UFC Nashville: Cary Sandhagen VS Rob Font RECAP
The UFC makes a return to Nashville, TN. The last event was 4 years ago in 2019 with Wonderboy VS Pettis. There were a few last minutes changes to the bouts such as the main event. Sandhagen was supposed to fight Umar Nurmagomedov, but Umar had to pull out due to a shoulder injury. Then Rob Font steps in with two weeks notice. There were other short notice fighters on this card. Nevertheless, UFC Nashville was entertaining… Up until the main event.
Prelims
Flyweight 125lb Ode’ Osbourne VS Assu Almabayev
Winner: Assu, 2nd round Rear Naked Choke
Due to scheduling conflicts I pretty much missed the fight and tuned in right before Assu got the submission. I can’t really say much about the fight except congrats Assu.
Featherweight 145lb Sean Woodson VS Dennis Buzukja
Winner: Woodson, Unanimous Decision
The cards were stacked against Buzukja even before the fight started. Not only did he take the fight on short notice, but this was also his UFC debut, and he is clearly shorter than Woodson. Woodson has a reach of 78 inches vs Buzukja’s reach of 70.5.
The fight went as you would expect. Woodson using his height and reach advantage to out strike Buzukja. However, Woodson has a boxing background but was also 4/5 on takedowns. His takedown surprised me.
Flyweight 125lb Cody Durden VS Jake Hadley
Winner: Cody Durden, Unanimous Decision
I knew Durden would win this fight when the commentators said he wrestled in high school, and had scholarship offers to wrestle in college. His opponent Hadley is from England and fighters from there tend to not have good wrestling. You don’t need to be good at wrestling to win in the UFC, just look at Wonderboy and Stylebender. However, you got to be able to stop takedown, which Hadley couldn’t do.
Rounds 1,2, and 3 were pretty much the same. Strike, take down, strike some more, and repeat. Though, there was an exciting grappling exchange to end the second round. Hadley goes for a take down, and of course doesn’t get it. Durden defends the takedown by going for an anaconda choke. Then Hadley gets a reverse, takes his back and is working on a submission attempt of his own. He has an arm bar but can’t fully extend.
Close, but no cigar.
Featherweight 145lb Billy Quarantillo VS Damon Jackson
Winner: Billy Quarantillo, Unanimous Decision
Round one Jackson pieces up Billy then takes him down and dominates him on the ground. For rounds two and three, Billy spams those body shots. 135 total strikes to Jackson’s 41.
Billy Quarantillo got his shot in the UFC from Dana Whites’ Contender Series. If you don’t know what that is, basically Dana White/UFC scout fighters, and have them fight each other for a chance to get a UFC contract. Billy is one of those fighters. I don’t have proof, but it would not surprise me if there was some favoritism towards DWCS fighters. I say that because Billy won by unanimous decision, I know for a fact that Jackson won the first round.
Welterweight 170lb Jeremiah Wells VS Carlston Harris
Winner: Carlston Harris, 3rd round Anaconda Choke
Before the fight starts Jon Anik is talking about how a win for either fighters would be huge for their career trajectory. Both men are 36 years old and fighting on the prelims of a Fight Night. What does that even mean? Does he mean the winner won’t get cut?
Anyway, the whole fight Wells was winning. All three rounds he was throwing power shots and taking down Harris and dominating him with choke attempts and ground and pound. Wells was clearly the better fighter, but in round 3 Harris defends another takedown with a guillotine then switches to an anaconda choke and puts him to sleep.
A win is a win.
Bantamweight 135lb Kyler Phillips VS Raoni Barcelos
Winner: Kyler Phillips, Unanimous Decision
Both guys' wrestling/bjj were highlighted by the commentating crew. Barcelos is a Brazilian wrestling champ and BJJ champ. Phillips has a BJJ brown belt…. The whole fight was a kickboxing match. There was some grappling, but not as much as you would expect from what the commentating crew was saying.
Phillips out struck Barcelos and got the only knock down of the fight. He was more agile on his feet and had more movement, which was giving Barcelos some problems.
Main Card
Lightweight 155lb Ignacio Bahamondes VS Ludovit Klien
Winner: Ludovit Klien, Unanimous Decision
So going back to my theory about DWCS fighters and favoritism, Bahamondes is 6’3 and he is matched up against Klien who is 5’7. Guess who the DWCS fighter is… You know who.
