UFC Moncton is underway and the promotion’s #11 light heavyweight Misha Cirkunov just made quick work of the #14 Patrick Cummins, sniffing out a first-round submission in less than three minutes. The 14-4 Cirkunov made the most of his mic time by calling for a rematch with top ranked Volkan Oezdemir.
Before that, Andre Soukhamthath was able to hurt short notice replacement and UFC newcomer Jonathan Martinez on multiple occasions throughout the fight, but Martinez hung tough and even had some shining moments of his own. It was Soukhamthath who went on to win the unanimous decision, even picking up a 30-26 on one of the scorecards.
Gian Villante and Ed Herman went toe-to-toe tonight, banging it out on the feet for the bulk of three rounds. Two of the three judges awarded the bout to Villante, but on the mic, the TUF Season 3 veteran let the crowd know that he thought he had won that fight. Opening up the main card, Alex Garcia and Court McGee went the full fifteen, with a lot of the match occurring in the grappling department. All three judges awarded the decision win to McGee, who at 19-7 finds himself back in the winner’s circle.
Main card:
Misha Cirkunov def. Patrick Cummins by submission (Arm Triangle) at 2:40 of round 1: Light Heavyweight
Cirkunov was all over Cummins. He hurt him with the strikes before owning him in the with the grappling department. After stuffing a takedown attempt, Cirkunov found full mount and quickly locked up an arm triangle. Cummins was dead to rights and was forced to tap out.
Andre Soukhamthath def. Jonathan Martinez by unanimous (30-26, 29-28 x2): Bantamweight
A massive right cross from Soukhamthath dropped Martinez early in the first round. Martinez quickly recovered, and then an inadvertent knee gave him a bit more time to recover. Soukhamthath was able to drop his foe another time with his hands before the round came to a close, but was unable to finish.
The second round saw Soukhamthath unload a flurry of punches that backed up Martinez, but the referee stopped the action to warn Soukhamthath about a knee to the cup. Upon the restart, Martinez scored a takedown and was able to score some ground and pound from the top. Soukhamthath worked his way back to his feet and even landed some solid blows before the round expired.
Soukhamthath brought the pressure again in the final frame, but Martinez showed tons of resilience and kept throwing back. A brief takedown was achieved by Soukhamthath, but Martinez was quick to explode back to his feet. Martinez continued to be scrappy but Soukhamthath seemed to be a step ahead, albeit barely.
Gian Villante def. Ed Herman by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Light Heavyweight
As expected, both 205’ers came out swinging with heat. The pace quickly simmered, and Villante began to work his jab as Herman hunted for his left hook. Villante landed a right-left combo the got the attention of Herman, which ended up being the most significant strikes of the round.
Herman landed a variety of strikes to open up the second stanza, which busted open the nose of Villante. A brief pause in the action came when Herman spit his mouthpiece on to the floor. Villante began winging his punches, without a jab, and Herman found some success picking him off as he missed. Villante was a bloody mess as he headed to his corner for the third round.
Villante pressed forward down the stretch, looking to land his right hand as the output of Herman dwindled substantially. Both men attempted a takedown with the other man easily shucking it off, and then the labored athletes gutted it out on the feet until the final bell.
Court McGee def. Alex Garcia by unanimous decision (30-28, 29-28 x2): Welterweight
Garcia threw a series of explosive punches to start the bout, which backed off McGee. A lot of time was spent with Garcia clinching the back of his foe, and the round ended with McGee scoring a late takedown. McGee seemed to have jarred Garcia with a jab which led to him taking top position early on in the second frame. Once back on the feet, Garcia blasted a brief takedown of his own, but it only resulted in a clinch position that led to a McGee takedown.
McGee continued his grind into the third round, pressing Garcia against the cage while he searched for a takedown. Garcia was able to scramble his way to the back of his opponent, but lost control and relinquished top position. McGee rode out the top position for the rest of the round.