In the co-main event, Joanne Calderwood faced off against Cynthia Calvillo, in a fight that may have been JoJo’s last in the strawweight ranks. Despite her #8 place spot in the UFC’s official strawweight rankings, Calderwood, who looked sharp a year ago in a flyweight scrap against Valerie Letourneau, missed weight coming into the strawweight tilt against Calvillo. She’d likely be a real threat at flyweight once the division was live, meaning UFC Glasgow might have been her 115lb swan song.

Also on the card, lightweight Stevie Ray fought out his contract against the always dangerous Paul Felder.

Check back come fight time for a full recap of all the main card action, and results!

James Mulheron vs. Justin Willis

A heavyweight showdown between James Mulheron and Justin Willis opened the main card action in Glasgow. Willis weighed in just under the limit at 264lbs. Mulheron opened with a couple of leg kicks, while Willis controlled the octagon and landed some leg kicks of his own. Both men were looking to find their range early. By mid-round Mulheron had a cut opened up under the eye. Willis then ducked under and landed a takedown, working from half guard. Mulheron worked back up, but risked giving up his back before using the fence to turn forwards. The pair traded shots, with Mulheron going to the body. Willis landed a counter left that caught Mulheron, but he seemed to take it well. That took us to the end of the round.

Mulheron and Willis flashed superman punches and spinning attacks to open the second round. Willis landed another counter left early. Another superman punch was launched by Mulheron. The pair exchanged kicks, with Mulheron going to the body. Both men were still surprisingly light on their feet at the halfway point of the bout. Mulheron countered a Willis punch with a sharp spinning back fist. A second attempt at that attack opened him up for a takedown, however, and Willis took him to the mat. In half guard, Willis looked to grab an arm, but Mulheron was able avoid giving it up. Willis remained on top however, and Willis began dropping punches for the top with one of Mulheron’s arms trapped. Willis would run out of time however.

The third round opened with a Willis leg kick. Mulheron, possibly down two rounds on the scorecards, was doing a little head hunting. There was less action in the third, as the two hulking fighters finally began to tire. Mulheron pressed forward throughout much of the round, and they clinched around the two minute mark, with Willis’ corner urging him not to settle and get off the cage. Mulheron landed a couple of good shots to the body, but Willis reversed position, then dropped down and landed a takedown. Mulheron worked back to his feet, and they continued in the clinch until just before the round’s end, with Mulheron launching a few final shots off the break.

Justin Willis def. James Mulheron by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Khalil Rountree vs. Paul Craig

Fighting in his home country, Paul Craig looked to bounce-back from the first loss of his career, which came at the hands (elbows) of Tyson Pedro at UFC 209. Khalil Rountree can relate, as his last defeat came to Pedro, a submission loss in November of last year. The trio of Rountree, Craig, and Pedro are some of the light heavyweight division’s best prospects, in a weight class desparate for new names. A win for either Rountree or Craig puts them back in the running for a spot in the top-15 in the official UFC fighter rankings.

In the first Rountree controlled the center of the Octagon, forcing Craig to shuffle along the cage for the majority of the round. Connecting on a couple of heavy combinations while being the much more aggressive party, Rountree quieted the initially-loud crowd pulling for Craig. Rountree continued to look more comfortable as the round went on, as he found his range and outclassed Craig standing up.

That fact was emphasized late in the round, with Craig once again backed up against the fence. After blocking a left headkick, Craig was unable to react to a quick right from Rountree, dropping the Scotsman. Rountree immediately reacted with several hammer fists, forcing the referee to stop the fight and giving him the victory with just a few seconds remaining in the first round.

Khalil Rountree def. Paul Craig by KO (punches) at 4:56 of R1

Jack Marshman vs. Ryan Janes

Both Marshman and Janes are coming off of the first loss of their UFC careers, with matching 1-1 records in MMA’s premier promotion. The line of talented contenders in the 185-pound weight class is only growing, and while suffering back-to-back losses isn’t never in a fighter’s best interests, that fact is magnified in the middleweight division.

Both fighters came out strong, with Marshman controlling the pace while Janes used his movement and reach to try and keep distance. As the round continued, Marshman landed the stronger punches, while Janes landed a few of his own at a less consistent rate. It was Marshman getting the better of Janes in the exchanges in the first round, with each fighter proving their worth.

