Joseph Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani (Josh Hedges/UFC)
Main card includes first two flyweight bouts in UFC history
The UFC returns to FX on Friday night with a fight card in Sydney, Australia. It is the promotion’s second FX event after last month’s debut on the cable network in Nashville, Tenn.
Tonight’s UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann four-fight main card, which takes place at Sydney’s Allphones Arena, features a main event welterweight contenders fight between former title challenger Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann. Plus, the UFC introduces the flyweight division for the first time with the start of a four-man tournament that will ultimately determine the 125-pound weigh class’s first champion.
The main card live coverage will begin at 9 p.m. Eastern time here at HeavyMMA.
Court McGee vs. Constantinos Philippou
Round 1: Touch of gloves to begin the first fight on FX. McGee in the center of the cage, while Philippou circles around the outside. McGee engages with a combination and lands a right. Philippou counters the next attack from McGee, landing a nice hook of his own. Philippou presses forward now and lands an uppercut, followed by a left hook. McGee looks for a takedown, but his opponent evades. McGee just misses with an overhand right. Kick to the arm lands for him. And a jab. Philippou keeping the distance, clearly hoping to avoid a takedown. McGee with another kick. Philippou comes up short with a left hook, but follows back in with a decent combo, though nothing serious lands. Body punch from Philippou. 90 seconds left in the round. McGee lands a kick, but eats a solid right hand. Philippou is landing decent shots on his counters. McGee with a takedown attempt, but Philippou brushes past him. Kick lands for McGee, followed by a left hook. Another takedown attempt, but once again he fails to get it. Left lands for McGee. Philippou presses forward in the final moments of the round, but he eats a left hook and trips up against the cage. They exchange in the final moments, though neither land. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Philippou.
Round 2: Philippou lands a solid left hook to begin round two. McGee misses with two punches and comes up just short on a head kick. McGee comes in for another exchange, and each fighter throws wild hooks. Right hand scores for Philippou, but, more importantly, allows him to get away from the cage. Another nice left lands for Philippou, who is doing a terrific job of neutralizing the wrestling of McGee, who nearly earns a takedown, but fails. Philippou with another left and follows that punch up with a right hook. Kick to the body lands for McGee. McGee with another takedown, but Philippou lands a vicious uppercut. McGee stays on him, pressing his opponent up against the cage in the clinch. Philippou separates. He counters McGee’s next attack with another nice left hook, but misses badly on his next attempt. McGee engages again, but ducks into another uppercut. Philippou with a nice left hook, followed by another uppercut. McGee with a spinning elbow, but only hits the back of his opponent. Philippou misses with a left, as the round ends with little success for either fighter. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Philippou.
Round 3: Touch of gloves kicks off the third and final round. McGee counters Philippou’s strikes with a nice left hook and he is hunting his opponent down. He thinks about a takedown, but pulls back. Philippou comes up short with an uppercut, but McGee lands one of his own. Action is stopped after an inadvertent shot to the groin of Philippou is landed by McGee. Action resumes almost immediately, and McGee lands a body kick. He presses forward with a takedown attempt and throws Philippou to the ground. But Philippou quickly stands back up, and the two resume striking on the feet, where Philippou wants it. Flying knee from McGee lands to the body of his opponent and he follows it up with a kick and a left hook. McGee is really picking up the pace right now. Spinning back kick from McGee falls short, but he lands a nice shot to the body. Spinning elbow misses for McGee. Phillipou with a long right that just does land. Body kick lands for McGee. Philippou partially blocks a head kick. 90 seconds remain in the final frame. Solid leg kick lands for Philippou. Nice right hand for McGee, who shoots in for another takedown, but fails yet again. McGee misses with a combination and a front kick. Another takedown attempt, but Philippou stuffs it once again. Another spinning back elbow misses for McGee, and this fight comes to an end. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for McGee.
