael Johnson (18-13, 10-9 UFC) vs. Artem Lobov (13-14-1 1 NC, 2-4 UFC)
Featherweights* (Johnson missed weight by 1 pound)

They trade early. Lobov with a body kick. Johnson with a right hand to the body. Johnson lands the jab. Lobov keeping his hands low. Lobov with a body kick followed by a right hand. They trade. Lobov with a leg kick but eats a left hand from Johnson. Lobov lands a right hand. Lobov with another right hand. Lobov with a body kick and Johnson counters with a left hand. Lobov with another body kick. Johnson lands the jab. Lobov with a right hand as Johnson circles away. Johnson with a leg kick and then a left hand lands to the chin of Lobov. Lobov with an uppercut and ends with a body kick. 10-9 Johnson.

Johnson with a left hand to the body. They trade punches. Johnson continues to attack the body with left hands. Johnson lands a flush left hand. Lobov lands a right hand to the body. Johnson lands a big left hand that wobbles Lobov. They trade punches in close range. Lobov with a body kick. They trade punches and Johnson’s left hand lands good. Lobov lands a right hand. They trade. Johnson has shown good movement. They trade in the pocket. Lobov keeping his hands low. Lobov with a leg kick. 10-9 Johnson, 20-18 Johnson.

Johnson lands a left hand. Johnson with a head kick. Lobov with a leg kick but eats a straight left hand from Johnson. Lobov with a leg kick as he switches stances around. Lobov with a spin kick. Johnson lands a left hand. Johnson lands another. Johnson with a right hand. Johnson with a combo. Lobov missing his punches. Johnson lands a left hand. Johnson lands another left hand. Lobov is missing all of his attacks as Johnson is angling away. Johnson with a right hand and Lobov slips to a knee. Johnson gets a takedown with just over thirty seconds left. Johnson rides it out on top. 10-9 Johnson, 30-27 Johnson.

Official Result- Michael Johnson def. Artem Lobov by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

> Volkan Oezdemir (#2, 15-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. Anthony Smith (#10, 30-13, 6-3 UFC)
Light Heavyweights

Oezdemir with a leg kick. Smith goes for a takedown against the fence but Oezdemir reverses position. They trade knees in the clinch. They break and Smith with a leg kick. Oezdemir with some punches against the fence and Smith is covering up. Oezdemir with a left hand. Smith lands a left hand. Smith with an inside leg kick. Oezdemir with a leg kick. Smith lands an overhand right. Smith pokes Oezdemir in the eye and we have a timeout. Back to action and a head kick from Oezdemir. Smith lands an elbow. Oezdemir with some leg kicks. 10-9 Oezdemir.

Oezdemir with a leg kick. Smith with a right hand. Oezdemir with some inside leg kicks. Smith stumbles him up with a right hand. Smith with a step-in elbow and Oezdemir reverses into a takedown. Oezdemir on top and moves to half-guard. Oezdemir went for the mount but lost position. Oezdemir gets the back of Smith and is landing punches but his nose is leaking blood. Oezdemir with a knee to the body. Oezdemir has back control and is landing punches and knees while working for a choke but Smith is defending well. 10-9 Oezdemir, 20-18 Oezdemir.

Smith lands a jab. They trade kicks. Oezdemir lands a left hand. Oezdemir with a leg kick. Smith lands a combo. Smith lands a big right hand. Oezdemir lands a right hand. Smith lands another one. Smith with a knee to the body followed by a body kick. Smith trips Oezdemir with a leg kick. They are talking in the clinch as they trade inside the pocket. Both men are tired. Smith changes levels and gets a takedown and gets the back of Oezdemir. Smith getting the hooks in. Smith working for a choke. Smith has it locked in but not all the way. He is squeezing. Oezdemir trying to hang on and he’s fighting the choke off. He has it under the chin now and Smith gets Oezdemir to tap out! Wow. Comeback win for Smith as he never gave up position on the choke and finally found it under the chin to get the submission win.

