The UFC’s return trip to England is underway. If you cannot catch the live fights on facebook than tune in here for our live play-by-play coverage of the day’s preliminary card.

ULYSSES GOMEZ VS. PHIL HARRIS

Round 1

Harris is in the black trunks, Gomez in the white. Both are trading leg kicks as they feel each other out. Gomez has only thrown inside leg kicks, and just nailed Harris in the groin. Stop in the action as Harris tries to recover. Gomez and Harris touch gloves and fight continues. Harris gets the take-down  but Gomez is able to scramble back to his feet. Harris is trying to get his boxing going, but is unable to get inside. Gomez continues to pepper the lead leg of Harris. Gomez is starting to throw a lead jab to set up his leg kicks. Harris is starting to catch the leg kicks, but unable to capitalize on it. Harris lands a nice flush right hand, but Gomez seems un-phased by it. Gomez is starting to throw nice combinations that are landing cleanly. With ten seconds left Gomez goes for take-down  and gets it as the bell rings.

Round 2

Both fighters come out and take the center of the octagon. Gomez continues to land those leg kicks to the lead leg of Harris. Gomez’s combinations are starting to land with regularity now. Big inside leg kick buckles Harris for a moment. Harris continues to push forward and throwing combinations that are starting to land. Harris is starting fight with urgency now. Gomez goes in for a takedown, but is unable to finish and eats a nice knee by Harris.

Round 3

Gomez seems to be in control of the fight but Harris continues to press forward. They trade some strikes to begin the round. Gomez rushes in for the takedown, but is stuffed by Harris. The inside leg beating continues as Gomez lands another hard one on Harris. Gomez attempts a flying knee, but misses. With the round half over the Harris seems to pick up his striking. Harris lands a big left hand that drops Gomez, but Harris does not pounce letting him back to his feet. Harris is starting to throw inside kicks now. Nice combination that lands for Harris that backs Gomez up. Both fighters are throw some nice combinations as the round closes.

Judges score it 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 in favor of Phil Harris

VAUGHN LEE vs. MOTONOBU TEZUKA

Round 1

Tezuka comes out of the blue corner wearing brown shorts, and Lee out of the red corner wearing white shorts. A lot of dancing around in the middle of the ring as each fighter feels each other out. Tezuka is throwing the majority of strikes but they are not landing. Lee finally throws a strike and it’s an inside leg kick that lands nicely. Tezuka clinches up with Lee and pushes him up against the cage. Lee lands a nice knee, but is unable to get off the cage. Tezuka is looking for the take-down  but Lee is able to stuff all attempts. Tezuka backs off and they move back to the center of the octagon. Tezuka pushes him back into the cage, and continues for the take-down Lee is showing formidable take-down defense. The round ends with Tezuka going for the take-down but is thwarted again by Lee.

Round 2

Lee is starting to look more aggressive as he comes out for the second round. Lee is trying to keep his distance to continue working his striking game. Tezuka goes in for a single leg, but Lee is able to land on top. Tezuka goes for a leg lock but good defense by Lee. Tezuka rolls and attempts a heel hook. Lots of grappling and hand fighting on the ground, Lee rolls out of it. Lee is able to get back to his feet, but Tezuka does not give up and takes him back to the ground. Tezuka is in full guard with Lee’s back up against the cage. They get back to their feet, but Tezuka is able to keep the clinch and hold Lee against the cage. Lee pushes him off and they return to the center of the cage with a minute left in the round. Tezuka grabs a single leg and pushes Lee up against the fence. Lee rolls the attempted take-down and falls on top of Tezuka again. The round ends as they scramble back to their feet.

Round 3

Very close fight as Tezuka and Lee come out for the third and final round. Lee is starting to commit to his striking and landing some good jabs. Tezuka looks to be slowing down as Lee picks up the striking and keeping his distance. Tezuka once again shoots in for the single leg, but Lee is able stay on his feet. Tezuka pushes Lee into the fence, and continues to work for the take-down. Unable to finish Tezuka backs off. They move back to the center and exchange strikes. Tezuka again shoots in for the single leg, and pushes Lee into the cage. Lee starts landing some heel shots on the back of Tezuka’s leg. The ref breaks them up. No surprise as soon as they start Tezuka shoots for the takedown pushing Lee against the cage. Lee is able to spin it around landing shots to Tezuka’s face. The round ends with the fighters in a clinch against the cage.

