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Join 411’s Live UFC on ESPN+ 86 Coverage

September 23, 2023 | Posted by Robert Winfree
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MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
#6 Rafael Fiziev (156 lbs.) vs. #7 Mateusz Gamrot (156 lbs.)
#12 Dan Ige (146 lbs.) vs. #10 Bryce Mitchell (146 lbs.)
#8 Marina Rodriguez (116 lbs.) vs. #12 Michelle Waterson-Gomez (115.5 lbs.)
Bryan Battle (171 lbs.) vs. A.J. Fletcher (170.5 lbs.)
Charles Jourdain (145.5 lbs.) vs. Ricardo Ramos (146 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)
Dan Argueta (136 lbs.) vs. Miles Johns (136 lbs.)
Andre Fialho (171 lbs.) vs. Tim Means (171 lbs.)
Cody Brundage (185 lbs.) vs. Jacob Malkoun (186 lbs.)
Jake Collier (256.5 lbs.) vs. Mohammed Usman (237 lbs.)
Hannah Goldy (115.5 lbs.) vs. Mizuki Inoue (115.5 lbs.)
Montserrat Rendon (135 lbs.) vs. Tamires Vidal (134 lbs.)

Hello everyone and welcome to 411mania’s LIVE coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 86, I’m Robert Winfree and I’ll be your host for the evening. Tonight we’ve got a pretty decent free TV card headlined by a relevant lightweight fight between contenders Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot. While the winner is unlikely to get a title shot next the loser might be out of the picture for a while trying to rebuild. It’s also a nice little clash of styles between the striking minded Fiziev and grappling heavy Gamrot. The co-main event is pretty good too, Bryce Mitchell returns for the first time since his first loss and he’s taking on the perpetual tough out that is Dan Ige. Elsewhere on the card Charles Jourdain vs. Ricardo Ramos might be fun, and if I had to guess about Fight of the Night outside of the main event I’d go with Andre Fialho and Tim Means. So mostly let’s hope we get action that’s at least equal to the promise this event shows on paper.

UFC on ESPN+ 86 comes to the world from the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Brendan Fitzgerald, Michael Bisping, and Dominick Cruz will be calling the action while John Gooden will be doing our updates for the evening. The only rules thing to keep in mind is that we’ve got instant replay and a fight can be restarted after instant replay is used. After the controversy around Mike Bell turning in an all time bad scorecard with a 10-8 fifth round last week the NSAC had a conference about 10-8’s. . . that Bell didn’t attend. You know, just another athletic commission doing a bang up job. Lastly keep in mind that we’re in the smaller 25 foot cage set up instead of the usual 30 footer.

Tamiras Vidal is on a six fight winning streak that include a successful UFC debut in November of last year, she’s trying to maintain that momentum here and begin proving herself a prospect of note for the women’s side of things. Montserrat Rendon is undefeated coming into her UFC debut, she’s been out of action for a shade over a year but will be trying to capitalize on her only chance to make a good first impression. Vidal closed as your -245 favorite to +200 for Rendon.

Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Montserrat Rendon (5-0, 135 lbs.) vs. Tamires Vidal (7-1, 134 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Rendon is two inches taller but the reach is identical, Vidal is 9 years younger too. For those who like trivia, former UFC fighter Chris Leben is making his judging debut here in this fight. Both women open with some leg kicks as they circle. Vidal with more leg kicks. Rendon lands a right hand to counter a leg kick. Right hand from Vidal lands. Both women miss rights. Vidal lands a right hand. Another Vidal leg kick lands. Rendon keeps marching forward but isn’t cutting the cage much and is getting her lead leg chewed up. Right hand from Rendon. Vidal with a couple of leg kicks, then misses a right hand. Man, the punches from both of these women are just sloppy. Vidal lands an inside leg kick, they both swing hooks then clinch up and Vidal forces things against the fence. Rendon spins things, then Vidal lands an elbow and pushes free. They both miss rights, Vidal lands a right and then grabs at a single leg against the fence. Rendon defends and turns Vidal, and they’ll end the round in the clinch.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Vidal

ROUND TWO: Back to probing with leg kicks and swinging right hands from both women. Eventually Rendon catches a leg kick and gets a takedown, but Vidal inverts for a toe hold into 50/50 guard then grabs at a heel hook but Rendon gets her knee out of danger and they just scramble back up. Bit of a leg kick from Rendon, and Vidal badly misses a right hand. Right to the body from Rendon. Vidal lands a couple of jabs. We wind up with a time out briefly, Vidal got punched in the boob and complained but that’s a legal blow and we’re back to fighting. Vidal gets aggressive, she didn’t appreciate being punched in the chest and she unloads with calf kicks and a few punches. Rendon catches a kick and gets a takedown into full guard. Some body to head punches from Rendon, Vidal isn’t controlling her posture so she’s kind of free to do this as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Rendon but a close one, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Vidal misses a right hand, then Rendon does the same. Bit of a right from Vidal then a couple of leg kicks. Rendon catches a leg kick but can’t do anything with it. Vidal badly misses a right hand. More missed punches from both women. Vidal lands a couple of leg kicks. Rendon lands a right hand to counter a leg kick. Rendon catches a leg kick and gets another takedown, Vidal tries to invert for a leg but Rendon grabs the fence to stall that motion and Rendon settles into the guard of Vidal. A few body to head punches from Rendon. A few more punches from Rendon, she has no interest in guard passing. That’s where the round will end.

