In the UFC's first foray into Poland, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic avenged the most devastating (and ironic) loss of his career with a stirring come-from-behind TKO victory over Gabriel Gonzaga.
Here are the complete results from Saturday's event:
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic def. Gabriel Gonzaga
In the rematch no one was asking for, Mirko "Cro Cop" snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a stunning TKO victory over Gabriel Gonzaga.
Cro Cop looked listless for two-and-a-half rounds, as Gonzaga outlanded the PRIDE legend on the feet and took him down at will, landing some decent ground-and-pound while hunting for submissions from full mount.
Midway through the third stanza, Cro Cop, showing the first flashes of offense all fight, blasted Gonzaga with a vicious elbow, sending the Brazilian staggering to the mat. Smelling blood, Cro Cop landed a furious barrage of elbows, opening up a giant gash above Gonzaga's eye.
After a steady stream of heavy elbows, referee Leon Roberts mercifully stepped in to stop the onslaught at 3:30 of the round.
Jimi Manuwa def. Jan Blachowicz via unanimous decision
It wasn't the brain-melting knockout expected from the heavy-handed Jimi Manuwa, but "The Posterboy" did enough to take a workman-like unanimous decision victory over Jan Blachowicz.
In what felt more like a 15-minute feeling out process, Manuwa outworked Blachowicz on the feet, landing the harder, more varied strikes, including a decent flurry as the time ticked down in the final stanza.
Following the bout, Manuwa admitted to suffering an injury leading up to the fight, but decided not to pull out.
Pawel Pawlak def. Sheldon Westcott via unanimous decision
Clinch! Clinch! Clinch! Clinch! Clinch! Clinch! Clinch! Clinch!
The only thing Sheldon Westcott wanted to do was clinch, and it didn't work against Pawel Pawlak.
Westcott, who gassed pretty quickly, tried to use his superior strength to bully Pawlak into the cage for 15 minutes, but Pawlak landed the harder, better strikes whenever there was some separation, and, after a slick throw in the third round, unleashed some nifty elbows from on top.
A nice little upset for the hometown hero.
Maryna Moroz def. Joanne Calderwood via first-round armbar
So much for Joanne Calderwood's title shot.
Calderwood, who flapped her gums non-stop about challenging champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk after winning on Saturday, had her putrid grappling exposed by Maryna Moroz, falling victim to Moroz's patented armbar at 1:30 of the opening round.
Surprisingly, Moroz was winning the brief stand up skirmish, before pulling guard and cinching in an armbar. Calderwood tried to stack Moroz, but was forced to tap once Moroz straightened her arm out.
Slick stuff from Moroz, who now has five armbar finishes in six victories.
Leon Edwards def. Seth Baczynski via first-round KO
Leon Edwards and Seth Baczynski had themselves a vine fight (where the entire fight could fit in a vine), and it finished with Baczynski staring up at the lights from his back.
As if sensing he was involved in one of the worst UFC cards of all time, Edwards infused some much needed violence into the proceedings, sending Baczynski careening to the canvas with a perfectly-timed counter left seconds into the opening round.
From there it was academic, as Edwards landed a couple coffin nails before walking away while referee Grant Waterman moved in to stop the carnage.
Thank you, Leon Edwards. You almost single-handedly made the undercard worthwhile ... almost.
Bartosz Fabinski def. Garreth McLellan via unanimous decision
For fans looking for a fight where one man dominates another man with positionally-strong top control and very short elbows, has the fantastically-named Bartosz Fabinski got a style for you!
It's quite simple, really. Fabinski can wrestle, and his opponent, Garreth McLellan, is a horrible defensive wrestler. This basic fact led to three rounds of the Fabinski taking McLellan down at will (including a few big slams), and using his superior top game to grind out the South African for almost 15 straight minutes.
It wasn't pretty. Or very entertaining. But it was a smart way to grab a victory in your UFC debut.
Sergio Moraes def. Mickael Lebout via unanimous decision
Sergio Moraes didn't remember there was a fight today until midway through the bout, and apparently that was enough.
After looking listless against Mickael Lebout for much of the opening round and a half, Moraes, who was being picked apart on the feet at range, landed a stinging combination punctuated by a big overhand right, and used the opening it created to finally take the Frenchman down to the mat.
