UFC Fight Night 198 ‘Vieira vs. Tate’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Sam Hughes vs. Luana Pinheiro

Round 1

A seemingly never-ending cavalcade of UFC fight cards will come to a close on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 198, as this 10-week stretch concludes with a fight card now down to 11 matches. Can it still deliver like last week’s barnburner showcase? We shall see. We kick things off in the lightest division of the organization, women’s strawweight, when Pinheiro (9-1, 1-0 UFC) tries to make good on her sophomore outing at the expense of “Sampage” Hughes (5-3, 0-2 UFC). The first assignment of the night goes to referee Mark Smith, and with no touch of gloves, we are underway! The Brazilian immediately takes the center of the cage, sticking a jab out and a thudding low kick that impacts on the shin of her opponent. They both look to measure one another, swiping and pawing but coming up short with their strikes. Hughes gets off a single leg kick, and throws another to the upper thigh as she keeps her distance. “Sampage” tries to begin her own rampage with a big left hand, but Pinheiro stops her from continuing with a sharp jab, and then another. Pinheiro gets into close range to start a brawl, and when she lands a few, she grabs hold of Hughes and hits a hip toss with a head lock to put Hughes flat on her back. Hughes looks to set up a triangle off her back, and when she looks for this, Pinheiro blasts her with a huge right hand from on top. Hughes explodes to get back to her knees, and Pinheiro instantly attacks a choke from her knees to threaten. Hughes continues to fight her way out of a bad position to get up, and she is not upright for more than a second before Pinheiro throws her right back down to the mat. A few punches from Pinheiro add up before Hughes again bursts back up, and she walks up the wall before pushing off to separate. When she does this, Pinheiro kicks her in the sternum. Hughes tries to return fire with a kick up high, but Pinheiro dances out of the way without much issue. They try to reach one another on the feet, but come up short for most of the remaining strikes until the round concludes.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pinheiro
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Pinheiro
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pinheiro

Round 2

The second frame begins as they both land solid punches at the same time. Neither appears hurt from the blows, and Pinheiro begins to push the pace with front kicks and piercing jabs. She swipes out with a left hand, only to get slapped with a body kick. A heavy calf kick from Pinheiro scores cleanly, and she tries to spin with a back kick and a subsequent back fist, but both hit nothing but air. When Pinheiro whiffs on an overhand right, Hughes sticks her with a jab and connects with a calf kick. Pinheiro swarms forward to make her pay, but the American is nimble and escapes. When they reset, Hughes goes low with a kick, and then interrupts Pinheiro with a quick jab that shakes Pinheiro up a little. The jab from Hughes continues to pop Pinheiro and surprise her every time, and Pinheiro is unable to counter these effectively. Instead, Pinheiro attacks with a salvo of strikes to close the distance, and she pursues a toss like the previous round but is stuffed this time. Hughes breaks the grip and goes back to her jab, and Pinheiro’s pace has started to dwindle to single strikes and overthrown bombs that are inaccurate. Hughes slings a high kick, and she falls over when it misses. This allows Pinheiro to rush at her and try to light her up, but Hughes is able to scramble and get away from anything noteworthy. Hughes uses jabs and low kicks to make Pinheiro retreat on the outer edge of the cage. Biting down on her mouthpiece, Pinheiro walks through a leg kick to slug it out. She lands a few punches to rock Hughes, with a right hand that hurts her badly. Pinheiro senses this and unleashes a flurry that lands cleanly and drops Hughes to the floor. Hughes looks for some sort of a desperation takedown attempt, clutching her opponent’s hips to ride out the round. The bell sounds, possibly saving Hughes from a stoppage.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pinheiro
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Pinheiro
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pinheiro

Round 3

Hughes is able to enter the third round, and Pinheiro is fired up and ready for action. A lazy leg kick from Hughes gets caught, and Pinheiro pounces and starts drilling her with punches. Hughes is able to circle out, but her face is marked up from the oncoming blows of the end of the last round and the strikes from this assault. Pinheiro goes to the body several times with jabs, as Hughes tries to regain her composure and walk forward with low kicks. As her nose begins to bleed from the damage suffered thus far, Hughes still keeps a stiff upper lip and spams leg kicks. The big barrage of strikes appears to have sapped the cardio of the Brazilian, who is relegated to again loosing wide arm punches as she backs off. Hughes’ corner urges her to keep going, concerned she might be down on the scorecards, and she throws a few more jabs and kicks. Pinheiro rushes in to deal some damage, and she ties Hughes up but ultimately gets turned into the wall. Hughes gets off a single elbow before Pinheiro pushes her away to get back to her preferred range. “Sampage” kicks the body with the fall of her foot, and blitzes with punches as Pinheiro continues to stay on her bike. Pinheiro swings and misses with a looping right hand, and Hughes walks through it to try to stick her jab in Pinheiro’s face. Smith urges them to fight as the volume has fallen through the floor, and when he does, Hughes leaps forward with a knee that misses the mark. Hughes absorbs a body kick, and delivers one back that is much heavier. When the 10-second clapper sounds, they throw caution to the wind and brawl it out. When Pinheiro lets go with a few punches, she backs off to coast for the rest of the fight. They embrace after the last buzzer sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Hughes (29-28 Pinheiro)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Hughes (29-28 Pinheiro)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Hughes (29-28 Pinheiro)

The Official Result

Luana Pinheiro def. Sam Hughes via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Nuerdanbieke Shayilan vs. Sean Soriano

Round 1

Someone’s 0 has got to go in this featherweight matchup between two men trying to win for the first time inside the Octagon. Across two stints in the promotion, Soriano (14-7, 0-4 UFC) will be stepping into the UFC for the fifth time in search of an elusive victory, while his Chinese adversary Shayilan (19-7, 0-1 UFC) has just tried once to date. Referee Herb Dean will see who finally gets it done, and they touch gloves before coming out swinging. Soriano is the one to take the center of the cage, walking his opponent down and slinging a leg kick that makes Shayilan turn about. Soriano continues to march forward, but he is hesitant to release any additional offense and takes a leg kick. The American then kicks the body, and jabs only to pull back with a high kick. Shayilan keeps his right hand ready to counter, and he just misses when Soriano chops at his lead leg. A sharp jab from Soriano hurts Shayilan, and “Wolverine” loses his footing as he is simultaneously coming in for a leg kick. When Shayilan gathers himself, he lets go with a kick that slams square into Soriano’s cup. Soriano walks it off, and in under 30 seconds after the break from Dean, he is able to continue. The first strike thrown in the return to action is a snappy leg kick, and he doubles up on it when Shayilan does not appear to counter. Shayilan suddenly crashes forward for a takedown, and on his second attempt, he hits it and puts Soriano on his back. Soriano holds on tight, and he times a guard pass from his opponent to sweep Shayilan and wind up on top. Soriano grinds from this top position, staying in Shayilan’s closed guard, keeping heavy and landing sporadic ground-and-pound to stave off possible referee intervention. When Soriano rips a heavy elbow, Shayilan throws his legs up for a triangle setup. Soriano bails on this posture, and stands back up to let his foe back up as well. When Shayilan is back up, Soriano kicks him in the chest. Soriano lets go with a right hand and a left, and Shayilan replies with a single punch to the body. From afar, Shayilan dives forward with a takedown try, and Soriano sprawls effectively to not go down this time. Soriano scores a one-two, and blocks a spinning kick that collides with his high guard. Soriano connects with a right hand, and crashes forward when Shayilan goes after another spinning kick to drop the Chinese fighter to his knees. A few punches from an advantageous position from Soriano conclude the frame.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Soriano
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Soriano
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Soriano

