UFC 213 has lost its scheduled main event on the day of the show.
Ariel Helwani first reported on his Twitter account this afternoon that Amanda Nunes, the UFC women’s bantamweight champion who was supposed to face Valentina Shevchenko in
the main event tonight, is currently in the hospital.
Helwani noted that Nunes has been feeling ill all week. The fight wasn’t officially off when he first tweeted, but he then confirmed that it wouldn’t be happening in a post on MMA Fighting.
The Yoel Romero vs. Robert Whittaker fight for the interim middleweight title will now be moved to the main event position and one of the prelim fights will be moved up to the main card. The rest of the pay-per-view lineup includes Fabricio Werdum vs. Alistair Overeem, Daniel Omielanczuk vs. Curtis Blaydes, and Anthony Pettis vs. Jim Miller.
Travis Browne vs. Aleksei Oleinik is the top fight scheduled for the FS1 prelims.
It’s UFC’s International Fight Week in Las Vegas, typcially the biggest fight week of the year, with two events. We’ve already had one which featured what may be the best fight you will see this year with Michael Johnson and Justin Gaethje having an instant classic.
Now comes time for what is traditionally the biggest UFC pay-per-view event of the year with UFC 213. However, it lacks the luster of previous International Fight Week pay-per-view events, and it isn’t even the most stacked event this month with UFC 214 and three title fights looming large three weeks from now.
While this show lacks names like Conor McGregor, Anderson Silva, Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey that have made this the can’t miss weekend in the past, UFC 213 is a good card at Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena with two title fights.
Amanda Nunes defends the UFC women’s bantamweight championship against Valentina Shevchenko in the main event, the second time they will have fought inside the Octagon. Nunes is wanting to make it 2-0 against her foe, while Shevchenko is looking to end the Brazilian’s title reign before it hits 365 days.
The co-main event sees an interim title being made at 185 pounds as Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker do battle. It remains to be seen what is next for the winner of this fight. Do they get Michael Bisping? Is Bisping still going after a fight with Georges St. Pierre, and if so and GSP wins, what happens then? Perhaps, in the event Romero wins, Bisping immediately announces his retirement. There have been a lot of crazy things going on in this division.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem will fight for the third time, making history as it will be the first time that the same fight has happened in the big three promotions of UFC, PRIDE, and Strikeforce. Former lightweight chapion Anthony Pettis looks to return to lightweight glory as he takes on Jim Miller. Finally, Travis Browne looks to break out of a slump when he takes on Aleksei Olienik on the featured bout of the prelims.
If you’re new here, our panel picks are listed below and listed alongside the fighters’ 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 as well as a line where we show how the betting favorites did:
John Pollock (32-15; .681) — Fight Network analyst, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, MMA Report co-host
Favorites (31-16; .660)
Consensus Picks (30-16; .652)
Dave Meltzer (30-17; .638) — Wrestling Observer publisher
David Bixenspan (30-17; .638) – Deadspin pro wrestling columnist; Between the Sheets podcast host
Steve Juon (29-18; .617) — MMA Mania writer, Angry Marks publisher
Tom Lawlor (6-4; .600) – Co-host Filthy Four Daily; pro wrestling undercard fighter; UFC enhancement talent currently suspended due to wellness violation
Mike Sawyer (28-19; .596) — Tough Talk MMA publisher
Mike Sempervive (28-19; .596) — Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
Ryan Frederick (26-21; .553) — WrestlingObserver.com UFC writer
Paul Fontaine (24-23; .511) — MMADraws.com publisher, WrestlingObserver.com writer
Front Row Brian (23-24; .489) — MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, podcast host
> UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes (14-4) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (14-2) II
Amanda Nunes won the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship from Miesha Tate at UFC 200 at last year’s International Fight Week event. She earned that title shot on the heels of a win over Valentina Shevchenko, her challenger on that night. Since that night Nunes won the title from Tate, she has defended just once- a first-round mauling of Ronda Rousey that seemingly ended the career of the trailblazer and established Nunes as the dominant female fighter at 135 pounds.
Since that loss to Nunes, Shevchenko has scored an impressive decision win over former champion Holly Holm, and, in January, she dominated and submitted Julianna Pena on FOX. Shevchenko may very well be a future champion at 125 pounds when the UFC adds the flyweight division later this year, but having another championship on her mantle wouldn’t bug her at all.
When Nunes defeated Shevchenko in March 2016, it was interesting in the sense that Nunes started to fade late and Shevchenko won the third round, but Nunes got the decision based on winning the first two rounds. With two more rounds now coming into play in a title fight, it seems to put the advantage in the hands of Shevchenko, who many see enters the fight as the favorite.
> Yoel Romero (13-1) vs. Robert Whittaker (18-4) – Interim UFC Middleweight Championship
When you look at every single fight that could possibly be made, a match-up between Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker might be the single-best piece of matchmaking there can be. It is the best 185-pound fight put together in a long time, and perhaps ever, no offense to any other fight made. Romero is a freak of nature at his age, and he looks just unreal. Whittaker fights unreal, as exciting as one can be, with dangerous power.
Romero has yet to lose inside the Octagon, having won eight straight fights, many by vicious finish, making him arguably the single scariest male fighter in the sport. He has never lost at 185 pounds. However, neither has Whittaker, who has won seven straight fights, and is coming off a dominant finish of Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in April. No offense to champion Michael Bisping, but the winner of this fight is the best middleweight in the world.
> Fabricio Werdum (21-6-1) vs. Alistair Overeem (42-15 1 NC) III Heavyweights
Two men hunting for the next title shot in the heavyweight division will meet in a trilogy bout. Fabricio Werdum would love to get a chance for a rematch against UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic, who knocked out Werdum in May 2016 to win the championship. Overeem would like another crack at Miocic, who also knocked him out when Overeem challenged for the championship in September.
In order to do so, someone has to win the rubber match. Werdum submitted Overeem in PRIDE in 2006, while Overeem won a boring decision in Strikeforce in 2011. Both mens’ careers have drastically changed since they last fought, and this time they do so inside the Octagon will title shot aspirations hanging in the balance. Werdum last fought in September, scoring a win over Travis Browne, while Overeem last fought in March, knocking out Mark Hunt.
> Anthony Pettis (19-6) vs. Jim Miller (28-9 1 NC)
Lightweights
28 months ago, Anthony Pettis was the UFC Lightweight Champion. The king at 155 pounds. He was on a tear, and he won a championship many were expecting him to win the day he set foot in the UFC from the WEC, and many were expecting him to be champion for a long time. He then ran into Rafael Dos Anjos, who demolished him to win the title. Then came more losses. Then came a drop to 145 pounds. A win followed. A title shot at an interim title came. Missing weight for said title fight happened, and then a destruction at the hands of Max Holloway in that fight sent Pettis back to the lightweight division, where he hopes to regain glory. He needs to if he ever wants to get the fans behind him once again, and he knows his back is against the wall.
Jim Miller will be fighting in the Octagon for the 27th time, a company record. He will be in the UFC until the day he decides to hang the gloves up for good. You rarely seen an unentertaining Jim Miller fight. While he may never get that elusive title shot that he once came oh so close to securing, the fans always have had the back of Miller for his penchant for entertainment, and he is a crowd-pleaser to say the least, and one of the most likeable fighters in the sport. He is looking to get back into the win column after suffering a loss to Dustin Poirier in February, which snapped his three-fight win streak.
Miller #20; +200 betting underdog: Juon, Bix, Sempervive, Nason
> Travis Browne (18-6-1) vs. Aleksei Olienik (51-10-1)
Heavyweights
Travis Browne may have already scored the biggest win outside of his fighting career, having recently becoming engaged to Ronda Rousey. When it comes to what he’s done inside the Octagon, he is in desperate need of a victory on Saturday. Browne has lost three straight fights, and is just 2-5 in his last seven fights. He was knocked out cold by Derrick Lewis in February, which followed defeats at the hands of former champions Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez. Many thought he would challenge for UFC gold one day- now he’s fighting for UFC survival.
Aleksei Olienik is a veteran fighter who made his professional debut in 1997. At 40-years-old and entering the 63rd fight of his career, he gets his highest-profile fight in the UFC to date against Browne. Olienik is not the most exciting fighter, but he is effective as evidenced by his three UFC wins in four UFC appearances. He also holds career wins over the likes of Mirko Cro Cop and Jeff Monson, while also holding a defeat at the hands of Chael Sonnen.
Daniel Omielanczuk (19-7-1 1 NC) vs. Curtis Blaydes (6-1 1 NC) (heavyweights)
Omielanczuk #35; +570 betting underdog
Blaydes #54; -705 betting favorite
Chad Laprise (11-2) vs. Brian Camozzi (7-3) (welterweights)
Laprise #153; -605 betting favorite
Camozzi #268; +505 betting underdog
Thiago Santos (14-5) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (26-8) (middleweights)
Santos #25; -150 betting favorite
Meerschaert #46; +140 betting underdog
Jordan Mein (29-11) vs. Belal Muhammad (11-2) (welterweights)
Mein #58; +120 betting underdog
Muhammad #65; -130 betting favorite
Rob Font (13-2) vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade (24-1 1 NC) (bantamweights)
Font #30; -295 betting favorite
Silva de Andrade #72; +265 betting underdog
Cody Stamann (14-1) vs. Terrion Ware (17-5) (featherweights)
Stamann #63BW; -245 betting favorite
Ware #66BW; +225 betting underdog
Trevin Giles (9-0) vs. James Bochnovic (8-1) (light heavyweights)
Giles #109MW; -260 betting favorite
Bochnovic #139; +240 betting underdog
Action begins with the Fight Pass prelims at 6:30 p.m. ET and moves over to FS1 at 8 p.m. ET. The main card airs on PPV at 10 p.m. ET, covered bymyself, Ryan Frederick.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale: Johnson vs. Gaethje, emanating from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The first fight card of International Fight Week in Las Vegas sees an explosive lightweight five-round main event as Michael Johnson takes on Justin Gaethje, who will be making his UFC debut.
