The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas tonight for UFC 185: “Pettis vs dos Anjos.” The event was headlined by a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and top-ranked challenger Rafael dos Anjos.
In tonight’s co-main event, UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza made her first title defence against Joanna Jędrzejczyk in a much-anticipated bout that determined a new number one at 115 pounds. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
UFC Lightweight Championship
Rafael dos Anjos vs Anthony “Showtime” Pettis
Round 1:
Dos Anjos scored with hard left hooks in the opening minute and Pettis began to wince from damaged done to his right eye. Both men landed quick kicks and dos Anjos continued to pressure the champion with left hooks. He flurried to the body and Pettis replied with a right hand. He countered dos Anjos’s kicks with more overhand rights and both men landed huge shots in close. Dos Anjos took Pettis down against the cage and landed left hands and elbows as Pettis worked back to his feet. 10-9 dos Anjos.
Round 2:
Dos Anjos backed Pettis up with straight left hands in round two and pinned him against the fence. He threw knees to the body and opened a cut beside Pettis’s right eye with a left hook. Pettis landed his best flurry of the fight, but dos Anjos remained the aggressor and he slammed Pettis down to the mat. Pettis looked to counter with a submission from his back, but dos Anjos easily avoided danger and punished him with ground and pound for the remainder of the round. 10-9 dos Anjos.
Round 3:
Dos Anjos kept the pressure on with left hooks in round three and he walked right through a head kick from Pettis. More punches and kicks scored for dos Anjos and he took Pettis down. He struck from the top until Pettis tried to stand against the cage. Dos Anjos landed hard knees to the thighs, but Pettis scrambled up and threw a head kick. Dos Anjos pressed forward with kicks of his own and took Pettis down. Pettis stood and was immediately taken down again. Dos Anjos took his back and landed hammerfists until the bell. 10-9 dos Anjos.
Round 4:
After an exchange of punches in round four, dos Anjos dumped Pettis to the mat and worked from the top in half-guard. He tried to set up a kimura, but Pettis maintained his grip on his other hand and escaped. Dos Anjos took his back and attempted a rear-naked choke. Pettis stood and scored a brief takedown of his own. Dos Anjos got back to his feet and used a front head lock to set up knees to the face. He landed kicks to Pettis’s body until time expired. 10-9 dos Anjos.
Round 5:
The final round began with an exchange of body kicks and dos Anjos clinched against the cage again. Pettis broke free, but he ate a pair of left hands from dos Anjos and was promptly taken down. From side control, dos Anjos threw knees to the body that forced Pettis to scramble. The fight returned to the feet and dos Anjos kicked to the body. He slammed Pettis down and fought off a kimura attempt. Dos Anjos took Pettis’s back and locked on a body triangle. He tried for a rear-naked choke before the final bell. 10-9 dos Anjos.
Winner: Rafael dos Anjos by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) after five rounds. He improves to 24-7-0 and becomes the new UFC Lightweight Champion.
UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship
Joanna Jędrzejczyk vs Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza
Round 1:
Esparza shot in for an early takedown, but Jędrzejczyk stuffed it and landed short punches. Esparza dove at her leg again and managed to get Jędrzejczyk down on her second try. Jędrzejczyk scrambled up and Esparza broke away after landing a right hook. She took Jędrzejczyk down once more against the cage, but stayed on her knees and stood up soon after.
Jędrzejczyk stunned Esparza with a right hand and fought off two takedowns. She landed two right hands and avoided another takedown. Jędrzejczyk continued to connect with right hooks and jabs as Esparza circled away. She snapped Esparza’s head back with a right cross and followed with more punches until the end of the round. 10-9 Jędrzejczyk.
Round 2:
Jędrzejczyk opened round two with a three-punch flurry and she sprawled out of an Esparza takedown attempt. The fighters stood and Jędrzejczyk cracked Esparza with three more power punches. She stuffed another takedown and landed a hard elbow strike. A knee and another elbow scored for Jędrzejczyk and Esparza was forced to shoot for a takedown after eating a one-two. Jędrzejczyk fought off takedown after takedown and punished the champion with big punches. A final barrage wobbled Esparza against the cage and the fight was finally stopped.
Winner: Joanna Jędrzejczyk by TKO (Punches) at 4:17 of round two. She improves to 9-0-0 and becomes the new UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion.
Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks vs Matt “The Immortal” Brown
Round 1:
Hendricks punched his way into an early clinch and he took Brown down against the cage, but Brown scrambled and returned to his feet. Hendricks scored another takedown and punched from the top until a bloodied Brown attempted a triangle choke. The fight returned to the feet and Brown landed two head kicks. Hendricks picked him up and Brown blatantly grabbed the fence. He was taken down anyway and Hendricks landed more punches. 10-9 Hendricks.
Round 2:
Hendricks caught a head kick and briefly took Brown down. Brown stood and landed punches, but Hendricks secured another takedown and he went to work with punches and elbows from Brown’s half-guard. The fight eventually returned to the feet and Hendricks kept Brown on the defensive with punching combinations. He took Brown down against the cage and threw knees to the body on the way up. A series of left hooks hurt Brown and he initiated a clinch, but Hendricks dumped him to the mat and dropped left hands until the bell. 10-9 Hendricks.
Round 3:
Hendricks slipped off of a kick in round three, but he quickly returned to his feet and took Brown down. He struck from the top until Brown battled back to his feet. Hendricks took him down against the cage and Brown once again blatantly grabbed the fence on the way down. Brown tried to counter with a triangle choke, but Hendricks powered his way out and resumed striking from the top. Brown attacked with hammerfists from his back, but Hendricks remained on top until the end of the fight. 10-9 Hendricks.
Winner: Johny Hendricks by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 17-3-0.
Alistair “The Reem” Overeem vs Roy “Big Country” Nelson
Round 1:
Overeem jumped in with a flying knee to the body early on and Nelson answered with an overhand right. Overeem kicked at Nelson’s lead leg and followed with a right cross. He landed two more knees to the body and a jumping switch knee to the jaw. Nelson swarmed on him with punches, but Overeem covered up and defended well. He dropped Nelson with a leg kick and followed with another knee. Overeem scored with a hard kick to the liver and two more jumping knees in the final 30 seconds. 10-9 Overeem.
Round 2:
Overeem kicked at Nelson’s lead leg and landed more knees in the second round. A counter right cross stunned Overeem, but he recovered quickly and resumed kicking at Nelson’s leg. He briefly pulled Nelson to the mat, but Nelson stood and landed a glancing uppercut on the way up. Overeem targeted the body with kicks and knees and he blocked a flurry from Nelson. A combination of punches and a knee to the face scored for Overeem and Nelson fired back with a big combination before the bell. 10-9 Overeem.
Round 3:
More body kicks scored for Overeem in round three and time was called after a knee struck Nelson in the groin. Action resumed and Overeem attempted a spinning back elbow. Nelson connected with a left hook and an uppercut that led to a takedown attempt against the cage. Overeem stayed on his feet and countered with a left hand. Two head kicks rocked Nelson, but he recovered and the fighters exchanged leg kicks. Nelson dropped him with a lead left hook late in the fight, but Overeem kicked him off and stood up. 10-9 Overeem in spite of the late knockdown.
Winner: Alistair Overeem by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 39-14-0, 1 NC.
Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo vs Chris “Kamikaze” Cariaso
Round 1:
Cejudo countered a clinch by taking Cariaso down in the opening minute and he landed some solid shots from Cariaso’s guard. Cariaso stood and ate a series of knees on the way up. Cejudo backed him up with a one-two and clinched against the cage. Cariaso created space, but Cejudo stunned him with a head kick and more punches. He clinched again and took Cariaso down against the base of the cage. Cariaso returned to his feet and Cejudo punished him with punches and knees. Cariaso landed a nice body kick, but Cejudo answered with a head kick before the bell. 10-9 Cejudo.
Round 2:
Both fighters were aggressive with punches in round two and Cejudo scored another takedown against the fence. He tried for a guillotine choke, but Cariaso scrambled back to his feet. A two-punch combo and a body kick scored for Cejudo, who wasted no time in taking Cariaso back down. He struck from the top, then stood and allowed Cariaso to follow. 10-9 Cejudo.
Round 3:
Cejudo took Cariaso down again in round three and he landed short elbows from Cariaso’s half-guard for close to two minutes. Cejudo eventually allowed Cariaso to stand and he landed knees on the feet. Cariaso clinched and held Cejudo against the cage. Cejudo reversed and easily tripped Cariaso to the mat. He threw knees to Cariaso’s chest and trapped him in a front crucifix. Cariaso escaped and kicked him off before the bell. 10-9 Cejudo.
Winner: Henry Cejudo by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 8-0-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)