Round 2

The second round begins with a head kick from Soriano, and it is blocked and he stuffs a follow-up takedown that comes at him. Soriano stitches three punches together, with a left hand that shakes Shayilan up for a moment. Shayilan lets go with his hands, and he lands a right hand and fakes his way into a takedown entry that does not succeed. As they close distance, Soriano grabs hold of his opponent and muscles him down with a body lock takedown. In the ensuing exchange, Shayilan turns Soriano over and climbs into half guard. Soriano bucks him off for a moment, but Shayilan is able to ride it out and claim full mount. Soriano pushes off the wall to try to get some space or flip over, but he turns over instead to escape. Shayilan welcomes this as he cinches up back control, and briefly finds Soriano in a twister setup position. Soriano continues to turn through the spot so that he flips Shayilan back over, but he goes a little too far and Shayilan puts his back to the mat and sits in half guard. Soriano holds on tight to pin Shayilan to his body so that he cannot get off much in the way of ground strikes, but Shayilan is able to posture up enough to punch his midsection a few times before the horn blares.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Shayilan
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Shayilan
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Shayilan

Round 3

The round commences with both men tense, ready to react to the other. Soriano does not overcommit to strikes so he does not get taken down, but after blocking a high kick, Shayilan puts his hands on him. Soriano tries to fight off the grip, but Shayilan slams him to the mat. Although Soriano gets to his feet again, Shayilan nails a suplex to drop the American back down to the canvas. Once more, Shayilan muscles his way to stand up, using the wall as his ally, but Shayilan is quick to wrench him back down. Soriano looks to get his way out, but as he scrambles, Shayilan takes his back. Soriano rolls to his knees and turns around, but Shayilan keeps tight to him and locks up a body triangle. Soriano does everything in his power to keep turning and attempting to free himself, but there is nothing doing as Shayilan is on him like a cheap suit. Soriano defends the rear-naked choke setups with wrist control, but he has no way of breaking the body lock while Shayilan controls him in this position. Soriano softens him up with punches, and he follows Soriano as Soriano suddenly twists one direction to get out. This back control, which has lasted minutes, stays gripped until the final bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Shayilan (29-28 Shayilan)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Shayilan (29-28 Shayilan)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Shayilan (29-28 Shayilan)

The Official Result

Nuerdanbieke Shayilan def. Sean Soriano via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Cody Durden vs. Qileng Aori

Round 1

Yet again, two combatants on the prelims today will be vying for their first victory under the UFC banner, when Durden (11-3-1, 0-1-1 UFC) will try to make good on his third attempt against “The Mongolian Murderer” Aori (18-8, 0-1 UFC). If that nickname stands up, only time will tell, and referee Jason Herzog is present to make certain that it is not literal. Although Aori offers a glove touch, Durden is not having it, and instead lets go with a sweeping leg kick. He lands another, and forces Aori to come back at him with a short series of punches. As Aori advances, Durden grabs hold of him and drips him down to the mat. Aori scoots his way to the fence to stand back up, but Durden doggedly pursues it to get him back down. The fighter out of Georgia – the American state, not the country – successfully sucks Aori’s legs out beneath him and tosses him back down to the mat in the center of the cage. Durden looks to advance his position to get out of Aori’s guard, but elects to smash him in the face with several punches. As Durden lets him have it, Aori explodes and kicks off to get back to his feet. As soon as he is upright, Aori leaps in the air with a knee, and Durden pushes him away. Aori swings with an uppercut and misses, and this allows Durden to shoot in for a takedown entry. Pursuing a single, Durden successfully drags Aori down to his seat, but only for a moment before Aori sits up to his knees. Durden keeps his opponent squeezed on the wall, and Aori swings short elbows to fluster his wrestling-centric foe. Aori gets back up again, and Durden grinds him heavily on the wire until Aori pushes off and whiffs with an uppercut. Aori sits down on a right hand that knocks Durden back, and the wrestling may have gassed Durden as takes several clean punches and a knee to the body. All Durden can do is flail back in response until the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Durden
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Durden
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Durden

Round 2

Aori knows better to offer a touch of gloves this round, and instead is ready to counter Durden’s aggression. The fighter out of Inner Mongolia scores a combination, marking Durden up and working the head and body. Durden gathers himself and starts sticking out effective jabs, using them to set up a takedown try. Aori stops this in its tracks and blasts Durden in the face with an uppercut, but the American is undaunted and fires right back with reckless abandon. Aori winds up with two hooks before clinching up and going after a single-leg takedown of his own. Durden stops this from succeeding, breaking the grip and getting some space. Durden throws a leg kick, gets countered, throws another, and is countered a second time. Despite the accurate counters from Aori, Durden goes to the well with another leg kick, and this time there is nothing that comes back at him. Aori has his right hand ready to throw an uppercut or a big right hand, and he swarms with a right hook only to miss and get clipped with a short left from Durden. Durden tries to capitalize on the close range by going after a single, and Aori hops away and pulls his leg back. They stand in front of one another and trade after a reset, and Durden lands the better of the punches with a right hand that catches Aori flush. Aori continues to aim his uppercut, and when Durden chases in with a takedown, Aori bowls him over and climbs on top for a moment. Durden turns to his knees, and tries to make a disadvantageous position into a positive one by going for a single. Aori again gets away and backs off, letting Durden back up so he can use his range. Durden marks Aori up with a solid uppercut of his own, and he peppers Aori with several jabs. Aori bites down on his gumshield with a pair of big right hands, and Durden walks through them in an effort to brawl. They throw punches and kicks right to the bell, ending a close and exciting round.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Aori
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Aori
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Aori

