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May 29, 2016 | Posted by Robert Winfree

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MAIN CARD (FOX Sports 1, 10 p.m. ET):
#7 Thomas Almeida (136 lbs.) vs. Cody Garbrandt (135.5 lbs.)
Renan “Barao” Pegado (146 lbs.) vs. #9 Jeremy Stephens (146 lbs.)
#10 Tarec Saffiedine (170 lbs.) vs. #11 Rick Story (171 lbs.)
Chris Camozzi (186 lbs.) vs. Vitor Miranda (186 lbs.)
Lorenz Larkin (171 lbs.) vs. Jorge Masvidal (170.5 lbs.)
Josh Burkman (156 lbs.) vs. Paul Felder (155.5 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1, 7 p.m. ET):
#7 Jessica Eye (134.5 lbs.) vs. #6 Sara McMann (135.5 lbs.)
Jordan Rinaldi (156 lbs.) vs. Abel Trujillo (155.5 lbs.)
Jake Collier (185.5 lbs.) vs. Alberto Uda (185 lbs.)
Shane Campbell (156 lbs.) vs. Erik Koch (155.5 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 6 p.m. ET):
#8 Bryan Caraway (135.5 lbs.) vs. #4 Aljamain Sterling (135.5 lbs.)
Chris DeLaRocha (243 lbs.) vs. Adam Milstead (235 lbs.)


Hello everyone and welcome to 411mania’s LIVE coverage of UFC Fight Night 88. I’m Robert Winfree and I’ll be your host for the evening, relaying all of the action to you just as I see it. A very happy and also appropriately solemn Memorial Day to all those of you in the United States, if you’re in a different country I hope you have a great weekend as well. Tonight we’ve got some bantamweight action as two undefeated blue chip prospects will tangle in the main event when Thomas Almeida takes on Cody Garbrandt. The co-main event is pretty sweet too as former bantamweight champion Renan Barao moves up to featherweight and gets a not so warm welcome in the form of hard hitting veteran Jeremy Stephens. There’s another sweet bantamweight fight on the Fight Pass prelims as two top contenders square off, undefeated Aljamain Sterling takes on Bryan Caraway with the winner being surprisingly close to a title shot. This event comes to the world from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada USA with Jon Anik and Brian Stann on commentary.

Chris De La Rocha lost his UFC debut when he was stopped by Daniel Omielanczuk but has a chance here to redeem himself and get that all important first UFC win. Adam Milstead is on a seven fight winning streak coming into his UFC debut here and he knows that you only get one chance to make a first impression.

Heavyweight Bout: Chris De La Rocha (4-1, 243 lbs.) vs. Adam Milstead (7-1, 235 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: De La Rocha has four inches of reach, nine years of age, and eight pounds on Milstead. Touch of gloves to get things going. De la Rocha lands a couple of punches, they start swinging in close, Milstead lands a hook and de la Rocha drops to his back, he’s back up and eats a knee to the body from Milstead. Milstead lands a wicked counter right, neither man is getting paid by the hour here. Milstead lands another right, de la Rocha counters a kick with a hard right. De la Rocha tries a takedown, Milstead never lets him secure position and we’re now clinched on the fence. De la Rocha looking for a takedown, Milstead doing a good job defending and lands an elbow. De la Rocha is bleeding from the scalp now, that elbow exacerbated a cut from that earlier exchange. De la Rocha lands an uppercut as they break. De la Rocha lands a couple of body shots. Milstead lands another counter right but he’s breathing heavier than de la Rocha. Milstead lands an uppercut. Milstead lands a short right that wobbles de la Rocha. De la Rocha grabs a clinch after that punch and pushes Milstead to the cage. Milstead blocks a takedown and lands a knee to the body but is still on the cage. De la Rocha lands a short right as they separate. De la Rocha hits a double leg against the fence but Milstead back up immediately and grabs a Thai clinch then lands a hard elbow. De la Rocha lands a couple of body shots before the separate. Milstead lands a left hook. De la Rocha lands a leg kick to close out the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Milstead

ROUND TWO: De la Rocha is worse visibly, bleeding from the nose and a couple of cuts on his head. Milstead lands an uppercut. De la Rocha pushing forward but Milstead is trying to counter him, lands a right. De la Rocha lands a leg kick. De la Rocha lands a couple of body shots. Milstead lands a jab, technique is rapidly dwindling. De la Rocha tries a takedown that stalls on the fence. Milstead lands a couple of elbows to get de la Rocha to bail on that takedown attempt. There’s a pretty big hematoma developing around the left temple of de la Rocha. The ref breaks them up and then Milstead lands a right on the restart. Milstead counters a body kick with a right then lands a couple of hooks in close. Milstead starts teeing off, de la Rocha has a heck of a chin as he’s just absorbing these shots. Milstead lands an uppercut then a right hook, he’s still throwing but he’s tired. Milstead lands another couple of rights as de la Rocha is on the fence, de la Rocha is a little off balance and Milstead lands another couple of punches and between those and the visible damage to de la Rocha’s face the ref stops this one.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Adam Milstead via TKO, punches, at 4:01 of Round 2

The crowd didn’t like that stoppage, I’m not complaining too much though. Mic time for Milstead now. He says fighting in the UFC is a dream come true. He puts over his coaches for getting him ready for this fight, he thanks his home town, then thanks Pittsburgh, thanks God, then thanks military veterans.

