For American viewers, TUF China Finale, which was in Macau, China, took place in the wee hours of the morning, and those that stayed up late or woke up early to watch the fights were rewarded with an unbelievable spinning back elbow knockout by Dong Hyun Kim.
Kim landed the spinning back elbow on John Hathaway in the third round. The knockout itself was spectacular, and one of the best ones that we’ll likely see all year.
Kim found a lot of success early on in his career with his judo skills, but he has just recently turned into an entertaining striker that thrives in fire fights. From the get-go, Kim showed Hathaway no respect on the feet, constantly stalking him and throwing heavy leather.
With the victory, Kim (19-2-1) earned his eighth finish via strikes and extending his winning streak to four. Hathaway (17-2), who last fought in September 2012, had a run of three consecutive wins snapped.
Zhang becomes the first TUF China Champion
Lipeng Zhang took home a controversial decision over Wang Sai en route to winning the first season of The Ultimate Fighter China.
The first two rounds in the welterweight scrap were relatively close, and they both played out in similar fashion. Zhang controlled the first half of both frames with his wrestling, while Sai countered with successful grappling of his own in the latter portion of the period. The third round was won convincingly by Sai scoring with ground and pound and a rear-naked choke attempt.
Thanks to the win, Lipeng Zhang’s (7-7-1) has returned to .500, while Wang Sai (6-5-1) is a loss away from regressing to even.
Mitrione KO’s Jordan to snap losing streak
Mitrione started connecting with his shots after separating from the clinch and scoring with hooks, giving Jordan no space to work with. Prior to the buzzer-beating finish, Mitrione was hesitant on the feet, allowing with Jordan to connect with some combinations.
Six of Mitrione’s (7-3) victories have come by way of KO or TKO. With the defeat, Shawn Jordan (15-6) has now lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his career.
Hioki beats Menjivar on the scorecards
The main card of UFC Fight Night 37 kicked off with Hatsu Hioki beating Ivan Menjivar on points with three 29-28 scorecards from the judges.
Hioki used his wrestling and grappling to undoubtedly win the first two rounds against Menjivar. The third was going the same way as the previous two, until Menjivar stifled Hioki with a right. Menjiver would end the third frame attempting a knee bar, but it was already too late for the “Pride of El Salvador” to affect the decision’s outcome.
The victory was Hatsu Hioki’s (27-7-2) first in two years, while Ivan Menjivar (25-12) has lost his third straight.
The complete TUF China Finale results are below
Main Card: (Fight Pass)
Dong Hyun Kim def. John Hathaway via KO (spinning back elbow) – Round 3, 1:02
Lipeng Zhang def. Wang Sai via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Matt Mitrione def. Shawn Jordan via KO (punches) – Round 1, 4:59
Hatsu Hioki def. Ivan Menjivar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Card: (Fight Pass)
Yui Chul Nam def. Kazuki Tokudome via split decision (29-27, 27-28, 29-28)
Vaughan Lee def. Nam Phan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Anying Wang def. Albert Cheng via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 1, 5:00
Mark Eddiva def. Jumabieke Tuerxun via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)