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Click Here to Join 411’s LIVE UFC 192 Coverage

October 3, 2015 | Posted by Robert Winfree

PPV Main Card
#2 Alexander Gustafsson (204 lbs.) VS (c) Daniel Cormier (205 lbs.) – UFC Light Heavyweight Title Fight
#5 Rashad Evans (205 lbs.) VS #4 Ryan Bader (206 lbs.)
Ruslan Magomedov (236 lbs.) VS Shawn Jordan (265 lbs.)
#14 Ali Bagautinov (125 lbs.) vs #1 Joseph Benavidez (126 lbs.)
#13 Juliana Pena (135 lbs.) VS #6 Jessica Eye (136 lbs.)

FS1 Prelims
Dan Hooker (146 lbs.) VS Yair Rodriguez (145 lbs.)
Albert Tumenov (170 lbs.) VS Alan Jouban (170 lbs.)
Islam Makhachev (156 lbs.) VS Adriano Martins (156 lbs.)
Angela Hill (115 lbs.) VS #4 Rose Namajunas (115 lbs.)

UFC Fight Pass Prelims
Sage Northcutt (156 lbs.) VS Francisco Trevino (160 lbs.)
Sergio Pettis (126 lbs.) VS #10 Chris Cariaso (126 lbs.)
Viktor Pesta (237 lbs.) VS Derrick Lewis (265 lbs.)


Hello everyone and welcome to 411mania’s LIVE coverage of UFC 192! I’m Robert Winfree and I’ll be relaying the action to you guys just as I see it. While you’re all here I invite you to check out the Radulich in Broadcasting Network, it’s home to a bunch of podcasts including the 411 Ground and Pound radio show every Sunday at 8pm eastern standard time. Tonight should have a pretty good main event as newly minted UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier puts the title on the line against Alexander Gustafsson. Despite coming off of a loss Gustafsson is still a highly ranked contender and the only man to come close to beating former champion Jon Jones and Cormier is after his first successful title defense. For those of you who didn’t hear the scheduled co-main event, of Johny Hendricks taking on Tyron Woodley for a shot at the welterweight title, was scrapped yesterday when Hendricks was rushed to the hospital due to complications with weight cutting. Hendricks is fine medically now, but the fight was called off and Tyron Woodley was awarded the next shot at the title. The flyweight fight between Ali Bagautinov and Joseph Benavidez was supposed to main event the prelims, but was moved to the main card after the Woodley vs. Hendricks fight was scrapped. Tonight’s event comes to the world from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas with the longtime duo of Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan on commentary. Personal shout out to 411’s Jeff Harris who’s attending the event live, keep an eye out for Clucky for me.

Derrick Lewis has an overall UFC record of 3-2 but is coming off of a loss to Shawn Jordan and needs to get back on the winning side of things if he wants to make a run towards the top of the heavyweight division. Tonight Lewis faces Viktor Pesta, a man with a 1-1 UFC record who’s looking to capitalize on the momentum he has after a win over Konstantin Erokhin and a win over Lewis would get him back to back wins in the UFC.

Heavyweight Bout: Viktor Pesta (10-1, 237 lbs.) VS Derrick Lewis (12-4 1 NC, 265 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Lewis has two inches of reach on Pesta as well as a weight advantage of twenty eight pounds. Touch of gloves to get things going. Lewis misses a lead leg high kick. Lots of circling. Lewis catches an inside leg kick and bulls Pesta into the fence. Pesta able to spin Lewis to the fence. Pesta hits an outside trip into side control. Pesta lands a right hand but is more concerned with proper positioning. Pesta lands a couple of knees to the body. Lewis kicks off the cage and regains his feet but Pesta still has him on the fence. Lewis tries to throw Pesta, Pesta gets a single leg after eating a couple of elbows and lands in half guard. Lewis grabs a double wrist lock as Pesta moves to side control. Lewis able to spin to his knees and back to his feet. Pesta has the clinch still and working to get the back but Lewis spins into him. Pesta looking for another trip, Lewis avoids the first one but the second one works and Pesta is in side control again. Pesta lands a couple of rights but Lewis regains his feet in the clinch. Pesta has the rear waist lock, Lewis spins into him but Pesta is glued to Lewis. Lewis breaks the clinch as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Pesta, I’d accept a 10-8 argument based on disparity in the round

