Jarno Errens and Steven Nguyen both fought each other in search of their first UFC win on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 89.
Errens had lost his first two UFC fights while Nguyen had gone 2-1 on Dana White’s Contender Series before earning a contract, and this first fight. Though Steven came in as the favorite it was the Dutchman, Errens, who out-struck Nguyen confidently en route to a unanimous decision win.
Nguyen took a toll on Errens quickly with calf kicks, stumbling the Dutchman once and reddening his calf. But Errens stayed in the fight and had his moments, fighting back well and even taking a lead on the strike count with his decisive counter striking while on the back foot. As a result of the pace and competitiveness, the round was exciting throughout.
Blood had dried in Errens’ nose when the round started but he drew blood through Nguyen’s mouth early in the second and continued to look sharper than ever before with his counter boxing. Errens’ hand speed was excellent and he began to beat up Steven before Nguyen got flash knocked-down by him in the final seconds of the round.
Although Nguyen stayed on the front foot for much of the third round, just like the second, at first he simply could not keep up with the speed and straight shots of Jarno Errens. However, he turned the tables in a big way with a big elbow that dropped one minute into the round, giving himself a chance to take back the fight. However, Errens stayed composed, got back up, and then dropped Steven the other way.
Though Nguyen got back up, he looked very hurt and Jarno’s punches simply seemed to be doing more damage. Steven never gave up, pushing forward to the end of the round and even staying on a mostly even field with an Errens who was constantly circling the cage. Errens landed a big uppercut but Nguyen seemed to have entered a zombie-like state where he could not get hurt and could do naught but walk forward.
When the judges’ scorecards were read it was no surprise that Errens won 30-27 on all three, earning him his first UFC win and giving the Netherlands a potential new fighter to look for.
Official Result: Jarno Errens def. Steven Nguyen by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
