The Ultimate Fighting Championship remained on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates tonight for UFC on ESPN 13: “Kattar vs Ige”. The event was headlined by a featherweight bout between Calvin “The Boston Finisher” Kattar and Dan “50K” Ige, who both picked up key wins in May.
In the flyweight co-feature, Tim Elliott looked to halt a losing skid when he faced Ryan “Baby Face” Benoit. Elsewhere on the main card, Jimmie “El Terror” Rivera battled Cody “The Spartan” Stamann in featherweight action. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s UFC on ESPN 13 card.
Calvin “The Boston Finisher” Kattar vs Dan “50K” Ige
Round 1:
Ige struck from a distance in the opening two minutes and Kattar was content to counter and look for opportunities. He found one and landed a hard one-two, then stuffed a takedown. Kattar used front kicks and jabs to keep Ige at bay, but Ige still managed to connect with an overhand right. He clinched and Kattar threw him down to the mat. Kattar kicked at Ige’s legs until Ige used upkicks to create space and stood up. A knee and a combination landed for Kattar and Ige immediately answered with a right hand. Kattar landed a flying knee and three hard right hands shortly before the bell. 10-9 Kattar.
Round 2:
Ige landed a nice combination to the body and head early in round two and Kattar countered with long jabs and quick flurries. Ige lunged in with another heavy combination to the body and nose of Kattar, and his nose began to bleed and bother him. Kattar resumed jabbing from a distance and Ige rushed forward with three more punches. He continued to mix up his strikes and got the better of the exchanges. In the final minute, both men landed big right hooks and Kattar narrowly missed with a knee. Ige was backed up momentarily, but he regained his footing and landed one a lead right hand late in the round. 10-9 Ige.
Round 3:
Both men landed three-punch flurries in the third round and Ige continued to dart in and out with punches that frequently targeted Kattar’s damaged nose. Ige’s best success continued to come in the form of body-head combinations while ducking and avoiding most of Kattar’s counters. Kattar landed an overhand right and Ige responded with one of his own. A solid combination landed for Kattar and Ige stepped backwards before lunging forward with a one-two. Very close round. 10-9 Ige by a slim margin.
Round 4:
Kattar landed a nice right hand and a step-in knee that allowed him to take Ige down in the opening minute of round four. He dropped punches from the top and Ige quickly scrambled up to his feet. Ige landed a Superman Punch and an overhand right. Kattar cracked him with a short left hook and Ige backed off momentarily. With just over a minute to go, Ige landed an overhand right and two more punches before shooting in for a takedown. Kattar easily stuffed it and the round ended with an exchange of punches. Another competitive round. 10-9 Kattar.
Round 5:
Kattar scored with a counter right hook and a knee in the final round, and both fighters landed one-two combos in the ensuing minute. Kattar kept the pressure on with his punches and he thwarted a takedown attempt by hopping on one leg. Ige’s right eye continued to swell shut as a result of Kattar’s jabs and lead left hooks. In the final minute, Kattar picked his shots with jab-cross combos and kicks, and he avoided another takedown attempt from Ige. Late in the round, Kattar fought off another takedown and Ige fell to the ground. Kattar stood over him and dropped punches as Ige covered up until the bell. 10-9 Kattar.
Winner: Calvin Kattar by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) after five rounds. He improves to 22-4-0.
Tim Elliott vs Ryan “Baby Face” Benoit
Round 1:
Benoit struck first with an overhand right and Elliott used front kicks to the body to keep him at a distance. Benoit struggled to find his range for more than a minute as Elliott continued to land kicks, but Benoit landed a right hook, head kick combination that stunned Elliott momentarily. Punches were exchanged and Benoit stuffed a takedown. Elliott landed an elbow on the break and he resumed kicking from a distance. Benoit landed a left hook to the liver in the final minute and he countered a takedown with a heel hook. The fighters returned to their feet and Elliott dumped Benoit to the mat. He stood over Benoit and dropped punches until the end of the back-and-forth round. 10-9 Elliott.
Round 2:
Early in the second round, Benoit landed a vicious kick to the body as Elliott shot in for a takedown. The action stayed on the feet and both men landed punches. Benoit cracked Elliott with a four-punch flurry and he followed with an uppercut. Elliott landed two punches in return and he took Benoit down. Elliott locked on a tight guillotine choke and he used it to roll into mount. Benoit freed his head and he managed to get back to guard soon after. Beniot spun into a kneebar that had Elliott in obvious pain, but he lost his grip on the leg as Elliott spun and stood up. On the feet, both men landed punches and Elliott took Benoit down. He attacked with back elbow strikes to Benoit’s face at the bell. Another close round. 10-9 Elliott.
Round 3:
The final round began with an exchange of punches that led to a clinch against the cage and Elliott cut Benoit on the forehead with a knee. Benoit responded by opening up a cut near Elliott’s left eye with a right hand. Both men landed combinations and Elliott paused repeatedly to try to fix his left glove. More punches were exchanged and Benoit cracked Elliott with a big right hook. He followed with more punches as Elliott looked for a takedown and that led to a clinch against the cage. Benoit landed a late flurry of punches and a knee. Very close fight. 10-9 Elliott.
Winner: Tim Elliott by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 16-11-1.
