***For MMAmania.com's UFC on FOX 11: "Werdum vs. Browne" play-by-play coverage of the main card RIGHT HERE.***
"The Sunshine State" is playing host to UFC on FOX 11: "Werdum vs. Browne," taking place at Amway Center tonight (April 19, 2014) from Orlando, Florida.
Before the attention turned to the four spectacular main card bouts airing live on FOX, the "prelims" were full of ups, downs, knockouts, illegal blows and of course, mind-boggling judging decisions.
The "prelims" main event featured a pivotal lightweight bout the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov and Rafael dos Anjos, as "The Eagle" inched closer to a lightweight title shot by dominating the Brazilian for three rounds and never let up on the pressure.
The 25-year-old scrapper went to his bread and butter, shooting often against dos Anjos and even set up his takedowns with flying knee attempts and uppercuts. The Kings MMA jiu-jitsu black belt didn't have an answer for Nurmagomedov when the latter took him down, smothering him and avoided guillotine chokes with ease.
At 22-0, it remains to be see who can give the Russian combatant a run for his money.
In the co-main event, Thiago Alves made his long awaited return after a two-year absence, which included four surgeries, battering Seth Baczynski to earn the unanimous decision win.
"Pitbull" murderously attacked his opponent's lead leg with low kicks, pummeling the American with stiff counters and jabs, too. The bloodied Baczynski never stopped pushing forward though, keeping active by throwing combinations and punches of his own, yet he couldn't trouble or wobble the Brazilian whatsoever. Alves on the other hand, defended numerous takedowns and looked extremely well conditioned, fighting technical and smart instead of brawling viciously.
The lightweight battle pitting Jorge Masvidal against Pat Healy was scrappy as expected, with the Floridian beating "Bam Bam" by using his unorthodox boxing style to win the unanimous decision.
Masvidal lit up Healy throughout the course of three rounds every time they engaged in a striking battle, yet it was Healy who tried to shift levels frequently by pushing "Gamebred" towards the fence. The Miami-based striker was taken down a few times as well, although he got right back up and started to throw punches in bunches until the final horn -- catching Healy more often than not with jabs, hooks and everything in between.
Alex White stepped up to the plate on short notice and disposed of Estevan Payan in the first round, after taking part in a few wild exchanges against "El Terrible" and earned the fourth fastest knockout in UFC featherweight history. White dropped Payan with a stiff, straight left, and then followed up with a barrage of punches before referee Jorge Ortiz halted the bout since Payan was doing nothing to defend himself.
Caio Magalhaes looked like a Brazilian bat out of hell against Luke Zachrich, decking his American counterpart with thunderous fists to the side of the head before lacing on the body shots, which secured him a victory in 44 seconds.
The first fight broadcast on the FS1 installment of the "prelims" featured the comeback of Jordan Mein, who despite leaving it in the hands of the judges, controlled Hernani Perpetuo, utilizing great footwork and looking technically sound in the stand-up department to win a split decision over the Brazilian.
The Canadian had no troubles bringing down Perpetuo either, although he had to fight off a leg lock that looked pretty freaking tight. The split decision was also a bit of a questionable call, since Mein dominated and controlled the whole fight.
Capping off the "Fight Pass" online broadcast, Dustin Ortiz scored a controversial split decision victory over Ray Borg, making it the second time the Tennessee native wins in the Octagon courtesy of the generosity shown by the judges.
It wasn't the worst call, but Borg could have taken the fight by showing crisp and exciting striking, not to mention being able to hang against Ortiz on the mat, too. "The Tazmexican Devil" showed he could have a bright future ahead of him, dazzling in his debut, but coming up short.
In a battle of UFC featherweight debutants, Chas Skelly thought he tasted victory inside the Octagon for the first time during the second round, but the knees he delivered to Mirsad Bektic's dome were declared illegal -- with the Bosnian woozy enough for the fight to be called off completely.
The bout was ordered to continue after a point deduction and Bektic was able to control his opponent on the mat in the third round -- avoiding a pair of submission scares -- en route to a majority decision win, bringing the prospect to 8-0 in the sport.
The action kicked off with a bang on "Fight Pass," as Derrick Lewis won the battle of promotional newcomers as he viciously knocked out Jack May in the first fight of the night. "The Black Beast" (yes, that's his nickname) blasted May after the latter failed to land a takedown and paid the price for his shortcomings, potentially blowing out his knee in the process.
Here are the full quick results for UFC on FOX 11: "Werdum vs. Browne:
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov -- Nurmagomedov wins by unanimous decision (30-27x3)
Thiago Alves vs. Seth Baczynski -- Alves wins by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Pat Healy vs. Jorge Masvidal -- Masvidal wins by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Alex White vs. Estevan Payan -- White wins by TKO (punches) at 1:28 of Round One
Caio Magalhaes vs. Luke Zachrich -- Magalhaes wins by TKO (strikes) at 0:44 of Round One
Jordan Mein vs. Hernani Perpetuo -- Mein wins by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28
Ray Borg vs. Dustin Ortiz -- Ortiz wins by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Mirsad Bektic vs. Chas Skelly -- Bektic wins by majority decision (29-27 x2, 28-28)
Derrick Lewis vs. Jack May -- Lewis wins by TKO (punches) at 4:23 of Round One
Make sure to follow our UFC on FOX 11: "Werdum vs. Browne" play-by-play coverage of the main card RIGHT HERE.