The second round had a lot less action than the first, but the story was similar. Marshman was able to control where the fight went, landed the better punches, and forced Janes to try to clinch for the majority of the end of the round. Janes was successful with some of his dirty boxing, didn’t do enough to decisively win the round. While he didn’t do a lot, Marshman did more than Janes, likely giving him the two-round advantage heading into the final frame.

By the third round, both fighter’s hands were low, as they traded shots regularly throughout the final five minutes. Janes looked the fresher fighter, while utilizing his chin as a way to get pressure Marshman late. More effective throughout the third round, Janes gave the judges something to think about as they entered their decisions. Another close round between Marshman and Janes, who threw 240 and 230 total strikes respectively throughout the fight, led to a unanimous decision victory for Marshman (29-28×3).

Jack Marshman def. Ryan Janes by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Stevie Ray vs. Paul Felder

Another Scottish fighter attempted to showcase his talents in front of his compatriots on Sunday, when Stevie Ray looked for his third straight win in the loaded UFC lightweight division. His opponent, Paul Felder, is a testament to just how tough the 155-pound weight class is. A winner of three of his last four bouts, Felder is as tough as they come, and the combination of the two is “Fight of the Night” kind of stuff.

With the crowd behind him, Ray landed some leg-kicks early, working for a takedown and eventually pushing Felder against the cage. Doggedly working for position, the duo battled along the fence in the clinch until a left-knee from Felder landed clean on Ray’s chin. Dropping Ray to the ground, Felder attempted to finish the fight, but was unable to land a series of clean punches while the Scotsman recovered.

The recovery didn’t last long, as Felder’s aggression never waned. Holding position in the guard of the still-dazed Ray, the Philadelphia-native landed a few ferocious right elbows, knocking Ray out, forcing the referee to stop the fight, and earning Felder his second win of 2017.

Paul Felder def. Stevie Ray by KO (elbows) at 3:57 of R1

Joanne Calderwood vs. Cynthia Calvillo

The #14 ranked Cynthia Calvillo brought her 5-0 record to Scotland for fight the toughtest fight of her career, against hometown favorite and #8 ranked Joanne Calderwood at UFC Glasgow. After earning victories on the main card of both UFC 209 and UFC 210, Calvillo was looking for a marquee win to add to her resumé. Calderwood already had a few of those, although her last bout was a submission loss to strawweight standout Jessica Andrade at UFC 203. The return got off to to a rough start, as Calderwood missed weight, making the fight a catchweight bout at 118 pounds.

The first round saw Calderwood controlling the center of the Octagon for the first few minutes, stuffing the first takedown attempt from Calvillo. There was lots of movement, and not much else, with Calvillo darting in for combinations and Calderwood pressing forward. Then, in the final minute, Calvillo landed the first takedown of the bout, and a scramble on the ground saw Calderwood defending well from a rear-naked-choke at first, and an armbar later, as the round expired.

With the crowd reinvigorated, the second round began much like the first, with Calderwood keeping distance with kicks while pressing forward. Calvillo continued to attempt quick combinations, and found more success in the second round than in the first, bloodying Calderwood’s nose. Calderwood continued to chase, as Calvillo’s impressive footwork and movement made her a difficult target throughout the round.

The final round began with the bout potentially going either direction, as Calderwood kept kicking Calvillo, neutralizing much of the prospect’s stand-up attack. While Calvillo’s striking wasn’t the most impressive aspect of her performance, her movement and ability to avoid Calderwood’s strikes meant much of the Scotswoman’s efforts were wasted.

With around 30 second remaining in the round, Calvilllo scored her second takedown of the fight, taking Calderwood’s back and going for the submission finish as the horn sounded to end the fight. It wasn’t as decisive as her previous performances, but Calvillo once again impressed and kept her undefeated streak intact with a unanimous decision victory (30-27×2, 29-28). Calvillo became the first fighter with three wins in 2017, and continued her upward trajectory in the strawweight division.

Cynthia Calvillo def. Joanne Calderwood by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Gunnar Nelson vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio

Rebounding from his unanimous decision loss to Demian Maia at UFC 194 with back-to-back wins, Gunnar Nelson is back on-track toward a welterweight title-shot. Currently ranked #8 in the official UFC rankings, a win over the #14 ranked Santiago Ponzinibbio would only add to his already impressive credentials. Ponzinibbio came into the bout on a four-fight winning streak of his own, having lost just three times in his 27-fight career.

