THE LEAD-UP: Tonight things start off with a Heavyweight brawl between Harmon Janssen and Zander Altman. This is a rematch from their first fight at Boss Fight XVIII, in which Zander Altman won via submission. This was Altman’s lone win in Union, while Janssen has gone 1-2 since, which include losing his last two outings. It’s no question that this is a must win fight for both competitors.
ROUND ONE: The opening round rolls out with a slow, methodical pace. Janssen and Altman are cautious with their feints to find their range. Then, boom! The two exchange with Altman setting the pace while Janssen lands some shots to the body. The two break off and circle around before the tempo gets cranked to an eleven and fists are flying once more. Altman finds a great rhythm of sticking and moving to keep Janssen guessing. Janssen tried to retaliate with some combinations, but Altman showed some great dodging. It looked like Janssen was gassing out, so Altman pushed the pace even more, landing strikes at will and taking Janssen from one end of the cage to the other. Janssen smashed into the fence and Altman grabbed him by the waist and took him to the mat. Janssen tried to control the situation, but Altman scrambled to half guard and just like their first encounter, locked in the kneebar for the first round submission victory.
Winner: Zander Altman by Submission (Kneebar) at 4:11 Round 1
Statistics: Harmon Janssen
Punches 8/24 (33%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 33 s
Statistics: Zander Altman
Punches 22/27 (81%)
Kicks 1/1 (100%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 1/1 (100%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 2/2 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 33 s
THE LEAD-UP: The second fight on the card is the first of two Bantamweight bouts scheduled for the evening. Megan Reed takes on Syn Saetang who makes her Union GP debut after moving up from Everest MMA. Reed is coming into this fight off a win, but hasn’t competed since that TKO victory at UGP 23. Saetang, on the other hand, is coming into this fight off a loss in her last fight in Everest, which was for the Strawweight Championship. No bad blood between these two, just two fighters looking to crawl out from the basement of the rankings.
ROUND ONE: The first round began with high intensity from Megan Reed. She rushed out of her corner with some solid combinations that set up a perfectly timed takedown. Both fighters scrambled for position, which Saetang rolled to gain top control. The two pummeled back and forth and the action was stopped when Saetang got poked in the eye. The referee put the fight on hold to allow Saetang time to recover and deducted a point from Reed. The crowd was clearly not agreeing with that decision and although Reed’s expression was on the same level as the crowd, she bit her lip and didn’t cause a scene. When Saetang was ready to resume, Reed was quick to wrap her up with double underhooks. Both fighters pummeled back and forth, and Saetang ended up overpowering Reed and pushed her into the fence. Saetang gained enough separation to unload with some dirty boxing and the crowd lit up. Reed revealed a bloody nose after the exchange, but still managed to keep her composure and spun around to push Saetang into the fence. Nothing doing from here though, and the referee separated the two and directed them back in the center. With blood trickling from her nostrils, Reed regained her wits and started picking Saetang apart with some short burst combos to the head and body. Saetang fired back after weathering the storm, but neither fighter connected with anything significant. With the clock ticking away, Saetang stormed in with combos. During the firefight, Reed managed to clip Saetang with a looping right hand that gave her some jello legs, but Saetang stayed alive until the buzzer signaled the end of the round. Reed finished this round off strong and possibly did some lingering damage with that right hand, but Saetang controlled the majority of the fight, so I give her the nod.
Isaac Cohen’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-8 Saetang
ROUND TWO: Megan Reed came into the second round knowing she’s, at best, even on the scorecards and the urgency showed. However, Saetang wasn’t about to let off from a solid first round and made the first move with a shovel hook to set up a clinch. The punch missed its target, and Reed was able to push off the off-balanced Saetang and gain some distance. The two circled back to the center and began exchanging some power punches, where Reed was getting the clear edge before Saetang landed a stinging calf kick. Saetang sidestepped back to the center but Reed cut her off and connected with a leg kick of her own. Things looked a little off for Saetang, as she was visibly wincing after the kick and trying to hide the pain. Reed could sense the vulnerability and continued targeting the leg. After hacking at the same leg a few more times, Reed drove a nasty oblique kick to the knee and Saetang dropped to the mat. Reed didn’t have a chance to follow up as the referee wedged himself in to call this fight off. This was definitely a squeamish way to end a fight. But afterwards Saetang was able to stand on her own and it appeared that there was no lasting damage.
