UFC Fight Night 152: dos Anjos vs. Lee | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Ariel Helwhiney
- May 21
- 7 min read
Table of Contents
Introduction
First UFC in Rochester — The Night of Finishes
Blue Cross Arena holds approximately 12,000 for events. The 8,132 attendance for Rochester’s debut was below two-thirds capacity — reflecting a mid-sized New York State market without the commercial depth of New York City. The $643,000 gate was proportionate. The Rochester card’s most commercially discussed pre-event narrative was Kevin Lee’s welterweight debut: Lee had previously competed at lightweight (including an interim title fight loss to Tony Ferguson) and was now moving to WW against former UFC LW Champion dos Anjos, who had himself moved up to WW after his lightweight career.
Rashad Evans’ UFC Hall of Fame induction announcement at Rochester gave the event an additional ceremonial significance: Evans had won TUF Season 2, KO’d Forrest Griffin for the UFC LHW Championship, and defined the LHW division’s competitive peak alongside Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida. His Hall of Fame induction at Rochester was announced between fights, adding a career-celebration dimension to the event’s evening.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, May 18, 2019 (FIRST UFC IN ROCHESTER; ESPN+ 10; Rashad Evans 2019 HOF announcement)
📍 Venue: Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York
👥 Attendance: 8,132
💰 Gate: $643,000
📺 Broadcast: ESPN+ 10 (ESPN+ streaming)
Main Event: RDA’s R4 Arm-Triangle of Lee
Spencer’s Debut Upset, Pereira’s Flying Knee, Oliveira’s TKO & The Card
Felicia Spencer’s rear-naked choke of Megan Anderson at 3:24 of round one was Rochester’s most commercially significant individual result after the main event. Anderson was the UFC’s top-ranked Women’s featherweight entering Rochester; Spencer was making her UFC debut. Spencer’s physical aggression, wrestling, and grappling quality produced a dominant opening round that ended with the rear-naked choke in the final minute. The debut upset of a top-ranked divisional contender established Spencer immediately as the FW division’s most dangerous new competitor.
Michel Pereira’s flying knee and punch KO of Danny Roberts at 1:47 of round one was his UFC debut performance and Performance of the Night. Pereira — a 26-year-old Brazilian WW known for acrobatic striking combinations from his Brazilian kickboxing career — had gone 19-9 professionally before Rochester. His flying knee timing against Roberts — a pause, a measure, and a straight right hand followup — produced one of the year’s most visually striking debut finishes. Charles Oliveira’s TKO of Nik Lentz and Vicente Luque’s TKO of Derrick Krantz added to Rochester’s finish-heavy card depth.
Full Results
Main Card (ESPN+)
Ian Heinisch def. Antonio Carlos Junior — Unanimous Decision (29-28x3) — MW (Heinisch building MW career)
Felicia Spencer def. Megan Anderson — Submission (RNC) — R1, 3:24 — Women’s FW (SPENCER’S UFC DEBUT UPSET; RNC of top-ranked FW contender; debut announcement of future title challenger!)
Vicente Luque def. Derrick Krantz — TKO (punches) — R1, 3:52 — WW (Luque building WW career; future WW title challenger!)
Charles Oliveira def. Nik Lentz — TKO (punches) — R2, 2:11 — LW (Oliveira building LW submission + finishing career; future LW champion at UFC 262 May 2021!)
Davi Ramos def. Austin Hubbard — Unanimous Decision (30-27x3) — LW (main card opener)
Preliminary Card (ESPN / ESPN+)
Aspen Ladd def. Sijara Eubanks — Unanimous Decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-28) — Women’s BW (FotN $50k each; slugfest; Ladd 30-26 from one judge)
Michel Pereira def. Danny Roberts — KO (flying knee and punch) — R1, 1:47 — WW (PoN $50k; PEREIRA’S UFC DEBUT; flying knee + pause + straight right; future WW entertainer!)
Grant Dawson def. Michael Trizano — Submission (RNC) — R2, 2:27 — FW (PoN $50k; Dawson building FW career with submission quality)
Desmond Green def. Charles Jourdain — Unanimous Decision (30-27x2, 29-28) — LW
Ed Herman def. Patrick Cummins — TKO (knee and punches) — R1, 3:39 — LHW
Zak Cummings def. Trevin Giles — Submission (guillotine choke) — R3, 4:01 — MW
Julio Arce def. Julian Erosa — KO (head kick) — R3, 1:49 — FW
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: Aspen Ladd + Sijara Eubanks — $50,000 each
🥇 Performance of the Night: Michel Pereira + Grant Dawson — $50,000 each
Records & Milestones
• First UFC event in Rochester, New York.
• Rashad Evans announced as 2019 UFC Hall of Fame inductee at the event.
• Michel Pereira’s flying knee debut PoN — opening act of the acrobatic WW career that produced multiple ESPN highlight moments.
Legacy & Impact
Grant Dawson’s Rochester PoN was a step in the FW career that eventually produced 11 consecutive wins before a loss. Vicente Luque’s Rochester TKO of Krantz was one of many WW TKO finishes in his career build toward the WW title shot against Kamaru Usman at UFC 260 in March 2021.
FAQ
What was Kevin Lee’s WW context?
Who was Felicia Spencer?
Spencer was a 25-year-old Laval, Quebec FW who had gone 7-1 professionally before Rochester. Her Canadian wrestling background and grappling-first style produced the physical dominance of Megan Anderson in round one. Anderson was from Melbourne, Australia and was 8-3 professionally entering Rochester with UFC wins over Charmaine Tweet and Cat Zingano. Spencer’s debut upset of a top-ranked divisional contender was one of the year’s most striking individual debut results.
What was Michel Pereira’s debut significance?
Pereira was a 26-year-old Manaus, Brazil WW who had developed acrobatic kickboxing technique in his regional career. His flying knee entry angle and the pause before the right hand finish reflected a creative finishing sequence that became associated with his UFC WW identity. His debut PoN was the first of multiple ESPN highlight moments in a career defined by spectacular individual finishes. His subsequent UFC WW career produced viral clips that built his commercial profile independently of his competitive record.
What was Rashad Evans’ Hall of Fame significance?
Evans was a 39-year-old Niagara Falls, New York LHW who had won TUF Season 2, KO’d Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin, won the UFC LHW Championship, and fought Jon Jones in one of the division’s most anticipated title fights. His Rochester Hall of Fame announcement — in upstate New York near his hometown — gave the inductee a regional connection to the event. His Hall of Fame induction recognised a career that defined the LHW division’s late-2000s to mid-2010s era.
What was Oliveira’s position?
Oliveira was a 29-year-old Guardá, Brazil LW who had gone 24-8 professionally before Rochester, with his Rochester TKO of Lentz being his third TKO win in the previous four fights. His Rochester finish quality — TKO of a veteran LW with multiple UFC wins — was his most recent evidence of the finishing capability that produced his subsequent 12-fight UFC win streak and LW championship. Lentz was a 33-year-old Minnesota LW with 13 UFC appearances.
What was the Ladd vs. Eubanks Fight of the Night?
Ladd was a 24-year-old Reno, Nevada women’s bantamweight who had gone 7-1 professionally before Rochester. Eubanks was a 30-year-old Orlando, Florida BW. Their three-round BW exchange — Ladd’s 30-26 from one judge and 29-27, 29-28 from the others — produced competitive exchanges with both fighters demonstrating the forward-pressure BW striking that earned the FotN designation.
References
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