UFC Fight Night 135 Results: Winners, Scorecards for Gaethje vs. Vick Card
Sometimes Justin Gaethje crushes opponents under a sea of attrition. Sometimes he sinks them in an immediate tidal wave.
At UFC Fight Night 135 in Lincoln, Nebraska, The Highlight melted James Vick with an incredible overhand right to end the fight in the first round.
The taller Vick found early success in his jabs and body kicks as he looked to keep Gaethje at bay. However, that success was short-lived. The former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion always brings the fight to his opponents, and he didn't make an exception against Vick.
MMA analyst Patrick Wyman reminded fans that Gaethje can still be a knockout artist after two consecutive losses:
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful called the win for Gaethje the biggest win of his career to date:
After the bout, Gaethje wasn't about burying any hatchets with his opponent. After all the talk leading up to the fight, he wasn't sorry about the result:
The 29-year-old called out lightweight contender Tony Ferguson:
The lightweight action wasn't the only fight the UFC had in store for the Pinnacle Bank Arena crowd. Michael Johnson got his first win as a featherweight, Eryk Anders got back in the win column, and a Nebraska native hung up his gloves for good.
Here's a look at the results for the night and a closer examination of each of the main card bouts.
Main card
- Justin Gaethje def. James Vick via first-round KO (1:27)
- Michael Johnson def. Andre Fili via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
- Cortney Casey def. Angela Hill via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
- Bryan Barberena def. Jake Ellenberger via first-round TKO (2:26)
- Deiveson Figueiredo def. John Moraga via second-round TKO (3:08)
- Eryk Anders def. Tim Williams via third-round TKO (4:42)
Undercard
- James Krause def. Warlley Alves via second-round KO (2:28)
- Cory Sandhagen def. Iuri Alcantara via second-round TKO (1:01)
- Andrew Sanchez def. Markus Perez via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
- Mickey Gall def. George Sullivan via submission (RNC) (R1, 1:09)
- Joanne Calderwood def. Kalindra Faria via submission (armbar) (R1, 4:57)
- Drew Dober def. Jon Tuck via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26 x2)
- Rani Yahya def. Luke Sanders via submission (heel hook) at 1:31 of round one
Michael Johnson defeats Andre Fili
Michael Johnson's featherweight run didn't begin with a bang, but a whimper. He picked up a split-decision win over Andre "Touchy" Fili in a bout that was likely forgotten by most shortly after it was over.
Johnson simply outworked and outpaced Fili over the course of three rounds, quietly stacking up a huge advantage by the numbers without really doing much damage:
Fili did threaten to finish the fight in the second round with a rear-naked choke, but he was unable to get his arm underneath the chin to draw the tap.
At 2-5 in his last seven fights, the once-highly touted lightweight needs to be dominant if he wants to crack the upper echelon of the featherweight division. Performances like this one won't be enough to do that, but it's at least a start.
Cortney Casey defeats Angela Hill
The third time was the charm for Cortney Casey as she picked up the win in her third consecutive fight to be decided by split decision.
Casey and Angela Hill engaged in a back-and-forth bout in the women's strawweight division.
The two landed nearly the same amount of strikes, but it was Casey who was the much more active fighter, throwing 344 strikes to Hill's 231, according to TSN's Aaron Bronsteter.
This was likely a "loser leaves the top 15" matchup in the division. Hill came into the bout ranked 14th in the weight class, while Casey was ranked 11th. With her streak of split-decision losses put to rest, she wasn't necessarily looking for a ranked opponent next, though.
Casey took the opportunity to call out a former training partner:
Bryan Barberena defeats Jake Ellenberger
Bryan "Bam Bam" Barberena is really good at spoiling things.
The man who has wrecked the hype trains of Sage Northcutt and Warlley Alves also ended Jake "The Juggernaut" Ellenberger's unbeaten record in his home state of Nebraska. Barberena found his opponent's wary chin in the first round, and it didn't take long to finish him off.
The loss made Ellenberger 2-9 in his last 11 fights, and it's clear the 33-year-old's ability to take a punch has completely diminished. Fortunately, the longtime UFC veteran called it quits after the bout, ending his career after more than 20 appearances in the Octagon:
For Barberena's part, he's now 2-2 in his last four fights and rebounds from a decision loss to Leon Edwards his last time out.
Deiveson Figueiredo defeats John Moraga
Deiveson Figueiredo seemed right at home fighting outside of his native Brazil for the first time in his career.
The 14th-ranked Figueiredo extended his undefeated record to 15-0 with a second-round TKO win over No. 6 John Moraga in flyweight action.
The two seemed determined to put on the Fight of the Night. Deus da Guerra was content to keep swinging heavy shots until no one was in front of him anymore, and Moraga was able to steal his own moments before getting finished.
UFC on Fox passed along the finish:
With Henry Cejudo's win over Demetrious Johnson, the flyweight division now seems more open than before. With Figueiredo looking like he fits right in against a former title challenger in Moraga, it appears there's another name that could be in the title mix sooner rather than later.
Eryk Anders defeats Tim Williams
Eryk Anders came into Lincoln looking for redemption after his first career loss at the hands of Lyoto Machida.
He kind of found it against Tim Williams, kicking off the main card with a third-round TKO.
If the former Alabama football player's controversial decision loss to the Dragon was the kind of loss that raised his stock, this is the kind of win that might be a little disappointing.
Williams, who isn't nearly the decorated opponent that Machida was, got off to a great start. He clearly won the first round and held his own in the second. The fight went into the third round with both fighters having a shot at winning.
Then, in the final 30 seconds of the round, Williams made a mistake that gave Anders his opportunity to turn the tide for good. Attempting to get off the ground, Williams didn't ensure he was out of kicking range, and Anders landed a head kick that brought the fight to a violent halt.
It wasn't perfect, but it was exactly what Anders needed to get back on the right track after coming up short in his last fight in the spotlight.
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