UFC Fight Night Recap: Calvillo vs Eye

https://franchisesportsmedia.com

 

Another UFC Fight Night is in the books as Cynthia Calvillo improved to 9-1 by winning her debut at Flyweight (125lbs) via unanimous decision over Jessica Eye (15-8) in the main event Saturday Night.

 

It wasn’t the most action-packed fight of the night, but a hard-fought victory nonetheless for Calvillo. After her struggles of making weight in the Women’s Strawweight division, the California based fighter was looking to cement her feet in a new home at Flyweight and continue her rise up the ranks in hopes of an eventual title shot.

 

calvillo vs eye
Photo Credit: Yahoo Sports

Her gameplay, as usual in all of her matches, was to get this fight to the ground. To do so, she would have to shoot for takedowns and clinch work against the bigger opponent, which can lead to taking more damage than needed. Instead, Calvillo chose to stand on the outside, pick her shots when she could, and wait for Eye to close enough distance that she could go in for an easier takedown to control the grappling department.

As Eye was looking to utilize her size and strength advantage, she was also extremely cautious of allowing her foe to bring the fight to the mat. Eye looked to stand and trade shots, but Calvillo was able to land some rights of her own that seemed to keep Eye guessing what to do next for a plan of attack.

 

At the weigh-ins on Friday, Eye missed weight (she came in at 126.25 lbs). Could the bad weight cut have affected Eye that she didn’t have enough gas in the tank to push the pace more?

Did it drain her to the point that the energy, reaction speed, and aggression we usually see just wasn’t there? Possibly so, but Eye, who suffered her second loss in her last three fights, must go back to the drawing board and correct her mistakes so that she can get back in the Octagon and see herself again in the win column.

Photo Credit: CBS Sports

Calvillo, who did an excellent job of controlling the fight once it got to the mat, gained control of the back, sinking in her hooks, and applying body locks with her legs. She wasn’t able to put her opponent in any real bad situation but controlled her enough to keep the fight in her element to earn a victory in her debut.

What’s next?

Picking up a win over the division’s number one contender in your debut is impressive. Given the champion Valentina Shevchenko defended her title against the number one and two fighters in the rankings, does Calvillo jump to the front of the line and get a crack at the champ in only her second fight in the division?

Should she take on someone else in the top 10 or 5 to get another camp training at her new weight? There are options on the table as the spoils go to the winner, but given what some might call a lackluster performance, maybe another win that could potentially bring out a better showing will be what’s needed for the new kid on the block to call out the champion.

 

In the night’s Co-Main Event, a rivalry was finally resolved as Marvin Vettori earned the ninth submission of his career as he improved his record to 15-4 with a first round tapout over Karl Roberson(9-3) via rear naked choke.

 

These two were scheduled to do battle on two different occasions but were being pushed back for Roberson’s missing weight and the COVID-19 Pandemic. They nearly came to blows in the hotel lobby back in April and had been waiting to get across from each other in the Octagon to settle the score finally. Things almost took a turn when at the weigh-ins, Roberson AGAIN missed weight, this time by four and a half pounds. The fight would go on at a catchweight of 190.5 lbs, and Roberson would be fined 30% of his earnings, which went to Vettori.

Photo Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

After a feeling-out process on the feet with nothing significant landing for either fighter, the two engaged each other in a scramble as Vettori was able to slap on a guillotine attempt. Roberson would use the fence to kickoff and try to get out of the hold but wasn’t successful. They would roll around a bit, and Roberson was able to get out, grab the back of his opponent momentarily before Vettori would reverse rolls, take control of the back of Roberson, sink in his hooks, and lock a rear-naked choke in for the win.

The showing earned a Performance of the Night bonus. While these two may cross paths again, for now, Vettori holds the bragging rights and clear grappling advantage while all three of Roberson’s defeats have come via submission. He has some work to do in that department.

 

 

The Fight Night event started off with a bang as the first three fights on the card all ended within a minute of the first round via ko/tko, the longest going 59 seconds. Three fights lasting a total of one minute and fifty three seconds, ouch. Talk about not getting paid by the hour.

 

All in all, it was a good showing for a Fight Night card on ESPN as the UFC continues its summer packed with fights. Next week, The big boys take center stage as another UFC on ESPN card takes place from the Apex Center in Las Vegas when Curtis Blaydes squares off against Alexander Volkov in the heavyweight division.

The action doesn’t stop for the promotion as UFC President Dana White has stayed true to his word and is giving fans enough fights to fill the void left without sports due to COVID-19. So whether its a title fight, a grudge match, up and comers, familiar faces, the little guys/girls or the big boys, you want fights?

 

You got fights coming. So sit back and enjoy as the fist, elbow, knees, and feet will continue to fly. Protect your neck, be careful with your arm and be ready for a show.

calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye   calvillo vs eye

 

-Kalani Lua – Franchise Sports Media

Follow The Franchise on social media

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Franchise Sports Media UFC