“The Alpha Ginger” Spike Carlyle moved back to featherweight for Saturday’s UFC Vegas 15, where he took on “Senor Perfecto” Bill Algeo. Carlyle was 1-1 inside the octagon to start the night, but his loss had come at a 150lb catchweight.
Algeo, meanwhile, had made a memorable but ultimately unsuccessful UFC debut back in August, going toe-to-toe with featherweight veteran Ricardo Lamas.
Carlyle went right at Algeo out of the gate, but it was Algeo who landed the first significant strike. Carlyle found better success with a low kick, and later in the round would fall back on his wrestling, landing a takedown and working to take the back. Algeo, however, worked back up, Spike Carlyle still on him. Another takedown would see Carlyle get a tight bulldog choke, but Algeo just bared survived, and finish the round in a dominant position.
Algeo opened the second round firing a head kick. Carlyle initiated a clinch, but Algeo fought it off. A spinning back fist from Carlyle followed, the a more successful takedown, but Algeo was right back up. Going to the ground again, it was Algeo getting the back with his hooks in. He flattened Carlyle out, and worked to secure an arm-triangle choke. Carlyle avoided that only to wind up with Algeo on his back. Clearly exhausted from his own submission attempt in the first, Carlyle was just hanging on. Carlyle reverse with about 30 seconds to go in the round, finishing the frame on top.
“The Alpha Ginger” took some big swings early in round three. But Algeo stayed technical and soon had him retreating. Algeo landed a kick to the body. Carlyle went for a takedown, which Algeo fought off. He wouldn’t be able to fight off a second one with two minutes remaining, in a fight that could potentially have been scored one round a piece to that point. A step-in knee clipped Carlyle on a later takedown attempt, but he fought through it. Carlyle would stay in the driver’s seat, just barely, until the end of a close third round.
Ultimately the only surprise was that the judge’s didn’t award Carlyle a single round. Algeo, meanwhile, has his first UFC win.
Official Result: Bill Algeo def. Spike Carlyle by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
