UFC Fight Night 233 ‘Song vs. Gutierrez’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

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UFC Fight Night 233 coverage will begin Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
ET.

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Dos Santos (-148), Alencar (+124)

Round 1

The penultimate UFC card of 2023 is upon us, and it is certainly an
event. ~~Road to UFC 2 Finals~~ ~~UFC Shanghai~~ UFC Vegas 83
will bring a small crop of Asian prospects to the forefront, but it
will start with two Brazilian ladies going head-to-head at 115
pounds. Invicta FC atomweight champ Amanda (14-6, 0-0 UFC) will be
moving up in weight for her promotional debut, while Alencar
(4-0-1, 0-0 UFC) was signed off of Dana White’s Contender
Series—from a draw. High finish rates from the ladies mean that
referee Keith Peterson might have to get involved before it is all
said and done, but before they get after it, the strawweight leave
their nonsense at the door and wade towards one another without a
glove touch in sight. Alencar sticks out a front kick to introduce
herself, and Amanda backs off and flicks out a jab. Amanda springs
to the side and gets kicked upside the head, and Alencar crashes
the pocket and looks for a takedown. When Amanda pushes her off,
Alencar looks for a left hand on the break. Alencar reaches out
with an overhand right, and she just misses with a subsequent high
kick. The ladies slam fists in one another’s faces at the same
time, and Alencar wobbles back but gathers her senses and looks to
settle down with jabs and head kick attempts. Alencar misses the
mark with an overhand right, and Amanda answers her with a solid
right that knocks her foe back. Amanda pushes off with a one-two,
and as she overcommits to a strike, Alencar closes in on her and
snatches hold of a single-leg takedown. Amanda backs herself up
against the fence, keeping her balance, and she leans back against
the wall. When she pushes off, she takes a right hand on the chin.
Amanda comes out firing, and Alencar responds in kind as they crack
one another in the chops. Amanda wings a left hand high to open up
a straight right hand down the middle, and Alencar takes a few
steps back and gets driven towards the cage wall. Amanda rings her
bell with a one-two, and she goes low with a kick to mix things up.
Amanda strings several punches together, and she ends a combination
with a right hand right on the ear. The two slow down to not burn
out their gas tanks early, and Amanda settles down with a few jabs.
Alencar attempts a takedown in open cage, and Amanda shoves her
back and starts lighting her up with body shots and those up high.
Right as the bell sounds, Amanda leaps in the air, and she bounces
of Alencar’s forehead—it is a legal blow, technically, so nothing
else comes of it.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Amanda
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Amanda
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Amanda

Round 2

The ladies meet in the middle, and Alencar reintroduces herself
with a winging right hand that bounces off the guard, and a head
kick try that makes her topple over. Amanda backs off, as if to
signal her foe to stand back up, but Alencar butt-scoots towards
her. Amanda motions for her to stand up, and Peterson gets between
them to make it so. When upright, Alencar throws hard but cannot
find her range with her strikes. Amanda prods at her with a low
kick, and she leans back from a pair of high kicks that buzz past
her. Amanda calmly works her way in, peppering with the occasional
kick, and shutting down much of anything coming back her way. When
Alencar attempts a head kick, Amanda dips and smacks her in the
lead leg. Both women paw out front kicks several feet away from the
other, and Alencar struggles to get in. Alencar aims one kick low
as Amanda springs from side to side, and the former Invicta champ
ducks a pair of punches and nails Alencar with a right hand.
Alencar crowds her and jams her up against the fence, and she spams
knees to the body to stay busy. With both underhooks, Alencar
muscles Amanda to the mat courtesy of a body lock takedown. Alencar
lands on top in half guard, and she looks for side control while
also attempting an armlock on the other side. Amanda defends
against the submission while pushing the shorter woman off of her,
and she connects with a few on the chest to keep Alencar at bay.
Alencar lowers herself down to deliver some powerful strikes, and
she stings Amanda with one right before the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Alencar
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Alencar
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Alencar

