All the results and action from the top six fights of the UFC’s return to Glasgow for UFC 113 at the SSE Arena.
Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Gunnar Nelson by KO (punches) at 1:22 of round 1
A huge upset in the evening’s main event came thanks to a jab from the Argentinian. He had Nelson on his heels against the fence and kept the pressure on the Icelander, who lost the composure that usually sets him apart. The Icelander went down on the jab, then went out after a single, pinpoint strike on the mat.
Shortly after, Gunnar Nelson told the press the difficulties he’d had in the fight: “I thought I was doing really well in the beginning. In the first exchange, I caught him with an uppercut and he poked me in the eye and I really should have said something because I was seeing double for the rest of the fight. He caught me with a shot that I didn’t really see. The eye is still sore now but it’s just one of those things, I really should have said something and I don’t know why I didn’t. Maybe I would have seen that shot that caught me but it is what it is, you know.”
Santiago Ponzinibbio was in an altogether better mood with some big plans for his future. He said: “I trained very hard for a long time and I knew that the positive results would come. I respect Gunnar a lot and knew he would come ready for a war. Beating a tough opponent like him in the first round, in less than two minutes, was really surprising. For those who did not believe in me, here is the result. If a jab of mine did this, imagine my right hand. I am ready to fight any opponent in the division but I would like to get Neil Magny or Carlos Condit next. I want to show that I have that ability to be the world champion.”
Cynthia Calvillo def. Joanne Calderwood by unanimous decision (30-27 x2 and 29-28)
The Team Alpha Male product Calvillo got the better of a competitive fight after the full 15 minutes. The striking exchanges were fairly even throughout the fight, though Calderwood found a lot of success with her teep. The difference was arguably Calvillo’s grappling. At the end of the first and third rounds, the American had ‘Jojo’ in serious trouble; first with an armbar, then with a rear naked choke. Both were surely seconds away from securing a tap (particularly the choke, which was in deep), but the horn stopped them from being conclusive on both occasions.
Calvillo comes close at the end of round one
Striking action in round two
Calserwood seemed distraught after the fight, but Calvillo stayed back to talk after getting her hand raised. She said: “I feel good. I wish I could have got the finish but I got the win so ultimately that’s what matters. Two times I had that choke in though. If I’d had 10 more seconds she would have been done, she would have been tapped out. That choke was in deep. Literally as soon I heard the bell ring all I heard was her breathing, like she felt so much relief. She was done for. This is not a traditional striking match, you know, this is MMA and I’m going to do what I’ve got to do to win. I feel like I landed the cleaner shots; you could tell by the way her face looked. I have literally got nothing on my face. I blocked most of it. I did what I needed to do to win but I wish I could have got the finish. I’d like to get another fight before the end of the year. I want to keep on climbing up those rankings – keep getting better, keep evolving and pretty much just close up all the holes in my game and become the best fighter I can be so that I can be world champion. I want to fight the very best because I don’t want there to be any question that I’m the best in the world, and that’s what I want to become – the best in the world.”
Paul Felder def. Stevie Ray by KO (elbows) at 3:57 of round 1
After some jockeying for position against the cage, the fight changed when Felder found some space and nailed Ray with a knee in the clinch. Ray dropped and managed to survive the first barrage of ground-and-pound, but a second assault with elbows put him out, and earned Felder the win.
Felder’s post-fight interview
A devastated Stevie Ray revealed how disappointed he was post-fight: “It is what it is. What can you do? I obviously took this quick turnaround fight because it was Glasgow and I didn’t want to miss out on fighting here but I could have just taken a break after the Lauzon fight. I’ve fought three times in a short period of time and to be honest I feel like I’ve been in fight camp forever but I’m glad the fight is over so I can try and enjoy myself and take some time off. Obviously, it’s gutting that I lost and I think I’ll be gutted for some time.”
