Tag: ufc

Upcoming MMA Events January 2026: UFC, PFL and more

Posted on by Jake Skudder

January is finishing strong for MMA fans, with major shows from UFC and ONE Championship plus can’t miss regional cards. Below is a reader friendly January 2026 fight calendar, followed by promotion by promotion breakdowns so you can plan your viewing without having to hunt across apps.

UFC events in January 2026

The UFC’s remaining January schedule features two big Saturdays: a blockbuster PPV in Las Vegas, followed by a trip to Sydney the next weekend.

Date (ET)EventLocationWhere to watch (US)
Sat, Jan 24UFC 324: Gaethje vs. PimblettT-Mobile Arena, Las VegasParamount+
Sat, Jan 31UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2Qudos Bank Arena, SydneyParamount+

Tip: If you follow multiple combat sports, January 24 is a particularly busy weekend. Set reminders early so you do not miss walkouts.

PFL schedule update for late January

If you are searching specifically for a PFL card in January, you are not missing anything. PFL’s first listed 2026 event is in early February, so January is more of a countdown month for the promotion.

Next PFL event after January (ET)EventLocation
Sat, Feb 7PFL Dubai: Nurmagomedov vs. DavisCoca-Cola Arena, Dubai

ONE Championship events to watch in January 2026

ONE Championship is also on the January calendar, highlighted by a Prime Video card timed for U.S. audiences.

Date (ET)EventLocationWhere to watch (US)
Fri, Jan 23 (9 p.m. ET)ONE Fight Night 39Lumpinee Stadium, BangkokPrime Video

If you want more ONE content beyond the Prime Video card, ONE’s event hub is the quickest way to see what is booked around it.

LFA and regional MMA worth adding to your calendar

Regional promotions are where future contenders are built. In late January, LFA has a Friday night show, and Europe has multiple options for fans who like discovering prospects early.

Date (ET)PromotionEventLocation
Fri, Jan 23LFALFA 225: Degli vs. AguiarBrasília, Brazil
Sat, Jan 24Cage Warriors Academy ItalyCW Academy Italy 18Calcinato, Italy
Sat, Jan 31OKTAGON MMAOKTAGON 83Stuttgart, Germany

JNPO: Luke Thomas on Morning Kombat’s future, TKO’s combat sports takeover, career evolution

Posted on by Josh Nason

On a new Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, Josh welcomes first time guest and longtime MMA media personality Luke Thomas for an extended play conversation.

Luke has done YouTube, SiriusXM, terrestrial radio, Spike TV and commentary but has never appeared on this very show. That changes now.

The guys talk about the state of the award-winning Morning Kombat with Brian Campbell’s departure and Chuck Mindenhall’s entrance, some MMA media and general media matters, his decision to launch a political offshoot YouTube channel, his long-running live chat series that helped inspire this very podcast, thoughts on TKO taking over everything combat sports, and lots more.

If you’re an MK fan, there’s a lot here for you and if not, you’ll learn why it’s so popular.

Click here to listen for free or stream free on either Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

UFC reaches sponsorship deal to rename Apex facility

Posted on by Joseph Currier

UFC has entered into a sponsorship deal to rename its UFC Apex facility, a venue that has hosted many MMA fights and even an NXT PLE.

It was announced today that the Las Vegas facility will now be known as Meta Apex per a deal that UFC has reached with technology giant Meta, the parent company of Facebook. Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg is a big MMA fan and has already partnered with UFC in a deal that’s made Meta the promotion’s official technology partner.

The Apex is a multi-purpose venue that hosts live events as well as serving as a production facility. A press release hypes that the Apex will showcase “Meta’s cutting-edge technology, including its AI, VR, and AI glasses advancements in real-world applications.” The naming rights agreement will also see Meta branding now integrated throughout the Apex.

“Meta is always at the forefront of technology and immersive experiences, and their enhancements will change the way fans view live fights,” UFC President Dana White said. “This rebranding comes at the perfect time as the facility is completing a major renovation, expanding capacity, concessions, hospitality, and UFC retail. For the first time ever, fans can come to Meta Apex and experience UFC fights with interactive VR, AI, and wearable technology. I can’t wait for fans to see it.”

The Apex is home to Dana White’s Contender Series and some of the UFC’s Fight Night events. In 2024, it served as the location for NXT Battleground 2024 with UFC and WWE both being under the TKO Group umbrella.

UFC’s ongoing expansion of the Apex will result in the facility accommodating up to 1,000 attendees. Tickets to UFC events at the venue had not been made available to the general public up this point, but that will be changing later this year.

UFC on ESPN 73 live results: Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

The final UFC event of 2025, as well as the final event for the UFC on ESPN as their media rights deal comes to an end, sees UFC On ESPN 73 take place inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The main event is a five-round bout in the flyweight division that could see potential title shot implications as former title challenger Brandon Royval battles Manel Kape. Royval is coming off a loss to new flyweight champion Joshua Van in an incredible fight in June, and is looking to break back into the win column. Kape has won two straight fights.

In the co-main event, 15th-ranked Giga Chikadze battles Kevin Vallejos in featherweight action. Also on the main card is a middleweight bout between Cesar Almeida and Cezary Oleksiejczuk; a featherweight fight pitting Melquizael Costa against Morgan Charriere; and a catchweight fight between long-time veteran King Green and former Bellator fighter Lance Gibson Jr. in his UFC debut.

On the prelims, an intriguing name is making his UFC debut as former Bellator Welterweight Champion Yaroslav Amosov, sporting a 28-1 record, debuts against the all-time wins leader in the UFC welterweight division, Neil Magny.

UPDATE: A women’s strawweight bout between Amanda Lemos and Gillian Robertson has been scratched from the card due to a medical issue for Lemos.

ESPN+ PRELIMS | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT

> Women’s Flyweights- Jamey-Lyn Horth (8-2, 3-2 UFC) vs. Tereza Bleda (7-1, 1-1 UFC)

They both look to land and Bleda looks for a takedown, but Horth defends and they start trading at a distance. Bleda shoots for a takedown against the fence but Horth is defending. They end up separating and Horth is landing big shots and Bleda is in a lot of trouble. Horth continues to land big and Bleda looks like she is going out and it is stopped! What a finish from Horth!

Fight Result- Jamey-Lyn Horth def. Tereza Bleda by TKO (punches) at 2:05 of Round 1

> Heavyweights- Allen Frye (6-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Guilherme Pat (5-0, 0-0 UFC)

They clinch right up as Frye pushes Pat against the fence and lands an elbow. Frye with some elbows and knees agains the fence. Pat lands an elbow with his back on the fence and they separate. Pat lands a combination. Pat lands a big combo and Frye is already cut open under his eye. Pat with a left hook to the body followed by a right hand. They trade and Frye pushes it against the fence and lands some knees. They break apart and Pat lands a stiff right hand. Pat lands at the end. 10-9 Pat.

They trade and Pat lands a big right hand before they clinch. Pat with an elbow. They separate and Pat lands a left hand then a double jab followed by a right hand. They tie back up and Frye pushes it to the fence. Pat gets the underhooks but Frye pushes him back against the fence. Frye with a short uppercut but he is mostly just leaning on Pat as they break apart. Frye lands the jab. Pat with a left hand. Pat lands a big combination. Frye looks for a takedown but Pat is defending. They break apart. Pat lands a leg kick. 10-9 Pat, 20-18 Pat.

Pat lands some big shots to start the round and has Frye in trouble. Pat is pouring it on with right hands and Frye is able to get the clinch. They’re just holding onto each other though Frye lands a couple of knees. They separate. They immediately clinch right back up. Pat lands a pair of short right hooks from in the clinch. Pat lands an elbow as they break and Frye lands a short left hand. Pat lands a big combo and Frye immediately grabs ahold of him and they go to the fence. Frye with some knees and they break apart. Pat lands some big shots and a knee to the body as they tie right back up. Pat with a left hand and an elbow. 10-9 Pat, 30-27 Pat.

Fight Result- Guilherme Pat def. Allen Frye by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Women’s Bantamweights- Melissa Croden (7-2, 1-0 UFC) vs. #15 Luana Santos (9-2, 4-1 UFC)

They trade leg kicks and Croden connects with a pair of right hands. Santos lands a heavy calf kick and a right hand. Santos looks for a takedown and both land a knee, but Santos is able to score the takedown and has the scarf hold against the fence. Croden looking for the back and she has it as Santos lets go of the neck. They separate to the center. Croden lands a combo followed by a heavy body kick. Santos grabs the body lock and pushes it against the fence. They trade knees. 10-9 Croden.

They trade jabs and Croden lands a body kick as Santos was looking for a spinning attack. They trade inside the pocket. Santos grabs the body lock as Croden is pushing away, but they go to the fence. Croden with some short punches. Santos is trying for the takedown but Croden is defending and landing short punches. Santos gets a takedown. Santos is trying to pass guard but Croden is keeping her in the guard. Santos with some elbows to the body from the half-guard. Croden gets Santos back inside of her guard. They both land on the mat. Santos attacks the leg late. 10-9 Santos, 19-19.

Croden lands a head kick that Santos blocks. Croden with an inside leg kick and lands before Santos gets the clinch against the fence. They separate and Croden lands a combination. Santos quickly grabs the head and scores a takedown. Santos has head control and lands a pair of punches. Santos with some more punches as she keeps the head lock locked on. Santos keeps it locked on and is applying lots of pressure. Santos lands some more punches. 10-9 Santos, 29-28 Santos.

Fight Result- Luana Santos def. Melissa Croden by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

> Heavyweights- Sean Sharaf (4-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Steven Asplund (6-1, 0-0 UFC)

They’re both landing big shots early as Sharaf lands a left hand and Asplund lands some right hands. Sharaf lands a big right hand. Asplund lands a jab as Sharaf lands a leg kick. Asplund with a heavy leg kick. They trade right hands in the pocket. Sharaf lands a right hand. Asplund lands a big right hand and they both land in close range. Sharaf lands a combo. Asplund with a hard calf kick. They trade punches. Sharaf with a small flurry and Asplund lands a big right hand. Sharaf is cut open between the eyes. Asplund lands a right hand. Asplund lands some big shots. Sharaf with a left hand. He lands to the body but his face is a mess. Asplund with a right hand followed by a big uppercut. Asplund rocks Sharaf with a left hand and starts landing but backs away. Asplund slips on a kick. Asplund lands a combo late. 10-9 Asplund.

Asplund working the jab to start the round. Sharaf lands a big right hand and they trade against the fence. Sharaf’s face remains a mess. He shoots for a takedown but misses by a mile. Asplund with a series of shots. They trade big shots inside the pocket. Asplund with a big combo. Asplund lands but then lands a big groin strike on Sharaf and time out is called. They get back to action. Asplund lands a jab and Sharaf lands a right hand. They are both wearing Sharaf’s blood. Asplund hurts Sharaf with a right hand. Asplund landing against the fence but Sharaf fires back with some big shots. Asplund pouring on the volume against the fence. Asplund lands some clean shots and Sharaf is on shaky legs. Asplund with a big right hand and some more punches. Asplund is landing lots of shots and he finally ends it with a big right hand! What a finish from Asplund!

Fight Result- Steven Asplund def. Sean Sharaf by TKO (punches) at 3:49 of Round 2

> Featherweights- Joanderson Brito (17-5-1, 5-3 UFC) vs. Isaac Thomson (9-2, 0-0 UFC)

Thomson with a body kick. Thomson catches a Brito leg kick and lands a right hand as they go down to the mat. Brito with an elbow from the bottom as Thomson takes the back. They stand with Thomson on the back and he lands a knee. Thomson lands some left hands from the back. Thomson trying to get the hooks in as they go back down to the mat. Thomson loses position as they scramble up and Brito now has the back of Thomson. Thomson with some back elbows as Brito lands some knees. Brito picks Thomson up and slams him down but they scramble and Thomson scores a takedown. They stand and Brito gets another big slam takedown. He has the back but Thomson slips out on to the top position. They get up. Brito with some knees as they roll to the mat and Brito lands a hammerfist at the end. 10-9 Thomson.

They trade kicks and Brito tries a spin attack but Thomson ducks under and scores a takedown. They scramble and end up back on the feet where Brito lands a right hand before grabbing the body. Brito lets go and they separate. Thomson lands a body kick. Thomson lands an uppercut. Thomson shoots for a takedown but Brito defends. They trade and Thomson lands a left hand. Brito grabs the neck and is looking for a D’Arce choke. Thomson is able to escape and takes the back of Brito as they get to their feet. Brito reverses and has the back and lands some knees. Brito trips Thomson to the mat and lands a right hand. Brito has the body triangle lockedon the back and is working. Brito looks for a choke but has it across the chin and lets go. 10-9 Brito, 19-19.

Brito with a pair of heavy leg kicks. Brito with a right hand as Thomson throws a head kick. Thomson lands a body kick. Brito lands a body kick. Brito with a small flurry. Brito lands to the body against the fence and he’s pouring on the pressure as Thomson is circling around. Brito looks for a takedown against the fence. Thomson is landing elbows to the side of the head to defend. Brito has the back as they stand and lands some knees. Brito drags it down for a brief moment and maintains back control as they stand. Brito has body control as Thomson lands little elbows and looks to attack the arm. Brito drags it to the mat and hops to the back, but they scramble up. Brito continues to pressure against the fence. 10-9 Brito, 29-28 Brito.

Fight Result- Joanderson Brito def. Isaac Thomson by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Welterweights- Neil Magny (31-13, 24-12 UFC) vs. Yaroslav Amosov (28-1, 0-0 UFC)

They trade leg kicks. Magny with a front kick. They trade as Amosov lands a pair of kicks. Amosov grabs the back and they go to the fence. They break and trade some punches. Amosov grabs the body lock and goes to the fence and scores the takedown. Amosov right into top half-guard. Amosov lands from the top. Amosov trying to trap an arm as he lands. Amosov looks for an anaconda choke and has it locked in. Magny taps! Amosov picks up the impressive win in his UFC debut.

