UFC Fight Night 69 Results: Jędrzejczyk Batters Penne, Kawajiri Edges Siver

On Saturday, June 20, the UFC hosted UFC Fight Night 69: Jędrzejczyk vs. Penne from the O2 World Berlin in Berlin, Germany.

In the night’s main event, the promotion’s strawweight titleholder, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, put her belt on the line for the first time as she took on former Invicta FC champion Jessica Penne. Jędrzejczyk captured the title with a dominant, second-round knockout of Carla Esparza in March. The win moved the Polish fighter’s record to 9-0. Penne, meanwhile, picked up a split decision win over Randa Markos in her official UFC debut. The American fell short on The Ultimate Fighter 20, falling to Esparza in the semifinals of the title tournament.

The co-main event featured a pair of veteran featherweights as Japan’s Tatsuya Kawajiri faced Russian-German fighter Dennis Siver. Kawajiri suffered his first loss since 2011 last April, falling via decision to Clay Guida. Siver was also looking to get back in the win column after suffering a TKO loss to No. 1 contender Conor McGregor in January.

The 11-fight event kicked off Saturday with seven preliminary card bouts streaming on UFC Fight Pass at 12 p.m. ET. The four-fight main card aired live at 3 p.m. ET, also on UFC Fight Pass.

Women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk retained her title by battering former Invicta FC titleholder Jessica Penne for three rounds. Jędrzejczyk got her high-volume attack going early and stuffed takedown after takedown from Penne. The second stanza was completely one-sided as Jędrzejczyk unleashed a violent barrage of punches and elbows. One of the elbows turned Penne’s nose into a faucet of blood. Jędrzejczyk flurried for a finish, but Penne showcased great heart to continue fighter. But in round three, the amount of punishment Penne was absorbing was too much for referee Marc Goodard, who waved off the bout.

Japan’s Tatsuya Kawajiri got back in the win column by defeating Dennis Siver by unanimous decision. Siver showcased tremendous takedown defense in the opening round, stuffing all but one of the Japanese fighter’s takedown attempts. However, Siver’s defense waned in round two as Kawajiri started to chain his wrestling together. Kawajiri passed to mount to clearly take the middle frame. It was more of the same in the final round as Kawajiri scored with double-leg takedowns and Siver was forced to ride out the fight from his back.

Peter Sobotta made short work of last-minute opponent Steven Kennedy, submitting the Aussie in the first frame. Sobotta was aggressive early on the feet before securing a takedown. Kennedy returned to his feet, but as he looked for a takedown of his own, he gave up his back. Sobotta methodically secured both hooks and locked in the fight-finishing rear-naked choke.

Lightweight Nick Hein spoiled the debut of Poland’s Lukasz Sajewski, claiming a clear-cut unanimous decision. The first round was largely a feeling-out process as Sajewski charged forward, but Hein circled out of the way. As the fight progressed, Sajewski slowed significantly and Hein began picking him apart. Hein countered with big left hands throughout round three and secured the win on the scorecards.

Makwan Amirkhani needed longer than the eight seconds he needed in his Octagon debut, but he was still able to submit Masio Fullen in under two minutes. Amirkhani took Fullen to the mat right away and took his back. Once there, he worked for the rear-naked choke and forced Fullen to tap.

After a foul-filled opening round, Mairbek Taisumov made Alan Patrick pay with a second-round TKO. Patrick threw wild and flashy strikes in the opening stanza, looking to find an opening for a takedown. Taisumov kept the fight upright, but absorbed a kick to the groin and a poke to the eye. In round two, Taisumov countered Patrick’s wild strikes with precision, landing a head kick that sent Patrick crashing to the mat. He followed with punches and the referee intervened.

In his promotional debut, 21-year-old Arnold Allen secured a come-from-behind submission win over Alan Omer in round three. Omer pressed forward with punches in the opening round. Allen earned a takedown late in the round, but did little with it. Omer dictated the action in round two on the feet and the mat. Omer looked to be on his way to victory in round three, but Allen latched onto a deep guillotine and coerced the tap.

Featherweights Noad Lahat and Niklas Backstrom engaged in a back-and-forth battle, with Lahat claiming a majority decision. Backstrom surprised Lahat in round one with his grappling skills, attacking with a gogoplata and rear-naked choke. Lahat took over in round two, battering Backstrom in the clinch before mounting him on the ground and dropping heavy shots. Backstrom bounced back in round three as the pair traded positions regularly, but two of the judges awarded Lahat the win.

England’s Scott Askham got back in the win column with a violent, first-round finish of Brazilian Antonio dos Santos Jr. Askham slipped on a head kick attempt early and dos Santos flurried inside with punches. Askham stayed calm in the clinch and separated. Askham clipped dos Santos with a counter uppercut that sent the Brazilian reeling against the cage. Askham secured the clinch and finished the fight with knees.

Magomed Mustafaev made a successful Octagon debut, earning a second-round TKO win over Piotr Hallmann. Mustafaev landed heavy shots early and mixed in a spinning back kick and flying knee. Hallman absorbed the punishment and earned a pair of takedowns. The second round saw Mustafaev open up a large cut over Hallman’s left eye and the doctor halted the contest.

In his bantamweight debut, France’s Taylor Lapilus used a superior striking game to stop Japan’s Yuta Sasaki by TKO. Sasaki scored with an early takedown, but Lapilus quickly returned to his feet and took control of the fight. He scored with a variety of strikes from the clinch. In round two, Lapilus rocked Sasaki with a heavy left hand and flurried for the finish.