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UFC 160 results: Khabib Nurmagomedov stays perfect, moves to 20-0 with win over Abel Trujillo

2013-05-26T00:40:16Z

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Abel Trujillo had the most spirited confrontation of the UFC 160 weigh-ins, so it was no surprise the two were in for a scrap on fight night.

Nurmagomedov was able to tailor the fight to his strengths, turning it into a wrestling match for extended periods of time, and riding Trujillo to a unanimous decision win.

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All three judges scored it 30-27.

The win kept the lightweight unbeaten, as he moved to 20-0 overall and 4-0 in the UFC.

Trujillo might have accidentally set the tone in his opponent's favor when he surprised the Russian with an early takedown. From there, it seemed as though Nurmagomedov was hell-bent on proving he was the superior wrestler. He scored seven takedowns in the first -- by contrast, he landed only six strikes in the round) -- and we were off and running.

Nurmagomedov had his best chance at finishing in the first, when he attempted triangle chokes on two separate occasions. Trujillo survived, but that would be his theme, as he was susceptible to the takedown for the remainder of the bout.

According to FightMetric, Nurmagomedov scored an astounding 21 takedowns during the three-round bout. He also landed 46 strikes while Trujillo could only manage 18.

The loss snapped Trujillo's five-fight win streak, as he fell to 10-5.

UFC 160 photos

2013-05-25T23:35:00Z

View this gallery here.

UFC 160 results: George Roop upsets Brian Bowles via TKO

2013-05-25T23:19:24Z

LAS VEGAS -- It's been 18 months since Brian Bowles stepped into the cage. The former WEC bantamweight champion had lost little standing in the meantime, and had entered the fight No. 8 in the UFC's rankings. After Saturday night, he may disappear from the top 10.

Bowles got off to a decent start in his UFC 160 matchup with George Roop, but seemed to run out of gas after the first round. Roop eventually floored him with a left jab, and then finished him with ground strikes for an upset TKO.

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The finish came at 1:43 of the second round.

Bowles did a decent job in overcoming Roop's length advantage in the first, and at one point late in the round, got inside far enough to drop Roop with a right cross behind the ear. He followed on the ground hunting for a guillotine submission, but Roop survived the attempt. Bowles had full mount to end the round, but couldn't finish.

As it turned out, that was his last chance, as Roop changed things up in the second, and Bowles faded.

Roop won his second straight since returning to bantamweight, and is now 13-10-1. It was also his second win in two months, as he also won in March. Bowles, who hadn't fought since a submission loss to Urijah Faber at UFC 139, is now 10-3.

UFC 160 Results: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2

2013-05-25T22:31:00Z

MMA Fighting has UFC 160 results for the Bigfoot vs. Velasquez 2 fight card May 25, plus live UFC coverage from Las Vegas, live blogs of all the fights and live UFC 160 twitter updates.

In the main event, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will defend his title against Antonio Silva. In the co-main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos will square off against Mark Hunt in a heavyweight contest.

Check out the full UFC 160 results below.

Main Card (PPV at 10 p.m. ET)
Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva
Junior dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt
Glover Teixeira vs. James Te Huna
Gray Maynard vs. T.J. Grant
Donald Cerrone vs. K.J. Noons

Undercard (FX)
Mike Pyle vs. Rick Story (live blog)
Dennis Bermudez vs. Max Holloway (live blog)
Robert Whittaker def. Colton Smith via third-round TKO (live blog)
Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Abel Trujillo via unanimous decision (live blog)
Stephen Thompson def. Nah-Shon Burrell via unanimous decision (live blog)
George Roop def. Brian Bowles via second-round TKO (live blog)
Jeremy Stephens def. Estevan Payan via unanimous decision (live blog)

UFC 160 Undercard Live Blog: Pyle vs. Story, Bermudez vs. Holloway, More

2013-05-25T22:29:34Z

This is the UFC 160 undercard live blog for the Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2 event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

There will be seven fights on the undercard. Mike Pyle vs. Rick Story, Dennis Bermudez vs. Max Holloway, Colton Smith vs. Robert Whittaker, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Abel Trujillo, Stephen Thompson vs. Nah-Shon Burrell, Brian Bowles vs. George Roop, and Jeremy Stephens vs. Estevan Payan will be featured on the prelims.

Check out the UFC 160 undercard live blog below.

