Take a look back at the past seven days, which included fight cards from the UFC, Bellator and many other promotions.
Along with looking back at the fights that took place over the weekend, this week-in review includes the latest news, TV ratings and fight announcements.
The MMA Recap
1. As the UFC returned to FOX with it’s eleventh live event on the network, Fabricio Werdum (18-5-1) cemented his place in the heavyweight rankings right next to Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos by thoroughly beating Travis Browne (16-2-1) in every aspect of the fight game to win a five round unanimous decision.
On the rest of the main card, Miesha Tate (14-5) edged out a close unanimous decision over Liz Carmouche (9-5) that came down to how one scored the second frame in the women’s bantamweight bout, Donald Cerrone (23-6, 1 NC) won an entertaining lightweight clash with Edson Barboza (13-2) in the first round by submitting him with a rear-naked choke after hurting the Brazilian with a jab, and rising middleweight Yoel Romero (8-1) remained unbeaten in the UFC, using his wrestling and powerful striking to win a one-sided decision over Brad Tavares (12-2).
Khabib Nurmagomedov (22-0) continued his rise in the UFC lightweight division in the main event of the Fox Sports 1 preliminary card, using a relentless stand-up and wrestling attack to neutralize the offense of Rafael dos Anjos (20-7) and take home a comfortable decision.
The Nurmagomedov fight was preceded by two impressive striking displays that led to unanimous decision wins with Thiago Alves (20-9) beating Seth Baczynski (19-11) to make an impressive return to the sport after being out of action for over two years, and Jorge Masvidal (26-8) outpointing a tough Pat Healy (29-19, 1 NC).
Debuting featherweight Alex White (10-0) and Brazilian middleweight Caio Magalhaes (8-1) both earned first round KO/TKO victories on the preliminary card. White starched Estevan Payan (14-6, 1 NC) with left that concluded their fight, and Magalhaes was able to finish Luke Zachrich (13-3) in under a minute thanks to a brutal combination of body punches.
The judges had a rough start in the early goings of the Florida-based card as three of the first decisions were not unanimous. Canadian welterweight Jordan Mein (28-9) was awarded a split victory over Hernani Perpetuo (17-4, 1 NC), flyweight Dustin Ortiz (13-3) narrowly edged out Ray Borg (6-1) to win a split verdict, and in spite of being hit with two illegal knees, Mirsad Bektic (8-0) won a majority decision against Chas Skelly (11-1).
The event opened up with a heavyweight bout between two debuting heavyweights, and Derrick Lewis (10-2, 1 NC) made the better impression, finishing Jack May (7-1) with ground pound towards the end of the first period.
Fight of the Night honors were awarded to Seth Baczynski and Thiago Alves, and the two Performance of the Night awards were given to Donald Cerrone and Alex White.
2. Earlier in the week, the UFC put on the Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale in Quebec City, and in the main event, Tim Kennedy (18-4) used a steady diet of takedowns and a dominant top game to earn a unanimous verdict over Michael Bisping (24-6) in the middleweight grudge match.
In a battle of the two coaches on TUF Nations, Canadian coach Patrick Cote (20-8) mirrored Tim Kennedy’s game-plan by using his wrestling and top game to outpoint Australian coach Kyle Noke (20-7-1) and win a decision.
The middleweight and welterweight tournament winners were crowned as Elias Theodorou (9-0) won the 185 pound field by overwhelming Sheldon Westcott (8-2-1) and finishing him in the second frame with a wild barrage of ground and pound, and Chad Laprise (8-0) took the welterweight crown over Olivier Aubin-Mercier (4-1) by flaunting his techinical striking en route to winning a split decision.
Elsewhere on the card, Dustin Poirier (16-3) survived a back-and-forth first round against Akira Corassani (12-4, 1 NC) to go on and get an early second round finish, KJ Noons (13-7) knocked Sam Stout (20-10-1) out thirty seconds into their welterweight bout, Sarah Kaufman (17-2, 1 NC) put together an impressive performance on the feet against a late replacement opponent in Leslie Smith (6-5-1), and Ryan Jimmo (19-3) answered his critics who consider him to be a boring fighter by knocking out Sean O’Connell (15-5) in the first round.
The event started off with five straight decisions, and the five benefactors of those verdicts were bantamweight George Roop (15-10-1), lightweight Mark Bocek (12-5), middleweight Nordine Taleb (9-2), welterweight Richard Walsh (8-1), and bantamweight Mitch Gagnon (11-2), who beat Dustin Kimura (11-2), Mike de la Torre (12-4), Vik Grujic (6-3), Chris Indich (5-2), and Tim Gorman (8-3) respectively.
The two performance of the night bonuses went to Ryan Jimmo and KJ Noons, and the Fight of the Night was the featherweight tilt between Akira Corassani and Dustin Poirier.
