Stephen Thompson is going to be a tough out for anyone in the welterweight division. That was one of the biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa as Wonderboy defeated Rory MacDonald by unanimous decision in the main event Saturday.
MMA Junkie tweeted out the scorecards:
UFC Fight Night 89 results: Stephen Thompson def. Rory MacDonald via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 48-47) https://t.co/XSxLxSl14I
— MMAjunkie (@MMAjunkie) June 19, 2016
After the action-packed bloodbath that was MacDonald's title fight against Robbie Lawler, hopes were high that MacDonald's comeback fight against Thompson would be another war.
It was still a spectacle, but not the kind you'd come to expect from a fight involving MacDonald. Instead of a knockdown, drag-out brawl, it turned into a frustrating game of cat-and-mouse for the Canadian as Thompson showcased brilliant footwork, defense and speed that flummoxed a pressing MacDonald.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden provided some context for Thompson's performance:
I find that kind of fight fascinating. We KNOW Rory MacDonald is great. But Thompson made him look helpless. A genius fighter.
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) June 19, 2016
After the fight, MacDonald declared his intention to fight for the belt his next time out, per Heidi Fang of the Las Vegas Review Journal:
Thompson on what's next: Title belt baby. I want the winner of Robbie Lawler and Tyron Woodley.
— Heidi Fang (@HeidiFang) June 19, 2016
The welterweight clash got off to a slow start. With both fighters possessing unique styles, the first frame was mostly used as a feeling-out process as both fighters tried to assess their range. Connor Ruebusch of Bloody Elbow made the case for it to be scored a tie:
If ever there was a 10-10 round, that was it.Two good hard shots from Rory, a few glancing blows from Thompson. Not much else.
— Connor Ruebusch (@BoxingBusch) June 19, 2016
The second round became a little clearer. Thompson's precise footwork and lead kicks stood out as MacDonald's usual measured aggression was a lot more measured than it was aggressive. Josh Gross gave the second frame to Thompson as he started to find his rhythm:
20-18 Thompson. Need to see more offense out of MacDonald, who hasn't done a lot against Wonderboy's speed and footwork.
— Josh Gross (@yay_yee) June 19, 2016
Still, the slow pace made the bout difficult to score. After three rounds, scorecards across Twitter disagreed. For instance, Damon Martin of Fox Sports had the first three rounds for Thompson, while Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com gave The Red King the third round:
Wonderboy up 30-27 after 3 rounds. MacDonald seems really tentative. Wonderboy not throwing as many kicks as usual either#UFCOttawa
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) June 19, 2016
29-28 Thompson after three. R3 goes to MacDonald. I'd say momentum slightly in MacDonald's favor ... bottom line: it's very close.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) June 19, 2016
It took four completed rounds before the fight delved into the kind of fiery exchanges that most expected. With Thompson frustrating a stalking MacDonald, the Canadian lunged at Thompson and became more aggressive with combinations.
The UFC shared some of the exchanges from the final round:
THEY ARE THROWING IN THE FIFTH!!! #UFCOttawa https://t.co/LFs3Io5Jm6
— UFC (@ufc) June 19, 2016
Charging toward someone with the counterstriking skills of Thompson has its costs, though. Thompson landed kicks and punches and bloodied MacDonald's nose as the offensive output was too little, too late and too ineffective for the Tristar fighter.
It wasn't the action-packed kickboxing match that fans hoped for, but it was a brilliant technical performance that showed Thompson is the most deserving of the next crack at the 170-pound title.
Here's a look at the complete results from the entire fight card, followed by recaps for each of the main card bouts:
UFC Fight Night 89 Results
Fight Night 89 Main Card
- Stephen Thompson def. Rory MacDonald, unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 48-47).
- Donald Cerrone def. Patrick Cote, TKO (Round 3, 2:35).
- Steve Bosse def. Sean O’Connell, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27).
- Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Thibault Gouti, submission (Round 3, 2:28).
- Joanne Calderwood def. Valerie Letourneau, TKO (Round 3, 2:51).
Prelims on Fox Sports 2
- Jason Saggo def. Leandro Silva, split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
- Misha Cirkunov def. Ion Cutelaba, submission (Round 3, 1:22).
- Krzysztof Jotko def. Tamdan McCrory, knockout (Round 1, 0:59).
- Joe Soto def. Chris Beal, submission (Round 3, 3:39).
Prelims on UFC Fight Pass
- Elias Theodorou def. Sam Alvey, unanimous decision (29-28, 30-37, 30-27).
- Randa Markos def. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
- Colby Covington def. Jonathan Meunier, submission (Round 3, 0:54).
- Ali Bagautinov def. Geane Herrera, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Main Card Bouts
Joanne Calderwood Kicks Off Women's Flyweight Division with a Finish
As it stands, there are only two divisions for the women in the UFC: the 135-pound bantamweight class and the 115-pound strawweight division. However, a third class might eventually become a reality if the flyweight fight between Joanne Calderwood and Valerie Letourneau is any indication.
One person who should be hoping for that is Calderwood. Her bout with Letourneau was contested at 125 pounds, and she looked better than ever.
The 29-year-old scored a third-round technical knockout over Letourneau to kick off the card. According to FightMetric, she scored three takedowns prior to the finish and earned a 115-80 advantage in significant strikes.
