Cynthia Calvillo closed out the second UFC on ESPN card at the Apex facility in Las Vegas with a unanimous-decision win over Jessica Eye in the women’s flyweight division.
The beginning of the fight won’t go on any highlight reels. Each woman spent much of it feeling her opponent out before opening up in the second round. Calvillo and Eye had their moments in the striking department, but Calvillo’s head kicks stood out in the action.
As the fight moved to the second, the even striking exchanges took a backseat to Calvillo’s grappling. She scored a takedown, took Eye’s back and worked toward finding a rear-naked choke. Though she didn’t ever find it, the fight was on as Eye struggled to do much of anything in the grappling exchanges.
The third stanza saw improved striking from Calvillo. She has always been known more for her wrestling prowess, but she kept pace on the feet and beat Eye to the punch more often than not; she showed a strong understanding of range and timing.
Calvillo, who is the 10th-ranked strawweight and was making her debut at flyweight, had no problems wrestling Eye and maintaining dominant position. She looked stronger than Eye, who came into the bout as the No. 1 ranked flyweight after spending much of her career at bantamweight.
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The one-sided nature of the fight extended into the fifth round. Calvillo put on a complete performance. Not only did she dominate in the grappling, but she also held her own against a solid striker. The unofficial stats showcased the disparity in output; Calvillo was in control.
This was the kind of performance that should move Calvillo squarely into the title picture at flyweight. Eye was ranked as the No. 1 contender, and Calvillo scored a fairly dominant win over her.
Jason Floyd @Jason_Floyd
Unofficial fight stats for Cavillo vs Eye https://t.co/BDqwQcnuYD
The rest of the card was marked by either quick finishes or competitive decisions. There were five first-round finishes on the evening, including three in under a minute to kick off the prelims.
Main Card
Cynthia Calvillo def. Jessica Eye via unanimous decision (49-46 x 2, 48-47)
Marvin Vettori def. Karl Roberson via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:17 of Round 1
Charles Rosa def. Kevin Aguilar via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
Andre Fili def. Charles Jourdain via split decision (28-29, 29-28 x 2)
Jordan Espinosa def. Mark De La Rosa via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 30-26)
Mariya Agapova def. Hannah Cifers via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:42 of Round 1
Prelims
Merab Dvalishvili def. Gustavo Lopez via unanimous decision (30-26 x 2, 30-25)
Julia Avila def. Gina Mazany via TKO at 0:22 of Round 1
Tyson Nam def. Zarrukh Adashev via KO at 0:32 of Round 1
Christian Aguilera def. Anthony Ivy via TKO at 0:59 of Round 1
Marvin Vettori vs. Karl Roberson
Marvin Vettori settled his beef with Karl Roberson via a stellar first-round submission win. After multiple attempts at a submission, the Italian Dream scored the rear-naked choke to bring the fight to a halt within the first frame.
Roberson bullied Vettori to the fence in the clinch, but his opponent countered by grabbing a standing guillotine attempt, which found the two fighters on the ground. That turned out to be the beginning of the end.
Vettori hasn’t won a fight by submission since his UFC debut in 2016, but this was his ninth career submission win. As soon as Vettori got the fight to the ground, there was a clear disparity in skill, as Roberson was constantly on the defensive.
It did look like the 26-year-old might punch himself out as he went to work with ground strikes, but he stopped and latched on to his final choke attempt.
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There was tension in the buildup to this fight. The two middleweights were supposed to meet last month before Roberson missed weight and was forced to withdraw due to rhabdomyolysis. He once again missed weight this time, but the bout went on, and Vettori was finally able to get his hands on him.
Once that happened, he did whatever he wanted and put in one of his best UFC performances to date.
Charles Rosa vs. Kevin Aguilar
For the first time in his UFC career, Charles Rosa won a fight away from the friendly confines of Boston. The Massachusetts native secured a split-decision win over Aguilar thanks to the heavier, more precise strikes in a close three-round battle.
Aguilar did well for himself to try to push the pace as the aggressor for much of the fight. But Rosa showcased his ability to counter and landed the more memorable strikes.
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WOBBLED! (x2)
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This was one of those contests that should make fans glad they aren’t judges. Both fighters had their moments throughout the affair, and the judges were forced to make a decision between Aguilar’s volume and Rosa’s power.
The unofficial stats were about as close as it gets:
Jason Floyd @Jason_Floyd
Unofficial #UFCVegas2 Fight Stats: Charles Rosa vs. Kevin Aguilar https://t.co/LTUqnwkqWM
The key for Rosa now will be to keep winning. After starting his MMA career 9-0, he has alternated between wins and losses in his last eight fights.
Andre Fili vs. Charles Jourdain
The featherweight fight between Andre Fili and Charles Jourdain was one of the more promising matchps on paper, and it delivered. Both brought back-and-forth action that ultimately resulted in a split-decision win for Fili.
