At a Nevada Athletic Commission hearing Tuesday, the immediate fighting futures of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor were determined.
The two men and Nurmagomedov’s teammates were suspended by the NAC following the post-fight events of their UFC 229 bout that Nurmagomedov won by submission. Afterward, he started yelling at McGregor’s cornermen, jumped the cage, and jumped into the middle of the group, setting off a near riot that saw a member of his team punch McGregor in the cage while he wasn’t looking.
After discussion and deliberation with his counsel, Nurmagomedov (not in attendance) was suspended for nine months and fined $500,000 retroactive to October 6th, the night of UFC 229. The suspension can be reduced to six months if Nurmagomedov participates in an anti-bullying PSA campaign. The six month suspension would make him eligible to return in April while the nine month suspension would clear him for July and possibly the organization’s annual event during International Fight Week depending on the date.
However, a wrinkle in that return is the one year suspensions and matching $25,000 fines handed out to his teammates Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Zubaira Tukhugov, also not in attendance. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani said he doesn’t expect Nurmagomedov to fight until those suspensions are up which would put the lightweight title on ice for a year.
McGregor (not in attendance) was suspended for six months and was fined $50,000 for his role at UFC 229, making him eligible to return as early as April. He was chided by NAC officials for his pre-fight rhetoric against Nurmagomedov and his family, prompting officials to suggest fighters would be fined in the future for what they say and not just what they do.
The fallout of the UFC 229 post-main event melee continued to play out at today’s Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing.
After Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor were given 10-day suspensions as a formality leading into today’s hearing, the commission voted to extend their temporary suspensions. The suspensions were extended through the resolution of the NSAC’s investigation.
The NSAC also voted to release half of Nurmagomedov’s $2 million disclosed purse to Nurmagomedov. The entire disclosed purse, which is only a portion of what Nurmagomedov will be paid for his fight against McGregor at UFC 229, had been withheld by the commission.
Nurmagomedov and McGregor will need to attend a disciplinary hearing that’s scheduled for December, where the situation may be resolved.
McGregor’s manager Audie Attar released a statement today: “I understand that the Nevada State Athletic Commission is doing a thorough investigation, which I am confident will benefit my client, Conor McGregor.”
The UFC lightweight champion isn’t happy with his employers and told the world about it Thursday.
Fresh off his fourth round submission win over Conor McGregor and the subsequent post-fight melee at Saturday’s UFC 229, Khabib Nurmagomedov threatened to leave UFC if they cut his teammate.
The fighter in question is Zubaira Tukhugov, a UFC featherweight who is scheduled to face McGregor teammate Artem Lobov at the UFC Moncton, Canada, event in just a few weeks. He was part of the post-fight brawl in which Nurmagomedov left the cage in an attempt to fight McGregor teammate Dillon Danis, an altercation that spilled over into the cage as well.
After the show, Dana White said that any of Nurmagomedov’s teammates involved would be done with the UFC, but they have yet to announce any releases or other sanctions.
Dana White appeared on TMZ Sports today and discussed the fallout from UFC 229 — including pay-per-view numbers.
Wite was smiling at the start, saying that we are just starting to get the PPV numbers rolling in. Later on, when asked if they broke three million buys, White smiled and said “We didn’t break three, but it’s so hard to do that.” White went on to say that they were “way over” two million buys.
The previous UFC PPV record was for the second Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz fight in March 2016, which was reported to have done 1.65 million buys. Previously, UFC 100 had done 1.6 million buys with Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir, although that was at lower prices.
White was asked about a possible fine and/or suspension for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s role in the brawl that took place after he defeated McGregor. White said that he thought Nurmagomedov should be suspended for 4-6 months and fined a quarter of a million dollars. White also said that any other state would uphold the suspension and UFC would not try to get around that by booking Nurmagomedov to fight internationally during that time.
White mentioned Tony Ferguson as a potential future opponent for Nurmagomedov and definitively stated that Nurmagomedov would not be stripped of his title for his actions.
Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Conor McGregor by fourth round submission to retain the UFC lightweight title at UFC 229, but it was what happened after that finish that has the world talking.
