UFC Almeida vs. Garbrandt: Prelims Results Recap

RESULT: Sara McMann upsets Jessica Eye via Unanimous Decision with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 30-27

 Jordan Rinaldi (12-5) vs. Abel ‘Killa’ Trujillo (15-6 , 1 NC)

(Lightweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

‎Trujillo easily took the 1st Round off of his controlled aggression as he pushed forward with his patented loopy shots keeping Rinaldi on his back foot. Before long Rinaldi was planted on his back and ‘Killa’ was looking for the kill off of some serious ground and pound attacks. His vegan diet mixed with his new found appreciation for meditation seemed to have paid off as the normally reckless Florida resident paced himself as he worked hard to bank the first 5 minutes.

Going into Round 2 Rinaldi exposed some of Trujillo’s deficiencies on the ground as he managed to muscle him to the ground and keep him there for the majority of Round 2.  ‎The New Yorker took his man’s back, transitioned to position sinking in his hooks and slapped on a rear naked choke attempt barely missing slipping his forearm under his man’s chin or successfully getting a good neck crank going. Nonetheless, he took the round simply by riding his foe’s back for the bulk of the stanza and keeping him on the defensive.

Heading into Round 3 the fight was up for grabs ‎but Trujillo definitely moved forward with the urgency needed to capture the win. He applied his modified aggression once again, this time tweaking the approach by not letting it go to the ground with him exposed or in a bad position. If Trujillo was backed up along the cage wall he had the better counter shots and managed to keep his foe on his toe’s in close counters with nice hooks and jabs. The new look and pace to the bout worked wonders for the Blackzillian representative as well as likely gave him a new lease on his fighting career.

RESULT:  Abel ‘Killa’ Trujillo defeats Jordan Rinaldi via Unanimous Decision with scores of 29-28 , 29-28 and 29-28.

‎Following the bout Trujillo talked to press and dedicated his bout as well as his career now to his late friend and fellow fighter, Jordan Parsons .

Alberto Uda (9-1) vs. Jake ‘The Protoype’ Collier (10-3)

(Middleweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

Uda made the most of his UFC debut as he threw everything but the kitchen sink at his opponent, Collier, during the 1st Round of their 185-pound affair. He landed the more crisp and clean blows showcasing his diverse striking from his feet to his hands. The highlight reel shot was a standing Uda knee to ‘The Prototype’ in the middle of the round that broke Collier’s nose and had him backing along the cage wall and then back pedaling for the second half of the 1st round very much on the defensive, throwing allot less strikes as the round came to a close.

Going into the 2nd Round there was a drastic shift in momentum as Collier started to fire on all cylinders. The broken nose clearly was something the Saint Louis native brushed off as he marched forward at his Brazilian adversary with combinations, kicks and spinning backfists while Uda looked relatively gased from the fast-pace of the first 5 minutes. The flashiy spinning punch connected and as soon as Collier finished spinning around he planted ‎his feet and unleashed a 4-punch combination then followed up with a spinning back kick that destroyed the mid section of his foe. Uda crumbled backwards to the canvas flat unto his back as Collier pounced on him with some standing to ground strikes as the referee stepped in to call a stop to the bout.

RESULT: ‎ Jake Collier stops Alberto Uda via TKO at (1:06) of Round 2 . (spinning back kick/strikes)

Shane Campbell (12-5) vs. Erik Koch (15-4)

(Lightweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

Former 145lbs UFC title contender Koch returned from a 2-year hiatus to face Canada’s Campbell kicking off the televised preliminaries. Koch may have been gone for a lengthy period of time but he did not miss a beat inside the Octagon tonight. His front kicks, combinations and takedown defense were all on point as he beat Campbell to the punch for the opening round. He also controlled the pace and momentum of the fight, going full speed when needed and trading heat in the pocket or picking his shots from just outside of his range if the action called for it. When he wanted to, he took the bout to the ground and looked very comfortable even when Campbell applied his own brand of BJJ wizardry to close the 1st stanza but Koch was cool and collect no matter where the fight took place.

Going into Round 2 an eager Koch came in looking to land but was caught by a beautiful short elbow on the inside from Campbell. He recovered well and managed to drag the fight to the canvas able to work freely in the middle of the Octagon. He transitioned to his man’s back as the Canadian turtled up looking to maybe roll or flip to his side. ‘Shaolin Style’ took too long however, since Koch baited him into giving up his back as ‘New Breed’ masterfully sunk in his hooks then turned him over for the rear naked choke attack. Cambpell had no choice but to tap as the ‎1-time title contender returns successfully to the cage as well as the Win column.