Recap: UFC Hidalgo – Poirier vs. Johnson

Someone forgot to tell Michael Johnson that it was Dustin Poirier who was supposed to win by first round knockout, not him

All the talk leading up to the fight was around how heavy Poirier’s hands were but it was Johnson who stole the show. A left hand from nowhere dropped Poirier and, after a couple of extra punches, the ref stepped in and stopped the fight, handing Johnson the victory by KO in impressive fashion.

Derek Brunson made short work of Urijah Hall

After spending time clinching against the cage, the two fighters broke apart and, following some feinting from both fighters, Brunson charged forward and dropped Hall with a straight left. it up The subsequent ground and pound forced the referee to step in and stop the fight.

Evan Dunham made it clear from the outset that he wanted Rick Glenn on the canvas and he wanted to finish the fight there

Throughout the first round, Dunham schooled Glenn on the ground, transitioning from position to position with ease and threatening submissions from all of them. Glenn did well to defend the attacks but offered very little offensively. In the second round Glenn managed to stay on his feet a little longer and found some success with his striking, but was outmuscled by Dunham when they were in the clinching exchanges.
Glenn looked every bit the featherweight jumping up a weight class in this fight, every time he attempted a takedown or attempted to work in the clinch, he was bullied by Dunham.
In the third round both fighters abandoned any thoughts of taking it to the ground and were swinging with reckless abandon. There were some wild exchanges which, despite him pressing forward, Glenn was on the losing end of. Late in the round Dunham attempted an armbar but the buzzer went before he could finish it, Dunham was awarded the unanimous decision victory

Roan Carneiro defeated Kenny Robertson via split decision in an instantly forgettable fight

Carneiro landed big takedowns throughout the fight, but Robertson was quick to reverse most of the them, sweeping Carneiro or getting back to his feet pretty quickly. Robertson appeared to be getting the best of the Carneiro on the feet, although that wasn’t difficult as up until the third round Carneiro wasn’t throwing a great deal. As the fight wore on, Carneiro managed to land some of the heavier strikes of the fight, though nothing that appeared to have Robertson in huge danger.

Islam Makhachev vs. Chris Wade was one for the grappling fans

In the first round Makhachev came close to finishing Wade, locking in a triangle choke, though Wade managed to escape and land some ground and pound.
The second round was all about positional control, with both fighters swapping dominant positions throughout the round, yet not really landing a ton of damage. Towards the end of the round, Wade went for a heel hook but it was half hearted at best.
The third round continued the theme of the last two, with Wade attempting a guillotine early on but not being finish it and Makhachev using the position to apply pressure on the American and taking his back. Despite spending a couple of minutes on Wade’s back, Makhachev couldn’t get the finish, not that it mattered as Makhachev walked away with the unanimous decision victory.

Chas Skelly made an impression in the opening fight against Maximo Blanco

Skelly came out with a flying kick to the chest of Blanco and, as the Venezuelan was struggling to recover, Skelly choked him unconscious with an excellent D’Arce finish. An astonishing 19 seconds was all it took to secure the win.