Even though he was a significant betting underdog going into Saturday’s UFC 257, Dustin Poirier silenced his critics once again, defeating Conor McGregor by second round TKO to set himself up for a future UFC lightweight title shot.
McGregor (22-5) edged Poirier (27-6-0-1) in the first round, showing his hand speed and connecting flush on several punches. Poirier was hurting McGregor’s leg with calf kicks and landed several punches at the end of the round that seemed to boost his confidence going into the second round.
In the second, Poirier kept up the attack on McGregor’s lead leg and kept gaining confidence getting into McGregor’s range. The beginning of the end was Poirier hitting McGregor with a left hand and a right hook that put McGregor on his rear. Poirier landed another left to his downed opponent and it was over at 2:32 of the round without question.
Afterward, Poirier said he was happy and that since they are 1-1 against each other, maybe they do this again sometime. He put over his charity and didn’t call for a title shot, saying he felt like this was a title fight. McGregor didn’t have a lot to say afterward but that he plans to fight against this year and is not retiring.
With the win, Poirier avenged his 2014 TKO loss to McGregor while both were at featherweight. He’s now won seven of his last nine dating back to February 2017.
The question now is what the UFC and Dana White do with the lightweight title currently held by Khabib Nurmagomedov. While White said Nurmagomedov was going to wait for this weekend’s results to see if one of the performances would be enough to get him out of retirement, “The Eagle” said in a subsequent interview that wasn’t the case and fighting again wasn’t in his immediate future. Nurmagomedov dominated Poirier in a 2019 defense of the title, so it seems unlikely he would change course.
At the post-fight press conference, White said it doesn’t sound promising that Nurmagomedov will return.
The obvious choice would be to pair Poirier and former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler who also impressed in Saturday’s co-main event with a first round TKO win over Dan Hooker.
For McGregor, his future depends on what his desires are at this point of his career. He had been talking about a boxing match against Manny Pacquiao, but that would appear dead given this result. There is always the possibility of the Nate Diaz trilogy fight, but Diaz is rumored to be facing Justin Gaethje next. There are plenty of other elite lightweights McGregor could fight, but whether they are names enough to interest the pay-per-view powerhouse in taking remains to be seen.
Even after Dana White said in late-October that the fight was official, there were still some questions as neither Conor McGregor or Dustin Poirier had yet to sign their bout agreement.
That worry is now gone as the former two division UFC champion officially put pen to paper after Poirier signed last week, making their January 23rd lightweight main event at UFC 257 official, according to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
The location has yet to be announced, but White told ESPN last week that it will be at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi if everything works out as they hope. As of this writing, UFC has yet to officially announce the fight or event but very well could this weekend with the UFC 255 pay-per-view set for Saturday.
The two fought in September 2014 at UFC 178 with McGregor winning by first round TKO while both were at featherweight. McGregor last fought in January with a quick knockout win over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone while Poirier is coming off a fight of the year candidate with Dan Hooker in June, a bout he won by decision.
After a strong 2020 despite the pandemic, it appears UFC and ESPN+ will get a nice financial kickoff to 2021.
At Saturday’s post-UFC press conference, Dana White said that the much-discussed Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier rematch is “signed” and that the fight deal is done. He didn’t give a date or location.
McGregor tweeted Friday “lightweight division incoming” after tweeting a smiley face Thursday to which Poirier responded with a diamond emoji. The two have been trying to make a fight all month with McGregor giving the date of January 23rd at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
The two fought at UFC 178 in September 2014 with McGregor defeating him by first round TKO while both were at featherweight. Since then, McGregor won both the featherweight and lightweight titles while Poirier won the interim title.
White also said at the press conference that Khabib Nurmagomedov remains the UFC lightweight champion and is giving him time while acknowledging earlier this week that he feels “The Eagle” will un-retire and attempt to get to 30-0, something his late father and trainer wanted for him. It was thought that if Nurmagomedov retired, the McGregor-Poirier fight could be for the vacant title.
A look at how WWE & AEW are handling things like the reopening of Florida, and how Texas looks to be the place MMA companies will go to as far as putting fans in buildings is the lead story in the new issue of the Observer.
We look at the current planned date and place for WrestleMania, what sports are now allowed to do as far as live events in Florida, AEW’s current plans going forward and the new regulations in Texas.
The new issue also covers:
The Samantha Tavel lawsuit against WWE, Matt Riddle, Evolve and Gabe Sapolsky. We look at the claims and look at both sides of the story and stories that have changed. We also look at the strategy of involving WWE i the case, WWE responds to the suit, and go through the time lines and how they differ and wording of the suit. We also go through the background of the case.
History of the non-relationship of NJPW and AEW. We look at how it started, why there was heat, how the ouster of Howard Meij could change things, as well as why there were so many mentions of NJPW on this past week’s AEW show. We look at what happened in January 2019 that caused issues between the two sides, the issues with how talent was handled on the way out, and what would be the first sign if relations started opening up.
WWE draft.
G-1 tournament. We go through what style of wrestlers have been helped and hurt by the current no-cheer, no-boo environment, who has been able to get a reaction, the standings, this week’s matches, plans for the rest of the year in New Japan, plus coverage with star ratings and poll results from every show.
NXT Takeover, the show background, match-by-match coverage and poll results on the show.
Updates on the sports rights fees business and where wrestling fits in, Paige’s tweet about unions, Stephanie McMahon gets major praise, new member of WWE Board of Directors, Drew McIntyre vs. Tyson Fury update, one year anniversary of Smackdown on FOX, more on John Cena’s debut in Fast & Furious, new season of Miz & Mrs. and the time slot, Angel Garza injury update, new A&E specials on pro wrestlers coming next year, more WWE injuries, WWE UK direction, wrestling placings in sports ratings and UK rating s for WWE & AEW, Jack Gallagher talks his being released, college heavyweight wants to be managed by Pual Heyman, Miz working on a new television show, WWE new developmental signings, WWE injury updates, WWE market value and the most-watched shows of the past week on the WWE Network.
This past Saturday’s UFC show.
Bushiroad’s attempt at a major Stardom show this past week.
Rundown of charting the place-winners in the key Observer awards and how it relates to the Hall of Fame.
A feature on the team of Penny Banner & Lorraine Johnson, who were known for decades as being the greatest women’s tag team in pro wrestling with the death this past week of Johnson.
What sports events did the best in viewers per home while talking about AEW setting its company record in that category this week.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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In evidence in the Samantha Tavel lawsuit against WWE, Matt Riddle, Gabe Sapolsky and Evolve,there was an email sent from Drake Wuertz, who is involved with booking extras on the show, which showed Wuertz telling Tavel she was off shows on 2/5 and 3/4 of this year saying in the email “Apparently there are some past issues I wasn’t aware of with you and one of our talent that would not make for a ideal work environment.” Tavel is claiming that is proof that WWE refused to book her after she claimed she broke up with Riddle claiming she was sexually assaulted in the past. Riddle claimed he broke up with her twice and she was harassing himself and his wife after the breakup. There is a very detailed story in the current Observer detailing the case. No doubt there will be a lot more on the case in the days to come.
According to Ariel Helwani, the UFC has offered a 1/23 date for the Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier fight, but McGregor is publicly insisting the fight takes place before the end of the year, saying he’s willing to fight on 11/21 or 12/12, which are both PPV shows. Poirier has also said he would fight McGregor on either of those dates.
The G-1 tournament returns tomorrow at 4 a.m. Eastern with an A block show from Osaka with Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura, Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb, Jay White vs Yujiro Takahashi, Taichi vs. Will Ospreay, Kota Ibushi vs. Minoru Suzuki and Kazuchika Okada vs; Shingo Takagi. There is also a Sunday at 5 a.m. Eastern show with the B block with Tetsuya Naito vs. Evil, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano vs. KENTA and Yoshi-Hashi vs Zack Sabre Jr.
Bellator will be the first MMA promotion to run in France with a show in Paris tomorrow that airs at 11:30 a.m. Eastern on CBS Sports network as well as on BBC iPlayer in the U.K.
Mads Burnell (145.6) vs. Darko Banovic (145)
Ryan Scope (160.8) vs. Alan Omer (159)
Oliver Enkamp (168.4) vs. Emmanuel Dawa (170)
Michael Venom Page (174.2) vs. Ross Houston (174.8)
Saul Rogers (145.4) vs Abri Mezhidov (146)
Cheick Koingo (245.6) vs. Tim Johnson (259.8)
The last two bouts will not air on television in the U.S., but air on Bellator’s youTube Channel at about 5 p.m. Eastern time.
UFC tomorrow from Yaz Island in Abu Dhabi for a ESPN+ show starting at 5 p.m. Eastern:
Bruno Silva (125.5) vs. Tagir Ulanbekov (126)
Tracy Cortez (136) vs. Stephanie Egger (135.5)
Giga Chikadze (146) vs. Omar Morales (145.5)
Ali Alqaisi (136) vs. Tony Kelley (136)
Joaquin Buckley (185.5) vs. Impa Kasanganay (185.5)
Chris Daukaus (227) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento (265)
K.B. Bhullar (186) vs. Tom Breese (186)
Ilia Topuira (146) vs. Yuossef Zalal (146)
Tom Aspinall (252) vs. Alan Baudot (254)
Dricu Da Pressis (186) vs. Markus Perez (186)
Ben Rothwell (265) vs. Marcin Tybura (263)
Edson Barboza (145.5) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (146)
Marlon Moraes (136) vs. Cory Sandhagen (136)
The Mexican women’s national title tournament block B is tonight from Arena Mexico on the Ticketmaster website. This week’s teams are Estrellita & Mystique, Dalys & Stephanie Vaquer, Princesa Sugehit & Sanely Jarochita & Lluvia and La Guerrera & Vaquerita. The top two bouts are Forastero vs. Euforia and Caristico & Bandido vs. Negro Casas & Gran Guerrero.
WWE
Smackdown tonight has 20 picks in the draft plus Bayley vs. Sasha Banks for the Smackdown women’s title, Kevin Owens vs. Bray Wyatt, Big E vs. Sheamus falls count anywhere and Matt Riddle & Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz & John Morrison. Riddle being on the show is notable with the lawsuit filed yesterday against both he and WWE by Samantha Tavel.
Those up for the draft tonight are Asuka, Sasha Banks, Bianca Belair, Dana Brooke, Humberto Carrillo, Elias, Angel Garza, Drew Gulak, Heavy Machinery, The Hurt Business, Mickie James, Lucha House Party, Drew McIntyre, Murphy, Rey & Dominik Mysterio, Naomi, New Day, Roman Reigns, Ricochet, Seth Rollins, Mandy Rose, Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax, Shorty G, AJ Styles and Jey Uso. Raw will pick first, third and fifth in every round and there will be five rounds of picks
There have been a lot of people noting that today would have been the 53rd birthday of Eddy Guerrero.
UFC
The Amanda Ribas vs. Carla Esparza fight scheduled for 12/12 is now off for that date but the hope is for it to take place in early 2021. Esparza pulled out of the date and they are looking for a new opponent for Ribas.
Brian Kelleher vs. Ricky Simon at bantamweight is set for a 1/16 date. They had been scheduled recently but one of Simon’s cornermen tested positive for COVID so the fight was pulled off.
Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba has been added to the 12/12 show.
AEW
The movie “Cagefighter: World’s Collide” starring Jon Moxley is available for VOD viewing on Fandango Now and Vudu. Moxley stars as a pro wrestling superstar put in an MMA fight for an attempt at a big business dream match. Chuck Liddell, Jay (Christian) Reso and Luke Rockhold are also in the movie.
A great story by Marc Raimondi about MMA, boxing and pro wrestling on the effect the pandemic has had on developing younger fighters and newer wrestling stars. (thanks to Barry Werner)
An attempt by Jeff Jarrett to get a new trial in his suit against Anthem Sports was denied by Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw in U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Tennessee. PWInsider reported that after the first case was ruled a mistrial, Crenshaw said that due to COVID and that criminal trials take precedence, he has no ability to regularly schedule jury trials.
A note for people interested in my new book, the 1997 Wrestling Observer Yearbook, if you are in Canada the best price would be ordering at amazon.ca For the U.S. market it would be at amazon.com and for the U.K. market it would be at www.WrestlingObserverBook.com
ROH’s pure tournament this weekend on TV has Jay Lethal vs. David Finlay and Fred Yehi vs. Tracy Williams in the first two quarterfinals.
FITE TV will be airing all of the shows of The Collective this weekend including AIW Thunder at 8 p.m. Eastern tonight, Game Chamber at midnight tonight and Josh Barnett’s Blood sport on Sunday.
The PFL has announced the signings of Cezar Ferreira, Renen Ferreira, Sheymon Moraes, Joilton Lutterbach, Hatef Moeil, Marthin Hamlet, Sung Bin Jo and Brandon Sayles for the 2021 season.
KSW 55 takes place tomorrow from Lodz, Poland at www.KSWTV.com with Scott Ashkam (19-4) vs. Mamed Khalidov (34-7-2) for the middleweight title in the main event, plus Michal Materia (28-7) vs. Aleksander Ilic (12-3) and Damian Janikowski (4-3) vs. Andreas Gustafsson (6-0).
Mark Davis of the Aussie Open tag team has returned to Australia and his running classes at the new 3 Count Academy in Brisbane.
World Series Wrestling listed a return in 2021 which featured Marty Scurll in the listing, who is their current champion. They got a lot of backlash for mentioning Scurll, and took down the post on Twitter but left it up on Facebook (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
LFA on 10/16 in Park City, KS on UFC Fight Pass has Andre Petroski (5-0) vs. Aaron Jefferey (8-2) in a middleweight fight as the main event. The show airs at 9 p.m. next week on UFC Fight Pass.
Pro Wrestling Phoenix runs tomorrow night in Omaha, NE at the Waiting Room Lounge.
Jack Bonza, the owner of PWA based in Sydney, has announced himself for the main event of a 10/10 show. He was accused of sexually harassing fans months ago and has not publicly acknowledged it up to this point.
WAR on 11/7 in Lima, OH at the Empowered Sports Center.
A new wrestling magazine in Austria called In de Goschn will be released this month. It will be 100 pages and will focus on wrestling in Austria 80 percent and have some content on the U.S. and Lucha Libre scenes. The people behind it have journalism backgrounds writing for economy papers and magazines in the past. It will be for Austria but have some availability in Germany. (thanks to Markus Gronemann)
Expo Lucha has a virtual convention tomorrow at 1 p.m. on the Expo Lucha Facebook page. They will air a ton of matches from the past. have interviews and more
ICW No Holds Barred on 11/13 in Tampa, FL at the 81 Bay Brewing Company with Erick Stevens, Dom Garrini, Bruce Santee and more.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 242: Khabib vs. Poirier, emanating from the du Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
The Octagon heads to Abu Dhabi for the first time in over five years for a lightweight title unification bout and the return of one of the biggest stars on the current UFC roster.
UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov returns to action for the first time in 2019 when he takes on Interim UFC Lightweight Champion Dustin Poirier in a unification bout. Nurmagomedov has been out of action since defeating Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in October, serving a suspension due to the post-fight brawl after that fight. Poirier became the interim champion after defeating Max Holloway at UFC 236 in April in one of the best fights of 2019.
In the co-main event, it is a lightweight bout with fireworks written all over it as Edson Barboza and Paul Felder battle for the second time. Barboza defeated Felder in a July 2015 bout and Felder looks to even the score.
Also on the main card is a heavyweight bout between Shamil Abdurakhimov and Curtis Blaydes, as well as a pair of lightweight fights as Islam Makhachev takes on Davi Ramos, and Mairbek Taisumov squares off against Diego Ferreira. Preliminary card action will be capped off with a women’s flyweight bout between Joanne Calderwood and Andrea Lee.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 10:15 AM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
ESPN+/UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 10:15 AM ET/7:15 AM PT
> Don Madge (8-3-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Fares Ziam (10-2, 0-0 UFC) Lightweights
Madge looking for a takedown right away as they clinch. They battle for underhooks against the fence. Madge lands a knee and Ziam lands an elbow. Madge working hard for a takedown against the fence but Ziam defending well. They are broken up by the ref. Madge with a body kick and he clinches up but Ziam defends the takedown attempt. They continue to battle in the clinch against the fence but nothing happening. 10-9 Madge.
They clinch right back up to start the second round. Ziam has Madge pushed against the fence but the separate. Ziam with a short uppercut and they clinch again. Madge lands some punches as they break but Ziam lands a knee. Madge goes for a takedown but Ziam defends. They continue to battle for position in the clinch. They break but clinch again and are quickly broken up by the ref. They trade kicks and clinch back up. Madge gets a late takedown and ends the round on top. 10-9 Madge, 20-18 Madge.
They clinch right back up to start the third. They continue to battle for underhooks but neither is doing much of anything. They break and Ziam misses some punches and Madge drops down and gets a takedown. Madge working with some punches and elbows from the top. Madge stands and Ziam with an upkick but Madge lands some punches and goes to the half-guard and briefly passes to mount. Madge lands from top to end the fight. 10-9 Madge, 30-27 Madge.
Official Result- Don Madge def. Fares Ziam by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
They are feeling each other out and Cummings lands a groin strike and we have a timeout. Cummings tries a high kick but Akhmedov slips away. Cummings drops Akhmedov with a left hand and then lands another but Akhmedov quickly gets up and lands a punch. Akhmedov has a cut under his eye. Akhmedov gets a big slam on Cummings and is working in the half-guard. Akhmedov with some elbows from the top. Cummings tries to sweep but Akhmedov quickly grabs him and keeps him on the mat. They end the round on the mat. 10-9 Akhmedov.
Cummings with a body kick. Akhmedov with a right hand and then lands a left hook. Cummings with a leg kick. Akhmedov with a big body kick. They trade punches. Cummings with a leg kick but eats a counter right hand from Akhemdov. Akhmedov misses a spinning back fist and Cummings lands a combo. Akhmedov gets a late takedown and lands from the top at the end. 10-9 Akhmedov, 20-18 Akhmedov.
They trade early to start the third and both are looking for openings. Both landing punches and Akhmedov shoots for a takedown but Cummings easily defends. Akhmedov gets a takedown and is in the half-guard. Akhmedov with some elbows from the top at the end. 10-9 Akhmedov, 30-27 Akhmedov.
Official Result- Omari Akhmedov def. Zak Cummings by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
> Nordine Taleb (15-6, 7-4 UFC) vs. Muslim Salikhov (13-2, 1-1 UFC) Welterweights
Salikhov with some early leg kicks. Salikhov with a spin kick to the body that backs Taleb up. Taleb with a groin strike and we have a timeout. Back to action and Salikov with a big leg kick after Taleb lands a punch. They trade leg kicks. Salikhov with a spin kick that misses and Taleb lands a counter right hand. Taleb with a high kick. Salikhov with a right hand. Salikhov then lands a massive right hand that knocks Taleb out cold. Absolutely brutal finish as Salikhov gets the win.
Official Result- Muslim Salikov def. Nordine Taleb by TKO (punch) at 4:26 of Round 1
> Belal Muhammad (15-3, 6-3 UFC) vs. Takashi Sato (15-2, 1-0 UFC) Welterweights
Muhammad with a jab and Sato lands a counter left. Muhammad with a left hook. They trade and Muhammad lands a left hand. Sato with the jab. Muhammad with a left hand and Sato stumbles. Muhammad shoots for a takedown and ends up taking the back with the body lock. Muhammad with a takedown and separates and lands a left hand as they stand. Sato with the jab. Muhammad with a right hand to the body and a left to the jaw. Muhammad goes for a takedown and grabs the back. They break. Muhammad with a high kick. Muhammad with a takedown slam and takes the back and looks to set up a choke. Muhammad with punches from the back. Muhammad ends the round with back control. 10-9 Muhammad.
Sato lands a left hand. Muhammad with a left hook. They trade and Muhammad with a right hand to the body followed by a left to the head. Muhammad gets a brief takedown and they get up and break. Muhammad with a body-head combo again. Muhammad shoots for a takedown and has the back of Sato against the fence but they break. Muhammad with a right hand. Muhammad with an overhand right. Muhammad with a combo. Muhammad has shown non-stop pressure. Sato gets a trip takedown into side control. Sato ends the round in this position. Close round. 10-9 Muhammad, 20-18 Muhammad.
They trade to start the third and both are landing. Muhammad lands a punch to the eye of Sato and Sato has a cut open up. Muhammad with a high kick. Muhammad shoots and grabs the back and almost has a takedown but Sato keeps upright and they break. Muhammad with a right hand. Muhammad gets Sato down and has the back and has a tight rear-naked choke locked in and he gets Sato to tap! Nice win by Muhammad, his first career submission win.
Official Result- Belal Muhammad def. Takashi Sato by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:55 of Round 3
FX/ESPN+ PRELIMS | 12 PM ET/9 AM PT
> Ottman Azaitar (11-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Teemu Packalen (8-2, 1-2 UFC) Lightweights
Both throwing big punches early. Azaitar lands a right hand. Azaitar lands a right hand and then lands some punches. Packalen clinches and lands some knees but Azaitar lands punches. They break and Azaitar landing lots of big punches and Packalen is in trouble and circling away. Azaitar lands a right hand that knocks Packalen down for a second. Packalen shoots for a takedown but Azaitar gets away. Azaitar then knocks Packalen out cold with a brutal right hand. That was vicious. Packalen did a faceplant and was shaking on the ground. One of the most brutal knockouts of the year.
Official Result- Ottman Azaitar def. Teemu Packalen by knockout (punch) at 3:33 of Round 1
> Liana Jojua (7-2, 0-0 UFC) vs. Sarah Moras (5-5, 2-4 UFC) Women’s Bantamweights* (Moras missed weight by 2 pounds)
They trade early. Moras pressuring Jojua up against the fence. They clinch and Moras has Jojua up against the fence. They trade knees. They continue to battle in the clinch. Moras with more control. Boring round. 10-9 Moras.
They both throw looping punches to start the second and neither landing much of anything. Moras pressures Jojua up against the fence in the clinch. They trade knees and Moras gets the back but switches back to the front. Jojua gets a takedown and is working in the guard of Moras. Moras tries for an armbar and a triangle but moves to the armbar but Jojua escapes. Jojua gets back in the guard and lands some elbows on Moras. Moras is able to reverse and now gets in the guard of Jojua. Jojua controlling posture but Moras lands from the top. Moras with some elbows but they didn’t seem to land. Moras ends the round on top. 10-9 Moras, 20-18 Moras.
Jojua gets a takedown and is working in the guard of Moras but Moras nullifying any offense from the top and they get up. Jojua tries a takedown but Moras stuffs it and takes the back and then reverse and Moras gets the mount on Jojua and lands some elbows. Jojua trying to scramble out and gives up the back. Moras landing punches and elbows from the top. Moras with more big shots and the referee stops the fight. Moras gets her first stoppage in the UFC.
Official Result- Sarah Moras def. Liana Jojua by TKO (strikes) at 2:26 of Round 3
Murphy with a low kick to start off. They trade punches. Tukhugov drops Murphy with a left hand and starts landing punches. Murphy gets up but Tukhugov landing lots of punches looking to finish. Tukhugov gets a takedown against the fence and has Murphy pinned against the fence. They get up for a brief moment before Tukhugov takes him back down. Tukhugov in the half-guard. Tukhugov still working from the top as Murphy tries to scramble out. Tukhugov pushes him against the fence. Murphy went for a late kimura attempt but Tukhugov escaped. 10-9 Tukhugov.
They trade early and Murphy landing some leg kicks. They trade punches. Murphy with the double jab and follows it with a straight right hand. Tukhugov with an uppercut. They trade and Tukhugov gets a takedown and pushes Murphy against the fence. Murphy gets a guillotine choke locked in and it was in deep but Tukhugov able to escape and they get to their feet. Murphy with a right hand. They trade and Murphy lands an uppercut. Tukhugov is slowing down a little. Murphy lands some kicks and Tukhugov goes for a takedown to get himself out of trouble. Tukhugov gets a takedown. Tukhugov ends the round on top. Close round. 10-9 Murphy, 19-19.
Murphy with a side kick. Murphy with a left hand and Tukhugov lands a counter right hand. Murphy coming forward with punches as Tukhugov circles away. Tukhugov shoots and Murphy stuffs the takedown. Tukhugov with a right hand. Murphy lands an uppercut. They trade punches. Tukhugov gets the body lock. Tukhugov trying for a takedown but they separate. Murphy misses a right hand. Murphy with a body kick and Tukhugov grabs the leg and takes him down. Tukhugov has side control and then takes the back of Murphy. Tukhugov gets the top and Murphy tries to escape and gives up his back. Tukhugov is definitely tired and they stand. Tukhugov gets a brief takedown. Murphy with a jumping knee. 10-9 Tukhugov, 29-28 Tukhugov.
Official Result- Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Lerone Murphy ends in a split draw (29-28, 28-29, 28-28)
> Joanne Calderwood (#5, 13-4, 5-4 UFC) vs. Andrea Lee (#6, 11-2, 3-0 UFC) Women’s Flyweights
They trade early on. Calderwood with some teet kicks and lands a right hand. Lee with the jab. Calderwood with some front kicks and Lee landing the jab. They trade punches. Lee with a combo to the body. They trade kicks and then trade punches and Lee with a knee. Lee with a left hook to the body. Calderwood with some low kicks. Lee with some body punches and Calderwood lands a short knee. Lee with a low kick and Calderwood turns it into a takedown. They get right up and Calderwood lands a knee. Calderwood lands an elbow on the break and Lee falls down and is cut open, but she gets up. Calderwood with a high kick and Lee catches it and turns it into a takedown. Lee with some elbows from the top. Lee gets to side control and ends the round in that position. 10-9 Lee.
Calderwood coming out with kicks in the second. Calderwood with a right hand and Lee gets a body lock. Lee lands some knees and they break. They trade and Calderwood lands a knee. They trade kicks. Lee gets a takedown. They get to their feet and Lee has the body lock. They break and Calderwood lands a big elbow on the break. They trade punches and Calderwood lands a nice jab. Calderwood gets a late takedown but they trade as they get back to their feet at the end of the round. Close round. 10-9 Calderwood, 19-19.
They are both throwing to start the third round. Lee lands a straight right hand. Calderwood with a combo in return ending with a high kick. Calderwood coming forward and landing teet kicks but Lee is firing back punches. They trade punches. Calderwood with a front kick to the face and Lee gets a clinch against the fence. They trade as they break. Lee shoots for a takedown and completes it. Lee grabs the back of Calderwood as they stand. Lee lands a knee and pushes Calderwood against the fence. They break. Calderwood with a front kick. Calderwood with a knee as Lee was shooting for a takedown. Calderwood has clinch advantage against the fence. Calderwood gets a brief takedown and has control as the fight ends. Close fight. 10-9 Calderwood, 29-28 Calderwood.
Official Result- Joanne Calderwood def. Andrea Lee by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
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> Mairbek Taisumov (27-5, 7-1 UFC) vs. Diego Ferreira (15-2, 6-2 UFC) Lightweights
Taisumov with a leg kick. Taisumov with a big leg kick. Taisumov lands a right hand. Taisumov with an uppercut and Ferreira counters with a right hand. Ferreira with a body kick. They clinch for a moment but break. Ferreira with a leg kick. Taisumov lands a big combo that stuns Ferreira but he circles away. Taisumov lands a right hand. Ferreira with a jab and follows it with a right hand. Taisumov with a leg kick. Ferreira lands a big right hand at the end. 10-9 Taisumov.
They trade punches to start the second. They trade and Ferreria lands a right hand. Ferreira with a right hand. Ferreira shoots for a takedown but Taisumov gets a judo throw and almost escapes but Ferreira still has the clinch control. There was a headbutt in there by Ferreira and they are separated. They trade. Ferreira with a body kick and he is far more active in this round. Ferreira with a leg kick. They trade punches and Taisumov lands a big left hook. Ferreira tries a takedown but Taisumov shakes him off. Ferreira with a spin kick at the end. 10-9 Ferreira, 19-19.
Ferreira with a high kick and then lands a combo. Taisumov really slowing down. Ferreira with constant pressure and lands a body kick. They trade punches and Ferreira with another body kick. Ferreira with a right hand. Ferreira with a head kick that stuns Taisumov and then lands a jab. Ferreira with a combination. Taisumov is bloody on the nose. Ferreira with a right hand and then a combo to the body. Ferreira stalking him down and landing kicks and punches. Ferreira with a right hand. Ferreira with a combo ending with a head kick. Ferreira lands punches late. 10-9 Ferreira, 29-28 Ferreira.
Official Result- Diego Ferreria def. Mairbek Taisumov by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
Blaydes shoots right in for a takedown and gets it. Blaydes with punches from the top. They get to their feet. Blaydes gets another takedown. He gets into side control. They get to their feet. Abdurakhimov with an uppercut. Blaydes gets another takedown. He has the back. Blaydes with punches from the top. They get to their feet and Blaydes takes Abdurakhimov right back down. Blaydes with punches from the top. Blaydes gets the mount and was landing big punches and elbows as the round ended. That came very close to being a finish by Blaydes. Total dominating round. 10-8 Blaydes.
