UFC Vegas 69 was a so-so event. The flyweight headliner saw a new contender emerge, and the light heavyweight co-headliner was clinch-heavy.
The preliminary portion of the card started with Clayton Carpenter showing off his Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submitting Juancamilo Ronderos with a first-round rear-naked choke. There were some great scrambles in this fight, but ‘Concrete’ got the better of them and forced Ronderos to tap. AJ Fletcher clubbed and subbed Themba Gorimbo for a second-round guillotine choke. When the ‘Ghost’ and the Gorimbo were tied up, the former connected with a brutal elbow that dropped the ‘Answer,’ who went down immediately. Fletcher snatched up his neck and that was that. Philipe Lins took Ovince Saint Preux out in less than a minute! WOW! After a few kicks were exchanged, ‘Monstro’ popped ‘OSP’ with a straight left hand that stunned him. The Brazilian swarmed and finished Saint Preux with another left hand before referee Mark Smith stepped in and stopped the fight.
Jamall Emmers dominated Khusein Askhabov, giving the UFC newcomer his first professional loss. From the striking to the grappling, ‘Pretty Boy’ had ‘Nohcho’ beat everywhere. Mayra Bueno Silva earned her second consecutive submission with a second-round kneebar of Lina Länsberg. When the ‘Elbow Queen’ decided to follow her to the ground, ‘Sheetara’ rolled, separated the leg and pulled. In her post-fight interview, Bueno Silva called out some top names of her division, including Raquel Pennington. The early contender for ‘Fight of the Night’ between Nazim Sadykhov and Evan Elder ended abruptly due to a nasty cut. The ‘Black Wolf’ threw a head kick (update: it was actually a headbutt!) that opened the cut above the right eye of the ‘Phenom,’ prompting the referee to request the cageside physician who deemed Elder ineligible to continue.
The main portion of the card saw Alexander Hernandez add a legend to his resume with a unanimous decision over Jim Miller. The ‘Great Ape’ left ‘A10’ bloodied and battered by the end of three rounds, which saw him snap a two-fight losing streak. He had to survive some adversity, though, as Miller nearly stole the win with a rear-naked choke in the end. Marcin Prachnio leg kicked his way to a win over William Knight, who spent most of his time standing up against the fence being…kicked. The only damage that came from this fight was Prachnio injuring his foot from throwing so many kicks. Jamal Pogues notched his first UFC win, besting Josh Parisian for a unanimous decision. Zac Pauga used his clinch to control Jordan Wright. The ‘Ripper’ kept the ‘Beverly Hills Ninja’ pressed up against the cage, periodically tagging him with punches, elbows and knees.
Erin Blanchfield got the biggest win of her career thus far with a second-round submission of Jéssica Andrade. ‘Cold Blooded’ stood with ‘Bate Estaca’ before bringing her to the ground, switching to side control and transitioning to a beautiful rear-naked choke. That was a phenomenal performance from Blanchfield! And with that win, she could see herself on the shortlist of potential opponents for reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko soon.
Performance of the Night: Mayra Bueno Silva and Erin Blanchfield
Clayton Carpenter def. Juancamilo Ronderos by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:13 of Round 1
AJ Fletcher def. Themba Gorimbo by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:37 of Round 2
Philipe Lins def. Ovince Saint Preux by knockout (punches) at 0:49 of Round 1
Mayra Bueno Silva def. Lina Länsberg by submission (kneebar) at 4:45 of Round 2
Nazim Sadykhov def. Evan Elder by TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at :038 of Round 3
Erin Blanchfield def. Jéssica Andrade by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:37 of Round 2
Fight of the Night: Nazim Sadykhov vs. Evan Elder
Jamall Emmers def. Khusein Askhabov by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Alexander Hernandez def. Jim Miller by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Marcin Prachnio def. William Knight by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Jamal Pogues def. Josh Parisian by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Zac Pauga def. Jordan Wright by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
