Category: UFC News

UFC Fight Night 109 live results: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 109: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira, emanating from the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Octagon visits Sweden for the fifth time, and the first since January 2015, and the event is headlined by a five-round bout in the light heavyweight division as former title challengers Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira do battle.

Gustafsson is looking to score his second straight win and put himself in the running for the next title contender, while Teixeira is also looking to score his second straight win and get himself back into the picture. These two have been scheduled to fight twice before until injuries put a halt to those planned fights.

The co-main event is another light heavyweight battle, this time between fighters looking to take the next step to title contention as Volkan Oezdemir looks to make it four straight wins when he takes on Misha Cirkunov, winner of eight straight fights.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 10 a.m. eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.

UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 10 AM ET/7 AM PT

> Marcin Held (22-6, 0-2 UFC) vs. Damir Hadzovic (10-3, 0-1 UFC)
Lightweights

They were swinging early. Held was landing punches better but Hadzovic did hurt him with a head kick. They were each landing punches and Held landed a knee in the clinch and then scored a takedown. Held was controlling from the top working in the guard and landing elbows. Held was able to pass to half-guard and hold Hadzovic down before moving back to the full guard. Held dived for a leg and almost lost position but was able to get back into the guard and transitioned to the back and was working for a choke, but the round ended without him getting it. 10-9 Held.

Held landed a spin kick and then scored a takedown against the fence. Held was able to transition to the back and had the hooks in and was working for the choke. Hadzovic was able to spin out and landed a big elbow in the clinch. Held got another takedown and was working for an anaconda choke but Hadzovic was able to escape but was stuck in north-south position. Held spun to side control and back into the full guard. Held got to mount and then moved to the back and had the choke almost locked in but time ran out. 10-9 Held, 20-18 Held.

WOW. Hadzovic landed a perfectly-timed knee as Held was going for a takedown and knocked Held out cold. A big comeback win for Hadzovic as he was down in this fight.

Official Result- Damir Hadzovic def. Marcin Held by knockout (knee) at :07 of Round 3

> Darren Till (13-0-1, 1-0-1 UFC) vs. Jessin Ayari (16-3, 1-0 UFC)
Welterweights* (Till missed weight by five pounds, coming in at 176)

Slow-paced start in the first minute with Till using feints but he landed a hard left hand. Till landed another and Ayari was back-pedaling. Till landed another two left hands and Ayari was in trouble. Till landed a head kick and another. Till got a brief takedown but that was a mistake getting a takedown when Ayari was clearly hurt standing. Till got another takedown. Ayari scrambled to his feet but ate a left hand. Till landed some more punches in a clear winning round for him. 10-9 Till.

Till rocked Ayari with another left hand and got a takedown and landed a left in the guard. Ayari was looking for a triangle but Till was defending. Ayari was able to push Till off and they got to their feet but Till landed a left hand. Ayari went for a takedown but Till grabbed the top of the cage to block it. Ayari got a brief takedown. Till dropped Ayari with a left hand and went to the ground looking to finish as he landed some big elbows. Ayari survived a big onslaught from Till on the mat. 10-9 Till, 20-18 Till.

They traded some punches. Ayari pushed Till against the fence and landed an elbow but Till was able to break. Till landed a head kick. Ayari landed some good punches and a body kick as Till has slowed his pace. His bad weight cut and missing weight likely hurting his cardio here. Till did land a left hand. Ayari was poked in the eye and we have a timeout. Till landed a head kick as the fight restarted. Till with some more punches as the fight ends. 10-9 Till, 30-27 Till.

Official Result- Darren Till def. Jessin Ayari by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-27)

FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 11 AM ET/8 AM PT

> Nico Musoke (13-4 1 NC, 3-2 UFC) vs. Bojan Velickovic (14-4-1, 1-1-1 UFC)
Welterweights

They traded early and Musoke got a takedown. Musoke was landing from the top but Velickovic was able to get to his feet. They traded kicks. Musoke caught a single leg on a kick attempt and pushed Velickovic against the fence. Musoke landed a right hand and a body kick late. 10-9 Musoke.

They were trading and Velickovic was moving forward more. Musoke was landing more punches. Musoke missed a head kick. Musoke landed some kicks but missed on some as well. They traded some punches. They are about even on the feet. Velickovic scored a takedown and landed a couple of punches but Musoke was able to get to his feet. Musoke caught a kick from Velickovic and took him down for a moment. They got up and Musoke landed an elbow on the break. Close round. 10-9 Velickovic, 19-19.

They were trading to start the third and Velickovic landed some leg kicks. Musoke landed a head kick. Velickovic grabbed the neck and was looking for a gullotine but Musoke went to the mat and rolled out and pushed Velickovic against the fence. Musoke landed a body kick. They were trading punches again and Musoke was landing the harder punches. Velickovic rocked Musoke with a hard punch and Musoke was on rubber legs and Velickovic capitalized and knocked him down and finished the fight with less than a minute to go. Big finish by Velickovic.

Official Result- Bojan Velickovic def. Nico Musoke by TKO (punches) at 4:37 of Round 3

> Reza Madadi (14-5, 3-3 UFC) vs. Joaquim Silva (9-0, 2-0 UFC)
Lightweights

They were throwing big punches early. Silva landed a punch and Madadi countered with a takedown, but Silva quickly scrambled out to his feet. Madadi got another takedown and had Silva firmly planted on the mat. Madadi landed punches from the half-guard. Madadi got back into the full guard and was landing punches from the top. Madadi was looking for transitions and was able to get back to half-guard and ended the round there. 10-9 Madadi.

Silva started round two off with a head kick. Madadi then with a left hand and a hard right hand that had Silva rocked. Madadi got a quick takedown but right back to the feet. Silva landed a head kick and then a liver kick. Madadi hurt Silva with a spinning back elbow. Silva landed a knee to the body. Silva with a flurry of punches that hurt Madadi. Madadi fired back with a left hand and then lands a combo. Silva working the body real well in this round and Madadi is showing signs of being tired. Silva with two head kicks and then goes to the legs. Fun round. 10-9 Silva, 19-19.

They traded punches to start the round before Madadi scored a takedown. Silva tried to jump up for a guillotine but Madadi slipped out and ended on the top. Silva got to his feet but ate a knee to the body. Madadi got a big takedown. Silva was able to get out from the bottom as they got back to their feet. Madadi is definitely tired now. Madadi with a spinning elbow but Silva knocked him down with a right hand and was landing punches on the ground from the back. Silva went for a rear-naked choke but Madadi was able to slip out and they escaped to their feet. Madadi with a trip but Silva ended on top and landed some big punches. Silva landed more but Madadi able to get to his feet but Silva had the neck. Madadi tried a takedown but lost it and fell to the mat with Silva on top as Silva ended the round with punches. Fun fight, interesting third round to score. 10-9 Silva, 29-28 Silva.

Official Result- Joaquim Silva def. Reza Madadi by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

> Trevor Smith (14-7, 4-4 UFC) vs. Chris Camozzi (24-12, 9-9 UFC)
Middleweights

Smith got an early takedown and was on the top. Camozzi was working for an omoplata but gave up his back. Smith landed a couple punches from the back before they got to their feet. They traded knees in the clinch. Smith got another takedown. Smith landed a big left hand from the top and passed to side control. Smith with some left hands from side control. 10-9 Smith.

Smith got a takedown from an ankle pick and was landing from the top. Smith with the heavy ground-and-pound from the top and Camozzi is bleeding. Camozzi tried to roll out but Smith has him stuck on the bottom. Smith with more strikes from the top. Camozzi is gonna need a finish in the third. 10-9 Smith, 20-18 Smith.

Camozzi defended a takedown attempt from Smith but Smith had him pressed against the fence. Smith with a brief takedown. Smith got another takedown and went to work on the top. This is a very boring fight. Smith with more punches from the top. Camozzi can do nothing to get out from the bottom. Smith passed to mount and landed some short elbows. Very boring fight. 10-9 Smith, 30-27 Smith.

Official Result- Trevor Smith def. Chris Camozzi by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

> Pedro Munhoz (#12, 13-2 1 NC, 3-2 1 NC) vs. Damian Stasiak (10-3, 2-1 UFC)
Bantamweights

Munhoz with a kick to the body. Munhoz was throwing and landing a lot of kicks. Munhoz went for a guillotine but Stasiak was able to escape. Munhoz landed some punches and was going right after Stasiak in controlling the Octagon. Munhoz with a right hand. They traded punches and Stasiak scored a takedown right at the end. 10-9 Munhoz.

They were trading early. Munhoz with some leg kicks but Stasiak landed a right hand right on the jaw. Munhoz with a head kick. Munhoz with a knee to the body. Stasiak with an uppercut. Munhoz with a takedown and he has the back but let go. Stasiak with a spinning back fist. They traded punches. Stasiak with another spin kick. Munhoz with a solid right hand. 10-9 Munhoz, 20-18 Munhoz.

Munhoz with a low kick but had a takedown stuffed by Stasiak. They traded punches. Munhoz got on top, wouldn’t call it a takedown, more of Stasiak pulling guard. They are stood up but the referee. Munhoz with a solid combination. Munhoz with two big knees to the head of Stasiak. Stasiak with a spin kick to the body. They both landed solid punches. Munhoz with a big leg kick. Munhoz got two takedowns but Stasiak got back to his feet both times, and then it happened twice again. Munhoz has the back but can’t keep Stasiak down. It happened once more before a break. They traded until the final bell. 10-9 Munhoz, 30-27 Munhoz.

