The Ultimate Fighting Championship stayed at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC Fight Night 187: “Edwards vs Muhammad.” The event was headlined by a featured welterweight bout between contenders Leon “Rocky” Edwards and Belal “Remember The Name” Muhammad.
In tonight’s light heavyweight co-main event, Misha Cirkunov took on Ryan “Superman” Spann. Elsewhere on the main card, Dan “50K” Ige squared off against rising star Gavin “Guv’Nor” Tucker in a key battle at featherweight. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC Fight Night 187 card.
Leon “Rocky” Edwards vs Belal “Remember The Name” Muhammad
Round 1:
Edwards landed straight left hands and a knee early on before clinching with Muhammad against the cage. Muhammad broke free with a right hook, but Edwards hurt him soon after with a head kick. Edwards looked to finish the fight with punches as Muhammad recovered, but Muhammad tied him up in a clinch. Edwards pushed him away and Muhammad landed a body kick. Time was called when Muhammad was poked in the eye. Action resumed and Edwards landed a kick to Muhammad’s liver. He followed with a hard one-two that backed Muhammad up. Late in the round, Edwards broke free from a clinch with a slashing elbow over the top. 10-9 Edwards.
Round 2:
Time was called right away in the second round when Muhammad was poked badly in his right eye. He was clearly in great pain as the cageside doctor came in to check on him. Muhammad’s eye swelled up and began bleeding, and the fight was called off.
Result: No Decision (Accidental Eye Poke) at 0:18 of round two. Edwards and Muhammad both move to 18-3-0, 1 ND, respectively.
Ryan “Superman” Spann vs Misha Cirkunov
Round 1:
Cirkunov landed a right-left combo early in the fight and Spann replied with a lead left. Time was called when Spann was kicked in the groin, but action resumed soon after and Spann floored Cirkunov with a counter right hook. Cirkunov survived Spann’s follow-up punches on the ground and got back to his feet, but he was dropped again by a left hook to the temple. Spann landed numerous hammerfists on the ground as Cirkunov covered up and the fight was stopped.
Winner: Ryan Spann by TKO (Punches) at 1:11 of round one. He improves to 19-6-0.
Dan “50K” Ige vs Gavin “Guv’Nor” Tucker
Round 1:
The fighters circled in the opening seconds until Ige landed a massive right hook that melted Tucker and ended the fight. Ige walked away, knowing that it was over.
Winner: Dan Ige by KO (Punch) at 0:22 of round one. He improves to 15-3-0.
“Dangerous” Davey Grant vs Jonathan “Dragon” Martinez
Round 1:
The fight began with a lengthy exchange of leg and body kicks as each fighter took a shot and answered with one of their own. Martinez eventually spun Grant around with a hard leg kick and Grant switched stances. Martinez attacked both of Grant’s legs with kicks, which spun him around again. Each time Grant switched his stance, Martinez landed a kick to his lead leg. Grant stepped forward with three hooks to the sides of Martinez’s head. Soon after, Martinez dropped Grant with a winging left hook and he looked to finish with punches on the ground, but Grant held on until the bell. 10-9 Martinez. Could be a 10-8.
Round 2:
Grant was more aggressive in the second round and he had early success with a combination and a right hook to the body. Martinez jabbed and landed a left hook in return. A hard right hand scored for Grant and he alternated between jabs and leg kicks. Seconds later, Grant stepped forward with a lead right hook to the body and a massive left hand that landed flush on Martinez’s jaw and crumpled him to the mat. Grant followed with more punches on the ground before the fight could be stopped. Big comeback win for Grant.
Winner: Davey Grant by KO (Punches) at 3:03 of round two. He improves to 13-4-0.
Matheus Nicolau Pereira vs Manel “Prodigio” Kape
Round 1:
After an uneventful opening two minutes, Pereira took Kape down and he jumped into a guillotine choke as Kape tried to stand up. Kape shook Pereira off and escaped from the choke, and the fight returned to the feet. Kape jumped in with a knee and Pereira took him down. Pereira struck from the top and he avoided an armbar attempt from Kape. Pereira postured up with punches and an elbow late in the round. 10-9 Pereira.
Round 2:
Kape hurt Pereira with an uppercut early in the second round and he followed up with more right hands and a straight left as Pereira recovered. A lead left hook landed for Kape and he followed with a wocked right hook to the body. Pereira responded with two right hands and Kape landed a step-in knee. Pereira got Kape down very briefly and he landed a knee to the chest on the way up. Soon after, Kape landed a hard right hand to Pereira’s nose. Pereira landed a combination to Kape’s body and head, but Kape remained the aggressor. 10-9 Kape.
Round 3:
Pereira fared better in the striking exchanges early in the final round, but Kape still stung him with two lead right hooks and he fought off a Pereira takedown attempt. Kape stood over Pereira and kicked at his legs until Pereira rose to his feet. Pereira landed a hard leg kick that caused Kape to stumble and he followed up with quick jab-straight combos. A right hand landed for Pereira to the body and Kape answered with a lead left hook. Pereira connected with an overhand right to Kape’s jaw, but Kape stuffed a takedown and scored with uppercuts in close. Kape backed Pereira up with a one-two and followed with a jumping knee to Pereira’s jaw. Another knee landed for Kape late in the close round and his final rally appeared to seal the round in his favour. 10-9 Kape.
Winner: Matheus Nicolau Pereira by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 16-2-1.
“Ya Boi” Eryk Anders vs Darren “The Dentist” Stewart
Round 1:
Stewart landed a lead left hand that stunned Anders in the opening minute and he followed up with a flurry of punches before Anders initiated a clinch against the cage. Stewart defended well and briefly broke free from the clinch, but Anders cracked him with three hooks to the face and he muscled Stewart down to the mat. Stewart stood and ate a knee to the body. Both men landed power punches in an exchange and Anders dropped Stewart face-first with an overhand left. He swarmed on Stewart with more punches, but Stewart battled back to his feet. Anders landed more punches and he pushed Stewart down to the mat. Stewart got to a knee and Anders struck him with an illegal knee to the head. Time was called and the cageside doctor deemed that Stewart was unfit to continue.
Result: No Decision (Illegal Knee) at 4:37 of round one. Anders moves to 13-5-0, 1 ND, while Stewart is now 12-6-0, 1 NC, 1 ND.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)