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After a short break, the UFC returned with a stacked UFC on ESPN card that was headlined by a mouthwatering Heavyweight clash between Alistair Overeem and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
The co-main event of the evening saw two highly-rated women, Marina Rodriquez and Cynthia Calvillo square-off in a Strawweight fight.
Stefan Struve ended his retirement to face fellow veteran heavyweight Ben Rothwell. Aspen Ladd also featured on the main card in a contest against Yana Kunitskaya.
Two exciting Bantamweight fights rounded up the main card that included a total of six fights, in addition to the six that were featured in the prelims.
The event, branded as 'Fight like Hell', was dedicated to ESPN Anchor and Sportscenter personality Stuart Scott, who died of appendix cancer in 2015 at the age of 49. Scott was a big MMA fan and UFC joined hands with ESPN to organize the event to support the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund.
The UFC on ESPN 7 event was live from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC and given below are the UFC results and video highlights of the show:
UFC on ESPN 7 Results: Prelims
Tim Means def. Thiago Alves via submission (guillotine choke) (2:38, Round One)
Billy Quarantillo def. Jacob Kilburn via submission (triangle choke) (3:18, Round Two)
Bryce Mitchell def. Matt Sayles via submission (twister) (4:20, Round One)
Joe Solecki def. Matt Wiman via unanimous decision (30-26 x2, 30-27)
Virna Jandiroba def. Mallory Martin via submission (rear naked choke) (1:16, Round Two)
Makhmud Muradov def. Trevor Smith via KO (punch) (4:09, Round Three)
UFC on ESPN 7 Results: Main Card
#1. Rob Font vs. Ricky Simon (Bantamweight)
The Bantamweights took center stage to kick start the main card proceedings of the evening. The #10 ranked Rob Font was coming off a big win against Sergio Pettis. Ricky Simon suffered his first loss after eight fights when he got knocked out by the returning Uriah Faber in July earlier this year.
Round 1: Font wasted no time and cut the distance by pressing forward. He scored a slick takedown early in the round. He ducked under an incoming right and got the double underhooks before dumping Simon down to the mat near the fence.
Simon popped up to his feet and they briefly engaged in the body lock. Back in the center, Font tasted success in the stand-up exchanges by hurting Simon with a few punches and a kick to the face. Simon shot for the double leg, Font stuffed it.
Font kept up the pressure with some beautiful jabs. He went high for the head kick.
Simon took some time to get into the groove but once he found his range, he rocked Font with a strike followed by a knee. He took advantage by taking a wobbly Font down near the fence.
Simon landed a few brutal knees as he looked to pin Font against the cage. He landed another takedown as Font tried to force his way up. A brief guillotine attempt didn't pay dividends for Simon before the fight returned to the center.
Font landed a few shots on the feet before the fight went back to the mat courtesy of Simon. The entertaining round ended with both men showing each other some respect.
Round 2: Font laid the jabs out but Simon moved his head smoothly.
Simon attacked Font's thighs with a snappy leg kick. Simon got his range in place as he landed the left-hand jabs. Font, though, connected with a monstrous right that snapped Simon's head back.
Surprisingly, Simon continued as if nothing had happened.
Font ambushed Simon again with a well-timed combination that sent Simon back, who came back and answered with a liver kick. Simon shot for the takedown, Font stuffed it.
Font had landed 33 head strikes in comparison to Simon's 18 as both men looked for an opening to land the jabs. Font's precise boxing was on display as the jabs kept landing all day. He followed it up with a huge right but Simon stayed firm on his feet.
Simon went for the double leg and he managed to get Font on his bottom against the fence. The fighters got back up and landed a forward-pressing four-piece combo with overhand rights and lefts to end the round.
Round 3: They began the round by exchanging a few jabs. Font continued with the crisp boxing while Simon kept going forward.
Simon hurt Font with a body shot midway through the round. He followed it up with a few knees in the clinch before hoisting Font up in the air and taking him down to the mat.
Font fought back by wrestling his way up to the feet. Font's jabs looked incredible, and he connected with a right-hand, uppercut combo.
Simon's urgency increased as the fight came to a close with Font avoiding any damage with some good head movement and his main weapon - the jabs.
Result: Rob Font def. Ricky Simon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
The 32-year-old Rob Font got the well-deserved nod on the scorecards as he counteracted Simon's wrestling with some solid takedown defence coupled with some elite-level boxing.
#2. Song Yadong vs. Cody Stamann (Bantamweight)
The spotlight stayed on the cutthroat 135-pound division as Song Yadong and Cody Stamann looked to make a major statement in a weight class that provided a very small margin for error.
Yadong was on a 7-fight win streak while his opponent, the #9 ranked Bantamweight in the UFC, Stamann had just lost once in his last 12 fights.