Jimmie “El Terror” Rivera vs Cody “The Spartan” Stamann
Round 1:
After a tentative opening minute, Rivera landed a flurry of punches to the body that spun Stamann around and a brief clinch followed. Stamann caught a kick from Rivera and attacked with a combination of his own. Rivera tripped Stamann after catching a kick and Stamann reversed against the base of the cage. Rivera stood and Stamann stomped on his foot. He retained back control until referee Daniel Movahedi separated the fighters. Stamann, frustrated by the separation, walked forward with punches and both men landed combinations before the bell. 10-9 Stamann.
Round 2:
Stamann quickly clinched and took Rivera’s back in the second round as he worked for a takedown. Rivera countered with a standing kimura attempt and he used it to reverse the clinch. Rivera took Stamann down and he landed left hands to the face as Stamann scrambled up. The fighters separated and exchanged kicks from a distance. Rivera landed a right hook and a knee to the body, then a kick to Stamann’s left leg. With 30 seconds to go, Rivera landed a hard left hook. He followed with a lunging jab and Stamann countered with a jumping knee. 10-9 Rivera.
Round 3:
The fighters battled in a clinch against the cage early in the final round and Rivera landed knees on the break. He scored with a combination and the fighters continued to trade single strikes until another clinch battle ensued. Stamann pursued a takedown and Rivera countered with a standing guillotine choke. It appeared to be tight, but Stamann stayed calm and escaped. He held Rivera against the fence until Rivera circled away with just under a minute to go. Stamann landed a counter one-two and the fight ended with both men landing three-punch combos. Close final round. 10-9 Rivera.
Winner: Jimmie Rivera by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 23-4-0.
Taila Santos vs “Meatball” Molly McCann
Round 1:
Santos countered an early leg kick from McCann with a hard one-two that led to an exchange of punches in close. McCann briefly looked for a takedown and she lunged in with two right hooks from a southpaw stance. Santos responded with a combination, two body kicks and a knee, but time was called and she was warned for grabbing on to McCann’s hair. The fight continued and Santos pressed forward with more quick punches and a knee as McCann ducked her head. McCann continued to find success with lead right hooks that caused Santos’s left eye to swell up. McCann clinched and tried for a takedown. She landed two standing elbows, but Santos promptly reversed the clinch and took her down. She struck from the top until McCann got back to her feet. Santos threw more knees and took McCann down once more. 10-9 Santos.
Round 2:
McCann opened round two with aggressive punches, but Santos countered effectively with one-twos and knees that led to a clinch battle. McCann tried to take Santos down, but Santos had none of it and she attacked McCann’s midsection with more knees. Two knees landed to McCann’s face and Santos backed away from the clinch. McCann closed in again and Santos immediately took her down into side control. She passed to mount and postured for an armbar. McCann scrambled and got back to half-guard. She tried to stand up against the cage and Santos used her long arms to trap McCann in a Brabo choke. McCann escaped and got back to her feet, but she ate a knee and was swiftly thrown to the mat again. Santos retook mount and struck from the top. McCann regained full guard and tried for a late armbar. 10-9 Santos.
Round 3:
McCann, with her right eye rapidly swelling up, remained the aggressor on the feet in the final round. She walked Santos down with punches and Santos answered with front kicks and left-right combos. Santos closed in and tied McCann up against the cage before throwing her down to the canvas. McCann was active off of her back and she tried to set up an armbar, but Santos evaded and punched from the top. She stood up, then dove back down into McCann’s guard and attempted a Brabo choke. McCann rolled to her side and Santos took her back. She landed a series of punches until the end of the fight. 10-9 Santos.
Winner: Taila Santos by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. She improves to 16-1-0.
Mounir “The Sniper” Lazzez vs Abdul Razzak “Judo Thunder” Alhassan
Round 1:
Heavy punches were exchanged right away and Lazzez landed a knee, but Alhassan teed off with well over a dozen punches and Lazzez covered up. Lazzez eventually pushed him away and kicked at Alhassan’s lead leg. The fighters traded elbows and Lazzez landed two step-in knees to the body. Both men landed leg kicks and Lazzez threw jab-cross combos. He backed Alhassan up and landed a left hook, head kick combination. Lazzez scored with two leg kicks and ate a right hand in return. He took Alhassan down with 20 seconds to go. 10-9 Lazzez.
Round 2:
The second round began with an exchange of leg kicks and Lazzez threw a flying switch kick. He backed Alhassan up with a flurry of punches and Alhassan, with his back against the cage, fired back with haymakers in return including a massive right hand that snapped Lazzez’s head back. More punches were exchanged and Lazzez took Alhassan down into side control. Referee Daniel Movahedi stood the fighters up very quickly and both men landed punches on the feet until Lazzez got Alhassan back down. He landed on top in mount and avoided a guillotine choke attempt from Alhassan by passing to side control. Again, Movahedi stood the fighters up almost immediately, and the round ended seconds later. 10-9 Lazzez.
Round 3:
Alhassan closed the distance and worked for a takedown in the final round, and Lazzez countered with a knee. Alhassan got him down very briefly and the fighters battled in the clinch after Lazzez rose to his feet. Lazzez tripped Alhassan and he worked from the top in side control. Lazzez landed short elbows until Alhassan scrambled up to his feet with mere seconds remaining. Alhassan unloaded with punches and landed three hard shots before the bell. 10-9 Lazzez.
Winner: Mounir Lazzez by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 10-1-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)