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

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

Well that fight sucked, it would have been a subpar fight 10 or so years ago to say nothing of contemporary MMA. Chris Leben turned in the dissenting card if you care. Mic time for Rendon and the translator, she calls this a dream come true and gives love to her son and everyone who’s supported her to this point.

Mizuki Inoue has gone 1-1 in the UFC and she’s coming off of a loss but the bigger story is the three year layoff she’s ending tonight, Mizuki will be trying to avoid her first losing streak since 2015 while getting her UFC record above the .500 mark. Hannah Goldy has gone 1-3 in the UFC and was last seen over a year ago losing to Molly McCann, one has to imagine she’s in win or go home territory here. Mizuki is your favorite at -340 to +270 for Goldy.

Strawweight Bout: Hannah Goldy (6-3, 115.5 lbs.) vs. Mizuki Inoue (14-6, 115.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Goldy has an inch of height but Mizuki has four and a half inches of reach advantage. They touch gloves to get us going. Mizuki slips a right hand and lands a couple of counters. Goldy misses a couple of punches, Mizuki punches into a clinch and they trade some knees there before hitting the fence. Some positional jockeying and knees from both women. A few short uppercuts from Mizuki, Goldy lands a couple of knees but Mizuki is keeping her on the fence. Eventually they break and trade lefts. Goldy lands a leg kick. Bit of a right from Mizuki. Goldy lands a counter right. Mizuki punches forward, they clinch again and she lands knees in the clinch. More knees from Mizuki, Goldy tries a takedown after eating a high kick but they stall on the fence again. They’ll end the round in the clinch.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Mizuki

ROUND TWO: Goldy tries a takedown pretty quickly but Mizuki defends and they wind up clinched in open space again. Mizuki counters an inside trip attempt and gets on top in nearly full mount, Goldy is able to use a butterfly hook to get butterfly guard and avoid full mount. Mizuki is able to pass, Goldy elevates her though and she gets a front headlock but Mizuki wrestles her to the fence and comes up looking for a single leg. Goldy is thinking about a guillotine from this front headlock but Mizuki breaks her grip and settles back into a clinch. Inside trip from Goldy and she gets on top in half guard. Mizuki hip escapes to full guard and kicks Goldy off then wrestles up to her feet again. They trade knees in the clinch then Goldy tries a single leg but Mizuki defends. More open space clinching with knee strikes before they hit the fence again. Mizuki avoids a trip, and lands knees to the body from a front headlock as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Mizuki but much closer, 20-18 Mizuki overall

ROUND THREE: Bit of a right from Goldy, Mizuki fires back with one of her own then a high kick. Combination from Mizuki, then she punctuates that with a left hook. Right hand then a left from Mizuki. Goldy clinches and they hit the fence. They break with some punches. Mizuki lands a couple of rights at distance. Bit of a one two from Mizuki then a left to the body. Stiff left from Mizuki lands, then she avoids a clinch. Goldy forces a clinch and they hit the fence. Some knees are traded, then Mizuki lands some short lefts before forcing Goldy into the corner. They trade elbows then Goldy lands a left as they break the clinch. One two from Mizuki. Goldy lands a knee in close and clinches again. They break and Mizuki lands a left hand. Left to the body from Mizuki then a knee as well. They clinch and hit the fence, Mizuki with more punches and they break then trade punches again to close the round.

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

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Mizuki Inoue via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Mic time for Mizuki and her translator, she opens with English and says this was scary but she’s happy to be back after the long layoff. She goes to Japanese for the second question and says she wanted to perform better than this and hopes to earn a bonus next time.

Mohammed Usman has gone 2-0 in the UFC and is looking to get to three in a row here, given that heavyweight seems perpetually in need of good fighters a win here might set him up nicely for his next fight. Jake Collier has gone just 1-4 in his last five fights and is on a three fight losing streak, he pretty badly needs a win for job security and to salvage his fighting career. Relatively close one here but the odds are with Usman at -130 to Collier’s +110.