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Jeremy Stephens vs. Estevan Payan
Round 1: Payan's throwing low kicks early and is beating Stephens to the punch. A Stephens kick lands low, and the ref has to be talked into giving Payan a time-out. Back to action. Stephens presses forward and attempts a takedown to no avail. Payan wobbles Stephens with a right. Stephens goes for a takedown, but Payan pulls guard and has a guillotine. Stephens escapes and lands an elbow from the top. Stephens postures up and Payans lands a solid upkick. They scramble back to their feet and the sequence ends with Payan getting a standing choke. They hit the ground, and get right back up, with Stephens landing a knee in the process. One minute left. Payan is cut open from the elbow on the ground, Stephens is also cut. Stephens connects with a right hand which sends Payan backwards. Stephens lands a solid counter right. MMAFighting scores the round for Jeremy Stephens, 10-9.

Round 2: Stephens lands a right to the temple which causes Payan to briefly lose his balance. Otherwise, the pace is slower in the opening minute. Stephens shoots a double and gets the takedown, with Payan postured up on the fence. Payan is back to his feet, with Stephens hanging on to a leg. Eventually Stephens gets Payan back to the mat. Stephens lands a couple more elbows and Payan is bleeding horrifically. Stephens has Payan's back ad is attempting an RNC, but he's having a hard time hanging on with all the blood flow. One minute left, still in the same position with Stephens committed to the choke, but not quite able to clinch it. There are pools of blood all over the mat where they fought on the ground. MMAFighting scores the round for Jeremy Stephens, 10-9 (20-18 overall).

Round 3: Another slow opening minute, but Stephens changes that up with a solid head kick. Payan lands a solid right and Stephens responds in kind. Stephens chases Payan down, picks him up, and slams him. He gets a sitting Payan's back and lands a couple knees. Payan stays on one knee, but Stephens lands a series of right hands. Two minutes left, they're standing. Stephens bodylocks Payan. Payan reverses position, but that just enables Stephens to score another takedown. Payan basically just hangs on til the horn. MMAFighting scores the round for Jeremy Stephens, 10-9 (30-27 overall).

Jeremy Stephens def. Estevan Payan via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27).

Brian Bowles vs. George Roop
Round 1: Herb Dean is the referee for this bantamweight bout. Roop charges in and eats a four punch combo. He front kicks Bowles, grabs him in a Thai plumb, and grazes him with a knee. Bowles throwing single punches, trying to move in and out. Bowles connects with a left hand and follows with a solid right. Roop scurries to safety. Roop's using kicks to keep Bowles at distance. Bowles checks a high kick. Bowles with a two-punch combo. Roop with a low kick. Roop with a two-punch combo, followed by a head kick. Bowles lands a counter right. Two-punch combo to the body by Bowles connect. He drops Roop with a left with about a minute left, pounces and lands a choke. Roop manages to flip over, but Bowls hangs on to the choke. Roop escapes. Bowles stole the round in the final minute. MMAFighting scores the round for Brian Bowles, 10-9.

Round 2: Roop's regained his composure and is once again establishing his reach advantage. Roop drops Bowles with a crisp straight left hand. Opens up with his ground-and-pound. Bowles tries to get to his feet, but eats a huge right hand. Bowles covers up and Roop lands blows until Dean steps in and calls the fight.

George Roop def. Brian Bowles via TKO at 1:43 of round two.

Stephen Thompson vs. Nah-Shon Burrell
Round 1: Steve Mazzagatti is your referee. Thompson with a push kick and a high kick. Burrell responds by rushing him and landing a two-punch combo. A clinch battle breaks out, Burrell with his back to the fence. They break. One minute in. Thompson connects with a solid kick. Burrell whiffs with a right hand and Thompson scores a takedown. Burrell works back to his feet. Burrell has his back to the fence again as they clinch and trade knees. Burrell lands a solid uppercut. A straight up Greco-Roman wrestling match breaks out for a bit. They break. Thompson is landing more shots, but Burrell landing the heavier blows. One minute left. Burrell goes for a takedown but slips and Thompson ends up on top. They're right back to their feet. More clinch work to finish the round. MMAFighting scores the round for Stephen Thompson, 10-9.

Round 2: More of the same in the opening minute. Burrell respects Thompson's kicks, Thompson respects Burrell's power. Lots of clinch work as a result. Thompson lands a kick to the body and pops him with a high kick. Midway through the round. Thompson sticking and moving and keeping Burrell from getting off. Thompson tries a half-hearted takedown. Burrell stays on his feet. Burrell lands a solid combo and Thompson just misses a high kick. Thompson, the kick boxer, is doing a better job of keeping the fight at a range he wants. Thompson ducks a flying knee and Burrell careens into the cage. MMAFighting scores the round for Stephen Thompson, 10-9 (20-18 overall).

