SRS Watch/Don’t Watch: UFC Rochester

Julio Arce drops Julian Erosa, R3 TKO

• Erosa is finding some success early in the fight with wild, looping punches. Towards the middle of the second round, Arce fixes that problem.
• Paul Felder flipping out when a leg kick finally lands was a pretty funny moment.
• Arce drops Erosa with a huge head kick and wins!! Erosa’s corner was actually calling for more head kicks. Well, they got one.

SRS’ Rec: Yes, this was a fun fight and Arce is a name to look out for in the UFC.

Zak Cummings taps Trevin Giles, R2

• Giles hasn’t fought since 2017, and Cummings has had a really nice resurgence since switching weight divisions.
• There’s not a whole lot until round three, then Cummings lands an insane overhend left hand. Giles isn’t able to recover and Cummings ends up winning with the guillotine choke.
• This is Giles’ first loss, and Cummings has now won three of four, and is 2-0 since his move to middleweight

SRS’ Rec: Watch the finish.

Ed Herman obliterates Patrick Cummins, R1.

• I read Herman and Cummins as the UFC just wanting a guy to get a win.
• Cummins is controlling this one a little bit of everywhere, but I’m surprised that we aren’t seeing him wrestle more than he is.
• Herman cracks Cummins with a knee. Cummins can’t no sell it and flies towards the ground where he’s finished. That was an amazing finish. Cummins flopping around made it even more.
• Ed Herman just wants on the video game. It is kind of weird that after 13 years he’s never been in one. Herman was probably done if he didn’t win this, it stopped a three fight losing skid.
• Cummins has lost three in a row, and is 2-5 in his last seven. Gone are the days of him just losing to top 15 level talent. At 38, it was bound to happen. If he doesn’t hang around in the UFC, he’ll get offers elsewhere.

SRS’ Rec: WATCH!

Grant Dawson taps Mike Trizano, R2

• Trizano gets tapped out in round two. He had a really good stretch where he won in Bellator, won TUF, won his first fight after, but that’s all over.
• Dawson has now went 2-0 in the UFC, and he came off of Contender Series. He missed a year and a half and is making up for lost time.
• At this point, you have to wonder when major stars end up making the move to train under James Krause, too. He’s done some incredible stuff for people.

SRS’ Rec: Yeah, sure. This is a great card.

Michel Pereira just Michel Pereiras Danny Roberts, R1

• Michel Pereira, known for doing a Lionsault in an MMA cage is making his UFC debut right now and is doing completely crazy shit.
• Running off the cage, just going crazy. He catches Danny Roberts with a huge flying knee and a straight punch and knocks out Roberts. That’s one of the wildest dominant fights I’ve ever seen in my life. Two minutes of just guano crazy movement and attempts before Pereira knocks out Roberts.
• Michel Pereira is UFC’s Michael Venom Page.

SRS’ Rec: Yes. Watch it seven times.

Desmond Green grinds out Jourdain, UD

• Desmond Green got an amazing ovation in his hometown of Rochester.
• Green takes down the debuting underdog Jourdain.
• Green eats some leg kicks, but ends up riding out this win on top.
• Green is clearly very happy about winning in his hometown, and you’d never know this was a lame fight based on the crowd.

SRS’ Rec: Really the first bad fight on this show, but a great crowd.

#6 Aspen Ladd classics Sijara Eubanks, UD

• Sijara lost their first fight against one another, and this is her return to the Bantamweight division. Aspen Ladd is a tough out, though.
• Eubanks took down Ladd, but Ladd turns the tides. Eubanks ends up pouring it on at the end of the first round.
• Ladd destroys Eubanks towards the close of the second round. If she had more time, she may have stopped it.
• They completely slug it out all third round. Eubanks has a little more on her punches.
• Ladd vs. Eubanks is one of those fights I won’t hate to see a third time, even though Ladd is 2-0. Ladd winning that 30-26 is nuts. I had it a draw, but it ruled.

SRS’ Rec: Yes, this is a fantastic scrap. Ladd is tougher than many give her credit for because of the perceived UFC push.

Davi Ramos beats Austin Hubbard, UD

• Ramos is way, way better than Hubbard.
• Ramos should have been able to submit Hubbard, but he couldn’t.
• There was a double nut kick in this. Ramos pounded Hubbard from the top.
• There was a WEIRD stand up as Ramos was working ground and pound.
• Hubbard drops Ramos with a spin kick, but can’t win.

SRS’ Rec: Nope.

#15 Charles Oliveira HIGHLIGHT REELS Nik Lentz

• I will forever point out that a lot of people once thought Conor McGregor was ducking Nik Lentz.
• Lentz gets taken down and an Anaconda Choke was applied, but not successful.
• Oliveira almost guillotines Lentz, but upkicks Lentz in the face and the ref stops the action.
• Lentz is given the position back.
• Oliveira catches a Lentz kick and drops him with a straight. Ground and pound. THAT’S A WRAP.
• Five in a row for Oliveira. He’s now 6-1 at Lightweight. He’s a consistently outstanding fighter now. Charles Oliveira — 24 UFC fights. Two decisions.

SRS’ Rec: Charles Oliveira is must watch.

#15 Vicente Luque takes the wind out of Derrick Krantz, TKO R1

• Krantz is a giant underdog who Dana White didn’t want in the UFC. He replaced Magny on a few days’ notice.
• Krantz immediately cracks Luque and shakes off a guillotine.
• Derrick Krantz doesn’t care that Luque is a -1100 favorite.
• Well, he is, and Luque blasts and beats him. A huge knee to the body sets up a big left hand and that’s it.

SRS’ Rec: Yeah

Felicia Spencer defeated Megan Anderson, R1

• Spencer takes the back and ends up getting the submission win on Anderson.
• Anderson is now 1-2 in the UFC.
• I’m not implying Anderson should give up MMA, but I think she would excel in pro wrestling for a variety of reasons

SRS’ Rec: I guess.

Ian Heinisch defeated #12 Antonio Carlos Junior, UD

• I can’t believe the line was so close on Shoe Face vs. Heinisch. I found out why it was by the end of the fight. 
• I admire Heinisch trying to granby roll out of that waistlock.
• Shoe Face dominates the first round.
• The ref misses an accidental headbutt, and Shoe Face takes Heinisch down.
• Heinisch ends up on top and scores a great elbow that does damage.
• In round three, Ian gets caught in the ballsack with a knee. He then drops Shoe Face.
• Shoe Face has some LAZY takedown attempts that may lose him the fight. 
• Heinisch was a Dana White’s Contender Series product just 10 months ago. Now he’s ended Antonio Carlos Junior’s five-fight winning streak.

SRS’ Rec: You can pass on this one. 

#3 RDA submits #7 LW Kevin Lee, R4

• This is a VERY important fight for Lee.
• Lee cracks RDA and takes him down. 
• RDA clipped Lee with a head kick, but it’s not enough.
• RDA grabs a front facelock but Lee snaps away. 
• Lee slams RDA and escapes a guillotine, just to get back to the feet. 
• Lee seems tired already and gets taken down seven minutes in.
• Lee peaked at 24-25 years old and it’s kind of amazing.
• Though he showed great glimpses of offense, it became clear that Lee’s issues have a lot more behind them than a weight division.
• RDA taps out Lee in the fourth with an arm triangle

SRS’ Rec: High level, so yeah.