Aljamain Sterling is undefeated as a professional fighter including being 4-0 in the UFC and has earned himself a top ranking with those performances. Sterling is trying to defend his top spot tonight as well as potentially move into title contention with a fifth consecutive win. Bryan Caraway is coming off of a win over Eddie Wineland and looking to move up into the top five of the division, and if he can unseat Sterling here he’ll be very close and would likely be just one or two fights away from a title shot.

Bantamweight Bout: #8 Bryan Caraway (20-7, 135.5 lbs.) vs. #4 Aljamain Sterling (13-0, 135.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Sterling has three inches of reach on Caraway but Caraway is an inch taller. Sterling misses a front kick, both men circling early. Sterling lands a couple of side kicks to the body, Caraway lands a left hook. Sterling switching his stance frequently, lands a leg kick. Sterling lands a body kick, Caraway is struggling with the distance. Sterling grabs a single leg and pushes Caraway into the fence while looking for the takedown. They trade some short punches as Sterling works for a takedown. Sterling gets the back standing and drags Caraway down then gets a body triangle from the back. Sterling working some punches, trying to open up the choke. Sterling gets a neck crank, Caraway escapes that but Sterling keeps hitting him. Caraway trying to pull Sterling around so he winds up on top, Sterling adjusts and retains the back mount. Some rights from Sterling land, he’s still just trying to open up the choke. Sterling has a full nelson going here, he’s got a lot of pressure going with it. Sterling tries to switch to the choke, but he wont get it before the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Sterling

ROUND TWO: Caraway pushes forward with a couple of punches that miss. Sterling lands a body kick, Caraway lands a counter right. Sterling tries a double leg, Caraway tries to sit back for a guillotine but Sterling defends and they scramble to their feet. Sterling lands a long left then a body kick. Sterling lands a right hand. Sterling lands a leg kick. Another leg kick and Caraway lands a bit of a counter right. Sterling lands another leg kick. Sterling lands another couple of body kicks then Caraway pushes into the clinch. They trade some knees to the body, Sterling keeps throwing them while Caraway seems to have stalled out and they separate. Sterling lands an inside leg kick, lands a glancing spinning back fist. Caraway shoots a double leg that stalls on the fence, he tries to adjust and gets a little trip into the butterfly guard of Sterling. Caraway tries to spin to the back, Sterling doesn’t let him and they scramble a bit but Sterling is keeping his back on the fence to keep Caraway from taking his. Sterling goes to his back and lets Caraway have half guard. Sterling sitting on the fence now, looking to wall walk. Caraway gets the back with five seconds left and the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Caraway, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Sterling lands a body kick. They trade left hooks, Caraway got the better of that exchange. Caraway tries a double leg, Sterling easily sprawls out. Sterling lands an overhand right. Caraway tries a single leg and gets Sterling down against the fence. Sterling grabs a head lock but he can’t keep it and starts looking to reverse while sitting against the cage. Sterling trying to switch and take the back, Caraway tries to adjust but Sterling back to his feet, Caraway hits a single leg and gets to half guard. Caraway passes to side control, Sterling grabs an inverted triangle choke but Caraway pulls out of it. Caraway back to half guard, lands a couple of short rights. Caraway able to get the back as Sterling stands, now in the backpack position. Caraway has the body triangle now, looking to open up a choke opportunity. Sterling tries to front flip, nothing comes of it and time expires.

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

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Bryan Caraway via split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)

Really, split? Terrible judging, no way Sterling won rounds 2 or 3. Mic time for Caraway. He thanks Christ, Miesha Tate, his coaches, and says he’s not the same person he used to be. He dedicates the win to his nephew who was critically injured in a logging accident, puts over his personal mental coach who’s also his hypnotist then says his haters will have to recognize his talent.

That wraps up Fight Pass fights for the evening, now to Fox Sports 1 for the rest of the night.

Erik Koch hasn’t fought in over two years when he was finished by Daron Cruickshank, his recent record is just 1-3 and he desperately needs a win here if he wants to remain employed by the UFC. Shane Campbell is a decorated kick boxer but is 1-2 in the UFC with that lone win being over Elias Silverio and coming off of a loss to James Krause and could really use a win as well to ensure his continued presence in the UFC.

Lightweight Bout: Shane Campbell (12-4, 156 lbs.) vs. Erik Koch (14-4, 155.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Campbell has two inches of height on Koch while Koch has half an inch of reach advantage. Koch fighting southpaw. Some feinting early from both men, Campbell lands a couple of solid inside leg kicks. Koch scores a flash knock down with a left, Campbell quickly recovers and lands a knee to the body. They trade some hard leg kicks. Campbell lands a body kick. Koch has a high kick blocked but lands a one two follow up. Campbell lands a hard inside leg kick. Koch fires a head kick that’s partially blocked, they trade in close and clinch with Campbell getting Koch on the cage. Koch able to spin Campbell. They trade some knees and Campbell spins Koch into the cage. Both men working for body lock takedowns, neither successful. Campbell avoids a trip and they trade knees to the body. Campbell tries a sweep, can’t finish and lands a knee to the body then they separate. Campbell lands an inside leg kick. Campbell pushes into the clinch and gets Koch on the cage. Campbell lands a hard elbow but Koch is able to counter a foot sweep and land on top but Campbell gets to the fence and wall walks only to be tripped by Koch again. Koch has the back now, just one hook though. Campbell lands a back elbow, not much there, and the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Koch

