I was in attendance at UFC Fight Night 148 in Nashville, TN last night and got a chance to take in the action. Here’s what we learned from the exciting fights last night:
Preliminary Action:
Marlon Vera vs. Frank Saenz
I caught a glimpse of the preliminary action with 2 fights catching my eye the most. Marlon Vera absolutely dominated Frank Saenz in this Bantamweight bout. When I say dominated, I mean dominated. Midway through the first round, Vera caught Saenz with a counter jab that sent the arena into a frenzy and gave Vera a first round TKO win.
The jab!!#UFCNashville @ChitoVeraUFC pic.twitter.com/77KUSSqCT1
— UFC (@ufc) March 23, 2019
Bryce Mitchell vs. Bobby Moffett
We then moved into the last fight of the preliminary action that saw Bryce Mitchell square off with Bobby Moffett. Moffett didn’t have a great start to his night…he didn’t have a great end to his night either. Mitchell dominated the fight, taking control of Moffett on the ground and not letting Moffett get any type of opportunity to change the momentum of the fight. It was simply annihilation by Mitchell, giving him the win, much to the Nashville crowd’s delight, and a continued climb up the featherweight ladder for Mitchell.
Things @ThugNastyMMA loves:
1. Arkansas
2. Camo Shorts
3. Steak
4. Arkansas#UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/FFepzDODCN— UFC (@ufc) March 24, 2019
Main Card:
Maycee Barber vs. JJ Aldrich
We started off the main card with a flyweight fight between Maycee Barber and JJ Aldrich. Aldrich started off the fight well, getting a knockdown out of the process, finishing the round off well. 2nd round, Aldrich and Barber had an even start, with Aldrich still having the fight under control. However, midway through the 2nd round, Barber caught Aldrich with a mean jab and tagged her with a nice combo to end up getting the TKO victory. Both fighters are young talent moving up the flyweight division, but Barber gets the win and continues her way up the flyweight division
THAT'S IT!@MayceeBarber finishes Aldrich in round 2! Wow! #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/HzNUu14vQW
— UFC (@ufc) March 24, 2019
Luis Pena vs. Steven Peterson
Pena got busy from the get go, showing off his striking arsenal and quickly steering this fight in his favor . Was a great showcase of Pena and his striking arsenal and it seemed Peterson couldn’t stop it whatsoever. Pena had many highlights in this fight, including this head kick that Peterson didn’t seem to be bothered by.
HUGE head kick and Peterson just eats it. What a fight! #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/k7Wuqabv1s
— UFC (@ufc) March 24, 2019
Peterson tried to counter by slowing down the fight, trying to make it more of a ground game, but Pena wasn’t having that. Pena then added an extra controlled 3rd round en route to a unanimous decision win.
Jussier Formiga vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
This fight was an important one, with crucial impacts towards the Flyweight title contender rankings. Formiga took care of round 1, catching Figueiredo with a couple punches on the ground. Formiga however got into some trouble in round 2, receiving a nasty gash in the forehead. Round 3 was much more even, ending with a decision win for Jussier Formiga while keeping his #1 flyweight contender status intact.
John Makdessi vs. Jesus Pinedo
This bout started and ended with not much action, except towards the ends of rounds 2 and 3. Both fighters kept their distance and didn’t want to make any careless moves. Makdessi got his scoring from a barrage of kicks landed in all rounds of the fight leaving obvious bruising on Pinedo’s legs. That damage lifted Makdessi to a unanimous decision win.
Justin Willis vs. Curtis Blaydes
Two top heavyweight contenders squared off in what eventually was a grind it out win for Blaydes. Willis from the start couldn’t stop Blaydes’ wrestling prowess and ended up on the ground for the majority of the fight.
Elevator ride!#UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/IS4WsxjKYB
— UFC (@ufc) March 24, 2019
Blaydes blew it away with repeated knees to Willis’ upper leg/body and made Willis look like an amateur ending up with a unanimous win for Blaydes. One non-takedown highlight, this straight right that made Willis wobble.
Straight right from Blaydes stumbles Willis in round 2! #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/nsP9BiGG0v
— UFC (@ufc) March 24, 2019
Anthony Pettis vs. Stephen Thompson(Main Event)
Round 1 of this anticipated fight started off with a mix of feeling out and aggressive styles to get points early. Round 2 was the ending round as Anthony Pettis absolutely WAXED Stephen Thompson. I mean good lord.
SHOW. TIME. #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/TwQmvytxQn
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 24, 2019
Pettis with this win is back on the map for maybe a lightweight title match down the road.