Round 1: It was a conservative start as both fighters tried to read each other's movements. Yadong drew first blood with an incoming four-piece combo. Yadong looked fancy with a spinning wheel kick.
Stamann changed levels and took Yadong down against the fence. Yadong waited and trapped Stamann in a front face lock. He landed a knee that was deemed illegal, for which Yadong was penalized and a point was taken away from him.
The Chinese fighter got right back to business by pressing his opponent. They exchanged body kicks with Yadong shooting for the takedown. Stamann had a good opportunity to get the round in his favour by showing some intent. Yadong stretched his arms for a big right but Cody ducked his head and grabbed onto Yadong's left leg. The Spartan kept Yadong down for a few seconds until the end of the round.
Round 2: Yadong landed over the top to begin the round. Cody went for the double leg, however, Yadong athletically sprawled to stuff the attempt. They got back up and Stamann got in a combination on the break.
Stamann tried to keep Yadong away with the oblique kick to the body. Yadong landed a lovely combination that demonstrated his range of using angles. A clinch ensued against the cage with a good elbow from Stamann. Stamann scored a nice takedown but Yadong transitioned well and scrambled his way to his feet.
Yadong landed the jabs and straight rights. Cody, however, landed another takedown and worked on Yadong in side control.
He moved to half guard but Yadong swept and reversed the position to get on top of his opponent.
Yadong landed a big elbow from the top but Stamann laughed it off. Stamann landed shots from his back as the second round came to an end.
Round 3: Cody bounced around as Yadong came in for the low leg kicks. The Chinese fighter needed a knockout due to the illegal knee while Stamann wanted to take the fight down to the mat.
He did exactly that by getting another takedown. Yadong briefly contemplated taking his knee while on his back but Stamann maintained his position and assumed top control.
They sprawled a bit with Stamann getting in the guillotine, before landing on top of Yadong after another transition. He landed shots to the body from side control.
Stamann enjoyed a lot of top position time in the third round and Yadong could see the fight slip from his grips with each passing second.
Cody landed a few strikes from the top as Yadong looked helpless. The Chinese Bantamweight gave up his back in the final 40 seconds of the fight. However, he Stamann got back on top and landed some big palm strikes. Cody was gunning for a finish with big hammer fists and elbows but Yadong survived until the sound of the hooter.
Result: Cody Stamann vs. Song Yadong ended in a majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
That made absolutely no sense! Irrespective of the illegal blow from Yadong, Stamann clearly won the fight by showing his grappling superiority. The judges surely got this one wrong.
#3. Yana Kunitskaya vs. Aspen Ladd (Women's Bantamweight)
Aspen Ladd is in no hurry to go after the title as she accepted a fight against the dangerous Yana Kunitskaya. Ladd was coming off a crushing loss to Germaine de Randamie, which was also her first pro MMA loss.
Kunitskaya was on the up as well as she came into this fight on the back of two impressive wins.
Round 1: Ladd started quickly with the left-hand shots. Yana caught her in the body lock and tried to get the underhooks for the takedown.
The referee broke them up after Kunitskaya grabbed the fence twice during the clinch.
They clinched again after a brief stand-up exchange. Ladd initiated the clinch but Kunitskaya ended up in the dominant position. She landed knees to Ladd's body in the clinch. Yana was doing a fine job of preventing Ladd from slipping away. Ladd did a great job of using Kunitskaya's weight to push the Russian down to the mat.
This was now Ladd's territory. She got into side control and landed a few nice elbows from the top. Ladd transitioned well to Kunitskaya's back. What followed was an unhinged barrage of strikes from the back from Ladd. She screeched loudly after every strike, however, Ladd lost her position as a result of the wild outburst before the round ended.
Round 2: Yana began by attacking the lead leg of Ladd with kicks.
Ladd got in the jabs before shooting for the takedown. She attempted to get in the double underhooks but Yana showed tremendous improvement in her takedown defence. Yana flipped her over against the cage and landed some solid knees to the body.
Yana's control in the clinch was impressive. The Thai clinch ended with both women back in the centre. Ladd got back to her game plan by going for the takedown. This time, Aspen got the fight to the mat.
She was in Yana's guard and the attempted ground and pound landed in bits and pieces. Kunitskaya tried to get her arms around Ladd to prevent eating strikes on her back. Ladd stayed in the full guard position until the end.
Round 3: Ladd's corner told her to go out there and punch the heck out of Kunitskaya's face. The advice from her corner, or the nature of it, was hilarious! It may have even negatively affected Ladd.
However, it worked!
Ladd came in, missed a right jab and landed a perfect follow-up left hook that landed flush. Kunitskaya dropped down to the mat and Aspen went on to unleash a vicious assault.