All judges score it 30-27 Unanimous Decision for Vaughn Lee

TOM WATSON vs. STANISLAV NEDKOV

Round 1

Nedkov is fighting out of the blue corner wearing blue shorts, and Watson out of the red corner in black shorts. The round begins with Watson rushing to the center of the ring. They clinch up, and Watson lands two knees to the body of Nedkov. Watson pushes Nedkov against the cage. Watson secures a Muay Thai clinch and lands a couple more big knee shots, and then a forearm. Watson is keeping the pressure on Nedkov against the cage, just beating him up with short elbows, and knees. Nedkov is unable to get away. Watson backs off only to clinch back up and push him against the cage. Nedkov lands a nice body shot that backs Watson off. They only time they get off the cage is when Watson lets him go. Nedkov lands a big uppercut that lands cleanly. Watson backs off a Nedkov lands big punches that drop Watson. Nedkov pounces with some big hammer fists. Watson is defending himself, but is eating a lot of power punches. Round ends with Nedkov on top landing landing punches. Watson stands and raises his hand.

Round 2

Watson comes out looking to still be a little wobbly from the end of the first round. Nedkov lands a big right hand to start the round; he moves in and finishes it with a take-down. Nedkov lands a couple hammer fists that land cleanly. Watson is able to move towards the cage to get back to his feet. Watson gets back to his feet secures the Thai clinch and lands big knee shots to the body of Nedkov. Big knee shot forces Nedkov to change levels and go for the take-down. Watson goes down briefly and gets back to his feet. The knee to the body is Watson’s favorite strike as he continues to land it with ease. Nedkov appears to be cut as Watson continues to land elbows and knees as he holds Nedkov against the cage. Watson starts to land uppercuts, and Nedkov goes down. Watson follows him and continues to land punches and the ref steps in and stops it.

Watson wins via TKO.

ANDY OGLE VS. JOSH GRISPI

Round 1

Ogle is in the grey trunks, and Grispi is in white trunks. Grispi starts out the round with a nice crisp right hand early. Ogle goes for a body takedown, but Grispi reverses it and goes attempts a triangle. Transitions to an omoplata, back to a triangle and sinks it in very tight. Ogle is in trouble but is keeping his right arm behind Grispi’s leg, and lands a big left hand. Grispi keeps the triangle locked in; Ogle is doing a great job in defending against the choke, but he is not just playing defense as he continues to land short punches to the head of Grispi. Keeping Grispi pinned against the cage is preventing him from finishing the fight, as Ogle fights out of the triangle getting to full guard with less than a minute left in the round. The round ends with Ogle on top of Grispi.

Round 2

Ogle comes out with some high leg kicks, and a left right combination. Ogle lands a nice left hook, and moves in for a take-down. They scramble and Ogle is able to take the back of Grispi. He sinks in a body triangle and is landing some big punches on Grispi. The fight stays on the ground as Ogle is able to keep Grispi’s back and continues to land hard shots to the head of Grispi. The legs of Ogle keep Grispi in this position, Ogle switches it up and moves on top into half guard. Ogle starts to land some nice short elbows, as Grispi scrambles to his feet. Ogle moves to the back as Grispi stands up, and that’s where the round ends.

Round 3

Ogle and Grispi meet in the middle and hug. Ogle lands a big liver kick that backs Grispi up, he then moves in and lands a nice right-left combination. Ogle clinches and lifts Grispi up and slams him to the ground, and is in full guard. Ogle has Grispi pushed up against the cage as he works the ground and pound. Grispi is doing everything he can, but just cannot get Ogle off of him. Ogle continues to stay active on the ground to ensure the ref does not stand them up. Ogle is just too tough as he continues to keep Grispi down and moves to side-control landing big knee shots. Grispi rolls but Ogle remains aggressive and takes his back. With a minute remaining Grispi stands up, but Ogle sticks on him and takes him back to the ground. In full guard position Ogle continues to land shots frustrating Grispi as the round ends.

Judges score it 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 Unanimous Decision for Andy Ogle

PAUL SASS vs. DANNY CASTILLO

Round 1

Castillo is in the black trunks, and Sass is in blue trunks. Sass starts the round off going for a flying triangle choke, Castillo is holding him up and slams Sass to the ground. Castillo is able to get out of the submission attempt, but stays on top in full guard.  Castillo throws some big punches from the top and moves to half guard. Sass works it back to full guard, Castillo tries to stand up but a leg lock attempt causes Castillo to roll and stay on the ground. Sass continues to transition from one leg submission to another, but good defense keeps Castillo out of trouble. Castillo starts landing some big hammer fists, staying in the guard position. Short elbows by Castillo start to land as Sass is unable to get out of the way. The round ends with Castillo on top of Sass.

