The fight started off with Jordan Leavitt changing levels on Wiman for a double leg takedown attempt. He elevated Wiman as it looked as Wiman was alright with going to his back. Instead, Leavitt carried him to his corner, and put his left forearm across Wiman’s face to slam Wiman down. The result was a slam in emphatic fashion, knocking the veteran out cold.

Showing excellent sportsmanship, a clearly concerned Jordan Leavitt pulled back, not delivering a single follow-up strike. None were really needed; Wiman was out on impact. Quite the impression made in Leavitt’s UFC debut. And a finish that could very well win him a Performance of the Night bonus as well.

OH MY GOODNESS!

👑 @JoJo_MonkeyKing gets the SLAM KO, seconds into the bout!

[ Main card continues on #ESPNPlus & ESPN2 ] pic.twitter.com/yP5oF907LE

— UFC (@ufc) December 6, 2020

Official Result: Jordan Leavitt def. Matt Wiman by KO (Slam), Round 1, 0:22

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Matt Wiman is sticking around after making his surprising return to the UFC in June. He lost to Luis Pena in what was his first taste of action since 2014 and has been with the promotion since 2006. Solecki is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to experience. After appearing on the Contender Series in July and winning by first-round guillotine, Solecki will be making his promotional debut at UFC DC. The 26-year-old is 8-2 in his MMA career.

Solecki took the center of the Octagon early and the fighters traded leg kicks. Wiman pushed forward, but was swiftly taken down by Solecki. Wiman scooted to the cage in guard, but Solecki transitioned to half guard and pushed him away from the cage. He attempted to get to mount, but Wiman was wily and tough to control. Solecki was postured up with Wiman on his side and punished the vet with ground-and-pound. Solecki took the back, and while Wiman tried to stand up, Solecki pulled him down with a rear-naked choke. Wiman got out of it, but Solecki was still on his back and pounding away. Wiman was able to withstand the pressure and reached the second round.

Wiman landed an overhand right to start the round, then after an exchange of punches, Solecki took him down. Solecki popped out of a guillotine attempt and began to work from Wiman’s closed guard. Solecki got to his feet with Wiman still hanging onto his guard and started dropping bombs on Wiman. However, it wasn’t as effective as the first-round ground-and-pound. After nearly three minutes in guard, the ref stood the fighters up. Wiman had nothing to offer on the feet, and was taken down again before time expired.

A left hand from Solecki landed and Wiman closed the distance. Not long after, Solecki took him down and the exercise in futility continued. Just constant ground-and-pound that Wiman had no answer for. It turns out taking five years off from fighting is not recommended for UFC-level fighters. At the very end of the fight, Wiman reversed position and got on top, started shouting at Solecki and rubbing his face on his opponent’s. A very strange ending to a great performance.

Solecki explained that Wiman was talking trash throughout the fight, and the outburst at the end was in response to Solecki saying, “I’ll put you out of a job.”

Joe Solecki def. Matt Wiman by Unanimous Decision (30-26 x2, 30-27)

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Stefan Struve vs. Ben Rothwell

Although it is on the main card, this fight has somewhat flown under the radar due to the lack of promotion. Struve retired earlier this year after his submission win over Marcos Rogerio De Lima. A few months later he announced that he will be coming out of retirement to fight Ben Rothwell. Rothwell has also made a comeback this year after a three-year layoff. He is currently on a two-fight losing streak since returning, losing to Blagoy Ivanov and Andrei Arlovski by decision. The two men have a combined 88 pro MMA fights in their careers.

Rob Font vs. Ricky Simon

Simon was on a three-fight winning streak in the UFC before being knocked out by Urijah Faber in July. Before his fight with Faber, a lot of people thought Simon would be a serious contender in the bantamweight division. This will be his chance to prove to everyone that he is still that contender. Simon is fighting Rob Font, who is 6-2 since joining the UFC. Font has beaten talents like Sergio Pettis, Thomas Almedia, Matt Schnell and George Roop in his tenure with the UFC.

