Video Credit: UFC

FSM Essential Recap: UFC Las Vegas 15 – Smith vs Clark

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Last night’s UFC Vegas 15 event was headlined by a light heavyweight bout featuring former title challenger Anthony Smith taking on Devin Clark.

 

Smith vs Clark
Photo Credit: Cageside Press

Anthony Smith surprised many when, on the tail of two disheartening defeats to top light heavyweights Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic, he chose to take a relatively short-notice fight against Devin Cark at UFC Vegas 15. Once a title challenger opposite the untouchable Jon Jones, Smith appeared to need time to regroup, at least from an outsider’s perspective.

Instead, he opted to step in when Shamil Gamzatov fell out of the Clark fight shortly after it was booked. But while the pair had prepped for a three-round affair, with the loss of Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis (due to Blaydes testing positive for COVID-19), suddenly, the pair topped the UFC Vegas 15 card. And a 15-minute encounter became a potential five-round affair.

Would the extra ten minutes impact either fighter if it went the distance? Would Smith right the ship, or would Clark continue his impressive 2020, despite the recent loss of his Mother-in-Law? UFC Vegas 15’s makeshift main event had a lot of questions attached to it.

Clark came out quick and pressed Smith into the cage after a big right hand, but Smith got the takedown and worked Clark back to the middle of the cage. Smith worked from the back of his opponent, but Clark reversed position and ended up in Smith’s full guard. Smith worked for a triangle from the bottom, locked it in tight, and forced Clark’s tap! A quick statement win from “Lionheart.” The finish was a much-needed win for Smith, one that keeps him relevant at 205lbs.

Official Result: Smith defeated Clark by submission (triangle choke), Round 1, 2:34

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Other fights on the restructured UFC Vegas 15 card were entertaining and full of action. Here are the results:

 

Josh Parisian vs. Parker Porter

Parker Porter made the most of his second trip to the Octagon as he pounded out a three-round unanimous decision over Josh Parisian.

Scores were 30-27, 30-26, and 29-28 for Porter, now 11-6. Parisian falls to 13-4.

Porter landed with a couple of hard rights in the first minute of the fight as he aggressively pursued his opponent to set up a clinch. At range, Parisian was having better success, and his own right hand rattled Porter briefly. With under two minutes left, Porter rocked Parisian but got nailed with a spinning back fist, and the fast pace continued to the horn.

A series of leg kicks put the tiring Parisian down in the opening minute of round two, and Porter jumped on a guillotine choke before letting it go and firing off strikes. Parisian soon got his second wind, and he landed some solid strikes, but Porter scored a takedown with a little over two minutes to go, and he went to work.

The two heavyweights continued to leave it all in the Octagon in the final round, Porter controlling the action with sharp strikes, while Parisian refused to back down as he took the blows and kept firing back in a hard-fought effort from both fighters.

 

Smith vs Clark
Photo Credit: ESPN

Co-Main Event: Miguel Baeza vs Takashi Sato

Welterweight prospect Miguel Baeza continued to impress, as he moved to 10-0 with a second-round submission win over Takashi Sato.

Baeza was on target throughout the first round, primarily with his kicks, but he scored with a knee and enough punches upstairs to rattle Sato briefly and cut him. Sato (16-4) continued to fire back to even the score, but the Baeza’s defense was solid.

Baeza remained in the lead in the second, and after getting Sato used to the standup action, he took him down late and locked in the arm-triangle choke that earned him his first submission win as a pro. The time of the finish was 4:28 of round two.

 

Luke Sanders vs. Nate Maness

Nate Maness made it two for two in the Octagon in the opener at a catchweight of 140 pounds, submitting Luke Sanders in the second round.

Sanders landed the heavier shots in a competitive first round, even though Maness had his moments, particularly in the grappling sequences. In the second, the Kentucky product evened the score as he nailed Sanders with several hard shots that were answered by “Cool Hand Luke.” But with a little under three minutes left, a right hand dropped Sanders. And while the Tennessee native rose to his feet, Maness took him down to the mat and quickly sunk in the rear-naked choke that produced a tap out at the 2:29 mark.

With the win, Maness moves to 13-1. Sanders, who falls to 13-4.

 

Sumudaerji vs. Malcolm Gordon

The United States debut of China’s Sumudaerji was a spectacular one, as he needed just 44 seconds to knock out Malcolm Gordon in the first round of their flyweight bout.

“The Tibetan Eagle” was sniper-like with his left hand, jarring Gordon over and over until the Canadian fell to the mat. That’s all referee Dan Miragliotta needed to see to stop the fight, and he stepped in at 44 seconds of the opening round.

With the win, Sumudaerji moves to 13-4. Gordon falls to 12-5.

