Fast Eddy Ellis is clearly the fan favourite, so much so that the fans actually booed Berger.

Both fighters started in with generally undamaging strikes, leading to Ellis pulling Berger down. They got up again and boxed for a few moments, Ellis appearing to land the lion’s share until they slipped into the corner, where Berger delivered an awkward but successful combo. They separated again, apparently seeking a striking match. Ellis landed a nice body shot. Eventually, they sort of collapsed to the ground, Berger’s neck caught under Ellis’s arm and Eddy going for Berger’s side. Berger seemed locked under Eddy’s arm and I had the impression that he was holding his breath until the round ended, which it did soon after.

The beginning of round two showed more cautious striking attempts, but Berger landed a titanic right hook that knocked Ellis back and preceded a takedown on Berger’s part. Berger managed to press Ellis up against the cage and deliver a good stunning assault, but Ellis quickly escaped to seize Berger with a reversed rear choke. He escaped to a clinch with Berger and finally took his opponent down.
In Berger’s guard, Ellis appeared to receive more damage. The ref stood them up and Ellis propelled himself forward, knocking Berger down and achieving half-mount in the process. There, Berger actually seemed to prevail, throwing several strikes up at his opponent. The round ended with Berger on top (kind of) and landing 4 solid strikes from under Ellis’s arm.

Round three started off with more wild strikes, none of which worked out, and quickly resulted in the two falling awkwardly to the ground, Ellis taking rear mount. Ellis worked for the choke but quite clearly gave up two match-deciding locks. Regardless, Berger seemed deadly tired and was now only trying to resist further trauma. They rolled around for a few minutes, making me wonder if Ellis just wanted to spoon for a while instead of take the win. Eventually, Berger slipped out and achieved dominance by the round’s end.

So after three back and forth rounds, “Fast” Eddy Ellis seized the win by unanimous decision.

This was the match I was looking forward to most. Jorge never disappoints. I’m sure Healy’s great too.

Jorge scored the first hit, but Healy caught Jorge’s leg on a kick and used it to push Jorge back against the wall, Jorge delivering strikes all the while. Healy managed a clean left jab that seemed to daze Jorge, then followed up with a knee that might have finished the job if Jorge was made of something other than his mom’s home cooking.

They stood and Healy delivered a dizzying array of strikes, all of which Jorge tried to absorb. They hit the ground and Jorge seemed to lose his cool. That signature flurry of blows kicked in, barely letting Healy get his orientation, but he weathered it and the two went to the ground. Jorge took the mount in Healy’s guard and tried to get the ground and pound on, but Healy was defending well. The ref stood them up shortly thereafter.

They traded blows for the round’s last ten seconds, each landing equally both in power, precision, and creativity, but the round ended before anything sealed the deal.

Round two saw Masvidal quickly caught in a neck hold that drew him to the ground with Healy on the bottom. Masvidal tried to take control but the Ref was bored and stood them up. They resorted to the clinch immediately, but Masvidal struck Healy in the face with a high knee and they fell to the ground. Healy took control soon after, getting up in Masvidal’s guard. Masvidal got his neck caught under Healy’s arm and a choke seemed imminent, but he wriggled out to see the round end.

Round three saw both fighters again striking equally well, though Masvidal may have seemed a little more tired than Healy. The ref stopped the action at the sign of intense blood coming from a cut on Healy’s nose. The fight resumed, however, with Masvidal in mount position. There, Jorge landed a few strikes but the ref stood them up moments later. Healy looked like a blood raccoon.

Healy scored a sweet spinning takedown with Jorge’s neck under his arm, but they got up again moments later. They were up and down without much of interest until the round ended.

Jorge Masvidal took the unanimous decision, 30-27. Despite the score, that was no easy win for Jorge.

This one seemed like the classic “tubby white guy” against “limber black dude” upon first sight.

Indeed, Bennet started in slow and steady while Clark bounced around like a crazy man. A first volley of strikes seemed to stun Bennett but he recovered quickly. They clinched briefly, Bennett nearly landing a good knee, and then they separated. The boxing that followed seemed to favour Clark, who landed 4-5 good smacking hits. But Bennett was hardly out, absorbing all these blows with only the slightest hint of exhaustion.

They finally fell to the ground, Clark apparently willing it that way. Nothin’ was doin’, so they struggled to their feet and resumed the boxing. Round one ended with fan energy about as exacerbated as Bennett’s right eye, which was ballooning grotesquely.