Round 3

Alencar takes to the center of the cage to start the final frame,
and she leads the dance with a one-two as Amanda ducks to the side.
Amanda looks for her own short combination, and she ends up
countering Alencar with a short right when Alencar attacks. Alencar
kicks the body and reaches out with a left hand, and Amanda’s own
offense is relatively muted. Amanda looks to strike when Alencar
ducks down for a takedown, and she pushes Alencar to the side and
whiffs on a haymaker when she breaks away. Alencar tosses out three
punches that bounce off the raised guard, and Amanda gets one back
on the temple. This same type of exchange repeats itself, with
Alencar not landing while Amanda gets one in. Amanda swings for the
fences, and Alencar is well out of harm’s way in time. Alencar, not
wanting to get hit by one of those booming shots, shoots for a
single. Amanda stuffs it and sprints to the side to reset. Alencar
meanders forward, attempting kicks and punches, and Amanda calmly
responds with a single damaging leg kick. Amanda doubles up on a
jab as Alencar walks her down, and she hops back to avoid a head
kick and comes up short with an overhand right. Both women get off
right hands during a brief exchange, and Amanda separates and
connects with a low kick. Alencar attempts a single, and Amanda
stuffs her and busts her in the chops with a right hand. Amanda is
swinging with everything she has, and she catches Alencar at the
end of a right. Amanda smiles with 10 seconds left on the clock, as
she draws Alencar into a brawl. This works to her advantage, as she
rings Alencar up with a few strikes before Alencar tries to clinch
up. This position ends the fight, and Amanda, all smiles, looks for
a hug from her now former opponent.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Amanda (29-28 Amanda)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Amanda (29-28 Amanda)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Amanda (29-28 Amanda)

The Official Result

Talita Alencar def. Rayanne Amanda dos Santos via Split Decision
(29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Taira (-410), Hernandez (+320)

Round 1

Buried on the prelims is a young man fast on the rise, as
23-year-old Japanese prospect Taira (14-0, 4-0 UFC) looks for win
no. 15 at the expense of the speedy Hernandez (9-2, 2-1 UFC). The
latter recently picked up a win in June when a slam knockout ended
up overturned to a decision thanks to an inadvertent clash of heads
on the way down. The third man in the Octagon will be referee Mark
Smith, and he kicks off the fight as the 125ers touch gloves.
Hernandez is the initial aggressor, pushing the action at least
from a movement standpoint. Neither man commit to a strike in the
first 30 seconds, until Hernandez paws out with a left hand that
sneaks around the guard. Taira responds with a front kick, and
Hernandez chases him to the ground. Taira immediately sweeps his
opponent, and the resulting wild scramble results in both men
getting back to their feet. Hernandez pushes the Japanese fighter
against the wall, and he lifts Taira up and attempts to slam him
down. Instead, Taira positions himself midair to shift his body
weight, and he pushes Hernandez over and lands on top of him. Taira
steps over to three-quarter mount briefly, but remains comfortable
in half guard so he can control and land sporadic left hands or an
elbow. Taira jumps over to full mount, and he looks to hook his
left arm around the side of the head while lacing Hernandez’ legs
between his own. Taira bails on the arm-triangle choke setup so he
can posture up and land shots from on top. Hernandez turns over,
and Taira flattens him out and starts fishing for a submission.
When that does not come, he starts laying into Hernandez with his
fists. Hernandez turns about again, giving up his back, and Taira
follows him every step of the way and looks to fasten in a
rear-naked choke grip. Hernandez defends it and continues twisting
himself around, and Taira drills him with punches any time he has
an opening. Taira sits up and blasts Hernandez in the face with an
emphatic right hand, and he rides out the remainder of the round on
top and lands one more right hand.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Taira
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Taira
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Taira

Round 2

The flyweights come together, and Hernandez is again the first to
push the pace. Taira smacks him in the temple with a left hand, and
he follows with a calf kick. Taira rifles a straight right hand
down the pipe, rocking Hernandez down to his core, and

he strings together a chain of punches until Hernandez crumbles to
the mat. Taira follows him down, continuing his bombardment of
strikes, and Hernandez turtles up on his knees, barely still with
it. Smith watches on as Taira beats on him, and he determines that
Hernandez is no longer in the fight and waves it off.
This is a big win for Taira, who records his first career knockout
in years by lifting himself to a perfect 15-0 as a pro.

The Official Result

Tatsuro Taira def. Carlos Hernandez R2 0:55 via TKO (Punches)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Santos (-185), Egger (+154)