While Johnson has been hanging on to his top-five status, he has struggled recently in the Octagon, losing three of his last four fights. Meanwhile, Gaethje enters the UFC undefeated in his career, with 17 wins, and he is one of the most explosive and exciting fighters at 155 pounds, with 14 wins by knockout.
The co-main event is the finals of this season of The Ultimate Fighter, which featured a “Redemption” theme with former TUF competitors. The finals pits Dhiego Lima, marking the second time he has been a TUF finalist, against Jesse Taylor, who had a prolific turn of events on season seven of TUF, with the winner receiving a $250,000 prize.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
BREAKING: A scheduled women’s bantamweight bout between Jessica Eye and Aspen Ladd was pulled from the event about an hour before the event was scheduled to start. Ladd was forced to the hospital due to an illness, and was subsequently pulled from the bout. It is unclear if the bout will be rescheduled for a later date. The event will now begin at 6:30 p.m. eastern time.
Maynard got a quick takedown and pushed Ishihara against the fence. Ishihara briefly got to his feet before Maynard got him down again. Maynard held him down for a bit before Ishihara got up. Ishihara flew a flying knee but Maynard countered into another takedown. Maynard held him down for a bit before they got back to their feet. Ishihara landed a nice body kick. Maynard got another takedown with 30 seconds to go in the round and landed some late punches. 10-9 Maynard.
Maynard got another early takedown and was working to take the back. He moved to the back but it allowed Ishihara to get up but Maynard took him right back down. Maynard was landing punches and holding Ishihara on the mat with relative ease. Ishihara got to his feet and landed a knee but Maynard took him right back down. Maynard score one more takedown at the end of the round. 10-9 Maynard, 20-18 Maynard.
Maynard got yet another takedown right at the start of the round. Ishihara needs to get up and get a finish here. Maynard grabbed an arm and was working for a kimura but let go. Ishihara landed an upkick. Maynard got a guillotine choke locked in but Ishihara was next to the fence which helped him escape. Ishihara landed an illegal upkick and we had a timeout. Back to action and Maynard held Ishihara down for a bit, Ishihara got up but was taken back down. Story of the fight. Dominant showing by Maynard. There may be some 10-8 scores in there. 10-9 Maynard, 30-27 Maynard.
Official Result- Gray Maynard def. Teruto Ishihara by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
> Tecia Torres (#5, 8-1, 4-1 UFC) vs. Juliana Lima (9-3, 3-2 UFC) Women’s Strawweights
Lima caught a kick and got an early takedown. Torres got to her feet and grabbed the neck of Lima and almost got a takedown. They were battling for underhooks against the fence. Torres almost got a takedown but Lima grabbed the fence to stop it and got a warning for it. They are broken up by the referee for no action and Torres landed some strikes before clinching and getting a brief takedown. Torres worked for the takedown but ran out of time. Uneventful round. 10-9 Torres.
Torres landed some punches and then got to the back of Lima in a scramble and had a rear-naked choke locked in. Lima tapped out! Submission win for Torres and it is her first career stoppage win. She is also the first to ever defeat Lima by stoppage. Torres called for a fight with Michelle Waterson in her post-fight interview.
Official Result- Tecia Torres def. Juliana Lima by submission (rear-naked choke) at :53 of Round 2
> Ed Herman (23-12 1 NC, 10-8 1 NC UFC) vs. CB Dollaway (15-8, 9-8 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Herman landed a big right hand to start off that rocked Dollaway. Dollaway recovered and scored a takedown. Dollaway got into the full guard and was landing some punches and elbows. Herman got up for a moment but Dollaway took him right back down. Herman got to his feet. Dollaway got another takedown and was landing punches from the back. Dollaway looked for a kimura but Herman got out. Dollaway landed from the top at the end. 10-9 Dollaway.
Herman dropped Dollaway with a right hand but Dollaway was able to get back up. They both landed big right hands. Herman knocked Dollaway again with a right hand. Herman went to the mat and Dollaway almost had a heel hook locked in but Herman was able to scramble out to the top. Herman was landing punches and elbows from the top. Dollaway scrambled to the top but didn’t have time to do much. 10-9 Herman, 19-19.
Dollaway landed a slow but big right hand and then got a takedown. Kimura attempt from Herman on the bottom but Dollaway escaped and then started going for a kimura himself. Dollaway let go and went into the guard and was landing punches. Dollaway started to land elbows and was in control from the top. They scrambled and Herman was going for a kneebar but it didn’t work and Dollaway landed punches to end the fight. 10-9 Dollaway, 29-28 Dollaway.
Official Result- CB Dollway def. Ed Herman by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
> James Krause (23-7, 4-3 UFC) vs. Tom Gallicchio (19-9, 0-0 UFC) Welterweights
Krause landed a front kick and Gallicchio grabbed it and took Krause to the mat. Krause got up but gave up his back and Gallicchio looked for the choke. They got to their feet and separated. Krause landed a head kick. Krause landed a couple of punches. Krause is landing at will as Gallicchio has shown no head movement. Krause defended a takedown attempt. Krause landed another head kick. Krause landed two more right hands at the end. 10-9 Krause.
Krause landed another right hand. Gallicchio landed a right hand and was starting to use head movement. They were trading and Krause landed the better punches. Both landed left hooks. Krause with some right hands. Gallicchio is throwing but missing. Krause landed a left hand late. Not much to the round. 10-9 Krause, 20-18 Krause.
Gallicchio was throwing but missing. Krause was landing everytime Gallicchio was coming in. Gallicchio landed a leg kick. Krause keeping him at distance with the jab. They were trading. Krause stuffed a takedown attempt from Gallicchio. Gallicchio did land a right hand. Krause landed a head kick that rocked Gallicchio. Gallicchio went for a takedown but it was stuffed and Krause was landing punches. Krause with a big knee at the end. 10-9 Krause, 30-27 Krause.
Official Result- James Krause def. Tom Gallicchio by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Angela Hill (6-3, 1-3 UFC) vs. Ashley Yoder (5-2, 0-1 UFC) Women’s Strawweights
Yoder landed a high kick. Hill lands a right hand and Yoder gets a takedown. Hill got to her feet and they were clinched against the fence. Hill landed a kick. Hill with a right hand but Yoder came back with a body kick. Hill lands a couple of leg kicks. Hill landed a couple of nice combinations. Hill lands some more and then lands a head kick. Hill landed more at the end. 10-9 Hill.
Yoder got a takedown right at the start of the round and was landing some from the top. Yoder remained on top as Hill was having trouble getting from the bottom. Yoder stood up and Hill got up quickly. Yoder jumped right on the back but Hill was able to wiggle into the guard of Yoder. They got back to their feet. Yoder landed a left hand but Hill landed a head kick. Hill with a right hand. Close round. 10-9 Yoder, 19-19.
Hill landed a big right hand and Yoder scored a takedown. Hill was able to scramble to the back of Yoder but spun back. Yoder got another takedown. They got back to their feet. Hill got a takedown and was working in the guard of Yoder. They got to their feet. Hill with some leg kicks and lands some solid punches at the end. 10-9 Hill, 29-28 Hill.
Official Result- Angela Hill def. Ashley Yoder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD | 9 PM ET/6 PM PT
> Jordan Johnson (7-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Marcel Fortuna (9-1, 1-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Johnson with a quick takedown and he lands some big right hands before Fortuna gets back to his feet. Not much was happening until Johnson grabbed the body lock. Johnson picked Fortuna up to slam him but Fortuna grabbed the top of the fence to block the takedown. That really should be a point deduction. Fortuna landed a solid uppercut. They traded at the end. 10-9 Johnson.
They came out trading and Fortuna landed a big right hand that stunned Johnson, but he recovered. Fortuna landed a couple of left hooks that stunned Johnson. Johnson faked a takedown and landed a right hand. Fortuna with a head kick and then an uppercut. Fortuna with a leg kick. Johnson went for a takedown but there was another fence grab by Fortuna. Johnson got it anyways but Fortuna got back up and landed some punches at the end. 10-9 Fortuna, 19-19.
They came out throwing. Fortuna looked to have more power in his punches. They were both throwing sloppy punches and missing on takedowns. Neither man has been busy this round but Johnson has been working more this round and controlling the Octagon. Fortuna with a couple of body kicks late. Johnson landed a right hand to the body. 10-9 Johnson, 29-28 Johnson.
Official Result- Jordan Johnson def. Marcel Fortuna by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Brad Tavares (14-4, 9-4 UFC) vs. Elias Theodorou (13-1, 5-1 UFC) Middleweights
They went to the mat early and Tavares took the back but they scrambled back to their feet. Theodorou with a front kick and then a leg kick. They clinched and Theodorou landed some body punches. Tavares landed a right hand. Tavares with a combo and a head kick. Theodorou with a high kick. Tavares lands a nice right hand at the end. Close round. 10-9 Tavares.
Theodorou quickly clinched up and Tavares reversed and scored a quick takedown. Theodorou landed a knee in the clinch and just barely landed an uppercut. They traded right hands in the clinch and Tavares had more power behind his. They clinched and Theodorou landed some knees but Tavares landed a combo on the break. Tavares landed a knee in close as Theodorou shot for a takedown. Tavares with a head kick. Close round. 10-9 Theodorou, 19-19.
Theodorou got a big takedown in the first thirty seconds of the round. Tavares was able to hit a switch and get to his feet but Theodorou had Tavares pressed against the fence. Theodorou got another brief takedown but they got up and Tavares took the body lock. They were both working to get each other on the mat. Tavares got the back and was looking for the choke. Tavares got top but Theodorou switched and then Tavares switched back to the top before they scrambled to their feet. Tavares with a head kick. Close fight, good fight. 10-9 Tavares, 29-28 Tavares.
