UFC London Results: Gustafsson Declares 'I Want Title Shot' After Impressive Victory over Jimi Manuwa

UFC London Results: Gustafsson Declares 'I Want Title Shot' After Impressive Victory over Jimi Manuwa
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

UFC.com

Alexander Gustafsson took to the mic after an impressive second round TKO victory over Jimi Manuawa in the main event at UFC Fight Night 37 to tell Jon Jones "I want my title shot again."

Manuwa started quickly with a nice jab and a solid kick to the legs of Gustafsson. Gustafsson responded with a descent jab of his own before taking the fight to the ground where he gained top controlled and immediately attacked the right arm of Manuwa. Manuwa defended well and was able push Gustafsson up to create space to get back to his feet with a minute remaining however he was unable to capitalise before the round ended.

Manuwa came out quickly again in round 2 but was caught with an eye poke in the opening stages of the bout which halted play to allow Manuwa time to recover. On the restart it was Gustafsson turn to come out quickly immediate pushing Manuwa against the cage where he landed a well placed knee to wobble his British foe. Gustafsson followed the knee up with a series of precise strike to the head of Manuwa which cause the previously defeat fighter to drop to the floor. Gustafsson follow Manuwa to the ground with more strikes which left referee Marc Goddard with little choice but to step in and rescue Manuwa at the 1:18 mark.

Speaking after the fight Gustafsson said:

“The support of the fans here tonight was awesome, especially the ones that travelled from Sweden.  Jimi Manuwa is a tough, powerful fighter so my strategy was to try and wear him down a bit and drain that power.  I got grazed a couple of times and you could definitely feel how hard he can throw.  I want Jon Jones next, I cant wait to have another chance at him.” 

Gustafsson is now 7-1 in his last 8 fight, while Manuwa loses for the first time in his career.

UFC London Results: Michael Johnson Earns Decision Over Melvin Gulliard

UFC London Results: Michael Johnson Earns Decision Over Melvin Guillard
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

UFC.com

Michael Johnson earned a unanimous decision victory over former Blackzilian team-mate Melvin Gulliard on Saturday, in a bout that left fans who expected a firefight disappointed.

The lightweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 37 co-main event at O2 Arena in London. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass, BT Sports, and Channel 5 in The UK.

The opening round started fast with Guillard landed a big knee on Johnson but slowed from there with little action over the next minute until Guillard was hit with a low blow. When the round continued Johnson caught Guillard with a nice combo with Guillard offering little in terms of offense. As the boo's from the crowed started to ring out, Johnson who was controlling to octagon at this point and was the only man offering little action, began to taunt Guillard in attempt to bring him into the fight. The round ended with Johnson attempting a takedown only to be caught with a big right hand from Guillard.

Round 2 began with Johnson starting where he left off, pushing the action and controlling the octagon. At this stage the pace of the fight was starting to slow, and the fans in attendance again showed their displeasure with how the fight was progressing. Both men traded wild combos but again Guillard was showing unwillingness to trade. Johnson unleashed an excellent flurry towards the end of the round, catching Guillard with some hard punches and a big knee causing him to wobble.

The third round was all Johnson with the Blackzilian again pushing the pace with an early takedown. Guillard got back to his feet and missed with a big spinning back kick. Johnson returned with a solid punch and a follow up knee. Guillard signaled for an eye poke but the referee never stopped the action, allowing Johnson to catch Guillard with elbows against the cage to secure unanimous decision victory - 30-27 x2, and 29-28.

After the fight, Johnson, who has now won three straight bouts against top-tier opponents, expressed his disappointment with the bout, but said he is ready for a top 10 opponent: 

"I came to fight so tonight was obviously very frustrating. I don’t know if he was scared or what. The fans had a right to boo, I would’ve booed too. Im not happy at all but a win is a win. I want a top guy next, maybe a Nate Diaz, Josh Thomson or the winner of the Cowboy Cerrone fight.”