 

Gina Mazany vs Rachael Ostovich

Gina Mazany was impressive in her flyweight debut, as she stopped a gutsy Rachael Ostovich in the third round.

After some striking exchanges to open the bout, Mazany smoothly scored a takedown and quickly took Ostovich’s back. Ostovich (4-6) scrambled out of trouble and back to her feet, and she proceeded to land some hard body kicks as Mazany fired off left hands and then engaged in a clinch.

Mazany (7-4) scored a pair of takedowns in the first minute of round two, but Ostovich stayed busy from her back, looking to lock in an armbar. Mazany adjusted well and nearly got a north-south choke, but again, Ostovich found daylight, and the two rose. The flyweights traded shots on the feet before Mazany got three takedowns in the final two minutes, putting a stamp on the round.

Mazany was on target with her strikes in the third, and though Ostovich countered well at times, the volume battle was being won by the Alaska native. After another takedown, Mazany opened up with her strikes and briefly had her foe on the verge of a stoppage before she got back to her feet. A body kick staggered the Hawaiian, though, and another barrage followed. Ostovich gamely rose, but after another kick sent her down, referee Mark Smith halted the bout at 4:10 of the third round.

 

Martin Day vs Anderson dos Santos

Anderson dos Santos’ first fight since June 2019 was a winning one, as he submitted Martin Day in the first round of their bantamweight bout.

Dos Santos mixed up haymakers with takedown attempts as he pressed the action in the early going, finally getting the takedown he wanted midway through the opening stanza. With a minute left, Day exploded to his feet and got his own takedown, but in the process, he got caught in a guillotine choke that forced him to tap out at 4:35 of round one.

With the win, Sao Paulo’s dos Santos moves to 21-8. Hawaii’s Day falls to 8-5.

 

Jonathan Pearce vs. Kai Kamaka

In his first UFC fight at featherweight, Jonathan Pearce also entered the UFC win column for the first time, as he halted Kai Kamaka III in the second round.

The battle was fought mainly on the feet in the first round, both fighters having good scoring sequences, but neither could build a substantial lead or put the other in trouble.

Early in round two, Pearce got his second takedown of the fight, but the two were back on their feet fairly quickly. After some good striking exchanges, Pearce put the fightback on the mat, and this time he landed some hard shots. Soon, his strikes put the Hawaiian in trouble, but Kamaka reversed position, and the two rose. Pearce scored another takedown, nearly getting caught in a choke, but Pearce got loose, and after a barrage of ground strikes, referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in and stopped the fight at the 4:28 mark of the second round.

Pearce moves to 10-4 with the win, Kamaka falls to 8-3.

 

Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Norma Dumont

Brazil’s Norma Dumont made a successful move to the bantamweight division, shutting out Ashlee Evans-Smith over three rounds.

Scores were 30-26 across the board for Dumont, now 5-1. Evans-Smith fell to 6-5.

Dumont, who came in overweight for the bout at 139.5 pounds, controlled the action in the opening round, picking her shots on the feet and even taking the former All-American wrestler down late in the frame. The two traded takedowns to open the second, Dumont winding up in the top position before moving into the mount. The bloodied Evans-Smith tried hard to escape, and she did with 1:40 left, but she had to eat some hard shots to do so.

Content with her lead, Dumont stayed ahead thanks to her sporadic flurries, one of which dropped Evans-Smith in the final minute, but she could survive to the final horn.

 

Spike Carlyle vs. Bill Algeo

Bill Algeo earned his first UFC win by shutting out Spike Carlyle over three rounds.

After a quick start from Carlyle, Algeo (14-5) settled in and controlled range with his kicks until a Carlyle takedown with 2:15 left. Algeo rose quickly, but Carlyle remained locked on until the Pennsylvanian scrambled out of trouble. He found himself back in trouble moments later, though, as Carlyle caught him in a bulldog choke. Algeo got loose, and the two battled it out to the horn.

The scrambles continued in the second, Algeo ultimately getting the fight to the mat in the second minute. He quickly took Carlyle’s back and kept that position until the final minute, when the Californian got into his guard. Carlyle (9-3) never stopped pushing the pace to get the fight to the mat, but Algeo’s defense was solid, and he caught his foe on the way in several times en route to a 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 victory on the scorecards.

 

 

Another good fight card is in the books as the UFC continues to entertain us week after week during this tough period we’ve been in. Whether we are watching champions, former champions, title contenders, or up and comers, the UFC will continue to give us entertaining fight cards to enjoy.

 

 

Be sure to check out franchisesportsmedia.com for all your latest in MMA, Las Vegas sports news, events, previews, and recaps.

 

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-Joe Arrigo – Franchise Sports Media

 

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