Full UFC Fight Night (Afternoon): Thompson vs Till Live Blog
After the overwhelming response to last week’s UFC Fight Night LIVE BLOG, I think this is how we’re gonna do things around here from now on. The main card is about to begin over in Liverpool, as the prelims are wrapping up, and we’ve got a pretty fun card in store for us today headlined by the #1 ranked welterweight in the world, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson taking on the #8 ranked welterweight in the world, Darren “The Gorilla” Till, a guy who’s been on a quick climb to the top recently. Till actually missed weight yesterday at 174.5lbs and will surrender 30% of his total purse to Wonderboy. The fight was in complete jeopardy of happening this morning, because Till was forced to weigh in at under 188lbs as of 1pm local time, but he luckily hit the mark at 187.3. With a lot riding on this fight and Till becoming the company’s next big European star, I’m sure the UFC hasn’t been too thrilled with the circumstances around today’s main event, but will happily settle for what they’ve got now that the bout is on.
Here’s a look at the full card:
Welterweight Division: Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (-135) vs Darren “The Gorilla” Till (+125)
Welterweight Division: Neil Magny (-590) vs Craig “The Thundercat” White (+510)
Featherweight Division: Arnold “Almighty” Allen (-210) vs Mads Burnell (+205)
Featherweight Division: Jason “The Kid” Knight (-160) vs Makwan “Mr. Finland” Amirkhani (+155)
Welterweight Division: Nordine Taleb (-345) vs Claudio “Hannibal” Silva (+330)
Middleweight Division: Eric “Zebrinha” Spicely (-155) vs Darren “The Dentist” Stewart (+150)
Today, I’m taking Wonderboy, Magny, Burnell, Hick Diaz, Taleb, and The Dentist (ain’t nobody likes going to see The Dentist), predicting a couple upsets, but really I’m just hoping for some great fights, finishes, and post-fight interviews. I’m sure lotsa eyes are on this card just because everyone’s still bumming it on the couch because of their MDW Saturday shenanigans, so this would be a great opportunity for personalities to arise to hook in new viewers.
I’d do what I did last time and post the biggest and best highlights from the prelims to hold you over for a bit, but god fuckin’ dammit kids they’ve been boring as shit. So I’ll leave you with this spinning hook kick from Glory of Heroes 31:
See you in a bit!
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1:04pm: Here we go! As far as this card goes, I’m STOKED for the main event, really excited to see Jason “Hick Diaz” Knight step into the octagon again, and honestly a bit “meh” on everything else. Its usually the cards that make you feel that way that pleasantly surprise you, though, so lets hope we’re looking at another case of that.
Middleweight Division: Eric “Zebrinha” Spicely (-155) vs Darren “The Dentist” Stewart (+150)
1:12pm: While we’re waiting for these two to get underway, check out this WILD big boy spinning backfist in a street fight.
Pretty insane. Also, Spicely vs Stewart is the only non-welterweight/featherweight fight on the entire main card. Kinda weird.
1:15pm: Ah, gross. Spicely’s back is all hairy. Imagine having to grapple with him? Yuck.
(POST ROUND 1) 1:20pm: Pretty good round there from the middleweights. It was clear both were kinda feeling each other out and respecting the power and ability of the man standing in front of them, but I’m giving that one to Spicely who found a slot to work his right in, and looked to land more consistent significant strikes overall, but if Stewart can find his reach and get in his groove, Spicely could be in trouble. I feel like people are constantly sleeping on The Dentist just because of his shitty record, but never acknowledge the power he has just because he’s got fairly low fight-IQ. Can’t do that against someone who gets stopped as often as Eric Spicely has been. 10-9 Spicely.
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(STEWART TKOs SPICELY) 1:23pm: BAM! What’d I tell ya? The Dentist picks up his first UFC win and it’s on home soil. Really awesome moment, and one that likely saved his job. Great way to kick off the card.
Welterweight Division: Nordine Taleb (-345) vs Claudio “Hannibal” Silva (+330)
1:37pm: Here we see the return of Claudio Silva, an 11-1 welterweight on an 11-0 run dating back over a decade, who hasn’t fought since November of 2014. He’s had a TON of injuries and setbacks since then, but he’s stepping back into the cage today looking to get back on track. Standing across from him is Nordine Taleb, however, who I think is about to break that win streak with ease. Taleb has been on a dominant run himself, picking up some devastating finishes recently and proving himself as a viable threat to the division, and he’s also the best fighter Silva has ever faced, which, when paired with the potential ring rust he may have, doesn’t spell out an easy path to victory for the Brazilian. We’ll see though.
