Aaron Phillips

Gaston Bolanos vs. Aaron Phillips
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Bolanos (-190), Phillips (+160)

Round 1
Returning to the cage from a 34-month absence in hopes of finally attaining his first UFC win, Phillips (12-4, 0-3 UFC) is back in action. He takes on promotional newcomer Bolanos (6-3, 0-0 UFC) at bantamweight, who had previously only competed in the Bellator cage before now. Sparks may fly, and referee Nick Berens is ready for it. The two men touch ‘em up, eager to impress and fire up the crowd. Instead of engaging, however, Phillips just chases Bolanos around and lobs a single high kick at him after about 30 seconds. Bolanos steps in with a straight right hand as Phillips chambers another kick, and Bolanos gets into a rhythm of kicking the lead leg. Phillips responds with a head kick, and Bolanos knocks him back after catching the leg in the air. Bolanos switches stances as he kicks from both legs, and Phillips punches his way into an engagement. Bolanos pushes him back with a knee to the body, and he has his lead leg kicked hard. “The Dreamkiller” sits down on three low kicks in a row, and the third makes Phillips pick his leg up. The other kicks from Bolanos are just out of range, and he ducks back when Phillips lunges at him with a few punches. Bolanos splits the guard with a right hand, and he stings Phillips with a second. Bolanos finds the target with another straight right down the pipe, and Phillips cannot seem to stop it. Bolanos fires off a clean one-two, and Phillips grabs him from behind the neck and slings him to his knees emphatically. Bolanos springs back up and gets back to action with low kicks, and the crowd starts wooing. They trade tit-for-tat strikes with little impact, and come together and clash their knees. Phillips whiffs on a big left hook, and Bolanos loads up on a pair of body kicks. Phillips just misses with a spinning kick, and Bolanos walks him down while continuing to sling kicks. Bolanos kicks Phillips’ leg out, and Phillips hops up and backpedals as the round ends.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Bolanos
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Bolanos
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Bolanos

Round 2
The fighters clap hands to get things going in the second round, and Bolanos starts off with a few kicks. Instead of getting into the pace of the last round, he changes things up and shoots for a takedown. Phillips bowls him over and pushes Bolanos to his back, where he moves to half guard. Berens asks them to work while Bolanos motions to him that he is being held down. Bolanos hacks with elbows from his back, and they land to the back of the head. Bolanos explodes back to his feet and lances Phillips with a handful of straight punches. Phillips knocks him back with a pair of hooks, and Bolanos surges back into action with a combination of punches and kicks. Phillips blitzes forward, tripping Bolanos down, and he lands right in mount. Phillips sits up to drop down punches, but the bucking Bolanos nearly escapes before he can do anything with it. Phillips lowers himself down and presses his full body weight on his opponent, and he looks to set up an arm-triangle choke. As he is in full mount working on a submission, Berens inexplicably asks Phillips to improve his position. Bolanos turns to his knees to break out of the arm-triangle setup, and he gives up his back. Phillips is keen to take it, as he secures the body lock around the waist and tightens it. Phillips threatens with a rear-naked choke, Bolanos tugs the gloves to get out of it as Berens warns him. Bolanos pulls off the fence with his toes, breaking out of the body triangle and working his way back to his feet. Bolanos lords over Phillips on his back, wailing on him with leg kicks until diving down with a monster right forearm. Bolanos beats on him until Phillips simply stands back up, and Bolanos is on him with a combination ending with a high kick. Phillips is slightly staggered from the strikes, and he blocks a spinning back elbow as the round ends.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Phillips
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Phillips
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Phillips

Round 3
The fighters hug it out to start off the final frame, and Bolanos looks to get his striking going early. Bolanos nearly sneaks a head kick around the guard, and he chains punches into kicks while Phillips walks him down. Phillips blocks a right hand and shoots in for a single-leg takedown, and Bolanos defends with the cage at his back. Berens asks the two to work as they are tied up against the fence, and Phillips tries to trip him up and elects to drag him down. Phillips rolls through to snag an armbar, and he falls to his back in pursuit of a triangle choke. Bolanos shakes out of it and opens up with some ground strikes. Phillips pushes off to make Bolanos stand back up, but Bolanos lords over him and hammers him with left hands before hopping over to pass guard on the other side. Phillips wall-walks his way up, and he is met with several punches and a spinning back elbow. Phillips grins at him and tags Bolanos with a left hook, and he walks Bolanos down and ducks another spinning back elbow. Phillips takes his back and drags him to the mat from behind, and he secures the body lock instantly. Phillips works the body with punches while hunting for a choke, but it cannot materialize as Bolanos is wise to it. Phillips lets the body triangle go so that he can shift into mount, but he instead fastens an arm-triangle choke that freezes Bolanos. “The Dreamkiller” works his way out of the choke try, but Phillips rides out back control until the horn sounds. Scores could be all over the map, and based on the decision in the last fight, anything goes in Kansas City tonight.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Phillips (29-28 Phillips)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Phillips (29-28 Phillips)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Phillips (29-28 Phillips)

The Official Result
Gaston Bolanos def. Aaron Phillips via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)