The fight fight of the night at UFC on Versus 5 was Karlos Vemola vs. Ronny Markes. This is a light heavyweight, meaning 205 pounds. The referee in charge of the action was Rob Hinds.
If the first round was about anything, it's that Vemola's trademark agro approach to the game isn't enough against more talented, calculated fighters. Vemola did initiate wild exchanges, but what defined the round for Markes was his ability to take Vemola down over and over again, mostly with assistance from the cage (that's not a knock, just a reality). Markes efforts were likely extraordinarily taxing, but they worked. Vemola tried valiantly to stand, but couldn't ever stand for more than fleeting moments.
Markes was controlling in the first. He was downright dominating in the second. Markes again avoided the wild, chaotic attempts of Vemola to brawl, but more importantly controlled two dimensions of the game. Markes was able to land a number of takedowns on Vemola: knee taps, single leg sweeps, etc. He held side control, although more for scoring points and less about doing damage. That, however, is where the clinch comes into play. With Vemola's left side pinned to the fence as he tried to stand back up after a takedown, Markes used a left overhook and wrist control to utterly blast Vemola's midsection. A couple of shots nearly folded Vemola, although he managed to survive the round.
The third round was far less exciting, although only marginally less dominant. Again, Markes avoided the feral attack of Vemola. Again, he got takedowns whenever he wanted them. Understandably, Markes appeared gassed in the third round and a tad risk averse to advancing position, i.e. accepting a heightened level of risk for the ability to finish the fight. I'm not prepared to put Markes in the same category of other rising prospects at 205lbs like Alexander Gustafsson, but his performance was strong enough and technical enough to make us ask for more.