As with every MMA event, Bloody Elbow is here with live play by play and commentary. Tonight’s event is the 25th Ultimate Fight Night card headlined by Jake Shields and Jake Ellenberger. Shields has been in the news lately with the unexpected death of his father Jack Shields and his desire to still fight this weekend. In the co-main event Court McGee takes on Korean fighter Dongi Yang.
The undercard will kick off at 5:30 p.m. ET on the UFC’s Facebook page with Jorge Lopez vs Justin Edwards as the first fight. Jorge Lopez is one of Wanderlei Silva’s top students and enters the UFC with high expectations. Edwards was a member of Team Dos Santos on TUF 13 and dropped his UFC debut to John Harvison. Expect the UFC to use Edwards as fodder for Jorge Lopez. The last fight on the undercard is Cody McKenzie against Vagner Rocha. Then switch your attention to Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET for the main broadcast.
Alan Belcher vs Jason MacDonald
Round 1: Blecher is pressing forward and Jason drops for a takedown but comes up with nothing. Alan ties up and throws a knee to the body. Crowd is definitely in favor of Alan Belcher. Jason spins and is really working hard for that single leg. He switches to a double and then finally drags the fight to the ground by pulling guard. I’m not sure he meant to the do that. Belcher stacks and throws punches. He drops back to his knees and postures up and punches the body. Punches land and then elbows to the mouth. And another elbow. MacDonald is trying to survive and he does when he dives for a kimura. Belcher steps through to side control and throws punches. He stands up and lands punches and elbows to the grill piece. He has knee on belly and starts to throw hands. Tan Dan is forced to stop the fight. Awesome return for Alan Belcher who wasn’t in any danger and looked great without any signs of ring rust.
Official Result: Alan Belcher by TKO (Verbal Tap Out)
Jonathan Brookins vs Erik Koch
Round 1: Koch with a leg kick and Brookins drops for a single against the leg. Brookins looks like an ugly Meisha Tate with his hair in pigtails. He gives up on the takedown and has over-under pressing Koch against the cage. Knee to the body and big elbow by Brookins. Goldie mentions Ben Askren as an “Olympic Wrestler”, doesn’t mention he fights for Bellator. Elbows from the clinch by Brookins are landing well. Koch with a left hand and then a hard leg kick. Koch with a 1-2 that lands. Brookins throws out his own jab. Brookins again looks for a takedown against the fence with a high single. Can’t find success though and he’s eating punches for his troubles. Knee to the body by Koch and an elbow to the face from Brookins. 10-9 Brookins .
Round 2: Leg kick by Koch as Brookins paws out the jab. Brookins attempts a low single and transitions it to a high single. Can’t finish the takedown. 1-2 by Koch. And a jab. Body kick by Koch and then a 1-2-1 combination. He’s just teeing off. Brookins gets the takedown but he can’t keep the fight on the ground as Koch pops right back up. Brookins looks for another takedown and Koch works a wizzer. Brookins spins and drops down and ends up on his back with Koch in mount. He can’t keep position as Brookins scrambles back to his feet. They clinch against the cage and Koch spins off the fence and throws knees to the body. He backs away and throws a leg kick. Fast hands from Kock and Brookins drops again. He hasn’t been successful at all with his takedown attempts. As I write that he works the angle and puts Koch on his back. Koch is punching off his back and kicks off to create space. He gets back to his feet and Brookins again dives for an ankle. Round ends with the fighters trading knees against the cage. 10-9 Koch.
Round 3: Koch working from a distance with his combinations. Lazy kick by Brookins. Brookins looks to tie up but he can’t do anything with it. Brookins dives for another ankle and again doesn’t do anything with it. Koch escapes and tags him twice with jabs that land cleanly to the mouth. Leg kick by Koch. Brookins is going to the well too many times with that single leg and he can’t finish it again. Koch creates distance but Brookins comes forward and clinches against the fence again. They split and Koch lands a high kick and then a low kick. Brookins hasn’t checked it once. Another lazy kick by Brookins. Brookins with a toss and they’re right back up. With a minute left the crowd is getting restless with Brookins strategy. They break for a second but Brookins is right back to the clinch. As the round comes to an end he’s attempting the high single again and throwing punches. 10-9 Koch as Brookins didn’t do anything in the clinch.
