Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns today to talk tons of news in wrestling and MMA including the latest on Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm, the search for an opponent for CM Punk, TNA Impact ratings, and more, plus MAX SMASHMASTER of Chikara joins us to talk this weekend’s season-ending TOP BANANA show in Philadelphia! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back today with a packed show! We’ve got tons of news, an appearance by Dave Meltzer talking the newest Observer, Rousey vs. Holm II and more, plus Eddie Kingston joins us to talk Chikara TOP BANANA coming up this Saturday at the former ECW Arena in Philadelphia, PA. A fun show as always so check it out~!
The Notorious Quote of the Week: “That takedown is there whenever you want it. Keep your chin tucked!” Yes… but WHO was he giving that advice to? Hmmm.
Last week, both Artem Lobov and Saul Rogers from Conor McGregor’s team advanced to the semi-finals. This week’s show is another two fight episode and we’re starting right away with two Team Europe guys going head to head.
Lightweight: Marcin Wrzosek (Team Europe) vs. David Teymur (Team Europe)
Both fighters are wearing gray trunks. You may recall Wrzosek earned the nickname ‘Polish Zombie’ for his ability to absorb damage and keep coming forward. He doesn’t need that early though because he drops Teymur with a right hook two minutes into round one, then wrestles him back to the mat 17 seconds later after Teymur tries to get up. Teymur finally gets up clean at 2:58 and this time he hits a takedown. He gets up with a minute left and they both swing hard. The gym is eerily silent since McGregor isn’t saying anything to show favoritism to either fighter. Wrzosek gets another right hook in right before R1 ends.
Wrzosek and Teymur mix it up 25 seconds into R2. Teymur lands an explosive takedown at 48 seconds. The ref warns Teymur to stay busy. Wrzosek briefly gets caught in a choke when trying to stand, but winds up escaping it and ending up on top and having full mount for a split second. He pounds away at the ribs as both fighters are reminded to work for the finish. Wrzosek gets swept. This is an incredibly back-and-forth fight. They’re stood up with two minutes left. Wrzosek gets another takedown quickly. Teymur is warned about the back of the head. He scrambles up with 91 seconds to go. Both men are head hunting. Wrzosek pushes him into the fence and they trade knees, and he backs away in time to avoid a high kick. Teymur throws a late leg kick and Wrzosek takes him down before R2 ends. That might have been enough.
19-19, 20-18 and 20-18 for the majority winner – Marcin Wrzosek. And now we have one last chance for Team USA to send a fighter to the semis – Julian Erosa goes against Abner Lloveras. There’s no slowing down for weigh-ins or drama at the house – we go right back to the cage.
Lightweight: Abner Lloveras (Team Europe) vs. Julian Erosa (Team USA)
Erosa is in the blue trunks and Lloveras the gray. Lloveras has the striking advantage early and Erosa is forced to circle on the outside and try to dance in and out of range. He finally lands a good overhand right at 1:53 but he’s getting hit with rights in each exchange. Lloveras seems to be a split second quicker on the trigger each time he gets into range. You can see that Erosa’s cheeks are bruising and swelling up. Lloveras puts him against the fence at 4:05 but Erosa shows great balance avoiding the single leg takedown until 3 seconds left. We’re on to round two.
Lloveras is right back to the jab to open R2. Erosa’s only answer seems to be to get into a slugfest since he’s unable to block or avoid the strikes. Lloveras gets him off his feet for a second at 1:40. Erosa suddenly catches Lloveras with a couple of good shots and opens a cut over his left eye. Lloveras is backpedaling as he bleeds, which shouldn’t necessarily influence the judges, but it just might. For his part Erosa is not letting Lloveras off the hook. Lloveras fails a a takedown attempt at 3:35. Erosa drops Lloveras with a big punch at 4:10 and tags him with several knees as he gets up. Faber is screaming at Erosa to finish him. He has completely turned this fight around and Lloveras looks gassed as we head to an overtime third round.