(SILVA SUBMITS TALEB) 1:45pm: Forget EVERYTHING I just said. Wow. Silva came in with little to no ring rust, and got clipped early on, but as soon the fight took to the canvas, it was a one sided affair. We saw complete dominance from Claudio in full mount until Taleb eventually turned over, allowing Silva to sink in a rear-naked choke. Welcome back, Hannibal!
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Also, we’re moving through this card at the speed of light! Let’s keep that shit up!
Featherweight Division: Jason “The Kid” Knight (-160) vs Makwan “Mr. Finland” Amirkhani (+155)
1:57pm: Amirkhani has big hopes for himself after this fight. On The MMA Hour this week, he said that after he defeats Jason Knight he’d like Cub Swanson and Max Holloway as his next two opponents. Tough to make demands like that when you’re Makwan fuckin’ Amirkhani and you’re coming off a loss that happened over a year ago, and usually a bad idea to look past your opponent as much as he is, but what do I know? I said Taleb would work Silva “with ease”. Ha! What an idiot.
2:04pm: Jason Knight is such a classic case of a fighter who’s killer instinct doesn’t kick in until he gets hurt and I love it. He took a fucking SHOT to the schnoz and then he started talking shit. Can’t get enough of that.
(POST ROUND 1) 2:08pm: Hoooooolllyyyyyy shit. What a round. Amirkhani is in big, big trouble coming into this second. Knight is so determined to finish Mr Finland that I’m not sure he’s even putting much thought into how he’s gonna do it. He drops him and gets him into these great positions to end the fight but then just pounces on him like he’s a little kid waking his parents up on Christmas morning. 10-9 Knight.
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(POST ROUND 2) 2:14pm: And this one is evened up just like that! Amirkhani found success NOT standing and banging with Knight, probably a good route to take after that first. This fight rules. 19-19 and the third will decide it!
(POST ROUND 3) 2:21pm: Wow, how the tide turned from the start of that fight to the end. I believe major credit goes to John Kavanagh for his advice and coaching for Amirkhani between rounds, and also major credit should go to Knight’s idiotic gameplan of pulling a crazy aggressive guard and not doing anything with it in a must-win round. He may need to seek a new gym or something to improve coaching and his wrestling game, hip strength mainly.
AMIRKHANI DEF. KNIGHT VIA SPLIT DECISION
2:25pm: Outside of the first round, that fight kinda stunk. Pretty disappointing!
Featherweight Division: Arnold “Almighty” Allen (-210) vs Mads Burnell (+205)
2:31pm: I think this match was made in hopes for it being an easy win for Arnold Allen, but I just haven’t been wildly impressed with him as of late. Mads Burnell is 1-1 in the UFC and 9-2 career as a professional, so not the biggest threat in the division by any means, but I’m siding with him solely because I believe this fight is a lot closer than people think.
(POST ROUND 1) 2:41pm: That looked like one round for Mads! Allen threw a hell of a lot more and was obviously the aggressor, but Burnell landed only five less shots (which looked to be the power shots to me) and got a takedown and a half there, so I’m giving it to him. 10-9 Burnell.
2:44pm: Holy smokes Mads’ got some mojo in there! He’s ducking and slipping punches like he’s Roy Jones Jr or something and just hitting level change takedowns off the heels of doing so. Arnold Allen may be coming into the third round needing a finish.
(POST ROUND 2) 2:47pm: The crowd didn’t like it, but this guy right here did. Burnell’s taking this fight to the ground every chance he gets and absolutely smothering Allen while they’re down there. On my scorecard (which is honestly objective although I’m rooting for Mads), I’ve got Burnell up 20-18.
(ALLEN SUBMITS BURNELL) 2:51pm: Talk about a comeback, Burnell was absolutely DOMINATING Allen for two straight rounds there (the first was close, I’m talking two and three) and got caught in a guillotine choke out of nowhere. He’s got a ton of work to do – with hip strength and balance, much like Jason Knight – but today he showed that his heart and drive is unquestionable. Congratulations on a miraculous comeback, Allen, and Burnell, keep your head up. You were the better fighter in there and have now proven you’re not to be taken lightly. I’d call that fight a win/win for the UFC.
