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Yesterday, UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs. Namajunas provided fight fans with an entertaining night that included some fun finishes, interesting results, and Rose Namajunas getting back on track in the Flyweight Division. Oh…and what was up with that bite during the Prelims? Let’s take a look at the results…
Main Card
Flyweight Main Event: Rose Namajunas def. Amanda Ribas via unanimous decision (49-46x2, 48-47)
Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Karl Williams def. Justin Tafa via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28x2)
Middleweight: Edmen Shahbazyan def. AJ Dobson via KO: R1, 4.33
Bantamweight: Payton Talbott def. Cameron Saaiman via TKO: R2, 0.21
Featherweight: Youssef Zalal def. Billy Quarantillo via submission: R2, 1.50
Featherweight: Fernando Padilla def. Luis Pajuelo via submission: R1, 2.45
Preliminary Card
Lightweight: Trey Ogden def. Kurt Holobaugh via unanimous decision (30-27x3)
Featherweight: Julian Erosa def. Ricardo Ramos via submission: R1, 2.15
Bantamweight: Miles Johns def. Cody Gibson via unanimous decision (30-27x3)
Featherweight: Jarno Errens def. Steven Nguyen via unanimous decision (30-27x3)
Bantamweight: Dariya Zheleznyakovavia def. Montserrat Rendon via unanimous decision (29-28x3)
Flyweight: André Lima def. Igor Severino via DQ: R2, 2.52
Heavyweight: Mick Parkin def. Mohammed Usman via unanimous decision (29-28x3)
The Prelims
As I usually say, you cannot sleep on the Prelims. Yesterday was no different. Let’s take a look at some of the things that happened during the early fights:
Mick Parkin stayed undefeated in his win over Mohammed Usman. Usman started off strong and looked like he was on his way to remaining undefeated in the UFC. However, Mick Parkin shook off the first round and did enough in Rounds 2 and 3 to keep his undefeated record going. Parkin will need a statement win to begin getting featured fights, but you can’t knock what he’s done to stay undefeated. Plus, training with Tom Aspinall doesn’t hurt, either.
I’m going to talk about Lima/Severino separately, but…my lord. This fight, for both the right and wrong reasons, is why you have to tune in to the Prelims!
Dariya Zheleznyakovavia got a debut win over the undefeated Montserrat Rendon. This is another case of why you cannot let a fight get to the judges. While you can make the case either way, Rendon clearly thought she did enough to win the fight. It was a good battle, though.
Errens/Nguyen was a really fun fight. Both men took a beating, but I was amazed that Nguyen lasted until the end. Great win for Errens!
Miles Johns showcased a much improved cardio to outwork and outlast Cody Gibson. Gibson, the much longer fighter, was nullified by Johns. This was an impressive win by Miles, who needed a win to get back on track.
Julian Erosa had an impressive guillotine win over Ricardo Ramos. I really expected Ramos to slam down Erosa to get out of the choke, but he tapped instead. It must have been pretty tight. This was a nice win for Erosa.
It wasn’t a good night for guys getting second chances through The Ultimate Fighter. First, Gibson lost to Johns and then Kurt Holobaugh lost to Trey Ogden in the featured Prelim. Player/coach Ogden has an impressive skill set, so it’ll be interesting to see what fight he gets next.
Andre Lima vs. Igor Severino
This was a great fight until it became a horrible moment. Both of these fighters came in as big time prospects in the Flyweight Division. They were proving why with a really fun, back and forth fight. I was loving every moment and then…Igor Severino decided that a little bite wouldn’t hurt. Andre Lima reacted to feeling something on his arm and started pointing it out to the referee. The fight stopped and sure enough - there was a big bite mark in Andre Lima’s arm. The referee, upon seeing the mark, disqualified Igor Severino and awarded the win to Andre Lima. Lima stayed undefeated, but it’s not how he wanted it to happen. Severino was almost immediately released from the UFC. Dana White gave Andre Lima $25,000 for the “Bite of the Night” and then bumped it up to $50,000 when he saw that Lima got the bite tattooed onto his arm. For multiple reasons (mostly because I was enjoying the fight), I hate that the bite happened…but I will not deny that the whole fiasco was super entertaining.
Fernando Padilla
Padilla proved that he may be a big problem at 145. He is super long for the division and has power to go along with it. I expect him to get a big upgrade in competition for his next fight to showcase what he can do higher up in the division.
Youssef Zalal
On relatively short notice, Youssef Zalal proved why he belongs to be back in the UFC. Billy Quarantillo is tough, but Zalal made his win look pretty easy. I am excited to see Zalal back and being a tough matchup for many in the Featherweight Division.
Payton Talbott vs. Cameron Saaiman
Like I said in my preview last week, I was super excited for this fight. I was and still am pretty high on both Talbott and Saaiman. However, Tablott proved why he must be feared as he starts to journey through the Bantamweight Division. Saaiman showed toughness, surviving some brutal shots in Round 1, including a beautifully timed knee by Talbott. Round 2 was just too much for Saaiman, though, and he fell to the surging Talbott. While I still expect big things from both of these men, Saaiman will have to go back to the drawing board while Talbott will probably get a big chance to prove himself his next time out.
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. AJ Dobson
This fight was just fun. Dobson rocked Shahbazyan and it looked like Edmen and/or the UFC would have to make a tough decision about his career. And then…it was comeback time. Shahbazyan stuck with it and ended up getting the big KO over Dobson - his 11th first round finish and 11th KO. This was a much needed win for Edmen Shahbazyan who will now get another chance to showcase why he’s a fan favorite anytime he steps into the cage.
Karl Williams vs. Justin Tafa
Karl Williams did what he had to do to get the win over Justin Tafa. Tafa had some nice strikes on Williams, but Karl used his takedowns to stay on top of Tafa and grind out the win.
Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas
Both women have spent time in different divisions, but it looks like they are both trying to make the Flyweight Division their home. This was a big win for Thug Rose. Coming off of two losses, she will now probably be ranked in the division and have a chance at a big time fight to become a contender her next time out. Ribas will get another featured fight, but she’ll have to start stringing together some wins if she wants to make a run at the title. She showcased why she belongs in the Top 10 with this fight, as she made it tough for Rose. However, she will have to do more or create a finish if she wants to be mentioned with the contenders of the division. For Rose, though, she said she’ll be watching next week’s fight between Blanchfield vs. Fiorot and/or wouldn’t mind a fight with Maycee Barber. It’ll be interesting to see which way the UFC decides to go.
My picks were rough. I went 6-7 and did horribly with the Prelims. It’s a good thing I only bet $1 on each fight…
Overall, this was a really fun night of fights. There were fun finishes, nice back and forth fights, and a really weird biting controversy. I am very excited about where things go with Lima, Padilla, Zalal, Talbott, and Namajunas in their next fights.
Did you watch the show? If so, let me know what you thought at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com. I’ll be back in a few days to talk about UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot as we inch closer and closer to UFC 300 and the start of the new PFL season. See you then!
