The Ultimate Fighting Championship travelled to Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore tonight for UFC Fight Night 225: “Holloway vs Korean Zombie.” The card was headlined by a featherweight bout between former champ Max “Blessed” Holloway and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung.
In the light heavyweight co-main event, Anthony “Lionheart” Smith took on Ryan “Superman” Spann. Elsewhere on tonight’s main card, Giga “Ninja” Chikadze faced Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres in a featured battle at 145 pounds. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for UFC Fight Night 225.
Max “Blessed” Holloway vs “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung
Round 1:
Holloway landed two leg kicks and Jung stepped in with a lead left hook. Jung wobbled Holloway with a right-left combo, but Holloway recovered and he hurt Jung with a counter right hand. Jung backed up and regained his composure as Holloway closed the distance. A left hook landed for Holloway, followed by another one. Jung scored with a step-in left hand of his own and Holloway responded with a left-right combo and a body kick. Jung landed two counter right hooks and then a left hand before the bell. Close, back-and-forth round. 10-9 Holloway, just barely.
Round 2:
Holloway dropped Jung with a right hook early in the second round and then trapped him in an anaconda choke on the ground. Jung survived and escaped, and managed to get back to his feet. Holloway landed a one-two combo and Jung replied with a lead left hand. Both men landed power punches in close and Holloway landed two right hands to Jung’s body. Jung countered with a right hook and Holloway finished a combination with a body kick. He landed a spinning back kick to Jung’s ribs in the final 20 seconds. 10-9 Holloway.
Round 3:
Jung immediately scored with a combination in round three and he charged forward at Holloway with more looping punches. Some good strikes landed for Jung, but he got too wild and Holloway cracked him with a big right hook. Jung fell forward on the mat and the fight was stopped, giving Holloway a thrilling knockout win.
Winner: Max Holloway by KO (Punch) at 0:23 of round three. He improves to 25-7-0.
Anthony “Lionheart” Smith vs Ryan “Superman” Spann
Round 1:
Spann threw front kicks to Smith’s ribs in the opening minute. Smith landed two lead left hooks and Spann followed with more front kicks. A hard leg kick and a right hook scored for Smith and Spann lost his balance. He regained his footing and avoided a head kick from Smith, but Smith secured a takedown into half-guard. He passed to full mount and attempted a guillotine choke, but Spann escaped to his feet. Two more hard leg kicks landed for Smith before the end of the round. 10-9 Smith.
Round 2:
Spann hurt Smith with two lead left hooks in the second round and he followed with more punches as Smith fell to the ground. Smith held on as Spann targeted his damaged left eye with right hands. Spann landed two hard right hands and an elbow as Smith latched on to his left leg. Spann stood and Smith followed, with blood pouring from around his left eye that had almost swollen shut. He hurt Spann with calf kicks, but neither fighter threw more than one strike at a time. A right hook scored for Smith in the final 15 seconds. 10-9 Spann.
Round 3:
The first two minutes of the final round had the fighters trading single leg kicks and jabs. Spann’s pace slowed down and Smith scored with an overhand right. Spann eventually landed a solid right hand and he followed with a one-two. Spann landed two leg kicks and a right hook before the end of the fight. Close final round. 10-9 Spann by a narrow margin.
Winner: Anthony Smith by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 37-18-0.
Giga “Ninja” Chikadze vs Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres
Round 1:
Chikadze landed a solid body kick in the opening minute and then attacked Caceres’s lead leg. Caceres landed a spinning backfist in response and Chikadze threw an overhand right. He followed with a body kick and another right hand. Caceres blocked a head kick, but Chikadze landed two more to his right leg and body. Another body kick and a right hook landed for Chikadze during the final minute. 10-9 Chikadze.
Round 2:
Caceres connected with a left hook in the second round, but Chikadze picked up the pace and he used powerful body kicks to set up flurries of punches. Caceres landed a lead right hook and attempted a spinning heel kick. Chikadze backed him up with a straight right hand and he countered a Caceres body kick with a lead left hook. When Caceres threw a body kick, Chikadze cracked him with a right hook and Caceres backed up. Closer round. Still 10-9 Chikadze.
