It was another big weekend of fights on the regional circuit, with UFC veterans and TUF alumni fighting all over the world. We kick things off in the good ol’ U.S. of A., though, with Dynasty Combat Sports out of Lincoln, Nebraska….
In the main event of DCS 16, UFC veteran Jason Brilz (23-6-1, 3-4 UFC), originally slated to take on former WSOF heavyweight Derrick Mehman, was instead tasked with the overmatched Scott Hough (5-6-0), who succumbed to a kimura in Round 2. With this victory (his first within the distance since 2012), Brilz moves to 5-1 in his post-UFC career and successfully rebounds from a submission loss to Vinny Magalhaes last September.
Also on Friday, at BAMMA 20 in Birmingham, England, TUF alumni Andre Winner (20-8-2, 2-4 UFC) and Colin Fletcher (11-5, 0-2 UFC) collided in the night’s co-main event. Both Winner and Fletcher were runners-up on The Ultimate Fighter, with Winner dropping a decision to Ross Pearson at the TUF 9 finale and Fletcher losing to Norman Parke to close out TUF: The Smashes. This weekend, the pair fought the full three rounds, with Winner earning the unanimous decision. Fletcher falls to 3-2 since his UFC release in 2013, while Winner (who won a one-night, 16-man tournament last year) remains unbeaten in his last six; he’s 8-2-1 since he last appeared in the Octagon.
Winner vs. Fletcher can be seen here.
The TUF 9 class continued to be represented on Saturday, when Frank Lester (10-7, 0-1 UFC) faced local product Adam Stroup (9-1-0) in the main event of Colorado’s Sparta Combat League. Lester wouldn’t fare as well as his former cast mate, however, as his penchant for brawling would not be enough to overcome the submission acumen of Stroup, who locked up a fight-ending rear-naked choke early in Round 1. Lester is 1-1 in the last two years. Stroup has won eight in a row.
Meanwhile, at Rage in the Cage 177 in Arizona, journeyman of note Tony Lopez (37-17, 0-1 Bellator), fresh off his victory over Jeremy Horn in March, took to the ring against Joe Yager (0-2 Bellator) in the night’s main event. Lopez would ultimately be unable to maintain his flawless 2015, dropping a unanimous decision.
And in the main event of Chicago’s XFO 55, UFC vet Drew McFedries (11-7, 4-5 UFC) returned to competition after a two-year hiatus. The brick-fisted former Miletich rep, who announced himself to MMA fans when he came into the UFC on short notice to knock out the heavily favored Alessio Sakara, has been frequently sidelined by illness and injury in recent years, but began to make up for lost time on Saturday. Tasked with the unheralded William Hill (22-31-0), McFedries took less than a minute to pick up a knockout win. It makes for his first victory since 2011.
Check back for part 2 of this week’s regional coverage, featuring results from China and Japan…
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