As if the spectacle around Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor Mcgregor wasn’t enough on its own, Wednesday brought an unprecedented new wrinkle into the equation and one that could change things drastically when a punch connects.
At the request of both camps, the Nevada State Athletic Commission approved the use of 8 oz. gloves for the Mayweather-Mcgregor August 26th boxing match instead of 10 oz. gloves that are supposed to be in use for fights contested at 147 pounds or above. The commission said this will be a one-time exception and will study the results post-fight.
The biggest fight of the summer — financially, anyway — is just a few weeks away and while things have been relatively quiet in August, Conor McGregor hopes to stoke the promotional fire Friday afternoon with a media day/workout session.
The session, held at the UFC’s Performance Center in Las Vegas, NV, starts at 6 PM EST/3 PM PST and can be seen here:
For those just out of a coma, Mayweather is coming out of retirement to face McGregor in a boxing match at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas on August 26th. Mayweather will be looking for his 50th win against zero losses while McGregor will be competing in his first ever boxing fight.
The fight is expected to do record business, both at the gate and on PPV.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 114: Pettis vs. Moreno, eminating from Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico.
The event is headlined by a pair of young, talented, and rising prospects looking to earn a title shot in the flyweight division as Sergio Pettis takes on Brandon Moreno, which marks the first flyweight bout to headline a UFC event that didn’t feature Demetrious Johnson.
Both men are on good win streaks as Pettis has won three straight, including wins over former title challengers John Moraga and Chris Cariaso. Moreno has won eleven straight fights, and is undefeated in the Octagon having won three straight UFC bouts since signing less than a year ago.
In the co-main event, it’s a battle in the women’s strawweight division as Randa Markos looks for her second straight win as she takes on Alexa Grasso, who is looking to rebound from her first career loss. Grasso did miss weight for the bout.
Also on the card is former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans, looking to get his first win since November 2013, when he takes on Sam Alvey.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
RULES: We are under the new rules system for this event.
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
> Alvaro Herrera (9-4, 1-1 UFC) vs. Jordan Rinaldi (12-5, 0-1 UFC): Lightweights
They were trading early with Herrera landing better. Rinaldi started landing but Herrera landed a good right hand and went for a guillotine but Rinaldi popped out into side control. Rinaldi had a Von Flue Choke locked in and Herrera tapped out. He tapped several times before the referee finally caught it, but a big submission win for Rinaldi.
Official Result- Jordan Rinaldi def. Alvaro Herrera by submission (Von Flue Choke) at 2:01 of Round 1
> Joseph Morales (8-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Roberto Sanchez (7-0, 0-0 UFC) Flyweights
Sanchez went straight for a takedown and got it. Sanchez was able to get it dragged towards the center of the Octagon for a bit but they went back towards the fence. Sanchez was landing some punches from the top. Morales grabbed the neck and used it to sprawl out from the bottom and then he dropped Sanchez immediately with a right hand. Sanchez was in a lot of trouble and eating punches from Morales. Morales grabbed the back and was working for a choke and almost had it locked it. Sanchez recovered but was still in trouble. Morales looked for the choke again and had it locked in deep and Sanchez tapped! Morales with a big submission win in his UFC debut. He is one of Urijah Faber’s prized pupils from Team Alpha Male.
Official Result- Joseph Morales def. Roberto Sanchez by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:56 of Round 1
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Jose Alberto Quinonez (5-2, 2-1 UFC) vs. Diego Rivas (7-0, 2-0 UFC) Bantamweights
This is Rivas’ first fight since overcoming a battle with cancer. They were trading kicks early. Quinonez came inside with a combo but both men were keeping their distance. Quinonez landed some knees in a tie-up. Quinonez landed a head kick. Rivas is more looking for counters. Rivas landed a body kick. Quinonez landed a couple of kicks. Quinonez with a short uppercut late. 10-9 Quinonez.
Quinonez landed a couple of kicks early on in the second. They were trading and Quinonez was throwing with more volume. Rivas landed a right hand. Rivas landed another nice right hand. Quinonez scoring with some leg kicks. Quinonez scored a takedown and was inside the guard of Rivas. Quinonez was landing big right hands from the top. Rivas was working for a kimura but Quinonez spun out and landed some more punches as the round ended. 10-9 Quinonez, 20-18 Quinonez.
Rivas landed a right hand to start the third. Quinonez landed a solid combination. Quinonez landed a left hand. Quinonez just landing with a lot more volume as Rivas is fighing slow right now. They battled for underhooks and Rivas got a brief takedown. They went back to the ground and Quinonez got into the guard of Rivas. Rivas grabbed the neck looking for a choke but Quinonez scrambled out to his feet. They traded kicks. Should be a clear win for Quinonez. 10-9 Quinonez, 30-27 Quinonez.
Official Result- Jose Quinonez def. Diego Rivas by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Henry Briones (16-6-1, 1-2 UFC) vs. Rani Yahya (23-9 1 NC, 8-3 1 NC UFC) Bantamweights
Yahya quickly went for a takedown from a long distance. He grabbed the back and got it and ended in side control. He was working for a choke and had a North-South choke in but Briones showed good defense to get out. Yahya was on top and grabbed an arm and locked in a kimura and forced Briones to tap out to get the win. He put on a ground clinic.
Official Result- Rani Yahya def. Henry Briones by submission (kimura) at 2:01 of Round 1
This didn’t go long. Sandoval was throwing punches and Ortiz was countering and rocked Sandoval with a right hand and then knocked him out cold with another right hand. It went about 14 seconds. It is the fastest finish in flyweight division history.
Official Result- Dustin Ortiz def. Hector Sandoval by knockout (punches) at :15 of Round 1
> Brad Scott (11-4, 3-3 UFC) vs. Jack Hermansson (15-3, 2-1 UFC) Middleweights
They were feeling each other out early. Hermansson got a takedown and was landing punches from the top. Scott was looking for the triangle from the bottom. Hermansson escaped and started looking for a kimura but went to the mount. Hermansson got the back and was landing punches. Hermansson landed some big elbows. Scott is in a lot of trouble. Hermansson landing lots and lots of punches and the fight was stopped. Hermansson just completely dominant in this fight.
Official Result- Jack Hermansson def. Brad Scott by TKO (strikes) at 3:50 of Round 1
FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
> Alejandro Perez (17-6-1, 3-1-1 UFC) vs. Andre Soukhamthath (11-4, 0-1 UFC) Bantamweights
They were feeling each other out early on. Perez was landing leg kicks and starting to land with more volume. Soukhamthath started to land left hands and dropped Perez twice with them. Perez was landing more leg kicks as the round went on and Soukhamthath wasn’t doing much to defend them. His dropping Perez twice likely won him a close round. 10-9 Soukhamthath.
They were trading back-and-forth and Soukhamthath dropped Perez again with a jab. Perez was able to get up and started landing the leg kicks again as Soukhamthath wasn’t defending them still. Perez then dropped Soukhamthath with a right hand and got into the guard and was landing body punches. They scrambled back to the feet and Perez hit a spinning elbow. Fun round as Perez came on strong late. 10-9 Perez, 19-19.
They were firing back-and-forth and Perez was landing the harder punches as Soukhamthath was beginning to slow down. Soukhamthath was backing up a lot and looking to find the left hand. Perez hurt him with a hard leg kick and Soukhamthath lost his balance. Perez got a takedown but they got back to their feet. Soukhamthath stuffed a takedown and landed a knee followed by a punch. Soukhamthath fell to his back after throwing a kick. Perez ended strong with some big leg kicks. Good fight. 10-9 Perez, 29-28 Perez.
Official Result- Alejandro Perez def. Andre Soukhamthath by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
> Sam Alvey (30-9 1 NC, 7-4 UFC) vs. Rashad Evans (19-6-1, 14-6-1 UFC) Middleweights
Evans with a leg kick. Evans went for a takedown but it was defended by Alvey. Alvey with a knee to the body. They are battling for underhooks and both land some elbows. Evans then gets Alvey down to the mat. They got to their feet and separated. Evans lands a right hand. Alvey just missed a left hand. Evans with a high kick. Evans lands a late right hand. 10-9 Evans.
Evans starts with a leg kick. Alvey chased Evans around the Octagon unable to land a punch. Evans with a big body kick. Alvey landed a right hand. Neither man is doing much. Evans got a big takedown and had the back. Alvey able to hit the fence and get to his feet. Alvey landed a knee in the clinch. They broke and neither man landed much of anything the rest of the round. Evans has slowed down so much in his career. Close round. 10-9 Alvey. 19-19.
Evans with a leg kick. Alvey landed a left hand and then a right hand. Evans lands a left hook. They clinch and Evans working for a takedown. Alvey lands some short punches. Evans lands a right hand and has a takedown stuffed. Evans landed a big right hand. Alvey is missing his punches and Evans drops down for a takedown against the fence. Alvey landed a knee in the clinch. Evans working hard for the takedown. Evans with a right hand late. Close round, tough fight to score. Crowd booing. Bad fight. 10-9 Evans, 29-28 Evans.
Official Result- Sam Alvey def. Rashad Evans by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Martin Bravo (11-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Humberto Bandenay (13-4 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) Featherweights
Bravo with a spin kick. Bandenay with a body kick. Bandenay then landed a knee right to the face of Bravo and Bravo went out cold. It was a brutal and scary knockout less than a minute into the fight. We’ve had a lot of great knockouts tonight.
Official Result- Humberto Bandenay def. Martin Bravo by knockout (knee) at :26 of Round 1
> Alan Jouban (15-5, 6-3 UFC) vs. Niko Price (9-0 1 NC, 1-0 1 NC UFC) Welterweights
Price came out looking to land the right hand. Jouban with a body kick and Price fires back a leg kick. They trade punches. Price dropped Jouban with a right hand and then finished Jouban off with some punches on the ground. Another first-round knockout on a show filled with them.
Official Result- Niko Price def. Alan Jouban by TKO (punches) at 1:44 of Round 1
They are trading and Markos landed a strong right hand. Both ladies are landing good punches. Grasso with a leg kick. Both ladies landing good punches and they clinch against the fence but break. Grasso lands a right hand and then a leg kick. Grasso with a body kick followed by a right hand and a left hook and Grasso hurt Markos. They clinched against the fence and Grasso with some knees. Markos tried a head-and-arm throw but Grasso reversed and took the back and was landing punches. Grasso into the half-guard and landed some elbows. Markos scrambled to her feet and they broke clinch before the end of the round. Good round. 10-9 Grasso.
Grasso with a high kick and then they started trading punches back-and-forth. Markos tried a takedown but Grasso defended it and ended up on top against the fence. They got back up. Markos got a brief takedown but Grasso back up and has the body lock against the fence. They separated. Grasso with a leg kick and then a high kick but Markos grabbed the leg and got a trip takedown. Markos into side control. Markos in the half-guard and lands some body punches. Grasso able to sweep to her feet. Grasso with a body kick but Markos again grabs the leg and gets a takedown but Grasso sweeps to the top. Markos sweeps back into the mount and lands some elbows. Markos is landing big punches from the top. 10-9 Markos, 19-19.
Both looking a little tired and the pace slowed down to start the third. Grasso landing leg kicks and Markos looking for the takedown. Markos gets the takedown. Grasso pushes Markos off and they get to their feet. Grasso lands a right hand and then a left hand and then another right hand. Markos tries a takedown but it is stuffed and Grasso lands an elbow on the break. Grasso with a left hand. Markos tries a takedown but Grasso grabs the neck for a standing guillotine and then Grasso lands some punches as they break. Grasso then lands some right hands. Grasso coming on strong late. Grasso defends a late takedown attempt. Grasso finished strong. Close round, good fight. 10-9 Grasso, 29-28 Grasso.
Official Result- Alexa Grasso def. Randa Markos by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Moreno with an early leg kick. Moreno caught a kick from Pettis and turned it into a takedown. Pettis tried a push kick off but Moreno was able to get the back. Moreno looking for a choke. Pettis defending well and Moreno landing punches from the back. Moreno able to maintain back control. Pettis having trouble breaking the body triangle lock. Moreno almost had the choke locked in but Pettis is going to survive the round. Could be a 10-8 round but I didn’t think Moreno came close to finishing it as Pettis played defense on the mat perfectly. 10-9 Moreno
Pettis with a side kick to Moreno. Both men miss their strikes for the rest for the first minute. Pettis with a leg kick. Pettis with a body kick. Pettis connects with a head kick. Pettis lands another head kick but Moreno is able to counter it into a takedown. Pettis has a triangle and an arm and Moreno squirms out and they get to their feet. Pettis with some leg kicks. Pettis with another low kick. Moreno has a unique style standing as he doesn’t telegraph what strikes he’s about to throw. They trade punches but Pettis is getting the better of the striking. 10-9 Pettis, 19-19.
