UFC Fight Night 198 ‘Vieira vs. Tate’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

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Round 1

A seemingly never-ending cavalcade of UFC fight cards will come to
a close on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 198, as this 10-week
stretch concludes with a fight card now down to 11 matches. Can it
still deliver like last week’s barnburner showcase? We shall see.
We kick things off in the lightest division of the organization,
women’s strawweight, when Pinheiro (9-1, 1-0 UFC) tries to make
good on her sophomore outing at the expense of “Sampage” Hughes
(5-3, 0-2 UFC). The first assignment of the night goes to referee
Mark Smith, and with no touch of gloves, we are underway! The
Brazilian immediately takes the center of the cage, sticking a jab
out and a thudding low kick that impacts on the shin of her
opponent. They both look to measure one another, swiping and pawing
but coming up short with their strikes. Hughes gets off a single
leg kick, and throws another to the upper thigh as she keeps her
distance. “Sampage” tries to begin her own rampage with a big left
hand, but Pinheiro stops her from continuing with a sharp jab, and
then another. Pinheiro gets into close range to start a brawl, and
when she lands a few, she grabs hold of Hughes and hits a hip toss
with a head lock to put Hughes flat on her back. Hughes looks to
set up a triangle off her back, and when she looks for this,
Pinheiro blasts her with a huge right hand from on top. Hughes
explodes to get back to her knees, and Pinheiro instantly attacks a
choke from her knees to threaten. Hughes continues to fight her way
out of a bad position to get up, and she is not upright for more
than a second before Pinheiro throws her right back down to the
mat. A few punches from Pinheiro add up before Hughes again bursts
back up, and she walks up the wall before pushing off to separate.
When she does this, Pinheiro kicks her in the sternum. Hughes tries
to return fire with a kick up high, but Pinheiro dances out of the
way without much issue. They try to reach one another on the feet,
but come up short for most of the remaining strikes until the round
concludes.

Sherdog Scores

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

Round 2

The second frame begins as they both land solid punches at the same
time. Neither appears hurt from the blows, and Pinheiro begins to
push the pace with front kicks and piercing jabs. She swipes out
with a left hand, only to get slapped with a body kick. A heavy
calf kick from Pinheiro scores cleanly, and she tries to spin with
a back kick and a subsequent back fist, but both hit nothing but
air. When Pinheiro whiffs on an overhand right, Hughes sticks her
with a jab and connects with a calf kick. Pinheiro swarms forward
to make her pay, but the American is nimble and escapes. When they
reset, Hughes goes low with a kick, and then interrupts Pinheiro
with a quick jab that shakes Pinheiro up a little. The jab from
Hughes continues to pop Pinheiro and surprise her every time, and
Pinheiro is unable to counter these effectively. Instead, Pinheiro
attacks with a salvo of strikes to close the distance, and she
pursues a toss like the previous round but is stuffed this time.
Hughes breaks the grip and goes back to her jab, and Pinheiro’s
pace has started to dwindle to single strikes and overthrown bombs
that are inaccurate. Hughes slings a high kick, and she falls over
when it misses. This allows Pinheiro to rush at her and try to
light her up, but Hughes is able to scramble and get away from
anything noteworthy. Hughes uses jabs and low kicks to make
Pinheiro retreat on the outer edge of the cage. Biting down on her
mouthpiece, Pinheiro walks through a leg kick to slug it out. She
lands a few punches to rock Hughes, with a right hand that hurts
her badly. Pinheiro senses this and unleashes a flurry that lands
cleanly and drops Hughes to the floor. Hughes looks for some sort
of a desperation takedown attempt, clutching her opponent’s hips to
ride out the round. The bell sounds, possibly saving Hughes from a
stoppage.