Round 3: Burrell comes out swinging like a guy who knows he's down two rounds, but Thompson is again able to neutralize him with a clinch. Thompson throws kicks when Burrell tries to close the distance. Burrell tags Thompson with a punch and sends him spinning backwards. Thompson regains his bearings and pops him with a head kick. Thompson perfectly times a charging Burell and turns it into a takedown. Burrell right back to his feet. Final minute. Burrell connects with a right uppercut.Burrell again misses a flying knee.More clinch work in the closing seconds. MMAFighting scores the round for Stephen Thompson, 10-9 (30-27 overall).

Stephen Thompson def. Nah-Shon Burrell via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28).

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Abel Trujillo
Round 1: Mario Yamasaki is the referee for this one. We're going to call Nurmagomedov "Khabib" to keep it simple. Lots of movement by both fighters. Trujillo rushes forward and Khabib scampers to safety. Trujillo does it again, lands a combo and a takedown, but Khabib manages to turn it into an armbar. Trujillo rolls out of it, they're back to their feet, but Khabib stays with him, leeps his back, and ultimately lands a throw. Trujillo tries to get up and Khabib slam him right back to the mat. Kahbib scores two more slams. Another one. This is getting ridiculous. Speaking of ridiculous, Trujillo has grabbed the fence several times, no call. Khabib scores another takedown, but this time, Trujillo busts loose and gets into his guard. Khabib, though, turns it into a tight triangle choke. Trujillo survives.

MMAFighting scores the round for Khabib Nurmagomedov, 10-9.

Round 2: Trujillo doesn't seem quite as eager to rush in to things this round. Khabib scores another effortless takedown, but Trujillo pops back to his feet and lands a couple big bombs. Khabib gets the better of another exchange and again easily takes him to the mat. More of the same as round one. Tujillo, though, reverses position and lands an elbow before Khabib scrambles to safety. Khabib resumes taking Trujillo down. Wash, rinse, repeat. MMAFighting scores the round for Khabib Nurmagomedov, 10-9 (20-18 overall).

Round 3: If you guess Khabib opened the round with yet another takedown, congrats, you've been paying attention. Khabib scores one of his bigger slams of the match about two minutes in. He's had so many that it takes something really big to stand out at this point. Trujillo just has no answer. He gets back to his feet, and Khabib scores another big slam. He gets up, Khabib trips him. final minute. Trujillo looks like he's pretty much mentally quit. They stand and clinch over the final seconds. Check that, Khabib lands two more takedowns.

MMAFighting scores the round for Khabib Nurmagomedov, 10-9 (30-27 overall).

Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Abel Trujillo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Colton Smith vs. Robert Whittaker
Round 1: Whittaker catches Smith with an uppercut coming in. Pops him again coming in. The third time, Smith goes for a takedown, which Whittaker sprawls. Smith throws a low kick and Whittaker rep sons with an uppercut. Smith circling the outside, Whittaker in a stance with his left hand down and his right hand cocked. Smith with a two-punch combo. Whittaker again avoids a takedown. One minute left. Whittaker tags Smith with a right hand as he comes in. Smith drops Whittaker with a sharp right with about 30 seconds left, goes for a Kimura, but Whittaker rolls out of it. Back to their feet. Smith stole the round with the knockdown at the end. MMAFighting scores the round for Colton Smith, 10-9.

Round 2: Both guys come out swinging to start the round, with each fighter landing and Whittaker scoring a knockdown along the way. Pace slows. From where I'm sitting it looks like Smith's right eye may be closing up. This is turning into an entertaining little scrap, with each guy having their moments. Smith goes for a takedown, sticks with it, briefly gets Whittaker down, but Whittaker scampers away. Smith lands a low blow of a kick and referee Chris Tognoni calls a time out. Back to action. A one-two combo ricks Smith and opens a big cut over his left eye. Tremendous closing flurry by Whittaker, who lands a bunch of dirty uppercuts and also a big right hand on the button. MMAFighting scores the round for Robert Whittaker, 10-9 (19-19 overall).

Round 3: Both fighters play to the crowd at the start of the round. Whittaker landing early. Whittaker drops a charging Smith with a right to the jaw, lands a handful of punches, and Tognoni stops the fight.