Official Result- Brad Tavares def. Elias Theodorou by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Jared Cannonier (9-2, 2-2 UFC) vs. Nick Roehrick (7-0, 0-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Roehrick took this fight on three days’ notice. He came out throwing hands as Cannonier was coming forward. Cannonier landed a right hand. Roehrick landed a right hand. Cannonier landed some big punches that Roehrick ate. Cannonier with a huge head kick. Cannonier landed a combo against the fence but Roehrick landed a right hand of his own in return. Cannonier landed a right hand and an uppercut. Roehrick looked for a takedown but couldn’t get it. 10-9 Cannonier.
They were still trading with both men landing some solid punches. Cannonier landed a big right hand and then took Roehrick down and was landing some big punches. Cannonier was close to finishing it but Roehrick got up and scrambled away after eating more big punches. Roehrick landed some nice right hands but was bleeding pretty good. Cannonier with a body kick late. 10-9 Cannonier, 20-18 Cannonier.
Cannonier looks to have slowed at the start of the third. Roehrick was landing the jab and landing more of his punches early on. Cannonier landed a left hook. Cannonier landed a body kick and then a left hand and a knee and Cannonier took the fight to the mat and was landing massive elbows and the fight was stopped by John McCarthy. A big beatdown by Jared Cannonier. Roehrick looked tough but that was a beating he took.
Official Result- Jared Cannonier def. Nick Roehrick by TKO (elbows) at 2:08 of Round 3
> Marc Diakiese (12-0, 3-0 UFC) vs. Drakkar Klose (7-0-1, 1-0 UFC) Lightweights
Klose starts off with some leg kicks. Klose ducked under a punch and got a takedown against the fence. Klose with some foot stomps against the fence. Diakiese got a takedown. They got up and Diakiese with another takedown but they got back to their feet. Diakiese with a slam but they scrambled back to their feet. Diakiese was landing some punches and then Klose dropped Diakiese with a leg kick and Klose started pounding away from the top. Diakiese went for a heel hook but ended up scrambling to the guard. Fun round. 10-9 Klose.
Diakiese was looking to land a big punch and landed some but they clinched for a bit before breaking. Klose with a leg kick and then another. Diakiese went for a spin kick but Klose was able to turn it into a takedown but they got back up. They clinched and Diakiese landed a low knee and we have a timeout. They clinched and Klose landed a body kick on the break. Diakiese with a knee. Diakiese slipped on a spin kick and Klose took advantage and stayed busy. Klose dropped Diakiese with another leg kick and Klose ended the round on top. 10-9 Klose, 20-18 Klose.
Diakiese with a jumping switch kick that landed right in the jaw. Diakiese with a body kick. Klose fires back a combo. Klose gets a takedown but Diakiese is able to reverse and they get up. Klose with some back elbows as Diakiese has his back. Diakiese working for a takedown and lands a high kick on the break. Diakiese with a spinning kick to the body. Klose with a leg kick and he goes for a takedown but Diakiese grabs the neck and goes for a guillotine. Klose landed a right hand late. 10-9 Diakiese, 29-28 Klose.
Official Result- Drakkar Klose def. Marc Diakiese by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Dhiego Lima (12-5, 1-3 UFC) vs. Jesse Taylor (30-15, 0-1 UFC) The Ultimate Fighter 25 Welterweight Finals
Taylor got a takedown right away and took the back as Lima was scrambling to his feet. Taylor got another takedown even though Lima tried to grab the fence. Taylor is in the full guard. Taylor with more punches from the top and then moves to the back and was looking for the choke but Lima had some good defense and escaped. Taylor looking for the back again and has it and is under the chin but Lima rotated out of it. Taylor with elbows and still working for the choke. Taylor with more punches from the top and he nearly finished it at the end. Complete domination by Taylor. 10-8 Taylor.
Lima dropped Taylor with a counter left hook at the start but Taylor was quick to reverse to the back. Taylor had the hooks locked in and had the rear-naked choke locked in and Lima tapped. What a comeback and redemption for Jesse Taylor after all of these years.
Official Result- Jesse Taylor def. Dhiego Lima by submission (rear-naked choke) at :43 of Round 2
> Michael Johnson (#5, 17-11, 9-7 UFC) vs. Justin Gaethje (17-0, 0-0 UFC) Lightweights
Johnson rocked Gaethje quick with a left hand. Gaethje looked recovered. Gaethje then landed a big right hand followed by a knee. They are brawling early. Gaethje landing some leg kicks. He has Johnson’s back against the fence as Johnson circles around. Johnson lands a left hand. Gaethje with more leg kicks. Gaethje landing more punches now but Johnson is landing as well. Gaethje lands a big right hand. They are throwing punch after punch and knee after knee. Johnson rocked Gaethje big time with a right hand and got a takedown. Johnson is firing away and close to a finish but Gaethje makes it to the end of the round. Fantastic round. 10-9 Johnson.
They are firing back-and-forth once again. Gaethje landing the leg kicks and Johnson isn’t doing anything to check them. Johnson rocks Gaethje with a right hand and he’s in a lot of trouble again. Gaethje with some elbows and a knee and he might be recovered. Johnson with a combo to the body. Both men looking tired already. Gaethje with a right hand. Both men landing punches. Gaethje rocks Johnson with an uppercut and now he is looking for a finish as Johnson is stumbling around. Big elbows from Gaethje and Johnson crashes to the mat and John McCarthy tells Johnson to get up. Gaethje with a leg kick and he’s having trouble staying on his feet. Gaethje with a flying knee and he finishes Johnson! What an incredible fight! Gaethje from the brink of defeat to finish Johnson.
Official Result- Justin Gaethje def. Michael Johnson by TKO (strikes) at 4:48 of Round 2
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 112: Chiesa vs. Lee, emanating from the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The event is headlined by a five-round bout in the lightweight division as rising contenders Michael Chiesa and Kevin Lee battle to get themselves into title contention talk.
Chiesa is looking to extend his three-fight win streak as he steps into the Octagon for the first time in 14 months, while Lee puts his four-fight win streak on the line. This matchup had some added fireworks last month when Chiesa and Lee got into a scuffle at the UFC Summer Kickoff press conference prior to UFC 211 in Dallas.
The co-main event sees former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks looking to make it two-for-two since moving up a weight class, although he missed weight coming in at 188 pounds, as he takes on Tim Boetsch. Also on the card is former two-division UFC champion and UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn looking to avoid more retirement talk as he takes on Dennis Siver, who returns from a two-year layoff.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 5:30 PM ET/2:30 PM PT
> Josh Stansbury (8-3, 1-1 UFC) vs. Jeremy Kimball (14-6, 0-1 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Stansbury was on the attack early with a nice combo. Stansbury went for a takedown but it wasdefended. Kimball then dropped Stansbury with a big right hand followed by a big hammerfist and quickly finished him off. Huge win for Kimball.
Official Result- Jeremy Kimball def. Josh Stansbury by TKO (punches) at 1:21 of Round 1
> Tony Martin (11-3, 3-3 UFC) vs. Johnny Case (22-5, 4-1 UFC) Lightweights
They were feeling each other out early on. Case landed a couple of kicks. They traded leg kicks. They traded punches but neither were landing clean.They went back to trading kicks and started talking trash to each other. Martin stunned Case with a right hand. Case landed a body kick and then they traded jabs. Martin went for a takedown but it was defended against the fence. Close round. 10-9 Martin.
Martin hurt Case early with a punch. Case went for a takedown but Martin defended and landed a knee. They traded jabs. Case with a leg kick and he was avoiding the punches thrown by Martin. They traded in close and Martin just missed a big right hand. Case started talking trash and Martin nailed him with a right hand. Case is bleeding pretty good. Martin landed a right hand. Martin landed a solid left hand. Martin with a huge head kick to end the round. 10-9 Martin, 20-18 Martin.
They were trading early in the third as this fight could be up for grabs here. Both landed right hands and Martin’s looked to have more power behind it. They were trading and Martin hurt Case with a huge knee. Martin then landed a solid right hand. Case missed his punches and is still bleeding pretty good. Martin landed a right hand and scored a big takedown and landed some. Case reversed but Martin reversed back as the horn sounded. 10-9 Martin, 30-27 Martin.
Official Result- Tony Martin def. Johnny Case by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Jared Gordon (12-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Michel Quinones (8-1, 0-0 UFC) Featherweights* (Gordon missed weight, coming in at 149 pounds)
Gordon was landing some hard shots and scored a takedown. Gordon landed some but Quinones was able to get to his feet. Quinones landed a head kick. Gordon was chasing Quinones around the Octagon and it allowed Quinones to land a leg kick and then a side kick. Gordon in control of the Octagon and lands a leg kick late. 10-9 Gordon.
Quinones just missed a spin kick to the head and Gordon almost took him down. They were brawling against the fence and scrambling and Gordon ended up in the guard. Gordon was working from the top and landing. Quinones got to his feet and Gordon dropped him and was landing a lot of punches. Gordon almost finished it but Quinones got to his feet. Gordon scored a takedown. Gordon is landing a lot of punches on the ground and this is close to being stopped. Hammerfists from Gordon and Quinones is just squirming around on the mat. The fight is finally stopped and Gordon gets a huge win.
Official Result- Jared Gordon def. Michel Quinones by TKO (punches) at 4:24 of Round 2
Powell was going for high kicks early. They traded leg kicks. Powell went for a body kick but Horcher caught the leg, then let go. Powell landed a nice leg kick but then got cracked with two left hands by Horcher. They clinched and Powell got a takedown but Horcher reversed to the top. Both men were working for position on the mat with Horcher landing some elbows. Powell was landing some punches and elbows from the bottom as Horcher was trying to improve his position. 10-9 Horcher.
