Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results and play by play for the UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Dos Anjos preliminary card. The evening kicks off with one bout on UFC Fight Pass at 7:30 p.m. ET and then jumps to Fox Sports 2 at 8:00 p.m. ET for four more bouts.
The preliminary card match ups include the ever-improving Neil Magny vs. Alex Garcia, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu whiz Beneil Dariush against Tony Martin, the return of Ben “Killa B” Saunders, who draws Chris Heatherly, the sophomore turns for Aaron Phillips and Matt Hobar and feisty submissionist Wilson Reis vs. newcomer Joby Sanchez.
Check out how the Bloody Elbow staff foresees tonight’s fights or watch this week’s MMA Vivisection for detailed analysis on each match up. The preliminary card lineup follows.
Fox Sports Prelims (Fox Sports 2 at 8:00 p.m. ET)
Alex Garcia vs. Neil Magny
R1: Garcia steps in with a heavy one-two. Magny backs him up with a long flurry coming forward but nothing’s doin’. Garcia closes range it’s surprisingly Magny who locks up a clinch and slips behind Garcia into the rear waist lock. He drags Garcia down in pursuit of a submission but Garcia defends and nearly takes top control but Magny stays slippery and returns to back mount. Garcia goes for a leg lock and it distracts Magny enough for Garcia to regain his guard.
Magny in half guard and looking to isolate the opposite arm. Garcia triangles his legs in half guard and Magny spikes a few elbows to his thigh. Make that many elbows, still threatening to control Garcia’s left arm with the two-on-one. Magny locks the grip and keeps Garcia in place with the concern of the kimura looming. Magny bails on it and stands up. 10-9 Magny.
R2: Garcia seems to be injured as he’s stepping gingerly on on leg, but it doesn’t stop him from heaving a big meatball Magny’s way. Magny keeps distance until Garcia gets deep penetration on a takedown and hoists Magny with a double leg. Magny closes his guard and looks for head control to stifle Garcia’s punches. Magny’s underhooks and closed guard forces Garcia to create space and it’s enough room for Magny to stand.
They stay connected and Magny drives Garcia into the fence, throwing knees to the breadbasket. No go on Magny’s underhook throw but he is able to step back and land a jab and a glancing right. Horizontal elbow from distance for Magny. Garcia flails a wild overhand on his way into the clinch but Magny neutralizes the takedown attempt with an underhook and wrist control, using the position to land a pair of knees to the ribs. 10-9 Magny.
R3: Garcia stays predictable with the wide, looping overhand into a takedown, but it works. Magny closes his guard and throws a forearm to the head. Palm strikes from Magny as Garcia takes a control oriented strategy from the top. More palm strikes from Magny. Garcia finally postures up and then takes Magny’s back in the ensuing scramble. One hook in for Garcia in standing back mount.
Magny controls Garcia’s left arm and drills a volley of downward elbows into his thighs, which persuades influences Garcia to release back control. He looks for a throw from the rear waist lock and Magny nearly reverses. Garcia overhooks the head to keep Magny in place and then hops into back mount again as Magny stands up. Magny shakes him off and then lifts Garcia at the waist as he gets lazy with a double leg attempt. 10-9 Magny — Garcia was almost all control and Magny was more effectively offensive despite the positional disadvantage (offense>control). I have it 30-27 Magny.
- Neil Magny defeats Alex Garcia by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x 2)
Beneil Dariush vs. Tony Martin
R1: Martin starts off with a hard inside low kick. Martin’s left hook and right high kick are blocked. Martin dodges a Dariush flurry and flings a heavy combo back his way. Martin snaps a hard outside low kick that lands with a dull thud, then lets his hands go for a flurry. Dariush is showing some wear from the barrage just two minutes in. The left body kick is there for Dariush.
Dariush charges with punches and connects with a leg kick to close the combo, then resets and establishes himself with another punching flurry. They tie up and Martin ends up in the rear waist cinch as Dariush hand-fights the grip and spins to face him. Martin looks to disengage but Dariush wants the double collar tie. They separate and Martin lands another hand combination and low kick. Dariush hits a late takedown and moves to back control on the horn. 10-9 Martin by a close margin for striking effectiveness.
R2: Martin controls distance with more punches and a low kick. Dariush forces a clinch and looks for the single but Martin is slick in countering with a rolling kimura. Back on the feet, Martin keeps Dariush on the fence with an underhook. Dariush peels Martin’s arm away with wrist control and lands a knee to the body. Dariush’s short up-knee to the face prompts a committed double leg attempt from Martin.
Dariush bases out to defend and throws a short elbow to the temple before they’re separated by the ref. Martin’s right eye is bleeding on the restart, perhaps from the short elbow. Dariush gets in on a takedown and this time Martin’s crafty counter-wrestling can’t bail him out. Dariush hops right into side mount with the arm triangle already locked and Martin taps out quickly.
- Beneil Dariush defeats Tony Martin by submission (arm triangle) at 3:38 of Round 2
Matt Hobar vs. Aaron Phillips
R1: Phillips lands a crisp inside leg kick as Hobar pressures him into the cage in pursuit of a takedown. Hobar disengages and throws punches that Phillips dodges with a smile. Smooth single leg takedown from Hobar but Phillips lands a volley of punches and swivels for an armbar, then transitions to a triangle. Hobar slips out and falls back into the guard of Phillips but he’s met with another wild flurry of short punches from Phillips in guard.
