1. Nate Diaz vs. Alvin Robinson

Diaz got two early slams, but got stuck in a guillotine. He eventually got out of it and nearly got the mount, but Robinson flipped him over. Diaz tried to put a lock on Robinson’s shoulder, but settled for a quick triangle and Robinson had to tap out.

Winner: Nate Diaz by way of first round submission.

2. Thiago Tavares vs. Michihiro Omigawa

The first round showed both guys using their skills as Tavares is a jiu-jitsu guy and Omigawa is a judo guy. It was technical and fun to watch.

As for the second and third rounds, the fight was uneventful. Tavares tried to take Omigawa down in the second, but wasn’t successful. In the third, they both were getting takedowns, but couldn’t do anything on the ground. Tavares was more active and simply the better fighter, and he got the unanimous decision.

Winner: Thiago Tavares by way of unanimous decision.

3. Patrick Cote vs. Drew McFedries

They both came out throwing heavy kicks and punches. McFedries was trying to soften him up with leg kicks. He landed a huge left that landed clean, but Cote followed it with an uppercut and a left that sent McFedries into cover up mode. Cote followed up by grabbing the back of his head and throwing uppercuts and the referee stopped it.

Winner: Patrick Cote by way of TKO.

4. Kurt Pelligrino vs. Alberto Crane

Crane came out and threw a kick that Pelligrino walked right into. It caused Pelligrino’s teeth to cut through his lip. But the rest of the round was Pelligrino throwing heavy right hands and Crane trying to figure out how to stand up with him.

In the second, it was all Pelligrino. Crane got him down on his knees with his back up against the cage, but when he went to try to get into position, Pelligrino ended up on top and threw a right hand that made Crane turn over and hold his face. The referee ended it.

Winner: Kurt Pelligrino by way of TKO.

5. Mike Swick vs. Josh Burkman

Burkman started off strong, beating Swick to the punch and shooting in, working for the takedown. He got the only takedown of the fight in the round, but also got stuck in a guillotine for a few seconds. He landed the cleaner big shots as well.

In the second round, Swick used his length to keep his distance and land a few blows. He also landed the best strike of the round with a high kick, but he didn’t follow up on it.

In the final round, it was pretty close. Burkman would go for the takedown, but not get it, and Swick would keep his distance to try and score points to win the round. It was largely boring and could’ve easily been a draw fight.

Winner: Mike Swick by way of majority decision.

One judge had it 29-29, but the other two judges had it 29-28 in Swick’s favor. Can’t actually say that was a very successful welterweight debut, but as they say, a win is a win.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS