Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson vs Matt “The Hammer” Hamill
Round 1:
The fighters circled early on and traded jabs until Gustafsson landed a big uppercut. He followed with a right hook and kept his distance. A kick landed for Gustafsson to the upper body and he landed another uppercut. Hamill missed with a lunging punch and a leg kick. Gustafsson unloaded with a quick flurry to the head and body.
Hamill connected with a counter left hook that cut Gustafsson beside the right eye, but Gustafsson answered with a quick flurry. Hamill tried to closr the distance for a takedown and landed a right hook, but ate a pair of uppercuts. Gustafsson landed a pair of right hooks and a left late in the round. 10-9 Gustafsson.
Round 2:
Hamill closed the distance and clinched in round two, but Gustafsson countered with a flurry of short punches. Hamill landed two of his own and circled away. Gustafsson fought off a takedown attempt with uppercuts and a body kick. Hamill’s right eye began to swell and bleed. Gustafsson connected with a nice combination and shrugged off another takedown. He followed with another series of strikes, punctuated by a head kick.
Gustafsson stepped out of a takedown attempted and floored Hamill with uppercuts to the head and body. Hamill crumpled in a heap and appeared to be done as Gustafsson unloaded with more punches and some vicious elbows. The fight was not stopped, so Gustafsson continued to tee off. Hamill gave up his back, then rolled to his back again and Gustafsson landed punches and elbows from mount for the stoppage.
Winner: Alexander Gustafsson by TKO (Punches & Elbows) at 3:34 of round two. He improves to 12-1-0.
Chad “Money” Mendes vs Rani Yahya
Round 1:
The fighters circled in the opening minute and Mendes threw occasional leg kicks. One struck Yahya in the groin and time was called. The fight resumed and Mendes landed more leg kicks. He followed with a left hook and the fighters traded punches. Mendes landed a leg kick and easily avoided a takedown. Mendes stayed busy with leg kicks and a handful of punches.
Yahya threw a body kick and tried to punch his way into a clinch, but Mendes threw him to the side. A three-punch flurry backed Yahya up and Yahya missed with a wild spinning crescent kick. Mendes defended a takedown by slamming Yahya down, then backed away. He landed a nice left hook to the body and threw a flying knee late in the round. 10-9 Mendes.
Round 2:
Yahya closed in with punches in round two, but was slammed down again. Yahya tried to set up a submission and Mendes stood up. Yahya followed and landed a leg kick. Mendes shrugged off a takedown and countered a lead left hook with a right cross. Both fighters landed left hands and Mendes took Yahya down. Mendes landed an elbow from the top and stood up.
Yahya got back to his feet and landed a nice left hook counter. Mendes connected with a right hook and another one soon after. He just missed with a lead uppercut and landed with a right. Yahya rushed forward with punches, but Mendes circled away and tried for a slam takedown. Yahya escaped the clinch with a knee and landed a flurry in the final seconds. 10-9 Mendes by a slim margin.
Round 3:
Mendes took Yahya back down in the final round and threw occasional strikes from the top. Yahya answered with palm strikes from his back, but the action remained sparse. Mendes managed to land short elbows and tried to posture up. He stood and Yahya followed, but Mendes promptly took him back down again. Yahya tried to set up a Kimura, but Mendes easily avoided it.
Mendes stood up to avoid a Yahya omoplata. He returned to Yahya’s guard briefly, but stood again to escape a leglock attempt. Mendes threw a front kick, but ate a left hook and lost his balance. Yahya stayed active with punches, but Mendes took him back down. He did a somersault flip at the bell. 10-9 Mendes.
Winner: Chad Mendes by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 11-0-0.
“The Pride of El Salvador” Ivan Menjivar vs Nick Pace
Round 1:
Pace clinched and tried to back Menjivar up to the cage in the opening round, but Menjivar fired off a head kick and circled out. The fighters traded punches and Pace landed a nice left hook. Menjivar missed with a looping right. Pace landed leg kicks and time was called after a kick to the groin from Menjivar. Action resumed and Menjivar landed a leg kick.