Immediately following the victory, an emotional Nurmagomedov was talking to McGregor to the point referee Herb Dean had to pull him away. He then threw his mouthpiece at McGregor’s corner and started yelling at them, leading to him jumping the cage and getting into a scrap with McGregor teammate and current Bellator fighter Dillion Danis.
To say what happened at that point was chaos is an understatement.
Fights involving men from both camps spilled in and out of the cage with one of Nurmagomedov’s men jumping in the cage and hitting McGregor several times. After several minutes, security was able to separate everyone and eventually, McGregor was escorted to the back. What followed that was another shock as Dana White told Nurmagomedov he would have to head to the back before the official announcement for fear of fans throwing things in the cage.
Eventually, the announcement was made by Bruce Buffer but with no fighters or corners in the cage, completing a stunning sequence to what was an eventful night.
The fight itself was nearly as advertised as Nurmagomedov was dominant on the ground from the start, holding McGregor down and wearing him out. The former champion got his shots in on Nurmagomedov, but they weren’t enough to hurt him.
The second round was a dominant one for Nurmagomedov due to his ground work. Early in the round, Nurmagomedov nailed McGregor with a hard right that hurt the Irishman, leading to another takedown and more ground work. At one point, he was landing so many shots from the top that a stoppage was in sight. McGregor was able to eventually get back to his feet, but couldn’t do much else.
Surprisngly, the third round was nearly all on the feet with Nurmagomedov content to stand and trade with the tiring McGregor who got his shots in but without the pop of the first round. McGregor was able to fend off Nurmagomedov’s few takedown attempts, but both men got admonished for inactivity.
Early in the fourth, Nurmagomedov went back to his early game plan, riding McGregor down the canvas. With two minutes to go, Nurmagomedov locked on a face crank that got McGregor to tap. Then, the aforementioned hell broke loose.
Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez will have much more on this on the newest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.
It’s here: the UFC return of Conor McGregor after a two-year absence against his toughest challenge to date in Khabib Nurmagomedov. Oh, and Khabib’s the champion but you’d barely know by all of the attention the challenger is getting.
Let’s take a look at the show and answer a few questions with Paul Fontaine and Ryan Frederick, the later of which who will actually be in the T-Mobile Arena tonight. If you want some free audio to listen to, check out my interviews with Sean Sheehan and Garrett Gonzales.
UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor
Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Dominick Reyes
Derrick Lewis vs. Alexander Volkov
Michelle Waterson vs. Felice Herrig
Sergio Pettis vs. Jussier Formiga
Vicente Luque vs. Jalin Turner
Aspen Ladd vs. Tonya Evinger
Scott Holtzman vs. Alan Patrick
Gray Maynard vs. Nik Lentz
Lina Lansberg vs. Yana Kunitsaya
Ryan LaFlare vs. Tony Martin
What are you most looking forward to?
Ryan: That’s pretty easy: the main event. It’s the Khabib and Conor show and the biggest fight in a long time, perhaps ever. Having been on the scene in Las Vegas the last few days, it is a huge event. I’ve never experienced a fight week quite like this one in 14 years of going to UFC events. It’s also a great fight on paper, one of the absolute best matchups the UFC can put together. It’s a good clash of styles and a fight where literally anything could happen.
Paul: Obviously the main event but Tony Ferguson is my favorite fighter so I’m looking forward to that one as well. After years of delivering exciting fights and highlight reel knockouts, the former interim champion and TUF winner gets a chance on the biggest stage of his career and with a victory could set himself up for a huge payday down the line against the Conor/Khabib winner.
Josh: LaFlare vs. Martin, duh. The whole main card looks great on screen, but we’ve said that before. It’s the Conor-Khabib show, baby. That’s it.
Anything being slept on?
Josh: Because of the long shadow cast by the main event, Ferguson-Pettis is somewhat being overlooked but I feel like there’s still a ton of buzz about that one too. Maybe Formiga-Pettis because of the title shot implications for the winner, but unless there’s an impressive finish, I don’t sense a lot of newsworthiness to come out of it. Maybe Waterson-Herrig a little?
Ryan: I don’t know that it is being slept on, but we have a fantastic co-main event between Ferguson and Pettis. That could be all kinds of wild and it’ll be interesting how good Ferguson looks coming back so early from a devastating knee injury. A couple of other good fights on the card are Saint Preux and Reyes, and the other Pettis brother, Sergio, against Formiga.