Her coach kept asking for more and Ladd didn't disappoint. The elbow strikes kept raining down as Yana covered up and the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
Result: Aspen Ladd def. Yana Kunitskaya via TKO (left hook and strikes) (0:33, Round Three)
That was some brilliant corner work from Ladd's team as her head coach's aggressive pep talk before the third round woke her up, which eventually led to a left hook from hell.
This was an emphatic finish for Ladd!
#4. Ben Rothwell vs. Stefan Struve (Heavyweight)
Stefan Struve's retirement didn't last long as The Skyscraper returned to fight for the first time since his win against Marcos Rogerio de Lima in February.
Ben Rothwell was fighting for the third time in 2019 and was coming off three consecutive losses.
Round 1: The two veterans touched gloves and the fight got underway. Struve landed big leg kicks early in the fight. Rothwell tried to cut the distance with the intention to land the killer blow. Struve kept his distance by attacking Rothwelll's calf and the legs.
Rothwell closed the distance but Struve clinched to avoid taking any damage. Rothwell landed knees as Struve kept him in the clinch with his back against the cage with the over-hook.
Rothwell attempted to change levels and take Struve down. The Skyscraper, however, was just too big as he used his hands to stay on his feet.
Ben landed a kick to the groin and it looked nasty. So nasty that Struve was rolling on the mat in pain. You don't see that too often.
The doctor stepped in and asked Struve to get back up to his feet as that could expedite the pain. The crowd booed as Struve was still down. The Dutch fighter had five minutes to recuperate but he seemed to be in a lot of pain. The crowd popped as he got back to his feet. He briefly went down to one knee again and they booed. He got back up again and they cheered! The fans were having fun!
Struve took the full five minutes, the fans enjoyed the break in their own hysterical way and the action finally resumed.
A few kicks from Struve and another clinch ensued near the fence. Struve attempted a massive head kick on the break but thankfully for Ben, he moved his head out of the way at the right time.
Struve backed up but got clipped by a big right as Rothwell tried to make inroads. The round ended with another clinch.
Round 2: Struve landed a few good jabs and the right leg kick. Rothwell closed the gap again but Struve got him in a body lock.
Rothwell too got hit in the groin but he continued without taking a break. The fans predictably popped for that.
Rothwell got tagged with a few right and uppercuts as he tried to get into the pocket, which looked like a risky thing to do. Struve landed a solid leg kick followed by a knee. Ben was eating some nasty kicks but that wouldn't be enough to take the big man down.
Both men clinched again with Rothwell pressing Struve against the cage. Ben landed a right and an uppercut on the break.
And it happened again!
Rothwell misplaced a body kick and it landed on Struve's groin again. Dan Miragliotta's reaction said it all! The Skyscraper was rolling on the mat. The DC fans had their moment again.
A point was taken away from Rothwell and the fight continued. Rothwell came in like a man possessed and hurt Struve with an uppercut.
Struve survived and clinched for a few seconds but Ben knew what he had to to do.
The Dutch giant hurt himself as his leg kick hit the shin bone of Rothwell. Rothwell wanted to end it and he rocked Struve with a few uppercuts. Struve's knees gave up and Rothwell applied the finishing touches to get the TKO win.
Result: Ben Rothwell def. Stefan Struve via TKO (4:57, Round Two)
You've got to feel for Stefan Struve. He took two hard groin shots and ended up losing the fight.
Ben Rothwell mentioned in the post-fight interview that he didn't like what happened to Struve. However, a win is a win and Big Ben would take it any day of the week.
#5. Marina Rodriguez vs. Cynthia Calvillo (Women's Strawweight)
Marina Rodriguez and Cynthia Calvillo needed big wins to move up in the deep Women's Strawweight division.
Marina was undefeated while Calvillo, who missed weight by over four pounds, had just a single loss on her resume.
Round 1: Rodriguez started slowly as she scouted the movements of her opponent.
Calvillo kept moving around before Rodriquez got aggressive with a few incoming combos. Marina got in a few knees in but Calvillo did a great of taking Marina down using a smart ankle pick move.
Marina scrambled and got back to her feet before rocking Cynthia with a big elbow.
Calvillo retreated as Rodriquez aggressively pressed forward looking for a finish.
Calvillo's chin held up. She shot for the takedown but had to settle for the clinch.
Marina landed a huge head kick but Calvillo seemed unfazed. Rodriguez found more success with the brutal knees in the Thai clinch. Calvillo countered by taking Rodriguez down and getting into full mount. She landed some good shots in top position to end the round on a high.
Round 2: Rodriguez tried to loosen up as Calvillo's plan was to shoot for the takedown.
Cynthia tried to keep her opponent guessing by showing off some smooth footwork. Marina was trying to get a lot of power behind her shots but Cynthia was elusive.