Heavyweight Bout: Jake Collier (13-9, 256.5 lbs.) vs. Mohammed Usman (9-2, 237 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Collier is an inch taller while Usman has half an inch of reach advantage, Collier is also around 20 pounds heavier. Both men show the lead hand early, then Collier lands a calf kick. Collier lands another leg kick then a jab. Left body kick from Collier then a left hand behind it that staggers Usman. Usman tries to wrestle, Collier defends and grabs a standing arm triangle but can’t finish it. Some more clinch work and Collier lands knees while getting Usman on the fence. Bit of an elbow from Collier. Elbow from Collier on the break. Usman misses a right hand. More jabs from Collier, he’s keeping decent pressure on Usman. Usman misses another right hand. One two then a couple of knees to the head from Collier. They split some jabs then trade rights. Collier keeps showing the jab then lands a leg kick. Usman avoids a right and lands a right hand. Both men miss rights. Some jabs from Collier then a left body kick. Stiff couple of jabs from Collier as he keeps Usman on the back foot. Usman jabs the body. Collier punches in close but can’t keep the clinch. More jabs from Collier then a leg kick. Right hand then a left hook from Collier. They split a few more jabs, then Usman misses a punch and Collier lands a front kick to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Collier

ROUND TWO: Collier lands a leg kick to start the round. Another Collier leg kick then they trade left hooks. They trade rights then Usman avoids a clinch. Collier ducks under a hook and clinches then lands a right hand on the break but we get a time out as Usman pokes Collier in the eye. Replay confirms the eye poke and Collier has dropped to the mat in pain. The doctor comes in to check on Collier, seems like he can continue after just under four minutes. Collier gets back on pressure and lands an uppercut. They split some jabs then Collier lands a leg kick. Another leg kick from Collier. There’s blood coming from around the left eye of Collier. Usman with some jabs then they both miss hooks in close. Bit of a right from Collier and he pushes in close then lands a knee before Usman gets out of the clinch. Right then a left in close from Collier. A couple of more jabs from Collier. Usman lands a jab. More jabs go back and forth. Usman lands a jab. They split jabs for a bit. Bit of a left hook from Collier. Usman lands a left hook, then they trade jabs to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Usman, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Collier gets back to pressure and lands a leg kick. Jab from Collier. They trade in close. A couple of Collier lefts in close land. Stiff jab from Collier. Usman avoids a right hand. They split jabs for a while then miss hooks. Usman tries a takedown, Collier defends and they hit the fence. Collier with a few knees in close, Usman hoists Collier up and finally gets him down then dives on top in half guard. Usman tries to posture up but has to settle for pushing Collier to his back when Collier tried to hip up. Collier is kind of stuck here, Usman lands a few lefts to the head. Usman keeps control, he’s half thought about a couple of sub attempts but nothing doing here. Collier grabs a kimura and cranks it, that might have been a problem if there had been any more time on the clock but there isn’t and Collier has to wonder what might have been.

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

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

Don’t agree at all with 30-27. Mic time for Usman, he says he fought to get better and mentions how tough Collier is and getting a win over a tough guy like that is a testament to his team and all the work that’s been done.

Jacob Malkoun has gone 3-2 in the UFC but he’s coming off of a win and is trying to build another winning streak here and continue proving himself as a pretty bright prospect for the division. Cody Brundage has gone 2-4 in the UFC and is on a three fight losing streak, he badly needs here if he wants anything approximating job security going forward. Malkoun is among the biggest favorites on the card at -550 to +410 on Brundage.

Middleweight Bout: Cody Brundage (8-5, 185 lbs.) vs. Jacob Malkoun (7-2, 186 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Brundage is three inches taller but Malkoun has an inch of reach advantage. Southpaw for Brundage, he misses punches then hits a takedown quickly. Malkoun wrestles up on a single leg and forces things to the fence. Malkoun with a takedown, Brundage counters and they keep scrambling but Malkoun comes up again into the clinch. Single leg from Malkoun, then he gets the ride position as Brundage tries to roll to his knees. Some punches from Malkoun land as Brundage moves to the fence and works to wall walk. Malkoun strips the leg of Brundage to keep him from basing up and Malkoun lands more punches and hammer fists. Brundage finally gets his left leg out of a lace but eats more punches. Malkoun works out of the ride still, and gets that leg hook back in place to further anchor Brundage to the mat. More lefts from Malkoun and he starts fishing for a choke, Brundage sinks down and Malkoun lands an elbow to the back of the head that’ll prompt a break from the ref. The doctor is in to check on Brundage as he sits against the cage. Brundage declines to continue, and that was a clear foul so I’m not going to fault him.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Cody Brundage via Disqualification, illegal blows to the back of the head, at 4:45 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Brundage for his work this evening. Not sure I love the DQ call but I don’t hate it, there wasn’t anything else Malkoun could even really have been aiming at.

