The Ultimate Fighting Championship remained at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC on ESPN 45: “Song vs Simón.” The event was headlined by a bantamweight matchup between two of the division’s most entertaining contenders, Yadong “Kung Fu Kid” Song and Ricky Simón.
In the middleweight co-main event, Caio “The Natural” Borralho took on Michał “Hussar” Oleksiejczuk. Elsewhere on the main card tonight, Rodolfo “The Black Belt Hunter” Vieira battled Cody Brundage in another featured middleweight bout. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
Yadong “Kung Fu Kid” Song vs Ricky Simón
Round 1:
Simón landed two early leg kicks and he spent the remainder of the opening minute circling on the outside. Leg kicks were exchanged and Song landed a hard kick to the body. A clinch ensued against the cage and Simón separated after spinning Song around. A right hook landed for Simón and Song kicked at his lead leg. Simón landed an overhand right and Song answered with another leg kick before the bell. Close opening round. 10-9 Simón.
Round 2:
Song scored with a hard combination and Simón was dropped by a clash of heads. He stood and Song held him in a guillotine choke. Simón escaped and briefly took Song down. The fight returned to the feet and Song landed a front kick to the body. He scored with two left hooks and then followed with a left hand to the liver. Song jabbed and he landed a hard leg kick. Simón took him down in the final seconds of the round and rained down hammerfists. 10-9 Song.
Round 3:
Simón took Song down for a split second and the fight returned to the feet. Time was called when a left uppercut from Song struck Simón in the groin. The fight resumed and Song landed jabs and two leg kicks. Simón jabbed and Song landed a left hook to the body. He stunned Simón with a left-right combo and Simón recovered. Song continued to move forward and he landed a three-punch combo. 10-9 Song.
Round 4:
Simón threw a flying knee and Song answered with a right hook and a knee of his own. Simón tried to take him down, to no avail. Song scored with leg kicks and a counter right uppercut as Simón missed with a right hook. Song landed a body kick in the final 90 seconds and he followed with a looping right hook soon after. Just before the bell, Song floored Simón with a lead left hook and Simón narrowly made it out of the round. 10-9 Song.
Round 5:
Song hurt Simón with an overhand right to the temple in the final round. Simón recovered, but Song dropped him with a left hook and followed with more punches on the ground. A dazed Simón gave up his back and Song landed a brutal uppercut and one more right hand as Simón flopped to the mat and the fight was stopped.
Winner: Yadong Song by TKO (Punches) at 1:10 of round five. He improves to 20-7-1, 1 NC.
Caio “The Natural” Borralho vs Michał “Hussar” Oleksiejczuk
Round 1:
Oleksiejczuk opened the action with an overhand left and Borralho landed a hard leg kick in response. Oleksiejczuk flurried to the body and he landed another overhand left. Borralho attempted a takedown and Oleksiejczuk stuffed it. Borralho landed a lead right hook, but he still could not get Oleksiejczuk down. Time was called when Borralho was kneed in the groin. The fight resumed and Borralho landed a flying knee. Oleksiejczuk answered with a left hook and then a right hand to the body. The fighters exchanged punches and Borralho tripped Oleksiejczuk after taking his back. He punched the sides of Oleksiejczuk’s head and kneed him in the side. Close round. 10-9 Borralho due to the late offence.
Round 2:
Borralho scored a double-leg takedown early in round two and Oleksiejczuk rose to his feet against the cage. Borralho tripped him into half-guard and landed elbows as Oleksiejczuk turned to his side. Borralho took his back and punched Oleksiejczuk’s ribs until Oleksiejczuk gave up a rear-naked choke. Borralho tightened the choke and Oleksiejczuk was forced to tap.
Winner: Caio Borralho by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:49 of round two. He improves to 14-1-0, 1 NC.
Rodolfo “The Black Belt Hunter” Vieira vs Cody Brundage
Round 1:
Brundage landed a leg kick and he swarmed on Vieira with power punches as Vieira retreated to the cage. Brundage staggered him with a one-two and Vieira initiated a clinch in order to recover. Vieira, bleeding from above his left eye, tried for a takedown and Brundage defended. Time was called when Brundage was kneed in the groin. The fight resumed and Brundage dropped Vieira with a left-right combo. He followed with punches and elbows on the ground until Vieira got back to his feet and held him against the cage. He swept out Brundage’s leg and took his back. He punched the side of Brundage’s head until the end of the round. 10-9 Brundage.
