UFC 185 emanated live on pay-per-view Saturday night from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The event saw two titles on the line, with UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis defending his belt against Rafael dos Anjos in the main event, and UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Carla Esparza defending her championship against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Below are the UFC 185 results:
UFC Lightweight Championship
Rafel dos Anjos def. Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
People thought it was possible that Rafael dos Anjos could beat Anthony Pettis, but no one thought he would thoroughly dominate him for 25 consecutive minutes. That’s exactly what happened though, and we have ourselves a brand new UFC Lightweight Champion. Pettis and dos Anjos both came out firing, and dos Anjos’ first punch of the fight was a stiff left that hit Pettis right in the eyeball and effected his vision negatively the rest of the fight. From there, it was all dos Anjos. The Brazilian controlled the center of the cage and continually beat Pettis, a vaunted striker, to the punch. Dos Anjos’ leg kicks were his best weapon over the course of the fight. That wasn’t his only weapon though, as his hands were crisp, and his takedown game was superb. Dos Anjos landed nine of ten takedowns attempted, and Pettis had no answer for it the whole fight. Dos Anjos nearly picked up a finish in the fourth round with an extremely tight kimura that Pettis fought for nearly a minute, but the former champ managed to wiggle out. In the final minute of the fifth round, Pettis threw up a hail mary kimura attempt of his own, but dos Anjos defended it, and even took Pettis’s back to close out the fight in a dominant position. It was a performance for the ages, and Rafael dos Anjos is the new, undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion.
UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship
Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Carla Esparza via TKO – punches (Round 2, 4:17)
For just the third time in history, the UFC has a European champion. For nearly ten minutes, Joanna Jedrzejczyk battered Carla Esparza from pillar to post, finishing the TUF 20 winner with strikes with a mere 43 seconds left in the second round. Esparza was aggressive from the start, attempting an impressive 17 takedowns in the nearly two rounds of action. Unfortunately for the former champ, her Polish opponent threw up an even more impressive stat: Jedrzejczyk successfully defended 16 of Esparza’s 17 takedown tries. After each successful defense, Jedrzejczyk made Esparza pay, too, promptly battering her with stinging right hands out of the breaks. While on the feet, the Pole stalked the former champion around the octagon, constantly landing her jab and setting up her power right. Towards the end of round two, Jedrzejczyk landed two of her biggest right hands of the fight, sending Esparza back into the cage. From there, Jedrzejczyk poured it on, and as the ref stepped in to end it, Esparza simultaneously collapsed to the mat in a heap. The UFC is billing the next few pay-per-views as “Welcome To The Show.” Tonight, Joanna Jedrzejczyk not only stole the show, but the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship as well.
Johny Hendricks def. Matt Brown via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks got back in the win column thanks to a return to his wrestling roots. The former Oklahoma State All-American took Matt Brown down at will throughout the night, blending together his striking and clinch beautifully. The two-time NCAA Division 1 champion landed seven takedowns on feared striker Brown, who started each round as hard as he could, but he just never really got out of the gate all night long. With the win, Hendricks is likely to face the winner of July’s welterweight title fight between champion Robbie Lawler and challenger Rory MacDonald at UFC 189. Brown, meanwhile, has now lost two straight following a seven fight win streak.
Alistair Overeem def. Roy Nelson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
For the first time since 2011, Alistair Overeem is on a winning streak. The former Strikeforce and DREAM Heavyweight Champion put on one of his best octagon performances to date, and he put a beating on the body and left leg of Roy Nelson. Overeem controlled nearly the entire fight with a great gameplan. He used his reach advantage very well, keeping Nelson out of striking range and constantly blasting the TUF 10 winners lead left leg with thudding leg kicks. He also welted up the midsection of Nelson with a barrage of body kicks, body punches, and an outpouring of knees to the gut. While Overeem was in charge for the majority of the fight, Nelson did have his moments. He had Overeem breifly hurt in the first up against the fence, but the former K-1 Grand Prix Champion covered up and defended well. In round two, Nelson clipped Overeem with a stiff straight right, but Overeem was able to immediately recover and reclaim control of the fight. Nelson had his best moment in round three, when he dropped Overeem with a left hook with thirty seconds left in the fight. Alas, it was too little too late for Nelson, and Overeem exits with his hand raised and a second straight win.
Henry Cejudo def. Chris Cariaso via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
The opening bout on the main card went perfectly for Henry Cejudo. First, the 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist made flyweight for the first time in his UFC career – something he failed to do last August at UFC 177. Secondly, he dominated Chris Cariaso from bell to bell. Cejudo kept the pressure on Cariaso from the opening bell, taking him down at will throughout the fight, beating him to the punch on the feet, and constantly controlling him in the clinch. It wasn’t the prettiest or most exciting bout, but it was a commanding, and much needed, win for Cejudo, who will likely get a top 5 opponent his next time out.
Preliminary Card Results:
Ross Pearson def. Sam Stout via KO – left hook (Round 2, 1:33)
Elias Theodorou def. Roger Narvaez via TKO – punches (Round 2, 4:07)
Beneil Dariush def. Daron Cruickshank via submission – rear-naked choke (Round 2, 2:48)
Jared Rosholt def. Josh Copeland via TKO – punches (Round 3, 3:12)
Ryan Benoit def. Sergio Pettis via TKO – punches (Round 2, 1:34)
Joseph Duffy def. Jake Lindsey via TKO – punches (Round 1, 1:47)
Germaine de Randamie def. Larissa Pacheco via TKO – punches (Round 2, 2:02)
