The only finish on the main card came in the main event, as gritty middleweight Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez” continued to push his credentials as a sleeper championship contender with a fifth-round TKO finish of Brazil’s Michel Pereira.
Hernandez shut down Pereira early and used a smart combination of close-quarters dirty boxing and smothering work in the clinch and on the ground to drain the muscular Pereira’s gas tank over the course of the contest.
And, with Pereira looking spent in the final frame, Hernandez put the exclamation point on a dominant performance with a TKO finish with some nasty ground strikes to force the stoppage mid-way through Round 5.
The co-main event saw a return to form for longtime bantamweight contender Rob Font, who outpointed Kyler Phillips 29-28 on all three scorecards, while Charles “Inner G” Johnson added another win to his growing flyweight resume with a unanimous decision victory over Su Mudaerji.
There was a surprise result at bantamweight, as short-notice newcomer Cameron Smotherman claimed a unanimous decision win over England’s Jake Hadley, and there was a typically gritty win for Darren Elkins, as “The Damage” polled scores of 29-28 on all three scorecards to defeat fellow Octagon vet Daniel Pineda, who announced his retirement after the bout.
UFC Vegas 99: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Anthony Hernandez def. Michel Pereira via TKO (elbows) – Round 5, 2:22
- Rob Font def. Kyler Phillips via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Charles Johnson def. Su Mudaerji via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Cameron Smotherman def. Jake Hadley via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)
- Darren Elkins def. Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Asu Almabayev def. Matheus Nicolau via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jean Matsumoto def. Brad Katona via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Joselyne Edwards def. Tamires Vidal via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:33
- Elise Reed def. Jessica Penne via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Melissa Martinez def. Alice Ardelean via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Austen Lane def. Robelis Despaigne via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
