UFC 221 Preliminary Card Results: Dong Hyun Kim Edges Out Damien Brown

It’s once again fight day here at LowKickMMA, and the talent on display tonight (Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018) will come from in the form of UFC 221. Headlining the card are Luke Rockhold and Yoel Romero, but there’s a whole bunch of great fights also taking place on the preliminary section of the card.

Damien Brown vs. Dong Hyun Kim in a lightweight bout closes the preliminary card on FOX Sports 1. In round 1, Kim flicks out inside leg kicks and a jab to start off. Measured fight so far. Kim pumps out his jab to stymie Brown’s pressure. Kim flicking away with kicks but Brown’s hard outside leg kicks stumble Kim. In round 2, Kim switching between southpaw and orthodox, landing nice kicks from both stances. Brown is having a hard time getting off so far. Kim meets a ducking Brown with a knee as Brown tries to work his way inside. Brown going to the body with straight punches. Kim’s kickboxing looks insanely on point tonight. Not the war we were hoping for, though. Now Brown tags Kim in the pocket but can’t follow up. Kim largely piecing Brown up in between occasional flurries. Brown drops Kim with a leg kick. In round 3, They trade body kicks and Brown tries to swing upstairs but Kim’s head movement has been pretty solid so far. Brown starts attacking the legs since his punches upstairs aren’t finding the mark, but Kim keeps snapping right back at him. Hyun Kim picked up the decision win.

Rob Wilkinson vs. Israel Adesanya is next in a middleweight bout. In round 1, Wilkinson reaps out Adesanya’s leg but Adesanya wall-walks and nearly escapes but Wilkinson sticks to him. Adesanya has a hard time getting free but finally does. He’s back in space and jabs and sends a few kicks Wilkinson’s way. Wilkinson catches another kick and tries to run Adesanya across the cage but Adesanya rolls and sends Wilkinson careening into the cage but Wilkinson manages to stay on him. In round 2, Adesanya jabs and just misses a swift head kick over Wilkinson. Wilkinson shoots in and lands n uppercut before getting shucked. Stiff jab for Adesnya. Adesanya pressuring and Wilkinson looks tired and out of sorts, shooting from too far out. Adesanya steps in and lands a nasty knee but Wilkinson gets in on his hips. Adesanya is back up again but Wilkinson is stuck to him along the fence. The ref separates them and Adesanya is going to work. He lands a knee and straight punches. In round 3, Adesanya is back up again but Wilkinson is stuck to him along the fence. The ref separates them and Adesanya is going to work. He lands a knee and straight punches. Wilkinson is busted up and Adesanya is teeing off on him along the cage, hitting anything that’s available with a diverse attack. Adesanya got the decision win. 

Jeremy Kennedy vs. Alexander Volkanovski is next in a lightweight bout. In round 1, Knees in the clinch for Volkanovski who then hits a takedown. Kennedy looking to lock down his posture but Volk postures, passes to half and lands a pair of elbows. Volkanovski is smothering the smotherer in Kennedy thru the first half round. Landing moderate ground and pound so far. Kennedy reclaims guard but Volk stands inside and drops hammers. In round 2, Kennedy comes out pressuring and lands a pair of long punches but Volkanovski soon gets his back to the center of the cage and takes him down. Volkanovski dropping serious elbows from half guard. Fight nearly stopped but Kennedy keeps moving, until he doesn’t. Goddard stops it right at the end of round.

Ben Nguyen vs. Jussier Formiga in a flyweight bout opens the FOX Sports 1 preliminary card. In round 1, He has Formiga pushed into the cage landing knees. Formiga escapes but Nguyen soon ties up again and presses Formiga into the cage again. Nguyen misses a head kick and again crashes into the clinch, pressing Formiga into the cage and hitting knees. Nguyen misses a head kick and eats a counter hook. He misses another head kick, gets clinched, and Formiga takes him down into side control. Formiga jumps into mount and he’s crossed his ankles, preventing Nguyen from escaping. Not much offense from Formiga yet, probably waiting to take the back. In round 2, They tie up and Nguyen hits a knee and presses Formiga into the cage. He tries to back out but Formiga sticks to him. They separate. Spinning back fist is blocked by Nguyen. Formiga catches a leg kick and gets a takedown right into guard. Nguyen scrambles free and up, preventing an attempted back-take from Formiga. Nguyen scoring with intermittent boxing. Nguyen has a head kick blocked, absorbs a body kick, then gets poked in the eye right before the bell. Pause in the action. Backfist for Formiga lands as Nguyen went for the high kick. Dropped him hard. Formiga on his neck for the RNC finish.