I fully expected Bahamondes to dominate the fight simply because of his height and reach advantage. I thought he would piece Klien up and leave him with a bloody face. I was wrong. Klien was in control in all three rounds. He was the Slovakian national boxing champ and he showed it. Not only his boxing, but his overall striking was better. He started round one with a head, and that had to be just to send a message to Bahamondes that he doesn’t care about size advantage. Striking, takedowns, and damage is what got Klien the unanimous decision.
Klien made a fan out of me.
Light Heavyweight 205lb Tanner Boser VS Aleska Camur
Winner: Tanner Boser, Unanimous Decision
To be honest I didn’t want either fighters to win because Boser is Canadian and Camur trains in Ohio. I’ve been to both places, and there are many other places I’d rather be.
Anyway, round one was a bit lack luster with both guys feeling each other out. However, in rounds two and three Boser started taking control of the fight with his dominant striking. His game plan was simple: grind Camur away with the striking and wear him down against the cage. Punches, elbows, and knees, Boser used them all effectively. At the end of the fight Camur had a bloody face and was clearly more exhausted than Boser.
Featherweight 145lb Diego Lopes VS Gavin Tucker
Winner: Diego Lopes, 1st round Triangle-Arm Bar (only 11th in UFC history)
I became a Lopes fan tonight. First of all, he just looks goofy with that haircut. And, he has a high pitched voiced. He’s like that anime character that is there for comedic effect but is actually a deadly mofo.
The first and only round was crazy. Immediately, Tucker kicks Lopes in the groin. It was 100 percent a clean hit to the nuts. The kick was so bad that the crowd screamed in agony every time they showed it in slo mo. When the fight resumes Tucker goes for a single leg, but Lopes quickly jumps it to transition into the triangle-arm bar.
Oh, and Lopes won this fight on short notice.
Light Heavyweight 205lb #15 Dustin Jacoby VS Kennedy Nzechukwu
Winner: Dustin Jacoby, 1st round Knockout
This was also a quick fight. Jacoby knocks Kennedy down with a right-hand punch and lays on the ground and pound. The ref steps in and calls it. Kennedy was arguing to the ref, and he might have a point with the ref stepping in too early. However, when he got knocked down all he did was curl up and cover his head. He didn’t try to grab Jacoby to slow him down or try to move out of the way of the punches.
Go watch the fight, but I think the ref made the right call.
Strawweight 115lb #5 Jessica Andrade VS #10 Tatiana Suarez
Winner: Tatiana Suarez, 2nd round Guillotine Choke
Suarez has a background in wrestling, and it showed. In the first round she takes down Andrade after ducking under her head kick. Later in the round she has Andrade in a headlock pressed up against the cage throwing knees. In the second round, Suarez starts off taking Andrade down with a single leg. She works her way to the guillotine choke and gets the tap.
She dominated the fight with her wrestling and finishes with her BJJ.
Main Event
Catchweight 140lb #4 Cary Sandhagen VS #7 Rob Font
Winner: Cory Sandhagen, Unanimous Decision
This was a five-round fight, and it was all boring. It was the only boring fight on an otherwise entertaining fight card. Font took the fight with 2 weeks short notice. That is why they are fighting at 140lb when both fighters fight at 135lb.
From the beginning to the end Sandhagen takes down Font and keeps him down there. That’s it. The crowd was booing because of how boring it was.
I understand what Sandhagen was doing, it was just boring. He is known for his striking and has weak wrestling, but he’s been working on his wrestling because his original opponent Umar has good wrestling. Not only him, the current bantamweight champ, Aljo, has great wrestling and BJJ. So, if you’re Sandhagen, why not practice your wrestling against Font who is also known as a strike with weak wrestling.
It is what it is. We’ll see if he gets a title shot soon.
Conclusion
UFC Nashville was a entertaining Fight Night, with a boring main event. There were a few last-minute replacements, and a few upsets. This fight card showed how important wrestling is to mma. These fighters don’t need to be good at wrestling, but Font, Andrade, and Hadley showed that you need take down defense to win in the UFC.
I hope the UFC returns to Nashville soon!