They were trading punches and Horcher cracked Powell with a left hand. Powell dropped down for a takedown. Horcher got a takedown and into the guard of Powell. Powell was landing from the bottom. Horcher started landing from the top. Horcher had Powell firmly planted on the mat and was landing at will. 10-9 Horcher, 20-18 Horcher.
Powell looked tired in this round. They were both landing but at a slower rate. Horcher got a tie up against the fence looking for a takedown. Powell got the beck and dropped down for a guillotine and then rolled to the top position. He didn’t have a submission on but needs to do a lot to win this fight. Powell almost had mount but Horcher able to get to his feet. Powell locked on a standing guillotine and took it to the mat as Horcher escaped. Powell with some late knees to the body. 10-9 Powell, 29-28 Horcher.
Official Result- Darrell Horcher def. Devin Powell by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Esparza landed a right hand early on. They traded punches and Esparza landed a clean right hand. Esparza went for a takedown but it was defended though she landed a right hand after the broke. Esparza then scored the takedown but Moroz had the neck. Esparza landing punches from the position as Moroz doesn’t have the choke locked in. She escapes. Esparza landing from the top to the head and body. Esparza finishes the round strong. 10-9 Esparza.
Moroz landed a nice combo to start the round. Esparza ducked under and came over the top with a right hand that backed Moroz up. Moroz came back with a right hand. Esparza shot for a long takedown but Moroz stuffed it. Esparza grabbed a leg and got a brief takedown before Moroz got back up against the fence. They traded punches. Esparza got a big takedown into the guard of Moroz. Moroz was able to get to her feet and defended a late takedown attempt. 10-9 Esparza, 20-18 Esparza.
They were trading early on. Esparza landed a Superman punch. Esparza went for a takedown but it was defended. Esparza landed a knee and the scored a takedown after a brief timeout. Esparza not doing much from the top but Moroz not really working from the bottom. They are stood up by Mario Yamasaki. Esparza scored another takedown. She was landing from the top. Moroz with some upkicks but Esparza was landing kicks to the grounded legs of Moroz. Moroz got to her feet and Esparza closed it out with a late takedown. 10-9 Esparza, 30-27 Esparza.
Official Result- Carla Esparza def. Maryna Moroz by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
> Vitor Miranda (12-5, 3-2 UFC) vs. Marvin Vettori (11-3, 1-1 UFC) Middleweights
They were trading early on. Vettori landed a knee and then a combo against the fence. Vettori with a leg kick. Miranda with a leg kick but Vettori backs him to the fence with some punches. Miranda landed a head kick but Vettori reversed it into a takedown. Miranda able to get back to his feet. Vettori with a late combo. 10-9 Vettori.
They were trading to start the second. Miranda with a heavy leg kick. Vettori landing the better combinations on the feet. Vettori landed a big leg kick. Miranda comes back with some heavy leg kicks. Vettori started landing punches on Miranda and then they clinched. Vettori scored a takedown and was working in the guard. They got back to their feet. Vettori with a late takedown. 10-9 Vettori, 20-18 Vettori.
They were trading and neither man was doing much. Miranda missed on a bad takedown attempt and then just missed a head kick. Both men look very tired. Miranda landed a sloppy takedown that Vettori quickly escaped from. They clinched and Vettori pushed Miranda against the fence and scored a takedown. Both men landing on the mat but Vettori is going to ride it out to end the fight. Boring fight. 10-9 Miranda, 29-28 Vettori.
Official Result- Marvin Vettori def. Vitor Miranda by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
> Clay Guida (32-17, 12-11 UFC) vs. Erik Koch (15-4, 4-3 UFC) Lightweights
Both men tentative to start and Guida rushes in with some punches. Guida with a head kick. Guida went in for a takedown and pushed Koch against the fence. Guida got the takedown after eating a shot from Koch. Koch got right back up. Loud chants for Guida. Guida landed some good punches at the end of the round. 10-9 Guida.
Guida landed some good punches and scored a big takedown into the guard of Koch. Guida was working to take the back of Koch against the fence. Guida into side control and then moves to the mount and is landing punches. Guida working enough to keep the fight grounded. Guida with more punches from the top. Guida has kept Koch on the mat in defense as he lands punch after punch. This could be stopped. Guida with a merciless attack as he gets a big round there. 10-8 Guida, 20-17 Guida.
Koch with a head kick. They trade punches and Guida gets a brief takedown. More loud chants for Guida. Guida has the leg and is working hard for the takedown and he finally gets it. Guida moves to full mount and is landing knees to the body from the position. Guida landing a big barrage of punches from the top much like he did in the second round. Guida with more punches from the top as he finishes out the fight strong. Strong showing from Guida. 10-9 Guida, 30-26 Guida.
Official Result- Clay Guida def. Erik Koch by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-26, 30-27)
FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD | 9 PM ET/6 PM PT
> BJ Penn (16-11-2, 12-10-2 UFC) vs. Dennis Siver (22-11 1 NC, 11-8 1 NC UFC) Featherweights
Penn came out firing and Siver tried a takedown but it was defended. Penn clinched up but nothing happened and Siver landed on the break. Penn with a left hand. Siver with a spin kick. Siver landed a right hand and was landing punches and had Penn in a little trouble. They both land punches. Both land at the end. 10-9 Siver.
Penn lands some punches but Siver is attacking the leg with kicks. They are trading but Penn just isn’t firing away like he could in the past. Penn landed a very good combo that stunned Siver. Penn dropped Siver with a right hand and swarmed on looking for the finish. Siver grabbed the arm looking for an armbar but Penn wisely went into side control. Loud chants for Penn. Penn landing some from the top but looking more to improve position. Penn let up too much and Siver survived. 10-9 Penn, 19-19.
Siver landing some leg kicks and landing the jab. Siver misses a spinning head kick. Siver with a heavy leg kick. Siver with a spin kick to the body. Siver is landing and Penn is doing nothing. Penn is gassed out. Siver is landing punches and kicks at will. Siver with a heavy leg kick and then another. Siver landing at will and he has Penn nearly finished. Penn running away from trouble. Siver with more kicks at the end. 10-9 Siver, 29-28 Siver.
Official Result- Dennis Siver def. BJ Penn by majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-27)
> Tim Means (26-8-1 1 NC, 8-5 1 NC UFC) vs. Alex Garcia (14-3, 4-2 UFC) Welterweights
Means comes attacking the body with left hands. Garcia cracked Means with some hard punches and scored a takedown. Means back up and landed a heavy leg kick. Means with another leg kick and Garcia just misses a hard right hand. Garcia cracked Means with a combo. Means with a left hand to the body. They trade punches late. 10-9 Garcia.
They trade punches to start the second. Garcia went for a takedown but Means defended it and they broke apart. Means landed a hard left hand that hurt Garcia. He landed another that had Garcia backtracking. Means with a left hand to the body. The crowd is booing this fight. Means with another left hand and Garcia lands a spin kick at the end. 10-9 Means, 19-19.
They were trading. Garcia got a brief takedown but Means got right back up. They were trading in close range and the crowd was not enjoying it as neither was really landing. Both men missing on their punches. Garcia with a body kick. Garcia with a combo and then a leg kick. Garcia with a combo. The crowd has been booing the whole fight. Boring fight. 10-9 Means, 29-28 Means.
Official Result- Tim Means def. Alex Garcia by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Joachim Christensen (14-5, 1-2 UFC) vs. Dominick Reyes (6-0, 0-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Reyes quickly hurt Christensen with a left hand. He then dropped Christensen with a big punch and then finished him off quickly. Less than 30 seconds for Reyes to win in his UFC debut.
Official Result- Dominick Reyes def. Joachim Christensen by TKO (punches) at :28 of Round 1
They come out clinched quickly and scramble to the mat and Herrig has the back looking for the choke. They get to their feet. Herrig gets a takedown and has Kish pinned against the fence. Herrig gets to the back again and is landing punches. Herrig gets to the full mount and is landing punches and elbows. Big punches and Herrig looking for the finish. She moves to the back looking for the choke. Kish was able to reverse to the top. They get to their feet and Herrig lands a right hand and then gets a takedown but Kish scrambles to the top. Kish has the neck late. 10-9 Herrig.
They trade and Kish lands a good knee in the clinch. They trade and Herrig lands a good right hand. Kish is bleeding. Both women are landing good punches and Kish lands a kick against the fence. Kish with a spinning back fist and a front elbow. Herrig gets a takedown and Kish gives up her back. Herrig looking for the choke but Kish reverses into the guard. Herrig goes for an armbar but Kish slips out and ends in dominant position. 10-9 Herrig, 20-18 Herrig.
Herrig gets another takedown and is on top. Herrig gets to the mount and takes the back of Kish. Kish gets to her feet but Herrig still has the back and has a standing rear-naked choke locked in. Kish moves to the ground and it is locked in tighter. Kish is surviving. Herrig gets to the moint and then into side control. I don’t know how Kish survived but she has to be done. Herrig with punches from the top. Herrig gets the back again. Herrig with punches in bunches from the back and more to end the fight. Great performance by Herrig. 10-8 Herrig, 30-26 Herrig.
Official Result- Felice Herrig def. Justine Kish by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27)
> Tim Boetsch (20-11, 11-10 UFC) vs. Johny Hendricks (18-6, 13-6 UFC) Middleweights* (Hendricks missed weight, coming in at 188 pounds)
They were trading early. Both landed leg kicks. They traded again and Hendricks landed a left hand. Both men landed and Boetsch landed with some leg kicks. Hendricks just missed a big left hand. Hendricks lands two left hands that back Boetsch against the fence. Boetsch landed a right hand followed by a leg kick. Hendricks with two leg kicks. Boetsch with a heavy leg kick. Close round. 10-9 Boetsch.