ROUND TWO: Koch eats a hard couple of punches, he got wobbled but he shoots quickly and gets on top in the half guard of Campbell. Koch trying to set up an arm triangle choke, he tries to go for it but Campbell avoids it and Koch lands an elbow. Campbell gets back to full guard for a moment, Koch passes to half guard. Koch appears to be the superior grappler, tries for that arm triangle again but Campbell rolls to his knees and Koch looks to take the back. Campbell trying to reverse from here, Koch able to avoid that and spin to the back with one hook in. Campbell to his knees again, Koch grabs the rear naked choke and Campbell has to tap out.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Erik Koch via Submission, rear naked choke, at 3:02 Round 2

Koch looked good for a guy who’s been out for over two years, he gets an interview now. He says he feels great and mentions people have forgotten about him and he needed to come out and make a statement here. He mentions that while he’s been out due to injuries he feels strong mentally and that this is just the beginning. He puts over Campbell as a beast on the feet and he wasn’t taking that lightly so he knew he’d have an advantage on the mat. He says he’ll fight anybody and wants to get back to the title level.

Jake Collier is 1-2 in the UFC and is coming off of a loss to Dong Yi Yang, if he wants to avoid a losing streak in the UFC he’ll need a win here. His opponent is Alberto “Uda” Pereira who’s undefeated as a professional fighter and making his UFC debut here, and there’s no better way to debut than with a win.

Middleweight Bout: Jake Collier (9-3, 185.5 lbs.) vs. Alberto “Uda” Pereira (9-0, 185 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Collier has an inch of reach on Uda but both the same height at 6’3. Touch of gloves to get things going. They clinch quickly and trade a bit before breaking and Collier lands a right. They clinch again and trade some knees before Collier gets Uda on the cage. They break after a knee lands for Uda. Collier lands a left hook and a body kick. Uda lands a hard knee from the Thai clinch and he starts trying to swarm but Uda gets a takedown and gets a rear waist lock but Collier hits a switch and gets the rear waist lock. Collier’s nose was broken by that knee and is bleeding profusely right now. They wind up chest to chest and break. Collier lands a spinning back fist. Uda pushes into the clinch again and gets Collier on the cage. Collier able to spin Uda and they trade a few knees to the body. Collier tries to throw Uda down, it takes a second effort from the body lock but he lands on top in half guard. Collier lands a left as Uda gets to full guard. Hard left lands for Collier. Collier stands, Uda up and reverses to get the back standing, Collier drops but Uda is on top in half guard. Uda stands and lands a couple of punches to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Uda

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves for the second round. Uda pushes quickly into the clinch, Collier lands a couple of punches and spins Uda to the fence. Collier grabs a single leg but Uda defends and they separate. Collier lands a spinning back kick to the body. Collier lands a couple of knees in close, he lands a couple of punches, another spinning back kick to the body, another few punches then Uda falls over and the ref stops this one.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Jake Collier via TKO, spinning back kick and punches, at 1:06 of Round 2

Pretty big turnaround from Collier there, broken nose and all, who gets some mic time. He jokes that his plan in the second round was not to get kneed in the face again. He says he fell in love with spinning kicks lately and knowing how tall Uda is he figured he could go to the body and probably land. He says he feels you’ve got to win every fight and that you can’t snooze out three rounds and win or lose he’s going to give the fans everything he has.

To kill time we head to the analyst desk with Karyn Bryant, Kenny Florian, and Rashad Evans.

This fight was supposed to be Abel Trujillo taking on Carlos Diego Ferreira but Ferreira was provisionally suspended for a possible anti-doping violation and so Jordan Rinaldi stepped in on short notice. Abel Trujillo is riding a two fight winning streak, in fact his only official UFC losses are to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, and is after a third consecutive win here that could start a move towards the top rankings. Jordan Rinaldi is riding a five fight winning streak coming into his UFC debut here, and an upset win against Trujillo would be a great way to get start his UFC run.

Lightweight Bout: Jordan Rinaldi (12-4, 156 lbs.) vs. Abel Trujillo (14-6 1 NC, 155.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Rinaldi has two inches of height and reach on Trujillo. Circling to start. Trujillo lands a quick counter left hook then a right. Trujillo hits a trip from the clinch and lands in the guard of Rinaldi. Trujillo with some rights to the body. Trujillo lands an elbow. Trujillo stands over Rinaldi, they stall and the ref restarts them standing. They trade rights, Rinaldi lands a lunging left hook. Rinaldi tries a takedown, Trujillo easily sprawls out of it. They clinch again, this time Rinaldi gets Trujillo on the cage, Trujillo lands a knee to the body then spins free. Trujillo lands a hard left hook and a right behind it. Trujillo lands a left hook. Trujillo eats a left hook and misses the counter. Rinaldi lands a long right as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Trujillo