UFC London: Brad Pickett Earns a Hard Fought Decision Over a Game Neil Seery

UFC London: Brad Pickett Earns a Hard Fought Decision Over a Game Neil Seery
by Chris Houten - @mhouts

UFC.com

Brad Pickett's flyweight debut was a successful one, defeating game Irishman Neil Seery by unanimous decision on the main card of today's UFC Fight Night 37 event at O2 Arena in London.

In the opening round Seery came out showing little signs on intimidation, despite the fact he was fighting in front of 15,000 fans at the O2 who were mainly supporting Pickett. Seery was happy to stay in the pocket and trade with Pickett catching the Englishman with some solid strikes. Pickett countered by mixing in low kicks before ducking under a Seery hook to secure a takedown. Pickett work Seery on top - where it was clear to see he had the advantage, nearly ending the fight with an arm triangle attempt.

Round 2 opened with both men going toe-to-toe again. Pickett was the aggressor coming forward but Seery was happy to trade with his English opponent and in many instances he was getting the better of Pickett on the feet, beating Pickett to the punch. As in round one, Pickett again went for the takedown where he landed some descent ground and pound from inside Seery guard to finish the round.

Down on the judges score card going into the 3rd, Seery came out swinging, again beating Pickett to the punch with a number of sharp blows, to force Pickett to take the fight to the ground again, where he was able to gain a dominate position. Seery was able to get to his fight with 90 second to go, and starting firing all out hoping for the knock out, which left Seery open for another takedown which Pickett duly took. Pickett secured top position again, where to fight finish.

After the bout Pickett said:

“Im a little disappointed to not get a stoppage there especially in front of my hometown fans. Neil just kind of hung on and never allowed to me do anything. It was good to get some rounds at this weight class however. My gas tank felt superb and the weight cut was no problem. "

Having hoped for a shot at current UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson, who Pickett has already beaten early in his career, with an impressive victory over Seery, it's likely Pickett will need to fight again now, and a previously scheduled match with Ian McCall may now be on the cards again. 

UFC London Results: Gunnar Nelson Dominates Omari Akhmedov

UFC London Results: Gunnar Nelson Dominates Omari Akhmedov
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

ufc.com

Gunnar Nelson staked a claim as one of the best prospects in The UFCs Welterweight division with a dominate victory over Omari Akhmedov to kick off the main  card of UFC Fight Night 37.

The bout opened slow, with both men looking to feel each other out. Akhmedov who looked no where near as aggressive as he did in his UFC debut again Thiago Perpetuo at UFC Fight Night 32 backpedaled as Nelson slowly advanced, throwing a few shots but nothing which trouble Nelson. With Nelson first attack he caught Akhmedov with straight left to send the Dagestani fighter to the mat, where Nelson quickly took the mount.

From mount Nelson opened up on Akhmedov cutting the fighter who hard elbows. As Akhmedov tried to work his way back up, he pushed Nelson which allowed Nelson the snapped on to a beautiful guillotine choke which left Akhmedov with little choice but to tap or go to sleep.

Speaking after the bout Nelson said;

"I took a few minutes to feel out his movements and then when I got him on the ground I tried to soften him up.  Eventually I was able to get a good choke on him and end things.  I knew I had to be accurate as he is a very powerful puncher.  I also really felt one of his kicks early on despite being able to check it.  Im not going to call out anyone in the division because I'll fight anyone.  I look forward to getting back out there soon though."

It was a third straight UFC win for Nelson (12-0-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who remains undefeated in 12 pro bouts. During the post fight press conference, Nelson expressed a desire to get back to work quick, stating he would be interested in fight in the UFC Dublin card in July.

UFC London Results: Cyrille Diabate Loses Retirement Bout to Ilir Latifi

UFC London Results: Cyrille Diabate Loses Retirement Bout to Ilir Latifi
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

ufc.com

Ilir Latifi made relatively easy work of Cyrille Diatate, submitting the 6'6" light-heavyweight in the opening around to end the Frenchmans career.

