UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier Defeats Kelvin Gastelum In Return, Ignacio Bahamondes Drops Roosevelt Roberts Out Cold With Spinning Kick
It was bloody. It was intense. It was UFC Fight Night that showcased intense knockouts and sent some fighters home with an extra $50,000 for giving fans highlight reel moments.
Saturday’s UFC Fight Night lacked famous fighters on the card, but MMA fans witnessed many great performances and met many good fighters.
Jared Cannonier (14-5) and Kelvin Gastelum (17-8, 1 NC) battled in the middleweight headlining event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cannonier defeated Gastelum via unanimous decision in what was a close brawl.
Both fighters had their moments, but Cannonier outperformed his rival in the three rounds, winning the clash 48-47.
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Cannonier is back on a winning streak after being defeated against former champion Robert Whittaker. He is also returning from a broken arm. He told the world that he was “picking up” right where he left off.
For Gastelum, he witnessed his eighth pro career loss. He won only once in his last six fights.
In the lightweight co-main event, veteran Clay Guida and Olympian champion Mark Madsen went for all three rounds. But Madsen came out on top with a win via decision, continuing his unscathed 11-fight winning streak
Madsen returned to the octagon after returning from setbacks in his personal life.
But the fight that stole the show was a lightweight contest between Roosevelt Roberts and Ignacio Bahamondes.
Roberts tried some takedowns, but Bahamondes defended those attempts easily. They exchanged lots of combinations, and it looked like it was going to be down to the judges to declare the winner.
But only five seconds before the bell, Bahamondes brutally knocked out Roberts via a Spinning wheel kick. He earned $50,000 as “Performance of the night.”
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Another fight that could be considered for performance of the night was William Knight’s first-round knockout against Fabio Cherant.
It is the second victory for Knight in the UFC. For Cherant, he fought twice in the UFC and was defeated in both battles, both first-round finishes.
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Josianne Nunes gave fans another first-round finish via knockout.
Just six seconds before the first-round bell, she brutally knocked out her undefeated rival, Bea Malecki. Nunes earned an additional $50,000 for this performance.
Alexandre Pantoja made an extra $50,000 for defeating Brandon Royal via submission.
From the first second of the fight, it was obvious that Pantoja was confident in his grappling, even against a fighter like Royal. Both fighters are universal; they can fight in standing and on the ground, too, but their primary sport is Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
First, Pantoja took down Royal, trying to take his back and finish him with a rear-naked choke, but Royal survived and attacked Hill-hook.
Both fighters landed combinations, but Royal damaged his eye, and he was appealing to the referee for eye-poke, but the referee said it was punch.
In the second round, Pantoja looked more confident and aggressive. He took Royal’s back once again and finished him via submission rear-naked choke.
It was the first fight for Royal after an injury he had while fighting against current flyweight champion Brandon Moreno.
Here’s all the results of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night.
- Jared Cannonier def Kelvin Gastelum Unanimous Dec
- Mark O. Madsen def Clay Guida Split Dec
- Parker Porter def Chase Sherman Unanimous Dec
- S. Kakhramonov def Trevin Jones Sub, 4:39 R3
- Vince Pichel def Austin Hubbard Unanimous Dec
- Alexandre Pantoja def Brandon Royval Sub, 1:46 R2
- Austin Lingo def Luis Saldaña Unanimous Dec
- Brian Kelleher def Domingo Pilate Unanimous Dec
- Josiane Nunes def Bea Malecki KO/TKO, 4:54 R1
- William Knight def Fabio Cherant KO/TKO, 3:58 R1
- I. Bahamondes def Roosevelt Roberts KO/TKO, 4:55 R3
- Ramiz Brahimaj def Sasha Palatnikov Sub, 2:33 R1