UFC Fight Night 95 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Cyborg vs. Lansberg
One storyline—and one storyline only—dominated UFC Fight Night 95, which went down Saturday from Brasilia, Brazil: Cris "Cyborg" Justino.
Cyborg is probably the best female MMA fighter in the world. There's just one problem: She's a featherweight, and the UFC doesn't have a women's featherweight division and has never staged even a one-off at that 145-pound weight limit.
The result: A tough weight cut becomes a Greek ordeal, with Cyborg risking her health and safety to wring every possible ounce out of her body to reach a 141-pound catchweight.
So for Cyborg, Lina Lansberg is her second opponent of UFC Fight Night 95. Her own body was the first.
But she made the weight, and the "real" fight came Saturday. Cyborg's muay thai striking leads to fast finishes, and it makes for must-see TV.
Did fans get another segment for the highlight reel Saturday or did Lansberg pull the stunner in her UFC debut? And what about the rest of the 13-fight card, which, while not spectacular, did contain some nice matchups?
As always, the final stat lines only reveal so much. These are the real winners and losers from UFC Fight Night 95.
Full results also appear on the final slide.
Winner: Cris Cyborg
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It was what we thought it was. For the most part.
Against a relatively dangerous muay thai fighter in Lansberg, Cyborg didn't operate as much in space as fans might have hoped or expected. She spent a lot of the time working in the clinch and landed a couple of big takedowns. She had her way in all phases and earned a TKO when referee Mario Yamasaki waved off the contest about midway through the second round.
Sharp knees to the body from the clinch were a staple for Cyborg Saturday night, although her punch combinations to the center of Lansberg's face did the most visible damage.
By the time the stoppage came—a bit late, one might add—Lansberg was turtled up and ready for the action to be over. Respect to Lansberg for lasting past the first round, but she didn't mount any offense to speak of and had the look of someone who was hanging on for dear life, like a rodeo rider simply looking to rack up as much time as possible in the ring.
So what's next now for Cyborg? That's the million-dollar question, and no one seems to have a clear answer.
"I already have two belts at home," Cyborg told broadcaster Jon Anik in the cage after the fight. "Super fights for my fans are what I want."
That's not a call-out per se, but it does speak to her desire for big opponents, such as Ronda Rousey (and we'll get to her in just a second).
There are other options, though. How about striker Germaine De Randamie? How about Cat Zingano?
Cyborg is a special fighter, the best there is. It would be great if we could someday get a matchup with a fighter who at least attempts to be equal to her power and charisma.
Loser: Ronda Rousey
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Back when she was still the UFC women's bantamweight champion, Rousey repeatedly insisted she would only fight Cyborg if Cyborg could reach the 135-pound weight limit.
Rousey is no longer the UFC women's bantamweight champion.
Does that mean Rousey, who hasn't competed since her loss last year to Holly Holm, will now accept a catchweight fight with Cyborg? The money would certainly be there, as would a headlining slot on a pay-per-view.
Before her fight with Lansberg, Cyborg said she wasn't sure if the Rousey fight would ever happen and that her legacy wasn't dependent on the rivalry ever unspooling in the cage. But she also didn't let Rousey off the hook.
"Let’s see if she’s coming back," Cyborg told Steven Muehlhausen of Sporting News. "Of course I will do a superfight and all the fans want to watch it. ... I think this was the plan already. I’ve worked my a-- off for years. I dropped weight. It wasn’t just one camp. It’s been a long time."
With every Cyborg win, Rousey's refusal to face Cyborg becomes more glaring.
Losers: Antonio Silva's Brain, John McCarthy's Backside
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Everyone was waiting for what felt like the inevitable. In the final minute of the second round, the inevitable arrived.
Roy Nelson landed that famous right hand flush on Antonio Silva's jaw, and it put Bigfoot on his back.
Silva was clearly hurt, but referee John McCarthy decided it wasn't quite enough. Nelson landed three more ground strikes before McCarthy waved it off.
Nelson, visibly frustrated over what he perceived to be a late stoppage, kicked McCarthy in the behind after the action ended, as Fox Sports: UFC tweeted.
"When you knock somebody out you know. It's kind of like a home run," Nelson told Anik in the cage after the fight. "[Silva is] my friend, he has to go to a family."
Whether you agree with the stoppage, making contact with the ref is a big no-no. Welterweight Jason High was released from the UFC in 2014 after shoving a referee after a fight, as MMAJunkie reported. He hasn't returned since.
