UFC Fight Night 47 Main Card Recap: ‘Finishes Galore In Bangor’
UFC Fight Night 47 went down tonight (Aug. 16, 2014) from the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, marking the promotion’s first event in the state of Maine. Headlining the card was a light-heavweight battle as The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 8 winner Ryan Bader took on Strikeforce veteran Ovince St. Preux.
The first round was a solid one for Bader who landed multiple takedowns and spent a significant amount of time in top control. Then it was the total opposite in the second as St. Preux began to open up on the feet, tagging his opponent with a variety of strikes and also defending the majority of Bader’s takedown attempts.
The momentum switched again in the third as “Darth” took OSP down and wore him out on top. St. Preux had more success with his striking in the fourth but he lacked the energy to keep it up. Bader had no energy left himself in the final round but he was able to cling on to his opponent to hold on and take the decision.
The co-main event was pivotal battle in the lightweight division as former title-challenger Gray Maynard took on TUF 9 winner Ross Pearson who handed him his third straight knockout loss in as many fights. “The Bully” had a strong opening round as he managed to avoid most of Pearson’s power shots while also scoring two takedowns. However, “The Real Deal” turned things up a notch in the second as he started to put together combinations, a right straight stunned Maynard and a few follow up shots finished him off.
It couldn’t have gone any better for Maine’s own Tim Boetsch who likely saved himself from getting cut by knocking out Brad Tavares; who was stopped for the first time in his career. “The Barbarian” looked on his way out following the first round after he was tagged with some big elbows by the Hawaiian. Boetsch was getting out-struck again in the second but he never stopped coming forward and it paid off as he dropped Tavares with a glancing shot. Another short right hook secured the finish.
In the welterweight division, Alan Jouban made an ultra-impressive debut by taking out “The Polish Pistola” Seth Baczynski after an incredible back-and-fourth first round. Jouban showed a ton of heart to get the win after getting dropped early on, but he managed to dig in deep and went toe-to-toe with Baczynski before crumbling him with a devastating left hand.
Shawn Jordan was able to get back to winning ways against upcoming prospect Jack May but it certainly wasn’t easy. May was far superior in the striking department and dominated the first two rounds. But, it wasn’t enough as Jordan dug in deep to secure a takedown in the third before finishing his opponent with strikes.
Kicking off the main card was a featherweight match up as Thiago Tavares dropped down from 155 pounds to take on the hard-hitting Robbie Peralta. Tavares wasted no-time in taking his opponent down to the mat before starting to chip away at him with some ground and pound. Peralta managed to survive but it didn’t matter much as he was caught with a rear-naked choke with just over half a minute remaining.
UFC Fight Night 47 Main Card Results:
Thiago Tavares def. Robbie Peralta via submission (rear-naked choke) Round 1 – 4:27
Shawn Jordan def. Jack May via TKO (punches) Round 3 – 2:03
Alan Jouban def. Seth Baczynski via KO (punches) Round 1 – 4:23
Tim Boetsch def. Brad Tavares via TKO (punches) Round 1 – 3:18
Ross Pearson def. Gray Maynard via TKO (punches) Round 2 – 1:35
Ryan Bader def. Ovince St. Preux via unanimous decision
Photo: Anne-Marie Sorvin for USA TODAY Sports