Sherdog Scores

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

Round 3

Hughes is able to enter the third round, and Pinheiro is fired up
and ready for action. A lazy leg kick from Hughes gets caught, and
Pinheiro pounces and starts drilling her with punches. Hughes is
able to circle out, but her face is marked up from the oncoming
blows of the end of the last round and the strikes from this
assault. Pinheiro goes to the body several times with jabs, as
Hughes tries to regain her composure and walk forward with low
kicks. As her nose begins to bleed from the damage suffered thus
far, Hughes still keeps a stiff upper lip and spams leg kicks. The
big barrage of strikes appears to have sapped the cardio of the
Brazilian, who is relegated to again loosing wide arm punches as
she backs off. Hughes’ corner urges her to keep going, concerned
she might be down on the scorecards, and she throws a few more jabs
and kicks. Pinheiro rushes in to deal some damage, and she ties
Hughes up but ultimately gets turned into the wall. Hughes gets off
a single elbow before Pinheiro pushes her away to get back to her
preferred range. “Sampage” kicks the body with the fall of her
foot, and blitzes with punches as Pinheiro continues to stay on her
bike. Pinheiro swings and misses with a looping right hand, and
Hughes walks through it to try to stick her jab in Pinheiro’s face.
Smith urges them to fight as the volume has fallen through the
floor, and when he does, Hughes leaps forward with a knee that
misses the mark. Hughes absorbs a body kick, and delivers one back
that is much heavier. When the 10-second clapper sounds, they throw
caution to the wind and brawl it out. When Pinheiro lets go with a
few punches, she backs off to coast for the rest of the fight. They
embrace after the last buzzer sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Hughes (29-28 Pinheiro)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Hughes (29-28 Pinheiro)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Hughes (29-28 Pinheiro)

The Official Result

Luana Pinheiro def. Sam Hughes via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 29-28)

Round 1

Someone’s 0 has got to go in this featherweight matchup between two
men trying to win for the first time inside the Octagon. Across two
stints in the promotion, Soriano (14-7, 0-4 UFC) will be stepping
into the UFC for the fifth time in search of an elusive victory,
while his Chinese adversary Shayilan (19-7, 0-1 UFC) has just tried
once to date. Referee Herb Dean will see who finally gets it done,
and they touch gloves before coming out swinging. Soriano is the
one to take the center of the cage, walking his opponent down and
slinging a leg kick that makes Shayilan turn about. Soriano
continues to march forward, but he is hesitant to release any
additional offense and takes a leg kick. The American then kicks
the body, and jabs only to pull back with a high kick. Shayilan
keeps his right hand ready to counter, and he just misses when
Soriano chops at his lead leg. A sharp jab from Soriano hurts
Shayilan, and “Wolverine” loses his footing as he is simultaneously
coming in for a leg kick. When Shayilan gathers himself, he lets go
with a kick that slams square into Soriano’s cup. Soriano walks it
off, and in under 30 seconds after the break from Dean, he is able
to continue. The first strike thrown in the return to action is a
snappy leg kick, and he doubles up on it when Shayilan does not
appear to counter. Shayilan suddenly crashes forward for a
takedown, and on his second attempt, he hits it and puts Soriano on
his back. Soriano holds on tight, and he times a guard pass from
his opponent to sweep Shayilan and wind up on top. Soriano grinds
from this top position, staying in Shayilan’s closed guard, keeping
heavy and landing sporadic ground-and-pound to stave off possible
referee intervention. When Soriano rips a heavy elbow, Shayilan
throws his legs up for a triangle setup. Soriano bails on this
posture, and stands back up to let his foe back up as well. When
Shayilan is back up, Soriano kicks him in the chest. Soriano lets
go with a right hand and a left, and Shayilan replies with a single
punch to the body. From afar, Shayilan dives forward with a
takedown try, and Soriano sprawls effectively to not go down this
time. Soriano scores a one-two, and blocks a spinning kick that
collides with his high guard. Soriano connects with a right hand,
and crashes forward when Shayilan goes after another spinning kick
to drop the Chinese fighter to his knees. A few punches from an
advantageous position from Soriano conclude the frame.

Sherdog Scores

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

Round 2

The second round begins with a head kick from Soriano, and it is
blocked and he stuffs a follow-up takedown that comes at him.
Soriano stitches three punches together, with a left hand that
shakes Shayilan up for a moment. Shayilan lets go with his hands,
and he lands a right hand and fakes his way into a takedown entry
that does not succeed. As they close distance, Soriano grabs hold
of his opponent and muscles him down with a body lock takedown. In
the ensuing exchange, Shayilan turns Soriano over and climbs into
half guard. Soriano bucks him off for a moment, but Shayilan is
able to ride it out and claim full mount. Soriano pushes off the
wall to try to get some space or flip over, but he turns over
instead to escape. Shayilan welcomes this as he cinches up back
control, and briefly finds Soriano in a twister setup position.
Soriano continues to turn through the spot so that he flips
Shayilan back over, but he goes a little too far and Shayilan puts
his back to the mat and sits in half guard. Soriano holds on tight
to pin Shayilan to his body so that he cannot get off much in the
way of ground strikes, but Shayilan is able to posture up enough to
punch his midsection a few times before the horn blares.

