Marcelo Rojo

Francis Marshall vs. Marcelo Rojo
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Marshall (-155), Rojo (+135)

Round 1
Wasting no time, the UFC is on with the next in the form of a featherweight pairing of Rojo (16-8, 0-2 UFC) vs. Marshall (6-0, 0-0 UFC), and one man will earn their first win inside the Octagon when the dust settles. Whether that is the recent Glory MMA trainee or “Fire” Marshall, referee Larry Folsom will be the first to know. The fighters bump fists, and Marshall sternly moves to the center of the cage and swats out with left hands. Marshall kicks low to trip up his opponent, and as he rushes forward to strike, Rojo replies with outstretched fingers pointing his direction. This draws a warning from Folsom, and Rojo does not close his fists until he belts Marshall upside the head with a right hand. Marshall does not flinch and paws out with a left hand, and as he does, Rojo responds with a heavy outside leg kick. Marshall reaches him with an overhand right, and he pierces out a few jabs. Marshall scores a few more punches, and swelling develops around the Argentinian’s left eye. Marshall runs forward to engage, and he gets caught with a clean elbow but returns fire with a couple heavy punches. “Fire” Marshall burns his opponent with a fiery right hand, and Rojo cools himself and climbs back up. Cold water is doused on the match as they clinch, and Rojo grabs the fence repeatedly to stop takedowns. Folsom slaps Rojo’s hand away, and Marshall manages to drag Rojo to the ground when Rojo finally releases the cage. Rojo uses a rubber guard to wrap his right leg around the back of his foe's neck, only to let it go when there is no omoplata shoulder lock to be found. Marshall exudes heavy shoulder pressure and considers a half-guard arm-triangle choke before slicing over to the side. Marshall stays tightly pressed and forces Rojo to stay on the mat while Rojo scrambles, but Rojo does manage to turn about to his knees. Rojo connects with a no-look elbow on the side of the head, and he cracks Marshall with several more emphatic short elbows until the horn blares.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Marshall
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Marshall
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Marshall

Round 2
Gloves are touched, and Marshall once more is in the middle of the cage ready to engage. Marshall lets his hands go, and he catches Rojo a few times only to get drilled with a heavy looping counter. Marshall walks through them and starts to flash out a jab, and Rojo replies with an inside low kick that clatters off the cup. Folsom identifies it and calls a pause, and 30 seconds later, they are back to fighting. Marshall starts off the new exchange with a right hand, and Rojo responds with a side kick and a pair of punches that get Marshall’s attention. Marshall jabs his way in, following them with powerful blows, and Rojo is shocked but still alert enough to fire back.
A short right hook from “Fire” Marshall knocks Rojo clean off his feet, and the back of the Argentinian’s head bounces off the mat as he is in a bad, bad way. Marshall pounces, knowing his first UFC win is right around the corner, and he smashes Rojo in the face with a few punches until Rojo is out and Folsom has seen more than enough.
There are UFC debuts and
UFC debuts
, and this is the latter. The still-undefeated Marshall has just registered his first career knockout against a 24-fight veteran that had only once been stopped with strikes before, all in front of a packed house in Orlando.

The Official Result
Francis Marshall def. Marcelo Rojo R2 1:14 via KO (Punches)

Kyler Phillips vs. Marcelo Rojo

Round 1
We keep things moving right along to the bantamweights, in what should be a fast-paced, high-intensity battle between Phillips (9-2, 3-1 UFC) and Rojo (16-7, 0-1 UFC) that was initially set for the main card but for late lineup shuffling. Taking charge of the cage is referee Dan Miragliotta, and the fighters touch gloves to begin what could be a fun one. At any rate, it will be better than the last fight, if one could call it that. Phillips leads off with a leg kick, and Rojo fires right back. Phillips aims a right hand over the top, and he jabs up high, throws a right hand and a left to the body. “Matrix” spins with a body kick, and he backs away when Rojo tries to counter him. Rojo just misses with a looping right hook, and Phillips delivers a one-two across the bow. The American cannot connect with a spinning wheel kick, but he does get off a flying knee. Phillips goes low with a kick that trips Rojo to the mat, and he charges ahead with a three-punch salvo. Rojo looks to counter, and Phillips changes things up with a takedown entry. Although it does not succeed, Phillips backs away just enough to whip a spinning wheel kick around, and it clatters off the high guard of his foe. They both fire off right hands at the same time, and Phillips rushes in to clip the Argentinian with an elbow and a left hand before tripping “Pitbull” to the mat. Phillips claims Rojo’s back quickly when Rojo stands, and he drags Rojo’s legs out and steps over to full mount. Rojo quickly recovers half guard, but a few short elbow strikes from Phillips have opened a cut on the side of Rojo’s eye. Rojo sits up, gets to his knees and stands up, but not before eating a crisp knee to the body on the way up. Phillips resets and paws out with a jab, and he darts out of the way when a combination whizzes past him. A high spinning back kick lands flush on Rojo’s arms, and he follows it with a jab that split the guard. Rojo fires back, only to get countered with a right hand on that damaged eye. Phillips is just a little too high from yet another spinning wheel kick, and Rojo ducked just in time. After a brief clinch, they break away where Phillips tags Rojo with a swatting left hook. Phillips steps in with a right hand, and he sweeps Rojo down to the mat with 15 seconds to go. Rojo throws his legs up for a sneaky armbar, and Phillips stands up to pull his arm out, lowering himself back down right as the bell sounds.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Phillips
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Phillips
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Phillips