ROUND TWO: Pesta circling to start the second, Lewis already looks visibly tired. Lewis lands a right hand that gets Pesta backing up. Pesta has a couple of punches blocked and shoots a double leg that stalls out on the fence. Pesta has the clinch and they’re jockeying for position. Pesta looks for a trip and gets Lewis down into half guard. Lewis gets to full guard and closes it. Pesta lands a right to the body and a couple of elbows to the head. They do very little and the ref stands them back up. Pesta ducks a right hand and gets the clinch then takes Lewis down against the fence. Pesta in a loose half guard as Lewis sits on the fence looking to wall walk. Lewis back to his feet but he can’t get any separating from Pesta in the clinch. Lewis finally able to push out of the clinch and land a right to the body. Lewis misses a right hand, Pesta tries a double leg but Lewis stuffs it and pushes him over. Lewis on top in half guard landing some rights to the head. Lewis trying to swarm but Pesta will be saved by the bell.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Lewis, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Circling to start, both men are very tired. Lewis lands a glancing leg kick. Lewis misses a right hand and Pesta works for a double leg but Lewis is able to sprawl out of it and push Pesta over. Lewis winging some punches and hammer fists from top and passes to full mount. Lewis postures up and starts teeing off causing the ref to step in and wave this one off.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Derrick Lewis via TKO, punches, at 1:15 of Round 3

Interview time for Lewis, who got a nice pop from the hometown. He says the win feels lovely. He says he knew Pesta has good cardio and would try to grapple him, he says winning in his hometown is like a dream come true for him.

Chris Cariaso is 3-2 in his last five fights but comes into tonight riding a two fight losing streak. Those losses are to champion Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo but if Cariaso wants to get back into title contention he needs to avoid a three fight losing streak here and get back on the winning side of things. Sergio Pettis is coming off of a loss in his UFC flyweight debut after a middling run at bantamweight, if he wants to make a run at the top of the flyweight division beating the tenth ranked Cariaso is a must in this position.

Flyyweight Bout: Sergio Pettis (12-2, 126 lbs.) VS #10 Chris Cariaso (17-7, 126 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Pettis has three inches of height and five and a half inches of reach on him. Cariaso fighting southpaw. Pettis switching between orthodox and southpaw. Body kick from Cariaso is caught and Pettis trips him down. Cariaso quickly to full guard. Pettis trying to pass and gets to half guard after a bit of work. Cariaso quickly back to full guard. Cariaso to his feet against the fence and lands a knee to the body. Cariaso circles out of the clinch. Cariaso lands a body kick, Pettis lands a couple of jabs. Cariaso lands a leg kick. Body kick lands for Cariaso, Pettis tries a trip from the clinch but Cariaso avoids it and lands a body kick. Cariaso lands a couple of body kicks. Pettis lands a body kick and a jab. Cariaso lands an inside leg kick. Cariaso lands another body kick and a leg kick. Pettis lands a short right in close, Cariaso lands a right to the body. Pettis lands a right as Cariaso was coming forward that drops him, Pettis tries to swarm but Cariaso was more off balance than hurt. Pettis into half guard and lands a couple of elbows before Cariaso gets to full guard. Pettis stands, Cariaso kicks him off. Pettis lands a right and a left while standing and the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Pettis

ROUND TWO: Pettis doing a good job of avoiding the offense of Cariaso so far. Cariaso lands an inside leg kick. Pettis lands a jab. Cariaso seems to be having trouble with the range of Pettis and adjusting to it. They clinch and Pettis gets a trip takedown into half guard. Cariaso back to full guard, Pettis doing very little effective from the guard. Pettis passes to half guard. Pettis doesn’t get any offense going and the ref stands them up. Cariaso lands a body kick. Cariaso lands a hard leg kick. Pettis blocks a high kick and lands a leg kick. Pettis working his jab, eats a right but gets a takedown because of it. Cariaso has a good defensive guard, tries a triangle choke but Pettis avoids it and passes to side control. Cariaso tries to attack with a heel hook but Pettis pulls it free and lands a leg kick while Cariaso is on his back. Pettis comes back into the guard of Cariaso with a right hand and the round will end there.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Pettis, 20-18 Pettis overall

ROUND THREE: Pettis circling to start the third. Cariaso lands a leg kick but Pettis catches it and gets on top in half guard. Cariaso back up and takes Pettis down into side control. Pettis back to his feet and Cariaso gets another takedown into the guard of Pettis. Cariaso stands and Pettis lands an up kick as Cariaso returns to the guard. Cariaso in half guard, Pettis has a double wrist lock position but bails on it. Cariaso lands a couple of rights to the head. Pettis able to hip escape to full guard. Pettis keeping his legs active but he’s not close to anything, Cariaso lands a weak right hand. Cariaso passes to half guard, rolls into a heel hook. Cariaso cranks on the heel hook but he wont get a submission before time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Cariaso, 29-28 Pettis overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Sergio Pettis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27 x2)

I can see a theoretical 10-8 for Pettis in the first round, he finished strong. Pettis gets some mic time. He says Cariaso is a great opponent, puts him over as a top ten guy in the division and a veteran of the sport. He says he knew he needed a win after losing his last time out and says he feels like Houston adopted him over fight week.

Francisco Trevino missed weight badly for this fight, he’s also 1-1 in the UFC and is coming off of a loss. Trevino needs a win here after missing weight because missing weight and losing have gotten more than one fighter terminated by the UFC. Sage Northcutt is making his UFC debut here but is unbeaten as a professional and tonight has the chance to make a big first impression here.