Sherdog Scores

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

Round 3

The round commences with both men tense, ready to react to the
other. Soriano does not overcommit to strikes so he does not get
taken down, but after blocking a high kick, Shayilan puts his hands
on him. Soriano tries to fight off the grip, but Shayilan slams him
to the mat. Although Soriano gets to his feet again, Shayilan nails
a suplex to drop the American back down to the canvas. Once more,
Shayilan muscles his way to stand up, using the wall as his ally,
but Shayilan is quick to wrench him back down. Soriano looks to get
his way out, but as he scrambles, Shayilan takes his back. Soriano
rolls to his knees and turns around, but Shayilan keeps tight to
him and locks up a body triangle. Soriano does everything in his
power to keep turning and attempting to free himself, but there is
nothing doing as Shayilan is on him like a cheap suit. Soriano
defends the rear-naked choke setups with wrist control, but he has
no way of breaking the body lock while Shayilan controls him in
this position. Soriano softens him up with punches, and he follows
Soriano as Soriano suddenly twists one direction to get out. This
back control, which has lasted minutes, stays gripped until the
final bell.

Sherdog Scores

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

The Official Result

Nuerdanbieke Shayilan def. Sean Soriano via Unanimous Decision
(29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Round 1

Yet again, two combatants on the prelims today will be vying for
their first victory under the UFC banner, when Durden (11-3-1,
0-1-1 UFC) will try to make good on his third attempt against “The
Mongolian Murderer” Aori (18-8, 0-1 UFC). If that nickname stands
up, only time will tell, and referee Jason Herzog is present to
make certain that it is not literal. Although Aori offers a glove
touch, Durden is not having it, and instead lets go with a sweeping
leg kick. He lands another, and forces Aori to come back at him
with a short series of punches. As Aori advances, Durden grabs hold
of him and drips him down to the mat. Aori scoots his way to the
fence to stand back up, but Durden doggedly pursues it to get him
back down. The fighter out of Georgia – the American state, not the
country – successfully sucks Aori’s legs out beneath him and tosses
him back down to the mat in the center of the cage. Durden looks to
advance his position to get out of Aori’s guard, but elects to
smash him in the face with several punches. As Durden lets him have
it, Aori explodes and kicks off to get back to his feet. As soon as
he is upright, Aori leaps in the air with a knee, and Durden pushes
him away. Aori swings with an uppercut and misses, and this allows
Durden to shoot in for a takedown entry. Pursuing a single, Durden
successfully drags Aori down to his seat, but only for a moment
before Aori sits up to his knees. Durden keeps his opponent
squeezed on the wall, and Aori swings short elbows to fluster his
wrestling-centric foe. Aori gets back up again, and Durden grinds
him heavily on the wire until Aori pushes off and whiffs with an
uppercut. Aori sits down on a right hand that knocks Durden back,
and the wrestling may have gassed Durden as takes several clean
punches and a knee to the body. All Durden can do is flail back in
response until the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

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

Round 2

Aori knows better to offer a touch of gloves this round, and
instead is ready to counter Durden’s aggression. The fighter out of
Inner Mongolia scores a combination, marking Durden up and working
the head and body. Durden gathers himself and starts sticking out
effective jabs, using them to set up a takedown try. Aori stops
this in its tracks and blasts Durden in the face with an uppercut,
but the American is undaunted and fires right back with reckless
abandon. Aori winds up with two hooks before clinching up and going
after a single-leg takedown of his own. Durden stops this from
succeeding, breaking the grip and getting some space. Durden throws
a leg kick, gets countered, throws another, and is countered a
second time. Despite the accurate counters from Aori, Durden goes
to the well with another leg kick, and this time there is nothing
that comes back at him. Aori has his right hand ready to throw an
uppercut or a big right hand, and he swarms with a right hook only
to miss and get clipped with a short left from Durden. Durden tries
to capitalize on the close range by going after a single, and Aori
hops away and pulls his leg back. They stand in front of one
another and trade after a reset, and Durden lands the better of the
punches with a right hand that catches Aori flush. Aori continues
to aim his uppercut, and when Durden chases in with a takedown,
Aori bowls him over and climbs on top for a moment. Durden turns to
his knees, and tries to make a disadvantageous position into a
positive one by going for a single. Aori again gets away and backs
off, letting Durden back up so he can use his range. Durden marks
Aori up with a solid uppercut of his own, and he peppers Aori with
several jabs. Aori bites down on his gumshield with a pair of big
right hands, and Durden walks through them in an effort to brawl.
They throw punches and kicks right to the bell, ending a close and
exciting round.