Official Result- Pedro Munhoz def. Damian Stasiak by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD | 1 PM ET/10 AM PT

> Jack Hermansson (14-3, 1-1 UFC) vs. Alex Nicholson (7-3, 1-2 UFC)
Middleweights

Hermansson immediately got a takedown and was in side control. Hermansson was landing from the top and looking to move to the back. Hermansson has the back and is landing big punches from the back as he has mount and Nicholson is flattened out. More big punches and the fight is stopped! Big win by Hermansson in the first round.

Official Result- Jack Hermansson def. Alex Nicholson by TKO (strikes) at 2:00 of Round 1

> Oliver Enkamp (7-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Nordine Taleb (12-4, 4-2 UFC)
Welterweights

They were trading early. Enkamp with a spin kick. Taleb is coming forward more and landing more. Enkamp missing on his punches. Enkamp goes for a takedown but Taleb is able to scramble away. Taleb landed a hard punch and then a leg kick. Enkamp missed another spin kick. They traded knees in the clinch. Taleb got a takedown and ended in the guard. Taleb with pressure from the top but Enkamp trying to scramble. 10-9 Taleb.

Taleb lands a punch that stuns Enkamp. They were trading back and forth. Taleb was landing cleaner punches. Enkamp with a sloppy takedown attempt and Taleb scrambles and ends up scoring a takedown and is working from the top. Taleb transitions to the back as he has Enkamp planted on the mat. Taleb landing and ends up in the guard of Enkamp as the round ends. 10-9 Taleb, 20-18 Taleb.

Enkamp shows good footwork but is having trouble with Taleb. Enkamp goes for a takedown but Taleb with a good scramble and they stay on their feet. They trade body kicks. Enkamp misses a spin kick. Taleb with a combo to the body. Taleb got a takedown. Enkamp went for a guillotine but had wrong positioning. Enkamp hit Taleb with some punches from the bottom. Taleb in side control and lands some punches. Taleb traps the right leg of Enkamp and lands more punches. 10-9 Taleb, 30-27 Taleb.

Official Result- Nordine Taleb def. Oliver Enkamp by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Abdul Razak Alhassan (7-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Omari Akhmedov (16-4, 4-3 UFC)
Welterweights

Alhassan with a leg kick. Akhmedov catches the leg and lands a right hand and gets a takedown. Alhassan got back to his feet. Alhassan misses a big right hand and misses a kick. Akhmedov scores a takedown. Alhassan with a high kick and then a right hand. Akhmedov with a leg kick and Alhassan lands one of his own. They both threw heavy punches that landed. Alhassan landed a right hand but a left hook counter from Akhmedov lands. 10-9 Akhmedov.

Alhassan with a head kick. Akhmedov with a leg kick. Alhassan lands a right hand and Akhmedov is backing up. Alhassan lands a couple more right hands. Alhassan lands a big combo but Akhmedov is able to score a takedown. Akhmedov lands a right hand. Akhmedov gets another takedown. Alhassan lands a big right hand. Alhassan with a leg kick. Alhassan lands a combo and another right hand. Akhmedov with another takedown. Akhmedov with some strikes from the top. 10-9 Akhmedov, 20-18 Akhmedov.

Akhmedov with a leg kick. Alhassan lands a right hand after they both land solid punches. Akhmedov gets a takedown but Alhassan is able to reverse back to his feet. Alhassan lands a big right hand that stuns Akhmedov. Alhassan with another right hand. Alhassan with more punches and Akhmedov is hurt on his feet but Akhmedov gets a takedown. Akhmedov in the mount but not doing a whole lot. They got to their feet and then nothing happened. 10-9 Akhmedov, 30-27 Akhmedov.

Official Result- Omari Akhmedov def. Abdul Razak Alhassan by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

> Peter Sobotta (16-5-1, 3-4 UFC) vs. Ben Saunders (21-7-2, 8-4 UFC)
Welterweights

Sobotta immediately dropped Saunders for a moment with a left hand. Sobotta with a leg kick. Saunders with a combo and a head kick. Sobotta with a solid combo. They were trading and Sobotta dropped Saunders again with another left hand. Sobotta went into the guard and was landing punches looking for a finish. He didn’t get it as time ran out in the round. 10-9 Sobotta.

Sobotta rocked Saunders again with a huge flurry of punches. Saunders was retreating but he didn’t have stable legs. Saunders surviving but still in a lot of trouble. Sobotta landed another left hand that stunned Saunders and then landed a knee that dropped Saunders and the fight was stopped. Sobotta gets the huge win in the second round.

Official Result- Peter Sobotta def. Ben Saunders by TKO (strikes) at 2:29 of Round 2

> Volkan Oezdemir (#5, 13-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Misha Cirkunov (#7, 13-2, 4-0 UFC)
Light Heavyweights

They traded kicks and punches early. Oezdemir dropped Cirkunov with a right hand to the ear, Cirkunov faceplants to the mat and after a few more punches the fight was stopped. Oezdemir with a huge knockout win in less than a minute.

Official Result- Volkan Oezdemir def. Misha Cirkunov by TKO (punch) at :28 of Round 1

> Alexander Gustafsson (#1, 17-4, 9-4 UFC) vs. Glover Teixeira (#2, 26-5, 9-3 UFC)
Light Heavyweights

They were trading and Teixeira picked up Gustafsson and threw him down to the mat but Gustafsson right back up. They traded punches with Gustafsson getting the better of it after landing three straight punches. Gustafsson using good movement and footwork and lands a left hand. Gustafsson with an uppercut but also poked Teixeira in the eye. Gustafsson landed two big right hands as they went back to fighting. Gustafsson able to move away any time Teixeira gets close. Big uppercut from Gustafsson. Gustafsson with a spin kick to the body. Gustafsson with a solid combo. 10-9 Gustafsson.

Teixeira landed an elbow that cut Gustafsson. Gustafsson landed a punch that hurt Teixeira. Gustafsson doing a lot of running away whenever Teixeira got close. Gustafsson rocked Teixeira badly with a big combination and dropped him for a moment. Teixeira got to his feet and survived but in trouble. Texieira bleeding heavily now and eats a knee. Teixeira landed an uppercut and then a combination. Gustafsson with a right hand. Gustafsson lands another right hand and sprints away. Gustafsson with some kicks at the end. 10-9 Gustafsson, 20-18 Gustafsson.

Texieira lands a solid combo to start the third. Gustafsson drops Teixeira with an uppercut and Gustafsson swarms into the guard looking to finish as he has Teixeira in a lot of trouble. Gustafsson with a lot of punches and elbows from the top. Teixeira somehow got out from the bottom and has Gustafsson pinned against the fence. Gustafsson gets a takedown in the half-guard. He takes the back. They get to their feet. Gustafsson with a front kick to the body. Gustafsson lands another uppercut. Gustafsson lands a left hand. He lands another uppercut and Teixeira urging Gustafsson to come on. They trade punches. 10-9 Gustafsson, 30-27 Gustafsson.

They trade body kicks. Gustafsson back on his bike and running away at the start of this round. Gustafsson landed a big elbow against the fence. They clinch against the fence and Gustafsson landing knees to the legs of Teixeira. Big combo on the break by Gustafsson. Gustafsson ducks under a right hand from Teixeira and runs away back to the center of the Octagon. Big right hands from Gustafsson. Gustafsson lands a left hand and then a big combo. No idea how Teixeira is able to withstand all of these hard punches. Gustafsson with an uppercut. 10-9 Gustafsson, 40-36 Gustafsson.

Teixeira lands a big left hook.Gustafsson then started landing uppercut after uppercut and then a big right hand to the jaw dropped Teixeira and it was stopped. What a performance and a knockout from Alexander Gustafsson.

Official Result- Alexander Gustafsson def. Glover Teixeira by knockout (punches) at 1:07 of Round 5

UFC 213 card takes shape with Cody Garbrandt unable to fight

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With Cody Garbrandt unable to compete at UFC 213, Amanda Nunes will headline the UFC’s marquee International Fight Week event for the second straight year.

Dana White revealed to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto last night that Garbrandt was officially off of the card. Garbrandt was scheduled to defend his bantamweight title for the first time against TJ Dillashaw, but he has been battling back problems and was sent to Germany to see a stem cell specialist earlier this month.

Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko for the women’s bantamweight championship is now the main event of UFC 213 on July 8th in Las Vegas. That matchup had been announced previously but wasn’t scheduled to headline the pay-per-view until Garbrandt vs. Dillashaw fell through.

Nunes was elevated to the top spot on the UFC 200 card last July when Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones was canceled at the last minute due to Jones failing a USADA test. She won the title by defeating Miesha Tate on that show.

An interim middleweight title bout is also set for UFC 213, with Yoel Romero taking on Robert Whittaker.

Controversy over Georges St-Pierre receiving the next shot at Michael Bisping’s title instead of Romero began as soon as that fight was scheduled, but White later announced that plans for Bisping vs. GSP had been scrapped when St-Pierre posted that he wouldn’t be available to compete until after October. Bisping is unavailable to fight right now due to a knee injury as well, so Romero will face Whittaker for the interim belt.

