The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida tonight for UFC on FOX 17: “Dos Anjos vs Cerrone 2.” The event was headlined by a UFC Lightweight Championship rematch between champion Rafael dos Anjos and challenger Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
Also on the card, former UFC champion Junior “Cigano” dos Santos battled Alistair Overeem in the heavyweight co-feature. Michael “The Menace” Johnson faced Nate Diaz, and Randa “Quiet Storm” Markos took on Karolina Kowalkiewicz. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
UFC Lightweight Championship
Rafael dos Anjos vs Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone
Round 1:
Dos Anjos hurt Cerrone with a body kick early in the fight and swarmed on him with punches. Cerrone stayed on his feet against the cage, but dos Anjos kept the pressure on. Cerrone shot in for a takedown and dos Anjos stuffed it. He landed more unanswered punches on the ground and the fight was stopped.
Winner: Rafael dos Anjos by TKO (Punches) at 1:06 of round one. He improves to 25-7-0.
Alistair Overeem vs Junior “Cigano” dos Santos
Round 1:
The fighters cautiously circled throughout the opening round and dos Santos landed occasional kicks and knees. Overeem cracked him with a hard right hand, but dos Santos kept him on the defensive with more kicks. He landed a handful of punches and the fighters clinched. Overeem took dos Santos’s back, but time expired seconds later. 10-9 Overeem, barely.
Round 2:
Time was called fight away in round two when Overeem was kicked in the groin. The fight continued, but neither fighter was willing to commit to any sustained offence. Dos Santos landed a knee and a leg kick. Overeem answered with a kick of his own as the crowd booed the lack of action. A big right hand wobbled dos Santos and he was cut beside the right eye. Dos Santos recovered and closed in with a flurry to the body. The fighters separated and Overeem floored him with a vicious left hook. Overeem landed hammerfists until the fight was stopped.
Winner: Alistair Overeem by TKO (Punches) at 4:43 of round two. He improves to 40-14-0, 1 NC.
Nate Diaz vs Michael “The Menace” Johnson
Round 1:
Both fighters landed leg kicks and one-twos in the early stages of round one and Diaz repeatedly scored with jabs. Johnson clipped him with a lead right hook, but Diaz answered right back with more jabs and combinations. Johnson kicked at Diaz’s lead leg and Diaz stuck to a boxing-centred attack. A hard body kick scored for Johnsonand he followed with more leg kicks. Diaz finished the round with another one-two. Close opening round. 10-9 Diaz.
Round 2:
Johnson scored first in round two with a left hook and a body kick. Diaz landed a one-two and Johnson answered back with another left hand. Diaz scored with jab after jab until Johnson connected with a left hook to the temple. A body kick and two big left hands landed for Johnson. Diaz snapped his head back with jabs a right-left combos. He taunted Johnson after tagging him with a pair of one-twos. Diaz dominated the final minute of the round by landing more two-punch combinations that kept Johnson on the defensive. 10-9 Diaz.
Round 3:
Hard combinations landed for Diaz in the final round and Johnson began to target his leg with kicks once again. Diaz stunned him with straight left hands that forced Johnson to clinch. More flurries scored for Diaz, but Johnson held his ground and fired back with a three-punch combo. Diaz landed one-two after one-two and kept Johnson at bay with long jabs. Johnson stunned him with a looping hook and shot in for a takedown. Diaz countered with a kneebar attempt as time expired and Johnson kicked him after the bell. 10-9 Diaz.
Winner: Nate Diaz by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 18-10-0.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Randa “Quiet Storm” Markos
Round 1:
Markos was aggressive with her punches early on, but Kowalkiewicz stunned her with a counter right hand. Markos threw right hooks over the top and the fighters traded knees in a clinch. Hard punches were exchanged and Kowalkiewicz stayed outside of Markos’s range. Markos secured a clinch and she pinned Kowalkiewicz against the fence. Kowalkiewicz broke free and landed a combination. Markos rushed forward and landed two stinging leg kicks. She followed with big punches and Kowalkiewicz answered with a right hook before the bell. Close round. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz.
Round 2:
Kowalkiewicz opened round two with a series of kicks to the lead leg and body of Markos. She landed three quick punches that snapped Markos’s head back. Markos clinched and tried to drag Kowalkiewicz down to the mat. She secured a body triangle and jumped into a rear-naked choke attempt. Kowalkiewicz defended, but Markos pulled back on her arm. She puned from back control and worked again for a rear-naked choke. Kowalkiewicz defended until the end of the round. 10-9 Markos.
Round 3:
Kowalkiewicz countered Markos’s looping hooks with crisp punches in the final round. Markos landed occasional right hands, but Kowalkiewicz tagged her with two- and three-punch combos. A big spinning backfist landed for Kowalkiewicz, but Markos was unfazed and she rushed in with right hands. The fighters clinched and Markos secured a takedown, but Kowalkiewicz immediately swept into top position. She landed short punches from side control and moved to mount. Hard punches and an elbow scored for Kowalkiewicz. Markos stood and both women landed punches. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz.
Winner: Karolina Kowalkiewicz by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 8-0-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)