Who were the winners at Fight Night: Jacare vs Brunson 2? Click below to get the results for all the fights in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 27, 2018.
Souza vs Brunson | Bermudez vs Fili | Rinaldi vs Gillespie | Dober vs Camacho | Koch vs Green | Bektic vs Pepey | Chookagian vs Romero Borella | Markos vs Lima | Kish vs Kim | Pichel vs Silva | Price vs Sullivan
| Arnett Sandhagen |
Fight Night: Jacare vs Brunson 2 main card
Main event: Jacare Souza vs Derek Brunson
While Derek Brunson continued to throw combinations looking for his patented finish, Jacare Souza stunned Brunson and the crowd in Charlotte. With a minute left in the opening round Souza connected on a head kick that sent Brunson stumbling to the mat. He stalked Brunson down and finished him off.
Co-main: Dennis Bermudez vs Andre Fili
Dennis Bermudez controlled the fight’s pace with a combination of strikes and persistent leg kicks. But Andre Fili’s four takedowns ended up being the deciding factor as he edged out a split decision victory. Bermudez outstruck Fili but the victor still managed to land 63 significant strikes.
THEY SAID IT:
Andre Fili: “ I felt like I had won the fight for sure so the split decision was a head scratcher. I wasn’t worried though, I believed in myself. Obviously, Dennis is known for his wrestling but I can wrestle my butt off and it was cool to show that side of things tonight because I don’t think that people knew I had that takedown ability. I want someone in the Top 10 next. I just beat one of the best guys in the history of this division. I came to the UFC to fight the best guys in the world. We spend too much time in the gym and away from everything else to be the best. I’m asking for someone in the Top 10.”
Jordan Rinaldi vs Gregor Gillespie
Gregor Gillespie got the fight exactly where he wanted and finished Jordan Rinaldi just before the end of the opening round. Gillespie mounted Rinaldi from behind after taking him down and inflicted ground-and-pound until the ref stepped in and halted the action. Gillespie is now a perfect 4-0 in the UFC
THEY SAID IT:
Gregor Gillespie: “ I don’t mean to sound abrasive when I say this, but this wasn’t an incredible performance. This was a normal performance. This is what I do and, when you do it every time, it’s no longer incredible. It should be expected. Sometimes it’s grittier like my first UFC win in Brazil and sometimes it’s total domination like tonight. I’m not here to call anyone out. I don’t talk my way into fights or say a bunch of crazy stuff to get followers online. I fight. So give me someone to fight and I guarantee they’ll lose. I’m healthy, feeling great, and I would love to make another walk in April.”
Drew Dober vs Frank Camacho
Frank Camacho scored three takedowns against Drew Dober but it wasn’t enough to pull out the victory. Dober connected on 141 strikes with an insane volume of 317 attempts in what turned out to be a Fight of the Night candidate. Dober has now won 4 of his last 5 in the UFC
THEY SAID IT:
Drew Dober: “ Those are the best kinds of fights. Neither of us was concerned with winning rounds, we wanted to win the hearts and minds of the fans. We just bit down on our mouthpieces and went after each other. There’s nothing quite like the rush you get when a packed arena is screaming and excited for you. Frank is a really tough dude and I have a ton of respect for him. We are martial artists and we approach this the same way. Anger, hatred, animosity, none of that stuff wins fights. He and I are brothers and we just wanted to have a great time. Next for me, I’m headed back down to 155lbs and I can’t wait to start that journey. Hopefully I’ll be back in the Octagon very soon!”
Fight Night: Jacare vs Brunson 2 FS1 prelims
Action starts at 5 pm ET
Erik Koch vs Bobby Green
Bobby Green turned in a signature performance in his victory over Erik Koch in Charlotte. Green outstruck Koch 133 to 55 which was highlighted by a dominant third round where Green landed 69 shots to Koch’s nine. The win was Green’s first since July 2014.
THEY SAID IT:
Bobby Green: “ I always say that I’m going to put on the best show of the night. Watching a Bobby Green fight is always entertaining. [Koch] is a tough dude so he was a great dance partner. I feel like we just won ourselves the Fight of the Night award and I hope I’m right. That’s what means the most to me. I don’t care about paychecks, I don’t care about anything other than putting on the Fight of the Night. What’s next? More of the same. More of the best fights you will see. More Fight of the Night bonuses. I can’t wait to be back out there and do it again.”
Mirsad Bektic vs Godofredo Pepey
Mirsad Bektic added another finish to his resume Saturday night. Bektic landed a big right hand to the body of Godofredo Pepey that sent Pepey to the mat. It was Bektic’s first career UFC first round finish.
THEY SAID IT:
Mirsad Bektic: “ I feel amazing. In my last fight, I dominated for 14 minutes but I took my foot off the gas and paid for it. That taught me a valuable lesson and that is to always push forward and dominate. I feel that my power separates me from the division and I intend to show it each and every fight. My goal is to climb the rankings and fight at least 3 times this year. I’ll be watching the Bermudez-Fili fight tonight and I feel like the winner may be a good next opponent.”