Fight Result- Yaroslav Amosov def. Neil Magny by submission (anaconda choke) at 3:14 of Round 1

ESPN2 MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT

> 160-pound Catchweights- King Green (32-17-1 1 NC, 13-12-1 1 NC UFC) vs. Lance Gibson Jr. (9-1, 0-0 UFC)

Gibson Jr. lands some leg kicks as Green connects with some punches. Gibson Jr. with a high kick. Green lands a left hand. Green with a combination. Green lands a body kick. Green lands a body kick. Gibson Jr. lands a body kick. They trade left hooks. Gibson Jr. lands a leg kick and fakes a takedown attempt as Green is trash talking. Green with a combination. Green lands a front kick and a right hand. Gibson Jr. with a knee in a brief clinch. 10-9 Green.

Green lands a left hand that trips Gibson Jr. up. Gibson Jr. gets up and lands a pair of leg kicks. They trade in close range and Green lands a groin strike and time out is called. They get back going after almost a two-minute break. Green lands a body kick. Green with a head kick that Gibson Jr. blocks. They trade and Gibson Jr. scores a takedown. Gibson Jr. is in side control and controlling the head. They scramble and Gibson Jr. has back control as they stand. Gibson Jr. with some knees and foot stomps and he attacks the single leg, but Green defends and they separate. They trade right hands. Green lands a left hand. Green with a combination. Gibson Jr. lands a leg kick. They trade as Green connects with a right hand. 10-9 Gibson Jr., 19-19.

They trade leg kicks. Gibson Jr. lands a body kick. Green lands a leg kick. Gibson Jr. with a high kick. Gibson Jr. scores a takedown. Green is able to force a scramble up almost immediately. Green lands a right hand. Green connects with a combination ending with a big left hand. Green lands a combination. Green with a leg kick then a combo. Gibson Jr. lands a leg kick but Green catches it and scores a takedown. Green with some body shots from the top. Green with hammerfists from the top. 10-9 Green, 29-28 Green.

Fight Result- King Green def. Lance Gibson Jr. by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

> Heavyweights- Kennedy Nzechukwu (14-6, 8-6 UFC) vs. Marcus Buchecha (5-2, 0-1 UFC)

Nzechukwu lands a leg kick and Buchecha gets it down and looks for a leg lock. They get up and Buchecha gets it back down, but they get right back up. They clinch against the fence and Nzechukwu lands a knee to the groin and time out is called. They get back going and tie back up and Buchecha gets a takedown and attacks the legs, but they get up. Nzechukwu lands some big shots and Buchecha ends up going down. 10-9 Nzechukwu.

They get going and Nzechukwu lands an eye poke and time out is called. Nzechukwu has a point taken away. They get back going and Buchecha gets it back down and has the back. He ends up getting the mount and starts landing elbows from the top. Buchecha with lots of shots from the top as Nzechukwu is covering up. Buchecha is attacking the arm and looking for an armbar late but time runs out. 10-8 Buchecha, 19-18 Buchecha.

Buchecha immediately goes for a takedown and grabs the back. They get to the mat and Buchecha is still attacking the back. They are scrambling around on the mat looking for the best position as both land some shots. Nzechukwu landing from the back as the fight ends. Weird fight. 10-9 Nzechukwu, 28-28.

Fight Result- Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Marcus Buchecha ends in a unanimous draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28)

> Featherweights- Melquizael Costa (24-7, 5-2 UFC) vs. Morgan Charriere (21-11-1, 3-2 UFC)

Costa lands a big body kick. Charriere lands a pair of leg kicks. Costa then lands a flush head kick that puts Charriere down and out and it is all over! Massive finish by Costa!

Fight Result- Melquizael Costa def. Morgan Charriere by knockout (head kick) at 1:14 of Round 1

> Middleweights- Cesar Almeida (7-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Cezary Oleksiejczuk (16-3, 0-0 UFC)

Almeida with some leg kicks. They trade body kicks and Oleksiejczuk scores a takedown right into the crucifix position. Almeida gets the arm loose but Oleksiejczuk stays on top and is landing while controlling. Almeida looks to roll but Oleksiejczuk is maintaining top control. Oleksiejczuk gets inside the full guard of Almeida and lands some more. They get to their feet against the fence. Oleksiejczuk lands an elbow on the break. 10-9 Oleksiejczuk.

Almeida lands some kicks. Almeida with a hard body kick. He lands another body kick. They trade punches. Almeida lands a big right hand and Oleksiejczuk is able to score a takedown. They get up, but Oleksiejczuk is able to score another takedown. Almeida reverses to the top and lands. Almeida tries to posture up, but he loses his balance and stumbles and Oleksiejczuk gets him back to the mat and lands from side control. Oleksiejczuk lands from the top. 10-9 Oleksiejczuk, 20-18 Oleksiejczuk.

Almeida lands a pair of body kicks but Oleksiejczuk is able to pick him up and score a takedown. Oleksiejczuk landing from the top and he apparently lands a groin strike from the top and time out is called. Oleksiejczuk did land an elbow to the groin, but Almeida also landed an illegal knee to the head on the mat. They are restarted on the feet. Almeida lands, but Oleksiejczuk is able to score a takedown. Oleksiejczuk lands from the half-guard. Oleksiejczuk gets the back and lands. They get to their feet and Almeida drops down for a guillotine choke but Oleksiejczuk escapes and lands from the top. 10-9 Oleksiejczuk, 30-27 Oleksiejczuk.

Fight Result- Cezary Oleksiejczuk def. Cesar Almeida by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Featherweights- #15 Giga Chikadze (15-5, 8-3 UFC) vs. Kevin Vallejos (16-1, 2-0 UFC)

Chikadze with a high kick after they spend a minute feeling each other out. Vallejos lands a leg kick. Chikadze with a body kick. Chikadze lands another body kick then a head kick and a left hand and Vallejos is hurt. They clinch against the fence. They battle for position as Vallejos is controlling. They break free and Chikadze lands a body kick. Chikadze’s shin as a cut open and a hole in it from landing the kicks. They trade kicks and Vallejos lands a right hand. 10-9 Chikadze.

Vallejos lands a body kick. Chikadze lands a body kick then a high kick. Chikadze lands a front kick. Vallejos lands a right hand that stuns Chikadze and then tees off and drops Chikadze with a spinning back fist and some elbows from the top end it! Big finish for Vallejos!

Fight Result- Kevin Vallejos def. Giga Chikadze by knockout (strikes) at 1:29 of Round 2

> Flyweights- #2 Brandon Royval (17-8, 7-4 UFC) vs. #6 Manel Kape (21-7, 6-3 UFC)

They trade leg kicks. Royval with a right hook. Kape lands a leg kick. Royval with a body kick. Royval lands a combo. They trade in close range. Royval lands a body kick. Kape with a right hand to the body. Kape lands a big punch that drops Royval and Kape lands a big shot that put Royval out and a follow-up shot woke him back up and it is stopped! Royval got up protesting but he was out and Kape picks up the big win.

Fight Result- Manel Kape def. Brandon Royval by TKO (punches) at 3:18 of Round 1

UFC 323 live results: Two title fights from Las Vegas

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

The final UFC pay-per-view of 2025, and perhaps the final one in company history as a historic new media rights deal begins next year, sees a stacked card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for UFC 323.

The main event is a battle for the UFC Bantamweight Championship as current champion Merab Dvalishvili defends against former champion Petr Yan. Dvalishvili is making his fourth title defense of 2025, while Yan has won three straight fights. This is a rematch of a non-title bout that took place in March 2023, which was won by Dvalishvili.

The co-main event sees a second title fight as UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja defends against Joshua Van. Pantoja is making his fifth title defense in the midst of an eight-fight win streak, while the surging Van has won five straight and is coming off a win over Brandon Royval in one of the best fights of the year.

The rest of the main card sees a flyweight bout between former champion Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira; a bantamweight bout that sees former two-division champion Henry Cejudo, in his retirement bout, taking on Payton Talbott; and another former champion in Jan Blachowicz squaring off against Bogdan Guskov in light heavyweight action.

FX PRELIMS | 6 PM ET/3 PM PT

> Featherweights*- Muhammad Naimov (13-3, 5-1 UFC) vs. Mairon Santos (16-1, 3-0 UFC)

*Santos missed weight by 1.5 pounds

They trade leg kicks as Santos lands a hard one. Santos rocks Naimov with a right hand as Naimov landed a leg kick. Naimov lands a body kick. Santos with a front kick to the body. Santos lands a high body kick. Time out is called as there was a clash of heads. Action resumes and they clinch against the fence. Naimov lands a knee as Santos lands a hammerfist to the thigh and is slapping the back of Naimov. Santos lands a knee and they separate. Naimov with a wheel kick that Santos blocks. Santos with a body kick. 10-9 Santos.

Santos lands a hard calf kick. They clinch and Santos gets the body lock and has the back as they go to the fence. Santos is slapping the back of Naimov as Naimov is just holding onto Santos. Santos lands another hard calf kick. Santos lands a leg kick. Naimov isn’t landing with much offense. They clinch and Santos lands a knee. Santos lands another knee and a left hand on the break. Naimov shoots for a takedown but Santos defends and lands a knee. They separate. 10-9 Santos, 20-18 Santos.

Santos lands a leg kick and then drops Naimov with a massive right hand and some follow-up shots from the top end it. What a finish from Santos!

Fight Result- Mairon Santos def. Muhammad Naimov by TKO (punches) at :21 of Round 3

> Middleweights- Mansur Abdul-Malik (8-0-1, 2-0-1 UFC) vs. Antonio Trocoli (12-5 1 NC, 0-2 UFC)

They trade punches and Trocoli lands a leg kick. Abdul-Malik gets a takedown. Abdul-Malik gets to his feet and then jumps into the mount. Trocoli tries to roll out and Abdul-Malik grabs the neck and has a standing guillotine choke locked in as they got to their feet and Trocoli quickly taps!

Fight Result- Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Antonio Trocoli by submission (standing guillotine choke) at 1:09 of Round 1

> Light Heavyweights- Iwo Baraniewski (6-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Ibo Aslan (14-3, 2-2 UFC)

Aslan with a front kick and then a leg kick. Baraniewski lands a leg kick. Baraniewski lands a knee as they clinch and then they both land and drop each other. Baraniewski stands and they are teeing off on each other in a massive exchange and Baraniewski drops Aslan and starts landing lots of punches. Aslan recovers and lands some big right hands. They separate and that was nuts. Aslan lands some right hands and Baraniewski drops him again and finishes it off! This was absolute madness!

Fight Result- Iwo Baraniewski def. Ibo Aslan by knockout (punch) at 1:29 of Round 1

> Lightweights- Edson Barboza (24-13, 18-13 UFC) vs. Jalin Turner (14-9, 7-6 UFC)

Barboza lands some leg kicks and lands a combo witha left hook that hurts Turner. They clash heads and a cut is open on Barboza from an elbow and Turner then drops Barboza with a right hand. Turner gets on top and lands as Barboza is trying to escape and they get to their feet. Barboza is bleeding badly. They trade body kicks and Turner lands to the body. Turner lands some big punches and Barboza goes to his knees but stands as Turner lands a big flurry. They trade against the fence. Barboza circles away. Turner lands against the fence and Barboza goes down and it is stopped! Turner gets the big win!

Fight Result- Jalin Turner def. Edson Barboza by TKO (punches) at 2:24 of Round 1

> Middleweights*- #14 Marvin Vettori (19-8-1, 9-7-1 UFC) vs. Brunno Ferreira (14-2, 5-2 UFC)

*Ferreira missed weight by three pounds

They trade leg kicks. Vettori looks for a takedown but Ferreira defends. Vettori lands a left hand as Ferreira lands a leg kick. Ferreira lands a left hand. Ferreira with a body kick and a right hand. Vettori lands a leg kick. Ferreira with a heavy leg kick. They trade in close range. Vettori lands a left hand. Ferreira lands a body kick. They trade in close range as Ferreira connects with a right hand. Ferreira gets a brief takedown and lands as they stand. Vettori lands a combo late and connects again at the end. 10-9 Ferreira.

Vettori looks for a takedown but Ferreira defends. Ferreira then lands a few punches. Ferreira with a body kick and Vettori returns with his own body kick. Vettori with a double jab and a left hand. Ferreira lands as Vettori rushed in. Vettori lands a left hand. They trade kicks. Vettori lands a leg kick. They trade leg kicks and Vettori connects with a left hand. Ferreira returns fire with a big shot. Ferreira lands a few big shots. Ferreira with a head kick and they connect inside the pocket. Ferreira with a leg kick and a right hand as they have a quick exchange. Ferreira lands to the head and body. Vettori lands a combo but eats a right hand from Ferreira. 10-9 Ferreira, 20-18 Ferreira.

They trade and Ferreira gets a takedown. They scramble and Ferreira grabs the neck as Vettori is on top. Vettori gets free and they scramble to their feet. Vettori pressuring and lands as he pushes Ferreira against the fence. Vettori is looking for a takedown as Ferreira has neck control. Vettori is able to score the takedown and gets his neck free and lands from the top. They get up and break apart. Vettori lands a combo as Ferreira lands a jab. Vettori lands a combo. Vettori lands some more punches. Ferreira lands a right hook. Ferreira looks for a takedown but Vettori defends. Ferreira lands a right hand and then a combo. Ferreira with a spinning elbow as Vettori ducked just under it. They both connect with left hands. Vettori rocks Ferreira for a brief moment. Vettori lands a right hook. Ferreira with an uppercut. Vettori lands a combo. They trade late. 10-9 Vettori, 29-28 Ferreira.

Fight Result- Brunno Ferreira def. Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Lightweights- Nazim Sadykhov (11-1-1, 4-0-1 UFC) vs. Fares Ziam (17-4, 7-2 UFC)

Ziam lands a leg kick and they clinch against the fence. Ziam gets a takedown and looks for an arm-triangle choke but Sadykhov is able to escape and Ziam has back control. Ziam gets full back control and is looking for a choke but Sadykhov defends it. Ziamis landing from the back. Ziam has full back control to end the round. 10-9 Ziam.

