On Saturday, the UFC returned to Cajun Country when they presented Fight Night 68. The event emanated from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana and was broadcast live on Fight Pass and Fox Sports 1. When the final bell ended we had all been treated to one of the most exciting cards in history. The final statistic is staggering, ten fights featured a finish. Seven of those were in the first round. Action throughout in front of a hot Nawlins crowd.
Dan Henderson def. Tim Boetsch via knockout – punches (Round 1, 0:28)
It only made sense the night ended this way. Hendo refused to heed the advice of all those who felt he was done in the business. As had been the case all night, both fighters came out swinging immediately. That is always a risky proposition when dealing with the heavy-handed Henderson. A constant, the right hand did the initial damage. Badly wobbled Boetsch looked for a clinch but Henderson was able to partially land a knee. Backed against the cage, Dan landed a clean uppercut that dropped his opponent. He then jumped at the opportunity and swarmed in typical fashion. Fight is called off in less than half a minute. Dan Henderson now is second to only Wanderlei Silva in most wins in combined UFC/Pride/StrikeForce/WEC history. Amazing way to cap off the show.
Ben Rothwell def. Matt Mitrione via submission – front-choke (Round 1, 1:54)
Deciding to buck the trend of the night, these two heavyweights seemed very hesitant in the initial moments. Rothwell saw a little success when he backed up Mitrione briefly. Mitrione then went for a takedown that was ill-timed and lazily executed. Rothwell stuffed the attempt and went for a guillotine to make Matt pay. Unable to secure it, he settled for a front-choke/neck crank combination. Using his massive frame to apply additional pressure Mitrione tapped almost immediately. This fight should give credence to Rothwell getting a top-five opponent. Mitrione will likely look back on this fight and kick himself for the fundamental mistakes he made.
Dustin Poirier def. Yancy Medeiros via TKO – punches (Round 1, 2:38)
Poirier is the hometown favorite and that became evident during the introductions. Keeping up with the card’s theme, Poirier came out very aggressive. Dropping and throwing Medeiro a half-dozen times in the first minute alone, the finish seemed imminent. Yancy displayed his durability and held on. After a brief exchange looking for a choke on the ground they were both standing. Yancy would be backed against the cage and Dustin landed a brutal series of punches. The crowd erupted with their local boy showing his dominance. Excellent introduction to the lightweight division for Poirier. Huge props to Yancy who ultimately was finished while somehow still on his feet.
Brian Ortega def. Thiago Tavares via TKO – punches (Round 3, 4:10)
Tavares found himself on top for the first few minutes. Ortega stayed busy from the bottom. Landing a few elbows he opened up Tavares. Next in a beautiful transition he went from an armbar attempt to ending up in mount. The second round saw Ortega having some success on the feet before he was dumped again by Tavares. Thiago stayed heavy on top and Ortega was less busy from the guard. Tavares landed brutal ground and pound and seemed poised to get a finish. Brian weathered and was able to get up after a kneebar attempt. It would not last long as again he was held under Thiago for the remainder of the round. A brutal knee to the groin two minutes into the third caused the only delay in the action. Ortega came back in violent fashion. A crisp jab popped out Tavares’s mouthpiece. A straight right dropped him. Ortega secured mount and rained down punches until the stoppage was recorded. Ortega came across as very resilient as he most likely lost the first two rounds. The finish keeps his undefeated record intact and he will still be seen as one of the top prospects in his division.
Anthony Birchak def. Joe Soto via KO – punches (Round 1, 1:37)
These two were slated to fight last December. The day prior to that fight Renan Barao was unable to compete and had to drop out of the bantamweight title fight. Soto stepped up to fight in a title match in his UFC debut. Birchak had over six months to plot his revenge. He executed that plan to perfection tonight. Missing a knee at first, Birchak landed a straight right up the middle. Soto was dropped and then backed up to the cage. There with his back against the steel, Birchak unloaded a blistering fury of punches. Few connected but the one that did landed clean. A single shot face-planted Soto and the referee jumped in before any other strikes could land. Brutal finish which now sees Soto drop two straight each by KO. Birchak makes a big name for himself and we should see him take on a highly ranked challenger here soon.
Francisco Rivera def. Alex Caceres via TKO – punches (Round 1, 0:21)
Francisco came out aggressive and was paid off mightily for his efforts. First landing an overhand right he wobbled “Bruce Leeroy.” Rushing in again, Rivera landed a crisp left-hook which downed Caceres. He would then jump on top and finish the job with a few more strikes. Likely the most impressive outing of Rivera’s career. In his post-fight interview he called out Urijah Faber. A rematch is a possibility with Faber having recently lost too.
Shawn Jordan def. Derrick Lewis via TKO – hook kick/punches (Round 2, 0:48)
Omari Akhmedov def. Brian Ebersole via TKO – knee injury (Round 1, 5:00)
– Ebersole injures knee in first round. Unable to answer bell for Round 2.
Chris Wade def. Christos Giagos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Joe Proctor def. Justin Edwards via submission – guillotine choke (Round 3, 4:58)
– Latest submission in a three-round lightweight bout.
Jake Collier def. Ricardo Abreu via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jose Quinonez def. Leonardo Morales via submission – rear-naked choke (Round 1, 2:34)
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