Official Result: Erik Koch by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Dongi Yang vs Court McGee
Round 1: Court with a low kick early. Yang is working the body with a straight to the guts. Straight left by Yang lands. Leg kick by Court. Hard low kick by Yang lands to the inside thigh. Both fighters are having trouble finding range. McGee catches Yang with a punch that stumbles him. Yang paws out his jab and he’s finding a home for it when he throws it. Those leg kicks are also finding their placement. McGee again stumbles Yang. Kicks are working for Yang. McGee’s face is definitely showing damage. Court is faking takedowns and then following up with punches. Round ends with McGee throwing punches. 10-9 Yang for damage.
Round 2: Court lands a right and eats a 1-2 from Yang. Leg kick from Court. He comes forward and looks for a takedown. He has over-unders and gives it up and backs away. Yang does well counter punching whenever Court comes in with a single punch. Court misses a big uppecut and Yang lands a flurry of punches. Yang lands to the body. Left hand lands for Yang. Court drives forward with a single and then clinches against the cage. Court looks to be the fresher of the two as he’s pushing forward and lighter on his feet. Yang looks flat footed with just over a minute left in the round. Knee and short hook by Yang from the clinch. Head kick from lands. As does the follow up combination. Leg kicks dig into the thighs. This was all Court McGee who takes it 10-9. I have it even into the third.
Round 3: Court opens the round looking for a single leg but he can’t get it. Yang with two punches to back Court up. Court looks for a takedown but is shrugged off. Yang is landing his right hand. Left hand by Yang drops Court and then he runs in with a flying knee. He drags the fight to the ground and then is shrugged off. Court lands a punch that bloodies the Korean and Yang connects with punch that rocks him again. Court is throwing down the pipe and Yang is sloppy. Head kick by Court again misses. Court looks for a takedown but it doesn’t happen. Court gets the fight to the ground on his second attempt and then goes right to mount. Yang slides out and is back to his feet. Shot from way outside from McGee and he completes it. He rains down some elbows from the top and then looks for a guillotine finish. 10-9 Mcgee. I have it 29-28 Court.
Official Result: Court McGee by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-28)
Jake Ellenberger vs Jake Shields
Round 1: Shields paws the jab. he’s coming fowrad with punches. Ellenberger throws him to the ground. Shields back to his feet and tries to get his own but can’t finish. He comes forward and clinches. Ellenberger throws a well timed knee to the body and then to the head and drops Shields. Ellenberger just goes off on Shields’ face and Kevin Mulhol stops the fight. Shields is out and tries to takedown the ref. Huge win for Ellenberger. He was drilling Shields with those punches.
Official Result: Jake Ellenberger by TKO (Referee Stoppage) at 53 seconds
Jorge Lopez vs Justin Edwards
Round 1: Edwards is the early aggressor. Low kick looked to clip the groin but Lopez didn’t stop to recover. Lopez pushes forward and gets caught in a guillotine. He slams Edwards and then scrambles to escape. Both fighters back to their feet and Lopez has the thai clinch against the cage. Edwards is persistent with the takedown attempts but is unable to keep Lopez down. Elbows on the exit by Edwards and then another takedown. Nice work by Justin Edwards so far. Big knee to the body by Justin Edwards. Halfway through round and Edwards is ahead. Right hand by Lopez lands but he fails to follow up. Massive knee by Lopez as Edwards shoots in which drops the former TUFer. Clinched against the cage and Lopez lands another knee to the body. Edwards again changes levels looking for a takedown. Big breath by Jorge Lopez. Another knee to the liver drops Edwards. Those are going to add up. 10-9 for Justin Edwards but impressive round by Jorge Lopez.
Round 2: Nice spinning back kick by Justin Edwards. Edwards with the takedown and he’s looking good so far. He’s locked in a guillotine and rolled to his back. Lopez survives and backs out of the guard. Long jab by Jorge Lopez. They circle and Edwards comes forward with a jab and then locks up. Changes levels again and scoops Lopez’s legs out. On the way up Edwards takes Lopez’s back and he’s looking for a choke. Both hooks are in and he’s throwing some heavy punches to the head. These are big punches. Nice spin out by Lopez to get top position and he’s out of trouble. Commentary team is definitely favoring Jorge Lopez. Ref breaks them apart as they are clinched against the fence. Head kicks by Edwards and knee to the body to end the round. 10-9 Justin Edwards again.
