Ashlee Evans-Smith

Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Norma Dumont Viana (139.5: Missed Weight)

Round 1
What was once a bantamweight tilt has been transformed into a catchweight after Viana (4-1, 0-1 UFC) missed weight by 3.5 pounds before taking on Evans-Smith (6-4, 3-4 UFC). With both trying to even their UFC records to .500, referee Jason Herzog will make sure everything is above board as they collide. There is no glove touch, and instead Evans-Smith walks forward to land a leg kick, miss with a high kick and also swing wildly with a front kick to the body. The American does land another leg kick, and two more to the body connect as well. Viana tries to time a right hand, and Evans-Smith goes back to kicks high and low. When Viana tries to respond with a kick, Evans-Smith counters with a left hand, but the kick landed much heavier than her opponent’s previous strikes. Evans-Smith comes up short with a few more, and she is out of range from a standing elbow as well. Viana sits down on a right hand in a one-two, and it careens off Evans-Smith’s guard. Evans-Smith scores a right hand when Viana comes forward, and she follows it with a chipping leg kick. Viana drills her with a hard leg kick of her own, and a left hand from Viana appears to have started a little swelling above Evans-Smith’s right eye. Viana strings together a trip of punches, and she walks through a kick but Viana loads up on heavier strikes. Evans-Smith charges forward with a salvo of strikes, but Viana dodges them all and clips her with a counter. Viana cracks Evans-Smith with three punches, and Evans-Smith has four strikes easily thwarted. Viana blocks a strike and lands a left hand, and Evans-Smith does sneak in a right hand but Viana blitzes her with several hard punches. Viana clinches up with her opponent, and she holds her hand over Evans-Smith’s mouth and Evans-Smith is wincing. A strike from Viana has opened up a cut on the bridge of her opponent’s nose, and Evans-Smith shoots in for a takedown but hits a brick wall. Viana, the much stronger woman at the moment, lifts Evans-Smith up and slams her down hard. Viana sits up and lands a left hand from above, and the round ends. Viana helps Evans-Smith up on the break.

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

Round 2
Evans-Smith swings and misses with a kick to open up the second, and Viana stands before her and waits to land a few thudding punches. Evans-Smith fakes a takedown but Viana sees it coming, and she pulls off a head-and-arm throw but cannot maintain the position. Instead, Viana rolls through the position, takes Evans-Smith’s back, and the two wildly scramble back to their feet. Pressed against the cage, Viana tosses Evans-Smith down, and she lands in side control, where she opens up with elbows before taking Evans-Smith’s back. Evans-Smith blocks a rear-naked choke attempt and she pushes off the fence, but Viana takes full mount and looks to unload strikes on top. Evans-Smith clings to her heavier opponent like Saran wrap, and Viana breaks the grip and lands occasional ground-and-pound. Viana grinds her forehead on her opponent’s like the UFC days of old, and when she sits up, her top gets trapped and slides off. Herzog pauses the action to get it fixed for her, and when we resume, Viana lands several cracking elbows. Evans-Smith is fired up, and she kicks off to get back to her feet, and she starts throwing heavy leather when they both get back up. Evans-Smith is busted up but she stalks down her opponent, and Viana stays composed and lands an overhand right as Evans-Smith rushes towards her. Viana connects with a loud leg kick, and she ducks out of the way of a one-two to score a right hand over the top. Evans-Smith tries to attack with high kicks, but Viana’s counter strikes are doing damage and making Evans-Smith recoil at each one that lands. One final body kick concludes the round for Evans-Smith.

