Fight Night Calgary Live Results

In a battle of two featherweights looking for their first UFC win, Calgary man Hakeem Dawodu certainly had the home field advantage with the crowd getting boisterous for his every move, including some excellent counterstriking when opponent Austin Arnett’s head kicks missed. Both fighters showed off an impressive toolbox of strikes, with Dawodu favoring more technical combinations and Arnett some accurate overhand jabs. As the fight wore on, however, it was Dawodu who remained patient while Arentt looked flustered at not being able to answer the combos. The Canadian wins one for the home team by decision. #UFCCalgary Official Result: @MeanHakeemKo (30-27 x 3) def @AustinArnettMMA bu unanimous decision.

Russian lightweight and Khabib teammate Islam Makhachev walked into Calgary the biggest betting favorite on the entire Calgary card, and he was tactical in the early going, patiently timing his shots. Johnson stayed moving on the perimeter, but when Makhachev shot the takedown Johnson struggled againt the Russian’s supreme wrestling prowess. Makhachev went to work and secured an arm bar in short order. Shooting for the stars, he called out Brock Lesnar and Tony Ferguson after the fight#UFCCalgary Official Result: @MakhachevMMA def @IamRagin by submission, arm bar, first round, 4:43. .

THEY SAID IT:
Islam Makhachev “Kajan didn’t surprise me. He usually has the same game during his fights and I trained a lot for this result. My plan was to pressure him, take him down and finish the fight. I’m really happy because this is my eighth win by submission. I think it’s time to fight someone in the top 10 of the division.”

Antigulov scored one of his trademark takedowns almost immediately and set to ork wearing down Cutebala, doing his best to keep the action in the clinch or on the mat. But in these positions, Cutebala was sable to get off some brutal knees to the head that wobbled Antigulov and allowed ‘The Hulk’ to go to work with his minted heavy hands. Anigulov covered up, and the TKO was as good as sealed. #UFCCalgary Official Result: @ICutelaba def @Antigulov_MMA by TKO, first round, 4:25.

THEY SAID IT:
Ion Cutelaba “After my first fights in the UFC I noticed I needed to make some changes. I’ve started to train even harder, made some adjustments and now I want to continue growing in this division and fighting in the big events. Once I prove I can keep winning, I want to face the big names of the light heavyweight division.”

Alvarez vs Poirier was not the only lightweight fight guaranteed to have action on the Calgary card as veterans John Makdessi and Ross Pearson engaged in the sort of stand-in-the-center-and-punch style affairs that they’ve practically trademarked.Both took turns rocking each other with a barrage of head shots, with Pearson slipping in the occasional leg kick. Both trading momentum, bloodied and beaten, it defies explanation that this one went the full fifteen minutes; a testament to the toughness of both men. #UFCCalgary Official Result: @JohnMakdessiMMA (30-26, 29-27, 29-28) def @RossTheRealDeal by unanimous decision.

THEY SAID IT:
John Makdessi “Ross Pearson is a high-level striker. In the past I gave my opponents some space because I wanted to take my time, but for this fight, for this opponent I changed a lot. I changed the way I think, my mentality… I had to take that risk and go into deep waters. Ross was expecting me to back up a lot, give him more range… once I closed that gap, I forced him to throw punches. In the gym I put myself in tough situations like that all the time. I trained for all scenarios, but to get this win I knew I would need to trust in my skills and training.”

The women’s flyweight division continues to take shape. While the strikes were near equal in the first, it was Chookagian who looked crisp and light on her feet, bloodying Davis’s as Davis aggressively pressed forward. This set a pattern for the rest of the fight, and even when Davis pulled ahead in significant strike count, it was visibly Chookagian’s fists that were doing the most damage as she picked apart Davis. Heavily battered, Davis stubbornly continued to press forward, happy to eat a shot to trade for a couple more at close range, and seemed to pick up steam as the fight wore on. She scored the only takedown of the fight as time expired, but by then ‘Blonde Fighter’ had done too much work to lose. #UFCCalgary Official Result: @blondefighter (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) def @AlexisDavisMMA by unanimous decision.

THEY SAID IT:
Katlyn Chookagian: “I knew that facing Alexis would be challenging. I didn’t want to leave it in the judges’ hands because she is the hometown girl, but she is very tough. I’m focused on this division and very happy with my second win in a row. I just want to keep fighting as many times as possible, but I should definitely be in the conversation of fighting for the title soon. While we wait for Nicco and Valentina I would like to fight in NYC.”

If the rest of the 125 pound division is hoping Dustin Ortiz will just go away, those hopes are growing dimmer by the fight. Nicolau is a game opponent and looked like he was ready to go the full fifteen, but a massive head kick from Ortiz sent Nicolau to the mat where his fate was sealed under barrage of punches. #UFCCalgary Official Result: @DustinOrtizMMA def @NicolauMatheus by TKO, first round, 3:49.

THEY SAID IT:
Dustin Ortiz “This win puts me in the top 5 of the flyweight division, for sure, and number one in the title contender spot. I absolutely knew the win would come if I did everything that I was supposed to do. I came with a very specific game plan. I put myself in his position and I felt he thought I was going to wrestle him the whole time, so when I started to throw kicks and punches it kind of frustrated him. Not lot of finishes happen in the flyweight division and to go in there and knock somebody out with a head kick in the first round… that is saying something. I would like to fight anyone in the top five, anyone that I didn’t fight yet, I would like to have one more fight by the end of the year. I’m a consistent fighter. I’m always in shape, always ready.”

Two Top 15 strawweights who are both looking to vault up in the division made their case in the second bout of the evening. In the early going it was all Markos, who controlled first in the clinch and then on the mat, firing off some punches that bloodied the face of Ansaroff. The second round stayed on its feet where Ansaroff made Markos uncomfortable with a series of calf kicks, although Markos repayed the favor with some strong overhand jabs. Ansaroff continued to make adjustments, however, and frustrated Markos in the third, chipping away at Markos’ lead and pushing forward for the decision. #UFCCalgary Official Result: @NinaAnsaroff (29-28) def @randamma by unanimous decision.

THEY SAID IT:
Nina Ansaroff “I think if the UFC gives me someone in the top 10 it will be great, I don’t want to wait another year to fight. I don’t like to call anyone out, but I think I deserve to fight against anyone in the top 10. Tonight I was a little surprised because I couldn’t find my timing as I wanted to. I’m normally a slow starter but once I start fighting, I try to let go and put everything together. I was worried about defending the takedowns because that’s where she wanted to get. Training with Amanda makes me see what it’s like at that level. It’s a good view from what I can expect in the future.”

Devin Powell finally for his first UFC win, and he did so in dramatic fashion. After suffering some heavy gut punches early, he closed in to land two brutal body kicks that crumpled Alvaro Herrera. #UFCCalgary Official Result: @DevinPowellMMA def @changaro123 by TKO, first round, 1:52.

THEY SAID IT:
Devin Powell “It feels great to get this first win in the UFC. In my last fight, when I finally came alive, I thought that it could be my night but it ended up in a split decision. I didn’t know if I was going to get another fight in the UFC, this division is too big. My heart was broken but I went back to the gym, trained hard and finally got back to get it done against a very tough guy. To drop him like that, it felt really good. I knew how bad he was hurt, his hands were still up but I continued kicking him in the body. I hope the main event goes five rounds. I hope no one finishes the fight so I can get a bonus for the first time”.