Round 3: Lopez knows he’s down and is aggressive. Edwards responds with a winging right hand. Lopez clinches up and eats a high knee to the face. He gets the takedown and is in side control. Edwards is working for a kimura and he’s got half guard. Lopez with a slick transition to mount. Edwards gives his back and he’s grape vined. Lopez is landing some big shots. Edwards scrambles a bit and he’s on his back with Lopez in half guard again. Lopez steps through and has a high side control. Lopez lets Edwards back up and then takes him down again with a nice trip. He’s landing some punches from the guard but nothing really damaging. He’s posted up and trying to create space. Edwards throws his legs up for an armbar and then turns for an omoplata. Nice crafty work by Justin Edwards. Triangle to end the round. Tough to score since Edwards had those three submissions but 10-9 for Lopez for controlling the round. 29-28 Justin Edwards on my card.
Official Result: Justin Edwards by Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)
Mike Lullo vs Robert Peralta
Round 1: They exchange kicks and Peralta is targeting the lead leg of Mike Lullo. Those are some solid thai kicks. Lullo shoots forward but he can’t get the fight to the ground. He’s taking a lot of damage from the clinch with Peralta throwing knees to the legs and body. Peralta trips him and then lets him back up. Lullo is having trouble with Peralta’s movement. His leg is already showing signs of the damage. Another leg kick to the left thigh again. Leg kicks by Mike Lullo but he eats two of them from Peralta. Lullo with a nice jab. He’s finding a home for his kicks. Looks like there could have been an eye poke but the action continues. Lullo looks to finally have settled in. But he’s still not checking those kicks. Big combination from Peralta backs Lullo up. Front kick by Lullo. His leg looks gross already in the first four minutes. Beautiful thai technique by Robert Peralta. Side kick by Peralta drops Lullo. He swarms but can’t finish the fight. Round ends with jabs. A clear 10-9 for Robert Peralta.
Round 2: Lullo comes out quick but he’s just eating those kicks and the damage is going to add up. He throws one of his own but it doesn’t do that much damage. Peralta is turning his hips on his kicks. Takedown attempt by Lullo but it’s stuffed. They clinch against the cage and Peralta is doing damage to the body with punches and knees. Lullo drops down but he can’t grab a leg. Peralta pummeling well. He creates space and lands a solid punch on the exit. Leg kicks from both. These shots from Lullo are getting worse. Those kicks are definitely adding up. Punches land for Lullo. Peralta looks to have slowed his footwork and definitely not as active or creative. They clinch against the fence and punch each other at the break. 10-9 Peralta but Lullo looked better.
Round 3: Leg kick by Peralta to open the round. Lullo pushes forward but he’s backed up by Peralta with wild punches. Peralta is super dynamic with his strikes. Lullo shoots forward and can’t get the takedown but he’s now pushing Peralta against the fence. He’s looking to change levels but Peralta pummels and has under hooks. Knees to the legs by Lullo. Lullo drops but he’s stopped by a Peralta wizzer. Peralta looking to great space and he backs away. Lullo with a leg kick. Peralta with a wild combination with a head kick which is blocked. Peralta is getting sloppy when he’s coming forward with strikes. Lullo drops again and again he’s stuffed by Perlata. Lullo looks for a throw and eats a knee to the chest. Mike Lullo drops and finally gets the takedown but he can’t do anything with it. Peralta stands and Lullo has a hook in and is riding Peralta’s back. Peralta is fighting hands attempting to create space and he does. Nice elbow on the break from Lullo. Leg kick is checked by Peralta. 30 seconds left and Lullo shoots and gets the takedown. He’s not doing any damage and has 10 seconds left. 10-9 Mike Lullo. 29-28 Roberta Peralta on my card.
Official Result: Robert Peralta by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Mike Stumpf vs T.J. Waldburger
Round 1: Leg kick by Whataburger and drops Stumpf. He jumps right on and gets both hooks in and look for a rear naked choke. Super impressive by the Texan. Whaldburger loses his hooks and is riding Stumpf’s back. TJ gets this hooks back and has the grape vine. Waldburger isn’t able to get anything going with Stumpf locking in his arms. Looks like TJ is working for an inverted triangle and Stumpf escapes through the back door. Back to the feet but only shortly with TJ getting the fight back to the ground and he lands a massive elbow. He tries to pass to mount but Stumpf rolls out of it. As Waldburger pushes forward he’s almost hit with a flying knee. He gets the fight back to the ground and starts an epic chain of submission attempts. He goes from an armbar to a triangle and Mike Stumpf is forced to tap. Impressive win by TJ Waldburger. His submission game reminds me of Dustin Hazelett’s.
Official Result: TJ Waldburger by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 3:52 in the 1st.
