The fights on this free card were spectacular. None of the televised preliminary matches went the full three rounds and each was spectacular in their own right. The main event capped the evening and provided a firework display that rivaled any other match shown in the UFC this year.
Drew Mcfedries vs. Jordan Radev
Drew is a Miletich Fighting Systems product. He came out looking extremely cut and confident. This was Jordan’s first time in the octagon but he was definitely talking the talk in the pre-fight interviews. Hopefully he can walk the walk.
Round one starts and Drew gets the first punch in. He tees off with a left hook that visibly wobbles Jordan. He then follows that hook with a high head kick that misses but pays dividends in the strategy game because he follows up with a right uppercut and knocks Jordan down. Jordan is still semi-alert and his head is still up but you can tell he is seeing stars. Drew then jumps to the canvas with a crushing overhand that lands right on the chin of the downed fighter that totally knocks Jordan out. He then follows up that shot with two more for effect on the unconscious opponent before the referee could jump in and stop the bout.
Drew McFedries wins by KO in the first round
Chad Reiner vs. Anthony Johnson
Both Chad and Anthony are seen talking smack in the pre-fight interviews. This is Anthony’s introduction into the UFC and Chad has already been in the octagon with a game loss against Josh Burkman. Chad is also a retired Marine (there is never an ex-Marine as pointed out by my Marine friend. Once a Marine, always a Marine).
The first round starts and both come out circling. Chad lands an inside leg kick but Anthony closes in and finds his range landing a hook to Chad’s chin that visibly wobbles his opponent. He then follows up with another uppercut that misses and then hits with another left hook that puts Chad out on the canvas.
Anthony Johnson wins by KO in the first round
Jon Fitch vs. Roan Carneiro
Jon is an up-and-coming star that nobody seems to know about. He has great hand speed and good ground game. Roan Carneiro (pronounced Ho-an) is a Brazilian protege who has a very stellar ground game and is being introduced in the UFC For his first time.
Round one begins with Jon throwing the first effective combo that land flush on Roan’s face. Roan answers with a left hook and Jon counters with an inside leg kick. Jon tries a hand combo and Roan counters with a shoot and takes Jon down with a double leg. Roan passes guard easily and gets north-south position with a head hold. Roan then positions one of his hands on the armpit of Jon with a hand clinch underneath as if to start a guillotine. Roan then rolls and starts a modified arm triangle but somehow Jon pops out and ends up with Roan’s back with body control. Roan gets up easily from this position and both start to swim for position on the cage. Roan goes for a single leg trip but Jon has good balance and staves it off. Jon answers with a knee and forces Roan to block with his arm. Roan finally gets double underhooks and transitions to a body lock and then proceeds to land some great knees. Roan again tries a throw but misses but eventually gets a double leg and whips Jon around for the takedown. Jon utilizes an open guard which gets passed and Roan again ends in a north-south position but can’t use his advantage as the round comes to an end.
Round two starts with Jon throwing another inside leg kick. Roan utilizes an overhand to try and get a shoot which Jon stuff easily. JOn then rocks Roan with a left-right-left hand combo and drops the BJJ expert. Jon then jumps in with some nasty headshots while Roan is trying to collect his whits and Roan rolls to expose his back. Jon grabs a modified RNC without the hooks, uses some headshots to loosen the neck up, then sinks his arm in for the tap.
Jon Fitch wins in the second round by Rear Naked Choke submission
Thiago Tavares vs. Jason Black
This match is Thiago’s second UFC match with his first win in the last UFC Fight Night against Naoyuki Kotani. Jason is another Miletich Fighting Systems product that is debuting in the UFC. His beard is out of control and it reminds me of the 1800’s the way he wears it.