Paul: The whole card is great. One of the Fight Pass prelims has two former title contenders squaring off with Yana Kunitskaya taking on Lina Lansberg. Both were overmatched against Cris Cyborg but who isn’t? At their more natural weight classes, both could make some noise in a bantamweight division that’s really not all that deep and in need of viable title contenders for champ Amanda Nunes.
Anything not doing it for you?
Paul: The heavyweight fight between Derrick Lewis and Alexander Volkov is important and has relatively big names. But while it has a chance to be good, I’m not so sure. Both have had real snoozers in the past and Lewis recently had one of the worst fights of the year, maybe of all time, against Francis N’Gannou on another high profile card. Hopefully, I’ll be proven wrong.
Ryan: There’s two fights that could end up being boring and it’s luckily the first two on the card: Maynard against Lentz and LaFlare against Martin. They feature fighters who play a lot of points fighting and don’t take a lot of chances, and they have all been in more boring than exciting fights. They could put the crowd to sleep early, but I doubt many will be in the arena for those bouts anyway.
Josh: The undercard is kinda meh as far as interesting names, but the fights could be good. Everything seems to be in line though.
What’s the intrigue with the show?
Ryan: It’s obviously what happens in the main event, and whether this sets not only the buyrate record, but by how much. Numbers like 3 million buys have been thrown out, and while I don’t think it’ll get there, it wouldn’t shock me if it actually did. This is a massive event and I’m sure everyone in the end really hopes that Conor wins.
Paul: Really, the intrigue in this show is the intrigue about this sport in general. It’s the classic matchup in the main event — grappler vs. striker — and in those two disciplines, there are none better in the sport than Khabib and Conor. Whoever is able to execute their game plan should win and do so handily. Whatever happens, it’s almost a consensus that the winner will dominate. If the fight’s on the feet, Conor should win and quickly. If Khabib is able to take him down, he will hold him there and grind him to the mat for 25 minutes. Anything can happen in MMA and maybe one of these scenarios doesn’t happen but that’s why we watch the fights.
Josh: If McGregor wins and reclaims the title, that puts the division in a tough spot because I don’t see him wanting to be another one of the guys and start defending the title twice a year. McGregor’s in interesting fight territory now, not ‘defend the belt against all comers’ territory. I don’t see Khabib becoming a big star (aka PPV draw), but there’s still some intrigue in that Ferguson fight if they can try to make it for the 100th time. What happens after the fight is almost as interesting as what happens in the fight…almost.
What will be people talking about most after the show is done?
Paul: A rematch, for sure. If this show sets records (and at this point, even just breaking the record with something like 1.75 million buys would be considered a disappointment), everyone will want to see them fight again. That sucks for the likes of Ferguson, Diaz, GSP, Woodley and anyone else that is highly ranked at anywhere from 145-170. But Conor is all about big fights and big money and a rematch of the biggest money fight of all time would be the biggest fight possible and would also make sense sporting-wise. This could be the first fight in a series between these two as they both should have years of competitive fights left in them.
Ryan: It will be all about what is next for Conor. I do think if he wins, his next fight comes against Tyron Woodley as he goes for another title. It wouldn’t surprise me if that is the way it goes even if he loses, but in that scenario, I see Nate Diaz next. If Khabib wins, I totally think we are getting him against GSP next year.
Josh: That this is the biggest UFC PPV of all time, that Ferguson is the rightful No. 1 contender, and that McGregor continues to do everything he says he can do and then some.
Outside a freak accident, there’s nothing stopping us from Saturday’s UFC 229 and the headliner of all headliners: the returning Conor McGregor vs. the UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
I had such a great time talking with Irish MMA expert and native Sean Sheehan last week about the event that I wanted to keep the train rolling for a second part of ‘We Gotta Talk About Conor’ with first-time guest, Fight Game writer/podcaster, and Wrestling Observer Radio fill-in co-host Garrett Gonzales.
We kicked off with 20 minutes on Garrett’s relationship with our Dave Meltzer as part of Dave’s “come over and watch wrestling/MMA” entourage and his experiences helping Dave record interviews with both New Japan and Bellator MMA stars.