Blaydes gets an immediate takedown and is on top. Blaydes landing punches from the top and has back control. He is landing lots of punches and Abdurakhimov is being told to defend. Blaydes gets back to the half-guard. Blaydes lands a few more punches and Abdurakhimov is busted wide open and Marc Goddard stops the fight. Total domination by Blaydes in getting the win.
Official Result- Curtis Blaydes def. Shamil Abdurakhimov by TKO (punches) at 2:22 of Round 2
> Islam Makhachev (#15, 17-1, 6-1 UFC) vs. Davi Ramos (10-2, 4-1 UFC) Lightweights
They trade body kicks to start the fight. Crowd chanting loudly for Makhachev. Makhachev with a left hand. Makhachev with a high kick. Ramos attempts a takedown but Makhachev defends. Ramos with a right hand. They are both looking for openings and both looking to counter the other. Makhachev with a body punch. They both throw punches and Makhachev lands. Ramos misses a right hand. Real nothing round. 10-9 Makhachev.
Makhachev with a high kick and Ramos counters with a flurry of punches. They clinch and trade knees. They trade punches and break. Makhachev with a body kick. Makhachev with a left hand to the body. Ramos lands a left hand. Makhachev with a left hand. He lands another. They trade and Makhachev lands a knee. Makhachev with a left hand. They trade and Makhachev landing bunches of punches. 10-9 Makhachev, 20-18 Makhachev.
Makhachev drops Ramos with a huge knee and starts unloading punches on the ground looking to finish but Ramos is able to pull him into the guard. Makhachev working from the top and the guard and Ramos is looking a little tired. Makhachev landing more punches from the top as he has Ramos’ legs pinned against the fence. Makhachev moves back to the guard and landing more from the top. Makhachev landing more from the top but Ramos landing a little from the bottom. Makhachev ends the fight on top. 10-9 Makhachev, 30-26 Makhachev.
Official Result- Islam Makhachev def. Davi Ramos by unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-26)
> Edson Barboza (#7, 20-7, 14-7 UFC) vs. Paul Felder (#10, 16-4, 8-4 UFC) Lightweights
Barboza with some calf kicks and then a body kick. Felder with a left hand. They clinch and Felder pushes Barboza up against the fence. They break. Felder with a body punch and Barboza lands a counter left hand. Felder with a leg kick. They trade and Felder pushes Barboza against the fence and they break. Barboza with a body kick. Felder with a combo and most miss. Barboza with a leg kick. They trade punches. Felder misses a spin kick. Barboza with a big body kick. Barboza with a high body kick. Felder with a right hand. 10-9 Barboza.
They trade early. Both land leg kicks. Felder lands a left hook. Barboza gets a takedown. Felder with some elbows from the bottom. Barboza is cut open from the elbows. Barboza with punches from the top as Felder is landing elbows from the bottom. Felder looking for an armbar from the bottom. Barboza gets himself out of it and they get to their feet. Felder with a right hand. They trade leg kicks. Felder with an uppercut and Barboza lands a counter left hook. Felder with a right hand to the body and they clinch. They break and both land punches in close range. Felder shoots for a takedown but Barboza defends. They end the round tied up against the fence. 10-9 Felder, 19-19.
They trade heavy punches to start the third. Barboza with a body kick. Felder comes forward and lands a combo. Felder landing the jab. Barboza lands a right hand. Felder lands a left hook. Barboza with a spinning back fist. Barboza with a step-in knee. Both land spinning stuff- Barboza a kick and Felder a punch. Felder with a combo. Felder coming forward and lands a right hand. Felder with the jab. Barboza with a leg kick. They clinch against the fence. They break to the center. They trade and Felder defends a takedown attempt from Barboza. Barboza gets a brief late takedown. Super close fight. 10-9 Felder, 29-28 Felder.
Official Result- Paul Felder def. Edson Barboza by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 30-27)
Both men being patient in the first minute. Poirier with a leg kick. Nurmagomedov with a combo and shoots for the takedown. Nurmagomedov gets Poirier down but they get up and Nurmagomedov has back control. They go to the mat and Nurmagomedov has the back. Nurmagomedov looking for the choke but moves to the top and has the mount. Nurmagomedov has the back again and looking for a choke. Nurmagomedov lands punches from the back. Nurmagomedov with more punches and he has a choke locked in. It is more of a neck crank but Nurmagomedov lets go. They get to their feet. Poirier with a knee to the body. Nurmagomedov gets the back and trips Poirier to the ground. They stand and Nurmagomedov with some knees and he then takes Poirier back down. Nurmagomedov has mount and lands some big elbows at the end and punches. Big round for Nurmagomedov. 10-8 Nurmagomedov.
Poirier with a leg kick. Nurmagomedov tries a flying knee but Poirier ducks away. Poirier lands a left hand. Poirier with a combo and Nurmagomedov is retreating. Both landed some good punches in there. They both land. Nurmagomedov with a leg kick. Nurmagomedov with a takedown. He gets to the side control. Nurmagomedov gets to the top and lands some punches. Poirier gives up his back and is cut open. They stand and Nurmagomedov trying for another takedown. They are clinched up against the fence but break. Nurmagomedov goes back for another takedown and has the back of Poirier. Nurmagomedov with a knee late. 10-9 Nurmagomedov, 20-17 Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov lands a body kick. Nurmagomedov with a right hand. Nurmagomedov gets a takedown but Poirier has the neck and a guillotine choke locked in. It is tight and Nurmagomedov staying composed. Poirier still has it locked in. Nurmagomedov fighting it off and gets out. Nurmagomedov gets the back now. He has a rear-naked choke locked in and Poirier taps! Khabib Nurmagomedov gets the submission win in a truly classic performance to remain the undefeated champion.
Official Result- Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Dustin Poirier by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:06 of Round 3 to retain the UFC Lightweight Championship
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will face interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier this September at UFC 242 in the promotion’s return to Abu Dhabi.
The undefeated Nurmagomedov (27-0) hasn’t fought since last October’s fourth round submission win over Conor McGregor that resulted in a post-fight melee fueled by a personal rivalry between both camps. Nurmagomedov was retroactively suspended for nine months by the Nevada Athletic Commission, but said he wouldn’t compete until two of his teammates’ year-long suspensions were up. Those suspensions just happened to be recently shortened by 35 days following a recommendation from NAC president Bob Bennett.
Poirier won the interim belt with a unanimous decision over Max Holloway at April’s UFC 236. Since moving back to lightweight in 2015, Poirier is 9-1-0-1.
This will be UFC’s third appearance in Abu Dhabi and their first since an April 2014 Fight Night event that drew 7,963 for a $1.8 million gate. Their first event was April 2010’s UFC 112 at the Yas Island complex, headlined by then-middleweight champion Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia, a fight marred by Silva’s lackluster peformance. The show drew 11,009 for a $3.5 million gate.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 236: Holloway vs. Poirier 2, emanating from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Octagon returns to Atlanta for the first time since 2016 with two title fights headlining the card, albeit they are for two interim championships.
UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway moves up to 155 pounds in an attempt to become a two-division champion when he takes on Dustin Poirier for the Interim UFC Lightweight Championship. Holloway and Poirier fought once before, at UFC 143 in February 2012, a bout won by Poirier. Since then, both have grown as competitors to become two of the best in the world.
In the co-main event, the Interim UFC Middleweight Championship will be on the line as Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya do battle. Gastelum lost his chance to become the UFC Middleweight Champion at UFC 234 in February when champion Robert Whittaker had to pull out on fight day due to emergency surgery. Adesanya ended up headlining that event, scoring a win over Anderson Silva to remain undefeated at 16-0.
Also on the main card is a pair of light heavyweight bouts as Eryk Anders takes on Khalil Rountree, and a rematch between Ovince Saint Preux and Nikita Krylov takes place with Krylov looking to even the score between them.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:15 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
> Brandon Davis (9-6, 1-3 UFC) vs. Randy Costa (4-0, 0-0 UFC) Bantamweights
Davis right away with a leg kick but Costa counters with a big right hand that rocks Davis for a moment. They start throwing bombs at each other. Davis with a body kick followed by a knee as they clinch. Costa with a head kick after they break. Davis with a right hand. They both land punches. Costa with the jab and an uppercut to the body but Davis tags him with a right hand. Each man landing punches. Both landing the jab. Costa with a right hand as Davis is against the fence. Costa with a high kick and a knee to the body. They trade leg kicks. Davis with an elbow. They trade at the end. Fun round. 10-9 Costa.
Costa rocks Davis with a right hand and starts throwing punches but Davis gets a clinch. They break and both throwing punches and kicks. Davis lands a combo and a knee and hurts Costa. Costa shoots for a takedown and Davis defends and gets the back and has a rear-naked choke locked in and Costa taps! Nice submission for Davis in a real fun fight.
Official Result- Brandon Davis def. Randy Costa by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:12 of Round 2
Botelho with a leg kick. They trade punches and kicks. Botelho with a spin kick that partially lands. Botelho with a big body kick that hurts Mueller. Botelho gets a takedown and is in the half guard. Botelho gets to the full mount. They get back to their feet and Botelho has the clinch and is landing knees against the fence. 10-9 Botelho.
They trade punches. Botelho with a leg kick. Botelho just misses a spin kick to the body but lands a high kick. They trade punches and then clinch. They battle for underhooks. Mueller with a hard elbow but it allows Botelho to get a takedown into the guard. Mueller able to get to the fence and uses it to get to her feet. They battle for underhooks against the fence. Botelho lands some short knees against the fence. Botelho with a spin kick to the body after they are broken up by the referee. Mueller lands a body kick followed by a right hand. 10-9 Botelho, 20-18 Botelho.
Mueller stalking Botelho and landing some punches as Botelho backs up. Botelho misses a spin kick. They clinch and Mueller has the edge against the fence but Botelho reverses. Not much happens and the referee splits them up. They each land a jab. Botelho shoots for a takedown but Mueller shakes it off. They trade punches and Mueller lands some big punches. Mueller landing big shots and lands a leg kick that trips Botelho up. Mueller goes into the guard and that might have cost her the fight. She could have possibly finished Botelho standing. Mueller gets to the half-guard but Botelho hanging on as the fight ends. 10-9 Mueller, 29-28 Botelho.
Official Result- Poliana Botelho def. Lauren Mueller by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Montel Jackson (7-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. Andre Soukhamthath (13-6, 2-3 UFC) Bantamweights
Soukhamthath with a leg kick. Jackson with a left hand. Jackson with a combo. Jackson with some leg kicks. Soukhamthath with a leg kick. Slow pace to this first round. Jackson with a high kick and Soukhamthath throws a leg kick. They trade body kicks with Jackson landing harder. Soukhamthath with a knee to the body. Jackson with a combo and looks for a takedown. Jackson completes the takedown. Soukhamthath uses the cage to get to his feet. Jackson gets another takedown. 10-9 Jackson.
They trade to start the second round. Soukhamthath with a leg kick. Both men being patient. They trade leg kicks. They are trading and Jackson is landing big punches. Soukhamthath is firing back but Jackson really opening up and landing lots of big punches. Big right hand from Jackson and Soukhamthath has one hell of a chin. Jackson gets the clinch. Jackson gets a takedown and is in the full guard of Soukhamthath. Jackson finishes the round on top. 10-9 Jackson, 20-18 Jackson.
Jackson starts landing the jab. Soukhamthath goes for a high kick but gets hit in the groin with a kick and goes down and we have a timeout. Jackson gets Soukhamthath to the ground and is in the full mount. Jackson landing big punches and elbows. Soukhamthath giving up his back and Jackson still landing punches. Soukhamthath recovers half-guard. Jackson looking for the kimura and landing body punches. Jackson gives it up but still landing in the full guard. Soukhamthath goes for an armbar but Jackson easily defends. Jackson with hammerfists at the end. 10-9 Jackson, 30-27 Jackson.
Official Result- Montel Jackson def. Andre Soukhamthath by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)
> Curtis Millender (17-4, 3-1 UFC) vs. Belal Muhammad (14-3, 5-3 UFC) Welterweights
Millender just missed a head kick to start the action. Millender with a leg kick and then one high. Muhammad with a right hand and then a left hook. Millender with a leg kick. Millender cuts Muhammad open with a jab. Millender with another jab. Muhammad goes for a single leg but Millender defends. Millender stuns Muhammad with a right hand and then a late body kick. 10-9 Millender.
Muhammad initiates a clinch against the fence right at the start of the second. Muhammad with short knees and some foot stomps. Muhammad working for a takedown but lets go and they break to the center. Millender just misses a flying knee. Millender lands a right hand. Muhammad with a leaping left hook. Muhammad just misses an uppercut. Muhammad shoots in and finishes the takedown. Muhammad with some punches from the top. Muhammad keeping Millender on the bottom. Muhammad in the full guard and landing to the body. Muhammad with two big elbows. 10-9 Muhammad, 19-19.
They trade kicks. Muhammad shoots for a takedown but Millender defends with a knee to the body. Muhammad with a right hand and then a left hook. Muhammad with another right hand. Millender is slowing down. Muhammad shoots deep for a takedown and completes it. Muhammad in the half-guard of Millender. Muhammad with punches from the top. Muhammad gets to the mount. Muhammad with more punches from the top. Muhammad goes to side control and back to mount and reigning down elbows. Millender gives up his back and Muhammad looking for a choke. Muhammad with punches. Big finish by Muhammad. 10-9 Muhammad, 29-28 Muhammad.
Official Result- Belal Muhammad def. Curtis Millender by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 30-26)
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> Boston Salmon (6-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Khalid Taha (12-2, 0-1 UFC) Bantamweights
Taha lands a right hand and then drops Salmon with a huge left hand and then finishes him off with punches on the ground. This went less than a minute. Salmon got up and was upset at the stoppage but he was done and was stumbling to his feet. Huge knockout win for Taha.
Official Result- Khalid Taha def. Boston Salmon by TKO (punches) at :25 of Round 1
> Max Griffin (14-6, 2-4 UFC) vs. Zelim Imadaev (8-0, 0-0 UFC) Welterweights
Imadaev with a leg kick but Griffin takes him down and has the back. Imadaev has grabbed the fence three times during the takedown and using to get his feet up. The referee calls a timeout and docks Imadaev a point for the fence grabs. Imadaev lands a knee and Griffin looking for a takedown and gets it. Griffin has the back and working for a choke. Griffin has a neck crank in and is squeezing. He lets go though. Imadaev grabs the cage again. Imadaev keeps grabbing the fence as Griffin is trying to improve his position. They get to their feet. Imadaev lands a spinning elbow and a high kick. Imadaev has the body lock. Griffin lands a knee to the body. 10-8 Griffin.
