KO Coverage By a KO Look-A-Like: UFC Fight Night 71: San Diego- Mir vs Duffee

The man who became Brock Lesnar's MMA nemesis, Frank Mir is back to face Todd Duffee for the #10 rank in the Heavyweight division on this special Wednesday Fight Night.  In the co-main, Josh "The Punk" Thomson faces "El Cucuy" Tony Ferguson and former women's boxer Holly Holm faces Marion Reneau in a women's bantamweight match.

The former Champion hopes to keep up the momentum and get another win.

Mir suffered four losses in a row before defeating Bigfoot Silva earlier this year and hopes to stay on the winning path against Todd Duffee tonight.



Rani Yahya v Masanori Kanehara

Kanehara has dominated most of this match with ground control. He takes Yahya down and keeps him smothered, with just enough strikes to keep the referee from separating them into the stand-up.  Kanehara slows down too much and they are stood up.  Yahya hits an illegal front kick to the groin as soon as they stand up.  Yahya is warned.  Yahya is noticeably tired and unable to muster any string of offense still.  Kanehara holds onto Yahya and delivers a few half-hearted strikes to the his opponent as the second round ends.

Round 3:  Yahya is trying to take Kanehara down, but Kanehara is sprawling and defending against it.  Yahya shoots again, and Kanehara hooks his arm in a crucifix hold and delivers a few fists to the head of Yahya.  Yahya finally gets Kanehara against the cage and holds him with no striking, so the ref breaks them up.  Yahya shoots again, and Kanehara sprawls to defend once more.  Kanehara stays on top of him and occasionally strikes at him and Yahya holds on again.

Official decision: Rani Yahya wins by split decision.

Jessica Andrade v Sarah Moras

Round 1:  Andrade tries for a left hook, but Moras shoots for a takedown.  Andrade is able to stay up. Moras tries again, and Andrade flips her over and slams her to the mat.  Moras gets away and throws some punches and then feints before shooting a takedown attempt, which Andrade sprawls to defend.  Andrade brings Moras down and mounts her to strike.  Moras is doing well to kick upwards to fight Andrade off of her.  Andrade continues to stuff all of Moras' takedown attempts and now has Moras on her side and is dropping some forearms and hammerfists onto Moras' head.  Moras kicks upwards and gets Andrade off of her. Andrade hits a hard right hand that floors Moras, but is unable to finish before the bell ends the round.

Round 2: Andrade brings Moras down and mounts from the side and delivers shots to the head.  Moras tries to upkick to get Andrade off, but Andrade now avoids and smothers again with dropping short elbows to the head.  Andrade is spreading her weight across Moras and keeping her down.  Andrade moves to the full mount and Moras immediately tries the upwards kick again. Andrade grabs the leg and forcefully throws it down as she steps away.  Andrade gets on top again and continues to assault Moras' face, with little in the way of response.

Round 3:  The two women touch gloves and give a hug to start the round with friendly respect.  They close in to fight now and Andrade knocks Moras down again.  Andrade gets on top to continue the ground and pound game, while Moras is trying to lock her legs around Andrade's head for a triangle counter.  Andrade positions Moras near the cage and is hammering her with blows.  Moras is now bleeding and the right side of her face looks rough. Moras is able to stand up, but is hit with a stiff hook that knocks her down.  Moras tries a takedown and is pushed down by Andrade and hit multiple times.  Moras grabs a guillotine on Andrade and tries to submit her, but Andrade fights it off. Andrade tries to throw her, but Moras gets her back and locks in a rear-naked choke to try for a comeback victory.  Andrade holds Moras up, but the severely weakened Moras does not have the strength left to choke Andrade into a submission and the final bell sounds.