They trade and Ziam stuns Sadykhov with a jab. Ziam lands a few leg kicks and gets a brief takedown but they get right to their feet. Ziam lands a right hand and pushes it against the fence. Sadykhov reverses position but Ziam is able to reverse back. They get to their feet. Ziam lands a pair of big elbows and Sadykhov goes down and Ziam lands some big shots from the top and Jason Herzog ends it as the buzzer rings to end the round. What a finish from Ziam!

Fight Result- Fares Ziam def. Nazim Sadykhov by TKO (strikes) at 4:59 of Round 2

> Women’s Flyweights- #5 Maycee Barber (14-2, 9-2 UFC) vs. #9 Karine Silva (19-5, 5-1 UFC)

Barber working the jab early as Silva lands a body kick. Silva lands a leg kick as Barber throws a combo. Barber lands a body kick. They trade kicks. Silva gets a takedown and looks to take the back of Barber. Silva has back control along the fence and Barber is landing backward punches. Silva is attacking the choke but had it across the face and Barber is able to force her to let go. Silva keeps back control as Barber is looking to spin and she does into the guard of Silva. Barber lands some ground-and-pound to end the round as Silva almost lands some illegal upkicks. 10-9 Silva.

Barber lands a combination and a leg kick. They clinch against the fence and Silva grabs the neck looking for a guillotine choke but Barber is able to get her head out and pressure Silva along the fence. Barber scores a takedown. They scramble and Silva lands an illegal upkick and timeout is called. Barber is wobbling as she got to her feet as the kick landed right to the chin. Barber is able to continue and she gets Silva back to the ground. Barber gets the back and lands some punches. Barber with some nasty elbows from the back. Barber with more shots from the back as she’s hunting for a submission opening. Silva rolls but Barber is able to maintain top position. Silva looks for a triangle choke late. 10-9 Barber, 19-19.

They trade to start the third as Barber is connecting with better combinations. Both circle around and Barber lands a combo. Silva shoots for a takedown and is able to score it. Barber starts throwing from the bottom as Silva stands. Silva looks for a leg lock or a heel hook. Barber is able to escape and she gets on top of Silva. Barber lands from the top as Silva looks for a triangle choke. Barber lands to the body as Silva lets go. Barber stands and lands leg kicks. They get to their feet and Barber pushes it to the fence and lands a knee. Barber gets a late takedown even though Silva grabbed the fence. 10-9 Barber, 29-28 Barber.

Fight Result- Maycee Barber def. Karine Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

> Lightweights- Terrance McKinney (17-7, 7-4 UFC) vs. Chris Duncan (14-2, 5-1 UFC)

McKinney lands a big knee and then a head kick. McKinney is teeing off and Duncan starts firing back and both land big shots. They trade some more and Duncan looks for a takedown and gets it. They get back to their feet and McKinney lands a knee and they break. Duncan lands a right hand. McKinney with a pair of knees. Duncan lands a body kick but eats a right hand. Duncan with another right hand. McKinney with more knees. Duncan the drops McKinney with an elbow and Duncan starts landing from the back. Duncan landing lots of punches. They stand but Duncan keeps landing. McKinney goes back to his knees as Duncan continues to land. Duncan grabs the neck and locks in a D’Arce choke and McKinney taps! What a fight!

Fight Result- Chris Duncan def. Terrance McKinney by submission (D’Arce choke) at 2:30 of Round 1

> Lightweights- #13 Grant Dawson (23-2-1, 11-1-1 UFC) vs. Manuel Torres (16-3, 4-1 UFC)

Torres lands some body kicks. Dawson looks to land leg kicks and looks for a takedown, but Torres defends. Dawson lands a right hand as Torres lands a left hand. Dawson lands a body kick. Dawson lands a leg kick. Dawson with another leg kick. Dawson with a body kick and Torres connects with a combination that puts Dawson on the mat, and Torres ends it with some shots from the top! What a finish from Torres!

Fight Result- Manuel Torres def. Grant Dawson by TKO (punches) at 2:25 of Round 1

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> Light Heavyweights- #5 Jan Blachowicz (29-11-1, 12-8-1 UFC) vs. #11 Bogdan Guskov (18-3, 4-1 UFC)

Guskov with a quick leg kick and left hand. Blachowicz lands a leg kick. They trade jabs and Blachowicz lands a leg kick. Blachowicz lands another leg kick as they trade jabs. They trade leg kicks. Blachowicz lands a jab to the body. Blachowicz lands a pair of kicks. Guskov lands a solid left hook. Blachowicz lands a jab that makes Guskov back up. They trade leg kicks. Blachowicz with a calf kick. Blachowicz lands a combo. Blachowicz lands a leg kick. Guskov lands a quick flurry. Blachowicz with a leg then body kick. 10-9 Blachowicz.

Blachowicz lands a leg kick followed by a jab. Guskov lands a right hand. Blachowicz lands a leg kick and Guskov drops him with a right hand. Guskov starts landing from the top but Blachowicz is able to recover some. Guskov gets inside thre guard and is landing. Blachowicz throwing from his back. Blachowicz looks for a heel hook. Guskov with some left hands from the top. Blachowicz looks for a heel hook. He lets go. Guskov lands some elbows from the top. Guskov with more elbows and he has Blachowicz hurt. Blachowicz is cut open badly. Guskov lands to the body. Guskov lands some more elbows. Blachowicz survives. 10-8 Guskov, 19-18 Guskov.

They trade jabs. Guskov lands a right hand. Blachowicz with a calf kick but eats a solid right hand from Guskov. Guskov lands some big punches and a jab. Blachowicz with a jab. They trade jabs and Blachowicz lands a heavy leg kick. Guskov with a combo. Guskov lands a solid right hand. Blachowicz lands a right hand. Guskov complains of an eye poke but it wasn’t called. Blachowicz pressing forward and lands and lands a leg kick. Blachowicz lands a right hand. Guskov lands a right hand. Blachowicz lands a body kick. They trade in close range. Blachowicz lands a high kick and then drops Guskov at the end and lands a big flurry as they go the distance. 10-9 Blachowicz, 28-28.

Fight Result- Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov ends in a majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)

> Bantamweights- #10 Henry Cejudo (16-5, 10-5 UFC) vs. Payton Talbott (10-1, 4-1 UFC)

Cejudo lands a leg kick. Talbott lands a stiff right hand. Talbott with a heavy leg kick. Talbott with another leg kick. Talbott with a left hand. Cejudo lands a leg kick. They clinch and Talbott lands a pair of knees to the body before they separate. Time out is called for an eye poke by Talbott. They get back going and Cejudo lands a right hand as Talbott lands a leg kick. They trade inside the pocket. They tie up and Talbott scores a trip takedown. Talbott lands from the top and lands from the back as they stand. Talbott lands a left hand and gets a late takedown. 10-9 Talbott.

Talbott lands a leg kick. They trade inside the pocket and Talbott clips Cejudo as Cejudo lands a right hand. Cejudo went to the mat for a moment but got up and they were trading. They scramble and Cejudo ends up on top. Cejudo lands from the top and gets the back and has back control as they stand. They separate. Talbott lands to the body. Talbott with a head kick and follows it with a quick flurry. Talbott landing to the body and hurting Cejudo. Cejudo on the run as Talbott continues to land, but Cejudo fires back and lands a left hand. Talbott pushes Cejudo to the mat and lands from the top. Talbott with some shots from the top and they stand and trade. Cejudo’s right eye is a mess. Talbott lands a big knee. Cejudo lands a right hand. 10-9 Talbott, 20-18 Talbott.

Talbott lands a left hand as Cejudo lands a leg kick. They trade kicks as Talbott is landing at will. Cejudo lands a right hand as Talbott lands a leg kick. Talbott lands a combo and a high kick then a left hand. Talbott lands to the body and Cejudo gets the body lock as they battle for a takedown. They scramble to the mat and Cejudo ends up on top, but they scramble up. Cejudo pushes Talbott to the fence. Cejudo with a kne to the body. They break apart. Cejudo almost gets a takedown but Talbott defends. Talbott lands a combo. Talbott lands a leg kick as Cejudo grabs it but lets go. Talbott with a big knee to the body and some body shots that hurt Cejudo. They have a wild exchange to end it as Talbott lands a huge knee. 10-9 Talbott, 30-27 Talbott.

Fight Result- Payton Talbott def. Henry Cejudo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Flyweights- #2 Brandon Moreno (23-8-2, 11-5-2 UFC) vs. #5 Tatsuro Taira (17-1, 7-1 UFC)

Taira lands a right hand. Taira shoots for a takedown but Moreno ends up on top and looks for a triangle choke. He has it locked in and Taira is trying to find a way to escape. Moreno is holding onto the position as Taira lands some body shots. Taira lands a knee to the body. Taira tries to slam his way out. Taira landing some punches as Moreno is holding on. Taira is able to escape and lands some knees late. 10-9 Moreno.

Moreno lands a left hook and a right hand. Moreno lands a leg kick followed by a combination. Taira lands a leg kick. Taira shoots for a takedown but Moreno sprawls. Taira lands a right hand and then scores a takedown. They scramble and Taira gets the back. Taira lands a flurry of big right hands from the back and flattens Moreno out. Taira with some big ground-and-pound and he finishes Moreno! It may have been a little early but Taira was in a dominant position and picks up a big win.

Fight Result- Tatsuro Taira def. Brandon Moreno by TKO (punches) at 2:24 of Round 2

> UFC Flyweight Championship- C Alexandre Pantoja (30-5, 14-3 UFC) vs. #1 Joshua Van (15-2, 8-1 UFC)

They trade. Pantoja throws a high kick and Van grabs the leg and goes to score a takedown and Pantoja goes down and all of a sudden the fight is stopped as Pantoja looks hurt. Wow. Replay shows that Pantoja was trying to plant on the takedown with his arm and his arm broke. Van is the new champion.

Fight Result- Joshua Van def. Alexandre Pantoja by TKO (injury) at :26 of Round 1 to win the UFC Flyweight Championship

> UFC Bantamweight Championship- C Merab Dvalishvili (21-4, 14-2 UFC) vs. #3 Petr Yan (19-5, 11-4 UFC)

Yan pressing forward to start. Dvalishvili lands a right hand. Dvalishvili lands a leg kick and then a right hand. Yan lands a stiff jab followed by another. Dvalishvili with a right hand. They trade jabs. Dvalishvili lands a combo. Yan with a double jab. They trade inside the pocket. Yan lands a big right hand that hurts Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili is circling away. Yan lands a pair of jabs. Dvalishvili looks for a takedown and grabs the back of Yan. Dvalishvili got it briefly down and has the back as they stand. Dvalishvili is trying hard to take Yan down but Yan is defending. They separate. They trade jabs and Dvalishvili goes back looking for the takedown but Yan defends. Dvalishvili lands a knee before they break apart. 10-9 Yan.

Dvalishvili rushes in and lands a right hand. Dvalishvili shoots for a takedown but Yan defends against the fence. Dvalishvili still working to get Yan down but he has been unable to do so thus far as they break apart. They trade left hands. Both land in close range. Yan scores a takedown. They scramble and Dvalishvili gets the back of Yan as they work up. Yan forces a scramble and has Dvalishvili’s back against the fence as they stand. Dvalishvili now grabs the neck of Yan. They separate. Dvalishvili grabs the single leg and looks for a takedown. They separate and Dvalishvili lands a big right hand and Yan lands a jab. 10-9 Yan, 20-18 Yan.

Yan lands a body kick. Dvalishvili lands and then Yan picks Dvalishvili up and slams him down and Dvalishvili landed on his head. They get up and Dvalishvili’s face is all busted up. Yan lands. Dvalishvili is abe to pick Yan up and slams him down, but Yan immediately gets back up. Dvalishvili has the back and drags Yan back down, but they get right up. Yan is able to escape. Dvalishvili lands a jab and goes right back for the takedown, but Yan scrambles away. They trade jabs. Yan lands a body kick. Dvalishvili shoots for a takedown but Yan sprawls and lands a knee on the break. They clinch and Yan lands a right hand as they break. They trade jabs. Dvalishvili looks for a takedown but Yan defends it. They clinch and both land knees. Dvalishvili presses forward and lands. Yan hurts Dvalishvili badly with a body kick. Yan lands a right hand. Close round. 10-9 Yan, 30-27 Yan.

Dvalishvili pressing forward and lands some punches. Dvalishvili looks for a takedown, but Yan reverses position. Dvalishvili has the neck and drops down looking for a guillotine choke. He’s working for it, but Yan is able to escape and he has back control as they stand. Yan lands a knee as they break and then lands a jab. Yan with a body kick. Dvalishvili lands and looks for a takedown, but Yan defends and lands a left hand on the break. Dvalishvili lands a combo. They trade jabs and both land right hands. Yan hurts Dvalishvili with some punches and Dvalishvili is circling away. Yan rushes in and lands but they circle to the center. Yan with a pair of body kicks. Yan hurts Dvalishvili with a left hook to the body. Yan with more big punches. Dvalishvili lands a left hook. 10-9 Yan, 40-36 Yan.

Yan throwing side kicks to start. Dvalishvili works the jab and they trade left hooks. They both land leg kicks. Dvalishvili is constantly throwing but not connecting. Yan lands an inside leg kick. Yan lands to the body and then works the jab. Dvalishvili looks for a takedown but Yan defends. Yan lands a pair of left hands. Yan lands a head kick. Dvalishvili’s face is a mess. Yan lands a right hand. Dvalishvili gets the back and tries to get Yan down, but Yan keeps it on the feet. Dvalishvili lands an elbow. Dvalishvili keeps going for takedowns, but Yan is defending. Yan gets Dvalishvili down. Yan has the back as they stand and lands a knee to the body as they break. Yan hurts Dvalishvili again with a body kick. Yan with another body kick as they trade in close range. Yan gets a late takedown. 10-9 Yan, 50-45 Yan.

Fight Result- Petr Yan def. Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) to win the UFC Bantamweight Championship

UFC on ESPN+ 123 live results: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dan Hooker

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

The Octagon heads to a brand new location as the UFC debuts in Qatar at the ABHA Arena in Doha for UFC On ESPN+ 123.

