The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC Fight Night 219: “Andrade vs Blanchfield.” The card was headlined by a flyweight bout between Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade, stepping in on one week’s notice, and Erin “Cold Blooded” Blanchfield.
In the light heavyweight co-main event, Jordan “The Beverly Hills Ninja” Wright battled Zac “The Ripper” Pauga. Elsewhere on tonight’s main card, Josh Parisian faced Jamal “The Stormtrooper” Pogues in a heavyweight matchup. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for UFC Fight Night 219.
Erin “Cold Blooded” Blanchfield vs Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade
Round 1:
Andrade landed a right hook and pressed forward with looping punches, but Blanchfield tagged her with straight right hands and clinched. Andrade circled away to her left and Blanchfield just missed with an elbow. Andrade stuffed a double-leg takedown attempt, but Blanchfield landed a hard right hook and she followed with another one. Blanchfield landed a third right hook and Andrade charged at her with left hooks. Three of them landed, but Blanchfield was unfazed and she landed two body kicks. Andrade scored with an overhand right and she landed a right hook soon after. Blanchfield secured a body lock and tried to take Andrade down, but she could not. Close opening round. 10-9 Blanchfield.
Round 2:
Blanchfield threw lead left hooks to keep Andrade at bay early in round two, but Andrade closed the distance and she landed two right hands. Blanchfield took her down into side control and then locked on a rear-naked choke. Andrade briefly held on before tapping out. Huge win for Blanchfield.
Winner: Erin Blanchfield by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 1:37 of round two. She improves to 11-1-0.
Zac “The Ripper” Pauga vs Jordan “The Beverly Hills Ninja” Wright
Round 1:
Pauga landed a right hook and clinched with Wright against the cage. He landed a short elbow to Wright’s face and alternated between more elbows and knees to Wright’s thigh as the round progressed. The fighters exchanged knees to the body and time was called when Wright was kneed in the groin. The fight resumed and Pauga kept Wright pinned against the cage. He opened a bad cut on Wright’s forehead with a slashing elbow strike. Blood poured down Wright’s face and Pauga landed another hard elbow. He finished the round with a knee and a right hook. 10-9 Pauga.
Round 2:
The second round began with another clinch after Pauga landed two right hands. Wright tried to sweep out Pauga’s leg, but Pauga maintained his balance and the fighters separated. Pauga landed a left-right combo and clinched once more. Just past the midway point in the round, Pauga teed off with four hard elbow strikes. He tried to take Wright down, but Wright escaped from the clinch. Late in the round, Pauga landed three elbows and Wright scored with a big right hook. 10-9 Pauga.
Round 3:
Pauga landed a strong body kick in the final round and Wright threw one in response. Pauga dropped him momentarily with an overhand right. Wright stood and Pauga landed a leg kick and a lead left hook. Pauga caught a kick and tied Wright up in a clinch. He landed two knees before Wright circled away. Wright grazed with an uppercut and Pauga threw two right hands in response. In the final seconds, Pauga caught a kick and landed a right hook before the bell. 10-9 Pauga.
Winner: Zac Pauga by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 6-1-0.
Jamal “The Stormtrooper” Pogues vs Josh Parisian
Round 1:
Pogues scored a takedown into side control one minute into the fight. He landed two short elbows before Parisian got to half-guard. Parisian sat up against the cage and Pogues held him in a guillotine choke. He let it go and landed an elbow as Parisian rose to his feet. Parisian landed a front kick to Pogues’s face and Pogues clinched. Parisian pushed him away and Pogues landed a left-right combo. He held Parisian against the cage and time was called when Parisian accidentally kneed Pogues in the groin. Action continued and Pogues took Parisian back down. He landed short hammerfists from Parisian’s half-guard before the bell. 10-9 Pogues.