Robert Whittaker def. Colton Smith via TKO at 0:41 of round three

Dennis Bermudez vs. Max Holloway
Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Mike Pyle vs. Rick Story
Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

UFC 160 fight card: What's at stake?

2013-05-25T16:47:28Z

There's nothing particularly risky for the UFC this evening. Some folks are (rightly) bellyaching the main event is lackluster, but the alternative wouldn't do much better business. That is, one can make a case Fabricio Werdum would make more sense as a title contender, but would that realistically result in a grander, more profitable event? Not really. And besides, whatever his chances, Bigfoot's story is something everyone seems to admire. Maybe he's out of his depth, but the win over Alistair Overeem is not insignificant. One can think of many other title challengers this year who've had far less impressive resumes.

That said, there are a few outcomes that will be more favorable to the UFC than others. Mark Hunt's story is sensational, but in terms of the pay-per-view business, a trilogy fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos is a bigger payday for all the parties involved.

It also goes without saying that having a Mexican heavyweight champion carries all sorts of benefits in the current climate of MMA that a Brazilian cannot match.

Other than that, however, there's nothing particularly risky about the UFC's event tonight. It's a very stacked card, commendably put together with important stakes for the fighters themselves, but not a particularly controversial or unusual event.

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Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva

At stake: the heavyweight title. For a title fight, the stakes here are relatively low. They're not objectively low, but compared to Velasquez's last fight, this isn't even close. It goes without saying keeping the title carries huge importance no matter the opponent, but when we take the opponent into consideration, this doesn't do much for his legacy or career resume.

For Silva, this is obviously a much more significant opportunity. Bigfoot is a fighter who entered the game as an intriguing if flawed super heavyweight. He is now a top-ranked heavyweight and the victor in bouts with Alistair Overeem and Fedor Emelianenko. He has always been a moderately respected heavyweight, but his greatest achievements came in moments where he surprised observers by taking it to his opposition in ways few thought possible.

And that's precisely where he finds himself tonight. Not many give Bigfoot a chance here and not for unfair reasons. The match-up doesn't favor him generally and we've already seen how this movie ends. There's not a lot of reason to believe the sequel will look particularly different. Yet, that's where Silva has historically been a surprise. If he wants to solidify himself as more than a good heavyweight with key wins, he'll have to surprise everyone again tonight.

Junior dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt

At stake: being a heavyweight force. Of all the bouts with high stakes, this might be the top. The danger for dos Santos is high and the opportunity for Hunt arguably once in a lifetime.

Let's start with the former champion. His biggest goal is to get back where he was and by that I don't simply mean champion, but as a dominant force. After the sustained beating he took in his loss to Velasquez, that is anything but an automatic process. A loss like that - a shellacking that went on and on and caused (temporary) disfiguration - can often change a person. Fight sports is filled with competitors who became different people after similar defeats. I don't necessarily get the sense dos Santos is treading toward that territory, but it is essential he have a successful rebounding effort not merely for his ranking but psyche as well.

And there's Mark Hunt. Let's be honest and admit it's now or never for him. He was never supposed to be here in the first place. That he's arrived at this point is a testament to his ability and desire to persevere. Hunt is nothing if not a survivor. But he desires to be more than feel good story. If he is to ever contend for or earn a UFC title shot, he absolutely must win tonight. It's true heavyweight is thin enough that a few wins together can do wonders for someone's title aspirations, but at his age and with his wrestling-deficient skill set, he has no choice but to strike while the iron is hot.

His career has already been remarkable, but if he is to elevate into truly historic territory, tonight is a must-win situation.

Glover Teixeira vs. James Te Huna

At stake: keeping the dream alive. Both fighters will want title shots sooner rather than later. They arrive at this point in different positions, but on a similar linear path. Teixeira is just further ahead. He's fought better competition and is more widely regarded as a candidate for a title shot, but still has some exposure to benefit from as well as a little more proving to do inside the Octagon. Te Huna, on the other hand, has generated some interest as a developing prospect and shown grit, but needs to prove he can take a no-B.S. step up in competition. If he's ever going to be considered a title contender, the path starts here.

Gray Maynard vs. T.J. Grant

At stake: a chance at a title shot. Even with public pronouncements, no title shot is ever guaranteed. The winner of this bout has been promised a title shot, but I'd submit the complexion of tonight's victory matters. Winning is great, but winning in some sort of dominant fashion that gives the public faith and the promoter material to sell is the most important asset of them all.

For Maynard, one wonders how many chances he has left at 34 years of age to capture UFC gold. Perhaps he has many years left as a competitor, but his age makes the question at least relevant.

