UFC 199 got underway with a bonkers opening fight, a rare draw decision, a comeback TKO in the light heavyweight division, and a disappointing feature bout between Tom Breese and Sean Strickland. Here’s how the Fight Pass prelims went down:
Polo Reyes def. Dong HyunKim via KO (punches) at 1:52 of round 3 – Lightweights
If you’re a fan of all offense and no defense, this fight was for you. Kim wobbled Reyes with a left hook and then another one in a wild exchange. Reyes rocked Kim with an elbow and then after he got back to his feet, jarred Kim with a knee. The two men continued to engage and Kim was dropped with a jab. He survived that and got back to standing after Reyes couldn’t finish him on the ground. It was an insane 1st round which saw both men hurt, but Reyes nearer to finishing the fight.
There was more bombs away with Reyes scoring with big combinations, but Kim answered back with a hard left that nearly put Reyes down. Kim had seized the advantage, but the tide turned back towards Reyes, who wrecked Kim with big shots in the clinch and power shots in close quarters. Kim got a takedown but Reyes returned to his feet after a few seconds. An exhausted Kim fell to the ground on his own at the end of the 2nd, with Reyes raining down ground-and-pound.
After an incredible back-and-forth war, the TUF Latin America 2 competitor walloped Kim with a right hand and then another one on his way down, signifying the end of the contest. What a ridiculously fun fight this was.
Polo Reyes w/ the beautiful finish!!! #UFC199 https://t.co/xQnhwTGGOf
— #UFC199 (@ufc) June 4, 2016
Kevin Casey vs. Elvis Mutapcic ends in a split draw (29-28, 28-29, 28-28) – Middleweights
Casey got things rolling with a takedown midway through the 1st round. Mutapcic had to absorb some ground-and-pound to the body. Casey advanced to side control and went for mount, but lost it in a scramble after trying to go for the back. Mutapcic closed with a good jumping knee. The 2nd round saw Mutapcic land several good clinch strikes with more knees, but he was taken down again and immediately mounted. Mutapcic not only survived the hard elbows, he pushed off and got back to his feet, where he would continue to drill Casey with knees to the body in the clinch. Round 3 was all Mutapcic, who decisively outstruck Casey and then turned an exhausted Kevin’s takedown into full mount in his favor. Elvis finished with big ground-and-pound and evidently that was enough to get him a 10-8 round 3 on one judge’s scorecard. It’s a rare split draw outcome, and in the post-fight interview, Casey said a few words on the passing of his father-in-law, Muhammad Ali.
Luiz Henrique def. Jonathan Wilson via TKO (punches) at 4:11 of round 2 – Light Heavyweights
Henrique had success with hard kicks and clinch fighting, while Wilson drilled the Brazilian newcomer with good left hands. It was a close 1st round with plenty of solid striking from both men. Henrique’s body work took its toll on Wilson, who looked noticeable slower in the 2nd. A jarring uppercut sent Wilson back to the fence with Henrique sensing a finish. It didn’t come and Wilson got the takedown, only for Henrique to get back to his feet. In a big turn of events, Wilson hurt Henrique with huge punches and dropped him. Again, Wilson’s grappling flaws were exposed, as Henrique swept him straight into full mount, then punched Wilson’s face a bunch of times to force the stoppage. The Brazilian remains unbeaten at the expense of the Xplode Fight Series product.
Sean Strickland def. Tom Breese via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) – Welterweights
Round 1 was a feel-out process. Strickland did well with outside leg kicks but Breese had the better counterpunching game and a good jab. Sean came out aggressively in round 2 and tagged Breese with some decent shots. Breese performed slightly better in the 2nd half of the round but otherwise Strickland had the edge in a fight lacking too much action. It was more of the same in round 3 with very little separating the two on the feet, although Breese stuffed Strickland’s takedown, while Strickland was briefly taken down only to pop back up. Another takedown at the end by Breese backfired, as Strickland got on top and landed ground-and-pound to end the fight. Not an exciting bout, but one to improve Strickland to 18-1 while sending Breese to 10-1.
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