Round 2
Rojo strides out of his corner to attack at the beginning of Round 2, but Phillips beats him to the punch and works the body with a left hand. Chaining punches into a spinning back kick, Phillips has Rojo guessing. Rojo swings back, mostly hitting air, and he sticks out a leg kick but gets met with three punches. The Argentinian attacks the lead leg again, leading Phillips to do the same with his own strikes. “Matrix” fires off a head kick that collides with the raised guard, and he sets his leg down and is already on to stringing jabs into a combination. Rojo throws caution to the wind, swinging wildly but inaccurately, as Phillips jabs away and starts drilling Rojo’s calf with repeated kicks. Rojo meets him in the middle with a jab back, but the kicks from Phillips are quickly doing damage and changing the color of Rojo’s lead calf. Phillips is loose, light on his feet, hopping in and out of range to toss a flying knee or piercing jab out. Rojo catches Phillips at the end of a right hand after blocking a head kick, but Phillips’ strikes are straighter and sharper, and therefore finding their target at a much higher clip. The American springs out of the way when Rojo bears down on him, and he continues battering Rojo’s calf as swelling grows. Rojo fights to through the pain to swing for the fences, and as soon as he commits to a big punch, Phillips dives low for a takedown. Rojo pops right back up before staying down for more than one second, and Phillips feeds him a steady diet of jabs on an increasingly reddening nose. Rojo scores to the body, forcing Phillips to crash forward and attempt a body lock trip. Rojo sneaks in a knee and an uppercut before they separate, and the round ends with Phillips blocking a high kick.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Phillips
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Phillips
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Phillips

Round 3
Coming out to the third round, Rojo’s lead leg is hamburger, swollen and bruised badly. Phillips picks up where he left off there, attacking the damaged leg before assailing his man with a chained takedown that set Rojo on his back. Phillips lands in side control, and he grips on to a double wrist lock that he uses to claim mount brilliantly. In a very high mount, Phillips locks up a high mounted triangle, and he sits up to smash Rojo in the head with punches and elbows. Rojo turns over, in an effort to slide his neck out.
When Phillips lands on his back, he is already setting up an armbar while he still holds on to the triangle choke. The combo submission is tight as can be, and there is no way out for the Argentinian. “Matrix” elicits the tap right when Rojo stands, with Rojo surrendering before losing consciousness or hyperextending his elbow.
That’s a rare triangle armbar on the books for the highly touted prospect from Arizona.

The Official Result
Kyler Phillips def. Marcelo Rojo R3 1:48 via Submission (Triangle Armbar)

Charles Jourdain vs. Marcelo Rojo

Round 1
This featherweight scrap that is about to take place comes in the form of a classic Canada vs. Argentina battle, when “Air” Jourdain (10-3-1, 1-2-1 UFC) looks to keep his finishing ways intact against uniquely nicknamed “Pitbull” Rojo (16-6, 0-0 UFC). Holding on tight for what could be a furious affair is referee Mark Smith, and the two stoppage-happy competitors touch gloves before swinging for the bleachers. Rojo thinks to come forward to start out swinging, but Jourdain is ready with a head kick. The kicks keep coming for the Canadian, spamming kicks to the head and body, and Rojo absorbs them and looks to counter. Rojo rushes in with an aggressive swing that nearly makes him fall over, but he backs off and Jourdain kicks at him and slips. The Canadian springs back up, and Rojo grabs hold of him to take the fight down. “Air” Jourdain does not stay grounded for long, powering his way back up and landing a kick the same time his foe lands one. Jourdain gets off a head kick a split-second before a right hand nails him in the face, and Rojo is loading up on shots to do some damage early. Rojo splits the guard with a knee up the middle, and Jourdain retreats to pepper away with leg kicks. Rojo sits down on his own leg kick that makes Jourdain nearly turn around, and he steps through with a left hand that stings Jourdain. Both men get off leg kicks at the same time, and they both land heavy punches before breaking apart. Jourdain slings three kicks to the body and head before Rojo can close the distance, and he keeps working these kicks until Rojo crashes the pocket and knees him in the face. Jourdain lets loose another head kick that gets blocked, and he stutter-steps forward to score a solid left hand. Rojo fires right back at him, and the two trade heavy leather for a moment. Jourdain kicks high, and Rojo blocks it and lets Jourdain tumble to the ground. As soon as the Canadian stands, Rojo is on him landing punches. Jourdain circles off and kicks high and low a few times, and Rojo chops at his legs with a few heavy leg kicks. Jourdain ducks in to throw, and the newcomer hurts him with a quick combination. Jourdain keeps a good poker face, and circles off the cage as Rojo chases after him to keep punching. Jourdain rushes forward to land and surprise Rojo, and the two trade furiously in the clinch as Jourdain presses his man into the wire. Jourdain works the body several times in close proximity, and the two break apart where Jourdain lets go with a big head kick. Rojo eats a few big punches, and the round ends.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rojo
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Rojo
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rojo

