Former UFC Women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm scored a stunning head kick knockout over an unusually hesitant Bethe Correia to stop the rot and return to the win column at UFC Fight Night 111.
UFC Fight Night 111 took place on Saturday, June 17 at the Singapore Indoor Arena in Kallang, Singapore and was the promotion’s first time returning to the country in three and a half years. The main event featured Holm trying to get back to winning ways after three consecutive losses since her breakthrough victory over Ronda Rousey to claim the bantamweight gold.
The fight started very tentatively with both fighters adopting a patient approach. Holm would throw out feints attempting to draw the strikes of Correia and then landed a pair of hard side kicks to the body of the Brazilian which she shook off. The round remained cagey as neither seemed willing to commit.
This pattern continued into the second round as referee Mark Goddard was forced to issue a warning to both fighters for timidity. Correia exploded with a spinning back fist in response, however, Holm blocked it with her hands before increasing her own volume. The aggression levels of the fight started rising until Correia closed the distance to secure the bodylock before the end of the round.
The patient approach returned for the third round as Correia danced and taunted Holm into making a move. That’s when karma decided to make an appearance as immediately afterwards, Holm landed a shuddering head kick which dropped Correia to the ground. Although the Brazilian looked to be out, Holm landed a big left hand on her grounded opponent to finish the job before the referee could stop the fight.
The win marks Holm’s first victory since November 2015 whilst veteran Correia continues to struggle with consistency in the UFC with a 4-3-1 record since joining the promotion.
Fading legend Arlovski handed fifth consecutive loss by Tybura
UFC heavyweight icon Andrei Arlovski fell to his fifth consecutive defeat as he was outfought and outclassed by former M-1 champion Marcin Tybura. The Polish heavyweight was awarded a resounding unanimous decision victory after a solid performance.
Arlovski spent most of the first round mounted by his younger opponent who transitioned from the mount to the back over the struggling “Pitbull.” Tybura rained down heavy shots on the Belarusian veteran but Arlovski would hang on and launch a flurry when back on the feet. After landing some clean right hands, Arlovski swarmed the hurt Tybura who was saved by the bell.
In the second stanza, both fighters were visibly fatigued and spent most of the round with Arlovski controlling the majority of the action although there wasn’t much of it.
The fight was sealed in the final round when Tybura secured a single leg takedown over Arlovski and would hold top position for most of the round. Not many of his strikes made their way through but Tybura did enough to earn the unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards.
Former heavyweight champion Arlovski now faces the prospect of retirement after five straight defeats could see him shown the door by the UFC. At the age of 38 and with three of those losses coming by nasty KOs, Arlovski may be best to bow out of competing at this level before he incurs any further damage.
Ranked heavyweight Tybura is now on a three-fight win streak after losing his UFC debut bout to Timothy Johnson at UFC Fight Night 86.
Dos Anjos successful in first welterweight bout with decision win
Former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos returned to winning ways, as he stepped up to the welterweight division, and secured a unanimous decision victory over Tarec Saffiedine.
The Brazilian started slowly with Saffiedine doing well to push the pace in the opening minutes however Dos Anjos would quickly turn the tide with a kimura attempt. Saffiedine would escape however Dos Anjos would push on, finding his range, taking the round.
In the second, Dos Anjos’s dominance grew as Saffiedine tired. During a scramble, the Brazilian landed an illegal knee to the head of the Belgian however it was overlooked by the referee. From that point on, Dos Anjos would control the distance for the rest of the fight and put his left body kick to good use in holding back any attempts from the exhausted Saffiedine.
It was a much-needed win for Dos Anjos, who had lost to both Eddie Alvarez and Tony Ferguson back-to-back, and he will be further buoyed by his first performance at 170lbs. Saffiedine, meanwhile, could be on his way out of the UFC as the former Strikeforce champion falls to his third straight defeat.
Also on the card, Colby Covington put in a stereotypical efficient and effective performance as he wrestled his way to a complete shut out of South Korean star Dong Hyun Kim.
The American would stick to the game plan that has served him so well throughout his career, using his superior wrestling skills to grind “Stun Gun” against the fence and completely neutralise any of Kim’s offense.
Covington rocked the Korean in the second round with a big overhand left, and despite swarming for the finish, had to settle for more physical dominance. The style may have drawn boos from the crowd but it’s hard to argue with the method with the American Top Team product now holding a 7-1 record in the UFC after getting the clear unanimous decision victory with two of the judges even awarding 10-8 rounds.
UFC Fight Night 111 Results
Women’s Bantamweight Main Event: Holly Holm def. Bethe Correia via KO (Headkick) (Round 3 – 1:09)
Heavyweight Bout: Marcin Tybura def. Andrei Arlovski via Decision (Unanimous) (29-28, 28-27, 29-27)
Welterweight Bout: Colby Covington def. Dong Hyun Kim via Decision (Unanimous) (30-25, 30-26, 30-27)
Welterweight Bout: Rafael Dos Anjos def. Tarec Saffiedine via Decision (Unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Lightweight Bout: Jon Tuck def. Takanori Gomi via Submission (Rear-naked choke) (Round 1 – 1:12)
Heavyweight Bout: Walt Harris def. Cyril Asker via TKO (Punches) (Round 1 – 1:44)
Featherweight Bout: Alex Caceres def. Rolando Dy via TKO (Doctor’s Stoppage) (Round 2 – 5:00)
Flyweight Bout: Ulka Sasaki def. Justin Scoggins via Submission (Rear-naked choke) (Round 2 – 3:19)
Welterweight Bout: Li Jingliang def. Frank Camacho via Decision (Unanimous) (29-27, 28-27, 29-27)
Bantamweight Bout: Russell Doane def. Kwan Ho Kwak via TKO (Punches) (Round 1 – 4:09)
Flyweight Bout: Naoki Inoue def. CJ de Tomas via Decision (Unanimous) (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Lucie Pudilova def. Ji Yeon Kim via Decision (Unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
