Anthony “Showtime” Pettis vs Alex “The Great White” Morono
Round 1:
Morono took Pettis down right away and he opened a cut above Pettis’s left eye with ground and pound. Morono took Pettis’s back and trapped him in a body triangle. He hunted for a rear-naked choke and landed short punches to the side of Pettis’s head. Pettis spun into Morono’s guard and immediately had to fight off a triangle choke. The fighters stood and Pettis landed a body kick. Morono rushed forward with a three-punch flurry and Pettis circled to his left. Pettis landed a spinning back kick to the body in the final minute and Morono clinched with him against the cage. He dragged Pettis down again, but Pettis turned into Morono’s guard before time expired. 10-9 Morono.
Round 2:
The fighters traded strikes on the feet in the second round as Morono walked Pettis down and Pettis kept his distance by circling to the side. Morono landed an overhand right and Pettis answered with a side kick to the body. He followed with an axe kick that grazed Morono’s face. Pettis continued to circle and he landed a hard jab. Morono blitzed forward with four punches and Pettis again countered effectively while circling away. Pettis landed an overhand left from a southpaw stance and he tripped Morono momentarily. Both fighters attempted spinning attacks at the same time before the bell. 10-9 Pettis.
Round 3:
Pettis began the final round with a head kick, but Morono caught it and he took advantage of a Pettis slip by taking him down. Pettis turned into Morono’s guard and took top position. He passed to half-guard and peppered Morono with punches to the side of his face. Morono regained full guard and he looked to set up a triangle choke from the bottom. Morono rose to his feet with just over one minute remaining and Pettis held him against the cage. Morono broke free and he ran forward with lunging punches. Pettis badly rocked him with a spinning wheel kick to the temple and Morono fell to his knees. Pettis dove in with punches from the top until the end of the fight. 10-9 Pettis.
Winner: Anthony Pettis by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 24-10-0.
Pannie “Banzai” Kianzad vs Sijara “SarJ” Eubanks
Round 1:
The fight began with an exchange of jabs and Eubanks took Kianzad down against the cage. She moved to side control and Kianzad got back to half-guard. Both women landed elbows on the ground and Kianzad regained full guard before posturing for an armbar. Eubanks escaped into side control, but Kianzad quickly got back to full guard again. Eubanks postured up with punches and she mounted Kianzad late in the round. Kianzad gave up her back and Eubanks threw heel strikes to the body before the bell. 10-9 Eubanks.
Round 2:
Kianzad held Eubanks against the cage in the second round and she swept out her leg, but Eubanks immediately returned to her feet and the fighters separated after trading elbows. Another clinch followed and Kianzad landed knees to the body and a series of foot stomps. Kianzad landed more knees, but Eubanks took her down into full guard. Kianzad looked to set up an armbar from the bottom and she switched to a triangle choke. Eubanks punched her way free and Kianzad scrambled up to her feet. Kianzad landed punches and a front kick, then stuffed a Eubanks takedown late in the round. 10-9 Kianzad.
Round 3:
The fighters clinched again in the final round and they battled for position against the cage. Kianzad landed another knee and short left hands as Eubanks countered with uppercuts. Kianzad broke free and she picked her shots with quick jabs and leg kicks as Eubanks slowed down. Eubanks countered a three-punch combo from Kianzad with an overhand right, which prompted Kianzad to fire off another flurry. She snapped Eubanks’s head back with a lead left hook and followed with a knee. Jabs were exchanged and Kianzad landed another combination, but Eubanks opened a cut on the bridge of her nose. Kianzad landed three punches and Eubanks responded with a pair of right hooks. Both women landed punches late in the fight and Kianzad finished with a knee to the body. 10-9 Kianzad.
Winner: Pannie Kianzad by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 14-5-0.
Deron Winn vs Antônio Arroyo
Round 1:
Arroyo opened the action with a leg kick and a left cross, but Winn shot in and took Arroyo down into side control. Arroyo scrambled and kicked him off, then returned to his feet. He landed a knee and Winn took him down again. Each time Arroyo stood up, Winn immediately put him back on the mat. Arroyo attempted a triangle choke from the bottom and he used it to get back to his feet. Arroyo landed a nice combination and Winn kicked at his lead leg. He took Arroyo down once more, but Arroyo countered with hammerfists and he got back to his feet. Arroyo landed a front kick in the final seconds and Winn secured one more takedown before the bell. Close round. 10-9 Arroyo due to damage.
Round 2:
Winn caught a kick and took Arroyo down early in the second round. Arroyo scrambled up and Winn landed a pair of winging right hooks. He took Arroyo down and peppered him with left hands as Arroyo got to his knees against the cage. He briefly stood up and Win dragged him down again. Arroyo rose to his feet and pushed Winn away, but he was noticeably fatigued. Winn scored a takedown into Arroyo’s guard and Arroyo tied him up from the bottom until the end of the round. 10-9 Winn.
Round 3:
Winn tripped Arroyo to the mat in the opening seconds of round three, but Arroyo countered with a leg lock attempt from the bottom and that allowed him to briefly return to his feet. Winn took him right back down and struck from the top until Arroyo kicked him off and stood up. Winn took Arroyo down two more times as the fight entered its final minute. Arroyo punched from the bottom and Winn stood up, with Arroyo following. He chased after Winn with a lunging right hand just before the end of the fight. 10-9 Winn due to control.
Winner: Deron Winn by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 7-2-0.
Taila Santos vs Gillian “The Savage” Robertson
Round 1:
The fighters clinched early in the fight and Robertson jumped into a flying armbar attempt that she used to pull Santos down to the mat. Santos freed her arm once and she avoided a second armbar attempt soon after. Santos held Robertson against the base of the cage and she struck from the top with short elbows. Robertson landed elbows of her own from the bottom and she tried to get back to her feet. Santos prevented her from doing so and she landed left hands from Robertson’s half-guard. Robertson regained full guard in the final seconds, but Santos landed more elbows before the bell. 10-9 Santos.
