The Ultimate Fighting Championship's Fight Night series hit Albuquerque, New Mexico for the first time, live from the Tingley Coliseum. The preliminary and main event cards were televised on Fox Sports Net 1. The results were of the main cards were as follows:
New Mexico-based fighter Erik "Goyito" Perez (14-5) took on Bryan "Kid Lightning" Caraway (18-7) in a three round bantamweight bout. Perez, originally from Monterrey, Mexico, was his usual self as he came out on his feet with frenetic movement while winging punches and kicks. Caraway, from Las Vegas, was calmly looking for spots. Early on, "Kid Lightning" attempted a guillotine but Perez was able to escape. Both men threw shots and Caraway managed another takedown in which "Kid Lighting" secured a back mount, looking for a rear naked choke. "Goyito" continued great submission defense. As the round came to a close, Perez began to land knee strikes and punches at will. The second saw the Mexican shoot in for a takedown but Caraway managed to smoothly defend and pass into a mount in his favor. "Kid Lightning" fortified a body lock and managed to force through Perez's guard, ending the fight with Goyito taping out via a rear naked choke.
A pair of lightweights continued the night as Texas veteran Yves Edwards (42-20-1 with 1 no contest) met Piotr Hallmann (14-2) in a three round match. Hallmann, hailing from Poland, had a tight guard as he pursued Edwards, looking to strike. The Texan used lateral movement to keep his distance and was able to assault with his fists and legs. There was a brief pause early after Hallmann thumbed Edwards's right eye. Once the fight resumed, the Polish combatant was having trouble landing as Edwards continued moving. Hallmann accomplished a few takedowns but the Texan came to his feet and continued to use distant and precision striking. Hallmann continued working towards a takedown and successfully took Edwards to the mat; he secured a side mount. Edwards was able to swing around and became erect as the round came to a close. Another thumb to the eye of the Texan caused another halt but, soon after, Edwards returned the favor. The fight resumed with the Hallmann applying pressure with his strikes and searching for takedown opportunities. After a flurry from the Texan, the Polish powerhouse took Edwards to the cage floor and began to maul his foe at will. Edwards was able to survive to see the end of the round. The final heat saw Hallmann continue to be aggressive and successful. The Texan appeared gassed and was able to do little to keep his advancing nemesis off of him. At the 2 minute and 30 second mark, Hallmann secured a rear naked choke which led to Edwards tapping out. Submission ending is a specialty for the Polish born Hallmann and he did not disappoint.
The third fight also featured lightweights when Brazilian Rafael Dos Anjos (20-7) took on American Jason High (19-4) in a match set for three go-rounds. After both men hailed some strikes early, High completed two hard body slams. Dos Anjos tried to a body triangle after the second but the American defended well. The men came to their feet and began to do serious damage to the other with hard punches to the head and body. The Brazilian's fistic assault was focused to the body of High, which showed immediate effects. Dos Anjos then took High to the mat and worked on a Kamura submission, transitioning to ground-and-pound as the round concluded. The middle heat saw the Brazilian hurt the American early with a kick to the body followed by a punch to the head. High was accidentally thumbed but, after a brief pause, Dos Anjos returned to striking success. The Brazilian was relentless as he battered the American with kicks, knees, and punches. Dos Anjos attempted a guillotine choke but High escaped; he then attempted a rear naked choke submission which failed. The Brazilian dropped High with a hard straight left hand and then took to the ground-and-pound, leading the referee to stop the prizefight.
Flyweights John "The Magician" Dodson (16-6) and John Moraga (14-2) locked horns in the UFC Octagon in a battle slated for three heats. Moraga (Arizona) and Dodson (New Mexico) seemed to be full of nervous energy as neither man would commit to anything. Both men threw punches but none of the shots landed with any kind of authority or regularity. "The Magician" was clearly the quicker fighter but was not able to be consistent with any kind of attack. Moraga kept his distance, looking to land one to two shots and then get out of range; this led to little-to-no action. There was little to choose from in the first. Dodson opened the second with a leg and fist strike but Moraga quickly moved away. After this, both men went back to a lot of movement and fainting but little in the way of action engagement. Dodson managed a takedown but minimal action led to the Arizona fighter coming to his feet. Moraga was patient and countered Dodson's leg strikes with crosses. With a little over 30 seconds left, Dodson exploded with a flurry of shots which deposited Moraga to the canvas. The Arizona combatant's nose began to bleed profusely after a hard knee and he covered up as Dodson attacked; Moraga was saved by the bell. Moraga did not come out for the final three minutes which lead to a technical knockout victory for Dodson.
The co-main event showcased hometown legend Diego Sanchez (26-7) battling Ross "The Real Deal" Pearson (17-6 with 1 no contest) in a three round lightweight bout. Pearson worked the body early as he landed hooks, crosses and kicks to any are below the neck. Sanchez, with the hometown crowd roaring, seemed like a man possessed as he searched to land a big left-hand bomb. Both men were content with a striking battle and "The Real Deal" appeared to be getting the better of this approach. Pearson mixed up his boxing well and continued to keep good range. Sanchez was able to crack "The Real Deal" with a couple of punches to the face but Pearson regained control of the distance. The standup battle continued in the middle stanza with Pearson still controlling the range and landing the more telling blows. "The Real Deal" began to find the mark with his overhand right and the hometown legend did not seem to have an answer. Pearson secured a takedown with less than a minute left but Sanchez quickly came to his feet. "The Real Deal" stuck hard jabs and opened a cut to Sanchez's nose. The New Mexico native flurried towards the end of the round but it was not enough to take it. The last salvo saw "The Real Deal" endured his game plan of commanding the distance and striking whenever possible. Pearson's boxing was vastly superior and Sanchez appeared befuddled. Pearson closed with movement, excellent discipline and well-placed kicks and punches. Incredibly, Sanchez was somehow awarded a split decision victory: Convicted Artist Magazine had it 30-27 for Pearson, illustrating that this fight was not even close.
The final challenge of the night highlighted the number two ranked UFC lightweight in "Smooth" Benson Henderson (20-3) meeting eleventh rank UFC lightweight, Rustam Khabilov (17-1) in a match set for five staves. Standup told the story in the opening as both warriors exchanged blows. Henderson was measured and quickly came to his feet after being taken to the floor. "Smooth" landed some elbow strikes and released but was met with a hard elbow by Khabilov. Benson went for a flying knee but was met with a body slam as the horn sounded. Benson had a great second round as he landed knees to the body and power shots to the head. "Smooth" then took full back control on the mat and was looking for the submission finish. Khabilov escaped but did not find much in the way of offense. Khabilov controlled early in the third with a body lock which froze Benson. "Smooth" got away and went back, looking for striking opportunities. Khabilov stunted a submission attempt and continued searching for countering openings. The fourth got underway with Henderson moving forward and Khabilov still looking for countering chances. "Smooth" landed a hard right uppercut straight left combination that sent Khabilov to the floor; immediately, he moved in and secured a rear naked choke submission. It was a great win for the former UFC champion.
Sergio L. Martinez
www.fightnews.com.au
