Anaheim, Calif. -- Cris Cyborg is finally a UFC champion.
Fighting for the women’s featherweight belt vacated by former champion Germaine de Randamie following UFC 208, Cyborg delivered a dominant performance on the UFC 214 main card, demolishing Tonya Evinger. Cyborg, widely considered the most dangerous woman in MMA, patiently picked her shots, finishing the fight with a third-round knee and follow-up punches.
“I am very happy and proud to own this belt and it will be really hard to take it away from me,” offered Cyborg, who improves to 3-0 in the UFC. I was very calm this time, calculating the right time to throw the right punches and kicks.”
Dropping Evinger right off the bat with a quick left hook, Cyborg was patient with her striking game while avoiding numerous takedown attempts. And, aside from an early accidental eye poke by Evinger, Cyborg cruised to victory, forcing the TKO stoppage at 1:56 of the third period.
Rather than headhunt for the knockout early on, Cyborg stalked Evinger around the Octagon for the first two frames, using leg kicks to slow the pace. Evinger’s gameplan, which relied heavily on securing takedowns, proved futile, as Cyborg slowly picked the opposition apart, causing damage on multiple occasions.
“Before I was just crazy inside the cage and now I’m learning fighting,” explained Cyborg. “I have calmed down. I’m very happy to be world champion and I think this is the perfect time because I think I’m at the top of my career now.”
Following Cyborg’s first UFC title win, incumbent welterweight champion Tyron Woodley earned a unanimous decision over challenger Demian Maia (50-45, 49-46, 49-46), although the fight was widely panned by the Honda Center crowd.
Woodley, who recorded the third defense of his title, played a very tactical and calculated game with Maia, one of the finest Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioners in the sport. Busting up Maia’s eye in the first round and sending him to the mat in the second, Woodley was unable to consistently do significant damage, landing just 57 strikes during the 25-minute contest.
Instead, Woodley focused his efforts on avoiding all of Maia’s 24 takedown attempts. And while it was enough to win on the judges’ scorecards, the performance lacked action and signature moments, much like Woodley’s previous win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 209.
“Every time I threw a hook and punch he was in on my legs,” explained Woodley. “This is my second specialist in a row. It would be silly for me to take him down and try to submit him. I went out there and did what I needed to do … he didn’t take me down one time, he didn’t even come close. I wasn’t breathing hard the end of the fight, I feel amazing. I was satisfied with my performance; not everyone is going to understand what is taking place in there. It’s a chess match and I won it convincingly.”
While the Woodley vs. Maia fight was an aesthetic dud, a featured bout between former champion Robbie Lawler and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone lived up to the pre-fight hype, with both athletes trading and landing strikes throughout the 15-minute contest.
Lawler rushed out of the gate, tagging Cerrone with punches to force a clinch. Continuing to pour on the offense, throwing punches and knees from the clinch, Lawler took the first round. But in the second, Cerrone regained form, evening the score with his kickboxing savvy and gritty style.
The third round was rather even, as both Lawler and Cerrone landed clean shots, doing damage. And while Cerrone officially outstruck Lawler 82-77, while securing the lone takedown of the bout, the judges scored the bout in Lawler’s favor.
“I came out fast in the first round because I thought if I got on top of him, I could stop him,” commented Lawler, who fought for the first time in a year. “Obviously, that didn’t happen. He showed a lot of toughness and a lot of grit. Hats off to him. I’m going to go visit my buddy Matt [Hughes] and make sure he’s alright and he’s continuing to fight and then I’ll get back to work.”
Opening up the main card, fifth-ranked light heavyweight Volkan Oezdemir recorded his third straight upset win inside the Octagon, knocking out favored Jimi Manuwa in just 42 seconds.
Clinching early, Oezdemir, who took home a Performance of the Night bonus, did immediate damage in the clinch, landing a heavy left hand on the break. Oezdemir continued with the left, connecting on a hook that sent Manuwa to the canvas, and from there it took just a few follow-up punches on the ground before the bout was waived off.
“My entry to the UFC is kind of unique. Before this fight no one knew me, I came from nowhere,” commented Oezdemir, who proceeded to call out the winner of the evening’s main event between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. “People were always doubting me and each fight I prove them wrong – I really like it. It drives me and gives me a challenge when I’m able to do this.”
Read More on the UFC 214 prelims.
UFC 214 Official Results
- Jon Jones def. Daniel Cormier via knockout (head kick and punches) R3, 3:01
- Tyron Woodley def. Demian Maia via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)
- Cris Cyborg def. Tonya Evinger via TKO (knee and punches) R3, 1:56
- Robbie Lawler def. Cowboy Cerrone via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Volkan Oezdemir def. Jimi Manuwa via KO (punches) R1, 0:42
- Ricardo Lamas def. Jason Knight via TKO (punches) R1, 4:34
- Aljamain Sterling def. Renan Barao via unanimous (29-28, 29-27, 30-26)
- Brian Ortega def. Renato Moicano via submission (guillotine choke) R3, 2:59
- Calvin Kattar def. Andre Fili via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Alexandra Albu def. Kailin Curran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jared Brooks def. Eric Shelton via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Drew Dober def. Josh Burkman via KO (punch) R1, 3:04