UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Gane Prelims

Jacoby (14-5) had his moments in the opening round, but two knockdowns scored by the steel chinned Grishin (31-9-2) definitely swung the frame in his favor. Jacoby, now bloodied on the bridge of the nose, recovered well in the second and began picking his foe apart with a wide variety of strikes, setting up a third round that would likely decide the fight, and in that final frame, Jacoby continued to roll, locking up the win via three scores of 29-28.

Grishin missed weight for the bout at 210.5 pounds.

Official Result: Dustin Jacoby def. Maxim Grishin by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) | See the Scorecard

Highly touted Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Ronnie Lawrence lived up to the hype in his Octagon debut, as he halted Vince Cachero in the third round of their bantamweight bout.

The first round was a fast-paced one, and while Cachero got in his shots, particularly a right hand with 1:12 remaining, Lawrence scored a flash knockdown with a leg kick and also landed three takedowns, allowing the Floridian to take the round. There was more of the same in the second from the tireless Lawrence, and in the third, he found an even higher gear, as he pressed for the finish and ultimately got it, with a barrage of unanswered ground strikes prompting referee Jerin Valel to halt the bout at 2:38 of the final frame.

With the win, Lawrence moves to 7-1. Cachero falls to 7-4.

Official Result: Ronnie Lawrence def. Vince Cachero by TKO (strikes) at 2:38 of Round 3 | See the Scorecards

Mazo was fast and sharp with her strikes as the fight opened, but Davis got some daylight when she caught a kick and followed Mazo to the mat as “The Colombian Queen” fell. Davis used her experience well on the ground, ultimately taking Mazo’s back with under two minutes left, and she kept her foe there for the rest of the round.

The second was an interesting one, as Mazo scored well upstairs with her strikes while Davis battered her opponent’s leg with kicks downstairs. What may have broken the round open, though, was a takedown by Davis in the closing seconds.

The fight hit the mat early in the final round, with Davis in control while Mazo tried to stay busy but wasn’t able to get upright before the horn ending the bout sounded.

Official Result: Alexis Davis def. Sabina Mazo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) | See the Scorecards

In an entertaining lightweight contest, Thiago Moises continued to impress as he defeated Alexander Hernandez via unanimous decision.

Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Moises, now 15-4. Hernandez falls to 12-4.

The first round remained on the feet for five minutes, with Hernandez aggressively pursuing Moises while the Brazilian calmly stood in the pocket and countered, leading to a fun to watch give and take punctuated by a hard right by Moises late that was likely the biggest shot of the round.

Moises was in even more of a rhythm in round two as Hernandez got a little wilder in his attacks, and while the counters were landing with regularity, Hernandez was still the busier fighter, making it interesting to wonder how the judges were seeing the bout.

Taking the role of aggressor to start round three, Moises took the fight to Hernandez, and after a brief lull in the middle of the frame, he picked things up late, calling his opponent to fight as he landed several kicks and punches until the end of the bout.

Official Result: Thiago Moises def. Alexander Hernandez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) | See the Scorecards

Croom got the fight to the mat in the second minute of round two, but Caceres locked in a triangle choke from the bottom and appeared to be close to finishing. Surprisingly, Caceres let the hold go, and a few moments later he was back to his feet with Croom continuing to stay locked on. 

Caceres didn’t let up in the third, getting Croom’s back and nearly finishing the fight before ending strong and taking home a shutout three-round decision.

Official Result: Alex Caceres def. Kevin Croom by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27) | See the Scorecards

Nearly six years after their first bout in 2015, bantamweight contenders Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera continued to be perfect for each other in the Octagon. And this time it was Munhoz leaving victorious, with a unanimous decision allowing “The Young Punisher” to even the score with “El Terror” in an action-packed three-rounder.

Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for the No. 8-ranked Munhoz, now 19-5, 1 NC. The No. 9-ranked Rivera falls to 23-5.

Both fighters were throwing to end it early as the fight began, but each fighter took the incoming heat without blinking. And there was heat, as the lack of a crowd in the APEX made the sound of every landed punch or kick audible throughout the venue. With 90 seconds left, Munhoz’ kicks had Rivera’s left leg compromised, but the New Jersey product kept pressing, looking for the bomb that would turn things around.

Rivera got the fight to the mat as the second opened, but Munhoz scrambled his way out of trouble and back to the feet. While there the pace was a bit more measured, but the shots were continuing to be thrown with bad intentions by both men. Each kick to the leg by Munhoz was still drawing a visible reaction, though, even as Rivera continued to keep it close with his haymakers upstairs.

A couple inadvertent low kicks by Munhoz rattled Rivera in the third round, but in between, he kept chasing the fight-changing punch, even with his leg getting worse and worse with each shot. Munhoz’s chin didn’t let him down, though, allowing him to get the end of the fight and a decision win.

Official Result: Pedro Munhoz def. Jimmie Rivera by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) | See the Scorecards

After some grappling sequences initiated by Krylov to start the fight, the two 205ers kept it standing for the rest of the round, with Ankalaev countering with frightening accuracy, but Krylov pushing the pace and being the busier fighter. Each strike had fight-ending potential, though, and the continued to go back and forth as round two began. After ducking through a spinning kick by Krylov with a little over two minutes to go, Ankalaev scored his first takedown and he was able to hold his opponent there for the rest of the stanza.

Ankalaev put the close bout back on the mat in the second minute of the third round, and while Krylov got back to his feet midway through the final frame, the Russian remained locked on to his foe as he grappled with him against the fence.

Official Result: Magomed Ankalaev def. Nikita Krylov by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) | See the Scorecard

Gane looked smooth and relaxed after being waved into battle by referee Herb Dean. Whether bouncing around the Octagon, dropping his hands or shooting out a piston-like jab, Gane was using a lot of energy while Rozenstruik calmly waited to unleash a shot that would end matters early. Midway through the round, Rozenstruik erupted for a brief burst of action, but Gane avoided serious trouble and then landed a hard right before going into the clinch against the fence. With 20 seconds left, Gane scored a takedown, but it was too late to do much with it.

There was more of the same in round two, with Gane the busier fighter while Rozenstruik was just waiting too long to get moving. There was a brief moment of explosive action with a little over a minute to go when Gane threw Rozenstruik to the mat and nearly sunk in a rear naked choke, prompting a furious retort from Rozenstruik, who threw bombs but didn’t land on the Frenchman.

The pattern continued in rounds three and four, Gane controlling the bout from long range and not needing to push the pace because Rozenstruik wasn’t giving him any reason to. And while Rozenstruik had to know he was behind, there was no sense of urgency from the Suriname native in the fifth as Gane continued to control the pace and location of the fight as he did enough to score points and wrap up the clear-cut victory.

Official Result: Ciryl Gane def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) | See the Scorecard