LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reported live from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 213 event, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
In the main event, Calvin Kattar (23-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) took on Arnold Allen (17-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) at featherweight. In the co-feature, Max Griffin (19-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) met Tim Means (32-14-1 MMA, 14-11 UFC) at welterweight.
To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC Fight Night 213 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway ) on Twitter.
Christian Rodriguez vs. Joshua Weems
Round 1 – Here we go. Eleven fights of action from Las Vegas coming at you. I appreciate you all for joining me. Rodriguez wastes no time. A nice combination finishes off with a hook that may have slightly wobbled Weems, the five-day notice replacement sporting dyed blue cornrows. They clinch up. Rodriguez shoves Weems into the cage. Weems reverses position and trips Rodriguez to the canvas. Rodriguez rolls away and works his way up. Rodriguez pushes Weems, who pulls guard. Interesting decision. Rodriguez, in Weems’ guard, decides to stand up. Weems gets back up. Rodriguez fires a kick, then a spinning elbow. Weems catches his back and takes Rodriguez down. Weems leaves his neck exposed and Rodriguez snatches an anaconda choke. That looks pretty locked. Weems, eyes wide open, circles away clockwise. Rodriguez still has the grip though. It just seems like a matter of time – and there’s the tap! Rodriguez has his first UFC win and it’s a first-round submission. Nice victory for the Fight Ready MMA product.
Result: Christian Rodriguez def. Joshua Weems via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 4:07
Records: Christian Rodriguez (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), Joshua Weems (10-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Chris Tognoni
Cody Durden vs. Carlos Mota
Round 1 – This is a great fight. For those who don’t know, Mota was one of the best free agent flyweights prior to his UFC signing. That sounds great and all, but this being on short notice against a skilled guy like Durden could be a difficult first assignment. A touch of gloves and we’re off. Durden drops Mota in one of the opening exchanges. A nice multipunch combination sat Mota down, who grabs hold of Durden. Eventually, Durden wiggles to guard. Durden posts up and tries a big ground-and-pound punch. Mota grabs his arm. Armbar attempt! Nope. Durden pops out and passes to half guard. Durden is relentless on top. Constantly trying to explode for punches. Mota is dodging, but unable to reverse position or stand up. Durden rides out the rest of the round on top. 10-9 Durden.
Round 2 – Luckily for Mota, every round starts back standing. He needs to make sure Durden doesn’t get him down again. Durden shoots. Mota stuffs it. Durden shoots again. Mota defends again, but Durden won’t let go. He’s shoving Mota into the cage. Eventually, Durden simply muscles him to the canvas. That was more strength than technique. Mota lands a nice elbow from the bottom, then shoots for an armbar. The submission was quickly shut down by Durden, who grinds his head on Mota’s. Durden stands up to rain down ground-and-pound. Mota smiles. Durden gets half guard right in front of his own corner, which includes former UFC fighter Dhiego Lima. Once again, Mota fires his legs up for an armbar. This one looks like the most solid attempt yet – but still Durden escapes. The round ends after some short strikes from both men. 20-18 Durden.
Round 3 – Both men come out swinging. Mota gets confident and Durden shoots on a low single leg. Mota tries to step out of it, but Durden won’t let go of his foot. Mota tries to duck under him for a heel hook. They’re in a pretzeled position on the ground. Durden works to Mota’s back and gets both hooks in – then the body lock. Durden flattens Mota out in back mount and lands short shots. Mota rolls and rolls and lands on top in guard. Mota stands up and tells Durden to do the same. The fight is back on the feet with about 100 seconds left in Round 3. Durden shoots. Mota defends, but Durden is relentless in his attempts. This is like Dagestani chain-wrestling. Durden eventually gets Mota down. Mota tries another leg submission and ends up on top. Durden remains calm as the clock ticks off its final seconds. MMA Junkie scores the fight 30-27 Durden.