Round two saw Clark attempt a flying knee, which Bennett caught and used to shove Clark away. They clinched and struck the cage wall, where Bennett pushed Clark’s head down and delivered three knees to the face that unfortunately didn’t do much damage. They struggled in the clinch for some time, both fighters delivering equal strikes, until Bennett dropped Clark to the ground and achieved half-mount. There, Clarke started to look tired, allowing Bennett to take full mount.

It only lasted for a split-second as Clark, seeing the trouble he was in, rolled out from under the bigger man but eventually slipped into a guillotine choke. Clark escaped that too and took the half-mount, but the round ended with little else of note.

Round three didn’t start: Josh Bennett’s eye had swollen shut (it looked like a crab-apple) and the physician called an end to the due to technical knockout.

If anyone was concerned, Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm indeed has fancy, pink, black, and green pants. He looked like an ‘80s fashion party exploded all over his crotch. Perales was dressed like everyone else tonight.

This welterweight match started in very slow and tense, Beerbohm delivering a few leg strikes that caught Perales off balance. Beerbohm then took the fight to the ground and took half-mount, pressing Perales against the cage and seeking some ground and pound. He landed a few solid hammerfists but eventually changed tactics and took side-control, then changed back to half-mount. Perales kept trying to wriggle out but Beerbohm was intent on keeping Perales down. Round one ended just as Beerbohm managed to posture up and start raining down solid blows.

Round two saw the fight hit the ground almost immediately, Beerbohm again in charge. Perales managed to stand with Beerbohm wrapped around his midsection. Beerhbohm managed to throw Perales to the ground and achieved a solid full mount. And then the blows streamed down on Perales, including a fine one that saw Beerbohm slowly press Perales’s face to the ground and follow up with a solid strike. The round ended after nearly three minutes of brutal punishment that Perales seemed to weather.

Round three started with Beerbohm delivering two deadly high kicks. A third attempt was apparently a decoy to achieve a takedown, which worked. Again, Beerbohm had full control on the ground, entangling his opponent like an octopus with a case of the blood furies. Beerbohm finally landed a perfect guillotine choke that must have been tight: Perales tapped almost instantly.

Ray Perales submitted to Lyle Beerhbohm at 1:19 in round two. The winner thanked his mom for making his shorts.

This heavyweight match started started in hard and heavy with Kovac dodging lots of blows from Hayes, who seemed to have the advantage early on. Hayes tried a high head kick but got his ankle stuck in Kovac’s ear. Kovac grabbed it and shoved away, causing Hayed to crash face-first to the ground. Kovac had control on the ground for a while but Hayes got up and the striking resumed.

A clinch seemed to happen naturally until Hayes scored two knees, separating them. Kovac was then on fire but Hayes seemed to be doing slightly more damage. Regardless, Kovac held it together and contributed equally to the aggression. Kovac eventually shoved Hayes to the ground and achieved a half mount. Round one ended moments later.

Round two started in with cautious striking, again Hayes seeming to score more regularly. They clinched again for a while until Kovac pulled away and fired a trio of furious hooks, none of which seemed to do much damage. Finally, Kovac seeming exhausted and weaving irregularly, Hayes swooped in, let the fight go to the ground, and took side control. He pinned Kovac’s arms and delivered a myriad right hooks to Kovac’s face. Kovac’s arm was in the way and so most of the damage seemed ineffective. I guess you could say Kovac was defending but, frankly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the ref had called it right there. Round two ended there.

Round three saw Kovac working to strike but seeming wildly dazed. Hayes was calm and in control, but apparently letting Kovac dictate the pacing. They eventually fell into a clinch, revealing that Hayes had taken some damage as evidenced by the blood down Kovac’s back. Hayes pushed away and scored a clean hook that knocked Kovac’s head backwards, but the apparently unstoppable Kovac just kept coming back for more.

Hayes seemed to be in ccomplete control and, though he was doing most of the precision striking, Kovac was working from the heart, perhaps tilting the crowd in his favour. Then Kovac landed a clean knee right in Hayes’ basket, and the action paused.

Despite his apparent disorientation, Kovac kept on the offensive and shoved Hayes to the ground. When the round ended, Kovac rolled off and seemed intensely grateful.

Hayes took the fight by unanimous decision, as expected I guess.