UFC Fight Night 66 emanated live on Fox Sports 1 on Saturday morning from the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Philippines. The event was headlined by a long time dream match-up between former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and former WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber. Below are the UFC Fight Night 66 results:
Frankie Edgar def. Urijah Faber via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Former UFC champion Frankie Edgar made his case to take on the winner of July’s Jose Aldo vs Conor McGregor title fight with a dominant win over former WEC champion Urijah Faber. Edgar was the faster fighter all night long, landing more frequently than Faber consistently, and mixing in takedowns all the while. It was another dominant performance by Edgar, and for Faber, it was the first time in his career that he lost a non-title fight.
Gegard Mousasi def. Costas Philippou via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
The co-main event was a real rinse-and-repeat affair, with former Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi cruising to a unanimous decision win over Costas Philippou. Mousasi scored takedowns early in each round, and controlled Philippou on the mat from bell to bell. It wasn’t the most exciting Mousasi performance, but it was incredibly dominant.
Mark Munoz def. Luke Barnatt via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
In MMA, it’s extremely rare that a fighter retires after a win. Mark Munoz is the exception to the rule. In his retirement bout, Munoz took home a unanimous decision win over Luke Barnatt. Munoz controlled nearly the entirety of the fight with a relentless stream of takedowns and a bunch of big strikes, including some searing overhand rights. The first pace of the opening round was fast and furious, with Munoz landing takedown after takedown with some hard ground-and-pound mixed in. The pace slowed greatly over the last two rounds, but it was more of the same, with Munoz initiating the grappling, and keeping Barnatt uncomfortable on the feet with his heavy hands. The fight ending with Barnatt on his back, and Munoz throwing his signature leaping right hand over Barnatt’s guard. The Filipino crowd showered Munoz with love after the fight, and “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” left his gloves in the center of the octagon as exited the cage for the final time.
Neil Magny def. Hyun Gyu Lim via TKO – punches (Round 2, 1;24)
Neil Magny was riding a six fight win streak heading into Saturday morning, and for a minute, it looked like Hyn Gyu Lim was about to put an end to it. Magny and Lim engaged in a fantastic back a forth scrap, with Lim coming out strong and hurting Magny immediately with a right hand. Lim chased Magny around the cage, continuing to light him up with strikes, but somehow Magny managed to survive and land a takedown. It went back and forth from there, with Magny taking Lim’s back, only for Lim to flip Magny off his back and land in his guard. Magny was able to reverse the position, but Lim immediately locked up an armbar. Magny was able to wiggle out, take Lim’s back and go for a rear-naked choke. Lim managed to make his way back to his feet, only to be met with a flurry from Magny to end the hectic round. Round two opened with Magny landing a quick takedown, and with Lim tired, he poured on the strikes from the top, and the ref stepped in, giving Magny his seventh straight win.
Phillipe Nover def. Yui Chul Nam via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
After five years away from the octagon, Phillipe Nover finally returned to the UFC, and he did so with a win. Nover, the runner-up of TUF 8, picked up a contentious split decision win over Yui Chul Nam. The first round was all Nover, who spent the entire five minutes working for a takedown along the fence. Nam landed zero strikes in the round. The action picked up substantially in round two, with Nover landing a takedown and attempting a few submissions before Nam reversed position and took over with strong stand-up, a takedown of his own, and top control to end the round. The final round saw Nam, who was making his featherweight debut in this fight, score an early takedown, and control the majority of the round, finishing it off with an arm triangle attempt. In the end, it appears as though it came down to the second round, and two judges favored Nover’s submission attempts in that round over Nam’s striking and top control.
Levan Makashvili def. Mark Eddiva via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
In the main card’s opening bout, a steady stream of takedowns and clinch control led UFC debutant Levan Makashvili to a split decision win over Mark Eddiva. Makashvili took the fight on ten days notice, and it showed in his performance. With little time to prepare, Makashvili took little risk in the bout, only doing what he needed to do to pick up a win. Even then, the hometown judges almost robbed him of the win, but in the end, he did enough to defeat Eddiva on his home turf.
Preliminary Card Results:
Jon Tuck def. Tae Hyun Bang via submission – rear-naked choke (Round 1, 3:56)
Kajan Johnson def. Zhang Lipeng via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Li Jingliang def. Dhiego Lima via KO – punches (Round 1, 1:25)
Ning Guangyou def. Royston Wee via TKO – punches and elbows (Round 2, 4:59)
Jon delos Reyes def. Roldan Sangcha-an via submission – rear-naked choke (Round 2, 3:13)
Yao Zhikui def. Nolan Ticman via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
