The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California tonight for UFC on FOX 22: “VanZant vs Waterson.” The event was headlined by a women’s strawweight bout between popular stars “12 Gauge” Paige VanZant and Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson.
In tonight’s welterweight co-main event, “Super” Sage Northcutt took on Mickey Gall. “The California Kid” Urijah Faber competed for the final time when he battled Brad “One Punch” Pickett in a featured bantamweight bout. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s UFC main card.
Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson vs “12 Gauge” Paige VanZant
Round 1:
Waterson began the fight in a southpaw stance and she threw side kicks to the body. VanZant stayed on the outside and landed occasional punches before the fighters clinched against the cage. Waterson took VanZant down into back control and worked for rear-naked chokes. VanZant defended well and repeatedly broke Waterson’s grip, but Waterson secured a final choke and VanZant was rendered unconscious.
Winner: Michelle Waterson by Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:21 of round one. She improves to 14-4-0.
Mickey Gall vs “Super” Sage Northcutt
Round 1:
The fighters traded quick punches in close in round one until Gall took Northcutt down against the cage. He looked to set up a guillotine choke from the top, but let it go and tried to pass to mount. Northcutt exploded out, but he was trapped in a guillotine choke in the process. Northcutt broke free and took top position. Gall kicked him off and Northcutt stood over him while kicking at his legs. The fight returned to the feet and Northcutt landed a left hook. Gall caught a kick and took Northcutt back down. He struck from the top and mounted Northcutt as time expired. 10-9 Gall.
Round 2:
Northcutt dropped Gall with a right hook early in round two and he landed a hard left hand after Gall returned to his feet. Gall responded by flooring Northcutt with an overhand right and he took Northcutt’s back on the ground. Gall locked on a rear-naked choke and Northcutt tapped out.
Winner: Mickey Gall by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 1:40 of round two. He improves to 4-0-0.
“The California Kid” Urijah Faber vs Brad “One Punch” Pickett
Round 1:
After an early exchange of kicks, Faber landed a nice one-two and Pickett knocked him down with a leg kick. Faber stood and scored with a knee in close. He clipped Pickett with a right hand and followed with a left. Another right hand scored for Faber, but he was unable to take Pickett down and it was Pickett who dragged Faber down to the mat against the cage.
The fighters stood and Faber floored Pickett with a massive left hook. Pickett appeared to be out, but the fight was allowed to continue and Faber took Pickett’s back after landing more punches. He teed off with right hands from back control, then mounted Pickett and dropped elbows. Pickett began to bleed heavily from the face, but he made it to the bell. 10-8 Faber.
Round 2:
The second round began with a lead left hook and a knee from Faber, who followed with leg kicks. Pickett countered with leg kicks of his own and Faber began to limp. He caught a knee from Pickett and tripped him to the mat. Faber trapped Pickett in a front headlock and tried to take his back as Pickett rose to his feet. The fighters separated and Faber knocked Pickett down. He tried for a guillotine choke in a scramble, but Pickett broke free and stood up. Faber took his back and pulled him down to the mat as time expired. 10-9 Faber.
Round 3:
Faber opened round three with head kicks and he took Pickett down against the cage. Pickett tried to get back to his feet and Faber kept him down with a front headlock transition into a rolling guillotine choke. Pickett escaped, but Faber landed elbows from the top. The fight returned to the feet and Pickett dropped an off-balance Faber to the mat with a punch to the shoulder. Faber immediately stood back up and he fought through leg kicks en route to clinching against the cage. Pickett countered with a jumping knee and Faber took him down before the bell. 10-9 Faber.
Winner: Urijah Faber by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26) after three rounds. He improves to 34-10-0.
Alan “Brahma” Jouban vs “Platinum” Mike Perry
Round 1:
Jouban rocked Perry very early in the first round with punches and two head kicks, but Perry recovered quickly. A hard kick to the body landed for Jouban and he continued to throw them while circling to the side. Jouban scored with four more kicks and Perry rushed in with a jumping knee. Jouban took his back and then dumped him to the mat. Perry scrambled up and Jouban targeted his body with kicks. A big left hand and two body kicks scored for Jouban, but Perry cracked him with a right hand and a head kick.Jouban lost his balance while throwing a spinning backfist, but he landed more kick-punch combos late in the round. 10-9 Jouban.
Round 2:
The second round began with an exchange of kicks and Jouban continued to target Perry’s liver. Perry landed kicks of his own and followed with a right hand. Jouban rocked him with a combination and a head kick, then dropped levels for a takedown. Perry stayed on his feet and both men landed leg kicks and punches. Jouban threw kicks and knees to the body, then followed with a left cross. The fighters traded left hooks and Jouban dropped Perry with a straight left. Perry stood and Jouban threw two head kicks before the bell. 10-9 Jouban.
Round 3:
Perry kicked at Jouban’s lead leg in the final round and mixed in occasional right hands. Jouban landed a head kick, but Perry did not flinch. Jouban began to pick his shots with jabs and straight left hands. He kicked at Perry’s body and leg, then ducked under a head kick. Three big punches scored for Jouban, who followed with another liver kick. He stayed on the outside and threw more kicks, then shot in for a takedown. Perry stuffed it, but Jouban picked him apart with kicks until the end of the fight. 10-9 Jouban.
Winner: Alan Jouban by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 15-4-0.