Result: Cody Durden def. Carlos Mota via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Records: Cody Durden (14-4-1 MMA, 3-2-1 UFC), Carlos Mota (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Judging: Adalaide Byrd (30-27); Ben Cartlidge, Tony Weeks (29-28, scoring Round 3 for Mota)
Steve Garcia vs. Chase Hooper
Round 1 – Both men come out swinging. Garcia cracks Hooper, who shoots. Garcia defends and cracks Hooper again. A big left hand sits Hooper down. Garcia tries a stepping knee and then throws a leg kick. Garcia slugs Hooper again – another knock down. This is not going well for Hooper, who barrel-rolls. to face the standing Garcia. Sensing his opponent hurt, Garcia tells Hooper to stand up. He does. Garcia makes him pay. He unloads on Hooper again. Hooper goes down and Garcia pounces. Herb Dean jumps in – a mercy stoppage. That was one-way traffic. What a mauling by Steve Garcia!
Result: Steve Garcia def. Chase Hooper via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:32
Recap: Steve Garcia cashes as underdog, tears through Chase Hooper in Round 1
Records: Steve Garcia (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC), Chase Hooper (11-3-1 MMA, 3-3 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Herb Dean
Joseph Holmes vs. Junyong Park
Round 1 – All right. Let’s bounce up a few weight classes, why don’t we? Both men jab. Park throws a leg kick, which misses. Holmes lands a pair of leg kicks and then a right punch. Both men are opening up. Park moves forward. Holmes pokes him in the eye. After a brief timeout, the action resumes. Park catches a Holmes kick and lets go. Park goes body-head, then catches another Holmes kick. Park takes Holmes down and gets one hook in on the back. Holmes, against the cage, tries to spin into Park but can’t. Park smacks Holmes in the face, then works for a rear-naked choke. Park gets a second hook and pulls Holmes into him. Now, there’s hand-fighting going on. Holmes defends multiple rear-naked choke attempts and breaks the leg-grip of Park. Now Holmes grabs Park’s back. He lands some punches as the round expires. 10-9 Park.
Round 2 – In the opening seconds, Park grabs hold of Holmes standing. He grips Holmes from behind and drags him to the ground. Once there, Park moves to mount. Holmes shoves Park back into half guard, but only momentarily. Park takes Holmes’ back again. This time, he works his arm under the chin of Holmes. That looks tighter than his past attempts. Holmes puts his hand out, almost as if a tap is coming – but he breaks out by turning into his opponent. Park remains patient and works to Holmes’ back again. This is a bad spot. Holmes is FLAT. Park sneaks his arm under the chin. Holmes extends his hand again – and this time he taps! That’s it. “The Iron Turtle” gets another W.
Result: Junyoung Park def. Joseph Holmes via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:04
Recap:
Photos:
Records: Joseph Holmes (8-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC), Junyong Park (15-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee:
Judging:
Andrei Arlovski vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Round 1 – Jumping up two more weight classes, we’re making our way to heavyweight. Arlovski making his 39th UFC appearance, one short of Jim Miller’s promotional record. If he wins this, he’ll be tied for the UFC leader in promotional wins. De Lima is here to spoil that – and he wastes no time. In the first big exchange, de Lima floors Arlovski with a left hand. It doesn’t look like it rocked him as much as knocked him down. De Lima is on top of him on the canvas and lands some short punches. Arlovski tries to scoot up against the cage, but he leaves his neck open. De Lima sneaks an arm under and squeezes. Arlovski fights it for a little bit. De Lima readjusts, though, and it’s game over. Arlovski taps! That’s game.
