Ultimate Fight Night 17 marked the UFC’s first event in Tampa, FL. The card was plagued by injuries and had a late substitution in the main event after Hermes Franca pulled out with an ACL injury, leaving his training partner Jeremy Stephens to take on Joe Lauzon in the featured bout.
Luigi Fioravanti vs. Anthony Johnson (170 lbs)
In the opening matchup, Johnson successfully utilized his reach advantage to keep Fioravanti at bay with kicks and jabs. Fioravanti attempted to even things out by bringing the fight to the ground but Johnson defended the takedown. Fioravanti landed a knee to Johnson’s groin in the clinch; the action was restarted after a brief break then Johnson staggered Fioravanti with a glancing right hand. Johnson followed up with a series of hammerfists to his opponent and Luigi was not able to recover, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Aftermath: Another impressive win for Johnson shows that he is ready for a step up in competition; he should be matched with another rising star like Ben Saunders or Mike Swick. Fioravanti will remain a gatekeeper and will most likely fight a UFC newcomer in his next bout.
Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer (155 lbs)
‘The Ultimate Fighter’ winner Mac Danzig went for a head kick early in the first round and was countered with a jab that knocked him off-balance. Neer swarmed Danzig but Mac recovered and fired back. Danzig was getting the better of Neer in standing exchanges, opening up a cut on Neer’s eye and eventually knocking him down. Danzig jumped in Neer’s guard; Neer attempted a triangle/armbar then scrambled back to his feet and finished the round strong, winning the final exchange.
In round 2, Neer secured an early takedown and punished Danzig with heavy elbows. Danzig eventually swept Neer but was not able to do any damage from the top. Neer locked in a tight triangle; Danzig attempted to pull out but was stuck and had no choice but to tap out.
Fight Grade: 5/5
Aftermath: An impressive performance for Josh Neer, who seems to have really come into his own as a fighter. I’d like to see him face the winner of the night’s main event. ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ winner Mac Danzig has hit a rocky stretch, losing two in a row.
Cain Velasquez vs. Denis Stojnic (HW)
In a heavyweight bout, the UFC newcomer Stojnic looked like a punching bag for the smaller but quicker Velasquez for most of the fight. After hammering Stojnic with his fists and knees for an entire round, Velasquez achieved a takedown in the second and attempted to finish Stojnic on the ground. Denis could not escape or reverse the position, covering up on his knees and doing nothing but absorbing punishment. Though Stojnic was not out, he was not able to heed the ref’s warning to improve his position, and eventually the bout was stopped giving Cain the TKO victory.
Fight Grade: 2/5
Aftermath: Though Velasquez, like Anthony Johnson in the opening bout, was disappointed in his own performance, he is clearly ready for the next level of competition. Stojnic did not demonstrate that he belongs in the UFC in his debut.
Matt Veach vs. Matt Grice (155 lbs)
This was a sloppy but fast-paced brawl, with Grice dropping Veach early but unable to finish him. Veach recovered and got back to his feet, then dropped Grice in return. Veach followed up with ground-and-pound but the referee stopped the bout before Veach could do any damage, even though Grice was not out and appeared to be defending himself. Grice protested the stoppage.
Fight Grade: 3 2/5 (1 point deduction for the stoppage)
Aftermath: A successful debut for Matt Hughes-trained Veach was marred by a very questionable stoppage.
Joe Lauzon vs. Jeremy Stephens (155 lbs)
In the main event, Joe Lauzon knew exactly what he had to do to defeat the heavy-hitting Stephens, and pulled guard early in the first round to bring the fight to the ground. Lauzon attempted submission after submission, and Stephens defended well, eventually sweeping Lauzon and punishing him with heavy punches from the top towards the end of the round.
In the second round, Stephens did not fare as well. After an early exchange caused a cut on Lauzon’s head, Joe secured a takedown and passed Jeremy’s guard, eventually gaining mount then back control and grabbing an armbar from the back. Stephens had nowhere to go and was forced to tap out.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Aftermath: A good performance from both fighters. I would hope to see the winners and the losers of the two big lightweight matches in this event face off somewhere down the road: the potential Lauzon-Neer and Stephens-Danzig bouts both have fireworks written all over them.
Dan Miller vs. Jake Rosholt (185 lbs)
In a preliminary bout shown after the main event, Dan Miller made quick work of the former collegiate wrestling and WEC standout Jake Rosholt with a guillotine choke, forcing a tapout only a minute into the first round.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Aftermath: The Miller brothers are continuing their rapid rise through the ranks. Rosholt is too one-dimensional at this point to make much impact in the middleweight division – this much was obvious even in his last WEC bout.
Despite the lack of big names and top contenders, a fairly entertaining Fight Night.