Lightweight Bout: Sage Northcutt (5-0, 156 lbs.) VS Francisco Trevino (12-1, 160 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Touch of gloves to get us going. Trevino switches to southpaw early, Northcutt misses a lead leg hook kick. Side kick to the chest from Northcutt. Northcutt circling, Trevino slips on a kick and Northcutt tees off as he gets up, he’s hurt and Northcutt keeps mauling him with punches and elbows until the ref stops it.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Sage Northcutt via TKO, punches and elbows, at :57 of Round 1

Interview time for Northcutt. He says the fight went as he expected, he says finishing his opponent with elbows was smart and he agrees with the ref stopping the fight. He says he’s blessed to be here, thanks God then thanks UFC President Dana White for the opportunity. He notes that he’s finished all six of his professional fight now and he was after the finish tonight. For a guy who’s only nineteen years old that was a heck of a performance.

And on that note we wrap up Fight Pass prelims and move on to Fox Sports 1.

Rose Namajunas is on a two fight losing streak coming into tonight’s fight, her only UFC fight was for the inaugural women’s strawweight championship and she lost to Carla Esparza. Namajunas is after her first UFC win tonight and this is nearly a must win for her if she wants to get back to title contention. Angela Hill is 1-1 in the UFC, winning her debut but then dropping a decision to Tecia Torres. Hill needs a win here if she wants to start climbing the ranks of a relatively wide open strawweight division.

Women’s Strawweight Bout: Angela Hill (2-1, 115 lbs.) VS #4 Rose Namajunas (2-2, 115 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Namajunas comes out quickly, Hill circling. Namajunas lands a bit of a left, these two are going at it early. They clinch and Namajunas tries to set up a judo throw but Hill avoids it. Namajunas lands a left as they break the clinch. Both still finding the appropriate range. Hill lands a jab. Namajunas lands a jab. Hill lands a leg kick. Namajunas gets a trip in the clinch and lands in half guard. Hill to full guard now. Namajunas working to pass, Hill rolls to her knees, Namajunas gets the back as Hill stands and Namajunas gets the rear naked choke as Hill stands. Hill tries to fight, Namajunas keeps squeezing and Hill goes out.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Rose Namajunas via Technical Submission, rear naked choke, at 2:47 of Round 1

Interview time for Namajunas. She says she didn’t want to go for the choke too fast and get thrown off but when the opportunity presented itself she took it. She says she’s been working her jiujitsu a lot recently, then says the rest of the division doesn’t matter the only thing that matters is who’s in front of her. She puts over Hill as a friend to close out the interview.

Adriano Martins is 4-1 in the UFC, the loss is to Donald Cerrone, and is riding a two fight winning streak coming into tonight. Martins has an uphill battle in the stacked lightweight division, but a three fight winning streak will get him noticed as he looks to climb the ranks. Islam Makhachev is unbeaten as a professional and coming off of a win in his UFC debut, tonight he looks to continue that streak and start making a run towards the top of the lightweight division.

Lightweight Bout: Islam Makhachev (12-0, 156 lbs.) VS Adriano Martins (27-7, 156 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Touch of gloves, both men fighting southpaw. Makhachev lands a bit of a left and a body kick. Hard left lands for Makhachev. Makhachev winging a left hook. Martins lands a bit of a left hand. Martins lands a monster counter right hook that drops Makhachev like a sack of flour and this one is over.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Adriano Martins via KO, punch, at 1:46 of Round 1

BOOM! Lightweights. Interview time for Martins. He thanks his fans and God, know one knows how hard it was for him to get to the fight and he’s just happy to get a win. He says he was waiting for the moment to use that counter right, thanks his corner and the camp at American Top Team to close out the interview.

Alan Jouban is riding a two fight winning streak coming into this fight, he looks to make it three in a row and move towards a top fifteen ranking with a win tonight. Albert Tumenov has a 3-1 UFC record and is riding a three fight winning streak and getting to four in a row would likely mean a top fifteen ranking for him.

Welterweight Bout: Albert Tumenov (15-2, 170 lbs.) VS Alan Jouban (12-3, 170 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Jouban fighting southpaw. Jouban gets a knee in the clinch but Tumenov takes him down and lands an uppercut as Jouban regains his feet and tries a flurry against the fence that’s mostly blocked. Tumenov stalking forward, lands a bit of a left. Tumenov lands a quick combination. Right lands for Tumenov and a high kick that Jouban just eats. Jouban lands a couple of jabs, Tumenov lands a counter uppercut that lands flush. These two are going at it. Jouban lands an inside leg kick to the groin of Tumenov who now has time to recover. Tumenov is good to go quickly and we’re back to fighting. Tumenov lands a right to the body. Jouban lands a counter right, Tumenov lands a hard body kick. Tumenov lands a high kick that rocks Jouban, a quick couple of punches including a left right on the jaw knocks Jouban out cold!

