It’s Mexico Independence Day, and the UFC has stacked the card with talent from south of the border in front of a sell-out crowd at the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas. We recap tonight’s main card below.
Fernando Padilla vs. Kyle Nelson
The 6ft 1inch Padilla finished Julian Erosa inside just two minutes back in April. Nelson finished Blake Biler via decision in his last outing.
Round 1
Padilla’s jabs are getting through. The second-tallest featherweight is using his range well.
Nelson bleeds from the nose as he waits patiently to land counterstrikes; a jab lands flush on Padilla.
Nelson lands a right hand, and Padilla enters a Thai clinch and lands some nice elbows.
Round 2
A cracking right hand from Nelson. He lands again. Padilla eats them as his hands are low, allowing the Canadian to hit him easily. The second round is a different story from the first so far.
Padilla begins to back off, but it doesn’t last long; he’s soon pressing the action again. Nelson’s countering continues to be effective, he’s landed almost 60% of his strikes. Looks like 1-1 going into the final round.
Round 3
Nice head kick from Nelson – Left-hand uppercut in return from Padilla. The Canadian takes a short break from the action due to an accidental low blow.
The round ends with some wild swinging by both men. Some great footwork by Nelson, as Padilla still looks a bit static. The Mexican lands a bunch himself; this could be 29-28 either way.
Kyle Nelson wins unanimously, 30-27, 29-28.
Christian Giagos vs. Daniel Zellhuber
Zellhuber, a Contender Series graduate, got his first IFC win in April. Giagos received a Performance of the Night bonus last time out, a knockout victory over Ricky Glenn.
‘The Assassin Baby,’ Brandon Moreno, joins the commentary booth for the next two fights!
Round 1
Giagos misses a body shot as Zellhuber stays just outside range.
A huge left hand by Giagos wobbles the Mexican. Giagos chases him around the cage, connecting multiple times, but Zellhuber weathers the storm.
Straight right hand connects from Giagos; the lightweight has some serious power. Zellhuber stuffs a takedown, and the round ends shortly after.
Round 2
Giagos closes the distance well and is finding success when landing. Zellhuber returns with some great shots of his own.
When Zellhuber increases his output, Giagos shoots for a takedown, and this time is no different. The Mexican shows great balance to stay on his feet as Giagos holds onto his leg.
A left hook, right-hand combination hurts Giagos, and Zellhuber secures an anaconda choke! His opponent taps shortly after.
Daniel Zellhuber wins via submission (anaconda choke.)
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Terrence Mitchell
The 7-1 Rosas Jr. looks to get back in the win column following the first defeat in his young career. The 18-year-old faces the 14-3 Terrence Mitchell, who himself is coming off a loss and will be looking to utilize his seven-inch reach advantage in this bantamweight matchup.
Round 1
Explosive start. Both swing and land! Right-hand lands from Mitchell, but Rosas Jr. drops him with a left hook!
Ground and pound follow, and the 18-year-old wins in just 54 seconds via TKO.
Kevin Holland Vs. Jack Della Maddalena
Co-main event. The 6ft 3 Holland has recent stoppage victories over Michael Chiesa and Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Della Maddalena is an outstanding boxer with the highest knockdown rate in UFC Welterweight history, with 2.87 per 15 minutes.
Round 1
Nice leg kick for Della Maddalena; Holland returns with some of his own. They continue to chop at one another. Holland has a more serious look than the showboating, talkative nature we’ve seen in previous fights.
Holland throws a knee to the head from the clinch, and Della Maddalena lands a counter right hook. They clinch at the fence, and Della Maddalena lands some more and finds success in the pocket.
Holland remains patient and chops at the legs. He lands a nice right-hand counter and starts to mix up his strikes.
Round 2
Big left hand from Della Maddalena. Holland is turning his back a lot to avoid strikes, but Maddalena doesn’t fancy a grappling contest; he wants to keep this standing.
Holland is displaying a lot of the ‘Philly Shell’ defense, reminiscent of Floyd Mayweather and a certain Sean Strickland.
Round 3
Close fight as we enter the third. Big right hand from Della Maddalena, Holland returns with a combo of his own, although it doesn’t land flush.
Left from Della, Maddalena lands; Holland then lands an elbow to the head. Front kicks from Holland are doing a good job of slowing his opponent down.
It’s a tough one to score, although we think JDM has edged it. We go to the judges scorecards.
Jack Della Maddalena wins by split decision, 29-28 (x2), 28-29.
Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Main event. A rematch for the UFC flyweight title.
Grasso prevented Shevchenko from an eighth title defense when they fought at UFC 285 with a fourth-round submission victory.
Round 1
Shevchenko is willing to stand and trade. Grasso switches from conventional to southpaw – the stance she opened with in their first fight.
Grasso stops a takedown and eats an elbow on the come-up. The Mexican succeeded with the jab before Shevchenko clinches, spins the champion around, and secures the takedown.
Grasso gets back to her feet, and they clinch at the fence to finish out the round.
Round 2
Grasso opens the round in southpaw. Shevchenko lands a low kick, and a nice one-two combination follows.
Shevchenko lands a nice right, but Grasso drops her with a counter jab. The challenger is on the receiving end of multiple strikes from the clinch but escapes and secures the takedown.
Grasso tries a choke but is unsuccessful. The fight remains on the ground for the majority of the round.
Round 3
Nice inside leg kick from Shevchenko. Crisp jabs from Shevchenko continue to have success – another takedown from the challenger.
Shevchenko secures the guillotine; it’s really deep. Grasso remains calm, but her face gets redder and redder. She eventually escapes.
Shevchenko dominates the ground game with a body triangle for the rest of the round.
Round 4
We enter the championship rounds. Shevchenko is likely 2-1 up.
Shevchenko continues with strong jabs. Grasso struggles with the range as when she enters the pocket, she’s at risk of a takedown.
Grasso then stops a takedown and eats a couple of knees to the head. More shots land and Grasso gets excited and taken down again, but it’s not long before the champion is back to her feet.
The crowd cheers for Alexa Grasso; it’s so loud in the T-Mobile arena. It feels like a pay-per-view.
Round 5
Shevchenko starts the round strongly. She’s 3-1 up, 2-2 at worst going into the final round on our card.
Grasso’s face is bloody but still looks full of energy. She gets Shevchenko on the ground and takes her back, very similar to the first fight.
The crowd goes wild as Grasso tries to choke her out. Grasso has a body triangle secured and goes for a crank. The bell goes. We have it 3-2 for Shevchenko, but it’s only the opinion of three people that matter.
Result: 48-47 Grasso, 48-47 Shevchenko, 47-47. Split draw! Grasso retains the title.
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