Pettis landing some kicks and punches. Moreno is landing as well but not with the same power or volume. Moreno flops to the mat after getting kicked by Pettis. Pettis lands a good combination. Moreno tried a long takedown and missed and fell to the mat. Pettis landed a head kick and then rocked Moreno with some right hands. Moreno not even close on a takedown attempt. Crowd chanting for Moreno. Pettis with a leg kick. Moreno telegraphing everything he is doing and Pettis has his timing down. Pettis with a hard right hand. Moreno with a high kick but Pettis fires back with a right hand. Moreno is cut over his right eye. 10-9 Pettis, 29-28 Pettis.
Pettis landing and chasing Moreno around the Octagon. We have a time out for an eye poke as Pettis caught Moreno with it. Back to action and Pettis lands an overhand right. Pettis lands another right hand and is ducking all of Moreno’s punch attempts. Pettis with a leg kick and then another and then a jab. Pettis with a right hand followed by a knee right to the jaw. Moreno lands a right hand. He is landing punches but not with the power or volume of Pettis. And then Pettis lands a harder right hand. Pettis just misses a spin kick. They trade punches. Pettis with a cartwheel kick and Moreno counters it into a takedown right at the end of the round. 10-9 Pettis, 39-37 Pettis.
Pettis with the straight jab. Moreno gets a takedown and has Pettis on his back. Moreno with some soft punches. Pettis landed a couple of upkicks as Moreno was posturing up. Moreno trying to improve position and Pettis is landing more from the bottom. They almost got to their feet until Moreno got him back down. Moreno tried to take the back but Pettis shook him off and they got to their feet. Pettis landing some punches and body kicks. Pettis with a right hand as Moreno defended a takedown attempt. They threw punches at the end. Good fight. 10-9 Moreno, 48-47 Pettis.
Official Result- Sergio Pettis def. Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-46, 48-46)
The hype for a potential Jon Jones vs. Brock Lesnar superfight isn’t stopping any time soon.
After defeating Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 on Saturday night, Jones took some of his post-fight interview time to challenge the WWE Universal Champion. “Brock Lesnar,” Jones said. “If you want to know what it feels like to get your ass kicked by a guy who weighs 40 pounds less than you, meet me in the Octagon.”
Lesnar then responded to Jones calling him out. “Be careful what you wish for, young man,” he said in an interview with the Associated Press.
Speculation about Jones vs. Lesnar began as soon as rumors started to surface about Lesnar making a UFC return, with both fighters then confirming that they were interested in the matchup. Lesnar told Jones to focus on Cormier then, but Jones’ win would seem to inch the dream fight closer to reality.
One of the hurdles that remains is that Lesnar is currently under a one-year suspension for drug test failures surrounding his UFC 200 fight against Mark Hunt. That suspension was frozen when Lesnar “retired” from MMA in February, and the clock would only start counting down again if Lesnar enters himself back into the USADA drug testing pool.
The UFC’s Jeff Novitzky denied that Lesnar had officially entered back into the pool on July 19th. It’s not clear whether he would be eligible to return by the UFC’s last show of 2017 on December 30th or if a return would have to wait until 2018 if he decides to come back.
Another possible hurdle is Lesnar’s WWE contract. WWE would have to approve Lesnar fighting again while under a deal with them, but the three-year contract that he signed in 2015 is up after next year’s WrestleMania.
Jones reclaimed the light heavyweight title by knocking out Cormier in the third round on Saturday night. A fight against Lesnar would require Jones to at least temporarily move up to heavyweight.
While those are only some of the barriers that could prevent Lesnar vs. Jones from happening, a fight that once seemed to be an impossibility will be one of the things that everyone is talking about coming out of UFC 214.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2, emanating from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
It is the biggest UFC event of 2017 so far as three title fights headline the most stacked card of the year, with the biggest fight of the year headlining the show.
UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier defends his title against his top rival, former champion Jon Jones, as each man looks for vengeance against the other. Cormier is looking to get an elusive win over Jones after Jones defeated him at UFC 182 in January 2015, while Jones is looking to reclaim his throne as the man to beat at 205 pounds.
In the co-main event, UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley looks to make it 365 days as champion at 170 pounds, but he gets a tough test in the form of challenger Demian Maia, the most gifted ground fighter in the sport and winner of seven straight fights. Woodley won the championship from Robbie Lawler on July 30th, 2016, and this will be his third title defense.
In the third title fight on the card, the vacant UFC women’s featherweight championship is up for grabs as the most dominant female fighter in history, Cris “Cyborg” Justino looks to finally wrap UFC gold around her waist when she battles Tonya Evinger. Justino hasn’t lost since her pro debut in May 2005, while Evinger makes her UFC debut on the heels of an 11-fight unbeaten streak.
Also on the main card is a fight that could be a potential “Fight of the Year” candidate as welterweight sluggers Robbie Lawler and Donald Cerrone square off, and a light heavyweight fight that could determine the next challenger opens the main card as Jimi Manuwa takes on Volkan Oezdemir.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on the show, so send a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
Fairly even standup early with Dober trying takedowns and Burkman defending pretty well. Burkman seemed to be hurting Dober with leg kicks but Dober landed a left hook out of nowhere and knocked Burkman out cold.
RESULT – DREW DOBER (18-8) by KO (punch) at 3:04
Dober put over Burkman in his post-fight promo and said it was an honor to fight him. He wants to be ranked and he may not be but he should get a top 15 fight after laying out a vet like Burkman in that fashion. Crowd gave him a nice hand on his way out of the cage.
> Eric Shelton (10-3, 0-1 UFC) vs. Jarrod Brooks (12-0, 0-0 UFC) Flyweights
Interesting round as Shelton vastly outstruck Brooks with the stats at one pointing having him ahead 46-12. But Brooks got at least 3 takedowns and controlled him most of the round, including a couple of submission attempts. Brooks got a front headlock with about 15 seconds and moved into mount and the buzzer may have saved Shelton. 10-9 Brooks
Really slow start to the round with almost nothing happening for the first couple minutes other than a stuffed takedown attempt by Brooks. Shelton got a takedown at 4:00 and controlled Brooks for about 30 seconds. After Brooks got to his feet, he got a takedown but Shelton got up right before the buzzer. 10-9 Shelton, all tied up after 2 although that round was real close
Crowd really turned on this fight midway through the round as not much was happening. Shelton landed a nice shot that nearly knocked down Brooks about 2 minutes in. With about 15 seconds left, Shelton landed a flying knee. Brooks got a takedown after it but Shelton secured a guillotine as the clock ran out. 10-9 Shelton, 29-28 on my scorecard
RESULT – JARRED BROOKS (13-0) by split decision (29-28 x 2; 28-29)
Brooks said the result was f***ing bulls*** and said he looked terrible. But then when Joe Rogan asked him if he thought he should’ve lost, he said no. He said he’s coming for the f***ing belt….he was just all over the place. Put over Joe Rogan, saying he’s been watching him since Fear Factor. Just a profanity laced promo that went nowhere.
> Kailin Curran (4-4, 1-4 UFC) vs. Alexandra Albu (2-0, 1-0 UFC) Women’s Strawweights
Best round of the night so far. Albu was landing all kind of strikes from everywhere and even pulled guard at one point. Curran was landing a lot as well but it seemed as if Albu’s were landing harder and affecting Curran more. She also had a couple of submission attempts. Curran was controlling the clinch game on the feet though. 10-9 Albu after 1
Antoher really good round. Albu was more active with a wide variety of strikes and got a couple of really nice headlock takedowns. She didn’t do much on the ground and Curran was able to get up fairly easily. They showed the strike stats at one point and it was 66-63 for Curran but Albu was definitely landing the harder shots. 10-9 Albu, 20-18
Great third round from Curran. Probably not enough to take the fight or even get a draw but she looked awesome. She had her best punch combo of the fight about a minute in. 2 minutes in, Albu got a headlock takedown but Curran scrambled into top position and controlled most of the rest of the round on the ground, doing a lot of damage. Albu got to her feet and got a late takedown but Curran was up quickly and got another of her own.
RESULT – ALEKSANDRA ALBU (3-0) by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
According to Dave Meltzer, who’s live at cageside, the crowd gave the fight a standing ovation at the end but did boo the decision as you could hear on TV.
FXX PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Andre Fili (16-4, 4-3 UFC) vs. Calvin Kattar (16-2, 0-0 UFC) Featherweights
Kattar took this fight on short notice and looked pretty good. Round was fairly even on the feet with Fili controlling the pace but Kattar slightly more active and it was looking to be a tossup round until Kattar got a late takedown and landed a ton of punches in the last 15 seconds to steal the round. 10-9 Kattar
Similar round in the sense it was fairly even almost the whole way. It felt like Fili was maybe winning the round slightly but Kattar landed the best punch combo of the fight with out about 15 seconds and really seemed to hurt Fili 10-9 Kattar, 20-18 overall
Fili came out more aggressive and was winning the round until Kattar got a takedown with about 45 seconds left. He did some ground and pound but Fili got up quickly. You could make a case for Fili taking the third but I’ve got it 30-27 Kattar. Great debut either way
RESULT – CALVIN KATTAR (17-2) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
> Renato Moicano (#9, 11-0-1, 3-0 UFC) vs. Brian Ortega (#8, 11-0 1 NC, 3-0 1 NC UFC) Featherweights
Close first round fought entirely on the feet. Every time Ortega would land a combo, Moicano would answer back with one of his own. Moicano also landed a couple of unanswered combos and had a kick combo as well. Ortega landed a flying knee at the end of the round but didn’t really do any damage. 10-9 Moicano but really close
Almost entirely on the feet again this round and Moicano started to take over. He was ahead 26-7 in strikes landed about 3 minutes in and it didn’t even seem as close as that. He seemed headed for a 10-8 round but Ortega picked it up a bit in the last minute. Moicano scored a late takedown to remove any doubt. 10-9 Moicano, 20-18 overall.
Ortega came out stronger in this round but Moicano picked up the pace about 2 minutes in and seemed to be cruising to another round win and the fight. He made the critical mistake of taking Ortega down and Ortega secured a guillotine on the way down and Moicano tapped quickly.
RESULT – BRIAN ORTEGA (12-0) by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:59 of the 3rd round
In his post-fight promo, Ortega brought up that he and Moicano were the only unbeaten fighters in the Top 10 and said if someone’s going to beat him, he’d like to see how. He fell short of calling anyone out though.
Fast start to the round with both guys throwing a lot of kicks and punches. Barao got a takedown just over a minute in and controlled Sterling on the ground for the rest of the round. Sterling had a couple of submission attempts from his back but Barao outstruck him badly…..total strikes were 30-10 at one point. 10-9 Barao, almost a 10-8
Second round was the exact opposite of the first with the fast start and then a takedown by Sterling at about 1:30. Sterling dominated the rest of the way and did way more damage than Barao did in the first round and I thought he did enough to get the 10-8. Barao did have a brief arm triangle submission attempt but Sterling closed strong, opening up a cut with elbows. 10-8 Sterling, 19-18 Sterling after 2
Closer third round. Sterling was definitely more active and Barao was really getting tired toward the end. There were a couple long cage clinches with Sterling controlling but neither guy did much and the ref had to break them both up. With about 30 seconds left, Barao took him down and while Sterling was trying to get up, Barao spiked him to the ground head first. It was almost enough to steal the round but not quite. 10-9 Sterling, 29-27 overall
RESULT – ALJAMIAIN STERLING (14-2) by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27 and 30-26)
> Ricardo Lamas (#3, 17-5, 8-3 UFC) vs. Jason Knight (#15, 17-2, 4-1 UFC) Featherweights
This was awesome. Lamas got an early takedown but Knight was very active from his back with several submission attempts and he had Lamas tied up to where he couldn’t do anything. When Lamas finally got to his feet, he lit up Knight with punches on the feet. Knight was rocked badly and just wouldn’t go down, despite eating a ton of punches. Knight shot for a takedown but ended up on his back and Lamas finished him with hard ground and pound. Knight protested the stoppage but could barely stand and was clearly out of it.
RESULT – RICARDO LAMAS (18-5) by TKO at 4:34
On the studio show, both Michael Bisping and Kenny Florian picked Cormier and Woodley to retain their titles in the top 2 matches on the PPV.
They clinched up early and Manuwa worked him to the cage. Oezdemir punched out of it and rocked him with punches from the clinch. As Manuwa was backing up, Oezdemir knocked him out. Scary performance as that’s two straight KOs in less than 30 seconds. He may get a title shot off of this
RESULT – VOLKAN OEZDEMIR (15-1) by KO (punch) at 22 seconds
Oezdemir said “I don’t know what’s going on but I have dynamite in my hands”. He went on to call out the winner of the main event. This guy went from a nobody to beating a top 3 contender in less than a year and could be fighting for the title.