3. A champion was crowned in the main event of Bellator 117 as Douglas Lima (26-5) captured the strap with an assist from Rick Hawn’s (18-3) corner who stopped the fight in the second frame because of the damage that Lima was doing to Hawn with his leg kicks.
The finals were set in the season ten lightweight tournament with Patricky Pitbull (13-5) finishing Derek Campos (14-4) with an explosion of strikes in the second, and Marcin Held (18-3) won in the second round as well, submitting Derek Anderson (11-1, 1 NC) with a triangle choke.
4. In Ultimate Fighter news, the first episode of the ninth season of TUF that pits Frankie Edgar against BJ Penn took place, and all of the preliminary bouts took place.
In the seven middleweight bouts, Hector Urbina (16-8) submitted Adrian Miles (14-5) in the first round with a guillotine choke, Roger Zapata (4-1) TKO’d Tyler Minton (5-1), Ian Stephens (4-0) used his wrestling to win a convincing decision against Lyman Good (15-3), Tim Williams (8-1) stopped Bojan Velickovic (8-2) in the third frame on the feet, Eddie Gordon (5-2) outstruck and outpointed Matt Gabel (8-3) to take home a decision, Dhiego Lima (8-1) flaunted his striking en route to earning a unanimous decision over Adam Stroup (5-1), and Mike King (5-0) ended the show with a decision win against Nordine Taleb (9-2) in a fun, back-and-forth three round contest.
Cathal Pendred (13-2-1) was the lone middleweight to earn a spot in the house without having to fight. He obtained an automatic bid because all of his potential opponents were either injured or missed weight.
In the eight light heavyweight bouts, Daniel Spohn (8-3) knocked Tyler King (6-1) out in under ten seconds with a brutal right, Todd Monaghan (8-2) submitted Jake Heun (5-3) late in the first with armbar, Chris Fields (8-4-1) advanced to the house due to a knee injury that Josh Stansbury (4-2) suffered in their bout, Anton Berzin (3-1) tapped Cody Mumma (5-1) out with an armbar, Josh Clark (5-1) submitted John Poppie (3-1) with an armbar of his own, Patrick Walsh (4-1) induced a tap from Doug Sparks (7-2) thanks to a kimura in the first, Matt Van Buren (6-2) countered a takedown from Daniel Vizcaya (7-2) with a barrage of elbows that knocked Vizcaya out, and Corey Anderson (3-0) won a close contest against fellow wrestler Kelly Anundson (6-1).
Edgar and Penn also chose fighters, and the picks went as follows.
Light Heavyweight: Corey Anderson (Edgar), Anton Berzin (Penn) Patrick Walsh (Edgar), Josh Clark (Penn), Matt Van Buren (Edgar), Daniel Spohn (Penn), Todd Monaghan (Edgar), Chris Fields (Penn)
Middleweight: Ian Stephens (Edgar), Mike King (Penn), Dhiego Lima (Edgar), Tim Williams (Penn) Eddie Gordon (Edgar), Cathal Pendred (Penn), Hector Urbina (Edgar), Roger Zapata (Penn).
On the TUF Brazil 3, Richardson Moreira (7-1) submitted Job Kleber (3-1) with armbar to advance to the semifinals of the heavyweight bracket.
5. Cage Warriors returned to the Jordan with a fight night event. The top three fights on Fight Night 11 saw welterweight Jack Mason (27-13) outpoint Patrick Vallee (10-6-1) to win a decision, bantamweight Marat Pekov (12-5) finish Brian Moore (7-4) with a flurry of strikes late in the third, and Norwegian middleweight Jack Hermansson (7-2) won a decision of his own against Ion Pascu (8-5).
6. In Lima, Peru, middleweight prospect Ben Reiter (14-0-1) won in the main event of Inka FC 25, winning a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards against Danilo Pereira (23-11).
The News
1. Speculation turned into reality earlier this week as the potential fight between Bellator Middleweight Champion Alexander Shlemenko and former UFC champion Tito Ortiz was signed by both fighters. The light heavyweight bout will be on the main card of the Bellator pay-per-view.
2. With less than week until UFC 172, Bobby Green withdrew from his scheduled lightweight bout against Jim Miller. Yancy Medeiros, who was was supposed to fight Joe Ellenberger on that card, will now face Miller. At this time, an opponent has not been announced for Ellenberger.
3. Pat Curran’s featherweight championship defense against Patricio Freire will kick of this year’s Bellator summer series. Curran’s fight with Freire will main event Bellator 121 on June 6.
