The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on Sunday for UFC Fight Night 75: “Barnett vs Nelson.” The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout between former UFC champion Josh “The Warmaster” Barnett and contender Roy “Big Country” Nelson.
Elsewhere on the card, Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi battled Uriah “Primetime” Hall in the middleweight co-feature. Kyoji Horiguchi took on Chico “King” Camus at 125, and Takeya Mizugaki faced George “Money” Roop at 135. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the main card.
Josh “The Warmaster” Barnett vs Roy “Big Country” Nelson
Round 1:
Barnett jabbed early on and ducked under right hands from Nelson. A head kick scored for Barnett, but Nelson took him down near the cage. He moved to half-guard and landed short elbows until referee Steve Perceval stood the fighters up for no reason. Barnett flurried to the body and followed with knees. More knees and uppercuts scored for Barnett until Nelson reversed the clinch and took him back down. He tried to mount Barnett before time expired. Close round due to the absurd standup. 10-9 Barnett, barely.
Round 2:
Nelson scored with a combination in round two, but Barnett switched stances and landed a series of jabs and one-twos. A big right hand bloodied Barnett’s nose, but he hurt Nelson with right hands and knees. Both men landed powerful knees in a clinch and Nelson circled away after an exchange of punches. He backed Barnett up with a head kick, but Barnett pressed forward again with punches and knees. 10-9 Barnett.
Round 3:
The third round began with Barnett throwing knees and uppercuts. Nelson clinched and landed knees to Barnett’s thighs. The fighters were separated and Barnett landed a punch-knee combo. He punished Nelson with knees and uppercuts in close. Nelson tried unsuccessfully for a takedown that led to another clinch. Barnett fought off more takedowns and he finished the round strong with a liver kick. 10-9 Barnett.
Round 4:
Barnett pressured Nelson with more punches and knees to the body in round four. He reversed a takedown and the fighters got back to their feet. Barnett teed off with punches and elbows, but Nelson stayed on his feet and fired back with punches in return. Barnett continued to unload with punches and elbows until Nelson took him down. Barnett stood and he prevented Nelson from taking him down again. He landed punches and knees until the bell. 10-9 Barnett.
Round 5:
Barnett backed Nelson up against the cage and resumed his assault with punches, knees and elbows in the final round. Nelson attempted a takedown and he eventually got it. Barnett countered with a kimura and he used it to get back to his feet. The fighters were separated after a clinch and Nelson landed right hands to the body. Barnett answered with a head kick and Barnett threw right hooks until the end of the fight. 10-9 Barnett.
Winner: Josh Barnett by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 48-47, 48-47) after five rounds. He improves to 34-7-0.
Uriah “Primetime” Hall vs Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi
Round 1:
Mousasi took Hall down right away and he postured up with punches from the top. Mousasi passed to half-guard and then to side control. Hall regained guard in a scramble and ate elbows for his efforts. Mousasi tried for an arm-triangle choke from half-guard and he mounted Hall soon after. Hall countered with a heel hook attempt and he transitioned to a kimura and then an armbar. Mousasi escaped and moved to mount again. He took Hall’s back and locked on a body triangle. He trapped Hall in a rear-naked choke, but Hall broke Mousasi’s grip before the bell. 10-9 Mousasi.
Round 2:
Hall dropped Mousasi with a spinning back kick and a flying knee to the face right away in round two. Mousasi tried to get back to his feet and Hall unloaded with punches. The referee kept a close eye on the action and called off the fight after Mousasi ate a series of unanswered punches.
Winner: Uriah Hall by TKO (Spinning Back Kick, Flying Knee & Punches) at 0:25 of round two. He improves to 12-5-0.
Kyoji Horiguchi vs Chico “King” Camus
Round 1:
Both men landed punches in the opening minute and Horiguchi countered a clinch by throwing uppercuts. Camus worked for a takedown and took Horiguchi’s back, but Horiguchi broke free and he struck from a distance. Camus landed short right hands, but Horiguchi shrugged off his clinch attempts. A nice one-two and a right hook scored for Camus, who continued to press the action. Close round. 10-9 Camus.
Round 2:
Horiguchi hurt Camus with punches early in round two and he tried to jump on Camus’s back. A now-bloodied Camus recovered and regained his footing. Horiguchi continued to land punches and he backed Camus up again. Horiguchi mixed things up with punches and body kicks while avoiding most of Camus’s counters. A flying knee to the body scored for Horiguchi and he closed out the round with another combination. 10-9 Horiguchi.