Official decision: Jessica Andrade wins by unanimous decision

Alan Jouban v Matt Dwyer

Round 1:  Both men circle and try for an opening. Jouban moves in and is clocked by a hard right hand. Dwyer throws a few punches downwards once he notices the hit, and tries to get a guillotine, but Jouban is able to recover and escape.  Both men close in and throw a kick, knocking each other back. Dwyer with a toe kick to the stomach keeps Jouban back.  Jouban lands a head kick to Dwyer and knocks him back. Jouban closes in and knocks Dwyer down and knees him in the face. Referee Herb Dean moves in to stop the clock and remove a point from Jouban for the illegal knee. Jouban gets a few kicks before the round ends.

Round 2:  Dwyer gets a few kicks and reaches for a punch, while Jouban pushes in with a flurry of strikes, ending with a sharp kick to the body.  Jouban is mixing in several feints with his attacks now.  Dwyer is using his significant reach to his advantage to get some safe distance kicks.  Dwyer tries for a takedown, but shoots too slowly and too high, and Jouban easily fights it off.  Jouban avoids a high kick from Dwyer and lands a hard strike to the face of Dwyer.  He knocks him down and tries to get on top. Dwyer gets up and fights back with a few strikes, but Jouban pushes through and hammers several shots that have Dwyer very staggered.

Round 3:  Conservative start to this round.  Both fighters using stick-and-move tactics to tag a shot and move away.  Deep into the round, Jouban rushes in to get some strong hooks to the body.  He lifts Dwyer into the air and drops him with a double-leg takedown slam. Jouban locks onto the body and squeezes. Jouban now knees Dwyer in the stomach and punches multiple times to the face. Dwyer slides out to stand up and Jouban tries for a jumping brain buster kick, but Dwyer grabs the legs and is on top of him as the round ends.

Official decision:  Alan Jouban wins a unanimous decision.

Kevin Lee v James Moontasri

Round 1:  Lee rushes forward with a straight right off the bell.  Moontasri is pushed towards the cage quickly, and Lee tries to keep the pressure.  Moontasri catches Lee's leg and fires back with a kick of his own.  Lee throws a kick simultaneous as Moontasri and is kicked from behind.  Both men rush at one another and seem to have poked each other in the eye.  Once restarted, Lee rushes ferociously with punches and shoots for a takedown. He has Moontasri tilted backwards then lifts him up and slams him down.  Lee locks in a rear-naked choke on Moontasri and taps him out.

Official decision:  Kevin Lee wins by tap out due to a rear-naked choke at 2:57 of round 1.

Scott Jorgensen v Manny Gamburyan

Round 1:  Gamburyan goes in and Jorgensen pushes him off. Gamburyan pushes close and grabs a guillotine, but Jorgensen is rolling all over the mat to escape. He somehow slips out and locks his own guillotine on Gamburyan.  Gamburyan powers out and grabs onto Jorgensen and tries to throw him around.  Jorgensen fights back with knees and accidentally hits him in the groin.  When the restart, Gamburyan lifts Jorgensen up, but he wraps his body around Gamburyan's.  Gamburyan lets him go and then unloads a huge punch that puts Jorgensen to the mat.  Gamburyan hammers down fists and then lifts Jorgensen up for a slam, but does not get the finish.

Round 2:  Early in r2, Gamburyan hits a low blow on Jorgensen.  Gamburyan rushes punches to lead into a takedown attempt, but Jorgensen slips away and lands a stiff body kick.  Jorgensen now grabs Gamburyan, but Gamburyan counters with a guillotine attempt and Jorgensen slips all over the mat again, much like the previous round.  Jorgensen reverse position and cradles Gamburyan's head in a guillotine while striking with knees.  Gamburyan pushes off and shoots in on Jorgensen, pinning him to the cage wall.  He grinds him down to run out the round.

Round 3:  Jorgensen is keeping his distance this round.  Tagging Gamburyan with shots and hopping back.  Gamburyan is still getting inside with some hard shots, but not able to turn them into combinations.

Official decision:  Manny Gamburyan wins by unanimous decision.

Just announced: UFC 191 will feature a UFC Flyweight Championship fight between Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson, as well as fights for Anthony "Rumble" Johnson and Paige VanZant.

