UFC Fight Night 178 ‘Covington vs. Woodley’ Play-by-Play, Results

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Round 1

We begin the evening with a classic striker vs. grappler matchup in
the bantamweight division, as the heavy-handed Hawaiian Nam (19-11,
1-2 UFC) welcomes recent Contender Series winner Rivera (10-2, 0-0
UFC) to the Octagon. Drawing the first assignment of the night is
referee Chris Tognoni, and the two decide not to touch gloves to
begin the 14-fight card. Rivera fakes a knee as he tries to jab his
way in, but Nam does not fall for it and instead jabs back at him.
Rivera scores a side kick to the torso as he switches stances a few
times, while keeping Nam at bay with a front kick that just misses.
Rivera gets a front kick in, and he misses another but slaps the
lead leg. Nam loads up on a right hand, but Rivera swats it away.
Rivera chains a punch into a low kick, and does so again. Rivera
pops the leg once more as Nam stalks him down while looking to land
a bomb, but he does not lob it. Rivera’s reach is keeping Nam
backing up, and another hard leg kick from “The Renegade” nearly
kicks Nam’s leg out from beneath him. Rivera reaches out with his
fingers and gets warned, but is using the total extent of his
length to not let Nam get in on him. He gets warned again for
leaving his fingers out, and Nam bites down on his mouthpiece and
fires a huge right hand that slams into Rivera’s face. Nam grins
and throws another, and Rivera is backpedaling quickly against the
fence. Rivera jabs out a few times before smacking the lead leg on
the inside to make Nam’s leg nearly give out. Nam gathers himself
and plods forward to swing that power right hand, but Rivera sees
it coming and keeps him off with a few kicks up the middle. Rivera
hops forward with a superman punch, and Nam blocks it and eats a
knee up the middle. Nam loads up on that right hand, and delivers
it right to the body before following it with a stiff left hand.
Nam kicks the leg a few times, and a right hand from Nam scores
straight to the diaphragm to surprise Rivera. He clinches up, and
the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rivera
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Nam
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rivera

Round 2

Nam comes out of his corner like a man possessed, walking through a
heavy low kick to
unload a thunderous right hand from below his hips to crack Rivera
on the temple. Rivera falls to the canvas, and Nam attacks him with
a furious vengeance of punches. Rivera throws up his legs to defend
against or stave off the advancing man, but the Hawaiian gives it
everything he has to force the stoppage, battering Rivera until
Tognoni has seen enough. That’s two knockouts in a row for Nam,
who is making his name in a big way with these wild finishes.

The Official Result

Tyson Nam def. Jerome Rivera R2 0:34 via TKO (Punches)

Round 1

Remaining in the bantamweight division, two men who love a good
scrap will square off as Ewell (16-6, 3-2 UFC) takes on “The Beast”
Rivera (10-5, 1-1 UFC). Referee Chris Tognoni again draws the
charge for the bout, and a glove touch checks it in. Ewell starts
off the round aggressively, walking down Rivera. He lands a crisp
combination, and Rivera gets off a left hand counter. Rivera hacks
at the lead leg and avoids a punch down the middle, but Ewell backs
off and lands a slapping shot to the body. Rivera blitzes in with a
few punches to catch Ewell, but “Mr. Highlight” attacks back and
blasts Rivera on the chin to send “The Beast” flying. Rivera rolls
through it and gets back up, where Ewell is there to greet him with
punches and a knee. Ewell jabs the body as Rivera recovers, and
tags the damaged man from a distance before leaping in with a knee.
Ewell continues to target the body with long, straight shots, and
he nearly sneaks a right hand up. Rivera stands in front of him and
trades, getting off a hard left hook. Ewell eats it without issue
and kicks him to the gut, and when he drops his hands, Rivera zooms
a huge left hand just inches away from his face. Rivera swings and
misses again, and Ewell catches him with a left hand. When Ewell
reaches in, Rivera times a huge jump knee that cracks Ewell on the
chin. “Mr. Highlight” wobbles but stays upright, and Rivera shoots
in for a takedown to try to catch him off-guard. Ewell scrambles
and circles around to take Rivera’s back, but he cannot get his
hooks in and nearly falls off. Ewell re-positions when Rivera kicks
off, and the California native takes Rivera’s back. Rivera spins
out to gain top position, where he lands a few punches until the
horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Ewell
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Ewell
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Ewell