Official Result- Anthony Smith def. Volkan Oezdemir by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:26 of Round 3

UFC 220 live results: Miocic vs. Ngannou, Cormier vs. Oezdemir

Posted on by Josh Nason

Preview by Ryan Frederick

Welcome to our live cageside coverage of UFC 220, coming to you from somewhat cageside at Boston’s TD Garden

The UFC kicks off their 2018 PPV calendar with a card headlined by two title fights as UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic defends against Francis Ngannou in the main event while UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier defends against Volkan Oezdemir in the co-main event.

Miocic looks to make UFC history and successfully defend his title for the third time, but Ngannou is the most dangerous challenger in the division, with power punching and ten straight wins, all by stoppage. Cormier looks to defend the 205-pound title for the first time since being reinstated as champion. He enters the Octagon for the first time since July, while Oezdemir looks to extend his five-fight win streak and win UFC gold less than a year since making his UFC debut.

Rounding out the main card is undefeated Shane Burgos taking on Calvin Kattar, winner of nine straight, at 145 pounds, light heavyweights Gian Villante and Francimar Barroso battle to get back into the win column, and bantamweight prospect Thomas Almeida looks to get back on track as he fights Rob Font.

Send along your thoughts on tonight’s event (thumbs up-down, middle finger) along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave Meltzer at [email protected].

**********

UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS:

> Islam Makhachev (15-1, 4-1 UFC) def. Gleison Tibau (33-13, 16-11 UFC) by first round knockout (:57)
Lightweights

This was quite a way to start the card. Makhachev hit a left hook that knocked Tibau flat. He hit few unneccesary punches after that and it was over. This is Tibau’s first tilt in two years due to a USADA suspension and it showed. Makhachev (flanked by Khabi Nurmagomedov) said in his post-fight promo that he wants someone tougher next.

The crowd really popped for the finish which isn’t a surprise. What is a surprise is so many people are here already, a good sign for a loud and rowdy crowd tonight. Loooooong break until the next fight. 

> Enrique Barzola (14-3-1, 4-1 UFC) def. Matt Bessette (22-8, 1 NC, 0-1 UFC) by u/d (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Featherweights

Bessette is a Massachussets kid who made an impression on the Dana White Tuesday Night Contender series and was an injury replacement. This is his UFC debut against Barzola, a past TUF Latin America winner

Bessette started out hot, throwing a lot of kicks and landing a nice head kick as Barzola was still warming up. That gave him a 10-9 on my card, but the dreaded Octagon adrenaline dump seemed to take over in the second. Barzola hit a leg kick that swept Bessette and hit a few takedowns that didn’t amount fo much. Still, he got a 10-9 on my card as he the aggressor over a waning Bessette. In the third, Barzola was landing with more precision. Bessette was still throwing, but his tank was clearly running low. There was a little hope spot as Bessette was working for a triangle and leg lock with a minute to go but Barzola fended it off for a 10-9 round.

This was a decent fight that was buoyed by the crowd rooting for their guy. 

FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS: 

> Julio Arce (13-2, 1-0 UFC) def. Dan Ige (8-2, 0-1 UFC) by ud (30-27×2, 29-28)
Featherweights

These are also two DWTNC guys, both making their UFC debut.

It was a really slow start until Arce hit a straight left that wobbled Ige and was aggressive going after with more punches. Ige survived and threw a few counters, but Arce was on top of him to pick up the round 10-9. Arce controlled a fairly ho hum second round with punches for a 10-9 where Ige was going for takedowns but not getting them. Ditto for the third as Arce was simply better on the feet and lit up Ige on the feet. This was a fairly missable fight, but the crowd was into it.

There was lots of whoooing int his one which the MMA equivalent of saying ‘What?”

> Dustin Ortiz (#10, 18-7, 7-5 UFC) def. Alexandre Pantoja (#11, 18-3, 2-1 UFC) by ud (29-28×3)
Flyweights

This featured a great first round. Pantoja was a backpack on Ortiz and was diligently working for a rear naked that turned into a face crank. Ortiz worked his way out in the last minute, hit a big knee and then was working Pantoja’s back. Pantoja won the round 10-9, but that was close and fun to watch. Ortiz won the second round 10-9 by controlling Pantoja’s body for nearly the entire round, working him over with knees to the legs and body while attempting to take him down. Pantoja went back to the well in the third, backpacking Ortiz and wriggling him down two minutes in. But Ortiz worked out of it and earned the third 10-9 by outstriking Pantoja and grinding him out.

