Austin “Lights Out” Lingo vs Luis Saldaña
Round 1:
Saldaña opened a cut near Lingo’s right eye with jabs and he followed up with hard kicks to his leg and body. A liver kick backed Lingo up, but he recovered and moved forward with punches. Saldaña calmly countered with more jabs and he circled to his right to avoid Lingo’s lunging punch attempts. Lingo finally connected with two overhand punches that briefly backed Saldaña up. Late in the round, Saldaña attempted a spinning backfist and Lingo countered it with a right hook. Strong comeback from Lingo in the second half of the round. Still 10-9 Saldaña.
Round 2:
Lingo pressed the action in the second round and looked for a takedown during a clinch against the cage. Saldaña broke free, but his offensive output slowed down and he had indicated between rounds that he had suffered a left foot injury. Lingo jabbed and landed a right hand, which Saldaña countered with a spinning back kick to the body. Lingo continued to land jabs and he cracked Saldaña with a big right hook as Saldaña jumped into the air for a flying knee attempt. Two more jabs and a straight right landed for Lingo before the bell. 10-9 Lingo.
Round 3:
Lingo landed an overhand right early in the final round and Saldaña replied with a spinning back kick to the body. He attempted a sloppy takedown and Lingo easily stuffed it. He landed an overhand left and the fighters exchanged back elbow strikes. Saldaña scored with another spinning back kick and two leg kicks that spun Lingo around. With just over a minute to go, Lingo dropped Saldaña with a jab to the body. Saldaña recovered enough to attempt a triangle choke on the ground, but Lingo avoided danger and took his back. He trapped Saldaña in a body triangle until the bell. 10-9 Lingo.
Winner: Austin Lingo by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 9-1-0.
Brian “Boom” Kelleher vs Domingo “Son of Fire” Pilarte
Round 1:
Kelleher closed the distance right away and scored a takedown into side control. Pilarte got to full guard and Kelleher blasted him with an elbow from the top. He landed short punches and then postured up with two left hands. Pilarte threw short punches from the bottom, but he was unable to land anything damaging. Kelleher stood and landed an axe kick to the body, then dove back into Pilarte’s guard. Late in the round, Kelleher landed two more elbows to Pilarte’s face. 10-9 Kelleher.
Round 2:
The second round began with another quick takedown from Kelleher, who resumed striking from Pilarte’s guard. Pilarte did nothing but hold on from the bottom as Kelleher peppered him with punches and elbows. He eventually passed to side control and then to mount, but Pilarte exploded out and got to his knees. Kelleher pulled guard with a guillotine choke and Pilarte escaped. Kelleher attempted a second guillotine and Pilarte easily freed his head again. In the final minute, Pilarte landed an elbow from the top and tried to set up a shoulder choke. Kelleher got to his knees and retook top position, where he landed hammerfists until the bell. 10-9 Kelleher.
Round 3:
Kelleher began the final round by picking Pilarte up, walking over to his corner and throwing Pilarte down to the mat. Kelleher struck from the top and Pilarte landed occasional elbows from the bottom. Kelleher threw a series of left hands to Pilarte’s body as the fight entered its final 90 seconds. This continued until shortly before the bell when Pilarte kicked Kelleher off. 10-9 Kelleher.
Winner: Brian Kelleher by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 23-12-0.
Josiane “Josi” Nunes vs Bea “Bad News Barbie” Malecki
Round 1:
The much shorter Nunes closed the distance and landed and overhand left early in the fight. Malecki answered with body kicks, but Nunes backed her up to the cage with a series of punches and she repeatedly landed to the cheek and nose of Malecki. After circling away, Malecki landed a head kick and Nunes responded with a combination and a leg kick. Another combination scored for Nunes and Malecki turned her back before countering with a spinning back elbow. Malecki covered up as Nunes teed off with punches to the body. As Malecki took a step to her left, Nunes landed a massive overhand left that sent Malecki crashing to the mat and ended the fight.
Winner: Josiane Nunes by KO (Punch) at 4:54 of round one. She improves to 8-1-0.
William “Knightmare” Knight vs Fabio “The Water Buffalo” Cherant
Round 1:
Knight landed a series of kicks to the inside of Cherant’s right leg in the opening minute. He went high with a head kick attempt and Cherant responded with a left hook to the body. He followed with an overhand left that backed Knight up. Little transpired in the next minute until Knight landed a hard kick to the body. That prompted Cherant to move forward with punches. He landed a left hook and went to follow with a second one, but Knight countered with a short left uppercut while moving backward. The punch instantly shut Cherant’s lights off and he fell face-first to the canvas.
Winner: William Knight by KO (Punch) at 3:58 of round one. He improves to 10-2-0.
Ignacio “La Jaula” Bahamondes vs Roosevelt “The Predator” Roberts
Round 1:
Quick jabs and inside leg kicks were exchanged right away. Roberts initiated a brief clinch against the cage, but Bahamondes broke free and he landed a hard right hand. The fighters traded leg kicks and Bahamondes landed an overhand right. He flurried with punches and time was called when Roberts was struck in the eye, but replays showed that it was a legal punch. Action resumed and Bahamondes remained the aggressor. Roberts dropped levels for a takedown and Bahamondes defended well. He escaped from the clinch and snapped Roberts’s head back with a one-two. Late in the round, Bahamondes landed two knees and a lead left hook. 10-9 Bahamondes.
Round 2:
Bahamondes continued to press the action with quick punches and leg kicks in the second round, but Roberts countered with stiff jabs that opened a cut near Bahamondes’s right eye. Bahamondes kept the pressure on with one-twos and leg kicks, but Roberts continued to score with jabs and he looked for a takedown in the final minute. Bahamondes, now cut beside his left eye as well, broke free from the clinch and he just missed with a head kick in the final seconds. Closer round. 10-9 Bahamondes.
Round 3:
In the final round, Bahamondes hurt Roberts with two punches to the body. Roberts fell to his back once and Bahamondes forced him to stand. Bahamondes landed a combination and Roberts flopped to his back again. He returned to his feet once more and countered Bahamondes’s body shots with two uppercuts. Bahamondes sprawled out of a takedown attempt and he mixed things up with leg and upper body kicks. After attempting a standing guillotine choke late in the round, Bahamondes backed away and landed a spinning wheel kick that landed flush on Roberts’s jaw and sent him crashing to the canvas.
Winner: Ignacio Bahamondes by KO (Spinning Wheel Kick) at 4:55 of round three. He improves to 12-4-0.
Ramiz Brahimaj vs Sasha Palatnikov
Round 1:
Brahimaj scored an early takedown and wound up on top in Palatnikov’s half-guard after a brief scramble. He mounted Palatnikov and then took his back. Brahimaj locked on a tight rear-naked choke and Palatnikov tried to fight it. He held on for close to 30 seconds, but Brahimaj adjusted his grip twice and Palatnikov was eventually rendered unconscious.
Winner: Ramiz Brahimaj by Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:33 of round one. He improves to 9-3-0.