Rory “The Waterboy” MacDonald vs Nate Diaz
Round 1:
MacDonald opened the fight with kicks and Diaz began to taunt while countering with single punches. MacDonald landed a head kick and two solid punches in close, but Diaz clinched and landed a pair of right hands. He reversed a takedown from MacDonald and the fighters quickly scrambled back to their feet. MacDonald threw another head kick and landed a Superman Punch.
Diaz continued to box, but MacDonald was more effective by mixing up his strikes. He clinched and landed a knee, but Diaz defended a takedown. MacDonald broke away from the clinch with a knee to the body and followed with a front kick. Diaz answered with a flurry and dove for a leg. MacDonald stayed on his feet and the fighters separated before the bell. 10-9 MacDonald.
Round 2:
MacDonald landed early strikes in round two and Diaz clinched, but the fighters separated seconds later. MacDonald tripped Diaz to the mat and stood over him, then punished Diaz with punches and a kick as Diaz stood. Again, MacDonald took Diaz down and landed in his guard. He postured up and allowed Diaz to stand, only to blast him with a right hand. Diaz walked forward and landed a left cross, and MacDonald responded with a body kick.
Diaz landed two more punches and backed MacDonald up to the cage. MacDonald circled out and looked for a takedown. Diaz tripped his leg out from under him, but MacDonald instantly stood up and scored with two quick combinations. Diaz remained aggressive and landed a lead right hook, but MacDonald countered with a flurry and two knees in close. Another knee landed for MacDonald as he backed away, and he jumped in with a flying knee before the bell. 10-9 MacDonald.
Round 3:
Both fighters landed leg kicks in the final round and MacDonald continued to land more kicks in the opening minute. Diaz clinched and MacDonald backed him up to the cage. Diaz dove for a takedown, but MacDonald made him pay with punches. Diaz stood and was violently slammed to the mat twice. He appeared to be hurt, but weathered the storm as MacDonald unloaded with punches. MacDonald looked for an arm-triangle choke from the top, but Diaz escaped.
MacDonald stood over Diaz, then hurt him again with right hands. As Diaz stood, MacDonald delivered another highlight-reel slam to the canvas. Diaz managed to work back to his feet in a clinch against the cage. MacDonald landed a knee and avoided a trip takedown. He stuffed another takedown and landed two punches and an elbow. MacDonald took Diaz down and elbowed from the top. He landed more punches and elbows to the head and body until the bell. 10-9 MacDonald. Could be a 10-8.
Winner: Rory MacDonald by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 11-1-0.
Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger vs Sean Pierson
Round 1:
Lead hooks landed for both fighters early in the fight and Ellenberger connected with a short right cross. He followed with a leg kick and took Pierson down. Pierson quickly scrambled back to his feet and avoided a one-two. Ellenberger scored with a hard right hand and cut Pierson with a flurry in close. Pierson weathered the storm, but Ellenberger drilled him with a massive left hook. Pierson staggered and Ellenberger dropped him with a follow-up right to finish the fight.
Winner: Jake Ellenberger by KO (Punches) at 2:42 of round one. He improves to 24-5-0.
Claude “The Prince” Patrick vs Daniel “Ninja” Roberts
Round 1:
Roberts immediately rushed in and Patrick countered by taking him down. Patrick moved to half-guard as Roberts worked for a Kimura. Patrick stood and Roberts released the hold. Patrick landed a one-two and a leg kick, then clinched. The fighters battled for position against the cage and Patrick landed knees in close. Patrick backed up and avoided a Superman Punch, then connected with a lunging left hook.
Patrick took Roberts down again and wound up on top in half-guard. Patrick looked to set up an arm-triangle choke, but Roberts escaped and regained full guard. Roberts attempted an omoplata and stood up, but Patrick punished him with big punches to the head and body. Roberts retreated and Patrick remained aggressive until the bell. 10-9 Patrick.
Round 2:
Patrick landed leg kicks and punches in close early in the second round. Roberts countered with a kick of his own, but Patrick backed him up with a left cross. Patrick continued to dominate the striking exchanges and took Roberts down, but Roberts quickly took advantage by using a guillotine choke to reverse position.
From the top in side control, Roberts worked for an arm-triangle choke, but Patrick was able to regain half-guard. Roberts attempted to take Patrick’s back with a body triangle, but lost the position and wound up in guard. Patrick stood up and briefly tripped Roberts to the mat. Roberts stood and was hit with a body kick and a punching combination. Close round. 10-9 Patrick.
