UFC London marked the homecoming of Darren Till. He took on Jorge Masvidal who had been on a layoff. Unfortunately for Till, Masvidal had different plans for his homecoming. Let’s take a look at a couple of the fights and see what’s next for some of the fighters of the card.

Volkan Oezdemir Robbed by Dominick Reyes

Volkan Oezdemir: 'I clearly won' #UFCLondon fight against Dominick Reyes https://t.co/GzAOX034ED

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 17, 2019

That decision has me sick to my stomach. Volkan Oezdemir won that fight. #UFCLondon

— 🇧🇷 (@RMH_MMA) March 16, 2019

So @volkan_oezdemir just got robbed @ufc #UFCLondon

— HotBoyTupu (@BoyTupu) March 16, 2019

Many people, including Volkan Oezdemir himself, didn’t agree with the judges’ decision to hand the fight to Dominick Reyes. In a very tightly contested fight, Reyes was gifted the decision, which brings back the old mantra from way back in the day in the boxing world: “Never leave it in the hands of the judges.” Oezdemir did just that, not for a lack of trying. Oezdemir did show improvement by displaying improved cardio and even landed a couple of takedowns on Reyes. After a pair of quick knockouts, Oezdemir is on a three-fight skid, a death sentence in the UFC. I don’t see Oezdemir being cut yet, and he’ll certainly get another shot in the octagon.

Reyes, on the other hand, looked good and was very wary of Oezdemir’s power. He took his time and landed his shots well, never really putting Oezdemir in much trouble, but scoring points none the less. Reyes moves to 11-0 and continues his rise to the top of the light heavyweight division, which is desperate for new title challengers. Reyes is probably one fight away from a title fight against Jon Jones.

Next for Dominick Reyes: Jan Blachowicz, Winner of Gustafsson/Smith
Next for Volkan Oezdemir: Shogun Rua, Misha Cirkunov

Leon Edwards Outwrestles Gunnar Nelson

Many people had this fight playing out like this: if it goes to the mat, Gunnar Nelson beats Leon Edwards. People were wrong. Leon Edwards, with the home field advantage, dominated Gunnar Nelson the first two rounds despite the split decision. Leon moved his win streak to seven fights and proved he is ready to make his move to top-10 fighters. He also showed he isn’t a one-dimensional striker on the main stage. Edwards definitely has a good fight coming his way soon.

It’ll be back to the drawing board for Nelson. After a bloodbath win over Cowboy Oliveira, many people were high on Nelson going forward in the welterweight division. With plans for a title run put on hold, Nelson will look to rebound and get back to winning again. He didn’t look too comfortable with the bigger and stronger Edwards. Managing to get mount at the end of the third round, Nelson did next to nothing with his advantage, riding out the clock.

Next for Leon Edwards: Robbie Lawler, Santiago Ponzibbio
Next for Gunnar Nelson: Neil Magny, Elizeu Zaleski

Masvidal Silences O2 Arena with Till Knockout

We knew we were in for a banger of a fight when the first thing Jorge Masvidal does is run out there and kick Darren Till below the belt. While it wasn’t intentional, it sure was entertaining. In the very next exchange, Till knocked Masvidal down with a straight. Masvidal didn’t let that bother him. Coming forward and landing big shots, it was only a matter of time before he hit the night-night switch on Till. With a huge left, Masvidal put Till out quick, making the former title challenger look like a dead body. Masvidal went on to piece up Leon Edwards backstage as well.

The weight cut seems to be too much for Darren Till. After his loss to Woodley, he and his camp said they planned to move up to middleweight. I think the lesser cut could be revitalizing for Till and his career. The top two middleweights are also former welterweights. While Till’s striking looked good, he was a little passive and took too many shots without worry.

Next for Jorge Masvidal: Rafael Dos Anjos, Tyron Woodley
Next for Darren Till: Chris Weidman, Romero/Souza loser

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He called for it, he got it. After silencing the O2 Arena at UFC London with a crushing knockout of British star Darren Till, Jorge Masvidal picked up not one but two bonuses. Now, he doesn’t have to worry about putting his kids through college — potentially saving us from another admissions scandal. Fight of the Night and a Performance of the Night award, and $100,000 that comes with them, are his.

In all seriousness, Masvidal did call for two bonuses and did quip that he needed to pay for his children’s schooling following the fight Saturday. And it is certainly hard to argue against awarding the welterweight for such a definitive outcome. That he later got into a confrontation with Leon Edwards backstage is apparently a non-issue for the UFC, and with no true athletic commission in England, it looks like Masvidal will walk, despite piecing up Edwards (three piece and a soda, he called it) on camera.

