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Plod mountainous or traipse dwelling.
When up against a Saturday evening/evening sports schedule that incorporated a pair of NFL playoff video games alongside a slate of motion in both the NHL and NBA, the UFC had no selection nevertheless to follow that mantra.
The MMA conglomerate did so with an 11-bout card on the Honda Heart in Anaheim, California that became once topped by a heavyweight duel between historical practising companions in possession of title belts.
Stout-fledged champion Francis Ngannou met interim claimant Cyril Gane in the first defense of the head-shelf honors he obtained with a vicious KO of Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 final March.
That title bout became once supported by a co-essential trilogy combat between flyweight champ Brandon Moreno and the person from whom he obtained the belt in June, Deiveson Figueiredo. The two had met six months earlier as successfully in a bout that led to a 5-round majority draw.
The ESPN+ broadcast team incorporated familiar voices in familiar locations, at the side of Jon Anik, Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan at cageside whereas Megan Olivi labored the room with breaking info and performance items and Din Thomas chimed in intermittently with tactical analysis.
The B/R combat sports team became once in popularity to assemble its list of definitive winners and losers, too.
Click through to study what we came up with and enable us to know what you watched with a contribution or two to the feedback fragment.
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For individuals who saw this coming, elevate a bow.
Now not easiest Ngannou preserving his heavyweight title, nevertheless doing so by rallying from two rounds down with a grappling-heavy attack that sapped the energy of his 247-pound opponent.
The Cameroonian-born titleholder obtained a slim unanimous resolution, earning nods of 48-47 from two judges and 49-46 from a Third in picking up the first resolution victory of an eight-plus-365 days profession.
He’d obtained 16 outdated fights by attain, at the side of 12 by KO and 4 by submission.
Ngannou hadn’t long past 5 rounds since losing a resolution to then-champ Miocic in their first combat three years ago. He misplaced a subsequent three-rounder to Derrick Lewis nevertheless had long past 5-0 since with four first-round finishes and one other, of Miocic, in the 2nd round.
He scored a profession-most attention-grabbing four takedowns and established better than eight minutes of ground wait on an eye on time against Gane, who’d not been on his wait on whereas recording seven straight UFC victories.
The native Frenchman had the better of the first two rounds with effective punches and kicks from prolonged differ, nevertheless Ngannou grew to turn into the tide when he slammed the challenger to his wait on after catching a kick try one minute into the third. Ngannou by no plan did essential striking hurt whereas on the mat, nevertheless merely making Gane elevate his 250-plus pounds changed the tenor of the fight.
It appeared even heading into the fifth and Gane again fought successfully from distance to birth up the final round, nevertheless he caught an Ngannou kick and sick-advisedly initiated a takedown lawful better than a minute in.
Gane made successive attempts to cinch Ngannou into a heel hook submission, nevertheless the champion became once in a site to face up to the attack and not at once retake high popularity for the final two minutes.
“I knew that he became once going to be a not easy opponent,” Ngannou mentioned.
“I had to raise into consideration to take care of still, identify down, don’t jog him. My ground sport is valuable. Now perhaps of us obtained’t sleep on me.”
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It wasn’t the precise evening for Raul Arvizu’s Entram Gym in Tijuana, Mexico.
Now not easiest did the four opponents representing the health membership—Moreno, Michael Morales, Genaro Valdez and Silvana Juarez—regain a 1-3 epic on the card, as well they misplaced the person that mattered most.
Moreno misplaced the flyweight title wait on to Figueiredo through a slim unanimous resolution after the two had battled to a majority draw 13 months ago and Moreno had finished him with a Third-round choke in June to turn into the first Mexican-born champion in the promotion’s history.
All three judges gave Figueiredo a 48-47 edge on the scorecards.
“It be my day. It be my day,” Figueiredo mentioned. “Nonetheless I’m prepared for a fourth combat against Moreno, in Mexico.”
Moreno endorsed the premise of at the side of yet one other combat to the trilogy, though he gave the influence to mediate he’d done ample to take the resolution in No. 3.
“I feel be pleased I threw better combos and I’m upset that he obtained,” he mentioned. “I felt be pleased he had a better sport belief (than the final time) nevertheless I felt be pleased I pressed more and had better combos.”
Certainly, Moreno landed 105 essential strikes to Figueiredo’s 86, nevertheless the Brazilian scored every of the combat’s three knockdowns and had a 2: 18-0: 46 advantage in ground wait on an eye on time.
