Billy Goff vs. Trey Waters at UFC St. Louis Credit: Youtube/UFC
Billy Goff and Trey Waters, two welterweight prospects with 1-0 records in the UFC, squared off Saturday afternoon in St. Louis.
Waters, a former LFA welterweight champion, stands at an impressive 6 feet, 5 inches tall. His opponent, the exciting brawler Billy Goff, was seven inches shorter. Waters’ reach and height difference proved decisive as his sharp right hand constantly countered and won the match against Goff, who never stopped advancing for 15 minutes.
Goff put pressure on Waters in Round 1 of UFC St. Louis, but was unable to land any punches despite a low hand from Trey. Billy scores with a heavy kicking game, but Waters beats Billy with a few clean right counters early on. Two minutes into the round, Goff clinched for a takedown. He almost took Waters behind him after a throw, but fell over the top. Standing up, Waters’ right hand consistently found its mark. Goff’s jaw was like steel, but he opened himself up too much with his loud brawling style. He got his first takedown with 90 seconds left in the round and almost got behind Trey, but the fence blocked his second hook. Waters turns, stands up, and lands a knee to Billy’s head, even though the referee doesn’t say anything. The final 40 seconds of the round were a violent brawl. Goff hurt Waters at first and appeared to wear out Trey, but then he was dropped with a big right hand. Still, he quickly recovered and huddled with an exhausted Trey until the end of the round.
The second round began with Trey Waters breathing heavily and doing his best to avoid engagement and stay behind the jab. Goff’s clumsy striking, especially his kicks, managed to give Waters a certain low-intensity volume, forcing him to work hard even though he was tired. Goff’s big elbow in the clinch seemed to hurt his opponent, but Waters survived, recovered, and defended the ensuing takedown. Waters’ left hook hurt Goff, who stumbled backwards, but Trey’s follow-up was slow. Billy hits a takedown and is stuck for a few seconds with a standing guillotine attempt, but escapes. Then, by the end of the second round of a sloppy, supremely entertaining brawl, even Goff was starting to look tired.
The final round began with Waters appearing to have a lead over everyone for two rounds. He landed a sharp right hand early and then defended Goff’s takedown. They were stuck in the clinch against the fence for about two minutes, but Trey Waters was playing defense there, and it worked. Finally, the referee separated the two. Goff continued to try to penetrate the pocket, but Waters’ length and sniper rifle in his right hand repeatedly stopped him. In the final 30 seconds, Waters dug further into the pocket and swung with Goff, making bigger shots, but his opponent’s shot absorption worsened.
After the match, the St. Louis fans roared their gratitude, ensuring the Fighters secured pole position and a $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus at the end of the night. Fans didn’t seem to care much about who won, just appreciating the carnage, but the decision was crucial to the fighters’ careers. When Bruce Buffer read the scorecards, two judges had scored all three of Waters’ rounds, and one had scored two of the three rounds.
Official Results: Trey Waters def. Billy Goff unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
