“Maverick” Michael Chiesa vs Beneil Dariush

Round 1:
Dairush pressed the action with kicks and punches in the opening minute. He punished Chiesa’s legs with kicks and kept him on the defensive. The fighters traded strikes on the feet and Chiesa landed a nice combination that led to a takedown attempt against the cage. Dariush defended well and he landed a series of knees in close. Chiesa attempted another takedown, but Dariush reversed it and took his back before the bell. 10-9 Dariush.

Round 2:
Chiesa scored a takedown in round two and he took Dariush’s back seconds later. Dariush tried to stand and Chiesa locked on a neck crank. Dariush escaped once, but Chiesa tightened his grip again and Dariush was forced to submit.

Winner: Michael Chiesa by Submission (Neck Crank) at 1:20 of round two. He improves to 14-2-0.

Raquel “Rocky” Pennington vs Bethe “Pitbull” Correia

Round 1:
The fighters traded punches early on and Correia countered jabs from Pennington by landing short right hooks. Pennington responded with a right hand of her own and she secured a brief clinch. After separating, Pennington landed a lead left hook and Correia replied with a body kick. Two hard punches scored for Pennington and Correia backed up. She regained her footing and punched her way into a clinch, but Pennington broke free and fired off another combination. Correia pinned her against the fence until the bell. 10-9 Pennington.

Round 2:
The second round began with a big exchange of punches and both women landed hard shots. Correia countered a jumping knee by landing a three-punch flurry. Another combination scored for Correia soon after and Pennington fired back with right and left hooks. The fighters brawled in close and Pennington landed two standing elbows. She backed Correia up with a step-in jab and followed with knees and elbows in a clinch against the cage. Correia stuffed a takedown and Pennington landed two more elbows before time expired. 10-9 Pennington.

Round 3:
Hard right hooks landed for both fighters in the final round and Pennington pressed forward with punches and knees. Correia cracked her with a counter right cross as Pennington threw a leg kick. She held Pennington against the fence until Pennington pushed her off. She landed a nice one-two and Correia circled away. Pennington nearly scored a takedown, but Correia remained on her feet and she landed punches as Pennington threw knees until the end of the close round. 10-9 Correia, barely.

Winner: Raquel Pennington by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. She improves to 7-5-0.

Santiago “Gente Boa” Ponzinibbio vs Court “The Crusher” McGee

Round 1:
McGee rushed in right away and landed a pair of overhand rights. He cracked Ponzinibbio with a five-punch flurry and clinched briefly. Ponzinibbio backed McGee up with a right cross, but McGee recovered quickly. Jabs and right hands followed for Ponzinibbio, who followed with chopping leg kicks. The fighters traded right hands and Ponzinibbio landed more jabs. He floored McGee with a right hand and swarmed on him with more punches and a head kick after a wobbly McGee returned to his feet. Ponzinibbio continued to unload with punches until McGee collapsed again and the fight was stopped.

Winner: Santiago Ponzinibbio by TKO (Punches) at 4:15 of round one. He improves to 22-3-0.

Michael Graves vs Randy “Rudeboy” Brown

Round 1:
Graves worked for takedowns throughout the opening two minutes, but Brown defended well and stayed on his feet. He landed kicks after a break, but Graves finally managed to take him down and he landed punches from the top. Brown worked for a triangle choke and he locked in before the bell, but time expired. 10-9 Graves.

Round 2:
Graves took Brown down early in round two and he used short forearm strikes to fend off Brown’s submission attempts. Brown gave up his back and Graves sunk in a rear-naked choke. Brown had nowhere to go and tapped out.

Winner: Michael Graves by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:31 of round two. He improves to 6-0-0.

Undercard Fights:

– John “The Magician” Dodson defeated Manny “The Anvil” Gamburyan by TKO (Punches) at 0:37 of round one. He improves to 18-7-0 with the win.

– Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira defeated Oluwale “The Holy War Angel” Bamgbose by Unanimous Decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 9-5-0 with the win.

– Elizeu “Capoeira” Zaleski dos Santos defeated Omari “Wolverine” Akhmedov by TKO (Knees & Punches) at 3:03 of round three. He improves to 15-5-0 with the win.