💰 B O N U S E S 💰

POTN: @GamebredFighter & @DynamiteDan808
FOTN: @DarrenTill2 vs @GamebredFighter #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/iib6j2BF33

— UFC (@ufc) March 16, 2019

Of course, Till takes home the other half of the Fight of the Night award. Small consolation after such a rough night at the office.

Dan Ige, meanwhile, earned the other Performance of the Night award. Ige improved his win streak to three straight with his rear-naked choke finish of Danny Henry earlier in the night.

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It was a big night for a pair of welterweights at UFC London. Leon Edwards got the better of Gunnar Nelson, while Jorge Masvidal knocked out Darren Till to silence the London crowd in the main event. Yet for some reason, the pair forgot the action ends when the bell sounds, and chose to get into it backstage at the O2 Arena in London — while Masvidal was in the process of filming a post-fight interview for ESPN.

With Edwards chirping off-screen, Masvidal broke from the interview, telling his fellow 170lb contender to “come over here and say it to my face.” Rather than wait for Edwards to accept the invitation, however, ‘Gamebred’ wandered over to where Edwards was situated, among a crowd of staff and other spectators. Then threw a pair of punches that appeared to connect before Edwards returned fire.

Yikes. That is not going to help either man’s case for a title shot. Especially given neither hurled a luggage cart during the exchange. What is likely is some sort of punishment, given that fighting is best left for the octagon, where it’s sanctioned. Booking a grudge match between the two wouldn’t be unexpected from the UFC either.

At least part of the encounter was caught on film before cameras cut away, back to Michael Bisping and Karyn Bryant. You can watch that below.

Holy shit. pic.twitter.com/TIsIQZtsFv

— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) March 16, 2019

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Jorge Masvidal is a 45-fight veteran with a 9-6 UFC record. Since moving to the welterweight division, “Gamebred” is 4-4, but was on a three-fight win streak before falling to top contenders Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson.

Darren Till is the UFC’s hot commodity out of Britain. He was undefeated at 17-0-1 with wins over Stephen Thompson and Donald Cerrone to earn him a title shot. He was 25 at the time, and was thoroughly dominated by Tyron Woodley.

Jorge Masvidal blitzed out and threw a jumping kick that landed below the belt. After a brief pause in action, Till knocked Masvidal down with his first punch. Till tried to fold him up and take his back, but Masvidal scrambled away and landed a two-punch combination. Till narrowly avoided a head kick and the fight settled in. Masvidal dug in for a single-leg and landed a pair of left hands while hold the leg. Till controlled the Octagon, having Masvidal backed up against the fence and landing punches. Masvidal was content to hunt for counter shots. Masvidal caught a kick, then landed a one-two combo to counter Till. An intense first round came to a close with the fighters in the center of the cage.

Till kicked off the round with a double-jab and Masvidal was landing straight punches with his back to the fence. During a one-two combo by Masvidal, Till accidentally poked Masvidal in the eye. After action resumed, Masvidal landed a single-leg takedown by landing an overhand while holding onto his leg. Masvidal nearly took the back of Till, but Till was able to stand up in time. A three-punch combination landed for Masvidal. Masvidal continued to move forward, then landed a thunderous left hand that put Till out cold. Till fell straight backward and was completely unconscious.

Jorge Masvidal def. Darren Till by KO (Left Hook) in Round 2 (3:05)

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Leon Edwards has quietly been one of the most successful fighters in the welterweight division. He’s won six straight fights, last losing to champion Kamaru Usman in 2015. He last appeared in the main event of UFC Singapore where he defeated Donald Cerrone.

Gunnar Nelson made a triumphant return to the UFC Octagon with a brutal submission victory over Alex Oliveira in December. Prior to that, he suffered a tough first-round knockout loss to Santiago Ponzinibbio. Overall, he is 8-2 in the UFC with seven submission wins.

Gunnar Nelson started the fight with a clinch and a second-effort takedown on Leon Edwards. Edwards was able to get up from guard, clinch up with Nelson, and take him down. Edwards had the back of Nelson, but only one hook in. The Brit established a half-nelson, and controlled his opponent from his back. Nelson began to stand-up but Edwards lifted him up and slammed him down. This gave Nelson enough of a window to stand up, and Edwards landed a kick to the body to end the round.

The second round started cautiously, with jabs exchanged between both fighters until a clinch 90 seconds in. Edwards landed an elbow over the top on the exit. Nelson pushed Edwards against the fence, Edwards reversed position, then landed a left hand upon their separation. Nelson clinched up again behind a right-hand. Edwards answered with knees to the body that caused Nelson to separate. Nelson clinched up with him again, then Edwards landed several punches and knees. Nelson came in again, but went into Edwards’ shoulder. Edwards held his head in place then knocked him down and landed huge ground-and-pound to end the round.