Imadaev tries a spin kick but Griffin grabs the back mid-spin and gets a takedown. They get to their feet but Griffin still has the back and switches to front control. Imadaev reverses positions. They break and Griffin with a leg kick. Griffin gets a takedown but Imadaev gets back to his feet. Imadaev misses the spinning elbow. Griffin gets another takedown against the fence. They get up and Imadaev with a knee to the body. Imadaev with a right hand. Both men are tired. Imadaev with a body kick. Imadaev lands a spinning fist. 10-9 Imadaev, 19-18 Griffin.
Imadaev with a left hand. Imadaev looks to be the fresher fighter. Griffin with a body kick and Imadaev counters with a leg kick. Imadaev with a left hand followed by an uppercut. Imadaev with a combo. Griffin with a leg kick. Imadaev with a right hand. Imadaev with a combo. They trade punches. Griffin with a right hand and he is tired. Griffin gets a takedown but Imadaev gets up. Griffin lands some knees to the body and Imadaev is hurt. Griffin has the body lock. Griffin with a knee to the body in the clinch. They break and Griffin lands a right hand. They trade late and Imadaev rocks Griffin. This may be a draw. 10-9 Imadaev, 28-28.
Official Result- Max Griffin def. Zelim Imadaev by majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
> Wilson Reis (#4, 23-9, 7-5 UFC) vs.Alexandre Pantoja (#5, 20-3, 4-1 UFC) Flyweights
Reis with a leg kick and Pantoja counters with a right hand. Reis lands a right hand and goes for a takedown against the fence. Reis tries for a trip but Pantoja defends. They break. Pantoja then drops Reis with a right hand and starts landing punches on the ground. Pantoja with big punches and the referee stops the fight. Big knockout win by Pantoja.
Official Result- Alexandre Pantoja def. Wilson Reis by TKO (punches) at 2:58 of Round 1
> Jalin Turner (8-4, 1-1 UFC) vs. Matt Frevola (6-1-1, 0-1-1 UFC) Lightweights
Frevola gets a takedown and takes the back. Frevola with punches and still has back control. Turner defending. Turner rolls out and they get to their feet. Turner lands a right hand that hurts Frevola. They trade punches and Turner grabs a guillotine as Frevola goes for a takedown. They go to the mat and Frevola has side control. Frevola then locks in a guillotine and rolls to the top. It is in tight but only an arm-in guillotine. Turner gets out and Frevola on top. Turner rolls from under and is on top and lands punches. They scramble to their feet. They trade at the end. 10-9 Turner.
Frevola goes for a takedown but Turner defending it against the fence and he gets free. Frevola shoots again but Turner escapes. Turner with a combo. Frevola with a body kick. He’s landing the lead left hook. Frevola goes for a takedown but Turner has the neck and looks to lock in a guillotine choke. Frevola rolls out and ends on top in Turner’s half-guard. Frevola grabs the neck and locks in a guillotine but Turner pops out. Frevola lands an inadvertent upkick that was illegal. They continue but the round ends. 10-9 Frevola, 19-19.
Frevola with a leg kick and a right hand. Turner lands a combo. They trade punches and Turner lands a big right hand. Turner with a left hand. Frevola shoots and completes the takedown. Turner went for a triangle choke but Frevola escaped. Frevola with body punches from side control. Frevola remains in side control but they scramble up. Turner lands a big knee and Frevola backs up. Turner with a spin kick. Turner couldn’t connect with a flying knee. Frevola with a right hand. Turner with a left to the body. They trade at the end. 10-9 Frevola, 29-28 Frevola.
Official Result- Matt Frevola def. Jalin Turner by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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> Ovince Saint Preux (#12, 23-12, 11-7 UFC) vs. Nikita Krylov (24-6, 6-4 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Krylov with a body kick to start things off. Saint Preux gets a takedown against the fence. Saint Preux trying to pull Krylov to the center but Krylov gets to his feet. Saint Preux gets another brief takedown but they get back to their feet. Saint Preux gets another takedown and is in the guard. Saint Preux gets full mount and lands elbows but Krylov escapes and they get to their feet. Krylov lands some knees. Saint Preux misses a left hand. Krylov gets the clinch against the fence and misses a high kick on the break. 10-9 Saint Preux.
Krylov with a body kick. Krylov with a right hand. Saint Preux goes for a takedown. Krylov gets a takedown and has the back of Saint Preux and is working to set up a choke. He lands punches from the back. Krylov has the rear-naked choke locked in and it’s in deep and Saint Preux taps! Big submission win as Krylov evens the score with Saint Preux.
Official Result- Nikita Krylov def. Ovince Saint Preux by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:30 of Round 2
> Alan Jouban (16-6, 7-4 UFC) vs. Dwight Grant (9-2, 1-1 UFC) Welterweights
Jouban gets a takedown right away but Grant gets right up. Jouban just barely misses a head kick as they break. Grant with a big punch. They are separated and both looking for an opening. Grant with a leg kick and then hurts Jouban with a combo and a big left hook. Jouban ate them good. Grant with a looping left hand. Jouban with a high kick. Grant with an inside leg kick. Grant with a body kick. Jouban looking for a head kick but eats a right hand from Grant. 10-9 Grant.
Grant with a combo on Jouban. Jouban missing on his punches and Grant is missing now as well. Jouban with a leg kick. Grant with a combo and backs away. Grant with a leg kick and they both miss punches. They clinch for a moment but break. The crowd is booing as there hasn’t been a lot of action. Jouban with an inside leg kick. Not a lot to this round. 10-9 Grant, 20-18 Grant.
Jouban with a combo. Grant with a leg kick. Jouban with a leg kick and Grant fires back with a combo. Grant with a high kick. Jouban blocks a high kick from Grant but eats a right hand. Jouban with a leg kick. Pause in the action as a kick hit Grant in the groin. Back to action and both land kicks. Leg kicks from both men. Not an exciting fight at all. Jouban gets a late takedown and has the back as the fight ends. 10-9 Jouban, 29-28 Grant.
Official Result- Dwight Grant def. Alan Jouban by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
> Eryk Anders (11-3, 3-3 UFC) vs. Khalil Rountree (7-3 1 NC, 3-3 1 NC UFC) Light Heavyweights
Rountree with a leg kick. Rountree with more leg kicks. Rountree with more fast kicks. Rountree with a left hand. Anders unable to land anything halfway through the round. Rountree with more hard leg kicks to Anders’ lead leg. Anders lands a combo but eats a knee to the body from Rountree. Anders with a left hand. 10-9 Rountree.
Rountree drops Anders with a left hand and Rountree landing kicks to Anders on the ground. Rountree with a hammerfist and lets Anders up. Rountree drops Anders again with a left hook. Rountree with more kicks to a downed Anders. Anders gets up and shoots for a takedown but Rountree defends. Anders with a high kick. Rountree with a left hand. Rountree with a combo and he drops Anders again with a right hand. That is the third knockdown for Rountree this round and he lets Anders up again. Rountree with a body kick. Rountree knocks Anders down again. Rountree lets him up. Rountree with a leg kick. Big round for Rountree. 10-7, 20-16 Rountree.
Anders continues to fight. Rountree lands a combo. Rountree misses an uppercut but lands a left hand. Rountree with an inside leg kick. Rountree with a combo. Anders looks like he’s going for a takedown but Rountree stops it with a right hand. Anders misses a combo. Rountree with a right hook. Rountree with an inside leg kick. Anders lands an uppercut. 10-9 Rountree, 30-25 Rountree.
Official Result- Khalil Rountree def. Eryk Anders by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Adesanya with a leg kick followed by a left hand. Adesanya with a hard body kick. Gastelum with a leg kick. Adesanya with a body kick. Gastelum trips Adesanya up with a left hook. They trade left hands. Adesanya with a high kick. Gastelum lands a left hand. Gastelum lands a lead right hook. 10-9 Gastelum.
Adesanya with a body kick. They trade punches. Gastelum lands a left hand over the top. Gastelum with a left hand and Adesanya counters with a body kick. They trade strikes. Adesanya with a high kick and Gastelum counters with a combo. They trade punches and Adesanya drops Gastelum with a right hand. Gastelum gets back to his feet. Adesanya with an inside leg kick. Adesanya with a right hand. Adesanya landing moe punches now and a hard right hand. Adesanya with another right hand. Adesnaya with a spinning elbow that connects and Gastelum is hurt. Adesanya with an inside leg kick. Gastelum attempts a takedown but easily defended by Adesanya. 10-9 Adesanya, 19-19.
Adesanya with a leg kick. Gastelum with a left hand to the body. Adesanya with a right hand followed by a head kick. Adesanya with an inside leg kick. Gastelum with a leg kick and Adesanya counters with a high kick. Adesanya with a right hand and a knee to the body. Gastelum lands a right hand. Adesanya with a right hand followed by a body kick. Gastelum gets a takedown but Adesanya pushes off and gets to his feet. Adesanya with a high kick. 10-9 Adesanya, 29-28 Adesanya.
Gastelum gets a clinch but lets go. Adesanya with a leg kick. Gastelum with a leg kick. Adesanya with a knee to the body. Adesanya with a hard right hand. Gastelum lands a short left hand. Adesanya with a right hand and then lands a straight right hand followed by a high kick. Gastelum lands a jab. Adesanya with an inside leg kick. Gastelum lands a head kick and Adesanya wobbles. Gastelum with a punch and Adesanay is still in trouble. Adesanya with a right hand. Gastelum with a left hand. 10-9 Gastelum, 38-38.
Gastelum with a left hand. Adesanya with a quick combination. Adesanya with a front kick to the face. Adesanya lands a left hand. Adesanya lands a huge right hand. Adesanya gets a standing guillotine but Gastelum spins out and they get to the mat and Adesanya looking for a triangle but Gastelum gets ut and they scramble to their feet. Adesanya with a big combo. Adesanya with a huge right hand. Adesanya with another right hand followed by a leg kick. Adesanya with another huge right hand. Adesanya drops Gastelum with a big combo ending with a right hand. Gastelum gets up and shoots for a takedown. Adesanya with some big elbows. Adesanya landing more big punches and Gastelum in trouble and gets dropped again. Adesany grabs the neck on the ground and then lands punches. They get to their feet and both landing punches and Adesdanya drops him again and they finish on the mat. Absolutely tremendous fight. 10-8 Adesanya, 48-46 Adesanya.
Official Result- Israel Adesanya def. Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 48-46) to win Interim UFC Middleweight Championship
Poirier with a front kick to the body. Poirier with a leg kick. Holloway with a combo. Poirier with a body kick. Poirier with a left hand and then a combo. Holloway clips Poirier with a right hand. Holloway with a combo against the fence. Poirier resets. Poirier with a right hand that hurts Holloway. Poirier landing big punches. Holloway eating them and firing back. Poirier with another big right hand. Poirier with some knees and another huge right hand. They trade punches inside the pocket. Holloway now landing punches as Poirier takes a deep breath. Poirier hurts Holloway again. Poirier with another big combo. Holloway lands a right hand. Holloway with a head kick. 10-9 Poirier.
Holloway with a looping left hand. Holloway lands to the body and then to the head. Poirier with a leg kick. Poirier with a combo. Poirier with an inside elbow. Poirier with a snapping straight left hand. Holloway with a high kick. Poirier attempts for a takedown but Holloway pushes him off. Poirier with the jab. Holloway with a combo ending with a body kick. Holloway with another body kick. Holloway with a right hand. Poirier hurts Holloway with a punch and starts throwing against the fence but Holloway circles away. Poirier rocks Holloway with a right hook. Poirier rocks him again late. 10-9 Poirier, 20-18 Poirier.
Holloway with an inside leg kick. Holloway with a right hand to the body but Poirier lands a counter right hook. They each land left hands. Poirier with a body kick but Holloway counters with a combination. Poirier with a huge combo. Holloway lands a right hand. Holloway with a combo. Poirier with a right hand. Poirier with a straight left hand. Holloway with a right hand. They trade punches inside the pocket. Holloway landing a lot of punches against the fence on Poirier. Holloway with a flying knee to the body. Poirier grabs the body looking to score a takedown. Holloway defending with hard elbows against the fence. 10-9 Holloway, 29-28 Poirier.
Holloway lands a right hand. Poirier tries deep for a takedown and gets it against the fence. Holloway gets up and has Poirier’s neck. Poirier with a knee to the body as they break. Holloway pouring it on with combinations against the fence. Poirier looking tired. Poirier now fires back with punches. Holloway with combos against the fence and landing to the body. Holloway to the body and lands a right hand to the body. Poirier with a right cross. Poirier lands a knee and Holloway has a massive cut on his forehead. Holloway lands a combo and is coming on strong. Poirier tries a takedown but Holloway has the neck. We are going to a final round. 10-9 Holloway, 38-38.
Poirier with a leg kick. Poirier with a left hand. Huge chants for Holloway. They each land right hands. Holloway with a combo. Holloway with a body kick. Poirier with the stiff jab. Holloway with a combo. Poirier with a left hand. Holloway with a combo. Holloway is draining blood. They trade punches. Poirier trying for a late takedown but Holloway defending against the fence. Both men are a mess right now. They break the clinch. They both swing wildly at the end. Close fight. 10-9 Poirier, 48-47 Poirier.
Official Result- Dustin Poirier def. Max Holloway by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) to win Interim UFC Lightweight Championship
Dana White told ESPN on Friday that Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier for the interim lightweight title will be the main event of UFC 236. The pay-per-view is taking place at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, April 13.
Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya facing off for the interim middleweight title is also scheduled for UFC 236.
The Nevada Athletic Commission announced last month that Khabib Nurmagomedov, the current UFC lightweight champion, had been suspended for nine months (retroactive to October 6, 2018) for his role in the brawl that went down after his fight against Conor McGregor at UFC 229. The suspension could have been reduced by three months if Nurmagomedov participated in an anti-bullying PSA.
White told ESPN that Tony Ferguson was offered the interim lightweight title fight against Holloway but turned it down.
Holloway currently holds the UFC featherweight championship, most recently defending the title against Brian Ortega in December.
Poirier last defeated Eddie Alvarez in July 2018. He was scheduled to face Nate Diaz at UFC 230 in November, but the matchup fell through after Poirier suffered an injury.
“A lot of people blamed me for the whole Nate thing, but nobody knows what really happened besides the UFC, their lawyers, Nate’s management and my management,” Poirier said in an interview with ESPN. “Nate was playing games. He pulled out of that fight multiple times. I had an injury and it turned into the perfect time to get it fixed.”