ROUND TWO: Circling again to start, Trujillo catches a kick and gets a takedown after landing a few short rights. Rinaldi has full guard, throws up an armbar, it’s tight and Trujillo tries to power out and winds up stacking on Rinaldi to get him to bail on the attempt and Rinaldi has full guard again. Trujillo stands and lets Rinaldi get back up. Rinaldi lands a jab. Rinaldi ducks a couple of hooks and gets the back standing, hits a double leg and lands almost on the back. Rinaldi has one hook in. Rinaldi trying to set up the choke, Trujillo fighting to keep the second hook out. Rinaldi gets the second hook in and they both throw a few punches. Rinaldi looking for the choke, he goes to the body triangle and keeps looking for the choke. Rinaldi after the choke again, Trujillo defending so far. Rinaldi grabs an arm in transition but Trujillo pulls out and lands a hammerfist to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Rinaldi, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Trujillo lands a quick right hook. Trujillo lands a left hook, Rinaldi lands a right. Trujillo sprawls on a takedown attempt. Rinaldi ducks a right from Trujillo. Rinaldi grabs a single leg, Trujillo lands some elbows as Rinaldi pushes him into the cage. Rinaldi able to spin to the back but can’t get the back pack position and Trujillo is able to separate. Trujillo lands a left hook then a right after stuffing a takedown attempt. Trujillo lands another couple of hooks. Rinaldi lands a switch kick to the head but not a lot on it. Trujillo lands a jab then a couple of body hooks in close. Left hook from Trujillo wobbles Rinaldi, Trujillo can’t capitalize on it though as both men are tired. Trujillo lands a couple of left hooks then a right. Trujillo shoots a double leg and gets Rinaldi down against the fence. Trujillo lands a short left elbow. Rinaldi tries for a sweep, can’t get it and Trujillo stands and makes Rinaldi get up as well. Trujillo lands another wingingn left hook before the round comes to a close.

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

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Abel Trujillo via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

That’s Trujillo’s sixth UFC win, he gets an interview now. He dedicates the win to the late Jordan Parsons, then thanks everyone and encourages the crowd to go vegan. He says he feels better since that move and while he didn’t show it all tonight he plans on getting better and better.

Jessica Eye is just 1-3 in her last four fights and is on a two fight losing streak, making a win here imperative if she’s going to remain relevant at the top of the division. Sara McMann won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in freestyle wrestling but is also 1-3 in her last four and on a two fight losing streak, she’s in a similar do or die position if she ever wants to get towards a title shot again.

Women’s Bantamweight Bout: #7 Jessica Eye (11-4 1 NC, 134.5 lbs.) vs. #6 Sara McMann (8-3, 135.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Both women have identical reach and height, the biggest difference is age where McMann is six years older. Eye circling to start, McMann just misses a right and eats a counter right from Eye. Both women being cautious here. McMann lands a right and pushes into the clinch then gets Eye on the cage. McMann lands a knee to the body, then another one. McMann with some more knees to the body and thigh. The ref separates them after they both stop moving. They clinch and McMann lands a knee to the body then they break. McMann misses a right, she’s a little too predictable with that. Lots of staring, they’re both overly hesitant here. They just circle the last minute or so away.

SCORECARD: 10-9 McMann

ROUND TWO: Eye circling early, McMann lands a bit of a right then a left. McMann lands a right but Eye hits a leg sweep and circles away. They both land rights. McMann lands a leg kick, this is a really low activity fight though. McMann reaches for a single leg, Eye avoids it without too much difficulty. McMann lands a right and gets the clinch again. McMann grabs a double leg and gets Eye down and lands in half guard. Eye able to get full guard. Eye trying to work her guard up high, McMann lands a few hammer fists while avoiding an armbar. McMann passes to side control. Eye pushes off of the fence and rolls to her knees but McMann gets the ride position and lands a few lefts. McMann with some rights while Eye tries to get up but McMann rides her back down and lands a couple of hard knees to the body from the ride position to close the round.

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

ROUND THREE: Circling to start, Eye probing with the jab. McMann lands a leg kick, Eye lands a counter body kick. McMann grabs a single leg and takes Eye down and lands in side control. Eye to her knees and McMann into the ride position. McMann lands a couple of punches. Eye trying to stand, McMann easily drags her down again and has the ride position. McMann lands a series of lefts while keeping Eye on her knees. McMann rolls Eye to her back and lands some more rights while Eye rolls to her knees again. McMann pulls Eye down to her back and gets to north/south position, might be setting up a north/south choke. McMann has her arms in position for the choke, decides to bail on it and land a few elbows from side control before Eye gets half guard. Eye has full guard now but can’t do much with it, McMann lands a couple of good rights to close the fight.

SCORECARD: 10-8 McMann, 30-26 McMann overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Sara McMann via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

McMann snaps her two fight losing streak, and now gets some mic time. She puts over Eye’s technical striking and knew Eye would be patient so she had to fight where she was strongest. She says setting up takedowns against someone you’ve trained with is difficult because they know how you feel. She asks for another title fight, says that while this was a technical fight she still wants to get back to the title.

That wraps up the prelims, main card time.

Joshua Burkman just got the first win of his current UFC stint as he defeated KJ Noons and dropped to the lightweight division, tonight he’s looking to continue that momentum in the lightweight division and maybe make a run towards the top. Paul Felder just snapped a two fight losing streak by beating Daron Cruickshank but those losses were a split decision to Ross Pearson and to top contender Edson Barboza, tonight he looks to rebuild that momentum and get a UFC winning streak going while moving up the lightweight ranks.

