The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada today for UFC Fight Night 200: “Hermansson vs Strickland.” The event was headlined by a middleweight contender’s bout as Jack “The Joker” Hermansson looked to halt Sean “Tarzan” Strickland’s winning streak.
In the co-main event, Punahele “Story Time” Soriano met unbeaten Nick Maximov at 185 pounds. Elsewhere on the main card, Shavkat “Nomad” Rakhmonov took on Carlston Lindsay “Mocambique” Harris in a featured welterweight matchup. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
Sean “Tarzan” Strickland vs Jack “The Joker” Hermansson
Round 1:
After an exchange of punches in the opening minute, Hermansson tripped Strickland and then took his back after Strickland stood up. Strickland turned into the clinch and pushed Hermansson away. Hermansson threw leg kicks and Strickland jabbed. That continued until the final minute when Strickland landed an overhand right. He resumed jabbing and Hermansson threw a few more leg kicks before the end of the even round. 10-10.
Round 2:
Hermansson was more aggressive in the second round and he opened with a one-two and a leg kick. Two more punches landed for Hermansson and he shot in for a takedown, but Strickland easily sidestepped it and he connected with a right hook. When Strickland landed a body kick, Hermansson fired back with a looping right hand. He landed a liver kick and Strickland answered with a right hand to the body. He jabbed and Hermansson landed a calf kick. Strickland landed more jabs and a body kick, and he dropped Hermansson with an overhand right just before the bell. 10-9 Strickland.
Round 3:
Strickland remained effective with his jab in the third round and Hermansson kicked at his lead leg from a distance. Little transpired until Hermansson landed a liver kick near the midway point in the round. He stepped forward with a left-right combo and Strickland responded with a hard jab and a right cross. He continued to jab and snapped Hermansson’s head back with one. Late in the round, Strickland used jabs to set up a right hook, and Hermansson partially landed a head kick in return. 10-9 Strickland.
Round 4:
Hermansson landed two right hooks in round four and then dropped levels for a takedown. Strickland defended rather easily and Hermansson gave up on the takedown. Strickland scored with a right hook and the fighters continued to trade jabs. Strickland mixed in a leg kick as Hermansson countered with two hooks over the top. Strickland jabbed and Hermansson landed a leg kick late in the uneventful round. 10-9 Strickland.
Round 5:
In the final round, Hermansson pressed the action with jab-hook combos early on and Strickland re-established his jab. Hermansson landed a Superman Punch and he finished a combination with a leg kick. Strickland scored with a counter right hook as Hermansson moved forward and he prevented Hermansson from taking him down. Strickland began taunting in the final seconds and power punches were exchanged until the end of the fight. 10-9 Hermansson by a narrow margin.
Winner: Sean Strickland by Split Decision (49-46, 49-46, 47-48) after five rounds. He improves to 25-3-0.
Nick Maximov vs Punahele “Story Time” Soriano
Round 1:
Soriano avoided an early takedown attempt from Maximov and both men landed body kicks. Maximov got him down on his second try and attempted a head kick as Soriano returned to his feet. Time was called when Maximov was kicked in the groin, but action soon resumed and Soriano hurt and cut Maximov with a knee to the bridge of his nose. Maximov recovered and jumped on Soriano’s back as he hunted for a standing rear-naked choke. Soriano eventually shook him off, but Maximov tripped him to a knee. Soriano landed a knee to Maximov’s chest and punished him with hammerfist strikes to the side of his head until the bell. Close, back-and-forth round. 10-9 Soriano due to damage.
Round 2:
Maximov took Soriano down in the second round, but Soriano countered by taking his back and he stood up. Maximov followed and he dove at Soriano’s ankles in order to trip him again. Soriano rose to his feet with Maximov holding back control. He broke Maximov’s grip and flurried with punches to the head and body. Maximov latched on to Soriano’s lower leg again and got him down to a seated position. Once more, Soriano stood up, and he landed back elbows to Maximov’s face. Maximov pulled Soriano down to the mat two more times in the final 90 seconds and the round ended with Maximov holding back control in a standing clinch. 10-9 Maximov by a narrow margin, though it was once again Soriano landing the more significant strikes.
Round 3:
The final round began with Maximov attempting a flying switch kick and he took Soriano down. Maximov landed left hands to Soriano’s face as Soriano tried to get to his feet against the cage. He stood up very briefly and Maximov dumped him to the mat again. When Soriano stood, Maximov landed a series of knees to the back of his thigh. Maximov tripped him and Soriano countered with punches to his ribs. Late in the fight, Soriano rose to his feet and Maximov threw knees to his thigh. Soriano turned around and Maximov dove at his ankles, allowing Soriano to punch him in the kidneys. Maximov stood and the bell sounded seconds later. 10-9 Maximov.
Winner: Nick Maximov by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 8-0-0.
Shavkat “Nomad” Rakhmonov vs Carlston Lindsay “Mocambique” Harris
Round 1:
Rakhmonov landed a right-left combo and a body kick in the opening minute as Harris flailed wildly and struggled to find his range. A spinning back kick to the body scored for Rakhmonov, who followed up with a left hook that backed Harris up. Rakhmonov clinched and tried to throw him to the mat, but Harris balanced on one leg. Rakhmonov threw him down on his second try, but he could not keep Harris down and the fight returned to the feet. Rakhmonov dropped Harris with a spinning hook kick and followed with punches to Harris’s face while standing over him. Harris was soon unconscious and the fight was stopped.
