The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC Fight Night 82: “Hendricks vs Thompson.” The event was headlined by a welterweight showdown between Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
Also on the card tonight, Roy “Big Country” Nelson faced off against Jared “The Big Show” Rosholt in the heavyweight co-feature. Ovince “OSP” St. Preux took on Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante in a light heavyweight matchup. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC Fight Night 82 main card.
Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson vs Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks
Round 1:
Hendricks punched his way into an early clinch and worked for a takedown against the cage. Thompson regained his footing and broke away. He landed a side kick and a head kick in succession, then followed with another head kick and a flurry. Thompson picked up the pace and he mixed things up with quick punches and kicks. He backed Hendricks up with a two-punch combo and a head kick, then rocked him with more punches and a spinning back kick. Hendricks wilted against the cage and Thompson unloaded with punches until the bout was stopped.
Winner: Stephen Thompson by TKO (Spinning Back Kick & Punches) at 3:31 of round one. He improves to 12-1-0.
Roy “Big Country” Nelson vs Jared “The Big Show” Rosholt
Round 1:
Nelson pressed the action in the opening minute and he used lead left hands to set up an overhand right. Rosholt threw occasional punches from the outside until Nelson closed the distance. Rosholt landed a hard flurry and Nelson was forced to retreat. Rosholt landed another combination and two stiff jabs. In the final 20 seconds, Rosholt landed a front kick to the body. 10-9 Rosholt.
Round 2:
Rosholt circled and threw occasional punches in the second round. Nelson countered with a leg kick and Rosholt kept him at bay with jabs. He landed a body kick and the crowd began to boo the lack of action. Nelson finally connected with two looping hooks, but Rosholt was unfazed. Another one-two scored for Nelson and Rosholt countered with two short punches. Close round. 10-9 Rosholt.
Round 3:
Stiff jabs were exchanged in the final round and Nelson rushed forward with wild right hands. Rosholt threw next to nothing in return and the crowd began to boo again. Nelson jabbed and he landed two right hands that prompted Rosholt to shoot in for a takedown. Nelson fought it off and the fighters exchanged sloppy punches in the final minute. 10-9 Nelson. Dreadful fight.
Winner: Roy Nelson by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 21-12-0.
Ovince “OSP” St. Preux vs Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante
Round 1:
St. Preux kicked to the body in the opening round and Cavalcante countered with punches. St. Preux appeared to injure his right foot while throwing a kick and Cavalcante chopped away at his lead leg with kicks. Cavalcante became very tentative as the round progressed and St. Preux took advantage by backing him up against the cage with punches. He wobbled Cavalcante, who fell forward to the mat. St. Preux struck from top position late in the round. 10-9 St. Preux in spite of the injury.
Round 2:
St. Preux mixed up his strikes with kicks and punches in the second round while Cavalcante threw almost nothing in return. St. Preux knocked him down with a kick-punch combo and settled into his guard. St. Preux struck from the top until the end of the round, and Cavalcante offered nothing in return. 10-9 St. Preux.
Round 3:
Cavalcante rushed forward with head kicks and punches in the final round. St. Preux countered with left hands and a takedown against the cage. For the next three minutes, St. Preux punched from the top. He stood and dropped some huge shots on Cavalcante in the final 30 seconds. Cavalcante appeared to be rocked, but he narrowly made it to the bell. 10-9 St. Preux.
Winner: Ovince St. Preux by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 19-7-0.
Joseph Benavidez vs Zach “Fun Size” Makovsky
Round 1:
Benavidez opened the action with a leg kick and a three-punch combo. Makovsky slammed him to the mat, but Benavidez quickly returned to his feet. The fighters traded punches and Benavidez landed a short right hand in close. He swarmed on Makovsky with punches and knees to the body, then shrugged off a takedown attempt. Big punches and a body kick scored for Benavidez, but Makovsky briefly took him down. Benavidez stood and Makovsky slammed him down once more. 10-9 Benavidez.