Grant is young enough to put together another campaign if things don't go his way tonight. But if they do, it's worth noting how he got here. Few fighters make a weight class change during their prime. Even fewer do it for the right reasons, namely, to maximize their physicality without an enormous struggle to make the weight loss happen. What Grant revealed in the class change, though, was not just that he was bigger and stronger at lightweight, but that his entire offense came to life when he calibrated his weight properly. To watch something like Grant's efforts go full circle is a rare moment in time all should be able to appreciate.

Donald Cerrone vs. K.J. Noons

At stake: getting back on the horse. Both of these fighters enter this bout coming off of a losses. Noons has dropped two of his last three. Cerrone is trying to rebound from a particularly devastating stoppage loss to Anthony Pettis. A win here for either fighter would be hugely beneficial, particularly for Noons given that losing three in a row is a hard way to stay employed with Zuffa.

Beyond this, though, I'd add I'm getting a strange vibe from Cerrone. For a fighter who had a strong WEC tenure and an excellent beginning to his UFC campaign, the initial fire of competition appears to have given way to insouciance. There's no shame in a loss to Pettis, but Noons is a fighter he's more than capable of defeating. A loss for 'Cowboy' tonight could be the signal something deeper is not well with the Greg Jackson product.

UFC 160 notes, quotes and anecdotes

2013-05-25T13:02:05Z

LAS VEGAS -- It's gone all but unnoticed that we are going through a time of unparalleled stability for the UFC champions. As we near the end of May, not a single title has changed hands yet in 2013.

So far, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Benson Henderson, Jose Aldo, Renan Barao, Demetrious Johnson and Ronda Rousey have successfully defended belts. That's seven wins without a loss, a trend that is expected to continue at Saturday's UFC 160, where Cain Velasquez is a heavy favorite over Antonio Silva.

Since Zuffa bought the UFC in 2001, the latest title change during any year came in 2009, when the short-lived "Machida Era" began with a knockout of Rashad Evans. That fight took place on Memorial Day Weekend, and the event fell on May 23.

So, judging from past history, it seems we are overdue for a champion to lose.

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One clue why a title change has yet to happen? Usually, at the championship level, there isn't much separating the champion from the challenger, and as a result, most title matchups are considered to be relatively close affairs by the oddsmakers and public. But UFC 160 continues an uncommon phenomenon of four straight pay-per-views headlined by a title match with a lopsided favorite and a sizable underdog.

Velasquez has ballooned to a 7-to-1 favorite, partially on the strength of his past win over Silva. This follows a series of fights where Jones neared 10-to-1 over Chael Sonnen, St-Pierre was 5-to-1 over Nick Diaz and Rousey was around 7-to-1 over Liz Carmouche.

Can Silva end the trend and score an upset? One good sign in his favor is he's historically done well as an underdog. Just since the start of 2011, he's won three times from the position, beating Fedor Emelianenko, Travis Browne, and Alistair Overeem.

Small world for Grant, Brenneman
Remember Charlie Brenneman, the former UFC fighter trying to work his way back to the octagon? In 2011, Brenneman was scheduled to fight T.J. Grant at UFC on Versus 4, but Grant fell ill just days before the event and withdrew, and Brenneman eventually went on to replace Nate Marquardt and fight Rick Story. Brenneman upset Story, ending his six-fight win streak. Afterward, the two stayed in touch, became friends, and on Saturday, Brenneman will be cornering Grant as the Canadian attempts to earn the lightweight division's No. 1 contender slot.

Fight week quotes

T.J. Grant on potentially fighting Benson Henderson ...
"I feel like I can beat anyone in the world. I’m not looking past Gray Maynard and I won’t, but I don’t want to give an answer on the Benson thing. He’s a very good fighter. He’s the champion for a reason. But I know if I go out there and fight my fight against anyone, I can win."

Junior dos Santos' fight prediction ...
"I will knock him out. I’m faster than him and I’ll open some spaces on his game to knock him out."

Cain Velasquez on what changes he expects from Antonio Silva ...
"I’m just ready for everything. Whatever he comes out with. If his style is different, I’ll be ready. I know what it feels like to lose and I don’t like that feeling. I’m going to do anything in my power to win."

Antonio Silva on what changes he'll implement ...
"The game plan is basically the same. I trained very hard standup, wrestling, jiu-jitsu. The difference is I had more time to train. Last time, I took the fight with two weeks before. This time I had 10 weeks. More time to train. The strategy was the same, but I put little details in my jiu-jitsu game because he has good elbows and I have a big head. I need to make space to try to submit him and stay off his elbows."

