Welcome to the Show
Now as we move on to the main card we get a LOAD of good fights! When former champion and KO artist Johny Hendricks fighting Matt Brown is the fourth draw on a card then that should tell you just how stacked it truly is! I have been a fan of Anthony Pettis for a long time now. He’s an incredible striker with the ability to make highlights at any second doing something no one has ever seen before (see Showtime Kick or Cartwheel Kick on YouTube) and Duke Roufous has said before that Anthony has “about 15 moves” off of the cage that he can do. He’s one of the most exciting fighters out there now, and he’s shown off his submission skills as of late with an armbar win over Benson to win the belt and a Guillotine win over Melendez to defend it.
With that said let’s get to it.
The Main Card
The Main Card starts off with #10 Flyweight Chris Cariaso coming back to the octagon for his first fight since losing to Champ Demetrious Johnson via Kimura in the second round, now he draws the task of taking on “The Messenger” Henry Cejudo.
This will be Henry Cejudo’s second fight in the UFC and his first in the flyweight division but he’s no slouch. He showed off some great striking in his debut but it’s his Olympic Gold Medal in wrestling that sets him apart from all others. He’s looking to move up the ranks quickly and beating a top ten ranked Cariaso will do just that. He hasn’t used his wrestling much in the octagon because he’s so comfortable with just striking but he may bring it out for this one.
Cariaso is a Muay Thai style fighter which makes taking on Cejudo that much harder. It’s gonna be hard to clinch with a guy that’s clearly stronger and well versed in takedowns. He would have to stay away and strike from the outside.
Round 1
The southpaw Cariaso opens up with a quick kick to the body which surprised me as I didn’t expect him to throw many kicks and risk getting his leg caught and taken down by the wrestler. They get close during an exchange and clinch up, Cejudo throws a quick knee and then trips Cariaso for the first takedown. He lands shots from inside the guard of Cariaso before pinning him against the cage. Cariaso makes his way to his feet but eats a shot for doing it then goes back to the body with a kick to Cejudo. Cejudo is controlling the fight so far quickly bridging the gap and pinning Chris to the cage. Henry takes down Chris again late in the round for his second of the fight and beating him up. Henry is very strong in the clinch so far doing damage while holding him in position. Cariaso lands a strong kick to the body again but Henry answers with a high kick of his own as the round ends with Cejudo clearly ahead 10-9.
Round 2
Cejudo comes out fast again in the second but Cariaso is moving away good now. Unfortunately he can’t stay off the cage long as Cejudo pins him again taking him down quickly. He’s controlling Cariaso’s head really well after the takedown every time. Chris gets it standing after not taking too much damage on the ground and pins Cejudo against the cage but only for a second as the stronger wrestler quickly reverses it and regains control. They break apart and trade kicks but it’s not long before Cejudo grabs a single leg and takes him down with little resistance. Landing in half guard he lands a few shots before Cariaso draws him into his guard. Cejudo is landing well on the ground moving around in Cariaso’s guard before Chris gets active and starts looking for submissions. He’s got to know that he’s down one round and getting beaten in this one so he’s going into desperation mode now looking to finish. Switching to butterfly guard he gets Cejudo to stand and looks for a knee before Cejudo backs out and makes Chris stand for the last 30 seconds of the fight. Round 2 ends with some exchanges but Henry is up 20-18 now.
Round 3
Cejudo has doubled the output of Cariaso 69-35 in strikes starting this round and Cariaso has to know that he needs a KO or Sub to win this one. He throws a straight kick to Cejudo but Cejudo catches it, pulls him in and takes him down for the 5th time in the fight. Apart from landing a few shots, Cejudo is really eating a lot of time off the clock. Cejudo lets him stand up as we go back to the feet. Cariaso is still throwing big shots but Cejudo closes the distance so well and is still so strong in this third round that he controls Cariaso everytime they clinch. They change positions against the cage a few times before Cejudo takes him down again. Cejudo puts him in a crazy neck crank from the top position with 30 seconds to go and uses that to mount. A submission attempt fails for Cariaso as the round ends. Cejudo takes this round and the fight rather easily. The first fight on the card to go to a decision but it’s an easy one to call.
This was really a coming out party for Cejudo. I hope he gets a lot of exposure after this one and I’m looking forward to seeing him fight a top opponent again. He stays undefeated at 8-0 after this one.