Round 2

Ewell leads off with a kick, and Rivera ducks out of the way. He
tries to throw a few bombs, and Ewell is able to avoid most of the
damage. They keep their distance and try to find their range, until
Rivera explodes into a spinning back kick. He chains the kick into
a short salvo of punches, and Ewell covers up as he bounces back to
the fence. Ewell starts ripping the body again, and he barely
avoids a superman punch that flies towards his chin. Ewell’s hands
by his waist, he is able to snap them up quickly to land some
single shots to the chin and midsection. Rivera commits to a pair
of superman punches that are both blocked, and Ewell returns to his
primary torso target with a reaching left hand. Rivera misses with
a kick, and Ewell makes him pay in the form of four punches to make
Rivera retreat back to the fence. Rivera circles out to the center
of the cage, where he lands a loud leg kick. Ewell jabs at him from
a distance. And Rivera blitzes forward but most of his strikes fall
shy of the mark. Ewell sticks him with several left hands until he
lifts up a big uppercut that rattles Rivera. “The Beast” wears it
well and tries to swing back, but Ewell is too quick for him.
Rivera sells out for a takedown, and Ewell stuffs it and barely
misses a head kick. Rivera digs a shin into the crook of Ewell’s
knee to end the round, as Ewell cannot counter with a long left
hand in time.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Ewell
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Rivera
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Ewell

Round 3

Both fighters slug it out right out of the gate, and Ewell backs
off to land a kick to the body. Rivera slings a head kick that
zooms over his target, and crashes forward but ends up getting
clipped on the inside by Ewell. “Mr. Highlight” lands a leg kick
but gets drilled to the body with a spinning back kick. Rivera
swarms him with several punches, but Ewell is able to roll with
them and protect himself. They both start jabbing at one another,
and a stiff left hand from Rivera snaps Ewell’s head back. Ewell
returns fire with a one-two, and he stabs his toes into Rivera’s
body with a teep kick. Ewell re-commits to the body shots as Rivera
briefly doubles over, but “The Beast” regains his composure and
starts swinging. Ewell obliges him, and the two start trading heavy
leather. Ewell slips a huge right hook and gets one back on Rivera,
and he jabs from a distance. Rivera is still interested in slugging
it out, as he bites down on his mouthpiece to start throwing hooks.
Ewell throws a kick that goes wild, and Rivera punishes him with a
short barrage of punches. Rivera chops at the lead leg on the
inside and outside, and he targets it again as Ewell tries to
defend up top. Rivera changes levels but Ewell staves it off, and
several sharp jabs find their home on Rivera’s chin. Rivera lunges
forward with a few looping punches, and Ewell clips him on the way
in but does not slow him down. A powerful shot from Rivera busts
Ewell’s nose open, and he celebrates by ripping the body a few
times. Ewell kicks at the body three times, and Rivera shrugs them
off as he comes on with a fury. Rivera lands several ferocious
punches and chains it into a takedown, where he slams Ewell on his
back. “The Beast” puts all of his remaining energy into a long
series of ground-and-pound that does some serious damage, and the
horn sounds to end the exciting fight.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Ewell (30-27 Ewell)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Ewell (29-28 Ewell)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Ewell (30-27 Ewell)

The Official Result

Andre Ewell def. Irwin Rivera via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28,
29-28)

Round 1

Still in the bantamweight division, Newson (9-2, 1 NC; 0-1, 1 NC
UFC) tries to earn his first UFC win across three tries at the
expense of proud Massachusetts native Costa (5-1, 1-1 UFC).
Although Newson sparked Domingo Pilarte at UFC 247 in February, he
failed a post-fight drug test for marijuana and the win was
overturned. Keeping things clean in the cage is referee Mark Smith,
and the two show a sign of respect by touching gloves. Smith
immediately warns both men to retract their fingers, as they start
off reaching them out at one another. “The Zohan” lands a quick
left first, and Newson backs off and jabs from several feet away.

Costa reaches in with a left hand, and slings a deadly left head
kick that knocks Newson off his feet. Newson crumbles to the ground
against the fence, and a few follow-up punches for Costa are purely
academic as Smith cannot get in to save an unconscious Newson fast
enough. What a finish for Costa, who now posts six first-round
knockouts across his six career wins. You don’t mess with “The
Zohan.”

The Official Result

Randy Costa def. Journey Newson R1 0:41 via KO (Head Kick)

Round 1

In the first women’s bout of the evening, we return to 135 pounds,
where “Jessy Jess” Clark (9-6, 1 NC; 2-2 UFC) will try to make “Too
Sweet” Alpar’s (9-4, 0-0 UFC) UFC debut not so sweet. The Octagon
ranger is referee Chris Tognoni, and the two touch gloves before
throwing down. Both women paw out with jabs, and Alpar strikes
first with a leg kick. Clark slings a right hand back at her, and
two let loose a short flurry of punches. Alpar kicks the leg again,
and Clark slaps her foot on Alpar’s body. Alpar wings a right hook
that glances off Clark’s head, and “Jessy Jess” rushes in only to
get taken down by a level-changing Alpar. The Aussie walks up the
fence wall, so Alpar keeps her mashed to the fence while delivering
a few knees to the thigh. Alpar changes levels again and nearly
trips Clark’s leg out from beneath her, and when that does not
work, she tries on the other wide before searching for a double.
Tognoni asks Alpar to keep working, so Alpar commits to a single
leg takedown and gets stuffed. Clark protects the takedown with a
guillotine choke, and she uses it to stave off Alpar for a moment.
“Too Sweet” doggedly pursues the takedown, and she grounds Clark
again briefly. Like before, Clark does not stay down for more than
a couple seconds before popping back up to her feet. Alpar
continues to grind her on the fence, and Clark slams her in the
face with a pair of elbows. The American turns away when getting
shaken up from the strikes, and Clark uses the opportunity to take
Alpar down. Like her opponent, Alpar springs back to her feet, and
Clark drags her back down. Alpar pursues a kimura sweep, and the
Aussie pulls out and steps into half guard. Clark grinds her elbow
on Alpar’s face before landing some punches. Clark hops over to
side control, but the round ends before she can capitalize.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Clark
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Clark
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Clark