White told Okamoto that Demetrious Johnson vs. Dillashaw for the flyweight title is being planned for August, but Johnson tweeted that he hasn’t agreed to anything and is waiting on a contract to defend against Ray Borg. Johnson wrote that Dillashaw can come down to flyweight and get a win first if he wants a title fight.

As was previously revealed, Robbie Lawler vs. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Fabricio Werdum vs. Alistair Overeem, and Anthony Pettis vs. Jim Miller will also take place at UFC 213.

Cody Garbrandt looks to be off UFC 213

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt looks to be off UFC 213 officially.

Garbrandt had been suffering from a bad back and it has been acknowledged for the past week that the fight, scheduled for July 8th in Las Vegas, was in jeopardy when neither Garbrandt nor T.J. Dillashaw was at the May 12th press conference promoting the major summer shows.

Garbrandt posted today on Facebook that he’s off the show.

“No, I’m not fighting on the 8th. This has been my dream to get to the top and I want to have longevity.”

Garbrandt also gave a timetable regarding returning to train.

“4 more weeks of recovery! Then I can slowly start to train and test it out.”

Over the past week, Dana White had said that they sent Garbrandt to Germany to see the doctor’s who cured White’s Meniere’s Disease through a technique called blood spinning. White had said that everyone sent to Germany to those doctors have come back recovered so he was hopeful this would be the case and the fight would be able to take place on the show.

Right now it appears that Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko for the women’s bantamweight title will be the main event. UFC had done recent advertising, since tickets went on sale this week, built around Nunes vs. Shevchenko and Robbie Lawler vs. Donald Cerrone.

Conor McGregor signs deal, negotiations begin with Floyd Mayweather

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Dana White and Conor McGregor have come to terms for one side of the Mayweather vs. McGregor boxing match.

White announced that tonight on TNT after the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics basketball game.

“McGregor’s side is done,” said White, when being interviewed by Shaquille O’Neal, a longtime UFC fan who at one point asked if he could fight in the organization. “I’m starting to work on the Mayweather side now. I got one side done, now it’s time to work on the other. If we can come to a deal with Haymon and Mayweather, the fight’s going to happen.

McGregor, on his own website TheMacLife.com, confirmed that he has signed for the fight.

“It is an honor to sign this record breaking deal alongside my partners Zuffa, LLC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Paradigm Sports Management,” McGregor said. “The first, and most important part of this historic contract has now officially been signed off on. Congratulations to all parties involved. We now await Al Haymon and his boxer’s signature in the coming days.”

UFC 211 live results: Stipe Miocic vs. Junior Dos Santos 2

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 211: Miocic vs. Dos Santos 2, emanating from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

The UFC presents their most stacked card of 2017 thus far in an event headlined by Stipe Miocic defending the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Junior Dos Santos in a rematch of their epic clash in 2014.

Miocic and Dos Santos met in a five-round war in December 2014, a back-and-forth encounter that ended with Dos Santos taking home the win by decision. Since then, Miocic has won four straight fights by knockout, defeating Fabricio Werdum to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion in the process, and making a successful defense against Alistair Overeem.

Dos Santos has only fought twice since then, going just 1-1, and hasn’t fought since an April 2016 win over Ben Rothwell.

In the co-main event, the most dominant female fighter in the world, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, defends the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship against Jessica Andrade. Jedrzejczyk is undefeated in her career at 13-0 and defends the title for the fifth time. Andrade gets a title shot on the heels of three straight wins since moving to 115 pounds.

Also on the main card is a welterweight bout with title shot implications on the line as Demian Maia goes for his seventh straight win against Jorge Masvidal, winner of three straight, and former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar looks to get back to a title fight when he faces rising star Yair Rodriguez in the biggest test of Rodriguez’ young career.

In a featured prelim bout, Eddie Alvarez returns for the first time since losing to Conor McGregor at UFC 205 in November as he takes on Dustin Poirier.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.

We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show, 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 | 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT

> Joachim Christensen (14-4, 1-1 UFC) vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov (19-4, 1-0 UFC)
Light Heavyweights

They were trading early and Antigulov got a takedown. Antigulov was landing knees to the body as he took the back. Antigulov was looking for the choke early on. Christensen was defending but Antigulov had it locked in and Christensen taps! Antigulov with the quick first-round submission win.

Official Result- Gadzhimurad Antigulov def. Joachim Christensen by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:21 of Round 1

> Gabriel Benitez (19-5, 3-1 UFC) vs. Enrique Barzola (12-3-1, 2-1 UFC)
Featherweights

Benitez landed a big leg kick early on. Barzola landed a head kick as they were going back and forth with kicks. Barzola scored a takedown. Benitez scrambled out from the bottom and they got back to their feet. Barzola scored another takedown but Benitez was quick to get back up. Benitez scored with a straight left and then landed another. Barzola landed a good combination and scored a big takedown and was landing from the top at the end. 10-9 Barzola.

They were trading early on and Barzola got a quick takedown but Benitez was quick back to his feet. Barzola got another takedown- Benitez has been unable to stop them. They got back up. Another takedown from Barzola and he was looking to take the back. Benitez landed a knee to the body. Benitez landed a big body kick. Barzola started firing back punches and landed a knee to the body. 10-9 Barzola, 20-18 Barzola after two.

Benitez tried a spin kick but it almost went badly as he slipped to the mat and Barzola pressured on for a takedown. Benitez was scrambling but gave up his back in the process and Barzola was looking to lock in a choke. He had it in and Benitez was fighting it off and able to escape. They got to their feet and a big crowd reaction. Benitez landed a sharp left hand. Barzola is relentless with his looking for takedowns. They traded punches. Barzola got another takedown into the guard. Benitez scrambled to his feet but Barzola had the back. Benitez landed a body kick but Barzola fired back with a big right hand. Benitez hurt Barzola bad at the horn and knocked him down. Excellent fight. 10-9 Barzola, 30-27 Barzola.

Official Result- Enrique Barzola def. Gabriel Benitez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Jessica Aguilar (#12, 19-5, 0-1 UFC) vs. Cortney Casey (6-4, 2-3 UFC)
Women’s Strawweights

Casey was landing some punches early. Aguilar tripped Casey to the mat and swarmed on top landing some good hammerfists. Aguilar got to her feet and Casey was looking for upkicks. They got to their feet and Casey landed a lot of punches and Aguilar had to run away as she was trapped against the fence. Casey landed a combo but Aguilar was able to get a takedown. Aguilar drug Casey by the foot to the center of the mat. Aguilar went into the guard and was landing short punches before they were stood up. Casey landed a nice combination. Casey with a head kick and a nice combo at the end. 10-9 Casey.

Aguilar got Casey to the mat quickly to start the second. Aguilar got up and was looking for an opening to the guard but Casey was using push kicks on the mat until she was stood up. Casey with some solid combinations. Aguilar got a quick takedown. Casey landed some upkicks. Aguilar got on top in the half-guard. Aguilar ended on the top. 10-9 Casey, 20-18 Casey.

Casey was landing punches and then pushed Aguilar against the fence. Aguilar was able to get away. Casey was landing some big punches and had Aguilar in trouble. Aguilar is busted open and bleeding all over. Aguilar landed a knee to the body but is just eating shots from Casey. Casey landed some good punches and defended some takedown attempts. Aguilar with a nice combo at the end. Casey looked very good in this fight. 10-9 Casey, 30-27 Casey.

Official Result- Cortney Casey def. Jessica Aguilar by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

FX PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT

> James Vick (10-1, 6-1 UFC) vs. Marco Polo Reyes (7-2, 3-0 UFC)
Lightweights

Reyes landed a quick opening flurry and then they were trading kicks. Reyes landed a solid combo. They clinched and Reyes was landing to the body. They were trading and Vick dropped Reyes with a big right hand and after a few more punches on the ground it was stopped. Vick gets a big win in front of a hometown crowd.

Official Result- James Vick def. Marco Polo Reyes by TKO (punches) at 2:39 of Round 1

> Chase Sherman (9-3, 0-2 UFC) vs. Rashad Coulter (8-1, 0-0 UFC)
Heavyweights

Sherman with a high kick early on but Coulter fired back with a right hand. They were trading again and Coulter landed a right hand. Sherman landed a jab that hurt Coulter and was then landing some leg kicks. Sherman landed a big shot and hurt Coulter. Coulter landed a big right hand that hurt Shetrman. Sherman has Coulter hurt with leg kicks. 10-9 Sherman.

Sherman with a leg kick but Coulter landed a big right hand. Sherman has Coulter hurt after a leg kick. Sherman dropped Coulter and was pounding away. Lots of punches on the mat but Coulter got to his feet. Coulter was firing back punches but is visibly hurt. Sherman with leg kicks and Coulter can barely walk. Coulter with heavy punches. Sherman with punches against the fence. Coulter with big punches. They traded punches. The crowd is really into this. Sherman with a combo. Sherman finishes Coulter off with a flurry of strikes to a big reaction. Excellent fight.

Official Result- Chase Sherman def Rashad Coulter by TKO (strikes) at 3:36 of Round 2

> Chas Skelly (17-2, 6-2 UFC) vs. Jason Knight (16-2, 3-1 UFC)
Featherweights

They were trading early and Knight landed a nice combo. Skelly landed a nice combo. Skelly got a takedown into the guard of Knight. Skelly got to his feet and was looking to slam Knight but Knight held onto the fence. Skelly went back down and Knight reversed positions to the top. A scramble ended with Skelly back into Knight’s guard. They scrambled all over the mat looking for dominant position until they separated and just stood up. Knight got a late takedown. 10-9 Knight.

