The Ultimate Fighting Championship remained at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC Fight Night 186: “Rozenstruik vs Gane.” The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout between heavy-handed knockout artists Jairzinho “Bigi Boy” Rozenstruik and Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane.
In the light heavyweight co-main event, Nikita “The Miner” Krylov took on Magomed Ankalaev. Elsewhere on the main card, Montana De La Rosa squared off against Mayra “Sheetara” Bueno Silva in a featured flyweight matchup. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for UFC Fight Night 186.
Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane vs Jairzinho “Bigi Boy” Rozenstruik
Round 1:
Gane landed a hard jab in the opening seconds and Rozenstruik charged at him with two punches that missed. Gane kept his distance with jabs and front kicks until Rozenstruik rushed in with looping hooks. Gane landed a straight left and countered a one-two from Rozenstruik with a body kick. A clinch followed and Rozenstruik landed elbows to the side of Gane’s head. Gane took him down and landed one knee to the chest before the end of the round. 10-9 Gane.
Round 2:
The pace remained measured in the second round and Gane picked his shots with jabs and body kicks. Rozenstruik landed a kick-punch combo and Gane fired back with two hard leg kicks. More leg kicks were exchanged and Gane backed Rozenstruik up against the fence. He threw Rozenstruik to the mat and attempted a standing rear-naked choke as Rozenstruik stood back up. Rozenstruik shook Gane off and the round ended with Gane landing a jab. 10-9 Gane.
Round 3:
The third round began with Gane landing jabs and he followed with a head kick that was partially blocked. Soon after, Gane connected with a winging right hook and Rozenstruik threw two right hands in return. Action remained very sparse, but Gane landed jabs and a straight left hand. Rozenstruik connected with a right cross late in the largely uneventful round. 10-9 Gane. Between rounds, Gane was warned for outstretching his fingers.
Round 4:
Little transpired in the fourth round until Gane leapt in with a knee to the body and a right hook. He jabbed and threw front kicks to Rozenstruik’s lead leg. Rozenstruik was unable to land anything and Gane picked his shots with leg kicks and jabs. Time was called when Gane landed a knee to Rozenstruik’s groin. The fight continued and Gane landed a hard left hook. He jabbed and parried a right hand from Rozenstruik while keeping him backed up against the cage. 10-9 Gane.
Round 5:
Gane continued to find success with his jab in the final round and he eventually clinched with Rozenstruik against the cage. Rozenstruik pushed him away and Gane landed more jabs. Both men landed straight punches and Gane clinched once more. Nothing happened and Gane backed away, but he clinched once more and took Rozenstruik’s back. Gane pulled Rozenstruik down to the mat very briefly, but he could not keep him there for long. The fighters stood and the lacklustre bout ended in another clinch. 10-9 Gane.
Winner: Ciryl Gane by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) after five rounds. He improves to 8-0-0.
Magomed Ankalaev vs Nikita “The Miner” Krylov
Round 1:
Krylov closed the distance with a right hook and took Ankalaev’s back in a clinch. He dragged Ankalaev down, but Ankalaev rose to his feet and Krylov backed away from the clinch after landing an elbow. Ankalaev landed a lead right hook and Krylov answered with a kick to the body. He landed two more body kicks and both men landed right-left combos. Krylov continued to attack Ankalaev’s body with kicks and he used them to set up step-in right hands. Ankalaev secured a body lock and tried unsuccessfully for a late takedown. 10-9 Krylov.
Round 2:
Ankalaev landed a nice right hand to begin the second round and Krylov answered with one of his own. Ankalaev landed another right hook and Krylov flurried with punches and a body kick. He clinched and Ankalaev backed him up with a knee to the chest. After another exchange of right hooks, Ankalaev ducked under a spinning back kick from Krylov and took him down. Krylov tied Ankalaev up from the bottom and prevented him from landing much of anything. Ankalaev passed to half-guard and landed two elbows before time expired. 10-9 Ankalaev.
Round 3:
Ankalaev punched his way into a clinch in the final round and he pinned Krylov against the fence. Ankalaev swept out Krylov’s left leg and took him down to a seated position. Krylov battled back to his feet, but Ankalaev maintained a body lock and he tripped Krylov once more. Ankalaev kept Krylov on the mat and peppered him with left hands to the face until the end of the fight. 10-9 Ankalaev.
Winner: Magomed Ankalaev by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 15-1-0.
Mayra “Sheetara” Bueno Silva vs Montana De La Rosa
Round 1:
Bueno Silva opened the fight with a calf kick and De La Rosa immediately responded with left-right combos. Bueno Silva clinched and scored with knees to De La Rosa’s head and body as De La Rosa hunted for a takedown. She got Bueno Silva down and took her back as the fighters stood against the cage. Bueno Silva turned into the clinch and grabbed the cage as De La Rosa tried to take her back down. Time was called and Bueno Silva was docked one point. De La Rosa landed front kicks to the body after the restart and followed with combinations before backing Bueno Silva up against the cage. Bueno Silva blasted De La Rosa with an elbow and a hard knee to the face. De La Rosa maintained a clinch and held Bueno Silva in place until the end of the round. 9-9.
