By TXMMA Staff // Photo: UFC.com via Getty Images
Texas fighters go 1-1-1 at UFC on FOX 18; Ben Rothwell and Anthony Johnson climb up the ranks with wins
NEWARK, NJ – Texas MMA went 1-1-1 this past weekend at UFC on FOX 18. Carlos Diego Ferreira, Damon Jackson and Sage Northcutt represented the lone star state on this card, looking to test themselves against the toughest MMA competition in the world.
First up, Octagon MMA’s Damon Jackson went in against Levan Makashvili. A suffocating grappler and submission artist, Damon forced the clinch and pushed for takedowns the entire fight. Despite his relentless pressure and a pair of third round fouls (knee to the head, eye poke), the judges would see the bout as a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28).
Next up, Carlos Diego Ferreira would face one of his biggest tests yet in Canadian prospect Olivier Aubin-Mercier. This was a pivotal fight for Diego as he looked to bounce back following a pair of losses. He did just that in this one with a majority decision to snap his two-fight skid. CDF was aggressive in his striking attacks in this one. He was even stronger on the ground, winning the scrambles and finishing the fight on the back of his opponent to gain his third UFC win. And he even had maple syrup for his victory pancakes the next day.
Last but not least, Katy’s Sage Northcutt won the first round of his bout against MMA Lab’s Bryan Barberena but fell in the second round of their welterweight bout via arm-triangle. This was the third UFC fight in four months for the 19 year old super prospect and his first at welterweight. The setback was definitely unexpected and not what they were looking for but rest assured this kid has a long road ahead of him. His time will come.
Elsewhere on the card, Ben Rothwell became the very first man to ever score a true submission on Josh Barnett, submitting the catch wrestler via 10-finger guillotine in round two of their heavyweight bout. With this win, Rothwell should climb the ranks and get a big fight against one of the top contenders for that division’s title.
Capping off the card, Anthony Johnson showed why he’s a top contender himself in the light heavyweight division, taking out Ryan Bader in less than a round with a vicious TKO.
Full results from UFC on FOX 18 below:
UFC ON FOX 18 – Quick Results from January 18, 2016
Main Card
- Anthony Johnson def. Ryan Bader via first-round TKO, RD1 (1:26)
- Ben Rothwell def. Josh Barnett via submission (guillotine), RD2 (3:48)
- Jimmie Rivera def. Iuri Alcantara via unanimous decision
- Bryan Barberena def. Sage Northcutt via submission (arm triangle), RD2
Prelims
- Tarec Saffiedine def. Jake Ellenberger via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Diego Ferreira def. Olivier Aubin-Mercier via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
- Rafael Natal def. Kevin Casey via TKO, RD3 (3:37)
- Wilson Reis def. Dustin Ortiz via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- Alexander Yakovlev def. George Sullivan via KO, RD1 (3:59)
- Alex Caceres def. Masio Fullen via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- Randy Brown def. Matt Dwyer via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
- Levan Makashvili vs. Damon Jackson results in majority draw (29-27 Jackson, 28-28 x2)
- Tony Martin def. Felipe Olvieri via submission (RNC), RD3 (3:02)