Result: Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Andrei Arlovski via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:56
Recap: Marcos Rogerio de Lima drops, submits Andrei Arlovski
Records: Andrei Arlovski (34-21 MMA, 23-15 UFC), Marcos Rogerio de Lima (20-8-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC)
Division: Heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Roman Dolidze vs. Phil Hawes
Round 1 – Back to middleweight for this one. Hawes feints. Doldize throws a heavy high kick, which luckily for Hawes misses. Dolidze tries it again. Hawes gives his best Rafael Fiziev “matrix” impression as he leans backward out of danger before he returns to standing straight up and down. Hawes throws a kick, which Dolidze catches. Dolidze releases. Hawes ducks under a big punch and grabs Dolidze’s back. Hawes takes Dolidze down. Hawes is in guard. Dolidze starts landing some nasty six-to-12 elbows from the bottom. Those looked stunning. Dolidze tries a leg lock. Hawes slips his leg out – but, oh no. It looks like Hawes blew his knee out. He’s wobbly and Dolidze signals to Dan Miragliotta that something’s up. Miragliotta tells them to keep fighting. Hawes gingerly obliges. Dolidze throwing bombs but missing. Hawes is getting more confident as he’s adjusting to his blown out tire. Dolidze catches him with a right though. Oof. Hawes’ knee just gave out again. He pops up and – OH MAN. Doldize just smoked him unconscious. I feel like I was an accessory to a crime watching that. The sitting duck was put out. Dolidze wins – violently.
Result: Roman Dolidze def. Phil Hawes via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:09
Recap: Roman Dolidze KOs Phil Hawes, demands ‘better fights’
Records: Roman Dolidze (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), Phil Hawes (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Dan Miragliotta
Dustin Jacoby vs. Khalil Rountree
Round 1 – It should come as no surprise that two dudes who like to kickbox would come out doing just that. Both men look confident and measured, and pack some serious power. Jacoby switching stances. Each man with a kick-heavy attack thus far. Jacoby tries a stepping elbow. Rountree fires back. There are more single-strike combinations than paired ones. Rountree gets wild with a combination. 10-9 Jacoby.
Round 2 – They come out firing again. Rountree jabs. Jacoby jabs back, then fires a leg kick. Jacoby presses forward and goes body-head as Rountree whiffs. This is becoming a real battle. For two big guys, they’re fighting at such a short range. Jacoby, bleeding from above his left eye, fires a high kick. Rountree blocks it and fires two leg kicks. Jacoby lands a combination. It looks like Rountree might be slowing. His volume is decreasing, at least. Jacoby charges in to engage the clinch. He eats a knee but shoves Rountree against the fence. Rountree separates. Jacoby lands a body shot, then a hook to the head. Rountree lands a left to the head. 20-18 Jacoby.
Round 3 – Rountree lands a nice left hand and it appears Jacoby has a mouse under his left eye. Rountree with a nice body-head combination. This might be his most dominant stretch of the fight up to this moment. Jacoby fires back with two punches. Rountree lands a series of knees to the face. He’s found his second wind and Jacoby is really wearing it now. Another knee clunks Jacoby in the face. Jacoby is moving forward but isn’t throwing much. He’s fatigued. Jacoby tries to grab a single leg. Rountree immediately shuts down that thought. Rountree cracks Jacoby, who responds seconds later. These dudes are slugging. What a fight. The horn sounds and we may have just seen our Fight of the Night. MMA Junkie scores it 29-28 Jacoby.
Result: Khalil Rountree def. Dustin Jacoby via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Records: Dustin Jacoby (18-6-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC), Khalil Rountree (11-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC)
Division: Light heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Herb Dean
Judging: Ben Cartlidge (29-28 Rountree, scoring Round 1 for Jacoby); Chris Flores (29-28 Rountree, scoring Round 2 for Jacoby); Ron McCarthy (29-28 Jacoby, scoring Round 3 for Rountree)
Josh Fremd vs. Tresean Gore
Round 1 – Gore shoots immediately. Fremd pulls for a guillotine choke but no dice. Gore pops his head out and is in half guard. Fremd begins to stand up but Gore has a front headlock on him. Eventually, Fremd breaks the grip. They stand. Gore clinches Fremd against the fence with double underhooks. Gore elevates Fremd and slams. On the canvas, Gore grabs Fremd’s back and has both hooks in. There’s about three minutes left in the round. This is a good place for Gore to be. Fremd escapes and gets up. Gore fires a right hand at him that Fremd is lucky misses. That was a bomb. Gore jabs. Fremd answers with a right hand. They trade. Fremd whacks Gore with a right cross. Fremd lands a flying knee and then a short punch. The round ends. 10-9 Gore.