Lloveras is desperate for a takedown to open R3. It’s not “there all day” though the way McGregor thought it would be. Lloveras is crunched with a left hook and presses Erosa into the fence again. They couldn’t really stop the bleeding at all between rounds. Lloveras tries and tries for the leg trip but has to break at 2:02. Faber screams for kicks to the body. Erosa’s left hand looks better and more accurate the further we get into the fight. Lloveras fails on another takedown at 3:37 as McGregor screams for 3’s and 5’s in combos. Now it’s Lloveras who seems unable to stop a single strike from landing and HIS only answer is takedown attempts. He gets Erosa off his feet for just about a second as we go to the final minute and it’s a moral victory at best. Erosa continues to pressure him and land hands and knees. I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t get this one from the judges.
Third round: 10-9 Lloveras, 10-9 Erosa and 10-9 for EROSA. McGregor: “That’s disgraceful.” So finally one guy from Team USA is going to move on. Faber: “We got a horse in the game. Thank goodness!”
Dana White comes out to announce the semi-finals: Saul Rogers vs. Marcin Wrzosek and Artem Lobov vs. Julian Erosa. Join us next week!
Dana White is spending the day at ESPN in Bristol, CT and has made two announcements thus far.
The first is that he said a Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey rematch is imminent.
“I think that if we didn’t make the rematch, me and Lorenzo should probably lose our promoters’ license,” White said on the Mike & Mike show. “Yeah, that fight’s going too happen. I don’t know when, but that’s the fight that will happen.”
White also said on Sports Center that the winner of the Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor fight on 12/12 would be sharing the upcoming video game cover with Rousey, saying that he believed it was the first time in major sports that a result of a match would determine who is on the cover of the new video game.
Holm knocked out Rousey in an historic upset in 59 seconds of the second round in the main event of UFC 193 from Melbourne, Australia on November 15th. The show drew one of the three biggest buyrates in company history. A properly-promoted rematch should beat that number, perhaps handily.
Bryan Alvarez, Dave Meltzer and Filthy Tom Lawlor’s coverage of UFC 193 is available in the archives for subscribers.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back today to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA including Dave’s thoughts on the State of WWE from his headline article in the Observer this week, Smackdown tapings, Dewey Foley on the creative team, AJ Styles’ injury, the death of Stan Nielsen, Joe Rogan talks potentially leaving UFC, A Dinner with Luke Rockhold, questions and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
UFC announced the first three matches for its 2/27 show in London, England, at the O2 Arena earlier today including Michael Bisping (27-7) vs. Gegard Mousasi (37-6-2).
Bisping, who is from Liverpool, was UFC’s first major British star after winning season three of The Ultimate Fighter. This would be a major fight for both men. Bisping had been rumored for a fight with Anderson Silva in Brazil in the spring, but UFC looks to be going with Vitor Belfort for that spot. Mousasi was knocked out by Uriah Hall in his last fight and it knocked him down to No. 11 in the contenders rankings.
It will be Bisping’s 25th fight in the UFC, tying him with Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck on the all-time list. The fight will be one of the top fights on the show, but it was not confirmed that it will be the main event.
Other matches announced today are featherweights Makwan Amirkhani (12-2) vs. Mike Wilkinson (9-1), and lightweights Rustam Khabilov (17-3) vs. Norman Parke (21-4-1).
Filthy Four Daily with Bryan Alvarez and Tom Lawlor is back tonight to talk all the latest news, including Raw notes for tonight, whether Ronda Rousey should face Holly Holm next or if one or both should fight someone else in between, random wrestling and MMA news notes, plus the next round of the WWE 2K16 Filthy Four tournament! A fun show as always so check it out~!
In the morning hours here in North America, former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson fought Jorge Masvidal in the main event of the UFC’s debut in Seoul, South Korea — the last fight on his UFC contract. Now a free agent, the 32-year-old veteran is near the peak of his game and will be either an attractive acquisition or solid re-signing for the company that manages to secure his services.
In the past few years, many fighters considered top 10 in their weight class have been cut loose by UFC much to the outcry of hardcore fight fans who felt that if UFC was to be taken seriously as a sport, they shouldn’t let top tier talent walk away. But with Henderson, it’s different. Guys like Phil Davis, Jon Fitch, Jake Shields, and Yushin Okami were still top contenders but didn’t move ratings or PPV buys (proven when they went elsewhere), weren’t serious title contenders, and carried high price tags. While UFC runs a lot of cards and could use the depth that these guys provide, they also have a future to think of and names like the ones I’ve listed here were essentially roadblocks for younger talent to make their way to the top.
This is why someone like Henderson is very important. He could arguably be a top 10 competitor at either 155 or 170, and is someone that can very easily headline an FS 1 or Fight Pass card. He also fits in nicely in a co-main event position on a FOX show or PPV. The top of the show is familiar territory for him as in 14 UFC fights, he has been in either the main or co-main event position all but two times. And on one occasion, it could be argued that he was in the co-main (UFC on FOX 1), since only the main event fight aired on television.
On those shows, Henderson has delivered in terms of ratings or PPV buys…for the most part. Here’s a look*, listed by most recent appearance:
*His other two UFC fights were on the undercards of the first UFC on FOX show and UFC 129, both of which did monster numbers that had next to nothing to do with him.
Clearly, he’s made a difference for a number of years and should continue to do so as his skills haven’t diminished and as recently as this year, he was still doing very strong numbers for UFC. He’d be valuable for Bellator as they hope to bring bigger TV ratings to Spike TV, and would likely be favored in a fight against either their welterweight champion Andrei Koreshkov or lightweight champion Will Brooks. A win by either of those champions would legitimize those divisions in the eyes of fans and a win by Henderson would give them greater exposure and provide marketability that no fighter still in his prime has had for the company.
Asian MMA company ONE Championships would be another viable option. They run shows that draw big crowds in southeast Asia on more or less a monthly basis but have yet to make any real kind of dent in the North American market despite their shows being available on iPPV. A star the level of Henderson could help them get that foothold there while also helping ticket sales in that region, where he is very popular due to his maternal family being from the area.
Henderson is in a rare position where the UFC needs him as much as the outside companies do, maybe even more. Many cards that the UFC runs are somewhat skippable these days but having someone of his caliber on the marquee makes his fight almost a must-see. He almost always has the best fight on the show, and is one of the more skilled fighters in the world in two different weight classes.
Fighters like this do not become available all the time and Henderson should be in a position to almost name his price.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer returns today to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA including a full review of a very fun UFC in Korea show on Fight Pass, the Fight of the Century signed again, some very interesting Ronda Rousey PPV notes, an update on AJ Styles back injury, ROH and NXT TV notes from this past week, Dave’s notes on the passing of Tommy Gilbert, plus the mailbag and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 79: Henderson vs. Masvidal from the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, South Korea. The event is headlined by a five-round welterweight bout as former UFC and WEC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson takes on Jorge Masvidal. Also on the card, in the co-main event, is South Korea’s own, Dong Hyun “Stun Gun” Kim, ranked seventh at 170 pounds, taking on Dominic Waters, plus the return to action of Yoshihiro Akiyama, who takes on the undefeated Alberto Mina. The action kicks off with preliminary card fights at 5 AM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass. The action remains on UFC Fight Pass for the main card at 8 AM eastern time.
