The preliminary bouts for UFC On Fox 4 featured a ton of action. There were a bevy of finishes in high paced fights and even the two finishes were exciting affairs. The event took place last night August 4th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.
Nam Phan (18-10, 2-3 UFC) Vs. Cole Miller (18-7, 7-5 UFC)
Even though he looked like he belonged in a weight close to divisions under Cole Miller, Nam Phan established himself early as the more effective striker. He used superior foot work to cut off the cage and more dynamic combinations to punish the body and head of Miller. Repeatedly in the first round, Phan had Miller reeling from his powerful left hook. Miller was able to use his reach advantage much better in the second round to even up the score, but it was a still a close round where Phan landed many powerful blows. The third round was back and forth but Miller didn’t do enough to secure the victory. Nam Phan took the Split Decision.
Wagner Prado (8-0, 0-0 UFC 1 NC) Vs. Phil Davis (9-1, 6-1 UFC 1 NC)
Prado didn’t get any breaks drawing Phil Davis for his UFC debut bout and things definitely didn’t get any better for him in the fight. The two started feeling each other out on the feet. However, as Prado moved in to attack, Davis countered with an open hand strike that raked the Muay Thai striker’s right eye. When Prado explained to the ringside physician that he was seeing double, the fight was called off and a declared a No Contest at 1:28, Round 1.
Rani Yahya (17-7, 2-1 UFC) Vs. Josh Grispi (14-4, 0-3 UFC)
Rani Yahya came out quickly put Grispi on his back inside the first minute of the round. From there it seemed like only a matter of time. Grispi did his best to prevent the pass, but before long Yahya was in side control. Despite Yahya telegraphing the submission, there was nothing Grispi could do to hold off the modified north-south choke. Grispi tapped out at 3:15 of the first round.
Philip De Fries (9-1, 2-1 UFC) Vs. Oli Thomson (9-4, 0-2 UFC)
Much to the chagrin of the live audience, this Heavyweight fight started off as slow as Check Kongo vs. Shawn Jordan from UFC 149. For the majority of the first round, the two Englishmen battled for position against the cage. However, the pace of the fight changed drastically in the second round when De Fries dropped Thompson early with a solid right hand. De Fries wasn’t able to finish there, but controlled the rest of the fight until he locked on a rear-naked choke to submit Oli Thompson at 4:16 in the second round.
Manny Gamburyan (12-7, 1-2 UFC) Vs Michihiro Omigawa (13-12, 1-4 UFC)
The first round of the fight seemed to promise to Featherweight Judo players who were dedicated to compete in a bad kickboxing match. That flipped in the second round when Manny started forcing takedowns from against the cage. Even going into the final round, Gamburyan took an immediate lead when he landed a powerful head kick that rocked Omigawa. Omigawa weathered Manny’s flurry and looked like he may start taking the round back, but Manny composed himself and finished the round with a couple more slams. In the end, Manny Gamburyan defeated Michihiro Omigawa by Unanimous Decision (29-28).
John Moraga (11-1, 1-0 UFC) Vs. Ulysses Gomez (9-3, 0-1 UFC)
Moraga made it very clear from the opening bell that he was a more effective and powerful striker than Gomez. He did a great job mixing up punching combinations, knees, and kicks that left Gomez desperate for a takedown halfway through the round. Finally with less than 90 seconds on the clock, Moraga finished the job with a brutal combination coming off a standing elbow (3:46, Rnd 1).
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