Sherdog Scores

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

Round 3

When the third round begins, Aori loads up with a leg kick while
Durden goes over the top with a right hand. Durden flicks out a few
jabs, and he misses with an uppercut that could have done some
serious damage. Aori connects with a kick to Durden’s calf, and
Durden is wearing it and takes a pair of punches right after.
Durden looks to stand firm as Aori advances, but the leg kicks give
him enough pause to let Aori open up with punches. Durden crashes
forward for a takedown, and Aori grabs the fence with one hand by
shoving Durden’s face on the mat. Aori grabs the fence several
times, is warned repeatedly and even has his hand slapped away, but
the uncalled fouls allow him to stay on his knees. Durden does not
let him off the hook, yanking his legs out and putting Aori down to
the canvas. As Aori turns and returns to his knees, Durden
considers a back take before electing to just drag Aori back down.
Although Durden keeps top control and tries to move from guard to
half guard, he is not putting out any offense. Instead, the focus
of the American is solely on getting Aori down and keeping him
there. Aori powers his way up, and he hits a trip to try to counter
Durden. When they both fall to their knees, Durden is able to pull
the arm of his opponent and get up. They stand up, and they begin
to brawl recklessly with a minute to spare. An uppercut from the
“Mongolian Murderer” wobbles Durden, and Durden attempts a body
lock but there is nothing doing. Aori tries to reverse him with a
hip toss, and Durden stays upright and presses Aori against the
wall. Aori pushes him down to the floor, but Durden uses the
posture to go after a single. Pushed into the fence while holding
on to one leg, the fight ends. It could go either way.

Sherdog Scores

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

The Official Result

Cody Durden def. Qileng Aori via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28,
29-28)

Round 1

The match was canceled on Saturday afternoon after a member
of McKinney’s team tested positive for COVID-19.

Round 1

For the third time in less than a month and a half – a modern UFC
record – Godinez (6-2, 1-2 UFC) will return to the UFC cage to
compete. This time, she is paired against Thai striker “Loma
Lookboonmee” Suphisara (6-2, 3-1 UFC). The highest of any fight on
the card, the betting line that this strawweight fight goes the
distance is a massive -275 to -300 depending on your book. Referee
Herb Dean is in it for the long haul if need be, and there is no
glove touch between the ladies to commence the action. Instead,
Godinez is ready to start slinging leather, with punches to close
the distance and not allow Suphisara to get her kicks off. This
forward movement does not stay for long, as Suphisara aims kicks to
the body and head from range. Godinez goes after a head-and-arm
toss, and Suphisara reverses it and puts Godinez on her back
instead. “Loopy” springs back up to her feet, and they jockey for
position against the fence. As soon another throw gets set up,
Godinez breaks away instead and gets kicked in the chest by the
Thai. Godinez scores a three-punch combination that ends with a
back fist, and Suphisara shrugs it off and gets back to kicking
distance. A kick to the body and one to the head partially land,
and Godinez charges in to pursue a takedown. They scramble, drop to
their knees, and pummel back and forth in the tight clinch. A knee
gets through from “Loma Lookboonmee,” who staves off any takedown
try and forces Godinez to again break. Suphisara goes up high with
a kick, and when she puts her leg down, Godinez greets her with a
solid right hand. Suphisara lets loose a kick that gets caught, and
Godinez takes advantage of this with an inside trip that puts the
Thai on her back with seconds left in the ground. Godinez cannot
land a strike from above before the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

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

Round 2

The round opens with Godinez pushing the pace with a punch salvo,
backing Suphisara up to the wall. As soon as Suphisara tries to
return fire, Godinez lifts her up and slams her to the mat, where
she claims half guard in an instant. “Loopy” is quick to pass
through to side control, and she puts her knee on Suphisara’s neck
to slug her in the face a few times. This odd position allows the
Thai to explode out, where she jumps back up to her feet but cannot
get Godinez off of her. Instead, Godinez keeps a tight grip around
Suphisara’s waist, even going after a standing rear-naked choke as
she bullies Suphisara to the wall. This allows Suphisara to throw
her over her head to put Godinez down, but Godinez springs right
back to her feet as if nothing happened. A few heavy kicks get
through from “Loma Lookboonmee,” including a head kick that may
have gotten Godinez’ attention. To stop these from coming, Godinez
snatches a leg and wrenches Suphisara down to the ground. In half
guard, Godinez keeps her elbow pressed on Suphisara’s head to hold
her down, and she lands a few left hands every so often. With
Suphisara stuck with her side and then head on the wire in the
corner between the cage and the floor, she twists to break the
posture. Godinez follows her along, taking her back and considering
a choke effort. There is no choke to be found, and when the horn
sounds, they are tied up and need to be untangled to get back to
their corners.