Tim Means has been around the sport forever and his current UFC run dates back to 2014 but he’s on a three fight losing streak, while the end might be coming sooner for Means than later he’s still looking for a few more wins before that point. Andre Fialho has gone 2-4 in the UFC and is currently on a three fight losing streak, somewhat mitigated by the level of opposition and how reliably entertaining his fights are but if he wants to be taken seriously as a top tier fighter he can’t afford a fourth loss here. The odds are with Fialho at -165 to +140 for Means.

Welterweight Bout: Andre Fialho (16-7 1 NC, 171 lbs.) vs. Tim Means (32-15-1 1 NC, 171 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Means is two inches taller, has one inch of reach advantage, and is a full decade older. They touch gloves, Means fighting southpaw while Fialho will switch if he feels like it. Fialho lands a front kick to the body, Means responds with a left to the body. Calf kick from Fialho. Means with a knee in close then Fialho lands a couple of body shots before they separate. Some front kicks from Fialho land. Fialho jabs, Means counters with a couple of punches. They trade in close, then Fialho lands an uppercut in close but Fialho looks to follow up and eats a knee to the head that drops him. Means follows him down and starts landing elbows from half guard. Fialho fights to full guard, and Means lands elbows and short punches as Fialho wall walks. Fialho lands a right hand as they reset. Punches from Fialho land, he’s just walking Means down now and Means clinches up to stifle that. They trade punches in the pocket, then Means lands a knee before they break. Fialho gets back to pressure, Means lands a left to the body. Means starts pressuring forward, and lands a hook kick. Fialho lands a right hand, but Means fires back after it land. A few jabs from Means now, then they trade power hand punches. Fialho lands a body kick then a right hand. Means lands to the body then a short right in close as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Means

ROUND TWO: Means gets back on pressure right away. Both men probe with kicks. Bit of a right from Fialho in close. Both men show front kicks. They trade lefts in close, then Means lands a front kick to the face. Fialho lands a right hand then a left hook, he lands another right in close and Means clinches to try and stifle him. Quick break from Fialho and he lands a left hook while he’s got Means on the fence. Uppercut from Fialho, he’s looking to finish but Means does clinch up and get him on the fence. Fialho spins Means into the fence, Means spins him back and lands a couple of knees then an elbow. More offense from Means in the clinch. Fialho spins free and they reset. Bit of a right from Fialho. Means pressures forward and lands a combination. Fialho is looking tired, but he lands a combination. Fialho eats a knee but gets a takedown into full guard and lands a couple of elbows. Means scrambles back up, and he tips Fialho over then gets on top in full guard and he lands elbows. Fialho rolls to his knees, Means knees him in the body and postures up to land some punches as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Fialho but could have gone the other way, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Means gets on pressure again. Fialho with some front kicks then a left to the body but Means lands a left to the head. Body kick from Fialho. Means fires a head kick then a right hand to the body. Head kick from Means wobbles Fialho. One two from Means staggers Fialho, he gets close and lands a combination that’s enough to get the ref to jump in.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Tim Means via TKO, head kick and punches, at 1:15 of Round 3

The Final Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Means for his work this evening. Mic time for Means, he plays with Bisping first and then says he fights for the people and is glad to have entertaining fights before putting over his team. He knew he had to avoid the check hook and make Fialho miss while watching out for his power, then he talks us through the finish.

Here’s the finish, our first real one of the evening. Some nice angle work from Means as Fialho loses track of their foot position while trying to circle and he winds up eating a left hand. A really nice finishing flurry from Means as well.

Dan Argueta has gone 1-1 in the UFC with 1 No Contest thrown in, he’s coming off of that No Contest but is looking to extend his unbeaten streak to three here while getting his UFC record above the .500 mark. Miles Johns has gone 4-2 in the UFC but he’s coming off of a win and is trying to build his second UFC winning streak tonight. Argueta is your favorite at -165 against +140 for Johns.

Bantamweight Bout: Dan Argueta (9-1 1 NC, 136 lbs.) vs. Miles Johns (13-2, 136 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: These two are the same height while Argueta has two inches of reach advantage. Southpaw for Argueta, Johns lands a bit of a left hand. Argueta catches a kick and tries a single leg, they hit the fence and Argueta keeps looking for a single leg but has to settle for a clinch. Bit of a takedown from Argueta, then he climbs into the backpack position and starts looking for a choke. A few punches from Argueta then he keeps fishing for a choke. Eventually Argueta pulls things down with the choke attack, Johns is still hand fighting but he’s in danger. Johns is able to roll free and stand up and free. Both men miss power hand punches. Clubbing right from Johns partially lands. Argueta wildly charges forward and eats a right hook, his distance closing is almost comical. Argueta pressures forward and they clinch again. Argueta jumps for a guillotine, not sure I love that one and Johns quickly pulls his head free. They scramble up and reset. Johns lands a right hand. Uppercut and a left from Johns, Argueta fires back with a left hand. Bit of a left hand from Johns closes the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Johns but could go the other way