Fight Announcements
UFC 172 – April 26
LW Bout: Jim Miller (23-4, 1 NC) vs Yancy Medeiros (10-1)
Bellator 119 – May 9
MW Tourney Final: Brandon Halsey (6-0) vs Brett Cooper (20-9)
FW Tourney Final: Desmond Green (11-2) vs Daniel Weichel (33-8)
Bellator 120 – May 17
LHW Bout: Tito Ortiz (16-11-1) vs Alexander Shlemenko (50-7)
WW Bout: Michael Page (5-0) vs Rick Rainey (7-2)
HW Bout: Cheick Kongo (20-9) vs Eric Smith (6-1-1)
HW Tourney Final: Alexander Volkov (20-4) vs Blagoi Ivanov (11-0)
LW Tourney Final: Patricky Freire (13-5) vs Marcin Held (18-3)
FW Bout: Goiti Yamauchi (16-2) vs Mike Richman (16-4)
TUF Brazil 3 Finale – May 31
BW Bout: Matt Hobar (8-1) vs Pedro Munhoz (10-1)
Bellator 121 – June 6
FW Title: Pat Curran (20-5) vs Patricio Freire (21-2)
Ratings Report
The ratings used in this section are the non-DVR preliminary viewership averages according to Nielsen sources.
TUF Nations Finale Preliminary Card – 263,000
TUF Nations Finale Main Card – 641,000
TUF Season 19, Episode 1 – 595,000
Bellator 116 – 572,000
Quick Results
UFC on FOX 11
HW Bout: Fabricio Werdum (18-5-1) def. Travis Browne (16-2-1) via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
W BW Bout: Miesha Tate (14-5) def. Liz Carmouche (9-5) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
LW Bout: Donald Cerrone (23-6, 1 NC) def. Edson Barboza (13-2) via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:15
MW Bout: Yoel Romero (8-1) def. Brad Tavares (12-2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
LW Bout: Khabib Nurmagomedov (22-0) def. Rafael dos Anjos (20-7) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
WW Bout: Thiago Alves (20-9) def. Seth Baczynski (19-11) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
LW Bout: Jorge Masvidal (26-8) def. Pat Healy (29-19, 1 NC) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
FW Bout: Alex White (10-0) def. Estevan Payan (14-6, 1 NC) via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:28
MW Bout: Caio Magalhaes (8-1) def. Luke Zachrich (13-3) via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, :44
WW Bout: Jordan Mein (28-9) def. Hernani Perpetuo (17-4, 1 NC) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
FLW Bout: Dustin Ortiz (13-3) def. Ray Borg (6-1) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
FW Bout: Mirsad Bektic (8-0) def. Chas Skelly (11-1) via majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
HW Bout: Derrick Lewis (10-2, 1 NC) def. Jack May (7-1) via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:23
TUF Nations Finale
MW Bout: Tim Kennedy (18-4) def. Michael Bisping (24-6) via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45)
MW Bout: Patrick Cote (20-8) def. Kyle Noke (20-7-1) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
MW Bout: Elias Theodorou (9-0) def. Sheldon Westcott (8-2-1) via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:41
WW Bout: Chad Laprise (8-0) def. Olivier Aubin-Mercier (4-1) via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
FW Bout: Dustin Poirier (16-3) def. Akira Corassani (12-4, 1 NC) via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, :42
WW Bout: KJ Noons (13-7) def. Sam Stout (20-10-1) via KO (punches) – Round 1, :30
W BW Bout: Sarah Kaufman (17-2, 1 NC) def. Leslie Smith (6-5-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
LHW Bout: Ryan Jimmo (19-3) def. Sean O’Connell (15-5) via KO (punch) – Round 1, 4:27
BW Bout: George Roop (15-10-1) def. Dustin Kimura (11-2) via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
LW Bout: Mark Bocek (12-5) def. Mike de la Torre (12-4) via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
MW Bout: Nordine Taleb (9-2) def. Vik Grujic (6-3) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
WW Bout: Richard Walsh (8-1) def. Chris Indich (5-2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
BW Bout: Mitch Gagnon (11-2) def. Tim Gorman (8-3) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bellator 117
WW Title: Douglas Lima (26-5) def. Rick Hawn (18-3) via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 2, 3:19
LW Tourney Bout: Marcin Held (18-3) def. Derek Anderson (11-1, 1 NC) via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:09
WW Bout: Karl Amoussou (17-6-2) def. David Gomez (16-8) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
LW Tourney Bout: Patricky Pitbull (13-5) def. Derek Campos (14-4) via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, :52
WW Bout: Ryan Jensen (20-8) def. Mark Stoddard (8-7) via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:52
LHW Bout: Houston Alexander (16-10, 2 NC) def. Matt Udhe (3-5) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
LW Bout: Martin Brown (5-2) def. Jared Downing (9-5) via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
LW Bout: LaRue Burley (4-0) def. Cliff Wright (8-6) via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-27)
MW Bout: Joe Vedepo (15-8) def. Ben Crowder (10-12) via verbal submission (injury) – Round 1, :48
MW Bout: Anthony Smith (18-11) def. Victor Moreno (32-20) via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, :59
FLW Bout: Julio Cesar Neves (29-0) def. Josh Arocho (13-13) via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:37
LW Bout: Jordan Parson (10-1) def. Tim Bazer (14-16) via KO (punches) – Round 2, :04