UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Dillashaw
- Sean Covington
- Jan 19, 2019
- 5 min read
Prelims:
Mario Bautista vs Cory Sandhagen
Sandhagen came out on FIRE! He rushed Mario Bautista for the first half of the 1st round. Bautista was able to gain the advantage, getting Cory Sandhagen to the ground but an armbar was the end of the fight and the beginning of UFC’s stint on ESPN.
Sandhagen via submission
Alonzo Menifield vs Vinicius Moreira
All five takedowns stuffed, big knock early, 8-0 start for Alonzo Menifield in his UFC career. Vinicius Moreira never had a chance to get his game plan together.
Menifield via TKO (punches)
Joanne Calderwood vs Ariane Lipski
Lipski fell victim to a great takedown early and was controlled for the duration of the round very easily by Joanne Calderwood. Lipski threw a flurry early on but just looked thoroughly out matched for the next 4minutes.
Ariane Lipski looked gassed at the start of the second. Calderwood also had her mouth agape, seemingly matching the pace of her opponent. Calderwood found her range, continuing to get clean, open shots on Lipski throughput the 2nd round. Calderwood had some exhausted takedown attempts though.
Lipski scored a huge headlock takedown in the 3rd putting herself into harm’s way nearly being submitted.
Calderwood via unanimous decision
Donald Cerrone vs Alexander Hernandez
Alexander Hernandez catches Donald Cerrone with a nice right hand but is taken down immediately afterward; the fight calmed down after some exchanges. More powerful exchanges and Hernandez gets busted open. The combos really landed for Cowboy but Hernandez took them all without folding.
Cerrone put Hernandez back on his heels again in the 2nd, landing some devastating shots and punishing the young fighter, swelling his eye. A headkick out of nowhere wobbled Hernandez, leading to his demise. Hernandez’s ability to take a beating is going to come in handy once he polishes his skillset through more tough fights. This was a learning experience for him, to take the fight slower, not to push the pace on someone with a mountain of experience over you.
Cowboy via TKO (punches)
Main card:
Karl Roberson vs Glover Teixeira
Wow what a 1st round, both men were in control at different times, looking to finish the fight in dramatic fashion. Glover Teixeira ended the scrum quickly with an arm triangle submission. I was hoping that one would go all 5 rounds with the way those two fighters were all over each other in the opening minutes but Karl Roberson fell victim to underestimation of a crafty veteran.
Teixeira via submission
Rachael Ostovich vs Paige VanZant
30 seconds in, Rachael Ostovich takes Paige VanZant down but was stood up after she failed to make use of her position. Ostovich scored another takedown immediately after they were stood up. Ostovich worked a guillotine and an armbar, nearly submitting PVZ. Rachael made some big mistakes and PVZ was able to take advantage and submitted her early in the 2nd round. Unfortunate for Rachael Ostovich, she had PVZ where she wanted her and let her slip away.
PVZ via submission
Joseph Benavidez vs Dustin Ortiz
Dustin Ortiz put the pressure on very early but Joseph Benavidez was able to impose his will over him. Benavidez kept his composure and landed a solid shot that dropped Ortiz.
Ortiz was able to score a takedown of his own however, Benavidez briefly took his back before standing up and landing some big shots on Ortiz. The transitions we’re incredible the entire 2nd round. Ortiz finished strong with a submission attempt on Benavidez.
In the 3rd, it was Benavidez’s time to try his hand at a rearnaked choke. Ortiz was able to peel Benavidez off of him briefly but to no avail. The grappling in this fight was superb; the entire fight was a grappling clinic. I gotta disagree with the unanimous decision. Dustin Ortiz seemed to do more than hold his own, at the very worst I would have called it a draw.
Joseph Benavidez unanimous
Gregor Gillespie vs Yancy Medeiros
A monkey couldn’t do a better job of staying on top of Gregor Gillespie the way Yancy Medeiros did in round 1. Gillespie utterly dominated Medeiros for the entirety of the 2nd round and finished him with just moments left on the clock. There was not a single thing Yancy could do to stifle the will of God or. In the post fight interview, Gregor was just as dominant with his words. Gregor checked the crowd for their boos, letting them know just how hard the fighters are really working in the octagon. Only four seconds of control and 1 strike thrown and landed by Yancy; Gregor only took one strike and controlled the entire fight after that. Gregor Gillespie will be a fighter to watch for in 2019.
Gillespie via TKO (punches)
Allen Crowder vs Greg Hardy
Allen Crowder did well to start the fight and used some good wrestling, taking Greg Hardy to the ground. Hardy stayed composed during Crowder’s submission attempt and was able to get back up to his feet and land a hard shot before the round ended.
Allen Crowder played a dangerous game by standing with Greg Hardy. Crowder began to talk a ton of trash to Hardy and got into some trouble…
Then there was an illegal knee from Greg Hardy…
Daniel Cormier said it all, this is the last thing Greg Hardy needed given his history and he will be subject to the court of public opinion of which Cormier stated, will not be favorable.
Crowder via DQ
Henry Cejudo (c) vs T.J. Dillashaw (c)
In true dramatic fashion, Henry Cejudo stormed TJ Dillashaw, shoving him down and imposing his will upon him. Sheer power and dominance by the now two division champ. There is chatter of an early stoppage but you can’t get rocked continuously and keeping falling like you’re drunk or the fight will be stopped. Dana White looked upset and left immediately after putting the belt on Cejudo. Cejudo said he did it because he wants to be a legend; he also said that he did it for the entire featherweight division.
Cejudo via TKO (punches)
The debut was not without its hiccups but at least the new theme music was very impressive. There is a ton to unpack from this event, the card was solid and there was plenty of controversy. Dana White is gonna be watched very closely this year, he has put himself in the spotlight, becoming a mirror image of Roger Goodell. The question is will the UFC push through the hard times or is this the beginning of the end? I think 2019 is going to be a very trying year but also a very important one. ESPN has so far covered things well, the partnership with UFC is in it’s infancy so there is time to grow; we will be watching…
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