Round 3

When the third round begins, Aori loads up with a leg kick while Durden goes over the top with a right hand. Durden flicks out a few jabs, and he misses with an uppercut that could have done some serious damage. Aori connects with a kick to Durden’s calf, and Durden is wearing it and takes a pair of punches right after. Durden looks to stand firm as Aori advances, but the leg kicks give him enough pause to let Aori open up with punches. Durden crashes forward for a takedown, and Aori grabs the fence with one hand by shoving Durden’s face on the mat. Aori grabs the fence several times, is warned repeatedly and even has his hand slapped away, but the uncalled fouls allow him to stay on his knees. Durden does not let him off the hook, yanking his legs out and putting Aori down to the canvas. As Aori turns and returns to his knees, Durden considers a back take before electing to just drag Aori back down. Although Durden keeps top control and tries to move from guard to half guard, he is not putting out any offense. Instead, the focus of the American is solely on getting Aori down and keeping him there. Aori powers his way up, and he hits a trip to try to counter Durden. When they both fall to their knees, Durden is able to pull the arm of his opponent and get up. They stand up, and they begin to brawl recklessly with a minute to spare. An uppercut from the “Mongolian Murderer” wobbles Durden, and Durden attempts a body lock but there is nothing doing. Aori tries to reverse him with a hip toss, and Durden stays upright and presses Aori against the wall. Aori pushes him down to the floor, but Durden uses the posture to go after a single. Pushed into the fence while holding on to one leg, the fight ends. It could go either way.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Durden (29-28 Durden)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Durden (29-28 Durden)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Durden (29-28 Durden)

The Official Result

Cody Durden def. Qileng Aori via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Terrance McKinney vs. Fares Ziam

Round 1

The match was canceled on Saturday afternoon after a member of McKinney's team tested positive for COVID-19.

Lupita Godinez vs. Konklak Suphisara

Round 1

For the third time in less than a month and a half – a modern UFC record – Godinez (6-2, 1-2 UFC) will return to the UFC cage to compete. This time, she is paired against Thai striker “Loma Lookboonmee” Suphisara (6-2, 3-1 UFC). The highest of any fight on the card, the betting line that this strawweight fight goes the distance is a massive -275 to -300 depending on your book. Referee Herb Dean is in it for the long haul if need be, and there is no glove touch between the ladies to commence the action. Instead, Godinez is ready to start slinging leather, with punches to close the distance and not allow Suphisara to get her kicks off. This forward movement does not stay for long, as Suphisara aims kicks to the body and head from range. Godinez goes after a head-and-arm toss, and Suphisara reverses it and puts Godinez on her back instead. “Loopy” springs back up to her feet, and they jockey for position against the fence. As soon another throw gets set up, Godinez breaks away instead and gets kicked in the chest by the Thai. Godinez scores a three-punch combination that ends with a back fist, and Suphisara shrugs it off and gets back to kicking distance. A kick to the body and one to the head partially land, and Godinez charges in to pursue a takedown. They scramble, drop to their knees, and pummel back and forth in the tight clinch. A knee gets through from “Loma Lookboonmee,” who staves off any takedown try and forces Godinez to again break. Suphisara goes up high with a kick, and when she puts her leg down, Godinez greets her with a solid right hand. Suphisara lets loose a kick that gets caught, and Godinez takes advantage of this with an inside trip that puts the Thai on her back with seconds left in the ground. Godinez cannot land a strike from above before the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Suphisara
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Godinez
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Godinez

Round 2

The round opens with Godinez pushing the pace with a punch salvo, backing Suphisara up to the wall. As soon as Suphisara tries to return fire, Godinez lifts her up and slams her to the mat, where she claims half guard in an instant. “Loopy” is quick to pass through to side control, and she puts her knee on Suphisara’s neck to slug her in the face a few times. This odd position allows the Thai to explode out, where she jumps back up to her feet but cannot get Godinez off of her. Instead, Godinez keeps a tight grip around Suphisara’s waist, even going after a standing rear-naked choke as she bullies Suphisara to the wall. This allows Suphisara to throw her over her head to put Godinez down, but Godinez springs right back to her feet as if nothing happened. A few heavy kicks get through from “Loma Lookboonmee,” including a head kick that may have gotten Godinez’ attention. To stop these from coming, Godinez snatches a leg and wrenches Suphisara down to the ground. In half guard, Godinez keeps her elbow pressed on Suphisara’s head to hold her down, and she lands a few left hands every so often. With Suphisara stuck with her side and then head on the wire in the corner between the cage and the floor, she twists to break the posture. Godinez follows her along, taking her back and considering a choke effort. There is no choke to be found, and when the horn sounds, they are tied up and need to be untangled to get back to their corners.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Godinez
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Godinez
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Godinez

Round 3

Godinez stretches her arm out to offer a glove touch, but Suphisara would rather fight it out from the get-go. “Loopy” acknowledges this and goes down for a single, where she is able to plop the Thai down to the ground without much concern. As they scramble, Suphisara turns the tables to get on top for a moment, where she scores a few elbows. As Suphisara gets on top, Godinez hunts for a heel hook and uses it to turn Suphisara off of her. Suphisara is able to slide her knee out and get out of submission danger by spinning around, and she slides down into Godinez’ guard. A few elbows from Godinez on her back land to the back of the head, but there is no note of them as Suphisara continues to try to pass. Godinez carries on with elbows to keep Suphisara honest, and Suphisara responds in kind. Godinez is able to power her way back upright, and Suphisara clings to her and knees her in the thigh and midsection repeatedly. Suphisara jumps away when Godinez attempts to take her down, and Godinez gathers herself, pursues a double and slams the Thai down to the canvas. Godinez gets half guard with ease, and then she takes Suphisara’s back when Suphisara looks to stand up. Without landing much from above, Godinez cannot keep Suphisara down for long. They both rise up in the clinch, and Suphisara gets off a few short strikes before the final bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Suphisara (29-28 Suphisara)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Godinez (30-27 Godinez)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Suphisara (29-28 Godinez)

The Official Result

Lupita Godinez def. Konklak Suphisara via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Rafa Garcia vs. Natan Levy

Round 1

Now in three of five matches on the card so far, one UFC fighter will likely pick up their first win. Whether it is ex-Combate champ Garcia (11-2, 0-2 UFC) or unbeaten Israeli upstart Levy (6-0, 0-0 UFC), referee Jason Herzog draws the charge and is ready for what happens next. No one wants to touch gloves, and instead Garcia marches forward to pressure the newcomer. Levy avoids a punch combination and just skims the top of his foe’s head with a kick. Garcia gives it back with a few punches, and they slug it out before returning to the center of the cage. The Israeli fighter throws so hard that he falls to a knee, and Garcia grabs hold of his neck to hold him down and consider a choke attempt. Levy on one knee fights off the back take tries of “Gifted,” but he cannot break this head lock grip until Garcia pushes through to take him down. Levy is quick to roll to his knees and back up, and they trade single punches. Levy sits down on a body kick, and he chops at Garcia’s lead calf. Again, Levy swings with all his might to take him off-balance, and Garcia sees this and avoids the wind-up. Levy lets loose with a high kick that misses the mark, and Garcia tags him with a right hand. As Levy aims a counter, Garcia is faster and slugs him with an overhand right. Standing right in front of the other, they proceed to trade at will one after the other. Garcia fires a body kick that gets caught, and Levy pursues a takedown from it but cannot ground Garcia. Instead, Garcia pulls his leg out and grabs hold of Levy to push him into the wire. As Garcia grinds him against the fence, Levy sweeps the leg out and drops Garcia down to the mat. Garcia gathers himself, gets up, and hits his own single to put Levy down seconds before the round ends. The frame concludes with Garcia on top.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Levy
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Garcia

