Fights in the daytime? Yes please.
Due to the time difference, we get to see UFC Fight Night 66 at a reasonable hour rather than struggling through midnight to get our MMA fix.
Here is how the 12-fight card played out.
Yao Zhikui def Nolan Ticman
The exclusive Fight Pass prelims got underway in the flyweight division as China’s Yao Zhikui was awarded a controversial decision victory over Nolan Ticman.
Ticman displayed the better movement throughout the fight as he landed shots and evaded the strikes of Zhikui but with the Chinese fighter moving forward the whole time.
The shock on Zhikui’s face when the decision was announced speaks volumes about the result.
Jon Delos Reyes def Roldan Sangcha-An
Frankie Edgar and Urijah Faber have some serious work to do if they’re to beat out this flyweight bout to fight of the night as Jon Delos Reyes and Roldan Sangcha-An left everything they had in the octagon.
The Filipino began the fight in dominant fashion with heavy hands and a takedown before Delos Reyes, suffering from a nasty cut, used all the lubrication of the blood to slip his forearm under the chin of Sancha-an midway through round 2 to score a textbook rear-naked choke.
Ning Guangyou def Royston Wee
So late was Ning Guangyou’s TKO victory in round 2 that the UFC had already gone to commercial break.
But the camera was rolling and everyone saw the Chinese bantamweight stun Wee with a headkick before finishing with a left hook, body shot and vicious elbows to force the referee to step in with 4:59 on the clock.
Li Jingliang def Dhiego Lima
Li Jingliang lived up to the nickname The Leech as he sucked every bit of life out of his opponent.
The aggressive Chinese fighter came out looking to finish and his hooks found the chin of Lima early on with a short left dropping the Brazilian just over a minute into the first round.
Jingliang pounced on his wounded opponent and didn’t give Lima the chance to recover, forcing the referee to wave the fight off.
Kajan Johnson def Lipeng Zhang
The finishes came to an end in the afternoon’s first lightweight bout as Canada’s Ragin Kajan Johnson showed superiority in every area as he forced a fairly clear decision victory over China’s Lipeng Zhang.
The bout was largely contested in the grappling department with Johnson content with a body lock and back control to coast his way to his first UFC victory.
Jon Tuck def Tae Hyun Bang
Jon Tuck looked nothing but comfortable in his first round stoppage of the hard-hitting South Korean Tae Hyun Bang.
The Guam lightweight opened up with a takedown before loosening up in the striking department, connecting flush with a short right hook that sent Hyun Bang to the canvas.
Tuck punished his opponent with some ground and pound before a rear-naked choke opened up and he squeezed his way to his ninth pro win.
Levan Makashvili def Mark Eddiva
This fight played out just as everyone thought it would – Makashvili took Eddiva down, Eddiva struggled his way to the feet, Makashvili took Eddiva down again.
A dominant grappling showcase put on by The Hornet as he took the unanimous decision.
Phillipe Nover def Yui Chul Nam
It was fantastic to see Phillipe Nover back in the octagon and get his first UFC victory.
His improvements were evident early as he threw Yui Chul Nam around at will for the first round.
The second was much closer as Nam could have arguably stolen the round after putting Nover on his back.
The third went clearly Nam’s way as he worked for an arm triangle but Nover rode out the dangerous position and squeezed a razor close decision.
Neil Magny def Hyun Gyu Lim
It’s about darn time for Neil Magny to get a shot at top 10 opposition after he pushed his winning streak to seven with a comeback victory against Hyun Gyu Lim.
Lim used his trademark knees to rock the American early on but looked to gas as a result.
Magny took advantage in the second round as he looked to be comfortable in the transitions on the ground.
The TUF 16 product began raining down ground and pound early on in that round, giving the referee no choice but to call the fight.
Mark Munoz def Luke Barnatt
Perhaps the most satisfying victory for fight fans came in the middleweight division as sound fella Mark Munoz topped off a terrific career with a unanimous decision victory over tricky striker Luke Barnatt.
We worried that the Englishman would be too daunting a task for Munoz’s MMA farewell but he proved us all wrong with a typically grinding performance.
He outwrestled Barnatt for three rounds and left no doubt in the judges minds as halts a three fight losing streak and leave the sport on a high.
And The Filipino Wrecking Machine fittingly called time on his 20 fight career by leaving his battle-tested gloves laying in the centre of the octagon.
Gegard Mousasi def Costas Philippou
The gulf in class between these two top 15 middleweights was obvious for all inside the Mall of Asia Arena as Gegard Mousasi showed the mark of a truly quality mixed martial artist en route to a unanimous decision victory.
He employed a very intelligent, if overly cautious, gameplan as he avoided being dragged into a boxing match by taking the fight to the mat on multiple occasions.
From there he worked to make Philippou’s life a living hell and, although he failed to get the submission, he took his second consecutive victory with very little difficulty.
Frankie Edgar def Urijah Faber
The most anticipated match-up in months didn’t disappoint in the least but it did have a sense of coming and going without ever feeling like it had taken place. Five more rounds wouldn’t have gone amiss.
Urijah Faber looked to control the centre of the octagon and use his strength and power to hurt Edgar with counters.
But volume was the key between The Answer and The California Kid as Edgar had a decided speed advantage and he landed more shots to secure all five rounds on the scorecards.
It seems like, for the next year, that there will be some excellent fights between Conor McGregor, Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar and Urijah Faber.
