The Ultimate Fighting Championship stayed at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada today for UFC Fight Night 194: “Dern vs Rodriguez.” The event was headlined by a featured strawweight contender’s matchup between elite grappler Mackenzie Dern and talented striker Marina Rodriguez.
In the welterweight co-main event, Randy “Rude Boy” Brown took on Jared “Nite Train” Gooden, who missed weight by three pounds. Also on the main card, Tim Elliott faced off against Matheus Nicolau Pereira at flyweight. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC Fight Night 194 card.
Marina Rodriguez vs Mackenzie Dern
Round 1:
Dern came up short with early leg kick attempts and Rodriguez sidestepped a charge from Dern as she tried to clinch. Dern rushed at her again and both women landed punches before Dern clinched and worked for a takedown. Rodriguez landed an elbow to Dern’s ribs and she eventually broke free from the clinch. A one-two and a body kick landed for Rodriguez, who followed with a left-right combo to Dern’s jaw.Punches were exchanged and Rodriguez landed a knee to the body. 10-9 Rodriguez.
Round 2:
In the second round, Dern used punches to set up a hip toss attempt that ultimately allowed her to take top position in side control. Dern passed to the opposite side and Rodriguez locked on an Anaconda Choke from the bottom. Dern stayed calm and worked her way free, and she transitioned to a back crucifix. Dern landed elbows to Rodriguez’s face and tried for a unique armbar using only her legs. Rodriguez freed her arm, but she gave up her back in the process. She rolled over to her back and Dern landed punches from mount. Rodriguez managed to hold on until the bell. 10-8 Dern.
Round 3:
Rodriguez connected with a three-punch combo in the third round and she grazed with a head kick. She continued to land punches and mixed in body kicks while Dern struggled with her range. Dern’s punches became wild and Rodriguez landed body kicks and an uppercut. She flurried to the body again and prevented Dern from clinching. Late in the round, Dern finally clinched, but Rodriguez punished her with elbows and hammerfists while balancing on one leg. 10-9 Rodriguez.
Round 4:
Time was called early in round four when Dern was kicked in the groin. Action continued and Rodriguez landed a body kick after shrugging off a clinch attempt. A leg kick and two punches scored for Rodriguez, followed by a knee to the liver. Dern tried unsuccessfully to take her down and Rodriguez continued to land jabs and leg kicks. She rushed at Dern with three looping hooks and a sweeping leg kick as Dern backed up. Soon after, Dern missed badly with a punch attempt and Rodriguez made her pay for the mistake with a body kick and punches. Rodriguez landed a knee, but Dern whipped her down to the mat and landed on top in mount. She attempted an omoplata just as time expired. 10-9 Rodriguez despite Dern’s late comeback.
Round 5:
Rodriguez jabbed and followed with a three-punch combo in the final round. She backed Dern up with a lead left hook and Dern tried in vain for a takedown. An overhand right landed for Rodriguez as the fight entered its final two minutes. Rodriguez scored with a lead left hook and another overhand right. Rodriguez tagged Dern with one more right hand and Dern clinched. Rodriguez defended with a knee to the body and she landed two more hard knee strikes in the dying seconds. 10-9 Rodriguez.
Winner: Marina Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) after five rounds. She improves to 15-1-2.
Randy “Rude Boy” Brown vs Jared “Nite Train” Gooden
Round 1:
After a brief clinch against the cage, Brown established his jab and he rocked Gooden with a front kick to the face. Gooden recovered quickly and he attacked Brown’s lead leg with kicks. Brown resumed jabbing and Gooden landed another hard leg kick. Two body kicks landed for Brown and Gooden continued to target his lead leg. A spinning backfist partially landed for Brown, but Gooden landed a strong kick to his right leg to close out the round. 10-9 Brown.
Round 2:
Gooden landed more leg kicks early in the second round and Brown slipped while throwing a body kick. He rose to his feet and tagged Gooden with a right hook. Gooden circled away and he spun Brown around with another leg kick. He used his jab to set up more leg kicks and Brown began to favour his damaged leg. He attempted a head kick and followed with a left hook. Gooden responded with kicks to both of Brown’s legs, but Brown cracked him with a one-two late in the round. Gooden backed up to the cage and Brown landed more punches before time expired. 10-9 Gooden despite the late rally.
Round 3:
Brown landed two right hands and a kick to Gooden’s chest in the opening minute of round three. Gooden landed a leg kick in return and Brown noticeably limped. He just missed with a jumping knee and then landed jab-cross combos. Gooden scored with another leg kick and Brown replied with jabs and a flying knee. A brief clinch followed and Brown circled away. He continued to jab and countered Gooden’s forward movement with a lead left hook. Gooden punched his way into a late clinch and got Brown down, but Brown landed two hammerfists from the bottom. 10-9 Brown.
Winner: Randy Brown by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 14-4-0.
