The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio tonight for UFC Fight Night 40: “Brown vs Silva.” The event was headlined by a five-round welterweight matchup between local favourite Matt “The Immortal” Brown and Brazilian standout Erick “Índio” Silva.
In tonight’s co-main event, Costas Philippou battled Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin in a pivotal middleweight showdown. Erik “New Breed” Koch took on Daron “The Detroit Superstar” Cruickshank and Neil Magny faced Tim “The Dirty Bird” Means. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
Matt “The Immortal” Brown vs Erick “Índio” Silva
Round 1:
Brown punched his way into a clinch right away and reversed a takedown. The fighters stood and Silva landed a hard body kick. He dropped Brown with another body kick and swarmed with elbows. Silva took Brown’s back and worked for a rear-naked choke. He locked on a neck crank, but Brown survived. He eventually scrambled free and returned to his feet.
Brown landed a knee to the body and a barrage of punches and elbows. Both men landed head kicks and Brown threw Silva to the ground. He landed knees on the way up and threw him down again. Silva stood and kicked to the body. Brown teed off with punches to the body and took him down. Ridiculous first round. 10-9 Brown.
Round 2:
Brown started strong with punches in round two, but Silva hurt him with another body kick. Brown recovered and he landed a series of punches and standing elbows. He followed with knees and more elbows in the clinch. Punch after punch scored for Brown and he mixed in more knees, but Silva hurt him yet again with a body shot.
Brown scored a takedown into a top-side crucifix. He switched to an inverted triangle choke and then finally to a modified Brabo choke. Brown mounted Silva and dropped numerous punches and elbows as Silva tried to hang on. Brown attempted an armbar and lost the position, but he trapped Silva in a triangle choke. Silva escaped and finished the round on top. 10-8 Brown.
Round 3:
Brown resumed his assault with knees and elbows in round three. He reversed a takedown and took top position in an exhausted Silva’s guard. Brown cut Silva near the right eye with elbows and avoided a triangle choke attempt. He postured up with a final flurry of punches and Silva rolled to his side, prompting referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.
Winner: Matt Brown by TKO (Elbows & Punches) at 2:11 of round three. He improves to 19-11-0.
Costas Philippou vs Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin
Round 1:
Philippou staggered Larkin with a left hand in the opening minute, but Larkin recovered and circled away. He landed two hard leg kicks and Philippou answered with a lunging one-two. He pinned Larkin against the fence and threw knees to the thigh and body. Larkin broke free and scored with an uppercut and a right hook. Big punches were exchanged in close and Philippou landed two right hooks. Larkin countered with a standing elbow and backed away, but Philippou dropped him with a two-punch combo for the knockout win.
Winner: Costas Philippou by KO (Punches) at 3:47 of round one. He improves to 13-4-0, 1 NC.
Daron “The Detroit Superstar” Cruickshank vs Erik “New Breed” Koch
Round 1:
Cruickshank landed a solid right hand right away and just missed with a side kick. Koch threw kicks to the body and head and Cruickshank responded with a swift kick to the ribs. Both fighters landed kicks to the body and Cruickshank narrowly missed with a spinning back kick. He floored Koch with a head kick behind the ear and absolutely unloaded with punches and elbows on the ground until the fight was finally stopped.
Winner: Daron Cruickshank by TKO (Head Kick & Elbows) at 3:21 of round one. He improves to 15-4-0.
Neil Magny vs Tim “The Dirty Bird” Means
Round 1:
Means landed a front kick and a left hook in round one. He kicked Magny in the ribs and closed in with a knee. Magny secured a body-lock takedown and Means scrambled back up to his feet. A spinning backfist landed flush for Means and Magny backed up. However, Magny dropped Means with a left hand seconds later. Means stood and threw elbows in the clinch. Close first round. 10-9 Magny, just barely.
Round 2:
Both men missed with left hands in round two, but Means found the mark with a standing elbow. He kicked to the body and Magny answered with a jab. Means caught a kick and tripped Magny, then landed knees to the thigh and body. Magny weathered the storm and fought back to his feet. He slammed Means down and landed right hands on the way up. 10-9 Means.
Round 3:
Means hurt Magny with a knee in the final round, but he allowed Magny to recover and the fight returned to the feet. Means locked on a power guillotine choke and used it to take Magny down. Magny initiated a scramble and he got back to his feet. He scored two takedowns and transitioned to Means’s back. He flattened Means out and landed punches to the sides of his head. Magny took top position in Means’s half-guard and landed punches in the final 20 seconds. 10-9 Magny.
Winner: Neil Magny by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 10-3-0.
Soa “The Hulk” Palelei vs Ruan “Fangzz” Potts
Round 1:
Potts tried to set up leg kicks in the opening minute, but Palelei stayed out of range and scored a takedown. Potts countered with a guillotine choke and Palelei had to act quickly to escape. Potts switched to a triangle choke and Palelei pulled his upper body free. He mounted Potts and knocked him out cold almost immediately with one left hand. Palelei landed a few more punches before the fight was stopped.
Winner: Soa Palelei by KO (Punches) at 2:20 of round one. He improves to 21-3-0.
Chris “Kamikaze” Cariaso vs Louis “Da Last Samurai” Smolka
Round 1:
Smolka clinched and held Cariaso against the fence in the opening round. Both men landed knees to the body and Smolka kept Cariaso pinned until Cariaso broke away with a standing elbow. He followed with a one-two and a grazing head kick. The fighters clinched again and Smolka landed a series of left hands to the liver. Cariaso countered with a guillotine choke and Smolka scrambled to escape before the bell. Close round. 10-9 Cariaso.
Round 2:
Cariaso closed in with a body kick and a quick one-two in the second round. Smolka attempted a hip toss and Cariaso countered by taking his back. He worked for a rear-naked choke and Smolka escaped out the back. Cariaso attempted an armbar from his back and Smolka scrambled free once again. Cariaso took Smolka back down and punched from the top. Smolka stood and ate a knee and two body kicks. The fighters exchanged punching combinations and Cariaso landed a counter right hook. He pulled guard with a guillotine choke and switched to a power guillotine, but time expired. 10-9 Cariaso.
Round 3:
Cariaso countered Smolka’s kicks with overhand lefts and rights in round three. Smolka began to target the body and Cariaso kicked at his lead leg. Smolka secured a takedown and punched free of an omoplata attempt. He mounted Cariaso and landed a big elbow. Cariaso tried again to set up an omoplata and he battled back to his feet. Smolka threw Cariaso down, but Cariaso reversed on the way down and the fighters stood once more. Cariaso knocked Smolka down with a leg kick and he continued to chop away at Smolka’s left leg. Smolka punched his way into a clinch and Cariaso locked on a guillotine choke. Close final round. 10-9 Smolka.
Winner: Chris Cariaso by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 17-5-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)