The Ultimate Fighting Championship headed back to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada today for UFC Fight Night 213: “Kattar vs Allen.” The card featured a featherweight matchup between Calvin “The Boston Finisher” Kattar and England’s Arnold “Almighty” Allen, who was 9-0 in the UFC.
In the welterweight co-main event, Tim “The Dirty Bird” Means took on Max “Pain” Griffin. Elsewhere on the main card, Waldo Cortes-Acosta squared off against Jared “The Mountain” Vanderaa in a featured heavyweight bout. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC Fight Night 213 card.
Arnold “Almighty” Allen vs Calvin “The Boston Finisher” Kattar
Round 1:
The fighters traded cautious jabs during the opening two minutes and Allen mixed in occasional body kicks. Kattar landed a right cross and Allen answered with a lead right hook and two leg kicks. He landed two straight left hands and then swarmed on Kattar with a barrage of punches. Kattar weathered the storm and circled to his left. Kattar’s face was already reddened and Allen landed three left hands to his nose. Kattar stepped awkwardly on his right leg and his knee gave out. Allen attempted an Anaconda Choke on the ground, but Kattar defended until the bell. 10-9 Allen.
Round 2:
The cageside doctor was called in to check on Kattar between rounds, did a pointless three-second evaluation and allowed the fight to continue. Kattar’s knee immediately popped as Allen landed a leg kick seconds into round two and the fight was then stopped.
Winner: Arnold Allen by TKO (Knee Injury) at 0:08 of round two. He improves to 19-1-0.
Max “Pain” Griffin vs Tim “The Dirty Bird” Means
Round 1:
Griffin landed a lead left hook and a straight right hand that floored Means in the opening minute. He followed with elbows on the ground, but Means recovered and scrambled up to his feet. He held Griffin in a clinch against the cage, but the fighters soon separated. Means landed two leg kicks and Griffin connected with another right cross. In the final minute, Griffin landed a strong right hand and Means answered with a lead right hook. Means fought off a takedown attempt and elbowed the side of Griffin’s head. 10-9 Griffin.
Round 2:
Means had better success in the second round with leg and body kicks. Griffin threw single punches in response, but his output slowed way down and that allowed Means to continue to score with kicks. Finally, with 40 seconds remaining, Griffin landed a right cross that dropped Means. He spent the remainder of the round on top in Means’s guard. 10-9 Griffin due to the late knockdown.
Round 3:
Griffin took Means down early in round three and he kept him pinned against the base of the cage. Means eventually battled back to his feet and Griffin got him back down to a seated position. Means got back to his feet once more and he landed a knee in a clinch. He took Griffin down and landed a knee to the body as Griffin stood up. The fight ended with one more takedown from Means. Close final round. 10-9 Griffin.
Winner: Max Griffin by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 19-9-0.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs Jared “The Mountain” Vanderaa
Round 1:
Cortes-Acosta landed two jabs and Vanderaa answered with a leg kick. Cortes-Acosta landed a hard three-punch combo that stunned Vanderaa momentarily, but he recovered and landed another leg kick. Cortes-Acosta remained the aggressor, but Vanderaa landed two calf kicks that damaged his lead leg. Two more leg kicks scored for Vanderaa late in the back-and-forth round. 10-9 Cortes-Acosta by a slim margin.
Round 2:
Vanderaa began the second round where he left off in round one with more leg kicks. Cortes-Acosta charged at him with heavy punches, but was noticeably limping on his left leg. Vanderaa landed a body kick and clinched after Cortes-Acosta flurried with punches. Vanderaa landed uppercuts in close and the fighters separated. Another leg kick landed for Vanderaa and Cortes-Acosta moved forward with jabs. Vanderaa landed a right-left combo and the round ended in a clinch. 10-9 Vanderaa.
Round 3:
Cortes-Acosta landed a stiff jab to begin round three and Vanderaa resumed kicking at his lead leg. Cortes-Acosta switched stances and Vanderaa began to attack his other leg. Cortes-Acosta scored with two right hooks and he bloodied Vanderaa’s nose with jabs. He continued to land jabs as the round progressed and began to showboat. Vanderaa landed two more heavy leg kicks and he attempted a head kick late in the close round. 10-9 Cortes-Acosta. Decision could go either way.
Winner: Waldo Cortes-Acosta by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 8-0-0.
Tresean “Mr. Vicious” Gore vs Josh Fremd
Round 1:
Gore took Fremd down immediately and he held Fremd in a front choke as Fremd tried to get to his feet. The fighters stood and Gore slammed Fremd down. He took his back, but Fremd shook him off and stood up. Both men landed leg kicks and Fremd jumped in with a flying switch knee to the body. He landed three more knees in a clinch against the cage and finished the round with an uppercut. Close round due to Gore slowing down at the end. 10-9 Gore.
Round 2:
Fremd shot in for a single-leg takedown in the second round and Gore trapped him in a power guillotine choke. Fremd tried to kick off of the cage to escape, but he could not and Gore pulled him down to the ground. He maintained the choke and Fremd was quickly rendered unconscious, ending the fight.
Winner: Tresean Gore by Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:49 of round two. He improves to 4-2-0.
Khalil “The War Horse” Rountree vs Dustin “The Hanyak” Jacoby
Round 1:
Rountree struck first with a straight left hand and he followed up with another one seconds later. Jacoby landed a series of leg kicks and a right hook. Another leg kick landed for Jacoby after a combination. He switched stances and landed a lead right hook. Jacoby used his jab to set up a straight right hand and Rountree fired back with a nice one-two. Punches were exchanged late in the round and Jacoby attempted a flying knee that missed. Rountree landed a hard left hook before the bell. 10-9 Jacoby.
Round 2:
The second round began with Rountree landing a lead right hook and the fighters exchanged rapid-fire jabs. Jacoby continued to land jabs as Rountree slowed down, but Rountree cut him near his left eye with a lead right hand. Jacoby went high with a head kick that was partially blocked. Rountree landed two leg kicks and Jacoby backed him up with jabs. Rountree prevented Jacoby from clinching, but Jacoby landed a quick flurry to the body in the final seconds. 10-9 Jacoby.
Round 3:
Rountree opened the final round with a combination and he scored with a big left hook that caused Jacoby to take a step back. Jacoby chopped away with two leg kicks and he followed with a one-two. An overhand left and a lead right hook scored for Rountree. He landed two more punches and a knee when Jacoby ducked his head. Jacoby caught a body kick and landed two hooks, but Rountree cracked him with a huge left hook and a knee. Jacoby recovered and he landed two power punches before the bell. 10-9 Rountree.
Winner: Khalil Rountree by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 11-5-0, 1 NC.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)