The lightweight fight between Evan Elder and Gauge Young at UFC Kansas City originally featured two other fighters entirely.
Initially, the bout saw Mitch Ramirez and Ahmad Sohail Hassanzada facing off. After Ramirez withdrew, Elder stepped in. Then, just days ago, Hassanzada was accused of sexual assault and released by the promotion. That brought in newcomer Gauge Young.
In round one, Young came out with early forward pressure, but it was Elder who got the better of the exchanges. Elder landed a sharp combination that briefly forced Young to clinch. He followed up with a chopping leg kick and a powerful right hand. Young responded, but an accidental eye poke from him caused a brief pause in the action. When they resumed, Young continued pressing forward, but Elder was doing the cleaner work, forcing Young backward with every throw, even if not everything was landing clean. Elder landed a spinning back kick and a pair of heavy outside leg kicks to close a strong first round, winning what was essentially an early kickboxing battle. Young had pressure but wasn’t doing much with it.
In round two, both fighters came out more aggressive, and Elder started to get drawn into more of a brawl. Once the action settled, Elder returned to chopping at the legs. Young managed to press Elder against the cage and landed a nice body shot but couldn’t string anything together afterward. Elder shot for a takedown but Young defended well. As the round went on, Young began finding more success, landing a nice jab and picking up momentum, especially with body shots that visibly slowed Elder down. It was a much better round from Young — close, and perhaps closer than it might seem at first glance.
In the final round, Young again pushed forward but was much more active compared to round one, mixing his attacks well. Still, Elder was landing the heavier shots — you could hear the impact of his leg kicks, body kicks, and right hand every time they connected. Elder might have benefited from throwing more combinations, as his single shots were allowing Young to keep pressing. Nonetheless, Elder picked his spots well and consistently won the striking exchanges, often off his back foot. In the final seconds, Young timed a nice knee, and both fighters swung hard to the horn, capping off a competitive fight.
It was Elder taking the win on all three scorecards in the end, spoiling the debut of Gauge Young.
Official Result: Evan Elder def. Gauge Young by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