Round 2

They both trade strikes to start off the round, and as Levy tries to go up high with a kick, Garcia catches it. “Gifted” takes advantage of a gift opportunity to plant Levy on his back, and the newcomer is able to blast right back up to his feet. When they break, it is Garcia who scores with a straight right hand, while Levy’s attempt to knock his head off goes wide as he throws too hard. They both get back to boxing range and bang it out, before deciding to alternate with kicks. Levy just misses with a left hand, and Garcia counters him with a left hook. Garcia is able to deliver a kick to the body, but Levy does not miss a beat and gives him one right back that lands with an audible thud. Levy’s head kick glances off the shoulder, and he digs one to the body that makes Garcia grimace. Garcia charges ahead, loading up on power punches to get Levy to backpedal, but Levy stands firm and throws back. Garcia scores a clean one-two, and Levy’s kicks land heavily in response. As Garcia plods forward, Levy grabs him and takes him down. Garcia walks up to his feet as Levy takes his back standing, and when Garcia gets up, Levy wrenches him right back down to the mat. Garcia, on one knee, lets go with no-look elbows that do not do much. Instead, Garcia fights the hands, and he powers up as he watches himself on the video screen. When they both get upright, Garcia pursues a single, but Levy stops it and kicks him in the head. As soon as Levy puts his foot down, he dives in for a single, only to get stuffed. Garcia walks straight into a knee to the side, and Levy boots him in the body right after. As he is eating these strikes unanswered, he grits it out and swarms ahead to take Levy down. Levy rolls to his knees, gets punched in the side of the head, and the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Levy
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Levy

Round 3

Right before the final frame opens, Levy has to get tape cut off, buying the fighters a few extra seconds of recovery. Levy strides out of his corner when it begins with a loud kick to the body. Garcia answers with a kick on the inside thigh, only for it to clatter off the cup. Levy waves it off and they back off to re-find their range. Levy engages first after a brief staring contest, with a head kick that is partly blocked. Garcia aims a counter, only to get uppercutted for his trouble. Garcia pursues a takedown, and when Levy pushes him off, he throws a looping punch that misses and allows Garcia to latch on to him like an Alabama tick. Levy is able to remain on his feet and fight out of the clinch, but Garcia marks him up with several uppercuts before the separation. Garcia dives forward with a takedown effort, and Levy stands him up, clinches with him and knees “Gifted” in the body several times. A spinning back kick from Levy lands cleanly to the liver, and Garcia grits his teeth and goes after a takedown. They clash heads, and Levy drops to a knee while he tries to gather himself and stand back up. Garcia relentlessly goes after takedown after takedown, bullying the unbeaten fighter into the fence until Levy explodes and wings a right hand that misses. Levy gathers his thoughts and changes levels for his own takedown, and Garcia’s sprawl stops this from succeeding. Garcia times a knee to the head just after Levy pulls his hands off the ground, and Levy groans. They split apart, and when Levy swings for the bleachers, Garcia hits a picturesque takedown to plant Levy on his back for the remainder of the round. Levy pulls rubber guard, but there are no submissions to be found as Garcia lands punches from on top to the final bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Garcia (29-28 Garcia)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Garcia (29-28 Garcia)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Garcia (29-28 Garcia)

The Official Result

Rafa Garcia def. Natan Levy via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Tucker Lutz vs. Pat Sabatini

Round 1

The preliminary headliner is the first match of the day between two competitors with UFC records over .500, and it comes at 145 pounds between proud Pennsylvanian Sabatini (15-3, 2-0 UFC) and Maryland-based rival “Top Gun” Lutz (12-1, 1-0 UFC). If maverick referee Mark Smith is not at the top of his game, he may find himself on a one-way trip to the danger zone during this potentially thrilling dogfight. The fighters are fueled up and touch gloves to launch the proceedings. Lutz walks forward, and he blocks a high kick so that he can kick low. The featherweights sling kicks at the same time, and Sabatini chomps down on his gumshield to swing looping hooks at his opponent. Sabatini lands a left hand, and Lutz is there to tag him with three punches. Sabatini punches his way into a level change, and Lutz counters him and hops back into the wall to keep his balance as Sabatini pursues a takedown. Lutz staves off the initial attempt, turns Sabatini into the wall, and then is forced to fight off a subsequent try. Sabatini is able to trip Lutz’ leg out beneath him but he cannot keep him there, until he finally pulls Lutz down to the mat. Lutz does not have any interest in playing on the ground here, and he walks his way up the wall until Sabatini lifts both of his legs up and drags him back out. Lutz still manages to get up, only to succumb to a mat return from a trip. Sabatini takes Lutz’ back in the process, with left hands that land as he flirts with a rear-naked choke setup. The punches continue to connect for the Philadelphia native, until Lutz turns over and falls into the choke. The submission is not under the neck, as Sabatini squeezes while Lutz’ face turns pink. Lutz toughs it out long enough for Sabatini to abandon that choke angle, and he is warned for grabbing Sabatini’s glove. Sabatini secures the body triangle, all while Lutz ducks his chin down so that the arm cannot snake on his throat. Sabatini softens him up with right hands, punching the side of Lutz’ head right to the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Sabatini
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Sabatini
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Sabatini

Round 2

The fighters touch ‘em up to begin the second frame, and Lutz comes out on the offensive. He lands a few punches, and when he tries to throw a kick, Sabatini grabs it and nails a clean double-leg takedown. Sabatini easily steps over to half guard, and Lutz hangs on to him to force a possible standup. Sabatini breaks the grip so that he can land punches and grind elbows, and he slides his knee over to take three-quarter mount. Lutz turns to his side to free himself, and when he does, Sabatini captures side control. Sabatini begins to pound on Lutz with short left hands, and as he does, Lutz turns the tables and gets to his knees. Sabatini takes advantage of this to jump guard for a guillotine choke, and he improves the choke into a mounted guillotine. Lutz fights off the choke but is still mounted, so he turns over to surrender his back again. Sabatini is happy to take it, where he hooks in a body triangle as he starts to fish for rear-naked chokes again. Lutz is able to work his way towards the wall, so that he can keep the cage between them and not allow Sabatini to get leverage. Sabatini still tries to get the choke, and Lutz stays smart enough to protect his neck, even when his face turns color. Sabatini cannot quite keep the grasp to tighten up a choke, as Lutz bucks and even sits up for a moment. Sabatini drags him back down, and he remains in dominant back control until the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Sabatini
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Sabatini
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-8 Sabatini