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Albert Tumenov via TKO, head kick and punches, at 2:55 of Round 1

BOOM! Welterweights. I think that should have been a straight KO, but that’s just me. Tumenov gets an interview with his translator. He says this wasn’t his best performance, which is always the next one. He asks for a top fifteen opponent as well, I don’t see why he shouldn’t get one personally. He says whenever you train hard your techniques become muscle memory and he’s been drilling the high kick into punches then thanks God to close out the interview.

Dan Hooker has a 2-1 record in the UFC but is coming off of a TKO win over Hatsu Hioki, in fact Hooker was the first man to finish Hioki with strikes in his entire career. Tonight Hooker looks to get another win over a highly touted prospect and move closer to the top fifteen of what has become a very competitive division. Yair Rodriguez is 2-0 in the UFC and coming off of a win over Charles Rosa, he’s been heavily promoted by the UFC in his native Mexico and a win over a veteran like Hooker moves him closer to title contention.

Featherweight Bout: Dan Hooker (12-5, 146 lbs.) VS Yair Rodriguez (5-1, 145 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Hooker is just one inch taller than Rodriguez but has four inches of reach on him. Hooker fighting southpaw to start but will likely switch as things go on. Hooker flashing the jab early as he circles. Not a whole lot going on here, lots of circling and lead leg kicks that do nothing. Rodriguez lands a side kick to the body. Rodriguez tries a tornado kick that’s blocked. Rodriguez misses a wheel kick. Hooker catches a leg kick and gets the clinch, Rodriguez looking for an arm in guillotine from the standing position. Rodriguez hits a trip from the clinch into full mount. Hooke back to his feet and gets the back in the clinch. Rodriguez able to spin into him and Hooker has to settle for holding him on the fence. Rodriguez lands a couple of knees to the body. Hooker lands a knee to the body. Rodriguez tries another throw that’s blocked but lands a knee to the body then a punch as they separate. Rodriguez misses a rolling heel kick as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Rodriguez

ROUND TWO: Hooker lands a bit of a body kick to start the second. Rodriguez lands a side kick to the body. Rodriguez lands a spinning elbow. Hooker lands a left hand. They clinch up and Hooker gets Rodriguez against the fence. Rodriguez winds up pulling guard and trying to spin for a heel hook. Hooker avoids that, Rodriguez able to scramble to his feet. Rodriguez lands a low kick. Rodriguez lands a counter right then a body kick, Rodriguez is getting loose with his striking. Rodriguez with a couple of side kicks to the thigh. Body kick lands for Rodriguez. Hooker trying to walk Rodriguez down but he’s following him and not cutting him off. Hooker lands a couple of rights as he gets into the clinch. Hooker lands a knee as they break then Rodriguez lands a spinning kick to the body. Hooker lands a straight left. Rodriguez grabs a double leg and gets the takedown as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Rodriguez, 20-18 Rodriguez overall

ROUND THREE: Touch of gloves for the final round. Rodriguez misses a wheel kick. They clinch up, Rodriguez looks for a trip but Hooker keeps his balance and they break. Looks like Rodriguez caught a knee to the groin as they were separating and will get time to recover. Rodriguez is good to continue and we’re back to fighting. Hooker lands a right to the body, then another one. Rodriguez is backing up, they clinch and Rodriguez tries to roll for a knee bar. Hooker avoids the knee bar and lands a couple of rights. Hooker’s in a weird variation of half guard here, Rodriguez lands an elbow from the bottom that cut Hooker. Hooker lands some lefts, we get a wild exchange of hammer fists that all miss. Hooker lands some lefts to the body and head. Rodriguez throwing elbows from his back. The ref stands them up from that spot. We get time so the doctor can check the cut on Hooker, probably multiple cuts at this poing. The doc says he’s good to fight and Hooker comes out swinging. Hooker lands a right but Rodriguez is just going to circle away the final twenty seconds.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Hooker, 29-28 Rodriguez overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Yair Rodriguez via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27 x2)

Hm, not sure which round was 10-8 for Rodriguez. Interview time for Rodriguez, who apparently broke his right foot in the first round but says he’s a fighter so he doesn’t care how much it hurts. He says he knew Hooker would be coming with pressure so he prepared for him and he’s happy to get the win. He talks about being in position to attack with a leg lock in the third round but Hooker kept his cool and maintained good position so he just waited it out.

Well that’s it for preliminary fights, now to PPV for the main card. I’ve said it elsewhere but I need to say it again, the UFC’s dubstep remix of “Face the Pain” is just the worst.

Jessica Eye is ranked in the top ten of the women’s bantamweight division despite have just a single UFC win, her UFC record stands at 1-2 with 1 no contest, and tonight looks to get another win and rebound after a loss to Miesha Tate because another loss likely spells the end of her title aspirations in the UFC. Juliana Pena is unbeaten in the UFC and a third consecutive win here would move her into the top ten of the division as she climbs towards a possible title shot.

