UFC Fight Night 18 took place in Nashville, Tenn. and kicked off the ninth season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ reality show. The card was headlined by the UFC debut of the WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit, taking on Martin Kampmann in the main event.
Cole Miller vs. Junie Browning (155 lbs)
After a brief striking exchange, Browning shoots for a takedown. The fighters end up back on their feet after a scramble, then Miller latches on to a guillotine and pulls guard. Browning quickly taps out.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Aftermath: In the post-fight interview, Miller called out the winner of the upcoming bout between Spencer Fisher and Caol Uno. This will be a big step-up in competition for Cole. Junie Browning will likely be relegated to the untelevised undercard in his next outing.
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Tyson Griffin (155 lbs)
Round 1: Griffin is winning the standup, pummeling Anjos but not doing much damage. Griffin counters a leg kick with a right hand that rocks Anjos; Griffin follows up with a takedown. Anjos attempts a leg lock, Griffin escapes but is caught in a very painful looking calf slicer. Anjos torques Griffin’s leg but Tyson is able to get back to his feet to finish the round. Round 10-9 Griffin
Round 2: Griffin’s leg is a bit unsteady, and Anjos takes advantage, wobbling Tyson with a punch early in the round. Griffin hangs in there and responds with kicks. Griffin goes for a takedown but Anjos counters with a standing kimura attempt. Griffin picks up the pace and flurries in the second half of the round, bloodying the face of dos Anjos. Griffin finishes strong, making this a very close round. Round 10-9 Anjos
Round 3: Both fighters come out aggressive, and most of the round is fought on the feet without a clear advantage for either fighter. Towards the end of the round Griffin gets a takedown and finishes with ground-and-pound to seal the deal. Round 10-9 Griffin
Griffin wins a unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three scorecards.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Aftermath: Griffin moves a step closer to title contention, though he is still unable to finish an opponent in any of his UFC bouts. Dos Anjos has a solid showing despite now being 0-2 in the UFC. The war of attrition has earned a ‘fight of the night’ bonus for Anjos and Griffin.
Ryan Bader vs. Carmelo Marerro (205lbs)
Round 1: Bader starts with a quick takedown, and passes to side control after a brief struggle. Bader attempts an armbar; Marerro escapes and gets top position but Bader quickly gets back to his feet. Bader takes down Marerro at will for the remainder of the round, without doing much on the ground. Round 10-9 Bader
Round 2: Marerro attempts a takedown of his own, but Bader stuffs it and takes Marerro down in turn. Bader passes guard with ease, and puts Marerro through a variety of dominant positions on the ground while not doing any damage. I actually fell asleep during this round. Round 10-9 Bader
Round 3: More of the same in the third, though both fighters are a bit more active it is still an extremely boring round, with Bader using takedowns and positional dominance to score an easy victory. Round 10-9 Bader
Bader wins a unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three scorecards.
Fight Grade: 2/5
Aftermath: Bader remains undefeated but will have to turn it up a bit in his next fight to make up for a coma-inducing performance. Marerro receives payback in full for his lay-and-pray win over Cheick Congo in Carmelo’s first UFC bout (which remains his only victory in the UFC Octagon).
Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann (170 lbs)
Round 1: Condit has an early advantage on the feet, forcing Kampmann to clinch. Kampmann gets a takedown and latches on to a guillotine, but cannot finish and Condit ends up in top position. The fighters scramble on the ground; Kampmann attempts a leglock but Condit gets back to his feet and punishes Martin with knees, opening a cut under Kampmann’s eyes. Kampmann finishes the round with another guillotine. Round 10-9 Kampmann
Round 2: Condit is once again winning the standup. Kampmann lands a takedown and attempts some ground and pound. Condit escapes and responds with more knees and kicks. Kampmann gets another takedown but Condit takes Martin’s back and looks for a choke. A very close round. Round 10-9 Condit
Round 3: Both fighters are tired and the pace slows a bit; Kampmann is doing a better job of taking Condit down and maintaining dominant position. Condit attempts submissions from his back but nothing comes close. Round 10-9 Kampmann
Two of the judges score the fight 29-28 Kampmann; the third sees it as 29-28 Condit, giving Martin Kampmann a split decision.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Aftermath: A good performance from both fighters in what was a very tough fight to score. Kampmann will move into title contention with another win or two at welterweight.
While entertaining, the main event did not quite make up for the Bader-Marerro bore fest. With only four fights shown, this was a mediocre Fight Night.