In his first main event fight since October of 2014, Nelson started with an early flurry from his recognizable wide karate-based stance. After landing a couple of strikes and taking the center of the Octagon, Ponzinibbio pushed forward, and stunned Nelson with a right hook right on the chin at the 1:14 mark of the first round. With Nelson dazed and wobbling toward the fence, Ponzinibbio grabbed his opponent, stood him up, and delivered a straight left that dropped Nelson for good. The referee couldn’t stop the fight soon enough, giving Ponzinibbio his fifth consecutive victory, the second longest such streak in the UFC’s welterweight division.

Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Gunnar Nelson by KO (punches) at 1:22 of R1

UFC Glasgow (UFC Fight Night 113) Main Card  Results:

Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Gunnar Nelson by KO (punches) at 1:22 of R1
Cynthia Calvillo def. Joanne Calderwood by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Paul Felder def. Stevie Ray by KO (elbows) at 3:57 of R1
Jack Marshman def. Ryan Janes by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Khalil Rountree def. Paul Craig by KO (punches) at 4:56 of R1
Justin Willis def. James Mulheron by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The post UFC Glasgow: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio Main Card Results and Recap appeared first on Cageside Press.

In the featured preliminary fight, Brit Danny Roberts looked to bounce back from a loss to Mike Perry when he clashed with Bobby Nash. Nash was looking to bounce back from the first loss of his career, to “The Leech” Li Jingliang.

Also on the Fox Sports 1 preliminary portion of the UFC Glasgow card was Ireland’s Neil Seery, in his final professional bout.

Check back come fight time for results and a recap of the night’s action!

Danny Henry vs. Daniel Teymur

Teymur was the aggressor early, pushing forward and attacking the legs. His strikes were looking crisp, and he added a spinning backfist that nearly hit home. Subsequent to that, he landed a number of shots on Henry clean, as the lankier Henry could not seem to utilize his five inch reach advantage. Teymur dominated on the feet, and refused to engage on the ground when the opportunity arose, instead chopping away at Henry’s legs while Henry tried to lure him into his guard. Back on the feet, another spinning attack — which may have been a fist but wound up being more like an elbow — landed on Henry’s back. Henry managed to get off a bit of offense towards the end of the round, but the action was mostly from Teymur.

Teymur looked perhaps a step slower in the second, but he was still pressing the action, looking for a home for a nasty uppercut. Henry changed levels to look for a takedown, but Teymur was able to defend it. He reversed, throwing a knee as he pressed Henry against the cage. A spinning elbow, then a knee followed, and Henry was under siege. He answered back, however, landing a couple of solid shots that backed Teymur up. Henry then went to the ground and soon had the back of a dazed Teymur.  Teymur still looked wobbly on his feet and was being backed up for the first time in the bout. Henry took advantage, swaming! What a firefight. Both men were swinging hard, putting everything into their shots. Henry managed to knock Teymur down after a knee and some hard shots and take the back along the fence with seconds left in the round. Teymur would be saved by the bell, but what a change of fortunes.

In the third they picked up where they left off. Teymur was hanging on. Henry was using his reach much more effectively at that point. Henry began to swarm, looking for the finish, landing another combo with Teymur’s back to the fence. Somehow, he managed to survive, but Henry scored the takedown. Teymur tried to muscle up, but Henry stayed on him. Henry soon had the back, one hook in, but couldn’t find a submission. In mount moments later, Henry appeared to be looking for a head and arm choke. Teymur would survive the round, and a final rear-naked choke attempt, but with the final two rounds on his side, it looked like Henry had secured the win.

Danny Henry def. Daniel Teymur by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-26)

Charlie Ward vs. Galore Bofando

Welterweights Ward and Bofando were up next. Bofando started with some flashy kicks, and frequently switched stances. He was out of range, however. Moments later, a spinning back fist was somewhat more effective. Ward was looking unimpressed. After that, however, he was looking out. In the clinch, Bonfando threw Ward to the ground. Ward’s head hit the canvas hard, and Bofando followed up with a couple of hammer fists until the ref waived it off! Ward looked out from the throw, however, and it was ruled a knockout.

Galore Bofando def. Charlie Ward by KO, Round 1, 2:10

Alexandre Pantoja vs. Neil Seery

Seery ate a short almost immediately and landed one of his own, and they were off. Pantoja then landed a solid shot that knocked Seery down, but he was right back to his feet. Pantoja was landing leg kicks, and again knocked a backpedaling Seery down, though it may have been more of a fall then a knockdown. Seery continually found an opening for his right hand. Lots of knees to the body were landed by Pantoja in a tight Thai clinch. They would keep it standing for the entire round, though Seery threatened a level change once or twice. For the most part, Pantoja appeared to get the better of the striking exchanges.

