MMA Junkie’s ‘Fight of the Month’ for August: A slugfest in a rematch

Bobby Green vs. Lando Vannata

The rematch between Bobby Green and Lando Vannata lived up to the “Fight of the Night” standard set by their first bout. However, this time there was a definitive winner.

Green (26-10-1 MMA, 7-5-1 UFC) landed the more damaging shots in a toe-to-toe slugfest over three rounds to take a unanimous decision against Vannata (11-5-2 MMA, 3-5-2 UFC) with scores of 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27. They first fought at UFC 216 in October 2016, which ended in a split draw.

Kai Kamaka III vs. Tony Kelley

Kai Kamaka III (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Tony Kelley (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) made a great first impression against each other in their UFC debuts. Kamaka was strong in his striking game in the first two rounds, and Kelley countered with a solid kicking game.

In the third, Kelley came out like someone who thought he was down on the cards. Both newcomers landed during a wild exchange in the middle of the round, and Kelley got the better of the shots. But it proved to be too little, too late in a unanimous decision loss.

Trevin Jones

Trevin Jones (13-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC) pulled off an all-time upset against Timur Valiev (16-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC).

Jones accepted the fight on just three days’ notice against Valiev, who could be found as high as a -2000 favorite by one oddsmaker going into the matchup. Valiev tore Jones up int he first round, and the underdog was fortunate to be given a chance to see the second. It seemed like Jones would be taken out early in the middle frame, but he had other plans. He found a home for a clean right hand that badly hurt Valiev and sent him to the canvas. Jones jumped on top and followed up with an onslaught of strikes that put on a bow on the stunning turn of events.

Frankie Edgar vs. Pedro Munhoz

Frankie Edgar (24-8-1 MMA, 18-8-1 UFC) is no stranger to fights that go 25 minutes, and he pulled out another close one against Pedro Munhoz (18-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) in his first fight at bantamweight.

Edgar won with a pair of 48-47 scores. A dissenting judge had it 49-46 for Munhoz in a split decision that left Munhoz asking for a rematch. It was his Edgar’s debut at bantamweight after years of fighting at featherweight, and years at lightweight before that, a division in which he was a UFC champion.

Leg kicks were the name of the game for Munhoz, and when he was throwing his hands, he was looking for something big. Edgar chose to circle outside as often as he could, and when he threw punches, they came in bigger combinations. In the end, he seemed to have done enough, at least in two judges’ eyes, to eke one out.

Ricardo Lamas vs. Bill Algeo

Ricardo Lamas (20-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) knew going into his fight with short-notice replacement Bill Algeo (13-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) that it could be his last before retirement. He went out on a high note in a “Fight of the Night” winner that wound up being closer than the scorecards might otherwise indicate.

Lamas started well in the first round, including a high kick and a leg sweep to take Algeo off his feet. Algeo was solid in the second, though, to pull things even. But in the third, Lamas’ veteran savvy took over and he took a 10-8 frame from all three judges to win the fight 29-27 on all three cards. For now, it stands as his final MMA bout.

Bobby Green

Vannata came out of the gate looking strong. He walked Green down with punching combinations and connected with some stinging shots, one of which snapped Green’s head back. But Vannata got overly eager and walked into a hard straight punch from Green that dropped him. Vannata regained his composure and got the fight back into striking range to trade with Green again.

The frantic pace continued to start the second before slowing a bit. That gave Green an opening to land a takedown. He couldn’t do much with it before Vannata got back up, however, and they resumed striking over the final two minutes.

The fighters came out looking to put a statement on each other in the final round, and Green made the first big move. He stepped into the pocket for a wild exchange with Vannata, landing a devastating tight elbow that led to a knockdown. Vannata went into survival mode, doing his best to endure the onslaught from Green. He made it through and scrambled back to his feet with three minutes left. After another Green takedown, they slugged it out for the final stretch, with Green landing the better shots to secure his win.