Women’s Bantamweight Bout: #13 Juliana Pena (6-2, 135 lbs.) VS #6 Jessica Eye (11-3 1 NC, 136 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Pena has three inches of reach on Eye. Eye comes out quickly and lands a combination, Pena returns fire and these two are willing to swing in the pocket early. They clinch up and Pena pulls guard. Eye on half guard, Pena looking for a sweep. Eye passes to side control and Pena regains her feet in the clinch. Eye has a front head lock from the clinch and lands a knee to the head while possibly setting up a guillotine. Pena pulls her head out and Eye spins her into the fence. Eye lands a knee to the body. Eye with some more knees to the body and thigh. Pena lands a knee to the body and gets a trip. Pena tries to get the back but Eye rolls her over and Pena lands some rights as Eye regains her feet in the clinch. Eye pins Pena to the fence and lands some more knees to the body. Pena hits a trip and lands in side control. Pena lands a couple of elbows. Pena lands another couple of elbows then spins to the back as Eye rolled to her knees as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Pena

ROUND TWO: Eye circling and jabbing to start the second. They both punch as they clinch and Eye gets Pena on the fence. They break with a right from Eye. Eye lands a right, Pena lands a body kick but Eye catches it and takes her down. Eye in the half guard of Pena. Eye lands a couple of elbows. Eye with some elbows to the body. Eye passes to side control, Pena tries to roll to her knees and Eye winds up with the back with one hook in. Eye transitions to an arm triangle as Pena tried to turn and Eye is really going for that choke. Pena hip escapes to half guard to limit the pressure Eye can exert with the choke. Eye bails on the choke and lands some lefts to the head of Pena. Pena trying to hit a sweep, Eye winds up in the ride position. Pena tries to roll her onto her back and winds up in north/south position. Pena is on top, Eye landed a knee to the head of Pena while Pena was on top, which is illegal. Can’t knee the head of a downed opponent, top or bottom position is irrelevant. The ref takes a point from Eye for the foul and restarts them on the feet. Eye lands a left and a right as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 9-9 DRAW after the point deduction, 19-18 Pena overall

ROUND THREE: Pena gets a takedown quickly to start the third round into the guard of Eye. Pena looking to pass but Eye retains full guard. Eye tries for an inverted triangle choke as Pena passes to side control. Pena gets her head out, Eye rolls to her knees and Pena has her back now. Pena has both hooks in and gets the arm under the neck looking for the choke. Eye somehow escapes that with hand fighting in a scramble but Pena remains on top in half guard. Pena lands a couple of lefts as Eye gets back to full guard. Eye tries to get a triangle choke but Pena pulls her head out and winds up in side control. Pena tries to set up a guillotine choke from half guard, she’s got the arm around the neck but there’s not enough time to finish it.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Pena, 29-27 Pena overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Juliana Pena via unanimous decision (29-27 x3)

Pena gets some mic time. She says Eye is a skilled opponent and she’s happy to get the win. She has no opinion on the point deduction in the second round, says she needs to be diplomatic. Then says she’s 6-0 in the Octagon then says so is Ronda Rousey and that if Ronda is the Mike Tyson of the division she wants to be the Evander Holyfield.

Joseph Benavidez is riding a three fight winning streak and while he’s already lost twice to flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson if he keeps winning he’ll get another shot at the belt eventually and a win over another failed title challenger like Bagautinov helps make his case. Ali Bagautinov has only lost to Demetrious Johnson in the UFC but has been out for a year courtesy of a failed drug test in that title fight and needs a win over Benavidez here if he wants to get back to the title level.

Flyweight Bout: #14 Ali Bagautinov (13-3, 125 lbs.) vs #1 Joseph Benavidez (22-4, 126 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Both men switching stances early trying to get a gauge on the other. Bagautinov lands a hard counter right. Benavidez lands a right hand. Bagautinov lands a bit of a counter right, both men very cautious so far. Bagautinov misses a couple of counter hooks after Benavidez misses a left. Both men are swinging some leather. Benavidez lands a body kick. Bagautinov lands a leg kick. Bagautinov lands an uppercut in close. Benavidez lands a right. Rights traded. Benavidez misses a couple of kicks. One of the punches from Bagautinov cut the left eye of Benavidez right under the eye brow near the eye lid. Bagautinov misses a right as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Bagautinov

ROUND TWO: Benavidez lands a bit of a leg kick to start the second round. Benavidez lands a bit of a right. Benavidez lands a body kick. Bagautinov catches a kick and lands a leg kick. Benavidez lands a straight left. Benavidez lands another body kick. Benavidez really working the kicks this round, keeping Bagautinov at distance. Bagautinov lands a quick left hand along the fence. Bagautinov lands a left hook. Really tenative fight from both guys so far. Benavidez lands a bit of a right hand. Bagautinov grabs a single leg and misses a couple of rights as Benavidez pulls his leg free. Bagautinov lands a right hand, gets the clinch and suplexes Benavidez but Benavidez back up quickly. They stare away the final seconds.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Benavidez, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Benavidez comes out southpaw, then back to orthodox. Bagautinov lands a straight right hand. Bagautinov lands a right and a left. Benavidez lands a right. Benavidez lands a leg kick. Bagautinov lands a bit of a left. Benavidez lands a knee to the head in close. Bagautinov lands a bit of a right hand. Bagautinov misses a spinning kick. Benavidez is going to win this fight by being just marginally more active. Bagautinov lands a bit of a right. They clinch and scramble to the fence with Bagautinov holding the rear waist lock. Benavidez spins free and lands a right hand. Benavidez lands a bit of a right. They trade rights then both slip as time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Benavidez, 29-28 Benavidez overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x2)

