Two heavyweights looking to bounce back from recent losses faced off on the raw card at UFC Vegas 75, where Dennis Bondar took on Carlos Hernandez.
Bondar was 0-1 in pitching, while Series Contenders graduate Hernandez has a 1-1 record so far.
Ukraine’s Bondar pulled off some big swings early on, with Hernandez tying up the fight, only to be thwarted when trying to take down. Back in the distance, Bondar continued to swing and miss, although an inside leg kick did not make contact. Hernandez was more technical, but Bondar hit a powerful kick moments later. Hernandez went to the body with a kick of his own after that, which Bondar rocked.
Bondar mixed in an elbow from a fracture, and headed a kick into the distance, as the round bounced. Once again, Hernandez showed more sharp and technical boxing, getting more out of it while doing less.
Accuracy’s battle against Strength continued into the second round. Bondar did a bit of a show-off and took more big swings. Hernandez stuck to his technical boxing and stayed light on his feet. A little blood was gushing down Bondar’s temple, from an accidental head-on collision earlier in the fight. Bondar went to the body, closing the distance but failing to land the rest of the group.
In the back half of the Tour, the pace picked up a bit. Hernandez looked for an easy stuffed takedown. Bondar’s defense was on point, his head and footwork solid as well, despite the energy he was putting out with those powerful punches. Then Bondar changed levels and got Hernandez, landing a takedown that didn’t last because Carlos immediately worked over the fence and over. Hernandez then landed a flying knee as time went down, eating Bondar. Right at the horn, Bondar landed a lazy and blatantly illegal knee on Hernandez’s head, completely inexplicably.
The fight was allowed to continue, with the fighters back in their corners, without any opponent. It’s still a baffling decision given how massive the mistake was. Regardless, it was an arranged affair at three, with Bondar apologizing and no apparent hard feelings on Hernandez’s part. Bondar, meanwhile, continued to have lower production compared to Hernandez, who doubled his jab at times. When the takedowns landed, Hernandez was so fast they might not have counted; The strong stretch saw Hernandez try late.
And just as it looked like they were going to head to the scorecards, Carlos Hernandez exploded. The Contender Series vet in the fight probably landed a big punch, and followed it up with some smashing elbows. Unfortunately, there was an accidental clash of heads, and Bondar emerged out of it. The fight went to instant replay, and the review official determined that there had been an accidental foul, moving the fight to the scorecards.
See for yourself the controversial head-to-head clash 🔎⤵️ #UFCVegas75pic.twitter.com/kpacgrF4EC
– UFC (ufc) June 18, 2023
No surprises there, the right person won out in the end. Hernandez was a little annoyed that he didn’t judge the ending after the fact, but the reward for his victory remained the same. Which is a better score than Dan Argueta vs. Ronnie Lawrence.
Official result: Loss to Carlos Hernandez. Dennis Bondar via unanimous technical decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)