UR Fight 2016 Results: Winners, Highlights and Reaction
Roy Jones Jr. is 47 years old, and he looked every day of it Sunday night in Phoenix, Arizona. However, even as a shell of himself, Jones was able to stop Vyron Phillips in the second round.
The fight was the main event of a quadruple feature put on by UR Show TV that also featured a grappling-only bout between Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping, an MMA match with Shannon Ritch taking on Mavrick Harvey and a pro wrestling match featuring former WWE legends Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio.
Yes, it was an odd night.
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Phillips, who is an MMA fighter with a 5-3 record, was in his first professional boxing match, and it showed. The Greg Monroe lookalike was extremely awkward and stiff. It was just a matter of time before Jones caught him with something big.
He nearly stopped Phillips at the end of the first round with a hard straight right hand. The punch sent the 33-year-old into the ropes, but the punch happened just before the end of the round.
Jones didn't waste any time following up in the second round.
A counter right cross caught Phillips on the chin, and he went down. As he rolled onto his stomach, it didn't look as if he’d beat the count.
Surprisingly, Phillips got to his feet, but he was in no shape to continue, and the referee stopped the fight. Though this win didn't count on Jones’ record, it had to feel good to have his hand raised again.
In his last bout against Enzo Maccarinelli in December 2015, Jones was viciously knocked out in the fourth round. It’s unclear how much longer Jones will continue to fight, but if he plans to keep climbing in the ring, he’d be better off doing it in these types of exhibition bouts.
Here’s a look at all of the results from Phoenix:
| Event | Fighter 1 | Fighter 2 | Results |
| Boxing | Roy Jones Jr. | Vyron Phillips | Roy Jones Jr. by second-round TKO |
| MMA | Shannon Ritch | Mavrick Harvey | Ritch by submission (rear-naked choke, first round) |
| Pro Wrestling | Kurt Angle | Rey Mysterio | Mysterio (2-1) |
| Grappling | Chael Sonnen | Michael Bisping | Draw |
Shannon Ritch Finally Beats Harvey
In the opening bout, Shannon Ritch secured a victory over Mavrick Harvey via rear-naked choke. Ritch had lost to Harvey twice before by TKO, though the first one came via hand injury.
These two got the evening off in an interesting way. During the opening moments, Harvey rushed Ritch looking for another quick finish.
The onslaught caused Ritch to careen through the middle ropes. He nearly fell onto the floor, but the aggressive Harvey yanked his opponent back into the ring by his shorts. Zombie Prophet tweeted this short video of the opening skirmish:
"Shannon "The Cannon" Ritch vs Mavrick Harvey #URFight AMAZING less than a minute in pic.twitter.com/WG506N4MH1
— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) March 21, 2016"
The referee briefly broke the action, but Ritch would gain control almost immediately when the scrum was restarted. A clumsy approach from Harvey caused him to stumble, and Ritch ushered his opponent to the ground and took his back.
He locked in the rear-naked choke and after some resistance, Ritch earned the submission win. Here’s a look at the finish courtesy of this tweet from Zombie Prophet:
"Shannon "The Cannon" Ritch vs Mavrick Harvey #URFight Finish pic.twitter.com/XsUL4D4S5Q
— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) March 21, 2016"
Neither of these guys is a world-class fighter, but they clearly came to the ring looking to mix it up. There’s something to be said for that.
Bisping and Sonnen Roll to Uneventful Draw
After three rounds, Sonnen and Bisping battled to a draw, and anyone watching had to be thrilled when this one was over.
It’s clear this show was designed to be a showcase of various combat sports and entertainment. However, the Bisping vs. Sonnen match seemed misplaced. A straight grappling match with no points system, where a submission is the only path to victory, has a niche audience.
Unfortunately for UR Show TV, it didn't sound as if anyone from that demographic was in attendance.
The crowd was not receptive to this tactical battle that saw neither man even come close to locking in a submission hold. In fact, there were very few takedowns or decisive advancements. Instead, there was a ton of posturing and some pushing.
The folks who plan these events should think long and hard about booking another scrap like this one on future cards.
Mysterio Outlasts Angle
Mysterio and Angle's match was the highlight of the evening. The two legends put on a decent show with no notable botches. Because Angle is 47 years old and Mysterio is 41, it's important to note neither man appeared to hurt himself.
The ring was smaller than you'd see in the WWE or TNA. That helped the pacing of the match. Angle took the first fall as his immense size advantage (6'0" to 5'6") gave him an edge. After Mysterio missed on a high-risk move from the top rope, Angle used the Olympic Slam to go up one fall to none.
You just knew Mysterio would mount a furious comeback.
During the second fall, Mysterio's speed took over. He began to show off a smidgen of his luchador moveset. A series of hurricanranas, drop kicks and flying maneuvers set Angle up for Mysterio's patented 619 finisher.
The smallish ring wouldn't allow Mysterio to cover as much ground as he normally would on the splash from the top rope. He had to more or less fall on Angle as opposed to leaping on him, but Mysterio executed the maneuver and evened up the match.
The third and deciding fall was interesting. Both guys had their turn controlling the momentum. Angle hit another Olympic Slam near the corner, but Mysterio was able to kick out of the pin attempt just before the referee counted three.
Later in the fall, Mysterio would turn the tables. He countered a third Olympic Slam attempt with an arm drag that set up another 619. Mysterio hit on all three phases of the move.
He went for the match-clinching pin, but Angle narrowly escaped. Truth be told, Angle might have gotten a break on the count.
Moments later, Angle countered an Irish whip and collided with the referee. While the ref was out of commission, Angle went full heel as he landed a low blow that put Mysterio down. Just when you thought this night couldn't get stranger, things got even more bizarre.
Angle exited the ring to retrieve a chair that he planned to use to finish Mysterio. However, a rapper named Riff Raff who had performed earlier in the evening came to Mysterio's rescue by grabbing the chair while he stood on the ring apron. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden caught the moment in this tweet:
"3/20/16: Never Forget. #RiFFRAFF pic.twitter.com/9gRHpuu6B4
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) March 21, 2016"
It was enough to distract Angle while Mysterio recovered. The latter did so and struck Angle with a drop kick that put him in position for another 619. Did Mysterio finish the job this time?
You bet he did. Mysterio landed the most technically sound splash of the night. The referee regained his wherewithal just in time to count three, and the diminutive grappler had taken the win.
When it was over, the unlikely duo of Mysterio and Riff Raff celebrated in the ring while a fuming Angle looked on in disgust.
The fact that a wrestling match between two 40-somethings stole the show is a testament to Angle and Mysterio's ability to entertain, but it also says something about the other matches at this offbeat event.
None of the other bouts delivered the excitement that even the most lenient combat sports fan hoped to see. Chances are, we'll probably see another UR Fights card some time in the future.
Let's just hope there's more pro wrestling and better matchups in the other bouts.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter.
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