Round 2

Castillo and Sass come out and touch gloves to begin the round. Sass starts to throw some strikes, but unable to land Castillo shoots in and takes him down. Castillo pushes Sass’s head up against the cage and starts to throw some short elbows. The elbow continues to be the weapon of choice as Castillo continues to throw and land them. Sass is able to grab the arm of Castillo and moves into an arm bar submission attempt; Castillo lifts him up and slams him to the ground to escape the submission. Castillo remains on top, but the ref stands them up. Castillo wastes no time and takes Sass down once again. Remaining in full guard Castillo stays busy throwing punches and elbows from the top. Sass’s submission attempts from the bottom have slowed, and he has gone into defensive mode as Castillo starts to pound the body. Castillo ends the round landing powerful hammer fists to the head of Sass.

Round 3

Castillo and Sass come out and touch gloves for the third and final round. Sass looks to keep the distance by throwing leg kicks and jabs. Castillo looks to have slowed down a bit. Sass comes forward with a combo, but Castillo changes levels and takes him to the ground. Castillo throws a couple short elbows as Sass tries to hold him close to his body. Castillo starts to only throw strikes when the ref threatens to stand them up. Sass attempts for a triangle choke, but Castillo is able to pass the guard and move to side control. A nice sized hematoma has developed over the left eye of Sass. With a minute remaining Castillo continues to hold Sass down throwing short elbows and punches to the head. They scramble back to their feet as the bell rings.

The judges score it 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 Unanimous Decision for Danny Castillo.

TERRY ETIM vs. RENEE FORTE

Round 1

Etim is fighting out of the red corner wearing blue shorts, and Forte comes out of the blue corner wearing black shorts. Forte throws a superman punch to begin the round. Forte is pushing forward being very aggressive. Etim being the taller fighter starts to throw high kicks to keep the distance and slow down Forte. Nice front kick and punch combination by Forte that pushes Etim back. Forte catches a kick of Etim’s and pushes him back and comes forward with a flying knee, and they clinch up. They battle for control up against the cage as Etim keeps wrist control thwarting Forte’s take-down attempts. The ref threatens to break them up causing Forte to pick the pace up. Etim is able to circle out and they move to the center of the ring. Forte catches another kick of Etim’s, and causes them to clinch up against the cage. Forte starts to land some knees to the inside of Etim’s legs, and then lands a nice elbow to the head. They move away from the cage as Etim goes for a high leg kick, Forte shoots for a nicely timed take-down and gets it to the ground. Etim scrambles back to his feet, and the round ends with the fighters clinched against the cage.

Round 2

Etim comes out a little more aggressive as he starts throwing some combinations. Forte is just as aggressive as he is able to get inside, and pushes Etim up against the cage. Knees to the inside leg of Etim by Forte trying to soften him up for the take-down. Etim is able to defend against the take-down as they stay against the cage. Forte is proving to be the stronger fighter as he is able to keep Etim against the cage. Forte lets him off the cage, and as they circle he lands some big punches to the head of Etim. Forte has Etim very hurt, he falls to the ground and Forte takes top position. Forte starts landing some nice elbows from top position, and moves to half guard. Hammer fists start coming down onto Etims head as Forte looks to finish the fight. Forte moves to full mount landing big punches as Etim covers up as the bell rings.

Round 3

The third and final round begins with Forte rushing in with a nice combination. Etim moves straight back against the cage and Forte clinches up with him. Etim looks to still be hurt from the previous round. The ref breaks them up, and Forte lands a clean superman punch. Etim is able to secure a Thai clinch and lands a big knee to the body of Forte. They push up against the cage and start to battle for position. Etim attempts a leg sweep, but Forte stays on his feet and secures a take-down of his own. Forte is starting to bring the pressure as he postures up and throws punches from the top position. Etim is pushed up against the cage as Forte keeps control of the position throwing elbows and punches. Less than a minute remains as Forte keeps Etim on his back and continues to work the ground and pound. The bell rings with Forte throwing punches from the top.

The judges score it 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 Unanimous Decision for Renee Forte

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