Round 2

Clark walks through an early leg kick to land a right hand, and
when she follows with a few punches, Alpar ducks down and hits a
double. Clark pulls herself back up using the fence as her ally,
and Alpar manages to get her back down. Clark once more muscles her
way to her feet, and she plants a knee right on Alpar’s chest. The
single strike allows for Clark to turn her about, where she takes
Alpar’s back and starts kneeing and elbowing her on the inside.
Clark pushes off and wings a right hand that misses, and Alpar
fails to spin for a back fist. Halfway through the spin, Clark
bullies her to the fence, and the action stalls as Tognoni implores
the two women to do something. Clark pushes off, and she scores a
popping kick to the thigh. When she walks forward, Alpar grabs hold
of her and attempts a body lock takedown. Clark stays upright and
starts smashing elbows on the side of Alpar’s head. Alpar falls to
her knees from these strikes, and Clark presses her to the cage
before kneeing her in the stomach. Alpar falls over and Clark
follows her to the ground, where she knees Alpar to the side
several times. Clark rains down several right hands that almost all
land to the side of Alpar’s head, and Tognoni is taking a close
look at the action. Briefly considering a rear-naked choke, she
instead drills Alpar to the side of the head with a bevy of elbows
until the horn ends the round.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Clark
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Clark
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Clark

Round 3

Clark runs towards her opponent at the start of the round to touch
gloves, and Alpar ducks an overhand right to shoot in for a
takedown. The Aussie stuffs it and may have grabbed the fence to
defend from the very low takedown attempt, and she circles around
to take Alpar’s back. Alpar spins to go after the takedown again,
and Clark elbows her in the side of the head. Clark simply stands
up to get out of harm’s way, and she knees Alpar in the chest to
make her double over. Clark unloads with a striking combination
that makes Alpar’s knees buckle, and Alpar slides down the cage.
Clark blasts Alpar on the nose with a knee when Alpar is
potentially grounded, and Tognoni stop the time but does not wave
off the fight. The knee appears to be legal, and this fight should
be over. Instead, Tognoni allows Alpar to recover while he calls on
the doctor to check the blood pouring from her face. Tognoni claims
he did not end the fight, and he asks Alpar if she can continue.
She says yes. This is preposterous. A befuddled Clark walks back
towards her dazed opponent and gets restarted in top position, and
reluctantly rips into Alpar, attacking a fighter that has already
been knocked out. Blood streams from Alpar’s face as she continues
to take punishment, and Clark pours it on but does not earn the
stoppage she deserved minutes ago.
Alpar powers her way back to her feet but is busted up and on
wobbled legs, and Clark land a right hand and knees her in the head
to put Alpar down for good. Mercifully, the fight is now over
as Tognoni finally intervenes. What a horrible mess, and yet
another egregious error from Tognoni.

The Official Result

Jessica-Rose Clark def. Sarah Alpar R3 4:21 via TKO (Punch and
Knee)

Round 1

Moving to the women’s flyweight category, Brazil native Silva (6-1,
1-1 UFC) will try to rebound from her first career defeat against
Italy’s Borella (11-8, 3 NC; 2-4 UFC). Our referee is Jason Herzog,
and the two decide against touching gloves to start things off.
Instead, they flick out jabs, and both get some off before Borella
changes levels to hunt for a takedown. She spins Silva around and
drags the Brazilian down, where she lands in full guard. Silva
grabs hold of her opponent’s hands, but Borella yanks her right
hand free and smacks Silva in the face a few times. Silva throws up
her legs for a triangle before aiming at an armbar. Borella lands a
few more punches, but Silva tightens up her legs and locks it
around Borella’s neck. Borella tries to punch her way out before
sitting back, and she sits down to break the posture.
Silva re-positions with her legs, wrapping her other leg around
Borella’s head and snatching up an armbar. A complacent Borella is
now concerned as her arm is trapped, and before Silva can even get
the elbow extended, the Italian fighter taps out knowing things
will end poorly for her otherwise. That is now five submissions
in seven wins for the Brazilian, who bounces back from her first
loss without breaking much of a sweat.