Boetsch hurt Hendricks with a head kick followed by some punches. Beotsch dropped Hendricks with some punches and after a few more the fight was stopped. Big TKO win by Tim Boetsch!
Official Result- Tim Boetsch def. Johny Hendricks by TKO (strikes) at :46 of Round 2
> Michael Chiesa (#6, 14-2, 7-2 UFC) vs. Kevin Lee (#11, 15-2, 8-2 UFC) Lightweights
They trade kicks. Chiesa lands a left hand. Chiesa hurts Lee with a left and gets him down. Lee scrambles and looks for a takedown against the fence. Lee picks Chiesa up and slams him down but Chiesa has the neck. Chiesa lands some punches from the bottom. Chiesa looking for the armbar but Lee gets out and takes the back. Lee working for the choke. Lee landing punches from the back. Lee going for the choke again but goes back to landing punches. Hammerfists by Lee from the back. Lee still has the back looking for the choke and he has it in. Mario Yamasaki has stopped the fight! WHAT? Chiesa didn’t tap out and the fight was just stopped. This is a disaster. Crowd booing like crazy as it looks like Lee is going to get the win.
Official Result- Kevin Lee def. Michael Chiesa by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:27 of Round 1
Tim Hague’s sister confirmed today that the former UFC fighter has passed away at the age of 34. Hague had been in critical condition after a knockout loss to former CFL star Adam Braidwood in a boxing match on Friday night in Edmonton.
Braidwood had knocked Hague down six times in the fight, which ended in the second round. Hague fought in UFC from 2009 to 2011 and saw boxing as a way to start a new career.
Hague had also been active in MMA in the last several years, having fought 11 times since the start of 2014 and going 6-5 during that span. All of those fights ended via KO.
Hague had a 1-4 UFC record during the 2009-2011 period, with his career highlight being a first round submission over Pat Barry at UFC 98. He also went 3-0 for World Series of Fighting, with all of his wins coming via KO.
Our condolences to the Hague family on this tragic loss.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 111: Holm vs. Correia, emanating from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.
The event is headlined by a five-round bout in the women’s bantamweight division as former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm takes on former title challenger Bethe Correia.
Holm is looking to end a three-fight losing skid she has found herself on since winning the championship from Ronda Rousey in November 2015, and to start working her way back into the title picture. Correia is looking to extend her two-fight unbeaten streak in her second main event bout in the UFC.
Also on the main card is a heavyweight bout pitting former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski against Marcin Tybura. Two welterweights riding three-fight win streaks, Dong Hyun Kim and Colby Covington, square off in a pivotal match-up, and former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos makes his move up to 170 pounds as he takes on Tarec Saffiedine.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 4:45 a.m. ET with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 4:45 AM ET/1:45 AM PT
> Ji Yeon Kim (6-0-2, 0-0 UFC) vs. Lucie Pudilova (6-2, 0-1 UFC) Women’s Bantamweights
They were trading early. Both were landing with Pudilova getting more volume in, but they were both landing shots. Pudilova was really landing with her left hand. Kim was firing back but with each flurry, she’d eat a lot of punches from Pudilova. They were working at a quick pace and Kim landed a big right hand late. Pudilova landed some good punches at the end of the round. 10-9 Pudilova.
They were working at a quick pace to open the second round. Kim was starting to land with more volume, including a huge uppercut, which led to Pudilova initiating a clinch against the fence. Both were looking for position in the clinch but were broken up. They went back to a clinch and not much happened. 10-9 Kim, 19-19.
Pudilova went right to the clinch. They were split up by the referee but went right back to it after getting reset. Pudilova grabbed the neck and was working for a guillotine choke and Kim was having to defend against the fence. Pudilova drug it to the mat working for the choke but Kim was able to pop her head out and was in the guard. Kim landed a right hand before they scrambled to their feet. Pudilova pushed Kim against the fence and had the neck late but time ran out. 10-9 Pudilova, 29-28 Pudilova.
Official Result- Lucie Pudilova def. Ji Yeon Kim by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Naoki Inoue (10-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Carls John de Tomas (8-0, 0-0 UFC) Flyweights* (de Tomas missed weight, coming in at 131 pounds)
de Tomas came out fast with some kicks and left hands and scored a big slam takedown. Inoue was looking for submissions on the bottom by de Tomas was defending. Inoue grabbed the arm and took the back of de Tomas on the mat. Inoue was able to get on top and was working for a submission. Inoue tried to step over to mount but was only able to get to the guard. 10-9 Inoue.
They were trading kicks. Inoue landed a big punch and a nice leg kick. Inoue was landing his punches better as de Tomas was slowing down. de Tomas went for a takedown but Inoue sprawled and took the back and was looking for a choke. de Tomas defending but Inoue landing punches from the back. They were scrambling on the mat but Inoue had the edge looking for an armbar. He had it late but de Tomas was able to survive. 10-8 Inoue, 20-17 Inoue.
Inoue was working for a takedown but was eating elbows from de Tomas. Inoue was able to get the takedown and was working for an armbar. Unable to get it, Inoue took the back and was landing punches from the back. Inoue looked for a choke. Inoue was scrambling around looking for something and they got to their feet briefly. de Tomas had the back and was looking for a choke now. Inoue was able to slip out and into the guard. Inoue landed elbows late. Really fun fight. 10-9 Inoue, 30-26 Inoue.
Official Result- Naoki Inoue def. Carls John de Tomas by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
> Kwan Ho Kwak (9-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Russell Doane (14-7, 2-4 UFC) Bantamweights
Kwak started off with a big leg kick. They weren’t doing a whole lot on the feet aside from an occasional leg kick from Kwak. They started opening up and traded punches. Doane with a spin kick. Doane with a body kick and a head kick. They were trading and Doane landed a big right hand that dropped Kwak. A couple more punches and the referee stepped in to stop it, Big TKO win by Russell Doane in the first round.
Official Result- Russell Doane def. Kwan Ho Kwak by TKO (punches) at 4:09 of Round 1
> Li Jingliang (12-4, 4-2 UFC) vs. Frank Camacho (20-4, 0-0 UFC) Welterweights
Camacho rocked Jingliang with a big right hand inside the first minute. Jingliang stumbled and was eating some more punches from Camacho. Jingliang able to survive for now but he is rocked. Camacho landed some more punches. Jingliang went for a takedown but Camacho reversed and scored a takedown and ended up on top. They got back to their feet. Jingliang landed some leg kicks but Camacho was able to counter with a big right hand. Jingliang with a big takedown slam. Jingliang had the back in the last minute and got another slam and looked for a choke but time ran out. 10-9 Camacho.
Jingliang working for a takedown early but Camacho showed good balance in being able to defend it. Camacho has slowed down from his early fight pace. Jingliang landing some punches and kicks. Jingliang landed some kicks but Camacho started to land punches. Jingliang landed a big overhand right. Jingliang was started to land more and more at the end of the round. Camacho clearly gassed at the end of the second. 10-9 Jingliang, 19-19.
Camacho was comng out with punches looking to get a good start. Jingliang slowed him down with a leg kick. Camacho’s lead leg is hurting him. Jingliang was landing punches and kicks. Camacho landed a punch in return. Jingliang with a big right hand that rocks Camacho. Jingliang landing lots of punches but Camacho is surviving and coming forward. Jingliang with a big right hand followed by a big leg kick that has Camacho against the fence. Camacho walking like a zombie and eating lots of punches but survives the fight. Fun fight. 10-9 Jingliang, 29-28 Jingliang.
Official Result- Li Jingliang def. Frank Camacho by unanimous decision (29-27, 28-27, 29-27)
Scoggins got a big suplex slam less than ten seconds into the fight. They got back up and Sasaki got a brief takedown. They got back up and were scrambling all over the mat. Scoggins got on top and landed but they got back to their feet and traded punches. Scoggins landed some punches and dropped Sasaki with a left hand. Scoggins got on top and was landing lots of punches from the top as the round ended. 10-9 Scoggins.
Scoggins dropped Sasaki with a kick to the body and he went right to the top landing elbows and punches. Scoggins with some big elbows from the top. Sasaki trying to sweep out from the bottom but Scoggins scrambled away and was able to grab the back. Sasaki reversed and got into the mount and then took the back looking for a choke. He had it locked in and Scoggins tapped! What a comeback from Sasaki as he scores the upset. Scoggins was the second biggest favorite on this card.
Official Result- Ulka Sasaki def. Justin Scoggins by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:19 of Round 2
> Alex Caceres (12-10 1 NC, 7-8 1 NC UFC) vs. Rolando Dy (8-4-1 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) Featherweights
Caceres was landing some punches and leg kicks. Dy not doing a whole lot as Caceres is mixing his strikes well. Caceres with a head kick and then some solid punches. Dy is in trouble. Caceres knocks Dy down and Caceres lands some punches and locks in a guillotine but transitions to the back. Caceres looked for a rear-naked choke and he almost has it locked in. He lets go and lands punches and goes back for the choke. Dy is able to somehow escape. Caceres grabs the back as they get to their feet and separate. Caceres with a body kick. Dy grabs the body and looks for a takedown but the round ends. 10-8 Caceres.
Caceres lands a leg kick and punches and the referee steps in for a timeout as Dy is having trouble seeing. Dy continues on. Caceres swarming on with lots of punches and a spin kick. Dy able to get a takedown and took the back of Caceres. Caceres got on his feet but Dy still has the back. They separate. Dy still having trouble seeing. Caceres has slowed down but still landing more. Dy landed a right hand. Caceres with a left hand and a late head kick. 10-9 Caceres, 20-17 Caceres.
The fight was stopped in between rounds as Dy was having a lot of trouble seeing and the doctor decided to stop the fight, Dy didn’t have the best reaction to the stoppage.