They were trading and Knight got a quick takedown. Knight is talking trash inside the Octagon. Skelly landed a left hand. Skelly landed an uppercut and a body kick which cause Knight to stumble a little. Knight was saying all sorts of things to Skelly after he hit him. Skelly went for a takedown but Knight sprawled. They were battling for underhooks against the fence. Knight scored a takedown. Skelly scrambled to the top but Knight was looking for an armbar. Skelly got up and landed a head kick on Knight right as he got to his feet and then a hard right hand. 10-9 Knight, 20-18 Knight.

Knight has a big cut underneath his right eye. Knight knocked Skelly down with a right hand and was looking for the finish with punches on the ground and he got it. Jason Knight with a huge win. Skelly not happy about the stoppage but it was the right call.

Official Result- Jason Knight def. Chas Skelly by TKO (punches) at :39 of Round 3

> Eddie Alvarez (#3, 28-5, 3-2 UFC) vs. Dustin Poirier (#9, 21-5, 13-4 UFC)
Lightweights

Poirier landed a big body kick to start. Poirier with a hard leg kick. Poirier landed a straight right hand that stunned Alvarez. Alvarez missed on two right hand attempts but landed a high kick. Poirier with a leg kick. Poirier lands another straight right hand. They traded and Poirier landed a body kick. Alvarez just missed a hard right hand. Alvarez lands a right hand at the end. 10-9 Poirier.

Alvarez came out firing with punches to start the round and was working for a takedown. Alvarez was landing left hands in a tie-up before they broke apart. Alvarez’ left eye is showing some good damage. Alvarez landed a clean right hand but Poirier rocked him back with a left hand. They started throwing bombs at each other and Poirier had Alvarez in huge trouble. Alvarez was almost finished with a head kick but survived. Poirier then started teeing off again and they were throwing back and forth. Alvarez with a head kick. Alvarez was teeing off on Poirier and had him in a ton of trouble. Incredible. Incredible. Loud chants for Alvarez. Alvarez got a takedown.Alvarez with an illegal knee that sent Poirier down and we have a break. This might be a DQ. It was a very illegal knee.

Herb Dean waved off the fight after the doctors looked over Poirier. It was an incredible fight up until that point. We’ll see what the decision is here. WHAT??? They are declaring it a no contest. That is all sorts of wrong. It was called an accidental foul by Herb Dean. Blown call there.

Official Result- Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier declared a no contest due to an accidental foul at 4:12 of Round 2

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> Krzysztof Jotko (#9, 19-1, 6-1 UFC) vs. David Branch (20-3, 2-2 UFC)
Middleweights

They were trading and Branch scored a takedown after ducking under a punch from Jotko. Branch was landing from the top but Jotko managed to get to his feet. Branch with some knees but Jotko able to reverse position. Jotko got a brief takedown but they stayed clinched against the fence. Not a lot of action and the crowd boos. I don’t blame them considering the action we’ve had on this card. Not much of a round. 10-9 Branch.

They clinched right back up and nothing was happening. They broke and Branch kicked Jotko right in the cup so we had a brief timeout. Back to action and there isn’t a lot of action going on here. Branch got a takedown but Jotko got right back up. Branch pushed Jotko against the fence and was blanketing him before they were broken up by the ref. Jotko got a head kick but Bramch scored a takedown. They each landed left hands on the way up. Crowd still booing this. 10-9 Branch, 20-18 Branch.

Jotko landed a spin kick but Branch fired back with a jumping body kick. Jotko landed a left hand off a takedown attempt from Branch. They clinched and Branch blanketed Jotko against the fence. This fight has been really boring and the crowd is letting them know it. This should have been on Fight Pass. They were broken up by the ref. They clinch again and Branch is punching the thighs of Jotko. Broken up again. Jotko with a late punch. Terrible fight. 10-9 Jotko, 29-28 Branch.

Official Result- David Branch def. Krzysztof Jotko by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

> Frankie Edgar (#2, 21-5-1, 15-5-1 UFC) vs. Yair Rodriguez (#7, 9-1, 6-0 UFC)
Featherweights

Edgar with a quick combo. Rodriguez was landing some shots until Edgar stunned him with a combo an pushed the fight against the fence. Edgar got a takedown. The hockey horn blew twice. Edgar was landing from the top but Rodriguez working hard from the bottom. Edgar landing a lot of punches from the top. Edgar with elbows from the top and more punches and he’s looking to finish it. Edgar with a huge round but Rodriguez survived though he has huge swelling under the eye. 10-8 Edgar.

Edgar landed a combo to start the second. Rodriguez with a wheel kick but Edgar was able to score a big takedown in return. Edgar landing from the top but Rodriguez is working for a leg from the bottom. Edgar with more punches from the top and it’s getting close to being stopped. Edgar looking to set up a choke. Rodriguez gives up his back. Rodriguez trying to roll out from under but Edgar back in the guard and landing elbows. Edgar with more stuffing punches from the top. Rodriguez is doing all he can to survive. Rodriguez looking for a triangle but Edgar transitioning out of the way. Another huge round for Edgar. 10-8 Edgar, 20-16 Edgar.

They’ve stopped the fight in between rounds. Edgar gets the win after a corner stoppage.

Official Result- Frankie Edgar def. Yair Rodriguez by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2

> Demian Maia (#3, 24-6, 18-6 UFC) vs. Jorge Masvidal (#5, 32-11, 9-4 UFC)
Welterweights

Maia went right for a takedown and Masvidal defended it but Maia got him down for a moment. Masvidal got back up but Maia still had the body lock and got the takedown and has the back of Masvidal. Maia got him back down and is on the back. Masvidal to his feet but Maia has the backpack on him. Masvidal backs Maia into the fence. Maia looking to get his arms free. He does and is looking for the choke. Maia is cut on his eye. Maia still has the back and is working for the choke but Masvidal defending well. Masvidal able to shake off Maia and is on top throwing lots of punches. Masvidal has Maia in trouble bt the round ends. 10-9 Maia.

Masvidal landed a punch and then a head kick and a leg kick. Maia has another takedown stuffed. Masvidal with a high kick. Masvidal with a leg kick. Maia went for another takedown but it is defended and Masvidal landed an elbow on the way up. They went back to the mat and Maia scrambled to the top position. Maia looking for the mount but Masvidal holding him in the half-guard. They get to their feet but Maia has the back. Maia with another brief takedown. Masvidal drops down to the mat and gives up his back. Maia looking to get the choke in. Maia landing from the back. I think Masvidal gave this round up. 10-9 Maia, 20-18 Maia.

Masvidal with a body kick. Maia looks very tired, Masvidal more fresh. Masvidal with a high kick. Maia is circling around the cage avoiding the attacks of Masvidal. Masvidal not really chasing after either. Masvidal with a head kick. Maia grabs the leg and gets Masvidal down and quickly jumps to the back. Maia has the neck of Masvidal but lets go. Maia now has the hooks in on the back. Masvidal has now officially given up on this fight. Maia in full control of the back and working to finish but too little, too late. Dominant showing from Maia though. 10-9 Maia, 30-27 Maia.

Official Result- Demian Maia def. Jorge Masvidal by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

It’s official. Demian Maia will get the next title shot at Tyron Woodley and the UFC Welterweight Championship.

> Joanna Jedrzejczyk (C, 13-0, 7-0 UFC) vs. Jessica Andrade (#3, 16-5, 7-3 UFC)
UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship

Jedrzejczyk attacking the legs early. She lands a solid combo. Andrade lands some big punches. They were trading some hard shots and Andrade clinched up. Jedrzejczyk with a hard knee in the clinch. Andrade gets a big takedown and is on top. They get to their feet and Jedrzejczyk with some hard knees to the body.They break and Jedrzejczyk with some leg kicks. Loud Joanna chants. Jedrzejczyk with a head kick. Jedrzejczyk with a front kick. They trade leg kicks and Jedrzejczyk lands a nice left hand. They clinch again and Andrade with another takedown but Jedrzejczyk right back up.Jedrzejczyk with a couple of late leg kicks. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk.

Jedrzejczyk starts off with some leg kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a quick jab. Jedrzejczyk with another power jab. She’s defending all of Andrade’s attacks before they are even thrown. Jedrzejczyk with a head kick. Andrade unable to land her punches as Jedrzejczyk is circling away perfectly. They trade leg kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a big right hand. Andrade ate it and then missed all of her return punches. Jedrzejczyk’s footwork is incredible. Andrade got a half-second takedown. Jedrzejczyk with a jumping head kick. Jedrzejczyk with some more jabs that are slowing Andrade down. Jedrzejczyk tagged her with a head kick and Andrade stumbled into a takedown late. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 20-18 Jedrzejczyk.

Jedrzejczyk with some leg kicks but Andrade is able to land a nice left hand. Jedrzejczyk with a body kick. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick and a hard right hand. Andrade chases her down looking for a takedown but it’s defended. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a big head kick that stunned Andrade. Jedrzejczyk lands a right hand and just misses a spinning head kick. Andrade got a late takedown. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 30-27 Jedrzejczyk.

