Donald Cerrone
UFC 126 has finally arrived, and the preliminary card of the event is set to go live at 7:30 p.m. ET. Join Heavy.com for all the quick results from this evening’s highly anticipated event.
Mike Pierce vs. Kenny Robertson
Pierce’s gameplan was to look for the takedown early, which should not have been surprising. Unfortunately for him, Robertson did great in the early going in terms of defending his opponent’s wrestling. However, the second round did not go nearly as well for him, as Pierce landed a vicious shot early that floored his foe. A brief session of ground and pound was enough to end the fight and give Pierce a solid victory.
Official Decision: Pierce d. Robertson by technical knockout at 0:29 of Round 2
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Ricaro Romero
This fight did not last very long at all. A few knee from Kingsbury hurt Romero badly, and a left hook was enough to put him to the floor. At 21 seconds into the contest, the fight was stopped, giving Kingsbury a big victory.
Official Decision: Kingsbury d. Romero by technical knockout at 0:21 of Round 1
Gabe Ruediger vs. Paul Taylor
Taylor started off strong in the opening frame and picked up steam throughout the second round. Ruediger, who could very well have been fighting for his job, could not seem to get anything going at all during the contest. Kelly, however, figured things out in the second round, earning a knockout just short of the two minute mark. This knockout is certainly worth a view on UFC.com when it gets posted tomorrow.
Official Decision: Taylor d. Ruediger at 1:42 of Round 2
Demetrious Johnson vs. Norifumi Yamamoto
Yamamoto’s debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championship did not go as planned. Johnson was able to secure takedown after takedown in throughout the fight, as well as getting his timing down in the striking game. He took the lead early with his undeniable speed, and Yamamoto could simply not keep up with his younger and quicker opponent, losing via unanimous decision.
Official Decision: Johnson d. Yamamoto by unanimous decision
Chad Mendes vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Mendes told HeavyMMA.com this month that he thought Omigawa would attempt to grab a hold of him early, but that just did not happen. Mendes managed to controll the striking game throughout the contest, taking Omigawa down on several occasions, while also dropping him. Bloodied up, Omigawa entered the third and final round with a nasty cut. Unfortunately for him, he could not recover, losing by unanimous decision to the Team Alpha Male athlete.
Official Decision: Mendes d. Omigawa by unanimous decision
Paul Kelly vs. Donald Cerrone
Cerrone may have gotten off to a slow start, but that couldn’t stop the former WEC contender from earning his first win under the UFC banner. Kelly, however, started off with a fast pace, landing early and often. “Cowboy” struggled to find his range throughout the first round, though he did land a vicious elbow that cut Kelly open during the closing moments of the round. And, perhaps, that changed the pace of the contest, as Cerrone finished off the fight in the middle of the second round to finish up the preliminary portion of the event.
Official Decision: Cerrone d. Kelly by submission at 3:48 of Round 2