Seth Baczynski vs Clay Harvison
Round 1: Baczynski with a leg kick and Harvison responds with his own. And again from Harvison. Both are trying to find range and both are light on the feet. Big punch by Baczynski barely misses and Harvison lands across the chin. Baczynski clinches and looks to throw a knee. Clinched against the fence and he’s throwing knees to the body. Jumping knee barely misses. He throws another jumping knee and then follows up with a combination. Harvison is having trouble with Baczynski’s offense. Knees to the body by Seth. Harvison looks tired halfway through the round. Another knee to the body. Those are going to add up over the course of this fight. Harvison gets the clinch and lands a knee to the body. Right hand by Seth wobbles Harvison. Seth is going to that jumping knee a bit too much. He’s working for a takedown and Harvison looks like he’s trying to sink in a choke. Jap and hook lands from Seth. His stand up is reminding me of Forrest Griffin with punches coming from weird angles. Round ends with them throwing hands. Harvison looked good early but those knees added up. 10-9 Seth Baczynski.
Round 2: Harvison throws a lazy leg kick. He’s answered by Baczynski who throws his own. Upper cut from Set drops Harvison and he’s high in Harvison’s guard. He’s throwing elbows and punches. He gets Harvison’s back and lands a massive elbow. This is almost over. He locks in a rear naked choke and Harvison is forced to tap out. Fantastic performance by Seth Baczynski. He’s made massive improvements since his time on The Ultimate Fighter.
Official Result: Seth Baczynski by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:12 Round 2
Ken Stone vs Donny Walker
Round 1: The referee’s name is Myron? LOL OK. Fight is about to start. Leg kick by Stone and the ref stops the fight? Yikes! Another kick by Stone lands clean. Walker comes forward with punches and they clinch up. Stone with the under hooks against the cage. He trips and is sitting in a high half guard. The ref is already asking them to work aaand my stream died? Okay back. Stone is doing a nice job controlling position and keeps control when Walker stands up. He drags the fight back down and he has his hooks in and is working for a choke. This is super tight and Walker is surviving throwing punches but he’s about to go out if he doesn’t do something. This is really tight. Ken changes his hand position and Donny Walker is sleeping. Ref stops the fight Donny Walker is out on his stomach. Nice submission and fight from Ken Stone. Fancy parkour flip from Stone to celebrate.
Official Result: Ken Stone by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:47
Lance Benoist vs Matt Riddle
Round 1: Matt Riddle walks out to “Rock You Like a Hurricane” in New Orleans. Eeesh. Leg kick by Benoist. Left by Benoist lands on the jaw. A right hand lands as well. Nice stand up by Benoist early on. He attempts a hook kick but it doesn’t land. Riddle clinches up and they are against the fence. Benoist lands a knee to the groin and Riddle is given time to recover. Okay game on. Riddle with a nice punch and a high kick. Benoist lands a leg kick and Riddle gets the fight to the ground. Benoist is working rubber guard but he lets it go. Riddle tries to step over but it doesn’t work out. Benoist has trapped an arm, maybe he’s looking for a submission but he lets it go. Riddle again tries to step over and is caught in the butterfly guard. Benoist is attacking for a kimura and then uses it to sweep to full mount. Riddle regains half guard but Benoist is postured up and throwing punches. Minute left in the round and Riddle has finally locked Benoist down. Benoist postures up and throws big punches. Nice round by Lance Benoist who wins it with a clear 10-9.
Round 2: Head kick by Benoist. Riddle responds with a leg kick. Riddle doesn’t look comfortable on his feet. Benoist lands a solid 1-2-3-kick. Riddle pushes forward and scoops the legs putting Benoist on his back. Lance gets back to his feet and lands a knee to the body. Riddle has the thai clinch but is taken down by Lance Benoist. Looks like Riddle was cut somewhere in this. Benoist is bleeding as well? Benoist is working from the guard with head-body-head to soften up Riddle. Riddle working his own rubber guard. It’s definitely Benoist who is bleeding and his nose is a mess. Up kick from Riddle lands when Lance Benoist stands up. Riddle throws his legs up and is looking for an armbar but it’s not the right position. Riddle is active from the bottom targeting the nose. Tan Dan letting the doctor know he has to check out Benoist’s nose. 10-9 Benoist but his nose is shattered.