Official Decision: Philippou def. McGee, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall
Round 1: Johnson lands an inside leg kick to begin the round. McCall barely lands one of his own before eating another from Johnson, who also lands a nice punch. Body kick from Johnson, but McCall earns the takedown. He is in half guard, but working into mount. Johnson attempts to shake him. Scramble from Johnson reverses positions, but the two end up back on the feet. Johnson pouring it on with punches, landing flush consistently. Both fighters land on the next exchange. Johnson with a nice right hand. McCall catches a leg kick and takes Johnson down again. Johnson rolls, but gets back to his feet. Spinning back kick from Johnson comes up short. Johnson with a takedown attempt, but instead lands a vicious hook on McCall, who seemed a bit rocked. Johnson with a takedown attempt, but McCall avoids. McCall presses forward with the combination, but Johnson counters, landing the better shots. Inside leg kick lands for McCall, but Johnson counters with a kick of his own. Final ten seconds go by without much action. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Johnson, but it was close.
Round 2: Touch of gloves to begin round two. Johnson lands a nice inside leg kick and looks for a takedown. Big exchange against the cage, and both fighters land, but Johnson is the first to bow out. Johnson comes up short with a kick, but does well to block McCall’s counter. He lands a nice left hand, and McCall seems unable to keep up with the pace. Kick below the belt from McCall sends Johnson stumbling back against the cage. Break in action, as Johnson recovers. Action resumes after only a few moments. Johnson comes up short with a strike, and the fighters briefly clinch. Inside leg kick lands for Johnson. McCall lands a nice hook, but Johnson comes back with several strikes of his own. When these guys exchange, they throw everything into their punches. Johnson with another nice combination, while McCall is only landing here and there. Nice body kick from McCall. Leg kick from Johnson. McCall shoots in for a takedown, but Johnson reverses and presses his opponent up against the cage. Knees from McCall, and Johnson wants nothing of that. Inside leg kick lands for McCall. They clinch briefly, but McCall breaks things up with an uppercut. Head kick from Johnson lands, but McCall presses him up against the cage. Johnson separates with an elbow. Nice body kick from “Mighty Mouse.” McCall trips Johnson to the mat, but the fight immediately returns to the feet. Johnson presses McCall against the cage, but they separate. Johnson with a kick to end the second frame. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Johnson.
Round 3: Leg kick lands for McCall, while Johnson comes up short with a front kick. The two exchange kicks at the same time. Nice inside leg kick from McCall. Bit of confusion, as McCall paused due to a low blow, but the official missed it. Fighters touch gloves again. McCall with a nice knee to the midsection. Johnson with a flying knee, but it allows McCall to take the fight to the floor. Half guard for McCall, who is throwing nice punches. Johnson gets an underhook and rolls out. They are back on the feet, but McCall ducks a punch and lands a suplex. He takes Johnson’s back and is throwing bombs. Johnson is in big trouble here. McCall needs to flatten him out again. He gives up the back to land a knee, but Johnson escapes. 90 seconds left in the round. Johnson with a front kick and a combination. McCall’s takedown gets reversed by Johnson, but, after a brief scramble, McCall moves from a guillotine choke into full mount. Johnson tries to shake him. McCall takes the back and is throwing bombs down on his opponent, while screaming to the crowd. Johnson is saved by the bell. Incredible final minute for McCall. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for McCall.
Official Decision: Johnson def. McCall, majority decision (28-29, 29-29, 29-28)
Joseph Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani
Round 1: Head kick from Urushitani is blocked by Benavidez to begin the action. The fighters exchange kicks, and Benavidez misses with a second kick. He misses with another, but his opponent misses on the counter. Nice pair of right hands land for Benavidez and he presses forward. Urushitani circles away, attempting to avoid any major exchanges. Nice uppercut from Benavidez. He presses forward, pushing his opponent against the cage. Team Alpha Male member looking for a takedown, but working knees at the moment. He attempts a throw, but lands a knee prior to separation. Benavidez throws another kick, before pressing his opponent into the cage yet again. More knees form Benavidez, who, after a brief struggle, drags Urushitani to the ground. Half guard for Benavidez with just under 90 seconds remaining in the round. He is looking to land ground and pound, but transitions to side control. Benavidez jumps into mount, but then transitions to his opponent’s back. 20 seconds remaining in the round. Body triangle from Benavidez. He is looking for the choke, but Urushitani survives. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Benavidez.
