The UFC 197 main card is kicked off by two top Featherweight prospects in the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America, Yair Rodriguez and Team Alpha Male member Andre Fili.
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Both fighters engage with attempted kicks that are largely unsuccessful before Rodriguez catches Fili’s kick and takes him to the ground, and tries to land elbows and punches.
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Good job by Fili though in controlling Rodriguez’s posture to prevent taking too much punishment, before he manages to create enough distance to get back up.
They continue to circle each other and throw the odd strike as the buzzer to signal the end of the first round is sounded. Rodriguez may have edged that round thanks to the takedown.
The second round commences as Rodriguez leaps in with a wild kick that misses entirely, before he manages to take Fili down again. Not much action ensues on the ground as they get back up to the feet, only for Rodriguez to pull out a jumping roundhouse kick from his locker that catches Fili flush on his face. Fili stiffens up and goes down, as the referee Dan Mirgliotta jumps in to hastily call off the fight.
Yair Rodriguez establishes himself as a top featherweight prospect with a spectacular knockout that is sure to be featured in future highlight reels.
Result: Yair Rodriguez by Knockout at 2 minutes and 15 seconds of Round 2
Rising Australian Middleweight Robert Whittaker and number 13 ranked Brazilian Rafael Natal are up next in a bout that promises to be a striker versus grappler affair. Although one could have expected the Brazilian to drag the fight into deep water, he instead opts to stand and trade with Whittaker throughout round 1.
Following a lengthy feeling-out process, Whittaker catches Natal with a couple of good shots towards the end of the first round that rocks the Brazilian and possibly edges the first round for him on the judges’ scorecards.
Rafael Natal, however comes out swinging in the second round and chews up Whittaker’s lead leg with a barrage of vicious outside leg kicks, which have the Aussie visibly hurt and slightly reluctant to continue walking down the Brazilian.
The durable Whittaker, however, keeps stalking Natal and lands a few punches and a glancing head kick that looked like it could have cleaned his clock had it connected cleaner. After hurting Whittaker with the leg kicks at the beginning of the round, Natal surprisingly abandons the tactic as he opts to get into a fist fight with Whittaker. The second round seems closer than the first, though possibly edged by Whittaker on account of centre control.
Natal returns to his tactic of targeting Whittaker’s lead leg in the third and final round, but the persistent Aussie continues walking him down regardless of how effective those kicks appear to be.
Both men engage in wild flurries, with defence not taking priority with either fighter. Whittaker again lands the cleaner shots with the hands, although Natal does make his fair share of contact.
Whittaker then catches Natal towards the end of the round with a head kick that clearly buckles the Brazilian, although too late to allow him to pursue the finish in what has been an eventful and entertaining fight.
Result: Robert Whittaker by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Coming off two losses, former Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis faces fellow Tae Kwan Do black belt and another one of the UFC’s finest exponents of kicking in Edson Barboza, promising fireworks. All pre-fight indications point towards a potential fight of the night contender here.
Both men start cautiously, with neither willing to make a false move, perhaps on account of the punishing kicking ability of the other. Barboza connects with the odd leg kick, while Pettis is content to engage only using his hands.
Barboza then lands a couple of clean left hooks to Pettis coming in, including a perfect spinning back kick to the body that stops him in his tracks. Pettis attempts to respond with a flashy spinning wheel kick to the head, but is unsuccessful. Round 1 to Barboza.
Pettis starts round 2 much the same way as he did in round 1, circling and attempting to find angles with which he can establish offence. But by now it is obvious that the left hook is a ploy for Edson Barboza in this fight as he lands another clean shot to Pettis coming in.
Despite Pettis’ best attempts to stick and move, it seems that Barboza’s counter left hooks are dictating the fight thus far as the Brazilian’s output has the American reverting to uncharacteristic takedowns in an attempt to change the tide of proceedings. Another round to Edson Barboza, leaving Anthony Pettis possibly requiring a 10-8 final round or a finish to salvage the fight.
The third and final round kicks off with Pettis looking to turn up the urgency in hopes of a finish, but it is the Brazilian with the better strikes yet again as he pegs back the American with vicious leg kicks and an occasional well-timed jab.
Pettis now looking to stalk Barboza in desperation, which is playing right into the Brazilian’s hands as he eats more vicious kicks to the body and the inside leg. Edson Barboza closing out this fight dominantly, mixing up his inside leg kicks, left hooks and stiff jabs masterfully, rendering the offence of Anthony Pettis almost ineffectual. It has been a consummate performance by the Brazilian, who has arguably whitewashed Anothy Pettis in this fight.
Result: Edson Barboza by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
The co-main event of the night in the Flyweight division follows, featuring undefeated Olympic Gold medallist Henry Cejudo challenging undisputed champion Demetrious Johnson, who is searching for his mind-boggling eighth straight title defence.
The fight gets underway after Bruce Buffer makes the official introductions. Cejudo starts the fight by pressuring Demetrious, and they clinch. Surprising that Mighty Mouse opts to fight him in the clinch given his wrestling credentials, and true enough, Cejudo takes down Johnson early in the first round.
Not for long though, as Johnson eases back up to his feet and establishes another clinch with the wrestler, this time lacing it with a multitude of knees from different angles and the occasional elbow.
Demetrious Johnson then hurts and dazes Cejudo with a knee to the head when seperating from the clinch, and follows it up with another devastating knee to the body that completely buckles the challenger, forcing Big John McCarthy to step in and call an end to proceedings at just 2 minutes and 49 seconds of the first round. Mighty Mouse is now only 2 wins away from equalling the record set by Anderson Silva for the most title defences in a row.
This man never ceases to amaze.
Result: Demetrious Johnson by T.K.O via knees at 2 minutes and 49 seconds of Round 1
The main event of the night for the interim Light Heavyweight Belt, featuring the return of another pound-for-pound great after a 16-month lay-off, and possibly the greatest fighter of all time to grace the Octagon in Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, is up next.
Much has been made about the power-lifting and gym training that Jon Jones has been plowing through during his hiatus, and the results were on display as he looked more ripped and ready to go than ever. But as the fight panned out, the stroke of reality that even the greatest of fighters are not spared of ring rust, hit home beyond a doubt.
Although clearly dominating all five rounds against an opponent he was expected to put away with relative ease in Ovince St.Preux, Jon Jones – self admittedly – looked a tad hesitant in pulling the trigger throughout the fight.
He controlled distance for the most part in the fight, using those patented oblique kicks that hyper extend the knee and push kicks to the body, while also doling out offence by intermittently mixing in spinning heel kicks to the body and the head.
Ovince St.Preux for his part, displayed admirable takedown defence for the first three rounds, managing to avert the clinch from where Jon Jones generally works his wrestling game and imposes his will on his opponents.
But towards the end of the fourth round, Jones did get the takedown on a tiring St. Preux and managed to land a few brutal ground and pound elbows and punches, with only the buzzer at the end of the round averting the stoppage.
Despite St. Preux getting in precious little offence throughout the fight, if any, nothing could hide the disenchantment of both the audience in attendance and indeed, Jones himself, as the performance from him was not nearly as dominant as many predicted.
But perhaps in our memory of a dominant Jon Jones, we overlook the percept that this may be as good as he could have looked after a long lay-off blighted by numerous issues with the law.
The night’s proceedings were then closed out by crowning a new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, but the anti-climatic aura that hung in the air could not have been more palpable.
Result: Jon Jones by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-44)