> Robbie Lawler (#3, 27-11 1 NC, 12-5 UFC) vs. Donald Cerrone (#6, 32-8 1 NC, 19-5 UFC) Welterweights
Lawler opened strong, clinching up in the center with Cerrone and landing a ton of punches and elbows. He had 23 strikes in the first minute. It got a little more even after that and then Cerrone kind of took over late, getting a takedown and landing a nice knee/head kick combo. Great opening round. 10-9 Lawler
Cerrone fought much smarter in round 2. He kept his distance, not letting Lawler clinch with him and landed strikes while also controlling the pace. By the end of the round, he had gained the lead in strikes landed and took the round easily. 10-9 Cerrone, 19-19 heading into the third
Close final round. Lawler was much more active than he’d been in the 2nd and seemed to be landing the harder shots but striking stats showed them basically even, with Cerrone holding a 30-29 advantage. Cerrone also had several takedown attempts, all of which were defended by Lawler. Both guys were bloody at the end and the crowd gave this a standing ovation in the last minute. 10-9 Lawler but could go either way.
RESULT – ROBBIE LAWLER (28-11) by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Heavy boos from the crowd after the decision. Lawler said almost exactly what I did. “I won the first, he won the second and the third was up in the air”. He dedicated the fight to Matt Hughes, who’s still recovering from his accident. Lawler said he’s not worried about the title and he wants to visit Hughes.
Measured performance by Cyborg. She never seemed close to finishing Evinger but dominated every second of the round. Evinger actually had a couple flash takedowns but Cyborg was up immediately and did damage on the way up. 10-8 Cyborg
Not quite as dominant a round for Cyborg here and she seemed to be slowing down just a bit at the end of the round. Cyborg landed a lot of punch combos but Evinger was starting to evade strikes at the end of it and even landed some of her own in the last minute. Cyborg did do a lot of damage with leg kicks. 10-9 Cyborg, 20-17
Cyborg dropped Evinger with a punch combo early but refused to go to the ground with her. After the ref stood Evinger up, Cyborg initiated a cage clinch and then finished her with knees standing.
RESULT – CRIS CYBORG (18-1) by TKO (knees) at 1:56 of Round 3 NEW FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION
In her post-fight promo, Cyborg said that she feels like she’s the best fighter she’s ever been. She says she is just now learning how to “fight” and was just relying on her abilities before this. No call-out since there are no other fighters in the division.
Maia had at least 8 takedown attempts and Woodley blocked every one. Woodley only landed occasional punches standing but messed up Maia’s eye somehow during one of the early takedown attempts. It wasn’t much, but enough to take the round 10-9
Crowd hating this feet. Several more takedown attempts by Maia, all blocked. Seemed like Woodley landed a few more punches than in the first. Total strikes were 15-5 at the end of the second and that was total in the whole fight. 10-9 Woodley, 20-18
Same story in the third. More failed takedown attempts by Woodley. Punches by Woodley and he mixed in leg kicks as well. Maia bleeding from a cut on his nose, swollen on both eyes and his knees are cut up from all the missed takedowns, 13 in total. 10-9 Woodley, 30-27
Maia now 0/16 on takedown attempts but he did land a few more strikes this round and Woodley did almost nothing but avoid takedowns. He did land the hardest punch of the round though and may have taken it. 10-9 Woodley, 40-36. Crowd loudly booing this fight
I think they may have said that Woodley had 26 takedown attempts in total, stuffed on every one. They also broke the record for fewest strikes landed in a welterweight title fight over 5 rounds. By a lot. This round was exactly the same as the rest. Woodley with a 45-23 advantage in significant strikes landed. Crowd chanted BORING and did the Bray Wyatt cell phone gimmick during the round and booed the hell out of it at the end.
RESULT – TYRON WOODLEY (18-3-1) by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46 x 2)
Crowd booed the decision and every word of Woodley’s promo. He challenged GSP for November 4 in MSG. That fight will be terrible but should do business.
Rogan announced to the crowd about the breaking the fewest strikes record and crowd booed that too.
> Daniel Cormier (C, 19-1, 8-1 UFC) vs. Jon Jones (#1, 22-1, 16-1 UFC) UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Jones outstruck Cormier in the round by almost a 2 to 1 margin but Cormier came on strong in the last 30 seconds, including a couple of combos that rocked Jones and he may have stolen the round 10-9. Great atmosphere with loud crowd both pro and negative for Cormier. Loud reactions whenever he landed anything in particular.
Cormier was actually starting to find his rhythm and land more strikes, closing the gap in strikes landed. Then Jones landed a head kick that rocked him and he never recovered. Jones then knocked him down with punches and finished him on the ground with punches and elbows to the head. John McCarthy gave Cormier a lot of time to recover, maybe too much time but finally stopped it.
RESULT – JON JONES (23-1) by TKO (punches and elbows) at 3:01 of Round 3 NEW LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION
Cormier refused to stand for the winner’s announcement, which drew loud boos. This was the first stoppage loss of his career.
Jones had an emotional promo. He said that for everyone that’s every let themselves down, this is what you can do. He said he had to do a lot of right things in his life to get to this point and he thanked all of his fans and also thanked the haters, who motivated him to prove them wrong.
Jones thanked Daniel Cormier for being his biggest rival and biggest motivator. Said he has been a model champion, a model father and a model person. Said he is a true champion for the rest of his life. He went over to embrace him.
Camera panned to Cormier, who was crying like crazy and the crowd booed him a little bit.
Rogan interviewed Cormier, who was still crying. Says the fight was going well and he didn’t know what happened.
Jones called out Brock Lesnar. “IF you want to find out what it’s like to get your ass kicked by someone 40 lbs lighter than you, get your ass back to the Octagon”. Announcers completely no sold this.
It’s the biggest UFC show of the year so far as Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier step into the Octagon in Anaheim to renew their rivalry. Jones won the first time out to retain the light heavyweight title, but his antics outside the cage cost him his belt.
DC picked up the slack in the meantime, and he looks to defend his belt for the third time against his biggest rival. In the co-main event slot, Demian Maia gets his long-deserved shot at the welterweight title and division kingpin Tyron Woodley.
Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger debuts for the company as she faces former Invicta and Strikeforce featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino. The winner claims the UFC women’s featherweight title, which was vacated by Germaine de Randamie.
Despite the other title fights, the second most anticipated bout on the card may very well be former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler taking on Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. This was originally scheduled as one of the featured bouts for UFC 213 during International Fight Week but was pushed back to this show due to injury.
Rounding out the main card, and likely kicking off the pay-per-view, is a fight that could determine the next challenger for the winner of the main event. 205 pounders Jimi Manuwa and Volkan Oezdemir will throw down in a war that promises to be quick and violent.
If you’re new here, our panel picks are listed below and listed alongside the fighter’s names are their worldwide FightMatrix rankings, as well as BestFightOdds.com betting odds. The panelists’ 2017 records are in parentheses, and we also have panel consensus picks along with a line where we show how the betting favorites did:
John Pollock (39-17; .696) — Fight Network analyst, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, MMA Report co-host
Favorites (37-19; .661)
Dave Meltzer (37-19; .661) — Wrestling Observer publisher
Consensus Picks (35-20; .636)
David Bixenspan (35-21; .625) — Deadspin pro wrestling columnist, Between the Sheets podcast host
Mike Sempervive (33-23; .589) — Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
Steve Juon (33-23; .589) — MMA Mania writer, Angry Marks publisher
Mike Sawyer (32-24; .571) — Tough Talk MMA publisher
Ryan Frederick (31-25; .554) — WrestlingObserver.com UFC writer
Paul Fontaine (30-26; .536) — MMADraws.com publisher, WrestlingObserver.com writer
Tom Lawlor (10-9; .526) — Filthy Four Daily co-host, pro wrestling undercard fighter, UFC enhancement talent currently suspended due to wellness violation
Front Row Brian (27-29; .482) — MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, podcast host
Main event for the UFC light heavyweight title — Champion Daniel Cormier (19-1) vs. Jon Jones (22-1)
These two may hate each other more than any two fighters in MMA. Cormier needs this win to prove that he’s the real champ. Jones wants to regain the belt that he never really lost. It’s a simple story.
One of the compelling things about this fight is what’s next. Jones pretty much cleaned out the division during his title run, and Cormier hasn’t had much trouble with anyone besides Jones. There are heavy rumors that Jones might move up to heavyweight after this fight, with Brock Lesnar as his most speculated on first opponent in that division.
For the UFC welterweight title — Champion Tyron Woodley (17-3-1) vs. Demian Maia (22-6)
Maia won seven straight to earn this shot, most in dominating fashion. Woodley knocked out Robbie Lawler to win the title but escaped by the skin of his teeth after two fights with number one contender Steven “Wonderboy” Thompson that really didn’t settle anything.
What’s interesting here is that all three people who’ve beaten Woodley in his career have also beaten Maia — and by the exact same method. Rory McDonald and Jake Shields hold decision wins over both and Nate Marquardt has knocked them both out. Woodley is four years younger, which could end up being the deciding factor here.
For the vacant UFC women’s featherweight title — Cris “Cyborg” Justino (17-1) vs. Tonya Evinger (19-6)
Cyborg has already fought twice in the UFC, winning both of her fights via KO. She has not lost since her pro debut 12 years ago. Evinger’s run has been impressive as well, with 10 straight wins that took her to the Invicta bantamweight title (which she vacated in order to get the UFC shot).
Much has been made of the fact that Evinger wasn’t “good enough” for the UFC bantamweight division, but two of the women she successfully defended against were signed by the UFC after their fights.
Cyborg has rarely faced anyone the caliber of Evinger. Aside from Marloes Coenen and Leslie Smith, none of her opponents have done much of anything in MMA since facing her.
Evinger #7 at women’s bantamweight; +971 betting underdog — Fontaine
Robbie Lawler (27-11) vs. Donald Cerrone (32-8) (welterweights)
When Lawler was fighting for the middleweight title in Strikeforce and Cerrone was competing for the lightweight title in WEC, who’d have thought this fight was possible? Now they find themselves in the same weight class in UFC and it’s possibly the best fight on the card on one of the biggest shows of the year.
Cerrone hasn’t fought since January, which is like a decade by his schedule. Lawler is one year removed from losing his title to Tyron Woodley, with this being his first fight since. The winner here is probably one win away from a shot at the Woodley-Maia winner.
Jimi Manuwa (17-2) vs. Volkan Oezdemir (14-1) (light heavyweights)
These may be the two best light heavyweights in UFC who have never faced either Cormier or Jones, and this very well could be a number one contender’s fight. Manuwa has won two straight, both by KO, since being knocked out by former title contender Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.
Oezdemir thrust himself into title talk by stunning Misha Cirkunov and knocking him out in under 30 seconds. Both men also hold wins over top contender Ovince Saint Preux and a win here, especially if it’s impressive, is probably a ticket to the biggest fight in either man’s career.
Ricardo Lamas (17-5) vs. Jason Knight (18-2) (featherweights)
Lamas #4; +110 betting underdog
Knight #14; -112 betting favorite
Renan Barao (34-4) vs. Aljamain Sterling (13-2) (140 lb catchweight)
Barao #17 featherweight; +115 betting underdog
Sterling #11 bantamweight; -115 betting favorite
Bryan Ortega (11-0) vs. Renato Carneiro (11-0-1) (featherweights)
Ortega #11; +143 betting underdog
Carneiro #8; -149 betting favorite
Andre Fili (16-4) vs. Calvin Kattar (16-2) (featherweights)
Fili #38; -350 betting favorite
Kattar #130; +336 betting underdog
Jarred Brooks (12-0) vs. Eric Shelton (10-3) (flyweights)
Brooks #29; -141 betting favorite
Shelton #36; +130 betting underdog
Kailin Curran (4-4) vs. Aleksandra Albu (2-0) (strawweights)
Curran NR; +138 betting underdog
Albu NR; -151 betting favorite
Josh Burkman (28-15) vs. Drew Dober (17-8) (lightweights)
Burkman #82; +269 betting underdog
Dober #98; -300 betting favorite
Action begins with the Fight Pass prelims at 6:30 p.m. ET and moves over to FXX at 8 p.m. ET. The main card airs on PPV at 10 p.m. ET, and our own Dave Meltzer will be cageside covering the show. Check out the links below for more coverage:
The promotional push for UFC 214 is in full swing which brings us to Wednesday: the official pre-event press conference.