Andrade’s leg is a mess from the leg kicks. And she eats a right hand from Jedrzejczyk to start the fourth. Jedrzejczyk lands another right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a big head kick. Andrade is tough. They clinch and Andrade is trying to get a takedown but is eating knees from Jedrzejczyk. Andrade got a brief takedown. Jedrzejczyk with a combo left hand and leg kick. She then lands a big right hand. Jedrzejczyk with another head kick. Jedrzejczyk with a knee in the clinch and a quick combo on the break. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 40-36 Jedrzejczyk.

Andrade has to finish this. They were trading inside the clinch. Andrade was landing some short punches but Jedrzejczyk was landing the same in return. They clinch but not much happens and Jedrzejczyk lands an elbow on the break. Andrade lands a nice right hand. Jedrzejczyk just keeping the distance and landing whenever Andrade rushes in. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. One minute left for Andrade to find a finish. Jedrzejczyk ducks under a right hand and lands a front kick to the body. Andrade had nothing for Jedrzejczyk. Another dominant performance from the defending champion. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 50-45 Jedrzejczyk.

Official Result- Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Jessica Andrade by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45), Jedrzejczyk remains the UFC Strawweight Champion

> Stipe Miocic (C, 16-2, 10-2 UFC) vs. Junior Dos Santos (#4, 18-4, 12-3 UFC)
UFC Heavyweight Championship

Miocic with an early leg kick. They started throwing big bombs at each other. Miocic with a right hand. Miocic lands some punches as Dos Santos circles away. Dos Santos has landed a couple but Miocic has more volume thus far. Miocic rocks Dos Santos. Miocici with a ciplle of clean right hands and he drops Dos Santos with another right hand. Miocic swarms on top with more punches and Herb Dean finally steps in and stops the fight! Miocic with another first-round knockout win as he remains the champion.

Official Result- Stipe Miocic def. Junior Dos Santos by TKO (punches) at 2:22 of Round 1, Miocic remains the UFC Heavyweight Champion

UFC 211 Observer Panel Picks: Two titles up for grabs

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

In terms of fight quality and star power, UFC presents its biggest pay-per-view of the year so far tonight with UFC 211.

In the main event, heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic looks to avenge a decision loss at the hands of former champ Junior dos Santos in ia rematch from December 2014.

In the co-main event, strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk will be looking for her sixth straight title defense and eight UFC win overall as she faces former bantamweight and top contender Jessica Andrade.

Two other main card fights could have immediate title implications as Demian Maia aims for his seventh straight win as he takes on the surging Jorge Masvidal, a former lightweight who has rung up three consecutive wins. The winner will have the best claim to a title challenge against division champ Tyron Woodley.

Former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar hopes to finally earn another featherweight title shot as he faces Yair Rodriguez, one of the most dynamic contenders in any division. With Jose Aldo and Max Holloway set to meet at UFC 212 to determine an undisputed 145-pound king, this fight could determine the next challenger for that belt.

Headlining up the FX-aired prelims is a key lightweight tilt as former champion Eddie Alvarez squares off with Dustin Poirier, one of the hardest hitters in the division. Alvarez will be fighting for the first time since losing his title to Conor McGregor last November at Madison Square Garden.

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 panelist’s 2017 records is in parentheses, and we also have panel consensus picks as well as a line where we show how the betting favorites did:

  • Dave Meltzer (23-10; .697) — Wrestling Observer publisher
  • Favorites (23-10; .697)
  • John Pollock (23-10; .697) — Fight Network analyst, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, MMA Report co-host
  • Consensus Picks (22-10; .688)
  • Mike Sawyer (22-11; .667) — Tough Talk MMA publisher
  • David Bixenspan (22-11; .667) – Deadspin pro wrestling columnist, Between the Sheets podcast host
  • Steve Juon (21-12; .636) — MMA Mania writer, Angry Marks publisher
  • Mike Sempervive (19-14; .576) — Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
  • Josh Nason (19-14; .576) — Host of Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, WrestlingObserver.com assistant editor
  • Ryan Frederick (18-15; .545) — WrestlingObserver.com UFC writer
  • Paul Fontaine (16-17; .485) — MMADraws.com publisher, WrestlingObserver.com writer
  • Front Row Brian (15-18; .455) — MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, podcast host

UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic (16-2) vs. Junior dos Santos (18-4) II

Many, myself included, feel that Miocic won their first fight, which headlined a Fox show in late 2014. Miocic went on to defeat Fabricio Werdum to win the heavyweight crown and will be aiming for his second title defense here against the former champion.

Dos Santos has been relatively inactive as this will be just his third fight since beating Miocic and his first fight in over a year. He has not finished an opponent in nearly four years since stopping Mark Hunt on Memorial Day weekend in 2013.

The betting lines are very close on this one, but our panel doesn’t see it quite that close.

  • Miocic #1; -125 betting favorite: Juon, FRB, Sawyer, Frederick, Fontaine, Nason, Pollock, Bixenspan, Meltzer, Sempervive

UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (13-0) vs. Jessica Andrade (16-5)

Andrade has fought more times than any woman in UFC history as tonight marks her 11th time stepping into the Octagon. She will fight for a title for the very first time as she goes up against the unstoppable-to-this-point “Joanna Champion”.

While flyweight king Demetrious Johnson recently tied the long-standing record for consecutive title defenses at 10, Jedrzejczyk is quietly approaching that record herself and has shown no signs of slowing down. Despite her long winning streak, the oddsmakers have set a fairly close line on this one.

Andrade is one of the hardest hitters in the division and the former 135-pounder will likely have the size advantage here as well. She has three straight wins in her new division including two stoppages and a one-sided beatdown of former Invicta champion Angela Hill in her last outing.

  • Jedrzejczyk #1; -160 betting favorite: Juon, FRB, Sawyer, Frederick, Fontaine, Nason, Pollock, Meltzer, Sempervive
  • Andrade #2; +165 betting underdog: Bixenspan

Demian Maia (24-6) vs. Jorge Masvidal (32-11)
WELTERWEIGHTS

Many feel that Maia has already earned a UFC title shot as the 39-year-old’s seven-fight win streak is the longest in the division. He’ll once again try to hold serve against former lightweight Masvidal, one of the gutsiest brawlers in the division who will try to pick up his fourth straight win.

Maia has an obvious advantage if the fight goes to the ground, but Masvidal is a very tough fighter to put away. His last three losses have been by split decision and he has not been finished since a submission loss in Bellator to Tody Imada in 2009.

At some point, age has to catch up to the veteran Maia, and the oddsmakers surprisingly have the former middleweight title contender set as the underdog. This should be a very close fight either way.

  • Maia #2; +113 betting underdog: Juon, FRB, Sawyer, Frederick, Nason, Pollock, Bixenspan, Sempervive
  • Masvidal #5; -110 betting favorite: Fontaine, Meltzer

Frankie Edgar (21-5-1) vs. Yair Rodriguez (10-1)
FEATHERWEIGHTS

This is a big step up in competition for Rodriguez, who has picked up main event wins in each of his last two fights, beating journeyman Alex Caceres and the legendary BJ Penn. He faces another future Hall of Famer here, although Edgar is much closer to the peak of his abilities than Penn was.

Edgar’s only loss in the last four-plus years came at the hands of division champ Jose Aldo where he took the champ the distance. Sandwiched around that loss at UFC 200 were wins over top contenders Chad Mendes, Urijah Faber, Jeremy Stephens, Cub Swanson, Charles Oliveira, as well as the aforementioned Penn.

Edgar has already lost to Aldo twice, so his best shot at another title fight would be if Holloway were to win that fight at UFC 212, but should Rodriguez emerge victorious here, he could immediately step into the next featherweight title bout.

  • Edgar #3; -122 betting favorite: Juon, Fontaine, Nason, Pollock, Meltzer
  • Rodriguez #26; +110 betting underdog: FRB, Sawyer, Frederick, Bixenspan, Sempervive

Eddie Alvarez (28-5) vs. Dustin Poirier (21-5)
LIGHTWEIGHTS

Alvarez scored one of the most surprising title wins in recent UFC history when he stopped former champ Rafael dos Anjos last July. His reign was short-lived, however, as McGregor blitzed him to capture the belt.

Another past McGregor victim stands in the way this time out as Poirier shoots for his sixth win in his last seven fights. Many have this one pegged as the leading contender for Fight of the Night as Poirier in particular has a penchant for picking up performance awards.

With the division somewhat on ice with champion McGregor focused on a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, both guys badly need a win here to maintain relevance in a tough weight class.