Round 3

They clap hands to start off the last round, and Sabatini backs away to throw a body kick. Lutz crashes forward to throw hands, with a left hook and a right to follow. Sabatini eats a few punches so that he can shoot in for a single, and Lutz keeps his foot in the air and sets it down against the fence. Sabatini tries to go for an inside trip that lifts Lutz’ leg up so that he can turn him around and slam him down, but Lutz sees this coming and is able to stay up. As they continue in this position, Lutz turns him around and lands his own takedown. Sabatini stands right up without a care in the world, and he attacks a single. The second attempt of the Philadelphian gets Lutz down to the floor, and Lutz is quick to stand to a knee and then back up. The mat return from Sabatini comes, and he successfully grounds Lutz with his backside on the fence. Dean tells them to work as soon as it hits the ground, and Sabatini obliges by grabbing hold of Lutz’ leg on the other side to take an advantageous posture. Lutz gets to his seat and stands, and they both try to toss the other and end up with their elbows hooked as they are both on their knees. Lutz gets up and lands a few knees up close, only for Sabatini to get off a one-two in response. Lutz begins to walk Sabatini down, looking for some strike that can win him the fight after losing practically every minute of the fight to this point. Sabatini ignores a strike coming his way so that he can tie Lutz up, and he instantly clings to Lutz like Saran wrap. Sabatini looks for trips from both legs, constantly frustrating Lutz with attempts and setups without letting Lutz do anything of his own. They separate for a second, until Sabatini darts in for a double. Lutz stands him up and punches him in the side a few times. The fight ends after they break from a clinch, with Lutz giving chase but not catching his foe.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Sabatini (30-26 Sabatini)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Sabatini (30-27 Sabatini)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Sabatini (30-26 Sabatini)

The Official Result

Pat Sabatini def. Tucker Lutz via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

Davey Grant vs. Adrian Yanez

Round 1

The prelims were rough, but an immediate “Fight of the Night” contender greets fans in the main card opener between Yanez (14-3, 3-0 UFC) and Grant (13-5, 4-4 UFC), in an intriguing striker-grappler affair at 135 pounds. Yanez has won all three of his UFC outings by knockout, while Grant has never been knocked out with his last two victories also by KO. Something might have to give, and referee Herb Dean is ready to catch the chips that fall where they may. They touch gloves before getting down to business, and Yanez tries to get the fight over early with a huge right hand that whizzes past his target. Grant backs away, chops at the leg a few times, and then goes up higher with a kick. Yanez looks to counter Grant’s kicks, or attempts to check them down low. Yanez walks through a few kicks, and Grant keeps letting go with leg strikes of all direction. The front kicks land flush, and the Brit turns through a kick to spin with a back fist that just misses. An inside leg kick from Grant trips Yanez down to the ground, but Yanez gets up and aims a right hand across the bow. Grant stays composed, but Yanez bears down on him with one to the body and one to the head. Yanez scores a leg kick, and he clips his foe with a left hand. “Dangerous Davey” just misses with a spinning wheel kick, and Yanez blocks a subsequent flying knee so that he can let go with a few punches up top. Body kicks from both feet connect for Grant, and he just misses with a looping left hand. Yanez does not appear concerned and is calmly attempting to counter, with a right hook that is not far from the mark. Grant kicks Yanez in the calf again, causing Yanez to lose his footing, and Yanez gathers himself with a one-two that cuts Grant on the nose. Grant puts a few punches on Yanez, and Yanez slips a spinning wheel kick that comes right after. Grant stands tall and gets nailed with a left and a right, and the Houstonian ducks a punch to nail Grant with a right hand. Grant shakes it off and raises his arms in the air to celebrate a tough scrap, and they stand right in front of one another and bang. When they back away, Grant keeps his distance with reaching front and high kicks. Grant takes a leg kick, and a punch that busts his nose up a little more. The Brit spins with a hook kick to the legs in the vein of Andy Hug, and Yanez shrugs it off so that he can wind up a right hand. Grant swings and misses, and he turns all the way through with a tornado punch after a full rotation. Right after that bounces off Yanez’ shoulder, the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Yanez
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Yanez
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Yanez

Round 2

The bantamweights clap hands before getting right to it, with heavy strikes right out of the gate. Grant backs off to land a low kick, and then a combination of punches follows. Shortly after another kick to the calf from Grant, Yanez snipes him with a right hand but Grant is not fazed. They trade ferociously, and one kick collides with Yanez’ cup, but Yanez does not want to pause. Grant keeps his range with kicks, and he tries to spin with them but Yanez sees them coming. Yanez brushes off punches and kicks, but a scraping finger to the eye makes the American take a break. Dean brings in the doctor, who lets Yanez wipe his own eye out. After a minute to recover and blink it out, they clap hands to start off again. Grant surges forward with a single-leg takedown try immediately, and Yanez stuffs it and even tags Grant with a right hand as they separate. Yanez begins to chop at Grant’s legs with kicks, and they go back to full-throated brawling, with each landing cleanly and not budging. Grant’s nose gets battered even more after absorbing blows, but he does not seem to care as he spins with a back fist and then a follow-up punch with the momentum. Yanez stays composed, but Grant swipes a right hand around the guard right in the face. Yanez scores a one-two, and Grant is right there to answer back. These two bantamweights are not afraid of the other’s power, and they have complete faith in their chins as they are unloading with ferocious strikes. A looping punch leads to a knee, and Grant lands to score a few punches and shake Yanez up a little. The Houstonian wears it well and marches forward to engage, but Grant’s looping shots still find their home on the nose. Grant keeps his hands wide, using awkward striking and the occasional head kick to keep Yanez honest. A few more dangerous shots from “Dangerous Davey” connect right before the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Grant
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Yanez
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Grant

Round 3

The gloves get touched to start the last round, and they unload immediately. Grant lands a few kicks, including a head kick that glances off the side of Yanez’ head, and Yanez tries to return fire. Yanez flicks out a jab or two, and Grant still manages to connect with his wild right hand. Grant rushes forward with his sprinting, spinning blow, but Yanez sees it coming and tries to intercept him with a heavy calf kick. Grant checks it, and Yanez marks him up with a one-two. Grant shrugs it off to attack with a flying knee, and he winds up with power punches even as Yanez scores a clean combination right on the face. Yanez sinks in a one-two, and Grant comes back at him with a spinning back kick. Yanez connects with a single right hand, and Grant eats it so that he can chain together a combination of punches and a head kick. Yanez’ strikes are cleaner and crisper, while Grant’s looping punches sound louder. Yanez dings Grant with a few punches, and Grant is right there every time to throw right back at him even as the blood continues to flow. Yanez sticks out a piston-like jab several times to bloody Grant up badly, and Grant is able to still be in his face throwing everything and the kitchen sink. The easiest pick for “Fight of the Night” so far is going down in the cage tonight, and Yanez triples up on a jab only to absorb a flush overhand right. Grant lines up a left hook, and then another, as Yanez tries to defend himself. Yanez continues to batter Grant with a jab, and the jab is disrupting the ridiculous hooks of his opponent. Yanez is able to stick and move, rolling with the telegraphed power punches and letting them hit his shoulder. Yanez lands jab after jab, and Grant lets it go with a leaping kick, a few wild punches, a knee and a couple more punchers for good measure. Yanez stays light on his feet, dodging and weaving from most of them while piercing the guard with his jab. The fight ends with a fun exchange, putting a cap on the best fight on the card so far. When the battle ends, Yanez collapses to the ground in tears, letting out all of his emotions as he mourns his fallen coach Saul Soliz.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Yanez (29-28 Yanez)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Yanez (30-27 Yanez)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Yanez (29-28 Yanez)