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2:58pm: ANNNNNNNNNND Arnold Allen just used his post-fight interview to make fun of his dad for taking steroids. Fantastic.
Welterweight Division: Neil Magny (-590) vs Craig “The Thundercat” White (+510)
3:03pm: Craig White makes his UFC debut here against Neil Magny, who’s…not the easiest guy to make your debut against. There seems to be no rhyme or reason anyone’s winning fights tonight, though, so who the hell knows how this one will play out.
3:08pm: Well that was just a clinch battle until Magny had enough and kneed White directly in the dick, innit? (It was accidental but I said “innit” because this card is in Liverpool. It’s like when Doc Emerick tells you a goal was scored from shortstop during the Winter Classic. Just tryna get you all in the spirit.) Alright, back to the fight.
(MAGNY TKOs WHITE) 3:12pm: IT IS ALLLLLLL OVER! Magny dropped White with a knee to the face right against the fence and finished him off with a ground and pound flurry I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy. The fight didn’t last long, but it wasn’t as lopsided as the odds suggested, in my opinion. White was just thrown to the wolves right away. He’ll bounce back and have a future in the UFC as long as he stays on the career trajectory he had going for him before this fight. Also, shoutout me for suggesting Buddha Ben bet the under in this fight. Buddha is a guy you always want on your good side, so I was rooting for a stoppage there more than he probably was.
3:15pm: Magny calls out Kamaru Usman post-fight in the first normal interview of the night. That’s a fight I’d like to see for sure.
Welterweight Division: Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (-135) vs Darren “The Gorilla” Till (+125)
3:16pm (Gimme a hell yeah): Alright, folks, time to call your buddies into the room you’ve been watching the fights in. They ain’t gonna wanna miss this one.
3:22pm: Gonna be honest, I know a ton of fighters do it, and I think it looks awesome on Daniel Cormier, but Darren Till does NOT pull off the tucked-in shirt walkout. He just looked like a major geek. Crowd’s electric as hell though. Sweet Caroline gets the people going ten times outta ten.
(POST ROUND 1) 3:35pm: Obviously a feeling-out round there from the two. Insanely tough round to score because nothing of consequence happened, but I guess it goes to Thompson for the 1-2. Wonderboy 10-9.
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(POST ROUND 2) 3:41pm: More of the same there. We’ve got a chess match on our hands. Probably give that to Till for octagon control and what he threw, but it’s so close because almost nothing has taken place. Hoping this heats up sooner rather than later. 19-19.
(POST ROUND 3) 3:49pm: Wonderboy there. If he doesn’t start turning it on, though, he’s gonna earn the stigma of being the boring fighter who never does anything. He was involved in one of the worst title fights of this era and he’s putting on another shitty fight now. I can appreciate the chess match style, sure, but casuals can’t. They hate it. Let’s make some moves. 29-28 Wonderboy.
(POST ROUND 4) 3:55pm: Thompson. Till needs a finish into the fifth and final. This is a colossal disappointment.
(POST ROUND 5) 4:00pm: That STUNK to watch. Not because I didn’t enjoy the fight, but because I know how many casual eyes were on it (some in the room with me) that will forever write off Wonderboy and Till and “boring fighters” because god damn they didn’t do anything! Round 5 is the only definitive round I can confidently say all judges will have for the same fighter on their scorecards. How many times can Wonderboy be given a main event that he doesn’t capitalize on in the slightest? I have Wonderboy 3-2.
TILL DEF. WONDERBOY VIA UNANAIMOUS DECISION
4:05pm: Wow. Pretty shocking result there, as most everyone on my timeline had Wonderboy up 4-1 and I thought I was being favorable to the hometown fighter with a 3-2 scorecard (with him losing), but hometown judges are undefeated and gave the fight to their guy unanimously. I don’t think you could call that a robbery, as nothing of consequence happened outside of the fifth round where Till dropped Thompson, but it’s a bad decision undoubtably, the 49-46 card especially. Really not a good card, especially for being their Memorial Day Weekend card, but with as many events as there are a year now, you’re bound to get some complete stinkers mixed in.
A full recap of this afternoon in mixed martial arts will be up on the site on Tuesday. Thanks for hanging with me in this live blog today, for those of you who did. Have a fantastic ending to your MDW and get home safe!
4:21pm: Alright I had to hit one more update just to say Helwani’s such a journalist snob narc.
Who gives a fuck, Ariel? You the fun police now? Let the media member high five Till, who cares?