  • Alvarez #2; +113 betting underdog: Juon, FRB, Sawyer, Frederick, Nason, Sempervive
  • Poirier #17; -110 betting favorite: Fontaine, Pollock, Bixenspan, Meltzer

**********
The rest of the card —

Dave Branch (20-3) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (19-1)
MIDDLEWEIGHTS

  • Branch #16; +135 betting underdog
  • Jotko #13; -147 betting favorite

Chas Skelly (17-2) vs. Jason Knight (17-2)
FEATHERWEIGHTS

  • Skelly #17; -123 betting favorite
  • Knight #36; +113 betting underdog

James Vick (12-1) vs. Marco Polo Reyes (7-3)
LIGHTWEIGHTS

  • Vick #36; -335 betting favorite
  • Reyes #178; +353 betting underdog

Jessica Aguilar (19-6) vs. Cortney Casey (6-4
STRAWWEIGHTS

  • Aguilar NR; +103 betting underdog
  • Casey #19; -116 betting favorite

Rashad Coulter (8-1) vs. Chase Sherman (9-3)
HEAVYWEIGHTS

  • Coulter #205; +130 betting underdog
  • Sherman NR; -126 betting favorite

Enrique Barzola (12-3-1) vs. Gabriel Benitez (19-5)
FEATHERWEIGHTS

  • Barzola #192; +137 betting underdog
  • Benitez #66; -140 betting favorite

Gadzhimurad Antigulov (19-4) vs. Joachim Christensen (14-4)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

  • Antigulov #25; -345 betting favorite
  • Christensen #57; +363 betting underdog

Action begins with the Fight Pass prelims at 6:30 p.m. ET and moves over to FX at 8 p.m. ET. The main card airs on PPV at 10 p.m. ET, covered by our Ryan Frederick, who will be live at cageside.

For more UFC 211 coverage —

Fireworks erupt at UFC Summer Kickoff press conference

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Fireworks erupted at today’s UFC “Summer Kickoff” press conference in Dallas, which included some key announcements of fights between now and the end of July.

Most of the focus was on UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones, who meet for the title on July 29th at the Honda Center in Anaheim. This time, Cormier was cheered more than Jones, and had the louder chants.

Jones talked about how Cormier’s belt is “a piece of sh*t” because he never beat him, and both talked about an incident that happened just before the event started.

“F*** no, he never beat me,” said Jones. “The belt he has over there is an imaginary belt. I messed up.”

Before it was over, Cormier made remarks about Jones doing steroids, cocaine, and “sandblasting” prostitutes, while Jones claimed that he had a great month a few years ago when he did cocaine all weekend and then beat Cormier a week later.

“Is he really going to be in Anaheim?,” said Cormier, who was embracing being a heel, only to get cheered, and even did the Chris Jericho “Drink it in man” pose. “Is this guy really going to be at the fight? Is he going to mess this up by doing steroids, doing cocaine, or sandblasting prostitutes?”

Jones then responded, “I beat you after a weekend of cocaine. I had great back-to-back weekends, cocaine one weekend and you next.”

Jones also said that Cormier has shown him nothing in his recent fights, saying Anthony Johnson handed him a win and he looked even worse against Anderson Silva.

Cormier did seem off over an incident that had taken place before the press conference. Cormier said that Jones said something about Cormier’s kids and he smashed him in the face with a water bottle. Jones claimed that Cormier was crying and hugging Cain Velasquez and that he’d better love the next 11 weeks as champion and make Christmas cards while holding the belt.

Later, when it came down to pose-offs, Cormier and Jones were kept far apart. Jones came out with a replica belt and was heavily booed by a crowd that chanted “DC” with light chants for Jon Jones.

The biggest announcement of the show was more weekly UFC fights. They announced a weekly five-fight show that will air every Tuesday night, starting on July 11th, called “Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series.”

This will finally culminate White’s dream from 15 years ago about redoing the Tuesday Night Fights show that was a staple of USA Network programming in the 80s and 90s.

The show will take place from the UFC’s Gym in Las Vegas, and air on Fight Pass.

There were a lot of verbal fireworks, but the only physical fireworks were between Kevin Lee and Michael Chiesa, who headline a June 25th event in Oklahoma City. Lee, dressed up like Jimmy Snuka and trying to play a badass from the hood, claimed Conor McGregor was trying to take from him when accused of copying McGregor. He talked about being a product of hood and hip hop culture, that he’s real and McGregor isn’t, and how there’s nothing better than being young, black, and rich.

Later, when Michael Johnson, who faces Justin Gaethje on July 7th, talked about how Gaethje needs to be ready to die, Lee said that Johnson has had 30 fights, lost half of them, and never killed anyone.

Chiesa said Lee “looks like some dork who got kicked out of Woodstock,” after Lee made fun of his mullet.

Lee mentioned Chiesa’s mother being at the fight, and Chiesa said “Don’t you ever talk about my mom.” After a few seconds of them yelling at each other, Chiesa got up and made a beeline toward Lee. Lee threw a punch when he got there and both were pulled apart and kicked off the stage. Later, they were brought out to pose for photos together and both said words to each other but security let them near each other, something they wouldn’t allow Jones and Cormier to do.

Chris Weidman vs. Kelvin Gastelum was announced as the main event for a FOX show on July 22nd at the Nassau Coliseum. Weidman said he wanted Gegard Mousasi, but was not going to turn down a main event at the Nassau Coliseum. Both were respectful to each other — really the only ones who were.

Weidman vs. Gastelum and Gaethje vs. Johnson were made official, as was a July 8th women’s bantamweight title fight with Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko that had been rumored. Nunes and Shevchenko went back-and-forth verbally with Nunes talking about how she had already beaten Shevchenko.

The scheduled July 8th main event with Cody Garbrandt vs. TJ Dillashaw for the bantamweight title is in jeopardy. The video package before the press conference hyped the fight with lots of clips and a storyline about Dillashaw leaving Team Alpha Male, but neither were there. An excuse was made for Garbrandt, but Ariel Helwani on Twitter reported that Garbrandt is dealing with serious back issues and the fight is in jeopardy.

VIDEO: UFC Summer Kickoff media event at 5:30 PM EST

Posted on by F4W Staff

After a low key first five months of 2017, UFC will attempt to get some interest going for the summer with a big media event scheduled for Friday at 5:30 PM EST in Dallas, TX, streamed live here.

Jon Anik will host the event where it’s expected that some new fights will be announced like Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier II and perhaps Michael Bisping vs. Yoel Romero. Officially scheduled to be there today:

– UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt and T.J. Dillashaw who fight at UFC 213 on July 8th in Las Vegas

– Claudia Gadelha and Karolina Kowalkiewicz who fight at UFC 212 on June 3rd in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

– Holly Holm and Bethe Correia who fight at UFC Fight Night 111 on June 17th in Singapore

– Michael Chiesa and Kevin Lee who fight at UFC Fight Night 112 on June 25 in Oklahoma City, OK

The event will be held before the ceremonial UFC 211 weigh-ins.

UFC 211 loses another fight with Jared Gordon taken off card

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

UFC 211 lost its second fight when Jared Gordon was hospitalized this morning before weigh-ins and taken off the card.

Gordon wrote on Facebook: “Unfortunately, I will not be fighting tomorrow. Everything was going smooth last night when I turned sick at about 8-9 p.m. I was experiencing food poison symptoms. I was admitted to the hospital, alongside UFC’s doctor, I was advised to use an IV by both ER and UFC’s doctor which would make me ineligible to fight because of USADA’s rules. I’m extremely sorry to everyone who were going to attend and/or watch. Just another bump in the road.”

Gordon was scheduled to face Michel Quinones on what would have been the FX portion of the show.

For the main event UFC heavyweight title match, both men weighed almost identical as champion Stipe Miocic weighed in this morning at 246 pounds and challenger Junior Dos Santos came in at 245.

The show will now start at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time and have 12 fights. Originally it was to be a 14 match show, the biggest in UFC history, and scheduled to be as long as eight hours. It still could end up being a seven hour show.

The Sergio Pettis vs. Henry Cejudo PPV fight ended up being pulled earlier in the week when Cejudo suffered a hand injury.

The weigh-in results were:

  • Joachim Christensen (204.5) vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov (204)
  • Gabriel Benitez (145.5) vs. Enrique Barzola (146)
  • Chase Sherman (250) vs. Rashad Coulter (241)
  • Jessica Aguilar (115) vs. Cortney Casey (116)
  • James Vick (156) vs. Marco Polo Reyes (154)
  • Chas Skelly (146) vs. Jason Knight (146)
  • Eddie Alvarez (156) vs. Dustin Poirier (156)
  • Krzysztof Jotko (185) vs. David Branch (185)
  • Frankie Edgar (145.5) vs. Yair Rodriguez (146)
  • Demian Maia (170.5) vs. Jorge Masvidal (171)
  • Joanna Jedrzejczyk (115) vs. Jessica Andrade (114.5) for the women’s strawweight title
  • Stipe Miocic (246) vs. Junior Dos Santos (245) for the heavyweight championship

UFC reaches new TV deal with Fox Networks Group Latin America

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

UFC announced yesterday a new television deal with Fox Networks Group Latin America.

FNG will air UFC pay-per-view events, Fight Nights, the Ultimate Fighter reality show, and other events with the new deal that starts on Saturday with the Stipe Miocic vs. Junior Dos Santos headlined UFC 211.

That fight will be Miocic’s second defense of the UFC heavyweight title. He previously defended it against Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 203 in Cleveland last September.

The new deal will reach a number of countries, although it does not include Brazil as UFC has an existing deal in that country, nor Mexico, where UFC has worked with Televisa. However, FNG will become UFC’s home in Mexico in 2019.

The PPV events starting in August will air live on FOX Premium Action. The PPV prelims will air on both Fox Sports 2 and FOX Premium Action.

Fight Night shows will air live on Fox Sports 2.

Dana White: UFC’s plans for Michael Bisping vs. GSP are off

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Dana White said tonight that after Georges St-Pierre said he would be ready to fight Michael Bisping in November, that the plans for what was the biggest fight on the books for this year are off.