The Official Result

Adrian Yanez def. Davey Grant via Split Decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)

Kyung Ho Kang vs. Rani Yahya

Round 1

It’s grappler against grappler in this fun bantamweight battle upon us, when grizzled veteran Yahya (27-10-1, 1 NC; 12-4-1, 1 NC UFC) will try to put a win streak together when he faces the returning “Mr. Perfect” Kang (17-8, 1 NC; 6-2, 1 NC UFC). Across 44 career wins for the both of them, neither has ever earned a finish due to strikes, as Kang’s two TKO wins came by doctor stoppage and corner stoppage. Referee Mark Smith may not have to be worried about wild swings, but the grappling is sure to come fast and furiously. The respect is clear as they touch gloves, and before a strike is thrown, Smith warns Kang for outstretching his fingers. The bantamweights start trading wildly and unexpectedly, with Yahya eating a few punches only to reply back. Kang leaps in the air with a knee, and Yahya grabs his legs so that he can take the fight down. The Brazilian succeeds in grounding Kang, and he ignores elbows to the side of his head and fists on his side so that he can lock Kang’s legs up with his own leg triangle. When Kang scrambles, Yahya swirls with him so that he can take his back, and he tries twice to pull Kang down. Kang stays up thanks to a cheeky fence grab, but Yahya drags him down and pulls Kang on top of him. When they land on the mat, Yahya drops down for a leglock, and Kang has no choice but to kick off so they can stand back up. Kang gets a jab going, and Yahya counters with a clean uppercut up the middle. Kang’s hands are faster than his foe, which comes as the surprise to zero watching, and he tags Yahya with a pair of right hands. Yahya stands still and gets jabbed, until suddenly he springs into action with a spinning back kick to the body. Kang throws a kick at the same time, and Yahya falls over. When Yahya gets back up, Kang is there to greet him with a one-two, and he rocks Yahya with a right hand and sends Yahya falling to his back. Yahya waves him in, telling him to come into his guard, and Kang lords over him with low kicks until backing off to let Yahya up. Kang tees off on Yahya, hurting the Brazilian with punches again and rocking him with an uppercut. Yahya has a snatch double fall short, and Kang kicks him in the cup. Yahya grimaces, but he says he is ready to go on, so they do not pause. Yahya punches his way into a takedown try, and Kang bowls him over as Yahya looks to pull guard. The two end the round in a stalemate in a grappling position.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Kang
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Kang
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Kang

Round 2

Kang begins the round with a stiff right hand, and a leg kick as Yahya comes at him stumbles the Brazilian. Yahya gathers himself, and when he takes another leg kick to the same spot, he crashes forward and hits a takedown. Yahya gets to half guard, and when Kang scrambles to get up, Yahya follows him like a wizard and takes his back in the blink of an eye. Yahya gets a body lock hooked in, and he starts hunting for rear-naked chokes while Kang fights the hands. Yahya alternates the arms to go after chokes and force Kang to switch his grip, all while keeping the body triangle tightly grasped around the waist. Yahya calmly softens Kang up with punches on the side of the head, in no rush with three minutes to work should he need them. Kang keeps a two-on-one grip on Yahya’s wrist to not let him secure a choke, and Yahya cannot lace an arm around the neck when Kang keeps his foe’s arm under his own armpit. Yahya punches Kang repeatedly on the side of the head, and Kang just shakes his head and is more irritated than taking damage from them. Yahya pounds on Kang again and again, big-brothering his Korean opponent as Kang has no way out of this precarious position. Yahya thinks about moving over to mount, but elects to stay on the back as he crushes with his body lock. Kang survives to the end of the second frame.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Yahya
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Yahya
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Yahya

Round 3

The gloves are touched to begin the last round, and Yahya comes out aggressively throwing punches. Yahya winds up on a big right hand, only to get clipped in a counter. Yahya finds himself in trouble when Kang hurts him badly with a long chain of strikes. Kang beats on Yahya enough for Yahya to fall to the ground, but this is exactly where Yahya wants to be, as he instinctively goes after a guillotine choke. Yahya turns through to get Kang off of him, and he incredibly puts Kang on his back and then to his knees while considering back control. Kang looks to kick his legs off to break the posture and get back standing again, only for Yahya to follow him every stretch of the way and put Kang on his back. Yahya lands in arm-triangle choke position, before electing to let it go and move to half guard. As Yahya tries to pass, Kang pulls him back to full guard. Yahya is not complaining about this, as he gets off ground-and-pound before he passes back to half guard. Yahya’s punches and elbows are continuous as he irritates the South Korean, and Kang eventually gets him back to his guard but precious seconds are ticking off the clock. Yahya starts working Kang over with left hands, and Kang loops his toes in the fence to try to push off. Yahya smothers his opponent with suffocating top control and busy punches. Kang, knowing he will not get up, tries to get on a slugfest from off his back. Yahya does not care about this, riding the fight out and landing punches right to the final bell. That’s eight bouts in a row that have gone the distance tonight.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Yahya (29-28 Yahya)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Yahya (29-28 Yahya)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Yahya (29-28 Yahya)

The Official Result

Rani Yahya def. Kyung Ho Kang via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Taila Santos vs. Joanne Wood

Round 1

Fresh off a wedding and slight name transformation, the flyweight contender once known as Calderwood, and now Wood (15-6, 7-6 UFC), takes the cage against surging prospect Santos (18-1, 3-1 UFC). A loss would drop the Scotswoman to a .500 record in the UFC, while a win could return her to the title conversation. Referee Jason Herzog will officiate this noteworthy matchup at 125 pounds, and don’t even bother with a glove touch to start things out. Wood keeps a safe distance with kicks, most to the leg, and Santos suddenly swarms forward with looping punches but misses the mark repeatedly. Santos gets kicked in the face as Wood is dancing on the edge, and Santos sits down on a kick to the thigh. Santos kicks the same spot, and she sticks out a long jab. They both land punches at the same time, with Wood connecting with a right hook and Santos getting on the inside with her own left. Wood scores a one-two, and stays comfortable at this range as she picks her Brazilian foe apart. Santos charges in and lands a big right hand, and she flicks out a jab as she presses forward. They clinch up, and they both get knees off before splitting apart. Although Wood has a one-two blocked, her leg kick is constant as she pokes Santos again and again with frequent strikes. Wood blocks an overhand right so that she can counter with a slick left hand, and she gets back to kicking at Santos’ knee. Wood swipes out with a left and then a right, and Santos is more interested in loading up on power punches than with touching like Wood is doing. Wood kicks the knee a few more times, keeping Santos at bay. Santos winds up with a looping right hand, rocking the Scot and dropping Wood to her seat. Wood gathers her thoughts, stands up against the fence, and they trade knees in the clinch before she gets back up. Santos blasts Wood in the face with another right hand, dropping “Jojo” again, and Herzog thinks to step in before backing off to let them fight. Santos pounds on her before going after the grappling, where she takes Wood’s back and cinches up a rear-naked choke. Wood fights off the hands and keeps her chin buried but cannot keep it there for long. Santos latches on to the choke, and it is crushingly tight. The Brazilian’s vice-like squeeze is powerful as the arm slides under the chin, and Wood thinks about going out on her shield. Instead of passing out, Wood surrenders, and we now have our first finish of the night.