UFC Fight Night 79 Weigh-In Results
UFC Fight Night 79 5 Storylines To Watch
UFC Fight Night 79 DFS Playbook
Coverage provided by Ryan Frederick
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 5 AM ET/2 AM PT)
WELTERWEIGHTS- DOMINIQUE STEELE (13-6, 0-1 UFC) VS. “MAESTRO” DONG HYUN KIM (13-6-3, 0-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- We have the first of our two Dong Hyun Kim’s fighting on the card. Steele drops Kim with a left hook early and gets on the top but they get to their feet. The crowd is loud early. KIm has Steele against the fence. KIm lands a head kick. Steele lands a left hook and they trade in the clinch. Steele with some foot stomps and then lands a big elbow. They trade in the clinch and they are throwing a lot of punches. Kim grabs the neck and pulls guard but Steele is in the full guard against the fence. They battle to their feet. Kim with a spinning elbow as they break the clinch. Steele lands a right hand and Kim counters with a combo and a head kick. Flying knee to the body from Kim. Good first round. 10-9 Steele.
ROUND 2- Kim with a jumping head kick to start the round off. Steele lands a right hand right as Kim goes for a low kick and Kim goes down and Steele follows into the guard. Steele with punches from the top and Kim is cut under the eye but they get to their feet. Steele picks Kim up and lands a takedown. Steele with an elbow from the top. Steele with more elbows from the top. Steele with a couple more big elbows from inside the guard. Steele with punches from the top as Kim is unable to work to his feet. More big strikes from the top by Steele. 10-9 Steele, 20-18 Steele.
ROUND 3- Kim lands a big right hand and Steele counters with a big takedown and some elbows from the top and Kim is out! Big slam and Kim was out there and ate the elbows as he was out.
Official Result- Dominique Steele def. “Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim by knockout (slam) at 0:27 of Round 3
BANTAMWEIGHTS- NING GUANGYOU (5-2-1, 2-0 UFC) VS. MARCO BELTRAN (6-3, 1-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- They are each missing kicks early. Beltran with a body kick and lands a knee instead and then a right hand. Guangyou with a low kick that went a little too low. Beltran misses a spin kick. Not a lot of action and the crowd is letting them hear it. Beltran with a body kick and Guangyou lands one. Neither man is doing anything. A round full of circling and movement and missed strikes. Beltran with a late takedown. 10-9 Beltran.
ROUND 2- Guangyou lands some punches and goes for a takedown. Beltran slips as he tries to land a knee and Guangyou goes into the guard. Guangyou lands a punch from the top. They are trading punches from the guard and then are stood up. Beltran with a leg kick. Guangyou with a leg kick. Not a lot of action when they’re on their feet. Beltran just misses a head kick. Guangyou with a leg kick. 10-9 Guangyou, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Guangyou with a leg kick. Beltran lands a combination. They trade leg kicks. Guangyou fighting very timid in this fight. Beltran lands a head kick. Beltran lands a right hand. Beltran with a front kick but Guangyou grabs the leg and forces the fight against the fence. Guangyou with an elbow on the break and then a left hand. Beltran with a big knee to the body on the break and then a big combo and lands in the clinch with some knees. Beltran with another big knee. They clinch and Beltran lands some knees as Guangyou lands some body punches. Dirty boxing by both to end the fight. Fight could really go either way. 10-9 Beltran, 29-28 Beltran.
Official Result- Marco Beltran def. Ning Guangyou by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
FLYWEIGHTS- YAO ZHIKUI (2-2, 1-1 UFC) VS. FREDY SERRANO (2-0, 1-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- Serrano is a big-time prospect, even at age 36, and a 2008 Olympian in wrestling. They trade punches and Serrano lands a takedown and some punches from the side and the fight is stopped. Zhikui hurt his arm on the takedown as he posted on his right arm and he dislocated his arm. Serrano gets the win though.
Official Result- Fredy Serrano def. Yao Zhikui by TKO (arm injury) at 0:44 of Round 1
WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS- SEO HEE HAM (15-6, 0-1 UFC) VS. CORTNEY CASEY (4-2, 0-1 UFC)
ROUND 1- Ham got a big reaction walking out. They trade punches. They trade again. Casey lands a right hand. They trade in an exchange with Casey getting the better of it. Ham lands a left hand. Casey with a big head kick and looks for the finish with some punches. Ham survives and fires back with a combo. Casey with some punches. They trade punches as Casey lands a leg kick. Casey with an aggressive attack and they end the round in a wild exchange. Good round. 10-9 Casey.
