The main event ended quickly. Both started hitting brutal body kicks but the beginning of the end was when Perez tried to take Figueiredo’s leg for a takedown. Figueiredo then had a nice transition where he took Perez’s leg but escaped. The last grappling was Figueiredo choking Perez via guillotine. It showed that the squeeze was strong because the head of Perez was almost out still tapped.
Valentina Shevchenko beat Jennifer Maia via unanimous decision (4-1 in all scorecards). Although Maia only won one round, she still had a competitive fight. There were moments that Shevchenko was in trouble in the ground especially in the second round but the Champion proved why she is the champion.
My pick for the fight of the night would have to be Mike Perry vs Tim Means. Right off the bell, it was a banger and both fighters came in to fight. Means showed that the jab is the most important punch in boxing. It was more of technical vs power. Perry clipped Means a few times that rocked Means. In the first round, Perry had a close attempt of Rear naked choke but was unsuccessful. Means then chose to box beautifully.
Katlyn Chookigan who was coming as an underdog beat a rising prospect, Cynthia Calvillo. The fight ended in a unanimous decision with Chookigan winning all the rounds. It was a one-sided fight in terms of scoring per round. Chookigan used her height and range and not let Calvillo close the distance. Chookigan just had a short layoff after her loss against Jessica Andrade.
Paul Craig has won his rematch against Shogun Rua. Both had an encounter before in the first match and it ended in a draw. Craig has always been known to be a good BJJ specialist but tonight, what was impressive was his takedown abilities/wrestling. He took Shogun easily and let Rua tap due to strikes.
Number 1 flyweight contender Brandon Moreno still retains his spot as he beat Brandon Royval via TKO. Both were in a grappling exchange when suddenly Royval’s shoulder popped prompting him not to be able to answer to the strikes of Moreno. The referee had no choice but to stop the fight. He might be next to fight for the title and deserves it more than anyone in the division.
Joaquin Buckley, who came of one of the greatest knockouts of the decade also had an impressive KO win. Buckley clipped Jordan Wright in the last minute of the first round but was saved by the bell. Buckley said that he saw Wright’s eyes roll back and knew he was gonna finish him in the next round.
Antonina Shevchenko (Valentina’s Sister) also won in a more impressive fashion. She elevated her game by showing that she can grapple with Ariane Lipski. Shevchenko is more a striker since she is a muay Thai champion but she grappled with a high-level Brazillian grappler. Shevchenko showed nice grappling and a mix of striking. It was 2-0 for the Shevchenko sisters tonight.