Winner: Megan Reed by TKO (Low Kicks) at 2:15 Round 2
Statistics: Megan Reed
Punches 24/31 (77%)
Kicks 4/4 (100%)
Clinch strikes 1/1 (100%)
Takedowns 1/1 (100%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 128 s
Statistics: Syn Saetang
Punches 3/12 (25%)
Kicks 1/4 (25%)
Clinch strikes 8/8 (100%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 4/5 (80%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 128 s
THE LEAD-UP: The second and final Heavyweight bout of the evening spotlights former Champion Donnie Calabrese as he takes on the Paroxysm Gym prospect Cezar Miklos. Both of these guys are coming off of bad losses and want to set things right. The crowd was at a fever pitch and unanimously behind Donnie as he came out with Cruiserweight Champion Roscoe Robinson and Jakko Wirman as his cornermen, making this the first official fight for the newly established Hit Squad training camp. You have to wonder how much this rattled the Romanian native as the crowd reaches deafening volumes.
ROUND ONE: The opening frame began with Calabrese storming out of the gate with violent aggression. The attitude was there, but the strategy was not, as Miklos played it smart and worked off some superb counter striking. Miklos then found a solid rhythm and began teeing off on Calabrese. Things were starting to look a little worrisome, but Donnie was able to recover and the two engaged in a frenzied exchange. Donnie lands a couple big shots but really surprised Miklos with a spinning back fist that got him rocked. As Miklos stumbled back and caught himself against the fence, Calabrese rushed in with a flurry. Miklos smartly covered up to muffle the blows and eventually circled out to avoid any further damage. Both fighters got a little sloppy with an exchange with neither landing anything significant and decided to size up in the center of the cage. Donnie showed some impressive footwork as he worked his way in and unloaded with a combination. Miklos was left guessing before Calabrese shocked the audience with a perfectly timed Superman punch. Donnie tried following up with a takedown but Miklos managed to sprawl back enough to get pressed into the fence. From here Donnie continued to stay aggressive, but Miklos kept his head on a swivel and dodged most of the punches thrown his way. That is, until a brutal hook to the body folded Miklos over, allowing Donnie to land the knockout overhand right to finish this fight off in the first round.
Winner: Donnie Calabrese by KO (Punch) at 3:47 Round 1
Statistics: Donnie Calabrese
Punches 12/32 (38%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/1 (0%)
Takedowns 0/1 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 0 s
Statistics: Cezar Miklos
Punches 7/11 (64%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 0 s
THE LEAD-UP: It's time for the Co-Main Event and it features a Bantamweight bout between two top ranked fighters who need to recharge their momentum. Neither fighter has been in the headlines in some time, but now they get a great platform to change that. Kelsi Morrow hasn’t fought since Boss Fight XX and comes into this one on a two-fight losing skid. Tim Vu has built most of his reputation outside of Union GP, but after a win over Isabel Azevedo in his last fight, he’s aiming to build a streak tonight. Both of these fighters come without all of the hype and noise some fighters bring. This fight is all business.
ROUND ONE: Kelsi Morrow and Tim Vu touch gloves to start things off, and you can see that they both respect each other’s capabilities. Both are hesitant to initiate any offense at first, and instead cautiously throw feints to dial in their range and to identify any tells. Morrow is first to open things up, as she rapidly tries chopping at the legs. Vu is able to check them off or evade them entirely before he counters back with some leg kicks of his own. Morrow does the same and neither fighter lands anything significant, that is, until Morrow feints to get Vu to bite and she connects with a bruising spinning back kick to the rib cage. Tim Vu stumbled back on his heels and hunkered over, and Morrow took the opportunity to shoot for a takedown. Just as she changed levels and dove in, Vu sprung up with a flying knee that just narrowly missed Morrow’s head. Kelsi tried circling away to refocus but Vu cut her off and landed a front kick right to the sternum. Both fighters are loosening up now and then step in to each other to exchange some punches. Neither one lands anything damaging, so Morrow decided to switch things up and go for a clinch. Vu fought her off as he wanted to have the separation, so Morrow ended up pulling guard. As the two scramble for position, Morrow left herself open and Vu came crashing down with a vicious elbow that stunned her for a bit. She managed to regroup and even nearly sunk in a kneebar before Vu flailed his way out and jumped to half guard. Vu didn’t stay in control for long though, as Morrow scrambled up to her feet. Vu followed her up and once they reset, they stepped in and traded trading blows back and forth. Vu started getting the upper hand on Morrow, and caught her off guard with a calf kick that looked like it caused Morrow’s leg to hyperextend. Morrow tried to buy time and kill the clock, but Vu was able to land one last front kick before the buzzer. This was a relatively even round as both Morrow and Vu had a feeling out process and worked on their timing. The leg kick to Morrow towards the end could be a cause for concern as she was slightly limping on her way back to her corner.
