Entering Sam Stout’s Canadian backyard Sunday night, lightweight prospect Frankie Perez had the odds against him, but he not only put aside any nerves, but he stopped the veteran in less than a minute and then stunned the crowd at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon by retiring in the Octagon after the bout.
“At 26, this is my first win in the UFC and my last,” Perez said. “I’m done after this. I brought my dreams to come true, and I’m ready for the next chapter in my life. I’m done putting my family and my body through all this.”
Stout did what he could to close the distance on the taller Perez, but wasn’t having much luck. And when the Ontario native did get too close, Perez clipped him with a short right hand that put Stout face first on the mat. Perez pounced with a series of strikes, not allowing Stout to get his bearings back, and referee Herb Dean intervened, stopping the bout at the 54-second mark.
Howell, New Jersey’s Perez retires with a 10-2 MMA record; Stout falls to 21-12-1.
"It's all about my family," Perez said of his retirement. "I’ve dedicated my life to this sport since I was 17 — and I’m 26 now. I’ve never taken a year off, or even a break. I’ve been fighting non-stop since I was 17. I’m just ready for the next chapter. I want to open up a school, find a girl and make some babies.
“I’m still going to train and help my teammates," he continued. "I’m going to help Edson Barboza get his lightweight title and help Frankie Edgar to get that featherweight title. Who knows? Maybe years down the road I’ll want to do it again. Right now I need a break."
ARANTES vs. JABOUIN
Calm, cool and collected, Brazil’s Felipe Arantes waited for his moment to strike and then nailed it, submitting Yves Jabouin in the first round of a clash between bantamweight veterans.
A solid Jabouin flurry was followed by a thudding takedown to open the first round, and while Arantes was able to scramble his way out of trouble briefly, Jabouin wasn’t letting him out of his grip as the two went back to the mat. Arantes stayed patient though, and after stunning Jabouin with an upkick to the nose, he worked from an armbar from his back and got it, forcing Jabouin to tap out at 4:21 of the opening stanza.
With the win, Sao Paulo’s Arantes moves to 17-7-1 with 2 NC; Montreal’s Jabouin falls to 20-11.
KRYLOV vs. DE LIMA
Light heavyweight finishers Nikita Krylov and Marcos Rogerio de Lima went at each other in a fast and furious fashion until the end came less than three minutes into the bout, Krylov winning via submission.
Both fighters came out throwing bombs, Krylov with kicks to the body, de Lima with punches up top. Within seconds, the two locked up and traded choke attempts, with de Lima trying to up the ante with a second guillotine choke try. The second was deeper than the first, but Krylov still got loose, and when the Ukrainian took the Brazilian’s back and sunk in his next choke attempt, that’s all he needed, with the tap to the rear naked choke coming at the 2:29 mark.
Krylov moves to 19-4 with the win, his third straight. Sao Paulo’s de Lima falls to 13-4-1.
KELADES vs. BEAL
Cole Harbour flyweight Chris Kelades got himself in an early hole against former Ultimate Fighter competitor Chris Beal, but by the end of three rounds, “The Greek Assassin” had a split decision victory over “The Real Deal.”
Scores were 29-28 twice and 27-30 for Kelades, now 9-2; Beal falls to 10-2.
Beal had an excellent opening round, as he stayed in the top position on the mat for much of the frame and landed some hard punches and elbows. Kelades had his moments, but not enough to take the lead.
Kelades pushed the pace harder in round two as Beal began to tire, making it a much closer round as the Nova Scotia native surged back and possibly evened the score with the Californian.
Running on a seemingly empty gas tank, Beal dug deep in the third as Kelades pressed him, and while the round was a pick ‘em, a heated toe-to-toe exchange as the fight ended got the fans up and roaring for both fighters.
CAMPBELL vs. SILVERIO
Lightweight Muay Thai specialist Shane Campbell showed off his ground game as well as his striking against Brazil’s Elias Silverio, allowing him to win a hard-fought three-round unanimous decision.
Scores were 29-28 across the board for Kelowna’s Campbell, now 12-3; Sao Paulo’s Silverio falls to 11-2.
Silverio worked hard for a takedown as the bout commenced, and in the second minute he got it, putting him in control from the top position. He remained there until the final 60 seconds, when Campbell scrambled off his back and to his feet, where he landed a hard knee before the horn ending the round.
Campbell had a lot better second round than he did in the first, dominating on the feet and the mat while also turning aside any takedown attempts by the Brazilian.
Eager to get the fight back to the mat, Silverio was able to lock Campbell against the fence for a good portion of the final round, but the Canadian stayed upright, and when the bout did go to the ground, it was with Campbell on top, landing some strikes from the top until the bout concluded.
CIRKUNOV vs. JOLLY
It was a long time coming, but Toronto’s Misha Cirkunov finally made it to the Octagon, and he delivered the goods in his light heavyweight bout against fellow debutant Daniel Jolly, winning via first-round TKO.
A minute in, Cirkunov got the fight to the mat, and though Jolly got up quickly, the Latvia native put him right back down. Jolly was resilient on the mat as he worked his way into his opponent’s guard, but he didn’t stay there long, opting instead to stand. With less than two minutes remaining, Cirkunov got another takedown, this time landing in the mount position. Jolly gave up his back, and while Cirkunov started off patiently, he eventually picked up the pace with his strikes, prompting referee Jerin Valel to call a halt to the bout at the 4:45 mark.
With the win, Cirkunov improves to 10-2; Austin’s Jolly falls to 5-1.
