The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC Fight Night 184: “Overeem vs Volkov.” The event featured a heavyweight matchup between long-time contender Alistair “Demolition Man” Overeem and hard-hitting Alexander “Drago” Volkov.
In the bantamweight co-feature, Cory “Sandman” Sandhagen squared off against former lightweight champ Frankie “The Answer” Edgar. Elsewhere on tonight’s main card, Michael “The Menace” Johnson took on Clay “The Carpenter” Guida at 155. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
Alexander “Drago” Volkov vs Alistair “Demolition Man” Overeem
Round 1:
Volkov struck first with two leg kicks and a flurry of punches. Overeem remained defensive in the ensuing minute as Volkov picked his shots with single strikes. Overeem landed a left cross and a three-punch combo. He connected with another combination soon after and followed with a body kick. A counter left hook knocked an off-balance Overeem to the mat and Volkov dove in with right hands on the ground as Overeem returned to his feet against the cage. Overeem circled out and Volkov pursued him with punches and a knee. Late in thew round, Volkov bloodied Overeem’s nose with three right hands. Overeem covered up and Volkov continued to throw punches and another knee before the bell. 10-9 Volkov.
Round 2:
Volkov continued to find success with punching combinations in the second round as Overeem bled from his nose and mouth. Volkov hurt him with a one-two, then wobbled Overeem with another combination. Overeem retreated to the cage and covered up as Volkov threw punches. Overeem weathered the storm and circled away, but a one-two from Volkov sent him crashing to the canvas. Overeem rolled to his back and referee Jason Herzog wisely waved off the fight.
Winner: Alexander Volkov by TKO (Punches) at 2:06 of round two. He improves to 33-8-0.
Cory “Sandman” Sandhagen vs Frankie “The Answer” Edgar
Round 1:
The fighters circled each other in the opening seconds until Sandhagen jumped in with a vicious flying knee. Edgar, instantly unconsciousness, fell face-first to the mat.
Winner: Cory Sandhagen by KO (Flying Knee) at 0:28 of round one. He improves to 14-2-0.
Clay “The Carpenter” Guida vs Michael “The Menace” Johnson
Round 1:
Guida landed leg kicks early in the fight and Johnson answered with a combination. He followed with a lead right hook and Guida closed in with a two-punch combo, then an overhand right and a head kick. Guida dumped Johnson to the mat and he looked for a guillotine choke as the fight returned to the feet. Johnson broke free with a knee and he landed another one to the jaw of Guida soon after. A clinch ensued and both men landed knees to the body. After separating, Guida landed a winging right hook and Johnson responded with a four-punch combo. Two more overhand rights scored for Guida in the final seconds. 10-9 Guida.
Round 2:
The fight went to the ground early in round two after Guida secured a quick takedown. Johnson stood against the cage and he landed a knee and a series of hammerfists while defending against Guida’s takedown attempts. When the fighters separated, Johnson landed a right hook and a knee. Guida continued to try to take him down, but Johnson defended well and he reversed the clinch. Johnson backed away and both men landed short hooks. Guida dove at Johnson’s leg, but Johnson stayed on his feet until time expired. Close second round. 10-9 Johnson.
Round 3:
Johnson maintained a low stance and he landed two left hooks early in the final round. He stunned Guida with a short jab and Guida responded by taking Johnson down. Johnson got to his knees and tried to stand up, but Guida took his back and locked on a rear-naked choke. Johnson broke Guida’s grip and escaped from the choke, but Guida kept him trapped in a body triangle and he continued to hunt for a choke until the bell. 10-9 Guida.
Winner: Clay Guida by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 36-20-0.
Alexandre “The Cannibal” Pantoja vs Manel “Starboy” Kape
Round 1:
Kape held a speed advantage in the striking exchanges early in the fight, but Pantoja was more active with his strike attempts and he landed kicks to Kape’s lead leg. Kape switched stances as he circled to his left and Pantoja landed two right hands and a body kick. The chess match continued on the feet as the round entered its final minute and Kape attempted a cartwheel kick. He fell and Pantoja struck from the top until Kape scrambled up to his feet. The round ended in a clinch against the cage. 10-9 Pantoja.
