The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas tonight for UFC Fight Night 22. The event was headlined by a middleweight matchup between former title challenger Nate “The Great” Marquardt and leglock specialist Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares.
Also on the main card, TUF 8 winner Efrain “Hecho en México” Escudero faced unbeaten prospect Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira in lightweight action, while Jim Miller took on Gleison Tibau in another featured 155-pound bout. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
Nate “The Great” Marquardt vs Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares
Round 1:
Marquardt landed a leg kick early on and Palhares tried to catch his leg for a takedown. He could not and Marquardt landed a kick to the upper body. Marquardt jabbed and Palhares rushed forward with punches that missed. Marquardt connected with a counter right, but the action remained sparse as the fighters kept their distance. Palhares scored a takedown and Marquardt attempted an inverted triangle choke from the bottom.
Palhares dropped back for a heel hook and Marquardt pulled his leg straight out. Palhares immediately stopped fighting and pointed to Marquardt’s legs as if to imply that they were greased. Marquardt drilled him with a right hand and followed with a barrage of punches until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight. Marquardt’s legs were checked out and it was verified that he had not greased. The win stands.
Winner: Nate Marquardt by TKO (Punches) at 3:28 of round one. He improves to 30-9-2.
Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira vs Efrain “Hecho en México” Escudero
Round 1:
Oliveira missed with a head kick seconds into the fight, but connected with a flying knee. Escudero clinched and backed him up to the cage. Referee Kerry Hatley quickly separated the fighters and Oliveira landed a leg kick. He followed with a right cross and blocked a counterpunch from Escudero. Oliveira pushed forward with a combination and shot in for a takedown, but Escudero stayed on his feet. The fighters traded knees and Escudero backed away. He countered an Oliveira kick with a right hand.
The fighters traded punches and Oliveira threw a jumping kick. Escudero drilled him with a hard right hand counter, but Oliveira was unfazed. Oliveira landed a one-two and a leg kick. Escudero answered with a right cross, but Oliveira targeted the leg again. More kicks scored for Oliveira and he shot in for a takedown. Escudero defended well and countered with elbows and hammerfists. Oliveira pulled half-guard and both fighters landed short strikes. Oliveira regained guard and Escudero landed three elbows. Very close. 10-9 Oliveira.
Round 2:
Quick punches landed for both fighters early in the second round and Oliveira fired off an overhand right. He landed another one, but stumbled while shooting for a takedown and Escudero punished him with a right hand. Oliveira tripped Escudero to the mat, but Escudero scrambled and took his back. Oliveira escaped and the fighters stood. Oliveira landed a nice leg kick and a grazing right cross. Escudero blocked a head kick, but Oliveira landed a knee from a Thai clinch, then a jumping switch knee.
Escudero clinched and pressed Oliveira up against the cage. Escudero briefly took Oliveira’s back while standing, but Oliveira circled free and landed another leg kick. Oliveira switched to front kicks, then a jumping switch kick to the body. Leg kicks and a jab landed for Oliveira and the fighters exchanged right hooks. Another stiff leg kick scored for Oliveira and he continued to throw unorthodox jumping knees and jumping switch kicks to the body. Escudero clinched and tried to drag Oliveira to the mat, but could not. 10-9 Oliveira.
Round 3:
Time was called early in the final round after a kick from Oliveira strayed low. The fight continued and Escudero landed a body kick. Oliveira threw a front kick to the body and the fighters exchanged rights. Oliveira continued to target the body with kicks, then threw another jumping knee. Escudero clinched and pinned Oliveira against the cage. Escudero landed a knee to the groin and time was called. Action eventually resumed and both fighters landed kicks.
Oliveira caught one and took Escudero down. Escudero postured up for a triangle choke and Oliveira stood. Escudero scrambled to his feet, but Oliveira hopped on his back and trapped Escudero’s right arm with his right leg. He secured a standing rear-naked choke and, with his arm trapped, Escudero could not defend. He tapped out, giving Oliveira and extremely impressive submission victory.
Winner: Charles Oliveira by Submission (Standing Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:25 of round three. He improves to 14-0-0.
Jim Miller vs Gleison Tibau
Round 1:
Miller opened the fight with leg kicks and Tibau countered with a quick combination. Miller fired off a right hook and more kicks. Tibau caught one and took Miller down. Tibau briefly struck from the top, but Miller worked back to his feet. He staggered Tibau with a jab and clinched. The fighters exchanged short strikes in close and Tibau kept Miller pressed up against the cage.