Round 3:
Roberts slowed way down in the final round, but landed a nice body kick. He attempted a Superman Punch, but came up short. Patrick clinched and backed Roberts up with short left hands. He took Roberts down against the cage and moved straight to mount. Roberts escaped to butterfly guard and scrambled to his feet.
Patrick landed a knee and secured a front headlock, but Roberts broke free before Patrick could throw any more knees. Roberts tried for a takedown, but referee Dan Miragliotta separated the fighters. Patrick landed a front kick to the body and stuffed a takedown with a guillotine choke. Roberts escaped before the bell and landed short punches. 10-9 Patrick.
Winner: Claude Patrick by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 14-1-0.
“The Pride of El Salvador” Ivan Menjivar vs Charlie Valencia
Round 1:
The opening round began with both fighters landing body kicks and lead left hands. A clinch followed and the fighters traded knees to the body. He landed a devastating elbow over the top that instantly shattered Valencia’s nose. Valencia collapsed to the canvas and Menjivar landed punches until referee “Big” John McCarthy stopped the fight.
Winner: Ivan Menjivar by TKO (Elbow & Punches) at 1:30 of round one. He improves to 22-8-0.
Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald vs Ryan Jensen
Round 1:
MacDonald clinched early on and Jensen tried to counter by pulling guard with a guillotine choke. MacDonald easily escaped and took Jensen’s back. He transitioned to the side and worked for a triangle choke. Jensen picked MacDonald up and slammed him down, but it only made the choke tighter and he was soon forced to submit.
Winner: Jason MacDonald by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 1:37 of round one. He improves to 25-14-0.
John “The Bull” Makdessi vs Kyle Watson
Round 1:
The fighters traded kicks to the legs and body early on and Watson fired one to the head. Makdessi blocked it and resumed circling. A nice counter left hook landed for Makdessi as Watson threw a leg kick. Watson slowed down, but landed a hard leg kick. Makdessi clipped him with another left hook counter seconds later.
More kicks were exchanged and Makdessi scored with a spinning back kick to the body. Makdessi began to dance around and landed a front hook kick to the face. He followed with another spinning back kick, but missed. Watson employed a pair of Superman Punches, but they had little effect and Makdessi countered with a left hook. 10-9 Makdessi.
Round 2:
Makdessi opened the second round with kicks to the lead leg and ribs of Watson, then caught him with two hard left hooks. Watson pushed forward and just missed with a knee in a clinch. Makdessi continued to find a home for his lead left hook and landed a right cross immediately after. Watson landed a clean head kick, but it had no effect whatsoever.
Makdessi missed with two more front hook kicks and ate a one-two for his efforts. Makdessi connected with a spinning back forearm strike and a flurry of punches. He stunned Watson with a left hook and Watson began to retreat. Makdessi landed a leg kick and a left hook after faking a right cross. He stunned Watson with two more lefts before the bell. 10-9 Makdessi.
Round 3:
Watson landed a body kick to begin the final round and caught one of Makdessi’s. He clinched, but was hit by a counter flurry. Makdessi broke free of the clinch and cut Watson below the left eye. Makdessi then faked a kick and landed a picture-perfect spinning backfist that dropped Watson to the mat, unconscious. Incredible knockout for Makdessi, who remains unbeaten.
Winner: John Makdessi by KO (Spinning Backfist) at 1:27 of round three. He improves to 9-0-0.
Pablo “The Scarecrow” Garza vs Yves “Tiger” Jabouin
Round 1:
The fighters traded strikes early on and Jabouin began to land kicks to Garza’s lead leg. Garza answered with a right hook and a body kick. He clinched and landed knees, but Jabouin broke free and landed a flashy spinning back kick. Jabouin dropped Garza with a hard leg kick and continued to score with more vicious kicks as Garza came up short with a one-two.
Garza landed a knee and jumped into a flying triangle choke. He threw elbows from the bottom, but Jabouin held on and refused to tap. Garza rolled Jabouin over and retained the triangle choke in mount. He landed more elbows and tightened the choke, and Jabouin was finally forced to submit. Impressive win for Garza.
Winner: Pablo Garza by Submission (Flying Triangle Choke) at 4:31 of round one. He improves to 11-1-0.