UFC Fight Night 81 Preliminary Results: Cote Finishes Saunders

It was once again fight day here at LowKickMMA, and the talent on display tonight (Sunday, January 17th, 2016) will come from in Boston, in the form of UFC Fight Night 81. Headlining the card are TJ Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz, but there’s a whole bunch of great fights also taking place on the preliminary section of the card.

Patrick Cote and Ben Saunders met in a welterweight bout at the event. Cote has snapped Saunders 3-0 record since returning to the UFC. Cote and Saunders exchanging in a grappling match for the majority of the first round. Cote went for an armbar in the round, but Saunders scrambled out. Cote would end up on top to finish the round. In the second, Cote came out on fire as he clinched with Saunders right away and landed some big strikes that dropped Saunders. Cote finished him on the ground with strikes to win the fight and finish the prelims. 

Tim Boetsch and Ed Herman met in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 81. Herman used the clinch in the first round and found his sweet spot with some devastating knees to the body and head. It paid off in the second round as he connected with a knee strike to the head of Boetsch and Boetsch fell down to the ground. Herman finished him with strikes on the ground to win the fight.  

Mehdi Baghdad and Chris Wade met in a lightweight bout at this event. Wade put in some impressive ground work in this fight as he scored a takedown early on in the round. He worked him over with some solid elbows and strikes that led to the big opening for him. That opening was when he transitioned to Baghdad’s back and locked in the rear-naked choke in the first round.

Maximo Blanco vs. Luke Sanders opened the Fox Sports 1 preliminary bouts at this event. This one did not last long as Sanders proved to fans that he is the real deal. The undefeated fighter with 11 victories dropped Blanco with a big left hook and got his back and locked in the rear-naked choke for the win in the first round.

Paul Felder and Daron Cruickshank met at the event. Felder used his submission attempts and grappling control. Cruickshank attempted many takedowns in this fight, but either could not get them or did and could not do anything once the fight was on the ground. Cruickshank landed some nice kicks and spinning back fists/elbows. Felder got his back late in the round and locked in a guillotine choke for the win.

Sean O’Connell and Ilir Latifi met in a light heavyweight bout on the UFC Fight Pass preliminary card for UFC Fight Night 81. This one did not last long at all. Latifi caught him with a right-hand bomb and put O’Connell on his back for the stoppage.

Kyle Bochniak and Charles Rosa met at this event. A back and forth fight that saw both men have their moment in the fight. Rosa worked the leg kicks for most of the fight that slowed down Bochniak. A close fight that saw Rosa win the fight by unamious decision.

Rob Font and Joey Gomez met in a bantamweight bout at the event. This first round saw a mixture of striking and grappling, but really nothing to see. Font then turned the switch in the second round and began to let loose and let his hands go. Font poured it on as the round came to a close. Font landed some huge strikes and finished the fight. 

Opening the UFC Fight Pass prelims for the event was Francimar Barroso vs. Elvis Mutapcic in a light heavyweight bout. Well, this was a sloppy fight that saw Barroso dominate the fight. Mutapcic, who came into this fight on very short notice, had a difficult time to do any damage. The judges gave Barroso the win by unanimous decision. 

Here are the quick results:

Patrick Cote def. Ben Saunders via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:14

Ed Herman def. Tim Boetsch via TKO (knee and punches) at 1:39 of Round 2

Chris Wade def. Mehdi Baghdad via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:30 of R1

Luke Sanders def. Maximo Blanco via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:38

Paul Felder def. Daron Cruickshank via submission (rear-naked choke) -Round 3, 3:56

Ilir Latifi def. Sean O’Connell via KO (punch) at :30 of R1

Charles Rosa def. Kyle Bochniak via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Rob Font def. Joey Gomez via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:13

Francimar Barroso def. Elvis Mutapcic via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)