Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz vs Casey Kenney

Round 1:
Kenney countered an early takedown attempt by trapping Cruz in a front headlock. Cruz escaped and he circled to his left while kicking at Kenney’s lead leg. Kenney landed a spinning back kick to the body and Cruz replied with a head kick. Cruz continued to land quick kicks and Kenney answered with a combination. Right hands landed simultaneously and Kenney briefly lost his balance. An overhand right scored for Cruz and he snapped Kenney’s head back with a lead left uppercut. Cruz chased after Kenney with punches and the fighters exchanged more leg kicks. Cruz partially landed with a head kick and Kenney landed a left hook late in the round. 10-9 Cruz.

Round 2:
Cruz landed a nice right hook to begin the second round and Kenney responded with a leg kick. Another right hand scored for Cruz, but he was unsuccessful with a takedown attempt. Cruz jabbed and Kenney landed a three-punch combo in return. Cruz connected with lead left hooks and he darted in and out with punches while avoiding Kenney’s counters. Kenney landed a solid leg kick and followed with one to the body. Cruz scored with a six-punch flurry as he moved forward and the fighters traded leg kicks. Cruz stepped forward with a right hand and ate a leg kick in return. In the final minute, Kenney countered a combination from Cruz with a hard left hook and a late-round guillotine choke. Close round. 10-9 Cruz.

Round 3:
Kenney stuffed a takedown in the final round and he countered a second takedown attempt with a guillotine choke. Cruz got Kenney down into side control and threw punches to the body as Kenney’s grip on the choke loosened. Kenney exploded up to his feet and Cruz tagged him with a one-two. Kenney landed a lunging left hand and both men landed right hooks. Two overhand lefts landed for Kenney, but Cruz immediately responded with a lengthy flurry that backed Kenney up. As Kenney threw another combination, Cruz landed a knee to the body. He threw Kenney down to the mat and closed out the fight with short punches and hammerfists. 10-9 Cruz.

Winner: Dominick Cruz by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 23-3-0.

 

Kyler “Matrix” Phillips vs Yadong “Kung Fu Monkey” Song

Round 1:
Phillips circled on the outside early on and the fighters traded kicks until Phillips landed a hard right hook and a head kick. Song barely flinched and he continued to move forward as Phillips followed up with a combination. He kept Song guessing with long jabs until Song jumped in with a flying knee attempt that missed. Phillips landed a right hook and he took Song down after catching a kick, but Song battled back to his feet. Phillips landed a lead left hook and Song fired back with two uppercuts. A brief clinch followed and the round ended with both men landing punches. 10-9 Phillips.

Round 2:
Song ate another head kick in round two, but he was once again unfazed and both men landed combinations. Phillips tripped Song to the mat very briefly and he threw a spinning back kick on the break. Both men landed jabs and Phillips followed with a hard leg kick. He backed Song up with a stiff jab and took him down soon after. Phillips worked from the top in Song’s half-guard and tried to pass to mount, but Song powered out from the bottom and stood up. Song landed a combination to the body and head late in the round. 10-9 Phillips.

Round 3:
Song landed lead left hooks in the final round and he fought off a Phillips takedown attempt. Two more left hooks and a body kick scored for Song. The fighters traded kicks and Song landed a nice combination as he backed Phillips up. Phillips took Song down with 90 seconds to go and he tried to take his back. Song turned over into Phillips’s guard and avoided a triangle choke attempt. The round ended with Song throwing punches to Phillips’s face and body, and Phillips tried to roll for a kneebar at the bell. 10-9 Song.

Winner: Kyler Phillips by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 9-1-0.

 

Askar “Bullet” Askarov vs Joseph Benavidez

Round 1:
Benavidez struck first with a combination, but Askarov cracked him with an overhand right and followed with a front kick to the body. Both men landed counter right hooks as the other moved forward and Benavidez threw a winging overhand left. He landed another one, but Askarov fired right back with a hard right hook. Leg kicks were exchanged and Benavidez landed two short uppercuts in close. The fighters traded body kicks and Askarov took Benavidez’s back. He slammed Benavidez down to the ground and took his back, then tried for a rear-naked choke late in the round. 10-9 Askarov.