Prior to the announcement of him facing Holloway, Poirier had been expressing dissatisfaction with his situation in the UFC. He tweeted this Wednesday: “These guys should just release me.”
Poirier submitted Holloway in the first round when they fought in 2012.
Diaz and Poirier were scheduled to face off at lightweight in the semi-main event of UFC 230, though both had lobbied for the UFC to create a 165-pound division and wanted to headline Madison Square Garden by fighting for the title of the new weight class.
As was announced earlier on Tuesday, Daniel Cormier will defend his heavyweight championship against Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC 230. White said that Valentina Shevchenko would move back to UFC 231 and face Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the vacant women’s flyweight title.
Two years removed from his last fight in the UFC, popular lightweight Nate Diaz will make his long-awaited return to face Dustin Poirier in the co-main event of November’s UFC 230 from New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
The fight was first announced by the LA Times’ Lance Pugmire, but has not officially been announced yet. It’s expected the two will be part of Friday’s UFC press conference that will feature a slew of fighters and fight announcements for the promotion’s final months of 2018.
Poirier is coming off a second round TKO of Eddie Alvarez this past Saturday at UFC Calgary while Diaz was last seen losing a unanimous decision to Conor McGregor at UFC 202 in August 2016.
For Poirier, he gets another big name after calling out UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov who is expected fo face McGregor this year if the two sides can come to an agreement. For Diaz, he gets back into the mix against a higher-profile opponent after a long absence and wanting more money to return. Even with a loss, a trilogy fight against McGregor seems inevitable while a win could also mean McGregor or even Nurmagomedov if he was to beat the Irishman.
Last night’s UFC show on FOX on paper promised great action, and largely delivered.
But the promise of great fights didn’t resonate with the audience.
The show, headlined by Dustin Poirier’s second-round stoppage of Eddie Alvarez, did 1,461,000 viewers on the fast nationals, the lowest in the seven year-history of UFC on the network. While FOX did win the night in the key demos, overall 18-49 (0.6 rating) and 18-34 (0.4), as well as dominated in men’s demos, the other three major networks had rerun programming on and still beat FOX for overall viewers.
The fast nationals measure FOX from 8-10 p.m., Eastern, 7-9 p.m. Central, and 6-8 p.m. Mountain time, but also measures 8-10 p.m. Pacific time because networks stagger prime time for more West Coast viewing.
However, for a live sports event, the Pacific time zone would be measured based on what programming the local stations aired from 8-10 p.m.
In addition, the main event ended at about 10:10 p.m., meaning most of the match was not measured. Still, no UFC on FOX has ever done less than the 1,593,000 fast nationals number for the Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Derek Brunson show in January, and this show was considered far stronger, although July is a much tougher month to draw.
There were three big matches on the main show, with Jose Aldo’s first-round win over Jeremy Stephens and Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s decision win over Tecia Torres. The number has to be a huge disappointment for a card that featured Alvarez, with a long history of great fights and being a former champion in both UFC and Bellator, Aldo, one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, and Jedrzejczyk, who was considered a superstar as the longtime strawweight champion.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC On FOX 30: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2, emanating from the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The Octagon heads back to Calgary for the first time in six years bringing an exciting main card that should have fans in the city excited for some fun fights.
The main event is a rematch in the lightweight division as former UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez takes on Dustin Poirier in what could end up being one of the best fights of 2018. Alvarez and Poirier look to finish their unfinished business from UFC 211 in May 2017, when their bout ended in a no contest after Alvarez landed illegal knees. Alvarez has a win over Justin Gaethje since then, while Poirier has scored wins over Gaethje and Anthony Pettis since.
In the co-main event, former UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo fights in his first-ever non-title UFC bout as he takes on Jeremy Stephens, who is looking to get a title shot as he goes for his fourth straight win.
Also on the main card, former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk fights in her first non-title UFC bout in over three years as she takes on Tecia Torres. In lightweight action to open the main card, Alexander Hernandez goes for his eighth straight win as he battles Olivier Aubin-Mercier, winner of four straight fights.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
The Saddledome was roughly 30% full as the first fight hit the Octagon. Both guys were swinging early to try to find their striking range. Herrera wriggled out of takedown attempt along the wall and knocked down Powell with a left punch to the body. Powell kept his distance to avoid any more punches from Herrera, then countered with a pair of stiff left kicks to Herrera’s body and finished him with punches on the ground.
Official Result: Devin Powell def. Alvaro Herrara by knockout (punches) at 1:52 of the first round
The crowd was behind Markos, as she was announced as fighting out of Canada. Ansaroff tried to use leg kicks early, but Markos caught one and took her to the ground after briefly working on a clinch along the cage. She got Ansaroff’s back and tried to get a choke, but Ansaroff defended well and managed to get Markos off her back, then eventually battled from the bottom back to her feet. The pair traded standing strikes briefly before the round ended. 10-9 Markos.
Both fighters attempted to establish their striking in the second round. Markos attempted a takedown by going for a leg but Ansaroff managed to dodge it. Midway through the round the tentative striking from both fighters became more effective, with Markos getting the better of a few exchanges on the feet. Ansaroff avoided a second takedown late in the round, this time along the fence. Tough round to score, narrowly 10-9 Markos due to her doing a bit more damage with her strikes. 20-18 Markos through two rounds.
Markos got the better of a striking exchange early in the third round, but wasn’t able to capitalize while clinching against the fence. Ansaroff avoided a pair of takedown attempts from Markos, but wasn’t able to execute any counters standing. She ended up on top of Markos on a third takedown attempt, but wasn’t able to do much damage from that position. Narrowly 10-9 Markos by virtue of initiating more takedowns and getting the better of the striking exchanges. 30-27 Markos, but the second and third rounds could go either way due to Ansaroff defending well.
Official Result: Nina Ansaroff def. Randa Markos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
All three judges gave Ansaroff the second and third rounds.
This bout was full of frenetic energy, with both fighters constantly moving and altering their footwork. Nicolau knocked Ortiz down with a leg kick that swept his leg out from under him, but Ortiz popped back up. They had a series of quick striking exchanges with Nicolau slightly getting the better of them until Ortiz dropped Nicolau with a right head-kick, then finished him with punches on the ground.
Official Result: Dustin Ortiz def. Matheus Nicolau by knockout (punches) at 3:49 of the first round
The crowd was decidedly on Davis’ side, as she’s from Canada. The entire round was spent on their feet, with five minutes of fairly even striking exchanges. Chookagian consistently intiated the exchanges and did more damage, but Davis mixed up her striking, used leg kicks more effectively, and had Chookagian backing up for much of the round. Narrowly 10-9 Chookagian.
The second round was very much a continuation of the first. The leg kicks by Davis kept landing during their standing exchanges, though Chookagian managed to block a couple as the round wore on. Davis seemed content to keep standing in Chookagian’s striking range and eat punches in order to land leg kicks. Another very close round, narrowly leaning 10-9 Davis. 19-19 through two rounds.
Chookagian got the better of a couple early striking exchanges, landing quickly. Davis caught a leg but wasn’t able to take Chookagian down. Davis kept Chookagian backing up, but Chookagian kept doing more damage in their exchanges and was able to avoid Davis’ kicks. Davis got Chookagian down via a clinch late in the round, but wasn’t able to do any damage on the ground. 10-9 Chookagian, 29-28 Chookagian. Davis had a clear positional advantage, but Chookagian did much more damage striking.
Official Result: Katlyn Chookagian def. Alexis Davis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
> John Makdessi (15-6, 8-6 UFC) vs. Ross Pearson (20-14 1 NC, 12-11 1 NC UFC) Lightweights
The opening round was spent entirely on their feet. They had a series of quick striking exchanges that were fairly even. Pearson used levels well with his kicks, particularly with a few leg kicks on Makdessi’s lead leg. Pearson may have gotten the better of the exchanges, slightly, for a very narrow 10-9 edge. But Makdessi getting the round wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility.
The next round was also entirely standing striking exchanges. Each man was able to get the better of a couple exchanges. On the whole, Makdessi spent the majority of the round backing up and making Pearson come to him, but also did more damage with inside punches and counters. 10-9 Makdessi.
Pearson visibly tired and slowed down in the third round, as Makdessi continued with his tactical striking and was content to pepper away at him with inside jabs and uppercuts. Makdessi caught Pearson low with a kick and the referee gave him a timeout to recover. Pearson shoved Makdessi to the fence and clinched, but couldn’t take him down. Things opened up more as the round wore on, with Pearson throwing bigger and bigger punches. Makdessi caught Pearson a couple times with nice crosses and jabs to the face, and dropped him briefly with a jab that countered a Pearson counter. Makdessi missed a spinkick late and Pearson took him down, but Makdessi ended up on top of him as the horn went. 10-9 Makdessi. Fight should be 30-27 or 29-28 Makdessi based on damage alone.
Official Result: John Makdessi def. Ross Pearson by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-27)
Two out of three judges gave Pearson the first round. All three judges gave Makdessi the second and third rounds, with two judges (Derek Cleary and Chris Lee) giving him the third by 10-8 margins.
FOX PRELIMS | 6 PM ET/3 PM PT
> Gadzhimurad Antigulov (#15, 20-4, 2-0 UFC) vs. Ion Cutelaba (13-3 1 NC, 2-2 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Antigulov got a takedown right away. Cutelaba eventually shoved him off with a kick, but Antigulov went right back at him and got his back briefly before Cutelaba wriggled free of that position. Antigulov kept pressuring, but Cutelaba countered with some knees to Antigulov’s face. Cutelaba got some solid punches in on Antigulov along the fence. Antigulov briefly responded with a few of his own, but Cutelaba continued with punches and elbow to a standing (but fairly non-responsive) Antigulov before the referee jumped in to end it.
Official Result: Ion Cutelaba def. Gadzhimurad Antigulov by technical knockout (strikes) at 4:25 of the first round
> Kajan Johnson (23-12-1, 4-1 UFC) vs. Islam Makhachev (15-1, 4-1 UFC) Lightweights
As you’d expect, the crowd was firmly in Johnson’s corner (as he’s another Canadian). The standing portion early on involved Makhachev stalking Johnson, and Johnson occasionally creating separation with some weak leg kicks to get breathing room. For his part, Makhachev seemed to respect Johnson’s striking and didn’t get too close. Makhachev eventually got a takedown along the cage and worked for position, throwing punches and elbows on the ground. Faced with taking punishment or trying to escape, Johnson tried to use his legs to grab Makhachev and pull him away. But Makhachev anticipated that and used the brief window to grab Johnson’s arm and slap on an armbar. Johnson quickly submitted.
Official Result: Islam Makhachev def. Kajan Johnson by submission (armbar) at 4:43 of the first round
In his post-fight interview, Makhachev said he should fight somebody in the top 15, and joked or he would like to fight Brock Lesnar.
Dawodu is from Calgary and was a big hometown favourite, with frequent cheers and “Hakeem” chants during the fight. Lots of circling early. Dawodu connected with some early leg kicks and wriggled free from an Arnett takedown attempt. Another Arnett attempt was stopped when Dawodu got some strikes off as he shot in on him. Arnett was open for a big strike after whiffing on a big kick, but Dawodu opted for a conservative stance and didn’t engage. 10-9 Dawodu.
Dawodu continued to get the better of striking exchanges in the second round. He mixed up his strikes and his levels, and continued to utilize kicks well – he threw leg kicks less often, but threw some head-kicks and back kicks effectively. Arnett moved forward and tried to initiate striking, but was out-classed by Dawodu. 10-9 Dawodu, 20-18 Dawodu through two rounds.
The third round was a repeat of the first two. Dawodu easily got the better of the striking exchanges, repeatedly throwing combos. Arnett tried a takedown, but Dawodu stuffed it calmly. He turned a second Arnett attempted into a clinch on the cage. Arnett seemed to have no answer for Dawodu’s speed and movement, though he never seemed overly hurt by his striking. 10-9 Dawodu, 30-27 Dawodu.
Official Result: Hakeem Dawodu def. Austin Arnett by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Jordan Mein (30-12, 4-4 UFC) vs. Alex Morono (14-4 1 NC, 3-1 1 NC UFC) Welterweights
Mein is from nearby Lethbridge, Alberta, and was a big crowd favourite. Morono nearly caught Mein flat-footed with some attempted strikes as the round began, then Mein returned the favour with a flurry a few seconds later. Mein caught Morono with a kick to the chest, then was countered into a brief clinch on the cage, which was then countered again with a slick hiptoss takedown from Mein. Morono defended well from the bottom and tied up Mein, to the point where the referee stood them up. After a brief exchange on the feet, Mein took down Morono again and worked into side control, but Morono again defended well for the remainder of the round. 10-9 Mein.
Morono missed a spinning back fist. Mein caught a Morono leg kick attempt, then took him down again. This time Mein managed to lock on a head-and-arm choke but Morono broke it with some punches to Mein’s ribs. They continued to jockey for position on the ground, with Mein briefly able to post up a couple times to deliver some strikes while in Morono’s guard. 10-9 Mein, 20-18 Mein through two rounds.
Mein landed an overhand right in a striking exchange. Morono hit a spinning backfist later on that was loud but didn’t seem to do much damage. Morono cornered Mein by the cage and Mein attempted to duck under a strike, but ended up getting clipped and dropped to the mat. Morono tried to get position on top of Mein, and eventually got hold of his head with a modified guilloitine choke but Mein rolled on top of him to eventually escape. Mein worked for position on Morono and nearly grabbed a guillotine of his own, but the clock ran out on the round as the two grappled on the ground. Morono 10-9, 29-28 Mein overall.
Official Result: Jordan Mein def. Alex Morono by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
All three judges gave Mein rounds one and two, and Morono round three.
FOX MAIN CARD | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Alexander Hernandez (#13, 9-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier (11-2, 7-2 UFC) Lightweights
The opening round alternated between brief clinches along the cage and brief striking exchanges. Hernandez was aggressive throughout the round, closing the distance frequently and pressing Aubin-Mercier. Neither fighter did a ton on their feet, though, other than a handful of quick knees from either man. Hernandez took down Aubin-Mercier late in the round, but couldn’t gain much position. Hernandez 10-9.
Once again Hernandez was the aggressor, taking down Aubin-Mercier immediately along the cage. Aubin-Mercier fought back to his feet and stuffed another takedown, following up by taking down Hernandez with a flying armbar attempt. Hernandez fought from below, almost caught Aubin-Mercier with an armbar of his own but he broke free. They jockeyed for position with Hernandez ending up on top. The referee stood them up after a few slow moments on the mat. Hernandez tried another takedown, but Aubin-Mercier was able to stay on his feet. More clinching initiated by Hernandez. Hernandez couldn’t take him down, threw light punches and knees until the round ended. 10-9 Hernandez. 20-18 Hernandez.
