UFC on ESPN 8 results: Gadelha wins war with Hill, Ige upsets Barboza

The UFC on ESPN 8 main card is coming to a close, and the co-main event just witnessed the promotion’s #6 ranked strawweight, Claudia Gadelha, in a highly competitive matchup with hyper-active, Angela Hill. This was a close one, with Gadelha starting strong and then Hill scoring a knockdown in the second round. The final round was close, but the split decision went to Gadelha, who called out Carla Esparza rematch in her post-0fight interview. Coming in unranked, this sort of performance should get Hill a number next to her name come next week.

Before that, the 145-pound division got the promotion’s #11 ranked lightweight, Edson Barboza, dropping down to face the #15 ranked featherweight, Dan Ige. This fight was every bit of the banger it looked to be on paper. Both men let their strikes go with each man delivering damage. At the end of the day, it was Ige who walked away with the razor-thin split decision win. This makes six wins in a row for Ige.

In the middleweight division, Eryk Anders and Krzysztof Jotko were involved in a grueling 15-minute affair. Jotko was landing volume on the feet while Anders was controlling from the clinch, hunting for the takedown. The volume of Jotko won out, earning him his third consecutive win. Opening up the main card, the company’s #14 ranked bantamweight, Yadong Song, and the #15 ranked 135-pounder, Marlon Vera, went to war in a featherweight tilt. Both men had their moments of success, with Song scoring with boxing combos and Vera finding success with clinch strikes. At the end of the day, it was Song who took home the unanimous decision to remain undefeated inside of the UFC at 5-0-1.

**See complete results below

Main card:

Claudia Gadelha def. Angela Hill by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Strawweight

Hill took the center of the Octagon, using her strikes to keep Gadelha on the outside. The former title challenger looked comfortable on the outside, landing counters. She then closed the distance against the cage. Gadelha was able to control for a bit, and then hit a body lock takedown into side control. It took Hill awhile to finally scramble back to her feet.

Hill scored an early knockdown in the second act, but Gadelha recovered and stood back up rather quickly. Gadelha looked to clinch up against the cage, but Hill was able to reverse the situation and pin Gadelha against the wall. Back in open space, Gadelha landed a set of heavy right hands before they traded back and forth down the stretch.

The strawweights met in the middle for the final round and continued to go blow for blow. Hill was the one landing more of the strikes, sticking with her jab and moving her feet. Gadelha just couldn’t match the volume down the stretch, and started to wear it towards the end of the round. Gadelha tried to clinch up and delivered a crushing elbow on the break. The final 10-seconds saw these warriors exchange their final combos before they both put their hands up in celebration.

Dan Ige def. Edson Barboza by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Featherweight

These guys went right at it! Ige let his punching combos go but Barboza was willing to exchange leather. A looping right hand dropped Ige, followed by some violent hammerfists. Ige recovered and made it back to his feet, and landed a few punches before getting rocked and cut with a left hook.

Ige came out for the second round with fists of fury, going right after Barboza. A sinister body kick from Barboza backed off that aggression a bit. Ige kept throwing and busted open the nose of Barboza, and then started shooting for takedowns. Barboza blasted a knee to the liver and then took top position. He was able to drop some hammers before the bell. Barboza continued to land the better strikes in the final frame. Finishing his punching combos with kicks was hurting his opponent. Ige was still boxing, and then blasted a takedown. He landed a couple of ground strikes before riding out the rest of the clock on top.

Krzysztof Jotko def. Eryk Anders by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2): Middleweight

Anders looked to stalk his opponent, having to walk through some volume. Jotko was scoring with his combinations, but Anders wasn’t deterred. The former collegiate football star kept pressuring behind heavy bombs, looking to tie up. He was trying to get Jotko to the mat, but found himself jockeying for position instead.

Anders remained the aggressor in the second act, with Jotko countering with volume. He would shove Jotko up against the fence, but just couldn’t convert the takedown. Anders couldn’t get the fight to the floor but did rack up a bunch of control time.

Jotko opened the final round with a spinning backfist, but Anders used the moment to close the distance. Jotko fought off another takedown attempt and returned to open space. Anders kept trying to close the distance, wading through volume with haymakers to get to the inside. He just wasn’t doing much with the clinch when he had it. Jotko kept finding open space and would score more strikes than Anders while there.

Yadong Song def. Marlon Vera by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Featherweight

Song took the center of the cage before a bit of a feeling out process took place. Things started to heat up when Song looked to close the distance. He shoved Vera against the fence, where a lot of short strikes were exchanged. Both men landed some sneaky elbows on the inside in what was pretty close round.

Song showed up for the second round throwing much more volume than the previous frame. Vera looked to close the distance and initiate a clinch fight, but Song wasn’t as eager to fight there. Vera kept pressing forward, but also kept eating some hard counters from Song. When Vera finally did cut off the cage, he was able to land some clean elbows on the inside. With time ticking away in the round, Vera was able to score with a few more punches and knees before the bell.

Vera flew across the cage and landed a mean knee to the body to open the final round. He then got himself a takedown and controlled for a little bit before Song got back up. The punches of Song began to find a home as he threw in combinations. Vera returned fire and looked to make it ugly on the inside. He was able to stall Song against the cafe before achieving a takedown. Song did stand up, but ended up right back on the ground.