The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota tonight for UFC on FX 5: “Browne vs Bigfoot.” The card endured a number of last-minute changes and featured a heavyweight bout between top prospect Travis “Hapa” Browne and veteran Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.
In tonight’s co-main event, Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger looked to get back into welterweight title contention when he faced the returning Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron. John “The Magician” Dodson clashed with Jussier “Formiga” da Silva at 125. MMARising.com has play-by-play for the card.
Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva vs Travis “Hapa” Browne
Round 1:
Browne opened the fight with a winging right hook and missed with a spinning hook kick. Silva landed a leg kick and Browne fired off another hard right hand. He appeared to land awkwardly on his left knee as he threw the punch and limped backwards. Silva clinched and Browne held the top of the cage to avoid a takedown. He was warned for the infraction and circled away from the clinch with a knee.
Browne threw a lead left hook and lost his balance on his injured knee. He kicked with his right leg, but Silva countered with punches. A big right hook put Browne down and he was unable to scramble back to his feet. Silva landed punches on the ground until the fight was stopped.
Winner: Antonio Silva by TKO (Punches) at 3:27 of round one. He improves to 17-4-0.
Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger vs Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron
Round 1:
The fighters were cautious in the opening minute as each threw jabs from a distance. Hieron landed a grazing spinning back kick to the body and Ellenberger replied with a combination. Hieron landed a counter left hook, but Ellenberger drilled him with a hard one-two that backed him up. Hieron recovered and missed with another spinning back kick. He tried for a takedown, but Ellenberger balanced on one leg and Hieron fell to the mat. Ellenberger landed punches until Hieron stood up. Neither fighter landed anything cleanly in the final minute. 10-9 Ellenberger.
Round 2:
Hieron connected with a counter left hook in round two and followed with a head kick attempt. He landed a combination and briefly looked for a takedown. It was Ellenberger who took Hieron down and he cut Hieron with an elbow from the top. Hieron kicked Ellenberger off and the fighters traded left hooks on the feet. Hieron threw kicks to the upper body and Ellenberger grazed his chin with an uppercut. Hieron missed with a spinning backfist and jabs were exchanged until the bell. 10-9 Ellenberger.
Round 3:
Hieron avoided a right hand and fired back with a left hook early in round three. Time was called after Ellenberger was kicked in the groin, but action resumed and Hieron remained active with a variety of kicks. Ellenberger took him down momentarily, but Hieron stood and threw more kicks and punches. Ellenberger’s leg began to turn red from Hieron’s kicks, but Ellenberger landed some kicks of his own. He clinched and just missed with a knee as Hieron circled out. Hieron landed a kick to the chest in the final 25 seconds. 10-9 Hieron.
Winner: Jake Ellenberger by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 28-6-0.
John “The Magician” Dodson vs Jussier “Formiga” da Silva
Round 1:
Dodson circled on the outside with jabs early on and landed a nice left cross. Quick punches were exchanged and Dodson threw a pair of one-twos in close. Da Silva answered with a combination and a right hook soon after. He tried for a takedown, but Dodson shrugged him off. Dodson landed an uppercut and avoided another takedown. Both fighters scored with right hands and Dodson caught a body kick. The fighters clashed heads before the bell. 10-10.
Round 2:
A left hook landed for Dodson in round two and he ducked under a counter right from da Silva. The crowd grew restless as Dodson threw leg kicks and maintained his distance. Dodson landed occasional left hooks and a one-two. A big counter hook dropped da Silva and Dodson pounced with punches on the ground. Da Silva recovered and got back to his feet. A three-punch combo to the head and body dropped da Silva and Dodson landed punches on the ground until the fight was stopped.
Winner: John Dodson by TKO (Punches) at 4:35 of round one. He improves to 14-5-0.
Justin “Fast Eddy” Edwards vs Josh “The Dentist” Neer
Round 1:
Edwards pressed forward and clinched against the cage right away. Neer attempted a takedown, but Edwards locked on a guillotine choke on the way down. He secured full guard and Neer had nowhere to go. Neer was soon rendered unconscious and the fight was stopped.
Winner: Justin Edwards by Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:45 of round one. He improves to 8-2-0.
Undercard Results:
Michael “The Menace” Johnson defeated Danny “Last Call” Castillo by KO (Punches) at 1:06 of round two. He improves to 12-6-0 with the win.
Mike Pierce defeated Aaron “A-Train” Simpson by KO (Punches) at 0:29 of round two. He improves to 15-5-0 with the win.
Marcus “The Prospect” LeVesseur defeated Carlo “Neo” Prater by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 22-6-0 with the win.
Jacob “Christmas” Volkmann defeated Shane Roller by Submission (Neck Crank) at 2:38 of round one. He improves to 15-3-0 with the win.
Diego “The Gun” Nunes defeated Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 18-3-0 with the win.
Darren “BC” Uyenoyama defeated Phil “Billy” Harris by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:38 of round two. He improves to 8-3-0 with the win.