Round 1

The final women’s bout on the card comes at a catchweight of 139
pounds, as former flyweight Santos (6-1, 1-0 UFC) tipped the scales
three pounds heavy for her bantamweight bout against Egger (8-4,
3-3 UFC). The Swiss woman will come out with a heavier bag of cash
than expected, as Santos has surrendered 20% of her fight purse as
a result. The cage commander for this clash will be referee Herb
Dean. There is an apologetic touch of gloves offered by the heavy
woman to get things started, and it is accepted. Santos leads off
with rangy, awkward strikes from strange angles. Egger keeps her
guard high and parries most of the strikes that come her way, as
Santos is overextending and winging strikes from various
directions. Santos crowds her way in, throwing a clubbing right
hand to get Egger’s attention, and she backs her off with a front
kick. Egger shakes it off and plods forward, sticking out a jab and
a right hand. Egger reaches out, dings the Brazilian on the cheek,
and accidentally hooks her finger into Santos’ top. Dean allows
them to reset so there is no wardrobe malfunction, and they return
to their tit-for-tat striking exchanges. Egger pushes in and drives
a knee to the chest, and Santos stops a throw attempt and turns
Egger around. The two trade knees on the inside, and trip attempts
fail from both sides. Egger gets a bit of space away from the cage
as they continue to knee one another in the belly, and Santos keeps
her hands on the Swiss woman to otherwise shut her down. Egger
connects with a heel kick to the thigh and knees up the middle hard
enough to stun Santos for a second, and she times a knee on the
chin when Santos ducks down. The uneventful round ends with the two
tied up.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Santos
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Santos
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Santos

Round 2

The two clap hands to get the second round started, and Egger paws
out a jab shortly thereafter. Santos responds with three leg kicks,
and Egger swings so hard that she falls on her hands. Santos cannot
capitalize on this mistake, instead backing off to let the Swiss
fighter stand back up. Egger slowly plods forward before swinging
an overhand right at her foe, and this leads to a clinch to pick up
where they left off, only with Egger the one pressing. Santos spins
away, but she takes a knee on the break. Santos sticks out a
one-two, and a low kick comes after it. Egger catches a front kick
and lines up a right hand, and Santos shakes her head and continues
throwing. Egger wings reckless punches, and Santos tries and fails
to time a trip. The Brazilian settles for pushing Egger against the
fence, until she manages to toss Egger to the canvas. Egger stands
back up, fighting off hooks that Santos attempts to slide in, but
Santos has her gripped from behind. Santos looks to drag Egger down
from behind, until she turns to the side and gloms her full body
weight on Egger. Egger attempts a Thai plum clinch, but Santos
fights off the hands before Egger can knee her on the chin. Santos
changes levels, but Egger fights this off and separates. Santos
throws several punches and lands one, and Egger awkwardly throws
back. Santos gets in two more left hands, and Egger cannot find her
way in as Santos pecks at her and jabs her. Egger ignores the blows
and chains three strong punches together that get Santos’
attention, leading Santos to force a clinch. Egger hacks with a
downward elbow to try for any offense while pinned against the
wire, and the round comes to a close.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Egger
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Egger
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Egger

Round 3

There is one final clap of hands to start the round, and Egger
pushes on the accelerator and bullies Santos back. Santos reaches
with long jabs, and Egger grabs hold of her to knee her twice. The
Brazilian takes advantage of this position by hip tossing Egger to
the mat, dropping Egger right on her head. Santos looks for a scarf
hold from there, but Egger deftly fights it off and forces her way
back to the feet. As soon as Egger pushes Santos to the fence, Dean
calls them to work. Santos muscles Egger around to press her back
against the wall, and she peppers with light knees and foot stomps
until Dean asks them for more activity. Santos continues to impose
her weight until Dean steps in, and Santos takes a very deep
breath. Egger thanks Dean for this by rushing after Santos, and she
blasts Santos in the face with a long combination. When Santos
walks away, Egger stands still, until the Swiss woman wades back
into combat. Santos times this with a level change, and although
she cannot get the fight to the mat, she squeezes the aggressive
Egger against the cage. Santos knees the thigh and stomps Egger’s
foot, and Dean continues to call for more work. With Santos doing
nothing, Dean splits them up at the 45-second mark. Egger pushes
forward until Santos attempts a takedown. Egger turns the corner
and drags Santos to her knees, landing left hands as time ticks off
the clock. A few pitter-patter strikes from Egger conclude the
lackluster match.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Egger (29-28 Egger)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-10 (29-29)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Egger (29-28 Egger)

The Official Result

Luana Santos def. Stephanie Egger via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
29-28, 29-28)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Costa (-275), Garcia (+225)