Round 2 – Gore jabs. Fremd rushes in with a combination and tries a single leg. Gore makes him pay for it by taking his neck. Fremd tries to twist out of it. He jumps up and oddly tries to kicks his legs off the cage. Gore’s squeeze may have gotten tighter, though! They hit the canvas and – oh my goodness – that choke is DEEP. Gore telling referee Chris Tognoni that Fremd is out – and he is! The release of the submission causes a violent whiplash, too. Gore goes nuts in celebration. That was one of the most violent subs I’ve seen in a minute.
Result: Tresean Gore def. Josh Fremd via technical submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 0:49
Recap:
Records: Josh Fremd (9-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC), Tresean Gore (4-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Chris Tognoni
Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Jared Vanderaa
Round 1 – Immediately, referee Mark Smith warns both fighters about their extended fingers. Lots of feeling out. Not much throwing. Cortes-Acosta throws a pair of single-shot body punches. Both miss. Vanderaa slowly plodding backward as Cortes-Acosta plods forward. Cortes-Acosta keeps throwing these looping punches that are seen a mile away and miss by another mile. If Vanderaa walks into one, he’ll be in trouble – but right now there hasn’t been a threat. Cortes-Acosta with a short flurry. Vanderaa doesn’t seem phased, as he chops the lead leg. Cortes-Acosta continues forward. Both men are missing a lot. The round ends. That will not be Round of the Year, but 10-9 Cortes-Acosta.
Round 2 – Vanderaa comes out firing leg kicks, a tool he found success with in Round 1. Smart. Now, it’s Vanderaa moving forward. He lands two more calf kicks. Cortes-Acosta isn’t liking these. He’s limping a little – and he isn’t checking them. Unwilling to die by a thousand paper cuts, Cortes-Acosta shows a real sense of urgency with a bull-rush explosion of punches. Vanderaa retreats and dodges most of them. After taming Cortes-Acosta’s outburst, Vanderaa returns to kicking the lead leg. Cortes-Acosta is screaming at him – after each kick. That’s cool and the fans like it, but you need to figure out how to stop them from coming. Cortes-Acosta throws some bombs. Vanderaa ducks under and clinches him. On the break, Vanderaa lands three our four strikes to the head. Cortes-Acosta is warned about his extended fingers again. Vanderaa lands two more leg kicks. Cortes-Acosta shoots. He’s denied. More leg kicks slap off his calf before the round ends. 19-19.
Round 3 – It’s Cortes-Acosta who comes out kick-heavy in the final round.He trades a punch with Vanderaa. The pace and volume has noticeably decreased in this round. Vanderaa lands a leg kick that spins Cortes-Acosta around. Synchronized jabs land. Cortes-Acosta lands a hard overhand right. Vanderaa lands a body shot. Cortes-Acosta answers with a right to the head. Vanderaa is bleeding from his nose. Cortes-Acosta takes a big breath, then gets a little fancy with his footwork – a little salsa dancing. Again, I’m not sure this is the time to showboat. But Vanderaa answers with a little dancing of his own. Cortes-Acosta’s mouth piece falls out. A timeout is called so it can be put back in. The action resumes and they trade kicks. Vanderaa falls over on a high kick attempt and the horn sounds. A bit of a toss-up, but MMA Junkie scores it 29-28 Cortes-Acosta.
Result: Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Jared Vanderaa via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Records: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Jared Vanderaa (12-10 MMA, 1-6 UFC)
Division: Heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Judging: Junichiro Kamijo (30-27); Ron McCarthy, Tony Weeks (29-28, scoring Round 2 for Vanderaa)
Max Griffin vs. Tim Means
Round 1 – Let’s go. This one should be fun. Means comes out firing. Griffin tags him with a short left. Theres a lot of movement from Griffin. Means is staying more stationary. Griffin sits down Means! Griffin pounces, looking for the finish. Hard elbows raining down. Means wraps him up. Griffin is in side control. Means rolls out and grabs a leg. Means is a tough dude, but we all knew that already. Means shoves Griffin against the fence. Griffin breaks the clinch and they reset center-cage. The pace has slowed. They’re more patient now. A power punch from Griffin hits it’s mark. Means wore that one better than the last time he was hit that hard. Griffin keeps rushing in, leading with his face. But he’s still scoring more than Means. Griffin shoots for a double leg. Means hits him with some short Travis Browne elbows to prevent it. The round ends with Griffin shoving Means into the fence. 10-9 Griffin.
