The Ultimate Fighting Championship travelled to the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio tonight for UFC on ESPN 33: “Blaydes vs Daukaus.” The event was headlined by a heavyweight matchup between Curtis “Razor” Blaydes and Chris Daukaus, who both looked to get back into contention.
In the flyweight co-main event, Joanne “JoJo” Wood took on Alexa Grasso. Elsewhere on the main card, 14-year UFC veteran Matt “The Immortal” Brown battled fellow striker Bryan “Bam Bam” Barberena in a featured welterweight matchup. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
Curtis “Razor” Blaydes vs Chris Daukaus
Round 1:
Daukaus landed two hard right hooks in the opening 30 seconds, but Blaydes was not fazed. The pace slowed during the next two minutes until Blaydes landed a left-right combo and a leg kick. Right hands were exchanged and Blaydes opened a cut beside Daukaus’s left eye. Daukaus charged at him with punches, but Blaydes sidestepped and he just missed with a lead left hook. Daukaus landed two right hooks and time was called when he was poked in the eye. The fight resumed and the bell sounded seconds later. 10-9 Blaydes.
Round 2:
Blaydes immediately dropped Daukaus to a knee with a counter right cross to begin the final round. He followed up with punches on the ground as a dazed Daukaus rolled to his stomach. Daukaus went limp after one of the punches and referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.
Winner: Curtis Blaydes by KO (Punches) at 0:17 of round two. He improves to 16-3-0, 1 NC.
Alexa Grasso vs Joanne “JoJo” Wood
Round 1:
Grasso secured a takedown into Wood’s guard and threw short right hands to her body and head. Wood punched from her back and Grasso allowed her to stand back up. Wood landed a right hook and Grasso threw lead left hands. Wood landed a front kick to the chest, but Grasso threw her down into back control and immediately locked on a rear-naked choke. Wood could not break Grasso’s grip and tapped out.
Winner: Alexa Grasso by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:57 of round one. She improves to 14-3-0.
Bryan “Bam Bam” Barberena vs Matt “The Immortal” Brown
Round 1:
Brown landed an early right hand and Barberena scored with a flurry of punches in close. Brown tied him up in a Thai clinch and landed a hard knee to the body. He used a body-lock takedown to get Barberena down into side control. Barberena turned over and got to a knee, and he landed rapid-fire right hands to Brown’s face while rising to his feet. A hard body kick and a Superman Punch scored for Brown. Barberena blocked a head kick and he landed a straight left. Brown swept out his leg and tripped him briefly, but Barberena stood and cut him on the cheek with two lead elbow strikes late in the back-and-forth round. 10-9 Brown.
Round 2:
Barberena landed a series of kicks to Brown’s lead leg early in the second round. Brown answered with two right hands to the body and a takedown into half-guard. Barberena stood against the cage and both men landed elbows in close quarters. Barberena stunned Brown with an elbow, but Brown recovered enough to take Barberena down. He moved to Barberena’s back and then looked to be setting up a reverse triangle armbar. He got too high on Barberena’s back and Barberena escaped to his feet. Brown slowed way down and Barberena landed a hook and an elbow. Big punches were exchanged and Barberena landed a solid left hook in the final seconds. 10-9 Barberena.
Round 3:
The final round began with Brown throwing kicks to the body. He pressed forward and landed a right hook, but Barberena countered nicely with a lead right hand. Both men landed an elbow apiece in a clinch and Brown swept out Barberena’s leg. Barberena stood and ate an elbow to the face. It opened a cut between his eyes and Brown got him down to a knee. Barberena stood and blocked a head kick. More elbows were exchanged in another clinch and Barberena punched to the body. Brown took him down and Barberena stood right back up. He blasted Brown with elbows and punches, which wobbled Brown, but Brown fired back with a massive right hook. Barberena barely flinched and the fighters continued to trade hooks to the head and body. Brown missed with a spinning back elbow and Barberena took his back. The fighters separated and exchanged punch after punch. Barberena badly rocked Brown late in the fight, but Brown managed to stay on his feet and time expired. Crazy round. 10-9 Barberena.
Winner: Bryan Barberena by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 17-8-0.
Kai “Don’t Blink” Kara-France vs Askar “Bullet” Askarov
Round 1:
After a cautious opening minute, Kara-France landed a leg kick and Askarov answered with a right hook. He grabbed on to Kara-France’s leg and dumped him to the mat. Kara-France landed an upkick from the bottom before Askarov dropped down into side control. Askarov took Kara-France’s back and he trapped him in a body triangle. Kara-France stood up with Askarov still on his back. He kept the body triangle applied and attempted a series of rear-naked chokes with various grips. Kara-France fought them all off and so Askarov switched to throwing two elbows to the side of his head. He cranked on Kara-France’s neck until the bell. 10-9 Askarov.
