Unified MMA 36 certainly lived up to the hype as the biggest card in the promotion’s history.
In the main event, UFC-vet Jake Lindsey (now 14-8) showed exactly why he was once in the big show, submitting Pat Pytlik (now 7-1) by guillotine choke in the second round, and becoming the new Unified MMA super lightweight champion in the process.
“It went exactly like I thought it would,” said Lindsey in an interview.
“I knew he wouldn’t be able to handle me on the ground. It’s just a whole other level of wrestling.”
Lindsey wasted no time planning his next move as he called out current Unified MMA lightweight champion Shane Campbell for a shot at becoming a double champ for Unified MMA.
Lindsey said he and Campbell were close to fighting in the past before the bout fell through, and said he’d like a shot at another tough Canadian fighter.
“He’s just like Pat; Pat’s a good fighter. You guys have tough, good-ass fighters up here, and that’s all I’ve been trying to fight for the last five years,” said Lindsey.
“Shane’s a good fight, and double champ would be UFC status again. I’d get right back.”
Ash Avenges
In the co-main event, Teddy Ash (now 13-4) had revenge on his mind in a rematch with Dominique Steele (now 18-12), and he got just that, successfully defending his middleweight title in the process.
Ash said he was happy with his performance and felt all the changes he made following the first matchup at Unified MMA 35 showed in the rematch.
“I was able to look a little better than usual. My footwork was good, my striking was good, and I defended all his takedowns,” said Ash in an interview.
“We stalled on the cage a little bit, he was just pushing me on the cage and not doing anything. So, I just held on, let the ref do the work for me and stand us back in the middle.”
Ash has now won seven of his last eight fights and, perhaps most importantly, succeeded in avenging his lone loss in that span.
While a UFC debut could very well be on the horizon for Ash, he said he’s going to enjoy his victory and wait and see what comes his way.
“It feels amazing. I really feel like I earned this title, and I worked my ass off to get it and win the rematch,” said Ash.
“For whatever’s next, we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Campbell Content
While his title was not officially on the line due to Menad Abella (now 5-2) missing weight, Shane Campbell (now 17-7) left Unified MMA 36 with the same strap he entered with, and picked up a unanimous decision win over Abella in the process.
Campbell said although he left with the victory, he doesn’t feel he performed up to his potential due to an injury he’s been dealing with since the start of training camp.
“After I sign a contract, it’s really hard for me to back out, even though sometimes I should. If an injury happens and I’m not going to be at my best, I should back out. But I just can’t not fight,” said Campbell in an interview.
“I wasn’t my sharpest. My reaction time wasn’t what it could be. I stayed in front of him a little bit and kind of let him hit me rather than he was able to get the advantage on me. But he took a big step up in fighting me, and kudos to him for that.”
Campbell said he heard Lindsey call him out following his win, and said that would be a fight he would definitely accept.
While Lindsey wants to come down and challenge Campbell for his lightweight belt, Campbell said he would rather move up and challenge for Lindsey’s super lightweight strap.
“I’ve already defended my title multiple times. You don’t get to win a title and then just go after the next weight class,” said Campbell.
“If we do this fight, it’s going to be at 165 pounds. If he beats me, he can come down and try to take my belt after that. I’ve done the work to defend my belt a few times over, so it’s my opportunity to move up a weight class.”
KB Bhullar, Graham Park, Joel Odorski, Aaron Anctil, Skylar Sloan, Peter Janssen, and Dalton Middleton were also victorious on the evening.