Headlining a stellar PPV main card from the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA, is light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier vs. former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in a rematch from January 2016. The two rivals were supposed to fight again at last summer’s UFC 200, but a USADA flag from Jones that week pulled him out of the epic encounter.
Starting at 4 PM EST, you can stream the presser below:
Also on the main card, welterweight champion Tyron Woodley faces Demian Maia in an interesting co-main event tilt while Cris “Cyborg” Justino will look to claim the vacant UFC women’s featherweight belt against injury fill-in Tonya Evinger.
Rounding out the main card is a dream match-up between former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler and fan favorite Donald Cerrone, in addition to a top light heavyweight battle between Jimi Manuwa and Volkan Oezdemir.
Brock Lesnar isn’t doing anything to quiet rumors about a potential return to the Octagon.
Speaking with the Associated Press, Lesnar responded to comments that Jon Jones had made on a Facebook Live session on Tuesday. Jones said that he would love to face Lesnar and called the matchup a massive draw, but noted that he didn’t think Lesnar would take a fight against him.
“Would I fight Jon Jones? Anytime, anywhere,” Lesnar told the AP. “Right now he should be worried about D.C. on Saturday night.”
Speculation about Lesnar fighting in the UFC again became rampant last week, with reports of him entering back into the USADA drug testing pool in anticipation of an eventual return. The UFC’s Jeff Novitzky then denied that Lesnar had officially entered back into the program.
The UFC would obviously be interested in Lesnar returning given their need for big attractions. Jones and heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic have been the two most speculated upon opponents if he were to make a comeback.
Lesnar is currently under a one-year suspension from USADA for drug test failures stemming from his win over Mark Hunt at UFC 200 last July. The suspension was frozen when Lesnar “retired” from MMA in February, and it’s believed he would have to be tested for at least five more months before being allowed to fight again.
That would place a UFC return at late December at the soonest but more likely in early 2018.
Lesnar is currently under contract with WWE through next year’s WrestleMania after signing a three-year deal in 2015, and the company would have to give him approval to fight while under contract. There has also been speculation that, in part, Lesnar is using a possible UFC return to gain more leverage in contract negotiations with WWE.
Jones is scheduled to challenge Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 214 on Saturday. He would at least temporarily be moving up to heavyweight if a superfight with Lesnar were to come to fruition.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC On FOX 25: Weidman vs. Gastelum, emanating from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.
The event is headlined by a five-round bout in the middleweight division as former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman looks to get back into the win column as he takes on former TUF winner Kelvin Gastelum.
Weidman has lost his past three fights and is in a must-win situation. He lost the UFC Middleweight Championship to Luke Rockhold in December 2015, and has followed that with losses to Yoel Romero and Gegard Mousasi, seeing him be finished in all three bouts. Gastelum is unbeaten as a middleweight, scoring his past two triumphs over Tim Kennedy and Vitor Belfort at 185 pounds.
In the co-main event, Dennis Bermudez looks to rebound from a loss as he takes on Darren Elkins, winner of four straight fights. Also on the main card is a light heavyweight bout with Patrick Cummins taking on Gian Villante, and the main card opener is a potential barnburner at 135 pounds as Jimmie Rivera puts his 19-fight win streak on the line against Thomas Almeida.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
Rules: We are under the new rules for this event.
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 4 PM ET/1 PM PT
> Frankie Perez (10-3, 1-2 UFC) vs. Chris Wade (11-3, 4-2 UFC) Lightweights
They’ve fought before, outside of the UFC, and Wade won. Wade picked up where he left off starting out by getting an early takedown on Perez. Wade was smothering on the mat and took the back but Perez was able to get up. Perez got a takedown. Wade landed some elbows on the mat. Wade grabbed the arm and used it to get to his feet. Perez landed some knees and got another takedown. They got to their feet and Wade got a takedown and had the head pinned as the round ended. 10-9 Wade.
They spent the first part of the round striking and neither were landing with a lot of volume. Wade landed an upkick that got Perez and then scored a takedown off of it. Wade was able to get into side control and landed some punches from there before going into the guard. Perez was able to scramble to his feet. Wade couldn’t get the late takedown he was after. 10-9 Wade, 20-18 Wade.
Perez was attacking with kicks very quickly into the round. They traded and Perez ducked under a kick and got a takedown on Wade, but Wade was able to grab the neck and sweep to the top position. Wade went into the guard. Perez kept trying to push off but Wade was able to maintain his top control. Wade able to take the back but Perez got to his feet. Perez landed a big knee late as Wade was going for a takedown. 10-9 Wade, 30-27 Wade.
Official Result- Chris Wade def. Frankie Perez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Pepey was getting flashy with kicks but Burgos saw it all coming and was staying on the inside. Pepey tried to land some spinning back fists but missed. Burgos knocked Pepey down with a big knee. Pepey got to his feet and Burgos was teeing off on him and knocked Pepey down with a right hand. Pepey got to his feet and grabbed the body of Burgos and got a brief takedown. They broke and Burgos landed some big combos that rocked Pepey. Pepey just landed a wheel kick but then ate a right hand from Burgos. Burgos landed some more near the end. 10-8 Burgos.
Pepey was landing the jab but Burgos was slipping under and firing back combos. Pepey tried pulling guard and wanted Burgos to go to the mat with him but Burgos stayed standing and waiting for Pepey to get up. They were trading and Pepey did the same thing trying to pull guard again and the crowd was booing loudly. Pepey tried a takedown and it was defended so Pepey flopped to his back. He wants Burgos on the ground but Burgos is having none of it. Pepey was landing some good punches and inviting Burgos to hit him. Burgos was landing. Pepey was able to get Burgos into his guard late. 10-9 Burgos, 20-17 Burgos.
Pepey came out firing with some right hands. Burgos fired back with punches and Pepey was retreating around the Octagon. Burgos started landing more and more as the round went on. Pepey went for a takedown late but it was stuffed by Burgos. They broke and were trading late. Burgos was landing with more volume and dropped Pepey with a body shot. Pepey still wanted Burgos on the mat but Burgos wasn’t having it. Burgos landed a lot of punches late. 10-9 Burgos, 30-26 Burgos.
Official Result- Shane Burgos def. Godofredo Pepey by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-28)
> Tim Johnson (#12, 11-3, 3-2 UFC) vs. Junior Albini (13-2, 0-0 UFC) Heavyweights
They clinched against the fence early on. Johnson had control of the underhooks. They were trading. Albini landed a knee to the body and then lands a combo that dropped Johnson and he finished it off! Albini wins his UFC debut as a big underdog.
Official Result- Junior Albini def. Tim Johnson by knockout (strikes) at 2:51 of Round 1
> Brian Kelleher (17-7, 1-0 UFC) vs. Marlon Vera (9-3-1, 3-2 UFC) Bantamweights
They traded early and Kelleher landed a big right hand. Kelleher clinched and landed and landed a right hand to the body on the break. Kelleher got a takedown and Vera had a hold of the arm and quickly locked in an armbar and Kelleher tapped out! Impressive counter by Vera there to get the submission win in an upset.
Official Result- Marlon Vera def. Brian Kelleher by submission (armbar) at 2:18 of Round 1
> Kyle Bochniak (7-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (10-0, 2-0 UFC) Featherweights
Kennedy got an immediate takedown. Kennedy was working from the guard as Bochniak was looking to escape from the bottom. Bochniak got up to the fence but was unable to get out from the bottom. They got to their feet amd Kennedy clipped Bochniak and was landing knees in the clinch and then scored a takedown. Nice work from Kennedy there. Kennedy kept him planted on the mat at the end. 10-9 Kennedy.
Kennedy got another quick takedown to start the second round. Bochniak was able to get back to his feet. Not a whole lot happening and Kennedy then got another takedown. They got to their feet and Kennedy got another takedown and was working in the guard of Bochniak. They got back up and Kennedy again took Bochniak down. 10-9 Kennedy, 20-18 Kennedy.
They were trading during the early stages of the round and Bochniak was landing more, but not with a lot of power behind them. Bochniak landed a low blow and we had a timeout. They got back to action and Bochniak landed a nice combination. Kennedy went for a takedown but it was defended by Bochniak. Kennedy got a takedown and was landing punches from the back of Bochniak. Bochniak tried to get to his feet late and did but Kennedy took him down one more time. 10-9 Kennedy, 30-27 Kennedy.
Official Result- Jeremy Kennedy def. Kyle Bochniak by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Sherman landed an early combo of punches. Sherman with a head kick. Sherman with a leg kick as he ducks from all of Grabowski’s punches. Sherman landed a straight right hand. Grabowski landed a right hand. Sherman with a big knee that rocks Grabowski. Sherman landed a combo and a body kick. Sherman with a liver punch. Grabowski landed an overhand right. Sherman with a leg kick. Grabowski landed another right hand and Sherman countered with a leg kick. Sherman landed a big combination of punches and leg kicks. 10-9 Sherman.
They were trading and both men were landing. Sherman was mixing his strikes well, landing leg kicks and kicks to the body. Sherman with more leg kicks. Grabowski landed an uppercut in close range. Sherman landed a right hand followed by a knee to the body. Grabowski landed the overhand right. Sherman landing a lot of strikes on Grabowksi against the fence. Grabowski surviving. 10-9 Sherman, 20-18 Sherman.
Sherman throwing a lot of kicks and punches to start the third round. Grabowski got a brief takedown but Sherman got right back up. Sherman with a combo. Grabowski with a right hand. This is a slow fight. Sherman landing more punches and kicks. Neither man has good defense and the pace is real slow. Not an exciting fight. 10-9 Sherman, 30-27 Sherman.
Official Result- Chase Sherman def. Damian Grabowski by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
> Ryan LaFlare (#14, 13-1, 6-1 UFC) vs. Alex Oliveira (17-3-1 2 NC, 6-2 1 NC UFC) Welterweights
LaFlare went for an early takedown and pressed Oliveira against the fence. LaFlare got him down and Oliveira tried to scramble out and was looking for an armbar. LaFlare was able to pass to side control. LaFlare was working for a choke but used it for control and landed knees to the body from side control. LaFlare working hard to transition but Oliveira is blocking. LaFlare got the back and was working for an armbar but ran out of time. 10-9 LaFlare.
Oliveira landed a leg kick and LaFlare slipped to the mat. Both were looking for an opening. Oliveira then lands an uppercut right to the jaw of LaFlare and LaFlare face plants to the mat and is out cold. Wow! Brutal knockout win by Alex Oliveira.
Official Result- Alex Oliveira def. Ryan LaFlare by knockout (punch) at 1:50 of Round 2
> Rafael Natal (21-8-1, 9-6-1 UFC) vs. Eryk Anders (7-0, 0-0 UFC) Middleweights
They were trading early and Anders clipped Natal with a left hand but Natal recovered. Natal was rocked by a head kick from Anders. Natal survived and ran across the Octagon head first into the fence and went down and Anders got on the top. Anders with some punches from the top but Natal gets up. Anders landed an illegal knee in there. Anders landed two left hands and the second one knocked Natal out cold. Brutal finish by Anders as he wins his UFC debut.
Official Result- Eryk Anders def. Rafael Natal by knockout (punch) at 2:54 of Round 1
> Lyman Good (19-3 1 NC, 1-0 UFC) vs. Elizeu Zaleski (16-5, 2-1 UFC) Welterweights
Good hasn’t fought in two years due to USADA. Also, no relation to Dean Ambrose. Zaleski was working early for a takedown. Good defended it and landed a knee on the break. Zaleski landed a couple of leg kicks that buckled Good. Good took Zaleski down off a kick but Zaleski eventually got back up. Good was landing with more volume and attacking the leg with kicks. Good landed a good series of punches on Zaleski. Fun round. 10-9 Good.
They were trading and Zaleski almost got a leg grabbed off a kick from Good. They clinched and traded knees before breaking. Zaleski with some knees in the clinch. Zaleski with a combo but Good is finding a home with his left hand. Zaleski tried a takedown but it was defended by Good. Good with an excellent combination inside the pocket. Zaleski landed a perfect flying knee and Good ate it and fired back a combo of punches that landed. Another fun round. 10-9 Good, 20-18 Good.
Zaleski is landing a lot more punches on Good. Zaleski was opening up more and Good seemed a bit more tentative in this round, and this round will decide the fight. Zaleski with a combo of punches and Good is bleeding. Good landed a counter right hand. Both men are throwing hard punches. Zaleski with a side kick. Zaleski is bleeding as well. Good lands the jab. They threw back-and-forth in the last ten seconds and Zaleski landed really hard punches. Very fun fight, and it will be close. 10-9 Zaleski, 29-28 Good.
