Canadian Jasudavicius sets new record, Robertson thrills at UFC 297

TORONTO -- It was immediately apparent inside Scotiabank Arena that UFC 297 was going to have a Home vs. Away and a Canada vs. The World atmosphere with all seven preliminary bouts featuring a Canadian fighter.

Fighters with Canadian roots went a perfect 6-0 when the UFC returned north of the border at UFC 289 in Vancouver this past summer, however the group as a whole wasn't quite able to recapture that same magic Saturday at UFC 297.

Niagara, Falls Ont.’s Jasmine Jasudavicius entered the Octagon a massive betting favourite and it showed in her victory over Priscila Cachoeira. Jasudavicius set a new record for the biggest strike differential in women’s UFC history, outlanding her opponent by a whopping margin of 326-26.

Jasudavicius was dialed in from the beginning, getting an early double-leg takedown as her Brazilian opponent rushed forward flailing punches. Jasudavicius worked from side control into mount and back mount where she rained down strikes on a helpless Cachoeira, who did manage to escape the round and head back to her corner bloody and fatigued.

Cachoeira landed a pair of hard low leg kicks to the shin and calf of Jasudavicius early in the second round but the Canadian countered with a right hand that sent Cachoeira to her back. Moments later Jasudavicius was in full mount again inflicting damage. Jasudavicius ended up connecting on 138 strikes total strikes in the opening round alone, 110 in the second and another 78 in the final round before locking in an anaconda choke late in the third.

“This was one of the most dominant performances we’ve ever seen in the UFC,” Daniel Cormier told Jasudavicius in the cage after the Canadian’s third win in her past four fights as the crowd roared.

“I kinda gassed myself out a little bit,” Jasudavicius said referring to her high output before adding she wanted to “punish” Cachoeira for being unprofessional prior to the fight. The bout was initially supposed to take place at flyweight but was bumped up to bantamweight after Cachoeira had trouble cutting weight earlier in the week.

Canadian women ended up going 2-0 on the night as Gillian Robertson had the crowd on its feet by stopping Polyana Viana in the second round via technical knockout.

The opening round was a grappler’s delight between two skilled submission artists. Robertson guided Viana to the ground with a single-leg takedown early and although unable to lock in a straight armbar from top position, later came close on a traditional armbar. Viana defended nicely, escaped and ended the round on top throwing punches.

Robertson gained mount again in the second round yet instead of working for a submission, she decided to use ground-and-pound instead.

“When it comes to the ground, this is my world,” Robertson said after earning just her second career win by KO/TKO. Robertson is hoping to face a ranked opponent in her next scrap because she says “I need to show the world what I’m capable of.”

The five other Canadians on the prelims did not enjoy the same success.

Ramon Taveras made good in his rematch with Serhiy Sidey much to the dismay of the pro-Sidey crowd. The 18,000-plus fans booed loudly when the scorecards were read and Bruce Buffer announced Taveras had earned a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) over the Ukrainian-Canadian.

Sidey picked up a first-round stoppage victory over his fellow 135-pounder in their September Contender Series bout to earn his UFC contract. It was considered a premature stoppage, though, and the rematch was booked less than four months later.

Taveras’s most effective weapon early was his left hook, which he thudded into Sidey’s midsection multiple times. The most damaging strike from either fighter in the opening round was an overhand right that wobbled Sidey at the round expired.

Two crisp left hands from Taveras that landed on the button rocked Sidey in the second round. Within seconds Sidey’s hair and face were crimson like his shorts. Despite eating the hardest shots, though, Sidey’s durability and endurance were impressive as he was the fighter controlling and pushing the pace.

The pair went back and forth in a tightly contested third round and Taveras, who forfeited 30 per cent of his fight purse to Sidey for missing weight by nearly four pounds Friday, got the nod. Taveras was apologetic to his opponent and the fans that he came in overweight and suggested he and Sidey will likely complete their trilogy at some point in the future.

In the very next bout, Canadian Charles Jourdain suffered the same fate, losing a close split decision to lanky featherweight Sean Woodson.

Jourdain was patient but dealing with Woodson’s massive reach advantage was ultimately a problem he couldn’t solve. Jourdain couldn’t connect in a meaningful way on any of the flashy techniques he used, whiffing on several spinning wheel kicks and spinning back fists. Jourdain made a last-ditch effort by wrapping up a guillotine choke in the waning seconds of the final round, though Woodson escaped and walked away with the split-decision win.

The crowd initially thought Jourdain’s name was announced as the winner. The cheers turned to jeers when Cormier informed the crowd that Woodson had, in fact, won.

The first fighter to make the walk to the Octagon was Sand Springs, Okla., native Jimmy Flick, who jibed the local fan base by using Drake’s “Started From The Bottom” as his entrance music ahead of his fight with Toronto’s Malcolm Gordon.

The Canadian was the more aggressive fighter in the opening round and took the fight to the mat after attacking with punches forcing Flick to his back foot. That was not the best strategy, however, as the jiu-jitsu standout Flick began working a triangle choke from the bottom and Gordon was stuck defending it for a full minute before escaping and inflicting some ground-and-pound strikes as the fans chanted “Let’s go Canada!”

The Adrenaline MMA product, with former UFC stars Mark Hominick and Sam Stout in his corner, continued messing around with the ground game in the second round and Flick eventually locked in an arm-triangle that forced a tap. It was Flick’s 15th career submission victory and his fourth via arm-triangle since 2018. Flick dedicated the win to his father after losing his last fight on Father’s Day in 2023.

Gordon missed weight by 1.5 pounds on Friday and forfeited 20 per cent of his purse to Flick. It was the second fight in a row Gordon missed weight and it was his third consecutive loss in the UFC.

“White Lion” Yohan Lainesse let out a bellowing roar at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins, however the Quebec welterweight was unable to turn that energy into a victory over Sam Patterson, who took control of the bout as soon as the two began grappling. The six-foot-three fighter from Watford, England – who somehow used to cut enough weight to routinely compete at 155 pounds – was successful on his first and only takedown attempt and sunk in a rear-naked choke which the Canadian succumbed to at just 2:03 of the opening round.

Lainesse has now lost three of his past four and two in a row by submission. He was submitted by UFC 297 main card fighter and fellow Canadian Mike Malott when they met at a UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas last year.

Garrett Armfield upset two-time Ultimate Fighter winner Brad Katona in the featured preliminary bout, winning a unanimous decision. Canadians ended up finishing the prelims 2-5.