B/R agreed with the now-historical champ, seeing it 49-46 in his desire after giving him all nevertheless Round 3.
The championship consequence intended Michael Morales’ first-round take over Trevin Giles became once the lone triumph for the health membership, which has capitalized on the rising recognition of MMA in Mexico. Juarez became once overwhelmed by submission in the 2nd combat of the evening and Valdez became once stopped in a single round on the prelim card.
It became once the UFC debut for both Morales and Valdez and the 2nd combat for Juarez.
Moreno is seven fights into his 2nd stint with the promotion after initially arriving for five fights from 2016 to 2018.
“This team has a gigantic culture, they’re family, and it plan the sector to me,” manager Jason Home urged the Orange County Register. “I judge what Brandon has done is commonly opened the doors wider for other teammates to regain these alternatives.”
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It wasn’t textbook, nevertheless it became once absolutely effective.
Unbeaten Ecuadorian export Morales became once on the receiving pause of punishing strikes in the early going of his UFC debut on Saturday’s essential card against peculiar Giles, nevertheless when the moment came for a really decisive shot to land, it became once the 22-365 days-faded who had launched it.
Two fights later, Octagonal peculiar Michel Pereira corrupt Portuguese transplant Andre Fialho’s debut with a slim nevertheless beautiful unanimous resolution in their three-rounder at welterweight.
In the opener, Morales extended his epic to 13-0 as a consequence of a counter just correct hand that landed squarely on the temple as Giles rushed in to continue a barrage.
As an alternative, it rendered the middleweight-grew to turn into-welterweight straight defenseless and despatched him to the ground the establish he retreated into a turtle popularity as Morales persevered to fireplace just correct-hand strikes without a respond.
Indirectly, it drew an intervention from referee Mike Beltran at 4: 06 of the first.
“That is some well-known composure from a 22-365 days-faded. What a prospect,” Anik mentioned.
“Giles overextended and he landed one thing conclude, and he is a mountainous solid child. That kid’s obtained a maturity and a capacity space that belies his 22 years on this planet.”
It became once the 11th stoppage in 13 fights for Morales, who scored his 10th KO to traipse with a single submission and a pair of choices since his debut in 2017.
“They expected this from me and that’s the reason what we obtained,” Morales mentioned.
Pereira became once his generally frenetic self in the opening 5 minutes against Fialho, who had arrived with a 14-3 epic across a few promotions and became once effective with fixed rigidity and straight, laborious punches.
Pereira remained busy and became all every other time impactful with high-tail and a diversity of strikes in round two, though, then persevered that near in the third and pain up with a 107-45 edge in essential strikes.
He obtained by 29-28 ratings in the eyes of all three judges.
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Betting on a essential-card commodity is one thing.
Nonetheless managing to web a earnings on decrease-profile prelim fights is one other.
The wagering wheat became once separated from the chaff all the plan throughout the evening’s preliminary half-dozen bouts, the establish prudent outlays across the board—essentially based completely on outcomes—will regain yielded a hefty $975 earnings.
Favorites obtained four of the six encounters nevertheless the ideal needle-mover became once the prelim finale when prohibitive -525 purchase (bet $525 to take $100) Raoni Barcelos, the ideal favourite on the card, became once overwhelmed by a unanimous resolution across three rounds by +385 longshot Victor Henry in his UFC debut.
“I’m making an try to evaluate about a man who came into the UFC and fought a man as extremely ranked as Raoni Barcelos and did as well to Victor Henry is doing. He does belong. He appears to be unbelievable.”
Henry obtained by 30-27 margins on all three scorecards.
“You wants to be in the health membership the total time. Making prepared and being your most attention-grabbing martial arts self,” he mentioned. “I obtained one or two runs at most attention-grabbing and I’m making an try to web the better of it.”
Minus-money payouts of $100 apiece came on favorites Jack Della Maddalena (-350), Tony Gravely (-250), Matt Frevola (-200) and Vanessa Demopoulos (-140), whereas the other better-pause money out came on +190 purchase Jasmine Jasudavicius after her unanimous resolution over -235 purchase Kay Hansen in the evening’s first combat.
Bets on all six favorites would regain incurred a $360 loss, whereas bets on all six underdogs would regain yielded a $175 earnings.
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Attempting to search out a original global UFC neatly-known person?
Della Maddalena could well perhaps lawful be your man.
The Australian welterweight made as spectacular an octagonal debut as conceivable in the evening’s penultimate preliminary bout, having a gape noteworthy more historical than his 25 years in a brutal one-round stoppage of beforehand unbeaten opponent Pete Rodriguez.