Official Result- Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Lyman Good by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
FOX MAIN CARD | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Jimmie Rivera (#4, 20-1, 4-0 UFC) vs. Thomas Almeida (#9, 22-1, 5-1 UFC) Bantamweights
Almeida with some leg kicks early. Almeida landed a right hand and Rivera countered with a left hook to the body. Rivera then dropped Almeida with a right hand but Almeida was able to get back up and clinched. Rivera then spit his mouthpiece out to get a timeout and a break of the clinch. They traded leg kicks. They were trading and Rivera dropped Almeida again with a right hand. They scrambled on the mat and got back to their feet. Almeida with a combo late. Fun round. 10-9 Rivera.
Both were ducking punches early on before they started landing. Rivera rocked Almeida with a left hand. Rivera landed a straight right hand as he timed a kick from Almeida. Almeida landed a left hand. Almeida with an inside leg kick. Almeida then dropped Rivera for a moment with a left hand. Rivera landed a right hand. Almeida back to attacking the lead leg with kicks. Almeida lands a good combo of punches late. Close round. 10-9 Almeida, 19-19.
Rivera got a quick takedown to start the third round. Rivera didn’t do much from the top and Almeida was able to scramble to his feet. Rivera landed a right hand. Almeida with a leg kick and misses a spin kick. Rivera with a left hand to the body. They clinched for a brief moment. Almeida went for a knee and Rivera tried a takedown but Almeida jumped away from it. They each landed punches. Almeida with a flying knee but Rivera was able to reverse it into a takedown. Almeida hit the switch and got back up. Almeida landed a combo of punches and a high kick. We go the distance. Great, great fight. 10-9 Rivera, 29-28 Rivera.
Official Result- Jimmie Rivera def. Thomas Almeida by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-27)
> Patrick Cummins (#12, 9-4, 5-4 UFC) vs. Gian Villante (#13, 15-8, 5-5 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Cummins goes right for a takedown but Villante gets right back up. Cummins grabs a single leg and gets a takedown but right back up. Villante then rocks Cummins with three straight right hands. Cummins is bleeding from the top of his head, looks to be from a headbutt. They trade kicks. Cummins goes back for a takedown but it is defended. Cummins lands a left hand on the break. They trade jabs. Cummins lands a right hand and the gets a takedown. Villante lands a right hand. 10-9 Villante.
Cummins is landing the short left hook. Cummins shoots for a takedown but it is defended. They traded punches. Cummins is coming on stronger as the fight goes on. Cummins with a nice combination of punches. Cummins landing with more volume. Villante landed a right hand. Cummins still landing with more volume but he eats a big right hand from Villante. 10-9 Cummins, 19-19.
Villante rocks Cummins with a right hand early in the third and that could be big. Villante is pouring it on as he has Cummins in trouble. Cummins is starting to come back with punches and he is bleeding all over the place. Cummins landed a couple of right hands and then a knee to the body. Cummins goes for a takedown but they are battled in the clinch against the fence. Cummins with knees to the legs of Villante. Villante lands a late right hand. 10-9 Cummins, 29-28 Cummins.
Official Result- Patrick Cummins def. Gian Villante by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Dennis Bermudez (#10, 16-6, 9-4 UFC) vs. Darren Elkins (#12, 22-5, 12-4 UFC) Featherweights
Bermudez landed leg kicks early on and followed one with a right hand. Bermudez slipped on a kick and Elkins attacked and took the back. Bermudez got to his feet but Elkins took him down twice. Elkins has the back and is looking for the choke. Elkins with some short punches from the back. Bermudez got to his feet and shook Elkins off. Elkins picked Bermudez up and slammed him down but Bermudez popped back up. Bermudez with a right hand as they break the clinch. 10-9 Elkins.
They are trading and Bermudez just misses a flying knee. Elkins landed a right hand. Elkins is going for takedowns from a distance and Bermudez sees them coming. Bermudez got a takedown against the fence. He didn’t do much with it and they got to their feet. Bermudez went for a takedown against the fence but it was defended. Bermudez landing better punches in the clinch. Elkins landed some knees on the ground that were close to illegal. Elkins picked Bermudez up and slammed him down and took the back but Bermudez got to his feet. Close round. 10-9 Bermudez, 19-19.
They were trading and Bermudez was getting the better of it. Bermudez struck with his head down and it allowed Elkins to grab him in looking for the takedown. They were clinched against the fence as Bermudez reversed position. They broke and Bermudez landed a right hand. Bermudez owning the Octagon right now and he lands a big right hand. Elkins slipped on a kick but Bermudez unable to capitalize. Bermudez with some body punches and a knee against the fence. Bermudez landing some punches late as he is closing the fight strong. Bermudez with some right hands near the end. 10-9 Bermudez, 29-28 Bermudez.
Official Result- Darren Elkins def. Dennis Bermudez by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Chris Weidman (#5, 13-3, 9-3 UFC) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (#8, 13-2 1 NC, 8-2 1 NC UFC) Middleweights
Weidman starts with a head kick that gets checked. Weidman lands a right hand. Weidman lands another right hand. Weidman with a takedown. He moves to the back. Weidman with punches from the back. Gastelum gets to his feet. They scramble to the mat and Weidman into side control. Weidman looking for a kimura. Gastelum scrambled to his feet and escaped the kimura. Gastelum with a head kick. Gastelum drops Weidman with a left hand but runs out of time looking for the finish. Think Gastelum stole that round with that. 10-9 Gastelum.
Weidman with a leg kick and then a right hand. They clinch and Weidman gets a takedown with an ankle pick. Weidman gets the back and is working for the choke, landing punches from the back. They get back to their feet and Weidman gets another takedown. Weidman with more punches and they get up. Weidman gets another takedown. Weidman into the guard and landing elbows. More elbows from the top by Weidman. Weidman got the back but time ran out before he could do much. 10-9 Weidman, 19-19.
They were trading aggressively and Weidman dropped Gastelum for a moment. Weidman landed a nice series of punches and he had Gastelum in trouble. Gastelum survived the onslaught. Weidman lands a big right hand. Weidman lands a kick and scores a takedown. Weidman going for the back and has it standing. Weidman with another takedown. Weidman trying to drag for a choke as Gastelum tries to scramble away. Weidman has the arm-triangle locked in and it is deep. Gastelum is in a lot of trouble and in danger of going out. He taps! Gastelum taps out to the arm-triangle and Weidman gets the huge submission win to end his losing skid. The crowd is going crazy for the hometown hero.
Official Result- Chris Weidman def. Kelvin Gastelum by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:45 of Round 3
UFC is back on Fox on Saturday with four+ hours of fights featuring the promotion’s debut at Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum, headlined by middleweight title contender Kelvin Gastelum taking on former champ and hometown boy Chris Weidman in a bout that could determine a future challenger for the 185-pound title.
Featherweights take the co-main event spot as Darren Elkins will try to keep an impressive streak going as he does battle with former TUF finalist and local fighter Dennis Bermudez.
Yet another local fighter, Gian Villante, meets former barista Patrick Cummins in a light heavyweight fight while Jimmie Rivera meets Thomas Almeida in a must-see bantamweight tilt.
For the fifth fight of our panel picks, we’re starting early with the show-opening fight featuring a pair of local lightweights with Chris Wade vs. Frankie Perez.
Panel picks are listed below with the panelist’s 2017 records is in parentheses. Listed alongside the fighter’s names are their worldwide FightMatrix rankings, as well as BestFightOdds.com betting odds. We also have panel consensus picks as well as a line where we show how the betting favorites did:
John Pollock (35-16; .686) — new dad, Fight Network analyst, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, MMA Report co-host
Favorites (35-16; .686)
Dave Meltzer (33-18; .647) — Wrestling Observer publisher
Consensus Picks (32-18; .640)
David Bixenspan (32-19; .627) – Deadspin pro wrestling columnist; Between the Sheets podcast host
Mike Sempervive (31-20; .608) — Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
Mike Sawyer (30-21; .588) — Tough Talk MMA publisher
Steve Juon (30-21; .588) — MMA Mania writer, Angry Marks publisher
Tom Lawlor (8-6; .571) – Co-host Filthy Four Daily; pro wrestling undercard fighter; UFC enhancement talent currently suspended due to wellness violation
Ryan Frederick (28-23; .549) — WrestlingObserver.com UFC writer
Paul Fontaine (26-25; .510) — MMADraws.com publisher, WrestlingObserver.com writer
Front Row Brian (25-26; .490) — MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, podcast host
> Chris Weidman (13-3) vs Kelvin Gastelum MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Weidman has lost three straight after starting his career with an impressive 13-fight win streak that took him all the way to the UFC title and three successful defences. Now, he’s on the verge of being knocked out of contention thought and badly needs a win here. After having highly publicized weight issues after previous competing at welterweight, former TUF winner Kelvin Gastelum — who won that tournament at 185 — will add his name to a growing list of potential title challengers if he gets a win here.
It’s an intriguing fight with a lot on the line and somewhat surprisingly, the oddsmakers have Weidman as a slight underdog.
> Darren Elkins (22-5) vs Dennis Bermudez (16-6) FEATHERWEIGHTS
Elkins has been on the most impressive run of his career, completely dominating each of his last four fights including a late 3rd round stoppage win over heavily favoured Mirsak Bektic in his last fight. Despite that fact, he finds himself in the underdog position against Bermudez here. Bermudez is coming off a stunning first round KO loss at the hands of The Korean Zombie, which was his third stoppage loss in the last five fights. He needs a win here to remain relevant in the division and to do so, he’ll have to find a way to stop the mauling that Elkins will attempt to put on him.
> Gian Villante (16-6) vs Patrick Cummins (9-4) LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
After picking up an impressive KO win in his first fight in his home state in his pro career, Villante suffered a setback in being KO’d by former champion Shogun Rua in Brazil earlier this year. Villante had his moments in that fight, however, and will need all the power at his disposal to smother the wrestling game of Cummins. The guy famous for fighting Daniel Cormier on short notice has lost 3 of his last 5 and shown vulnerability to the KO, being finished in all of his losses. Another loss here could send him packing.
> Jimmie Rivera (20-1) vs Thomas Almeida (22-1) BANTAMWEIGHTS
Rivera dominated former WEC champ Urijah Faber in his last fight to pick up his fourth straight UFC win and 19th in a row overall. The former WEC and Bellator veteran made the most of his second chance in the UFC after dropping an exhibition fight to Dennis Bermudez on the TUF 14 show and now finds himself on the fringe of title contention.
Almeida started his career with 21 straight wins before running into current divisional champ Cody Garbrandt in the main event of an FS1 show last May. He rebounded to KO Albert Morales in his last fight and hopes to keep that run going and eventually get a rematch with the champion.
> Chris Wade (11-3) vs Frankie Perez (10-3) Lightweights
Perez briefly retired after picking up his first UFC win against Sam Stout two years ago in Saskatoon. He returned last December and dropped a decision to Marc Diakese but hopes to rebound here close to his home of New Jersey.
New York State’s own Wade will attempt to kick off the show with a win for the locals in a show stacked with New York fighters. He’s lost two in a row after opening his UFC career with four straight wins and this could be his last chance to keep collecting checks from UFC.
> Lyman Good (19-3) vs Elizeu Zaleski (16-5) WELTERWEIGHTS
Good NR; -155 betting favorite
Zaleski; #49; +160 betting underdog
> Rafael Natal (21-8-1) vs Eryk Anders (8-0) MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Natal #32; +105 betting underdog
Anders #159; -115 betting favorite
> Ryan LaFlare (13-1) vs Alex Oliveira (17-4-1) WELTERWEIGHTS
LaFlare #23; -175 betting favorite
Oliveira #13; +165 betting underdog
> Damian Grabowski (20-4) vs Chase Sherman (10-3)
HEAVYWEIGHTS
Grabowski #83; +220 betting underdog
Sherman #161; -235 betting favorite
> Kyle Bochniak (7-1) vs Jeremy Kennedy (10-0) FEATHERWEIGHTS
Bochniak #202; +225 betting underdog
Kennedy #52; -240 betting favorite
> Brian Kelleher (17-7) vs Marlon Vera (11-3-1) BANTAMWEIGHTS
Kelleher #11; -205 betting favorite
Vera #50; +195 betting underdog
> Timothy Johnson (11-3) vs Junior Albini (13-2) HEAVYWEIGHTS
Johnson #24; -225 betting favorite
Albini #146; +215 betting underdog
Shane Burgos (9-0) vs Godofredo Pepey (13-4) FEATHERWEIGHTS
Burgos #58; -333 betting favorite
Pepey #44; +355 betting underdog
Action begins with the Fight Pass prelims at 4:00 PM EST and moves over to Fox at 6 PM EST. The main card also airs on Fox at 8 PM EST, and will be covered by our own Ryan Frederick.
