A middleweight bout between Antonio Carlos Junior and Ian Heinisch served as the co-headliner of tonight’s UFC Rochester event.
Antonio Carlos Junior (10-2 MMA) enters tonight’s contest on a five-fight winning streak, his latest being a submission victory over Tim Boetsch. The Brazilian black belt has scored four submission wins over his past five octagon appearances.
Meanwhile, Ian Heinisch (12-1 MMA) has won four fights in a row, his latest being a unanimous decision victory over Cezar Ferreira this past November.
Round one begins and Heinisch lands a low kick and then another. Antonio Carlos Junior is looking to close the distance. Ian connects with another pair of low kicks. ‘ACJ’ gets inside and forces the clinch. He immediately score a trip takedown and begins working from half guard. Carlos Junior postures up and lands some strikes. He thinks about rolling for a leg lock but gives up on the idea. Heinisch scrambles and gets back to his feet. Antonio Carlos Junior remains on his back and in search of a takedown. He gets it but Ian pops right back up to his feet. The fighters battel along the cage. ‘ACJ’ with some knees and then looks for a trip. He scores a double leg takedown and begins looking for a guillotine choke. Ian Heinisch avoids and looks to get back to his feet. Carlos Junior jumps on his back and begins working for a rear-naked choke. He switches to a guillotine but Ian pops out. Antonio is in full mount now. Seconds remain and now the horn sounds to end the round.
Round two of the UFC Rochester co-main event begins and both fighters get busy early. Good punches from both men. Ian lands a nice low kick. Heinisch with pressure now. He throws a flurry but nothing appears to land flush. Antonio Carlos Junior says he took a headbutt but the referee did not see it. Ian rushes in after him. ‘ACJ’ uses his opponents forward pressure to shoot in and score a takedown. Heinisch gets back to his feet and then takes top position. He nearly had full mount on the Brazilian. Instead, he remains in half guard and delivers some good left hands from the top. One minute remains in round two. Ian Heinisch continues to tee off with left hands. Antonio Carlos Junior is trying to get back to his feet but is eating big shots for his efforts. The horn sounds to end round two.
The third and final round of the UFC Rochester co-main event begins and Ian Heinisch is all over “Shoeface” early on. He lands a nice combination that ends in a left hook. Antonio Carlos Junior with a knee inside. Apparently that was low and so we break. The replay shows it was and Ian is given time to recover. We restart and Ian comes forward with a flurry. Carlos Junior appears to slip but gets back to his feet and presses Ian up against the cage. He is working hard for a single leg. The Brazilian slips and Heinisch winds up in top position. Ian is working from half guard with two minutes to go. Antonio Carlos Junior scores a beautiful sweep and winds up on top. Another scramble and the positions are once again reversed with Heinisch on top. Ian stays busy by landing some big left hands until the horn sounds to end the fight.
Official UFC Rochester Result: Ian Heinisch def. Antonio Carlos Junior via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Stay tuned to BJPENN.com for the Kevin Lee vs. Rafael dos Anjos main event recap.