UFC 197: Fight Pass Prelims Results Recap

Walt “The Big Ticket” Harris ‎(8-4) vs. Cody “The Freight Train” East (12-2)

(Heavyweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

Both men jumped right into action as the round began, standing the middle of the Octagon and trading 1-2 combinations as well as snapping leg kicks and hooks. Neither giant gave way to the others power and each had his moment putting together his shots. East landed a clean punch that looked to have hurt his foe as “The Big Ticket” stepped backwards along the cage wall. With about 2 minutes into the match a fire fight broke out as the two warriors stood in the pocket launching everything except the kitchen sink. Power shot after power shot at close range with impressive speed ala Clay Guida vs. Diego Sanchez for the most entertaining exchange on the card. Once the action slowed down a little after the memorable flurry the two slid over to the middle of the cage and landed some more. This time Harris was more conservative with his punches and got his man to lower his hands thanks to a low kick.

With a little over a minute left Harris landed his best punch of the fight sending Cody East stumbling backwards to the mat off of a picture perfect counter left hand. The Alabama-born fighter swarmed his foe after rocking his chin and landed some brutal ground and pound as East did his best to survive the assault. He squirmed left and turned right but more and more hard shots landed from Harris prompting the referee to step in and call the match.

RESULT: Walt Harris stops Cody East via TKO at (4:18) ‎of Round 1.

Marcos Rogerio de Lima (14-4-1) vs. Clint Hester (11-6)

(Light Heavyweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

Marcos welcomed The Ultimate Fighter season 17 alum Hester to the 205lbs weight class. The move up for Hester proved to still need modifying as the normally explosive fighter did not have the same steam as usual. Both men traded fire at close range early in the 1st round when a Rogerio de Lima left hand landed on the ear of his foe then a right hook clipped him putting him on the mat. Hester did his best to cover up out of his guard but “Pezao” was relentless with his offense. He was temporarily held at bay as the TUF17 alum wrapped him up with a body lock or by pulling his head down to prevent his foe from creating his range but Hester didn’t threaten with any submissions from the bottom.

Once the Brazilian was able to posture with about a minute left in the round he landed a barrage of wicked hooks and short elbows that had Hester in all kinds of trouble. ‎From their he pursued the finish with some more hooks before shoving his man closer to the cage wall and working out of half guard as he sunk in an arm triangle. The already dazed Georgia native gave very little resistance as the Brazilian ground ace stepped over to apply the ultimate pressure needed to force the tap.

RESULT: Marcos Rogerio de Lima submits Clint Hester via  Arm Triangle at (‎4:35) of Round 1.

Efrain “Hecho En Mexico” Escudero (25-11) vs. Kevin “Motown Phenom” Lee ‎(12-2)

(Lightweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

‎The TUF Season 8 winner put together some great combinations and just the right amount of pressure against Lee, shutting down his offense for the first couple of minutes of the round. Escudero probably surprised critics by locking in a belly to back suplex with about 2 minutes left in the round that enabled him to plant Lee. The Mexican warrior stunned his foe with a little over a minute left in the round and almost ended the affair with a crisp right hand that landed on Lee’s jaw doing damage which Escudero used to then switch levels and shoot in for a take down driving Lee to the canvas. Lee recovered well by managing to stay in the bout and away from any fight-ending shots from Escudero as he dodged punches before the round ended.

Escudero implemented the same approach in the 2nd Round, popping his right hook and over hand right then shooting in for a single or double leg take down. However, this time Lee had a better answer for the attack as he stuffed the multiple shots. The “Motown Phenom” put on a defensive minded approach which lowered his punch or kick output but he was accurate with his jab that kept tagging Escudero as he came in looking to land something. To his credit Escudero just kept at it, coming forward with strikes and having some good success with the right hand as he also mixed in some leg kicks but he was not able to get his opponent to the mat at all in the 2nd round and Lee’s stand up as well as solid footwork was the edge in those 5 minutes.

Early into the 3rd Round both men traded low kicks and Escudero’s landed partially on the cup of Lee causing a momentary stop to the action. Once the fight continued, Escudero put together a straight and hook then clinched before using a body lock to drive Lee to the cage wall. Lee was able to sink in his under hooks as he stood with Escudero before dropping levels, scooping his man up and dumping him on the Octagon floor. For the next few minutes Lee worked out of top control and kept the pace of the fight in his favor since Escudero just worked out of guard with not much of an answer for the Michigan native’s pressure and ground and pround. With about a minute left he sunk in a guillotine choke that “Hecho En Mexico” was able to deter popping his head out of before searching for a leg lock or toe hold as Lee stood back up. The Michigan native defended his foe’s leg attack before diving into his guard and staying there in top control as the final round came to a close.

Result: Kevin Lee defeats Efrain Escudero via Unanimous Decision with scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 29-28 .