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UFC Vegas 39 Highlights: Marina Rodriguez Schools Mackenzie Dern

MMA UFC
Ewan Ross Oct 9, 2021 7:06PM

UFC Vegas 39 seemed like a little bit lacking on paper, but it delivered especially on the prelims which featured blood in nearly every fight. Check that out and the rest of the highlights after the jump.

Marina Rodriguez def. Mackenzie Dern via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)

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In a tale of two fights, Marina Rodriguez completely dominated Mackenzie Dern in the standing portions of the fight, while Dern was immediately threatening finishes any time the fight hit the mat. Unfortunately for Dern, essentially only the second round was contested on the ground, so Rodriguez took a fairly safe decision victory. Dern's lack of urgency attempting to get the fight to the ground is immensely frustrating to watch, and her growth as a striker seems to been a mirage.

Randy Brown def. Jared Gooden via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Randy Brown showed off his range striking skills to get the decision over Jared Gooden. Brown battled through adversity, both by dislocating his toe when he kicked Gooden in the face in the first round, and also weathered a flurry of leg kicks Gooden sent his way. Despite that he was able to use his pinpoint striking and get the decision over the tough Gooden. This was an excellent fight, that had some clear bad blood stemming from Gooden's weight miss.

Matheus Nicolau def. Tim Elliott via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

In a fun action flyweight fight, Matheus Nicolau edged the close decision over Tim Elliott. After dropping the first round, Nicolau was able to make adjustments and edged out the 2nd round, before controlling most of the round from top position. A good win for Nicolau who now extends his winning streak to four in the flyweight division.

Mariya Agapova def. Sabina Mazo via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) (Rd. 3 0:58)

In a coming-out party, Mariya Agapova dominated Sabina Mazo with a volume out fighting approach for the first two rounds before absolutely crushing Mazo with a giant overhand right, that knocked her down, and Agapova immediately jumped on the neck for the brutal club and sub finish. Flyweight may have a new contender emerging. Post-fight Agapova called out Maryna Moroz, which would be an excellent next step.

Chris Gutierrez def. Felipe Colares via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

In a fun kickboxing match, Chris Gutierrez outpaced Felipe Colares, dealing more damage over the course of the fight while standing, and consistently shutting down any takedown attempts. Not a particularly spectacular fight, but a good performance by Gutierrez to move forward in the stacked Bantamweight division. I dunno about the judge who gave Colares two rounds. It wasn't a blowout, but Gutierrez clearly won the fight.

Alexander Romanov def. Jared Vanderaa via TKO (Ground and Pound) (Rd. 2 4:43)

Alexander Romanov absolutely mauled Jared Vanderaa, taking him down at will, and just wrecking him via ground and pound. This fight was entirely one way traffic for as long as it lasted.

Damon Jackson def. Charles Rosa via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-27, 29-28)

In an excellent bout that featured as much blood as you'll see in any UFC fight, Damon Jackson emerged victorious over Charles Rosa. Jackson controlled the majority of the fight on the ground, but Rosa was constantly threatening with leg locks. However, coming out at the start of the third round, Rosa caught Jackson with a picture-perfect spinning back elbow which busted Jackson open with a 2 inch cut just above his eye. For the remainder of the third round the two men proceeded to grapple while covered in puddles of blood. It was great.

Loopy Godinez def. Silvana Gomez Juarez via Submission (Armbar) (Rd. 1 4:14)

An outstanding performance by Loopy Godinez, dominating UFC debutant Silvana Gomez Juarez in every facet of the fight. Godinez opened the fight cracking Juarez in exchanges on the feet, smoothly changed levels, and found the submission finish via armbar. A great bounceback win for Godinez after her loss in her UFC debut. She looked awesome.

Steve Garcia def. Charlie Ontiveros via TKO (Ground and Pound) (Rd. 1 1:51)

Charlie Ontiveros came out strong early in round one, knocking Steve Garcia down twice with flashy kicks, but Garcia got a successful takedown at around the mid-point of the first round, and proceeded to absolutely crush Ontiveros with elbows from top position. Ontiveros was left a bloody mess at the end of round one, and the second round was more of the same, with Garcia dominating once he got the takedown and vicious ground and pound got the finish.

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