Matheus Nicolau Pereira vs Tim Elliott
Round 1:
Elliott darted in and out with jabs early in the fight and he followed with a combination. Nicolau tripped and fell against the cage and Elliott landed a soccer kick to his body before Nicolau could get back to his feet. Elliott ducked under a right hand from Nicolau and took him down. Nicolau stood and Elliott maintained back control against the cage. The fighters separated with 30 seconds remaining and Nicolau landed two quick punches. He finished the round with another one-two. 10-9 Elliott.
Round 2:
Early in the second round, Elliott clinched and took Nicolau’s back, but Nicolau was able to break free and he landed an overhand right. A lead left hook scored for Nicolau and he fought off another clinch attempt. Nicolau began to mix up his punches with lead hooks to the body and right hands over the top. He escaped from a clinch and landed two more hooks to the body. Nicolau avoided Elliott’s jabs and lunging punches while landing jabs of his own. Elliott attempted a late takedown and Nicolau stayed on his feet. 10-9 Nicolau.
Round 3:
Elliott landed a left cross in the final round and followed with a punch-kick combo as Nicolau backed up to the cage. Nicolau circled away, but Elliott ducked under a right hand and shot in for a takedown. Nicolau remained on his feet and Elliott kept him pinned against the cage. Nicolau broke free and Elliott partially landed a flying switch kick. Nicolau took Elliott down and he threw short right hands to the body as Elliott tied him up from the bottom. Nicolau stayed busy enough with more short punches while preventing Elliott from getting to his feet. Elliott finally stood with ten seconds remaining, but he was unable to land anything before the bell. 10-9 Nicolau.
Winner: Matheus Nicolau Pereira by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 17-2-1.
Mariya Agapova vs Sabina “Colombian Queen” Mazo
Round 1:
Agapova circled on the outside and darted in and out with one-twos as Mazo tried to set up right hands. Another combination scored for Agapova and she followed with a one-two to the body and head. As Mazo stepped forward, Agapova landed a flurry of punches. Each time Agapova created space, she was able to land a body kick or a straight left. Mazo landed a kick to the body and ate another combination in return. Agapova partially landed with a spinning backfist and she countered a Mazo head kick with two punches before the bell. 10-9 Agapova.
Round 2:
The second round began with Agapova landing a three-punch combo and she countered a Mazo leg kick with a one-two. After an exchange of leg kicks, Agapova landed another flurry that bloodied Mazo’s nose. A body kick and two leg kicks also scored for Agapova before Mazo clinched with her against the cage. Agapova countered with a standing guillotine choke and Mazo released the clinch. The round ended with Agapova landing a four-punch combination. 10-9 Agapova.
Round 3:
Agapova continued to land first in the boxing exchanges in the final round and she quickly broke free from a Mazo clinch. Seconds later, Agapova dropped Mazo with a lead right hook over the top. She immediately locked on a rear-naked choke and Mazo tapped out.
Winner: Mariya Agapova by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 0:53 of round three. She improves to 10-2-0.
Chris “El Guapo” Gutierrez vs Felipe “Cabocão” Dias Colares
Round 1:
Gutierrez opened the action with two leg kicks and both fighters attempted head kicks. Gutierrez landed a spinning back kick to the body and he lunged in with a left hook. Colares fired back with three punches that set up a clinch. He took Gutierrez’s back momentarily, but Gutierrez turned into the clinch and eventually broke free. He landed a lunging uppercut and looked for a takedown. Colares reversed a clinch against the cage and he tried to take Gutierrez down with a headlock throw. Gutierrez stayed up and the fighters separated. Gutierrez landed a one-two and a leg kick late in the close round. 10-9 Colares due to the clinch control.
Round 2:
Colares landed two punches early in the second round and Gutierrez responded with a stiff jab. He followed with a leg kick and more jabs while circling to his left. Gutierrez remained effective with his jab and he stayed out of Colares’s range. A leg kick and two more jabs landed for Gutierrez, but Colares finally scored with a body kick and he clinched in search of a takedown. Gutierrez balanced on one leg and prevented Colares from taking him down. The fighters separated and Gutierrez jabbed. He countered a kick from Colares with a left hook to the liver, but fell while attempting a spinning kick and the round ended with Gutierrez on his back. 10-9 Gutierrez.
Round 3:
Colares worked for a takedown against the cage in the final round, but Gutierrez’s defence was solid and he ultimately broke free from the clinch. Gutierrez continued to jab and throw leg kicks while circling from side to side. He snapped Colares’s head back with a quick jab and Colares finally took him down. Both fighters landed short punches on the ground and Colares tried to pass to half-guard. He lost the position and the fight returned to the feet. Gutierrez landed a jab, a standing elbow and then a combination that stunned Colares. Gutierrez landed a hard right hand and he took Colares down at the bell. Another close round. 10-9 Gutierrez.
Winner: Chris Gutierrez by Split Decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 17-4-2.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)