The main event is an exciting five-round bout in the lightweight division as top contender Arman Tsarukyan takes on Dan Hooker. Both are coming off long layoffs, as Tsarukyan hasn’t fought since April 2024 and Hooker has been out since August 2024. Tsarukyan comes into the fight riding a four-fight win streak, while Hooker has scored three consecutive wins.

The co-main event is a pivotal bout in the welterweight division that could decide the next title challenger as former UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad takes on Ian Machado Garry. Muhammed fights for the first time since dropping the title in May, while Machado Garry looks to notch his second straight win.

Also on the main card is a light heavyweight bout pitting Volkan Oezdemir against Alonzo Menifield; a heavyweight bout between Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Shamil Gaziev; and a flyweight bout that sees Tagir Ulanbekov welcoming former flyweight title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi back to the UFC.

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> Heavyweights- Marek Bujlo (6-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Denzel Freeman (6-1, 0-0 UFC)

Bujlo lands a leg kick to start. They trade leg kicks before trading punches. Freeman connects with a left hand. Freeman throws a high kick that hits the arms of Bujlo. They trade kicks as Freeman lands a body kick. They both connect in a quick pocket exchange. Freeman with a left hand. Bujlo lands a leg kick. He lands a right hand. Freeman with a high kick. Freeman lands a spin kick and Bujlo lands a leg kick. 10-9 Freeman.

They trade more kicks to start the second. Bujlo lands a right hand and Freeman counters with a leg kick. Bujlo lands a leg kick and Freeman lands one in return, then Bujlo lands another. They trade more kicks. Freeman lands a high kick. Freeman lands a combination. Bujlo with a leg kick. Bujlo lands a right hand and they trade short leg kicks. 10-9 Freeman, 20-18 Freeman.

Bujlo lands and Freeman trips to the mat and Bujlo gets inside of his guard. They end up back on the feet and Freeman lands a left hand. They trade leg kicks and Bujlo misses a right hand. They trade more kicks. There isn’t much happening here. Freeman lands a left hand. Freeman lands a left hand. Bujlo lands a right hand. Bujlo with a body kick and Freeman lands a switch kick. This fight was awful. 10-9 Freeman, 30-27 Freeman.

Fight Result- Denzel Freeman def. Marek Bujlo by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

> Lightweights- Nurullo Aliev (10-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Shem Rock (12-1-1, 0-0 UFC)

Rock lands some leg kicks and Aliev grabs the leg looking for a takedown, but lets go. Aliev with a leg kick. Aliev hurts Rock with a right hand and they trade while clinched up. Rock lands a left hand. Aliev lands a combo. Aliev lands a left hand and Rock with a knee. Aliev with another short combo and hurts Rock with a right hand. Aliev lands a flush left hand. Aliev landing some big shots as they tie up. Rock shoots for a takedown but Aliev sprawls away. They trade in close range. Aliev lands a big combo. Rock lands a body kick. 10-9 Aliev.

Aliev lands a right hand. Rock lands a pair of switch kicks. Aliev lands a combo with a body kick. Rock lands a pair of leg kicks. Aliev looks for a takedown against the fence. They break apart and Aliev lands a combination. Aliev lands a right hand before connecting with a flurry. Rock with a leg kick. They trade in close range. Aliev rocks Rock with a punch. Rock looks for a takedown but Aliev scores a takedown of his own. They get to their feet as Aliev has body control, and he lands as they break. Rock with a head kick that Aliev blocks. They trade and timeout is called for an eye poke. They get back going and Rock lands a kick. 10-9 Aliev, 20-18 Aliev.

They trade and Aliev grabs Rock and pushes him against the fence. They battle in the clinch and timeout is called for a groin strike. They get back to action. Rock shoots for a takedown but Aliev defends and lands a left hand. Rock is able to score a takedown and has body control as they scramble. Rock gets Aliev down and gets into full mount. Aliev is able to push off the fence with his feet and they stand. They trade and Rock shoots for a takedown, but Aliev defends and grabs the neck, though they get up and break apart. They trade inside the pocket. Aliev gets the back and drags Rock down and keeps back control as they stand. Rock lands a head kick. Rock with a leg kick. 10-9 Rock, 29-28 Aliev.

Fight Result- Nurullo Aliev def. Shem Rock by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Middleweights- Ismail Naurdiev (24-8, 3-3 UFC) vs. Ryan Loder (7-2, 1-1 UFC)

They trade body kicks. Both land a punch. Naurdiev with a high kick. Naurdiev lands a massive right hand and Loder goes down out cold! What a finish from Naurdiev!

Fight Result- Ismail Naurdiev def. Ryan Loder by knockout (punch) at 1:26 of Round 1

> Bantamweights- Bekzat Almakhan (17-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. Aleksandre Topuria (6-1, 1-0 UFC)

Topuria works the jab. Almakhan lands a combo. Topuria lands a leg kick as Almakhan connects with a combination. Almakhan lands a left hook. Almakhan lands a big leg kick that trips Topuria down to the mat. Almakhan lands a combo ending with a heavy knee. Topuria lands a right hand. They trade in close quarters and Topuria grabs the head and scores a hip toss takedown. Topuria inside the guard of Almakhan and lands. Topuria transitions to the mount position. They scramble to the feet and separate. Topuria with a jab. Topuria lands a big right hand. Topuria is pressuring and lands late. 10-9 Topuria.

They trade jabs. Topuria ducks under and scores a takedown. Topuria controls but they scramble up. Almakhan lands a right hand. Almakhan with a short uppercut. Topuria lands a right hand. Almakhan lands a leg kick. Topuria with a jab. Almakhan lands to the body. Topuria shoots for a takedown but Almakhan defends it. Topuria lands two big right hands. Almakhan is busted up. Almakhan lands a combo. Almakhan with a right hand. 10-9 Topuria, 20-18 Topuria.

Topuria pressuring and lands before looking for a takedown against the fence. Almakhan defends. Topuria lands a big right hand that hurts Almakhan. Topuria is pressuring Almakhan around. Topuria throws and Almakhan ducks under and gets a brief takedown as they get right back to their feet. Topuria working the jab as Almakhan is circling around. Topuria shoots for a takedown and presses Almakhan against the fence. They separate. Almakhan lands a right hand and a quick flurry. 10-9 Topuria, 30-27 Topuria.

Fight Result- Aleksandre Topuria def. Bezkat Almakhan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Light Heavyweights- Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev (7-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Rafael Cerqueira (11-3, 0-3 UFC)

Yakhyaev drops Cerqueira with a head kick right away and starts landing from the top. They get up but Yakhyaev gets a big takeodwn and locks in a rear-naked choke and Cerqueira taps! What a debut from Yakhyaev!

Fight Result- Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Rafael Cerqueira by submission (rear-naked choke) at :33 of Round 1

> Flyweights- #7 Alex Perez (25-9, 7-5 UFC) vs. #8 Asu Almabayev (22-3, 5-1 UFC)

Perez lands a leg kick. Almabayev with a calf kick. They trade as Perez rushes forward. Almabayev lands a high kick. Perez lands a calf kick. He lands another and then another leg kick. Almabayev shoots for a single leg but Perez defends and lands some elbows. Almabayev briefly got it down but they tie up against the fence. Perez with some hammerfists to the thigh and they break apart. They trade kicks. They trade as Perez lands a combo and Almabayev lands a knee. Perez lands a combo and a leg kick. They trade and Perez keeps pressuring with leg kicks. Almabayev scores a takedown and Perez is landing elbows. 10-9 Perez.

Perez rushes in with a flurry and Almabayev lands a knee. They trade leg kicks. Almabayev lands a leg kick and Perez scores a takedown and lands from the top, and lands a big right hand before they stand. Perez scores another takedown and lands from the top before they get back up. They trade as Almabayev lands a flush uppercut. Almabayev lands a right hand. Almabayev lands a spin kick to the body. Perez scores a takedown. Perez is working and landing from the top, though Almabayev is staying active on the bottom and throwing elbows. Perez grabs the neck as they stand and lands some knees before they separate. Almabayev shoots for a takedown but Perez defends and Almabayev pushes it against the fence. Perez lands an elbow on the break. Almabayev lands an uppercut and scores a late takedown. 10-9 Perez, 20-18 Perez.

Almabayev lands a spin kick and Perez looks for a takedown. Almabayev jumps on the neck and locks in a guillotine choke and Perez taps! Almabayev gets a submission when he might have needed a finish in order to win.

Fight Result- Asu Almabayev def. Alex Perez by submission (guillotine choke) at :22 of Round 3

> Welterweights- Nicolas Dalby (23-6-1 2 NC, 7-6-1 1 NC UFC) vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev (22-2, 0-0 UFC)

Dalby grabs the body lock right away and pushes it against the fence. Izagakhmaev lands some knees. They both start landing knees now. Dalby keeping the pressure on against the fence. Izagakhmaev lands some more knees to the body. They are separated. Dalby lands a couple of leg kicks. Izagakhmaev with a leg kick. Izagakhmaev looks for a takedown but Dalby defends and Dalby pushes it against the fence. Izagakhmaev with a couple more knees. Izagakhmaev scores a takedown. Izagakhmaev with a knee to the body before they stand. Close round. 10-9 Izagakhmaev.

Dalby lands a head kick and Izagakhmaev scores a takedown. Izagakhmaev gets the back as they start to scramble up. They are clinched up against the fence with Dalby pressuring but Izagakhmaev lands some knees. Dalby keeps pressuring but he’s not landing and Izagakhmaev is landing more while defending. Dalby lands as they break. Dalby looks for a takedown but Izagakhmaev reverses and takes the back. Dalby is able to reverse into the guard and lands a couple of elbows. Another close round. 10-9 Izagakhmaev, 20-18 Izagakhmaev.

Dalby pushes it against the fence in a clinch and they reverse position a couple of times. Dalby lands a couple of elbows on a brief separation, but they tie right back up. Dalby with an uppercut as they get to the center and break. Izagakhmaev with a jab and Dalby lands a right hand and a high kick. They clinch back up as Dalby pushes it against the fence. Dalby keeps pressuring and Izagakhmaev looks for a takedown as Dalby is defending. Dalby continues to pressure and lands some dirty shots before they break. Dalby lands a jab. Dalby with a body kick. Weird fight. 10-9 Dalby, 29-28 Izagakhmaev.

Fight Result- Nicolas Dalby def. Saygid Izagakhmaev by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

> Featherweights- Bogdan Grad (15-3, 1-1 UFC) vs. Luke Riley (11-0, 0-0 UFC)

Grad shoots for a takedown after a feeling out process and is able to complete it. He gets inside the guard of Riley. Grad lands a little but Riley is able to scramble up. Grad keeps the back and drags it back down. They stand and Grad keeps pressure against the fence as they both land. They separate and Grad lands on the break. Grad shoots for a takedown but Riley defends. Grad gets it down late and lands heavy shots to end the round. 10-9 Grad.

They come out swinging and Riley drops Grad with a big left hand. Riley gets on top and starts landing and a big right hand puts Grad out! Riley gets the big finish in his debut!

Fight Result- Luke Riley def. Bogdan Grad by knockout (punches) at :30 of Round 2

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> Flyweights- #11 Tagir Ulanbekov (17-2, 6-1 UFC) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi (34-5 1 NC, 7-1 UFC)

Horiguchi with a pair of leg kicks. They trade some punches as both are still looking to establish their range. Horiguchi lands a leg kick. Ulanbekov with a high kick. Ulanbekov pushes it against the fence. Ulanbekov scores a takedown from the back. They end up back on the feet and separating. Horiguchi lands a right hand. Horiguchi with a side kick. Horiguchi lands a leg kick and a right hand. 10-9 Horiguchi.

Horiguchi lands a jab and then a right hand against the fence. Horiguchi lands a leg kick and Ulanbekov goes to his knees. Horiguchi jumps on top and lands from inside the guard of Ulanbekov. Horiguchi with some short elbows. Ulanbekov looks for a guillotine choke from the bottom. Horiguchi is able to escape and stays on top and lands several punches. Ulanbekov tries to scramble, but Horiguchi gets his back and lands. Horiguchi keeps back control and lands some left hands. They stand and Horiguchi lands a pair of elbows before they separate to the center. Horiguchi lands a heavy leg kick that hurts Ulanbekov. Horiguchi then lands a big body kick and a right hand. Ulanbekov tries for a takedown but Horiguchi defends. Horiguchi with a right hand and he gets on top as they go to the mat. Horiguchi lands from the top to end the round. 10-9 Horiguchi, 20-18 Horiguchi.

Horiguchi gets an early takedown and lands lots from the top before they stand. Horiguchi then lands a massive head kick followed by a right hand and they go to the mat. Horiguchi lands and then locks in a rear-naked choke and Ulanbekov taps! What a big return win for Horiguchi!

Fight Result- Kyoji Horiguchi def. Tagir Ulanbekov by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:18 of Round 3

> Heavyweights- #6 Waldo Cortes-Acosta (15-2, 8-2 UFC) vs. #11 Shamil Gaziev (14-1, 3-1 UFC)

Gaziev lands a quick flurry of right hands. Gaziev lands. Cortes-Acosta with a jab. Gaziev with a left hook but Cortes-Acosta drops him with a counter right hand and lands, but Gaziev stands. Cortes-Acosta lands the jab. Cortes-Acosta drops Gaziev with a massive right hand and one follow-up shot ends it! Wow, Cortes-Acosta gets the win on just a few days’ notice.

Fight Result- Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Shamil Gaziev by knockout (punch) at 1:22 of Round 1

> Welterweights- Jack Hermansson (24-9, 11-7 UFC) vs. Myktybek Orolbai (14-2-1, 3-1 UFC)

Orolbai with a right hand and a leg kick. Hermansson throws a combination ending with a calf kick. Hermansson lands a left hand as Orolbai throws a right hand. Orolbai pressing forward and throwing but not really connecting. Orolbai looks for a takedown but lets it go. Orolbai lands a leg kick that Hermansson checks. They clinch and Hermansson lands a knee to the body before they separate. Orolbai lands a right hand. Orolbai lands to the body and then lands a vicious right hand that puts Hermansson out cold! What a brutal knockout by Orolbai!