“I made this GSP fight, we did a press conference, the thing was supposed to happen in July,” said White on the UFC Fight Week television show that airs on Fox Sports in Australia. “Michael Bisping is going to have to defend his title now. We’re not waiting for GSP.”

White said that Bisping would instead be defending his middleweight title against former Olympic wrestling medalist Yoel Romero, who has been considered the top contender since he defeated Chris Weidman in Madison Square Garden in November.

St-Pierre, the greatest welterweight champion in UFC history, vacated the title at the end of 2013 and hasn’t fought since. He talked in early 2016 about wanting to come back, but attempts to put together a deal sputtered due to St-Pierre’s demands because he was used to making so much for sponsorships that UFC’s deal with Reebok wouldn’t allow. It wasn’t until early this year that St-Pierre agreed to terms, and to an opponent, Bisping.

UFC was attempting to make the fight on July 8th, as the main event for the International Fight Week show at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. But St-Pierre would never commit to the date.

The entire middleweight division was unhappy when St-Pierre released a statement five days ago, saying he’d be ready for Bisping after the end of October. A few weeks ago, when it seemed clear he wasn’t going to agree to fight on that date, Bisping spoke of it happening in the fall and seemed willing to wait.

“(Yoel) doesn’t need to voice his opinion on why he needs a title shot,” said White. “He definitely deserves a title shot. He’s next in line. He’s the No. 1 ranked guy in the world.”

“Georges St-Pierre is saying he will not be ready to compete now until November,” said White. “Who knows if that’s even the case. It could be next year. So we’re not waiting for Georges St-Pierre anymore. We’re moving on with the division, and Yoel Romero will get the next shot.”

UFC announces a fourth women’s division

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: Sherdog

Less than a week after Bellator MMA announced six new signings to its women’s flyweight division, the UFC formally announced their own women’s 125-pound division Wednesday and a plan to crown a champion.

Similar to what they did with women’s strawweight in 2014, a season-long tournament on The Ultimate Fighter will be the proving ground for the company’s newest division. No date or location was announced for the finale and title fight, but the season will likely air in the fall given that it’s filming in July.

UFC announced a late-May open tryout for women between 21-34 with a winning record and at least three professional fights. The tryouts are also open to current UFC competitors that can make 125 pounds throughout the season.

This will be the fourth UFC women’s division, joining strawweight, bantamweight and the recently created featherweight.

Of note, the UFC has held a women’s flyweight fight, a one-off between Joanne Calderwood and Valerie Letourneau in June 2016. Coincidentally, Letourneau is one of the new aforementioned Bellator signees.

CM Punk part of MTV’s ‘The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros’ cast

Posted on by Joseph Currier

CM Punk is returning to television, but it won’t be in a professional wrestling ring or the UFC Octagon.

MTV announced today that Punk would be part of the cast for “The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros.” The show is a six-week special and will begin airing on May 16th. It features 10 athletes competing against 10 winners of the long-running series. They will be competing for a $50,000 prize that goes towards a charity of their choosing.

Punk is billed as a UFC fighter in the cast listing. Former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will host the show.

Other than Punk, the most notable athletes on the show are former NFL player Shawne Merriman and Olympian Lolo Jones. Punk and Merriman haven’t had the best relationship in the past, with the two exchanging tweets when Punk accused Merriman of striking out when trying to hit on some of the women in WWE. Merriman was also critical of Punk prior to his UFC debut, though they followed each other on Twitter recently.

Merriman was also previously linked with WWE, including an appearance on the WrestleMania 30 pre-show, but nothing permanent ever came to fruition.

In another pro wrestling connection, The Miz formerly appeared on several editions of “The Challenge” before signing with WWE.

UFC Fight Night 108 live results: Cub Swanson vs. Artem Lobov

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 108: Swanson vs. Lobov, emanating from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

The event is headlined by a five-round bout in the featherweight division as Cub Swanson looks to score his fourth straight win as he takes on Artem Lobov, winner of two straight bouts.

Swanson had a perfect 2016 and is coming off what many regard as one of the best fights in UFC history, his decision win over Doo Ho Choi, and he looks to retain his momentum towards a potential title shot. Lobov has been well criticized for getting this main event opportunity, as his pro record is barely above .500, but he has done his part in talking up the fight.

The co-main event features the return of Al Iaquinta, who returns after a two-year layoff, as he takes on the original “Ultimate Fighter” winner, Diego Sanchez.

Also among the fights on the main card is a potential firework bout in the bantamweight division as John Dodson takes on Eddie Wineland, and a lightweight battle between ground specialist Joe Lauzon and Stevie Ray.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.

UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT

> Hector Sandoval (13-3, 1-1 UFC) vs. Matt Schnell (10-3, 0-1 UFC)
Flyweights

Great opener. Round started first with both guys trading punches from inside and then slowed down for awhile. Schnell got a tight guillotine and Sandoval powered out of it by slamming Schnell to the canvas twice and ended up on top. He peppered him with hammer fists until he was KO’d.

RESULT – HECTOR SANDOVAL (14-3) by TKO (punches) at 4:24

Sandoval called out Demetrious Johnson after the fight. That’s not gonna happen.

> Bryan Barberena (12-4, 3-2 UFC) vs. Joe Proctor (11-4, 4-3 UFC)
Welterweights

Antoher good fight. Started slow with kind of a feeling out process for the first couple of minutes. Both guys landed a few really nice punch/kick combos and then started taunting each other to throw down and they did. Proctor got the worst of it and was down quickly. Barberena was just relentless, pounding him out with punches on the ground until Dan Miragliotta stepped in to stop it.

RESULTS – BRYAN BARBERENA (13-4) by TKO (punches) at 3:30

Barberena put over his training partners at MMA Lab, including Benson Henderson but didn’t call anyone out. This was Proctor’s debut at 170 and he’s way too small for that weight class.

> Alexis Davis (#10, 17-7, 4-2 UFC) vs. Cindy Dandois (8-2, 0-0 UFC)
Women’s Bantamweights

Dandois took Davis down almost immediately and the entire round was fought on the ground. Davis seemed to get the better of the exchanges a couple of submission attempts and a lot of ground and pound but Dandois held her own. I gave it to Davis 10-9

More of the 2nd round was standup and it was pretty even. The different in the round was that Dandois got 2 takedowns and also did some damage with ground and pound so it’s 19-19 after 2. 

Third round was similar to the 2nd but Davis was more active on the ground, even from her back and was close to a submission as the fight ended. I gave it to Davis but it was close enough it could go either way. 29-28 Davis

RESULT – ALEXIS DAVIS (18-7) by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

FOX SPORTS 2 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT

> Jessica Penne (#14, 12-4, 1-2 UFC) vs. Danielle Taylor (8-2, 1-1 UFC)
Women’s Strawweights

First round was typical Danielle Taylor and almost the exact same as every round in her first two fights. Her opponent chased her around the Octagon, she landed occasional shots and her opponent couldn’t take advantage of the reach advantage. 10-9 Taylor

Round 2 was more entertaining and better for Penne. She landed more combos, mixing in some Thai knees from the clinch that did some damage. Taylor landed a really nice flurry at the end of the round but Penne responded with more knees to the body. 10-9 Penne and all tied up after 2. 

Very close standup in the third with Penne being slightly more active. Penne also got a flash takedown in the middle of the round and then ended the fight with a takedown which may be enough to take the round and the fight. 10-9 Penne, 29-28 overall

RESULT – DANIELLE TAYLOR (9-2) by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

Last two rounds were really close so that wasn’t a bad decision at all. Taylor was very excited after the fight and cut a great promo but didn’t really say anything, if that makes sense. 

> Scott Holtzman (9-2, 2-2 UFC) vs. Michael McBride (8-2, 0-1 UFC)
Lightweights

Fun opener. Holtzman giving up a lot of size but he’s the hometown guy and seems to be the more powerful puncher. McBride standing straight up and getting nailed with hard single punches all round but managed to stay on his feet through all of them and got a late takedown but Holtzman should take it 10-9

Second round was more dominant for Holtzman. Tennessee hadn’t adopted the new scoring or it might’ve been a 10-8. He controlled the fight both on the feet and the ground and did a lot of damage with leg kicks to the point where McBride has a huge welt on the back of his lead thigh. 

Third round just as one-sided for Holtzman. McBride has a hell of a chin and never gave up but he took a lot of punishment from Holtzman, who was again relentless on the feet and the ground. Last minute or so was all on the ground as Holtzman seems to know he had it won and was riding out the round. 

RESULT – SCOTT HOLTZMAN (10-2) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 2; 30-26)

Holtzman had landed a groin shot in the first round and after the scores were announced he told McBride “sorry for kicking you in the nuts”. Holtzman was crazy over in his hometown but the line to McBride was better than his post-fight promo.

> Dustin Ortiz (#9, 16-6, 5-4 UFC) vs. Brandon Moreno (#10, 13-3, 2-0 UFC)
Flyweights

Ortiz took Moreno down constantly in the first. Moreno fought him off well and was going for submission from his back but Ortiz controlled almost the entire round and won it 10-9 in my book.

