UFC 191 took place on Saturday 5th September at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to showcase the title rematch between flyweights Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson.
Flyweight champion Johnson put on a clinic which would result in yet another decision victory. Johnson’s skill set was on display for all to see on Saturday and left no doubt in anyone’s mind that he is one of the best, if not the best, pound for pound fighter in the UFC.
In the co-main event, the highly anticipated fight between Andrei Arvlovski and Frank Mir did not go as one might have expected, with a decision win for Arvlovski (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) which really could have gone either way. Whilst there was moments of glorious heavy handedness, for the most part the performance was lack luster on both fighters counts leaving many fans disappointed.
Anthony Johnson came out firing on all cylinders after what was a tumultuous two weeks in the eyes of the media. Rumble did not disappoint with a thrilling KO over Jim Manuaw in the second round which earned him a performance of the night bonus.
The main card kicked off with Paige VanZant vs Alex Chambers. VanZant was all smiles in the cage, comfortable as always as she overwhelmed the Aussie both standing and on the ground, finishing the fight in the third round via arm bar.
Fight of the night went to John Lineker and Francisco Rivera which was a slug fest of epic proportions. Both men traded heavy blows in the centre of the octagon with Rivera coming off second best when Lineker landed a a blow that saw Rivera drop; Lineker took full advantage winning by guillotine shortly after in the first round.
The women came to brawl with an action packed bantamweight bout that saw Raquel Pennington start her “revenge tour” with a win over Jessica Andrade via rear naked choke in the second round. The finish would not only put her back in the winners column but also see her take home a performance of the night bonus.
The night kicked off with an explosive, exciting preliminary card which saw debuts from two highly touted fighters, newcomer Joaquim Silva (7-0) and veteran Nazareno Malegarie (28-4). Despite the fight going the distance, both fighters had plenty to prove and the fight was aggressive and fast paced, providing plenty of action for the fans. Silva ended up taking out the split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27).
UFC 191 Results:
Main Card:
- Demetrious Johnson def John Dodson via Decision (Unanimous) (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) – Flyweight title fight
- Andrei Arlovski def Frank Mir via Decision (Unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Anthony Johnson def Jim Manuwa via KO (Punches), Rd 2, 0:28
- Corey Anderson def Jan Blachowicz via Decision (Unanimous) (30-25, 30-25, 29-26)
- Paige VanZant def Alex Chambers via Submission (Armbar) – Rd 3, 1:01
Preliminary Card:
- Ross Pearson def Paul Felder via Decision (Split) (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
- John Lineker def Francisco Rivera via Submission (Guillotine Choke) – Rd 1, 2:08
- Raquel Pennington def Jessica Andrade via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) – Rd 2, 4:58
- Tiago dos Santos e Silva def Clay Collard via Decision (Split) (29-28, 28-29, 29-28
- Joe Riggs def Ron Stallings via Disqualification (Illegal Upkick) – Rd 2, 2:28
- Joaquim Silva def Nazareno Malegarie via Decision (Split) (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