The Official Result

Taila Santos def. Joanne Wood R1 4:49 via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)

Sean Brady vs. Michael Chiesa

Round 1

An important welterweight contest is now on deck, as TUF 15 winner Chiesa (18-5, 11-5 UFC) will look to hold the line and keep his spot in the top 10 against undefeated Philadelphia native Brady (14-0, 4-0 UFC). When the dust settles, a new contender at the logjammed 170-pound division could emerge. Referee Herb Dean’s got this one, and the fighters have nothing but respect for one another as they clap hands to start off. Brady leads the dance with a low calf kick, and Chiesa keeps his range as he leans forward with jabs. Both men shadowbox in front of the other, and Brady lets go with a right hand only to get swiped in the eye with a finger. Dean lets him recover and even brings in the doctor, and Brady clears it out enough to continue. They trade punches, with Chiesa keeping himself at a safe firing distance with his hands outstretched. Chiesa grabs Brady’s left hand with his own right, and lunges a left hand to smack Brady in the face. In another exchange, Chiesa’s left hand opens and his finger jabs into Brady’s eye. The swipe of the finger opens a cut on Brady’s face as well, and once more the doctor is invited into the proceedings. Chiesa gets sternly warned by Dean, and after a minute elapses, they get back to it again. Less than 90 seconds into the match, and two fight-impacting fouls have occurred. Brady powers forward, and Chiesa tries to back him off with jabs. Chiesa stays on his bike until he lets loose a body kick, and Brady catches it and tries to take Chiesa down. In the redoubled effort, Brady successfully grounds Chiesa, although “Maverick” jets back up to his feet as they start to have a conversation. They both share a laugh, and then Brady takes him down. Blood from Brady’s nose is leaking all over Chiesa’s back, but he does not notice as he instead looks to take Chiesa’s back. Chiesa powers his way back upright again, and he breaks the grip so that he can free himself and take the center of the cage. Chiesa walks through a body kick to lance Brady with a one-two, and Brady gathers himself to punch up top and kick down low. Chiesa looks to wing a right hand around the guard, and Brady’s glove is up in time. This close round ends as the two welterweights try to measure one another some more.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Brady
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Brady
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Brady

Round 2

They again touch gloves to commence the frame, and Chiesa begins the round with a few jabs. Brady looks to close in on him, and he tries to get past Chiesa’s reaching arms so that he can land flush. Chiesa pays him back for a heavy punch with a combination of his own. Brady comes back with a single strike, and then scores a slapping leg kick. They crash together to land flush on one another, and Chiesa needs to rest and circle away as he appears to have gotten the worse of the exchange. When he stands firm, he nails Brady with a left hand, and then catches an advancing Brady with a clean right hand. Brady runs forward into a single-leg takedown try, and Chiesa uses the wall to keep his footing about him. Chiesa puts a hand on the canvas to push off, and he tilts his shoulders to use his height as an advantage to frame Brady off of him and stop the attempt. Chiesa knees his foe in the chest a few times, but Brady is relentless as he latches on to a takedown and puts Chiesa on his seat. As Chiesa gets to a knee, Brady takes his back and snakes a hook around his waist. Chiesa appears irritated that he let this happen, and Brady gets the other hook in as he follows a twisting Chiesa wherever he travels. Although he cannot set up a choke, Brady secures the body triangle and locks it up tight. Brady sneaks an arm under the chin, but Chiesa sees it coming and stops it from succeeding. From this precarious position, Chiesa explodes out only to get dragged back down. Chiesa groans as he cannot get free before the round ends, upset with himself for getting outgrappled in this fashion.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Brady
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Brady
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Brady

Round 3

They hug it out to start off the last round, and Chiesa paws out jab after jab to start things off. The jabs turn into open-handed reaches, and he suddenly jumps in the air to pound his knee in Brady’s chin. Brady grabs him after he lands to turn him into the wall, but he does not hold him there for long. Chiesa is fired up, and he starts laying into Brady with powerful punches. Brady gets rocked and is wobbled after taking a long salvo of punches from “Maverick,” and he saves himself with a desperation takedown. Although the first attempt does not succeed, try, try again he does, and he manages to put Chiesa down. Like the last round, Brady easily circles around to take Chiesa’s back, and he gets the hooks in to secure the controlling posture. Chiesa frantically tries high-risk maneuvers like kicking himself high off the fence to get free, but there is nothing doing. Chiesa again grunts when Brady sets up and tightens the body triangle, wearing his emotions on his sleeve as Brady holds on to him. There is no choke to be found as Chiesa comfortably fights the hands, but the control time is firmly on the side of the unbeaten Pennsylvanian. Chiesa turns to break the body lock, and he succeeds in doing so to stand up. Chiesa hammers Brady with punches, but as soon as he drills Brady in the chest with a knee, Brady grabs it and slows him down. When Brady tries to take him down, Chiesa reverses him and puts Brady on the ground hard. Doing everything he can to finish the fight, Chiesa unleashes a storm of ground-and-pound, furiously pursuing a stoppage while Brady holds on for dear life. The final bell comes before the finish can materialize, and a disappointed Chiesa lets go and limps away when the fight ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Brady (30-27 Brady)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Brady (30-27 Brady)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Brady (30-27 Brady)

The Official Result

Sean Brady def. Michael Chiesa via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate

Round 1

At long last, we have reached the main event. It’s been a journey tonight. Vieira (11-2, 5-2 UFC) will try to get back in the win column against former champ Tate (19-7, 6-4 UFC). The cage commander for this final fight of the night is referee Jason Herzog, and both with an eye on a crack at the bantamweight belt in the future touch hands to start things out. Vieira captures the center of the cage in the early going, but they keep a very safe range from the other to not land punches or kicks. They take turns following the other, until Vieira sits down with a right hand to smack Tate in the face. Tate tries to jab the body a few times, and Vieira is there to pop her with a left hand over the top. Tate swings, misses, and gets countered by the Brazilian. Vieira sticks out a crisp jab, and her range is giving Tate pause at how to get in on her. When Tate jumps forward into a one-two, Vieira swats it out of the way and dances back when Tate aims a kick at her leg. Tate appears jittery as she hops back and forth to try to get in on Vieira, throwing a single front kick to the body. Vieira tags Tate with a right hand when Tate closes in on her, and the former champ lands a pair of successful punches. Caught celebrating her work a little too long, Vieira counters her with heavier blows before Tate can escape. The distance between the two is vast, and Tate resorts to staggering and stutter-stepping her way in. Tate chases Vieira down and slugs her in the face with a combination, and when Vieira tries to answer her with strikes of her own, Tate ties her up and presses her into the wall. Although Vieira separates, Tate knees her once to the body. Tate ducks a punch combination to push Vieira back into the wire, and like before, Vieira is able to separate without issue. From a distance, Vieira shoots in for a takedown, and Tate is able to stop it from succeeding. They end the round in an awkward position with Tate’s hand on her foe’s backside.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Tate
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Tate
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Tate