Round 2:
Pantoja landed another hard leg kick in the second round and Kape responded with a left-right combo. Pantoja threw three body kicks and the fighters traded punches. After an exchange of leg kicks, Pantoja landed an overhand right and followed with a hard right hook, but Kape was unfazed and he put together a quick combination. The final minute consisted of Pantoja kicking at Kape’s lead leg and body until Kape shot in and took his back. Pantoja rolled forward and returned to his feet, only to be tripped once more. Close round. 10-9 Pantoja.
Round 3:
Pantoja threw leg and body kicks from a distance in round three as Kape picked his shots with sparse punches. Pantoja finished a combination with a head kick and Kape taunted in return. The strike count remained low until the final 60 seconds when Kape scored with a power flurry and he countered a combination from Pantoja with a lead right hook. Pantoja landed a lunging four-punch flurry late in the round, but Kape replied with two punches and he held Pantoja against the cage. 10-9 Kape.
Winner: Alexandre Pantoja by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 23-5-0.
Beneil Dariush vs Carlos Diego Ferreira
Round 1:
Dariush connected with some nice left hands early in the fight and he shot in for a takedown against the cage. Ferreira impressively countered with an omoplata in mid-air, which he used to control Dariush’s position on the ground. The fight returned to the feet and Dariush scored another brief takedown. Ferreira scrambled up and the fighters traded left hands until Dariush hurt Ferreira with a knee. Ferreira fell to the ground, but he recovered quickly and Dariush punched from the top. Ferreira grabbed on to his right ankle from the bottom and looked to be trying to set up a rolling heel hook. Dariush pulled his leg out and returned to top position. Ferreira gave up his back and Dariush landed punches to the side of his head. The fighters stood and Ferreira stunned Dariush with punches and a front kick to the face. Close, back-and-forth round. 10-9 Dariush.
Round 2:
Dariush took Ferreira down in the second round and he tried to pass Ferreira’s guard. Ferreira pushed him off and just missed with a big upkick. Dariush settled back into Ferreira’s guard and then took his back as Ferreira rose to his feet against the cage. Ferreira rolled forward and grabbed on to Dariush’s ankle. Dariush spun free and took Ferreira’s back, only for Ferreira to shake him off. Dariush scored two more takedowns and he avoided a guillotine choke from Ferreira. Dariush struck from the top with punches and he prevented Ferreira from getting back to his feet. 10-9 Dariush.
Round 3:
Ferreira began the final round with two left hands and he just missed with a lead right hook. Dariush dove at Ferreira’s leg and Ferreira easily sidestepped. Time was called when Ferreira was kicked in the groin. The fight resumed and Dariush landed a big overhand left. Ferreira circled to his left and both fighters landed hard one-twos. Ferreira caught a kick and tripped Dariush to the mat. Ferreira dove in with punches and Dariush countered with a leg scissor that he used to sweep out Ferreira’s leg. The fighters stood and Dariush scored a body-lock takedown. He took Ferreira’s back and sunk in both hooks, but Ferreira escaped into top position. Dariush went for another heel hook and that led to both fighters standing up. Ferreira pulled Dariush down to the mat with a Brabo choke, but time expired. Another close round. 10-9 Ferreira.
Winner: Beneil Dariush by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 20-4-1.
Danilo Marques vs “Slo” Mike Rodriguez
Round 1:
Marques immediately grabbed on to Rodriguez’s leg and he muscled him down to the mat. Rodriguez stood against the cage and he fought off multiple takedown attempts. Marques eventually got him down and he tried to move from side control to mount. Rodriguez prevented him from doing so and he rose to his feet. Marques tripped him once more in the final minute, but Rodriguez returned to his feet and he landed two left hands late in the round. 10-9 Marques.
Round 2:
Rodriguez fought off an early shot attempt from Marques and the fighters traded hooks in close. Marques dumped Rodriguez to the mat and landed on top in side control. He moved to mount and landed punches and elbows to Rodriguez’s face. Rodriguez powered out from the bottom and got to one knee, but Marques kept him pinned down and he landed more punches with his left hand. Marques secured a body triangle from back control and tried for a rear-naked choke. Marques got his bicep under Rodriguez’s chin and Rodriguez was rendered unconscious from the one-arm choke before Marques even fully secured the hold.
Winner: Danilo Marques by Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 4:52 of round two. He improves to 11-2-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)