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SALT LAKE CITY — A standing ovation gave Layton native Court McGee a warm welcome to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first Utah-based event Saturday night at Vivint Arena.
But there were two people in the crowd who gave McGee his warmest welcome — his sons Isaac and Crew, who saw their father fight in the same event for the first time.
Fighting for them, the veteran UFC fighter gave Utah arguably the biggest mixed martial arts victory in state history.
McGee won by unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, over challenger Dominique Steele in a preliminary bout at UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Caceres in the first UFC event in state history.
“When I walked out, I got emotional,” McGee said. “I had to hold back tears before getting ready to fight.
“I knew my family was there, I knew I had thousands of fans there. I felt the love, especially here in Utah. There are no words to describe how incredible it is.”
No. 13 Yair “Pantera” Rodriguez of Mexico delivered a split-decision victory over Miami’s Alex Caceres in the main event in front of 6,689 fans that alternated chants of “Mexico” and “U-S-A.”
Rodriguez took an early lead in the five-round main event, but Caceres battled back, forcing a big knock down in the third and fourth rounds before a back-and-forth fifth that helped Rodriguez to the narrow win.
“I felt like I was definitely landing more in the later rounds,” Caceres said. “After he took the round one, I felt better in round two. He came back in the third round, but in the fourth and fifth round, I felt like he was throwing a lot more but I was cleaner.
“He was just a lot more active. I was landing, but I knew I had to be a little more active to win those rounds and in the eyes of the judges, he looked more solid.”
Rodriguez’s win cost him a significant foot injury that forced him to the hospital under doctor’s supervision following the fight. Both fighters were awarded a $50,000 bonus for UFC Fight of the Night honors.
“He was a fan-favorite; I was the underdog,” Caceres said. “He’s definitely good; he’s talented and has a bright future ahead of him. But I felt like I was there; he wasn’t going to finish me.”
In the co-main event, No. 8-ranked Dennis Bermudez battered a bloody Rony Jason of Brazil to win by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 30-26. After his second-straight victory, the New Yorker immediately put the challenge out UFC fighter Frankie Edgar for a fight Nov. 6 during UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden.
“The reason I am here in the UFC is to be a champion,” Bermudez said. “It’s not to make money. It’s not to be famous. It’s to be the champion.
“A win over Frankie Edgar would put me right where I want to be for a title shot.”
But though the former Layton High wrestler’s bout was the finale of the preliminary card that aired on Fox Sports 1, the local’s appearance was the main event for MMA in the Beehive State as it welcomed the UFC to town seven years after the organization first announced a fight.
“The crowd was definitely a motivating factor in looking for that win,” McGee added.
Fighting in front of a home crowd, McGee broke into tears as he looked out over his unanimous-decision victory.
“There are no words to describe it,” he said. “I’ve been fighting in UFC for a little over six years, and your dream is to compete at the highest level. To have the biggest show in the world in your home state, and then to get a big win, it made me emotional walking to the cage.
“The crowd was so loud. It was incredible.”
Steele received a chorus of boos from the largely pro-McGee crowd at Vivint Arena, with much of the crowd cheering for the Provo resident and former Layton High wrestler. Hardly a fan remained in their seat for the preliminary card as “The Crusher” was introduced before his raucous home environment, and fans bellowed McGee’s name mixed with chants of “U-tah! U-tah!” throughout the card.
Main Card
Women’s Strawweight: Maryna Moroz d. Danielle Taylor, split dec.
Middleweight: Trevor Smith d. Joe Gigliotti, unan. dec.
Welterweight: Santiago Ponzinibbio d. Zak Cummings, unan. dec.
Middleweight: No. 12 Thales Leites d. Chris Camozzi, submission
Featherweight: No. 8 Dennis Bermudez d. Rony Jason, unan. dec.
Featherweight (main event): No. 13 Yair Rodriguez d. Alex Caceres, split decision
Preliminary fights
HWT: Justin Ledet d. Chase Sherman, unan. dec.
FWT: Cub Swanson d. Tatsuya Kawajiri, unan. dec.
FWT: Teruto Ishihara d. Horacio Gutierrez, TKO.
LWT: David Teymur d. Jason Novelli, TKO.
HWT: Marcin Tybura d. Viktor Pesta, TKO.
WWT: Court McGee d. Dominique Steele, unan. dec.
“I felt fine and then got hit with something. The crowd didn’t lay a factor,” Steele said. “It was a loss, and I’d like to win.”
McGee struck first just seven seconds into the bout, and put Steele into a submission hold for just over a minute of the opening round to take a 30-27 first-round win.
“He had an incredible heart and drive and determination to keep on going, which was very impressive,” McGee said of Steele.
He never landed another blow with his right hand after the initial takedown. But he didn’t need to, either. McGee used his wrestling background to lock up Steele, forcing a couple of takedowns and guarding against the biggest moves of his opponent.
“I was really close,” McGee of the first-period near pin. “I sat him down, got a good position on him, but he had hand control. I was trying to switch it … and he was close. But his will to keep fighting was just a little bit more.
“I tried to wrap around him, and he came back. But that’s what we train for. It’s nice to know that you can finish it after that.”
Needing a big win in the final period, Steele opened the third round with a flurry of blows. But McGee evaded early to avoid any major blows. The former Weber State student then used his wrestling background to lock up the Cincinnati product and force a quick takedown with 2:23 left in the final period to help secure the win.
I knew my family was there, I knew I had thousands of fans there. I felt the love, especially here in Utah. There are no words to describe how incredible it is.
–UFC fighter Court McGee
“We knew what to anticipate, but you never know exactly how he is going to fight until you feel the guy,” McGee said. “He came out hard, and I tried to look for a win. I grinded my butt off.
“Tonight, we went the distance. But I’m improving, and the follow-through finish is what I am looking for.”
The event at Vivint Arena was UFC’s first move into Utah after the organization pulled out of a scheduled event in 2010 because of poor ticket sales. That event, which was scheduled on a Sunday, was moved to San Diego and eventually sold just over 8,000 tickets on short notice.
After the card, McGee received medical treatment — 22 stitches for a large cut just over his right eye. He battled back from a pre-fight surgery, a staph infection in his first week of training, and the pains that 31 years brings on the human body in a demanding sport.
But he said it was all worth it.
“I had a dream, and I followed that dream,” said McGee, who promised his wife Chelsea and two boys a camping trip after the fight. “Anybody else who has a dream in mixed martial arts can make it, if they work hard and put the work in. There’s a great mixed martial arts community in Utah.”
In the other preliminary cards, Justin Ledet won his UFC debut by unanimous decision over Chase Sherman at heavyweight. Fifth-ranked Cub Swanson topped 14th-ranked Tatsuya Kawajiri by unanimous decision in a featherweight bout that was among the top-rated cards of the evening, despite its early start time.
Swanson, a 32-year-old from Palm Springs, California, nearly knocked out his Japanese opponent in the second round with a vicious kick that landed on Kawajiri’s shoulder but stunned the fighter for several minutes as medical consultants were called in.
Fellow featherweight Teruto Ishihara and lightweight David Teymur each won by technical knockout in their preliminary bouts. Marcin Tybura recorded his first win in UFC by technical knockout with a brutal kick to the head against Viktor Pesta at heavyweight just 53 seconds into the second round.