Gray Maynard on whether he has the same drive to win a title as he did when he was a younger fighter ...
"It’s kind of different. You change. I added a kid to the picture. Now it’s not about me, it’s about we. My little team, and the goals that we have, and so I need to achieve those goals."

Glover Teixeira on the possibility of fighting Jon Jones in the future ...
"In the back of your head, you always think ahead at what’s going to happen, because that’s the dream. But right now, I’m trying to focus on one fight. When it happens, I’ll be prepared. I think it will be a good fight. I’m going to come after him and try to take his head off."

Mark Hunt on his improbable story continuing on Saturday ...
"I’m always the underdog in every fight. Junior was the best in world. Of course I‘m the underdog. It’s good for me. When people don’t see it coming, that’s when it hurts the most."

Dana White on Nick Diaz's new MMA promotion ...
"Good for him. Welcome to the losing money business."

UFC 160 notes
- Silva will have his hands full trying to match Velasquez's pace. In recapturing the belt last December, Velasquez became the only fighter in UFC history to land 100 or more significant strikes and 10 or more takedowns in a single fight. Amazingly, the heavyweight also lands more strikes per minute (14.0) than any fighter in UFC history.

- dos Santos' nine knockdowns are the most in UFC heavyweight history

- Hunt has the best significant strike defense (1.56 per minute) and best takedown defense by percentage (85 percent) of any active UFC heavyweight.

- Maynard has bragging rights over Frankie Edgar in one thing: he has the record for significant strike defense in UFC lightweight history (72.7%), just ahead of Edgar (71.8%).

- Donald Cerrone has spent only 17 seconds of time on his back during his eight-fight UFC tenure.

- Glover Teixeira's 18-fight win streak is impressive, but it isn't even the best current stretch on the card. That honor goes to 24-year-old Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has yet to taste defeat at 19-0 overall.

- At age 21, Max Holloway is still the youngest fighter on the UFC roster, yet he'll already be heading into his fifth UFC bout (he's currently 3-1 in the octagon).

- Opponents Maynard and Grant both recently became first-time fathers. Maynard's daughter Estella Eve was born on New Year's Eve, while Grant's daughter Casey was welcomed into the world last month.

Fallon Fox submits Allanna Jones in round three at CFA 11

2013-05-25T04:10:11Z

Allanna Jones struck the first blow, electing to walk out to Aerosmith's "Dude Looks Like a Lady" prior to her bout against transgender mixed martial artist Fallon Fox at CFA 11. But from there it was Fox's fight to win.

Despite fading late, Fox controlled the action from pillar to post, submitting Jones with a modified north/south choke midway through the final round to pick up her third professional victory at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida.

Fox kicked off the opening two frames tenderizing Jones' lead thigh with unchecked kicks and backing her up with straight punches. Jones, however, proved not be an easy mark, successfully defending several takedown attempts while avoiding any significant damage, leaving Fox fatigued and flat-footed.

Fox seemed to grow frustrated early in round three, missing her mark with a series of high kicks and front kicks before finally securing a takedown, working a series of short elbows from guard, then advancing into north/south position. From there it was easy pickings, as Fox trapped Jones left arm and slid a knee across her throat on the right side, coaxing a tapout at 3:36 of the final frame.

"It's just kind of a knee-ride choke that I picked up," Fox said of the finish. "It works pretty well, chokes ‘em out pretty good. That looks pretty good. I like that.

"I noticed she tried to get away from me a lot so it was hard catching up to her, but I did it in the end, so that was pretty awesome."

With the win, Fox extends her unbeaten record to 3-0, all three coming by way of finish. Jones, meanwhile, falls to 2-2.

In the night's main event, former Strikeforce fighter Mike Kyle (20-9-1, 2 NC) made short of Travis Wiuff (68-18, 1 NC), knocking out the former Bellator contender just 21 seconds into the pair's heavyweight contest.

Fighting for the first time since coming out of retirement, Kyle floored Wiuff with a left hook that clipped him behind the head, before finishing the job with a few extra shots. Wiuff remained down on the canvas for several minutes following the knockout, eventually walking away under his own power, while Kyle teed off on referee Troy Waugh for what he perceived to be a late stoppage.

"I'm just thankful to be out here fighting," Kyle said. "It can go either way at anytime, so I just really don't want to hurt anyone, man."

Click here for complete CFA 11 results.