Lightweight Bout: Joshua Burkman (28-12 1 NC, 156 lbs.) vs. Paul Felder (11-2, 155.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Felder is one inch taller than Burkman but Burkman has an inch and a half of reach on him. Touch of gloves, Burkman fighting southpaw. Burkman lands a side kick to the thigh. Burkman switches, as he’ll do frequently. Felder walking Burkman down, lands a body kick. Felder lands a body kick. Very measured approach from both men here. Body kicks traded. Burkman lands a bit of a right. Burkman lands a body kick and a left. Burkman blocks a high kick. Burkman lands another side kick to the thigh. Burkman lands a quick combination that ends with a right. Burkman lands a side kick to the leg and a left. Burkman lands a couple in close and we’re full on rock ’em sock ’em robots for a few seconds before Burkman hits a double leg and lands in side control. Felder to the fence and wall walks into the clinch. Burkman tries a trip, Felder back up again but still held on the cage by Burkman. The round ends in the clinch.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Burkman

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves to start the second round. Felder moving forward while Burkman circles. Felder catches a body kick and lands a hard leg kick. Felder lands a counter left. Felder lands a switch kick to the body. Felder ducks a right and lands a body shot. Felder lands an inside leg kick. Felder lands another inside leg kick then a knee to the body after eating a left from Burkman. Felder lands another body kick. Burkman misses a spinning back fist. They clinch and Felder gets Burkman on the fence then lands a hard left elbow. Burkman able to spin Felder to the cage and starts digging for a single leg. Burkman bails and they separate. Felder lands a left and a right. Felder lands a hard left hook and pushes forward then lands a couple of punches before they clinch. Burkman able to spin Felder to the cage and drops for a single leg. Burkman bails on that but can’t get any offense before Felder spins him and gets a rear waist lock. Felder tries to jump to the back, thinks better of it and lands a high kick from the rear waist lock position to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Felder, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: They touch gloves for the last round. Felder lands a knee to the body, he’s pushing but Burkman fires back and gets him to back off a bit. Felder lands a leg kick. Burkman lands a jab. Felder lands a body kick, Burkman lands a side kick to the thigh then one to the body. Felder lands a spinning back kick but slips and eats a bit of a right as he regained his feet. Felder lands a knee to the body. Felder lands a hard counter right, Burkman fires back with a left. Felder lands a straight right. Burkman misses a couple of punches. Felder lands an inside leg kick, then another one. Felder lands another thrust kick to the body. Felder lands an inside then an outside leg kick. Felder lands another leg kick then blocks a right. Burkman tries a double leg that stalls on the fence. Burkman tries for a single leg, Felder defends with an under hook but Burkman gets a body lock trip but Felder immediately springs back up. Felder able to spin Burkman and land an elbow. Burkman able to spin Felder but he’s bleeding from the nose it looks like. Yeah, that’s the nose and it’s pretty bad in terms of blood volume. They jockey for position, but the ref separates them with fifteen seconds left. Felder tries a single leg, Burkman avoids it and hits a trip to land on top in half guard to close the fight.

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

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Paul Felder via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Felder gets some mic time. He says he feels good, is happy to be on Fox Sports 1 and thanks Burkman for the fight. He dedicates the win to his father, his wife, his kids, and all his fans then says he hopes to get more next time and build on his momentum. He talks about how he’s been pushing his conditioning recently and knew he could tire Burkman out then says he’d love to fight again including if anyone falls off next weeks card.

Jorge Masvidal is 1-1 since his move to welterweight and that loss was a close split decision to Benson Henderson and he’s looking to get his welterweight record back into the positive side here. Lorenz Larkin is coming off of a loss to Albert Tumenov and looking to rebound here and resume moving up the welterweight ranks.

Welterweight Bout: Lorenz Larkin (16-4 1 NC, 171 lbs.) vs. Jorge Masvidal (29-10, 170.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Both men are the same height but Masvidal has an inch and a half of reach on Larkin. Touch of gloves to get us going. Circling to start, both men probing with sharp jabs. Masvidal lands a leg kick. Larkin lands a jab. Larkin lands an inside leg kick. Jabs traded, both men still getting a feel for each other. Larkin lands a hard left kick to the body. Leg kick from Larkin. Masvidal lands a leg kick. Larkin lands a bit of an overhand right. Larkin lands a leg kick. Masvidal avoids an uppercut then has a spinning kick blocked. Masvidal lands a right, he’s got Larkin on the fence now. They clinch and Masvidal gets Larkin on the cage. They trade some knees to the body and thigh. Masvidal lands a couple of punches to the body and head as they break. Larkin lands a leg kick. Masvidal dodges a high kick then lands a leg kick but Masvidal got poked in the eye and we’ve got time for him to recover. That was a bad one based on his reaction, replay confirms it was indeed pretty bad. Masvidal says he can still see, the doctor has no issue, and the ref gives him a few more moments to fully recover and we’re back to fighting. They trade leg kicks and jabs to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Masvidal but a very close round, should probably be 10-10.