Brock Lesnar is quietly back in the USADA testing pool for UFC, meaning that rumors about him potentially returning to fight have some substance.
Rumors broke today claiming that Lesnar and Paul Heyman were at the UFC offices over International Fight Week and talking about him fighting in Madison Square Garden on November 4th. That date would be impossible because Lesnar had a one-year suspension for two failed drug tests for Hydroxy-Clomiphene which dates back to his final positive test on July 9th.
Lesnar’s one-year suspension was frozen in mid-February, meaning that he has five months left, putting a return to UFC competition at mid-December at the earliest.
Lesnar announced his retirement, meaning he was also out of the USADA testing pool.
Much of the story was denied to us, including Heyman being in the offices, however those in UFC did confirm the obvious interest in Lesnar fighting again if he would choose to do so. Putting himself back in the pool means Lesnar, who just turned 40, at least has some interest in fighting again.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 113: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio, emanating from The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.
The event is headlined by a pair of welterweights on win streaks looking to break into the top ten rankings as Gunnar Nelson puts his two-fight win streak on the line against Santiago Ponzinibbio, winner of four straight.
Nelson has been creeping close to title contention, and a third straight win against a tough opponent in Poniznibbio would get him close to contention. Ponzinibbio is looking for his most high profile win to date in his career.
In the co-main event, it is a strawweight battle as long-time veteran and Scotland’s own Joanne Calderwood looks to hand Cynthia Calvillo her first career loss. Also on the main card is a pair of 155-pound fighters as exciting lightweights Stevie Ray and Paul Felder do battle.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 12 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
NOTE: The new rules are in place for this event, including the scoring.
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 12 PM ET/9 AM PT
> Leslie Smith (9-7-1, 3-3 UFC) vs. Amanda Lemos (6-0-1, 0-0 UFC) Women’s Bantamweights
Lemos came out firing in the first minute with leg kicks and then was tagging Smith standing. Smith got a takedown right into the guard of Lemos. Lemos got to her feet and they traded knees in the clinch. Smith was landing combos but was eating kicks from Lemos. They clinched and Smith was tagging the body with punches. Lemos was slowing down towards the end of the round but still landed punches and kicks. They were trading at the end and Smith landed some big knees in the clinch before Lemos scored a late takedown. Fun, close round. 10-9 Smith.
Smith was relentless with pressure and both women were landing punches and kicks. Smith landed a big combination against the fence. Smith was landing knees and punches against the fence. Lots of punches were landed and Lemos was hanging on but the volume was wearing her down. After a lot of punches landed, the referee stopped the fight while they were standing and Smith gets the win in the second round. Impressive showing by Smith.
Smith called out Bethe Correia after the fight, saying Correia has been using everyone else to build up her career, and now she wants to use Correia to build her up.
Official Result- Leslie Smith def. Amanda Lemos by TKO (strikes) at 2:53 of Round 2
> Brett Johns (13-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Albert Morales (7-1-1, 1-1-1 UFC) Bantamweights
They were trading early. Johns was landing more and then got a takedown against the fence. Johns landed some elbows from the inside the guard. Johns keeping Morales pinned to the mat and is landing punches to the head and body. Morales unable to get out from the bottom. More punches from the top by Johns as he ends the round in full control. 10-8 Johns under the new rules/scoring.
Morales was landing some good punches in the early going of the second round. Johns got a right hand in and went for a takedown but it was defended. Johns was able to get the body of Morales and got the double-leg takedown against the fence. Johns is keeping Morales pinned but isn’t landing as much as he did in the first. Morales almost pushed Johns off but Johns got right back into the guard. Johns finished the round out on the top. 10-9 Johns, 20-17 Johns.
They were trading early in the third. Morales was getting the better of the exchanges on the feet. Johns pushed Morales against the fence and got another takedown. Johns got to the back and was landing punches from the back. Morales completely unable to get up from the bottom. Johns moved to an arm-triangle attempt but was trapped against the fence so he didn’t have it fully locked in. Morales survived and they went the distance. Should be a clear win for Johns. 10-9 Johns, 30-26 Johns.
Official Result- Brett Johns def. Albert Morales by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 1 PM ET/10 AM PT
> Danny Henry (10-2, 0-0 UFC) vs. Daniel Teymur (6-0, 0-0 UFC) Lightweights
Teymur was tagging Henry early and dropped him for a moment. Teymur grabbed the neck but let go and was landing more. Teymur landed a big overhand right. They were trading and Teymur landed some knees in the clinch. Teymur landed a couple of good left hooks. Teymur got on top for a moment and was landing but got back to his feet. Henry was going for upkicks but Teymur kept distance. They got to their feet. Henry landed a right hand. Henry with a flying knee to the body late. 10-9 Teymur.
They were trading early in the second and Henry landed a big right hand. Teymur landed some leg kicks and an uppercut. Henry went for a takedown but Teymur was defending. They went to the mat and Henry had dominant position and was looking for a choke but Teymur escaped to his feet. Henry was pressing forward but Teymur was still landing some right hands. Henry then started to get Teymur in trouble as Teymur was backing up. Henry dropped Teymur! Henry was looking for a finish but may be too tired. Henry got to mount and was landing punches and elbows from the top. Teymur gave up his back and Henry got the choke locked in. Teymur fought the hands and survived! Wow! 10-8 Henry, 19-18 Henry.
Henry was landing to the body and Teymur was still in trouble. Teymur was still landing. Henry started landing more shots and had Teymur in a whole lot of trouble. Henry got the back of Teymur on the mat and was landing and looked for a choke but Teymur escaped though Henry got into the mount. Henry with some shoulder strikes from the top. Both men looking tired. Henry with punches to the head and body on top. Henry improved his mount and landed more punches. They got back to their feet but Henry dragged right back down and had back control. Henry had a choke in at the end but time ran out. 10-8 Henry, 29-26 Henry.
Official Result- Danny Henry def. Daniel Teymur by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-26)
> Charlie Ward (3-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Galore Bofando (4-2, 0-0 UFC) Welterweights
Bofando was landing punches and kicks early. They clinched and Ward was going for a throw but Bofando blocked it by throwing Ward to the mat, and Ward hit the mat so hard it knocked him out cold. Bofando landed some more punches to guarantee the finish as the referee was late in stopping it. Bofando with a big knockout win.
Official Result- Galore Bofando def. Charlie Ward by knockout (throw & punches) at 2:10 of Round 1
> Alexandre Pantoja (#14, 17-2, 1-0 UFC) vs. Neil Seery (18-12, 3-3 UFC) Flyweights
This is Seery’s retirement fight. They traded leg kicks and Pantoja briefly dropped Seery with a right hand. Seery landed a right hand. Pantoja landed a couple of leg kicks. They traded kicks and Pantoja dropped Seery again with a right hand, but Seery got back to his feet. Pantoja landed a nice combination. Pantoja landed some big knees against the fence. Seery landed some punches but Pantoja was landing with more volume. Pantoja landed a left hand. They traded at the end. 10-9 Pantoja.
Pantoja came out firing with some punches and knees to the body against the fence. Pantoja had Seery pinned against the cage and was landing before the separated. Seery landed a nice combo. Pantoja was landing in the clinch but Seery landed big on the break. Both men landing some good punches. Both landing but Pantoja landing harder and with more volume. Seery landing some good combos. They traded again. Pantoja has shown no head movement and Seery is landing but Pantoja is just coming back with more volume. 10-9 Pantoja, 20-18 Pantoja.
They traded at the start and Pantoja got a quick takedown. Pantoja was in side control before moving to the back and working for the choke. Pantoja with punches from the back. Pantoja has the rear-naked choke locked in tight and Seery taps out! Big submission win by Pantoja and he looked good in this fight.
Official Result- Alexandre Pantoja def. Neil Seery by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:31 of Round 3
> Danny Roberts (13-2, 2-1 UFC) vs. Bobby Nash (8-2, 0-1 UFC) Welterweights
Roberts starts off with a high kick. They were trading punches and kicks, but not with a lot of volume. Roberts landed a big body kick. Nash scored a takedown and was on top but wasn’t doing much with it. Roberts tried to get to the fence to get to his feet but Nash held him down. They got to their feet and Roberts landed some nice punches. Roberts got reckless and Nash scored a takedown. Nash didn’t do much except try to improve position and Roberts got to his feet. Nash grabbed the neck and Roberts went down on a knee and the round ended. Close round as Roberts was controlling the action on the feet and Nash got takedowns, but did nothing with them. 10-9 Nash.
Roberts came out with some body kicks. Roberts landed some short-range punches and knees in the clinch and Nash pushed him against the fence but Roberts got separated. Roberts landed a high kick and Nash landed a low blow kick and we had a timeout. Back to action and Nash landed a right hook but Roberts fired back with a leg kick. Roberts went for a takedown but it was stuffed by Nash. Nash grabbed the back and got a brief takedown but still had the back. Roberts reversed position and landed some knees and a kick on the break. Roberts landed a massive left hand that sent Nash crashing to the mat and one more punch finished it off. Big knockout win by Roberts.
Official Result- Danny Roberts def. Bobby Nash by knockout (punch) at 3:59 of Round 2
FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD | 3 PM ET/12 PM PT
> James Mulheron (11-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Justin Willis (4-1, 0-0 UFC) Heavyweights
Willis with a couple of body kicks. Willis with some more body kicks. Not a lot of action going on. Mulheron with a right hand to the body. Willis lands a left hand. Willis gets a takedown. They got back to their feet. They trade punches. Mulheron landed a right hand to the body. Willis with a right hook. 10-9 Willis.
There wasn’t a whole lot of action going on in this round. They were trading punches and short leg kicks, but neither landing with a lot of volume or damage. Mulheron landed a Superman punch and a spinning back fist at one point. Willis scored a takedown. Mulheron was getting the better of the feet action before then. Willis pinned him against the fence with one arm free and Willis landed a bunch of punches. 10-9 Willis, 20-18 Willis.
They were trading but not landing a lot of damage. Mulheron looking to land an uppercut and did once. Mulheron lands a right hand and then one to the body. Willis with the clinch against the fence but Mulheron reverses position. Mulheron with some body punches. Willis dropped down for a takedown and got it. Mulheron got to his feet. Mulheron landed some punches at the end as Willis raised his arm in the air before the finish. Not a good fight. 10-9 Mulheron, 29-28 Willis.
Official Result- Justin Willis def. James Mulheron by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Khalil Rountree (5-2, 1-2 UFC) vs. Paul Craig (9-1, 1-1 UFC) Light Heavyweights
The crowd was loud for this one due to Craig. Rountree landed a left hand. Craig with a high kick and Rountree fires back with a left hand. Craig with an inside leg kick. Rountree landed a nice combination and then a straight left hand. Rountree landed another left hand. Rountree with an uppercut and a body kick while Craig was down on the mat for a moment. Craig with a body kick. Rountree with a head kick and he drops Craig with a left hand and finishes him off with just seconds to go in the first round. Big finish and win by Rountree.
Official Result- Khalil Rountree def. Paul Craig by knockout (punches) at 4:56 of Round 1
> Jack Marshman (21-6, 1-1 UFC) vs. Ryan Janes (9-2, 1-1 UFC) Middleweights
They trade right hands early on. Marshman with a left hook to the body. Marshman landed a combo right to the jaw of Janes. Marshman with a right hand. Janes landed an uppercut. Marshman landed a power right hand. Janes is coming forward. They were both firing punches and Marshman was landing with more power and volume. 10-9 Marshman.
Janes with a couple of soft body kicks. Marshman is throwing more but not landing as much. Janes isn’t landing much either. Marshman starting to land more but it gave Janes an opening to look for a takedown. They clinched and Janes was landing some punches and knees to the body. Marshman looking the more tired of the two. Marshman broke the clinch and landed some good punches. 10-9 Marshman, 20-18 Marshman.
The pace is slow in this round. Janes landed a body kick and is searching for a takedown. Marshman staying light on his feet outside of Janes’ range and is landing when he sees an opening. Marshman with a leg kick and then another. Janes with a nice combo and lands some knees in the clinch. Dirty boxing by Janes against the fence. Timeout called as Marshman lost his mouthpiece. Janes with a left hook. Marshman landed a couple of left hands but Janes countered with a left hand. They are brawling in the last thirty seconds. Janes chasing Marshman around the Octagon. Close fight. 10-9 Janes, 29-28 Marshman.
