With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie takes a look at August’s best fights. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and the winner of MMAjunkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for August 2014.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice for “Fight of the Month.”
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The nominees
Paul Marin vs. Andy Young at Cage Warriors 70
Paul Marin (8-4) earned a hard-fought and entertaining decision win over flyweight Andy Young(6-6). The duo received a standing ovation following the back-and-forth bout, but Marin ultimately outworked his opponent for two of the three rounds and earned a thrilling unanimous-decision victory.
Artem Lobov def. Andrew Fisher at Cage Warriors 70
In a thrilling featherweight bout, 2-1 underdog Artem Lobov (10-10), nicknamed “The Prospect Killer,” was nearly pounded out by opponent Andrew Fisher (12-7-1) in the first round. However, he rallied to even up the fight through two rounds. He then scored a TKO stoppage in the final second of the final round to get the win. Lobov unloaded a barrage of punches on his kneeling opponent to force the referee’s intervention.
Max Holloway vs. Clay Collard at UFC Fight Night 49
UFC newcomer Clay Collard (13-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was determined to be the aggressor as he pushed the pace against veteran UFC featherweight Max Holloway (10-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC). Collard showed a good chin, but also a porous defense, which would doom him as the fight wore on. Holloway’s crisp striking and pinpoint accuracy was too much for Collard to overcome, and in the end, Holloway forced a third-round TKO stoppage.
Carlos Diego Ferreira def. Ramsey Nijem at UFC 177
Just as he said he would, Carlos Diego Ferreira (11-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) knocked out Ramsey Nijem (9-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) with a well-timed right hand counter, taking full advantage of his opponent’s reckless offense. Ferreira, a submission specialist, scored the first knockout victory of his career and seemed perfectly content to kickbox with Nijem throughout this fight. After back-and-forth action for a little more than one round, Nijem was floored when he lunged in and caught a Ferreira right hand squarely on the jaw. A few more follow-up hammerfists from the Brazilian forced referee Herb Dean to halt the action.
Champ T.J. Dillashaw vs. Joe Soto at UFC 177
It wasn’t an easy night of work, but T.J. Dillashaw (11-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) was always a step ahead of last-minute challenger Joe Soto (15-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and, for the second time in a row, finished his fight in the fifth round. As he did in his title-winning performance in May against Renan Barao, Dillashaw caught his opponent with a head kick before punches sealed his victory. Soto fought Dillashaw with 24 hours’ notice after Barao fell out of the fight on weigh-in day. Soto was a huge underdog, and despite the fact he was finished, he gave Dillashaw a much more competitive fight than many anticipated.
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The winner: Paul Marin vs. Andy Young
Cage Warriors is clearly on the rise, and the memorable battle between Paul Marin and Andy Young at Cage Warriors 70 is a perfect example of the quality action that goes down in the European-based promotion.
The flyweight affair, which took place at The Helix in Dublin on Aug. 16, had a little bit of it all, from hard knocks on the feet to compelling grappling exchanges on the mat.
While both fighters had their moments over the course of the 15-minute affair, it was Marin who produced the more meaningful offense in two of the three rounds. The judges saw it the same way and awarded him a unanimous-decision victory by scores of 29-28.
Marin was on a downswing over the past couple years after he lost three of four fights. However, he has turned it around by winning three of his past four. Marin is undoubtedly excited to have some momentum back on his side, but MMAjunkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for August 2014 is also cause for celebration.
Filed under: Cage Warriors, News, UFC