Mizuto Hirota vs. Ross Pearson in a lightweight bout finishes off the UFC Fight Pass preliminary card. In round 1, Hirota leg kicking now as Pearson reaches for him but Hirota ducks and weaves away. Nice counter for Pearson, who stuffs a shot. Pearson is having a harder time leading. He ducks a lead hook and tries a flying knee on the retreating Hirota but it misses. Counter right hook lands for Hirota, but Pearson hits an up-jab that snaps his head back. In round 2, They trade leg kicks. Body jab for Pearson. Off-beat 1-2 lands for Pearson, then a hard jab following a Hirota leg kick. Hirota is kicking mostly at this point, but he lands a cross now. Nice duck and then left hook for Pearson. Pearson very slightly getting the better of the kickboxing here but Hirota is definitely keeping it close. In round 3, Pearson having success again with his counter boxing, tagging Hirota and getting out of the way of shots. Long punches to the body scoring for him as well. Pair of nice counter hooks land for Hirota. Nice shovel hook hits for Pearson. Another left hook for Hirota between more kicks and body jabs from Pearson. Pearson scored the decision win.

Teruto Ishihara vs. Jose Alberto Quinonez is next in a bantamweight bout. In round 1, Ishihara gets space for a knee but Quinonez has underhooks and is suffocating Ishihara. Quinonez looking to trip Ishihara, gets him to a knee. Quinonez gets the back now and slaps on the body triangle. Ishihara trying to shake him off and finally climbs to his feet after unhooking the triangle. Quinonez misses a head kick. Ishihara is pressuring, looking to make up ground. Quinonez ducks under a left hook and ties up. Ishihara foot sweeps Quinonez down but Quinonez gets in on a double leg attempt. Ishihara shucks it off and hits a counter right. In round 2, Inside leg kick off-balances Ishihara temporarily. Quinonez bouncing around, giving Ishihara a moving target while pecking away with kicks. Ishihara hits a pair of his own. Ishihara closes distance and eats a knee but immediately takes Quinonez down. Quinonez quickly scrambles back to his feet along the fence and escapes. Quinonez keeping the leg kicks up. Glancing left hook for Ishihara, who misses a counter overhand a moment later. More low leg kicks score for Quinonez. In round 3, Quinonez barrels forward for a takedown but Ishihara shucks him aside easily. Ishihara wobbles and drops Quinonez. Ishihara hits a counter hook as Quinonez goes back to kicking the legs. Ishihara counter cross hits after several more kicks for Quinonez. Body kick for Quinonez answered by Ishihara leg kick. Long 1-2 then a head kick for Quinonez. Quinonez hits a brief takedown but Ishihara popped right up.

Opening the UFC Fight Pass prelims is Luke Jumeau vs. Daichi Abe in a welterweight bout.  In round 1, Abe throwing kicks to the head and body, mostly blocked so far. Jumeau comes back with a leg kick and a counter left hook. Abe pressuring, Jumeau sliding back. A left hook from Jumeau wobbles Abe and he staggers backwards but recovers. Jumeau leg kick countered by Abe cross. Jumeau catches a kick but can’t get the takedown. Abe pulls and hits an uppercut. Jumeau hits the deck and covers up with Abe swarming all over him. Jumeau manages to climb back to his feet under heavy fire and Abe finally relents. Abe cracks Jumeau with another counter hook that has Jumeau in retreat mode. Jumeau is battered, Abe tired. In round 2, Abe wall-walks and eats a right hook. Jumeau goes to the body and then a right hook. Abe looking very tired. He eats a 1-2 and then a body kick to the cup. He ducks an overhand and hits a left hook. Jumeau body kick. The two trade counter hooks. Abe looking very tired. He eats a 1-2 and then a body kick to the cup. He ducks an overhand and hits a left hook. Jumeau body kick. The two trade counter hooks. In round 3, the two trade lefts. Abe southpaw now. He eats a glancing right hand, then Jumeau pulls him into a knee and sends a kick at his head that is just blocked. Abe’s output has slowed to a trickle. Jumeau gets knuckled in the eye by Abe’s thumb on a punch in his already swollen badly swollen left eye. Break in the action. Abe has a bit of breath back and he triples up on the jab looking to set up his cross. Body kick for Jumeau, then a head kick. Abe tries a right hook counter but doesn’t have snap on it. Jumeau got the decision win.

Here are the results:

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1/8 p.m. ET)

Lightweight: Dong Hyun Kim def. Damien Brown via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Middleweight: Israel Adesanya def. Rob Wilkinson via TKO (strikes) at 3:37 of round 2.

Lightweight: Alexander Volkanovski def. Jeremy Kennedy via TKO (strikes) at 4:57 of R2

Flyweight: Jussier Formiga def. Ben Nguyen by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:43 of Round 3

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass/6:30 p.m. ET)

Lightweight: Ross Pearson def. Mizuto Hirota via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Bantamweight: Jose Quinonez def. Teruto Ishihara via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28

Welterweight: Luke Jumeau def. Daichi Abe by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 28-27)