Round 2

A tense exchange begins the second round, and Vieira lands cleanly on Tate’s left eye, forcing some reddening and immediate swelling. Tate pays it no mind as she kicks Vieira in the head, but it is only a glancing blow as the Brazilian rolls with it. Tate keeps reaching out to try to get in on her opponent, and she eats a Vieira punch so that she can score a solid right hand. The former champ plants the fall of her foot on Vieira’s torso, interrupting Vieira from landing a strike. Tate winds up with a stiff right hand, nailing Vieira and forcing her to reel. In response, Vieira scores a left hand down the pipe. Vieira chops at the leg, and they both start trading heavy leather in front of one another. Tate lands, and Vieira is stuck countering instead of leading the exchanges. This allows Tate to land on her first before replying. Tate connects with a big kick to Vieira’s face, and she sees that it has done some damage as she follows it with a chain of punches. Tate strings together a few one-twos, and Vieira shakes it off and lands her own thudding left hook on the side of Tate’s head. The woman formerly known as “Takedown” attempts one in the open cage, and Vieira stuffs it without issue. She tries again, and Vieira stops that one as well and separates. Tate walks Vieira down with kicks and punches, while not appearing too worried about the single counters that come back at her. Tate scores with a pair of clean right hands, and the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Tate
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Vieira
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Tate

Round 3

Tate comes out firing to start off the second round, surprising the Brazilian early with a short blitz of blows. Backing away before the counters follow suit, Tate changes things up with an inside leg kick and then one on the outside. Vieira leans into a left hand, and after a lull in the action, Tate reaches out with a left hand to stop a punch and she pokes Vieira square in the eyeball. Herzog acknowledges this and brings in the doctor, and after a minute to clear things out, Vieira is ready to go again. Tate wants to capitalize on this accident by chasing Vieira down with jabs and follow-up right hands. Tate keeps a low stance, and she punches the body while Vieira is sitting firmly on counters. Tate punches, slips the response and jabs out again. Tate gives chase, and a big right hand gets caught under Vieira’s armpit. Tate lands a right, tries to clinch up and eats a short right hand for her effort. Tate goes up high with a kick, and when it collides off of Vieira’s guard, Vieira aims a right hand down the middle. Tate advances, and Vieira swings a pair of looping hooks to keep Tate honest. The former champ lands a single strike, while Vieira’s prepared counter of an uppercut and a right hand knocks Tate back. The Brazilian lands cleanly in another exchange, forcing Tate to change levels and pursue a takedown. Vieira defends it well and separates without going down to her knees. When Vieira gets up, Tate meets her outstretched leg with a kick, and Vieira lances her with a right hand in a sharp retort. Tate rushes forward to clinch her up to end the round, and she holds on to the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Vieira
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Tate
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Vieira

Round 4

They meet and touch gloves in the center of the cage to initiate the championship rounds. Tate starts off aggressively, chasing her opponent down and landing punches. Tate clubs her opponent with a crisp right hand, and she escapes when Vieira sets up a counter. The Brazilian lands a few punches from a distance, and they trade heavily suddenly. Tate mixes things up with a takedown attempt, and she finally hits it and gets Vieira down. As “Fenomeno” stands up, Tate takes her back and looks to hit a mat return by tripping Vieira down. Clinched up, Tate gives up on the takedown entry so that she can land short strikes to the body and head. Staying tight keeps Tate away from eating any counters, and she presses her full body weight on her opponent that had never before fought beyond the third round. Vieira grits her teeth and pushes Tate away, and she starts lunging out with jabs. Tate marks her up with a big punch, and Vieira blasts her right back. Both women wear it well, and Tate kicks Vieira in the body from afar. Tate lands a few punches before coming in to clinch, and she knees Vieira in the body once. Vieira gives several punches back to the midsection, until Tate has had enough of that and pushes away. A Tate leg kick is met with a straight left hand, and Vieira catches Tate coming in with a string of punches. Vieira loads up on a right hand, and she elbows Tate when Tate tries to clinch. Vieira welcomes the clinch again in the open cage, as she repeatedly punches Tate in the side as she did before. Tate holds on tight with a clinch, and she releases a knee to the head. Another knee scores for the former champ, who ends the round in the Thai clinch.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Vieira
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Vieira
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Tate

Round 5

The bantamweights touch hands and then come in to hug to commence the last round. Vieira lets her hands go when they start fighting, and she connects cleanly with power punches as Tate looks to be safe. They come together in a clinch, and Tate works the body before Vieira separates. Vieira tags her opponent with an uppercut and a left hand, and Tate is forced to back off and gather her thoughts. When she does, the ex-champ kicks the body and then tries to get a knee off to the chest. Tate kicks the body, but Vieira is there to bang with her as she starts throwing hard. As Tate backs off, Vieira leans on a long jab, and she busts Tate’s nose open with a powerful knee and a few punches up top. Tate misses on one-twos as Vieira appears to be the fresher, more composed woman right now. Tate springs back and forth, jabbing out but not throwing nearly as much as she did before the nose got cracked. Tate sneaks a right hand over the top, but Vieira throws three back at her that are much heavier. They trade single jabs, and Tate steps forward into a one-two that knocks Vieira back. Vieira returns fire with jabs that continue to pound into Tate’s bloodied nose, and the former champion’s face has transformed into a crimson mask. Hardly recognizable, Tate does not care, as she continues to swing punches while Vieira is tight and crisp with her boxing. The jabs have shut Tate’s left eye as well as making her nose bleed furiously, and Tate marches on and kicks her in the side. Tate continues to pour it on as Vieira stays on her bicycle, successfully scoring with laser-accurate strikes that barely register for Tate. The fight comes to an end after 25 minutes of action, and it could be anyone’s guess who wins this fight based on how close most of the rounds were. UFC Fight Night 198, and a consecutive weekend stretch of 10 UFC cards, comes to an end with an event that brought 10 decisions in 11 bouts. We all could use a week off, and we will have it. When the UFC returns in December, it will be on ESPN for U.S. audiences with a barnburner of a main event between Rob Font and Jose Aldo. We will be here for it, and we hope you are too.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Vieira (48-47 Vieira)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Vieira (48-47 Vieira)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Vieira (48-47 Tate)

The Official Result

Ketlen Vieira def. Miesha Tate via Unanimous Decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)