Official Result- Jack Marshman def. Ryan Janes by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Stevie Ray (21-6, 5-1 UFC) vs. Paul Felder (13-3, 5-3 UFC) Lightweights
They trade leg kicks in the opening minute. They clinched and Felder landed some knees to the body. They pushed up against the fence and Ray was looking for a takedown. They are battling for position in the clinch. Felder is landing elbows while Ray is landing knees. Felder landed a good right hand in the clinch. Felder dropped Ray with a knee and then started landing a bunch of punches in the guard and was close to finishing it but Ray started holding on. Felder with elbows on the ground. Felder landed two more elbows and Ray was out of it and the referee stopped it. Nasty elbows from Felder gets him the win. His father passed away right before his fight camp for this fight.
Official Result- Paul Felder def. Stevie Ray by knockout (elbows) at 3:57 of Round 1
Calvillo was attacking the body early. Calderwood with a leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Calvillo with a left hand. They traded kicks. Both women still feeling each other out with less than two minutes to go in the round. They trade kicks and punches. Calvillo gets a late takedown and has the back of Calderwood. Calvillo working for the choke but Calderwood able to spin to the guard. Calvillo has the arm and is working for an armbar. She almost had it but time ran out on the round. 10-9 Calvillo.
They were feeling each other out at the start of the second. Calvillo is looking to set up a takedown but Calderwood keeping her at distance with some teet kicks. Calvillo slipped as Calderwood caught her with a kick. Calvillo landed a left hook. Both women landed spinning back fists at the same time and then high-fived afterwards. Calderwood is a bloody mess right now. Calvillo landed a nice combo at the end of the round. Very close round. 10-9 Calvillo, 20-18 Calvillo.
Calderwood has more momentum going into this round and it could be tied up. Calderwood is landing some punches and kicks. Calderwood with a step-in knee. Calvillo lands a left hand. They trade in close and Calderwood landed a big elbow. Calderwood with some leg kicks. Calvillo faked a takedown and landed a left hand. Calderwood with a high body kick. Calvillo with a late takedown and gets to the back of Calderwood. Calvillo lands some punches and has full back control with the hooks. Calderwood landing backwards punches. Calvillo had the choke locked in but Calderwood was saved by the buzzer. Close round, close fight. 10-9 Calderwood, 29-28 Calvillo.
Official Result- Cynthia Calvillo def. Joanne Calderwood by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
> Gunnar Nelson (#8, 16-2-1, 7-2 UFC) vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (#14, 24-3, 6-2 UFC) Welterweights
Nelson rocked Ponzinibbio early. Nelson lands a left hook. Nelson with a leg kick. Ponzinibbio rocks Nelson with a right hand. Nelson was in a lot of trouble and retreated to the cage but Ponzinibbio landed a straight left hand that drops Nelson and Ponzinibbio finished Nelson with a couple more punches on the ground. Wow, what an upset in this one as Ponzinibbio gets the knockout win in the first.
Official Result- Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Gunnar Nelson by knockout (punches) at 1:22 of Round 1
It’s been a little quiet over the past few weeks when it came to promoting the August 26th boxing match between all-time great Floyd Mayweather and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
That ends starting Tuesday.
The two men expected to generate $500 million in business for their super welterweight fight at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena began their tour de force press conferences this week, starting on Tuesday in Los Angeles, Wednesday in Toronto, Thursday in New York, and Friday in London.
Courtesy of Showtime, we’ll stream all four pressers here. Just bookmark and you’ll be good to go:
TUESDAY, JULY 11 – Los Angeles 5 p.m. ET/ 2 p.m. PT from Staples Center
WEDNESDAY, JULY 12 – Toronto 5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. PT from Budweiser Stage
THURSDAY, JULY 13 – New York 6:30 p.m. ET/ 3:30 p.m. PT from Barclays Center In Brooklyn
FRIDAY, JULY 14 – London 7 p.m. BST / 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT from The SSE Arena, Wembley
For years, UFC president Dana White has wanted a show similar to USA’s long-canceled series Tuesday Night Fights: a weekly fight show featuring a variety of prospects and veterans looking to achieve/get back to prominence and big paychecks.
His dream became a reality Tuesday as Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Seriesdebuted on UFC Fight Pass with five fights airing live from the TUF gym in Las Vegas, NV.
You might be asking why you need more MMA in your life given the current output of the UFC, Bellator, etc. In The Content Era, however, there is no such thing as too much of anything. Hence, we get five more fights every Tuesday this summer.
If you’re deciding on whether to add DWTNCS to your MMA viewing diet, may this look at the first episode be a helpful friend in your decision.
The Production
The show featured former NFL Network host Dan Hellie making his UFC play-by-play debut alongside retired fighter Yves Edwards while Snoop Dogg and Urijah Faber provided gin and juice fueld commentary on an alternate feed called Snoopcast.
For their first outing, Hellie and Edwards were average, but you could tell they hadn’t spent that much broadcasting time together, so it’s tough to be that harsh on them. While insightful at times, Edwards needs to be a little more vocal at higher volumes and less promotional in some of his thoughts, while Hellie is a relative MMA newbie that simply needs more reps. There will be some different pairings throughout the summer, so perhaps UFC is using this as a training ground for future big show backups.
The production of the show is toned down, right down to the lack of the UFC logo on the gloves or the mat, save for the UFC Fight Pass logo. There’s no entrance music, nor a ring announcer. There’s video packages, but no in-cage post fight interviews, just quick backstage interviews after the fight is over. After years of a certain format, it’s a little disarming at first but you get used to it.
If you’re into no frills MMA production, this show is for you.
This opened the show and was kind of a blah fight. Sanchez is a fairly forgettable former UFC fighter who hasn’t been in the Octagon since late-2015 while Vasquez is a prospect from Illinois. Vasquez looked decent in the first, but Sanchez turned it on the 2nd/3rd in relatively unspectacular fashion, taking advantage of an energy-sapped Vasquez. I scored this 29-28 for Sanchez, but I have no idea what the scores were because they didn’t read them.
– Charles Byrd (8-4) def. Jamie Pickett (7-3) by first round submission Middleweights
The 33-year-old Byrd survived a stretch of Pickett pressing him up against the cage, rocking him with a spinning back elbow. He reversed a Pickett takedown attempt, leading to a head and arm choke in the round’s waning seconds for a tap and win. This was quick, but nothing to write home about.
– Boston Salmon (6-1) def. Ricky Turcios (8-1) by unanimous decision Bantamweights
Turcios is a character, a Team Alpha Male guy who was shown jumping off trees in the lead-in package and ran out to the cage screaming. Salmon is Hawaiian and is the exact opposite of Turcios.
Salmon’s steadiness was the key here, leveraging his amateur boxing background to rip up Turcios’ face and body. He was just too much for the game Turcios who had no answer. This was an entertaining fight that would have some implications later on in the night.
Zu Anyanwu (14-4) def. Greg Rebello (22-7) by 2nd round KO Heavyweights
After a plodding first round in which there was a lot of circling and not much action, Anyanwu hit an overhand right in the second round that dropped Rebello, hitting hammer fists that knocked Rebello out. Both guys looked to be carrying some additional weight in the midsection and not the type of heavyweight that is ruling the top 10 of the UFC.
Kurt Holobaugh (18-4) def. Matt Bessette (22-8) by 1st round KO Featherweights
This was the night’s featured fight (not called a main event, mind you). Holobaugh performed like it was a main event though, ripping through Bessette like he wasn’t even there. The ex-UFC vet bloodied up Bessette early on in the first and was unrelenenting, finally dropping Bessette with a right hook that caused ref John McCarthy to call it.
In an appropriately non-descript manner, White told the backstage interviewer that both Hollobaugh and Salmon were being offered contracts. And in 2 hours and 10 minutes, we were done. I would have liked to see the announcement played up a bit more, maybe in the middle of the cage with all of the winners there, but there’s time to improve.
*********
In general, this wasn’t the worst MMA show I’ve seen but it’s essentially a weekly regional main card with a potential big reward for the winner(s). Since it’s on Fight Pass, it’s playing to the hardest of the hardcores so big numbers aren’t really the game here. What it does give UFC is the ability to essentially do tryouts for young fighters and veterans without having them actually compete in the UFC or TUF.
If you have a FP subscription and just feel like watching fights while doing other things this summer, there are worse directions to point you to. The full impact and relevance won’t truly be felt from the show until the guys that get contracts make waves in the UFC. If they truly get behind this as a developmental group of sorts and not just a summer time filler, the importance could, and hopefully will, grow.
And hey, maybe they could run out CM Punk on one of these someday. He’s certainly not doing anything on the main roster these days.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 213: Romero vs. Whittaker, emanating from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The UFC’s biggest weekend of the year caps off with their annual early July pay-per-view event, generally one of the biggest cards of the year. After Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko was confirmed as off of the show earlier today, the Interim UFC Middleweight Championship will be up for grabs in the main event as Yoel Romero faces Robert Whittaker.
The fight is one of the best to be put together this year. Both are on long win streaks, with Romero having won eight straight and Whittaker seven straight, and they are a combined 15-0 at 185 pounds.
The main card also sees former heavyweight king Fabricio Werdum take on former title challenger Alistair Overeem in a trilogy bout that could determine the next top contender, as well as former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis returning to 155 pounds to take on Jim Miller.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down, or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
> Trevin Giles (9-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. James Bochnovic (8-1, 0-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Both men were making their UFC debuts on short notice. They were trading a little early on. Bochnovic scored with a big body kick. Giles then scored a takedown and was working from the top landing some big elbows in the guard. Bochnovic got to his feet before Giles grabbed his back and suplexed him to the mat. Giles with more punches from the top to end the round. 10-9 Giles.
Giles landed some punches to the body and then got a takedown and was working in side control. Bochnovic was giving up his back and Giles was taking advantage. Bochnovic scrambled up and Giles took him back down and moved to mount. Giles started landing big punches from the back and then the mount and Bochnovic went out cold. Dominant win for Giles as he finishes Giles.
Official Result- Trevin Giles def. James Bochnovic by knockout (punches) at 2:54 of Round 2
> Cody Stamann (14-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Terrion Ware (17-5, 0-0 UFC) Featherweights
They were trading early inside the pocket with both landing punches and knees. Stamann got a takedown and was inside the guard. Ware was able to push off to the feet. Ware landed a low blow and we have a timeout. Stamann got a takedown as they got back to action. Stamann landed some solid punches from the top. Stamann got into the half-guard and finished the round with some punches from the top. 10-9 Stamann.
They traded leg kicks. Stamann landed a knee to the body, Ware fired back with a right hand as they talked trash, and then Stamann scored a big takedown. Stamann landed from the top before they got to their feet. Stamann landed a head kick. Ware landed some knees. Stamann started firing back with leg kicks and scored a huge takedown. They scrambled up and Stamann landed a hard punch. Ware was able to get Stamann’s back against the fence but Stamann pushed off with a front kick and then got a takedown with about 30 seconds to go. 10-9 Stamann, 20-18 Stamann.
They were trading in the first minute. Stamann landed a body kick and Ware landed a counter right hand. Stamann started to land more solid crisp combinations. Stamann scored a big takedown and Ware was stuck on the bottom for a moment but was able to get up, but he gave up his back and was taken back down in the process. Stamann got full mount against the fence and was landing punches. Ware got to his feet but Stamann got his back. They traded punches at the end. 10-9 Stamann, 30-27 Stamann.
Official Result- Cody Stamann def. Terrion Ware by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Jordan Mein (29-11, 3-3 UFC) vs. Belal Muhammad (11-2, 2-2 UFC) Welterweights
They were trading punches and leg kicks throughout the first two minutes. Muhammad went for a takedown but Mein defended it. Mein landed a couple of left hands but Muhammad fired back with punches and kicks to the body. Mein with a leg kick. Mein with a front kick to the body. They are pretty even on the feet but Mein is taking advantage of the leg kicks. Muhammad went for a late takedown but Mein defended it. Muhammad with some knees and elbows in the clinch. Close round. 10-9 Mein.
They were trading kicks and Mein went back to work of the lead leg with kicks. Mein has a cut over his left eye. Muhammad clinched Mein against the fence. Muhammand got a split second takedown. Muhammad pressing the action. Mein landing more leg kicks but Muhammad is opening up with his hands. Mein went for a takedown but it was stuffed and Muhammad pushed Mein against the fence and was landing short knees. Muhammad got a takedown in the last minute. 10-9 Muhammad, 19-19.
They traded kicks and Muhammad went for a takedown but Mein stuffed it. Muhammad pushed Mein against the fence. Mein grabbed the arm and dropped down for a kimura but lost it and Muhammad was able to scramble to the top. Muhammad took the back and was working to find the choke. Muhammad was punching from the back and they got to their feet and Muhammad had Mein pinned against the fence and was landing knees. Mein went for a kimura again but had no body control and lost it, though he got Muhammad down briefly. They got back to their feet. 10-9 Muhammad, 29-28 Muhammad.
