UFC: Brunson vs. Till Quick Results & Thoughts
This started at 4am local time. Absolute ridiculousness. So I'm watching and reviewing this at a more sensible time on Sunday morning, able to skip all the ads and the fluff on Fight Pass. Good times!
Prelims
Fight 1: (185) Marc-Andre Barriault def. Dalcha Lungiambula via unanimous decision (29-28 X2, 30-27)
Thoughts: The story of this one was Octagon control and pressure. Marc-Andre had Dalcha on his heels the entire fight, essentially picking him apart against the cage. Dalcha had power and was trying to swing with heat, but Barriault kept it more technical. It was pretty clear down the stretch that Barriault had the win, but credit to him in the last minute for pushing forward more and looking for a finish.
Fight 2: (150- Catchweight) Julian Erosa def. Charles Jourdain via submission (D'Arce choke) at 2:56 of R3
Thoughts: A wild fight, great moments on both sides for Erosa and Jourdain. Erosa had control early, but in the second round Jourdain landed a few bombs to gain a little momentum. In the 3rd, Erosa switched things up a little with some wrestling, and the scramble resulted in an excellent set-up for the D'Arce. Extremely fun fight.
Fight 3: (135) Jack Shore def. Liudvik Sholinian via UD (30-27 X 3)
Thoughts: One-sided traffic. Shore was the better fighter in every area, and Sholinian just hung in there. Besides a close head and arm choke in the first round, this fight never really hit second gear for me.
Fight 4: (125) Molly McCann def. Ji Yeon Kim via UD (29-28 X 3)
Thoughts: I think "Meatball" McCann spent her whole training camp watching Wanderlei Silva fights. Damn. With a 10 inch reach disadvantage, she frequently had to get inside range to land strikes, and when she did she swung with reckless abandon. Against a talented technical striker like Kim who was able to land some sharp shots of her own, it made for a well deserved FOTN. Awesome battle.
Main Card
Fight 1: (155) Paddy Pimblett def. Luigi Vendramini via TKO (punches) at 4:25 of R1
Thoughts: What a wild round! All the hype was behind Paddy Pimblett for this fight, but Vendramini cracked him and hurt him early. As DC put it, very close to changing the narrative- but then the last 30 seconds of the fight happened. Paddy landed a hard left and started absolutely swarming to get the TKO finish. I feel like a higher ranked opponent could take advantage of the holes in Paddy's game and put him out, but he's undeniably exciting.
I did enjoy the post-fight when Paddy has this cocky, Conor-lite attitude and Bisping tells him straight- "you almost got knocked out!" Keeping it real.
Fight 2: (205) Khalil Rountree Jr. def. Modestas Bukauskas via TKO (leg kick) at 2:30 of R2
Thoughts: Rountree was a man possessed in the first round, throwing bombs that staggered Bukauskas and rearranged his nose. Going into the second, his output wasn't as high but he landed the shot that matters- an oblique kick that dropped Bukauskas and made him scream in pain. Huge win.
Fight 3: (170) Alex Morono def. David Zawada via UD (30-27 X 3)
Thoughts: This was a showcase for the speed and finesse of Morono on the feet. Zawada was tough, but ultimately didn't have a real answer for Morono''s striking and got busted up over 3 rounds. It was an okay watch, but if you miss it you're not missing much.
Fight 4: (265) Tom Aspinall def. Sergey Spivak via TKO (elbow and punches) at 2:30 of R1
Thoughts: Bit of a feeling out process for the first couple of minutes, then Aspinall stopped a Spivak takedown attempt and cracked him with an elbow in close. Spivak fell and the fight was over moments later with ground and pound. Flawless performance!
Fight 5: (185) Derek Brunson def. Darren Till via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:13 of R3
Thoughts: Super Saiyan Brunson is something else! Ever since he dyed his hair blonde, he's been on a roll. Till looked good early and late with the striking, but Brunson had a massive advantage in the grappling that he exploited fully. Till appeared to have Brunson hurt, but rushed and got caught with a big takedown. Mounted and choked seconds later. A fired up Brunson immediately called out champion Israel Adesanya after getting the sub.
