Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results, play by play and discussion for the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 45: Cerrone vs. Miller from Atlantic City, New Jersey. The main card is anchored by a lightweight duplex consisting of Donald Cerrone vs. Jim Miller in the headliner and Edson Barboza vs. Evan Dunham in the co-main.
Preceding the six-fight main card on Fox Sports 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET, a two-part preliminary card will transpire with, first, on UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. ET, a single women’s bout and, next, a four-fight ensemble on Fox Sports 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET. All preliminary card results and play by play will be covered herein. The complete preliminary card results descend below.
Fox Sports 1 preliminary card
Pat Healy vs. Gleison Tibau
R1: They both probe with punches early but a left hand and low kick from Tibau are the only clean shots – until he dings Healy with a right hook and a left cross in the next two exchanges. Tibau backpedals and flings sharp lefts to deflect Healy’s entry. Tibau changes levels on Healy’s next entrance and puts him on his back. Half guard for Tibau but Healy regains full guard.
A judicious stream of lefts and rights from Tibau on top as Healy stays active but loses wrist and posture control. Short hammer-fists from Tibau, who ejects and stands over Healy, kicking the legs. Front headlock counter from Tibau as Healy takes a knee but they separate and reset in the center. Retreating left hand connects for Tibau and Healy slips in a left to the ribs. 10-9 Tibau.
R2: Tibau grazes with a spinning back fist and easily dumps Healy with a double leg. Quick pass to half guard for Tibau and then a series of left hands to stave off Healy’s attempt to scramble free. Healy takes a knee and goes on all fours, allowing Tibau to get the rear waist cinch for a moment before Healy spins out of it. Healy pawing with his left hand and it leaves him open for a right hand.
Uppercut for Tibau as he cuts a circle away from the fence. And again. Almost zero offense mounted for Healy with 90 seconds left. Half-power inside low kick lands for Healy on his way into the clinch but Tibau spins under his armpit and takes the rear waist lock, then disengages. Healy goes downstairs and finds the mark but Tibau lands a left/right combo while circling out. Healy connects and lands a knee to the body. More left/rights for Tibau with smart lateral movement. 10-9 Tibau.
R3: Healy comes out extra aggressive and wings a left hook/right cross combo in triplicate, then sits down on a flurry of body shots with Tibau’s back on the fence. Healy changes levels but Tibau uses a whizzer/headlock medley to stay upright. Tibau misses with a spinning back fist just as Healy does with a left kick. Healy jams Tibau on the cage but can’t get anything other than a grazing left knee to the body.
Tibau stays fast with his delivery while in reverse, then stands his ground and plants a hard uppercut on Healy’s beard. Over-the-top left lands for Healy as he initiates a clinch but he’s again unable to hold position. Tibau capitalizes on Healy’s aggression with a duck-under double leg, but Healy is back up and working on a counter single leg a few seconds later. Tibau fends it off and peels Healy’s hips away from the cage to secure a takedown before the bell sounds. 10-10 round for equally effective offense with neither distinguishing themselves. I have it 30-28 for Tibau.
- Gleison Tibau defeats Pat Healy by unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
Jessamyn Duke vs. Leslie Smith
R1: Smith stays tight on an alternating right/left combo when Duke tries to impose. Two jabs and a left hook to the body for Duke but she’s not enforcing the distance and Smith tags her. Duke scores with an uppercut. Outside low kick from Smith but Duke catches the next one and throws rights with the leg trapped. Smith puts Duke on the cage and discharges a deadly volley of punches, throws in a high kick and then digs a left to the liver, and it drops Duke.
- Leslie Smith defeats Jessamyn Duke by TKO (punches) at 2:24 of Round 1
Aljamain Sterling vs. Hugo Viana
R1: Left body kick on a side pivot from Sterling, followed by a sharp low kick. Viana holds his ground and plasters Sterling with a straight right that knocks him down briefly. Sterling’s jump knee attempt is countered with another right-handed meatball from Viana. Viana over-commits to a sloppy overhand and Sterling gets on his hips for a takedown. Sterling moves to back control as Viana stands to escape and settles for a knee to the body before they clinch with the 50/50 hold.
Sterling keeps Viana on the fence and threatens with left-side knees. Sterling disengages with 90 seconds left and they reset in the center. Jumping switch kick misses for Viana. Sterling telegraphs two axe kicks that whiff but he thuds a left kick to Viana’s head. Chambered spin kick for Sterling is blocked. Hard inside low kick lands for Viana at the bell. 10-9 Sterling.
R2: Busy stance changes for Sterling. Viana looks to close distance with leaping kicks to no avail. Viana over-commits on his entry and Sterling clinches him up and puts him on the fence, going back to the underhook/knees strategy. Viana explodes out of contact range and lands a quick jab. Sterling times a duck-under takedown on Viana’s next entry and gets it easily.