ROUND 2- Ham with a leg kick as she looks to get inside of Casey’s range. Casey drops Ham with a right hand but Ham gets right back to her feet and lands a left hand. Break in the action as Casey is poked in the eye. Casey lands a leg kick as we get back to action. Casey just misses a head kick. They trade body kicks. They trade in an exchange and clinch against the fence. Ham with a body kick that went a little low. They trade as we get back to action and Ham lands a left hand. Casey lands a big right hand and they have another wild exchange to end the round. Another good round. 10-9 Ham, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Casey misses a head kick but lands a side kick. Ham lands a big left hand and then a nice combo. Ham with a spin kick to the body but Casey lands a right hand. Ham with a right hand as she looks for a finish. Casey has slowed down as Ham as picked up the pressure. Casey with a knee in close. Ham with a barrage of strikes and a spinning back fist. Ham with a body kick. They trade punches and clinch against the fence. Ham with a big combo. They trade an exchange. They battle for a takedown with 40 seconds left. Wild exchange to end the fight. Really good fight that comes down to how the second was scored. 10-9 Ham, 29-28 Ham.
Official Result- Seo Hee Ham def. Cortney Casey by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
LIGHTWEIGHTS- TAE HYUN BANG (17-9, 1-2 UFC) VS. LEO KUNTZ (17-2-1, 0-1 UFC)
ROUND 1- They trade punches to start the fight and Bang drops Kuntz with a left hand and looks for the finish. Bang grabs the guillotine and is looking to finish. Kuntz escapes. They get to their feet. Kuntz with a low knee. Bang’s eye is cut open and is looking bad. Kuntz lands a combo and Bang counters with a spinning back fist. Bang with some nice punches. Kuntz looks for the takedown but eats some knees before he gets it. They break on the feet. Bang with a right hand. They trade punches. Good round. 10-9 Bang.
ROUND 2- They trade right hands and Kuntz landed a big one but ate a big one. Bang with a big right hand and both looking for a knockout. Kuntz goes for a takedown but Bang defends. They break as Kuntz can’t finish the takedown. Bang looks gassed. Bang with a solid combo that lands. Bang with a left hook. Kuntz gets a double-leg takedown straight into side control. Kuntz with punches from the top as he takes the back. Kuntz with punches from the back as he looks for a choke. Bang not defending the choke but somehow scrambles out. Bang on top and lands some punches but Kuntz rolls out from the bottom to the feet. Both men are gassed. Good fight though. 10-9 Kuntz, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Kuntz a little fresher to start the final round. Bang with his hands down. Kuntz goes for a takedown against the fence. Bang with some elbows. Bang has the neck and drops down for the guillotine choke. Bang squeezing tight. Kuntz escapes and Bang looks dejected and extremely tired. Kuntz with some soft hammerfists from the top. Bang tries to work to his feet and they are stood up. I’m not sure about that one. Kuntz misses a takedown. Bang scores a takedown of his own against the fence and goes for the back. Kuntz scrambles to his feet and spins out. Bang with a right hand and they trade punches. Bang with a big right hand. Sloppy fight, but a good one. 10-9 Bang, 29-28 Bang.
Official Result- Tae Hyun Bang def. Leo Kuntz by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
FEATHERWEIGHTS- YUI CHUL NAM (18-5-1, 1-1 UFC) VS. MIKE DE LA TORRE (13-5 1 NC, 1-2 1 NC UFC)
ROUND 1- They trade quickly and Nam goes in for a takedown. Torre with some huge right hands and these guys are swinging for the fences. That was a wild brawl as they clinch against the fence. Nam is cut above his left eye. Nam with some knees in the clinch. Another wild brawl as both throw and land punches. They break away from a clinch. Nam misses on a takedown but has the back. Nam really wincing his eye. They are battling hard for position in the clinch. Torre with some heel strikes in the clinch and they are broken apart. Another wild exchange from both men and they clinch again. Good round. 10-9 de la Torre.