We then transition to Saturday’s UFC 229 show and all that is Conor-Khabib. Among the points of discussion: PPV buyrates and the potential carryover from the Mayweather fight, what happens if McGregor wins, the unpredictability of the fight, and other fights we like on the show.
Then, we finish up with some complaining about the UFC 230 main event for Madison Square Garden and if there’s any aces left up the UFC’s sleeve to help mitigate the damage.
Enjoy this preview for UFC 229 and a little inside baseball talk about our co-founder.
Both UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor made weight Friday morning, but they will face off Friday night at the UFC 229 ceremonial weigh-ins at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
You can watch everything happen live at 8 PM Eastern/5 PM Pacific here:
On Friday, Nurmagomedov made 155 pounds right as the official weigh-ins opened up Friday while McGregor weighed about an hour later, making the megafight official. Everyone made weight for the event.
The card:
– Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor
– Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis
– Derrick Lewis vs. Alexander Volkov
– Dominick Reyes vs. Ovince Saint Preux
– Michelle Waterson vs. Felice Herrig
– Sergio Pettis vs. Jussier Formiga
– Vicente Luque vs. Jalin Turner
– Aspen Ladd vs. Tonya Evinger
– Scott Holtzman vs. Alan Patrick
– Lina Lansberg vs. Yana Kunitskaya
– Gray Maynard vs. Nik Lentz
– Ryan LaFlare vs. Tony Martin
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor is officially on.
Nurmagomedov and McGregor both made weight today ahead of facing off in the main event of UFC 229 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas tomorrow night. Nurmagomedov was the first person to weigh in today, coming in at exactly 155 pounds for their lightweight title fight. McGregor later weighed in at 154.5 pounds.
Tony Ferguson, who likely would have replaced Nurmagomedov or McGregor if either had to pull out, weighed in at 155 pounds for his lightweight fight against Anthony Pettis. Pettis made weight at 156 pounds (with the extra pound allowance).
With McGregor arriving late, yesterday’s press conference for the UFC 229 main event didn’t go according to plan. Nurmagomedov came out when the press conference was supposed to start, took questions for 15 minutes, and left. Dana White then answered questions until McGregor showed up.
Nurmagomedov and McGregor will meet for the final time before UFC 229 at today’s ceremonial weigh-ins. The ceremonial weigh-ins are scheduled to start at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
The lineup for UFC 229 is listed below. Everyone made weight for the event.
Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. Eastern —
Ryan LaFlare (171) vs. Tony Martin (171)
Gray Maynard (156) vs. Nik Lentz (156)
Yana Kunitskaya (134.5) vs. Lina Lansberg (135.5)
Prelims on FS1 at 8 p.m. Eastern —
Alan Patrick (155.5) vs. Scott Holtzman (155.5)
Tonya Evinger (136) vs. Aspen Ladd (134.5)
Jalin Turner (169.5) vs. Vicente Luque (170.5)
Sergio Pettis (125) vs. Jussier Formiga (125.5)
PPV at 10 p.m. Eastern —
Michelle Waterson (115) vs. Felice Herrig (115.5)
Alexander Volkov (251) vs. Derrick Lewis (265.5)
Ovince Saint Preux (205.5) vs. Dominic Reyes (204.5)
Anthony Pettis (156) vs. Tony Ferguson (155)
Khabib Nurmagomedov (155) vs. Conor McGregor (154.5) for the UFC lightweight title
With just days to go before UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov battles returning star and former two division champion Conor McGregor at UFC 229, the two men will attempt to create some headlines Thursday at a pre-event press conference in Las Vegas, NV.
You can watch it live here at 6 PM Eastern or whenever McGregor decides to show up.
McGregor was on his game last month for the duo’s first presser, attempting to both sell the fight and his new brand of whiskey. The New York-based event was also in front of just media with no fans allowed inside. That will not be the case Thursday which should raise the stakes a bit on the emotional front.
The Saturday event should do great business at both the box office and on PPV, the latter of which UFC president Dana White has said is trending toward record levels. McGregor and Nate Diaz’s August 2016 rematch at UFC 202 set the unofficial record at 1.6 million.