Round one starts and Thiago immediately shoos in off the first exchange and tries to pull guard. Black gets a head lock and almost gets swept but lands in side control. Thiago gets out of the bad position and they both get back up. Thiago tries for another shoot but Jason successfully sprawls out of the attempt. Thiago then executes a brilliant reversal which lands him on Jason’s back. Jason rolls out and Thiago ends in mount. Jason escapes but Thiago ends in side control for a brief period of time. Jason tries for an arm triangle in half guard but cannot finish the submission attempt and Thiago pretty much has his way with him the rest of the round. Thiago is constantly landing in mount and throws two nasty elbows to the eye socket of Jason which causes some major swelling on that eye for the remainder of the fight. Thiago controls Jason for the rest of the round with Jason constantly trying to not get knocked out by the strong GNP that Thiago is landing on Jason’s face. The bell rings with Jason appearing very deflated.
Round two starts with Thiago wanting to work a little bit up-top. He lands a liver kick and Jason is very tight, telegraphing his right cross. Thiago tries for a head kick which is caught by Jason but he manages to shoot in and pucks Jason up bodily and slams him down after walking across the ring. Thiago lands in side control and Jason has to give up his back to try and roll out of the dominant position. Thiago is clearly stronger than Jason but he gamely tries a kimura which forces Thiago to roll onto his back. Thiago’s face is incredibly calm throughout the whole attempt and eventually he slips the arm and lands a leg triangle that forces Jason to tap.
Thiago Tavares wins by Triangle submission in the second round.
Spencer Fisher vs. Sam Stout
Both of these fighters enter the ring to great up-beat music. Their previous bout was exciting to watch but Spencer had taken it on 3 days notice, cut 24 pounds in 3 days, and was extremely tired. Sam won it on a decision but it is amazing that it was even close.
Round one starts with both comig to the middle and they don’t even shake hands. Sam throws a hand combo and Fish counters with a leg kick. Spencer then proceeds to open up a Muy Thai clinic with Sam being the student. Spencer lands some nasty combos to the body and head of Sam over and over again. He mixes up the hooks, crosses, and jabs effectively and plays the high low game keeping Sam guessing on what blow is coming next. Sam tries to counter but Spencer is playing the angles well and gives him no openings. Spencer is constantly throwing a left hook to the ribs of Sam which causes him to shy away. Spencer tries to shoot in but Sam has been working his shoot defense and stuffs it easily with Spencer ending up on the cage in the clinch. Sam throws some great knees before they break and proceed with their hand exchanges again. Spencer’s kicks are also very effective as he mixes those in with his hand combos to continue to keep Sam guessing. Sam tries to engage but Spencer beats him to the punch with some nasty straights. Sam is slightly bleeding but finally lands a nasty left and an elbow that opens up Spencer’s right eye. Both continue the exchange with Sam finally getting momentum near the end of the round but not enough to claim it.
Round two is much the same thing. Sam is throwing nice combos but Spencer keeps beating him to the punch with some very effective counters. Both are scoring but Spencer is totally in control. Spencer mixes in a nice superman punch every once in awhile to keep Sam off balance and forces Sam to counter with leg kicks. Both are circling and throwing at will and both are laser precise. Sam throws a couple rear leg front snaps to Spencer’s mid section to keep to stop his opponents advances. Spencer tries for another takedown but Sam swims out of the clinch and pays for it when Spencer steps back and lands a nasty hand combo. Spencer continues to advance with his precise combinations. His face is more battered than Sam’s but he is definitely controlling the fight.
Round three opens up with Sam utilizing that rear leg front snap a lot more often to try and stop Spencer from wading in. Spencer then uses some leg kicks as an answer but Sam counters with a good 1-2. Sam starts to initiate more with his hands and lands some decent combos while Spencer is turtling slightly. Spencer then takes over with his hand combos and even counters with an elbow once. Sam has no answer it seems for that closing cross. Spencer lands a massive right hook which rocks Sam. He then locks up and throws two precise knees. Sam has become very immobile when throwing his counters and Spencer is just moving in at angles to avoid the counter-punches. Both end the round still throwing hand combinations but Spencer again has dominated the third round. It ends and both come together, hug, and then hold each others hands up in a sign of good sportsmanship. Spencer’s face looks like it went through a meat grinder and Sam doesn’t look much better.
Spencer Fisher wins by unanimous decision