Round 2
There is a respectful touch of gloves to start the second round after five minutes of fury, and Rojo advances first and lands a few punches and a slapping leg kick. Jourdain leaps forward with a jab, and Rojo meets him with six punches before Jourdain can get his bearings. Rojo rings Jourdain’s bell as he keeps landing, backing Jourdain into the fence and doing some damage. When they separate, Jourdain tries to kick but Rojo targets his legs with impunity. Rojo lands a right hand, and Jourdain fires right back to get Rojo’s attention. Jourdain hacks at the lead leg and snaps Rojo’s head back with a jab, but the newcomer is not concerned and instead meets the Canadian’s aggression with his own. Jourdain reaches out with his fingers, and he inadvertently jabs Rojo in the eye. A 30 second break is all Rojo needs to recover, and Jourdain apologizes with a glove touch. Jourdain from a distance starts working Rojo with leg kicks and body kicks, and Rojo tries to counter with booming overhand rights. Jourdain springs forward with a left hand and ducks the inevitable counter, where he backs off into the fence to secure a big head kick. Rojo starts ripping the body with vicious punches in bunches, and Jourdain doubles over in pain and surprise. Rojo uses his momentum to tie Jourdain up, and he tries to drag the fight down but Jourdain stays upright and gains separation. Rojo swings wildly and whiffs on a spinning back elbow, and Jourdain gathers himself and lands a few punches that mark up Rojo’s face. Jourdain scores a few times to his foe’s lead leg, and Rojo winds up on big shots that just barely miss. Jourdain hops forward, lands a left hand, and evades the counter that soon follows. Jourdain lands a kick that makes him fall back, but he regains his composure and sticks out a few jabs. Rojo absorbs a right hand to land three or four punches, and he chains them into a knee that forces Jourdain back into the fence. The Canadian gathers his thoughts and just barely avoids a huge punch to the body. Rojo chips away at his opponent’s leg, and Jourdain limps away. Out of nowhere, Jourdain cracks Rojo with a flying knee, and he seeks the finish as he pours it on. Rojo steels himself and slings heavy leather back, and the two trade violently to the bell.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rojo
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Rojo
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Jourdain

Round 3
There is no feeling-out process to begin the final round, and they pick up where they left off swinging with everything they have. Rojo jumps forward to attack, and Jourdain stands firm and gets off several short shots until Rojo is forced to backpedal. Jourdain’s leg may be compromised, but he is not showing it as he puts several punches together. Jourdain stings Rojo with a left hand, and Rojo eats it like a steak and fires right back with his own salvo of punches. Jourdain splits the guard with a few quick strikes, and he steps away to uppercut Rojo in the face. A huge right hand from Jourdain knocks Rojo flat on his back, and “Air” Jourdain leaps through the air to drop bombs. Smith tells Rojo to defend himself as Jourdain pours it on, and Jourdain stands up to lord over his opponent but allows Rojo to get his bearings. Jourdain steps away, and he leaps high in the air to land a brutal hammerfist on the chin. Jourdain keeps slamming his fist into Rojo’s face, and he steps back to dive down and elbow him in the face. Jourdain is merciless, smashing the body and head and forcing Rojo to turtle up briefly. Rojo turns around and rolls to his stomach, where Jourdain ties up his arm and rains down punches. Jourdain steps away to let Rojo up, and he marches forward to slug it out. Rojo greets him with a violent flurry, and these two are giving it all they have and are laying into each other with bad intentions. Jourdain tags Rojo with a flying knee, and he works the body repeatedly as he bullies Rojo into the fence. Jourdain targets the body repeatedly, and Rojo tries to tie him up in the clinch.
Jourdain pours it on, throwing everything he has left in one blistering left hand that short-circuits Rojo and puts the newcomer out on his back. Smith has seen enough and saves Rojo from his own toughness, awarding what should be a massive comeback as some scored the first two rounds to Rojo.
With less than 30 seconds to go, Jourdain kept his 100 percent finish rate intact with a thrilling knockout after a terrifically violent battle.

The Official Result
Charles Jourdain def. Marcelo Rojo R3 4:31 via TKO (Punches)