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UFC stopped by at the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas for a Fight Night offering headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Derrick Lewis and Junior Dos Santos.
Ben Rothwell returned to the Octagon after almost 3 years in the other heavyweight fight on the main card. That and much more went down at the event that had the finishes and hard-fought decisions that kept the fans engaged.
Let's not waste any more time and jump right onto the results and highlights of the show:
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UFC Fight Night 146 Prelims Results:
* Anthony Rocco Martin def. Sergio Moraes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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* Yana Kunitskaya def. Marion Reneau via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Grant Dawson def. Julian Erosa via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)
* Maurice Greene def. Jeff Hughes via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
* Louis Smolka def. Matt Schnell vs. via submission (triangle choke) (3:18, Round 1)
* Alex Morono def. Zak Ottow via TKO (punches and elbows) (3:34, Round 1)
* Alex White def. Dan Moret via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
#1. Tim Boetsch (21-12) vs Omari Akhmedov (Middleweight)
It was time for the main card action to begin. Let's go!
Round 1: Lots of movement but not much contact in the first few seconds as the feeling out process was on full display. Omari drew first blood with a body kick and Tim clinched.
Tim attempted a leg trip takedown but Omari defended well and pushed him to the cage. Omari went for the legs but Tim defended the takedown well this time around. They separated and get back to the center of the Octagon. Omari landed two rights hooks and missed with a spinning back elbow.
A good calf kick from Omari, Omari shot for the takedown in the closing stages but Tim defended and tagged Omari on the way out.
The round came to a close.
Round 2: Tim's corner encouraged him to get into Omari's face. Tim increased his volume has he landed with a few front leg kicks.
Omari connected with a solid straight right which seemed to have shattered Tim's nose. Omari kept going for the haymaker from the top but didn't find any success.
Nothing much happened until the final minute of the round when both men clinched. A few knees from Tim and one may have hit Omari's groin. The fight was momentarily stopped before Herb Dean continued it from the same exact position, and that's where both men remained until the end of the round.
Round 3: Tim was ordered to take his chances by his corner and he came out all guns blazing. Tim kept pressing forward but couldn't land much as Omari navigated himself really well.
Omari connected with a combination. Omari was was in a counter-attacking mode as she forced Tim to commit and he answered with a hook in the follow-up.
Dean warned the fighters to engage with two minutes left on the clock. Tim seemed to be in a lot of trouble as his vision didn't look all that great as Omari tagged him with a few strikes in the end. They ended the fight in the clinch.
Result: Omari Akhemedov def. Tim Boetsch via unanimous decision (30-27, 30,27, 30-27)
#2. Drew Dober (20-8-1) vs. Beneil Dariush (15-4-1) (Lightweight)
Dober was on a 3-fight win streak while Dariush was coming off a big win against Thiago Moises.
Round 1: Dariush came out swinging with the kicks from the get-go. Dober pushed forward and tagged Dariush on the jaw. Dariush clinched and pinned onto Dober to the cage. This was exactly where Darisuh wanted the fight to be as he looked for a takedown.
They separated and Dober landed a combination that wobbled Dariush. Dariush clinched again at the nick of time. Dober connected with a clean left shot to Dariush's jaw. That was insanely clean but Dariush's chin was holding up fine. He clinched again as there were around 2 minutes to go.
Dober led with 18 head strikes to Dariush's 12 as the round neared the end. Dariush already looked gassed as Dober attempted a flying knee to end the round. Strong start from Dober.
Round 2: Dober knocked Dariush down with a kick right in the beginning of the second round. Dariush clinched Dober and went for his legs.
Dariush managed to take Dober down. Ir did not look good for Dober as Dariush got top pressure and looked to be in a dominant position.
Dariush beautifully passed to mount and began unleashing a few elbows and punches from the top. Dober had an opportunity to get back up but Dariush turned and kept him down. Half guard, pass to full mount again as Dariush landed some more strikes from the top. Darish almost got Dober's back but Dober slipped through.
Dober got back to his feet bur Dariush took him down again. He worked for a kimura but Dober twisted himself and wriggled out. Dariush, however, got hold of Dober's arm and locked in the armbar in a tight angle. Dariush transitioned from the kimura into a reverse triangle armbar. Dariush twisted Dober's shoulders as Dober aggressively tapped out.
Result: Beniel Dariush def. Drew Dober via submission (Armbar) (4:41, Round 2)
Dariush was almost knocked out cold in the first round, however, he showed his resiliency and displayed his elite black belt Jui Jitsu skills in the second round to finish the fight with a high-quality submission.
#3. Ben Rothwell (36-10) vs. Blagoy Ivanov (16-2-1) (Heavyweight)
The #15 ranked Bulgarian Heavyweight contender Ivanov took on the 46-fight veteran Ben Rothwell up next. This was Rothwell's first fight since 2016 while Ivanov's last fight was a losing effort against Junior Dos Santos in July 2018.
Round 1: They touched gloves. Ivanov was the more mobile fighter as he continuously moved and switched stances.
Rothwell just studied his opponent and checked his range. Rothwell kept pushing forward. He tagged Invanov with a left but Ivanov answered with a strong right.
