The Ultimate Fighting Championship remained at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC on ESPN 24: “Rodriguez vs Waterson.” The event, which underwent numerous changes, was headlined by a women’s flyweight bout between Marina Rodriguez and Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson.
In the welterweight co-main event, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone took on Alex “The Great White” Morono. Also at 170 pounds, long-time contender Neil “The Haitian Sensation” Magny squared off against Geoff “Handz of Steel” Neal. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC on ESPN 24 card.
Marina Rodriguez vs Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson
Round 1:
Waterson opened the fight with a left hook and she followed with kicks to Rodriguez’s lead leg and body. Rodriguez answered back with a lead left hook and she countered a side kick from Waterson with an overhand right. Both women landed hard right hooks and Rodriguez used a body kick to set up another right hand. Waterson stepped forward with a powerful leg kick, but Rodriguez pressed the action with body kicks and right hands in the final minute. Waterson knocked her off balance with a side kick to the knee and the round ended with Rodriguez landing punches and knees from a Thai clinch. 10-9 Rodriguez.
Round 2:
Rodriguez targeted Waterson’s lead leg with kicks in the second round and Waterson just missed with a side kick that was aimed at Rodriguez’s face. Rodriguez remained effective with her punching combinations and she shrugged off a takedown attempt. Rodriguez clinched with her and landed a solid knee to the body. Waterson responded with a side kick to the body after breaking free and both women landed hooks. Rodriguez secured another Thai clinch and she landed two more knees to Waterson’s body. In the final minute, Rodriguez landed leg kicks and just missed with a looping right hook. She battered Waterson with punches and a knee to the jaw, then followed with a slashing elbow before the bell. 10-9 Rodriguez.
Round 3:
Rodriguez landed a head kick early in round three and Waterson clinched with her against the cage. Waterson landed a knee on the break, but Rodriguez hurt her with a barrage of punches to the body and head. Waterson weathered the storm and she knocked Rodriguez down with a side kick to her knee after pushing Rodriguez away. As Rodriguez moved forward, Waterson countered with two side kicks to the body. Rodriguez landed another combination and she ate a side kick to the face in return. Rodriguez continued to be the aggressor and she cracked Waterson with a left-right combo. Waterson threw a leg kick and Rodriguez attacked with hooks to her face and knees to her body. Waterson circled away and time expired. 10-9 Rodriguez.
Round 4:
Early in the fourth round, Rodriguez landed a kick-punch combo and closed the distance, but Waterson avoided a clinch by landing a knee. Rodriguez pursued with a punching combination and Waterson tripped her to the mat. Rodriguez tried to work back to her feet against the cage and Waterson dropped an elbow to her face. Waterson kept Rodriguez pinned down and she continued to score with left hands and elbows. Rodriguez eventually eyed a kimura on Waterson’s left arm, but she let it go and Waterson scored with elbows until the bell. 10-9 Waterson, if not a 10-8.
Round 5:
Waterson landed two body kicks in the final round and Rodriguez answered back with a combination. Waterson landed a side kick to Rodriguez’s face and hurt her with a kick to the body. Rodriguez kept her distance and recovered, then shrugged off a Waterson takedown attempt and flurried with punches to Waterson’s head and body. Rodriguez landed a hard one-two and Waterson responded with an overhand right. She attacked Rodriguez’s lead leg with side kicks, but Rodriguez continued to walk her down. Rodriguez landed two punches and a head kick, then chased after Waterson with another head kick just as the bell sounded. Close final round. 10-9 Rodriguez due to the late-round offence.
Winner: Marina Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) after five rounds. She improves to 14-1-2.
Alex “The Great White” Morono vs Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone
Round 1:
Morono immediately clinched with Cerrone against the cage, but Cerrone fought him off and pushed Morono away. Morono landed two right hands and a head kick, and Cerrone responded with a liver kick. Morono connected with an overhand right and Cerrone landed another liver kick in return. Cerrone clinched, but Morono reversed and tripped him to the mat. He landed an uppercut as Cerrone rose to his feet. Cerrone began to bleed from his nose as Morono targeted it with jabs, but Cerrone remained effective with his counter kicks to the body. After a three-punch combo from Morono, the fighters exchanged right hooks and Cerrone was badly rocked by the one from Morono, who swarmed on him with a barrage of punches to the head and body. Cerrone stayed on his feet, but Morono continued to batter him with punches until referee Marc Goddard stepped in to stop the fight.
Winner: Alex Morono by TKO (Punches) at 4:40 of round one. He improves to 19-7-0, 1 NC.
Neil “The Haitian Sensation” Magny vs Geoff “Handz of Steel” Neal
Round 1:
Neal landed a lead right hook and followed with a one-two that snapped Magny’s head back and forced him to retreat. Neal clinched and looked for a takedown, then backed away and flurried with punches. Magny landed three consecutive kicks to the body and Neal cracked him with a left hook to the jaw. Neal again looked for a takedown and he landed two punches over the top while holding Magny against the cage. Magny pushed him off and darted forward with punches. Neal responded by clinching again and he held Magny against the fence. Magny got Neal down to a knee and took his back. He landed left hands to Neal’s face and Neal scrambled up to his feet. Magny landed a body kick and Neal clinched once more. Close round due to Magny’s late rally. Still 10-9 Neal.
Round 2:
Neal scored with another lead right hook in the second round and followed with an overhand left. Magny responded with a combination and two stiff jabs, but Neal took him down and landed a big left hand on the way up. Magny shot in for a takedown of his own and Neal stuffed it. Magny took his back and he briefly dragged Neal down, but Magny could not hold him there and Neal circled away after returning to his feet. Magny finished a punching combination with a chopping leg kick and Neal clinched. Magny punched his way free and he landed a knee to the body late in the round. 10-9 Magny.