Round 2:
As Benavidez rushed forward with punches early in the second round, Askarov clipped him with a counter hook that opened a cut below Benavidez’s left eye. He took Benavidez down into back control, but Benavidez worked back to his feet against the cage. Askarov slammed him down once more and Benavidez stood back up. After a third takedown from Askarov, he trapped Benavidez in a body triangle and looked to be trying to set up a modified Twister. A scramble ensued on the ground and Askarov held a kneeling Benavidez down against the base of the cage. Benavidez tried to stand up and Askarov kept him pinned down until just before the bell when he landed a hard right hand as Benavidez stood up. 10-9 Askarov.

Round 3:
Askarov countered an early left hand from Benavidez with a question mark kick to the face in the final round. A straight left hand landed for Askarov and he ducked under a head kick. Both men landed combinations and Askarov’s punches clearly had more power behind them. Askarov landed a right hook and Benavidez responded with one of his own. He leapt forward with a Superman Punch and the fighters traded power punches again. Askarov stunned Benavidez with a lead right hook and Benavidez’s left eye continued to swell up. Askarov grazed with a spinning backfist just before the final bell. 10-9 Askarov.

Winner: Askar Askarov by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 14-0-1.

 

Kai “Don’t Blink” Kara-France vs Rogério Bontorin

Round 1:
Bontorin landed leg kicks early in the fight and he stunned Kara-France with a counter right hook. Bontorin closed in with another combination and he took Kara-France down into back control. Within seconds, Bontorin secured a tight body triangle and he worked for a rear-naked choke. Kara-France defended well and Bontorin landed punches to the side of his face. Kara-France scrambled up with Bontorin on his back and he fought off more rear-naked chokes. Bontorin pulled him back down to the ground and threatened with more choke attempts. Kara-France stood up and shook Bontorin off of his back in the final 30 seconds. Bontorin walked forward and Kara-France froze him in place with a right hook. He landed two more right hands and Bontorin faceplanted to the mat before trying and failing to get back to his feet. Huge comeback win for Kara-France.

Winner: Kai Kara-France by KO (Punches) at 4:55 of round one. He improves to 22-9-0, 1 NC.

 

Tim Elliott vs Jordan Espinosa

Round 1:
Espinosa escaped from an early clinch and he landed a lead left hook as Elliott pressed forward. Elliott pinned him against the fence and threw knees to the body until Espinosa circled away. Espinosa landed a right hook and narrowly missed with a head kick. Elliott tripped him and worked to set up a rear-naked choke while trapping Espinosa’s right leg between his legs. Espinosa sat up and tried to stand, but Elliott kept him down and he looked to set up a kimura from the top. He switched to a hammerlock, but Espinosa pulled his arm free. 10-9 Elliott.

Round 2:
Elliott ducked under an Espinosa head kick and took him down early in round two. Espinosa scrambled up to his feet and Elliott scored another takedown. He moved to half-guard and landed short punches as he worked to take Espinosa’s back. Elliott threatened with a rear-naked choke and he landed punches to the sides of Espinosa’s head after Espinosa freed himself from the choke. Late in the round, Elliott postured up with forearm strikes from Espinosa’s guard and the fighters traded words before the end of the round. 10-8 Elliott.

Round 3:
The final round began with an early takedown from Elliott, who resumed punching from the top. Espinosa cut him with an elbow from the bottom and Elliott intentionally let his blood flow all over Espinosa’s face. Espinosa postured for an armbar and Elliott reacted quickly to escape. He moved to half-guard and landed hammerfists throughout the final 30 seconds of the fight. 10-9 Elliott.

Winner: Tim Elliott by Unanimous Decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 17-11-1.

 

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Carlos “Mr. Marvelous” Ulberg

Round 1:
Ulberg hurt Nzechukwu with an early head kick and he swarmed on him with knees to the body and elbows. Nzechukwu weathered the storm and Ulberg backed away. He resumed throwing kicks at Nzechukwu’s leg and body, but Nzechukwu landed a combinationand Ulberg circled to his right. Both men landed punches and Nzechukwu landed powerful left hands as Ulberg slowed down. Ulberg responded with a right hook, but he ate another left to the face. Ulberg teed off with a flurry to the body and he followed with a knee. Nzechukwu covered up as Ulberg continued to throw punches, but Ulberg continued to slow down and Nzechukwu chased after him with punches and a head kick late in the back-and-forth round. 10-9 Ulberg.