Round 3:
Horiguchi countered early aggression from Camus by landing a grazing head kick in the final round. Camus was unable to land anything and Horiguchi continued to score with crisp counters. He kicked at Camus’s midsection and followed with punching flurries. A big combination rocked Camus in the final 30 seconds, but he recovered and fired back with punches of his own before the final bell. 10-9 Horiguchi.
Winner: Kyoji Horiguchi by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 16-2-0.
Takeya Mizugaki vs George “Money” Roop
Round 1:
Mizugaki opened the fight with a flurry of punches and Roop clinched against the cage. Mizugaki threw knees to the body and circled away. He landed a nice combination to the body and head that backed Roop up. The fighters clinched again and both landed knees. Mizugaki scored with a lengthy combination and Roop continued to throw knees. He pressed forward through more punches from Mizugaki and clinched once more in the final 30 seconds. Mizugaki stunned him with a hard flurry before the bell. 10-9 Mizugaki.
Round 2:
Mizugaki rocked Roop with a looping right-left combo in the second round, but Roop recovered and clinched. Mizugaki punched his way free and he landed a knee before Roop closed in again. Mizugaki circled out and he knocked Roop down with a counter right hook as Roop threw a head kick. Roop stood and both men landed right hands. Mizugaki remained the more effective boxer and he snapped Roop’s head back with a lunging right hand. 10-9 Mizugaki.
Round 3:
After an exchange of punches in round three, Roop clinched and he briefly held Mizugaki against the cage. He dragged Mizugaki down, but could not hold him there for long. Mizugaki flurried with punches and backed away. Roop walked forward and threw a flying knee before clinching once more. Mizugaki separated and landed a stiff jab. He followed with a knee and two more punches. Mizugaki finished the round with a combination and another knee. 10-9 Mizugaki.
Winner: Takeya Mizugaki by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 21-9-2.
Diego “DB” Brandao vs Katsunori Kikuno
Round 1:
Brandao dropped Kikuno almost immediately and he swarmed on him with more punches as a dazed Kikuno got back to his feet. He knocked Kikuno down again and unloaded with unanswered right hands until the brief bout was stopped.
Winner: Diego Brandao by TKO (Punches) at 0:28 of round one. He improves to 20-10-0.
Mizuto “Pugnus” Hirota vs Teruto “Yashabo” Ishihara
Round 1:
The fight began with an exchange of quick punches and body kicks. Ishihara landed a series of left hands and attempted two head kicks. He knocked Hirota off-balance and cracked him with two left hands on the way up. Ishihara put together more punch-kick combos, but Hirota tagged him with a counter right hook that set off another exchange of punches. Looping left hands landed for Ishihara and Hirota answered with a head kick. He pressed forward, but Ishihara continued to outstrike him with left hands and body kicks and he dropped Hirota before the bell. 10-9 Ishihara.
Round 2:
Ishihara briefly dropped Hirota again in the second round and the fighters continued to trade big punches on the feet. Hirota knocked Ishihara down against the cage with a one-two, but Ishihara quickly recovered and got back to his feet. Hirota kept the pressure on and he dragged Ishihara down in search of a rear-naked choke. Ishihara scrambled free and Hirota secured another brief takedown after landing a one-two in close. The fighters stood and Hirota landed a three-punch flurry. He teed off with more punches late in the round. 10-9 Hirota.
Round 3:
Ishihara floored Hirota with a counter left cross very early in the final round. Hirota regained his composure and worked back to his feet. Another left hand scored for Ishihara and he stuffed a takedown attempt. Hirota jumped in with a knee to the body and clinched. Hard punches were exchanged and Hirota landed two big right hands. He took Ishihara down and transitioned to back control. Ishihara escaped to his feet and Hirota pinned him against the fence. He landed left and right hooks in close until time expired. Close round. 10-9 Hirota, barely.
Result: Split Draw (29-28 [Hirota], 29-28 [Ishihara], 29-29) after three rounds. Hirota moves to 17-7-2, while Ishihara is now 7-2-2.
Undercard Fights:
– Keita “K-Taro” Nakamura defeated Jingliang “The Leech” Li by Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:17 of round three. He improves to 31-6-2, 1 NC with the win.
– “Sergeant” Nick Hein defeated Yusuke Kasuya by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 13-2-0, 1 NC with the win.
– “Ragin'” Kajan Johnson defeated Naoyuki Kotani by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 21-11-1 with the win.
– Shinsho “Animal” Anzai defeated Roger “Viva” Zapata by TKO (Dislocated Finger) at 0:47 of round three. He improves to 9-2-0 with the win.