UFC 318 presented what really was a BMF fight card as knockouts, submissions and crazy fights were all witnessed by the Louisiana fans. Here is everything that happened at the Smoothie King Center.
early prelims
Carli Judice vs Nicolle Caliari (Women's Flyweight Bout) - Judice wins via TKO (R3, 1:30).
Judice remained to have a 100% knockout win rate after stopping Caliari in round three. Crispy showed that she was far better than the Brazilian on the feet, eventually landing a vicious knee to the liver which would be the beginning of the end. The Louisiana fighter claims her first win streak in the UFC as she tries to find a path into the Flyweight rankings.
Brunno Ferreira vs Jackson McVey (Middleweight Bout) - Ferreira wins via Armbar (R1, 3:35).
Ferreira earned his second consecutive submission win, becoming the first man to defeat McVey. The bout started off rather quiet until some brutal leg kicks from The Hulk then led the fight to the ground, before the Brazilian cleverly attempted an Armbar submission which made McVey tap. Bring such a promising fighter in the Middleweight division, it will be a surprise if Ferreira does not fight for a spot in the 185-pound rankings in his next contest.
Ryan Spann vs Lukasz Brzeski (Heavyweight Bout) - Spann wins via Guillotine Choke (2:41).
Spann managed to redeem his last fight and claim his first Heavyweight win after submitting Brzeski in the first round. Superman looked confident on the feet, but decided to take the fight to the ground as after attempting an Arm Triangle, the Tennessee mixed martial artist eventually locked in a Guillotine, giving the Pole no choice but to tap. After missing a chance to enter the Heavyweight rankings in his last bout, Spann will hope he gets another chance in his next fight.
Jimmy Crute vs Marcin Prachnio (Light Heavyweight Bout) - Crute wins via Armbar (R1, 4:42).
Crute ended his five-fight winless streak with a brutal submission win in the first round against Prachnio. The Australian was key to grapple with Prachnio, taking the fight to the ground before a long Armbar attempt which eventually paid off, right at the end of the round. Crute has called out Dustin Jacoby for his next battle, which could be the biggest name on his successful resume, if the fight happens.
Adam Fugitt vs Islam Dulatov (Welterweight Bout) - Dulatov wins via KO (R1, 4:06).
Dulatov shined on his UFC debut after a vicious first-round knockout against Adam Fugitt. It was clear that the German looked far more confident on the feet, trying to find the kill shot which ultimately happened after a wicked left hand sent Fugitt crashing down before a couple of finishing blows ended the fight. The Welterweight division has a new prospect who is hoping to put the division on notice against a more respectable opponent in his next bout.
preliminary card
Ateba Gautier vs Robert Valentin (Middleweight Bout) - Gautier wins via TKO (R1, 1:10).
Gautier continued his path of knockout destruction after stopping Valentin in the first round. The Silent Assassin stunned the Swiss fighter early, showing how dangerous his striking is as it didn't take long for the referee to think about stopping the fight, once Valentin was on the ground hurt. With his sixth first-round knockout in his MMA career, the Cameroonian is looking like the hottest prospect of the 185-pound division.
Francisco Prado vs Nikolay Veretennikov (Welterweight Bout) - Veretennikov wins via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).
Veretennikov managed to grab his first UFC win after a very close contest with Prado. The Kazakhstan looked rather clean with his strikes, occasionally making a few mistakes, and while Prado did stun and almost submit the Orthodox fighter, Veretennikov had done enough in rounds one and two to earn a split decision victory. The 35-year-old will be aiming to continue his success in his next bout.
Marvin Vettori vs Brendan Allen (Middleweight Bout) - Allen wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
Allen placed himself back in the win column after going the distance with Vettori to triumph by unanimous decision. All In was rather impressive with his striking as he wasn't afraid to keep the fight on the feet and almost came close to setting up a submission against the Italian. After a convincing victory, Allen enters the top 10 of the Middleweight division as he tries to claim his fourth win streak in the UFC.
Kyler Phillips vs Vinicius Oliveira (Bantamweight Bout) - Oliveira wins via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Oliveira proved why he is an eye-catching prospect at 135 pounds after defeating Phillips in Louisiana. LokDog struggled with the American in the first round as the Phillips' movement was key, in order to make the fight difficult, but from the second round, the Brazilian showed his dominance on the feet. Oliveira will move up to #12 in the Bantamweight rankings and with him being on a six-fight win streak, he may not be far off from possible title contention.
main card
Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber (Lightweight Bout) - Johnson wins via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Johnson kicked off the main card with a huge underdog win after going to the judges scorecards with Zellhuber. The Menace remained on the feet with the Mexican and did land a knockdown in round two as the Lightweight veteran showed that experience does matter in the UFC. The St Louis-born fighter is now on a three-fight win streak and could be closing in on a return to the 155-pound rankings.
Dan Ige vs Patricio Pitbull (Featherweight Bout) - Pitbull wins via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Pitbull earned his first win in the organisation after a close battle with Ige to win by unanimous decision. The Brazilian mixed up his form of attack, mainly trying to wrestle with 50k, but he did wobble the American in round two, coming very close to a finish. Pitbull will enter the Featherweight rankings after defeated the #11 contender as he sets his sights on rising up the division, as well as beginning a win streak.
Kevin Holland vs Daniel Rodriguez (Welterweight Bout) - Rodriguez wins via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Rodriguez went the distance with Holland in an action-packed fight which saw him do enough to take the victory. D-Rod came close to finishing the battle in round two after knocking down Trailblazer twice, but he did have to survive round three after he was knocked down himself. The Californian makes an unexpected return to the Welterweight rankings after a satisfying win on short notice as he will aim to remain in the top 15.
Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov (Middleweight Bout) - Costa wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
Costa redeemed himself in phenomenal fashion after a very dominant decision win against Kopylov. The Eraser was far more active and powerful with his striking, he even knocked the Russian down in the second round as he showed why he is a deserving contender of the division. The Brazilian is hoping he will face Khamzat Chimaev in the future as he wants to settle the rivalry, but first he must continue a path of success in order to gain that wish.
Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier (Lightweight Title Bout) - Holloway wins via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47).
Holloway succeeded in Poirier's final dance in the Octagon after going the distance in a gruelling war to win by unanimous decision. Blessed showcased the same speed he has at Featherweight, but showed that he had more power at 155 pounds as he came close to finishing the Diamond in the first round, while stunning him multiple times, however he was close to getting finished in the second round. The BMF Champion is in an interested position where he could defend his title or possibly rematch Topuria for the Lightweight title as he would like to avenge his only knockout loss in his MMA career.
Performance of the Night bonuses:
- Ateba Gautier
- Islam Dulatov
- Carli Judice
Fight of the Night bonus:
- Marvin Vettori vs Brendan Allen
Written by Charlie Oxtoby
Instagram: charlie_oxtoby
MMA Instagram: undisputed._.mma
Twitter: Charlie_Oxtoby1
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