Gritty main card yields wins for Fili, Gillespie and Dober in Charlotte
FILI vs BERMUDEZ
In the UFC Charlotte co-main event at Spectrum Center, Andre Fili now has the first two-fight winning streak of his UFC career, as he won a three-round split decision over Dennis Bermudez.
Scores were 29-28 twice and 27-30 for Fili, now 18-5. The No. 12-ranked Bermudez falls to 17-8.
Both featherweights set a fast pace, Bermudez putting the pressure on as Fili tried to pick and poke at him with strikes from range, and while Bermudez had success with a quick and busy striking attack, it was Fili who won the takedown battle in the opening frame.
Fili put the bout on the mat briefly in the opening stages of round two, but Bermudez wasn’t flustered in the least, and after the two rose, he kept marching forward, jarring Fili with a hook. With a minute left, it was another takedown by Fili, but once they stood, Bermudez was still the busier striker.
In the third, Bermudez didn’t slow down in the slightest, and while Fili was slowed by the steady stream of leg kicks he was taking, his mix of techniques were enough for him to take the victory on the scorecards.
Jordan Rinaldi’s Charlotte homecoming bout went south in a hurry, as unbeaten lightweight prospect Gregor Gillespie took him down and finished the bout in the first round.
Rinaldi has some success with his striking as the fight began, but as soon as Gillespie scored a takedown, it was just a matter of time until the New Yorker ended the bout, as he moved from position to position until he took the local favorite’s back and fired away with strikes until referee Donnie Jessup stepped in at 4:46 of round one.
With the win, Long Island’s Gillespie moves to 11-0. Rinaldi falls to 13-6.
Frank Camacho did it again in terms of delivering gritty and compelling action, but at the end of three action-packed rounds, it was Drew Dober who got the unanimous decision victory in their welterweight bout.
Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 twice for Dober, now 19-8 with 1 NC. Camacho, who picked up Fight of the Night honors in his first two UFC bouts, falls to 21-6.
The pace was fast in the first, with neither fighter willing to let the other surge into the lead. Two takedowns and a hard right hand just before the horn may have done the job for Camacho, though, despite some solid striking by Dober.
Dober got a takedown early in round two, but when they hit the mat, it was Camacho landing on top, and the two rose quickly. As they did, Camacho looked winded and Dober took advantage as he pushed the pace with a series of hard shots. Yet just when it looked like Dober was on the verge of putting the fight away, the steel-chinned battler from Saipan would roar back.
It was the same in the third round, as Dober, with a little more pep in his step, threw and landed combinations. But as the seconds ticked away, it was Camacho doing the chasing, as he scored with several kicks to the body and punches upstairs.