Official Result- Alex Caceres def. Rolando Dy by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2
> Cyril Asker (8-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. Walt Harris (9-5, 2-4 UFC) Heavyweights
Harris with a body kick. Asker lands a right hand. Asker landed another right hand. Harris dropped Asker with two punches and Harris went right into the guard looking for a finish. Harris with big elbows and punches and this fight is stopped! Big finish by Walt Harris in the opening round.
Official Result- Walt Harris def. Cyril Asker by TKO (strikes) at 1:44 of Round 1
> Takanori Gomi (35-12 1 NC, 4-7 UFC) vs. Jon Tuck (9-4, 3-4 UFC) Lightweights
Tuck came out quickly with a big body kick that hurt Gomi and then another that dropped him to a knee. Tuck was landing punches and then took the back of Gomi and had the choke locked in. It was tight and Gomi tapped! Quick win for Tuck as he dispatches the former PRIDE champion.
Official Result- Jon Tuck def. Takanori Gomi by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:12 of Round 1
UFC FIGHT PASS MAIN CARD | 8 AM ET/5 AM PT
> Tarec Saffiedine (#11, 16-6, 2-3 UFC) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (#5 LW, 25-9, 14-7 UFC) Welterweights
Saffiedine with a head kick and Dos Anjos fires back a hard body kick. Saffiedine with a kick and Dos Anjos slips on a kick and they go to the mat with Saffiedine in half-guard. Dos Anjos working for a kimura from the bottom but couldn’t get it. Dos Anjos able to scramble to his feet. Saffiedine grabs the neck and pushes Dos Anjos against the fence. They trade knees. Dos Anjos scores a takedown and is in side control. Dos Anjos landed from the top but they scrambled to the feet. A late exchange to end the round with Dos Anjos landing more volume. 10-9 Dos Anjos.
Dos Anjos in control of the striking in the second round. He is finding his punches landing and Saffiedine is missing on his punches. Dos Anjos went for a takedown but it was defended. Dos Anjos has the neck and dragged Saffiedine to the mat and landed some knees. Dos Anjos landed an illegal knee that was missed by the referee. They got to their feet and Dos Anjos had Saffiedine pressed against the fence. Saffiedine landed an elbow as they broke the clinch. Dos Anjos with a knee to the body. Dos Anjos with a left hand but Saffiedine fires back with a leg kick. Dos Anjos with a combo late. 10-9 Dos Anjos, 20-18 Dos Anjos.
Dos Anjos with a big body kick to start the third. The pace has slowed in the third as both men starting to fatigue. Dos Anjos is landing to the body but Saffiedine continues to press forward. They clinch and Saffiedine lands an elbow on the break. Dos Anjos with somre more leg kicks. Saffiedine has abandoned any leg kick attempts. They start trading and Saffiedine is circling away as Dos Anjos lands some body kicks. They clinch and trade knees. Saffiedine attempts a late takedown but Dos Anjos defends it and lands a left hand. Solid showing from Dos Anjos in his welterweight debut. 10-9 Dos Anjos, 30-27 Dos Anjos.
Official Result- Rafael Dos Anjos def. Tarec Saffiedine by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
> Dong Hyun Kim (#7, 22-3-1 1 NC, 13-3 1 NC UFC) vs. Colby Covington (11-1, 6-1 UFC) Welterweights
Covington slipped early but then got a takedown on Kim. He didn’t do anything with it, though, and Kim got to his feet. Covington with a couple of knees to the body on Kim. Covington has the back working for a takedown. He lands a head kick in that position. Covington gets Kim down. Kim lands some elbows and gets to his feet. Covington lands some hard elbows and knees. They trade knees in a tie-up. Kim with a spinning elbow and then lands some punches. Kim lands some strikes and Covington scores a takedown. They get to their feet. 10-9 Covington.
They traded early. Covington shot for a takedown from a long ways and Kim sprawled and started landing punches to the body and head. Covington scrambled out and finished the takedown. Crowd beginning to boo as Kim gets to his feet. Covington still has the body locked and Kim is having to defend. Kim able to break away. Covington lands a big left hand and then a flying knee and some kicks. Covington got a takedown. Kim sort of got a judo throw but Covington had good balance and landed in a good position. Covington has the body again and landing some knees. 10-9 Covington, 20-18 Covington.
Kim looks tired coming out for the third. Covington landing some left hands. Kim landing some punches as well. Covington lands a solid right hand that hurt Kim and then another. Covington scored a takedown. They get to their feet and scramble around. Covington gets another takedown. Crowd really booing and this hasn’t been very exciting. Kim scored a takedown but is defending Covington trying to get out from the bottom, which he does. Covington with a late takedown. Good performance by Covington but a boring fight. 10-9 Covington, 30-27 Covington.
Official Result- Colby Covington def. Dong Hyun Kim by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-27)
> Andrei Arlovski (#8, 25-14 1 NC, 14-8 UFC) vs. Marcin Tybura (#13, 15-2, 2-1 UFC) Heavyweights
Arlovski starts off with a spinning back kick that pushes Tybura back. Tybura catches a kick from Arlovski and takes him down and is in the guard. Tybura landing from the top and Arlovski trying to spin out. Tybura lands and then gets into the mount and is landing hammerfists. Arlovski surviving but is still mounted and then gives up his back. More big punches from Tybura who is looking to finish. Arlovski gives up his back and Tybura landing from the back. Arlovski able to get to his feet and he lands big punches at the end of the round and had Tybura in trouble. Late flurry saved Arlovski from being down big after the round. 10-9 Tybura.
Tybura looks gassed, Arlovski looks better right now. Arlovski with a right hand. Arlovski initiates a clinch and is looking for a takedown. Arlovski breaks and lands a flurry. Arlovski gets a brief takedown. They are tied back up. Tybura doing absolutely nothing right now. Arlovski with a big elbow. Not much going on at all and they are broken up by the referee. They trade and Arlovski gets a clinch and pushes Tybura against the fence. Arlovski with a knee. 10-9 Arlovski, 19-19.
Arlovski lands a couple of right hands but misses a spinning back fist. Tybura gets a clinch but Arlovski is landing elbows as Tybura looks for a takedown. Tybura gets a brief takedown. He’s not doing anything with it. They get up and Tybura with a big takedown now and he’s in the guard. Neither man doing anything on the ground. Tybura gets the back and is looking for a choke. Tybura moves into the mount and has Arlovski in trouble. Arlovski gives up his back again. Tybura lands to end the fight. 10-9 Tybura, 29-28 Tybura.
Official Result- Marcin Tybura def. Andrei Arlovski by unanimous decision (29-28, 28-27, 29-27)
Nothing has happened in the first minute. Holm with a side kick. Holm with another side kick. Another side kick from Holm. Neither throwing many punches or even coming close to landing them. Holm with a leg kick. Correia landed a left hand after Holm landed a left. Correia backs Holm up with a right hand that just misses. Holm with a side kick. Hard to score as neither did much. They landed a combined total of nine strikes. NINE. 10-9 Holm.
Neither landing anything in the second round. Correia lands a right hand. Holm just misses a high kick. Holm with a side kick. Correia with a right hand. Referee Marc Goddard gave them a warning for timidity as nothing has happened at all and we are almost ten minutes into the fight. Correia with a spinning back fist. They started trading and Correia got a body lock against the fence. 10-9 Correia, 19-19.
Correia with a leg kick. Holm with a body kick. Holm with an oblique kick. Correia taunting Holm. Holm then lands a big head kick that drops Correia and one more punch to the chin finishes Correia off. Big knockout win by Holm.
Official Result- Holly Holm def. Bethe Correia by knockout (head kick & punch) at 1:09 of Round 3
UFC Hall of Famer and former welterweight champion Matt Hughes, one of the first UFC stars made by television in 2005, is at a Springfield, IL, hospital following an accident Friday morning.
According to police, the accident took place in Raymond, IL, where Hughes, driving a pickup truck, crossed railroad tracks and moved directly in front of an oncoming train. Hughes was transported to HSHS St. John’s Hospital by airlift.
Hughes, 43, a two-time UFC welterweight champion who worked as an office liaison to the fighters until recently, was, according to White, believed to have suffered head trauma in the accident. White said that the accident took place when Hughes was helping out a friend.
The issue is serious enough that White canceled a trip to Paris for a public appearance.
Hughes, a two-time All-American wrestler at Eastern Illinois University, fought from 1998 to 2011, ending his career with a 45-9 record. He was best known for his fights with Georges St-Pierre, B.J. Penn, and Royce Gracie, as well as for the finish of his second fight with Frank Trigg, which is played in an in-arena video montage at almost every live UFC event.
Following his recent release from UFC after his position was eliminated, Hughes had expressed interest in a comeback with Bellator.
The hospital made a statement on Facebook:
“Former UFC fighter and Hillsboro native Matt Hughes was airlifted to HSHS St. John’s Hospital in the noon hour on Friday, June 16, 2017. The HSHS St. John’s Regional Trauma Team stabilized him and continues to help him in his recovery.
Hughes’ family asks that you respect their privacy during this difficult time. They ask that you keep Matt in your thoughts and prayers.”
Former New Japan Pro Wrestling and SmackDown announcer Mauro Ranallo was announced officially today by Showtime as the lead play-by-play announcer for the August 26th Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight.
Showtime officials told The Sporting News that they would go with their usual boxing crew, and that the event would also include guest commentators, which are believed to be appearances by members of the UFC broadcast team.
Brian Custer was announced as the host of the show, while Ranallo will handle play-by-play.
Ranallo did the play-by-play for Showtime for the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight and most recently did the Joshua-Klitschko fight from Wembley Stadium in London. Besides his stint on SmackDown, which ended abruptly and in controversy in March, he’s done pro wrestling and every combat sport, from the heyday of Pride, to Glory kickboxing, to a number of MMA
promotions including Strikeforce, Elite XC, and Invicta, as well as the biggest matches over several years from New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS.