Fight Result- Myktybek Orolbai def. Jack Hermansson by knockout (punch) at 2:46 of Round 1

> Light Heavyweights- #9 Volkan Oezdemir (20-8, 8-7 UFC) vs. #14 Alonzo Menifield (17-5-1, 10-5-1 UFC)

Oezdemir lands a check hook. Oezdemir lands a flurry against the fence. Oezdemir with a left hand. Oezdemir lands a step-in knee followed by a leg kick. Oezdemir with a left hand then a knee and he’s landing big shots against the fence and drops Menifield with a massive left hand and it is all over! What a finish from Oezdemir!

Fight Result- Volkan Oezdemir def. Alonzo Menifield by knockout (punches) at 1:27 of Round 1

> Welterweights- #2 Belal Muhammad (24-4 1 NC, 15-4 1 NC UFC) vs. #6 Ian Machado Garry (16-1, 9-1 UFC)

They trade and both land leg kicks as Garry pokes Muhammad in the eye. Timeout is called. Muhammad already has a big cut open under his other eye. Muhammad is able to continue. Garry with a front kick to the lead leg of Muhammad. Muhammad lands a right hand. Garry working the jab as Muhammad lands another right hand. Muhammad lands a right hand. Garry lands a leg kick. Muhammad with a left hook. Garry trips Muhammad up with a hard calf kick. Garry with a jab. Muhammad shoots for a takedown and pushes it against the fence. They end up separating and Muhammad scores with a right hand. Garry with another hard calf kick. Garry with another leg kick as Muhammad lands a left hand. Muhammad looks for a takedown but Garry defends. They trade late. Close round. 10-9 Machado Garry.

Garry lands a quick combo after Muhammad lands a leg kick. Muhammad lands a right hand. Muhammad with a body kick. Garry works the jab. Garry lands a solid right hand. They clinch up for a moment but separate after no action. Muhammad lands a right hand. Muhammad pushes Garry against the fence, but not much happens again before they separate. Muhammad looks for a takedown but Garry defends. Garry has the back but lets go. Garry pokes Muhammad again in the eye and timeout is called. They get back going and Garry lands a body kick. Muhammad looks for a takedown against the fence but Garry is defending. Garry lands an elbow on the break. 10-9 Machado Garry, 20-18 Machado Garry.

Muhammad lands a right hand as Garry is working the jab. Muhammad lands a solid right hand. Garry working the calf kicks. They tie up against the fence but quickly separate. Garry hurts Muhammad with a right hand. Garry lands a spinning back fist and two front kicks. Muhammad gets a clinch but they break apart quickly. Muhammad shoots big for a takedown but Garry defends and lands a leg kick. Garry lands a right hand. Garry with more low kicks. Muhammad gets the clinch against the fence. They break apart and Garry lands the jab. Garry with two right hands. Muhammad looks for a takedown against the fence but Garry defends. They have a wild exchange late. 10-9 Machado Garry, 30-27 Machado Garry.

Fight Result- Ian Machado Garry def. Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Lightweights- #1 Arman Tsarukyan (22-3, 9-2 UFC) vs. #6 Dan Hooker (24-12, 14-8 UFC)

Hooker lands a leg kick. They trade kicks. Hooker with some body kicks. Tsarukyan looks for a takedown and almost trips Hooker down to the ground but they remain tied up against the fence. They separate and Tsarukyan lands a knee. Tsarukyan with a big combination. Tsarukyan lands some big shots and they clinch. Both land knees to the body. Hooker looks for a guillotine as they go to the mat, but Tsarukyan rolls through and gets into side control. Tsarukyan looks for the crucifix position as he lands a couple of elbows. Tsarukyan with some shots from the top. Tsarukyan lands a hammerfist. 10-9 Tsarukyan.

They trade kicks. Hooker with a body kick. They trade as Hooker lands a body kick. Tsarukyan scores a takedown and is inside the guard of Hooker. Tsarukyan landing lots of shots from the top and looks for a finish. Tsarukyan gets into the mount and is smothering Hooker. Tsarukyan looking for an arm-triangle choke. It is in tight and Hooker taps! Big finish from Tsarukyan!

Fight Result- Arman Tsarukyan def. Dan Hooker by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:34 of Round 2

TKO announces WWE & UFC partnership with DoorDash

Posted on by Josh Nason

While many WWE and UFC fans have used DoorDash to get food during big events, TKO has brought all the brands together as part of a new partnership.

Announced on Thursday, “DoorDash will have a prominent presence across WWE’s and UFC’s most high-profile moments and platforms, including live events and broadcasts, and will also leverage the massive presence WWE has across social media and digital by collaborating on original content featuring WWE Superstars.”

DoorDash will be a presenting partner of a future WWE premium live event and a future UFC numbered event with “multiple branded touch points from the promotional lead up to the in-broadcast action.”

No financial terms or a start date were disclosed. DoorDash is being recognized as TKO’s “official on-demand delivery partner.”

Bringing in new sponsors and partners has been paramount for TKO leadership as noted by company leader Mark Shapiro frequently throughout the last few years on investor calls and appearances.

UFC 322 live results: Two title superfights from MSG

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

The UFC’s yearly trip to the World’s Most Famous Arena is upon us as Madison Square Garden in New York City hosts UFC 322.

The main event is a superfight for the UFC welterweight championship as current champion Jack Della Maddalena defends for the first time against former UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

Della Maddalena is coming off a win over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in which he became the man to beat at 170 pounds while also extending his win streak to 17 straight. Makhachev vacates the lightweight title in order to move up and is looking to improve on a 15-fight win streak after submitting Renato Moicano at UFC 311.

The co-main event is another superfight as UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko defends against former UFC women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili. Shevchenko is coming off a title defense over Manon Fiorot at UFC 315 while Weili vacates the 115-pound title following five straight wins.

The rest of the main card is stacked with ranked fighters as Sean Brady takes on Michael Morales in a welterweight bout; former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards battles Carlos Prates; and a lightweight fight between Beneil Dariush and Benoit Saint-Denis kicks off the main card.

FX PRELIMS | 6 PM ET/3 PM PT

> Lightweights- Viacheslav Borshchev (8-6-1, 3-5-1 UFC) vs. Matheus Camilo (9-3, 0-1 UFC)

Camilo lands a left hook. Borshchev with a leg kick. They trade and Camilo gets a takedown, but Borshchev is able to force it to the feet. Camilo has body control against the fence, but Borshchev is able to cause a break. Camilo lands a jab that backs Borshchev up. Camilo lands a leg kick and they trade combos inside the pocket. Camilo scores a takedown. Camilo lands some body shots from inside the guard. Borshchev forces it to the feet. 10-9 Camilo.

They trade jabs and Camilo lands a leg kick. Borshchev lands a flurry as Camilo is circling around. Camilo lands a right hand and scores a takedown. Camilo gets the back but reverses to the top and is in the mount. Camilo is looking to set up an arm-triangle choke. They scramble to the feet and separate. Camilo scores a takedown but they quickly get to their feet. Borshchev lands a leg kick and a combo to the body. Borshchev lands more to the body and Camilo lands a left hand. Borshchev lands a left hand. 10-9 Camilo, 20-18 Camilo.

They trade jabs as Borshchev is pressing forward. They trade combinations in close range. Camilo lands a solid right hand. Camilo shoots for a takedown but Borshchev defends it. Borshchev with a combo and lands a body kick. Borshchev with front kicks. Borshchev lands a series of punches and a leg kick. Borshchev lands a left hand. Camilo rocks Borshchev with a right hand. Camilo with a heavy leg kick. Camilo scores a takedown. They roll and Borshchev ends up on top inside the guard of Camilo. Borshchev stands and lands leg kicks. Camilo gets up. Camilo lands a stiff right hand. Camilo with another right hand. Camilo with a brief late takedown. 10-9 Camilo, 30-27 Camilo.

Fight Result- Matheus Camilo def. Viacheslav Borshchev by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Middleweights- Baisangur Susurkaev (10-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Eric McConico (10-3-1, 1-1 UFC)

They immediately clinch against the fence and trade knees. They trade more knees with Susurkaev having control. McConico reverses and lands an elbow. They separate and McConico lands a short uppercut. Susurkaev lands a right hand. Susurkaev lands a leg kick as McConico lands a combo. McConico lands an elbow and a right hand as McConico forces Susurkaev against the fence. Susurkaev briefly gets a takedown and then scores another one. They keep going up and down as Susurkaev lands some knees to the thigh. McConico lands a left hand as they break. They trade late. 10-9 Susurkaev.

Susurkaev lands some big shots and a body kick early to start. Susurkaev lands a left hand. Susurkaev with a combo and a knee to the body. Susurkaev lands a right hand but McConico lands a groin strike and timeout is called. Susurkaev is able to continue. McConico with a short leg kick. Susurkaev lands a body kick and a right hand. They clinch as Susurkaev lands a knee to the body. McConico with some knees in the clinch. Susurkaev lands a body kick after a brief takedown. They clinch against the fence. They separate and Susurkaev is landing. McConico lands a big right hand. They tie up and hang onto each other. 10-9 Susurkaev, 20-18 Susurkaev.

Susurkaev lands a right hand as McConico lands a body kick. Susurkaev lands a pair of solid punches. Susurkaev lands a left hand and a front kick to the body. Susurkaev lands a groin strike and timeout is called. They get back going and they trade leg kicks. McConico with a jab. Susurkaev drops McConico with a massive right hand and it is all over! What a finish from Susurkaev!

Fight Result- Baisangur Susurkaev def. Eric McConico by knockout (punch) at 1:38 of Round 3

> Women’s Strawweights- #12 Angela Hill (18-15, 13-15 UFC) vs. Fatima Kline (8-1, 2-1 UFC)

Kline lands a combo as Hill lands a leg kick. They trade before clinching and Kline scores a takedown and gets inside the full guard. Kline lands from the top as Hill throws some upkicks. They scramble to the feet but Kline maintains control. Kline lands a knee. They separate. Hill lands a calf kick. Kline lands a right hand. Kline lands a combination and a body kick. Kline lands a front kick and an uppercut. Kline scores a takedown and lands some elbows from the top. Kline lands from the top and Hill lands an upkick, but Kline gets into side control and looks for a kimura. 10-9 Kline.

Kline lands a knee and a body kick. Kline lands a solid right hand and another one as she is pouring it on with the punches. Kline with a body kick. Kline looks for a takedown as she pushes it against the fence. Kline lands a left hook as they separate. Kline landing with more volume as she’s mixing punches and kicks. Hill with a leg kick. They trade in close range as Hill is pressing forward. Kline lands a combo and they clinch. Hill with a knee. They trade knees. 10-9 Kline, 20-18 Kline.

Hill lands a right hand. Both working the jab and Kline lands a right hand. Kline with a combination. Kline working the jab. They trade inside the pocket. Kline with a front kick followed by a quick combo. Kline lands a jab as Hill lands a leg kick. Kline with some more jabs and a right hand. They trade as Hill forces a clinch against the fence. Kline scores a takedown. Kline working from the top and stands up. Kline trying to land as Hill is throwing upkicks. They get to their feet. Kline gets a takedown and lands a big flurry from the back. Kline has the body triangle on and is landing tons of punches. Kline hurts Hill with a right hand on the way up at the end. 10-9 Kline, 30-27 Kline.

Fight Result- Fatima Kline def. Angela Hill by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Featherweights- Pat Sabatini (20-5, 7-2 UFC) vs. Chepe Mariscal (18-6 1 NC, 5-0 UFC)

Sabatini lands a solid combination. Sabatini grabs a leg as Mariscal throws a kick and he gets Mariscal down to the ground. They scramble and Sabatini has the back as they stand. Sabatini drags it down and uses the butterfly to take full back control. Sabatini working for a choke from the back as he lands some short punches. Mariscal is able to reverse to the top. Mariscal gets to his feet and Sabatini stands. They both land before clinching. Sabatini misses a spin attack but lands a knee to the body. Mariscal lands a late head kick. 10-9 Sabatini.

They trade and Sabatini looks for a takedown against the fence as he has the back. Sabatini gets it down and has the back, but they get right up, though Sabatini keeps back control. Sabatini drags it back down. Mariscal scrambles but Sabatini is staying on offense. They scramble as Sabatini stays on top and Mariscal is throwing punches from the bottom. Sabatini is cut open, from the head kick at the end of the first. Sabatini with an elbow from the top. He lands another. They scramble to their feet. Sabatini looks for a takedown, but Mariscal defends and lands a knee. They trade and Sabatini lands a left hand. Sabatini gets a takedown and lands from the top to end the round. 10-9 Sabatini, 20-18 Sabatini.

Sabatini goes right for a takedown but Mariscal is able to escape. Sabatini drops down and scores a takedown. Sabatini takes the back and is landing as he has the hooks locked on. Sabatini is working for a choke but Mariscal is defending the hands. Sabatini keeping back control as he is landing and Mariscal has not found a way to escape. Mariscal is trying to roll out and Sabatini lands as they stand. 10-9 Sabatini, 30-27 Sabatini.

Fight Result- Pat Sabatini def. Chepe Mariscal by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Middleweights- Kyle Daukaus (16-4 1 NC, 3-4 1 NC UFC) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (37-20, 12-12 UFC)

Daukaus hurts Meerschaert with a left hand and then drops him with some follow-up shots. Daukaus looks for a D’Arce choke and has it locked in and Meerschaert taps! Daukaus picks up the big win.