Sherdog Scores

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

Round 3

Godinez stretches her arm out to offer a glove touch, but Suphisara
would rather fight it out from the get-go. “Loopy” acknowledges
this and goes down for a single, where she is able to plop the Thai
down to the ground without much concern. As they scramble,
Suphisara turns the tables to get on top for a moment, where she
scores a few elbows. As Suphisara gets on top, Godinez hunts for a
heel hook and uses it to turn Suphisara off of her. Suphisara is
able to slide her knee out and get out of submission danger by
spinning around, and she slides down into Godinez’ guard. A few
elbows from Godinez on her back land to the back of the head, but
there is no note of them as Suphisara continues to try to pass.
Godinez carries on with elbows to keep Suphisara honest, and
Suphisara responds in kind. Godinez is able to power her way back
upright, and Suphisara clings to her and knees her in the thigh and
midsection repeatedly. Suphisara jumps away when Godinez attempts
to take her down, and Godinez gathers herself, pursues a double and
slams the Thai down to the canvas. Godinez gets half guard with
ease, and then she takes Suphisara’s back when Suphisara looks to
stand up. Without landing much from above, Godinez cannot keep
Suphisara down for long. They both rise up in the clinch, and
Suphisara gets off a few short strikes before the final bell.

Sherdog Scores

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

The Official Result

Lupita Godinez def. Konklak Suphisara via Unanimous Decision
(30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Round 1

Now in three of five matches on the card so far, one UFC fighter
will likely pick up their first win. Whether it is ex-Combate champ
Garcia (11-2, 0-2 UFC) or unbeaten Israeli upstart Levy (6-0, 0-0
UFC), referee Jason Herzog draws the charge and is ready for what
happens next. No one wants to touch gloves, and instead Garcia
marches forward to pressure the newcomer. Levy avoids a punch
combination and just skims the top of his foe’s head with a kick.
Garcia gives it back with a few punches, and they slug it out
before returning to the center of the cage. The Israeli fighter
throws so hard that he falls to a knee, and Garcia grabs hold of
his neck to hold him down and consider a choke attempt. Levy on one
knee fights off the back take tries of “Gifted,” but he cannot
break this head lock grip until Garcia pushes through to take him
down. Levy is quick to roll to his knees and back up, and they
trade single punches. Levy sits down on a body kick, and he chops
at Garcia’s lead calf. Again, Levy swings with all his might to
take him off-balance, and Garcia sees this and avoids the wind-up.
Levy lets loose with a high kick that misses the mark, and Garcia
tags him with a right hand. As Levy aims a counter, Garcia is
faster and slugs him with an overhand right. Standing right in
front of the other, they proceed to trade at will one after the
other. Garcia fires a body kick that gets caught, and Levy pursues
a takedown from it but cannot ground Garcia. Instead, Garcia pulls
his leg out and grabs hold of Levy to push him into the wire. As
Garcia grinds him against the fence, Levy sweeps the leg out and
drops Garcia down to the mat. Garcia gathers himself, gets up, and
hits his own single to put Levy down seconds before the round ends.
The frame concludes with Garcia on top.

Sherdog Scores

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

Round 2

They both trade strikes to start off the round, and as Levy tries
to go up high with a kick, Garcia catches it. “Gifted” takes
advantage of a gift opportunity to plant Levy on his back, and the
newcomer is able to blast right back up to his feet. When they
break, it is Garcia who scores with a straight right hand, while
Levy’s attempt to knock his head off goes wide as he throws too
hard. They both get back to boxing range and bang it out, before
deciding to alternate with kicks. Levy just misses with a left
hand, and Garcia counters him with a left hook. Garcia is able to
deliver a kick to the body, but Levy does not miss a beat and gives
him one right back that lands with an audible thud. Levy’s head
kick glances off the shoulder, and he digs one to the body that
makes Garcia grimace. Garcia charges ahead, loading up on power
punches to get Levy to backpedal, but Levy stands firm and throws
back. Garcia scores a clean one-two, and Levy’s kicks land heavily
in response. As Garcia plods forward, Levy grabs him and takes him
down. Garcia walks up to his feet as Levy takes his back standing,
and when Garcia gets up, Levy wrenches him right back down to the
mat. Garcia, on one knee, lets go with no-look elbows that do not
do much. Instead, Garcia fights the hands, and he powers up as he
watches himself on the video screen. When they both get upright,
Garcia pursues a single, but Levy stops it and kicks him in the
head. As soon as Levy puts his foot down, he dives in for a single,
only to get stuffed. Garcia walks straight into a knee to the side,
and Levy boots him in the body right after. As he is eating these
strikes unanswered, he grits it out and swarms ahead to take Levy
down. Levy rolls to his knees, gets punched in the side of the
head, and the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