Pace took Menjivar down and tried to pass, but Menjivar used rubber guard and elbows to keep him in place. Pace moved to side control and took Menjivar’s back. Menjivar stood, but Pace maintained the choke and switched to a neck crank. Menjivar managed to free himself and Pace landed a front kick. 10-9 Pace.
Round 2:
Menjivar caught a kick and landed a right hook in round two. He threw a series of leg kicks and one to the upper body. More kicks followed for Menjivar and he landed a one-two in close. Pace fired back with two looping punches and circled away. A hard right hook and a spinning back kick to the body landed for Menjivar as Pace appeared to slow down.
Menjivar began to target the body with punches and knees. Pace missed with punches and ate a pair of leg kicks. Menjivar closed in with punches and remained aggressive with leg kicks. Pace took Menjivar down and tried for a guillotine choke as Menjivar looked to sweep. Pace postured up with punches before the bell. 10-9 Menjivar.
Round 3:
Menjivar opened the final round with a series of leg kicks and stuffed a takedown. He landed a right hook and a leg kick, then followed with a combination as Pace bled from a cut near the right eye. Menjivar threw more leg kicks and a combination to the body, but Pace scored with a solid right hook counter. Time was called after Pace was kicked in the groin.
The fight continued and both fighters landed kicks. Menjivar landed a combination in close and backed Pace up to the cage. Pace landed a devastating knee to the eye that hurt Menjivar and closed up his eye. Menjivar, clearly hurt, began to backpedal as Pace pushed forward with punches and kicks. Menjivar remained on the defensive as Pace chased him with punches and a flying knee. 10-9 Pace due to the late rally.
Winner: Ivan Menjivar by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 23-8-0.
Johnny Hendricks vs Mike Pierce
Round 1:
Hendricks clinched early on and looked to land strikes in close. He backed Pierce up to the cage and the fighters battled for position. They separated and exchanged leg kicks. Pierce closed the distance, but Hendricks took him down against the cage and secured back control briefly. Pierce scrambled out and stood.
Hendricks landed a knee to the body in close and Pierce fired back with a standing elbow. Leg kicks and punches landed for both fighters in close and they clinched once again. Hendricks backed away after a knee and landed a solid uppercut and a one-two late in the round. 10-9 Hendricks.
Round 2:
Both fighters landed punches in close in the second round and Pierce forced Hendricks to circle away with a hard one-two. Pierce ducked into a head kick and Hendricks continued to mix up his strikes. Pierce sprawled out of a takedown and the fighters briefly traded punches in a clinch. Referee Mario Yamasaki separated them and Pierce soon tried for a standing guillotine choke.
Hendricks broke free and landed a knee. Pierce replied with a nice combination that stunned Hendricks briefly, but Hendricks pressed forward with knees and punches. Both fighters landed in an exchange and Hendricks took Pierce’s back in a clinch against the cage. He threw knees to the thigh and fought off a Kimura attempt at the bell. 10-9 Hendricks.
Round 3:
Hendricks landed an uppercut to open the final round and that set off a brief exchange of power strikes. Pierce clinched and tried for a takedown. Hendricks stayed up, but Pierce landed a standing elbow. He sprawled out of a takedown and tried for a guillotine choke. Hendricks punched his way out and landed a knee. Pierce got him down for a second and took his back, but Hendricks escaped.
Pierce slammed Hendricks to the mat and worked from the top in guard. Hendricks looked to use rubber guard, but Pierce landed an elbow and added in more soon after. Time was called after an illegal upkick from Hendricks, but action resumed and Hendricks landed a big knee. Pierce responded with punches, but Hendricks tried to take him down. Hendricks landed knees to the leg. 10-9 Pierce, just barely. Good fight.
Winner: Johnny Hendricks by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 11-1-0.
