UFC on Fox 15 Results: Winners, Scorecards from Machida vs. Rockhold Fight Card
Luke Rockhold put on an exhibition in the main event of UFC on Fox 15 on Saturday night at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.
Rockhold took advantage of an early slip in the first round by Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida and never let up en route to a lopsided second-round submission win. Within the first minute of the fight, a clash of bodies caused Machida to go down, Rockhold wasted no time pouncing on his opponent.
Rockhold was brutal and persistent as he pursued a submission and rained down vicious elbows to punish Machida. Rockhold landed one at the very end of the first round that seemed to hurt Machida badly.
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Somehow, The Dragon survived, but it was clear early in the second round that he hadn't fully recovered. Rockhold knew it was only a matter of time. A backhanded blow sent Machida back to the canvas, and Rockhold again jumped on his downed opponent. This time, Mchida wouldn't escape.
Rockhold secured the submission win via rear-naked choke and could very well have secured a shot at middleweight champion Chris Weidman.
Luke Thomas of Bloody Elbow seemed surprised at Rockhold's level of domination.
Bleacher Report's Duane Finley believes Rockhold deserves the title shot:
Bleacher Report MMA and Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting captured Rockhold's post-fight comments:
It was an eye-opening performance from Rockhold. It would be hard to argue if Rockhold is the next man to get a shot at the 185-pound crown. Here's a look at the rest of the results from the event.
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Eddie Gordon vs. Chris Dempsey | Middleweight | Dempsey by split-decision (29-28x2, 28-29) |
| Diego Brandao vs. Jimy Hettes | Featherweight | Brandao by TKO |
| George Sullivan vs. Tim Means | Welterweight | Means by submission (triangle choke in second round) |
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Takeya Mizugaki vs. Aljamain Sterling | Bantamweight | Sterling by submission (triangle choke in third round) |
| Corey Anderson vs. Gian Villante | Light Heavyweight | Villante by TKO (third round) |
| Ovince Saint Preux vs. Patrick Cummins | Light Heavyweight | Saint Preux by first-round TKO |
| Jim Miller vs. Beneil Dariush | Lightweight | Dariush by unanimous decision (29-28x3) |
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Felice Herrig vs. Paige VanZant | Strawweight | VanZant by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27x2) |
| Cub Swanson vs. Max Holloway | Featherweight | Holloway by by submission (guillotine in third round) |
| Ronaldo Souza vs. Chris Camozzi | Middleweight | Souza by submission (armbar in first round) |
| Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold | Middleweight | Rockhold by submission (rear-naked choke in second round) |
Eddie Gordon Loses Second Straight
After a promising start to his UFC career, which included winning The Ultimate Fighter 19, Eddie "Truck" Gordon has lost two straight fights. He dropped a split decision to Chris Dempsey in the first preliminary bout of the evening.
Gordon won the first round with more effective striking, but he seemed to gas out midway through the second round. Dempsey poured it on to take the final round on two of the three judges' cards to earn the win.
This loss follows Gordon's KO defeat at the hands of Josh Samman at UFC 182. Once a very promising middleweight, Gordon now must find a way to right the ship to regain momentum in his next fight.
Brandao Breaks Hettes' Ear With Elbow
Another former TUF winner, Diego Brandao, ended a two-fight losing streak with a TKO win over Jimy Hettes. The doctor stopped the bout after an elbow from Brandao shattered the top portion of Hettes' cauliflower ear.
The stoppage came between the first and second round.
Hettes protested vehemently as did UFC president Dana White initially:
After further review, White backtracked on his previous tweet:
Hettes wanted the fight to continue. His quote in the post-fight interview, per MMA Fighting, is proof fighters shouldn't be listened to when it comes to these types of things.
Doctors and officials can't allow your ear to fall off, Jimy. It's kinda their job to make sure your ear doesn't fall off.
Means Wins
It was just 49 days since the last time Tim "The Dirty Bird" Means was in the Octagon. He returned with his fourth straight win. Means picked George Sullivan apart with precise striking and ultimately finished his opponent with an expertly performed triangle choke in the second round.
