T.J. Grant vs. Evan Dunham
UFC 152 Prelims Coverage
TORONTO — The Ultimate Fighting Championship is finally back this weekend with UFC 152, and Heavy.com has you covered.
While you’re tuned into Fight Day, be sure to keep up with the live preliminary card results from tonight’s event, beginning at 6:45 p.m. ET.
Preliminary Card Results
Kyle Noke vs. Charlie Brenneman
Round 1 – No touch of gloves to start the night. Noke short on a straight right. Brenneman looks to land a combination. Front-kick from Noke. He lands a hard jab. Big right hand from Noke. Brenneman drops. More punches from Noke. Brenneman is down. The ref steps in to stop the fight as “The Spaniard” attempts a takedown. Could have been premature, but Brenneman was hurt.
Official Decision: Noke def. Brenneman via technical knockout at 0:45 of Round 1
Mitch Gagnon vs. Walel Watson
Round 1 – Second fight begins with no touch of gloves, and Watson is quick to throw punches, though he isn’t landing. Watson is significantly taller. Watson moves in and eats a huge punch. He drops. Gaganon moves to the back. Watson looks to defend, but Gagnon slips the choke in. Palm-to-palm. He switches and has the bicep. Gagnon forces the rear naked choke tap. Great performance from Gagnon.
Official Decision: Gagnon def. Watson via rear naked choke at 1:09 of Round 1
Seth Baczynski vs. Simeon Thoresen
Round 1 – Slow start to round one. High kick blocked by Thoresen, who lands a leg kick. Both fighters throwing, but no one landing much here. Thoresen lands a nice right. Break in the action due to an eye poke. Thoresen given time to recover, but he seems okay. Baczynski is bleeding and has been unable to do much of anything so far. He rushes in, but misses. Nice kick to the body from Thoresen. Baczynski out of nowhere. Huge punch floors Thoresen, and this fight is over. Huge left hook put Thoresen down.
Official Decision: Baczynski def. Thoresen via knockout at 4:10 of Round 1
Jim Hettes vs. Marcus Brimage
Round 1 – They touch ’em up and we’re underway. Brimage lands a nice combination that puts Hettes down, but he lets him back up. Brimage lands again, and Hettes needs to avoid this kind of fight. Takedown attempt from Hettes, but he doesn’t get it. Brimage comes up short on a combination. He works punches to the body. Big punch lands for Brimage. He follows Hettes to the ground, but pulls back and stands up. Hettes is back up and eating more shots. He finally lands on the feet and seems composed. They trade, each landing. Brimage lands a vicious couple of punches, but Hettes is fine. He can take some damage. 10 seconds, and Brimage whiffs. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Brimage.
Round 2 – Hettes misses on a head kick, and Brimage storms forward. Kick lands this time for Hettes. He ties Brimage up and takes him down. This is trouble for Brimage. Brimage attempts to scramble, and Hettes nearly takes his back. Brimage slips out and is back up. Flying knee lands for Hettes. He grabs a guillotine choke, but lets it go to take his opponent’s back. Brimage is really in trouble now. Brimage attempts to escape, but now finds himself in a body triangle. Good defense from the underdog. He scrambles to his feet and is back in this fight. But he looks tired. Takedown attempt from Hettes. Brimage defends nicely. Brimage misses on a flurry in the closing moments. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Hettes.
Round 3 – Brimage rushes forward, missing on a combination. Nice leg kicks from Brimage. Hettes comes back with a combination of his own. Accidental head butt. Both guys are fine. Leg kick from Brimage. Nice combo follows. Hettes keeps coming forward. Brimage with a nice one-two. And another. Hettes is eating punches, but doesn’t seem to mind. Hettes with a knee. Takedown attempt from Hettes, but Brimage escapes. 90 seconds to go. Takedown attempt from Hettes. Brimage avoids the single-leg takedown. Hettes is giving this fight away. Leg kick from Brimage. Hettes has 20 seconds to do something, but he may not. Neither lands flush in the final moments. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Brimage.
Official Decision: Brimage def. Hettes via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lance Benoist vs. Sean Pierson
Round 1 – Both fighters throwing early, and Pierson looks to clinch. He has it, but they separate quickly. Nice body kick lands for Benoist. Pierson lands a strike and drops his opponent. Benoist is back up, but Pierson lands several more shots. The crowd chants Pierson’s name, clearly behind the hometown fighter. Pierson has Benoist up against the cage. They separate, and Benoist lands a leg kick. He comes forward with a combination. Benoist throws another leg kick, but Pierson catches it and lands. Benoist lands back on the ground. Pierson follows and avoids submission attempts to get full guard. Omoplata attempt from Benoist. Pierson escapes, and Benoist is back to his feet. The crowd continues to chant for Pierson, as he lands a left hook and continues to work his striking. 20 seconds. Nice leg kick from Benoist, but he pays for it with a combo from Pierson. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Pierson.