Winner: Shavkat Rakhmonov by KO (Spinning Hook Kick & Punches) at 4:10 of round one. He improves to 15-0-0.
Brendan “All In” Allen vs “Smile’n” Sam Alvey
Round 1:
Allen targeted Alvey’s ribs with two early kicks, but Alvey countered with a lead right hook to the temple. Allen shot in for a takedown and Alvey sprawled well. Back on the feet, Alvey blocked a head kick and he landed another lead right hook. He followed with a straight left and then a combination soon after. In the final minute, Alvey lunged forward with two quick punches and Allen clinched again. He landed a hard right hook on the break and then dropped Alvey to a knee with a second right hand. Alvey got back to his feet and the round ended in a clinch against the cage. What had been a clear round for Alvey appeared to be stolen by Allen at the end. 10-9 Allen.
Round 2:
Alvey blocked head kicks from Allen in the second round and lunged forward with a one-two that came up short. Seconds later, Allen dropped Alvey to his knees with a massive left hook. He locked on a tight no-hooks rear-naked choke and Alvey tapped out.
Winner: Brendan Allen by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:10 of round two. He improves to 18-5-0.
Bryan “Pooh Bear” Battle vs “Mr. Vicious” Tresean Gore
Round 1:
Battle was very active with leg and body kicks in the early stages of the fight. Gore responded with a head kick attempt that was blocked. Battle continued to attack Gore’s lead leg with kicks while circling from side to side. He blocked another head kick from Gore and landed two more leg kicks, then a right hand over the top. Gore answered with a right hook, but Battle backed him up momentarily with a lead left hand. Battle landed left-right combos and another leg kick. Gore knocked his mouthpiece out with a left hook late in the round. 10-9 Battle.
Round 2:
In the second round, Battle ducked under a right hand from Gore and landed a jab-cross combo in return. He followed up with a quick flurry and Gore landed a body kick. He stunned Battle with a left hook and Battle’s mouthpiece fell out again. After the restart, Gore hurt Battle with another lead left hook. Battle recovered and landed a combination, then shot in for a takedown. Gore stayed on his feet, but Battle kept him pinned against the cage. Gore countered with two knees and Battle briefly took his back in a standing clinch. Gore turned into the clinch and landed two more knees. He trapped Battle in a power guillotine choke and Battle dropped down to the mat in order to escape. He gave up top position in the process and Gore landed left hands from the top. 10-9 Gore.
Round 3:
Battle’s right eye was almost completely swollen shut as the final round began and he kept his distance with jabs. Gore eventually shot in and took Battle down, but Battle worked his way up against the cage. He landed knees to Gore’s body and Gore briefly took his back. Battle broke free and landed a right hand, then followed with a three-punch combo. Battle held Gore against the fence and hunted for a takedown. Gore stayed on his feet and Battle landed a knee on the break. He followed with a nice right hand and then clinched once more. Gore pushed him away and landed a right hook, then sprawled out of a Battle takedown attempt. Battle flurried with punches and he landed two front kicks to the body late in the close round. 10-9 Battle.
Winner: Bryan Battle by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 7-1-0.
Julian “Juicy J” Erosa vs Steven “Ocho” Peterson
Round 1:
Peterson clinched early in the fight and tried to drag Erosa down, but Erosa maintained his balance and broke free from his grasp. Peterson threw leg kicks and Erosa walked him down with left and right hooks. Erosa landed a nice right hand and a follow-up one-two. Both fighters landed lead left hands at the same time and Erosa connected with an overhand right. A cut opened on Peterson’s left cheek and Erosa kept him on the defensive with punches. Erosa landed a leg kick and ducked under a spinning backfist from Peterson, who charged forward. Erosa hurt him with two counter hooks and Peterson retreated. Erosa followed up with a combination, but the bell sounded to end the round. 10-9 Erosa.
Round 2:
The second round began with Peterson landing a big right hand, but Erosa responded with two punches to Peterson’s nose, which immediately began to bleed heavily. Peterson landed a right cross and Erosa shot in for a takedown. Peterson stuffed it and he connected with another right hand. Soon after, he wobbled Erosa with an overhand right and chased after him in search of a finish. Erosa landed punches of his own, but Peterson staggered him again with another hard right hand. More punches were thrown and Erosa dropped Peterson to a knee with a spinning back forearm. Peterson rose to his feet and easily thwarted a takedown attempt. He landed a head kick and missed with a spinning backfist. Erosa finished the round with a front kick and a right hook. 10-9 Peterson.
Round 3:
Erosa immediately pressed the action in the final round, but Peterson countered effectively with jabs and a right hook. Erosa shot in for a takedown and Peterson countered with a guillotine choke on the way down. Erosa freed his head and the fighters returned to their feet. Peterson landed an overhand right and a body kick. He cracked Erosa with a series of one-two combos and then swept out his leg with a calf kick. Erosa stood and he landed an overhand right. He walked Peterson down and connected with another right hand. Both men scored with right hooks and Erosa took Peterson down. Peterson attempted a guillotine choke and then an omoplata. Erosa escaped and punched from the top while Peterson threw elbows from the bottom. He kicked Erosa off and stood up, and Erosa missed with a rolling thunder kick attempt. Very close round and fight. 10-9 Peterson.
Winner: Julian Erosa by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 27-9-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)