Before out main card got kicked off with all eyeballs on Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz here at MMASucka.com we got you covered on all fights tonight from the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Stephen Thompson vs. Dan Stittgen
When Stephen Thompson stepped into the octagon he did so with a lot of hype behind him, after cleaning up in the kickboxing world with a 56-0 record he moved over to mixed martial arts pushing his perfect record to 6-0 tonight.
“Wonderboy” faced fellow UFC debutant Dan Stittgen who stepped in on short notice but wasn’t a match for the unique kickboxing style of Thompson.
Thompson was able to use his length to keep him at bay with a range of kicks, when the round was reaching the final moments it was clear that he had found his rhythm and was going in for the kill – In something that you would see in a video game he used a flurry of punches to get Stittgen off guard to set up his head kick.
With this one Thompson has set the bar high for knockout of the month, here’s what he had to say post-fight:
“No words can describe how I feel right now. I’m beyond happy to have this win. It’s my first win in the UFC and I can’t wait to get back out there and do it again. I took my time and felt him out. GSP is my training buddy and before the fight he gave me some words of encouragement and told me to focus on what I am going to do and block everything else out. That was amazing advice and exactly what I did.”
A disappointed Stittgen had this to say:
“I took the fight on late notice and didn’t perform my best. I should have listened to my coach more. I’m very disappointed with what happened out there but I will certainly be back better.”
Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper
Who doesn’t love a rollercoaster ride of a fight? Natal vs. Kuiper was an action-packed battle with Natal getting his hand raised when all was said and done.
Natal takes control of the fight early and makes Kuiper defend submissions and take hard shots to the face to survive the first two rounds which he won pretty clearly and right when you think it’s set in stone Kuipers right hand comes into play.
Kuiper dropped Natal with a straight-right before doing his best to put away the tiring Brazilian but was unable to put him away and found himself in an arm-triangle before the final bell rang.
Natal was obviously happy to collect his third octagon victory, here’s what he had to say:
“Michael is a good fighter but I was better. I am very happy to pick up this win and that my family was watching. My jiu-jitsu saved me again.”
Kuiper was disappointed not to get his hand raised post-fight:
“You never know what is going to happen when you fight. That was a very tough fight.”
Matt Riddle vs. Henry Martinez
Henry Martinez was one of the biggest underdogs of the entire night and for good reason, the newcomer was stepping in on short notice and also is extremely undersized, Martinez has fought most of his career at lightweight and could probably make featherweight.
Martinez took control of the fight early throwing his hands with bad intentions but the sturdy and tough ‘Ultimate Fighter’ veteran took the damage early in a boxing clinic before taking the reins when the newcomer slowed down.
Riddle stole the second frame on the judges’ cards with a crazy flurry at the end of the second frame before taking Martinez down and beating him up in the final frame to collect a highly controversial split decision of the cards.
Here’s what Riddle said about saving his job:
“This fight was a war, but it’s nice to be back on the winning end again. Henry hit hard and his hands were quick. I was impressed by him and that’s why I picked it up in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Everytime I go in there I want to put on a show and fight as hard as I can.”
Here’s what the undersized challenger had to say:
“I had fun out there. It was a great fight and Matt is a tough guy. Even if you go in with the best plan in the world and study your opponent, they can change it up on you. We pushed each other hard but had a great time.”
Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope
This was a pink slip derby if there ever has been one, both men desperately needed to get their hand raised and Matt Brown came to keep him name on the payroll.
We opened with a highly competitive back-and-forth battle between Brown and Cope with Brown getting the upper hand scoring with the clearer, more precise power shots.
He kept this momentum up in the second frame to put away the former ‘Team Lesnar’ member using his leg kick effectively and using it to set up his strikes that put the nails in the coffin.
Brown saved his job tonight, here’s what he had to say about it:
“I just did what I know I’m capable of doing. I’m happy with the win but there are always things I can improve. I don’t want guys to find holes in my game. This is a step in the right direction for me. My striking has improved and I’m going to keep on working on things. When the fight started, within three to four exchanges, I immediately saw weaknesses in his game and I was able to capitalize on it. I was shooting and throwing jabs to his body and head and trying to switch it up. That’s when I noticed he had a tendency to drop his hand, which was to my advantage.”
Cope was a man of few words post-fight:
“It was a tough fight but I’ll be back.”
Alex Caceras vs. Edwin Figueroa
In one of the crazier fights I’ve seen in a long time this bantamweight clash delivered in the excitement department with groin shots, near finishes and a relentless pace with Caceras getting his hand raised when all was said and done.
The opening frame was the closest of the fight with both men having a lot of output with neither man getting a clear edge over the other but Caceras got the upper hand on most cards due to searching for a choke later in the round.
The biggest factor of the fight was the groin kicks from Caceras that floored Figueroa on two separate occasions and in return forced senior referee Herb Dean to deduct two points.
Putting his back against the wall Caceras was looking to finish the rest of the fight but it wasn’t enough to get his hand raised, losing a split decision.
Here’s what Figueroa had to say about getting across the line:
“I felt like it was a hard earned paycheck. He was a good fighter. I had to dig deep for this one. He came out and landed a few shots early. It was a tough fight but I came out the winner.”
Here’s what the disappointed loser had to say:
“I don’t know what happened. I thought I had that one. I guess they took points away from the low blow I delivered. I didn’t take that much damage. I’m very disappointed.”
Dustin Poirier vs. Max Hollaway:
Max Hollaway is a hot prospect but Poirier proved that he wasn’t ready for this level of competition just yet, putting him away in a little over 3 minutes.
Poirier opened striking but it was clear he wanted to get the fight to the floor as soon as possible and he did so, on his second attempt before making the 20-year-old look like a chump in the jiu-jitsu department.
In the blink of an eye Poirier was able to submit Hollaway with a triangle armbar from mount, able to just play with this kid.
Here’s what “The Diomand” had to say post-fight:
“I never underestimated Max. I was in his shoes before. He’s a tough fighter and good kickboxer. He was quicker than I expected though and hit me with a few shots. I wanted to come out strong and mix it up with some kicks. I came here to get a win, and I got the finish. I’m one step closer to being a champion.”
The youngster had this to say post-fight:
“Dustin is a tough guy. It was a fun fight and I can’t wait to get back in there again.”