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves to get us going here. Larkin misses a couple of kicks. He tries a jumping switch kick that partially lands and Masvidal just laughs. Masvidal lands a leg kick. Larkin lands a left kick to the body, Masvidal lands another low leg kick. Larkin lands a right. Larkin lands an elbow, Masvidal lands a leg kick and a right. Masvidal lands a right, Larkin lands a body kick. Larkin pushes into the clinch and gets Masvidal on the cage. Masvidal lands an elbow and a knee then spins Larkin into the cage. Masvidal lands an elbow as he breaks. Larkin lands a right to the body. Larkin lands a low leg kick, Masvidal lands a body kick. They clinch again with Masvidal getting Larkin on the cage. Larkin able to spin him, Masvidal spins him and lands an elbow then Larkin lands a leg kick as they break. Larkin lands a right hand. Masvidal lands a left kick to the body, Larkin lands a right. They get close and trade some. Larkin hits a double leg to close out the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Larkin, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: They touch gloves for the last round. Masvidal has a switch kick blocked, then lands a right and a leg kick. Larkin lands another left kick to the body. Masvidal lands a leg kick. Masvidal lands a right. Larkin lands an uppercut and a left. Masvidal lands a right and Larkin pushes into the clinch then Masvidal lands an elbow. Larkin has Masvidal on the fence, Masvidal grabs a standing guillotine, uses it to spin Larkin and they both trade heavy punches. Larkin misses a couple of hooks and hits a takedown but Masvidal grabs a guillotine along the way and uses it to sweep and regain his feet looking for the takedown on Larkin. Masvidal hits the double leg but Larkin springs back up and gives Masvidal the rear waist lock. Larkin quickly fights for an under hook and they break. Larkin lands an uppercut and gets the clinch again on the cage. Larkin holding a single leg against the cage, Masvidal able to push free. Masvidal tries a takedown, defended by Larkin but they clinch and Masvidal lands a couple of elbows and gets Larkin on the cage. Masvidal lands an elbow and a knee to the body. Larkin spins him and drops for a single leg that Masvidal defends, they trade a spinning elbow from Larkin and a left from Masvidal to close the round.

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

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER Lorenz Larkin via split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)

Close and fun fight there, no issues with either man getting the decision. Mic time for Larkin now. He says he feels good but that was his first offensive eyepoke since being a pro and apologizes again for it. He thanks the fans, then jokes to the die hard fans making sure they saw his takedown. He says he’ll fight whoever next, describing himself as whatever to close the interview.

The break news that Fabricio Werdum will take on Ben Rothwell at UFC 203 when Stipe Miocic defends his heavyweight title against Alistair Overeem. Not a bad heavyweight fight really.

Chris Camozzi is 2-1 in this his third UFC stint and riding a two fight winning streak coming into this fight, a third consecutive win would likely get him a bigger name for his next fight. Vitor Miranda is riding a three fight winning streak in the UFC and at age 37 has to make a run now if he’s ever going to, making this a pivotal fight for him when determining his place in the division.

Middleweight Bout: Chris Camozzi (23-10, 186 lbs.) vs. Vitor Miranda (12-4, 186 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Camozzi is an inch taller than Miranda, Miranda has a half inch reach advantage. Camozzi fighting southpaw, and they touch gloves first off. Circling to start, Camozzi lands an inside leg kick. Camozzi lands another leg kick then a knee in close. Miranda tries a high kick that’s blocked. Camozzi lands a couple of inside leg kicks. Miranda lands an inside leg kick then just misses a body kick. Camozzi lands a straight left. Miranda lands a left uppercut. Camozzi lands a quick combination while moving forward that ends on a couple of elbows. Camozzi lands another inside leg kick. Miranda catches a kick and gets a takedown but they get to 50/50 guard and Camozzi is looking for a heel hook. They’re battling for position here, throwing a few punches and elbows along the way. They keep trading some arm blows from that position until the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Camozzi

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves for the second round. Miranda lands an outside leg kick then an inside leg kick. Miranda lands a body kick then a right to the body. Miranda lands a body kick but Camozzi catches it and sweeps the remaining leg to land in half guard. Miranda able to get to full guard. Camozzi misses an elbow, Miranda’s defensive guard is pretty good. Miranda kicks Camozzi off and rolls to his knees, Camozzi gets the ride position and lands a few more punches and elbows. Miranda sitting on the fence but Camozzi is still in half guard and lands some lefts as Miranda drops to his back. Camozzi lands an elbow and Miranda is bleeding now. Camozzi just smothering and beating up Miranda. A quick flurry from side control from Camozzi ends the round.

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

ROUND THREE: We get the doctor checking on the cut of Miranda to start the round. The cut is right on the eyebrow, but not quite long or deep enough to warrant a stoppage. Touch of gloves to start things. Miranda pushing forward with hooks, Camozzi circling and looking to counter. Camozzi lands a long left after blocking a high kick. They clinch and Camozzi gets a german suplex and lands in the ride position. Camozzi lands a couple of elbows, he’s still smothing Miranda against the cage. Miranda gets towards guard and wall walks but he can’t get free and they’re still clinched. They trade some knees and separate. Miranda lands a high kick but not much on it. Camozzi working the jab here. Miranda just head hunting now, he misses a takedown and Camozzi gets him on the fence in the clinch. Miranda able to spin free. Camozzi lands another left. Miranda misses a couple of hooks, has a high kick partially blocked. Camozzi lands another straight left. They trade in close then Camozzi jabs his way to distance. Camozzi checks a leg kick and avoids a couple of kicks from Miranda. Camozzi still landing the jab. Camozzi lands a left, Miranda lands an inside leg kick and misses a wheel kick. Camozzi just sticks and moves till the final bell.

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

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER Chris Camozzi via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

That was more one sided than I expected. Mic time for Camozzi. He puts over Miranda as tough and for continuing to push forward as the fight went on. He feels good about his performance and that he avoided being hit with anything big. He knew Miranda would be desperate in the third so he fought smart, then says he wants someone in the top ten next then wishes everyone a happy Memorial Day and thanks the troops.

Tarec Saffiedine is 2-1 in the UFC and coming off of a win over Jake Ellenberger in January of this year but missed all of 2015 with injuries, a second win here could help him build momentum and towards title contention at welterweight. Rick Story hasn’t fought since October of 2014 when he defeated Gunnar Nelson but he does have a two fight winning streak going and beating Saffiedine here would certainly move him up the ranks towards title contention.

