UFC 181 Prelims : Results Recap

Urijah Faber (32-7) vs. Francisco Rivera (10-4)

3 Round – Bantamweight Bout

Former World Extreme Cagefighting fighters Faber and Rivera’s paths never crossed in the WEC, but luckily they did in the UFC since fans expected that when they met, it would be an action packed tilt. It was just that for the first round as the two 135ers put on a show by keeping the bout standing as they traded low leg kicks, body kicks & mean hooks and hard jabs. Going into the 2nd round the match looked to continue flowing the same until Faber accidentally poked “Cisco” Rivera in the eye during an exchange of punches. Rivera backed up into the cage wall slightly dazed from the poke as well as “The California Kid’s attack when he came forward with a barrage of punches. Rivera had no answer for the assault therefore Faber wrapped a nasty neck crank unto his foe.

Result: The official time came at (1:34) of the 2nd round for the fan favorite and former WEC title holder Urijah Faber.

Eddie Gordon (8-2) vs. Josh Samman (11-3)

3 Round – Middleweight Bout

The Ultimate Fighter season 19 middleweight winner Eddie “Truck” Gordon took on The Ultimate Fighter season  17 alum, Josh Samman.
Samman was coming into the fight following a lengthy layoff due to a hamstring injury as and it slightly showed as his pace declined somewhat as the 1st stanza progressed. Gordon controlled the tempo of the fight thanks to his superior wrestling keeping Samman on his back following some great takedowns. Gordon had no problem fighting out of his man’s guard as he threw back fists or hammer fists non-stop.

Going into the 2nd round it looked like it would be much of the same with Gordon controlling the range and distance by using his big overhand right then landing a take down. However, once the fight was stood back up due to a stale mate everything changed. The Florida native kept the distance where he needed it then set up a beautiful head kick off of a faint that landed flush on the jaw of “Truck” Gordon. A Samman left hand landed immediately hit his opponent’s jaw after but it wasn’t needed as the New Yorker was hurt badly and out cold once his body hit the canvas. The knockout earned Samman one of the night’s Performance awards from the UFC.

Result:  Josh Samman defeats TUF 19 middleweight winner Eddie Gordon via KO at (3:08) of the 2nd round.

Corey Anderson (6-0) vs. Justin Jones (3-1)

3 Round – Light Heavyweight Bout

The Ultimate Fighter season 19 light heavyweight winner Corey Anderson took on late replacement fighter Justin Jones. Both men entered the match undefeated so one man’s “O” had to go. Even with the short notice booking Jones held his own for the entire 3 rounds that this 205 pound match went on but the more prepared man clearly took all of the rounds. Anderson favored a close distance match employing the clinch to implement a solid attack of short punches, hard knees and devastating elbows. He took his man down to the mat almost at will whenever he shot in on a single leg or got a hold of a double each round of the match.

Result: Corey “Beastin 25/8” Anderson remains unbeaten defeating Justin Jones via unanimous decision with scores of 30-27 x 2, and 30-26.

Raquel Pennington (5-5) vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith (3-2)

3 Round – Women’s Bantamweight Bout

The Ultimate Fighter season 18 alumni Pennington welcomed Evans-Smith to the UFC in the roughest way possible. Both ladies looked for shots mixed in with leg kicks and 2-punch combinations in what was a closely contested battle all the way until the last few seconds. In the blink of an eye, “Rocky” Pennington had her foe along the cage wall, secured a head locked whipping her down to the mat. Immediately the Colorado native sunk in a brutal bulldog choke unto her opponent that Evans-Smith was unable to break. The UFC newcomer was unconscious with her face down on the mat seconds before the round ended.

Result: Raquel Pennington upsets 3 to 1 favorite Ashlee Evans-Smith via bulldog choke submission at (4:59) of the 1st round.

Sergio Pettis (12-1) vs. Matt Hobar (9-3)

3 Round – Bantamweight Bout

Younger brother of the reigning UFC lightweight champion, Sergio “The Phenom” Pettis followed in his brother’s footsteps by not only being victorious but by nabbing a “Performance of the Night”award just like brother Anthony. His match opposite Matt “The Crowbar” Hobar earned both men the award as they took it to one another. Hobar stole the first round by pressuring Sergio with countless takedown attempts therefore keeping him on the defensive if not on his back a couple of times. Going into the 2nd round, Sergio landed a crisp leg kick to the face of his opponent that had Hobar on shaky legs turning the momentum of the bout. Sergio built on that game changing strike and pressed forward with a variety of high and low leg kicks mixed in with straight punches and left hooks on his way to a decision triumph. Both fighters never let up nonetheless thus continuing a great night of action for the UFC 181 card.

Result: Sergio Pettis defeats Matt Hobar via unanimous decision with scores of 29-28 from all 3 judges.

Alex White (10-2) vs. Clay Collard (14-5)

3 Round – Featherweight Bout

Kicking things off from the Mandalay Bay Events Center inside the Mandalay Bay in Las, Vegas were 145ers, White and Collard. The bout went the distance even with some close spots in the 2nd round where Collard had White in a very tight triangle choke which White managed to slip out of. Collard was the clear aggressor for the bulk of the match-up only slowing down in the last few minutes of the 3rd stanza from setting such a frantic place in the first two stanzas. Collard pressured, landed combinations, mixed up kicks, uppercuts and hooks as well as got the better of the take downs on his way to a unanimous nod from the judges.

Result: Clay “Cassius” Collard defeats Alex White via unanimous decision with scores of (29-28) from all 3 judges.