Tibau threw an overhand left and backed away. He landed a left hook and ducked under a one-two from Miller. Tibau caught another kick, but Miller spun out of his grasp and the fighters exchanged punches. A brief clinch followed and Miller landed a stiff leg kick. Tibau scored with a left hand that sent Miller off-balance, but Miller recovered and returned to kicks. Miller landed two hard kicks to the leg and body and Tibau answered with a counter left. Close round. 10-9 Miller, barely.
Round 2:
Tibau landed a nice combination in round two that backed Miller up. Miller recovered and rocked Tibau with a huge left hand. He clinched and tried to take Tibau’s back, then backed away and landed a flying knee. Miller clinched a second time and tried for a takedown. Tibau regained his senses and fought off Miller’s takedown attempts. Miller landed a knee from a Thai clinch and Tibau punched his way free.
Tibau scored a takedown and Miller immediately postured for a triangle choke. Tibau stood and Miller followed. Miller missed with a one-two to the body, but landed a right hand and a body kick. The fighters exchanged left hooks and both connected with one-twos soon after. Tibau landed two punches and a leg kick, then a solid left cross. He took Miller down and Miller once again tried for a triangle choke. Tibau landed an elbow before the bell. Another close round. 10-9 Miller.
Round 3:
Miller threw a lunging one-two early in the final round, but Tibau sidestepped and cracked Miller with counterpunches in a pair of flurries. He landed a left hook and Miller rushed forward with punches. Tibau clinched and pressed Miller up against the cage. Miller broke free with a knee to the jaw and the fighters traded power punches. A lead right hook and a quick flurry landed for Miller and he followed with a leg kick. Tibau shot in for a takedown, but Miller stuffed it.
He just missed with a lunging right hook, but landed a combination seconds later. Tibau answered with one of his own and Miller tried for a takedown. Miller refused to let go of Tibau’s leg. The fighters separated briefly, but Tibau dove in for a takedown of his own. Miller defended and landed a knee. Referee Jon Schorle broke the fighters apart and Tibau stuffed a takedown. Miller landed a combination and Tibau countered. He tried to take Miller down, but Miller stayed on his feet. 10-9 Miller.
Winner: Jim Miller by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 18-2-0.
Cole “Magrinho” Miller vs Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson
Round 1:
Pearson opened the fight with a solid leg kick and Miller countered with a crisp right hand counter seconds later. A lead left hook connected for Pearson and he mixed in leg kicks. Pearson landed a one-two and Miller tried for a takedown. He got Pearson down very briefly, but Pearson sprung back to his feet. The fighters traded punches and Miller landed a flying knee. Pearson answered with a chopping leg kick and Miller tried to pull guard with a triangle choke.
Pearson stayed on his feet and the fighters resumed an exchange of strikes. Another hard leg kick scored for Pearson and he followed up with a straight left that backed Miller up. Two body shots landed for Pearson and Miller answered with a combination and front kicks. Pearson countered a leg kick with a three-punch flurry and a kick of his own. The fighters exchanged kicks and Pearson landed another lead left hook. Close round. 10-9 Pearson.
Round 2:
Pearson went right back to hard leg kicks in the second round and followed with a left hook to the body. Miller tried to pull guard, but Pearson landed a right hand on the ground and got back to his feet. A right hook and a left to the body landed for Pearson and the fighters traded kicks. Miller scored with his best punch of the fight and landed another one right after.
Pearson staggered backwards and Miller rushed in with a flying knee and more punches. Pearson fell and Miller took his back. He locked on a rear-naked choke and Pearson tapped out. Huge win for Miller.
Winner: Cole Miller by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 1:49 of round two. He improves to 17-4-0.
Undercard Fights:
“The Texas Gunslinger” Yves Edwards defeated John “Quick Guns” Gunderson by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 39-16-1 with the win.
Kyle Kingsbury defeated Jared Hamman by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 9-2-0, 1 NC with the win.
Dave Branch defeated Tomasz “Gorilla” Drwal by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 7-1-0 with the win.
Rich “The Raging Bull” Attonito defeated Rafael “Sapo” Natal by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 9-3-0 with the win.
Anthony “T.J.” Waldburger defeated David “Daudi” Mitchell by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 13-5-0 with the win.
Brian Foster defeated Forrest “The Meat Cleaver” Petz by TKO (Punches) at 1:07 of round one. He improves to 14-5-0 with the win.
While the main event ended somewhat controversially, UFC Fight Night 22 was a solid card with entertaining fights. Cole Miller picked up an impressive victory over Ross Pearson, while Charles Oliveira proved that he is the real deal in the lightweight division.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)