Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Peña vs “Alpha” Cat Zingano
Round 1:
Zingano rushed forward and clinched right away, then took Peña down into side control. Peña stood and tried for a trip takedown, but she wound up on the bottom. The fight returned to the feet again and this time Peña secured a takedown into top position in Zingano’s half-guard. She tried for a guillotine choke in a scramble and lost the position. Peña struck with palm strikes from the bottom while trapping Zingano’s arms. Zingano snuck in occasional elbows from the bottom, but Peña remained very active and she spun into an armbar attempt. Zingano punched free and the round ended with an exchange on the feet. Close round. 10-9 Peña, just barely.
Round 2:
Zingano took Peña down again in round two. Peña stood, but Zingano suplexed her to the mat and landed on top in side control. Peña swept into top position and Zingano countered with an inverted triangle choke. She let it go and switched to a modified arm-triangle choke from the bottom. Peña escaped and locked on a neck crank. Zingano broke her grip, but Peña stayed on her back and sunk in a body triangle. She worked to set up a rear-naked choke until the end of the round. 10-9 Peña.
Round 3:
Peña tripped Zingano to the mat in round three and landed elbows from the top in half-guard. Zingano tried to kick her off, but Peña dropped back down into side control. She took Zingano’s back and worked again for rear-naked chokes. Zingano appeared to be in danger, but she managed to escape from a choke by breaking Peña’s grip. Peña landed punches from the back and hunted for chokes until Zingano secured a reversal just before the bell. 10-9 Peña.
Winner: Julianna Peña by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 8-2-0.
Kelvin Gastelum vs Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks
Round 1:
The southpaw fighters traded overhand lefts in the early goings and Gastelum backed Hendricks up with a one-two. Gastelum mixed in chopping leg kicks and two more left hands. He continued to land one-twos until Hendricks answered with an uppercut. More one-twos scored for Gastelum and he stunned Hendricks with a flurry against the cage. Hendricks clinched, but Gastelum broke free and landed straight left hands. The fighters exchanged hard punches in the final seconds and Hendricks landed two of his best shots in the round. 10-9 Gastelum.
Round 2:
Gastelum connected with more right-left combos in the second round, but Hendricks was more active and he landed kicks and overhand lefts. Gastelum set up more left hands with jabs and he landed a spinning back kick to the body. Gastelum backed Hendricks up against the cage and landed punches to the body and head. He landed two solid leg kicks before the bell. 10-9 Gastelum.
Round 3:
Hendricks slowed down in round three and Gastelum remained the aggressor. He landed one-twos at will and kept Hendricks on the defensive. Hendricks eventually shot in for a takedown, but Gastelum fought him off with elbows to the body. Gastelum slipped while throwing a knee to the body, but quickly regained his footing and the fight ended with an exchange of big power punches. 10-9 Gastelum.
Winner: Kelvin Gastelum by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 12-2-0.
T.J. Dillashaw vs Raphael Assuncao
Round 1:
The fight began with an exchange of jabs and lunging punches. Both men mixed in hard leg kicks and Dillashaw began to show the damage on his right thigh. Assuncao caught a kick and landed a counter knee, but Dillashaw pulled his leg free and scored with more leg kicks. Assuncao caught a head kick and fired back with right hands. Dillashaw continued to find success with head kicks and he landed looping right hooks late in the round. 10-9 Dillashaw.
Round 2:
Dillashaw darted in and out with quick punches throughout the first half of round two. Assuncao responded with occasional right hands, but Dillashaw held a clear speed advantage and he picked his shots with right hands that caused Assuncao’s nose to bleed. Assuncao landed two hard leg kicks and scored a very brief takedown. Dillashaw stood and time was called after Assuncao was poked in the eye. Action resumed and Dillashaw landed two kick-punch combos before time expired. 10-9 Dillashaw.
Round 3:
Dillashaw continued to outstrike Assuncao with combinations in the final round and Assuncao resorted to throwing single punches in return. A nice body kick landed for Dillashaw and Assuncao answered with a right cross. He finally put together a kick-punch combo of his own, but Dillashaw replied with leg kicks and a takedown. Assuncao stood and nothing transpired before the bell. 10-9 Dillashaw.
Winner: T.J. Dillashaw by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 13-3-0.
“Super” Sage Northcutt vs Enrique “Wasabi” Marín
Round 1:
After an exchange of jabs, Northcutt landed a head kick and a one-two early on. He followed with another head kick and a flying knee. Marín took him down against the cage and attacked with a heel hook attempt. Northcutt escaped into side control and took Marín’s back. Northcutt looked for an arm-triangle choke in a scramble, but Marín spun free. He stood and landed a knee to the body. Northcutt responded with knees and a takedown attempt. Marín reversed and took his back, but Northcutt shook him off. Both men attempted guillotine chokes late in the round. 10-9 Northcutt.
Round 2:
Hard right hands landed for both fighters in round two and Marín reversed a takedown into top position. He transitioned from a kimura to a deep armbar, but Northcutt refused to tap out and escaped into Marín’s guard. Marín scrambled and took top position in side control. He secured another kimura from North-South position and then switched to an armbar once more. Northcutt escaped again and finished the round with elbows. 10-9 Marín.
Round 3:
Northcutt opened the final round with kick-punch combinations and Marín countered by clinching in search of a takedown. He got Northcutt down against the cage, but Northcutt worked back to his feet. He cut Marín with elbows while fighting off more takedown attempts. Marín eventually tripped him again and landed short left hands while working to pass to mount. Northcutt gave up his back as he stood up, but he rolled through and wound up on top in Marín’s guard. Northcutt finished the round with punches and elbows. 10-9 Northcutt.
Winner: Sage Northcutt by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 8-1-0.
Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon vs Diego “The Nightmare” Sanchez
Round 1:
Sanchez lunged in with uppercut-cross combos in the opening seconds. Lauzon dropped him twice with hooks and a left uppercut. Sanchez recovered enough to get back to his feet, but Lauzon swarmed on him and absolutely unloaded with punches. He badly rocked Sanchez again and continued to blast him with huge shots as Sanchez leaned against the cage. Referee Mark Smith let the fight go on far too long, but finally intervened after a final barrage of punches from Lauzon as a wobbly Sanchez struggled to stay upright.
Winner: Joe Lauzon by TKO (Punches) at 1:26 of round one. He improves to 26-11-0.
Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi vs Thiago “Marreta” Santos
Round 1:
Mousasi countered Santos’s early punches with a head kick attempt. Both men landed hard punches and Mousasi rocked and dropped Santos with uppercuts. He took Santos’s back on the ground, but Santos recovered and regained half-guard. Mousasi flurried with punches from the top and Santos scrambled up to his feet. Just as he stood, Mousasi floored him with a lunging right hand. A barely-conscious Santos rolled to his side and Mousasi landed follow-up punches for the finish.
Winner: Gegard Mousasi by KO (Punches) at 4:32 of round one. He improves to 39-6-2.
Jim Miller vs Takanori “Fireball Kid” Gomi
Round 1:
Miller secured a takedown into back control in the opening round and he used short strikes to try to set up rear-naked choke attempts. Miller flattened Gomi out and landed numerous unanswered punches until the brief bout was stopped.
Winner: Jim Miller by TKO (Punches) at 2:18 of round one. He improves to 26-8-0, 1 NC.