Tafon “Da Don” Nchukwi vs “Slow” Mike Rodriguez
Round 1:
Nchukwi punched his way into a clinch and Rodriguez countered with knees to the body as Nchukwi held him against the cage. Nchukwi landed elbows over the top and Rodriguez scored with one in return as he broke free from Nchukwi’s grasp. Undettered, Nchukwi pressed forward with overhand punches and he took Rodriguez down. Rodriguez gave up his back after absorbing several punches to his face and he battled back to his feet. Nchukwi landed a four-punch combo late in the round, but Rodriguez answered with two right hooks just before the bell. 10-9 Nchukwi.
Round 2:
In the second round, Nchukwi followed up on an overhand left by closing in with punches to Rodriguez’s body before Rodriguez circled to his right. Nchukwi closed in with a four-punch combo and clinched. The fighters soon separated and Nchukwi backed Rodriguez up with lead right hooks. Rodriguez landed an uppercut in return, but Nchukwi stunned him with a barrage of punches and a spinning back elbow. Rodriguez recovered quickly and the fighters separated again. Nchukwi landed a hard overhand left in the final seconds. 10-9 Nchukwi.
Round 3:
Nchukwi landed two more hard punching combinations early in the final round and a clinch ensued against the cage. Nchukwi landed punches to Rodriguez’s face and Rodriguez began to bleed from his mouth. Nchukwi landed an overhand left and a step-in uppercut. Rodriguez countered with a left hand and a front kick. Nchukwi tied him up in another clinch against the cage and he landed two uppercuts and a left hook. He tripped Rodriguez to the mat in the final seconds and finished the round with right hands to Rodriguez’s face. 10-9 Nchukwi.
Winner: Tafon Nchukwi by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 6-1-0.
Raquel “Rocky” Pennington vs Pannie “Banzai” Kianzad
Round 1:
Pennington initiated an early clinch against the cage, but Kianzad reversed it and landed a nice knee to the body. She got Pennington down to a knee and threw right hands to the side of her face as Pennington stood up. Kianzad continued to control the clinch battles and she landed knees and short elbows. Pennington replied with knees of her own, but Kianzad tagged her with an elbow and a four-punch flurry. Pennington finally reversed the clinch and she tried unsuccessfully to take Kianzad down. Kianzad put Pennington’s back against the cage once more and she landed two more knees to the body. 10-9 Kianzad.
Round 2:
Kianzad immediately punched her way into a clinch to begin round two. Pennington eventually circled out and both women landed combinations. Kianzad’s punches were more damaging and Pennington clinched. She landed an elbow and a right hook to the body. Kianzad backed Pennington up momentarily with a combination, but Pennington secured another clinch and she tripped Kianzad to the ground. Kianzad postured for a triangle choke from the bottom, but Pennington escaped and she took Kianzad’s back. As the round entered its final minute, Pennington turned into Kianzad’s guard and she postured up with elbows. Kianzad scrambled up to her feet against the cage and the round ended with an exchange of elbows. 10-9 Pennington.
Round 3:
Kianzad had early success with short knees and punches in a clinch, but Pennington broke free and cracked her with a hard right hand. Another clinch followed and both women landed elbows over the top. Pennington followed with a one-two, but Kianzad halted her momentum with a knee to the body. Kianzad jabbed while backing away from the clinch and Pennington quickly tied her up again. Kianzad threw two knees to the body and she countered a right hook from Pennington with an overhand right. In the final minute, Kianzad landed two knees and the fighters battled against the cage. Pennington landed two hard right hooks and Kianzad backed up, and the fight ended with Pennington walking her down with punches. Close final round. 10-9 Pennington.
Winner: Raquel Pennington by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 12-8-0.
Zhu Rong vs Brandon “The Human Highlight Reel” Jenkins
Round 1:
Jenkins kept his distance and targeted Rong’s lead leg with kicks in the opening minute. Time was briefly called when Jenkins was kicked in the groin, but action resumed and he continued to score with leg and body kicks. A one-two also landed for Jenkins, but Rong began to find his range with leg kicks of his own and a combination. He backed Jenkins up with a flurry and then floored him with a counter right hook as Jenkins missed with a spinning back kick attempt. Jenkins got back to his feet and Rong dragged him down again. He landed punches to the side of Jenkins’s face and briefly held mount. Rong stood over Jenkins in the final 30 seconds and dropped two left hands to his face. The round ended with an exchange of strikes in a clinch. 10-9 Rong.