Round 2:
Kara-France scored with two lunging hooks in the second round, but Askarov tied him up in a clinch and he used a body-lock takedown to get Kara-France down. Kara-France got back to his feet and he escaped from a clinch. Kara-France jumped forward with lead left hooks and he followed up with a one-two combo. Askarov clinched, but he could not get Kara-France down and Kara-France stunned him with three left hooks during an exchange. Askarov landed a right hand in return, but Kara-France backed him up with another left hook and then stuffed a takedown. Kara-France landed a leg kick and a right end before the end of the round. 10-9 Kara-France.
Round 3:
After two right hands from Kara-France in the final round, time was called when he was kicked in the groin. The fight resumed after a moment and Askarov blocked a head kick. He attempted one of his own, but slipped and fell. Askarov stood and he took Kara-France’s back in a standing clinch. Askarov jumped into a body triangle, but Kara-France grabbed Askarov’s ankle and he pulled him off. Askarov fell to the mat, then rose to his feet and tried to clinch again. Kara-France circled away and he landed two leg kicks. Kara-France closed the distance and ate a counter right hook from Askarov. With 30 seconds to go, Kara-France tried unsuccessfully for a takedown. Askarov grabbed on to his leg and backed him up to the cage. Close final round. 10-9 Kara-France, barely. Decision could go either way.
Winner: Kai Kara-France by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 24-9-0, 1 NC.
Ilir “The Sledgehammer” Latifi vs Alexey “The Boa Constrictor” Oleynik
*Note: Bout cancelled shortly before the event began due to a Latifi illness.
Neil “The Haitian Sensation” Magny vs Max “Pain” Griffin
Round 1:
Griffin scored with a pair of right hooks that backed Magny up early on. Magny reset and he landed two front kicks to the body. Both men landed right hands and Griffin scored a knockdown soon after with a big right hook. He refused to follow Magny to the ground and forced him to stand back up. Griffin darted in and out with left and right hooks. He countered Magny’s forward pressure with leg kicks, but Magny landed a combination and he established his jab in the late stages of the round. 10-9 Griffin.
Round 2:
In round two, Griffin landed a body kick and the fighters exchanged punches, but time was called when Magny was poked in the eye. The fight resumed after a short break and Griffin landed a combination of two hooks and an uppercut. Magny used his jab to set up a flurry of punches that wobbled Griffin momentarily. Magny punched his way into a clinch, but he was not able to get Griffin down. Both men landed right hands on the break and Griffin countered a one-two from Magny with an overhand right. Magny tied him up in a clinch and took Griffin’s back. Griffin turned into the clinch and the round ended with Magny landing knees. 10-9 Magny.
Round 3:
Magny opened the final round with a combination and Griffin responded with a three-punch flurry, but Magny landed a knee to the body and tied him up in a clinch. He took Griffin’s back and tripped him to the mat. Magny hurt Griffin with punches on the ground, but he got too high on his back and Griffin shook him off. The fighters stood and Magny held Griffin against the fence. Both men landed standing elbows and Magny countered a late takedown attempt from Griffin with a modified powerbomb. 10-9 Magny, if not a 10-8.
Winner: Neil Magny by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 26-8-0.
Marc “Bonecrusher” Diakiese vs Viacheslav “Slava” Borshchev
Round 1:
Diakiese dropped levels and tried to take Borshchev down against the cage, but Borshchev stayed on his feet and he even managed to take Diakiese’s back. Diakiese turned into the clinch and tripped Borshchev once. Borshchev stood and Diakiese took him back down into half-guard. He worked from the top until Borshchev briefly got up, only to be taken down into side control. Borshchev fought his way back to full guard and the round ended seconds later. 10-9 Diakiese.
Round 2:
The second round opened with an exchange of calf kicks. Diakiese took Borshchev’s back and dragged him down to the canvas. Borshchev rolled over and Diakiese landed an elbow to his face from side control. Borshchev regained full guard and he tried to kick Diakiese off, but Diakiese used the opportunity to take his back. He prevented Borshchev from standing up and held him down while throwing knees to Borshchev’s thigh. Borshchev finally stood up and he was dragged back down. Diakiese attempted an arm-triangle choke, but Borshchev broke his grip and Diakiese resumed kneeing Borshchev in the leg on the ground. 10-9 Diakiese. Could even be a 10-8 due to control.
Round 3:
Diakiese got Borshchev down in the final round and he trapped Borshchev’s left arm behind his back. Borshchev freed his arm and the crowd booed as little happened on the ground. Borshchev kicked Diakiese off and stood up, but Diakiese took his back and slammed him down. Each time Borshchev stood up, Diakiese put him back down on the mat. In the final minute, Diakiese returned to side control and he stayed there until the final bell. 10-9 Diakiese.
Winner: Marc Diakiese by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 15-5-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)