ROUND TWO: Clubbing right from Argueta lands as he pushes forward, man his punching technique is poor. Johns tries a takedown, Argueta is threatening an arm in guillotine but Johns passes to half guard on the safe side. Argueta switches to a shoulder lock, he’s just trying to create motion with these attacks but he loses the grip and Johns lands hammer fists. Johns can’t control Argueta and Argueta rolls to his knees but his offense has been minimal at the moment. Argueta fights chest to chest and staggers Johns with a knee strike. Johns is wobbled but Argueta is struggling to read it and he eats a right hand. Left hook from Johns, Argueta just keeps coming in on a straight line and getting hit in the head. Argueta pushes close, hits a takedown and mounts the legs. Johns wall walks, Argueta gets on his back in the clinch and starts working for mat returns. Eventually Argueta forces Johns to his knees, but Johns strips his grip and regains his feet then lands a right hand. Left hook from Johns. Argueta with a knee then he tries a single leg, Johns uses a front choke to defend but Argueta bulls through it and fires some up elbows while he’s got Johns on the fence. Knee from Argueta then Johns lands a couple of hooks as they break. Hard right from Johns stuns Argueta for a second. Argueta misses a couple of knees, then lands elbows in close after he gets a modified crucifix to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Argueta but another close one, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Johns is able to club Argueta again as the round starts, Argueta has a chin on him but you really don’t want to live on that. Argueta pushes forward, and misses a right hand. Johns with an inside leg kick. Argueta pushes forward again and lands an uppercut. Left from Argueta but Johns lands a hard inside leg kick. They trade in close again, Argueta then walks into a punch but Johns can’t follow up as he seems tired. Argueta keeps walking forward and eating punches but he’s running out of ideas. Johns lands a combination then tries a takedown but Argueta sprawls away from him and lands elbows to the body then grabs a crucifix position. Argueta loses the position and eats an uppercut as they fight up. Argueta’s nose is a mess and Johns keeps hitting him but Argueta wont stop coming forward. Johns tries a single leg but Argueta defends against the fence and starts fishing for a guillotine. Eventually Johns hits a double leg against the fence and passes to half guard. Argueta is half going for a guillotine as Johns is on the dangerous side, Johns is able to pop his head out though and Argueta wrestles to his knees. Johns holds a front choke for control, they fight up and break then Johns lands a bit of a body shot to close the round.

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

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

Well that was fun, even if Argueta’s cage craft and striking are still very obviously a work in progress. Mic time for Johns, he’s thinking about one of his wife’s brothers who passed away a few years ago and he invites anyone struggling with mental health to reach out to anyone because your life matters. He notes he couldn’t do a push up 10 weeks ago due to a torn labrum and here he is getting a win in the UFC. He talks about all the time he’s prepared for this fight, he knew the pace would be wild but he was prepared, and notes how tough Argueta is because he landed some hard shots.

Ricardo Ramos has traded wins and losses while going 3-2 in his last five fights, he’s coming off of a win a 15 months ago and he’s trying for his first winning streak since 2019. Charles Jourdain has gone 3-2 in his last five fights but just broke a two fight losing streak his last time out, now he looks to build another winning streak while rebuilding himself as a budding contender at featherweight. The odds lean towards Jourdain at -140 to +120 for Ramos.

Featherweight Bout: Charles Jourdain (14-6-1, 145.5 lbs.) vs. Ricardo Ramos (16-4, 146 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: These two are the same height while Ramos has three inches of reach advantage. Southpaw for Jourdain who comes out kicking. Ramos is happy to kick back and fires his right kick to the body and head. Bit of a right hook from Jourdain. Jourdain pushes close, Ramos thinks about a single leg and gets it then passes to side control to avoid a guillotine attack. Ramos has a Von Flue choke if he wants, he’s got his hands together and starts looking to tighten that up. Jourdain is blocking the shoulder of Ramos but he can’t get free and he has to get full guard. Ramos passes to half guard, Jourdain keeps threatening a guillotine and Ramos is happy to pass. Eventually Ramos gets his head free and moves to side control. Jourdain scrambles, Ramos scrambles with him and Jourdain tries another guillotine and this time it’s tight enough to force the tap.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Charles Jourdain via Submission, guillotine choke, at 3:12 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Jourdain for his work this evening. Mic time for Jourdain, he puts over some sponsors first then says he’s known as a striker and knows he needs something in his pocket to deal with wrestlers. He says the more you grow the more you need to get better, and he’s started to finally see the sport properly. Asked about the future he’d like to fight on the upcoming Toronto card and knows Cub Swanson is here and he’d like to fight Swanson on that card.

This is a nice guillotine from Jourdain, you can see Ramos trying to fight it but Jourdain has a good squeeze, good positioning, and good control over the body to keep Ramos from generating motion.