Round 2:
Ulberg jabbed and followed with a spinning backfist in the second round. Nzechukwu continued to move forward, but Ulberg countered with short uppercuts and body kicks. Time was called when Nzechukwu was poked int he eye, but action resumed quickly and Ulberg landed lead left hooks and uppercuts. Nzechukwu responded with a combination and Ulberg landed a body kick. Seconds later, Nzechukwu landed a counter right hook that dropped Ulberg against the cage. Nzechukwu dove in with more punches and the action-packed fight was stopped.

Winner: Kennedy Nzechukwu by KO (Punches) at 3:19 of round two. He improves to 8-1-0.

 

Sean Brady vs Jake “The Celtic Kid” Matthews

Round 1:
Matthews landed an early combination and Brady countered with a lead left hook. Both men landed punching flurries and Matthews attacked the body with a nice left hook. He caught a body kick and dropped Brady with a right cross, but Brady recovered and reversed position into side control on the ground. He struck from the top and moved into Matthews’s half-guard while working for a top-side guillotine choke. Matthews held on and escaped shortly before the bell. Close first round. 10-9 Brady.

Round 2:
The second round began with Matthews landing early jabs and Brady responded by taking him down. Matthews tried to sit up against the cage and Brady used a guillotine choke to keep him pinned down. Brady landed short punches from the top and passed to mount with 20 seconds remaining in the round. He scored with hard punches that forced Matthews to give up his back, but Matthews survived the onslaught and made it to the bell. 10-9 Brady, if not a 10-8.

Round 3:
Brady landed a hard left hook early in the final round that dropped Matthews to a knee, but he allowed Matthews to stand back up and Matthews pressed forward with punches. He dropped levels and Brady countered with a guillotine choke. From the top in Matthews’s half-guard, Brady landed numerous hammerfists. He locked on an arm-triangle choke and Matthews tapped out seconds later.

Winner: Sean Brady by Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 3:28 of round three. He improves to 14-0-0.

 

Amanda “Amandinha” Lemos vs Livia Renata “Livinha” Souza

Round 1:
Lemos started strong with jabs and leg kicks, and she cracked Souza with a hard one-two that backed her up. Lemos dropped Souza with a right hook and tried to finish her with a power guillotine choke on the ground. Souza escaped and tried to spin into a kneebar, but Lemos defended well and battered her with more punches and an elbow. Souza returned to her feet and Lemos dropped her with a jab. She followed with three punches on the ground and referee Jason Herzog waved off the fight.

Winner: Amanda Lemos by TKO (Punches) at 3:39 of round one. She improves to 9-1-1.

 

Uros “The Doctor” Medic vs Aalon Cruz

Round 1:
Medic countered Cruz’s early aggression with a kick to the body and a combination. He dropped Cruz with a lead right hook and Cruz dove at his legs in search of a takedown. Medic stayed on his feet and he dropped Cruz again with a left hook and a flying knee. Cruz covered up and rolled on the ground as Medic landed dozens of punches on the ground. Referee Mark Smith gave Cruz multiple chances to fight on before eventually stopping the fight.

Winner: Uros Medic by TKO (Punches) at 1:40 of round one. He improves to 7-0-0.

 

Trevin “5 Star” Jones vs Mario Bautista

Round 1:
The fighters traded leg kicks throughout the opening minute and Jones backed Bautista up against the cage. He worked for a body-lock takedown, but Bautista defended well and stayed on his feet. Bautista broke free and he landed two body kicks while pressing forward. Another body kick and a knee scored for Bautista, who followed with a straight right hand. In the final minute, Bautista landed an overhand right and he fought off another takedown attempt from Jones. 10-9 Bautista.

Round 2:
Bautista opened round two with more quick body kicks and he leapt forward with a four-punch combo. Seconds later, however, Jones dropped Bautista with a step-in uppercut and he followed with a barrage of hammerfists on the ground until the fight was stopped.

Winner: Trevin Jones by TKO (Punches) at 0:40 of round two. He improves to 13-6-0, 1 NC.