Last night, Fight Night on Fight Pass kicked off the weekend with a series of fights including up and comers Paige VanZant and Sage Northcutt.
The event took place at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, and had an attendance of 1,643 a gate of $234,725.
In the main event, Paige VanZant faced off against Rose Namajunas in a step up in competition, as Namajunas replaced an injured Joanne Calderwood.
The step up may have come to soon.
The fight was an absolute domination by Namajunas. It was a flawless performance, and in a sport as wild as MMA, it’s rare to see. As VanZant tried to close the distance and initiate the clinch, she was tagged multiple times, knocking her head back and clearly discouraging her.
Every time VanZant attempted to take Rose down, she was outmuscled and beaten. Namajunas would get her to the mat and start landing vicious elbows and going for submission attempt after submission attempt. VanZant’s cheek was split open and her face became a bloody mess.
Yet, despite the utter textbook display by Namajunas, the fight had two winners.
VanZant is as tough as they come.
Over and over, she found herself in a submission. At the end of the third round, she was caught in a deep rear-naked choke, her face covered completely in blood and she wouldn’t tap. In the fourth, she was in two different armbars, her elbow twisting and contorting, and she didn’t tap.
It was a gutsy display from the youngster, but in the end, it was too much and Namajunas got the victory by tapout due to rear naked choke in the 5th.
At the post-fight press conference, VanZant acknowledged her flaws.
“I got outclassed in every way,” VanZant said. “So just get back with my team and game plan and work on my technique.
“I definitely have the heart, I have the aggression. I don’t have the technique yet and I think everyone has known that.”
Elsewhere, we watched ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt continue his development in the Octagon by beating Cody Pfister. In the opening round, Pfister came out as fast as he could and got the takedown. Controversy arose when the referee stood them up, seemingly for no reason, and Sage managed to take control and win the fight.
The results from the events are as follows:
Main card
Rose Namajunas def. Paige VanZant via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:25 of R5
Michael Chiesa def. Jim Miller via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:57 of R2
Sage Northcutt def. Cody Pfister via submission (guillotine) at :41 of R2
Thiago Santos def. Elias Theodorou via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
Undercard
Tim Means def. John Howard via KO (left hook) at :21 of R2
Omari Akhmedov def. Sergio Moraes via TKO (punches) at 2:18 of R3
Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Kevin Casey ends in no contest (eye poke) at :11 of R1
Aljamain Sterling def. Johnny Eduardo via submission (guillotine) at 4:18 of R2
Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Andreas Stahl via TKO (punches) at 4:25 of R1
Danny Roberts def. Nathan Coy via submission (triangle) at 2:46 of R1
Zubaira Tukhugov def. Phillipe Nover via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
Kailin Curran def. Emily Kagan via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:13 of R2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLeNXAh34v4