Round 2:
Santos secured a body lock takedown to begin round two and she tried to pass from side control to mount. Robertson fought her way back to full guard and then postured for an armbar. Santos stacked her and escaped into North-South position. She trapped a bloodied Robertson in an inverted triangle choke, but Robertson stayed calm and escaped. She wound up on top and took Santos’s back, then attacked with an armbar. Santos defended well and she spun into side control after freeing her arm. Robertson got back to full guard and Santos kept the back of Robertson’s head pressed up against the cage. She landed short punches and elbows until the end of the round. 10-9 Santos.
Round 3:
Robertson jumped into a guillotine choke in the final round, but Santos worked her way free and ended up on top in Robertson’s half-guard. She re-opened the cut on the bridge of Robertson’s nose with elbows and retained top position until the final 90 seconds of the round when Robertson attacked with a deep armbar from the bottom. Santos defended well and she ultimately escaped into side control. As Robertson tried to stand, Santos threw right hands to the side of her face and tried for a rear-naked choke just before time expired. 10-9 Santos.
Winner: Taila Santos by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 17-1-0.
Tafon “Cameroon Express” Nchukwi vs Jamie “The Nightwolf” Pickett
Round 1:
Nchukwi closed the distance and landed a combination and a head kick early in the fight. Pickett circled on the outside and Nchukwi landed two more punches and a knee. Pickett clinched and took Nchukwi down against the base of the cage. Nchukwi scrambled up and he landed knees to the body. Pickett backed up and Nchukwi threw two hooks and a head kick. He sprawled out of a Pickett takedown attempt and landed short punches while briefly taking Pickett’s back. The fight returned to the feet and Pickett landed a straight left hand. In the final 30 seconds, Nchukwi scored with left hands and two standing elbows. A clinch followed and Nchukwi landed a knee before the bell. 10-9 Nchukwi.
Round 2:
Nchukwi started quickly in round two with three punches and an elbow. Pickett circled to his left and Nchukwi landed two kicks to his upper body. The fighters clinched and Nchukwi attacked Pickett’s body with knees and left hooks. Nchukwi continued to land single punches until Pickett jumped in with a knee. Nchukwi backed Pickett up against the cage and he landed four more knees to the body before Pickett circled away. Nchukwi landed left hands in close, but Pickett turned the tide with a six-punch combo that forced Nchukwi to retreat. He recovered quickly and the fighters clashed heads late in the round. 10-9 Nchukwi.
Round 3:
The doctor checked on Pickett before the final round as he was still wincing from the headbutt late in round two, but the fight proceeded and both men landed powerful right hooks. Nchukwi tagged Pickett with a combination and he followed with knees to the body and elbows over the top. Nchukwi backed Pickett up and landed a hard knee and three right hooks. He reversed a Pickett takedown attempt and the fight returned to the feet. Nchukwi hurt Pickett with punches and dropped him with a knee. As Pickett covered up on the ground, Nchukwi landed more punches and he prevented Pickett from standing back up. Pickett finally stood with 75 seconds to go and Nchukwi landed a one-two in an exchange before the bell. 10-9 Nchukwi.
Winner: Tafon Nchukwi by Unanimous Decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26) after three rounds. He improves to 5-0-0.
Jimmy “The Brick” Flick vs Cody Durden
Round 1:
Durden landed an uppercut right away and he countered a leg kick from Flick by taking him down into back control. Flick worked his way back up against the cage and Durden landed a knee along the way. The fighters separated and Durden landed two overhand rights. He stunned Flick with a knee and a flurry of punches against the fence. Flick landed a head kick and he jumped into a flying triangle choke. Flick pulled Durden down to the mat and tightened the choke, forcing Durden to submit.
Winner: Jimmy Flick by Submission (Flying Triangle Choke) at 3:18 of round one. He improves to 16-5-0.
Christos “The Spartan” Giagos vs “Clutch” Carlton Minus
Round 1:
After an early exchange of leg kicks, Giagos landed an overhand right and he took Minus down. Minus gave up his back as he rose to his feet and Giagos briefly looked for a standing rear-naked choke. Minus turned into the clinch and Giagos took him down into half-guard as he eyed an arm-triangle choke from the top. Minus rolled over and Giagos landed heavy punches from back control. Giagos mounted Minus and he continued to land punches and elbows. Minus finally exploded out from the bottom and he got back to his feet. Minus dumped him to the mat again and returned to mount. Giagos threatened with an arm-triangle choke late in the round, but Minus made it to the bell. 10-8 Giagos.
Round 2:
Giagos took Minus down in the opening minute of round two and he moved from side control to mount. Minus rolled and tried to stand up, but Giagos pulled him back down and resumed striking from Minus’s half-guard. Minus eventually managed to escape to his feet, but Giagos hopped on his back and nearly secured a rear-naked choke as he dragged Minus back down. Minus stood up once more and he landed a combination – his first meaningful strikes of the fight – before the bell. 10-8 Giagos.
Round 3:
The final round began with Giagos landing a three-punch combo and he backed Minus up against the cage. Minus gave up his back and Giagos pulled him down to the ground. He took Minus’s back against the base of the cage and Minus worked his way up to his feet. The fighters separated and Giagos landed a knee as Minus moved forward. Both men landed left hooks and Minus followed with an overhand right. He fought off two takedown attempts from Giagos and the fight ended with an exchange of right hands. 10-9 Giagos.
Winner: Christos Giagos by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 18-8-0.