There’s a significant Brazilian presence here and they were chanting loudly during that first round. Despite that, Ortiz got a nice pop when his name was read. 

After that quick start, we’re now at three straight decisions. The crowd is still lively, but I’m interested to see how these next two go.

WWE’s Dolph Ziggler is here.

Abdul Razak Alhassan (9-1, 3-1 UFC) def. Sabah Homasi (11-8, 0-3 UFC) by first round knockout (3:47)
Welterweights

This was a rematch of a fight that happened recently with a controversial finish that Alhassan took. That streak of decisions came to a violent end as Alhassan crushed Homasi with a clean uppercut, knocking him cold in the first round. It was a no doubter as Homasi was out before he hit the canvas. Alhassan did a backflip and the crowd went nuts. Alhassan bears some watching in 2018. Have I mentioned how good this crowd is tonight? 

> Kyle Bochniak (8-2, 2-2 UFC) def. Brandon Davis (8-4, 0-1 UFC) by u/d (30-27, 29-28×2)
Featherweights

We get to our final FS1 prelim with another local in Bochniak trying to get a win and another DWTCS guy getting an opportunity. No big surprise but the crowd was pretty big into Bochniak’s intro.

This was not a great fight and that it was the featured FS1 prelim shows you the depth of this card outside the PPV. Bochniak edged him out in the first round with body control, a few well-timed strikes, and a takedown, good for a 10-9 first round. From there, he really didn’t do that much and I scored the final two for Davis who also didn’t do a lot but did defend a few takedowns and landed a few punches and kicks. I wasn’t surprised that Bochniak picked up the win here as it was that close.

PPV MAIN CARD: 

> Rob Font (#14, 15-3, 5-2 UFC) def. Thomas Almeida (#10, 22-3, 5-3 UFC) by second round TKO (2:24)
Bantamweights

Outside the top two fights, this is the one I was most excited to see. Both are coming off losses, but are both young enough in thier careers where an ‘L’ here isn’t going to sink them. Font is another local guy and the locals have gone 1-1 on the show thus far.

A huge second round propelled Font to a big win to open up the show. After battling to a stalemate in round 1 with no clear advantage for either guy, Font hit a big overhand right that hurt Almedia badly. He was on him ,throwing shots while Almiesia was trying to clinch and slow things down. Then came a big head kick that led to the end followed by some hammer fists that wrapped up the show for Almedia. 

This was a great way to open the PPV. I’m assuming the live crowd isn’t coming through on the broadcast, but they went nuts for that one, obviously.

> Gian Villante (16-9, 6-6 UFC) def. Francimar Barroso (19-7 1 NC, 4-4 1 NC UFC) by split decision (30-27 Villante x2, 29-28 Barroso)
Light Heavyweights

For the first time tonight, the Boston faithful booed. Nearly four hours into the show, I guess that’s a good thing.

This fight…existed. It was complete filler and something you’d expect to see on the Fight Pass prelims of an FS1 show. The light heavyweight division hasn’t been good for a while and this was evidence of that. 

Villante was better standing and really hit a few good shots in the second round, but that’s all you need to know about this. That it was a split decision was…interesting. Villante got the crowd back a bit with his post-fight promo because he was rooting for Miocic.

There are plenty of names here to watch the show including Amanda Nunes, Demetrious Johnson, Kelvin Gastelum, Kamaru Usman, Bethe Correia, and even Forrest Griffin to name a few.

> Calvin Kattar (18-2, 2-0 UFC) def. Shane Burgos (10-1, 3-1 UFC) by third round TKO (:32)
Featherweights

By way of New Hamsphire’s Massachussetts’ Kattar rounds out the group of four local fighters tonight and has a tough challenge in the undefeated Burgos. Kattar was out to Tom Petty’s ‘Wont Back Down’ which is Chris Weidman’s music. He cornered Villante tonight so we’re definitely getting a distraction finish or some kind of interference here.