OOOOOOHHH!

Gunnar goes down and hangs on as we head to round 2️⃣! #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/O4e5UtKppH

— UFC (@ufc) March 16, 2019

Nelson started the final round with a strong takedown effort, but Edwards was able to stay on his feet. As soon as Nelson changed his clinch from a takedown attempt to a Muay Thai hold, Edwards broke free. Again Nelson clinched up with Edwards against the cage. Edwards reversed position and had a back clinch briefly. The fighters separated, then Nelson hit Edwards with a hard right hand then took him down into mount. Edwards held on for dear life and it worked, reaching the final bell.

Leon Edwards def. Gunnar Nelson by Split Decision (29-27, 29-28, 28-29)

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Dominick Reyes is a very bright light heavyweight prospect. Winning five of his first six fights by first-round stoppage punched his ticket to the UFC. That run continued in the Octagon stopping his first three opponents in the first round, two by TKO and one by submission. Reyes passed by gatekeeper Ovince Saint Preux last October to cement himself as a top prospect at light heavyweight.

Volkan Oezdemir is known for his quick knockouts. After a short-notice UFC debut victory over Ovince Saint Preux, the Swiss fighter only needed 70 seconds to knock out both Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa. Since then, he’s fallen to champion Daniel Cormier and top contender Anthony Smith.

Reyes landed a leg kick to start the fight. Jabs were thrown out by both fighters, but neither were landing effecively. As Volkan landed a body kick, Reyes swept him off his feet with a leg kick. Soon after, Oezdemir did the same thing to Reyes and followed him to the ground. The fight did not stay there long as Reyes got back to his feet. Oezdemir landed a nice double-leg takedown against the fence. Again, Reyes worked his way up quickly. Oezdemir blitzed in with several combinations and won the first round.

Oezdemir slipped after a blocked punch in the beginning of the second round. A body kick landed for Reyes, then both men had takedowns stuffed. Oezdmir continued to push forward and get the better of Reyes. Reyes shot for another takedown, but couldn’t get Volkan down. Volkan doubled-up on a jab as he continued to outstrike Reyes. Reyes landed a right hand then stuffed a takedown to end the round.

Volkan scored a takedown to start the final round, but again, Reyes got back up quickly. Oezdemir committed to leg kicks as Reyes was looking for power shots down two rounds. Oezdemir landed a body kick then went to a clinch against the cage. Reyes broke free and briefly had Octagon control as Volkan backpedaled after getting hit. Reyes stuffed a pair of takedowns, but couldn’t mount much of a comeback effort.

Dominick Reyes def. Volkan Oezdemir by Split Decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)

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Nathaniel Wood, otherwise known as “The Prospect,” hs stopped his last seven opponents, winning the Cage Warriors bantamweight championship in the meantime. After submitting veteran Johnny Eduardo in his UFC debut, Wood scored a come-from-behind submission win against Andre Ewell in his last appearance.

Jose Quinonez was a TUF: Latin America finalist, and after losing in the show’s finale, he’s won his four fights since. Most recently, the Mexican fighter defeated Teruto Ishihara.

Wood kicked the fight off with a few jabs, and Quinonez answered with a leg kick. Wood landed a hard left hand that stumbled Quinonez, and Quinonez answered with a clinch. Quinonez dragged Wood down twice, transitioned to side control, then Wood was able to reverse position and stand up. Wood was focusing on landing his lead left hand as Quinonez was looking for kicks. A left hand stunned Quinonez, then he was knocked down. Wood established a headlock to hold Quinonez down, then attempted a D’Arce choke. Quinonez was able to get out and stand up. Wood kept landing his left hand and took Quinonez down to put a stamp on the round.

Wood continued to land his punches with ease in round two. Quinonez clinched with him twice to slow Wood down, but Wood took him down during the second clinch. Quinonez attempted to escape quickly, but perhaps was too quick as Wood took his back and sunk in the rear-naked choke very quickly. With nowhere to go, Quinonez tapped, and Wood’s rise continued.

Performing for his home crowd!@TheProspectMMA gets the submission in round 2️⃣!

Tune in now ➡️ https://t.co/7gsc6RQiv8 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/jv1rythn7K

— UFC (@ufc) March 16, 2019

Nathaniel Wood def. Jose Quinonez by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in Round 2 (2:46)

The post UFC London Results: Nathaniel Wood Submits Jose Quinonez in Second Round appeared first on Cageside Press.

Claudio Silva went to the leg kick right away, landing a pair and having a head kick blocked in between. Silva continued to land leg kicks, and Roberts was able to land a jab one minute in. After an exchange of missed haymakers, Silva took down Roberts and quickly passed to half guard. Although it took some work, Silva was able to pass to side control. The Brazilian was moving around effortlessly on the mat, going to half guard and mount. Silva postured up in mount, threw a couple of punches, then went for an arm triangle when Roberts gave the desired reaction. Roberts was able to spin out of it and end the round with ground-and-pound from top position.

