Travis “Hapa” Browne vs Chad “The Gravedigger” Griggs

Round 1:
Griggs landed a nice leg kick early in the fight and pushed forward with a one-two that came up just short. Browne landed a flying knee and more knee strikes seconds later. He slammed Griggs down to the mat and worked from the top in half-guard. Browne used a shoulder choke to set up a move to mount, where he fired off punches with his left hand. Griggs left himself open for an arm-triangle choke and Browne took advantage. He locked on the choke and Griggs tapped out on the mat just as he went out.

Winner: Travis Browne by Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 2:29 of round one. He improves to 13-0-1.

 

Matt “The Immortal” Brown vs Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson

Round 1:
Thompson landed side kicks early in the first round and stepped free of a takedown attempt. Brown clinched again and managed to trip Thompson to the mat. Thompson avoided most of Brown’s punches from the top and tried to set up a triangle choke. Thompson stood and Brown immediately clinched. Thompson reversed the clinch, but was dragged to the mat.

Thompson stood with Brown on his back and tried to break Brown’s grip. Brown dragged Thompson down again and tried to take his back. He transitioned to a calf slicer, but Thompson used hammerfists to escape and stood up. He punched away, but Brown swept and moved to half-guard. Brown punched to the body until the bell. 10-9 Brown.

Round 2:
Brown took Thompson back down again in round two, but Thompson stood and circled out. Brown dove in with a sloppy takedown, but still got Thompson down. Thompson stood against the cage and landed a leg kick. He hurt Brown with punches as Brown slowed way down. Thompson landed a body kick and a right hook. He rocked Brown with more punches, but Brown stayed on his feet.

The exhausted fighters continued to trade kicks and punches, with Thompson hurting Brown on more than one occasion. Brown dropped Thompson with a standing forearm strike and cut him with elbows on the ground. Brown landed four consecutive right hands and moved to side control. He continued to throw punches until the end of the round. 10-9 Brown due to the late rally.

Round 3:
Brown backed Thompson up with punches right away in round three and Thompson appeared to be completely out of gas. He managed to land two lead left hands to a heavily fatigued Brown, who missed with a head kick. Thompson flurried with punches again, but had little power left behind his strikes. Brown missed with winging punches and was hurt by a counter combination. Brown clinched and took Thompson down against the cage.

Thompson stood and avoided a head kick. Brown landed a knee and Thompson answered with an overhand right. Brown tripped Thompson to the mat and landed a hard elbow. He moved to side control and cut Thompson again with more elbows. He eventually managed to move to a top-side crucifix and then an inverted triangle choke. More punches scored for Brown as a defenceless and bloodied Thompson narrowly made it to the bell. 10-9 Brown. Could be a 10-8.

Note: Scores initially announced incorrectly.

Winner: Matt Brown by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 14-11-0.

 

Anthony “The Assassin” Njokuani vs John “The Bull” Makdessi

Round 1:
The first round began with an exchange of kicks and Njokuani kept his distance on the outside. He landed leg kicks and avoided Makdessi’s attempts to close the distance. Njokuani flurried with punches and a body kick. Makdessi clipped him with a counter left hook. He landed side kicks to the head and body, but Njokuani rocked him with punches.

Makdessi circled away to recover and managed to escape a Thai clinch. He continued to try to walk Njokuani down, but ate a kick to the upper body. A head kick sent Makdessi backpedalling momentarily, but he regained his footing. Njokuani landed more kicks and countered a side kick from Makdessi with a left hook. 10-9 Njokuani.

Round 2:
Makdessi managed to land a side kick to the face in round two, but it had little effect and Njokuani fired right back with a head kick of his own. Njokuani kicked at Makdessi’s lead leg and Makdessi missed with a spinning back kick. The fighters continued to kick at one another and Njokuani got the better of the exchange. He nearly tripped Makdessi to the mat with a leg kick.

Makdessi put together a combination of punches, but Njokuani picked him apart with more leg kicks and one to the chest. He landed an uppercut in close and Makdessi countered with an overhand left. Makdessi tried to clinch, but two kicks from Njokuani kept him at bay. The fighters traded punches and Njokuani tripped Makdessi after a kick. Both men landed punches and Makdessi scored with two left hooks. 10-9 Njokuani.

Round 3:
Njokuani began round three with more kicks and Makdessi landed a right hook. Njokuani mixed up his strikes with leg and body kicks and quick punches immediately after. Makdessi threw a spinning back kick, but Njokuani continued to outland him. Makdessi landed a spinning backfist, but it appeared to have little effect. Another body kick and a combination scored for Njokuani.

Makdessi tried for a side kick to the face, but only grazed Njokuani’s chin. Makdessi landed a left hook and a spinning back kick. Njokuani drilled him with a one-two and clinched. Makdessi punched free and ate another body kick. Makdessi tried to push the pace in the dying seconds and landed a right hook, but Njokuani countered well. 10-9 Njokuani.

Winner: Anthony Njokuani by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 15-6-0, 1 NC.

 

Mac Danzig vs Efrain “Hecho en México” Escudero

Round 1:
Danzig clinched early on and pressed Escudero up against the cage. Escudero landed knees to the body and countered a takedown by trapping Danzig in a heel hook. Danzig managed to roll to escape and tried to take Escudero’s back. The fighters stood and Escudero landed a one-two in close. He followed with another one and Danzig landed right and left hooks.

Escudero locked on a Thai clinch, but Danzig fought out of it with an uppercut. The fighters clinched against the cage again and Danzig took Escudero’s back. He tried to suplex Escudero, but could not. Danzig landed short uppercuts and kept Escudero pressed up against the fence. Escudero reversed the clinch and short strikes were exchanged until the bell. Close round. 10-9 Danzig.