Fight Result- Kyle Daukaus def. Gerald Meerschaert by submission (D’Arce choke) at :50 of Round 1

FX PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT

> Featherweights- Malcolm Wellmaker (10-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Ethyn Ewing (8-2, 0-0 UFC)

Ewing with a high kick. Ewing lands a right hand. Ewing with an inside leg kick. Wellmaker lands a hard body kick. Wellmaker lands a right hand that hurts Ewing. They clinch and Wellmaker lands a knee. Ewing lands a right hand. They break apart. Ewing with a right hand. Wellmaker with a jab and a body kick. Wellmaker with a leg kick. They trade in close range. Wellmaker lands an elbow as they clinch. Ewing gets a takedown but they get right up. Ewing has the body lock. Wellmaker lands some knees in the clinch. Ewing lands a combo as they break. Wellmaker lands a body kick. Ewing with a flurry in close range. Ewing lands a pair of knees late. 10-9 Ewing.

They trade body kicks and then trade high kicks. Ewing works the jab. Wellmaker lands a right hand. Ewing pressuring and landing. Wellmaker lands a right hand and a leg kick then a right hook and another right hand. Ewing lands a combination against the fence. Ewing lands a right hand. Wellmaker with a left hand. Ewing lands a combo with a high kick. Wellmaker lands two big right hands. Ewing lands a right hand. Wellmaker lands a knee to the body and a right hand and Ewing is backing up. Ewing is running away as he is hurt. Ewing with a flurry inside the pocket. They trade in close range. Wellmaker pressing forward and lands to the body. Ewing with a brief takedown and lands a knee and a right hand. 10-9 Ewing, 20-18 Ewing.

Wellmaker lands a combination. They trade inside the pocket and Wellmaker lands a body kick. Wellmaker with a spin kick. Ewing lands a right hand. Wellmaker with a pair of jabs. Ewing lands a combination as they clinch up. Ewing has the back. They get back in front of each other and Wellmaker lands a knee. Wellmaker lands an uppercut. Wellmaker with a body kick as Ewing lands a right hand. Ewing with a flurry of shots. Wellmaker tries for a takedown but Ewing defends and lands an elbow. They trade in close range. Ewing gets a takedown but they scramble up and he has the back. Ewing with short right hands and they trade at the end. 10-9 Ewing, 30-27 Ewing.

Fight Result- Ethyn Ewing def. Malcolm Wellmaker by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

> Women’s Flyweights- #4 Erin Blanchfield (13-2, 7-1 UFC) vs. #8 Tracy Cortez (12-2, 6-1 UFC)

Both work the jab early on as Blanchfield lands an inside leg kick. Cortez with a combination. Blanchfield lands a right hand. Cortez with a jab and a right hand. Blanchfield counters with a leg kick. Blanchfield lands a right hand and Cortez lands a counter left hand. Blanchfield with a high kick and lands a combo as Cortez lands a knee. Blanchfield with a body kick and a combo. Blanchfield lands a jab. Cortez with a right hand and a knee as Blanchfield was coming in. Blanchfield with two right hands as Cortez lands a knee. They trade jabs and Blanchfield with a high kick. Cortez lands a left hand. They trade inside the pocket. Cortez works the jab. Cortez with a stiff jab as Blanchfield lands. Blanchfield lands a right hand. Close round. 10-9 Cortez.

They both rush to the center and land. Cortez with a left hook. Cortez scores a takedown. Blanchfield is able to reverse to the top and has body control as they stand. Blanchfield with short left hands. Blanchfield looks for the takedown but Cortez showing good defense as they separate. They trade combinations. Both landing at the same time. Cortez lands a body kick. Blanchfield with a hard body kick. Blanchfield scores a takedown and is inside the guard of Cortez. Blanchfield looking for an arm-triangle choke. Blanchfield gets the back and lands a flurry, though Cortez gets to her feet. Blanchfield still pressuring against the fence. Blanchfield gets another takedown and takes the back as they scramble up. Blanchfield has a choke locked in and Cortez taps! Blanchfield picks up the big win.

Fight Result- Erin Blanchfield def. Tracy Cortez by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:44 of Round 2

> Middleweights- Roman Kopylov (14-4, 6-4 UFC) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (17-6, 8-3 UFC)

Kopylov with a pair of leg kicks as Rodrigues lands a right hand. Rodrigues lands a jab. Rodrigues lands a right hand after Kopylov lands a leg kick. Rodrigues with a body kick. Rodrigues lands a combo. Rodrigues with a high kick. Rodrigues looks for a takedown but Kopylov defends. Rodrigues with some short punches as they separate. Kopylov lands a combination. Rodrigues lands a body kick. Rodrigues lands a solid right hand. Rodrigues lands a few punches mixed with a body kick. Rodrigues with an inside leg kick. Rodrigues with a knee to the body. Kopylov gets a big takedown but Rodrigues is able to push him off. Rodrigues with an upkick to the body. 10-9 Rodrigues.

Rodrigues lands and Kopylov scores a takedown. Rodrigues is attacking the leg but Kopylov is able to escape. Rodrigues shoots for a takedown as he pushes Kopylov against the fence. Rodrigues lands an uppercut and a combo after they’ve separated. Rodrigues with a right hand as Kopylov lands a jab. Kopylov grabs a Rodrigues kick and lands some right hands. Rodrigues lands a combo. Rodrigues lands to the body. They both land to the body. Rodrigues with some right hands and a knee to the body. Rodrigues with a jab and a body shot. Kopylov catches a Rodrigues kick and Rodrigues falls backwards and down but gets up and lands a right hand. They have a heavy exchange against the fence. Kopylov lands a head kick. 10-9 Rodrigues, 20-18 Rodrigues.

They both land in close range to start the third. Rodrigues with a right hand. He lands another. Kopylov tags Rodrigues with a left hand and Rodrigues was wobbly for a moment. Rodrigues lands a right hand. Rodrigues looked for a single leg but lets go. They trade as both are looking for openings. Kopylov lands a combo. They trade heavy punches. Kopylov lands a right hook. Kopylov lands a left hand. Rodrigues with a right hand. Rodrigues with a body kick and a right hand. Kopylov lands a high kick. Kopylov lands a combo and a high kick. 10-9 Kopylov, 29-28 Rodrigues.

Fight Result- Gregory Rodrigues def. Roman Kopylov by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Middleweights- Bo Nickal (7-1, 4-1 UFC) vs. Rodolfo Vieira (11-3, 6-3 UFC)

Nickal lands a body kick and a leg kick. Nickal grabs the body and slams Vieira down and starts landing big shots as Vieira is covering up as he gets to his feet. Nickal with some knees against the fence. Nickal lands an elbow. Vieira reverses and lands a pair of knees. They break apart. Vieira shoots for a takedown but Nickal grabs the neck and gets on top as they roll to the mat. Nickal has control as they work to the feet. Nickal with a big elbow on the break. Vieira with a pair of leg kicks. Nickal lands a pair of left hands and a high kick, then another left hand. Nickal lands a left hand. 10-9 Nickal.

Vieira lands a right hand. Nickal lands a left hand and a body kick. Nickal lands a solid combination. Nickal with a jab and a right hand as Vieira lands a leg kick. Nickal with another left hand and a double jab. Vieira lands a right hand but eats a four-punch counter from Nickal. Nickal lands a stiff jab. Vieira lands a right hand. Vieira looks for a takedown as he pushes Nickal against the fence. They separate. Nickal stuns Vieira with a left hand. Vieira shoots for a takedown but Nickal sprawls and lands. 10-9 Nickal, 20-18 Nickal.

Nickal lands a kick as Vieira lands a right hand. Nickal lands a leg kick. Nickal looks for a takedown but is unable to grab Vieira. Vieira lands a right hand to the body. Nickal with a left hand and then lands a head kick and Vieira goes down and is out cold! What a finish by Nickal!

Fight Result- Bo Nickal def. Rodolfo Vieira by knockout (head kick) at 2:24 of Round 3

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> Lightweights*- #9 Beneil Dariush (23-6-1, 16-6-1 UFC) vs. #13 Benoit Saint-Denis (15-3 1 NC, 7-3 UFC)

*Dariush missed weight by 1.2 pounds

Dariush lands a leg kick but then Saint-Denis lands a right hand and Dariush goes down face first out cold! Brutal knockout from Saint-Denis.

Fight Result- Benoit Saint-Denis def. Beneil Dariush by knockout (punch) at :16 of Round 1

> Welterweights- #4 Leon Edwards (22-5 1 NC, 14-4 1 NC UFC) vs. #9 Carlos Prates (22-7, 5-1 UFC)

Edwards lands a leg kick. Prates lands a leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Edwards lands a left hand. Prates with a leg kick. Edwards shoots for a takedown and has the body lock against the fence. Prates lands a knee. They are separated after no action. Prates lands a knee to the body and a left hand. Edwards lands a leg kick. Edwards scores a takedown and gets the back of Prates as they scramble. Prates stands with Edwards on his back. Edwards landing some punches. Edwards gets Prates back down. Prates grabs the fence. Edwards looks for a choke but time runs out on the round. 10-9 Edwards.

Prates lands a leg kick. He lands another as Edwards lands a left hand. Prates with another leg kick. They trade left hands and Prates lands another leg kick followed by a jab. Prates drops Edwards with a left hand and a follow-up shot ends it! What a knockout by Prates!

Fight Result- Carlos Prates def. Leon Edwards by knockout (punch) at 1:28 of Round 2

> Welterweights- #2 Sean Brady (18-1, 8-1 UFC) vs. #8 Michael Morales (18-0, 6-0 UFC)

They both throw kicks early. Brady with a leg kick as Morales works the jab. Morales lands a jab as Brady comes forward. Brady lands a leg kick. Morales hurts Brady with a combination. Morales landing as Brady is hurt. Brady may have recovered. Morales lands a right hand. Brady lands a left hook. Morales lands a right hand. Morales lands a right hand and Brady falls to the mat and Morales starts landing from the top and it is stopped! What a finish from Morales!

Fight Result- Michael Morales def. Sean Brady by TKO (punches) at 3:27 of Round 1

> UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship- C Valentina Shevchenko (25-4-1, 14-3-1 UFC) vs. #1 WSW Zhang Weili (26-3, 10-2 UFC)

Shevchenko with a short leg kick. Weili lands a right hand. Shevchenko lands a body kick. Weili lands a leg kick. Shevchenko with a left hand. Shevchenko lands a knee to the body and gets Weili down to the mat. They scramble up and Shevchenko lands a knee and Weili lands an elbow. Shevchenko lands a spinning back fist that hurts Weili as they clinch. Shevchenko gets a takedown into side control. They battle for position on the mat. Shevchenko ends the round on top. 10-9 Shevchenko.

Shevchenko lands a combination. They both land before Shevchenko grabs the body lock and scores a takedown. Shevchenko gets into side control and gets the crucifix position and lands. Shevchenko dominating from the top as she gets back inside the guard of Weili. Shevchenko lands from the top. Shevchenko ends the round landing from the top. 10-9 Shevchenko, 20-18 Shevchenko.

Shevchenko with a pair of body kicks. Weili lands a right hand. Shevchenko lands a jab as Weili was throwing. Shevchenko with a spin kick to the body. Weili lands a body kick and they tie up. They trade knees along the fence. Weili lands an elbow as they separate. Shevchenko lands a knee as Weili was coming forward. Weili throws a kick but Shevchenko grabs the body and gets a takedown. Shevchenko controlling and landing from the top. 10-9 Shevchenko, 30-27 Shevchenko.

Weili lands a body kick as Shevchenko lands a right hand. Shevchenko lands a body kick and Weili is backing up. Shevchenko lands another body kick. She lands a high kick now. Shevchenko grabs the Thai clinch and lands a knee to the body and head before letting go. Shevchenko lands a body kick and stuns Weili with a right hand. They clinch and Shevchenko gets it back down to the mat. Shevchenko lands from the top. 10-9 Shevchenko, 40-36 Shevchenko.

They tie up against the fence right away and trade position. Shevchenko lands a knee and Weili lands a right hand as they separate. Shevchenko lands a body kick. They tie back up. Weili lands an elbow but Shevchenko scores a takedown. Shevchenko lands from the top. Shevchenko controls from the top for the rest of the round and lands though Weili throws from the bottom. 10-9 Shevchenko, 50-45 Shevchenko.

Fight Result- Valentina Shevchenko def. Zhang Weili by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) to retain the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship

> UFC Welterweight Championship- C Jack Della Maddalena (18-2, 8-0 UFC) vs. #1 LW Islam Makhachev (27-1, 16-1 UFC)

Makhachev lands a low kick. Maddalena fires some punches. Maddalena with a jab to the body as Makhachev lands some calf kicks. Makhachev scores a takedown. Makhachev lands from the top as he’s trying to pin an arm. They scramble to their feet but Makhachev has back control. Maddalena gets on his feet as Makhachev is still on the back. They go back to the mat and Maddalena lets Makhachev get into his half-guard. Makhachev is looking to attack the neck. Makhachev lands from the top as Maddalena throws upkicks. 10-9 Makhachev.

Makhachev with a calf kick. Makhachev with another leg kick. He lands a high kick. Maddalena lands a right hand as they clinch and Makhachev pushes it to the fence. Maddalena tries for a takedown but ends up on the bottom. Makhachev working from the half-guard and doing enough to keep Maddalena pinned on the bottom as Makhachev lands some shots. Makhachev has an arm-triangle kind of position but Maddalena gets out of it. Makhachev lands some elbows as they get up. 10-9 Makhachev, 20-18 Makhachev.

Makhachev lands a quick combo. Maddalena with a right hand. Makhachev lands a calf kick. Makhachev with another calf kick. Makhachev lands a combination. They clinch and Maddalena lands lots of punches as Makhachev lands a pair of knees and they break. Makhachev scores a takedown. Makhachev is in control but Maddaelna is trying to force separation. Makhachev lands some elbows. Maddalena scrambles up late. 10-9 Makhachev, 30-27 Makhachev.

Maddalena lands a pair of kicks. Makhachev lands a body kick. Makhachev with an inside leg kick. Makhachev with a body kick. Makhachev with a pair of right hands and a leg kick. Makhachev lands a combination and then gets a takedown. Makhachev is able to take the back and has the body triangle locked on. Maddalena is able to get Makhachev into his half-guard. Makhachev in total control from the top. They almost scramble up as Makhachev has control. 10-9 Makhachev, 40-36 Makhachev.