Round 2:
Bueno Silva struck first with a right hand and a head kick in the second round. She prevented De La Rosa from taking her down and pushed her to the mat. Bueno Silva stood over De La Rosa and dropped right hands to her left eye, which swelled up considerably. Back on the feet, Bueno Silva landed another head kick and she followed with knees and an elbow in the clinch. De La Rosa finally got Bueno Silva down and she quickly moved to mount. De La Rosa used elbows and short punches to set up an arm-triangle choke, but Bueno Silva freed herself and the round ended shortly thereafter. 10-9 Bueno Silva by a slim margin due to damage.
Round 3:
The final round began with Bueno Silva landing kicks to De La Rosa’s upper body. De La Rosa, bleeding from her nose, shot in for a takedown and Bueno Silva responded with knees. She created enough space to crack De La Rosa with a left hook, but De La Rosa clinched again. Bueno Silva pulled her head down and landed another powerful knee. With 45 seconds to go, De La Rosa finally got Bueno Silva down and she landed hammerfists from the top. Another close round. 10-9 Bueno Silva. The decision could go either way.
Result: Majority Draw (28-27 [Bueno Silva], 28-28, 28-28) after three rounds. Bueno Silva moves to 7-1-1, while De La Rosa is now 11-6-1.
Pedro “The Young Punisher” Munhoz vs Jimmie “El Terror” Rivera
Round 1:
Munhoz attempted a head kick right away and he landed two leg kicks before Rivera fired back with a right hook. Munhoz threw more leg kicks, then a spinning back kick and a massive left hook. Rivera barely flinched and he landed a nice left of his own. Both men landed right hooks and Rivera followed with a right-left combo. More one-twos were exchanged and Munhoz grazed with a head kick. Munhoz hurt Rivera with a leg kick and Rivera began to noticeably limp. He landed two right hands and blocked a head kick from Munhoz, but Munhoz landed another hard leg kick before the bell. 10-9 Munhoz.
Round 2:
Rivera caught a kick and took Munhoz down in the second round. Both fighters attempted heel hooks on the ground and quickly returned to their feet. Each time Munhoz threw a kick to Rivera’s leg or body, Rivera fired right back with power hooks. He blocked a head kick and landed a combination. Munhoz landed a leg kick, left hook combo and then hurt Rivera with another leg kick. He followed with a spinning back kick to the chest and opened a cut below Rivera’s left eye with a right hook. In the final seconds, Munhoz landed one more leg kick and a counter left hook. 10-9 Munhoz.
Round 3:
The final round began with an exchange of power punches and Munhoz grazed the top of Rivera’s head with a kick. Time was called when Rivera was kicked in the groin. Action resumed and Munhoz landed hard jabs, but Rivera answered with an uppercut. Rivera was kicked in the groin again during a sunsequent exchange and Munhoz was warned. After the restart, Munhoz hurt Rivera badly with a leg kick and Rivera fell to the mat. He was slow to stand up and Munhoz landed a nice combination. A wounded Rivera hunted for a knockout in the final minute and he stunned Munhoz twice with lead left hooks. Munhoz recovered and the round ended with an exchange of punches. 10-9 Munhoz.
Winner: Pedro Munhoz by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 19-5-0, 1 NC.
Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres vs Kevin “Crash” Croom
Round 1:
Caceres opened the fight with two side kicks to Croom’s face and he followed with knees to the body in a clinch as Croom looked for a trip takedown. Caceres circled away and he continued to land side kicks to Croom’s chest. Croom tried in vain to take Caceres down, but Caceres’s defence was solid and he fought off a body-lock takedown as well. Caceres slipped while throwing a knee and that allowed Croom to take his back and drag him down. Caceres turned over into Croom’s guard, then stood and dropped punches to Croom’s face. Croom scrambled up and he continued to pursue takedowns. He dragged Caceres down very briefly, but Caceres stood back up and landed two punches and a body kick before the bell. 10-9 Caceres.
Round 2:
Croom closed the distance and tried to take Caceres down in the second round. Caceres landed a knee to Croom’s face, but he lost his balance in the process and that allowed Croom to take him down. Caceres locked on a triangle choke from the bottom, and Croom appeared to be in some trouble, but he did not submit and Caceres voluntarily released the choke. The fighters stood up and Croom took Caceres’s back against the cage. Caceres turned into the clinch and Croom kept him pinned in place until the end of the close round. 10-9 Caceres.
Round 3:
Caceres wobbled Croom with a jab and a left cross early in the final round. Croom recovered quickly and he continued to press forward. Caceres landed a knee and an uppercut, then balanced on one leg as Croom tried to take him down. He escaped from Croom’s grasp and picked him apart with jabs and a straight left hand. Croom finally got Caceres down against the cage, but he could not hold him there and Caceres sprung back up. Croom slipped and wound up on the bottom with Caceres landing elbows from top position. He took Croom’s back and punched to the body while eyeing a rear-naked choke. In the final seconds, Caceres landed right hands to Croom’s jaw. 10-9 Caceres. Close to a 10-8.
Winner: Alex Caceres by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 18-12-0, 1 NC.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)