Round 2:
Just as he did in round one, Pogues took Parisian down after a minute in the second stanza. Parisian tried to stand up and Pogues kept him down against the cage. Parisian worked back to his feet and the fighters battled in a prolonged and largely uneventful clinch. Parisian jabbed and he landed a lead left hook as Pogues slowed down. Parisian landed a right hook and a spinning backfist, and the round ended with him holding Pogues against the cage. Close round. 10-9 Parisian due to damage.
Round 3:
Punches were exchanged in the final round and time was called when Parisian kicked Pogues in the groin. Parisian was given a hard warning and he landed a one-two after the restart. Pogues jabbed and landed a right hand over the top, then took Parisian down. He moved straight to mount, but Parisian got back to half-guard. Parisian stood and Pogues landed a knee and an elbow. Parisian reversed the clinch and broke free after missing with a spinning backfist. Parisian grazed with an uppercut and then briefly held Pogues against the cage. He landed a right hook and a body kick, then tripped Pogues to a knee and took partial back control. As Pogues got to his feet, Parisian landed left hands to the side of his face. Another close round. 10-9 Pogues.
Winner: Jamal Pogues by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 10-3-0.
Marcin Prachnio vs William “Knightmare” Knight
Round 1:
Prachnio landed kicks to Knight’s left leg while constantly circling. Knight landed almost nothing at all and Prachnio scored with a body kick. He landed more leg kicks and Knight continued to offer very little offence in return. Prachnio attacked the inside and outside of Knight’s leg with kicks during the final minute. 10-9 Prachnio.
Round 2:
Prachnio hurt Knight with a leg kick early in round two and then went high with a head kick that was partially blocked. Leg kick after leg kick landed for Prachnio until Knight finally landed a right hook. Prachnio threw another head kick and this one found its mark. Knight limped on his left leg and Prachnio kicked it three more times. He landed a right hook and then kicked Knight’s other leg. He finished the round with a head kick. 10-9 Prachnio.
Round 3:
In the final round, Prachnio continued to attack Knight’s left leg and Knight threw nothing in response. The commentary team even acknowledged that Knight’s level of effort was almost non-existent. Prachnio kicked his leg and Knight limped again. A head kick scored for Prachnio and he landed one more in the final seconds. 10-9 Prachnio.
Winner: Marcin Prachnio by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 16-6-0.
Alexander “The Great Ape” Hernandez vs Jim “A-10” Miller
Round 1:
Jabs were exchanged during the opening minute and time was briefly called when Miller was poked in the eye. Action resumed and Miller landed a right-left combo and a head kick. Hernandez resumed moving forward and he landed a right hand, but Miller scored with a left hook and punched his way into a clinch. Hernandez pushed him away and landed a body kick. The fighters exchanged lead hooks and body kicks. Miller landed an uppercut and Hernandez jabbed while circling. Miller landed a body kick and time was called when he kicked Hernandez in the groin. The fight continued and Miller blocked a head kick after landing a left hook. 10-9 Miller.
Round 2:
Hernandez targeted Miller’s damaged right eye with two right hooks and he followed with a step-in knee to the body. Hernandez jabbed and Miller’s face swelled up. Miller threw a head kick and Hernandez blocked it. A right hook and a hard jab scored for Hernandez as the round entered its final two minutes. Miller charged forward with two left hooks and a lead right hand. Hernandez landed a body kick and a knee, and he threw one more kick to the body late in the round. 10-9 Hernandez.
Round 3:
Hernandez landed jabs early in the final round, but Miller pressed forward with heavy punches and he landed a hard right hook. Hernandez fought off a clinch and he bloodied Miller’s right cheek with a jab. Hernandez landed a jab-cross combo and a body kick soon after. Miller remained the aggressor, but Hernandez countered effectively with jabs. He followed up with a knee to the body and two more jabs. Hernandez landed a right hook and a body kick, and the fighters exchanged one-twos. Miller swept out Hernandez’s leg and locked on a face crank, but he could not quite get his arm under Hernandez’s chin to secure a choke. Hernandez turned over into Miller’s guard and postured up with punches to end the excellent fight. 10-9 Hernandez.
Winner: Alexander Hernandez by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 14-6-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)