Round 3: Riddle comes forward. He knows that nose is broken. He lands a couple knees from the clinch and he gets a nice double leg and is in side control. Knees to the body softening up Lance Benoist. Riddle is definitely the fresher fighter. Benoist gets his guard back and has locked Matt Riddle down. Riddle with a nice elbow. Three minutes left and Riddle lands another short elbow. More elbows but not on target. Benoist is looking to establish the rubber guard but Riddle powers through it. The nose is bleeding again and Benoist’s face is a mess. Big elbow causes the blood to pour out and Riddle is super aggressive looking to finish this fight with knees. Benoist back to the rubber guard and Riddle powers through it again. Riddle heavy on the top and is throwing violent ground and pound. Riddle lands another big shot and this is all Riddle. The case could be made for a 10-8 round with the damage and control. That’s how I’m scoring it. 10-8. 28-28 on my card.
Official Result: Lance Benoist by Unanimous Decision (29-28 on all three cards)
Shamar Bailey vs Evan Dunham
Round 1: (Mike Fagan taking over while Matt Roth gets his Internet in order.) Dunham opens up with a one-two. Lands again. Another combination. Jab from Bailey. Early on, Dunham’s controlling the standup. Nice straight left from Bailey. Dunham countering well with his left hand. Double jab and a left. Dunham is able to land the one-two over and over here. Bailey lands an awkward leg kick. Right hook stumbles Bailey laterally. Dunham times a teep as Bailey starts to jump in with a knee. 10-9 Evan Dunham
Round 2: If Bailey’s corner gave him advice on the one-two, he’s not using it. Right knee to the midsection floors Bailey for a moemnt. Dunham scrambles to take the back, but Bailey shakes him off and we’re back standing. Dunahm still controlling the striking. Bailey shows no urgency to change up his tactics. There’s something comical about watching a fighter exploit the same combination over and over. Like running up the middle with Bo Jackson in Tecmo Super Bowl. Not fair. Dunham stuffs a takedown attempt and makes him pay with more right-lefts. 10-9 Dunham
Round 3: Bailey showing some urgency to start the third, pressing forward. This will last as long as it takes for Dunham to slow him down with the one-two. And that’s about forty-five seconds. It is amazing that Bailey has made no adjustments 12 minutes into the fight. Joe Rogan with a backhanded insult of the Ultimate fighter talent level. Joe now trying to sell Shamar Bailey’s performance as meaningful. Dunham throwing a couple of head kicks, and he’s right back to the one-two. Dunham really opening up now. Bailey assures the referee that he’s OK. Referee Kevin Mulhall stops the bout to give Bailey his mouthpiece back. Dunham and Bailey touch gloves, and Bailey throws a right hand off that. Dunham grabs a guillotine with ten seconds left. Bailey survives. 10-9 Evan Dunham
Official Result: Evan Dunham by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
Cody McKenzie vs Vagner Rocha
Round 1: Sloppy leg kick to start the fight. Cody with a head kick that lands. What is he doing? I think Cody just drew a line in the sand with his foot. These guys aren’t good on the feet. I think Rocha threw a slap that missed. Cody has double underhooks against the cage and Rocha backs away. Kick lands low and the fight stops. Rogan says “Shazam son!”. Body kick by Rocha. And another. Jab lands for Cody. Knee lands for Rocha. Rocha gets the takedown and Cody looks for the guillotine. It isn’t tight and Rocha slides out. Body shots by Rocha to soften up Cody. Nice butterfly guard from Cody which is keeping Vagner off balance. He’s looking for a sweep and Vagner is looking for his own guillotine. He gives it up and instead dives for a kimura. Cody scrambles to his feet and Rocha hands on to it. Cody dives to the ground and Vagner is looking for a rear naked choke. He’s got both arms pinned and it looks close to a finish. Cody survives and takes the top. Back on the feet and Cody is definitely the superior kick boxer as weird as that is to write. 10-9 Cody though it was a super close round thanks to Rocha’s ground work.
Round 2: Did Cody open the round with a hook kick? Does he think he’s Edson Barboza? Vagner isn’t playing around and gets him quickly to the ground. Rocha is in Cody’s half guard and trying to soften up the Alaskan with a elbows to the body. Nice anaconda attempt by Vagner and Cody survives again. Vagner is now heavy on the his hips and working for an arm triangle. He gives it up for another shot at the kimura. Or he could be working or an inverted triangle. Vagner abandons it and takes mount and is now throwing punches. Nothing landing too hard but he’s got an arm locked in. Cody gives his back and Vagner Rocha sinks the choke. Nice finish from Vagner Rocha. Nice fight from Cody who was outclassed on the ground and survived as long as he did.
Official Result: Vagner Rocha by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:49
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