Round two started with another quick flurry of punches, then Pantoja pushed Seery up against the fence in a clinch and landed numerous knees to the body. Seery ate knee after knee and was forced to lower his hands to block them, opening his head up for punches. Eventually Seery got control of the wrists, and broke free of the clinch. Yet a minute later he was right back in it. After breaking Seery bit down and landed a good short left, then motioned for Pantoja to come at him. That wasn’t happening as Pantoja wanted to stick to his game plan of fighting from the clinch. Seery was, however, landing more this round, or at least more significant strikes.

For the third straight round, the flyweights came out and started swinging. However, in a new wrinkle, Pantoja changed levels and took Seery down. The Brazilian soon worked his way to mount, while Seery clung on to him. He then transitioned to the back, looking for the rear-naked choke. It took a bit, but soon it had his arm tight under the chin of Seery, and the Irish fighter was forced to tap in his retirement fight.

Alexandre Pantoja def. Neil Seery by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 2:31

Danny Roberts vs. Bobby Nash

Roberts landed a thunderous kick to the body early. The action stayed standing for the first half of the round, despite Nash’s wrestling background. Nash did manage to land some solid strikes, while Roberts seemed to have the speed advantage. With two minutes to go, Nash finally opted to shoot for a takedown, landing it and planting Roberts on his back. Nash would control until the end of the round when Roberts would scramble to his feet.

Both men came out with kicks in the second round. Roberts no doubt wanted to avoid the takedown, but Nash was happy to mix it up on the feet a little. He would try to shoot a minute in but wound up clinching as the two men collided. Roberts stayed up along the fence and broke free. A low blow landed on Roberts, however, and he was stunned. After some recovery time, Nash came storming out with more kicks, which Roberts answered, looking to go high. Roberts tried for a takedown of his own, but was stuffed, and then gave up his back while trying to avoid some Nash knees. Nash would drag him down, but couldn’t keep him there. Back on the feet a heavy left to the chin by Roberts dropped Nash! The ref immediately waved off the action as Nash fell back.

Danny Roberts def. Bobby Nash by KO, Round 2, 3:59

UFC Glasgow (UFC Fight Night 113) Fox Sports 1 Preliminary Results:

Danny Roberts def. Bobby Nash by KO, Round 2, 3:59
Alexandre Pantoja def. Neil Seery by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 2:31
Galore Bofando def. Charlie Ward by KO, Round 1, 2:10
Danny Henry def. Daniel Teymur by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-26)

The post UFC Glasgow: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio Fox Sports 1 Prelim Results and Recap appeared first on Cageside Press.

In early preliminary action, bantamweights Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith and Amanda Lemos opened the UFC Fight Pass portion of the card. Smith’s UFC career to date has been a peculiar one to say the least, as she has suffered an exploding ear injury in her UFC 180 bout against Jessica Eye that turned her into an MMA meme, then went on to fight featherweight queen Cris Cyborg in Brazil at UFC 198. It’s been a long strange trip for Smith, but she entered UFC Glasgow coming off a win over Irene Aldana.

In the UFC Fight Pass featured fight, undefeated bantamweight Brett Johns put his perfect 15-0 record on the line against Albert Morales (7-1-1).

Check back come fight time for a full recap and results! The UFC Fight Pass portion of the card gets underway at noon EST.

Leslie Smith vs. Amanda Lemos

Lemos opened the action with a leg kick, followed by a second, as Smith walked forward. Walked right into some counters, actually. Leslie would land a combo of her own a moment later, and this looked like it was going to be a fun one. Lemos slipped off a spinning back kick, and Smith went straight down into her guard. Back on the feet moments later they clinched and exchanged a series of knees. Smith continued to push forward, and in a clinch with just over two minutes to go, landed some hard shots to Lemos’ body. Throughout the round Smith would just keep coming in Jason Voorhees like fashion. Close to the end, however, a sharp leg kick from Lemos tripped Smith up, dropping her. Moments later, an outside trip by Lemos took Smith down, and Amanda Lemos finished the round in side control.