Bryan Battle has gone 4-1 in the UFC and he’s coming off of a win, he’s been building a little bit of hype around his potential and his second promotional winning streak here would help prove he’s actualizing that and continuing to grow as a fighter. AJ Fletcher has gone 1-2 in the UFC but he’s coming off of a win and is trying to draw his UFC record to an even place and prove he’s just as deserving as Battle of hype as a prospect. Battle is your favorite at -185 to +155 on Fletcher.

Welterweight Bout: Bryan Battle (9-2, 171 lbs.) vs. A.J. Fletcher (10-2, 170.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Battle is three inches taller with a big 10 inches of reach advantage. Fletcher opens southpaw but does a lot of switching as he lands leg kicks. Battle has started switching as well, and he shows a few kicks as well. Both men keep probing with leg kicks for a bit, then Battle blocks a few punches. The size difference might even be more than the official measurements indicated, it’s very obvious. A lot of front kicks from Battle, he’s just poking and measuring with them. Those front kicks from Battle are upping in intensity now that he’s got a read on them. Fletcher lands a left hook but he’s struggling to find reliable offense. Right hand from Fletcher lands, then a calf kick behind it. Battle blocks a few punches but he’s not firing back too much yet, though he lands another front kick. Bit of a head kick from Battle then he lands a leg kick. Fletcher tries to tackle Battle, but Battle remains upright in the clinch and lands knees before Fletcher cracks him with an elbow that drops Battle to his knees for a second. Front kick from Battle, and that will be the last blow of the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Fletcher

ROUND TWO: Battle gets back on pressure, he’s still throwing kicks but is starting to add in punches. Fletcher forces a clinch and they hit the fence. Battle lands a knee and gets Fletcher on the cage. A few more knees from Battle land, those are starting to add up a bit. Fletcher grabs a guillotine choke as Battle hits a single leg, but Battle gets through it and settles into half guard. Some punches from Battle land, then he elbows the body as well for good measure. Battle keeps trying to isolate the left arm of Fletcher, Fletcher rolls to his knees and Battle takes his back, gets the choke and forces the tap.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Bryan Battle via Submission, rear naked choke, at 4:32 of Round 2

Mic time for Battle, he acknowledges there was adversity in the first but he trains for that and wasn’t going to just fold. He says his grappling is on point for MMA and there aren’t many who can do that with him for 15 or 25 minutes. Asked about the future he knows people like to hide behind rankings and it doesn’t matter who he calls out because no one will accept.

Look at the non-choking arm from Battle, if you can get it that deep behind the head there’s nothing the other guy can do. Nice stuff from Battle.

Marina Rodriguez had a nice winning streak going for a while but she’s on a two fight losing streak right now and needs a win to put things back on the tracks. She’s facing a fighter she already defeated a couple of years ago and a loss might permanently end her title aspirations. Michelle Waterson-Gomez is a veteran of the sport time seems to have caught up to her, she’s just 1-5 in her last six fights and is on a three fight losing streak. Waterson-Gomez needs a win here if she wants to retain her ranking, and might be looking for just the right time to call it a career between her age, mileage, and the general trend of things for her recently. The odds are solidly with Rodriguez at -310 while +250 for Waterson-Gomez might tempt some bettors out there who like longer shots.

Strawweight Bout: #8 Marina Rodriguez (16-3-2, 116 lbs.) vs. #12 Michelle Waterson-Gomez (18-11, 115.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Rodriguez has three inches of height and reach advantage. Waterson-Gomez lands an early leg kick. Quick takedown from Waterson-Gomez and she gets on top. Waterson-Gomez lands a right hand as she settles into the guard of Rodriguez. A bit of posture for Waterson-Gomez and she lands a couple of punches. Rodriguez is able to kick Waterson-Gomez off and stands but Waterson-Gomez gets into a clinch with her. Knee and elbow from Rodriguez. They trade knees for a bit before Waterson-Gomez gets free. Rodriguez avoids a double leg but they tie up and Waterson-Gomez is after a single leg now. Waterson-Gomez can’t finish the takedown and they trade in the clinch again before Rodriguez lands some knees to the body and head. Elbow and more knees from Rodriguez, she tries to tee off but Waterson-Gomez fights for a takedown and they wind up on the mat. More knees from Rodriguez, Waterson-Gomez’s face is a mess now and Rodriguez keeps landing strikes. Knee to the body from Rodriguez, then some elbows. There’s no fight left in Waterson-Gomez, she fires a front kick but Rodriguez just keeps landing knees and elbows. Waterson-Gomez tires a side kick but she’s flinching away from Rodriguez. Waterson-Gomez tries a takedown against the fence but can’t get it and separates. The ref calls a break, there’s a cut that he wants the doctor to see, her nose looks busted too. The doctor checks her and says she can continue and Waterson-Gomez wants to keep going so we’ll at least see out the round I guess. Rodrigues with another flurry, then she blocks a takedown and gets on top in half guard. That’s where the round will end.