Rodriguez landed a glancing knee. Calvillo's corner called for a takedown but she couldn't find a way to shoot. Rodriguez landed a few good kicks to the body. She landed a spinning body kick. Rodriguez landed a few good shots after breaking away from the clinch. She hurt Calvillo with a big body kick.
Marina mixed it up with knees and left and right body kicks. She was putting her combinations together. Calvillo shot for the takedown but Rodriguez stuffed it.
Round 3: Calvillo scored a takedown that she was looking for in the final round. She worked towards a dominating position.
Calvillo almost trapped her opponent's right arm in a submission but she settled for Marina's back. Rodriguez was in a world of trouble as Calvillo connected with some big shots from the back.
Calvillo smashed Rodriguez with massive strikes in full mount. It looked like a wrap for Marina but she miraculously got back up to her feet.
Rodriguez pushed forward to end the round in her favour but Calvillo had already left on her bicycle.
Result: Marina Rodriguez vs. Cynthia Calvillo ended in a majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
That was a fair outcome as Rodriguez and Calvillo both had their moments throughout the fight. Marina dominated the second round while Calvillo took the third.
Cynthia scored a 10-8 in the final round courtesy of her ground and pound masterclass and that was enough for the judges to give both women the draw.
#6. Alistair Overeem vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (Heavyweight)
Main event time! Two heavyweights, one is a veteran knockout artist while the other is an exciting up-and-coming finisher! This had all the makings of a being a classic striking war between two seasoned kickboxers.
Round 1: Rozenstruik didn't touch gloves and he meant business!
Both men exchanged low kicks to begin the fight. Reem caught a low kick and escaped a counter shot. He answered with left-hand strikes before changing levels to take Rozenstruik down to the mat.
He kept him there until the end of the round and frustrated Rozenstruik.
Round 2: Rozenstruik landed a jab to start the round. He was looking for a big knockout shot but he needed to be a little more proactive.
Overeem closed the distance and they clinched against the fence. Reem landed a couple of knees in the clinch and worked towards a takedown.
He attempted to trip his opponent down to the mat but Rozenstruik stayed strong and used his power to avoid getting yanked to the ground.
The referee broke up the clinch due to lack of action. Rozenstruik attempted a few straight rights. Alistair kept his guard high and close.
Rozenstruik tried to get through the guard with the short lefts and uppercuts. Overeem landed a big overhand left but Rozenstruik shrugged it off like it was nothing. Alistair landed a solid body kick. They traded heavy shots to end the round.
Round 3: Rozenstruik entered the third round for the first time in the UFC.
Overeem ate a left uppercut and made inroads for a takedown. Rozenstruik stuffed it and clinched with Overeem. Rozenstruik broke away from the clinch but he was still not pressing Overeem. The volume just wasn't there.
Overeem kept landing left-hand strikes but Rozenstruik absorbed them all. Reem changed levels and Rozenstruik stuffed it. Alistair worked hard and managed to take Rozenstruik down after a brief clinch. The veteran looked for some ground and pound. Reem kept his opponent on the mat until the end of the round.
Round 4: Alistair attempted a left hook followed by a big overhand right that has given him success in the earlier rounds.
Overeem went for the double leg takedown but missed. Rozenstruik finally showed some forward pressure by coming in with a quick combination. All of the punches, however, bounced off Alistair's high guard.
Rozenstruik started breathing heavily as Alistair landed the left-hand jabs. Rozenstruik had another outburst with a flying knee. He rushed in with a combination but Overeem had his guard up as usual.
Alistair looked relaxed as he landed the jabs and the occasional leg kicks. Rozenstruik had a much better round as he landed more significant strikes.
Round 5: Overeem avoided taking any hits before attempting another entry for the takedown. Alistair couldn't get the job done though as Rozenstruik maintained his posture.
Overeem went for a wild looping overhand left that missed by a whisker.
Overeem went for a single leg, pulled guard but couldn't get the takedown. The Reem took a few big chances with the overhand lefts but Rozenstruik wasn't making him pay for it.
Rozenstruik tried a big jumping knee but Overeem wasn't home. The Reem looked fatigued as the fight entered the final ten seconds.
The Bigi Boy finally unleashed the bomb that we'd all been waiting for. Rozenstruik touched Overeem with a left before landing a monstrous right hook. Overeem fell back first into the cage with a badly busted lip. Rozenstruik walked away without following up with a single strike.
Alistair got back up but wobbled towards the fence and the referee had seen enough to call it off. The Reem may have suffered the worst lip cut in MMA history. It looked horrific.
Result: Jairzinho Rozenstruik def. Alistair Overeem via KO (4:56, Round Five)
The Bigi Boy had to dig deep but he pulled off the Hail Mary knockout and beat the buzzer! As he said it himself, one shot, one kill! That's all it took for Rozenstruik to extend his undefeated streak and become a legit title contender in the UFC Heavyweight division.