Maddalena tries to land but Makhachev ducks under and scores a takedown. Makhachev is looking for a kimura but Maddaelna gets it free. Makhachev working in the half-guard and landing from the top. Maddalena gets Makhachev inside of his guard. Makhachev attacks the neck. Maddalena is grimacing on the bottom. Makhachev looks for a D’Arce choke but Maddalena escapes. Makhachev gets back inside the guard of Maddalena. 10-9 Makhachev, 50-45 Makhachev.

Fight Result- Islam Makhachev def. Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) to win the UFC Welterweight Championship

TKO enters into Polymarket partnership for UFC, boxing 

Posted on by Josh Nason

TKO announced on Thursday that they are bringing prediction markets to both the UFC and Zuffa Boxing via industry leader Polymarket.

WWE’s parent company signed a multi-year deal “to integrate prediction market technology directly into the live fan experience. Polymarket will create a new storytelling metric, visualizing fan sentiment and perceived momentum that complements, not competes with, regulated sports betting.”

The partnership will see integration on live UFC shows and social media. Broadcasts will feature what is being called a “fan prediction scoreboard” that will visualize “how fans around the world are forecasting each fight as it unfolds” in order to measure “the unofficial pulse” of fans for every show.

WWE was not mentioned in the release.

The technology will be integrated starting in January 2026 when UFC debuts on Paramount+ as part of their new seven-year, $7.7 billion domestic media rights contract.

Polymarket is also known for being a betting market of sorts for political races.

UFC on ESPN+ 122 live results: Gabriel Bonfim vs. Randy Brown

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

After a bit of a newsworthy week outside of the Octagon, action inside of it is back inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for UFC on ESPN+ 122.

The main event is a five-round welterweight battle between a pair of newcomers to the main event scene as Gabriel Bonfim takes on Randy Brown.

Bonfim has been surging up the rankings at 170 pounds with a three-fight win streak and a win over former title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Brown has been flirting with the top 15 and is both looking for his second straight win and to improve on an 8-2 mark over his last ten fights.

In the co-main event, flyweights square off as Matt Schnell takes on TUF 33 winner Joseph Morales. Also on the main card is an exciting welterweight battle between strikers Muslim Salikhov and Uros Medic; a catchweight bout between Chris Padilla and Ismael Bonfim; and a middleweight bout pitting Christian Leroy Duncan against Marco Tulio.

UFC on ESPN+ PRELIMS | 4 PM ET/1 PM PT

> 195-pound Catchweights- Zachary Reese (9-2 1 NC, 3-2 1 NC UFC) vs. Jackson McVey (6-1, 0-1 UFC)

They trade calf kicks and McVey gets off balance. They clinch and McVey lands an elbow and a knee. McVey with some more elbows as Reese is landing punches. They trade knees and Reese is landing uppercuts as McVey is landing elbows. Reese is cut open. McVey with several knees to the body of Reese. McVey lands another knee and Reese goes to his knees but gets up. McVey still pressuring with knees and elbows. Reese with some body shots and McVey lands more elbows. They separate and Reese lands a combo. McVey lands a combo as they clinch and trade. McVey has Reese pressed against the fence but lands a knee to the groin and timeout is called. They get back going and clinch up and trade knees, elbows and punches. They separate and Reese scores a takedown. McVey ends up on top as they trade on the mat. 10-9 McVey.

Reese scores an immediate takedown and starts landing from the top. They scramble up but Reese gets it right back down. Reese gets the back and locks in a rear-naked choke. McVey is trying to fight it off but he ends up tapping! Reese picks up the submission win.

Fight Result- Zachary Reese def. Jackson McVey by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:38 of Round 2

> Bantamweights- Miles Johns (15-4 1 NC, 6-4 1 NC UFC) vs. Daniel Marcos (17-1 1 NC, 4-1 1 NC UFC)

Johns with some early calf kicks. Johns lands but Marcos scores a takedown. Johns scrambles up and pushes Marcos against the fence. They separate and trade punches before Johns looks for a takedown against the fence. Marcos with an elbow and a knee before he drops down for a takedown attempt. Marcos has the back and is landing knees. 10-9 Marcos.

They trade before clinching against the fence. They battle for position before separating, and they trade punches before Marcos gets Johns down to the mat. Marcos tries to get on top and Johns tries to create space. Marcos grabs the back of Johns as they scramble to the fence. They get to their feet and Marcos still has back control. Marcos is landing and locks in a rear-naked choke. He is squeezing and Johns goes out cold before he can tap. Marcos picks up an impressive win.

Fight Result- Daniel Marcos def. Miles Johns by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:23 of Round 2

> Women’s Strawweights- #13 Tecia Pennington (15-7, 11-7 UFC) vs. #15 Denise Gomes (11-3, 5-2 UFC)

Pennington landing leg and body kicks to start as they’re both trying to find their range. Pennington lands a hard calf kick and Gomes lands a body kick. They scramble for a moment and both connect in close range before separating. Pennington lands a body kick and Gomes with a pair of calf kicks. Pennington throwing side kicks. Gomes grabs the leg and trips Pennington down, but she pops right back to her feet. Gomes with some more kicks. They trade and Pennington lands a big counter right hand. Gomes lands a body kick. Gomes with a right hand as Pennington lands a jab. Gomes with a calf kick. Pennington grabs the back late but is unable to get Gomes down. Close round. 10-9 Pennington.

They trade leg kicks. Gomes lands a body kick and a right hand. Gomes with an overhand right. Gomes is pressing forward and lands some small leg kicks. Gomes with an inside leg kick. The output has slowed a little in this round. They trade leg kicks. Gomes lands a jab. They trade kicks and Gomes lands a solid right hand. Gomes with a body and calf kick. Pennington lands a leg kick. Gomes with an uppercut and she grabs the body lock. Pennington with some dirty boxing before they separate. Gomes swings huge but misses. 10-9 Gomes, 19-19.

They trade in close range and Gomes connects with a small flurry before they clinch up. Gomes gets a takedown and is in side control against the fence. Gomes gets the back as Pennington is trying to escape from the bottom. They stand with Gomes still on the back. Gomes has the neck and was squeezing with a bulldog choke of sorts but lets go and is landing shots from the top. Gomes with some elbows. They scramble up and trade at the end. 10-9 Gomes, 29-28 Gomes.

Fight Result- Denise Gomes def. Tecia Pennington by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Heavyweights- Josh Hokit (6-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Max Gimenis (6-1, 0-0 UFC)

Gimenis lands a heavy leg kick. Gimenis lands some more kicks. Hokit drops Gimenis with a punch and he tries to land, but Gimenis gets up. Hokit starts landing big punches and Gimenis goes down and it is all over! Hokit picks up the quick win.

Fight Result- Josh Hokit def. Max Gimenis by TKO (punches) at :56 of Round 1

> Women’s Bantamweights- #10 Mayra Bueno Silva (10-5-1 1 NC, 5-5-1 1 NC UFC) vs. #11 Jacqueline Cavalcanti (9-1, 4-0 UFC)

They trade leg kicks. They trade more leg kicks and Cavalcanti lands a left hook. Silva with a body kick as Cavalcanti lands a jab. Silva lands more leg kicks before they trade punches. They trade and Silva lands. They separate and Cavalcanti lands more to end the round. 10-9 Cavalcanti.

They trade leg kicks before Cavalcanti lands a right hand and they briefly clinch but break. Cavalcanti pressing forward as Silva lands a body kick. Silva lands a leg kick. Cavalcanti lands a big combo. They clinch against the fence and Cavalcanti lands some knees. Silva lands some knees and they separate. Silva with a leg kick. Silva with a body kick. Silva lands a leg kick and Cavalcanti lands a combination. They trade in close range. Cavalcanti lands some big shots and pressures late. 10-9 Cavalcanti, 20-18 Cavalcanti.

They trade in close range to start round three as Cavalcanti lands a right hand. Silva shoots for a takedown, but Cavalcanti defends and lands a left hand. Cavalcanti with a straight left hand. Silva looking for a takedown against the fence. They separate and Cavalcanti lands some leg kicks and a jumping knee. They trade leg kicks. Cavalcanti connects with a right hand. Silva lands a jab. Cavalcanti lands some punches as Silva tries to grab her head. Cavalcanti lands a body kick and a left hand and Silva lands a counter combination. Cavalcanti lands a pair of big right hands. Cavalcanti lands a left hand and Silva with a backfist. 10-9 Cavalcanti, 30-27 Cavalcanti.

Fight Result- Jacqueline Cavalcanti def. Mayra Bueno Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Bantamweights- Ricky Simon (22-6, 10-5 UFC) vs. Raoni Barcelos (20-5, 9-4 UFC)

Barcelos with a quick leg kick. Barcelos lands a pair of uppercuts and a heavy leg kick. Barcelos gets a brief takedown but Simon gets up and lands some big shots against the fence that hurt Barcelos. They break apart and both land heavy punches. Barcelos drops down and scores a takedown. Simon scrambles and reverses to the top and lands several hammerfists. Simon landing to the body from inside the guard. They get to their feet. Simon lands a jab. Barcelos lands a big right hand. Simon with a high kick. Barcelos lands a combination. Barcelos fakes a takedown and lands an elbow. 10-9 Simon.

Simon lands a jab and Barcelos lands a combination. Simon lands a step-in knee. Simon lands a right hand. Barcelos connects with a hard right hand. Barcelos lands a knee against the fence as Simon looks for a takedown. They break apart after both land while clinched. Simon lands a right hand. Barcelos scores a takedown but Simon is able to immediately get up. Simon lands a jab. Simon with an uppercut. Barcelos lands a combination. Simon with a leg kick as Barcelos lands. Barcelos works the jab and lands an uppercut. Simon with a left hook. Barcelos lands a combination. Simon lands a jab. They trade kicks late. 10-9 Barcelos, 19-19.

Barcelos lands a combo. Simon with a short uppercut and Barcelos lands a leg kick. Simon shoots for a takedown but Barcelos sprawls and defends. Barcelos lands a leg kick. Barcelos with a right hand as both are looking for openings. Barcelos lands a right hand. Barcelos with a combination. They trade in close range. Barcelos lands a leg kick. Barcelos lands a solid combination. Simon is starting to bleed a little. Barcelos lands a high kick then a combo. Simon lands a right hand. Barcelos lands to the body. Barcelos lands a knee as they trade inside the pocket. Both landing big shots at the end. 10-9 Barcelos, 29-28 Barcelos.

Fight Result- Raoni Barcelos def. Ricky Simon by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Featherweights- Hyder Amil (11-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Jamall Emmers (21-8, 4-4 UFC)

They trade kicks early and timeout is called after Amil lands a groin strike. They get back going and are trading inside the pocket. Emmers clips Amil with a right hand as Amil was rushing in. Emmers scores a takedown and has the back as they scramble up and they separate. They are both landing as Emmers is circling away and Amil is pressuring. Amil lands a big combination. They trade in close range as Amil connects and Emmers scores a takedown. They get right up. Amil with some heavy punches. They both land in a brief clinch and return to the center. Amil with a flurry. Emmers lands a heavy right hand. 10-9 Amil.

Amil landing punches early as Emmers is circling around. Amil lands another groin strike and timeout is called again. They get back going and Emmers lands a combo. Amil is landing and Emmers drops down and scores a brief takedown. He has the back as they stand. They both land as they separate and Emmers scores another takedown. Emmers is working from inside the guard, though Amil is being active on the bottom. Emmers lands to the body and head. Emmers is looking for an arm-triangle choke. He lets go but continues to control and land from the top. Amil with a few elbows from the bottom. 10-9 Emmers, 19-19.

They trade and Emmers scores a takedown right away. Emmers is dragging Amil around on the mat and has back control. Emmers is looking for a choke but uses it to keep top position as he goes into the half-guard. Emmers went for the choke again but ends up taking Amil’s back. He gets back to the mount and lands to the body. Emmers dominating from the top. Emmers landing punches from the back. Amil is able to get to his feet, but Emmers has back controland gets it back down. Emmers is threatening with the arm-triangle choke but gets the mount and starts landing instead. Amil tries to get up but Emmers keeps him down and is landing from the mount. Emmers looks for a late choke but time runs out. 10-8 Emmers, 29-27 Emmers.

Fight Result- Jamall Emmers def. Hyder Amil by unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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> Middleweights- Christian Leroy Duncan (12-2, 5-2 UFC) vs. Marco Tulio (14-1, 2-0 UFC)

They trade leg kicks. Duncan lands a spinning elbow. They clinch against the fence and Tulio lands a knee. Tulio scores a takedown. They get up and Tulio has back control. Tulio has a cut open from an elbow from Duncan and they separate. They trade and Tulio lands a body kick. They tie up against the fence. Duncan reverses position and lands some shoulder strikes. They separate and Duncan tries a spin attack and Tulio scores a takedown and is in side control. Duncan scrambles out and has the back of Tulio and takes him down and is in side control. Duncan has the back and lands some elbows and punches. 10-9 Duncan.

They trade kicks and Duncan lands some side kicks. Duncan is looking to land more punches as Tulio lands some leg kicks. Tulio lands a body kick and a left hand. Duncan tags Tulio with some punches against the fence and makes Tulio stumble after a right hand. Tulio connected against the fence and they separate, but clinch right back up. Duncan has control and lands a knee before they separate again. Tulio lands as Duncan comes in. Duncan rocks Tulio with a spinning back fist. Duncan then drops Tulio with a punch and a follow-up shot knocks Tulio out cold! What a finish from Duncan!

Fight Result- Christian Leroy Duncan def. Marco Tulio by knockout (punch) at 3:20 of Round 2

> Lightweights*- Chris Padilla (16-6, 3-0 UFC) vs. Ismael Bonfim (20-5, 2-2 UFC)

*Bonfim missed weight by five pounds

Padilla comes forward but is backed up after Bonfim lands against the fence. Bonfim lands a combo as Padilla is covering up. Bonfim lands a leg kick. Bonfim with a jab. Padilla lands a right hand. Bonfim lands a leg kick. Padilla with a leg kick. They clinch against the fence. Both are landing knees as Padilla has the advantage. Padilla with several more knees. They scramble and Bonfim lands some shots late that hurt Padilla briefly. 10-9 Bonfim.