Holly Holm v Marion Reneau

Holm wants to remain undefeated in MMA

Round 1:  Holm lunges in with some toe kicks and punches, keeping Reneau at a distance.  Reneau fires back with a feint followed by a snapping kick to the head of Holm.  Holm lands a nice sidekick to Reneau, pushing her back towards the cage, but moves back afterwards.  Holm moves in for a spinning roundhouse kick, but misses.  Reneau tries to close in for some hits, but has trouble getting past Holm's reach. The round ends with Reneau getting a kick to the chest of Holm.

Round 2:  Reneau is trying to get inside the range of Holm by starting the round with running attacks.  Holm is avoiding most.  Back to the ranged outboxer attacks.  Reneau runs in and is caught by Holm. Reneau tries to turn it into a submission, but Holm throws her off and to the ground.

Round 3:  Holm is striking in more combinations this round.  Reneau gets knocked down, then is met by a spinning back kick when she rises.  Holm runs with a right hand followed by a left kick at the head of Reneau.  Both women attempt front kicks aimed at the head.  Reneau jumps onto Holm's body and Holm slams her down.  Holm is reluctant to mount or attack the downed opponent, possibly willing to take the decision, or to avoid a potential submission.  Holm ends the round with a flurry of strikes, but is unable to score a finish.

Official decision:  Holly Holm wins an unanimous decision.

Josh Thomson v Tony Ferguson

Cucuy is coming for your kids!

Round 1:  Both men utilizing toe kicks to get some good damage at a distance early on.  Ferguson is the aggressor most of this round, but Thomson is striking in reply despite the reverse steps.  Ferguson gets turned around and Thomson kicks deep into his chest.  Ferguson tries for a flying knee and Thomson counters by slamming him down and striking at him.  Ferguson nearly gets a triangle lock on Thomson, but Thomson is able to avoid.  Ferguson keeps Thomson out of position for any serious strikes and runs out the round.

Round 2:  Ferguson gets Thomson down.  He is pulled off by the referee for holding the cage.  Thomson comes back very fierce and strikes hard.  Thomson is hit by a counter shot by Ferguson and is woozy.  Ferguson knocks him down now and tries for a triangle, but can't lock it in.  He throws fierce elbows to the skull of Thomson and bloodies him badly.  Ferguson has a deep kimura in and Thomson refuses to submit, even while dripping blood everywhere.  Thomson is able to get out of the kimura and fights to his feet.  Thomson closes the round striking at Ferguson, getting a few good shots in.

Round 3:  Ferguson goes for a front kick, and Thomson catches it, pushing him back.  Thomson blocks a low kick, but is hit by a punch to the face from Ferguson.  Ferguson throws an elbow at Thomson, and Thomson closes in for some strikes of his own.  Thomson is bleeding again after his corner closed it during the break.  Ferguson his another elbow, then sprawls to avoid a takedown attempt by Thomson.  Ferguson hits a knee to the chest and brings Thomson down, but Thomson stands up quickly and throws a spinning back fist.  Ferguson is knocked down, but rolls through to be up instantly.  Thomson misses with another spinning back fist attempt, but is able to lock onto Ferguson to grapple him as the round ends and it goes to decision.

Official decision:  Tony Ferguson wins by unanimous decision.

Frank Mir vs Todd Duffee

Mir is standing there, thinking, "I f*cking hate Brock Lesnar."

Round 1:  Both men close in. Mir hits some strong hits and gets Duffee to stagger.  Duffee weathers it and returns some big shots of his own.  Mir hits a knee to the midsection and then blows backwards. Duffee hits a hard jab, but it is Frank Mir who hits a sharp shot for the knock out.

Official decision:  Frank Mir wins by knock out at 1:13 of round 1.

Keep up with the hits of KO Coverage: UFC 189: Mendes vs McGregor, Fight Night Berlin & Bellator 138, UFC 188: Velasquez vs Werdum, Fight Night 68: NOLA, UFC 187: Johnson vs Cormier and Fight Night 67: Goiania

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