To kick off Season 12 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ reality series, Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Texas with another installment of UFC Fight Night. The four-fight televised card was headlined by middleweight contenders Nate Marquardt and Rousimar Palhares trying to climb the rankings to a title shot, and backed up by a trio of lightweight bouts.
Cole Miller vs. Ross Pearson (155 lbs)
Round 1: The fighters circle and exchange. Big reach advantage for Miller and he is finding Pearson’s face with the jab. They trade leg kicks. Pearson connecting with punches but Miller ducks under for a takedown. Pearson defends, he eventually gets dragged to the ground but pops back up. Miller attempts to jump guard but Pearson holds him up against the cage, refusing to go the the ground. Miller lets go and it’s back to trading; Pearson starting to find his range and out-land Miller on strikes. Round 10-9 Miller
Round 2: Pearson resumes his striking attack, landing solid body shots. Miller shoots; Pearson sprawls and Miller ends up on the bottom. Pearson stands up and motions Cole to do the same. Miller jabs, then hurts Pearson with a right cross. Pearson stumbles backwards and Miller runs at him with a flying knee, then floors his stumbling opponent with a hook. Miller quickly takes Pearson’s back and locks in a rear naked choke, forcing a tapout from Ross.
Aftermath: Former ‘Ultimate Fighter: US vs UK’ winner Ross Pearson is handed his first loss inside the Octagon, while Cole Miller improves his UFC record to 6-2 (with hist last four wins coming by submission). Miller next bout should be against Charles Oliveira, and Ross Pearson’s against Efrain Escudero.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Jim Miller vs. Gleison Tibau (155 lbs)
Round 1: They exchange looping punches and leg kicks. Tibau catches a kick and takes Miller down. Miller is up quickly. Miller rocks Tibau with a straight punch and follows up with a flurry but gets taken down again. Miller looking for a guillotine, then works his way back to the feet. They clinch, Miller attempts a takedown but Tibau sprawls. Back to trading hands and both fighters land as the round ends, Miller’s punches seemingly doing more damage. Round 10-9 Miller
Round 2: Miller hurts Tibau with a combination of punches, following it up with a big knee. Tibau is dazed but recovers his composure and ties Miller up. They trade takedowns but neither fighter is able to hold the other man down. They go back to striking, Miller has the edge on the feet but nothing significant lands. Another takedown from Tibau but he is not doing much with the takedowns. Round 10-9 Miller
Round 3: Tibau lands a nice combo to start. Miller responds in kind. Miller looks for a takedown; Tibau defends and threatens a standing kimura. Tibau looks for a takedown of his own but can’t complete. The pace slows down; sporadic striking and a lot of clinching and missed takedown attempts. Miller edges out the very close round and the fight. Round 10-9 Miller
Jim Miller wins by unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 20-27, 29-28
Aftermath: Jim Miller now has an impressive 7-1 record in the UFC, his only loss a decision to the current #1 contender Gray Maynard. Miller joins the ranks of UFC’s lightweight elite, and should face Kenny Florian next. Gleison Tibau, at a more pedestrian 7-5 in the Octagon, falls back into the middle of the pack and should take on Kurt Pellegrino or Nik Lentz.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Efrain Escudero vs. Charles Oliveira (catchweight of 159 lbs)
Round 1: Neither fighter lands much in the opening exchanges; they clinch against the cage and are separated by the ref. Oliveira is landing a variety of leg kicks with a few punches thrown in for good measure. Back to the clinch and both fighters attempt to take the other down but don’t succeed. Oliveira decides to pull guard; Escudero passes into half-guard and lands punches from the top. Oliveira regains guard and gets blasted with a series of elbows as the round ends. Round 10-9 Escudero.
Round 2: Oliveira continues damaging Escudero with leg kicks. Escudero is trying to counter-strike but is getting picked apart. Oliveira takes Escudero down; Efrain scrambles and briefly takes Oliveira’s back. They get back to the feet and Oliveira continues to outstrike Escudero. Round 10-9 Oliveira
Round 3: The fighters hug to begin the final round. A low kick catches Escudero’s cup and the fight is paused briefly. Oliveira apologizes, they hug it out again and go back to fighting. Nothing significant lands for either fighter; they are clinched up with Oliveira’s back to the fence when Escudero lands a knee square to the groin of Oliveira. The fight is paused again. Oliveira looks to be in serious pain, reaching inside his trunks to massage his injured genitalia. Joe Rogan quips: ‘If you can’t grab your balls on Spike TV, then where can you grab your balls?’. Indeed. The referee keeps asking Oliveira if he’s ready; Charles seems to want his full five minutes to recover but eventually gives in to the ref’s nagging. They restart and Escudero comes out swinging but Oliveira tosses him to the ground with a crazy slam off the cage wall. Escudero pops back up and Oliveira jumps onto his back and locks in a standing rear naked choke. Escudero struggles then taps out.
Aftermath: Charles Oliveira displayed a well-rounded array of skill, dealing the former ‘Ultimate Fighter’ winner Escudero another submission loss. The winner and the loser of this fight should face off against the winner & loser of the opening bout: Oliveira vs Cole Miller and Escudero vs Ross Pearson.
Fight Grade: 4 3/5 1 point deduction for the low blows
Nate Marquardt vs. Rousimar Palhares (185 lbs)
Round 1: Marquardt is cautious early, looking to strike but not landing much. Palhares comes forward with punches then changes levels and scores a takedown. They scramble, Marquardt is looking for an upside-down triangle. Palhares slips out and grabs Nate’s ankle, but Marquardt easily slips out of the leg lock and spins away. Palhares freezes on his back for a second, apparently trying to get the referee’s attention. Marquardt takes advantage of the situation and blasts Palhares with punches. Rousimar curls up in fetal position, covering up until the ref stops the bout.
Palhares is upset and claims that Marquardt’s legs are greased up. Referee Herb Dean checks Nathan’s legs and does not validate Rousimar’s claims.
Aftermath: This is a nice rebound win for Marquardt after struggling with the current #1 contender Chael Sonnen in his previous bout. Marquardt should next take on Wanderlei Silva, once Silva is healed from his injuries and makes a return to the Octagon. Palhares is stopped for the first time in his career. He should next face the winner of the upcoming bout between Demian Maia and Kendall Grove.
Fight Grade: 4/5
All in all this was a fun Fight Night, despite only four fights shown and a bit of controversy in the main event.