SCORECARD: 10-8, borderline 10-7 Rodriguez

ROUND TWO: They might not want to let Waterson-Gomez out for the second round, but it’s MMA so here we are. Waterson-Gomez tries southpaw to start this round. Rodriguez avoids a few punches and lands a body kick. Waterson-Gomez falls short on a flurry. They clinch up and hit the fence. Rodriguez gets back to landing knees in the clinch then shoves Waterson-Gomez over. Waterson-Gomez is back up and lands a right hand but Rodriguez doesn’t care and keeps coming forward. Front kicks form Rodriguez, Waterson-Gomez lands a right hand but they clinch again. Rodriguez has a punishing clinch game and keeps landing knees and elbows. Those body blows are adding up. Waterson-Gomez tries a trip, Rodriguez blocks that and shoves Waterson-Gomez over to get on top in full mount. A few more punches from Rodriguez prompt Waterson-Gomez to give up the back and the ref waves this off.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Marina Rodriguez via TKO, punches and elbows, at 2:42 of Round 2

That was horribly one sided, and there was no reason for that second round. Mic time for Rodriguez and the translator, she knew she needed a strong performance after her last couple of losses and puts over her coaches for their work. She knew whoever wanted this more would get their hand raised, a sentiment I frankly disagree with. To close she plans on getting to the title soon and would like to call out Tatiana Suarez next. That’s a heck of a call out. At the end she almost tackles Bisping to get the mic back and read off the names of some sponsors.

This was just a beating from start to finish, once Rodriguez dealt with that first takedown it was just a violent barrage of knees and elbows.

Bryce Mitchell is coming off of the first loss of his career when Ilia Topuria kind of ran him over in December of last year, but now he’s back in action and looking to prove he’s still a rising force in the division. Dan Ige has gone 2-3 in his last five fights but he’s currently on a two fight winning streak and is looking to climb back up in the rankings with another win here. Mitchell is a decent favorite at -205 while +170 on Ige is definitely a tempting little value bet.

Featherweight Bout: #12 Dan Ige (17-6, 146 lbs.) vs. #10 Bryce Mitchell (15-1, 146 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Mitchell is three inches taller but Ige has an inch of reach advantage. Southpaw for Mitchell and both men come out jabbing. Bit of a right from Ige. Ige lands a left hook to counter a body kick. Bit of a one two from Ige. Mitchell avoids a couple of punches. Right hand from Ige lands. Mitchell lands a left hand and hits a single leg, Ige fights to push him over then gets free and resets. Mitchell is cut under the right eye, or it’s blood from the nose I can’t quite tell. Ige stays smooth and lands a right to the body. Left from Mitchell. Ige sprawls away from a double leg and they hit the fence, Mitchell works for takedowns but Ige stays upright and gets free. Mitchell is circling, he might be a little winded after that exchange. Ige misses a right hand then lands a leg kick. Short right from Ige. Another right from Ige, Mitchell gets close though and gets the back standing and starts looking for mat returns. Mitchell is able to get a takedown eventually and he falls into mount and works for an arm triangle right away. Ige gets his arm out of danger then tries to buck but Mitchell’s pressure is great. A few blows from Mitchell land to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Ige but a close one

ROUND TWO: Ige lands a jab to start the round. We can see the cut now on Mitchell, it’s under the right eye. Ige lands a right hand, Mitchell ties up and looks for a double leg against the fence but Ige defends so far. They jockey for position in the clinch then separate, Mitchell’s right eye might be getting worse now, there might be a second cut above the eye. Ige lands a left hook that briefly wobbles Mitchell. The ref gets a look at that eye of Mitchell and wants the doctor to check on it. OK, there’s not much of a cut above the eye but there’s wild swelling on the eyelid, but we’re still fighting. Mitchell attacks right away, eats a punch, then tries a takedown but Ige smothers him and gets on top. Ige separates and gets back to working punches. Mitchell misses a left hand and then can’t find a single leg. Mitchell lands a punch and finally hits a close takedown but he lands in full mount with a little under two minutes left. Ige rolls to his knees, Mitchell gets his back with one hook in though. Both hooks now for Mitchell, but he’s a little high and Ige is trying to base up and shake him. Mitchell switches to full mount and grabs at an arm triangle, it’s dangerous but Ige is able to defend and then bucks to break the attack as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Mitchell but again close, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Mitchell’s right eye is nearly closed, but the doctor checked him and apparently he can see enough to still fight. Ige shows the jab as they circle. Body kick from Mitchell. Ige tries to fight off a takedown, Mitchell winds up dragging on his back and pulls things down but Ige is able to block the back take and winds up nearly on top. Mitchell is adjusting to try and spin to the back, and he does come out on the back, nice adjustment from Mitchell. Body triangle for Mitchell and he’s running clock. Ige looks to scramble around, Mitchell rides into full mount but Ige fights to his feet and Mitchell latches onto him in a clinch. Mitchell tries for a cheese donkey trip but Ige is blocking that but can’t get away from Mitchell. Mitchell lifts and slams Ige, but Ige wrestles up and picks an ankle to get on top technically. Ige is trying to fight off a kimura, he breaks that grip but he badly needs offense. Ige mounts Mitchell at the end but wont find much offense before the round ends.