Round 2:
The second round began slowly until Escudero countered a combination with a right cross. Both fighters landed right hooks and Danzig clinched. He threw knees to the leg and body and looked to trip Escudero to the mat. Escudero broke away with a right hand and tried to set up a combination. The crowd grew restless and the fighters exchanged single strikes.

Escudero landed a stiff jab and Danzig replied with a kick-punch combo. He clinched once more, but Escudero fought him off. More boos came in from the crowd as Danzig clinched briefly. Escudero managed to break away for a few seconds, but Danzig closed right back in with knees to the body and short left hands. He pinned Escudero against the fence and stuffed a late takedown attempt. 10-9 Danzig.

Round 3:
Danzig’s ankle was visibly swollen leading into round three from the first-round heel hook, but he nevertheless scored with a right hook and attempted a head kick. Leg kicks landed for both and Danzig sent Escudero off-balance with a left hook. He continued to dominate in the clinch and took Escudero’s back while standing. Escudero escaped and circled away. Danzig looked for a takedown and Escudero stuffed it.

Again, Danzig took Escudero’s back in the clinch, but Escudero spun into the clinch once more and landed knees. Just as Danzig took Escudero’s back, the referee called for a break. Danzig landed right hands to the head and body. Leg kicks scored for both and Danzig continued to target the body. He clinched and both fighters landed knees. Another right hook scored for Danzig and Escudero broke free with a knee and a right of his own. 10-9 Danzig.

Winner: Mac Danzig by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 21-9-1.

 

Chris “The Menace” Clements vs Keith “The Polish Connection” Wisniewski

Round 1:
After an early exchange of punches, Wisniewski scored a takedown and moved to side control. He landed punches and elbows from the top and passed to mount, but Clements cut him near the right eyebrow with a counter elbow from the bottom and got back to half-guard. Wisniewski continues to strike from the top until referee Fernando Yamasaki stood the fighters up for absolutely no reason.

Wisniewski remained effective with punches on the feet, but Clements began to find his range and landed some nice counters. A spinning back kick to the liver dropped Wisniewski, but he framed up a triangle choke from the bottom as Clements entered his guard. Wisniewski stood and Clements landed a spinning backfist before the bell. Close round. 10-9 Wisniewski.

Round 2:
Wisniewski punched his way into a clinch in round two and took Clements down against the cage. Clements managed to wall-walk up and landed a grazing spinning backfist. Clements scored with a huge overhand right, but Wisniewski was unfazed and answered right back with a front kick. Clements landed a right hook and another spinning back kick to the body.

Clements clinched and looked for a takedown of his own. Wisniewski countered with a body-lock takedown to get Clements down and then moved to mount. Clements rolled and Wisniewski worked for a rear-naked choke. Clements landed big reverse elbow strikes that seemed to daze Wisniewski before the end of the round. 10-9 Clements.

Round 3:
Clements became wild with his strikes early in the final round and Wisniewski tripped him to the mat near the cage. Clements stood and tried to take Wisniewski down, but found himself in a standing guillotine choke. Clements escaped and kicked at Wisniewski’s legs, then followed with a right hook and a spinning backfist. More punches scored for Clements and he landed a spinning back kick to the body and backfist to the jaw.

A hard one-two backed Wisniewski up momentarily and the fighters exchanged right hands. Both landed more right hooks and followed with lefts. Clements broke free of a clinch with a standing elbow and a hard right cross to the body. He followed with an overhand right and a knee that dropped Wisniewski in the final seconds. Wisniewski tried for a heel hook, to no avail. 10-9 Clements.

Winner: Chris Clements by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 11-4-0.

 

Marcus “The Bama Beast” Brimage vs Maximo “Maxi” Blanco

Round 1:
Blanco landed a lead head kick to open the fight and Brimage answered with a lunging flurry of punches that came up short. The fighters exchanged punches in close and both connected. Brimage landed a rushing right hook and Blanco countered with an uppercut. Blanco scored a brief takedown, but Brimage bounced back to his feet and more punches were exchanged.

A short right hook and a leg kick landed for Blanco and he landed another right hand soon after. Brimage replied with two looping hooks. He countered a leg kick from Blanco with a flurry and two kicks of his own. Very close opening round. 10-9 Brimage by a small margin.

Round 2:
Brimage opened round two with a hard kick to Blanco’s lead leg. Blanco answered with a front kick and a combination that stunned Brimage briefly. A flying knee scored for Blanco and Brimage tried to counter with punches that missed the mark. Blanco threw a body kick and Brimage landed a one-two combo in return.

Blanco scored with a jumping front kick and a right hook as Brimage again countered with a quick one-two. Looping hooks landed for both fighters at the same time. Brimage flurried with punches, but Blanco kept his distance and tripped Brimage with a leg kick. Brimage rushed forward with punches late in the round and ran into a front kick. 10-9 Blanco.

Round 3:
Blanco landed a lead right hook in the final round and Brimage fired off a three-punch combo in close. Blanco threw a lunging uppercut and a head kick, but Brimage swept his leg out. Blanco tried for a takedown, but Brimage stuffed it. Blanco landed punches before Brimage could circle away.

Blanco missed with a spinning hook kick and ate a leg kick in return. A head kick from Blanco only seemed to anger Brimage, who pushed forward with punches that backed Blanco up. Brimage stuffed a takedown with a right-left combination. Blanco attempted another head kick late in the fight and the fighters taunted each other after the bell. 10-9 Blanco, barely.

Winner: Marcus Brimage by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 5-1-0.