Round 1

The predominant method of victory for these two fighters—now
competing at lightweight due to the short-notice nature of their
rescheduled pairing—is the knockout. Referee Chris Tognoni should
don his hard hat before going out against these two sluggers. “Mean
Machine” Garcia (14-5, 3-2 UFC) has performed his last six
victories via strikes, while LFA vet Costa (20-6, 1-1 UFC) has
earned two of his last three wins by knockout. Before the fists
fly, they meet together in a sporting manner. Garcia springs
forward, but he pulls back before engaging. On his second advance,
Garcia throws caution to the wind, winging big punches. Costa
shimmies to the side and allows Garcia to push past him, and he
hooks his leg around Garcia’s and tries to drag him down to the
floor. Costa elects to lift Garcia up and slam him to the mat, but
“Mean Machine” moves back up to his feet quickly. Costa clings to
Garcia from behind relentlessly, and Garcia tries to defend with
no-look elbows. Costa knees Garcia in the backside and upper thigh
as he pressures his man, and Garcia responds with elbows on the
thigh. Costa whips Garcia to a knee, and Garcia considers grabbing
the fence but at the last second just points at it. Costa forces
his man down to a knee again, but Garcia springs up with no ill
effects. Costa continues to embrace the grind from behind, shutting
down any offense from Garcia and forcing him to spend energy in
strange exchanges. When Costa looks to get a hook in, Garcia shucks
it off. Costa peppers with knees until scooping Garcia up and
dumping him down once more. Garcia powers back upright, and he
wiggles and wriggles but cannot escape. Costa trips Garcia out but
is unable to keep him grounded for more than a second, and he stays
in this position until the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Costa
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Costa
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Costa

Round 2

Round 2 Garcia comes out of his corner angrily, and he swings
violently and connects with a few of his shots. Costa responds as
the two engage in a mad brawl, with punches and elbows flailing in
all directions. Garcia wings a left and a right, catching Costa and
knocking him down to the canvas. “Mean Machine” follows him to the
mat and drives down a vicious elbow, splitting Costa wide open, and
Costa is in a bad way. Garcia smashes his man with fists and sharp
elbows, and blood sprays around the canvas. Costa turns over and
gives up his back, and Garcia snatches up a rear-naked choke.
Perhaps due to the blood flow, Costa is able to slide out of the
choke and turns to his back.
Garcia postures up, in full mount, and he demolishes “Melky” with
three ruthless elbows. Tognoni halts the fight, with Costa out or
very nearly out. When Garcia dismounts his defeated
adversary, Costa tries to take Tognoni down, and he is deep in on a
single. Tognoni displays excellent takedown defense as officials
flood the cage, with one very loud shouting at Costa to wake him
back up. Costa realizes that he is trying to take down a referee
and that the fight is over, and he surrenders.

The Official Result

Steve Garcia def. Melquizael Costa R2 1:01 via KO (Elbows)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Park (-425), Ross (+330)

Round 1

In one of the more lopsided matchups from a betting perspective,
hefty favorite and unbeaten South Korean Park (8-0, 3-0 UFC) will
put his spotless record against a foe in Ross (12-8, 0-2 UFC) that
has lost three straight by knockout. Before they try to lop the
other’s head off, they come together for a cordial touch of the
gloves. Referee Keith Peterson takes a deep breath, clearing his
lungs of any nonsense, and the flyweights get going. Park starts
with a few leg kicks, and Ross is right in his face throwing hands.
Park swings hard and fast, with a right hand that gets through.
Ross comes back at him, and Park responds with a low kick that
splits the uprights and draws a pause. Ross only needs a few
seconds to recover from the groin shot, and they get back swinging
frantically. Park connects with a stern right hand on the temple,
and Ross’ balance nearly betrays him. Instead of falling over, Ross
leaps forward with a knee. Park lets him land so he can circle
around and drill “The Turkish Delight” on the other side of the
head. Ross escapes, and they clack shins together, drawing a
stumble. Ross gathers himself and swings with bad intentions, but
Park lands with his own damaging blows. Park drives out a left hand
that frazzles Ross, and Ross falls to his back and is in big
trouble. Park leaps on top and hunts for a choke, but he settles to
sit up and hack down with elbows. When Ross keeps turning, Park
follows him and locks the body triangle. Park considers another
rear-naked choke, and Ross hand-fights to keep himself safe for
now. Park leans to his back to slash with two elbows, and he
fastens another RNC grip, this time on the jaw. Ross toughs it out
and keeps surviving, and Park turns him to his stomach and flattens
him out. Ross turns to his side so he does not take more damage,
and Park slides his arm on the jaw for a rear-naked choke. Ross
fights off the grip with it squeezing on his chin, and Park
continues frustrating him with punches when not looking for a
choke. Ross scoots to put his back, and Park’s, against the fence.
Ross punches from behind his head until the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Park
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Park
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Park