Hex FS 19 Recap: Mokhtarian falls short in first post UFC fight
Hex Fight Series returned for its nineteenth installment on Friday night. The event took place at local fight venue the Melbourne Pavilion. In the main event, Sydneysider and former UFC fighter Ashkan Mokhtarian fell short in a unanimous decision against experienced Japanese opponent Shunichi Shimizu.
The Pancrase veteran Shimizu, early on made it clear that his intentions were to get the fight to the ground, while Mokhtarian had other plans of keeping the battle on the feet. The first round was primarily fought out on the ground with Shimizu visibly having the advantage and control in the grappling exchanges.
In round two, the momentum shifted over to Mokhtarian as he pushed forward with his aggressive striking style. The Aussie connected cleanly with his jabs and had great success throwing heavy legkicks to slow down his adversary’s movement. Mokhtarian finished the round strong in top position.
Shimizu, in the later frame, was relentless in turning the fight into a grappling match along with being aggressive with his submission attempts. Although Mokhtarian did well to defend, it was not enough to secure the victory.
With the win, Shimizu moves to 33-22-11 and puts a halt to a four-fight skid, while Mokhtarian drops to 13-4 following the result.
There was much of the same in the co-main event, as another Pancrase veteran upset the hometown crowd. Popular hometown fighter Aidan Aguilera took on Yoshiaki Takahashi from Japan. Aguilera looked to be keen to keep the contest a stand up affair, but the Japanese fighter had other plans as he went for takedown after takedown for the majority of the bout.
A smart game plan from the Japanese veteran saw Takahashi nullify Aguilera’s dangerous striking skill set by getting the fight down to the canvas as soon as the opportunity arose. Continuous takedowns and ground and pound were the major factors in securing the unanimous decision for Takahashi. Aguilera commendably rallied late in the third round but it wasn’t enough to get the job done in time.
Takahashi moves to 13-7-2 following the results of the match, while Aguilera drops to 8-3.
Victorian flyweight Sean Gauci was impressive against his American opponent Angel Oilveras. Oliveras started off the match at a fast pace with a flurry of strikes and a takedown attempt which was stuffed by Gauci. Gauci proceeded to mixed up his strikes attacking the head and body. Gauci then connected with a thunderous overhand that dropped Oliveras and continued on with heavy ground strikes. Oliveras worked his way back up, but soon after Gauci again struck with an overhand that floored Oliveras once more. This time the match was put to a stop as Gauci reigned down with vicious ground and pound.
Full Results:
- Shunichi Shimizu def. Ashkan Mokhtarian via Decision (Unanimous)
- Yoshiaki Takahashi def. Aidan Aguilera via Decision (Unanimous)
- Sean Gauci def. Angel Oliveras via TKO (Strikes), Rd 1, 3:32
- Randall Ray def. Jack Tuave via Decision (Unanimous)
- Matt Myers def. Hoshi Friedrich via KO (Flying Knee), Rd 1, 3:30
- Sam Hibberd def. Jeff Mesa via Submission (Anaconda Choke), Rd 2, 3:20
- Darwin Sagurit def. Naoto Shimizu via TKO, Rd 3, 4:13
- Jack Jenkins def. Naoya Uchibayashi via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Rd 1, 3:36
- Sara Collins def. Gase Sanita via Decision (Unanimous)
After a win at UFC 242, Paul Felder eager to do commentary in Australia
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