From there, the BJJ ace put his superior grappling to good use, dominating Lebout on the floor for most of the final frame, and, although it looked like a too little too late situation, all three judges ruled in the Brazilian's favor.
Yaotzin Meza def. Damian Stasiak via unanimous decision
In a bout that devolved into a glorified grappling match with occasional striking, Yaotzin Meza was the better man on the floor.
After Damain Stasiak likely took the opening round, Meza did work for the final 10 minutes, chaining together submission attempts as he hunted for multiple stoppages with a series of rear-naked chokes and arm-triangles.
Though Meza wasn't able to finish the bout, his superiority on the mat carried him to a clear unanimous decision victory.
Anthony Hamilton def. Daniel Omielanczuk via unanimous decision
Anthony Hamilton forgot to bring his gas tank to Poland. Luckily for him, Daniel Omielanczuk did too.
After pouring on the offense in the first round - and trying to liquefy Omielanczuk's insides with a steady stream of body shots from full guard - Hamilton faded in the second, and Omielanczuk, who had some nice moments in the middle frame, looked like the fresher fighter heading into the final stanza.
Unfortunately, he wasn't, and instead of turning up the heat on Hamilton, Omielanczuk was content to fight a losing clinch battle for the final five minutes.
It was a sloppy 15 minutes barely fit for a Fight Pass undercard.
Aleksandra Albu def. Izabela Badurek via second-round submission
It was a tale of two styles, as Izabela Badurek tried to transform the bout into a grimy clinch-fest, while Aleksandra Albu showed off crisp striking whenever she saw the light of day.
As Badurek slowed and became more predictable in the second round, Albu was able to piece together a few good combinations, while Badurek tried to stick to her opponent like glue. Realizing she had nothing for Albu on the feet, Badurek dove for a double-leg without protecting her neck, and was immediately met with an ultra-tight guillotine choke.
Albu didn't have much time to crank before Badurek was already tapping the canvas in defeat, instantly silencing the very pro-Badurek crowd.
Stevie Ray def. Marcin Bandel via second-round TKO
Marcin Bandel may have been saved by the bell in the first round, but he needed to be saved by the referee in the second.
Stevie Ray, who showed off a lot of tools in just over six and a half minutes of cage time, had Bandel trapped in a tight arm triangle choke in the waning moments of the opening round, but ultimately couldn't seal the deal.
Undeterred, Ray aggressively pursued Bandel to start the second stanza, and after a botched guard pull by the 25-year-old Pole, started unleashing vicious ground-and-pound.
Bandel desperately tried to avoid Ray's fury, but after a barrage of mostly under-defended shots, the referee mercifully put an end to the onslaught at 1:35 of the frame.
Impressively violent stuff from Ray.
Taylor Lapilus def. Rocky Lee via unanimous decision
Taylor Lapilus kicked off the UFC's debut in Poland with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Rocky Lee.
Lee had nothing for Lapilus on the feet, as the Frenchman picked him apart at range, keeping Lee off balance with a slick combination of jabs, kicks and knees to the body.
No doubt hoping to turn the bout into more of a clinch grappling match, Lee tried mostly in vain to drag Lapilus to the mat, and on the rare occasion he was able to take his opponent down, Lapilus was quick to make an adjustment and bring the fight back to the feet. Once back to his feet, Lapilus continually used Lee for target practice.
Main Card
Mirko Filipovic (232) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (255)
Jan Blachowicz (204) vs. Jimi Manuwa (206)
Pawel Pawlak (169) vs. Sheldon Westcott (169)
Joanne Calderwood (115) vs. Maryna Moroz (115)
Prelim Card
Seth Baczynski (170) vs. Leon Edwards (170)
Bartosz Fabinski (184) vs. Garreth McLellan (184)
Mickael Lebout (169) vs. Sergio Moraes (171)
Yaotzin Meza (146) vs. Damian Stasiak (145)
Daniel Omielanczuk (243) vs. Anthony Hamilton (259)
Aleksandra Albu (114) vs. Izabela Badurek (115.6)
Marcin Bandel (154) vs. Stevie Ray (155)
Rocky Lee (145) vs. Taylor Lapilus (144)
