UFC Fight Night 223 ‘Dern vs. Hill’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Round 1

The last UFC card before a much-needed weekend off is upon us, and
it will be in the form of a dozen-fight showcase at the UFC Apex.
There are two ranked fighters on the entire billing, both coming in
the main attraction, but with any luck, those numbers will not
matter when the cage doors close and the competitors all get after
it. The first match of the evening comes in the welterweight
division between two men who would very much like a win. With three
losses in his last three appearances, Sato (15-6, 2-4 UFC) may need
to get his hand raised to stay on the roster. Meanwhile, South
Africa’s Gorimbo (10-4, 0-1 UFC) is hoping to have a second chance
to make a first impression. This classic Japan vs. South Africa (or
Zimbabwe, if you prefer birth nation) battle will be overseen by
referee Chris Tognoni and his sweet mustache, and the combatants do
not touch gloves before getting started. Gorimbo leads the dance
with a head kick early, and follows it with a few punches while
Sato bears down on him. Sato blocks another high kick before it can
reach his head, and Gorimbo mashes forward to attempt a takedown.
Sato stonewalls him and nearly shoves Gorimbo to his back, but he
decides instead to stand back up and Gorimbo follows him to the
clinch. Gorimbo looks to muscle his man down, and Sato turns the
corner and dumps him to his back for a moment. Gorimbo explodes
right back up, and he manages to suck Sato’s legs out beneath him
and drag him to his seat. Sato moves to his knees while Gorimbo
hooks his foe’s legs between one of his own, and he wall-walks to
stand back up as Gorimbo continues to jam him up. Gorimbo looks for
a trip that does not succeed, and he lifts up a knee to the chest
to get a strike off in this position. This allows Sato to turn him
around for a second, but Gorimbo powers him back around. “The
Answer” answers a potential ref request for more action with
another solid knee, and Sato replies with a half-hearted throw that
he abandons when he realizes he will need to use much more energy
than he is willing to succeed. Gorimbo drills another knee to the
solar plexus, and Sato uses a sweep and a body lock to toss his foe
to the floor. Gorimbo scrambles wildly, doing enough to get Sato
down and circling around to take the back. The South African
fighter hooks up a body triangle and starts fishing for a
rear-naked choke, and Sato is wise to the attempt and tries to turn
to a side to escape. Gorimbo softens him up with short strikes to
the side of the head, and he hands on with back control until the
horn blares.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Gorimbo
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Gorimbo
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Gorimbo

Round 2

Sato initiates the second round aggressively, pressuring forward
and hoping to turn the tables on Gorimbo after giving up the last
round. Gorimbo cocks back a right hand and releases it, blasting
the charging Sato in the face and knocking him down to the floor.
Sato hits his back and tries to clear out the cobwebs, and Gorimbo
leaps down on top of him and tries to jack him up with hammerfists.
Sato gathers his thoughts enough to consider a takedown, perhaps in
a desperation effort, and the two end up standing up in the clinch.
Sato starts driving several knees to the body, and Gorimbo works
for another takedown as he turns the Japanese fighter around.
Gorimbo looks to hook up a single-leg takedown, and Sato reverses
him brilliantly with a head-and-arm throw that deposits Gorimbo to
the floor. “Ten” starts fishing for a scarf hold in the
advantageous position, and when there is no submission to be found,
he sits up. Gorimbo threatens off his back with a leglock, but it
does not come anywhere near close before Sato starts smacking him
in the face with ground strikes. Gorimbo tugs his toes on the fence
to get enough leverage to work his way to his knees and then
upright, where he stays bent over to go for a takedown. Sato
defends with a series of elbows to the side of the head, and even
when he is pulled down to his knees, he continues doing some work
with elbows. Gorimbo keeps grinding on him and defends a throw from
Sato to stay in this grueling position. Sato breaks away from the
clinch and gains some space, but Gorimbo gives chase and wings
punches at him until changing levels. The round ends with Gorimbo
trying to take the fight down again.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Gorimbo
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Gorimbo
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Gorimbo

Round 3

With Sato advancing as per usual to start off the round, Gorimbo is
prepared and goes after another huge right hand. This time, Sato
does not walk face-first into it, and he ducks it to tie the
African fighter up. Gorimbo is glad to get back into the close
range, where he turns Sato around and drags him down to a knee for
a moment. When Sato springs back up, Gorimbo redoubles his effort
and hits the takedown he is seeking. Sato falls to his back, with a
cut around his right eye starting to bleed. Sato does not remain on
his back for long before shifting enough to get to a knee, and
Gorimbo again works his way around to take the back. “The Answer”
locks his legs around the waist, and Sato grimaces in pain as the
position must be causing him no small amount of discomfort. Sato
attempts to turn and spin around, but Gorimbo has him locked down.
Gorimbo lands occasional punches to both sides of the head to keep
Sato guessing, with the strikes more frustrating than damaging.
Gorimbo uses one moment to snake his right forearm around the chin,
but he cannot sink it under it to lock down the rear-naked choke
before Sato defends it. Sato cannot get out of this miserable
position, and Gorimbo turns to the side and looks for a side choke.
Sato takes advantage of this momentary lapse of judgment and flips
Gorimbo to his back, and he starts shelling the African fighter
with punches and elbows. Sato unloads a final barrage of blows,
with few actually getting through the guard, and time expires
before a stoppage is even close. It may have been too little, too
late for the Japanese fighter, as the fight is over.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Gorimbo (30-27 Gorimbo)
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Gorimbo (30-27 Gorimbo)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Gorimbo (30-27
Gorimbo)

The Official Result

Themba Gorimbo def. Takashi Sato via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 4

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

Round 5

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Edwin Ayala scores the round:
Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

The Official Result