Round 2:
Benavidez once again got the better of the striking exchanges early in round two, but Makovsky eventually scored another slam takedown. Benavidez scrambled up and Makovsky countered a right hook with another takedown attempt. Benavidez tried to throw him over his head, but failed. The fighters stood and Benavidez threw one-twos. Makovsky caught a kick and took Benavidez down. He hopped on Benavidez’s back as the fighters returned to their feet, but Benavidez turned into a clinch and broke free with punches. Close round. 10-9 Benavidez.
Round 3:
Makovsky tried unsuccessfully for takedowns in the final round and Benavidez continued to pick him apart on the feet with kicks and punching combinations. Makovsky landed occasional hooks from a distance, but Benavidez scored with more flurries and he backed Makovsky up with a right hook. Makovsky’s left eye swelled up and he was unable to take Benavidez down. Benavidez pressed forward with a knee and a right cross. He landed two more hooks and dumped Makovsky to the mat before the final bell. 10-9 Benavidez.
Winner: Joseph Benavidez by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 24-4-0.
Misha Cirkunov vs Alex “The Spartan” Nicholson
Round 1:
Cirkunov landed left hands from a distance and he clinched after scoring with a lunging flurry. Nicholson broke free and threw a spinning back elbow, but Cirkunov caught it and trapped him in a standing arm-triangle. Nicholson blatantly grabbed the cage, but it went undetected and Cirkunov landed a knee. He took Nicholson down and landed punches on the way up. Nicholson retreated, but Cirkunov remained aggressive and he scored another takedown after flurrying with punches. He finished the round strong with elbows from the top. 10-9 Cirkunov.
Round 2:
Cirkunov backed Nicholson up with punches and slammed him down to the mat in round two. He took Nicholson’s back and locked on a tight neck crank that forced Nicholson to immediately tap out.
Winner: Misha Cirkunov by Submission (Neck Crank) at 1:28 of round two. He improves to 11-2-0.
Mike “Quicksand” Pyle vs Sean “Black Magic” Spencer
Round 1:
Spencer was aggressive with kicks and punches in the opening minute and Pyle struck from a distance. Spencer jabbed and Pyle countered with a right hook. Spencer floored him with a right hand and followed with punches on the mat. Pyle attempted an armbar and he returned to his feet. Spencer pawed out with lead left hooks and Pyle fired back with right hands before the bell. 10-9 Spencer.
Round 2:
Pyle landed front kicks and a nice right hand in round two and Spencer countered with jabs. Pyle hurt him with a right forearm strike and he followed with more punches as Spencer wobbled backwards. A spinning backfist connected for Pyle, but Spencer recovered and he fired off a flurry. Pyle countered a right hand with a quick one-two and a knee. He shot in for a takedown and dumped Spencer to the mat against the cage. 10-9 Pyle.
Round 3:
Spencer opened the final round with leg kicks and combinations that backed Pyle up. Pyle landed a knee and tripped Spencer to the ground, then attacked with a guillotine choke. Spencer exploded out and tried to stand, but Pyle threw a knee to the chest and threatened with another guillotine. Spencer stood and Pyle connected with a knee and a right hook. He faked a shot and landed a knee, then rocked Spencer with a spinning back elbow. Pyle swarmed on Spencer with knees and more elbows that forced Spencer to turtle against the cage and the fight was stopped.
Winner: Mike Pyle by TKO (Elbows & Knees) at 4:25 of round three. He improves to 27-11-1.
Undercard Fights:
– Joshua “The People’s Warrior” Burkman defeated “King” K.J. Noons by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 28-12-0, 1 NC with the win.
– Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis defeated Damian “The Polish Pitbull” Grabowski by TKO (Punches) at 2:17 of round one. He improves to 14-4-0, 1 NC with the win.
– Justin “Tank” Scoggins defeated Ray “The Tazmexican Devil” Borg by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 11-2-0 with the win.
– Diego “Pitbull” Rivas defeated Noad “Neo” Lahat by KO (Flying Knee) at 0:23 of round two. He improves to 7-0-0 with the win.
– Mickey Gall defeated Mike “The Truth” Jackson by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 0:45 of round one. He improves to 2-0-0 with the win.
– Alex “The Spartan” White defeated Artem “The Russian Hammer” Lobov by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 11-2-0 with the win.