Katlyn Chookagian vs Mara Romero Borella
Chookagian was busy in the first with a flurry of punches, but Borella kept a perfect range and only a small fraction of them landed, countering with her own efficient strikes. As the fight wore on, Chookagian found her range and made the punches count while displaying some excellent footwork and movement. She wins her flyweight debut by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
Randa Markos vs Juliana Lima
Markos controlled the first round mostly against the fence with neither fighter delivering or sustaining much damage. Both fighters traded in the clinch for much of the second, first Lima and then Markos, with Markos getting off the more vicious ground and pound. The fight went back to the mat in the third, with Markos again in top control, gassing her opponent and cruising to the unanimous decision win (all 30-27).
THEY SAID IT:
Randa Markos: “I had a really tough camp so this win means a lot. I had tweaked my knee while training with Jessica Eye and had to work around it all throughout camp. Juliana Lima is really tough and has fought some of the best in the world. I wanted to dominate the fight and I think I did that. I am one of the toughest fighters in the UFC. I want someone in the Top 5 next. I feel like I won my last fight and I was very dominant tonight. I feel I am very close to a title shot and I want a fight that gets me closer to it.”
Justine Kish vs Ji Yeon Kim
Kish looked strong and comfortable in her flyweight debut, more than doubling the significant strikes of her opponent in the stand-up first round. Yeon Kim never looked poised and patient throughout, clearly looking for her possible KO opening, but Kish continued to work throughout, and her left hook and leg kicks landed regularly. Sensing she was down in the scorecards, Yeon Kim began swinging for for the fences in the third, agressively hunting down Kish. While the KO she had been seeking never came, her late flurry was enough to spoil Kish's North Carolina homecoming. Split decision for Yeon Kim (29-28, 30-27) over Kish (29-28).
THEY SAID IT:
Ji Yeon Kim: “I am happy to have my first win in the UFC. [Kish] is a striker and so am I so I thought we were a great matchup. This is my first fight at 125lbs so it means a lot to get the win. I wasn’t concerned about the scorecards, I was confident that I had the win. I am new to the UFC and this is my first win so I am ready to fight whoever the UFC thinks I should fight next.”
Vinc Pichel vs Joaquim Silva
Both fighters were exceedingly patient early on, carefully finding their range. It was midway through the second that they seemed to find some comfort and traded an exact number of strikes and signficant strikes (15/12). Both fighters came out swinging for an upbeat third round, both clearly going for the win in one of the most even fights in recent memory. In the end, however, it was Pichel's slight edge in strikes that was good enough for the decision win, and his fourth straight victory.
THEY SAID IT:
Vinc Pichel : “This feels really good. I knew it was a close fight and I was a little nervous about it going to the judges so getting the unanimous decision feels amazing. [Silva] is a very tough guy and was undefeated in the UFC before tonight. We had a real war out there and it’s an honor to be a part of fights like that. In terms of next steps, there’s a guy I’ve been wanting to fight for a long time who I feel is dodging me: Al Iaquinta. We fought during The Ultimate Fighter and I’ve been trying to fight him again ever since. If it’s not him, anybody else will do the trick. They’re all going to get a loss on their record when they fight me so I’m game for whoever wants to fight next.”
Fight Night: Jacare vs Brunson 2 FIGHT PASS prelims
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Action starts at 4pm ET
Niko Price vs George Sullivan
Despite a second round that was mostly controlled by Sullivan from the top position, hot prospect Niko Price waited for his opening and made a quick transition to execute the rear naked choke late in the round. Price mentioned Darren Till as a fighter he’d like to face during his Octagon interview.
THEY SAID IT:
Niko Price:“I didn’t expect the fight to be so back and forth but I was very impressed with his power. He is a brute on the ground and he hits really hard but that’s what makes it so fun to be in this sport. Pushing yourself through tough moments and finding ways to win is what it’s all about. When I felt the tap, it felt like the heavens opened up. That’s the moment we live for as fighters. I hope it was impressive enough to earn me that bonus but, more than anything, I just can’t wait to get back out there and do it again next time!”
Austin Arnett vs Cory Sandhagen
Both Arnett and Sandhagen made their UFC debuts in the kickoff to Fight Night Charlotte, but it's Sandhagen who will go home with the special memories of his inaugural Octagon appearance. Arnett waited for an opening for most of the first round to his detriment, as it was Sandhagen who was in control with more than double the strikes. His flurry continued in the second, and it was more than Arnett could handle. A liver shot dropped Arnett to the mat, where Sandhagen moved in for the finish and a TKO at 3:48 in second round.
THEY SAID IT:
Cory Sandhagen: “It was very important to me to treat this like any other fight even though I was making my debut. I’ve learned the importance of shutting out nerves and taking things as they come. I look at what I do as an art and I wanted to showcase that. I was able to impose my will and get the finish, which is amazing. Next, I am going to talk to my coaches and see what they think I should do but I feel good and hopefully I’ll be back out there very soon.”
