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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) invaded Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, tonight (Sat., April 26, 2014) for UFC 172: "Jones vs. Teixeira."
Before the cowboys of the main card commence shooting their pistols, the "Prelims" took shape online through Fight Pass and FOX Sports 1 (FS1), providing mixed martial arts (MMA) fans with a mediocre bunch of scraps early on in the evening.
In the main event of the "Prelims," Joseph Benavidez bounced back from a crushing flyweight title loss in his last fight by submitting Tim Elliott. The Grindhouse MMA flyweight stormed out of the gate and showed Benavidez he was in for a fight, taking him shortly after and catching the Team Alpha Male member in a crucifix.
Eliott was out-muscling Benavidez in the first round, yet Benavidez did well to neutralize the action by catching his opponent in a guillotine. "The Joe-Jitsu Practitioner" held on ferociously and Elliott had no choice but to tap in the first round.
Takanori Gomi beat Isaac Vallie-Flagg in his return to the Octagon, with the former PRIDE FC legend edging the American by unanimous decision.
"The Fireball Kid" tired early, but continued to pressure Vallie-Flagg, who had a brutal mouse under his right eye. Gomi turned it on at the end of every round, yet his drunken monkey style was still enough to trouble his opponent throughout the fight.
Ultimately, it was the second and third rounds that won Gomi the fight.
Both exhausted, the two fighters engaged in a couple of clinching battles, with Vallie-Flagg getting the better of the Japanese combatant on the ground; however, Gomi threw heavy leather when it mattered most.
It was a closely contested fight, but considering the amount of damage Gomi did on his foe's face, who was a bloody mess by the end of the fight, it definitely was the reason he left Baltimore victorious.
Also on the "Prelims" broadcast, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 participant and member of the Four Horsewomen, Jessamyn Duke, was unable to get past Bethe Correia, losing the fight by unanimous decision.
The Brazilian was simply sharper on the feet, beating Duke to the punch throughout the contest. Correia showed a more technical side of herself in the striking game, edging Duke on the mat as well.
Duke was slightly overmatched and unfortunately for her, didn't show an improved ground game when it mattered most since her last fight at TUF 18 Finale against Peggy Morgan. She simply couldn't get it together on the mat when it looked like she was in good positioning.
After overcoming a difficult first round where he was outwrestled for almost the majority of five minutes, Danny Castillo scored the biggest victory of his career by planting Charlie Brenneman seconds into the second round.
"Last Call" had his back taken in the first, but he was able to stay afloat and didn't suffer too much damage while "The Spaniard" took him down a few times.
In just over 20 seconds into the following round, Castillo threw an overhead right bomb that caught Brenneman square in the chin, which forced his opponent to cock back and hit the mat hard.
Ouch.
In our first fight of the night, TUF 18 cast member Chris Beal knocked out Patrick Williams with a devastating flying knee to get things going appropriately. Beal recovered from a brutal knee to the groin and looked to be in a close fight after the first round ended.
After finding his groove in the second round, Beal absolutely demolished Williams after landing one crushing blow, sending his opponent to bed early.
Here are the entire UFC 172 "Prelims" quick results:
125 lbs.: Joseph Benavidez vs. Timothy Elliott -- Benavidez wins by submission (guillotine choke) - 4:08 rd 1
155 lbs.: Takanori Gomi vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg -- Gomi wins via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
135 lbs.: Bethe Correia vs. Jessamyn Duke -- Correia wins via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
155 lbs.: Charlie Brenneman vs. Danny Castillo -- Castillo wins via KO (punch) - 0:21 rd 2
135 lbs.: Chris Beal vs. Patrick Williams -- Beal wins via KO (flying knee) - 1:51 rd 2
To follow our UFC 172: "Jones vs. Teixeira" live results and play-by-play, click here.