Right after the round began Aubin-Mercier was hit below the belt with a knee and was given a time out from the referee. After the time out, Hernandez took him down again. The ref stood them up again due to inactivity. Hernandez took him down again, but Aubin-Mercier gained position and battled to his feet. Aubin-Mercier took Hernandez down along the cage after some clinching. Hernandez gained position and got Aubin-Mercier’s back, but couldn’t take advantage before the round ended. 10-9 Hernandez, 30-27 Hernandez.
Official Result: Alexander Hernandez def. Olivier Aubin-Mercier by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Two of three judges gave Hernandez the first round. Two of three judges gave Hernandez the second round. All three judges gave Hernandez the third round.
Jedrzejczyk circled and threw a lot of quick strikes early. Torres closed the distance and threw some of her own, which led to some grappling along the fence. Jedrzejczyk threw some knees with her back against the cage. They continued to grapple along the cage and jockey for position, with both fighter connecting with some knees. Jedrzejczyk threw several short-distance knees to Torres’ thighs while grappling on the fence. Torres tried to take Jedrzejczyk down, but she prevented it. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk.
Jedrzejczyk threw some leg kicks. Jedrzejczyk got the better of a few striking exchanges. Torres shot for a takedown on the fence, but Jedrzejczyk stayed upright. Torres continued to be the aggressor in the fight, initiating takedown attempts and offensive exchanges, but Jedrzejczyk continued to get the better of their grappling on the fence and their striking exchanges. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 20-18 Jedrzejczyk.
Striking exchange. Jedrzejczyk got the better of a few counter-punch flurries, including an overhand right that knocked Torres back on her heels. Torres dodged a Jedrzejczyk kick and took her to the fence, but couldn’t get a takedown and she ate a couple Jedrzejczyk while grappling along the fence. Torres got a single leg takedown, but Jedrzejczyk popped back up. They continued to grapple along the fence for the remainder of the round. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 30-27 Jedrzejczyk.
Official Result: Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Tecia Torres by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Torres stormed out of the cage after the decision was read.
> Jose Aldo (#2, 26-4, 8-3 UFC) vs. Jeremy Stephens (#4, 28-14, 15-13 UFC) Featherweights
Both fighters traded kicks and strikes early to try to find their range. Aldo landed a couple quick combos and the fight opened up. Stephens got the better of a few wild exchanges, including cornering Aldo along the fence and wildly swinging and throwing knees at him. Aldo escaped, though, and landed a body shot that dropped Stephens. Aldo followed him to the ground with punches. Initially Stephens was able to avoid a stoppage, but Aldo’s flurries were too ferocious and the referee jumped in for the stoppage.
Official Result: Jose Aldo def. Jeremy Stephens by technical knockout (strikes) at 4:19 of the first round
The opening minutes were tentative as both fighters felt each other out with some quick striking exchanges. Poirier checked a loud kick to the body from Alvarez. A leg kick from Poirier almost knocked Alvarez down, as he tried to dodge it and lost his balance. Poirier foiled an Alvarez takedown attempt. Poirer got the better of a pair of brief striking exchanges, but Alvarez followed up with a nice combination and some jabs as the round ended. Very close, 10-9 Poirier based on effective striking.
Alvarez knocked down an off-balance Poirier with a jab early, but Poirier recovered and grabbed Alvarez in a guillotine choke takedown but Alvarez was able to use the cage to avoid going all the way down and escaped. Poirier grabbed another guillotine takedown attempt, but Alvarez managed to wriggle free. Alvarez got Poirier’s back but Poirier was able to protect against an attempted rear-naked choke due to his body positioning, ending up resisting what amounted to a neck crank. Alvarez ended up on top of Poirier along the fence and landed an illegal 12-6 elbow and the referee gave Poirier a timeout to recover. Back on their feet, Poirier got the better of a striking exchange and battered Alvarez with left jabs and knees to the face. Alvarez finally went down with a left hook and the referee stopped the bout.
Official Result: Dustin Poirier def. Eddie Alvarez by technical knockout (strikes) at 4:05 of the second round.
The promise of a potential fight of the year did not lead to strong ratings last night for UFC.
Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje, on paper, was as close to a sure thing for an outstanding fight as UFC has presented since, well, the last time Gaethje fought. The fight delivered, making Gaethje three-for-three in match of the year contenders, but only 1-2 as far as his UFC record goes, since Poirier won via fourth round stoppage.
Based on the fast nationals, which wouldn’t have included most of the main event, the show did 1,780,000 viewers. That would be the fourth lowest in the nearly seven year history of the series. FOX also would have finished fourth among the four networks last night, although it did finish second to the Toronto vs. Boston NHL playoff game in the key demos, 18-34 and 18-49. The NHL game did 2,180,000 on the fast nationals.
The final number, which comes out Tuesday, will be higher, probably by a good margin. The fast nationals only measures FOX stations from 8-10 p.m.. Eastern, 7-9 p.m. Central, 6-8 p.m. Mountain, and 8-10 p.m. Pacific. So for the West Coast, which the show aired from 5-7:30 p.m., it counted local programming and not the show.
In addition, the four round main event started at 10 p.m. Eastern, meaning that none of the main event figured into the rating, and the match going four rounds, and being such an exciting fight, meant it had a lot of time to build the number.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 120: Poirier vs. Pettis, emanating from the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Virginia.
The event is headlined by an exciting five-round bout in the lightweight division as long-time perennial contender Dustin Poirier looks to continue his run to a title shot as he takes on former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis.
Poirier is looking to stay out of the loss column and crack into the top five at 155 pounds. Pettis is looking to make it two straight wins since returning to the lightweight division, where he once stood as the man to beat.
In the co-main event, it will be a slugfest between two hard-hitting favorites as Matt Brown, in what could be his retirement bout, takes on the original Ultimate Fighter winner, Diego Sanchez. Opening the main card is another lightweight battle between veteran favorites as Joe Lauzon takes on Clay Guida.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
> Darren Stewart (7-1 1 NC, 0-1 1 NC UFC) vs. Karl Roberson (5-0, 0-0 UFC) Middleweights
They were trading kicks but neither were landing them. Stewart was throwing some spin kicks with no success. They did trade leg kicks and Stewart landed a right hand. Roberson landed an uppercuts and some knees in the clinch. Roberson then got a takedown on a throw and took the back. Roberson landed some punches from the back. Roberson was working from the back looking for the choke and had it in. He got Stewart to tap! Roberson with the first round finish in an impressive UFC debut.
Official Result- Karl Roberson def. Darren Stewart by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:41 of Round 1
They were tagging each other early. Collier slipped on a kick but was able to get up. Fortuna landed a left hook. Collier missed a spin kick. Fortuna landed a punch to the body. Collier hurt Fortuna with a left hand. Collier with a leg kick. Fortuna grabbed the back of Collier looking for a takedown. Collier defended and then landed a leg kick. Fortuna landed a spinning back fist. They traded big punches. Collier rocked Fortuna late. Close round. 10-9 Collier.
Collier with some wild punches that weren’t coming close to landing. Fortuna got a takedown and took the back as they stood up. Collier shook him off. Fortuna is slowing down and Collier landed a spin kick to the body. Collier with a leg kick. Collier is controlling the pressure and the Octagon. Both still swinging wildly. Fortuna scores a takedown and is in the guard but moves to an arm-triangle out of nowhere. Collier fought it and escaped but Fortuna is in full mount. Collier was able to escape and went into Fortuna’s guard. Collier with a big elbow from the top. 10-9 Collier, 20-18 Collier.
Collier landed a nice combo finishing with a head kick. Big right hand by Collier. Fortuna attempted a takedown but Collier slipped out. Fortuna got a takedown but Collier reversed immediately and stood up. Collier with an overhand right. He is outworking Fortuna big time here. Collier with a leg kick. Fortuna rocked Collier with a right hand. Fortuna with a head kick. Collier coming back with more volume at the end. 10-9 Collier, 30-27 Collier.
Official Result- Jake Collier def. Marcel Fortuna by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
> Court McGee (18-6, 7-5 UFC) vs. Sean Strickland (18-2, 5-2 UFC) Welterweights
They were trading early and McGee landed a head kick but fell on the end and Strickland ended up on top. McGee was able to get out from the bottom and up to his feet. They were trading on the feet. Both were landing good punches and kicks but McGee had slightly more volume. Strickland with a head kick and McGee with a body kick. Strickland landing the jab and McGee having trouble getting inside the range. McGee with a leg kick. Strickland with a right hand. 10-9 Strickland.
They were both looking to land something when McGee shot for a takedown. Strickland defended but McGee grabbed the back against the fence. Strickland grabbed the cage to defend a takedown and got a warning, but he was able to escape. They traded and McGee shot for a takedown but it was defended. McGee misses a spinning back fist attempt. Both men land right hands. McGee is the busier fighter. McGee goes for a takedown but Strickland sprawls out. McGee coming forward more. Close round. 10-9 McGee, 19-19.
McGee lands a head kick flush to the chin of Strickland. McGee continues to come forward more. McGee shoots for a takedown but it is defended again by Strickland. They go to the ground and Strickland is in half-guard landing punches and elbows. McGee is able to get up from the bottom and grabs the back of Strickland. McGee gets a brief takedown but Strickland posted with his hands to defend. Strickland gets a big takedown and was looking for a choke at the end. Strickland with big punches from the back at the end. 10-9 Strickland, 29-28 Strickland.
Official Result- Sean Strickland def. Court McGee by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
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> Angela Hill (7-3, 2-3 UFC) vs. Nina Ansaroff (7-5, 1-2 UFC) Women’s Strawweights
Hill landing the jab early and Ansaroff landing the leg kick. Hill landed a big left hand. Hill with a combo ending with a leg kick. Hill grabs the back. They broke and both are trading leg kicks. Hill’s seem to have more power. Ansaroff is landing the jab. They are trading in the pocket. Hill with non-stop pressure. Hill lands a left hand. Hill with a head kick. They trade leg kicks. Hill lands a right hand. Hill finishes the round with a leg kick and they trade right at the end. Close round. 10-9 Hill.
They came out trading kicks. Ansaroff landed a right hand that busted the nose of Hill and she is bleeding from there. Both ladies landing punches. Ansaroff went for a takedown but Hill defended though Ansaroff landed a high kick on the break. Both women landing big combinations. Ansaroff with a right hand. Ansaroff with big body kicks. Hill fires back with a jab to the body followed by an overhand right. Hill with a right hand that stuns Ansaroff. Ansaroff back with body kicks. Hill lands a hard right hand. They trade late. Another close round. 10-9 Ansaroff, 19-19.
Ansaroff with a spinning back kick to the body. Both coming out looking to finish it and this round will decide it. Hill landing more kicks but both are landing hard and with a lot of volume. Ansaroff landed a right hand but Hill firing back with punches and kicks. Ansaroff with a push kick. Ansaroff with the jab. Ansaroff with a high kick. Hill with a leg kick but slips to the mat though she gets up. Ansaroff with a leg kick. Ansaroff with a combo ending with an uppercut. They trade kicks. Ansaroff with a big combo ending with a head kick at the end. Good fight. 10-9 Ansaroff, 29-28 Ansaroff.
Official Result- Nina Ansaroff def. Angela Hill by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Sage Northcutt (8-2, 3-2 UFC) vs. Michel Quinones (8-2, 0-1 UFC) Lightweights
Quinones right away with a leg kick. Northcutt with a right hand. Northcutt with another right hand. Big combo ending with a leg kick from Northcutt. Northcutt with a combo but the kick is blocked. Quinones landing nothing but leg kicks. Northcutt just misses a spinning head kick. Northcutt with some big kicks as Quinones runs away. Northcutt with the jab. Northcutt with another big combo. Northcutt with a late takedown. 10-9 Northcutt.
Quinones unable to find any openings. Quinones with a leg kick. Northcutt with the double jab and a big body kick. Quinones with a leg kick but Northcutt fires back with a combo. They trade leg kicks. They trade punches and Northcutt lands a head kick. Northcutt with some right hands and a high kick. Northcutt lands some right hands and an uppercut. Northcutt with a huge takedown with twenty seconds to go and is working from side control to end the round. 10-9 Northcutt, 20-18 Northcutt.
Northcutt coming out fast as is Quinones. Quinones with an axe kick. Northcutt with a triple jab. Northcutt with a body kick. Northcutt stalking Quinones around and is landing kicks to the body. Quinones unable to land anything and what he does gets countered. Northcutt with a brief takedown. Quinones lands a right hand but doesn’t follow up on it. Northcutt with a front kick. Northcutt goes for a late takedown. He breaks and lands a combo and misses a cartwheel kick. 10-9 Northcutt, 30-27 Northcutt.
Official Result- Sage Northcutt def. Michel Quinones (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Suarez comes out aggressive and gets the clinch looking for a throw. They break and Suarez misses a head kick. Pereira with a combo as Suarez closes the distance. Pereira has the neck and a guillotine but Suarez fights out. Suarez scores a takedown and is in side control. Both throwing punches and Suarez transitions to the back. They scramble and Suarez gets the back again and is working for a choke. Suarez still working for it. She’s landing punches from the back but can’t find the choke. Suarez moves back to side control and lands some hammerfists. 10-9 Suarez.
Suarez gets another takedown at the start of the round. Suarez landing some punches but is mostly transitioning on the mat. Suarez gets the mount and started landing ground and pound. Suarez with some elbows. Suarez landing more punches from the top and Pereira can’t get out from the bottom. Dominant round by Suarez. 10-8 Suarez, 20-17 Suarez.
Suarez with a left hand and then she gets another takedown and is working from side control. Suarez with some punches and elbows and she moves to a north-south position. Suarez with elbows to the body. Pereira trying to escapes. Suarez has the neck and with a knee to the legs. Suarez back to the mount. Suarez with punches and elbows from the mount. Suarez back to side control. Suarez has the back and is landing and looking to set up the choke. Time runs out though. Dominant performance by Suarez. 10-9 Suarez, 30-26 Suarez.
Official Decision- Tatiana Suarez def. Viviane Pereira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
> John Dodson (#8, 19-8, 8-3 UFC) vs. Marlon Moraes (#9, 18-5-1, 0-1 UFC) Bantamweights
Moraes with an immediate leg kick. Moraes with a body kick and a left hook. Dodson with a left hand. Moraes with a spin kick to the body. Dodson with a double left hand. Dodson drops Moraes with a left hand but he recovers quickly. Moraes with a leg kick. Moraes with a low kick and it got Dodson right in the cup and we have a timeout. Dodson almost threw up because of the kick. We get back to action and Moraes lands a right hand and a body kick. Both men land solid combos. Another timeout for an eye poke. Dodson with a late head kick. 10-9 Dodson.