UFC on Fox shared the finish as Calderwood put Letourneau in danger with a front kick to the body and finished the job with strikes:
Joanne Calderwood stuns Letourneau with a kick to the body and SWARMS her with strikes to get the finish! #UFCOttawa https://t.co/OhbIGYj1e4
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) June 19, 2016
Going into the bout, Calderwood was ranked No. 12 in the flyweight division, while Letourneau was No. 5. Should Calderwood head back down to 115 pounds, it's about time she finds her own spot in the top 10.
Should the UFC decide to make 125 pounds a permanent option for women, Calderwood should be among the first in line to make the move. It appears the extra 10 pounds would allow her to come into fights in optimal form, and she would be an instant contender in the division.
Olivier Aubin-Mercier Thrills Home Crowd with Submission
The first fight after a prospect loses always reveals something about the prospect. The Quebec Kid Olivier Aubin-Mercier showed off his mental resolve in front of the Canadian crowd with a third-round submission of Thibault Gouti.
As one of the biggest underdogs on the card, per Odds Shark, Gouti didn't have anything to lose and fought accordingly in the first frame. Ruebusch noted Gouti's early pressure:
Gouti knows Aubin-Mercier isn't comfortable enough to counter, so he's just rushing the hell out of him, tripling up the right hand.
— Connor Ruebusch (@BoxingBusch) June 19, 2016
However, the talented Aubin-Mercier didn't balk at a close first round. Instead, he adjusted and tipped the scales in his favor with better counterstriking in the next five minutes and continued his dedication to dragging Gouti to the mat, where his grappling skills were better than his opponent's.
That advantage became more pronounced in the third and final frame, when he locked on to the rear-naked choke that forced the tap and got back on the winning track. The Canadian picked up his first loss as a UFC lightweight his last time out against Carlos Diego Ferreira.
Aubin-Mercier still has some things to work on. Volume strikers with a little more power than Gouti could pose a serious threat down the line, but Aubin-Mercier's athleticism and finishing ability on the mat still make him an interesting prospect to keep an eye on.
Steve Bosse Earns Decision Win Over Sean O'Connell the Hard Way
Lessons that were learned from Steve Bosse vs. Sean O'Connell: Steve Bosse and Sean O'Connell are among the most durable sluggers in the light heavyweight division.
If you've seen Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, you have a pretty good sense of what went down between Bosse and O'Connell.
The two light heavyweights engaged in multiple exchanges where it was clear both viewed defense as a mere afterthought and not a genuine aspect of winning a fight. Ultimately, the judges liked Bosse's offense a bit more.
Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting passed along the scores:
Bossé wins via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27). OC looked distraught afterwards.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 19, 2016
With Bosse's last five fights all ending with a finish and O'Connell's finish streak sitting at three, no one expected this bout to come down to a decision. Yet neither man could seem to take out the other despite each landing huge shots.
O'Connell landed the first one, knocking Bosse to the canvas with a lunging left hook that would have ended the night for a mere mortal. Instead, The Boss regained his wits quickly and continued fighting as though he hadn't even been hit.
Of course, Bosse wouldn't have earned the win without landing some heavy shots of his own. He was responsible for 94 of the 177 total significant strikes the two landed over three rounds, per FightMetric.
Bosse isn't a stranger to comebacks, either. Helwani recounted the long road Bosse took to get to this point since losing to Thiago Santos in his UFC debut:
What a 14 month stretch for Bossé: about to retire, gets called to fight at 186, didn't fight, KO'd bad in June '15, now two straight + wins
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 19, 2016
Moving forward, it's hard to take Bosse seriously as a future contender in the light heavyweight division, but his future with the UFC should be clear. The promotion always needs exciting fighters to fill out cards, and he showed why having him on a card is guaranteed violence.
Defensive inefficiencies aside, Bosse proved his mettle in this one and showed he's always a threat for Fight of the Night honors.
Donald Cerrone Looks Like a Real Threat at Welterweight
Donald Cerrone might have found an unlikely home at welterweight. The longtime contender earned his second consecutive win in the division with a third-round TKO over Patrick Cote in the evening's co-main event.
The Cowboy looked like an entirely rejuvenated fighter in his first extended bout at 170 pounds. Cerrone made the jump against Alex Oliveira in his last time out but finished the bout in just over two-and-a-half minutes.
This time, he went into the third round, and former UFC fighter Brian Stann took notice of how sharp the former WEC star looked at 170 pounds:
This is the best @Cowboycerrone performance in the last 2 years, and that says a lot. Incredibly sharp, fast, and powerful
— Brian Stann (@BrianStann) June 19, 2016
Regardless of weight class, Cerrone has proved to be a finisher in the UFC.
The left hook was a continuous threat for Cote, as he didn't have an answer for the speed and technique with which Cerrone was picking him apart in the first two rounds. UFC on Fox shared a replay of the hook that sent Cote to the canvas in the second round:
Cowboy DROPS Cote with a left! What a scrap! #UFCOttawa https://t.co/duIkdMCknY
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) June 19, 2016
With Cerrone making a name for himself in another division, the matchmaking for him going forward will be interesting. He's already a well-known commodity for his style and consistent fighting schedule, but where he goes in the 170-pound pecking order is a bit of a mystery.
But the number on Cerrone's mind post fight was 200, as in the massive UFC 200 card set to take place in three weeks. That's when he'd like to fight again, per Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting:
Cerrone: "All I know is there's 36 fights at UFC 200. I think I could get on one of those maybe, so that'd be cool."
Yeah, let's do that.
— Shaheen Al-Shatti (@shaunalshatti) June 19, 2016
It was a vintage quote to end a night that Cerrone has to hope will become the norm for him as he continues to look for challenges regardless of weight class.