Crowd boos loudly, can’t blame them as that fight was pretty bad. Interview time for Benavidez. He says Bagautinov is tough, says the fight was tough and asks the crowd not to boo (they do anyway) and says he beat a world class fighter and to look at Bagautinov’s fights to see how tough he is. He says he’ll look nice for his wedding in six days despite the cut. He says Bagautinov’s distance surprised him a little and he was hard to take down, he says the division is great and the champ is the best but he wants to get better in the gym and he’ll knock everyone off to get back to the belt.

Shawn Jordan is riding a three fight winning streak, all finishes, and tonight looks to break into the top fifteen rankings with a fourth straight win. Ruslan Magomedov is 2-0 a inside the UFC and has an eight fight winning streak going overall while a win tonight over the streaking Jordan would likely move him into the top fifteen and continue his ascent up the ranks of the heavyweight division.

Heavyweight Bout: Ruslan Magomedov (13-1, 236 lbs.) VS Shawn Jordan (18-6, 265 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Magomedov has three inches of reach and a similar reach advantage. Touch of gloves to start things off, Jordan fighting southpaw. Magomedov throws a high kick that’s blocked. Circling a lot here, Jordan trying to corral Magomedov against the fence. They clinch, Jordan pushing Magomedov into the fence. Magomedov spins Jordan to the cage, Jordan spins him back. Jordan working for a takedown, gets Magomedov into a sitting position on the fence. Jordan keeping Magomedov on the fence but not doing anything offensive. Magomedov back to his feet and looking for a double wrist lock to deter a takedown. Magomedov uses the wrist lock to spin out of the clinch. Rights land for both men. Magomedov lands a lead leg high kick and a couple of punches. Magomedov lands a right hand and a body kick. Magomedov dodges a left and lands two hard counter punches. They circle the last fifteen seconds away.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Magomedov

ROUND TWO: Jordan said between rounds he thinks he broke a rib. Magomedov lands a couple of quick punches in close after avoiding some of Jordan’s punches. Jordan bulls forward and lands a left hand then clinches looking for a takedown. Magomedov defends the takedown and pushes Jordan into the fence. Magomedov lands a couple of punches as they break the clinch. Jordan looks for a double leg against the fence, Magomedov defends and lands a couple of elbows to the head of Jordan. Magomedov defending the takedown well, Jordan visibly slowing down. Magomedov lands an uppercut as he spins in the clinch then throws a high kick that lands to the eye of Jordan. Magomedov lands a couple of punches, Jordan’s eye is bothering him after that kick. Magomedov lands an inside leg kick. Front kick to the body from Magomedov. Magomedov lands a left hook. Jordan’s eye is bleeding now. High kick from Magomedov is blocked then he lands an inside leg kick. Jordan pushes into the clinch again, Magomedov gets him on the fence. Magomedov with some knees to the thigh then just misses a high kick as they break apart. They circle away the final seconds.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Magomedov, 20-18 Magomedov overall

ROUND THREE: Touch of gloves for the final round. Magomedov lands a lead leg high kick, Jordan lands a right hand and clinches. Magomedov thinking about a guillotine choke while defending takedowns from Jordan. Jordan lands a kene to the leg, Magomedov spins Jordan to the fence. Magomedov lands a couple of elbows in close then a couple of high kicks including a spinning one as they break. Jordan is cut around both eyes now. Magomedov lands a right hand. Magomedov lands a couple of short lefts then a right. Jordan just being picked apart technically. Magomedov working high kicks now, Jordan blocking them but he’s putting force behind them. Right lands for Magomedov, Jordan lands a leg kick. Magomedov lands another right hand and they clinch. Jordan has Magomedov against the fence and drops for a takedown that Magomedov defends. Magomedov spins Jordan into the fence. Magomedov lands a right, Jordan lands an uppercut. They break and Magomedov just misses another high kick. Magomedov lands a left and they clinch again. Jordan holding Magomedov against the cage then they break. Magomedov lands a lead leg high kick. Magomedov lands a series of jabs and a body kick. Jordan misses a right hand, Magomedov lands a leg kick as time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Magomedov, 30-27 Magomedov overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Ruslan Magomedov via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x2)

No interview for Magomedov, shame because he put on a technical clinic there.

