The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico tonight for UFC Fight Night 167: “Anderson vs Blachowicz 2.” The event was headlined by a light heavyweight rematch between contenders Corey “Overtime” Anderson and Jan Blachowicz.
In the welterweight co-main event, Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez took on Michel “Demolidor” Pereira. Elsewhere on the main card, Montana De La Rosa battled Mara “Maravilla” Romero Borella in a featured flyweight matchup. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s UFC card.
Jan Blachowicz vs Corey “Overtime” Anderson
Round 1:
Both men landed stiff jabs and inside-leg kicks in the opening seconds of the fight and Anderson punched his way into a brief clinch. Blachowicz broke free and landed a three-punch combo soon after. Both men landed left hooks in close and Blachowicz backed Anderson up with a one-two. Seconds later, Blachowicz landed a counter right hook and Anderson collapsed unconscious to the mat. Impressive knockout win for Blachowicz.
Winner: Jan Blachowicz by KO (Punch) at 3:08 of round one. He improves to 26-8-0.
Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez vs Michel “Demolidor” Pereira
Round 1:
Sanchez opened the fight with a somersault kick and he circled at a distance as Pereira closed in with body kicks. Sanchez responded with a leg kick and he continued to circle to the side. Pereira landed a grazing head kick after jumping off of the cage wall and he continued to stalk Sanchez as the round progressed. Pereira landed a right hand and a body kick, then stuffed a takedown attempt from Sanchez. In the final minute, Pereira landed two knees to the chest and short right hands before avoiding a wild somersault kick. Sanchez continued to press forward and Pereira landed a knee. 10-9 Pereira.
Round 2:
Pereira landed a knee to the body and one-twos in close in the second round. Sanchez circled on the outside and then ran after Pereira with punches that came up short. Pereira landed a hard kick to the body and a right hand that prompted Sanchez to clinch. Pereira broke free and threw another knee that was answered by a Sanchez body kick. Pereira backed him up with a right cross and Sanchez landed a counter one-two after regaining his footing. A Superman Punch off of the cage landed for Pereira and he followed with a knee. Seconds later, Pereira jumped in with a flying knee that led to a brief clinch. He countered a missed spinning back kick from Sanchez by slamming him down to the mat. 10-9 Pereira.
Round 3:
Pereira closed the distance with kicks in round two and Sanchez fell to his back during an exchange, which prompted Pereira to attempt a cartwheel guard pass before the fighters returned to their feet. Pereira threw a flying knee and followed with more punches on the ground after Sanchez fell again. Pereira motioned for Sanchez to stand up and Pereira easily thwarted a takedown attempt. Both men landed punches and Pereira attacked with a series of knees. Sanchez dropped down to one knee and Pereira kneed him in the forehead, which opened a large gash. Time was called to check on the cut. Sanchez indicated that he could not continue and the fight was therefore waved off.
Winner: Diego Sanchez by DQ (Illegal Knee) at 3:09 of round three. He improves to 30-12-0.
Montana De La Rosa vs Mara “Maravilla” Romero Borella
Round 1:
Borella landed a quick combination early on and she ducked under a head kick attempt from De La Rosa. Borella took De La Rosa down after catching a kick and landed a short uppercut on the way up. De La Rosa dropped levels for a takedown and Borella took partial back control in a Twister setup position. Borella threw elbows to the body as she tried to take De La Rosa’s back, but De La Rosa scrambled up to her feet and secured a brief takedown of her own. This allowed her to hop on Borella’s back as Borella stood up, but Borella shook her off. De La Rosa jumped on her back again and Borella threw elbows to her thighs. De La Rosa got off of Borella’s back and landed knees just before the bell. Very close back-and-forth round. 10-9 Borella, barely.
Round 2:
The second round began with Borella landing another flurry of punches and she rushed forward with more punches soon after. De La Rosa clinched and took her down into back control. She tried to trap Borella’s left arm with her legs while working for a rear-naked choke, but Borella defended and both women landed punches to the face of the other while battling for hand position. De La Rosa tried to transition into an arm-triangle choke position and settled for side control. She took Borella’s back once more late in the round. 10-9 De La Rosa.