Danny Roberts landed a big left hand that rocked Silva, but Silva’s desperation takedown worked. Silva easily got to mount, and as Roberts wall-walked, the referee stopped the action to say that Roberts had his toes in the fence, placing Silva back in mount. Silva went for another arm-triangle that Roberts was able to spin out of and stand up. Roberts rocked Silva again, then clinched up. Roberts landed another hard shot and Silva was able to get a takedown. Roberts again was able to resist Silva’s submissions and secure top position by the end of the round.

Danny Roberts rocked Silva to start the final round, then took Silva down. Silva threw his legs up for an armbar and locked it in. Roberts stood up and slammed Silva down, Silva held on, and as Roberts spun to escape, the referee stopped the fight due to an alleged verbal submission from Roberts.

See for yourself:

Claudio Silva survives the spike long enough for a verbal submission #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/xvjkyI3JYL

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 16, 2019

Claudio Silva def. Danny Roberts by Submission (Armbar) in Round 3 (3:37)

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Jack Marshman is currently serving as a paratrooper and plans on going back to the military base in two days. His military participation could have contributed to him missing weight for this bout at UFC London. The Wales native is a former Cage Warriors champion who knocked out former prospect Magnus Cedenblad in his promotional debut. Since then, he is 1-3 with two consecutive losses.

John Phillips had a tough time getting into the Octagon, pulling out of a pair of fights in 2017. He went 0-2 in 2018, losing by rear-naked choke both times. Like Marshman, Phillips is also from Wales, but they never crossed paths on the regional scene.

The fight started cautiously, with neither fighter throwing a punch in the first 30 seconds. About a minute in, John Phillips landed a heavy left hook that staggered Jack Marshman. Phillips followed with a clinch against the cage until Marshman pushed away. Phillips landed a leg kick, then Marshman landed a three-piece combination. Phillips landed a right hand that knocked Marshman down, and instead of following him down, Phillips waved him back up and bowed. Marshman landed another three-piece combination, marked by hard right hands. Phillips deflected a head kick then they engaged in a pair of heavy-handed exchanges to cap off the round.

More caution was shown in the second round, with Phillips throwing the first hard shot after just over two minutes ticked away. Marshman absorbed the hook, then landed a body kick to right-hand combination that dropped Phillips briefly. Marshman landed another solid combination as Phillips came in. Phillips tried to goad Marshman into a wild exchange at the end of the round, but Marshman did not bite.

Phillips started the final round with a solid straight punch. Marshman was content to stay behind his jab and keep the pursuing Phillips away. An overhand left landed for Phillips as Marshman was on his horse to limit the offense of Phillips. A right hook and a leg kick landed for Phillips, then a jab. Marshman threw a combination, but Phillips was able to avoid each shot. There was one heavy-handed exchange at the end, but neither fighter buckled and the fight came to an end.

Jack Marshman def. John Phillips by Split Decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)

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Arnold Allen has won all four of his UFC fights heading into UFC London with a pair of Performance of the Night-worthy submission victories. The 25-year-old was 9-1 before making his promotional debut in 2015. He is coming off a front choke victory last May.

Jordan Rinaldi is a tough fighter who fought at lightweight for his first three UFC appearances. After going 1-2 with a Von Flue choke victory and an action-packed loss to Gregor Gillespie, moved to featherweight. At 145, he defeated Jason Knight by decision.

Jordan Rinaldi was picking his shots to start the fight, using leg kicks and body shots. Rinaldi went to his back after a slip, and Allen chose to stand over him and land repetitive leg kicks on his downed opponent. Rinaldi eventually stood up and got back to his distance striking. Allen was fairly cautious in the first round, with Rinaldi putting in most of the work until a switch kick landed for Allen near the end of the round, possibly rocking Rinaldi.

Arnold Allen was content to stay out of range, letting Rinaldi come up short with jabs. However, his body and leg kicks were landing on Allen. Allen avoided a takedown as well. Allen was picking his shots, countering when necessary, then like the first round, he rocked Rinaldi near the end of the round.

An uppercut landed for Rinaldi to start the final round. Allen’s defense was simply on point in this one, sliding out of danger whenever Rinaldi committed to a strike. A slick body hook landed for Allen, and a counter uppercut landed for Allen. After a leg kick for Rinaldi, Allen landed a body shot then a rapid combination. Allen went for it again at the end of the round, running at Rinaldi with a kick and a few punches near the buzzer.

Arnold Allen def. Jordan Rinaldi by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28)

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