Welterweight Bout: #10 Tarec Saffiedine (16-4, 170 lbs.) vs. #11 Rick Story (18-8, 171 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Both men are 5’10 but Story has an inch of reach on Saffiedine. Both men are southpaws. Story lands a leg kick. Saffiedine will probably switch his stance, and he misses a high kick from the orthodox stance. Story lands a leg kick. Story lands a left in close. Saffiedine lands a body kick and a right then avoids some counters from Story. Saffiedine lands an inside leg kick. Story pushes into the clinch and gets Saffiedine on the cage. Story looking for a takedown, he lands some lefts to the body then Saffiedine lands a high kick as they break. Body kick from Saffiedine. Story lands a leg kick. Story pushing forward, trying to smother Saffiedine, Saffiedine circling well. Story lands a left and they clinch, tries a lateral throw but Saffiedine defends and Story spins him into the cage. Saffiedine lands a knee to the body. Story lands a couple of knees to the thigh. They trade a few blows in close, the cut on Saffiedine’s left knee that nearly caused this fight to be canceled has opened up a little. They break with a left from Story. Story misses a hook but gets the clinch again. Story lands a knee to the body. Saffiedine lands a knee but Story tees off with body hooks until the round ends. The Saffiedine throws a late high kick that partially lands, not sure how intentional that was.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Story

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves to start. Story lands a leg kick and a couple of body shots then Saffiedine lands a high kick. Body kick from Saffiedine lands. Story lands a leg kick but slips and Saffiedine gets on top. Story back up very quickly and keeps the clinch then pushes Saffiedine into the cage. They trade knees in the clinch. Story tries a single leg but can’t get it and bails. Saffiedine spins out of the clinch then just has a high kick blocked. Saffiedine lands an inside leg kick. Story lands a counter left and they jockey in the clinch with Story getting Saffiedine on the cage. Story lands a couple of hooks as they break. Saffiedine lands a knee from a Thai clinch but ate several hooks to the body as Story got him on the cage. Saffiedine spins Story, they trade some knees to the body. Story able to put Saffiedine on the cage, Saffiedine lands an elbow and Story lands another three or four body shots. Story doing a great job of keeping Saffiedine close and landing short hooks. The ref breaks them apart. Story lands a leg kick and just avoids a counter left from Saffiedine. Saffiedine has a high kick partially blocked as Story was circling away from it. They trade in close again, Saffiedine just misses a high kick and Story pushes him into the fence. They trade knees, Saffiedine throws several, as the round closes.

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

ROUND THREE: Touch of gloves to start. Story lands a left and a leg kick. Story lands another left and tries for a clinch but Saffiedine circles away and lands an inside leg kick. Story’s got a wicked welt forming on the inside of his right thigh from just a couple of Saffiedine’s leg kicks. Story gets close and rips the body several times, Saffiedine lands an uppercut and Story pushes Saffiedine into the cage. Saffiedine lands a knee and circles out of the clinch. Story lands a leg kick. Story avoids a high kick and lands a left. Saffiedine lands a couple of lefts and they clinch with Story pushing Saffiedine into the cage. Story works the body in the clinch but Saffiedine lands a hard elbow. They break after a Saffiedine knee. Saffiedine lands another knee to the head but he can’t avoid Story. Story pushes Saffiedine into the cage and lands a left. Saffiedine lands a high kick on the break. Story pushes into the clinch again and works some knees to the thigh. Story lands a left elbow as they separate. Story lands a leg kick, Saffiedine lands a hard inside leg kick. Saffiedine lands another high kick and they trade hooks in close. Story still pushing forward, he gets the clinch again and has Saffiedine on the cage. Story lands a right as they break. Story lands a right to the body. Saffiedine lands a counter right, Story tries a trip from the clinch but Saffiedine remains upright. They trade in close, Saffiedine landed a good right but Story has the clinch again. Story works some knees to the thigh as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Saffiedine, 29-28 Story overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER Rick Story via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)

Good return from Story, reminded me why he’s so good. Story puts over Saffiedine’s takedown defense, he plans to train smart and stay healthy going forward. He says he felt good in terms of conditioning and didn’t go too much for takedowns because they drain him but he could still fire after they separated in the clinch.

Jeremy Stephens is just 1-3 in his last four fights but those losses are to Charles Oliveira, Cub Swanson, and Max Holloway all top contenders in the division and tonight he has the opportunity to notch a big win as he takes on a former champion and looks to build some momentum and move up the ranks. Renan Barao is the former UFC bantamweight champion but after dropping two fights to TJ Dillashaw he’s decided to move up to featherweight and hope to rejuvenate his career with a less strenuous weight cut, and a win here is imperative if he wants to matter in the new division.

