Check out the results of the first three main card fights at UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Till in Gdansk, Poland, including the co-main between Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Jodie Esquibel.
The UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Till main card is almost finished, with just the main event to go in Gdansk, Poland. Oskar Piechota delighted the Polish contingent with his win over Jonathan Wilson, Jan Blachowicz got himself a highlight reel finish against Devin Clark, and Karolina Kowalkiewicz took apart Jodie Esquibel to make it a perfect night for Polish fighters on the main card. Here how those bouts played out.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Jodie Esquibel by unanimous decision (30-27 x3) - Women’s Strawweights
It was a glorified kickboxing match in round 1. Esquibel was coming up short on a lot of her punches, but occasionally she landed some good power shots. Kowalkiewicz turned up the volume as the round progressed and strung together some effective combinations, troubling Esquibel with a couple of head kicks along the way.
A straight right and a knee hurt Esquibel in round 2, as Kowalkiewicz’s pinpoint accuracy was clearly problematic for the American. A bevy of knees overwhelmed Esquibel, as Kowalkiewicz swarmed her with strikes against the fence and just poured on the punishment. It was a staggeringly one-sided round and Kowalkiewicz was as calm and composed as ever. It was a mauling in the clinch and at range, and then Kowalkiewicz decided to take the fight to the ground. Karolina went for the back and then attacked the arm, but Esquibel was safe and saw out the end of round 2.
The pace and sharpness of Kowalkiewicz was still on full display in the final round. Esquibel tried to get herself back into the fight, but Kowalkiewicz was just multiple classes above her. The knees, fast hands, speed, and accuracy of Kowalkiewicz nullified any hopes of a comeback for the Invicta FC veteran.
Jan Blachowicz def. Devin Clark by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:02 of round 2 - Light Heavyweights
Blachowicz got off to a good start, outlanding Clark with punches to the head and knees to the body. A big right by Clark staggered Blachowicz backwards, and another heavy right hand in the final minute also checked the chin of Blachowicz. Jan dug into Clark’s body with some vicious body kicks.
Two body kicks by Blachowicz thudded against Clark, and he was visibly hurt in the midsection. A poorly-timed takedown by Clark backfired, and Blachowicz completed a single-leg of his own. They returned to their feet not too long after the Blachowicz takedown, but an eye poke halted things momentarily. When the fight resumed, Clark charged forward with reckless abandon, and Blachowicz forced the tap with a standing rear-naked choke with no hooks in. A huge win for Blachowicz in front of his home fans, as he ends his two-fight losing streak. Clark drops to 2-2 in the UFC.
Oskar Piechota def. Jonathan Wilson by unanimous decision (30-27 x3) - Middleweights
After very little of note happened over the course of three minute, Piechota took Wilson down, then took the back as Wilson stood back up, and searched for the rear-naked choke. Oskar had the body triangle locked up, he softened his opponent up with punches, and then sent Wilson to the mat, keeping the body triangle intact. Piechota switched to a palm-to-palm grip on his next choke, but Wilson turned his head and did enough handfighting to survive the round.
It took awhile for either fighter to really let their hands go in round 2. Piechota landed a good straight right in a brief exchange. Wilson connected on a counter left with under 30 seconds to go, but Piechota knocked Wilson down with a hard right hand just before time expired.
Piechota got a takedown in round 3, swatted aside the kimura sweep, and gained full mount. Wilson rolled to his stomach and absorbed from ground strikes, and Piechota wouldn’t relinquish his dominant position. With a minute to go, Piechota went for an arm-triangle but Wilson avoided it. Piechota threw some short elbows and then transitioned to a triangle choke and armbar in the waning seconds. While Piechota couldn’t get the finish, he got a win in his first UFC appearance. Wilson drops to 1-3 inside the Octagon.