Sherdog’s live Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series: Week 3 play-by-play kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET from the UFC Training Center in Las Vegas.
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Round 1
Ige throws a leg kick and eats a counter one-two, but is able to run Gomez over and get a takedown. Gomez gets up but he’s using the fence and continues to grab it while Ige tries to bull him back down. Referee Jason Herzog repeatedly warns him as the Cuban is taken back down, eats some punishment but this time he gets up and breaks free without the fence. Clean right cross lands for Gomez, then a jab moment later. Gomez starting to warm up standing now, landing clean counters, mixing in leg kicks, until Ige drills him with a right cross that puts him on his seat. Gomez gets up and gets dropped again by the charging Xtreme Couture fighter. Ige briefly takes Gomez back and stuns him again but now Gomez is retreating. Gomez’s nose is bloodied and his defense has disappeared. Right hook-left uppercut lands for Ige, who is starting to bat Gomez around the cage. Right body kick for Ige is caught and Gomez tackles him off of it, using the moment to take a breather. Ige scrambles up with a minute left in the round. Three-punch combo along the fence from Ige, then he misses a massive left hook before the horn.
Sherdog Scores
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Ige
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Ige
Mike Sloan scores the round 10-9 Ige
Round 2
Ige leads with a right uppercut that glances and swarms behind it, leading Gomez to cover up then run away to reset once more. Gomez is just not taking the striking pressure well since the first-round knockdowns. He walks into another Ige right cross, then Ige tracks him with an overhand right, then a counter right cross. Ige backs down a perpetually retreating Gomez and lands a double-leg takedown. Gomez turtles, stands and breaks free without much incident. Another Gomez overhand right, but then he walks into a desperation takedown from Gomez, who fights to pass into side control and does. Ige fights to the turtle position but Gomez has one leg grapevined, preventing him from standing. Ige rolls to his back, recovering full guard along the fence. Gomez looks for elbows on his bottom man but referee Jason Herzog curiously stands the pair up with a minute left in the round. Ige chases Gomez with massive rights on the restart but can’t land clean. Gomez whiffs on a spinning back elbow then retreats until shooting a double with under 10 seconds left. He meaninglessly wrestles Ige to the mat at the horn.
Sherdog Scores
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Ige
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Ige
Mike Sloan scores the round 10-9 Ige
Round 3
Ige is right back in Gomez’s face to start the final frame, looking to lance him with a big right hand. Ige swings a big right uppercut on a shooting Gomez and just misses him, prompting Gomez to shoot. This time, Ige sprawls and denies him cleanly.
(+ Enlarge) | Screen: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com
Ige forced a late tap with an RNC.
Gomez shoots again moments later, Ige sprawls but this time the Cuban hits a go-behind and forces Ige to turtle. We’re stuck in a pattern now: Ige pops right back up, gets doubled again, then kicks Gomez away and stands easily. Back on the feet, Ige lands three consecutive rights on a running Gomez, who shoots again. This time, Ige grabs a nasty kimura that initiates a scramble, allowing him to take Gomez’s back with both hooks. The American Top Team fighter is belly down with Ige boxing his ears with just over two minutes left in the round. Ige digs for the rear-naked choke on the flattened Gomez, switches choking arms and finishes the fight late.
The Official Result
Dan Ige def. Luis Raul Gomez Alvarez via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) R3 3:23
Round 1
Menifield bursts quickly with a four-punch combo, but Jolly covers up, then lands an outside low kick. Menifield stays in Jolly’s face, so Jolly grabs over-unders to slow the pace. Menifield finally gets off the fence and just misses a huge elbow on the break before initiating a clinch of his own. This time, Jolly lands a knee up the middle that hits the cup and referee Chris Tognoni calls for time. Menifield is good after 90 seconds or so and the action resumes. More explosive combos from Menifield, who gets tagged first, then rips Jolly’s head back quickly. Just as Menifield gets comfortable, Jolly tackles him to the mat but can’t keep his opponent down. He composes himself while fighting for a double, then rips and sweeps Menifield down and away from the fence, settling in full guard.
(+ Enlarge) | Screen: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com
Jolly said he couldn’t see.