ROUND 2- Torre lands a left hook as Nam shoots in for a takedown against the fence. Torre with some knees in the clinch as Nam works for that takedown. They battle for position with a bunch of switches. They break. Another wild exchange. Nam misses a takedown attempt. They break after not much happens in a clinch. Nam lands a nice right hand. Nam whiffs a takedown and Torre makes him eat a left hand. Nam lands a right hand but can’t score a takedown. de la Torre with some short elbows in the sprawl. They are still throwing big punches with one hoping to land the ender. 10-9 de la Torre, 20-18 de la Torre.
ROUND 3- Nam lands a right hand. de la Torre lands a kick but eats another right hand from Nam. Nam misses a takedown. de la Torre with a kick but Nam catches the leg and finally gets a takedown. de la Torre gets right back up. Nam misses another takedown. His gameplan is really obvious right now. They are clinched again. This fight feels on repeat. Broken up by the referee again. Nam misses a big left hand. Nam with two body kicks and his face is showing the counters he has eaten. Nam misses a takedown. He misses another. Torre lands a left hook. 10-9 de la Torre, 30-27 de la Torre.
Official Result- Mike de la Torre def. Yui Chul Nam by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
I don’t see how you can score that fight for Nam, but the right guy got the decision in the end.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- DONGI YANG (12-3, 1-3 UFC) VS. JAKE COLLIER (9-2, 1-1 UFC)
ROUND 1- This is Yang’s second stint in the UFC. Yang with a big body kick early. They exchange and Yang lands some nice left hands. Collier with a body kick. Collier drops Yang with a right hand and goes into the half-guard. Yang scrambles to his feet. Collier with a leg kick. Yang with a nice combo. Yang with a left hand and then gets poked right in the eye. Yang lands a left hand and they exchange punches. Yang with a takedown and landing from the top. Collier to his feet but eats strikes from Yang. Collier reverses a takedown and goes into half-guard. Yang scrambles to his feet. Collier with another takedown but Yang reverses and lands punches. Back to their feet. Yang with a late takedown. Close round. 10-9 Yang.
ROUND 2- They exchange and Collier grabs the neck looking for a guillotine choke. Yang defends and lands body punches. Yang escapes and lands big punches from the top and looking to finish. Collier rolls for a leg lock but Yang landing big punches. Collier has a leg and looking to extend it. Yang gets out and lands more punches and Collier is eating them and not fighting back and Herb Dean stops it. TKO win for Yang in his UFC return.
Official Result- Dongi Yang def. Jake Collier by TKO (punches) at 1:50 of Round 2
MAIN CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 8 AM ET/5 AM PT)
FEATHERWEIGHTS- DOO HO CHOI (12-1, 1-0 UFC) VS. SAM SICILIA (15-5, 5-4 UFC)
ROUND 1- Choi is a solid prospect at 145 pounds. Choi lands a combo to start. Choi rocks Sicilia and drops him. Sicilia gets up but is on wobbly legs. Sicilia lands a big right hand. Choi with another big punch. Sicilia goes for a trip but it is defended. Cjoi with a flying knee. Both men landing punches. Choi drops Sicilia with a left hand and some more punches on the ground and this fight is stopped. Choi extends his win streak to 11. Excellent fight while it lasted.
Official Result- Doo Ho Choi def. Sam Sicilia by TKO (punches) at 1:33 of Round 1
Choi called for a fight against Tatsuya Kawajiri next. Coincidence, Kawajiri fights in 13 days in Las Vegas, and doesn’t have an opponent as his opponent, Mirsad Bektic, pulled out due to a torn ACL yesterday.