Phillips tries to boot him off but Hobar keeps the ankle picked to maintain control, landing in side control. Short elbows from Hobar. Phillips recomposes guard with style and throws his legs up for another triangle attempt, then dings Hobar with an up-kick when he avoids the triangle. Another up-kick from Phillips, who’s winning off his back. Another up-kick as Hobar separates. Hobar lands a right from on top. 10-9 Phillips — he was more active and offensively effective from a grappling and striking standpoint.
R2: Phillips throws a sacrifice knee and gets taken down, but he’s back up quickly with Hobar in the side/back ride. Phillips picks the ankle for a counter-takedown and Hobar wisely follows suit to negate it. They stand backup with Hobar holding Phillips on the cage. Hobar with a knee but Phillips responds with one of his own to dissuade the takedown attempt. Hard knee to the upper thigh from Hobar. Phillips answers back in kind again.
They separate. Hobar grazes with an overhand left. Phillips responds with a one-two. Hobar indicates he was hit below the belt but they fight on. Phillips comes forward with punches and Hobar clinches up to stave him off, then cleaves a horizontal elbow and changes levels for a successful takedown. Phillips angles for an armbar but Hobar shuts it down. The previous elbow looks to have cut Phillips. Better control this time around for Hobar, who closes the frame with more topside strikes. 10-9 Hobar.
R3: Hobar gets in on a takedown and puts Phillips on his back. Phillips scrambles free but Hobar hoists him up with a more convincing version. Hobar passes to side mount and looks to cinch up the arm triangle. Phillips defends and looks to push off the cage with one foot to no avail, but he does regain full guard.
Hobar, still in guard, forces Phillips’ head on the cage to limit his escape routes. Phillips spins out anyway and stands up with Hobar still in on his hips. Phillips gets a wide base and throws short shots to the head, then looks for the double collar tie, which allows Hobar to lower his level and hit a double leg with just over a minute left. Phillips stays feisty with active hips and short punches but nothing significant becomes of it. Phillips stands up but eats a left hook in the process. 10-9 Hobar for a 29-28 tally his way on my card.
- Matt Hobar defeats Aaron Phillips by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Chris Heatherly vs. Ben Saunders
R1: Heatherly hits an early takedown and Saunders goes to rubber guard. Saunders swivels into an omoplata and gets off his back but can’t roll Heatherly with it. Saunders bases down on the trapped arm with his knee and grabs the wrist to wrench the lock mercilessly, getting the tapout shortly after. Impressive grappling creativity from the devastating striker in his UFC return.
- Ben Saunders defeats Chris Heatherly by submission (modified omoplata) at 2:18 of Round 1
Fight Pass Prelims (UFC Fight Pass at 7:30 p.m. ET)
Wilson Reis vs. Joby Sanchez
R1: Sanchez with some emphatic circling right out of the gate. Reis, in chase mode, lands an outside low kick. Now an inside low kick but his follow-up left cross misses. Sanchez triples up right hands that whiff but he grazes with a right body kick. Not much cookin’ for the first half of the round.
Reis lands an uppercut at the halfway mark and follows with an outside low kick, but his high kick is blocked. Sanchez unbolts a quick right that looks to wobble Reis for a split second. It’s an overhand into a knee-tap takedown that puts Sanchez on his back with a little over a minute left, and Reis takes his back after threatening to mount him. Sanchez stands with Reis on his back; both hooks are in. Sanchez goes two-on-one to fight off the choke and Reis throws ineffectual hammerfists. 10-9 Reis.
R2: Sanchez comes out flashing leather but it’s Reis who connects with a left cross. Sanchez plasters Reis with a left hook and it drops him and, after they reset, Sanchez wheels out a rear-leg right high kick that flattens Reis. Sanchez flurries and Reis is back on his feet and defending, though still a bit wobbly. Reis corners Sanchez and hits a takedown at 2:45 and Sanchez is up quickly, but Reis hops onto his back again.
Sanches disallows the hooks and spins out to avoid the danger. Reis with a body kick that Sanchez blocks with a thud. Sanchez charges with a flurry and looks to graze with a left hand. Reis shoots in on Sanchez’s hips and can’t get the takedown, settling for a body lock against the fence. He drags Sanchez down with 30 seconds left and again materializes in back control as the bell sounds. 10-9 Sanchez.
R3: Reis hits a duck-under double leg 45 seconds in but Sanchez is immediately back on his feet. Reis swims under for the body lock and hits a trip, again taking back control instantly. Reis slithers one hook in and punches to the head while trying to slip in the other hook. Sanchez peels the hook out and Reis lands a knee downstairs with the body lock and hits another takedown. Sanchez is back up and free on his feet a second later.
Reis backs him off with a left cross and right hook combo. Straight left lands for Reis on his way into contact range, where he lands an easy takedown. Reis steps over the right butterfly hook of Sanchez and takes his back again, but this time secures rear-naked choke position though he’s not under the chin. Sanchez sneakily slips out and takes top position with 30 seconds left but Reis boots him off and they restart on the feet. He stays on his bike until the horn sounds. 10-9 Reis. I have it 29-28 his way.
- Wilson Reis defeats Joby Sanchez by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
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