McGregor has been part of the top five best-selling UFC PPVs all time, including the top three.
On Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on ESPN Monday, Conor McGregor predicted a “devastating” knockout of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov when they fight this Saturday at UFC 229.
McGregor hasn’t done a lot of media prior to his UFC return, but spoke to Helwani for nearly half an hour about his road back to the Octagon and what could come next, win or lose.
Among the topics discussed:
Helwani asked whether the payday he’s getting for his return is anywhere near what he earned for fighting Floyd Mayweather. He was non-commital, but was very happy with how he’s going to do for the fight. Speaking of Mayweather, McGregor re-iterated that he wants to rematch Mayeather in boxing, not MMA.
Helwani asked about the potential for a Georges St-Pierre fight, but McGregor didn’t seem interested at this time, saying that GSP didn’t have anything against him personally.
McGregor followed that up with showing interest for a fight with former middleweight champion Anderson Silva. The most telling line: “I’m going to do fights that interest me or have meaning.”
McGregor said that a trilogy fight with Nate Diaz will no doubt happen and that he will “always give that man his rematch”, citing that Diaz gave him a rematch.
We love first-time guests on Josh Nason’s Punch-Out and this week’s debut brought it strong his first time out.
Ireland native and Severe MMA leader Sean Sheehan spent nearly 45 minutes with me this week, talking about a variety of topics surrounding Conor McGregor and his impending big money fight with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
We touch on McGregor’s impact in the country historically, who he thinks has the edge in the fight, our thoughts on the sole press conference featuring both men, the current Irish MMA scene, some industry news, TV talk, what misconceptions Americans have about the Irish, and more.
I lead off the show with some quick-hit thoughts on Saturday’s Bellator debut on DAZN, what I didn’t like about Aaron Pico’s interview with Dave Meltzer, and the mess surrounding the UFC’s attempt to make a main event for Madison Square Garden and how Jon Jones-Alexander Gustafsson 2 for late December came out of it.
Promotion for arguably the most anticipated UFC fight of the year kicks off Thursday at 5 PM Eastern as UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor will go face to face in New York City at a press conference.
The two will face off in the main event of UFC 229 on Saturday, October 6th in Las Vegas. This will be Nurmagomedov’s first fight since winning the then-interim title in a dominant decision over Al Iaquinta in April while McGregor hasn’t had a UFC fight since he beat Eddie Alvarez for the strap in November 2016.
Much of the video promotion for the fight has stemmed from McGregor throwing a bus dolly through a window that Nurmagomedov was sitting on during the UFC 223 media day in April. McGregor later worked out a plea deal with New York State for the attack which injured several fighters.
In the co-main event, former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson will face former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. Ferguson was scheduled to face Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 but had to withdraw due to a freak knee injury. It’s expected that if either McGregor or Nurmagomedov has to bow out of the fight, Ferguson would tabbed to replace them.
Nearly two years after he last fought in the UFC and after a mega-payday in his boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor will finally return to the Octagon in a lightweight title fight against current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The fight will be the main event of UFC 229 on Saturday, October 6th in Las Vegas, NV. It was announced at Friday’s UFC press conference but neither man was in attendance.
Nurmagomedov won the interim version of the title in a dominant win over Al Iaquinta at April’s UFC 223, a fight that originally was supposed to be against Tony Ferguson. When McGregor was eventually stripped of the title, the ‘interim’ was dropped.
McGregor was last seen knocking out Eddie Alvarez to win the title at UFC’s debut in Madison Square Garden in November 2016. He hasn’t competed in MMA since then with the Mayweather fight as his only daliance into fighting.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta, emanating from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
What a last few days it has been for the UFC.
The event is headlined by a bout for the UFC Lightweight Championship as Khabib Nurmagomedov, sporting a perfect 25-0 record, is taking on Al Iaquinta, in a fight that was put together just 24 hours ago. Iaquinta replaced Max Holloway, who was pulled from the fight due to concerns with his weight cut, just days after Holloway replaced Interim UFC Lightweight Champion Tony Ferguson, who was forced to pull out this past Sunday due to a knee injury.