Funkmaster Flexes Mizugaki
In a completely dominant performance, Aljamain "Funkmaster" Sterling controlled Takeya Mizugaki on the ground in just about every position.
Sterling took Mizugaki's back in every round. In the third and final round, Sterling transitioned from side to back, to a partial guard.
From the bottom, Sterling locked in a triangle choke and submitted his opponent. Mizugaki came in ranked No. 6 overall among bantamweights, but he was handed his second straight loss. When the fight was over Steph Daniels of Bloody Elbow and Shaheel Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting lauded Sterling's performance.
Considering the level of his opponent, Sterling should have earned himself a top-10 ranking for that performance.
Gian Villante Stops Corey Anderson
In an impressive and tactical performance, Gian Villante scored a third-round TKO victory over Corey Anderson. The fight was close through 2.5 rounds as Anderson appeared to be doing better work with his boxing, but Villante repeatedly landed leg kicks that had Anderson concerned about the lower-body attack.
With just 52 seconds remaining in the fight, Villante landed a hard counter right hand that badly wobbled Anderson. He careened into the cage, and Villante landed another hard right to force the finish.
The loss was the first of Anderson's professional career.
OSP Dunks Durkin
One of the most valuable striking skills a fighter can possess is the ability to fight while moving backward. Ovince Saint Preux displayed that quality against Patrick "Durkin" Cummins. As Durkin rushed in to throw a strike, OSP planted a nasty left-handed uppercut on Cummins' chin.
The latter dropped to the seat of his pants, and OSP pounded him out to secure the KO finish.
OSP locked up his second straight stoppage win. He stopped Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in his last bout. MMA Vlogger Surfer Ken gives us the simple but accurate assessment of the fight:
Dariush Out-Grapples Miller
UFC veteran Jim Miller is known for his grappling and submission prowess. He met his match in Beneil Dariush. In a bout strictly for connoisseurs of fine grappling, Dariush had a counter for every submission attempt Miller attempted in the first round.
He put himself on the offensive in the second and third rounds. Miller proved to have an escape for Dariush's sophisticated submission game, but the latter dominated top position for 12 minutes of the fight.
This was Dariush's fourth straight win. He has to get a top-10—or even top-five opponent—in his next fight.
VanZant Vanquishes Herrig
In a battle of highly touted strawweights, Paige VanZant proved herself to be a force to be reckoned with in the UFC's newest division.
Initially, it seemed as though Herrig had the advantage in grappling, but VanZant began working in takedowns and doing major damage from top control. In total, VanZant spent 10:37 on top of her opponent, and she out-landed Herrig 67-28 in significant strikes.
Al-Shatti captured this charming quote from the elated VanZant after her dominant win.
Perhaps a bout between VanZant and Maryna Moroz now makes sense. Moroz upset the highly respected Joanne Calderwood last week at UFC Krakow and called out champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Both VanZant and Moroz are trying to position themselves as top contenders for Jedrzejczyk's title.
Blessed Bests Cub
Max "Blessed" Holloway made a loud statement on Saturday night. He defeated veteran contender Cub Swanson by submission, and Holloway made it look easy.
He dominated Swanson in stand-up encounters, and once the fight went to the ground, Holloway proved to be too much there as well.
Instead of resting on what seemed like a sure two-round lead, Holloway stayed aggressive in his pursuit of the finish in the third round. With just over a minute remaining in the fight, Holloway slapped on a guillotine from the top, and Swanson had to tap out.
Since losing back-to-back fights to Dennis Bermudez and Conor McGregor, Holloway has won six fights in a row.
Jacare is a Bad Man
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza was supposed to face Yoel Romero, but the latter had to bow out due to injury. Instead, he made mincemeat of Chris Camozzi for the second time.
Souza wasted little time wrapping himself around Camozzi like stripes on a peppermint stick. It took just 2:31 for Souza to secure the armbar that led to a verbal submission from Camozzi.
With the win, Souza seems set to face the winner of the bout between Weidman and Vitor Belfort at UFC 187. Whoever is next on Souza's hit list better sharpen up his ground game, because this man is scary.
All stats per UFC.com.
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