WSOF 3 Complete Results and Recap
The stellar World Series of Fighting promotion brought smart match-making, rising stars and familiar faces to the cage in Las Vegas for tonight’s WSOF 3. It was worth staying home on a Friday night, but if you missed it, here’s what went down inside The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel at WSOF 3.
WSOF 3 Preliminary card:
145 lbs.: Brenson Hansen vs. Josh Montalvo: It was wild and raw offense versus fluid functionality as Montalvo and Hansen kicked off the WSOF card. Both fighters showed they had game on the feet, cracking away with multi-level kick attacks and smooth hand combinations. The main difference here was certainly Hansen’s slick takedown game, hitting literally every attempt across three rounds and working ground and pound from top position. While Montalvo was gutsy and landed his fair share, the domination on the mat spelled a loss for him, as Hansen walked away with the judge’s nod
Brenson Hansen wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
185 lbs.: Kendrick Miree vs. Krasimir Mladenov: Two fighters used to being the biggest dogs in the yard so to speak, Miree and Mladenov engaged in a grueling affair that made me tired just watching it. Miree looked to attack from multiple angles and uses his length, keeping the simple wrestler at bay as much as possible. Sometimes simple is good however, as Mladenov’s easy one-two punches found their mark more than a few times, and after a tense first round, the Bulgarian started to find his takedowns as well. With one round apiece, the 3rd round proved to be a scoring nightmare, as Miree walked forward continuously and missed nearly everything he threw, while Mladenov walked backwards but landed his simple punches with some consistency. The accuracy paid off going to the final bell as the Bulgarian wrestler kept his undefeated record intact with his workmanlike performance.
Krasimir Mladenov wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
135 lbs.: Carson Beebe vs. Joe Murphy: Midwestern wrestling terror Carson Beebe found his way into the WSOF cage, taking on well-rounded adversary Joe Murphy. Beebe showed his wrestling chops early, throwing Murphy around with misdirection takedowns and working from top with tight positioning, but Murphy’s BJJ looked polished and ready for the task. The first round saw Murphy lose the wrestling match, but with two near falls from the front headlock position in the form of a guillotine and anaconda choke. Beebe kept cool however and survived to the next round.
The grappling match heated up to supernova in the second round, with Beebe doing everything he could to stay on top of a bucking, rolling and attacking Murphy, both showing amazing degree of balance, timing and meticulous technique. The grappling ballet made for one of the single best rounds of fighting in recent memory with Murphy pulling off an unbelievable counter takedown sprawl and sweep to mount, closing the round out with a bang.
Both men came into the 3rd round looking fresh and ready and continued the Fight Of The Year candidate with Beebe hitting a slam but Murphy using his BJJ to sweep and threaten with multiple choke attacks; taking over the round early and never giving it back. Outrageous performance by both men, but one marred by a horrid decision.
Carson Beebe wins via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
155 lbs.: John Gunderson vs. Dan Lauzon: An unsung veteran of the sport, John Gunderson stepped into the WSOF cage, facing another former UFC veteran in Dan Lauzon. Lauzon’s powerful style was on display, throwing heaters and muscling his opponent around as Gunderson relentlessly went for the takedown. Lauzon owned the first round by blasting Gunderson off his feet several times, nearly forcing a stoppage as his dazed foe laid on the canvas and looked unresponsive after a wild uppercut sent him sprawling.
Gunderson came into the 2nd round looking too tough to admit he was outmatched, throwing crisp punches that only seemed to spur on Lauzon. Back against the cage, Gunderson absorbed hellish bombs in the search of a KO counter that would never come, as Lauzon crushed him with a variety of strikes for two rounds of carnage.
Dan Lauzon wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
145 lbs.: Jerrod Sanders vs. Jeff Smith: The final prelim fight pitted monstrous Featherweight Jerrod Sanders against late replacement, yet the very game Jeff Smith. Sander’s raw power was evident early on, hitting powerful takedowns in the face of Smith’s quick strikes. Smith showed us his matwork early, but the sheer size of Sanders seemed to give him issues with setting up the submissions and sweeps he’s used to using.
The fight would take an interesting turn in the 2nd round, as Sanders went for his bread and butter move, the brabo choke, and held Smith in place with it for nearly two minutes, Smith being so out powered he couldn’t remove himself from the choke with his entire body working against Sander’s arms. Finally slipping the choke, Sander’s appeared to have spent his arms for a time, as the fight returned to the feet, Smith blasted Sanders and put him on the mat, nearly finishing the fight and making for a tough round to score.
The third round was all Sanders however, hitting his Okie-style takedowns and grinding from dominant position for the full five minutes, giving his foe no room to rally for a comeback and taking his biggest win to date.
Jerrod Sanders wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
WSOF 3 Main Card:
155 lbs.: Justin Gaethje vs. Brian Cobb: Hot prospect Justin Gaethje returned to the WSOF cage, taking on well-travelled veteran Brian Cobb. Gaethje came out to start like a maniac, hitting Cobb with wild punches while rarely having both feet on the mat. Cobb showed composure and the counter-wrestling submission game he’s built his career on however, hitting takedowns on his over-reaching adversary and keeping the fight on the mat. Gaethje soon found himself in a world of trouble as Cobb slipped to his back and began unloading punches; battering the kidneys and head of Gaethje for several minutes. The young fighter barely survived the first round, but showed no inclination of being put off by his foe, launching every strike he could think of and beating Cobb all over the cage. Cobb looked to snipe with his long reach and found some success, but was often on his back foot with Gaethje’s unique striking style being difficult to time and avoid without a full retreat. Soon, leg kicks began to pile up and Cobb lost his ability to avoid damage all together, eventually buckling due to the lower body assault.
Justin Gaethje wins via 3rd Round TKO (leg kicks)
155 lbs.: Jacob Volkmann vs. Lyle Beerbohm: The always vocal and generally unpopular Volkmann came into this fight with a lot to prove, taking on underrated grappler Lyle Beerbohm. Both fighters came out looking to work a pressure game on the other, with Beerbohm having a fair bit of size at Lightweight, while Volkmann had the world-class experience to make every move a chore for his foe. Volkmann showed he was too technical for Beerbohm in his transitions and control, but Beerbohm found that keeping the fight in a clinch phase favored his size advantage, though did little to entertain the fans. The last round would see Volkmann hit a takedown early and never let go of Beerbohm, taking the round with ease and walking with a clear decision win, vintage Volkmann style.
Jacob Volkmann wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
170 lbs.: Steve Carl vs. Tyson Steele: Two welterweight powerhouses made for a nice co-main event, as Bellator veteran Steve Carl took on WSOF project Tyson Steele. The fight started with heat right away as Steele fired a salvo of kicks that didn’t do much harm, but took Carl off his game right away. Spending too much time on his heels for his liking, Carl decided to charge forward and throw leather, breaking Steele’s rhythm as he ate punches. Being rocked by a right hand, Steele went for a shot, but quickly regretted it as Carl latched onto his back and sunk a powerful off side rear-naked choke that forced an immediate tap.
Steve Carl wins via 1st Round Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)
170 lbs.: Jon Fitch vs. Josh Burkman: Two men looking for redemption, former UFC title challenger Jon Fitch came to WSOF looking to make a statement at the expense of Josh Burkman. If Burkman was scared he sure didn’t show it however, as he met force with force, dropping Fitch in the first punching exchange. With Fitch hurt, he went for his go-to single leg and Burkman went for his go-to guillotine choke. When the dust cleared, Burkman was standing over Fitch’s unconscious frame, looking like a boss.
Josh Burkman wins via 1st Round Submission (guillotine)
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