They trade heavy punches and Moraes lands some good left hands. Moraes with a body punch. Moraes with a hard right hand. Moraes just misses a body kick. Moraes with another body kick. Dodson with his own body kick. Moraes with a right hand. Dodson gets a takedown but Moraes grabs the leg looking for a heel hook. Dodson escapes and they get to their feet. Dodson gets another brief takedown. Moraes with a spin kick that grazed the top of Dodson’s shoulder. Moraes with more pressure. Moraes gets a takedown. They get back to their feet and trade at the end. Close round. 10-9 Moraes, 19-19.
This round decides it and Moraes coming out aggressive. Moraes with a kick but Dodson catches the leg and Moares gets away. Moraes lands a right hand. Moraes slips but Dodson unable to capitalize on it. Dodson with a body kick followed by a left hand. Round is close. Dodson with a left hand. Moraes working hard for the takedown. The referee breaks it up as Moraes was working. Moraes with a late guillotine but the round ends. It looked like Dodson tapped after the horn sounded to end the round. Crazy close round. Dodson did tap after the horn. 10-9 Moraes, 29-28 Moraes.
Moraes had a spirited callout of Jimmie Rivera after the fight, wanting to fight him at UFC 219 on December 30.
Official Result- Marlon Moraes def. John Dodson by split decision (30-27, 27-30, 30-27)
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> Joe Lauzon (27-13, 14-10 UFC) vs. Clay Guida (33-17, 13-11 UFC) Lightweights
Guida coming out with leg kicks. Guida with a big right hand and then drops Lauzon with a right hand. Guida with hammerfists from the top. Guida with big punches and Lauzon is in trouble. Big elbows and hammerfists and this fight is stopped! Wow. Big TKO win in the opening minutes by Guida. That stoppage was way late.
Official Result- Clay Guida def. Joe Lauzon by TKO (strikes) at 1:07 of Round 1
> Raphael Assuncao (#4, 25-5, 9-2 UFC) vs. Matthew Lopez (#13, 10-1, 2-1 UFC) Bantamweights* (Lopez missed weight by 2.5 pounds)
They were trading early on and Assuncao was looking for head kicks. Both missed big punches. Assuncao lands a big combo. Assuncao faked a takedown attempt and landed a left hand. They trade kicks. Assuncao with a glancing head kick. Lopez gets a takedown. They get back to their feet. Close round. Not a lot to it. 10-9 Assuncao.
They trade and Assuncao is landing leg kicks and landed a left hook. Assuncao with another heavy leg kick. Lopez goes for a takedown but some chain wrestling from both and Assuncao escapes. Assuncao with more leg kicks and Lopez is favoring his lead leg. Assuncao with another heavy leg kick. Assuncao lands a right hand. They both tag each other with punches. Assuncao with another heavy leg kick. 10-9 Assuncao, 20-18 Assuncao.
Assuncao right back to kicking Lopez’ lead leg. Assuncao with a head kick. Assuncao with another big leg kick to the lead leg. That is his only real attack but it is effective. Lopez’ leg is not the same color it was at the start of the right. All of a sudden Assuncao went for a flying knee, missed but then knocked Lopez out cold with a right hand. WOW. Big finish by Assuncao in a complete dominant performance. Assuncao then calls to finish the trilogy with champion TJ Dillashaw. They’ve met twice with each man winning once- Assuncao got his win before Dillashaw became a champion for the first time, and Dillashaw got his win in between title reigns.
Official Result- Raphael Assuncao def. Matthew Lopez by knockout (punch) at 1:50 of Round 3
> Nate Marquardt (35-18-2, 13-11 UFC) vs. Cezar Ferreira (11-6, 7-4 UFC) Middleweights
Ferreira starts with a leg kick. They trade punches. Ferreira with a big left hand. They trade leg kicks. Ferreira lands another hard right hand and then a body kick. Ferreira just misses a head kick. Ferreira with a leg kick. Marquardt trips Ferreira up with a leg kick. Marquardt with a right hand. Methodical round. 10-9 Ferreira.
They were trading some punches. Marquardt shot for a takedown but it was defended. Marquardt had double underhooks. They break. Marquardt goes for a flying knee but Ferreira reverses into a takedown attempt. Marquardt sprawls out. Ferreira with a body kick. Not a lot of action in this. Ferreira with a left hand and then a right hook that stuns Marquardt, who fires back with a right hand. Marquardt knocks down Ferreira with a flurry late in the round. 10-9 Marquradt, 19-19.
Ferreira gets a takedown to start the third round. Ferreira with control from the top but they scramble to their feet. Ferreira with a big slam on Marquardt. Ferreira moves to side control. Ferreira not doing much from the top and Marquardt is tired on the bottom. Marquardt tries to get out but Ferreira has his neck. Marquardt able to slip into the guard of Ferreira and lands some elbows from the top and cuts Ferreira up at the horn. 10-9 Ferreira, 29-28 Ferreira.
Official Result- Cezar Ferreira def. Nate Marquardt by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
> Junior Albini (#12, 14-2, 1-0 UFC) vs. Andrei Arlovski (#13, 25-15 1 NC, 14-9 UFC) Heavyweights
Interesting choice of shorts for Albini. Albini aggressive early. Arlovski with a head kick and then attacks the body. Albini unable to land his attacks. They clinch and nothing happens so they break. Arlovski with a right hand. Arlovski with some leg kicks and then a right hand. Albini with a left hand and then a knee to the body. Albini with a left hook. They trade in the clinch. Albini with a left hook. They trade late. 10-9 Albini.
Arlovski attacking the body with punches. They clinched but nothing happened and they separated. Albini landed a punch and they clinched again and nothing was happening. They separated again. Arlovski landed a right hand. Arlovski with a leg kick and a right hand. Arlovski with a combo and then lands a straight right that connects. Spinning back fist from Arlovski and then he lands an uppercut. Albini has really slowed. 10-9 Arlovski, 19-19.
Arlovski is attacking the body. Arlovski with a double jab and then an uppercut. Albini landed a right hand. Arlovski with a head kick. Arlovski with a right hand and then a switch kick that was blocked. Brief timeout as Arlovski was poked in the eye. Arlovski opening up and lands an elbow. Albini is bleeding. Arlovski lands a combo. Arlovski with a spinning back fist and then a series of uppercuts. Albini with a left hand. Arlovski with a groin strike on Albini. Albini with a combo and they clinch. Nothing happens to end the fight. 10-9 Arlovski, 29-28 Arlovski.
Official Result- Andrei Arlovski def. Junior Albini by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
> Matt Brown (20-16, 13-10 UFC) vs. Diego Sanchez (27-10, 16-10 UFC) Welterweights
Sanchez rushes forward and lands a right hand and shoots for a takedown. They’re clinched and Brown lands a knee to Sanchez’ head. They separated. They trade left hands. Sanchez goes for another single-leg but Brown defends it. Sanchez with a combo. Brown with a leg kick then snaps the jab. Brown with a short range elbow. Sanchez with a liver kick. Brown with a leg kick. Brown then lands an elbow that knocks Sanchez out. Wow. Big finish by Matt Brown with a standing elbow. Brown did talk of retirement before this bout, but backed off of it during fight week, and said he would take time to think about it.
Official Result- Matt Brown def. Diego Sanchez by knockout (elbow) at 3:44 of Round 1
> Dustin Poirier (#8, 21-5 1 NC, 13-4 1 NC UFC) vs. Anthony Pettis (#13, 20-6, 7-5 UFC) Lightweights
Pettis right away with leg kicks. Pettis with a flying knee followed by a right hand. Poirier with a left hand and then scores a takedown. Pettis is working for a guillotine from the bottom but Poirier pops out and Pettis now looking for a kimura. Poirier with punches from the top. Poirier stands up and Pettis sweeps and he gets to his feet and presses Poirier against the fence, Poirier with an elbow and Pettis with an elbow of his own. Both landed knees and punches. Pettis defends a takedown attempt from Poirier. They trade punches and Pettis with a body kick. Poirier with a big combo that hurts Pettis and Pettis with a spinning back fist. Poirier with some big punches at the end of the round but Pettis landed a big uppercut. Crazy finish to the round. 10-9 Poirier.
Pettis controlling the Octagon to start the second and he lands a couple of right hands. Poirier goes for a takedown and he gets it against the fence. Pettis working for a triangle from the bottom but Poirier gets out. Pettis looking for an armbar but it allows Poirier to land some big punches. Pettis cut open and gives up the back. Poirier now working for the choke. Pettis is pouring blood. Pettis spins into the guard of Poirier. Pettis with some big elbows from the top and Poirier with some up-elbows from the bottom. Pettis with more elbows and he takes the back but Poirier slips out. Poirier now on top and they are scrambling around. They get to their feet and Pettis has the back and gets a takedown. They scramble on the mat again. The referee calls timeout as Pettis is bleeding pretty badly. The blood is all in Pettis’ eyes. The fight goes on. Pettis looking for the triangle. He had it locked in but Poirier slipped out. Poirier with big punches to end the round. What an awesome round and fight. 10-9 Poirier, 20-18 Poirier.
Pettis with a head kick. Poirier shoots for a takedown and completes it. They get to their feet. Poirier has the back as they go to the mat again. Poirier working for a choke and now gets the mount. All of a sudden the fight is over and it looks like Pettis has tapped! Pettis appears to have hurt his ribs in a scramble and tapped out due to injury. Poirier with the big win and he went over to Sean Shelby and started screaming that he wanted the winner of Eddie Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje and that he wanted a bonus. He may get both after this.
Official Result- Dustin Poirier def. Anthony Pettis by TKO (injury) at 2:08 of Round 3
Welcome to our live coverage of UFC Fight Night 94: Poirier vs. Johnson, emanating from the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.
The show is headlined by a five-round lightweight bout as Dustin Poirier puts his four-fight win streak on the line against Michael Johnson. In the co-main event, Uriah Hall takes on Derek Brunson in a battle of top-ten ranked middleweights.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 PM EST.
> Alejandro Perez (17-6, 3-1 UFC) vs. Albert Morales (6-0, 0-0 UFC) Bantamweights
R1- They spent the round on the feet with both men trading punches and kicks. Morales was landing harder and kept Perez on the retreat. Morales controlled the center of the Octagon and was the better defensive fighter. Perez did open a cut on the cheek of Morales with a left hand. Morales landed more of his strikes and this was his round. They both landed punches after the bell and got warnings from the referee. Solid round, but not spectacular. 10-9 Morales.
R2- This fight remained on the feet and Perez started landing more than he did in the first round. Both men landed big punches and Morales’ right eye was starting to swell up. Morales was working well by landing the leg kicks and hindered the movement of Perez. Morales was the one backing up Perez. It was a better round for Perez and again both men landed punches after the bell. Closer round. 10-9 Morales, 20-18 Morales.
R3- Perez got deducted a point before the round for landing a punch after the bell in round two. I don’t agree with that. They both came out swinging and Perez got a takedown and was looking for the finish. Morales was in a lot of trouble. Perez then went down and Morales landing a blatant illegal knee that went uncalled. Perez survived and both got up and Morales was very tired. Morales was very bloodied up. Both men got tired but survived to the end. Solid fight. 9-9, 29-27 Morales.
Official Result- Alejandro Perez vs. Albert Morales declared a majority draw (27-29 Morales, 28-28, 28-28)
Instant Analysis- I have to start off by saying this. Kerry Hatley is one of the worst referees in the sport. Not only was his point deduction of Alejandro Perez a bad call, since both men should’ve been deducted since they both landed punches after the bell, he missed a blatant illegal knee from Albert Morales that anyone could see. The call cost Perez the fight, but I thought Morales won the fight so we were looking at a potential bad decision. The fight was solid but both men have a long way to go if they are ever going to contend. 135 pounds is a tough division, and I don’t like future contention status for either fighter.
> Erick Montano (7-3, 1-0 UFC) vs. Randy Brown (7-1, 1-1 UFC) Welterweights
R1- Brown worked early in the clinch looking to use his size advantage. Montano was able to hit Brown but Brown went right back into the clinch and almost scored a big takedown but then landed a nice flying knee. It was mostly clinching in the round and neither man was able to land solidly when they were separated. Montano did land some leg kicks towards the end before Brown pushed him against the fence. 10-9 Brown.
R2- Brown went back to work in the clinch and finally got the takedown he was looking for but Montano got to his feet and got his own takedown. Montano landed a big right hand from inside the guard. Brown got to his feet and grabbed the fence to avoid a takedown but Montano ended up scoring it anyways. Brown wasn’t doing much to get out of danger on the bottom as Montano had him planted down good. A great round for Montano. 10-9 Montano, 19-19.
R3- Morales went right for a takedown but Brown got him in a front choke and Montano tapped out! Finish out of nowhere for Brown.
Official Result- Randy Brown def. Erick Montano by submission (guillotine choke) at :18 of Round 3
Instant Analysis- Randy Brown got a solid victory after pulling the submission out of nowhere, but the fight showed some holes he still needs to improve on. He called out Bryan Barberena after the fight but that is a tough call out. Brown has to improve on his defense on the mat as his striking is solid for his experience level. Erick Montano was doing great until he found himself caught in the submission. It was a solid showing for him but he tapped quickly once he was in trouble. He will be looking to work his way back as the abilities are there, and finishes will come along.
**********
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> Jose Quinonez (4-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. Joey Gomez (6-1, 0-1 UFC) Bantamweights
R1- Quinonez got a couple of early takedowns but Gomez was able to get up both times. They were both landing solid punches and kicks. Quinonez got another takedown and was in control on the mat. Quinonez landed some body kicks that knocked Gomez down and he looked for the finish but Gomez landed an upkick and they got to their feet. Quinonez went back and landed more body kicks and this was his round. 10-9 Quinonez.
R2- Gomez was doing better on his feet but Quinonez scored a takedown and worked from the top. Gomez was able to get up. Gomez started getting the better of the striking and dropped Quinonez with a left hand but Quinonez recovered to his feet. Gomez continued to find openings but Quinonez was pressuring him and looking to score the takedown. Close round but Gomez won the battle on the feet. 10-9 Gomez, 19-19.
R3- The pace slowed at the start until Quinonez dropped Gomez with a knee but left enough time for Gomez to recover, but then Quinonez was able to get into full mount on the mat. Quinonez was controlling on the mat and looking for submissions and almost had Gomez in a choke but Gomez escaped to his feet. They traded on the feet and both men had solid finishes to the fight. 10-9 Quinonez, 29-28 Quinonez.