Ranallo started his career as a heel manager for All-Star Wrestling in British Columbia and later became the television announcer for the local promotion, and also had a stint as the lead voice of a remake of Stampede Wrestling.
Boxing Hall of Famer Al Bernstein will handle the color with former champion Paulie Malignaggi.
Also on the crew will be Jim Gray handling the interviews and Steve Farhood doing the scoring. Farhood, who was just inducted last week into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, also has a pro wrestling background as one of the so-called Apter mag writers early in his career.
I feel like I have to preface this column with a bold statement: one way or another, I will watch Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather box in late-August.
I know, what a hot take. Call me Stephen A. Nason or Josh Bayless.
I could try to tell you that this affair is a complete atrocity, that it’s terrible for MMA, and that I can’t support it, but that would be completely disingenious. Like many of you, I will find a way to watch and will be entrenched in the build leading up to this “fight”.
But after taking in everything after the announcement and listening to that first conference call discussing how the deal was made, there’s a lot of reality checks that all of us that are heavily invested in MMA need to come to grips with before this thing happens in late-August.
So far, the ‘MMA’ and ‘UFC’ might as well be curse words
According to all parties, the day itself will feature no MMA whatsover and will be, as Dana White said, “a boxing day”. In the intro for the call, McGregor was referred to as an “Irish superstar” and there was no mention of his being a UFC lightweight champion, two division champion, etc. In a promotional tweet Mayweather sent, the UFC logo was absent. Even, the Showtime tweet about the promo poster even used #UFC and not @UFC while properly tagging the fighers’ handles.
It’s only been a few days, but considering McGregor came to prominence in the UFC and in MMA, it’s surprising and, likely negotiated, how little that seems to matter now.
The UFC isn’t promotionally riding shotgun, but is sitting in the back middle seat
The most disheartening aspect of the Wednesday night call was hearing White cite Showtime as “kind” for allowing them to do promotional content like UFC Embedded leading up to the show. It’s as if White and the UFC are bowing down and paying a penance instead of standing side-by-side in promoting this whole thing.
While I understand that Mayweather is a PPV superstar, the UFC built a $4 billion brand that has a foothold in the sporting conscious, even if just in name value alone. The day shouldn’t just be “a boxing day”. What about the MMA fans that don’t care about boxing and need to be sold on why they should spend $100 for a one-fight show in which that one fight will be probably pretty bad?
To see a fight brand and promoter that has openly swatted aside notions of co-promotion (M1 and Fedor Emelianenko, anyone?) now have to play second-class citizen to a network they used to despise and a retired boxer they’ve never done business with before is jarring.
Boxing isn’t dead
Like many MMA writers, I did once pen the obligatory ‘boxing is dead’ column years ago after another frustrating night watching two heavyweights slog it out while two UFC heavyweights were doing their thing. While it may never return to its previous heights, I was definitely wrong with your latest example being the crowd and overall buzz for the recent Joshua/Klitschko fight in England’s Wembley Stadium.
It definitely isn’t dead when you consider that a retired 40-year-old boxer is going to face a boxing newbie and give that newbie the biggest payday of his life even though he’s the UFC’s biggest star and arguably their biggest financial draw of all time. It also definitely isn’t dead when you consider this fight will do bigger business and will get more mainstream media attention than any MMA fight ever.
It proves that no matter how far we think MMA has come, there’s still so, so far to go.
This will cost us a quality McGregor UFC title fight
White seemed confident that McGregor will fight in the UFC once this year, using that as a bully pulpit to bash his own fighters for not taking fights against anyone at anytime. (Who could he be talking about, I wonder?) I hope that’s the case as there’s no shortage of quality fights waiting for the lighweight champ…if he decides he even wants to return, a talking point given the Brinks truck that’s about to back up at 1 McGregor Way.
Even with the birth of his first child, you’d expect him to be fighting this summer if this Mayweather business wasn’t going on, probably against the likes of Tony Ferguson or Khabib Nurmagomedov. Yeah, they’re not the marquee names like Mayweather but for those who follow the sport, those are the guys we want McGregor to test himself against. That’s our idea of a $100 PPV, so to speak.
And let’s not forget this fun fact: McGregor has yet to defend any UFC title he’s won.
The promotion will be the best part
Impending hyperbole and talking heads blathering aside, McGregor’s chance of beating Mayweather are slim even if Mayweather hasn’t fought in two years. What’s going to sell this fight for the mainstream is both guys talking and they have a concentrated time to do it in: two and a half months. Going into this, we all knew the real draw was going to be everything before the fight anyway.
With all that said, it’s going to be a dizzying sprint focused on an event featuring the UFC’s top draw in a fight that isn’t in the UFC nor in the sport that brought him fame. Plus, there’s that other bit of business for White and company: the eight scheduled UFC shows between now and then starting with this weekend’s overlooked event in Singapore.
Whether you’re going into this kicking and screaming or are primed at the pump for it, your seat aboard the McGregor-Mayweather train is reserved. Let’s all just hope there’s no delays on the track ahead.
Three of the key parties — UFC president Dana White, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, and Showtime Sports’ executive VP and GM Stephen Espinoza — conducted a 40-minute media call Wednesday night to answer a bevy of questions.
While you can listen for yourself below, here’s a few key highlights to listen for:
– Despite having issues with him in the past, White was all Team McGregor on the call. He doesn’t think a loss would hurt McGregor or the UFC brand at all, and that the experience will only elevate the UFC lightweight champion.
– Speaking of that, during the intro, there was no mention of McGregor as a UFC fighter but rather an ‘Irish superstar’.
– When asked, Ellerbe didn’t shy away from the night clearing $500 million in revenue.
– No PPV price point has been set yet, but White didn’t shy away from the $100 tag that Mayweather vs. Pacquaio had.
– White was amazingly complimentary of Showtime, calling them “kind” for letting them do some content creation like UFC Embedded.
– White thinks McGregor will fight in the UFC again this year. He did bash his own talent several times for having the ‘fight anywhere, fight anyone’ mentality that McGregor has.
– There will be no UFC that day, even on an earlier card. The day “will be a boxing day” according to White.
– When asked, Espinoza wouldn’t commit to Mauro Ranallo calling the action which is curious considering he’s the voice of Showtime boxing. That would indicate that perhaps UFC might have some say in that.
One of the biggest pay-per-view events of all time is actually happening.
Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports reported today that Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor will meet in their much-discussed boxing superfight on August 26th in Las Vegas. The report came after the Nevada Athletic Commission approved the date at a meeting earlier today, though Mayweather and McGregor’s names were not officially attached to it then.
Both Mayweather and McGregor have since confirmed the news on social media. The boxing match will take place at the T-Mobile Arena.
What once seemed like only hype has inched closer to reality over the last year. A significant step came when Dana White and McGregor reached an agreement on personal terms for the fight. Negotiations with the Mayweather camp then began.
Mayweather and McGregor still need to apply for their boxing licenses for the fight. NAC executive director Bob Bennett previously called it “approvable.”
Mayweather’s record improved to 49-0 with a win against Andre Berto in September 2015 before announcing his retirement, but he has been training for a comeback against McGregor. The last time that McGregor fought was when he won the lightweight championship from Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016.
UPDATE: Dana White confirmed to TMZ that Mayweather vs. McGregor will be a 12-round boxing match and that they will use 10 ounce gloves. The undercard will only feature boxing and will be handled by Mayweather Promotions.
White also said that he expects McGregor to make around $100 million for the fight and that McGregor genuinely believes that he will knock Mayweather out.
ESPN boxing writer Dan Rafael reported Monday night that boxing megastar and pay-per-view king Floyd Mayweather will request August 26th as the date for his fight with UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
Mayweather’s Mayweather Promotions was originally going to request the date for an unspecified event from the Nevada State Athletic Commission this Wednesday, but that item has been pulled off the agenda.
A formal agreement has not been made public yet, despite UFC president Dana White and McGregor coming to terms near a month ago.
While Rafael made no mention of a venue, Ariel Helwani added that both sides would like to run the larger T-Mobile Arena as opposed to the smaller MGM Grand. As of now, there are no events for that day at T-Mobile.
McGregor and Mayweather have been attempting to work at making this fight happen for quite some time and with each passing week, the bout looks closer and closer to being made.
The UFC announced Saturday night that Kazushi Sakuraba has been named to their Hall of Fame.
Sakuraba becomes the first person to be inducted into both the UFC Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame.
In 2004, in his first year on the ballot, Sakuraba was elected with 86 percent of the vote, which tied with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the highest percentage of the vote for any candidate in history, trailing only Kenta Kobashi and Jushin Liger.
Sakuraba will be inducted in a ceremony on July 6th at 7 p.m. at the Park Theater in Las Vegas as part of the UFC’s International Fight Week.
Sakuraba defeated Royce Gracie, when Helio Gracie, after denying it for several minutes, finally told son Rorion to throw in the towel at the 90 minute mark of a no time limit match on May 1st, 2000, at the Tokyo Dome.
It was part of a tournament, and Sakuraba not only came out to fight in the second round of the tournament, but was winning his fight against Igor Vovchanchyn, who was 50 pounds heavier and in many places was the number one ranked heavyweight in the world going into the Grand Prix tournament. Sakuraba was winning the fight until hitting the wall after 101 1/2 minutes of fighting and his body shut down, and his corner eventually threw in the towel.
Sakuraba only fought twice in the UFC, as a late replacement in 1997 in a heavyweight tournament, which was one of the strangest tournaments in history. Sakuraba faced Marcus “Conan” Silveira in the first round, and referee John McCarthy stopped the fight after Sakuraba was dropped. While billed at 203 pounds, there was no weigh-in in the heavyweight tournament and UFC was not regulated in those days since the show was in Japan, and Sakuraba actually weighed 183 pounds to Silveira’s 243.