Ryan Bader is riding a four fight winning streak coming into tonight’s fight, all four are decisions though and while Bader has a decent case on paper to fight for the title no one cares. A win over Rashad Evans tonight would move Bader to a five fight winning streak including a win over former champion Evans would virtually guarantee Bader a title shot barring the return of Jon Jones. Rashad Evans has won his last two fights but hasn’t fought since November of 2013 when he beat Chael Sonnen. If Evans wants to get back to the title he once held he needs to return with a win over the highly ranked Bader.

Light Heavyweight Bout: #5 Rashad Evans (19-3-1, 205 lbs.) VS #4 Ryan Bader (19-4, 206 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Bader has two inches of height on Evans yet Evans has an inch of reach on Bader. Circling to start from both men. Evans lands a bit of a left hook. Bader lands a leg kick. Bader on the outside, lands a bit of a right hand. Bader lands a bit of a body kick. Evans lands a right to the head after stuffing a takedown attempt from Bader. Bader lands a right uppercut. Evans trying to pressure forward, Bader using a jab to keep Evans at bay. Evans lands a right hand, but really this seems like nothing but an angry staring contest thus far. Evans lands a left and a right then gets to the clinch. They muscle around a bit and Bader lands an elbow as they break. Evans wings an overhand right that just misses. And nothing of relevance happens during the final ten seconds.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Bader

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves for the second round. Bader circling, Evans pawing with a left hand. Bader lands a bit of a right hand, commentary makes more of it than there was because they’re bored. Bader lands a side kick to the body. Evans misses a wild overhand right. Bader dives on a double leg and gets Evans down against the fence. Evans to his knees, back to his feet but Bader drags him back down. Evans back up immediately but Bader is glued to him in the clinch. Evans pushes out of the clinch. Jabs traded and Evans misses another wild right hand. Evans lands a right hand. Bader has landed a bunch of jabs and Evans’ right eye is swelling visibly. Evans lands a leg kick. Bader lands a body kick. Bader lands a right to the body. Evans lands a right, Bader lands a couple of rights to counter. Evans dives into the clinch but wont get the takedown before the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Bader, 20-18 Bader overall

ROUND THREE: Touch of gloves for the third round. Both men pawing with jabs, Bader circling around the fence. Evans lands a leg kick. Bader lands a bit of a left. Evans lands a left. Man this fight sucks. Evans misses another wild right and they clinch. They break without anything happening. Bader looks tired, lands a body kick. They clinch again with Evans looking for a takedown against the fence. Evans bails on it and we’re back to hugging it out. Bader lands an elbow as they break the clinch. Bader lands a bit of a right. Evans throws a high kick that’s blocked. Bader hits a double leg, Evans rolls through it and they’re back up. Evans lands a right and they clinch, Bader wont get a takedown before time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Bader, 30-27 Bader overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Ryan Bader via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Bader gets an interview, because the UFC hates their audience. Bader says he works hard to be the best. He talks about throwing the right and using takedowns because it works for him. He wishes his mom a happy birthday, crowd can’t even cheer for his mom at this point.

Alexander Gustafsson is 1-2 in his last three fights and is coming off of a loss to Anthony Johnson, but the light heavyweight division is kind of a mess so he gets the title shot here. Gustafsson lost a title fight with Jon Jones and a loss here to Cormier would end his title aspirations for the next couple of years whether Jon Jones returns to competition or not. Daniel Cormier won the vacant light heavyweight title his last time out and tonight looks for his first title defense.

UFC Light Heavyweight Title Bout: #2 Alexander Gustafsson (16-3, 204 lbs.) VS (c) Daniel Cormier (16-1, 205 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Gustafsson has six inches of height and reach on Cormier. Touch of gloves to start and Gustafsson starts flashing the jab. Gustafsson circling, lands a leg kick. Cormier gets to the clinch and hits the elevated high crotch slam into side control. He’s done that to Dan Henderson and Josh Barnett, now he’s done it to Gustafsson. Gustafsson gets to half guard and Cormier lands a couple of lefts to the body before Gustafsson gets to full guard. Cormier with some rights to the body. Cormier can’t pass the guard of Gustafsson or get a whole lot of striking going but Gustafsson is being completely defensive here. Gustafsson throws up a loose armbar attempt but Cormier avoids it easily and passes to half guard. Cormier with a couple of elbows then passes to side control. Gustafsson scrambles back to his feet. Gustafsson misses a body kick, Cormier lands an inside leg kick. Gustafsson lands a leg kick and a body kick. Cormier misses a high kick. Cormier has no interest in being in striking range from Gustafsson, he’s staying all the way out or all the way in. Gustafsson tries a takedown, eats a few rights for his efforts as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Cormier

