With two straight finishes to his name, Ignacio Bahamondes entered UFC 287 looking for another big night against LFA and Bellator MMA vet Trey Ogden.
Ogden, a.k.a. “Samurai Ghost,” was entering the fight off his first win in the promotion, with a 1-1 record inside the octagon to date.
The 160lb catchweight affair (scheduled; both fighters made weight) started a little slow, with some feinting and feeling out. Bahamondes fired a couple of kicks, which mostly sailed wide, looking to find his range. A punch to the body did hit the mark for the Chilean, however.
Ogden, meanwhile, was forced to contend with some more kicks, low kicks, from Bahamondes, and these connected. Soon enough, Ogden’s lead leg was showing some redness; Bahamondes continued to chop at the legs both inside and out. Mixed in with these attacks was his jab, and a number of fluid stance switches.
For his part, Ogden struggled to get his offense going in the opening frame, often falling short, hitting air on what he did throw.
Round two found Bahamondes working his jab early. Ogden went high with a kick, but was still struggling to hit the target. A weak takedown attempt was easily avoided by Bahamondes, who kept attacking the lead leg of Trey Ogden. Finally, just shy of two minutes in, Ogden connected flush with a left hand. The cleanest punch of the fight for Ogden, but Bahamondes just ate it.
The remainder of the round continued to favor Bahamondes, who appeared to be cruising heading into the third. Most baffling was Ogden’s decision not to check any of the leg kicks that Bahamondes had been chewing him up with.
Bahamondes went low, high, then to the belt line with kicks to open the third, and it was the final of those three kicks that hit home with a thud. More low kicks followed; Ogden moved, jabbed, and landed little of note. Bahamondes appeared to simply be on another level, or at least in a higher gear. With Ogden so limited in his offense, the fight never truly felt close, leaving little hope of a comeback effort — which never did come.
When the scorecards arrived, there was absolutely no surprise in the outcome. Except perhaps the 29-28 score from one judge.
Official Result: Ignacio Bahamondes def. Trey Ogden by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