Round 2:
Vieira immediately clinched and took Brundage down against the cage, and he freed his neck from a Brundage guillotine choke. Vieira locked on an arm-triangle choke and Brundage escaped once by turning to his side and giving up his back. He rolled back over, however, and Vieira locked on the choke again. Brundage could not break free and he tapped out.
Winner: Rodolfo Vieira by Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 1:28 of round two. He improves to 9-2-0.
Fernando Padilla vs Julian “Juicy J” Erosa
Round 1:
Padilla landed first with a right cross and a leg kick. He countered a right hand from Erosa with a lead left hook. Padilla rocked Erosa with a combination and then dropped him to his knees with two power hooks. Erosa got back to his feet and Padilla continued to throw punches. He wobbled Erosa with a right hook and referee Chris Tognoni jumped in to stop the fight as Erosa protested.
Winner: Fernando Padilla by TKO (Punch) at 1:41 of round one. He improves to 15-4-0.
Marcos Rogério “Pezão” de Lima vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Round 1:
De Lima immediately attacked with three kicks to Cortes-Acosta’s lead leg. Cortes-Acosta landed a right hand to the body, but de Lima continued to attack his leg with powerful kicks. Cortes-Acosta’s shin swelled and de Lima took him down into side control. Cortes-Acosta worked back to his feet and de Lima landed two more leg kicks. Cortes-Acosta clinched and de Lima broke free. He landed another leg kick and then held Cortes-Acosta in a clinch against the cage. 10-9 de Lima.
Round 2:
De Lima landed a series of leg kicks in round two and Cortes-Acosta’s knee buckled once. De Lima took Cortes-Acosta down into half-guard and Cortes-Acosta attempted a kimura from the bottom. He gave it up and got back to his feet, only for de Lima to sweep out his leg and trip him again. De Lima got too high while attempting a rear-naked choke and Cortes-Acosta escaped out the back. He got to his feet and landed a right hook that prompted de Lima to drop levels for a takedown. 10-9 de Lima.
Round 3:
Cortes-Acosta opened the final round with a few jabs and de Lima landed a leg kick. Cortes-Acosta landed a spinning back kick to the body and a quick combination. De Lima hurt him with a leg kick, but he did not follow up and Cortes-Acosta landed another flurry of quick punches. De Lima could not take Cortes-Acosta down and Cortes-Acosta popped his head back with jabs. 10-9 Cortes-Acosta.
Winner: Marcos Rogério de Lima by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 21-8-1.
Trey “The Truth” Waters vs Josh “The Renegade” Quinlan
Round 1:
Waters knocked Quinlan down with a leg kick to begin the fight and Quinlan clinched after getting back to his feet. He kneed Waters’s body and broke away from the clinch with a one-two combo. Waters landed a counter right hand as Quinlan took a step forward. The pace remained slow and Waters landed occasional jabs and another counter right hook. He landed one more right hand late in the round and Quinlan secured a brief takedown. 10-9 Waters.
Round 2:
Quinlan scored with a lead left hook to begin round two. Waters recovered quickly and he threw two jabs. Action remained very sparse as neither fighter committed to anything. Waters jabbed and he stuffed a takedown. Quinlan tried to move forward and Waters kept him at bay with more jabs and a short right hook. Waters landed a three-punch combo in the final minute and Quinlan countered with a hard leg kick. Waters landed a high knee and Quinlan failed with a lateral drop attempt, resulting in him ending the round on the bottom. 10-9 Waters.
Round 3:
Quinlan landed a leg kick and tried to close the distance, but Waters backed him up with a four-punch flurry. Waters repeatedly scored with counter overhand rights whenever Quinlan stepped forward. He stuffed a Quinlan takedown attempt and stunned Quinlan with a right hook. Quinlan recovered and resumed marching forward, but he was unable to land anything significant and Waters connected with a combination. He took Quinlan down and held his back until the end of the fight. 10-9 Waters.
Winner: Trey Waters by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 8-1-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)