Official Result- Belal Muhammad def. Jordan Mein by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Santos with a leg kick. Meerschaert scored a takedown but they got back to their feet. They clinched and Meerschaert got another takedown and was landing punches as they got back to their feet. Santos started throwing big punches and scored a knockdown and Meerschaert was in survival mode. Santos was landing big punches and let Meerschaert get to his feet. Santos poked him right in the eye. They got back to action and Santos was landing more big punches. Santos with a jumping head kick followed by a huge left hand. Santos is bleeding heavily but won the round. 10-9 Santos.
Meerschaert went for a desperation takedown but Santos sprawled and was landing a lot of punches and it was close to being stopped. Santos was laying in more punches and hammerfists. Meerschaert able to get to his feet but was taken down. Santos with more big punches and he finally finishes Meerschaert off. Big stoppage win by Santos, and he looked impressive.
Official Result- Thiago Santos def. Gerald Meerschaert by TKO (punches) at 2:04 of Round 2
> Chad Laprise (11-2, 4-2 UFC) vs. Brian Camozzi (7-3, 0-1 UFC) Welterweights
Camozzi landed some leg kicks and then Laprise landed a straight right hand to the jaw. Camozzi with a body kick. Camozzi with a leg kick but Laprise counters with a nice combination. They were trading but Laprise was landing crisp punches. Laprise landed another big overhand right. Camozzi is coming forward and finding range but still eating punches from Laprise. Camozzi landed a high kick and then a leg kick but Laprise countered that with a takedown and finished the round in the guard. 10-9 Laprise.
Laprise landed a combo and was doing a good job of circling around the Octagon. Camozzi with a body kick and Laprise countered with a right hand. Laprise with another combo. Camozzi landed a right hand and then another. Camozzi landing more straight right hands. Camozzi with a body kick. Camozzi with a leg kick. Laprise just misses a right hand but lands a leg kick. Close round. 10-9 Camozzi, 19-19.
Laprise hurt Camozzi with a right hand to the body and then dropped Camozzi and was landing lots of punches as Camozzi was cradled up. Herb Dean finally stopped the fight after lots of punches landed by Laprise. Laprise gets the big stoppage win he needed.
Official Result- Chad Laprise def. Brian Camozzi by TKO (punches) at 1:27 of Round 3
> Travis Browne (#9, 18-6-1, 9-6-1 UFC) vs. Aleksei Oleinik (#14, 51-10-1, 3-1 UFC) Heavyweights
Browne came out firing kicks. Oleinik landed a right hand. Browne was throwing a lot of kicks and landed a knee to the body. Browne landed a knee to the head and Browne rocked Oleinik with a left hand and then dropped him with a left hook. Oleinik survived but is still in trouble. Oleinik then dropped Browne with a right hand. Browne got up but still in trouble. Oleinik landed a right hand and then punches to the body. Browne with front kicks to the body. Oleinik got a takedown and went to side control. Browne gives up his back and Oleinik is landing punches from the back. He has Browne flattened out. Oleinik looking for a choke but time runs out. 10-9 Oleinik.
Oleinik is chasing Browne around the Octagon. Both men are landing punches. Oleinik landing punches to the body. Browne with a series of knees. Browne got a big takedown and Oleinik let out a deep breath afterwards. Browne working inside the guard before moving to side control. He didn’t do much and Oleinik got up and drug him to the mat and had the back of Browne. Oleinik landing punches from the back. Oleinik has the choke and Browne taps! Huge win for Oleinik as it looks like Browne just got tired and gave up.
Official Result- Aleksei Oleinik def. Travis Browne by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:44 of Round 2
PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
> Rob Font (#15, 13-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. Douglas Silva de Anrade (24-1 1 NC, 2-1 UFC) Bantamweights
They traded kicks to start. Font got a takedown but Silva popped right back up then he dropped back down. They scrambled to their feet and Font landed a punch on the break. Font landed a good combo ending with a knee to the face. Font poked Silva in the eye and we have a break. Silva with a big body kick. They traded jabs and Silva landed a left hand. Font pressured Silva back with some punches that didn’t quite land. Silva landed a left hook but Font got in a counter knee. Font with a right hand to the face and then one to the body. Font locked in a late guillotine choke but time ran out. 10-9 Font.
They were trading and Font was landing a lot of clean punches. He was really mixing his combos well and controlling the action inside the cage. Silva was throwing body kicks and did land a right hand. Font is landing step-in knees followed by right hands and has Silva in trouble. Font knocks Silva down briefly with a right hand and is going for the finish as he lands knees and elbows in the clinch. Font gets a takedown. Font has the neck and is being careful not to land knees. Silva picks Font up and slams him but Font still has the guillotine locked in and Silva taps! Great performance by Rob Font, he looked really good tonight.
Official Result- Rob Font def. Douglas Silva de Andrade by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:36 of Round 2
> Anthony Pettis (#6 FW, 19-6, 6-5 UFC) vs. Jim Miller (28-9 1 NC, 17-8 1 NC UFC) Lightweights
Miller landed some left hands early. Pettis scored with a jumping knee. Pettis landed a clean right hand while Miller fired back a left. Miller with some inside leg kicks. Pettis lands a left hand and Miller goes to the body with kicks. Pettis with a body kick and then a flying knee and he unloads a combo against the fence. Pettis with a right hand. Pettis lands a clean combo and Miller circles away. Pettis with a high kick and then a front kick to the body. Pettis with a spinning back fist. Pettis with a switch kick to the body. Miller lands a right hand and then a body kick. Pettis with a right hand followed by a head kick. 10-9 Pettis.
Miller with a body kick. Pettis with a head kick and then went high with a kick but Miller grabbed the leg and got a takedown. Pettis was working for a triangle choke from the bottom but Miller escaped. Miller is bleeding heavily as he’s in the guard of Pettis. Pettis working to get up but Miller remaining on top. Pettis rolls out and Miller grabs the back and is working with the body triangle. Pettis is able to escape and he gets to the top and lands some punches. Pettis stands up and lands a kick to Miller’s legs on the ground and Pettis goes back into the guard. Pettis moves to side control. Pettis working for a kimura and then he takes the back and Miller is trying to escape. They get to their feet and Pettis gets a takedown with ten seconds to go. Fun fight so far. 10-9 Pettis, 20-18 Pettis.
Miller with some leg kicks early in the third. Pettis went up top with some high kicks. Miller looking to land the left hand. They’ve slowed down a little. They were trading and Miller went for a takedown but Pettis was able stay upright and switched and put Miller’s back against the cage. Pettis is controlling but Miller lands a knee and an elbow. Pettis fires back with his own elbow. Pettis landed a cartwheel kick and Miller tried a roll to grab the legof Pettis but was off. Miller with a cartwheel kick and Pettis with a jumping kick to end the fight. 10-9 Pettis, 30-27 Pettis.
Official Result- Anthony Pettis def. Jim Miller by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Daniel Omielanczuk (#15, 19-7-1 1 NC, 4-4 UFC) vs. Curtis Blaydes (6-1 1 NC, 1-1 1 NC UFC) Heavyweights
Blaydes clinched early and landed some low knees and then landed one to the groin. They are broken up by Marc Goddard. Blaydes clinches back up and lands more knees and an elbow. Blaydes has had Omielanczuk pushed against the fence, and whenever there are breaks, Blaydes goes right back to pressure against the fence. Very boring round. 10-9 Blaydes.
Blaydes landed a knee to the body followed by a right hand and then he went right back to the takedown attempt against the fence. They break and both land punches. Blaydes with a leg kick and Omielanczuk misses as he swings his left hand. They went back to the clinch and the crowd is not happy. They were trading punches and Blaydes landed a kick to the groin. Marc Goddard gives him a talking to. Nothing happened after. 10-9 Blaydes, 20-18 Blaydes.
They traded punches and Blaydes back for the takedown attempt position against the fence. They broke. Omielanczuk landed a left hand. Blaydes with the jab and Omielanczuk is bleeding a little from under the eye. Omielanczuk with a body kick. Blaydes stuffed a takedown attempt and is landing elbows to the body of Omielanczuk. They got to their feet. Blaydes with an uppercut. Boring fight, very boring. 10-9 Blaydes, 30-27 Blaydes.
Official Result- Curtis Blaydes def. Daniel Omielanczuk by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Werdum tried a running flying knee to start. Overeem rocks Werdum with a head kick. Werdum tried a combo but Overeem ducked under all of the punches. Werdum landed a knee. Overeem clipped Werdum with a right hand and then another. Werdum with a body kick and then misses a takedown attempt. Overeem lands a right hand and is being very patient. Werdum misses a rolling kick. 10-9 Overeem,
Overeem with a body kick. Werdum pulls guard and Overeem goes to the top but nothing happens and they get up. Overeem lands a left hand and a knee that rocked Werdum. Overeem doesn’t capitalize. Overeem with a kick to the body followed by a right hand. Werdum lands a jab. Overeem really controlling this round but not much is being landed as both being patient. Overeem lands a left hand that hurts Werdum. Werdum is cut on his nose. 10-9 Overeem, 20-18 Overeem.
They were trading a little early. Werdum with a knee but eats an uppercut. Werdum with another knee. Werdum rocks Overeem with a knee and Overeem went down. Werdum tried to grab Overeem but slipped and Overeem went on top. They went to their feet. Werdum still has Overeem in trouble and is landing. Werdum with a big takedown. Werdum with some punches from the top. Werdum with short punches and Overeem is being warned to not grab the fence. Overeem hanging on as Werdum is now doing nothing on the mat. Werdum with a late punch. Close fight, depends on the first round. 10-9 Werdum, 29-28 Overeem.
Official Result- Alistair Overeem def. Fabricio Werdum by majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Yoel Romero (#1, 13-1, 8-0 UFC) vs. Robert Whittaker (#3, 18-4, 9-2 UFC) Interim UFC Middleweight Championship
Romero with a side kick to the leg to start out. Whittaker lands a right hand. Romero with a side kick. They trade body kicks. Romero missed a hook kick and gets a takedown and takes the back but Whittaker gets right back to his feet. Romero with a flying knee. Whittaker stuffs a takedown attempt from Romero. Whittaker with a front kick to the body. Romero gets a brief takedown but Whittaker right back up. Romero with a leg kick. Whittaker just misses a head kick. Close round. 10-9 Romero.
Whittaker may have injured his left leg in the first round. Romero with a knee to the body. Romero gets a takedown and is in the guard of Whittaker. Romero worked from top but Whittaker used butterfly guard to get to his feet. Romero still has the body locked and gets a brief takedown and isn’t letting go of the body lock. They are separated by John McCarthy with lack of action. Whittaker with a leg kick and a left hand. They start wildly swinging and Romero lands a right hand. Romero with a late takedown. 10-9 Romero, 20-18 Romero.
Whittaker landed a jab. Whittaker with a front kick and they traded punches. Whittaker rocks Romero with a left hand. Romero with a body kick. Whittaker with a push kick that hurt Romero. Romero fakes the jab looking to set something else up. Both threw left hands. Whittaker with a knee to the body followed by a right hand. Romero lands a left hand. Whittaker with a side kick. Not much from Romero in this round and Whittaker clipped him with a left at the end. 10-9 Whittaker, 29-28 Romero.
Whittaker with a high body kick. Romero grabbed the back and they scrambled around on the mat. Romero has the back against the fence. They broke and Whittaker landed a knee. Whittaker stuffed a takedown from Romero. Romero lands a flying knee. Whittaker lands a left hand and a front kick to the body. Whittaker just misses an uppercut. Whittaker with a right hand. Romero is definitely tired. Whittaker stuffs a takedown and lands a right hand and then a left hand. Romero is in trouble. Romero with a failed takedown attempt. Whittaker with a high kick. 10-9 Whittaker, 38-38.
This round likely decides it. They trade punches early. Romero with a left hand. Whittaker lands a left hand. Whittaker lands a knee. Both men land hurting punches and Romero with a big left hand. Romero is definitely gassed out but he lands a high kick. Whittaker slowing as well. Romero lands a left hand. Whittaker with a front kick. Both men are landing. Romero lands a left hand. Romero with a high kick and Whittaker with a combo. Romero lands a left hand. Whittaker circling away. Romero slips to the mat and Whittaker goes into the guard. Romero landing from the bottom. Whittaker now landing elbows from the top. Whittaker goes to the half-guard and lands some big elbows and Romero is cut open. This goes the distance, very good fight. 10-9 Whittaker, 48-47 Whittaker.
Official Result- Robert Whittaker def. Yoel Romero by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) to become Interim UFC Middleweight Champion