Round 3:
The final round began with Chikadze landing a right hook and two body kicks. He connected with another right hand and kept the pressure on Caceres until Caceres landed a head kick. Chikadze was unfazed and he immediately returned fire with a jab-cross combo. Caceres finished a combination with a kick to the body. Chikadze landed two strong right hands and he continued to kick at Caceres’s body and lead leg. With two minutes to go, Chikadze backed Caceres up with a straight right. He followed with two kicks to his upper body and then more of them in the final minute. Chikadze landed a rolling thunder kick just before the bell. 10-9 Chikadze.
Winner: Giga Chikadze by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 15-3-0.
Rinya “Hybrid” Nakamura vs Fernando “Fernie” Garcia
Round 1:
Nakamura had early success with leg kicks and left hooks, then took Garcia down against the cage. Garcia got to his feet and Nakamura slammed him back down. Nakamura passed to side control and then to North-South position. He locked on a North-South choke, but Garcia stayed calm and he worked his way free. Nakamura eyed a kimura and then moved back to side control. He finished the round by landing big elbow strikes to Garcia’s face. 10-9 Nakamura. Could be a 10-8.
Round 2:
In the second round, Nakamura landed a leg kick and then a head kick that Garcia partially blocked. A lead right hook and another leg kick scored for Nakamura, but Garcia finally connected with a counter left hook. Nakamura took him down and he passed to side control to escape from a Garcia guillotine choke. Nakamura returned to North-South position and hunted for a kimura and a keylock. He trapped Garcia in a top-side crucifix and elbowed him in the face, then extended his arm in a straight armbar. Garcia defended until the end of the round. 10-9 Nakamura.
Round 3:
Nakamura kicked at Garcia’s lead leg in round three and Garcia struggled to land anything. He finally connected with a right hook and a kick to the upper body, but lost his balance and Nakamura easily took him down. Nakamura passed to three-quarter mount and worked for an arm-triangle choke. Garcia defended and Nakamura elbowed him in the face. He spun into an armbar, but Garcia held on and managed to escape and he got to his feet. Garcia flurried to the body and ate a head kick. 10-9 Nakamura.
Winner: Rinya Nakamura by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 8-0-0.
Erin “Cold Blooded” Blanchfield vs Taila Santos
Round 1:
Santos got off to a fast start in the opening round and she landed powerful punching combinations and a leg kick that knocked Blanchfield down. Blanchfield got back to her feet and she landed a combination in close before working for a takedown against the cage. Santos countered with an elbow and Blanchfield backed away. She followed with a knee to the body and then reversed a Blanchfield throw attempt. Back on the feet, Santos landed a leg kick and a right hook. Blanchfield clinched and the fighters battled for position against the fence. 10-9 Santos.
Round 2:
As Blanchfield pressed forward, Santos countered with jabs and a combination, then a sweeping leg kick. She reversed another takedown from Blanchfield and the fighters returned to their feet. They battled for position against the cage until Santos attempted a lateral drop and failed. She wound up on the bottom on the ground and Blanchfield passed to half-guard. She got to side control and then took Santos’s back when Santos got to her knees. Santos stood and turned into the clinch, which is where the round ended. 10-9 Blanchfield.
Round 3:
Blanchfield opened the final round with a stiff jab and then dropped levels for a takedown. Santos stuffed it and the fighters separated. Blanchfield damaged Santos’s right eye with two jabs and then clinched with her against the fence. She almost got Santos down, but Santos maintained her balance. She pushed Blanchfield away and landed a one-two and a leg kick, only for Blanchfield to shoot in again. The fighters broke apart in the final two minutes and Blanchfield landed a jab. She followed with a combination and secured a body lock. Blanchfield got Santos down to a knee momentarily, but she could not keep her there. Late in the round, Blanchfield took over with a combination and a body kick, and she hurt Santos with a right hook just before the final bell. 10-9 Blanchfield.
Winner: Erin Blanchfield by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 12-1-0.
Junior “The Juggernaut” Tafa vs Parker Porter
Round 1:
Tafa landed an early right hook and he rocked Porter with a knee from a Thai clinch. Porter staggered and Tafa landed two punches before Porter clinched. Tafa broke free from it and he landed a hard elbow and a right hook. A final right hook to the temple dropped Porter face-first to the canvas and the fight was stopped.
Winner: Junior Tafa by KO (Punch) at 1:24 of round one. He improves to 5-1-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)