Split decisions aren’t a new phenomenon for the Team Alpha Male product. This was the third of his UFC career, and he’s now 2-1 in splits. The two both had moments on the feet, but the difference could have been in Fili’s takedowns. He didn’t do much with them, but the rounds were close, meaning everything could have an impact.
Jourdain’s biggest moment came in the first round when he floored Fili with a left hand.
Jourdain is now 1-2 in his first three UFC fights, but the win was a knockout of Dooho Choi, and his other loss was to Desmond Green, so there’s still a chance he ends up becoming a solid competitor in the division. This will just need to be a learning experience for him to live up to his potential.
Jordan Espinosa vs. Mark De La Rosa
With Mark De La Rosa on a three-fight losing streak and Jordan Espinosa dropping back-to-back matchups, this bantamweight bout felt like a “loser leaves the promotion” match. If that’s the case, it was De La Rosa who was handed his walking papers.
There weren’t many moments in the three rounds where Espinosa wasn’t the one dealing more damage.
Even when De La Rosa was working for takedowns, Espinosa was hammering away at him with strikes. His quickness and overall athleticism were simply too much for De La Rosa as Espinosa continued to pile up the rounds and break his losing streak with a decision win.
UFC Canada @UFC_CA
???? @StateChamp103 staying BUSY on the fence! #UFCVegas2 https://t.co/lpsh9jKXj0
This doesn’t necessarily answer any questions for Espinosa. He lost his last two fights by submission, and De La Rosa wasn’t able to get him to the ground to test that grappling. It was just important for him to get back into the win column at this point though, and that’s exactly what he did in a dominant fashion.
Mariya Agapova vs. Hannah Cifers
Just 14 days ago, Hannah Cifers was submitted by Mackenzie Dern at 2:36 of the first round to kick off the main card of UFC on ESPN 9. It was deja vu all over again in Las Vegas as 23-year-old Mariya Agapova submitted the much smaller Cifers just 2:42 into the first round.
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It was an impressive UFC debut for the fighter from Kazakhstan. She actually lost a fight on Dana White‘s Contender Series before going to Invicta and winning back-to-back bouts and making the transition to the UFC.
Cifers is a vastly undersized fighter event at strawweight. She was dwarfed in the cage by the bigger Agapova. But that’s not to take anything away from a strong debut that saw her land impact strikes before latching on to the choke that would end the fight.
At just 23 years old and with seven of her nine wins coming by stoppage, Agapova announced herself as a prospect to keep an eye on.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
TORSBY, Sweden (AP) — David Beckham and former England coach Roy Hodgson were among the soccer dignitaries who attended the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson on Friday in the Swedish manager’s small hometown of Torsby.
Eriksson’s wooden coffin was covered in white flowers and surrounded by six tall candles and other floral wreaths as the ceremony began inside the 600-seat Fryksande church.
“It is a day of grief but also a day of thankfulness,” the priest, Ingela Älvskog, told those in attendance.
Beckham, who arrived by private jet on Thursday, greeted Eriksson’s 95-year-old father Sven and other family members with hugs inside the church before the funeral started.
Eriksson became England’s first foreign-born coach when he led the national team from 2001-06, and made Beckham his captain.
Eriksson, who also won trophies at club level in Italy, Portugal and Sweden, died on Aug. 26 at the age of 76, eight months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had at most one year to live.
Some 200 seats in the neo-Gothic church from 1898 were reserved for his family, friends and players from his career in the football world, according to his agent. The remaining seats were open for the public, according to Eriksson’s wish, with a big screen set up outside the church where hundreds more gathered to watch the ceremony. The funeral was also broadcast live on some Swedish media websites.
The wooden coffin was wheeled in by pallbearers at the church Friday morning as fog wrapped Torsby — a town of about 4,000 people located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of Stockholm. Next to the casket was a photo of Eriksson on a small table. The floral wreaths included ones sent by FIFA and Lazio, the Italian team that Eriksson led to the Serie A title in 2000.
The ceremony began with somber piano and organ music, but later took on a more upbeat note with Swedish singer Charlotta Birgersson performing Elton John’s song “Candle In The Wind” and then “My Way” in a duet with Johan Birgersson, who later intoned the popular Italian song “Volare” after the family had gathered around the casket to lay flowers.
Beckham also visited Eriksson in Sweden in June to say goodbye. Others attending the funeral included the Swedish coach’s longtime partner Nancy Dell’Olio. Eriksson’s agent had said that guests from England, Italy and Spain were expected.
After the funeral, the casket was carried out of the church by eight men to the hearse. The guests then walked in a procession accompanying the coffin to a nearby museum where speeches and eulogies to the coach fondly known as “Svennis” were planned on an outdoor stage. A brass band played during the procession through Torsby, including the tune “You never walk alone” from the musical “Carousel” which has become the anthem of Liverpool, the club Eriksson supported since childhood.
The local soccer club Torsby IF, where Eriksson started his career in the 1960s, wrote on its webpage that “you also showed your greatness by always being yourself, the caring Svennis who talked to everyone and took the time, for big and small, asking how things were and how the football was going. We will miss you.”