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves for the second round, Gustafsson lands a left to the body. Gustafsson looking to use his reach this round, Cormier trying to stalk him down. Gustafsson lands a right to the body, he seems to be playing the long game. Cormier tries for a takedown but Gustafsson avoids it. Gustafsson lands a knee to the body then avoids a single leg. Gustafsson takes Cormier down for an instant but Cormier back up immediately. Gustafsson lands an uppercut and they clinch. Cormier lands some rights to the body and head, Gustafsson lands a knee to the head but Cormier catches it and drives Gustafsson to the fence. Cormier holding Gustafsson on the fence and landing rights. Gustafsson spins out of the clinch and lands a body kick. Cormier lands a body kick, one of those uppercuts from Gustafsson cut the right eye of Cormier. Cormier can’t close distance this round and is getting picked apart at distance. They clinch and Cormier lands a series of uppercuts before Gustafsson gets free. Gustafsson lands a jab and a right. Cormier lands a left and a right, Gustafsson lands an uppercut. Cormier lands an uppercut in close then a left and a right. Gustafsson gets a trip takedown from the clinch, Cormier back up quickly but Gustafsson holds him on the fence and lands a knee to the head as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Gustafsson, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Touch of gloves for the third round. Cormier trying to walk Gustafsson down. Gustafsson lands a right hand. Gustafsson lands a knee to the body. Cormier lands a leg kick. Gustafsson lands a hard uppercut. Gustafsson lands a leg kick. Cormier lands a hard right hand. Cormier lands a left then misses a right. Gustafsson bleeding from the nose now, lands a left to the body. Gustafsson lands a left and a right. They clinch and Cormier lands some uppercuts before they break. Gustafsson landing the jab now. Cormier lands a leg kick. Gustafsson lands another left to the body. Cormier having a hard time getting close this round. Gustafsson lands a leg kick, Cormier lands a counter right. They clinch and Cormier lands another bevy of uppercuts in close. Gustafsson’s face is busted up, those uppercuts from Cormier have done lots of damage. Gustafsson lands a couple of lefts but Cormier gets close and lands some more uppercuts. Gustafsson lands a knee that drops Cormier, Gustafsson lands some on the mat before Cormier regains his feet. Gustafsson clinched with Cormier, they break without incident and the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Gustafsson, 29-28 Gustafsson overall

ROUND FOUR: Touch of gloves for round four. Gustafsson lands a left to the body then a body kick. Gustafsson lands a leg kick. Gustafsson lands a left and a right, Cormier is really having trouble at distance. Gustafsson gets the clinch and Cormier lands an uppercut as they break. Gustafsson lands a couple of jabs and a body kick. Cormier misses a right hand. Gustafsson lands a right but as he tries to circle Cormier lands a couple of lefts. Cormier bleeding from under the right eye now. Gustafsson lands a couple of rights. Cormier jabs the body. Cormier lands a right but he can’t pin down Gustafsson. Gustafsson lands a left and a right. Cormier trying to walk down Gustafsson but he’s not cutting him off at all. Cormier lands a bit of a right. Gustafsson gets close and they trade knees to the head. Cormier lands a bit of a right. Gustafsson lands a left in close. They clinch and start trading uppercuts before they break. Cormier lands a leg kick. Cormier lands another leg kick. Cormier lands a right and a left. They stare away the final seconds.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Cormier, 38-38 Overall

ROUND FIVE: Quick shake of hands to start the final round. Gustafsson working the lead hand early this round. Now some leg kicks being traded. Gustafsson lands a right hand. Cormier lands a left and a right. Cormier seems to have gotten his wind back and is picking up the volume of his offense. Rights traded in close. Gustafsson tries for a takedwon, Cormier avoids it. Gustafsson circling, they clinch and Cormier lands some uppercuts in close. Gustafsson lands a right hand. They tie up for a bit then break after a couple of uppercuts from Cormier. They clinch again, mostly leaning on each other, and trade some uppercuts. They break and Gustafsson misses a knee. Cormier pushes to the clinch and works some rights, Cromier will likely win this round just based on activity. Gustafsson lands a knee to the head in the clinch, they break and Cormier misses a high kick to close out the fight.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Cormier, 48-47 Cormier overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER and STILL UFC Light Heavyweight Champion – Daniel Cormier via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 49-46)

Interview for Cormier. He says he’s going away from promos and is just going to be himself. He thanks Gustafsson for making him a better man and fighter after that, thanks him for his performance. He says he talks a lot but he got what he expected from Gustafsson, a guy he left part of himself in the cage with. He says he wanted to prove he wasn’t just a wrestler so he struck with the best striker in the division. He says the uppercuts in the clinch were important because when he landed them he felt Gustafsson stop and if he got Gustafsson to try and wrestle him he did something right. He thanks Houston to close out the interview.

Gustafsson gets an interview too. He says Cormier is a beast who proved he can strike tonight, calls Cormier a legitimate champion and thanks Houston for the love he received here.

Alright, and with that done UFC 192 comes to a close. Thank you for being here and following along. I’ll be back on the 24th for UFC Fight Night 76 when the UFC returns to Dublin, Ireland. The 411 Ground and Pound radio show will be back this Sunday at 8pm eastern standard time to break down all of the action from tonight’s card. If you’d like to call in that show takes live callers at (323) 657-0901 so feel free to call in and get your voice on the air. Until then remember to keep checking 411mania for all your pop culture needs.

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UFC, UFC 192, Robert Winfree