UFC Fight Night 123: Swanson vs. Ortega (Results)
UFC Fight Night 123 has come and gone; serving the MMA community yet another young prospect-turned-UFC contender in the form of Brian Ortega.
Additionally, the co-main event of the evening saw some ‘finger-biting’ going on—something that one can expect the MMA fans and experts to be debating on for the days to come. Regardless, the accused, Jason Knight ended up on the losing end in the aforementioned matchup.
Furthermore, preliminary fights saw a couple of upsets as well. So, without further ado, here are the complete results for UFC Fresno—
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Main Card (FOX Sports 1)
#1 Brian Ortega vs. Cub Swanson
Despite being the better striker and more well-rounded fighter as compared to Ortega, Swanson’s age coupled with his wear-and-tear showed on fight-night.
Ortega simply seemed faster, and more agile than Swanson; beating the latter to every strike and grappling initiative. ‘T-City’ locked in the Guillotine Choke in the second round of their main event matchup which was scheduled to go 5, ending the fight by way of a nasty submission.
Swanson didn’t get a chance to showcase any of his flashy striking skills in this fight. On the other hand, Ortega impressed one and all, potentially earning a shot at reigning UFC Featherweight kingpin Max Holloway. One ought to note that Ortega’s striking defence, timing and rhythm seemed vastly improved in the matchup against Swanson, as compared to his previous appearances inside the Octagon.
Result: Brian Ortega def. Cub Swanson via Submission (Guillotine Choke) (Round 2, 3:22)
#2 Gabriel Benitez vs. Jason Knight
This may very well go down as MMA’s own ‘bite fight’.
Knight bit Benitez’s fingers, and was deducted a point for the same. Regardless, Benitez was the better fighter overall, and scored the upset win over Knight in the co-headliner of the evening.
Benitez controlled the pace of this matchup, and kept Knight at bay throughout. All aspects of the fight were thoroughly dominated by Benitez; enough to sway the judges in his favour.
Result: Gabriel Benitez def. Jason Knight via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27)