Will Nelson face the same punishment? And if not, why not? The spidey sense says this isn't over.
What we do know now is that Silva has lost seven of his last eight contests and has dropped three in a row by way of knockout. His days in the UFC may be numbered, and for all his talent and popularity, is that really such a bad thing? Someone should be thinking of Silva's health and safety, even if Silva isn't.
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Winner: Francisco Trinaldo
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Francisco Trinaldo is a violent man in the cage. Outside it, he's one of the UFC's gentlest and most beloved athletes.
But first, the violence. And seriously, don't click this link (per a MMA GIFS tweet) if you don't like blood. Trinaldo's opponent Saturday, Paul Felder, ate a vicious strike that opened a massive cut over his eyebrow, which eventually led to a doctor waving off the fight halfway through the third round.
Quietly, the 38-year-old Trinaldo has now won seven straight fights in the UFC lightweight division.
After his last victory, a Fight of the Night-winning decision against Yancy Medeiros at UFC 198, Trinaldo promised a favor to his sister.
As Fernanda Prates of MMAjunkie wrote of Trinaldo this spring:
"What you can’t always see in television, though, is "Massaranduba" using a post-fight interview to tell his mom he is sorry he wasn’t been able to spend Mother’s Day with her due to his rigid training schedule.
Or that, unable to return home for his birthday due to a bout against Chad Laprise in Canada, he made sure the local kids were able to get a pizza-filled celebration anyway.
Or that the $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus he received for the back-and-forth battle against Medeiros is going towards building a house for one of his sisters – a favor he had already extended to some of his other siblings.
"
He kept it going after his win over Felder, pledging to start a gym for underprivileged children in his small hometown, where children will be able to train for free.
How can we make Trinaldo more famous? He definitely seems to deserve it.
Loser: Thiago Santos
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According to sports betting site Odds Shark, only Lansberg was a bigger underdog at UFC Fight Night 95 than Eric Spicely. Spicely was listed at +400 to defeat Brazilian striker Thiago Santos.
Spicely beat the odds—and Santos—Saturday night.
During a grappling sequence about midway through the opening round, Spicely used a slick transition to take Santos' back. Not long after, the choke was in and the tap was on.
Good for Spicely, who in July lost his UFC debut to Sam Alvey and may have been on his way out with another defeat.
But bad for Santos. The 32-year-old is exciting but has now dropped two straight, one to Gegard Mousasi and now a really tough one to Spicely. The veteran made a rookie mistake Saturday by giving up his back and having no real defense for Spicely once the underdog took his back.
Winner: Vicente Luque
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On a night short on consistent action, the more exclamatory moments shone that much brighter.
Such is the case for Vicente Luque, who notched the lone knockout and one of only two stoppages on the seven-fight undercard.
The heavy-handed Brazilian brought the crowd to its feet with an aggressive display of boxing. Hector Urbina chose to stand in front of Luque and exchange, and he paid the price, eating multiple shots until a big right hand dropped the curtain.
The end came exactly one minute into the first round. It was the most exciting minute of the prelim slate and one of the best of the entire card. Credit Urbina for toughness, but he miscalculated against a dangerous and promising striker in the 24-year-old Luque, who is now 3-1 in the UFC Octagon.
And he notched a $50,000 performance bonus, too, despite the stiff competition from Cyborg, Nelson and others. Not too shabby.
UFC Fight Night 95 Full Card Results
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Main Card
Cris Cyborg def. Lina Lansberg by TKO, 2:29, Rd. 2
Renan Barao def. Phillipe Nover by unanimous decision
Roy Nelson def. Antonio Silva by KO, 4:10, Rd. 2
Francisco Trinaldo def. Paul Felder by TKO (doctor's stoppage - cut), 2:25, Rd. 3
Eric Spicely def. Thiago Santos by submission (rear-naked choke), 2:58, Rd. 1
Godofredo Pepey def. Mike De La Torre by submission (rear-naked choke), 3:03, Rd. 1
Preliminary Card
Michel Prazeres def. Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision
Rani Yahya def. Michinori Tanaka by unanimous decision
Jussier Formiga def. Dustin Ortiz by unanimous decision
Erick Silva def. Luan Chagas by submission (rear-naked choke), 3:57, Rd. 3
Alan Patrick def. Stevie Ray by unanimous decision
Vicente Luque def. Hector Urbina by KO, 1:00, Rd. 1
Gregor Gillespie def. Glaico Franca by unanimous decision
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.
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