WELTERWEIGHTS- YOSHIHIRO AKIYAMA (14-5 2 NC, 2-4 UFC) VS. ALBERTO MINA (11-0, 1-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- Akiyama is returning to action after 14 months off, still as shredded and as sexy as ever. Huge pop from the crowd when he took his shirt off. Mina with a right hand. Akiyama and Mina trade leg kicks. Akiyama with another big leg kick. Akiyama with a spinning back fist as the crowd chants for him. Mina with a leg kick. Mina lands a right hand. Mina with a leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Mina misses a takedown and a flying knee. They trade right hands. Mina with a late takedown. Close round. 10-9 Akiyama.
ROUND 2- Mina with a leg kick. Akiyama with a leg kick and then a big right hand. Akiyama with a leg kick. Mina misses a takedown. Mina with a front kick. Big uppercut lands from Akiyama. Mina then attacks the legs with kicks. Akiyama with a leg kick. Mina misses another takedown as he telegraphs them. Akiyama with another leg kick. They trade leg kicks and Akiyama stuffs a takedown attempt from Mina. Mina with a combo rocks Akiyama for a moment and they clinch against the fence but break. Mina with a too low kick and we have a timeout. We get back to action and Mina rocks Akiyama with a left hand. Mina goes for a takedown but it is stuffed. Mina with another right hand rocks Akiyama and drops him. Mina going for the finish and Mina rocking Akiyama big time but he is saved by the bell. Mina stole that round. 10-9 Mina, 19-19.
ROUND 3- This fight could be up for grabs. Mina misses a big left hook. Akiyama with a leg kick. Mina whiffing on his punches. Akiyama lands an uppercut. Mina misses a spinning elbow. Akiyama with a left hook as Mina drops for a takedown. Akiyama landing some punches as Mina looks gassed trying for a takedown. Crowd chanting big for Akiyama. Mina misses a takedown and tries to pull guard but Akiyama has none of it. Mina’s leg is badly bruised from the leg kicks. Akiyama with a right hand and then a combo. Mina just getting desperate for takedowns and it could cost him the fight. Mina lands a combo though. Akiyama with a solid combo and both are landing punches. Mina catches a leg kick from Akiyama and gets a takedown but Akiyama reverses. Akiyama in the guard and landing punches. They get up. Akiyama landing the left. Mina gassed out badly with the leg hurting. Akiyama with a left hook. Mina misses a takedown and is laying on the mat and Akiyama capitalizes and nearly finishes him. Akiyama finishes the round with strikes from the top. Good fight, comes down to how the first was scored. 10-9 Akiyama, 29-28 Akiyama.
Official Result- Alberto Mina def. Yoshihiro Akiyama by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Crowd booed the decision as Akiyama is the big crowd favorite, but nothing wrong with it at all.
WELTERWEIGHTS- (#7) DONG HYUN KIM (20-3-1 1 NC, 11-3 1 NC UFC) VS. DOMINIC WATERS (9-3, 0-1 UFC)
ROUND 1- We have the more well-known Dong Hyun Kim up now. Kim with a cartwheel kick and Waters takes advantage and grabs the back. Kim with a kneeto the body in the clinch. Kim with a judo throw and is in side control and the crucifix. Kim with a lot of punches from this position. Kim looking for a shoulder lock. Kim with more punches from the top. Kim with more and more punches. Waters in a lot of trouble as he fights to escape. Kim looking to finish and it is over. Kim has finished Waters and gets the big win.