Viana peels his legs loose and gets up but gets cracked in the jaw with a high kick to end the transition. Sterling wastes no time connecting and puts Viana back down with a double leg, and again moves to the back ride as Viana tries to regain his footing. This time Sterling knocks out a posting arm to keep Viana down and cinches on the body triangle with full back mount, and closes the frame with punches. 10-9 Sterling.
R3: Sterling snares up a single leg and has Viana on his back a half-minute in. It takes some effort but Sterling finally slips his leg out for a pass to side control but Viana regains it immediately. Hard knee to the body from half guard; surprisingly, the second we’ve seen from that position tonight. Viana gets the kimura grip from half guard but doesn’t have enough body control to torque it effectively, and Sterling takes full mount on the scramble.
Sterling bases down and pings lefts to the body, then postures up and drowns Viana under a torrent of rapid-fire lefts. The barrage continues until the ref steps in.
- Aljamain Sterling defeats Hugo Viana by TKO (punches) at 3:50 of Round 3
Yosdenis Cedeno vs. Jerrod Sanders
R1: Tentative start in our first Fox prelim. Cedeno scores first with a sharp low kick and then blasts Sanders with a counter right that floors him. Sanders tries to counter wrestle out of desperation and manages to milk a successful single leg. Sanders body locks to keep Cedeno in place and rolls into a leg lock as soon as he stabilizes position but Cedeno defends and takes top position. Downward elbows and beefy right hands from Cedeno on top.
High half guard for Cedeno after he halts Sanders’ attempt to scramble free. Intelligent knee to the body from Cedeno in half guard, then a series of rights after he postures up. 10-9 Cedeno.
Sanders hobbles to his corner with the help of his team, revealing a serious knee injury after the round ends. The doctor examines him and waves the fight off.
- Yosdenis Cedeno defeats Jerrod Sanders by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 1
Fight Pass preliminary card
Claudia Gadelha vs. Tina Lahdemaki
R1: History is made as the first UFC women’s straw-weight bout begins. Gadelha rattles off a pair of clean one-two’s in the opening exchanges. Lahdemaki answers with a stiff right but Gadelha follows with two flurries that land and are anchored by her left hook. Lahdemaki responds with a left but she’s clinched up by Gadelha, who lands two quick knees to the body and transitions to a takedown, getting it on the second attempt.
Closed guard for Lahdemaki, who leans over into kimura position to deflect strikes. Gadelha postures up and stands, then heaves a right hand on her way back down into guard. Gadelha turns up the heat with strikes and takes Lahdemaki’s back when she tries to roll out, sinking both hooks in. Gadelha seeks the rear-naked choke as Lahdemaki hand-fights it off. Gadelha goes to the body triangle and wrenches a bicep-grip neck crank but Lahdemaki perseveres. 10-9 Gadelha.
R2: Lahdemaki is game and throwing leather to start the second but Gadelha’s combos are straighter and tighter. A left slips through for Lahdemaki. And another. Lahdemaki connects on the latter of a one-two and Gadelha changes levels and hits a double leg. Lahdemaki’s head is on the fence and a few crisp shots from Gadelha again force her to give up her back as she stands up.
Rear waist lock for Gadelha, who throws knees to the hamstrings. The referee randomly and unnecessarily inserts himself into the fight by separating the fighters. Gadelha finds the mark with a left, then a right hand. Spinning back fist grazes for Gadelha. Lahdemaki comes in swinging both hands but Gadelha thwarts the attack with the double necktie and more knees to the body. Gadelha is hunched over and laboring more on her strike delivery, perhaps indicating fatigue. Lead left hook and then a lead left elbow after the reset for Lahdemaki. 10-9 Gadelha.
R3: Linear kick to the knee for Lahdemaki early. Gadelha shoots with no set up and Lahdemaki shuts it down along with Gadelha’s follow-up attempt to clinch. Crisp one-two counter for Gadelha on Lahdemaki’s low kick. Left counter lands for Lahdemaki, then a lead left hook. Straight right for Lahdemaki, who’s gaining momentum. One-two for Gadelha, who follows with a left hook. Retreating left lands for Gadelha.
Gadelha times a level change on Lahdemaki’s incoming flurry and hits an inside trip after her duck-under entry. In half guard, Gadelha looks for a pass to side mount and lands a few downward elbows to the body. Nice defense by Lahdemaki, who recomposes full guard with strong wrist control. Mission control to omoplata attempt for Lahdemaki, and Gadelha shuts it down but it allows Lahdemaki to escape. Left/right combo lands for Lahdemaki but Gadelha returns fire with two left body kicks and a takedown at the bell. 10-9 Gadelha for a 30-27 her way on my card.
- Claudia Gadelha defeats Tina Lahdemaki by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27 x 2)
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