Isaac Cohen’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Vu
ROUND TWO: Opening up round two we can see Morrow’s footwork is a little more stationary than the opening of round one. Her assuming immobility from her lead leg gives Vu an easy target to hit. Vu comes in with a big looping right hand while Morrow tried fending him off with some jabs. However, Morrow seems staggered and Vu runs to capitalize with a bunch of jabs and crosses. It becomes increasingly difficult for Morrow to even process the attack and without warning, Vu hacks at her leg once more. Morrow is basically on one leg at this point and it looked like the nerves have gone dead from the kick. Nevertheless, she tried bluffing about the severity of the injury and launched that same leg with a high kick. Vu could read it like a book and ducked and countered with a brutal right hook. Morrow dropped to the canvas and Vu stormed in. Morrow threw her hands up sloppily as she continued to take some punishment before the referee decided to jump in and call this fight off. The spectators were astounded with the finish, and now Vu moves one step closer to title contention.
Winner: Tim Vu by TKO (Hook) at 0:35 Round 2
Statistics: Kelsi Morrow
Punches 5/16 (31%)
Kicks 1/8 (12%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/1 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 1/1 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 59 s
Statistics: Tim Vu
Punches 14/22 (64%)
Kicks 5/9 (56%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 1/1 (100%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 59 s
THE LEAD-UP: We reach the final fight of the night, the Main Event of the evening, and the building is buzzing. Both Ardan Kelly and José Meléndez received a great ovation from the crowd as they made their walk outs and you could get the sense that this fight was all about an old fashioned, respectful fight between these two. With the Triple C (Cruiserweight Championship Contender) Grand Prix on the horizon, this fight has a lot of implications on where these two will be seeded in that tournament and who will have a smoother road to glory.
ROUND ONE: To start things off, José Meléndez didn’t wait around to find his range as he rushed in and connected with a stinging jab. Kelly ate the nasty shot but the close range gave him the perfect setup to deliver a textbook double leg takedown. On the ground, Meléndez defended from his closed guard and eventually positioned himself into a high guard and nearly locked in an armbar, but Kelly managed to slip free and the two scrambled back up to their feet. The two circled around until Kelly set up another takedown to bring the fight back to the mat. The two jockeyed for control and Kelly got lucky with an unseen headbutt that dazed Meléndez for a moment. However, Meléndez recovered and managed to roll and get top control. Nothing doing from here, and the referee stood them up after the prolonged stalemate. Back on their feet, Kelly kept moving and again set up and delivered another takedown and it seemed evident early that this was his game plan to stifle José’s high volume striking. Meléndez scrambled from the bottom, looking to reverse the situation and nearly got caught in a guillotine, but managed to narrowly escape and secure top control. Meléndez stayed busy but again got a little careless, leaving an opening for Kelly to almost secure an armbar but managed to slip free and after a stalemate that ensued, the referee stood them back up. With both standing and time expiring, Meléndez finished strong, working the body and mixing in a killer uppercut while checking a leg kick. Not sure it was enough to tip the scale in his favor, so I’m giving Kelly the nod for controlling the majority of the round with his excellent grappling and submission attempts.
Isaac Cohen’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Kelly
ROUND TWO: Even after an eventful first round, both fighters came out of their corners with plenty of fuel in the tank. Meléndez opened it up with a stinging leg kick, and although he connected cleanly, Kelly caught the leg and took him down. Both fighters scrambled on the mat but neither one could gain control, causing the referee to stand them back up. Back on the feet, Kelly showed off some incredible footwork by dodging a series of strikes before sweeping Meléndez back down to the mat. The two scramble and Meléndez continued to impress on the ground as he rolled and reversed to the top and secured a full mount position. Meléndez kept working and went for an armbar, but lucky for Kelly he couldn’t secure it and Kelly slipped out and both fighters shuffled back up to their feet. With time ticking away, Meléndez sensed some urgency and pressured Kelly with his signature flurries. He kept a good distance, striking at his perimeter to keep Kelly away from shooting in for a takedown, and mixed up an overwhelming barrage of leg kicks, an uppercut, and a hook to the body. With just seconds remaining and Kelly hunkered over from the barrage, Meléndez nearly ended the fight with a powerful shovel hook, but Kelly kept his wits enough until the buzzer. This was another strong finish for Meléndez, and the fact that he was able to hold his own after being taken down twice, I’m giving him the edge to even out the scorecard.
