MMAjunkie's 'Fight of the Month' for May: A battle for UFC trailer park supremacy

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie looks at the best fights from May.

Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMAjunkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for May.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

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The nominees

Enrique Barzola def. Gabriel Benitez at UFC 211

A dramatic last-second knockdown wasn’t enough to keep “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2” winner Enrique Barzola (13-3-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) away from a victory on the judges’ scorecard against Gabriel Benitez (19-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC).

Where Barzola fell short on his feet, he excelled in rag-dolling Benitez to the canvas over three rounds. His opponent fought mightily to keep from being totally blown out, but Barzola’s work was enough to get him the unanimous-decision win.

Chase Sherman def. Rashad Coulter at UFC 211

Chase Sherman (10-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) kicked Rashad Coulter’s (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) leg until he could barely stand – and that’s when the heavyweight fight really began.

In an epic slugfest, Sherman and Coulter traded head trauma and clung to consciousness as their gas tanks rapidly diminished. Finally, Sherman landed a decisive short elbow that crumpled Coulter up against the fence, bringing a sudden end to the thrilling bout in the second round.

Jason Knight def. Chas Skelly at UFC 211

Chas Skelly (17-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) told Jason Knight (17-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) prior to their featherweight encounter that “there’s only room for one redneck in this 145-pound UFC trailer park.” Knight wasn’t about to walk out, so he claimed his territory with a third-round TKO win.

After some exciting exchanges both on the feet and on the ground, the momentum swung steeply into Knight’s direction toward the end of the second round. He picked up where he left off in the final frame, battering Skelly with hard shots until the referee mercifully decided he’d seen enough.

Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 211

As expected, it didn’t take long for things to get a little crazy between former UFC lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez (28-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and the always entertaining Dustin Poirier (21-5 MMA, 13-4 UFC).

What was unexpected was how it ended, though, with Alvarez mounting a comeback from a near knockout just long enough to floor Poirier with a series of blatantly illegal knees. The referee called off the fight and ruled it a no-contest, leaving a bitter taste for everyone involved after the anticipated fight ended prematurely.

Alexander Gustafsson def. Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 109

Alexander Gustafsson’s (18-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) latest main event showcase in his hometown of Stockholm was easily his most impressive one. The two-time UFC title challenge picked apart Glover Teixeira (26-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) before finishing him off with a vicious knockout in the fifth round.

Gustafsson’s uppercut landed consistently throughout the light heavyweight fight and put Teixeira in trouble on more than one occasion. “The Mauler” tripled up with the attack early in the fifth round then landed a right hook when downed his Brazilian foe and ended the fight.

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The Winner: Jason Knight vs. Chas Skelly

Early on, Knight made it clear he wouldn’t be one of Skelly’s quick submission victims.

Knight made Skelly’s life very difficult everywhere they fought. But it was his striking that eventually turned the fight in his favor, bringing a swift end in the third round after a well-timed charge.

The end came just 39 seconds into the third round when Knight surged forward and landed a crushing uppercut that sent Skelly to the canvas. When Skelly tried to roll out of danger, he trapped an arm and held it while delivering punishment with his free arm. Skelly was long out of the fight by the time referee Jacob Montalvo stepped in to stop the damage.

It was a swift reversal for Skelly, who’d landed a brilliant head rick and right hand near the end of the second round. Knight, sporting a cut under his right eye, took the shot with a slight wobble. But he walked through most of Skelly’s other attacks, taking a stiff jab to deliver combinations that forced his opponent backward.

Skelly, a quick finisher on the mat, quickly tired of slugging it out with Knight early and went for the takedown. What he quickly found out was that Knight was no easy mark on the mat. The mission control position allowed Knight to tie up and use the threat of a gogoplata to reverse position, resulting in several spirited scrambles. Knight didn’t win all of them, but he kept Skelly from racking up otherwise easy points.

By the end of the opening frame, Skelly appeared to be so winded from the frenzied exchanges that he hardly fought a takedown attempt. A guillotine attempt in the second invited another takedown.

Advised by his corner to pressure Knight, Skelly walked straight in to the counter that flattened him, leading to the loss that snapped a two-fight win streak. Knight now has won four in a row and should graduate to matchups within the top 15.