Round was looking similar although Ortiz was having a little harder time securing the takedowns. Then Moreno dropped him with a headkick out of nowhere and pounced on him on the ground. He secured a body lock and fought for about a minute to get the rear naked choke. He finally got it and Ortiz went out cold without tapping.

RESULT – BRANDON MORENO (14-3) by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:06 of the 2nd round

Dustin Ortiz took the mic from Brian Stann and said that they needed to give it up for “this young guy”. Then Moreno put over Ortiz as a tough guy. That was Moreno’s 11th straight win and he’s not far away from a title shot, especially considering Demetrious Johnson has beaten everyone else. 

Moreno closed his promo by saying “maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next month, but I will be champion some day, I promise.” He’s a better promo when he speaks Spanish but this was pretty good. 

> Thales Leites (#11, 26-7, 11-6 UFC) vs. Sam Alvey (#13, 30-8 1 NC, 7-3 UFC)
Middleweights

Leites hurt Alvey wtih the first strike of the fight, a leg kick and the whole round was Alvey basically stalking Leites around the cage and eating kicks, both to the head and the leg. Alvey was limping back to his corner after the round. 10-9 Leites

Round 2 was better for Alvey. Leites slowed way down on the kicks and Alvey was able to do a little bit of damage with his punching. Leites did manage a takedown but Alvey was up right away. 10-9 Alvey, 19-19 after 2.

Third round was really close. Alvey was hit with both a low blow and an eye poke but other than that it was just Alvey stalking Leites around the Octagon with neither guy landing much. It looked like Leites landed slightly more so I gave it to him but could go either way. 10-9 Leites, 29-28 overall

RESULT – THALES LEITES (27-7) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT

> Jake Ellenberger (#13, 31-12, 10-8 UFC) vs. Mike Perry (9-1, 2-1 UFC)
Welterweights

Round was almost entirely on the feet. Ellenberger seemed more active and attempted a bunch of takedowns, getting Perry down a couple times but he got right back up both times. I gave it to Ellenberger but it was very close. 

Insane minute of action. Both guys hurt each other with flurries and Perry’s nose was broken from a punch. Perry then dropped him with a left hook. Ellenberger managed to get up and a few seconds later, Perry knocked him out cold with an elbow to the head.

RESULT – MIKE PERRY (10-1) by KO (elbow) at 1:05 of the 2nd round.

Ellenberger couldn’t even get up for the winner’s announcement as he was still being tended to by medical personnel. Perry asked for a UFC fight for his coach Julien Williams, who fights on the regional circuit. Perry gloated after the fight and said “who’s fight do you want me to ruin next?”….as they’re showing highlights of Ellenberger’s head bouncing off the canvas after the KO. 

> Joe Lauzon (27-12, 14-9 UFC) vs. Stevie Ray (20-6, 4-1 UFC)
Lightweights

Completely dominant first round from Lauzon. He took Ray down early and punished him. He never really got close to a finish but did enough damage that it was an easy 10-8

Lauzon looked really tired to start the second and Ray was picking him off with punches for the first half of the round. Then Lauzon got a takedown and, while he didn’t do any damage, he held him down for half the round. Very close but probably Ray’s round and it’s 19-18 Lauzon after 2. 

Lauzon actually told his corner he was tired after the 2nd and it showed. He did manage a takedown but Ray got up fairly quickly and was actually doing more damage from his back. The last minute Ray was all over Lauzon and rocked him a couple of time. It looked like Lauzon would’ve been finished if it went another 30 seconds. 10-8 Ray and 28-27 Ray overall

RESULT – STEVIE RAY (21-6) by majority decision (28-27, 29-27 and 28-28)

All 3 scores were good as the 2nd was close although it’s hard to see how the third was a 10-8 and not the first but Ray deserved the win. Ray said he hoped the fans appreciated the fight even though their guy lost and they did cheer him after that. 

> John Dodson (#7, 18-8, 7-3 UFC) vs. Eddie Wineland (#10, 23-11-1, 5-5 UFC)
Bantamweights

Not much happened in the first. Crowd hated the fight as both guys just moving around a lot but throwing very little and landing even less. Dodson was a little more busy so I gave the round to him 10-9

More of the same in the second although Dodson did land a couple really hard shots and Wineland bleeding from the nose and a cut under his right eye by the end of the round. With 1 minute left, the total strikes landed were 23-5 for Dodson and that’s for the whole fight in total. Crowd booing heavily several times during the round and WOOOOing when they got bored. 

Wineland landed slightly more in the third but it was more of the same. By the end of the fight, Wineland was covered in blood and Dodson looked exactly the same as he did at the start. Crowd booed heavily at the end of the fight. 10-9 Dodson, 30-27

RESULT – JOHN DODSON (19-8) by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x 2)

 I don’t know how Wineland could’ve possibly won a round here but the right guy won. Dodson put over Wineland as the most dangerous striker he’s ever seen and asked the fans to give him a round of applause and they booed. He said you can boo me but please give this man a round of applause and they booed even louder. 

> Ovince Saint Preux (#8, 19-10, 7-5 UFC) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (15-4-1, 4-2 UFC)
Light Heavyweights

de Lima landed leg and body kicks early and often. Saint Preux didn’t do much of anything until the last 30 seconds. 10-9 de Lima. Boring first round. 

Saint Preux took de Lima down early and opened up cuts under both eyes with elbows really quickly. De Lima looked completely gasses and Saint Preux pinned his neck against the cage and choked him out. 

RESULT – OVINCE SAINT PREUX (20-10) by submission at 2:11 (Von Flue choke)

OSP said after the fight for Dana White to send him the contract and show him the money cause you know what I’m talking about. Well, I don’t and I’m not sure anyone else does either. De Lima missed weight here and basically gave up before he was even submitted there. OSP’s coach called the submission “The Von Saint Fleux”

> Al Iaquinta (#14, 12-3-1, 7-2 UFC) vs. Diego Sanchez (27-9, 16-9 UFC)
Lightweights

Well, this was quick. Iaquinta dropped Sanchez with a punch early and he got up quickly. Seconds later, he dropped him again and John McCarthy stepped in before he could do any more damage.

WINNER – AL IAQUINTA (13-3-1) by KO (punch) at 1:38

Iaquinta did his best to get the crowd to boo him by saying “the sooner you all realize I’m the man, the better off we’ll both be”. They half-heartedly booed him. Stann asked him how soon he wants to fight again and he said “I don’t know, I’m selling houses now. If anyone’s looking to sell a house, hit me up.”. That was different. 

> Cub Swanson (#4, 23-7, 8-3 UFC) vs. Artem Lobov (13-12-1 1 NC, 2-2 UFC)
Featherweights

Lobov was the more active fighter in the standup, although he didn’t do a ton of damage. He also got a takedown but didn’t do much with it. 10-9 Lobov

Better round for Swanson. Pretty even on the feet until they clinched up in the center. Swanson did a lot of damage with knees and punches to the body and then got a takedown. He did more damage with ground and pound, took the back and got a couple near submissions for an easy 10-9. 19-19 after 2

Swanson rocked Lobov a couple of times with awesome punch/kick combos. He also opened a cut on his left eye that ref Herb Dean had to stop the action to check. Easy 10-9 for Swanson and 29-28 overall so far.

Close round in the fourth but I thought Lobov was more active and had more combos. Round was entirely on the ground and both guys had their moments and it really could go either way but I’ve got it 38-38 going into the fifth. This round is likely the decider if it goes all the way though. 

Great closing round and great fight. Fairly even round until the last minute or so when Swanson really took over. He got a late takedown and even moved into mount but Lobov actualy managed to escape and get to his feet fairly quickly. They closed the fight with an awesome punch exchange. 10-9 Swanson and 48-47 overall. No doubt as to the winner, even thought round 4 was close

RESULT – CUB SWANSON (24-7) by unanimous decision (49-46 x 2; 50-45)

Really don’t know how Swanson could’ve won round 1 when he was outstruck 39-27 and the fight was pretty much all standing except for a Lobov takedown. But the right guy won.

Swanson has won 9 of his last 11 with the last two being absolute classics and asked for a title shot. He really should get it. 

Lobov got a post-fight promo as well. Lobov put over Cub, said he’ll keep working and come back better next time. 

UFC on FOX 24 posts lowest overnight ratings in show history

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Even though Demetrious Johnson was going for his record-tying 10th consecutive title defense, and Michelle Waterson was coming off winning a main event that did big numbers, last night’s UFC on FOX show did the lowest numbers on the overnights in history.

Johnson’s third round win over Wilson Reis did 1.74 million viewers on the overnights, down 18 percent from last April’s Glover Teixeira vs. Rashad Evans main event, and down 28 percent from the numbers Luke Rockhold vs. Lyoto Machida pulled two years ago.

FOX drew the least amount of viewers in prime time last night of the four major networks last night. But they tied the NHL playoff game with the Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators for second place in the 18-49 demo, with a 0.6.

The audience number will increase when the final ratings come out Monday or Tuesday. The 1.74 million measures what is on during the 8-10 p.m. slot on the West Coast, which was local programming. It also doesn’t measure the period after 10 p.m., when most of the main event took place, and is almost always the most-watched portion of the show.

It was Johnson’s fourth time to headline on FOX, and his prior numbers on the overnights ranged from 2.04 million to 3.77 million. Waterson’s last fight, a win over Paige VanZant in December, drew the best UFC on FOX numbers for a live show in several years.