Round 2: Urushitani throws a head kick to begin the round, but a counter right hook from Benavidez floors him. Benavidez hops on top of his opponent to deliver several more shots, and the referee graciously stepped in to stop the onslaught. Great finish for Benavidez, who came in the heavy favorite and finds himself the favorite to win this flyweight tournament.
Official Decision: Benavidez def. Urushitani, technical knockout, 0:11 Round 2
Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann
Round 1: Touch of gloves begins the main event, and Alves lands a nice left hand shortly thereafter. Kampmann with a nice combination before looking for a takedown. Alves makes him pay with several vicious uppercuts. Kampmann looks for a trip and gets it, but Alves escapes back to the feet. Kampmann with a kick that staggers Alves. Another trip from Kampmann sends Alves to the mat. Alves attempts to stand, but eats a knee. The fighters separate, but Kampmann with a strong start. They clinch, and Alves lands several nice knees. They separate briefly, but Kampmann immediately comes back with a takedown attempt. He fails, but Alves earns a takedown of his own. The Brazilian transitions to side control, but Kampmann transitions back to half guard. Alves moves to full mount. Kampmann is in trouble here with just over one minute remaining in the round. Alves hasn’t postured up yet, but instead is forcing all his weight onto Kampmann. Under 30 seconds in the round, and blood soaks the canvas. Alves postures up with 10 seconds left, but Kampmann slips away as the frame comes to a close. Great final 90 seconds for Alves, who takes the round 10-9 on the Heavy.com scorecard.
Round 2: Fighters trade in the center early, but neither are able to get much momentum going. Brief clinch, but they separate. Kampmann with a long shot at the takedown, but he can’t get it. Kampmann presses Alves against the cage in the clinch, but they separate immediately. Knee from Kampmann lands, but Alves lands a nice combination of his own. Left hook from the Brazilian, who follows that up with a kick to the body. They exchange in the center of the cage, but Alves continues to land more frequently. Kampmann with a takedown attempt, but he fails yet again. Alves is slowly moving forward towards Kampmann, who is willing to take the outside. The positions reverse, and Kampmann presses forward with a straight right. Kampmann misses with a kick at the 90 second mark. Alves comes back with a right hand. Kampmann is struggling to get anything going on the feet. Nice combination from Alves, but none of his strikes land with much power. Under 20 seconds in the round, and Kampmann drives forward with another takedown attempt. He does not get it, and Alves secures another round. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Alves.
Round 3: Kampmann throws early, but doesn’t land flush. Alves with a leg kick, but he comes up short on a head kick. Both fighters miss on the next exchange, but Alves dives in for a takedown. Kampmann reverses and presses the Brazilian striker against the cage. Kampmann elects to step away, but comes forward immediately with another combination of strikes and a takedown attempt, but Alves is doing well to score from this position. They separate again, and Kampmann blocks a pair of hooks from his opponent. Alves lands a right hook, but it has little power behind it. Nice leg kick from Alves. Kampmann comes in, but walks straight into Alves’ strike. The Brazilian misses with a leg kick, and we have reached the two minute mark of the contest. Kampmann needs a finish, but he is doing little to get himself in position to earn one. Kampmann with a kick, but Alves counters with a nice shot. Alves looks for the takedown, but Kampmann grabs hold of a guillotine choke. Alves is on his back. The Brazilian taps. Kampmann with the submission stoppage. Incredible comeback. That came out of nowhere. Great win for Kampmann.
Official Decision: Kampmann def. Alves, submission (guillotine choke), 4:12 Round 3