UFC on FOX 15 Preliminary Card Results: Dariush Dominates Miller
Today’s (April 18, 2015) UFC on FOX 15 preliminary card is in the books from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
The featured bout showcased hard-nosed lightweight veteran Jim Miller versus prospect Beneil Dariush in a telling bout for two men at opposite ends of their UFC paths. Miller came out aggressive with some hooks and low kicks, but Dariush fought back effectively with some knees. Miller went to the ground to look for a kimura, switching it to a triangle that Dariush escaped impressively. He ended the opening round landing an elbow from top position.
Dariush got a takedown to start the second, looking for an arm triangle that Miller reversed to seek a guillotine. Dariush mounted Miller then got his back before rolling him over to go for the arm triangle again. Elbows rained from Dariush, and he then went for a choke when he had Miller’s back. Miller survived and the third round saw a grueling pace from Dariush. He landed some punches and a knee, taking the fight to the ground to control Miller in dominant fashion by taking his back for the majority of the round. Ultimately Dariush won an impressive, lopsided unanimous decision in his toughest challenge.
Looking to secure a top 10 ranking with his fourth consecutive UFC win, No. 12-ranked light heavyweight Patrick Cummins faced by far his biggest challenge in the Octagon when he met No. 7 Ovince St. Preux. “OSP” snapped a jab and two kicks early but Cummins took him down as expected. It didn’t last but Cummins went for another. St. Preux kept it standing and nailed Cummins with a big knee to the body before “Durkin” picked him up for a slam. St. Preux got up yet again and swung wildly, going for a foolish takedown that was defended.
Then it was all over. St. Preux landed a stiff left uppercut right on the mark, felling Cummins and following up with ground and pound to earn the stoppage with just seconds left in the opening frame.
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 19 winner Corey Anderson squared off against Chris Weidman’s teammate Gian Villante. Anderson came out winging quick punches but Villante countered with sharp low kicks. He defended two takedowns and shook off a combination of strikes from Anderson, eventually finding an open for a snapping high kick. More thudding low kicks sapped Anderson’s power as the first round wound down. Anderson was spun around by more leg kicks in the second, but he still threw some solid combos ending with hooks and uppercuts. A never-ending stream of leg kicks peppered Anderson, but he walked through them to make the round close.
Anderson came out much faster in the final round, throwing a much higher volume than a slightly fading Villante with a flying knee and repeated jabs. Villante fought back with some hard shots of his own, however, and a monstrous overhand right followed by an unecessary barrage of incredibly had Anderson out on his feet with less than a minute left.
Rising bantamweight Aljamain Sterling faced his toughest-ever test in the form of longtime veteran Takeya Mizugaki. Sterling worked hard for a takedown along the fence in the first, but Mizugaki defended well to land some hard punches. “Aljo” finally drug the fight to the ground twice as the first round ended. Sterling went for more takedowns in the second, scoring with repeated front kicks and a good, but brief, trip. He persevered to take Mizugaki’s back for the remainder of a strong round. “Funk Master” did the same in the third, dominating Mizugaki to look for a strange side choke that somehow forced the veteran to tap for an amazing victory.
Tim Means met George Sullivan at welterweight. Means was fluid and aggressive with his kicks in the first, nailing Sullivan with repeated sharp elbows. Although Sullivan landed a few sloppy counters, Means cracked him with a back elbow right before the bell sounded. Means opened up in the second, rocking Sullivan with a big left hook and uppercut and some follow-up knees. Means reversed a takedown and Sullivan got up to land some sloppy punches. It appeared to anger Means, because he floored Sullivan with his elbows. Means stalked a tired Sullivan in the third, dropping him with a trip to land light ground and pound. Looking for an arm triangle, “Dirty Bird” locked it on tight to earn the tap with just over a minute left.
Featherweight Diego Brandao attempted to get back on track against Jimy Hettes, who scored an early takedown off a trip. A big slam came from Brandao, who quickly took Hettes’ back before switching to an arm triangle attempt. He unloaded some big elbows before Hettes got back to his feet. Brandao tripped him and Hettes reversed, attempting a heel hook. Hettes’ ear was bloodied badly from an elbow at the end of the first, and the cageside doctor unfortunately called off the fight to massive protest from Hettes.
The Fight Pass-aired prelims began with TUF 19 middleweight Eddie Gordon facing Chris Dempsey. Gordon was briefly neutralized by Dempsey’s pressure wrestling in the first, but fired back with some decent straight shots at the end of a back-and-forth first round. The fighters traded big punches in the second, with Gordon getting a takedown. Dempsey got up to unload two strong combos and a takedown to end the second. Dempsey went for an ill-fated guillotine to start the final frame, following with big shots as the fight momentarily became a slugfest. Gordon snapped two sharp rights before landing in Dempsey’s guard. Dempsey pushed forward with a flurry and ended the bout with two hard-fought takedowns, putting a lasting impression in the eyes of the judges to win a close split decision.
Preliminary Card (FOX, 6:00 PM ET):
Beneil Dariush def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ovince Saint Preux def. Patrick Cummins via R1 TKO (strikes, 4:54)
Gian Villante def. Corey Anderson via R3 TKO (punches, 4:18)
Aljamain Sterling def. Takeya Mizugaki via R3 submission (arm triangle choke, 2:11)
Preliminary Card (Fight Pass, 4:30 PM ET):
Tim Means def. George Sullivan via R3 submission (arm triangle choke, 3:41)
Diego Brandao def. Jimy Hettes via R1 TKO (injury stoppage, 5:00)
Chris Dempsey def. Eddie Gordon via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Photo Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