Joe Solecki vs. Matt Wiman

Wiman recently made his return to the octagon, losing by TKO to Luiz Pena in June of this year. His last fight before that was in November of 2014. The 24-fight veteran has been competing at the professional level since 2004. He will be taking on Joe Solecki at UFC on ESPN 7, who will be making his promotional debut with the UFC. We last saw Solecki when he submitted James Wallace on Dana White’s Contender Series this past summer. He holds an 8-2 record, beginning his pro career in 2016. Meaning that he turned pro while Wiman was still on his five-year hiatus. This match-up will be a great test for an up-and-coming finisher to see how he will deal with the veteran fight IQ of Wiman.

Makhmud Muradov vs. Trevor Smith

Makhmud Muradov is the only MMA fighter in the world that was brought up by The Money Team and Floyd Mayweather. He made his UFC debut in September, earning a decision win over Alessio Di Chirico. Muradov currently holds a 23-6 pro record, finishing 18 out of those 23 wins. He will be fighting Trevor Smith who has been with the UFC since they bought out StrikeForce. Smith holds a 15-9 record, while currently on a two-fight losing streak. Those two fights saw him losing decisions to Elias Theodorou and Zak Cummings back in 2018. His fight on Saturday will be his first in almost a year. Smith has nine submission wins and has been knocked out in four of his nine losses. An interesting stat with Muradov coming from a boxing background and having 15 wins via TKO or KO, while also having three out of his six losses via submission.

How To Watch UFC On ESPN 7

UFC on ESPN 7 will take place at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC. The early prelims will start at 5:30 pm ET being shown on ESPN+. The prelims will then follow starting at 7:00 pm ET, and will be shown on ESPN. The main card will stay on ESPN, starting at 9:00 pm ET.

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Luis Pena didn’t fare all that well in his drop down to featherweight, missing weight for his 145lb debut. So at UFC Greenville, he was back to lightweight. A wise decision, in the end. Though he won the fight, against Steven Peterson, missing weight is never a good look. So it was back to 155lb for the towering fighter. There, he met Matt Wiman, returning to action for the first time since 2014.

Ring rust was going to be a factor. Wiman launched a kick early, but Violent Bob Ross was having none of it and quickly bullied him to the cage. With nearly the first offensive exchange, Wiman was badly bloodied, a nasty cut gushing blood over his left eye. It looked to be a knee that did the damage. The ref wanted to look at it, but Wiman waved him off saying he was fine. They resumed, and Pena tried a jump knee, knees in the clinch, standing elbows, and all sorts of nasty, creative strikes. Another flying knee attempt followed. Wiman was going to have to watch out for the kitchen sink. He’d try to move things to the ground, in an attempt to slow the pace, but Pena wound up on top, dropping ground and pound while Wiman worked, unsuccessfully, to grab a leg. More vicious ground n’ pound would follow, with Pena coming close to getting the stoppage in the first.

Painting the canvas … 👨‍🎨🎨#UFCGreenville @ViolentBobRoss pic.twitter.com/WUa8YjtgxI

— UFC (@ufc) June 22, 2019

A bloodied Wiman was on his back within the first minute of the second. Again, more ground n’ pound from Pena. But he backed off, letting Wiman up. Another jump knee followed. Pena was was living up to the Bob Ross name, not just in violence but in artistry. He nearly let it slip through his fingers, as Wiman transitioned to the top in a choke attempt a couple of minutes in. But Pena scrambled free, got back on top, and dropped more GNP. Wiman would scramble, squirm, look to trap a leg, and somehow survive the round, looking like a horror movie victim.

Matt Wiman was in need of a finish if he wanted a win over Luis Pena in Greenville. He needed a finish simply to avoid further punishment. He opened the third with leg kicks, but he was soon being pieced up again. He’d survive the first volley, but mercifully, the ref would wave it off before long. Pena had the win, having made a bloody statement.

Luis Pena def. Matt Winman by TKO, Round 3, 1:14

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