“To be factual, I became once ready for the jitters and they by no plan came,” he mentioned.
“That’s what I call the $50G popularity, toddler.”
The loyal pause came when referee Frank Trigg intervened at 2: 59 of the first.
“That became once rotten. Dude became once snoozing on his toes,” Cormier mentioned of Rodriguez, who became once stricken by a southpaw one-two and tumbled in gradual motion to the mat before Della Maddalena pounced with three more combat-ending ground strikes. “This child has an gigantic future sooner than him. This child’s lawful.”
The decisive sequence came after a half-round of dominance in which Della Maddalena boxed at differ with a punishing just correct jab followed many times by a sturdy left shocking. Rodriguez’s nose became once bloodied within the combat’s first 30 seconds and his face became once reddened and bloody by the level the tip came.
Della Maddalena landed 43 of 81 strike attempts to lawful 25 of 69 from Rodriguez.
“Rodriguez appears to be be pleased he fought for 15 minutes, he is so beat up,” Rogan mentioned. “That my friends is how you web a UFC debut.”
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When Vanessa Demopoulos hit the canvas, she became once done.
To the extent that she urged Rogan presently after that she’d “wakened on the ground.”
Nonetheless the indisputable truth that she became once chatting with Rogan the least bit became once indicative.
A local Ohioan now combating out of California, Demopoulos took an gigantic just correct hand, not to level out a subsequent collection of ground strikes, from Juarez early in the first round of their scheduled three-rounder at 115 pounds.
Nonetheless in desire to closing defenseless on how one can a short stoppage loss, she became once in a site to regain composure and birth working from her wait on to reverse the momentum.
Moments later, she’d done so.
Demopoulos seized upon the coolest arm of her aggressive foe, not at once locking it up and rolling over to cinch in the armbar that drew Juarez’s tap-out resign and pause issues at 2: 25.
The ebullient winner slapped fingers with Rogan upon realizing he’d arrived for a chat, then later jumped into his fingers to achieve her first successful take care of in the Octagon.
“Oh my god, it be Joe Rogan,” she mentioned. “I’m right here with Joe Rogan.”
It became once the seventh take of her pro profession and fourth by submission, at the side of three by armbars.
“I be pleased jiu-jitsu,” she mentioned. “I will attain jiu-jitsu all day prolonged, each day.”
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First time in the UFC. First time on a pay-per-survey card.
Nonetheless you’d regain by no plan known it from having a gape at Jasudavicius.
As an alternative, the 32-365 days-faded from southern Ontario looked the fragment from the moment she emerged from the locker room, smiling and slapping fingers with the early-arriving crowd on how one can the cage and facing her commercial once there whereas successful a unanimous flyweight resolution from Hansen.
A graduate of Dana White‘s Contender Series final September, the Canadian became once 5 inches taller and had a 5-stride advantage in reach over her foe, who became once rising in weight to 125 pounds after spending the earliest fragment of her profession at 115.
Jasudavicius historical that dimension when the two had been at differ, nevertheless she became once also effective in defending takedown attempts by Hansen—who pain up 1-of-7 in her tries across 15 minutes. And it became once the same once they did web to the ground, the establish Jasudavicius had better than six minutes of wait on an eye on time.
Hansen rallied in the final 5 minutes as her nook pleaded for quantity, nevertheless she became once unable to land the relaxation decisive and Jasudavicius earned loyal ratings of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
B/R’s combat sports team concurred with the majority and as well gave the winner a one-level margin.
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Fundamental Card
Francis Ngannou def. Ciryl Gane by unanimous resolution (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
Deiveson Figueiredo def. Brandon Moreno by unanimous resolution (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
Michel Pereira def. Andre Fialho by unanimous resolution (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Stated Nurmagomedov def. Cody Stamann by submission (guillotine choke), 0: 47, Round 1
Michael Morales def. Trevin Giles by TKO (punches), 4: 06, Round 1
Preliminary Card
Victor Henry def. Raoni Barcelos by unanimous resolution (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jack Della Maddalena def. Pete Rodriguez by TKO (punches), 2: 59, Round 1
Tony Gravely def. Saimon Oliveira by unanimous resolution (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Matt Frevola def. Genaro Valdez by TKO (punches), 3: 15, Round 1
Early Preliminary Card
Vanessa Demopoulos def. Silvana Juarez by submission (armbar), 2: 25, Round 1
Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Kay Hansen by unanimous resolution (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
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