UFC 97: Quarry, Kang Win in Prelims

Nate Quarry was impressive Saturday in his UFC 97 prelim bout against Jason MacDonald. After countering an early takedown attempt, Quarry cut MacDonald’s forehead with an elbow on the ground. Quarry then turned up his attack from the half guard and forced referee Mario Yamasaki to halt the fight at 2:27 of the first.

Denis Kang was also victorious at the Bell Centre in Montreal. He earned his first UFC win by consistently taking down Xavier Foupa-Pokam and nullifying the talented striker’s standup game. All three judges scored the fight 30-27 for Kang.

Ed Herman shut out David Loiseau in a middleweight bout. The fight was Loiseau’s first in the UFC since September 2006, and Herman spoiled the return with superior wrestling and punishing offense on the ground. All three judges awarded the fight to Herman: 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26.

Lightweight Mark Bocek improved to 7-2 with a textbook performance against David Bielkheden. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt known as one of the best grapplers in Canada, Bocek took down his opponent and punched from the top to open a guard pass. Eventually Bocek moved into the mount, and Bielkheden gave his back for a rear-naked choke at 4:57 of the opening round.

Canada’s T.J. Grant delivered in his UFC debut. The welterweight prospect knocked off veteran Ryo Chonan in a back-and-forth bout that saw the fighters trade punches, takedowns and escapes. In the end, Grant took a split decision: 28-29, 30-27, 29-28.

In the opening bout of the evening, Eliot Marshall defeated Vinny Magalhaes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

Andy Cotterill contributed reporting from Montreal.