Jolly just punches to the body, Menifield overhooks one arm and we wait for the stand-up from Chris Tognoni, which comes with 90 left in the round. Menifield keeps pressing, touching Jolly with jabs and one-twos, but Jolly rips him with an overhand right, so Menifield runs into another clinch, tries for an outside trip and has it blocked. Hard body knee from Jolly.
Sherdog Scores
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Jolly
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Jolly
Mike Sloan scores the round 10-9 Jolly
Before the start of the second round, Daniel Jolly takes a knee while holding his left eye. He tells referee Chris Tognoni he can’t see, declining to continue. Tognoni informs a disappointed Menifield, who audibly grouses “I don’t wanna win like that.”
The Official Result
Alonzo Menifield def. Daniel Jolly via TKO (Retirement) R1 5:00
Round 1
The southpaw Neal lands a lead left cross, then a nice, chopping overhand left on a rushing Waldon. Neal fights the hands, gets a collar tie and lands knees to the body on Waldon.
(+ Enlarge) | Screen: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com
Neal tuned up Waldon quickly.
Waldon gets single-leg position and tries to kick his foe’s plant leg out, he struggles for a moment but gets Neal to his seat. “Hands of Steel” is fighting hard to stand up the fence and does, then uses an overhook to separate. Left cross rocks Waldon back, then the late-replacement Neal, who fought just 11 days ago, unloads a heavy combo. Waldon avoids the first few, but he tries to kick Neal away, allowing Neal to come over the top with an overhand left that drops him. Neal swarms with punches on the fetal Wisconsinite until referee Jason Herzog steps in to halt his fire.
The Official Result
Geoff Neal def. Chase Waldon via TKO (Punches) R1 1:56
Round 1
Jackson tries to press Stewart quickly, but Stewart is firing his right cross out to ward him off. Jackson moves into the clinch and outside trips Stewart to the mat, into side control. He gets a half nelson on Stewart as he tries to slide up the fence and punches hard. Stewart regains his feet, but Jackson is still glued to him, then gains double underhooks and sweeps the Arizona Combat Sports fighter back to the floor. Jackson landing short punches and muscling Stewart, but when he gets active, it allows Stewart to regain his feet. It’s now Stewart who shoots on Jackson but he’s easily stuffed. Jackson gets a front headlock and dings his man with a knee. “Guns Up” stays true to his nickname and is attacking Jackson with punches, but it just allows Jackson to grab over-unders and work him along the the fence again briefly. They separate, Stewart presses and in the middle of a combo, smashes Jackson with an overhand right that drops him. Stewart dives on top and into side control, but he moves to the scarf position, looking for a scarf hold armlock. He blows it and Jackson sits out, taking Stewart’s back. Horrible strategic decision by Stewart. Stewart bucks, explodes and shakes Jackson before the horn, landing some heavy, but mostly blocked punches before the round’s expiration.
Sherdog Scores
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Jackson
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Jackson
Mike Sloan scores the round 10-9 Jackson
Round 2
(+ Enlarge) | Screen: Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com
Jackson suffered a lower leg injury.
Stewart works in behind his jab again, looking to press the Combat Club fighter. He doubles it up and lets loose with a hard right hooks that stuns Jackson for a second. As “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 21 veteran escapes fire, then slides his feet away, his left ankle gives out. Jackson rolls back to his seat, grabs his lower leg in pain and referee Chris Tognoni calls the bout off. The injury appears to have been caused by Jackson’s fall on the first-round knockdown, as he bent over his own ankle as he collapsed. A sudden and unceremonious ending to the contest.
The Official Result
Kyle Stewart def. Jason Jackson via TKO (Ankle Injury) R2 0:21
Round 1
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Roberson elbows folded Spann.
Spann rushes in to close the distance on his savvy-striking opponent and it doesn’t pay off well for him. Spann gets in Roberson’s face and Roberson looks to ward him off with a left roundhouse kick to the ribs. “Superman” eats it with a grimace and runs into the clinch, pushing the New Jersey native to the wall. Roberson uses an overhook and a crossface to create some space, then drills a series of short left elbows into Spann’s head, a la Travis Browne or Jon Jones. Spann crumples to the mat and referee Jason Herzog is over it. Defensive burst of five elbows ends the fight quickly and brilliantly for Karl Roberson.
The Official Result
Karl Roberson def. Ryan Spann via TKO (Elbows) R1 0:15