McCarthy has later called the stoppage the worst of his career, as Sakuraba appeared to have dropped to shoot a takedown. When Tank Abbott suffered a broken hand and wouldn’t go out for his fight with Silveira, Sakuraba was brought out as the replacement. Sakuraba then armbarred his much larger opponent.
Sakuraba paid the price for constantly fighting men much larger than he was. The last part of his career was very sad as his name would be used to try and draw fans to keep MMA alive, and later to revive it, long after he should have been fighting.
He wrestled in college at 149 pounds and placed fourth in the nation. He usually fought, without weight cutting, at 180 to 190 pounds, and in his heyday usually fought larger opponents, including three major heavyweight champions, Silveira (Extreme Fighting), Ken Shamrock (UFC/Pancrase), and Kevin Randleman (UFC). He submitted Silveira and Randleman and knocked out Shamrock.
During his prime, he mostly fought light heavyweights, men much larger than he was, and scored wins over Rampage Jackson, Guy Mezger, Vitor Belfort, Ebenezer Fontes Braga, and former UFC welterweight champion Carlos Newton.
He also had a memorable pro wrestling match on January 4th, 2013, when he lost to Shinsuke Nakamura at the Tokyo Dome for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
He began his career with the UWFI promotion, and was trained for both pro wrestling and submissions by the late Billy Robinson, who called Sakuraba his best protege, in his later years always bragging about being the person who trained Sakuraba for fighting.
Pride was a struggling organization in 1999, drawing poorly and losing significant money until the Sakuraba era led to it packing major stadiums, including a Sakuraba vs. Mirko Cro Cop main event, a ridiculous fight given the size difference, that Cro Cop won before 71,000 fans (the announced number was 91,107) at Tokyo National Stadium. It is still the largest crowd for an MMA event.
Sakuraba was also named in a national poll at one time as the seventh biggest pro wrestling star in Japanese history even though his fame came from representing pro wrestling, which was the discipline he would always claim as his background on MMA shows, in real sports competition.
He was also named 2000 Wrestler of the Year by Tokyo Sports even though it was for his success in beating three Gracie family members in Pride competition.
The UFC is back on PPV tonight, and while this isn’t the deepest lineup overall, the show is headlined by what has the potential to be the fight of the year. It’s champion vs. champion as featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo goes up against interim champion Max Holloway and his 11-fight win streak.
Both title combatants have something in common in that they last tasted defeat at the hands of the current lightweight champion Conor McGregor. They also, somewhat ironically, both beat former lightweight champions to claim their versions of the title.
The co-main features two of the top contenders to the strawweight title fighting for a title rematch as both Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Claudia Gadelha have lost to Joanna Champion when going for the belt.
Former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort returns to his home country in what could be one of his last fights against fellow veteran Nate “The Great” Marquardt. One of these guys will come away with a victory and potentially rejuvenate their career.
There isn’t much else on this show in terms of marquee matchups. For our final two panel picks, we’ve gone with the almost always entertaining Erick Silva vs. Yancy Medeiros. The two have combined for 10 post-show award bonuses, so this has the potential to steal the show. Finally, the fight that will anchor the FS1 prelims is former WSOF bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes making his UFC debut against the veteran Raphael Assuncao.
You may notice that our panel has gotten a lot filthier this time out. Joining the crew is UFC veteran and budding pro wrestling superstar Tom Lawlor. Glen Jacobs was not available.
If you’re new here, our panel picks are listed below and listed alongside the fighters’ 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 as well as a line where we show how the betting favorites did:
John Pollock (27-11; .711) — Fight Network analyst, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, MMA Report co-host
Consensus Picks (25-11; .694)
Dave Meltzer (26-12; .684) — Wrestling Observer publisher
Favorites (26-12; .684)
Mike Sawyer (25-13; .658) — Tough Talk MMA publisher
Steve Juon (25-13; .658) — MMA Mania writer, Angry Marks publisher
David Bixenspan (24-14; .632) — Deadspin pro wrestling columnist, Between the Sheets podcast host
Mike Sempervive (22-16; .579) — Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
Ryan Frederick (21-17; .553) — WrestlingObserver.com UFC writer
Paul Fontaine (19-19; .500) — MMADraws.com publisher, WrestlingObserver.com writer
Front Row Brian (18-20; .474) — MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, podcast host
Tom Lawlor (0-0; .000) — Co-host of Filthy Four Daily, pro wrestling undercard fighter, UFC enhancement talent currently suspended due to wellness violation
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (26-2) vs. interim champion Max Holloway (17-3)
Since dropping a third-round decision to future dual-champion Conor McGregor, Max Holloway has been hotter than any fighter in the company. His 10 straight wins have seen him rise from the prelims to the main card to the main events and finally to this main event PPV title shot.
Standing across the Octagon was the man who, not so long ago, was even hotter than Holloway. Before being knocked out cold by McGregor, Aldo had won 18 straight fights, and to this day he’s the only man in UFC history to actually defend the UFC featherweight title.
Both are coming off impressive wins over former lightweight champions as Aldo dominated Frankie Edgar on his way to a five-round decision win and Holloway KO’d Anthony Pettis in the third round in the main event of UFC 206.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz (10-1) vs. Claudia Gadelha (14-2) (strawweights)
Between these two, they have three career losses and they’ve all been at the hands of current strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk. They are also pretty much regarded as the class of the division outside of the current champion, and whoever wins will probably get another shot at the belt.
Kowalkiewicz beat another top contender, Rose Namajunas, in the fight of the night at UFC 201, which was her third straight win in UFC. Gadelha will be fighting in her home country and will be attempting to win her second straight fight in UFC and fourth overall. She is coming off a decision win over the very tough Cortney Casey.
Vitor Belfort (25-13) vs. Nate Marquardt (35-17-2) (middleweights)
Both of these guys have seen better days, but they also have enough power to end this one quickly. Every single one of Belfort’s UFC wins has come by way of stoppage. Marquardt has nine such wins on his record in 13 UFC victories.
Belfort would be on a three-fight losing streak if his loss to Kelvin Gastelum hadn’t been overturned due to a drug test failure. His only win since November 2013 has been a first round KO over the now-retired Dan Henderson. Marquardt has lost seven of his last 10, but all three wins have come by stoppage. He most recently upset Tamdan McCrory by knocking him out in the second round.
Yancie Medeiros (13-4) vs. Erick Silva (19-7) (welterweights)
Medeiros is the second Hawaiian on the main card behind main-eventer Max Holloway. Any fans making the trek to Brazil to see Holloway will likely be behind Medeiros as well. But Silva will be the heavy crowd favorite nonetheless as he’s one of the most popular fighters in his home country due to his reckless and exciting style of fighting.
Silva very much has a kill-or-be-killed philosophy as two of his 13 UFC fights have gone the distance. Medeiros is much the same as three of his four UFC wins have come by way of submission. This could be a sleeper of a great fight.
Marlon Moraes (18-4) vs. Raphael Assuncao (24-5) (bantamweights)
Long regarded as one of the world’s best bantamweight fighters outside of the UFC, Moraes will make his long-awaited UFC debut in search of his 14th straight win. Standing in his way will be the tough veteran Raphael Assuncao, who holds a win over former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw.
Moraes hasn’t faced a tremendous level of competition on the way to his lengthy streak, but he does have two wins over former TUF fighter Josh Hill. Assuncao is coming off a split-decision win over Aljamain Sterling last time out and, in fact, has only lost one time in the last six-plus years. He could be on the brink of title contention should he knock off the former WSOF champion Moraes here.
Paulo Henrique Costa (9-0) vs. Oluwale Bamgbose (6-2) (middleweights)
Costa #75; -269 betting favorite
Bamgbose #172; +242 betting underdog
Antonio Carlos Junior (7-2) vs. Eric Spicely (10-1) (middleweights)
Junior #50; -211 betting favorite
Spicely #26; +201 betting underdog
Johnny Eduardo (28-10) vs. Matthew Lopez (9-1) (bantamweights)
Eduardo #28; +160 betting underdog
Lopez #63; -160 betting favorite
Iuri Alcantara (35-4) vs. Brian Kelleher (16-7) (bantamweights)
Alcantara #10; -309 betting favorite
Kelleher #38; +279 betting underdog
Viviane Pereira (12-0) vs. Jamie Moyle (4-1) (strawweights)
Pereira #13; -135 betting favorite
Moyle #38; +138 betting underdog
Luan Chagas (14-2) vs. Jim Wallhead (29-10) (welterweights)
Chagas #99; -249 betting favorite
Wallhead #108; +221 betting underdog
Marco Antonio Beltran (8-4) vs. Deiveson Alcantra (11-0) (flyweights)
Beltran #81 at bantamweight; +125 betting underdog
Alcantra #34; -137 betting favorite
Action begins with the Fight Pass prelims at 6:30 p.m. ET and moves over to FS1 at 8 p.m. ET. The main card airs on PPV at 10 p.m. ET, covered by yours truly.
ABC television today announced the return of the 70s and 80s show, “Battle of the Network Stars,” featuring former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Rousey and former NFL star DeMarcus Ware as coaches.
The show is said to feature more than 100 television stars from 14 networks and cable companies competing in events like tug of war, archery, kayak relay, and the obstacle course.
The show will air on Tuesdays from 9-10 p.m. starting June 29th, for ten weeks. It will be hosted by ESPN’s Mike Greenberg and Joe Tessitore. The original incarnation of the show aired from 1976 to 1988.
Rousey’s last television appearance was on an episode of NBC’s “Blindspot” earlier this month. She last fought in the UFC on December 30th, 2016, where she lost to Amanda Nunes in the first round. She hasn’t officially announced anything definitive about her MMA future, but Dana White has said that she probably won’t return to the sport.