Some hard punches were exchanged early in the second, and Lemos seemed to be finding her range. A big combo against the cage accented by a head kick scored for Smith, and Lemos looked to be in trouble when a second flurry followed. Lemos turned her back trying to escape and paid for her mistake, and Smith began landing almost at will. More flurries followed, the final one adding elbows to the head, and after the ref called for Lemos to fight back with little reaction, he waved it off! Smith takes the win by TKO.

Leslie Smith def. Amanda Lemos by TKO, Round 2, 2:53

Brett Johns vs. Albert Morales

Men’s bantamweight action was on next, with Albert “The Warrior” Morales facing Brett “The Pikey” Johns. Johns flashed a spinning kick early; Morales opted to light up the legs of Johns with outside leg kicks. A minute in, Johns shot in for a double leg, and completed the takedown against the fence. Johns then got to work, staying heavy on his opponent, and posturing up where necessary to land strikes from the top. Morales kept him within his closed guard, but struggled to escape and wasn’t able to threaten with any submissions. With under a minute to go Johns began dropping some hard hammer fists and elbows to the head of Morales.

Morales opened the second round looking to keep the fight on the feet, and both men connected with some hard shots early. Morales easily stuffed a sloppy takedown attempt by Johns, but a second one gave him a little more trouble. Johns would finish it, dumping Morales on his back with three and a half minutes to go in the second round. Plenty of time to work. Johns once again stayed active on the top, while Morales was unable to much more than keep his opponent in guard. With a minute left he seemed to look to the ref for a standup, but Johns was staying active enough that it wasn’t going to happen. Once again, he rode out the round on top. Morales was going to need to look for a finish in the third.

In the third, Morales was able to keep things standing for the first ninety seconds, but was then dropped on his back once more. Morales was at that point bloodied, and gave up his back desperately trying to escape. Johns wasn’t able to take advantage for a submission attempt, but did land a number of strikes while in control. He eventually found himself back in Morales’ guard. Morales needed to get back up, but instead, Johns was able to sink in an arm triangle choke, and worked to step over Morales’ leg. He couldn’t, which allowed Morales to survive, but ultimately it was a one-sided affair that went the distance.

Brett Johns def. Albert Morales by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)

UFC Glasgow (UFC Fight Night 113) Fight Pass Preliminary Results:

Brett Johns def. Albert Morales by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)
Leslie Smith def. Amanda Lemos by TKO, Round 2, 2:53

The post UFC Glasgow: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio Fight Pass Prelim Results and Recap appeared first on Cageside Press.

With the loss of the Amanda Nunes fight last time out at UFC 213, our writers wound up with just four picks staying valid, and most went no worse than two for two. There’s six picks to be made on the main card at UFC Glasgow, however.

Lets see who our staff are feeling this week!

Staff Writer	James Mulheron vs. Justin Willis	Khalil Rountree vs. Paul Craig	Jack Marshman vs. Ryan Janes	Stevie Ray vs. Paul Felder	Joanne Calderwood vs. Cynthia Calvillo	Gunnar Nelson vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
Jay Anderson (28-23)
Dan Doherty (31-20)
Mike McClory (25-20)
Heath Harshman (33-18)
Harry Davies (28-23)
Eddie Law (28-23)
Paarth Pande (29-16)

The number of clean sweeps Cageside Press staff have predicted this week is unprecedented, with four of six fights being completely one sided in our writer’s opinion. Main event fighter Gunnar Nelson was a unanimous pick among our staff; perhaps some of that Irish luck has rubbed off on him. Nelson does, of course, enter the night on a two fight winning streak, with both fights ending in submission finishes.

Stevie Ray, fighting out his contract in Glasgow, is another unanimous pick for our staff, despite being paired off against dangerous lightweight Paul Felder. Will Ray feel the pressure of trying to earn a bigger contract by fighting out his deal?

Paul Craig and Jack Marshman were also clean sweeps; Craig is especially surprising given he’s facing the tough Khalil Rountree in light heavyweight action.

The remaining two bouts saw just two writers picking heavyweight James Mulheron in his bout against Justin Willis, despite Willis’ relative inexperience at just 4-1 as a pro, plus the fact that Mulheron is fighting on home turf. In the co-main event of Joanne Calderwood vs. Cynthia Calvillo, meanwhile, our staff was a little more divided, with three writers siding with JoJo, while the rest see the bout in Calvillo’s favor.

Check back with Cageside Press come fight time for coverage of the event!

The post UFC Glasgow: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.