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

Round 3

Right before the final frame opens, Levy has to get tape cut off,
buying the fighters a few extra seconds of recovery. Levy strides
out of his corner when it begins with a loud kick to the body.
Garcia answers with a kick on the inside thigh, only for it to
clatter off the cup. Levy waves it off and they back off to re-find
their range. Levy engages first after a brief staring contest, with
a head kick that is partly blocked. Garcia aims a counter, only to
get uppercutted for his trouble. Garcia pursues a takedown, and
when Levy pushes him off, he throws a looping punch that misses and
allows Garcia to latch on to him like an Alabama tick. Levy is able
to remain on his feet and fight out of the clinch, but Garcia marks
him up with several uppercuts before the separation. Garcia dives
forward with a takedown effort, and Levy stands him up, clinches
with him and knees “Gifted” in the body several times. A spinning
back kick from Levy lands cleanly to the liver, and Garcia grits
his teeth and goes after a takedown. They clash heads, and Levy
drops to a knee while he tries to gather himself and stand back up.
Garcia relentlessly goes after takedown after takedown, bullying
the unbeaten fighter into the fence until Levy explodes and wings a
right hand that misses. Levy gathers his thoughts and changes
levels for his own takedown, and Garcia’s sprawl stops this from
succeeding. Garcia times a knee to the head just after Levy pulls
his hands off the ground, and Levy groans. They split apart, and
when Levy swings for the bleachers, Garcia hits a picturesque
takedown to plant Levy on his back for the remainder of the round.
Levy pulls rubber guard, but there are no submissions to be found
as Garcia lands punches from on top to the final bell.

Sherdog Scores

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

The Official Result

Rafa Garcia def. Natan Levy via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28,
29-28)

Round 1

The preliminary headliner is the first match of the day between two
competitors with UFC records over .500, and it comes at 145 pounds
between proud Pennsylvanian Sabatini (15-3, 2-0 UFC) and
Maryland-based rival “Top Gun” Lutz (12-1, 1-0 UFC). If maverick
referee Mark Smith is not at the top of his game, he may find
himself on a one-way trip to the danger zone during this
potentially thrilling dogfight. The fighters are fueled up and
touch gloves to launch the proceedings. Lutz walks forward, and he
blocks a high kick so that he can kick low. The featherweights
sling kicks at the same time, and Sabatini chomps down on his
gumshield to swing looping hooks at his opponent. Sabatini lands a
left hand, and Lutz is there to tag him with three punches.
Sabatini punches his way into a level change, and Lutz counters him
and hops back into the wall to keep his balance as Sabatini pursues
a takedown. Lutz staves off the initial attempt, turns Sabatini
into the wall, and then is forced to fight off a subsequent try.
Sabatini is able to trip Lutz’ leg out beneath him but he cannot
keep him there, until he finally pulls Lutz down to the mat. Lutz
does not have any interest in playing on the ground here, and he
walks his way up the wall until Sabatini lifts both of his legs up
and drags him back out. Lutz still manages to get up, only to
succumb to a mat return from a trip. Sabatini takes Lutz’ back in
the process, with left hands that land as he flirts with a
rear-naked choke setup. The punches continue to connect for the
Philadelphia native, until Lutz turns over and falls into the
choke. The submission is not under the neck, as Sabatini squeezes
while Lutz’ face turns pink. Lutz toughs it out long enough for
Sabatini to abandon that choke angle, and he is warned for grabbing
Sabatini’s glove. Sabatini secures the body triangle, all while
Lutz ducks his chin down so that the arm cannot snake on his
throat. Sabatini softens him up with right hands, punching the side
of Lutz’ head right to the bell.

