UFC Fight Night 141 took place Saturday at Cadillac Arena in Beijing and streamed entirely on UFC Fight Pass. Below is a recap of the eight bouts that comprised the prelims.
Smolka triumphant in return to octagon
The night’s first fight saw Louis Smolka (14-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) return to the octagon following a year on the regional scene and pick up an impressive submission victory. Chinese newcomer Su Mudaerji (10-2 MMA, 0-1) proved a game opponent, scrambling well when pressed and looking for submission opportunities, but it was “Da Last Samurai” who worked himself into place for a second-round armbar finish, snapping a four-fight UFC losing streak.
“I thought my performance was good. It could have been better,” Smolka said. “My opponent was super tough. He has a really unique blend of skills and without much footage on him it was kind of hard to prepare. We took the fight on short notice, and he was a really tricky guy to deal with. He threw some stuff at me that I wasn’t expecting. It’s been a rough year, but I’m ready to go – maybe give my head a little bit of time to heal. Talk to the UFC and perhaps fight again around March.”
Holland’s first UFC win comes by submission
In a middleweight matchup, Kevin Holland (13-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) picked up his first UFC win, using speed and movement to work past the power of a hard-hitting John Phillips (21-8 MMA, 0-2 UFC). After banking the opening round, Holland was forced to survive the heavy strikes of Phillips in the second. He showed solid defense and durability in doing so before again seizing momentum in the third, taking the fight to the floor and eventually working himself into place for a fight-ending rear-naked choke in the final minute.
“I feel like I could have done better, but I promised John a good scrap, and a good scrap is what we did,” Holland said. “Hats off to him, hats off to me, hats off to some more money hopefully. We just knew at SPG camp that the rear-naked choke was their kryptonite, so when push came to shove, if he was having a good night then we would rear-naked choke him. Rear-naked choke him and then head to the green room. Next, hopefully another good knock. Right now, I’m going to go home, shake the baby and kiss the wife.”
Xiaonan relentless with attack, stays perfect in UFC
In strawweight action, Yan Xiaonan (10-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) stayed unbeaten in the UFC with an impressive decision win over Syuri Kondo (6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC). The contest proved a purely standup affair, and it was Xiaonan’s relentless offense that was most effective. Powerful kicks to the legs and flurries of punches up top punctuated Xiaonan’s attacks. While Kondo showed impressive heart, there was little question who deserved the win. Judges sided toward Xiaonan, 30-27 on all three cards.
Pingyuan earns hard-fought split decision over debuting Day
Liu Pingyuan (15-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) complained of a broken hand during his bantamweight contest with Martin Day (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), but that didn’t stop him from taking home a hard-fought split-decision victory. Day was the better striker in the 15-minute contest, but Team Alpha Male’s Pingyuan utilized his wrestling superiority to edge out his debuting foe, taking the fight 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28.
Zhang makes statement by submitting Aguilar
Weili Zhang (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) announced herself as potential contender in the strawweight division, earning her 18th consecutive win with a dominant first-round finish of Jessica Aguilar (20-7 MMA, 1-3 UFC). While “Jag” looked to take the fight to the floor early in the contest, it was Zhang who defended well and then surprised with her own takedown, moving immediately to side control.
From there, a non-stop barrage of elbows and forearms saw her slice open Aguilar before moving to mount and setting up a triangle choke. The initial submission didn’t work, but as Zhang rolled to her back, she continued striking her trapped opponent before turning to the armbar and earning a tap at the 3:41 mark of the first round.
“I feel very good right now. I am very excited because I am right at home, and this time I thought I really showed myself,” Zhang said. “I don’t think I showed my full potential in my last fight, and I was upset for a long time. I am very grateful for everyone’s support.”
Coulter earns unanimous decision for first UFC win
For Rashad Coulter (9-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC), his fourth time in the octagon proved the charm, finally picking up a UFC win with a unanimous decision over Hu Yaozong (3-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC). The two former heavyweights each moved down to 205 pounds for the contest, and the pace lived up to the expectations of the division. Yaozong showed a powerful low kick throughout the fight, but he was ineffective in the clinch, and that cost him. Coulter used a crisp jab and powerful right hands to batter his opponent on the feet. Yaozong showed an impressive chin, weathering the storm until the final bell, but he was bested on the cards 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.
“The weight cut really affected me,” Coulter said. “When I signed the contract for this fight, I was at 265 pounds, and the last two pounds were pretty hard to get off. I got down to 208. I started to feel the weight cut halfway through the second round. My gym, Force MMA in Dallas, we’re in the doghouse every day. That grinding we do just had me push through for this fight. …
“I apologize for missing weight. I hope the matchmakers give me another shot because 205 is really my weight class, and I can cause some damage in this division.”
Yanan hands Mueller first loss with armbar submission
In women’s flyweight action, Wu Yanan (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) picked up her first UFC win (and her Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt) with a first-round submission win over a previously undefeated Lauren Mueller (5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC). It was Mueller who was more aggressive on the feet to start, but when she knocked an off-balance Yanan to the floor, it would prove to be more problematic than she might have hoped. Mueller hopped on top, hoping to finish, but Yanan turned immediately to an armbar, earning a tap even before the limb was fully extended.
“My plan for this fight was ending by submission,” Yanan said. “I had the initiative to take her to the ground, and the result is the same as what I expected – submission. Although not all my skills were shown in this fight, I think the results are still very satisfactory. I will continue to fight and hopefully win for a consecutive victory.”
Morono stays step ahead of Song for unanimous decision
In the featured prelim, Alex Morono (15-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) rebounded from a July loss to Jordan Mein with a clear decision win over Kenan Song (13-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC). Morono’s powerful overhand blows weren’t always the prettiest attacks, but they were certainly effective, drawing blood early. Song never backed down, but he was always just a step behind. A late Song eye poke threatened to cause an ugly finish to the fight, but Morono battled through what he later admitted was blurry vision and punched away until the end, taking a 30-27 result on all three cards.
For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 141, visit the UFC Events section of the site.