After going into the third tied at 1 a piece on my scorecard, Kattar landed an uppercut from hell to a leaning-in Burgos who was instantly on roller skates. Kattar then hit another uppercut that put Burgos on his back. He went after him, hit a few more shots and when Burgos gave him his back while getting up, Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight. The crowd went ballistic and rightfully so for an outstanding and satisfying finish to a very technical fight.

Up until that point, it was all stand-up with Kattar taking the first and Burgos taking the second. Kattar’s jab was on point while Burgos was connecting with some nice body shots.

> UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier (20-1 1 NC, 9-1 1 NC UFC) def. Volkan Oezdemir (#2, 15-2, 3-1 UFC) by second round TKO

Said in Mauro Ranallo voice: Oezdemir is out to the Game of Thrones theme, but will he be Ramsey or Jon Snow tonight? 

The outcome here is going to be quite intriguing, but I’m guessing Alexander Gustafsson gets the winner regardless. Cormier is a huge fan favorite here and this has a big fight feel even with a lesser-known challenger.

Go time.

For eight minutes, Cormier was the king of the city, taking out Oezdemir in the second round, outclassing him and showing why he’s one of the best in the world.

In the first round, both guys were swinging for the fences with the challenger looking to use his recent power surge to take out the champion. But Cormier withstood the attack and landed plenty of his own, eventually securing a takedown and working for a rear naked choke at the end of the round. It was so loud in the Garden that people thought the fight was over.

In the second, Cormier took over and popped the crowd when he got a takedown. After some ground and pound, he worked Oezdemir into crucifix position and landed punches and elbows, eventually getting the fight stopped to Boston’s delight. 

He was emotional in his promo and was happy that he won what he considered a vacant title. As the kids say, he was over here tonight despite never having fought here before.

> UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic (C, 19-2, 12-2 UFC) def. Francis Ngannou (#1, 11-2, 6-1 UFC) by u/d (50-44)

My god, it’s time. The anticipation is like watching the final seconds tick down from a bomb that is about to go off. 

R1: Miocic fought a smart and fantastic first round, waiting out the hurricane of power and eventually tagging Ngannou on counters and scoring takedowns that tired Ngannou out. Ngannou did connect a few times, but as he began to swing wildly, Miocic nailed him with a punch that staggered the big man. After scoring another big takedown to end the first, it’s clear that he had a sound gameplan coming in. 10-9 Miocic

R2: Both guys slowed a bit in the second after taht fast paced first. Miocic (nearly 20 pounds lighter) was still able to tag him and with two minutes to go, got a big takedown and started working Ngannou over. For the final minute, Miocic had Ngannou kneeling against the cage and was kneeing and punching him. Ngannou couldn’t get up, his strength completely sapped. Everyone is standing, making for an incredible atmosphere. They are ridiculously into this fight. 10-9 Miocic with an argument for a 10-8

R3: Can you believe we’re in the third? Ngannou has nothgn left for Miocic and the champion did exactly what he did to finish the second: putting Ngannou up against the cage and working his body over. Just when Ngannou tagged Miocic, the champion smartly took him down to negate the damage. Flat on his back, Ngannou wasn’t trying to get up. This is way more one-sided than I expected. 10-9 Miocic

R4: Can you believe we’re in the fourth? Miocic scored a takedown 20 seconds into the round and just kept pounding away. At one point, he got up, Ngannou meekly tried for a leg lock or kneebar and Miocic simply spun around and went right back on the ground before Ngannou knew what was happening. Miocic was also a bit tired so his ground and pound shots weren’t enough to do big damage and end this. There was even a smattering of boos from the crowd as they wanted the finish — or at least a stand-up — badly. 10-8 Miocic

R5: Can you…ok, now we can believe it. Both guys were exhausted, but Miocic was slightly fresher. Ngannou could barely throw a punch which negates his one thought-to-be-big advantage. This was a boring round and unfortunately, fans didn’t get the finish they wanted. 10-9 Miocic

I certainly didn’t expect that to go the distance and neither did everyone else. Miocic is now the record holder for the most UFC heavyweight title defenses and is the best UFC heavyweight of all-time.

Thanks for reading!