Paul Felder, on the other hand, was elated: “I feel fantastic. I knew it was going to be insane coming here to fight in his home country but I knew that the whole entire training camp and what it was going to be like. My training partners just kept saying to me, focus, focus, focus. That’s all we kept saying before I entered the Octagon. Once we exchanged punches though that all goes away and I just went in there and got the job done. Next stop for me is Vegas and the contender series with Dana White and I’m looking forward to hanging with the gang and Snoop Dogg and just having some fun as I try to cement this next chapter in my life.”
Jack Marshman def. Ryan Janes by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Janes’ jab connected over and again as Marshman moved forward, but the Canadian continued to look vulnerable any time the Welshman threw in combinations. His chin was out there, but Marshman was an inch or two shy on most of his shots, with those that landed lacking enough power to do any serious damage. Both men continued to land, but with Marshman the agressor for the majority of the 15 minutes, after a very close three rounds, he just edged it in the judges’ eyes
Both men shared their thoughts on the fight and the decision shortly after. Jack Marshman:
Jack Marshman: “He pushed me a bit in the third but I felt I took the first two rounds, easy. He’s got an iron chin. Every time you land on him, he just walks through it. I had a sore rib – something I picked up in training – so all he’d have to do is touch it and I could feel it. He’s one of these guys, he gets hit loads. I was adamant that the guys who had hit him before just didn’t have as much power as I do and that I was going to knock him out but I was landing good shots on him and he just walked forward like a robot. It was cool to hear the crowd. I know we took a good crowd up from Wales but with the Celtic connection between the Scottish and the Welsh, it was probably more Scottish people cheering, which is awesome. Next, I’d love to fight in October in Poland. That would make sense time-wise. That would be absolutely perfect for me.”
Ryan Janes: “I felt I did enough in the second and I clearly won the third. I thought I took it but it was a close fight. Jack is a great fighter. I felt a little robbed because they stopped the fight after the mouthguard but I don’t think he did it on purpose. He seems like a stand-up guy. After this, I’ll take a little bit of time off. I have some injuries that I need to get sorted. The injuries did not affect my fight whatsoever or my training but I do just need to get them looked out. Then I’ll go back to the drawing board to see what the UFC wants for me. We’ll see whether this fight was good enough to get another one.”
Khalil Rountree def. Paul Craig by KO (punches) at 4:56 of round 1
Rountree had a straight left ready to fire and tagged Craig a couple of times in the first, but stayed patient and didn’t rush in for a finish. Craig was hesitant to throw, then got caught with a short left uppercut and finished with brutal hammerfists on the ground.
Khalil Rountree: “It couldn’t have ended any better. I think that anybody who knows who I am, knows that I possess knockout power but they think that’s all that I possess. I’ve just got to keep showing what I can do and keep getting better. They’d better get me now while I’m young. I don’t have anybody specific in mind next. I don’t plan to be a fighter for long so I’d like to take out one of the old guys at the top and hold down one of those spots at the top of the division. Give me an old guy at the top. Flying home with a win? That’s the biggest celebration I need.”
Justin Willis def. James Mulheron by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
A timid first round from both men, with Mulheron struggling to get inside Willis’ reach, but Willis content to sit back and wait to counter. The American remained quicker in round two, with a takedown and ground-and-pound putting a stamp on things. The third was more of the same, with Mulheron turning things up in bursts but unable to find a way through.
The heavyweights reflected on their encounter backstage.
James Mulheron: “It was a tough fight. I took some heavy shots but it was good. I knew he was going to go for the takedowns. His hands were good too. But that’s the fight game – you win some, you lose some. I wore my heart on my sleeve and went for it but it just didn’t come off for me tonight. But I’ll be back training as of next week.”
Justin Willis: “I think that the first fight jitters in the UFC is a real thing. I had to come in here, compose myself and get that W. The guy was ready to go and he took a lot of left hands. I’m very, very surprised that he took that many left hands. I dominated every single minute except there were about 30 seconds where he had me against the cage but I snapped out of it and I took him down. Now that those jitters are out of the way, it’s time to take on anybody.”