Official Result- Jose Quinonez def. Joey Gomez by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Instant Analysis- This was a very good fight between both men. Both are lower-level bantamweights, but they are solid fighters for their position. Jose Quinonez showed good takedowns and good top control, and his striking was very good. Joey Gomez also had good striking, and while his defense on the mat needs work, he was able to escape from being mounted to his feet, so that was good for him. As back-and-forth as it was early, Jose Quinonez definitely won this fight.
> Antonio Carlos Junior (5-2 1 NC, 2-2 1 NC UFC) vs. Leonardo Augusto Leleco (11-2 1 NC, 0-1 UFC) Middleweights
R1- Nothing much happened early in this fight until Leleco landed a right hand. Carlos Junior then went for a takedown but couldn’t score on it. Leleco showed good takedown defense and Carlos Junior went for more and landed an illegal knee so there was a break. Carlos Junior was deducted a point for that knee. Carlos Junior went quickly back to work and scored a takedown as he needed to get this as an even round. Carlos Junior with a late takedown. 9-9.
R2- Carlos Junior came out looking to grapple and scored a takedown and was dominant from the top as Leleco had no answer to getting up from the bottom. Carlos Junior just kept landing punch after punch and Leleco was doing nothing to get up. He finally got to his feet against the fence but was taken back down. Leleco went for a guillotine but didn’t have enough time. Complete dominant round for Carlos Junior. 10-8 Carlos Junior, 19-17 Carlos Junior.
R3- Leleco was needing a finish but looked exhausted as Carlos Junior went to work in the clinch. Carlos Junior got the takedown but Leleco got back to his feet. Leleco kept grabbing the fence in looking to defend the takedown but Carlos Junior got a big takedown. Leleco has done absolutely nothing in this fight and is very tired. Carlos Junior working for the rear-naked choke. He got it locked in and Leleco tapped out with just 15 seconds left.
Official Result- Antonio Carlos Junior def. Leonardo Augusto Leleco by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:46 of Round 3
Instant Analysis- Antonio Carlos Junior completely dominated this fight to get back on the winning track. The point deduction was very bad and it showed the inconsistencies in referees as the same situation didn’t see a deduction in an earlier fight. Thankfully, the hand being down rule is going away on January 1. Leonardo Leleco had an awful performance and was just overmatched in this fight. With an 0-2 record and being finished twice, and putting on bad performances, he’s likely going to be cut from the roster. Carlos Junior is a former TUF winner and he’s had his ups-and-downs, but I like his potential at just 26-years-old.
> Augusto Montano (15-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. Belal Muhammad (9-1, 0-1 UFC) Welterweights
R1- Montano fighting for the first time in 15 months. He landed an early groin strike, probably to get it out of his system. Muhammad hurt him with a right hand. Both men were trading punches and kicks. Montano poked Muhammad in the eye and got another warning. Muhammad landed a head kick as Montano kept his hands low. Montano with some inside leg kicks. Montano was getting his timing down on his leg kicks and defended a takedown. Muhammad landed another head kick. 10-9 Muhammad.
R2- They came out trading with both men landing but Montano was getting the better of it. Muhammad got a takedown. Muhammad easily passes guard and takes the back. Muhammad got to the top but Montano scrambled to his feet. Muhammad misses a head kick. Montano lands a combo. Muhammad with a short elbow. Close round. 10-9 Muhammad, 20-18 Muhammad.
R3- They were trading. Muhammad scored the takedown and took the back looking for the choke. Montano survived the attempt and they got to their feet and traded. Muhammad got a big takedown with some big ground-and-pound looking for the finish. Muhammad with a lot of punches and Herb Dean finally called it off. Big win for Muhammad.
Official Result- Belal Muhammad def. Augusto Montano by TKO (punches) at 4:19 of Round 3
Instant Analysis- Belal Muhammad had a solid showing in a losing effort to Alan Jouban in his UFC debut, but he backed that up with an impressive win here in becoming the first fighter to stop Augusto Montano. He showed excellent timing on his takedowns, and got them at the right moments, and Montano had nothing for him on the mat. His ability to turn on the pressure late made the difference in the fight. He is a solid addition to the 170-pound roster. Montano falls to 1-2 inside the Octagon, and that was coming off of a year-long suspension. He’s had two straight bad showings after an impressive debut, and I do think he’s going to get cut from the roster. I believe that would be justified because he doesn’t seem well-prepared for UFC competition.
> Gabriel Benitez (18-5, 2-1 UFC) vs. Sam Sicilia (15-6, 5-5 UFC) Featherweights
R1- Benitez went right after Sicilia with leg kicks. They started trading as both men were looking for that knockout blow. Benitez showing off strong leg kicks. Sicilia landed a strong body kick but Benitez fired back with some strong leg kicks. Those kicks are massive and Sicilia isn’t checking them. Sicilia just looking for the big right hand. Benitez with a strong right due to those leg kicks and it’ll be interesting to see how Sicilia responds now. 10-9 Benitez.
R2- Benitez landed a straight left hand and dropped Sicilia. Big elbows from Benitez but Sicilia survives and gets to his feet. Benitez with more leg kicks. Benitez locked in a guillotine as Sicilia went for a takedown and Sicilia is out cold! Benitez with the big submission win!
Official Result- Gabriel Benitez def. Sam Sicilia by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:20 of Round 2
Instant Analysis- This was the best fight of the night so far with a lot of good action. Gabriel Benitez was excellent on his feet in constantly landing those leg kicks which took away some of Sam Sicilia’s offensive attack. He dropped Sicilia with a left hand and was able to counter a takedown attempt nicely with the guillotine choke. It is the best he has looked in the UFC as he has now won three of four. It will be interesting to see his further progression, but he looked really impressive here. Sicilia is now 5-6 in the UFC but he always comes to fight. He showed serious improvements early but his inability to check leg kicks hindered him. He tried to go to his wrestling but left his neck open and Benitez capitalized. I would like to see him remain in the UFC as he is a fun featherweight fighter.
R1- They both went right away and landed flying front kicks and Skelly locked in an anaconda choke and Blanco went to sleep. Less than 30 seconds. Big finish.
Official Result- Chas Skelly def. Maximo Blanco by submission (D’arce choke) at :19 of Round 1
Instant Analysis- This was so quick that any analysis would be hard to say. Chas Skelly went right out and pulled a trick out of Maximo Blanco’s playbook with a flying front kick to start the fight and capitalized on Blanco being in bad position. Interesting win for Skelly as he moves to 5-2 and he should get a solid opponent in his next bout. Blanco always plays with fire and he lost here. He falls to 4-5 in the UFC but he always brings good action to the Octagon. Go out of your way to watch a replay of this.
> Chris Wade (11-2, 4-1 UFC) vs. Islam Makhachev (12-1, 1-1 UFC) Lightweights
R1- They traded early and Makhachev went right for the takedown. Wade had his neck but he got out. Wade reversed to top position. Makhachev went for a triangle choke but Wade defended well and Makhachev got warned for his toes being locked onto the cage. Wade got into more dominant position and landed from the top but the crowd started booing. Slow close round. 10-9 Makhachev.
R2- Makhachev landed a left hand and Wade grabbed the neck for a guillotine choke and ended up on top in dominant position. Makhachev rolled out and took the back but Wade reversed into the neck but Makhachev swept into side control. Good ground action here. Makhachev has dominant side control. He takes the back looking to get the hooks in. They scramble and Makhachev remains with back control. Lots of scrambling. Wade looking for a late heel hook. 10-9 Makhachev, 20-18 Makhachev.
R3- Lots of grappling in this round as both men scramble and spent time on top. Wade went for a guillotine but didn’t have it and it allowed Makhachev to end up on top against the fence. Makhachev in the half-guard and landing from the top as he gets to mount and then takes the back. Makhachev lands punches from the back. Makhachev just dominating this round on the mat but he doesn’t have Wade in any real danger. Some excellent grappling in this fight though it slowed in the third. 10-9 Makhachev, 30-27 Makhachev.
Official Result- Islam Makhachev def. Chris Wade by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Instant Analysis- This fight had some high-level grappling though it slowed in the third round. Islam Makhachev bounced back nicely and showed he is one of the better grapplers in the division, but his striking still needs some work, though there was improvement. He has some good skills and trains with a top camp, so the future is bright for him. For Chris Wade, this is now two straight losses after four straight wins to start his UFC career. For the second straight fight, he was just out-grappled, which leaves a lot of questions to be answered for a strong wrestler like him. His striking is solid, but not great, and he definitely needs a win when he gets another fight inside the Octagon.
R1- Carneiro quickly took the fight to the mat. Robertson scrambled to his feet. Carneiro with the tie-up but Robertson slipped out and landed a right hand. Robertson telegraphing himself and Carneiro with a big body kick. Both men missing on wild punching attempts. Carneiro with a big leg kick. You can see both mens’ punches coming a mile away. Not the most exciting round. Close round. 10-9 Carneiro.
R2- Carneiro scores a takedown after Robertson misses some loopy punches. Robertson swept and landed a hammerfist. Robertson landing short elbows from the top. Carneiro goes for a submission but Robertson gets out. Carneiro not doing much from the bottom. Carneiro had a shoulder lock and swept into full mount. Carneiro not doing much from the mount. Crowd boos. Close round. 10-9 Robertson, 19-19.
R3- Neither man doing much early but Carneiro landing the jab. Carneiro lands a big uppercut that stuns Robertson. Robertson caught his bearings. Very slow pace here. Robertson lands a right hand. They trade jabs. Robertson with a left hand. Robertson with a combo as the crowd boos. Both men very tired. Carneiro with an uppercut. Carneiro clinches. Close fight all around. 10-9 Carneiro, 29-28 Carneiro.
Official Result- Roan Carneiro def. Kenny Robertson by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Instant Analysis- This was a very boring fight. The weight cut looked to slow down Roan Carneiro late, and Kenny Robertson wasn’t much better. Neither man could get the edge anywhere in the fight and it was three close rounds. Unfortunately, they were also three bad rounds. Carneiro is getting up there in age and I don’t sense he has much left. Robertson didn’t fare much better. Neither man deserves to be anywhere near the main card. Onto the next one.
HOT RUMOR ALERT- Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor is a done deal for UFC 205.
> Evan Dunham (#15, 17-6, 10-6 UFC) vs. Rick Glenn (18-3-1, 0-0 UFC) Lightweights
R1- Dunham with a combo and then scores a takedown. Dunham postured up and Glenn tried to land some upkicks but Dunham went back into the guard. Dunham takes the back and has the rear-naked choke locked in. Glenn fights to survives and somehow gets out. That was an incredible escape. Dunham ends up on top to end the round. Big round for Dunham. 10-8 Dunham.
R2- Glenn lands a left hand but gets taken down by Dunham. Dunham is by far the superior ground fighter. They get to their feet. Dunham has the body locked and lands a knee. Dunham looking fantastic here. Dunham lighting Glenn up with some combos. Glenn firing back. Dunham slowing just a little. They trade strikes. Time out called due to a groin strike. Back to action but round ends with nothing happening. 10-9 Dunham, 20-17 Dunham.
R3- Glenn coming out strong as he needs to finish Dunham here. Dunham with the clear advantage in strikes landed. They trade left hands. Glenn is landing and hurts Dunham. Glenn has more energy at this stage. Dunham lands a combo. Dunham lands another combination. Dunham lands a big head kick followed by a hard right hand. Both men tired. Back-and-forth on the feet and both men are landing. Dunham with a big head kick. Dunham hurts Glenn with a punch. Dunham tries a late armbar. Fun fight. 10-9 Dunham, 30-26 Dunham.
Official Result- Evan Dunham def. Rick Glenn by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Instant Analysis- This was a fun fight, especially the latter stages of the final round as both men started swinging while clearly tired. Evan Dunham looked fantastic early, and even when his conditioning started going, he was still effective on his feet and had Rick Glenn hurt late. It was a solid showing on short notice for Glenn, who has earned himself a couple of fights in the UFC with this effort. Dunham is back into contention with four straight wins, and time for a top match-up for him. This is a very solid win for Dunham. Glenn may settle back to the featherweight division, and I look forward to more fights inside the Octagon for him.
> Uriah Hall (#9, 12-6, 5-4 UFC) vs. Derek Brunson (#10, 15-3, 6-1 UFC) Middleweights
R1- Hall came right out after Brunson and they clinched. Brunson with a big knee against the fence. Brunson drops Hall with a big left hand and then lands punches on the ground and Herb Dean stops it! Hall protests but Brunson gets the big win.
Official Result- Derek Brunson def. Uriah Hall by TKO (punches) at 1:41of Round 1
Instant Analysis- Derek Brunson now has four straight first-round wins with this stoppage, and he has put himself in line for a chance at getting a title shot. This is a big win for him and one that he needed to get if he were ever going to contend. A 7-1 record in the UFC middleweight division is very, very good. Uriah Hall came out strong but got caught. He probably could’ve continued and the replay shows it was probably early. He is now 5-5 in the UFC but still a quality fighter and with this controversial stoppage, he shouldn’t lose much ground.
> Dustin Poirier (#7, 20-4, 12-3 UFC) vs. Michael Johnson (#10, 16-10, 8-6 UFC) Lightweights
R1- They trade punches and kicks early. Johnson lands a solid combo and Poirier is cut a little under his eye. Johnson with a big left hand that knocks Poirier down and he finishes him off with several more punches on the ground! Big knockout for Johnson.
Official Result- Michael Johnson def. Dustin Poirier by knockout (punches) at 1:35 of Round 1
Instant Analysis- This is a huge win for Michael Johson, who had lost his last two fights. Another loss would’ve knocked him out of the title picture completely, but this is a statement win, and his biggest win to date in the UFC. He has earned himself a big fight in his next bout and adds to the stacked lightweight title picture. Dustin Poirier was on the cusp of title contention but now suffers his first loss since dropping down to 155 pounds. He is still one of the best fighters at lightweight, but he has lost every opportunity he has had to break into that true elite category. He takes a step backwards, but with his talent, he should be able to put together some wins and get himself back into contention.
Final Thoughts- This was a show of highs-and-lows. Michael Johnson and Derek Brunson had excellent victories in the two big fights to put their names into crowded title pictures. Evan Dunham had an excellent showing despite slowing down late. Chas Skelly had one of the more memorable finishes in recent UFC memory, and that quick win is worth going out of your way to see. Gabriel Benitez had a very impressive showing in finishing Sam Sicilia. That was the good. There was some bad, and some bad fights, but more good than bad. Not the best of shows, but not the worst of shows either, and the two last fights having good performances gave the event a boost.