Mike Brown vs Nam Phan
Round 1:
Brown threw overhand rights and looked for a takedown early on. Phan countered with jabs and Brown answered with a left hook and front kicks. Brown took Phan’s back and dragged him to the mat. He flattened him out and threw punches to try to set up a rear-naked choke. Brown scored with solid left hands for over a minute as Phan tried to scramble out to his feet.
Brown kept Phan down and bloodied him with punches, then isolated his right arm in the seatbelt position. Phan could not escape and Brown landed more punches. Brown postured up and continued to punch as the round progressed. He moved to a partial mount position and threw punches and slashing elbows, then took Phan back down after he finally stood. 10-8 Brown.
Round 2:
Phan sprawled out of a takedown in the second round and managed to land short elbows against the cage. Brown tripped him briefly, but Phan circled out and the fighters traded punches. Phan jabbed and landed a nice combination. He sprawled out of a takedown and scored with a hard left hook to the liver. More punches to the body landed for Phan and he landed a three-punch flurry to the head as well.
Brown swept Phan’s legs out from under him and took him down against the cage. Phan used a Kimura to stand up and Brown connected with two overhand rights. Phan countered with punches to the head and body and mixed in an uppercut. A body kick also landed for Phan and he ducked under a one-two. Brown tried to take him down and Phan stayed up. Brown landed front kicks late in the round. 10-9 Phan.
Round 3:
Phan opened the final round with a flurry of punches to the head and body. Brown fired back with powerful right hands and tried for a takedown. He got Phan down on the second try, but Phan stood and attempted a standing Kimura. He circled out and Brown landed a lead left hook. Brown tried again for a takedown and Phan defended, but Brown landed a nice left hook in close.
Brown began to mix up his strikes with punches and front kicks to the body. Phan clipped him with a lead left hook and Brown clinched. He backed Phan up to the cage and dropped down for a takedown. Brown took Phan’s back on the feet and threw knees to the thigh. Phan spun into the clinch with an elbow strike and the round came to a close. 10-9 Brown.
Winner: Mike Brown by Unanimous Decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 25-8-0.
Rafael “Sapo” Natal vs Paul “The Gentleman” Bradley
Round 1:
Bradley waded in with looping punches early on and Natal answered with a jab and a leg kick. Bradley’s left leg immediately began to swell up and the jab from Natal bloodied his nose. Kicks were exchanged and Natal backed Bradley up with a front kick. The fighters traded power punches in close and Natal shrugged off a takedown attempt.
Natal landed a hard leg kick and both fighters threw right hands. Natal avoided another takedown from Bradley, but Bradley caught a kick and landed a right hook. Natal countered with a knee and a right of his own. A right hand counter scored for Bradley after a Natal leg kick, but Bradley was unable to follow up. 10-9 Natal.
Round 2:
Bradley rocked Natal with big punches to open the second round, then slammed his stunned opponent to the mat against the cage. Bradley punched from the top until Natal scrambled for a leg submission and stood up. Natal returned to leg kicks and avoided a one-two from Bradley. A lunging flurry landed for Natal and Bradley responded with a left hook.
Natal jabbed and Bradley circled away. Another leg kick and a quick combination scored for Natal and he remained active with strikes while staying out of Bradley’s range. Time was called after Bradley was poked in the eye. Action resumed and Natal threw kicks. Bradley replied with a jab and took Natal down. He landed short strikes before the bell. 10-9 Bradley, barely.
Round 3:
Bradley wobbled Natal briefly with a counter one-two in the final round, but Natal recovered and threw kicks and knees. Natal followed with more leg kicks and a running combination, then avoided a takedown. Natal missed with a spinning backfist, but stayed on his feet again when Bradley tried to take him down.
Natal unloaded with punches and a knee, then stepped free of another takedown. He backed Bradley up with a combination and Bradley was forced to clinch. The fighters were quickly separated and Natal resumed kicking at Bradley’s legs. Bradley took Natal down briefly, but Natal scrambled to his feet. Bradley clinched and Natal landed knees. 10-9 Natal.
Winner: Rafael Natal by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 13-3-1.