Round 2 – He did this a few times in the first, too, but Means is swiping at Griffin with open hands, rather than fists. I’m not sure if that signals an injury or is just whatever the Albuquerque equivalent of the “Stockton Slap” is. Griffin lands a counter right cross. A hard leg kick by Griffin lands on Means’ lead leg. Means tries a leaping knee, then a few of those slaps. Griffin’s pace is a fraction of it was when this fight started. Means lands a leg kick. Griffin clips Means with a short right hand. Means staggers off balance and grabs Griffin, who lands on top of him. Griffin is in Means’ guard. Both men land pitter-patter shots before the round ends. That was looking like Means’ round, but Griffin stole it with the knockdown, in my opinion. 20-18 Griffin.
Round 3 – Means shoots in and eats a punch from Griffin. Mans strains and strains and gets Griffin down – but only briefly. Griffin hops up, turns around, grabs Means, and plants him to the canvas with a takedown. Griffin back in Means’ guard. For approximately two minutes, Griffin remained in the same position on Means. Eventually, Means threats a triangle from the bottom, that creates space and opens for him to get to his feet. It was fun while it lasted. Griffin takes him down again. Means slowly cage walks up and lands a knee to the body. Griffin is still draped on him. Means threatens a guillotine and reverses position. Means is shoving Griffin into the canvas. He utilizes a funky back elbow, then sweeps Griffin’s plant leg out. They’re down on the canvas briefly. Griffin gets up. Means takes him down. Griffin gets up again and Means slams him down hard. The buzzer sounds, though. MMA Junkie scores it 29-28 Griffin.
Result: Max Griffin def. Tim Means via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Records: Max Griffin (19-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC), Tim Means (32-14-1 MMA, 14-11 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Dan Miragliotta
Judging: Derek Clearly (30-27 Griffin); Ben Cartlidge (29-28 Griffin, scoring Round 3 for Means); Eric Colon (29-28 Means, scoring Round 1 for Griffin)
Calvin Kattar vs. Arnold Allen
Round 1 – This is legitimately perfect matchmaking. It makes all the sense in the world. It’s meaningful, high level, and a overall great fight on paper. And before I jinx this further, let’s get underway. No touch of gloves. Allen opens up with a leg kick. Kattar is orthodox. Allen fighting southpaw. A relatively large crowd in attendance at the UFC Apex for Kattar – and they’re loud. Kattar pumps the air with a jab. Allen continues to target the lead leg. A right hand lands for Kattar. Allen returns moments later with a sneaky punch. A big standing knee lands for Kattar. Moments later, Allen slips and lands a multipunch combination. Kattar backs up against the cage and eats a few more shots. In a round where there hasn’t been much action, that could certainly seal the round. Two clean left hands clunk Kattar in the nose. He has a tendency to suffer a broken nose every time, win or lose. Allen looking to keep that streak alive. Kattar leaps up and his knee gives out. Oh no. That’s not good. Allen pounces with punches and looks to lock in an anaconda choke. Time expires though. But how is Kattar’s knee? Yikes. 10-9 Allen.
Round 2 – Kattar tells his corner he hurt his knee. The doctor examines it and gives his approval. The fight resumes. Allen throws a calf kick. Oh nooooo. Kattar’s back leg gave out again. That’s it. What a bummer. Allen by injury TKO.
Result: Arnold Allen def. Calvin Kattar via TKO (injury) – Round 2, 0:08
Recap:
Records: Calvin Kattar (23-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC), Arnold Allen (17-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Herb Dean
