At the pinnacle of tonight’s event, featherweight contenders Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes will do battle to produce the number one contender in the division. Frankie Edgar vs. Chad Mendes should be a fun fight, and definitely one of the most exciting match ups of this week. Also on the card is a fantastic lightweight match up between Tony Ferguson and Edson Barboza. In addition, The Ultimate Fighter Season 22 winner will be crowned when Artem Lobov takes on Ryan Hall.
Frankie Edgar shocks Chad Mendes with left hook
In a completely unpredictable outcome, Frankie Edgar stunned Chad Mendes in the first round with a knockout victory courtesy of a picture-perfect left hook. Mendes took control early as he attacked the lead leg with heavy kicks as the two contenders circled each other. In one of the first few exchanges of the bout, Edgar landed a quick right followed by a blistering left hook which left Mendes scrambling for his consciousness. A few follow up shots blasted Mendes before the ref rescued the Team Alpha Male representative. An absolutely shocking finish by Frankie Edgar; expect “The Answer” to take on the winner of tomorrow night’s main event – Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor
Ryan Hall shuts down Artem Lobov to become TUF 22 Winner
Ryan “The Wizard” Hall got to show off exactly why he’s referred to as one of the most talented American grapplers in the business. He avoided the heavy blows of “The Russian Hammer”, kept him at bay with snap kicks, and then transitioned onto Lobov’s leg on a regular basis to enforce his grappling game. Hall nearly got the job done in the first round when he synced up a rear-naked choke, but Lobov’s submission defense was on point. Unfortunately, defense wasn’t enough for Lobov as he found Ryan Hall wrapped around his back for a majority of the bout. While there were moments of blatant inactivity between the two, Ryan Hall dominated the scorecards as he not only nullified the power punching of Artem Lobov, but also had brilliant moments of top-notch jiu-jitsu en-route to the unanimous decision victory. Ryan Hall is our season 22 Ultimate Fighter.
El Cucuy catches Barboza in a classic
In what may go down as one of this years’ best fights (while it lasted), “El Cucuy” Tony Ferguson caught Edson Barbzoa in a slick d’arce choke in the second round. Both Barboza and Ferguson blasted each other with their best weapons, and split each other open with elbows on the feet. Ferguson played the aggressor the entire fight and chased Barboza around, somersaulting after him with his patented kneebar sweep which he almost caught Barboza with early in round one. A point deduction put Ferguson behind when he smacked Barboza with an illegal upkick – this could explain the ferious pace he came out with in round two. Ferguson walked through Barboza’s best punches and kicks, and eventually turned a Barboza takedown into a d’arce attempt. Barboza tried to explode out, but Ferguson held onto it and snatched it up with amazing technique. Fantastic performance by Tony Ferguson who is now on a 7-fight win streak.
Dunham dominates Lauzon on the feet
Evan Dunham put on a 15-minute striking clinic on UFC veteran Joe Lauzon to capture his third win in a row in the UFC’s stacked lightweight division. Dunham stayed mobile, avoided the forward pressure of Lauzon, and tagged him with anywhere from two-six strike combinations. Lauzon offered very little in terms of offense as he was lulled in a purely defensive approach much like we have seen him in his previous losses. Dunham showcased a matured striking game as he stayed composed, dished out lots of volume, and struck Lauzon down with precision for 15 minutes. Dunham captured a unanimous decision.
Kawajiri grinds out UFC newcomer Jason Knight
While his guard game was entertaining, Jason Knight was unable to halt the nonstop pressure and top game assault of Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri. Throughout the bout, Kawajiri charged forward and completed takedown after takedown. Knight, willing to fight from his rubber guard, desperately tried to tie Kawajiri up, but Kawajiri landed softening hammerfists and elbows from bell to bell. This game plan repeated itself for each round, and resulted in a unanimous decision victory for Tatsuya Kawajiri. 98 ground strikes were landed by “Crusher”.
Juicey J edges Wrzosek with split decision victory
In a clinch-heavy contest, Julian Erosa thwarted Marcin Wrzosek’s striking assault. Erosa utilized his length and leverage in close quarters to stay in control of the bout. In the striking exchanges, both men had their moments. Wrzosek landed hard punches moving forward while Erosa rattled the Pole with a few jump knees. Erosa also threatened on the ground with a few close d’arce attempts, but Wrzosek hung in tough and fought through. In the end, Erosa provided too much danger in too many different areas, and did enough to earn the split decision. Both men are fighters to keep an eye on – their only going to get better.