Sherdog Scores

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

Round 2

The fighters touch ‘em up to begin the second frame, and Lutz comes
out on the offensive. He lands a few punches, and when he tries to
throw a kick, Sabatini grabs it and nails a clean double-leg
takedown. Sabatini easily steps over to half guard, and Lutz hangs
on to him to force a possible standup. Sabatini breaks the grip so
that he can land punches and grind elbows, and he slides his knee
over to take three-quarter mount. Lutz turns to his side to free
himself, and when he does, Sabatini captures side control. Sabatini
begins to pound on Lutz with short left hands, and as he does, Lutz
turns the tables and gets to his knees. Sabatini takes advantage of
this to jump guard for a guillotine choke, and he improves the
choke into a mounted guillotine. Lutz fights off the choke but is
still mounted, so he turns over to surrender his back again.
Sabatini is happy to take it, where he hooks in a body triangle as
he starts to fish for rear-naked chokes again. Lutz is able to work
his way towards the wall, so that he can keep the cage between them
and not allow Sabatini to get leverage. Sabatini still tries to get
the choke, and Lutz stays smart enough to protect his neck, even
when his face turns color. Sabatini cannot quite keep the grasp to
tighten up a choke, as Lutz bucks and even sits up for a moment.
Sabatini drags him back down, and he remains in dominant back
control until the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Sabatini
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Sabatini
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-8 Sabatini

Round 3

They clap hands to start off the last round, and Sabatini backs
away to throw a body kick. Lutz crashes forward to throw hands,
with a left hook and a right to follow. Sabatini eats a few punches
so that he can shoot in for a single, and Lutz keeps his foot in
the air and sets it down against the fence. Sabatini tries to go
for an inside trip that lifts Lutz’ leg up so that he can turn him
around and slam him down, but Lutz sees this coming and is able to
stay up. As they continue in this position, Lutz turns him around
and lands his own takedown. Sabatini stands right up without a care
in the world, and he attacks a single. The second attempt of the
Philadelphian gets Lutz down to the floor, and Lutz is quick to
stand to a knee and then back up. The mat return from Sabatini
comes, and he successfully grounds Lutz with his backside on the
fence. Dean tells them to work as soon as it hits the ground, and
Sabatini obliges by grabbing hold of Lutz’ leg on the other side to
take an advantageous posture. Lutz gets to his seat and stands, and
they both try to toss the other and end up with their elbows hooked
as they are both on their knees. Lutz gets up and lands a few knees
up close, only for Sabatini to get off a one-two in response. Lutz
begins to walk Sabatini down, looking for some strike that can win
him the fight after losing practically every minute of the fight to
this point. Sabatini ignores a strike coming his way so that he can
tie Lutz up, and he instantly clings to Lutz like Saran wrap.
Sabatini looks for trips from both legs, constantly frustrating
Lutz with attempts and setups without letting Lutz do anything of
his own. They separate for a second, until Sabatini darts in for a
double. Lutz stands him up and punches him in the side a few times.
The fight ends after they break from a clinch, with Lutz giving
chase but not catching his foe.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Sabatini (30-26 Sabatini)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Sabatini (30-27 Sabatini)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Sabatini (30-26 Sabatini)

The Official Result

Pat Sabatini def. Tucker Lutz via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27,
30-27)

Round 1

The prelims were rough, but an immediate “Fight of the Night”
contender greets fans in the main card opener between Yanez (14-3,
3-0 UFC) and Grant (13-5, 4-4 UFC), in an intriguing
striker-grappler affair at 135 pounds. Yanez has won all three of
his UFC outings by knockout, while Grant has never been knocked out
with his last two victories also by KO. Something might have to
give, and referee Herb Dean is ready to catch the chips that fall
where they may. They touch gloves before getting down to business,
and Yanez tries to get the fight over early with a huge right hand
that whizzes past his target. Grant backs away, chops at the leg a
few times, and then goes up higher with a kick. Yanez looks to
counter Grant’s kicks, or attempts to check them down low. Yanez
walks through a few kicks, and Grant keeps letting go with leg
strikes of all direction. The front kicks land flush, and the Brit
turns through a kick to spin with a back fist that just misses. An
inside leg kick from Grant trips Yanez down to the ground, but
Yanez gets up and aims a right hand across the bow. Grant stays
composed, but Yanez bears down on him with one to the body and one
to the head. Yanez scores a leg kick, and he clips his foe with a
left hand. “Dangerous Davey” just misses with a spinning wheel
kick, and Yanez blocks a subsequent flying knee so that he can let
go with a few punches up top. Body kicks from both feet connect for
Grant, and he just misses with a looping left hand. Yanez does not
appear concerned and is calmly attempting to counter, with a right
hook that is not far from the mark. Grant kicks Yanez in the calf
again, causing Yanez to lose his footing, and Yanez gathers himself
with a one-two that cuts Grant on the nose. Grant puts a few
punches on Yanez, and Yanez slips a spinning wheel kick that comes
right after. Grant stands tall and gets nailed with a left and a
right, and the Houstonian ducks a punch to nail Grant with a right
hand. Grant shakes it off and raises his arms in the air to
celebrate a tough scrap, and they stand right in front of one
another and bang. When they back away, Grant keeps his distance
with reaching front and high kicks. Grant takes a leg kick, and a
punch that busts his nose up a little more. The Brit spins with a
hook kick to the legs in the vein of Andy Hug, and Yanez shrugs it
off so that he can wind up a right hand. Grant swings and misses,
and he turns all the way through with a tornado punch after a full
rotation. Right after that bounces off Yanez’ shoulder, the round
ends.