Round 3:
Magny jabbed and mixed in kicks to Neal’s body in the final round. He landed jab-cross combos and a knee to the chest as Neal struggled to land anything in return. Magny landed a side kicks to the body, then a quick one-two before circling away from Neal’s power hand. Neal finally closed the distance and landed a nice combination that led to a clinch against the fence. Magny punched free and chased after Neal with jabs. Magny clinched and used a body lock takedown to get Neal down. Neal returned to his feet, but ate punches on the way. Magny landed a jab-cross combo and two knees in the clinch as the fight entered its final 30 seconds. Neal lunged forward with a hard one-two, but the remaining offence in the round all came from Magny, who scored with jab-hook combos while circling to his right. 10-9 Magny.
Winner: Neil Magny by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 25-8-0.
Marcos Rogério “Pezão” de Lima vs Maurice “The Crochet Boss” Greene
Round 1:
Greene landed a hard left hook to open the action and an exchange of power punches followed. Greene scored with a step-in elbow and de Lima took him down soon after. Greene tied de Lima up from the bottom, but de Lima still managed to land rapid-fire left hands to his face while pinning Greene against the base of the cage. De Lima postured up with 30 seconds remaining in the round and threw punches to Greene’s body and head before Greene tied him up again. 10-9 de lima.
Round 2:
De Lima ducked under a left hook from Greene and took him down into side control. He landed right hands from the top and Greene got back to half-guard. He was unable to get back to his feet, however, and de Lima landed hard right hands to Greene’s face. Action was sparse in the final minute, but de Lima remained in control of the fight and he postured up with a right hand to Greene’s face after the bell sounded. 10-9 de Lima. Could be a 10-8 due to control.
Round 3:
Before the final round began, Greene was warned for raking de Lima’s eyes and de Lima was warned for his punch that landed after the bell. The fight continued and de Lima immediately took Greene down. De Lima struck from Greene’s half-guard and eventually moved to North-South position. Greene was unable to get back up and de Lima stayed just busy enough to avoid a standup. 10-9 de Lima.
Winner: Marcos Rogério de Lima by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 18-7-1.
Gregor “The Gift” Gillespie vs Carlos Diego Ferreira
Round 1:
After an early striking exchange, Gillespie shot in for a takedown and Ferreira tried to counter with a kneebar. A scramble followed on the ground, with both men holding top position, and the fighters returned to their feet. Ferreira hurt Gillespie with a four-punch combo, but Gillespie was able to take him down once more. Ferreira stood and he countered another takedown by kneeling and throwing right hands to the side of Gillespie’s face. Gillespie muscled him down and Ferreira trapped him in place with an omoplata. He scrambled up to his feet and Gillespie immediately took him down again. Ferreira initiated another scramble and took Gillespie’s back. He briefly looked for a rear-naked choke, then flattened Gillespie out and battered him with punches and elbows until the bell. 10-9 Ferreira.
Round 2:
Ferreira stuffed a takedown against the cage and landed an elbow to Gillespie’s temple. Gillespie attempted a second takedown and Ferreira tried for a guillotine choke on the way down. Gillespie escaped and Ferreira used a kimura attempted to set up a move to Gillespie’s back. Gillespie turned into Ferreira’s guard and Ferreira worked for another kimura on Gillespie’s other arm. He switched to an armbar and then stood up against the cage, but Gillespie maintained a body lock and he dragged Ferreira down after landing knees to his ribs. Gillespie took Ferreira’s back and he scored with left hands to the side of Ferreira’s head. Gillespie mounted Ferreira and landed a series of punches that forced Ferreira to give up his back. Gillespie flattened him out and landed elbows and punches until the fight was stopped.
Winner: Gregor Gillespie by TKO (Elbows & Punches) at 4:51 of round two. He improves to 14-1-0.
Phil “Megatron” Hawes vs Kyle Daukaus
Round 1:
Hawes pressed forward with a hard jab to open the fight and both men landed body kicks. Daukaus connected with two right hands and fought off one takedown attempt, but Hawes got him down on his second try. Daukaus attempted a guillotine choke from the bottom, but that allowed Hawes to secured a shoulder choke from the top. Daukaus scrambled out and swept into top position, and Hawes rose to his feet against the cage. Knees were exchanged in the clinch and Daukaus tried to whip Hawes down to the mat. The fighters exchanged standing elbows and Daukaus tried once more for a takedown late in the close round. 10-9 Daukaus.
Round 2:
Hawes ducked under a head kick from Daukaus early in the second round, but Daukaus spun around and landed a spinning backfist that hurt Hawes and froze him in place. Daukaus attacked with left and right hooks that backed Hawes up against the cage, but Hawes recovered enough to clinch. Daukaus backed away and landed a four-punch combo, followed by another flurry soon after. Hawes responded with a right hook to the body and one to Daukaus’s face. Daukaus clinched and Hawes countered with an elbow over the top. Hawes continued to attack Daukaus’s body with punches, but time was called when Daukaus was kneed in the groin. The fight continued and Hawes landed a right0left combo to the body. Hawes remained aggressive and he backed Daukaus up with a punch-kick combo and more punches before the bell. 10-9 Hawes, despite the early struggles.
Round 3:
Both men landed combinations in the final round and Hawes took Daukaus down. He escaped from a guillotine choke and a triangle attempt from Daukaus, then postured up with short punches and elbows. Hawes landed a series of left hands and Daukaus rolled to his side. Hawes continued to strike with punches and elbows as Daukaus held on from the bottom. Hawes kept Daukaus pinned down and he landed more punches and forearm strikes until the end of the fight. 10-8 Hawes.
Winner: Phil Hawes by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27) after three rounds. He improves to 11-2-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)