Featherweight Bout: Renan “Barao” Pegado (33-3 1 NC, 146 lbs.) vs. #9 Jeremy Stephens (24-10, 146 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Stephens has three inches of height and one of reach on Barao. Touch of gloves to get us going, Barao lands an inside leg kick. Stephens blocks a high kick then lands a couple of leg kicks. Another leg kick from Stephens. Barao misses a wheel kick. Barao lands a one two combination then tries a single leg, nothing doing, but Barao lands another right to close that sequence. Stephens lands a one two combination. Barao lands a counter left. Stephens misses a counter left hook. Barao tries a double leg, Stephens defends as they hit the fence. They trade some knees from the clinch and Stephens spins out of the clinch. Barao lands a left, he’s now southpaw then back to orthodox. Stephens just misses a right. Stephens feints in close and gets the clinch on the cage and lands some knees to the body. Barao lands an elbow and a knee to the body. They break without incident. They wing hooks in close, both miss. Stephens trying to walk Barao down. Stephens just misses a left. Barao lands a spinning back kick to the body then a couple of hooks. Barao tries a double leg that stalls on the fence. Barao still trying to spin Stephens down but Stephens remains upright and the round ends in the clinch.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Barao

ROUND TWO: They touch gloves for the second round. Barao lands an inside leg kick. Stephens lands a right hand. Barao tries a takedown, avoided by Stephens. Barao tries another takedown taht Stephens avoids. Stephens just misses a one two combination. Stephens lands a jab then an uppercut. Stephens lands a jab that wobbles Barao. Stephens lands an uppercut that rocks Barao. Stephens stalking him now, lands another uppercut and a left hook. Stephens pushing for the finish, lands a straight right. Barao lands a jab but eats another right. Stephens avoids a double leg but Barao gets him to the cage. Stephens able to spin him to the cage and lands a knee to the body. Stephens working short rights. Stephens with some knees to the body. They break after trading some short uppercuts. Stephens lands a jab. Barao tries a spinning back kick that’s blocked. Stephens lands a body kick. Stephens lands a right. Barao trying to circle, Stephens lands an inside leg kick. Stephens lands a straight right and Barao is backing up again. Stephens lands a wide left hook, I don’t know how Barao is still upright. Stephens lands a leg kick. Stephens lands a leg kick then Barao tries a double leg but Stephens back up immediately against the fence. Stephens spins Barao and lands an elbow as they break and the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Stephens, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Barao is bleeding from around the left eye. They touch gloves for the last round. Stephens moving forward, Barao lands an inside leg kick. Stephens lands a jab. Stephens lands a right to the body. Barao avoids a left then lands a counter left of his own. Stephens eats a quick couple of punches from Barao. Stephens lands a big left to the body. Barao jabs into a clinch but Stephens easily spins him to the fence and starts landing knees to the leg. Barao spins out of the clinch. Stephens lands a couple of wide hooks. Stephens lands an uppercut in close after avoiding a couple of punches. Stephens pushing forward now, lands another leg kick. Stephens lands a left after eating a right. Barao tries another double leg, Stephens defending against the fence. Barao gets the legs up, tries to mount the legs but Stephens gets his back to the fence and stands then lands a short right in the clinch. Barao able to disengage. Barao lands a jab but Stephens lands an uppercut. Stephens avoids a spinning kick. Stephens lands a stiff jab. Stephens lands a couple of uppercuts and a straight right. Barao is wobbled, Stephens is pushing forward. Barao lands a left hook. Stephens misses a spinning elbow and they trade the round ending on a left hook from Stephens.

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

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER Jeremy Stephens via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Big win for Stephens, that flurry likely sealed the final round for him. He’s got mic time now. He thanks God and the fans, wishes his niece a happy graduation she graduated today. He says he isn’t surprised that Barao took the shots he did as Barao is a former champion, he says Dana White promised him something and he planned on taking it. He puts over Barao again but thinks Barao should go back to bantamweight then thanks his hometown to close the interview.

Thomas Almeida is an impressive 21-0 as a professional and looking to continue winning in the UFC, a fifth consecutive win for him here would put him on the cusp of a title shot and continue his meteoric rise through the UFC. Cody Garbrandt is also undefeated and has looked like a future champion as well, should he defeat Almeida here he’ll launch himself into the top of the division and be very close to title contention.

Bantamweight Bout: #7 Thomas Almeida (21-0, 136 lbs.) vs. Cody Garbrandt (8-0, 135.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Garbarndt has an inch of height on Almeida but Almeida has four and a half inches of reach on Garbrandt. Garbrandt tries a middle kick that misses. Almeida circling, both men very aware of the five possible rounds. They trade inside leg kicks. Garbrandt lands a leg kick and eats a bit of a counter right. Garbrandt just misses a couple of hooks and a flying knee but lands a right. Garbrandt lands a hard right and a left. Almeida just misses a right. Garbrandt has a right blocked, Almeida lands a right of his own. Garbrandt lands a leg kick then a one two combination. Garbrandt lands a left hook that wobbles Almeida he follows up but Almeida fires back. Almeida lands a right. They trade in close again. Almeida lands a jab, he’s moving forward now. They trade left hooks, both men are landing. Garbrandt lands a left hook then a right that absolutely knocks Almeida out cold.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER Cody Garbrandt via KO, punches, at 2:53 of Round 1

Well that was certainly decisive. Mic time for Garbrandt, who is the only first round finisher of the evening. He thanks God first and foremost, he puts over Almeida and Chute Box but is glad he delivered. He puts over Almeida over again and looks forward to fighting over the belt with him later and hopes to finally crack the top fifteen rankings. He walks us through the finish, says he’s the hardest hitter in the division, says he’ll finish anyone and that he wants to fight for the belt. He thanks his coaches for getting him ready, says the camp was rough but he shines under the bright lights. He dedicates the win to the troops to close the interview.

Alright everyone, that wraps up live coverage of UFC Fight Night 88. Thanks for being here and for reading. I’ll be back on Saturday for UFC 199 and the following Sunday I’ll be hosting the 411 Ground and Pound radio show at 8pm eastern standard time, hope you guys can tune in as we review both this event and 199. Until then keep checking 411mania for all you pop culture needs.