Nurmagomedov and Iaquinta both look to capture the championship, which is expected to be stripped from current UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor at the event. Nurmagomedov looks for the impressive 26th straight win, while Iaquinta looks to shock the world and win his sixth straight fight.
In the co-main event, UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas makes her first title defense against the woman she defeated to become the champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Jedrzejczyk not only is looking to regain the championship, but she’s also looking to erase the first loss on her record. Namajunas looks to stake her undisputed claim as the woman to beat at 115 pounds.
Also on the main card, featherweights Renato Moicano and Calvin Kattar do battle, featherweight Zabit Magomedshapirov looks for his eleventh straight win against Kyle Bochniak, and bonus king Joe Lauzon looks for another one as he takes on Chris Gruetzemacher in lightweight action. The preliminary card is headlined by women’s strawweights Karolina Kowalkiewicz, looking for her second straight win, going against Felice Herrig, winner of four straight fights.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 8 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].
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Devin Clark (8-2, 2-2 UFC) vs. Mike Rodriguez (9-2, 0-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Clark landed a good combo to start and gets a takedown after they clinch. They get to their feet. They trade knees in the clinch. They are broken up and Rodriguez dropped Clark with a leg kick but Clark got right back up and they clinch against the fence. Rodriguez with some punches inside the pocket. Clark trying a takedown in the clinch but being defended and they break. Rodriguez with a flying knee and Clark is able to grab him and get a takedown. Clark in side control. He gets into the full guard. Rodriguez gets to the fence but Clark is able to keep him down and lands some punches and a knee to the body. Stong finish to the round for Clark. 10-9 Clark.
Rodriguez with a body kick. Rodriguez with another after a straight left. They clinch and Rodriguez hurts Clark with an elbow on the break. Clark looking tired. Rodriguez with a left hand and another leg kick. They are clinched and Rodriguez with a hard knee to the body. They remain clinched against the fence. They break and Clark lands a body kick but eats a combo. Clark lands a left hook and gets a takedown and lands a bunch of punches but Rodriguez gets to his feet. They clinch and Clark lands some. He may have stolen it late again but I give the round to Rodriguez. 10-9 Rodriguez, 19-19.
Both guys look tired. Clark shoots for an early takedown but it is defended. They are clinched and battling for position. Clark gets Rodriguez down and takes the back. Clark lands punches from the back. They get to their feet. Clark gets another takedown and is working in the full guard of Rodriguez. Clark with a knee to the body. They get to their feet. Rodriguez with a knee to the body. Clark with more punches in controlling position. Clark definitely gets the last round and might have gotten all three. 10-9 Clark, 29-28 Clark.
Official Result- Devin Clark def. Mike Rodriguez by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Evans-Smith with a leg kick and they trade inside the pocket. Evans-Smith with some kicks. Evans-Smith with a good series of punches. Rawlings unable to get anything going. Rawlings with a leg kick and they trade punches. Evans-Smith with a spin kick and Rawlings lands a right hand. They trade punches. They clinch and Evans-Smith with some good knees to the body. Evans-Smith lands a good combo but Rawlings lands a right hand. Evans-Smith with a late takedown. 10-9 Evans-Smith.
Evans-Smith with a front kick followed by a leg kick. Evans-Smith with a body kick and one to the leg. They trade punches and Rawlings landed a good right hand. Rawlings with another right hand. She is starting to land more. Rawlings with more right hands and is landing the jab. Evans-Smith with some punches in close range. Rawlings landing more punches but Evans-Smith starting to land more. Evans-Smith with a spinning back fist. Evans-Smith misses a late takedown. Close round. 10-9 Evans-Smith, 20-18 Evans-Smith.
Evans-Smith with some low kicks and then a combo. Evans-Smith with a body kick but Rawlings counters with a right hand. They trade and Evans-Smith looking to land an elbow but lands a kick instead. Evans-Smith with some more kicks. They trade punches. Evans-Smith lands some punches. Rawlings just misses a big right hand but lands to the body. They trade in the pocket. Rawlings landing more punches and looking to steal the round. Evans-Smith with a combo at the end. Rawlings with some punches at the end. 10-9 Evans-Smith, 30-27 Evans-Smith.
