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Darren Elkins defeats Godofredo Pepey
Darren Elkins got cracked a few times in the opening round but “The Damage” kept coming and took out Godofredo Pepey with his wrestling and a steady pace of significant strikes. Elkins took the unanimous decision win (29-27, 29-27, 30-26). Elkins out-struck Pepey, 144-63 and 85-24 (sign. Strikes) and the Team Alpha Male product landed all five of his takedown attempts.
Kamaru Usman defeats Alexander Yakovlev
Ultimate Fighter season 22 winner Kasmaru Usman made easy work of Alexander Yakovlev, grinding his way to a unanimous decision win (30-25, 30-25, 30-25). Usman landed four takedowns and controlled Yakovlev for 13:04 of the 15-minute fight. Usman improves to 8-1 overall and 3-0 in the UFC.
They said it:
Kamaru Usman: "This victory means a lot to me, as he is a top-level guy that has beaten talented fighters and fought Demian Maia. He showed he is very tough and can hang on. Hopefully this proves that I'm ready for next-level competition. I need to rest up for now, but want to fight two more times before the end of the year."
Michel Prazeres defeats JC Cottrell
In a grapping clinic, Michael Prazeres landed seven takedowns en route to a dominant unanimous decision win against J.C. Cottrell (30-26, 30-27, 30-27). Cottrell had a difficult time staying on his feet and off his back and landed almost no offense. That’s four UFC wins now for Prazeres.
They said it:
Michel Prazeres: "This victory means everything to me. I feel it was a great performance. It was a good win for me. He had nothing to lose as was making his debut and that's why I had to be more cautious. The people in my area train a lot of jiu jitsu and wrestling and I feel that's a beautiful combination. … I want to go back and fight in the next Brazilian event. I have fought away now for my last three fights, I feel it's time to go back to my fans."
JC Cottrell: “He’s a tough guy and I took the fight on short notice. I just want a full camp and another fight.”
Alex Oliveira defeats James Moontasri
Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira landed the only takedown of the fight and out-struck James Moontasri, 164-33 and 68-14 in significant strikes to cruise to a one-sided unanimous decision win (30-26, 30-26, 30-25).
They said it:
Alex Oliveira: “I am very happy about this win as I came from a loss. The strategy was to grab him and finish him. He was a very strong guy and I was listening to everything my coaches were telling me. Now I want to go down a weight class and fight someone that is ranked.”
James Moontasri: “He had a good game plan. I feel that standing up I had the upper hand, but he had a good game plan.”
Jason Knight defeats Jim Alers
Jason Knight collected his first UFC win by split decision against Jim Alers (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) in an early Fight of the Night candidate. It was a curious split only because Knight controlled the fight and brought the fight to Alers for all 15 minutes. Knight out-landed Alers in significant strikes, 73-37, but Alers did land four takedowns versus only a pair for Knight.
They said it:
Jason Knight: “I have been waiting a long time for this moment. The feeling I have right now is great. I would like to thank all my family and friends.”
Jim Alers: “I thought I did enough to win the fight. I just felt it should have went my way. I don’t know what else to say.”
Luis Henrique defeats Dmitrii Smoliakov
Luis Henrique overwhelmed Dmitrii Smoliakov in his UFC debut, grinding out a submission victory at 3:58 of the second round with a rear naked choke. Henrique landed some vicious ground and pound in the first round and busted up the face of the big Russian before taking the win in the second.
They said it:
Luis Henrique: “I am very happy with this victory and feel this is just the beginning. I trained hard and would like to thank my camp and everyone that helped me prepare for this fight. Now I get to relax with family and then get back to training hard in the gym for my next fight.”
Dmitry Smoliakov: “I have respect for all my opponents. The same goes for Luis. He is a good fighter. Everybody here is strong. … I didn’t listen to my coaches enough. I spent a lot of time boxing and completely left my wrestling skills. I thought he would spend more time boxing because he knows I’m a wrestler. I tried to gain more experience in boxing, but he competed more as a wrestler. It was a different world in the Octagon. I took a lot from this fight and next time I will be better."