Round 2:
Rong flurried with punches and backed Jenkins up with a head kick that was partially blocked. He tripped Jenkins and took his back on the way up. Jenkins turned into the clinch and Rong dumped him to the mat. He kept Jenkins down until the final minute when Jenkins scrambled up to his feet. Rong pulled him back down and landed left hands to the side of his face, then passed to mount. Once more, Jenkins escaped to his feet and he landed a hard one-two. Rong responded with a combination that backed him up and he finished the round with a left-right combo. 10-9 Rong.
Round 3:
Early in round three, Rong landed a flurry of punches and Jenkins countered with body kicks from a distance. Rong scored a takedown and once again took Jenkins’s back. Jenkins briefly stood, only to be taken down again. Rong punched from back control and looked to set up a rear-naked choke. He hurt Jenkins with hard left hands from the back and prevented Jenkins from getting back to his feet. As Jenkins tried to scramble free, Rong landed a hard shovel uppercut under Jenkins’s right arm and a follow-up left hand that was enough to prompt referee Chris Tognoni to wave off the fight.
Winner: Zhu Rong by TKO (Punches) at 4:35 of round three. He improves to 18-4-0.
Montel “Quik” Jackson vs J.P. “Young Savage” Buys
Round 1:
Jackson easily stuffed an early takedown attempt from Buys and he backed him up with a one-two. Buys shot in for another takedown and he got Jackson down into mount. Jackson exploded out from the bottom and gave up his back in the process. Buys locked on a rear-naked choke, but Jackson simply stood up and shook him off. He trapped Buys in a tight guillotine choke and used it to push Buys down to the mat. Jackson almost took Buys’s back and he landed punches as the fighters returned to their feet. Buys jumped guard with a guillotine choke, but Jackson stayed calm and pulled his head out. He landed hammerfists from the top and avoided a Buys armbar attempt. Buys stood against the cage and Jackson peppered him with left hands and a knee. The close round ended with Jackson landing knees to Buys’s thigh. 10-9 Jackson.
Round 2:
Jackson dropped Buys with two straight lefts to open the second round. Buys recovered and rolled for a kneebar on the ground. The fighters stood and Buys looked for a kimura, then jumped into a flying guillotine choke attempt that he used to pull Jackson down to the ground. Jackson escaped from the choke and Buys switched back to another kimura. The fighters stood and Jackson landed two knees to the body. He followed with left hands and more knees until Buys broke free. Jackson dropped Buys with a right hook and allowed him to stand back up. Buys clinched and Jackson whipped him down to the mat. Buys tried once more for a kimura before the bell. 10-9 Jackson, if not a 10-8 due to the knockdowns.
Round 3:
The final round opened with a straight left from Jackson and he dropped Buys with a second one. A dazed Buys held on as Jackson landed more punches on the ground. Buys battled back to his feet and time was called when he was kneed in the groin. Action resumed after a brief break and Jackson dropped Buys for a fourth time with a straight left. He forced Buys to get back to his feet and Buys resorted to pulling guard after a takedown attempt was stuffed. He tied Jackson up from the bottom and a stalemate ensued. Buys eyed a kimura on Jackson’s right arm and Jackson threw punches to Buys’s liver. 10-9 Jackson.
Winner: Montel Jackson by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 11-2-0.
Erin “Cold Blooded” Blanchfield vs Sarah “Too Sweet” Alpar
Round 1:
Blanchfield countered an early clinch attempt from Alpar with a three-punch combo and she repeatedly scored with stiff jabs as Alpar struggled to land anything. Another combination scored for Blanchfield, followed by a body kick. She continued to land lead left hooks and jabs, then tripped Alpar to the mat. She passed to mount and rained down punches, then trapped Alpar’s arm and attacked with elbows to her face. Alpar was able to shrimp from the bottom and got back to half-guard, but Blanchfield postured up with more punches late in the round. 10-8 Blanchfield.
