Rob Font Earns Convincing Decision Over Cody Garbrandt in UFC Fight Night 188 Headliner

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Rob Font didn’t need to bait Cody Garbrandt into a brawl to prove his superiority.

Font (19-4, 9-3 UFC) put together a masterful performance, winning a clear-cut unanimous decision over the former bantamweight champion in the UFC Fight Night 188 headliner at the UFC Apex on Saturday night. All three cageside judges submitted scorecards in favor of the Team Sityodtong representative: 48-47, 50-45 and 50-45.

Font’s striking had Garbrandt’s respect from the outset, as “No Love” spent much of the contest circling away from his opponent. The Team Alpha Male standout even adopted a different approach, setting a UFC career best with three takedowns landed. While the wrestling was a nice addition to the arsenal, it wasn’t something Garbrandt was able to continue to use as the fight progressed, though to his credit, his chin held up under heavy fire.

Font used his jab and reach effectively and appeared to stun Garbrandt (12-4, 7-4 UFC) with straight right hands on a couple occasions when the opportunity presented itself. As the fight progressed, the Boston native mixed punches to head and body nicely as he continued to keep Garbrandt on the defensive. “No Love” offered a little more aggression in Round 5, but by then, it was too little, too late.

“I have the best jab in the UFC, that’s for sure,” Font said.

Esparza Smothers, Pounds Out Yan

Carla Esparza made no secrets of her intentions heading into the UFC Fight Night 188 co-main event. That didn’t mean Xiaonan Yan could do anything to stop her.

In a potential strawweight title eliminator, Esparza sent an emphatic message with a dominant stoppage of Yan. The end came 2:58 into Round 2, as “Cookie Monster” rained down elbows and punches on her bloodied opponent from the mounted crucifix position. Esparza has won five straight contests, while Yan sees a six-bout winning streak come to an end in defeat.

Esparza (18-6, 9-4 UFC) landed her first takedown within the first five seconds of the opening period, and Yan was helpless for the rest of the round. Esparza busted open the China Top Team representative with an elbow prior to the horn, a sequence which foreshadowed Yan’s fate.

With Yan’s cut still leaking, Esparza landed an easy single-leg takedown approximately 30 seconds into Round 2. Shortly thereafter, she passed to side control before moving to the crucifix position. Yan (13-2, 1 NC, 6-1 UFC) was unable to buck her opponent off, and Esparza unloaded with punches and elbows until referee Keith Peterson had finally seen enough. Perhaps a rematch with Rose Namajunas, the reigning 115-pound champ, is next for Esparza. The Team Oyama product bested Namajunas for the inaugural strawweight crown at “The Ultimate Fighter 20” finale in December 2014.

“I want a chance to fight for that title,” Esparza said. “I think that’s an intriguing fight, I think it’s a fight everyone wants to see.”

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Vanderaa Bests Tafa in Slugfest

Dana White’s Contender Series alum Jared Vanderaa earned his first UFC triumph, taking a hard-fought unanimous decision over Australia’s Justin Tafa in a heavyweight contest. Vanderaa earned scorecards of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 in going the distance for just the second time in his professional career.

For the majority of the 15-minute affair, Vanderaa (12-5, 1-1 UFC) had the more accurate punching combinations while mixing in kicks at various levels and knees to the body. Tafa (4-3, 1-3 UFC) did have his moments, but Vanderaa’s chin held up for the duration. During one brawling sequence in Round 2, Tafa opened a cut on the side of his opponent’s head with a left hook, but a bloodied Vanderaa was undeterred in his pursuit of victory, as he continued to outwork his adversary with superior volume until the final horn.

Dumont Takes Split Verdict Over Spencer

Norma Dumont earned herself a signature victory in the Octagon, as she captured a split verdict against former Invicta Fighting Championships title holder and UFC title challenger Felicia Spencer in a closely-contested 145-pound matchup. Sal D’Amato scored the fight 30-27 and Junichiro Kamijo saw it 29-28 — both for Dumont — while Bryan Miner submitted a 29-28 scorecard in favor of Spencer.

Dumont (6-1, 2-1 UFC) was quite comfortable against her hard-charging foe, connecting with quick punching combinations while angling out of danger and denying the vast majority of Spencer’s attempts to close the distance. Spencer (8-3, 2-3 UFC) came on strong in Round 3, as she landed several solid elbows in the clinch before reversing a takedown and spending the last portion of the frame in top position. That final salvo wasn’t enough for “Feenom” to get the victory, however.

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Ramos Outduels Algeo

Takedowns and grappling carried Ricardo Ramos to a competitive unanimous decision triumph over former Ring of Combat champion Bill Algeo in a featherweight clash. All three judges saw the fight in favor of the Team Alpha Male representative: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28. The matchup was closer than the scorecards indicated.

Ramos (15-3, 6-2 UFC) was at his best in Round 1, when he landed multiple takedowns and repeatedly took Algeo’s back. The Brazilian’s grappling output wasn’t as strong over the final 10 minutes, however, as Algeo (14-6, 1-2 UFC) began to get more comfortable on his feet with striking combinations. Still, Ramos was competitive in exchanges and logged enough control time and takedowns throughout the bout to get the nod from the judges.

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Hermansson Grounds, Batters Shahbazyan

Jack Hermansson made sure the growing pains continued for Edmen Shahbazyan.

“The Joker” survived a strong start from Shahbazyan, then imposed his will through grappling to earn a unanimous decision triumph in a featured middleweight encounter. All three cageside judges submitted 29-27 tallies for Hermansson, who has won six of his last eight appearances within the promotion.

Shahbazyan (11-2, 4-2 UFC) put on a striking clinic in the opening round, as he landed punching combinations behind a crisp left jab and controlled the Octagon with his movement. Hermansson (22-6, 9-4 UFC) shifted gears in Round 2, quickly closing the distance and landing a takedown approximately 30 seconds into the frame. Shahbazyan ended the period in top position landing ground-and-pound, but that only increased Hermansson’s sense of urgency over the final five minutes.

Hermansson grounded Shahbazyan within the first minute, and he remained in top position for the remainder of the third round, opening a cut near the Glendale Fighting Club product’s right eye thanks to a steady stream of punches and elbows. Hermansson increased the intensity of his assault as time waned, and he put one final stamp on the victory with punches from full mount before the horn.

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