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

Round 3
The American uses herky-jerky movement to work her way in and land kicks, but Viana strings together four punches that ring Evans-Smith’s bell. Evans-Smith slaps up a kick that glances off Viana’s guard, and the Brazilian darts out of the way from another that flies by. Viana gets off a one-two that makes Evans-Smith take a back step, and she puts four more together before Evans-Smith can reply. Viana scores a left hand, and then a right, and the two go strike-for-strike with Viana getting marked up as well from these exchanges. They clinch up, and Evans-Smith scores a knee but gets elbowed in the face to send her reeling. Evans-Smith switches stances and rips a body kick, and she lands two more to the body while Viana counters her with punches over the top. Evans-Smith targets the liver with another kick, and Viana circles on the outside before socking Evans-Smith with a stiff one-two. Viana punches her way into a clinch, but she bails on it when Evans-Smith tries to elbow her face off. Viana chops at the lead leg, and she hops backwards to avoid the counter and evades four more strikes that are all inaccurate. Viana again lands a leg kick, and three punches that follow collide off Evans-Smith’s high guard. Evans-Smith charges in to clinch up, and Viana turns her around and gets kneed in the body several times. Viana is well out of the way from Evans-Smith strikes, and she lands a few punches but pulls back when Evans-Smith gets stung. Viana loads up on a right hand, and she chains together a series of punches that hurt Evans-Smith badly and make the American fall to the canvas. Evans-Smith attacks a desperation takedown to save herself, and Viana shrugs it off and starts swinging with everything she has left, hurting Evans-Smith again. A trip takedown for Viana leads to a fun scramble, and Viana ends the round holding Evans-Smith down. We have our first decision of the night, although Viana came very close to finish the fight in the waning seconds.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Viana (30-26 Viana)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 Viana (30-26 Viana)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Viana (30-27 Viana)

The Official Result
Norma Dumont Viana def. Ashlee Evans-Smith via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Ketlen Vieira

Round 1
The bantamweights sling a few punches before entering the clinch, and now it's Vieira pushing Evans-Smith against the wall. They separate quickly and Vieira counters a lazy low kick from Evans-Smith with a right hand down the center. Vieira scores with another counter combination as she walks Evans-Smith backward toward the wall. Evans-Smith continues to work her low kicks, but the Brazilian is landing the harder shots with uppercuts and combos. Vieira stuffs a shot and digs an underhook to jam Evans-Smith against the wall again. Vieira drops for a single-leg, can't get anything going, but pops Evans-Smith with an uppercut on her way out of the clinch. Evans-Smith scores with a right hand, follows with a knee to the body and a leg kick. Vieira goes body-head with the right hand before pushing Evans-Smith against the fence, now looking for a trip takedown. Vieira nearly secures a takedown but Evans-Smith reaches her hand over the top of the fence and stays standing. Evans-Smith reverses the position and lands a clinch knee before the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Vieira
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Vieira
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Vieira

Round 2
Vieira goes back to the body with her right hand early in the round, blocks a shot from Evans-Smith and runs the American against the fence again. Evans-Smith does well to fend off a bodylock takedown at first, but when Vieira adjusts her position, the Brazilian is able to drag her to the mat. Evans-Smith is back on her feet quickly but can't free herself from the clinch. The bantamweights split with just under three minutes on the clock. Evans-Smith lands a jab-low kick combo, gets swatted back with Vieira's right hook. Vieira continues to press forward and slams Evans-Smith with a pair of hard right hands, forcing Evans-Smith to back away and slowing the pace of the striking. Left hook-uppercut combo connects for Vieira, and it leaves Evans-Smith looking a bit stung. Evans-Smith comes back with a body kick in the final moments but eats a straight right hand in return.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Vieira
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Vieira
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Vieira

Round 3
Vieira gets tripped up as Evans-Smith comes forward and slips to the mat late in the first minute of the round. Evans-Smith tries to pounce, but Vieira jumps back to her feet, clinches up and gets a rear waistlock at the fence. Evans-Smith defends the takedown as Vieira works from behind her, stomping at the American's feet and kneeing the back of her legs. Referee Keith Peterson waits a minute before breaking up the fighters and bringing them back to the center. Evans-Smith is sporting a mouse under her right eye as she shoots inside, gets underhooked and pushed away. Measured striking from both fighters down the stretch, with Vieira pressing forward but looking to counter. The Brazilian has some damage near her left eye, too, possibly from a behind-the-back elbow Evans-Smith threw in their earlier stalemate position. Evans-Smith continues to pepper Vieira with leg kicks down the stretch but can't find a home for her right hand. Vieira cracks Evans-Smith with a pair of hard rights just before time expires.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Vieira (30-27 Vieira)
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Evans-Smith (29-28 Vieira)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Vieira (30-27 Vieira)

The Official Result
Ketlen Vieira def. Ashlee Evans-Smith via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) R3 5:00