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Jake Shields’ ability to control position made the difference in the main event of Submission Underground 8, because it allowed him to defeat Austin Vanderford after three overtime periods.
Shields struggled to find an opponent for the card before Vanderford, the husband of UFC women’s flyweight contender Paige VanZant that was introduced as “Mr. VanZant,” stepped up and accepted the headlining spot at Roseland Theater in Portland, Ore.
The regulation for the match, which was contested under EBI rules, was relatively uneventful. It start primarily in the standing position, with both men doing their best to get an advantage that could lead to a submission. Unfortunately, it was to no avail.
The action spilled over into overtime, where each side is given an opportunity to be in a good position for a submission. Neither could capitalize through three overtime periods, and the difference-maker was Shields’ effort in holding position while Vanderford tried to escape.
The wide gap in control time gave Shields the win, and while Vanderford will head back to MMA to fight for Bellator this year, Shields said he’s uncertain what his future holds going forward.
“I’m trying to decide what I’m doing next if I’m going to keep fighting or just do grappling,” Shields said in his post-match interview with Chael Sonnen. “I’m trying to figure it out.”
4, but who’s counting? #SUG8 #UFCFIGHTPASS
Congrats to @jakeshieldsajj! pic.twitter.com/aoCFt0tV5F
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 13, 2019
Jake Ellenberger’s first combat sports competition since retiring from MMA this past year saw him edge Diego Sanchez in a rematch from a memorable “Fight of the Night” bout under the UFC banner from February 2012.
After beating Sanchez in MMA years ago, Ellenberger proved superior in the grappling contest, but not by much. After the regulation period provided no winner, the action spilled over into overtime, where each man had opportunities to get the job done.
The rematch as advertised so far! @DiegoSanchezUFC @EllenbergerMMA #SUG8 #UFCFIGHTPASS pic.twitter.com/EPjDwoc4Be
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 13, 2019
Neither man could tap each other out, so it came down to who had the least accumulative escape time during the overtime periods. Some quick armbar escapes from Ellenberger put him up in that category, and he got the job nod.
Ellenberger said he has no intentions of returning to MMA, however, he would like to continue trying his hand in the grappling world.
“I’ll grapple tomorrow, the next day – it’s great,” Ellenberger said following his match. “I love the competition and I would love to be back.”
Matt Mitrione arrive on a plane from Saturday’s Bellator 221 event just hours before a matchup with Fabiano Scherner, and while he put up a valiant effort, he couldn’t fend off the techniques of the multi-time jiu-jitsu world champion for long.
After no one could get the job done in regulation, the matchup between the two heavyweights went into overtime. It was there that Scherner secured an armbar that force a tap out of Mitrione and ended the match.
Fabiano locks the armbar in OT – @mattmitrione has :34 secs to return the favor! #SUG8 #UFCFIGHTPASS pic.twitter.com/s1FaADuv2Q
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 12, 2019
Mitrione was in good spirits despite the outcome, and Scherner is already looking ahead to a planned matchup with Gabriel Gonzaga at the next Submission Underground event.
“Gabriel Gonzaga, I want my rematch,” Scherner said. “You beat me before I want that rematch now. My wrestling is better than before and I will beat your ass now.”
After having two fight fail to materialize under the now-defunct Strikeforce banner roughly a decade ago, Gilbert Melendez and Pat Healy finally got an opportunity to compete against each other under grappling-only rules.
Melendez defeated Healy after a back-and-forth matchup which went to three overtime periods. Neither man could get the conclusive victory within the allotted time frame, so the winner was decided on which man had the least amount of submission escape time. That was Melendez, who said the match was nothing more than early preparation for his return to MMA against Arnold Allen at UFC 239 on July 6.
“That’s all this was – preparation for Arnold Allen,” Melendez said. “I’m coming for you. I haven’t signed my bout agreement yet but I’m going to do that today and July 6 I’m back, baby.”
Submission Underground 8 results include:
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For Javier Mendez, Islam Makhachev is more skilled than Khabib Nurmagomedov but not more dangerous. Daniel Cormier, who also trained under Mendez at American Kickboxing Academy, said UFC lightweight champion Makhachev is even more dangerous than former champ Nurmagomedov was during his prime. Mendez heavily disagrees. “OK, he’s more...
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