Official Result- Dong Hyun Kim def. Dominic Waters by TKO (punches) at 3:11 of Round 1
WELTERWEIGHTS- (#7 LW) BENSON HENDERSON (22-5, 10-3 UFC) VS. JORGE MASVIDAL (29-9, 6-2 UFC)
ROUND 1- This is interesting for Henderson as it is the last fight on his current contract. Henderson with a leg kick. Henderson with a nice combo and a leg kick. Masvidal with a body kick. They trade punches. Masvidal with a body kick. They trade punches. Masvidal with a body kick but gets dropped for a moment by a right hand counter from Henderson. He gets back up and they clinch and Masvidal lands a liver punch on the break. Masvidal with a series of body kicks and then a head kick. Henderson with a leg kick. Henderson with a body kick and Masvidal lands his own and a right hand. Masvidal with a flying knee attempt and Henderson tries a takedown but it is defended. Good and close round. 10-9 Henderson.
ROUND 2- Both missing head kicks to start but Masvidal lands a glancing one to the arms of Henderson, who counters with a combo. Masvidal misses on two kicks. Masvidal with a punch and Henderson goes to the mat and Masvidal chases him down. Henderson has the leg but Masvidal defends. They get back up and both land punches in a nice exchange. They clinch and land knees. They break and Masvidal with a high kick. Lots of output from both men, especially Masvidal. Big head kick from Henderson but it is checked. Henderson shoots in for a single-leg but Masvidal has the neck. Masvidal goes for a guillotine but Henderson rolls out and Henderson looks for one of his own. Henderson with knees as the round ends. Another good and close round. 10-9 Masvidal, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Front kick to the face from Henderson. Body kick and then leg kick from Masvidal. They trade punches. Henderson with a body kick. They trade punches and Henderson sets up for a takedown but Masvidal defends against the fence. Henderson landing in the clinch but Masvidal has his tounge sticking out. Masvidal drags Henderson down for a moment and has the back but Henderson spins around. Masvidal has the neck but lets go. Henderson with a knee to the legs. They break and Masvidal got hit in the groin on the break. Masvidal with a body kick. He lands another. Masvidal with a head kick that just misses but lands a right hand. Henderson with a nice right hand and a leg kick. They trade in close range. Big body kick by Masvidal. 3 rounds down, 3 close rounds. 10-9 Henderson, 29-28 Henderson.
ROUND 4- Henderson with an outside leg kick. They trade some punches. Masvidal with a high kick. Henderson goes in for a takedown but Masvidal defends against the fence. They remain clinched against the fence. They break. They trade punches. Masvidal with a wild combo and Henderson grabs the clinch and pushes the fight against the fence. Henderson with a quick takedown but Masvidal slips out and grabs the neck. Masvidal with some elbows off the break. Henderson ducks under a right hand from Masvidal and gets the takedown but Masvidal gets right back up and grabs the back and looks to take Henderson down. Masvidal gets in the guard of Henderson and Henderson looks to set up a triangle. Masvidal gets out and grabs the neck. Masvidal with a combo as Henderson gets off the fence. Henderson lands a flying knee as the round ends. Another close round. 10-9 Henderson, 39-37 Henderson.
ROUND 5- No telling how the scores are in this close fight. Henderson with a left hand to the body. Masvidal misses a big right hand. Henderson misses a flying knee but looks to set up a takedown. Henderson gets Masvidal down for a second but right back up. Masvidal grabs the neck and goes for a choke and Henderson is in trouble as this is tight. Henderson goes to his back to defend but Masvidal still going for it. Henderson defending well. They get back to their feet. Masvidal with a knee in the clinch. Masvidal with a right hand over the top. Masvidal with a body kick and Henderson goes for a takedown but it is stuffed by Masvidal. Henderson with knees to the thighs. Masvidal with a roll and Henderson gets into mount but Masvidal escapes. Nice scramble and Henderson lands a knee. They scramble and go back down to the mat. They get to their feet and Henderson has the back. Henderson trips Masvidal down and looks for the back. Masvidal escapes with 30 seconds left. Masvidal trying a late takedown. Masvidal goes for the neck but the fight ends. Excellent fight, one of the better fights of the year. Every round is close. 10-9 Henderson, 49-46 Henderson.
Official Result- Benson Henderson def. Jorge Masvidal by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 49-46)