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

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

Mitchell holds Ige around for his interview, Mitchell puts over Ige as the hardest hitter he’s fought and just puts him over generally. Mitchell has a Bible with him and will donate money to Ige for the people of Hawaii after all these wild fires, and believes those fires are the work of Satan and we need to come together to rebuke him. Asked about his eye he jokes that it’s a scratch.

Rafael Fiziev just had a six fight winning streak broken when he dropped a majority decision to Justin Gaethje back in March, now he’s trying to avoid his first losing streak and prove he’s still a viable contender in the stacked lightweight division. Mateusz Gamrot lost last year when he stepped up in class to battle Beneil Dariush but he rebounded with a decent win over Jalin Turner back in March, now he’s trying to build another winning streak and prove he’s ready for another step up in class. The odds lean towards Fiziev at -140 to +120 for Gamrot.

Lightweight Bout: #6 Rafael Fiziev (12-2, 156 lbs.) vs. #7 Mateusz Gamrot (22-2 1 NC, 156 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Gamrot is two inches taller while Fiziev has an inch of reach advantage. Southpaw for Fiziev but he switches a lot and goes orthodox right away. Both men show the lead hand early, just range finding and getting a feel for things. Bit of a jab from Gamrot. Fiziev jabs the body. Gamrot lands a leg kick. Fiziev avoids a head kick then sort of lands a body kick. One two from Gamrot partially lands. A hard couple of body shots from Fiziev land then a left hook behind them. Right hand from Fiziev, Gamrot tries a takedown off of it but Fiziev defends and they reset. Gamrot goes southpaw now, he seems to wrestle better out of that stance, then he goes back orthodox. Both men have started playing with stance switches now. Right hand from Gamrot, Fiziev lands a body kick. Gamrot lands another right, he’s trying to key into the stance switching of Fiziev. Fiziev lands a right to the body. Another body shot from Fiziev. Fiziev lands a body kick. Gamrot lands a jab. Bit of a front kick from Fiziev. Another jab from Gamrot, then Fiziev drops him with a calf kick but he bounces back up. Fiziev blocks a takedown as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Fiziev

ROUND TWO: Fiziev is starting to add more feints into things, and lands a body kick but Gamrot tries to take him down and eventually after a prolonged wrestling exchange he gets the back but no hooks and they hit the fence. Gamrot gets one hook in and looks to drag Fiziev to the mat, Fiziev is able to stand but Gamrot is still on his back in the clinch. Fiziev breaks a high crotch grip and separates. Fiziev fires a body kick but Gamrot with an elbow block, and Fiziev drops in pain as something seems to have given out in his left knee and the ref has to jump in.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Mateusz Gamrot via TKO, knee injury, Round 2

Well that’s anticlimactic, we had a good fight brewing there. Mic time for Gamrot, he didn’t want the injury to happen but does note he trained hard to have his defense strong because he knew Fiziev would be kicking him hard and he wishes a quick recover for Fiziev, but a win is a win and he’ll take it. He felt the first round was close and notes he did want to spend some time striking with him to test himself but does feel he’d have gotten better over time as he accelerates over the course of a fight. Mostly he’s looking forward to more fights in the future, then when asked about what he’d like next his dream fight is to fight Islam Makhachev but that’s not for yet, mostly he wants a dangerous ground fight and would like to fight Charles Oliveira.

You know, I feel bad for getting my hopes up for this card only for it to turn into a bizarre night of weird outcomes and fights. But it’s come to a close and we’ll have a rare week off next Saturday in terms of UFC content, personally I got roped into covering an NXT event on Saturday so, you know, that’ll be something. We’ll be breaking down the fallout from this event tomorrow on the 411 Ground and Pound MMA Podcast and I hope you’ll tune in. On the MMA front we’re back here in two weeks for UFC on ESPN+ 87 headlined by Grant Dawson and Bobby Green, and I hope you’ll be back for that one. It’s not a great card on paper but it’s not the worst thing I’ve seen all year either. Until then I’d like to thank you again for reading, encourage you to stay safe out there, and remind you to keep checking 411mania for all of your pop culture needs.

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