Rothwell looked humungous in comparison to Ivanov as the 5.5-inch reach advantage was quite evident. Ivanov went to the body. Rothwell rushed forward without much substance to end the round. Good round for the veteran though.
Round 2: Rothwell was more aggressive in the early goings of round two. Ivanov found his range as he connected more with some straight rights, jabs, and the big overhands.
Both fighters went all-out in the final two minutes of the round as Rothwell kept pressing forward despite eating a host of shots.
It was a much better round for Ivanov who got into a lot of strikes and combinations and even busted up Rothwell's nose in the process.
Round 3: Ivanov continued to land with the overhand left and the short straight left punches. Rothwell went high again with a head kick.
Ivanov had 45 significant strikes to Rothwell's 42 at this point in the fight. Rothwell swung hard and nearly landed a big left. Rothwell's awkward stance put off Ivanov. Rothwell with twin straight rights that landed right on the button.
Ivanov landed a left on the way out. Rothwell looked to finish off strong as he moved forward for the kill. They traded shots in the pocket. Some bombs were thrown right at the end there as they somehow, the heavyweights managed to go the distance.
Result: Blagoy Ivanov def. Ben Rothwell via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
The crowd booed the decision and rightfully so! Rothwell seemed to have done enough to get the W but the judges felt otherwise. Nonetheless, Ivanov picked up his first win in the UFC.
#4. Niko Price (12-2-1) vs. Tim Means (28-10-1-1) (Welterweight)
Touted as the potential fight of the night, the Welterweight contest squared up an explosive prospect against a seasoned veteran. This was bound to be good!
Round 1: Price fired the low calf kick, to begin with. Price stunned Means with a big shot and followed him for the finish with a flying knee and some strikes. Means was flustered but composed himself, changed levels and got in a successful takedown.
Means controlled the fight on the ground for a good two solid minutes before Price used the cage to flip himself up to his feet. Means landed a knee at the separation.
Back on the feet, Means and Price kept matching each other strike for strike. The stayed in the pocket and kept tagging each other with straights and jabs.
Means began dominating as he connected with combinations and straight power shots. He was schooling Price with a stand-up clinic until Price jabbed and then rocked Means with a lighting quick right hook right on the button.
Means' knees gave up and Price jumped in to finish the fight with the customary hammer fists.
Result: Niko Price def. Tim Means via KO (4:50, Round 1)
As Price screamed after his fight, VIOLENCE!
#5. Curtis Millender (17-3) vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (20-5) (Welterweight)
The co-main event of the evening was between two oncoming forces in the 170 lbs division. With an undefeated record in the UFC and a 9-fight win streak, Millender boasted an impressive feat of never been knocked out as a pro. Dos Santos, though, promised to be Millender's biggest test yet inside the Octagon.
Round 1: Dos Santos with the kicks as he connected with two to the body of Millender. The Brazilian took Millender down in the first minute itself and controlled the fight on the ground. A few elbows from the top from Santos.
Millender tried to create some separation but gave up his back. Millender avoided the rear naked choke. Santos went into full mount but transitioned again into taking Millender's back.
He went palm-to-palm and locked in the read naked choke. He arched his body and got in a tight choke, leaving Millender no option but to tap.
Result: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Curtis Millender via submission (read naked choke) (2:35, Round 1)
Capoeira notched up his tenth first-round finish and derailed the Millender hype train in dominant fashion. It's high time that the UFC gives this man a higher ranked opponent as he has the joint second longest win streak at Welterweight at 7 wins. The multi-faceted Brazilian is a legit title contender.
#6. Derrick Lewis (21-6-1) vs. Junior Dos Santos (20-5) (Heavyweight)
It was time for the highly anticipated main event. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Dos Santos aimed at continuing his path towards reclaiming the title as he took on one of the scariest knockout artists in MMA, Derrick 'The Memelord' Lewis.
The Black Beast was coming off a loss against Daniel Cormier and he promised that he would finish off JDS in the first round itself. Did walk the talk? Let's find out...
Round 1: Santos swung low to begin. Lewis with a solid leg kick. He followed it up and went high with a head kick. The fight was stopped momentarily as Lewis got poked in the eye. Santos was warned by Herb Dean and the fight continued.
An attempted flying knee by Lewis. Lewis let his feet loose! Santos stunned Lewis with a big shot, Lewis wobbled but wasn't out. Lewis connected with a wild right. Santos now wobbled. Lewis followed up but Santos escaped. Body kick from Lewis.
Santos missed with the right and the left. Santos hurt Lewis right at the end of the round with a spinning back kick to the body. It seemed liked Lewis was out but he swung like a true Black Beast. Lewis held onto to his gut and somehow go to the end of the round.
Round 2: A big high kick from Lewis. Lewis was vulnerable and Santos realized it. He slapped Lewis with a left and connected with a straight right to Lewis' temple. Santos changed angles as The Black Beast wobbled before falling to the mat. Santos stepped in and applied the finishing touches.
Result: Junior Dos Santos def. Derrick Lewis via TKO (strikes) (1:58, Round 1)
JDS pulled off another massive victory as he knocked out the dangerous Black Beast. The Brazilian's career ageing like fine wine!