Latifi who joined the UFC last year as a replacement for injured teammate Alexander Gustaffson to take on Gegard Mousasi on a weeks notice, faired much better this time out with a full camp under his belt.

The opening round started with a rangy Diabate kept his distance early however it wasn't long before Latifi shot in for a takedown where he quickly locked in a D’Arce choke which be released in exchange for a dominate position.

Latifi remained patient on the ground going back to a front choke shortly after, which this time he locked in to finish the fight at the 3:02 mark of the first round following several attempts to escape from Diabate.

“I prepared a lot for this fight, and it feels great to get a win that fast,” Latifi said. “Cyrille posed many challenges – he’s got dangerous striking and a huge reach, which can pose problems.

“It’s amazing to think 10 or 15 years ago I was watching the original UFC events, and now I’m fighting and winning in them. This is one of the best moments of my life.”

With the win, Latifi extends his record to 8-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC and will be hoping he can build on his first UFC victory next time he fights.

Diabate, who announced early this week he would be retiring win or lose said:

“I’m a striker and I didn’t pull the trigger,” Diabate said. “Obviously I’m disappointed, but now I walk away from the sport. I want to thank my fans and the guys who have helped me train over the years. I will focus on teaching now.”

UFC London Results: Luke Barnatt Defeats Mats Nilsson in Barn Burner

UFC London Results: Luke Barnatt Defeats Mats Nilsson in Barn Burner
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts 

UFC.com

Luke Barnatt made a statement on Saturday night defeating Swedish Middleweight Mats Nilsson by impressive TKO in a 1 round barn burner on the prelims on UFC Fight Night 37.

Barnatt started the bout with a crisp left jab which he connected with often to keep the the Swedish Grappler on the outside. The jab was money for Barnatt as he repeatedly caught Nilsson over and over with it. As the opening minutes wore on TUF 17 Barnatt caught Nilsson with an uppercut which left the Swede with visible damage.

Midway through the round, Nilsson charged and caught Barnatt with several heavy overhand punches, which to Barnatts credit looked like they may have hurt him but he took them well. As the Swedish contingency in attendance begin to flair up, Barnatt fired back with a sneaky superman punch and left head kick to leave Nilsson wobbled against the cage.

Barnatt unleashed a barrage of punches, before dropping Nilsson with a well placed knee forcing the referee to step and and stop the fight; the first stoppage loss of Nilssons career.

Speaking after the bout, Barnatt said if the stoppage:

“I felt a bit cold in the start but when he hit me with a right I woke up. It feels very good to be the first one to ever finish him.”

Barnatt who looks a promise prospect for British fight fans extends his UFC record to 3-0 and his overall record to 8-0.

UFC London Results: Araujo Defeats Danny Mitchell in 3 Round Chess Match

UFC London Results: Araujo Defeats Danny Mitchell in 3 Round Chess Match
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts 

Chants of 'Cheesecake' echoing all over a sold out O2 Arena weren't enough to encourage Danny Mitchell to victory, as Igor Araujo put his BJJ Blackbelt to good use to earn a unanimous decision victory over his British opponent.

Fighting on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 37, TUF 16s Araujo opened the bout with a headkick which was merely a distraction to shoot in for the takedown. 

From there the match played out like a game of chance with both man attempting various submissions, notably a hoe hold for Mitchell in the first, and a triangle for Araujo which looked pretty deep. In the end though Araujo had just that little extra to earn a unanimous decision victory 30-27.

Araujo who extends his win streak to 6 overall and 2 in the UFC expressed his  pleasure over defeating Mitchell:

"I am so happy I won.  Danny Mitchell is a tough, tough guy and I knew I had to be prepared.  In all honesty, I broke my leg 20 days ago, a small fracture, and I told know one.  All I did was continue to train and my heart showed tonight.  This was a big win for my career."

Araujo extends his record to 25-6 in MMA, while MItchell moves to 14-5 in his career.