Round 3:
Borella once again opened the final round with a combination and De La Rosa jabbed from a distance. A hard right hand landed for De La Rosa, but she did not follow up on it. Seconds later, De La Rosa countered a right hook from Borella with one of her own and Borella collapsed to the mat. De La Rosa entered her guard and Borella tied her up while recovering. De La Rosa passed to half-guard and she landed elbows to Borella’s ribs. In the final 30 seconds, De La Rosa locked on an arm-triangle choke, but Borella kept her trapped in half-guard and De La Rosa finished the round with punches from the top. 10-9 De La Rosa. Could be a 10-8.
Winner: Montana De La Rosa by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. She improves to 11-5-0.
Brok “Chata Tuska” Weaver vs Rodrigo “Kazula” Vargas
Round 1:
Vargas struck first with leg kicks and looping punches before closing the distance. He landed more punches in close and took Weaver down near the cage wall. Weaver countered with a guillotine choke attempt, but quickly let it go and Vargas kept him down against the base of the cage. Weaver pulled guard with a tight guillotine choke and Vargas had to act quickly to escape. Weaver tried for an armbar from the bottom and Vargas escaped again. He stood over a seated Weaver and landed a vicious knee to the face that rendered Weaver briefly unconscious. The knee strike was clearly illegal to a downed opponent and Vargas was disqualified, as Weaver was still dazed after waking up.
Winner: Brok Weaver by DQ (Illegal Knee) at 4:02 of round one. He improves to 15-4-0.
Ray “The Tazmexican Devil” Borg vs Rogério Bontorin
Round 1:
After an early exchange of punches, the fighters clinched against the cage and Bontorin threw knees to Borg’s thighs before taking his back. Borg turned into the clinch again and quickly dropped levels for a takedown. He got Bontorin down into half-guard and avoided Bontorin’s armbar attempts. Borg landed a slashing elbow and took Bontorin’s back as the fighters returned to their feet. A hard right hook landed for Borg and he took Bontorin back down. 10-9 Borg.
Round 2:
Borg shot in for a takedown in the second round and he managed to get Bontorin down on his second try. Borg attempted a rear-naked choke and Bontorin defended before standing with Borg on his back. Borg threw hammerfists and repeatedly tried for rear-naked chokes as time ticked down. Bontorin ultimately managed to get Borg off of his back, but Borg responded with a swift takedown and he worked from the top in half-guard. Bontorin tried to kick him off, but Borg took his back in a scramble and tried once more for a rear-naked choke. 10-9 Borg.
Round 3:
Borg secured three more takedowns in round three and he hopped on Bontorin’s back again. Bontorin eventually shook him off and Borg worked to take him back down. He did so against the cage with 1:40 remaining and worked from the top with short elbows to Bontorin’s face. Bontorin tried to get to his feet and Borg punished him with hard punches to the face. He landed a knee and took Bontorin down once more before the end of the fight. 10-9 Borg.
Winner: Ray Borg by Unanimous Decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 13-4-0.
“Groovy” Lando Vannata vs Yancy “The Kid” Medeiros
Round 1:
Both men landed jabs in the opening minute and Vannata circled on the outside before throwing a head kick and a follow-up one-two. He countered a lead right hand with a quick combination and backed Medeiros up against the cage with a hard flurry of power punches. Medeiros weathered the storm and circled to the side before landing two leg kicks. A pair of body kicks also scored for Medeiros as the round progressed, but Vannata scored with a hard combination late in the round. 10-9 Vannata.
Round 2:
Vannata connected with a right hand in the early stages of round two and he tripped Medeiros following a brief clinch. Medeiros stood and Vannata landed a kick-punch combo. Medeiros responded with two left hooks and he followed with more punches that led to an exchange of hooks in close. Vannata tried to take Medeiros down and Medeiros stayed on his feet. The fighters traded punches late in the round and Vannata scored with a front kick to the liver. Close round. 10-9 Vannata by a slim margin.
Round 3:
Vannata opened the final round with lunging punches and he followed with a spinning hook kick. Medeiros circled on the outside and Vannata targeted the body with front kicks and jabs. Medeiros, bleeding from the nose, began to establish his jab and that prompted Vannata to fire off another quick combination. He continued to attack Medeiros’s body with kicks and jabs, then followed with a right hook over the top. The pace slowed and Vannata missed with a spinning wheel kick. He tried for a takedown and Medeiros stuffed it before landing an elbow on the break. Both men landed big one-twos in the final minute and Medeiros pressed forward with one more combination before the bell. 10-9 Vannata.
Winner: Lando Vannata by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 11-4-2.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)