Sherdog Scores

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

Round 2

The bantamweights clap hands before getting right to it, with heavy
strikes right out of the gate. Grant backs off to land a low kick,
and then a combination of punches follows. Shortly after another
kick to the calf from Grant, Yanez snipes him with a right hand but
Grant is not fazed. They trade ferociously, and one kick collides
with Yanez’ cup, but Yanez does not want to pause. Grant keeps his
range with kicks, and he tries to spin with them but Yanez sees
them coming. Yanez brushes off punches and kicks, but a scraping
finger to the eye makes the American take a break. Dean brings in
the doctor, who lets Yanez wipe his own eye out. After a minute to
recover and blink it out, they clap hands to start off again. Grant
surges forward with a single-leg takedown try immediately, and
Yanez stuffs it and even tags Grant with a right hand as they
separate. Yanez begins to chop at Grant’s legs with kicks, and they
go back to full-throated brawling, with each landing cleanly and
not budging. Grant’s nose gets battered even more after absorbing
blows, but he does not seem to care as he spins with a back fist
and then a follow-up punch with the momentum. Yanez stays composed,
but Grant swipes a right hand around the guard right in the face.
Yanez scores a one-two, and Grant is right there to answer back.
These two bantamweights are not afraid of the other’s power, and
they have complete faith in their chins as they are unloading with
ferocious strikes. A looping punch leads to a knee, and Grant lands
to score a few punches and shake Yanez up a little. The Houstonian
wears it well and marches forward to engage, but Grant’s looping
shots still find their home on the nose. Grant keeps his hands
wide, using awkward striking and the occasional head kick to keep
Yanez honest. A few more dangerous shots from “Dangerous Davey”
connect right before the bell.

Sherdog Scores

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

Round 3

The gloves get touched to start the last round, and they unload
immediately. Grant lands a few kicks, including a head kick that
glances off the side of Yanez’ head, and Yanez tries to return
fire. Yanez flicks out a jab or two, and Grant still manages to
connect with his wild right hand. Grant rushes forward with his
sprinting, spinning blow, but Yanez sees it coming and tries to
intercept him with a heavy calf kick. Grant checks it, and Yanez
marks him up with a one-two. Grant shrugs it off to attack with a
flying knee, and he winds up with power punches even as Yanez
scores a clean combination right on the face. Yanez sinks in a
one-two, and Grant comes back at him with a spinning back kick.
Yanez connects with a single right hand, and Grant eats it so that
he can chain together a combination of punches and a head kick.
Yanez’ strikes are cleaner and crisper, while Grant’s looping
punches sound louder. Yanez dings Grant with a few punches, and
Grant is right there every time to throw right back at him even as
the blood continues to flow. Yanez sticks out a piston-like jab
several times to bloody Grant up badly, and Grant is able to still
be in his face throwing everything and the kitchen sink. The
easiest pick for “Fight of the Night” so far is going down in the
cage tonight, and Yanez triples up on a jab only to absorb a flush
overhand right. Grant lines up a left hook, and then another, as
Yanez tries to defend himself. Yanez continues to batter Grant with
a jab, and the jab is disrupting the ridiculous hooks of his
opponent. Yanez is able to stick and move, rolling with the
telegraphed power punches and letting them hit his shoulder. Yanez
lands jab after jab, and Grant lets it go with a leaping kick, a
few wild punches, a knee and a couple more punchers for good
measure. Yanez stays light on his feet, dodging and weaving from
most of them while piercing the guard with his jab. The fight ends
with a fun exchange, putting a cap on the best fight on the card so
far. When the battle ends, Yanez collapses to the ground in tears,
letting out all of his emotions as he mourns his fallen coach Saul
Soliz.

Sherdog Scores

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