Luiz “Banha” Cane vs Eliot “The Fire” Marshall

Round 1:
Marshall looked for a takedown right away, but Cane easily stuffed it. A quick one-two and a leg kick landed for Marshall and Cane replied with a kick of his own. Cane defended another takedown and began to tee off with punches. He dropped Marshall and swarmed with more strikes on the ground. Marshall turtled and held on, but Cane was relentless with his punches and hammerfists. After another barrage, the fight was finally stopped. Marshall stayed down for a while.

Winner: Luiz Cane by TKO (Punches) at 2:15 of round one. He improves to 11-3-0, 1 NC.

Edson Barboza Jr. vs Anthony “The Assassin” Njokuani

Round 1:
Barboza scored with hard leg kicks early on and dropped Njokuani with a right hook. Njokuani got back to his feet, but Barboza hurt him with another right hook and a glancing head kick. More leg kicks scored for Barboza, but Njokuani landed a nice left cross. Barboza flurried in close and Njokuani quickly answered with a one-two.

A hard body kick landed for Barboza and Njokuani again answered with a counter hook. Njokuani indicated that he had been poked in the eye, but the fight continued and Barboza landed another leg kick. Njokuani began to land punches in combination and he connected with a hard right hook counter. Another right landed for Njokuani before the bell. 10-9 Barboza.

Round 2:
Njokuani opened round two with kicks to the head and legs. Time was briefly called after Barboza was kicked in the groin, but action resumed and Njokuani blocked a high kick. A leg kick and a looping right hook landed for Barboza and Njokuani answered with a punch-kick combo. Single punches connected for both fighters and Barboza threw a spinning back kick to the face. It only partially landed and Njokuani took Barboza down.

Njokuani struck from the top and landed two punches as Barboza stood up. He landed a Brazilian kick and a spinning back elbow that sent Barboza off-balance. More kicks landed for Njokuani, but Barboza landed punches and an elbow over the top in close. Njokuani punched his way into a clinch, but Barboza broke free and just missed with a spinning heel kick. Barboza took Njokuani down before the end of the round. 10-9 Njokuani.

Round 3:
Njokuani opened the final round with kicks and Barboza answered with punches and two kicks of his own. A hard body kick connected for Njokuani and Barboza cracked him with a looping overhand right. Quick leg kicks landed for both and Njokuani jabbed his way forward. Barboza circled away as Njokuani fired off a body kick. Barboza then backed Njokuani up with a right hand and a switch kick, but Njokuani recovered and blasted Barboza with a body kick and a jumping knee.

A looping right hook and a leg kick scored for Njokuani. Barboza replied with a spinning back kick and a left hook to the liver. Another spinning back kick partially landed for Barboza and Njokuani began to target the body with left hands. He landed a knee, but Barboza took him down. The fighters stood and Barboza landed a devastating spinning heel kick to the face just before the bell. Very close round. 10-9 Barboza, barely.

Winner: Edson Barboza Jr. by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 8-0-0.

Mike “Quicksand” Pyle vs Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida

Round 1:
The fighters traded leg kicks early on and Almeida circled on the outside. He missed with a right hook and Pyle threw a counter flurry and an uppercut. Another uppercut landed for Pyle and he tripped Almeida to the mat. Pyle allowed Almeida to stand and backed him up to the cage.

Almeida reversed position against the cage, but Pyle broke free. Almeida took Pyle down very briefly, but Pyle countered with punches, a knee and a brief guillotine choke. Almeida landed a nice right hand and looked for another takedown. The fighters exchanged knees in a clinch and Pyle scored with an uppercut and two knees to the face before the bell. Close round. 10-9 Pyle.

Round 2:
Punches and leg kicks landed for both in round two and Almeida scored a very brief takedown. Pyle got back to his feet against the cage. The fighters separated and Pyle landed a knee to the body. Almeida attempted another takedown and Pyle countered with a guillotine choke. He let it go and stood up.

Almeida appeared frustrated and the crowd grew restless as he circled and jabbed. Pyle answered with a body kick and two punches in close. More leg kicks landed for both and Almeida fired off a combination. He took Pyle down, but Pyle quickly looked to set up a Kimura. Almeida escaped and landed short punches from the top. 10-9 Almeida.

Round 3:
Pyle opened round three with leg kicks and Almeida countered with a right hook to the body. Pyle tried to close the distance, but Almeida stayed on the outside. Pyle landed a right hook in close and Almeida came up short with counters. Pyle landed a left hook and a kick to the liver, then stuffed a takedown.

Pyle got Almeida down and threw hammerfists from the top. Pyle stood and kicked at Almeida’s legs. Almeida grabbed onto Pyle’s leg and used it to get back to his feet. Almeida landed an elbow over the top in a clinch and Pyle immediately answered with a knee to the body. Pyle landed two big knees and instantly got back to his feet after an Almeida takedown. He took Almeida down at the final bell. 10-9 Pyle.

Scores were initially read as 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 for Pyle, but were later corrected to read 29-28 across the board.

Winner: Mike Pyle by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 21-7-1.

Gleison Tibau vs Kurt “Batman” Pellegrino

Round 1:
Tibau connected with a nice combination early on and Pellegrino missed with lunging counters. Tibau looked for a takedown and backed Pellegrino up to the cage. Pellegrino circled out and returned to the centre of the cage, then fired off a head kick.

The fighters cautiously circled until Pellegrino threw a combination. Tibau answered with a hard one-two. Pellegrino attempted a takedown and Tibau punched his way free. Tibau slammed Pellegrino down, but he quickly got back to his feet. Tibau stuffed another takedown and the fighters exchanged strikes in close. 10-9 Tibau.

Round 2:
Both fighters pawed out with jabs in the second round and Tibau landed a left cross. Pellegrino missed with a lunging combination and ducked under a counter left from Tibau. A follow-up left scored for Tibau and Pellegrino answered with a leg kick. He rocked Tibau with punches and slammed him to the ground.

Pellegrino punched from the top and tried to pass Tibau’s half-guard. He mixed in short elbows to the body and kept Tibau down. More punches landed for Pellegrino and he cut Tibau near the eye. Tibau managed to scramble back to his feet and the fighters exchanged sparse strikes until the bell. 10-9 Pellegrino.

Round 3:
The final round began with an exchange of single punches and Pellegrino threw a lazy leg kick. Tibau countered with a body kick and landed a pair of one-twos seconds later. Tibau began to score with his left hand, then backed Pellegrino up to the cage. Pellegrino circled out and looked to set up a right hook.

Tibau stuffed a takedown and landed punches. He reversed the takedown and wound up on top in side-control. Tibau briefly took Pellegrino’s back, but Pellegrino escaped to his feet and attempted another takedown of his own. Tibau defended and took Pellegrino down. He landed punches from the top, but Pellegrino rolled for a kneebar at the bell. 10-9 Tibau.

Winner: Gleison Tibau by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 22-7-0.

Undercard Fights:

Joseph Benavidez defeated Ian “The Barn Owl” Loveland by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 14-2-0 with the win.

Nick “The Jersey Devil” Catone defeated Constantinos Philippou by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 9-2-0 with the win.

Erik “New Breed” Koch defeated Raphael Assuncao by KO (Punch) at 2:32 of round one. He improves to 12-1-0 with the win.