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The main event of UFC Vegas 27 was bantamweights Cody Garbrandt and Rob Font.
Garbrandt was coming off a knockout win against Raphael Assunção but had lost his previous three bouts.
Font was coming off three straight victories over the likes of Sergio Pettis, Ricky Simón, and Marlon Moraes.
Both fighters measured in at 5’8”, 135 pounds. The big difference between them is their reach—with Font having a six-inch wingspan advantage (71.5” vs. 65.5”). Going into the matchup, it was widely expected that Font would use his reach advantage and excellent jab to control the tempo—and that is exactly what happened.
Garbrandt had a few good early minutes on the ground, but Font thoroughly dominated him otherwise. Font landed more significant strikes (176) than Garbrandt did total strikes (78).
The fight went all five rounds, but it was never particularly close. Font won by unanimous decision and moved to 19-4 overall.
Garbrandt moved to 12-4 and is now 1-4 in his last five.
The co-main event was Yan Xiaonan versus Carla Esparza in the strawweight division.
Esparza beat Rose Namajunas back in December of 2014, which was the inaugural Women’s strawweight event.
With identical numbers in the weight and wingspan categories, the four-inch shorter Esparza made quick work of the top strawweight contender.
The first round saw Esparza take Xiaonan to the ground and keep her there, delivering devastating blows with her knees and fists.
The second round was more of the same. Esparza pinned her to the ground early and pummeled her into oblivion.
Xiaonan’s face was gushing with blood and the referee stopped the fight with 2:58 left in the round.
Xiaonan’s six-fight victory streak was snapped, and she now sits at 13-2-1. Esparza has won five in a row and is now 18-6.
**EDITOR’S NOTE**
UFC Lightweight fighter Paul Felder retired at age 37. He finishes his career with a 17-6 record.
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