Round 2:
The second round began with Blanchfield landing more left hands to Alpar’s damaged right eye, which continued to swell up. Blanchfield flurried with punches and then took Alpar down threw knees to her side. She hunted for a rear-naked choke and landed punches to the side of Alpar’s face. Alpar eventually rolled to her back and Blanchfield took top position in her half-guard. She landed short punches and tried to pass to side control for an arm-triangle choke attempt. Alpar prevented her from doing so, but Blanchfield got to mount and finished the round with more ground and pound from the top. 10-8 Blanchfield.
Round 3:
Blanchfield opened the final round with three kicks to Alpar’s body. She followed with punches and then landed knees to the body in a clinch against the cage. Alpar broke free and both women landed step-in elbows at the same time. Blanchfield landed one more body kick and then took Alpar down into half-guard. She moved to side control and then eyed a North-South Choke attempt. Alpar rolled over to her knees and tried to stand. Blanchfield kept her pinned down against the base of the cage and threw punches to Alpar’s face from a three-quarter mount. Late in the final minute, Blanchfield attempted a rear-naked choke and then postured up with hard punches from mount, but Alpar was saved by the bell. 10-8 Blanchfield.
Winner: Erin Blanchfield by Unanimous Decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26) after three rounds. She improves to 7-1-0.
Carlston Lindsay “Mocambique” Harris vs Impa “Tshilobo” Kasanganay
Round 1:
Harris initiated an early clinch, but Kasanganay circled free and the fighters exchanged lead left hooks. Both men landed one-twos and body kicks. Harris wobbled Kasanganay with a counter right hook and Kasanganay stumbled backward. Harris dropped him with two more hooks and then followed with punches to the side of a turtling Kasanganay’s head until the fight was stopped. Kasanganay protested the stoppage, but he ate several unanswered punches.
Winner: Carlston Lindsay Harris by TKO (Punches) at 2:38 of round one. He improves to 17-4-0.
Gustavo Lopez vs Heili “The Mongolian Knight” Alateng
Round 1:
Both fighters landed right hands at the same time and Lopez backed Alateng up against the cage. Alateng circled away and he landed an overhand right. Big punches were exchanged and Lopez landed a hard left hook. He followed with a strong leg kick and then a counter one-two as Alateng stepped forward. Another quick combination scored for Lopez, but Alateng opened a cut beside his left eye with a right hook. Alateng attempted a flying knee late in the round and missed. 10-9 Lopez.
Round 2:
Lopez kept his distance and jabbed in the second round until Alateng closed in and grazed with a winging overhand right. Lopez kicked at Alateng’s lead leg, but Alateng landed a nice left-right combo that backed Lopez up momentarily. Alateng landed a leg kick of his own and Lopez tried for a takedown. Alateng sprawled and got back to his feet. A leg kick scored for Lopez and Alateng responded with an overhand right. Close round. 10-9 Alateng.
Round 3:
Alateng landed the first significant strike in the final round when he cracked Lopez with an overhand right. He followed with a lead left hook, but Lopez charged forward with looping punches and he landed some hard shots before taking Alateng’s back. Alateng grabbed the cage and was warned. He grabbed it three more times and was docked one point. The fight resumed with Lopez on Alateng’s back and he hunted for a rear-naked choke. Alateng defended, but Lopez landed right hands to the side of his face. The fighters stood and Lopez countered a takedown attempt from Alateng with a guillotine choke. Alateng was in some trouble, but he escaped and the fight returned to the feet. Both men landed hard left hooks shortly before the bell. 10-8 Lopez.
Result: Unanimous Draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28) after three rounds. Lopez moves to 12-6-1, while Alateng is now 14-8-2.
Hannah “24K” Goldy vs Emily “Spitfire” Whitmire
Round 1:
Following an exchange of leg kicks, Whitmire landed a quick combination and she took Goldy down against the base of the cage. Whitmire postured up with a right hand, but Goldy kicked her off and scrambled up to her feet. Whitmire tripped Goldy again and landed short punches from the top. She stood up and Goldy tried to follow, but Whitmire took her back and attempted a rear-naked choke. Goldy spun to her side and rolled to her back, which allowed Whitmire to strike from the top again. Goldy countered with an armbar from the bottom, and fully extended Whitmire’s arm, forcing Whitmire to submit in a quick change of fortune after Whitmire had controlled the entire round.
Winner: Hannah Goldy by Submission (Armbar) at 4:17 of round one. She improves to 6-2-0.