Isaac Cohen’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Meléndez (19-19 Push)
ROUND THREE: Entering the third round, there was a shift in demeanor from both fighters. Kelly came out looking a little hesitant while Meléndez was fired up and ready to cut loose. Kelly was still showing some solid footwork as he kept circling out of Meléndez’s striking range. Meléndez tried to cut him off and Kelly went for the takedown, however this time he was ready for it and sprawled back to stay upright. Kelly got boxed in with his back against the fence, and Meléndez started to tee off with another great mix of striking. Targeting the legs with kicks, the body with effective hooks, and the head with stinging jabs, Kelly was put in a very bad spot. During the storm, Kelly received a pretty bad poke to the eye and the referee immediately put a stop to the fight. While Kelly recovered, the referee deducted a point from Meléndez. While the protest fell on deaf ears, Meléndez accepted the penalty and the fight resumed just as it was before the break. Meléndez was firing on all cylinders at this point with his striking, and checking a couple kicks thrown his way. Ardan Kelly was getting cut up badly, leaving splatters of blood all over the canvas. Meléndez kept the pedal to the metal and finished the round targeting the legs, chopping away and leaving Kelly bloodied, disoriented, and limping back to his corner. Even with point deduction, Meléndez takes this round and is trending in the right direction for the San Diego native.
Isaac Cohen’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 9-8 Meléndez (28-27 Meléndez)
ROUND FOUR: As the fight moves on into the rarefied Main Event/Championship rounds, it is clear why Meléndez is nicknamed “Gas Tank”. He looks just as fresh after fifteen minutes as he did when he first stepped into the octagon. Kelly on the other hand was sucking wind and simply trying to see clearly with all the blood leaking from his face. It’s survival mode at this point for Kelly as he makes the first move with a sloppy takedown attempt. Meléndez is easily able to defend it, forcing Kelly to pull guard and drag it to his realm to try and salvage this fight. As the two jockey for position, Kelly is leaving a trail of blood on the mat. Kelly kicks up his legs and goes for a triangle, but the two slippery fighters make it easy for Meléndez to slide right out of it. Meléndez scrambles to side mount to gain some control before working his way to a full mount. Kelly tried to roll to his side and catch Meléndez in his guard but ended up giving his back up to Meléndez. Kelly tried to scramble his way out, but Meléndez slipped his arm under the chin and locked in a rear naked choke. Ardan Kelly had nowhere to go, but refused to tap. Kelly ended up losing consciousness and the referee called it off. A monster win for Meléndez under the bright lights in the main event, he effectively put the division on notice ahead of the Triple C GP.
Winner: José Meléndez by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:49 Round 4
Statistics: Ardan Kelly
Punches 0/3 (0%)
Kicks 0/6 (0%)
Clinch strikes 1/1 (100%)
Takedowns 5/7 (71%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 4/4 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 514 s
Statistics: José Meléndez
Punches 45/59 (76%)
Kicks 16/16 (100%)
Clinch strikes 1/1 (100%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 3/3 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 514 s
Venue: Chase Center
Location: San Francisco, California
Attendance: 18,064
Date: June 13, 2021
Fighter Payouts: $1,865,000
Gate: $1,679,952
Sponsorship: $5,000,000
Net Earnings: $4,814,952
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT
Ardan Kelly vs José Meléndez
PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT
Megan Reed, José Meléndez
TOP EARNERS
Donnie Calabrese ($770,000)
Ardan Kelly ($350,000)
José Meléndez ($215,000)
Megan Reed ($170,000)
Harmon Janssen ($110,000)
RECAP
Zander Altman def. Harmon Janssen by Submission (Kneebar) at 4:11 Round 1
Megan Reed def. Syn Saetang by TKO (Low Kicks) at 2:15 Round 2
Donnie Calabrese def. Cezar Miklos by KO (Punch) at 3:47 Round 1
Tim Vu def. Kelsi Morrow by TKO (Hook) at 0:35 Round 2
José Meléndez def. Ardan Kelly by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:49 Round 4