Round 2 – They trade early, but Pierson makes the first impression. He rushes forward with a combination and gets the clinch. They separate. Benoist comes forward with a long strike, but Pierson counters nicely. Takedown attempts from Benoist, but Pierson throws him and takes top position. North-South position for Pierson. He attempts a front headlock, but Benoist rolls. Knee from Pierson as his opponent stands back up. Flying strike from Benoist, but he misses and eats a counter. Benoist lands. Two minutes to go. They trade, but neither lands flush. Pierson lands a nice shot, followed shortly thereafter by a soft leg kick. Benoist fights through a combination and lands flush. 10 seconds to go. Leg kick lands for Benoist. Pierson shoots in, but can’t get the takedown. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Pierson.
Round 3 – Final round underway. Nice strike lands for Pierson, but Benoist lands one of his own. Nice left lands for Pierson. Leg kick lands for Pierson. They are trading, but neither is able to land much of anything. Eye poke, but Benoist says he is fine. Front kick from Benoist lands to the body of Pierson. Pierson looks takedown, but it only leads to the clinch. Two minutes left in the round. Leg kick lands for Benoist. Leg kick lands for Benoist. Pierson misses on a big right. Left lands for Benoist. Pierson stumbles backwards. Benoist follows with a huge flurry. Another shot lands for Benoist. Pierson is down. Benoist with ground and pound. He moves to full mount, then back. Pierson escapes and is back up. 15 seconds. Pierson is wobbly. Benoist clinches with his opponent and the round closes. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Benoist.
Official Decision: Pierson def. Benoist via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
T.J. Grant vs. Evan Dunham
Round 1 – Fighters get to work early on. Grant with a nice combination, followed by a leg kick. Dunham lands a nice punch, but misses with a head kick. Grant comes back with punches and a knee. Big exchange right now with each fighter landing. Grant still pressing the action. He lands a big shot, but steps away. Head kick from Grant. He rushes forward with punches against the cage. Dunham with a nice shot. Crazy fight so far. Inside leg kick from grant. Flying knee misses for Dunham. Dunham back against the cage again, as Grant lands a big elbow. Great pace so far. Knees from Grant. He separates with a vicious combination. He misses on a combination. Dunham with a takedown. Grant has full guard. Grant scoots back, but Dunham stays on top as the round comes to a close. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Grant.
Round 2 – Dunham with a head kick to begin the round. Grant with a vicious right hand, but Dunham lands a counter. Great, great action so far. These guys are going at it. Dunham is bleeding badly from a knee from Grant. Dunham looks takedown, but Grant stuffs it. They exchange against the cage, and Dunham is extremely pumped right now. Grant lands and catches a leg. Knees from Grant. Dunham doesn’t seem to mind, as he’s really into this brawl. Dunham’s face is a mess. Nice combination from Grant. Dunham looks takedown. He has it and is bleeding all over Grant. Grant gets back up, but eats some punches. Nice exchange. Dunham thinks takedown at the end of the round, but the bell rings. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Grant.
Round 3 – They immediately get back to battling. Grant lands flush several times. Nice right hand lands for Dunham. Body kick from Grant. They get tied up against the cage, Dunham pressing the action. They separate. Both fighters continue to exchange, but neither is gaining much of an upper hand. Nice combination from Grant, who ducks out of the way of a counter. Takedown from Dunham, but Grant defends nicely. Flying knee from Dunham barely lands. Grant counters a combination with some shots of his own. This is a brawl. Dunham is bleeding badly again. Kick from Dunham is caught, and Grant lands. Dunham misses with a head kick. One minute to go. Dunham looks takedown, but he can’t get it. Grant catches a kick. Dunham gets the takedown this time. 20 seconds to go. Grant with full guard. Dunham tries to strike, but doesn’t land much. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Dunham.
Official Decision: Grant def. Dunham via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Vinny Magalhaes vs. Igor Pokrajac
Round 1 – Magalhaes ties up Pokrajac early on in the fight. Pokarajac backs up Magalhaes into the cage. The referee demands action. Takedown from Magalhaes. He looks to ground and pound. Battle on the ground here, but neither guy having much success. Pokrajac with elbows, but Magalhaes is in side control. Armbar attempt from Magalhaes. Pokrajac in big trouble, but rolls on top. Magalhaes lets it go. He is on the bottom, but seems comfortable. Rubberguard from Magalhaes. Pokrajac lets Magalhaes stand back up. They tie up against the cage again. Magalhaes with underhooks. They separate, and Pokrajac lands a nice right hand as the round comes to an end. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Magalhaes.
Round 2 – Leg kick lands for Magalhaes, but Pokrajac grabs hold. Clinch in the center of the cage. Pokrajac with a takedown, but Magalhaes immediately throws his leg up for a triangle. Pokrajac pressing him against the cage. Armbar attempt from Magalhaes. He flips Pokrajac over and forces the tap. Terrific submission from Magalhaes.
Official Decision: Magalhaes def. Pokrajac via submission (armbar) at 1:14 of Round 2