Padilla lands a leg kick. Padilla with some leg kicks as Bonfim lands a pair of right hands. Bonfim lands some big combos, mixing to the body and head. Padilla lands some leg kicks. Bonfim with another combo landing to the body. Bonfim just misses a spinning elbow. Padilla lands some leg kicks and Bonfim throws some to the body. Bonfim working the jab. Bonfim with a left hand and Padilla lands a leg kick. Bonfim lands a combination. Padilla lands a combo. Padilla lands a right hand and Bonfim lands to the body. Padilla lands a right hand to the body then a knee to the body followed by one to the head. Padilla pressuring Bonfim and Bonfim looks for a takedown. Padilla lands a knee and a pair of elbows. Bonfim falls to the ground and Padilla lands from the top. Bonfim is attacking the leg. Padilla landing big punches from the top. Bonfim is gassed and not defending well. Padilla with big left hands from the back and it is stopped! What a finish from Padilla!

Fight Result- Chris Padilla def. Ismael Bonfim by TKO (punches) at 4:30 of Round 2

> Welterweights- Muslim Salikhov (22-5, 9-4 UFC) vs. Uros Medic (11-3, 5-3 UFC)

Salikhov lands some leg kicks. They kick at the same time as Salikhov lands a right hand. Medic lands a high kick. Medic then drops Salikhov with a left hand and starts landing while standing and it is stopped! What a finish by Medic!

Fight Result- Uros Medic def. Muslim Salikhov by TKO (punches) at 1:03 of Round 1

> Flyweights- Matt Schnell (17-9 1 NC, 7-7 1 NC) vs. Joseph Morales (13-2, 2-2 UFC)

Schnell with a leg kick. They trade inside the pocket. Morales with a high kick as Schnell connects with a left hand. Schnell scores a takedown. Morales is able to sweep to the top and gets to side control. Morales with some short elbows from side control. Morales is attacking the arm and looking for a kimura. Morales has the crucifix. Schnell spins and Morales locks in a guillotine choke and Schnell taps! Morales picks up the big win.

Fight Result- Joseph Morales def. Matt Schnell by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:54 of Round 1

> Welterweights- #14 Gabriel Bonfim (18-1, 5-1 UFC) vs. Randy Brown (20-6, 14-6 UFC)

Brown working the jab and push kick. Bonfim lands a calf kick. Bonfim with another calf kick and then another one. Brown with a push kick but Bonfim lands another leg kick. They trade kicks. Bonfim lands a jab and follows with a heavy leg kick. Brown with a jab and Bonfim lands a knee. Bonfim with another leg kick then lands a left hand. Bonfim with more leg kicks. Bonfim lands a head kick. Brown lands a combo. Bonfim with another calf kick. He lands an inside leg kick. Brown with a heavy leg kick. Bonfim with another leg kick. Timeout is called for an eye poke. They get back going and Brown lands a jab. 10-9 Bonfim.

They trade inside the pocket as Brown lands a decent combination. Bonfim works the jab. Bonfim with a leg kick and they trade in close range. Brown lands to the body. Bonfim with a pair of low kicks and lands a right hand. Bonfim with a pair of calf kicks. Bonfim lands a big knee and Brown goes down and Bonfim slips to the mat at the same time. Mark Smith immediately jumps in and stops it as Brown looked out. Brown is getting up and protesting but he did look really stunned. Big finish for Bonfim.

Fight Result- Gabriel Bonfim def. Randy Brown by knockout (knee) at 1:40 of Round 2

TKO signs another media rights deal with Paramount

Posted on by Josh Nason

The relationship between WWE/UFC parent company TKO and Paramount/Skydance continues to deepen with news of yet another media rights deal.

Announced on Wednesday morning, the Professional Bull Riders league will head to the David Ellison-backed Paramount+ streaming service starting this December. It’s a five-year deal that is exclusive to the streamer with no financial details disclosed.

The streamer will air live coverage of the PBR Unleash The Beast season, described as “the highest level of individual bull riding competition spanning five months in 19 cities across 17 states.”

CBS Sports and PBR have actually had a relationship dating back to 2013 with their current deal running through 2030. A weekly PBR event will continue to air on the CBS Television Network as will content on the Paramount-owned FAST service Pluto TV.

Earlier this year, Paramount/Skydance and UFC announced a massive seven-year, $7.7 billion dollar all-encompassing domestic rights deal, followed by an additional contract for both Australia and Latin America signed in October. The two sides also announced a multi-year deal for Zuffa Boxing as well.

As of now, Paramount does not offer any pro wrestling content. Women of Wrestling (WOW) is available on the Pluto TV service and at one point, the formerly named Viacom/CBS was handling syndication for the women’s only brand.

UFC issues statement regarding alleged fixed fight

Posted on by F4W Staff

UFC has released a statement regarding the alleged fixed fight that took place on its Fight Night card last Saturday.

Isaac Dulgarian was originally a sizeable favorite heading into his featherweight fight with Yadier del Valle on Saturday’s Las Vegas card, but the odds shifted dramatically enough in the hours prior to the matchup that the FBI and the promotion’s betting integrity partner both alerted the UFC to betting irregularities as a rash of bets were placed on Dulgarian losing in the first round. The line shifted from Dulgarian being an approximate -250 favorite to a -130 favorite according to ESPN.

MMA reporter Ariel Helwani noted on Monday that UFC approached Dulgarian prior to the fight and confronted him regarding the irregularities, but that Dulgarian denied that he had provided inside information to bettors or that anything untoward was going on.

Dulgarian lost via submission in the first round and was fired by UFC after the loss.

An investigation into whether or not Dulgarian fixed the fight is ongoing, with UFC releasing the following statement:

“Like many professional sports organizations, UFC works with an independent betting integrity service to monitor wagering activity on our events,” UFC officials said in a statement. “Our betting integrity partner, IC360, monitors wagering on every UFC event and is conducting a thorough review of the facts surrounding the Dulgarian vs. del Valle bout on Saturday, November 1.

We take these allegations very seriously, and along with the health and safety of our fighters, nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport.”

Triple H: Booking WWE is ‘much more akin to Marvel’ than UFC

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paul “Triple H” Levesque believes there aren’t that many similarities between booking pro wrestling and booking MMA.

During an appearance on the All-In podcast (recorded in September but not uploaded until today), WWE’s Chief Content Officer was asked if he feels pressured to make the product more physical given how popular UFC is. Levesque responded that he thinks WWE and UFC are actually “total opposites” — though both are star-driven industries where fans are most interested in big personalities.

“We tell stories,” Levesque said. “People within our business sometimes take this wrong, but we don’t write the shows based on ‘That’ll be a great match.’ We write it on the stories that we can create, the protagonist, the antagonist, how does that work with each other, telling stories that can resonate with people that maybe they’ve experienced in their real life, some type of fantastical version of that.”

Levesque said the process of laying out WWE storyline arcs is more similar to plotting out movies in the Marvel Universe.

“I would say we’re much more akin to, like, the Marvel Universe, where you’re planning out long term where the movies fit and how they go with all the characters than we are direct MMA,” Levesque said. “At the end of the day, direct MMA is — you’re booking matches and the interest is, ‘That guy’s really good. He’s really good. I’m not sure who’s going to win. Let’s put them together.’ When you get the right personalities involved, then it explodes.”

Led by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, WWE and UFC have the same ownership with both being under the TKO Group umbrella.

WOL: UFC potential fix, Tokyo Dome, SNME, tons of news!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with tons to talk about including a potential fixed fight in UFC, injury updates, New Japan Tokyo Dome main event and top matches, Super Juniors hilarious ending, Saturday Night’s Main Event, Collision, Smackdown, upcoming line-ups and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Daily Update: Weekend notes, UFC controversy, Will Ospreay

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

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Sunday Update

— Our weekend show covering Saturday Night’s Main Event, Collision, SmackDown, the Super Junior semifinals and more is up on the site right now. Garrett and I did our Friday night show talking about the news of the week, Mick Foley and much more, WWE & AEW booking and much more.

— The only stuff that came out of today’s New Japan show as it pertains to the Tokyo Dome is that with Yota Tsuji beating Hiroshi Tanahashi for the Global title and Konosuke Takeshita beating Hirooki Goto for the IWGP belt, Tsuji now will face Takeshita for the IWGP title. I mean, people have been clamoring for Tsuji or Yuya Uemura to win the big one  As for Hiroshi Tanahashi’s last opponent, I expect that to be announced very soon. Gedo confronted Tanahashi  today and basically said he would be bringing in a guy. That led to the expectations of it being Kazuchika Okada, who hasn’t worked in New Japan since he started in AEW, even last year on the joint show at the Tokyo Dome.

— One of the craziest stories of the day revolves around the UFC fight last night between Yaider del Valle and Isaac Dulgarian. Dulgarian was a major favorite to win. In the last few hours before the fight, a tremendous amount of money came in from people betting on del Valle to win in the first round. The odds moved greatly from all the money that came in to the point people were wary and talking about it before the fight started. Dulgarian  was also associated with James Krause, who was banned from UFC and who UFC would not use fighters trained by because of the belief he’d been involved with gambling issues. Dulgarian then lost via submission to a choke in the first round.

Several platforms took down the match or certain prop bets. Keep in mind so many of the bets came in on Dulgarian losing via submission in the first, and he had never lost by submission. Both Caesars Sportsbook and William Hill US announced they would refund cash credits for single bets that lost on the fight, or for parlay bets that were ruined based on the fight. They would not do that without tremendous suspicion that the fight was fixed in some form. This is all coming right after the NBA gambling scandal.

— Paul Levesque wasn’t at the show last night in Salt Lake City. Bruce Prichard was running the show. Levesque has missed several shows of late, often related to political things.  

— After the lawsuit was filed accusing Gervonta “Tank” Davis of assault and battery on an ex-girlfriend at the club she worked at, and apparently criminal charges were filed, the Netflix show on 11/14 where he was to face Jake Paul is in jeopardy. MVP Promotions (Paul’s company) sent out a press release yesterday saying that they were gathering information and reviewing the details to ensure the decision that they make is thoroughly vetted. “We unequivocally condemn any form of violence and are committed to handling this matter with diligence and respect for all involved.”  

It is known that Paul’s side are talking with various people with the names being mentioned centering on Francis Ngannou and Nate Diaz (who Paul has already fought and beaten). Ryan Garcia’s name was tossed around but Oscar de la Hoya said that Garcia is with DAZN and won’t fight on Netflix. Terrence Crawford’s name was thrown around as well. They also may delay the fight until December.

— From Google searches this weekend, the alleged fixed fight didn’t even make the top 500.  Gervonta “Tank” Davis had 20,000. The UFC show yesterday had 58,000. Saturday Night’s Main Event had 7,000 searches out of topics that made the top 600. The World Series dominated everything.  

— Kota Ibushi, still in a wheelchair, has gotten out of his wheelchair to start doing light upper body workouts that he can do while sitting on a bench.

— Regarding Will Ospreay, some people brought up to me from a social media post thinking he would be back in January. That is not the case. He is hopeful of being able to start light weight workouts in January. He is a long way away from returning.

— I didn’t hear anything about today’s New Japan show which I’ll watch later. Matches I have seen and would recommend from this weekend are Ilja Dragunov vs. Nathan Frazer on Smackdown, Bandido vs. Mascara Dorada on Collision and yesterday’s Robbie Eagle & Kosei Fujita B block winner deciding match with Taiji Ishimori and Robbie X. All were a lot bigger than anything on the SNME show last night. I’ve also heard Leon Cage vs. Nino Bryant from RevPro was another great match.  

–SNME was largely good in the ring and had two title changes, but had no new angles. They did announce a 16-man tournament to face John Cena on 12/13, which was the idea we were told about and was talked about a few months ago.  At the time Gunther was to win. In fact, aside from stuff affected by the injuries to Seth Rollins and Jacob Fatu, most of the WWE directions haven’t changed much at all in the last month or two.

Joe Hendry did a social media post teasing being in the tournament.

— Announced for Raw tomorrow in Rio Rancho, NM, is AJ Styles & Dragon Lee defending the tag team titles against JD McDonagh & Finn Balor, Stephanie Vaquer & Nikki Bella vs. Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez, El Grande Americano vs Penta and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs Asuka & Kairi Sane. CM Punk will be on the show as the new world champion.

— Matches made for Dynamite on Wednesday were Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron vs Mercedes Mone & Athena in the tag team tournament and Adam Page & Hook & Eddie Kingston in a non-title match against Samoa Joe & Katsuyori Shibata & Powerhouse Hobbs.

— Stardom runs tomorrow at the Ota Ward Gym with Saya Kamitani defending both the World of Stardom and New Japan Strong women’s title against Momo Watanabe, Starlight Kid vs.  Konami for the Wonder of Stardom title, Mei Seria vs. Hazuki and Saki Kashima vs. Bozilla.

— AAA in Monterrey tonight has Chelsea Green & Ethan Page going after the mixed tag team titles held by Mr. Iguana & La Hiedra. This was talked about on Tuesday’s NXT show, but was not mentioned Friday night on Smackdown.

— According to  his family, Blue Demon Jr., has improved from his Monday serious auto accident where he was in critical condition. He was to be released from the Intensive care unit yesterday but will remain hospitalized.

 — Chad Slivenski, who was on On Patrol Live on REELZ last night, was former ECW and independent wrestler Chad Austin from the 90s. In the episode, a police officer was speaking to someone in Tennessee who had a lot of medical issues and noted that he used to be a pro wrestler. He said his wrestling name, said he had wrestled for Paul Heyman and Jim Cornette, mentioned having wrested Mr. Hughes and then cut away. They never referencess who he was stopped by police or if he was arrested.

— Some birthdays today include Michael Buffer (81), Sharmell (55), Yoshniari Ogawa (59), Fred Rosser (42) and Dezmond Xavier (31). Fabulous Moolah passed away 18 years ago today.  (thanks to Tony Richards)