Official Result- Ashlee Evans-Smith def. Bec Rawlings by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Dunham landed a solid combo followed with a left hand to start the action. They traded. Aubin-Mercier was landing and then landed a big knee to the body that dropped Dunham and finished him off with a few more punches on the ground. Big and impressive win for Aubin-Mercier.
Official Result- Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Evan Dunham by TKO (knee & punches) at :53 of Round 1
They are trading early. Kowalkiewicz with a right hand and Herrig counters with a right hand. They trade in close range. Herrig with a flush left hand that lands big. They trade punches. Herrig lands some nice punches. They traded big punches in close range and clinched. Herrig had double underhooks and was working hard for a takedown but it was defended. Kowalkiewicz with some big punches and they clinch and Herrig lands a big knee to the body. Kowalkiewicz tried to roll for a kneebar but Herrig was able to get into the guard. Kowalkiewicz used a triangle to sweep to the top and ended the round in the guard of Herrig. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz.
They trade punches early. Herrig with a leg kick but Kowalkiewicz with a knee to the body. They trade in close range. Kowalkiewicz with a big knee to the body and an elbow. They trade punches. They each land big strikes and Kowalkiewicz hurt Herrig with a big elbow. Kowalkiewicz lands a spinning back fist. Kowalkiewicz with some elbows in the clinch. They break the clinch. Kowalkiewicz grabs the thai clinch and lands some knees and elbows. They clinch against the fence. They trade punches. Kowalkiewicz with a couple right hands at the end. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz, 20-18 Kowalkiewicz.
Herrig lands a right hand. They trade punches. Kowalkiewicz with a leg kick. Herrig with a left jab. Kowalkiewicz lands a right hand. Kowalkiewicz lands a solid combo and is slipping away from Herrig trying to counter. Kowalkiewicz with an elbow. Herrig with a slow leg kick followed by a left hand. Kowalkiewicz with a right hand but Herrig counters with a hard left hand. They trade punches and Herrig lands a body kick. Herrig with a leg kick and lands a big left hand that rocks Kowalkiewicz. They clinch and Herrig tries for a takedown. She had Kowalkiewicz rocked but went for the clinch instead of capitalizing. They break and have a wild exchange at the end. Close final round. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz, 29-28 Kowalkiewicz.
Official Result- Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Felice Herrig by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
> Joe Lauzon (27-14, 14-11 UFC) vs. Chris Gruetzemacher (13-3, 1-2 UFC) Lightweights
Lauzon comes out firing early with some good punches. Lauzon with some more punches. Lauzon with a good elbow. Lauzon goes for a takedown but Gruetzemacher sprawls and ends up in the guard of Lauzon. Gruetzemacher landing some punches as Lauzon is looking to grab the leg and looking for a heel hook. They get to their feet. Lauzon with a front kick. Gruetzemacher lands some punches in the clinch range. Lauzon with an elbow over the top. Gruetzemacher landing some punches. They trade in close range. Lauzon lands some punches. Gruetzemacher with some big punches and a big uppercut. Gruetzemacher with some big punches at the end. 10-9 Gruetzemacher.
Gruetzemacher pressing forward to start the second and is landing punches. Lauzon shoots for a takedown but is unable to get it. Lauzon bleeding under his right eye. Gruetzemacher with some punches to the body and is landing lots of punches and has Lauzon on the ropes. Grueztemacher with some hard punches and a knee. They trade punches. Lauzon lands a big combo. Gruetzemacher with some body punches. Lauzon keeps firing back. Grueztemacher lands a good combination. Grueztemacher with some hard strikes at the end and Lauzon is a bloody mess. 10-8 Gruetzemacher, 20-17 Gruetzemacher.
Lauzon’s corner threw in the towel after the fight and Gruetzemacher gets the win by corner stoppage after the second round.
Official Result- Chris Gruetzemacher def. Joe Lauzon by TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2
> Zabit Magomedshapirov (14-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Kyle Bochniak (8-2, 2-2 UFC) Featherweights
Bochniak being very aggressive early on. Bochniak looking to land the punches. Bochniak lands a right hand after a Magomedshapirov leg kick. Magomedshapirov lands a left hook. They are throwing big punches. Magomedshapirov with a big body kick. Bochniak lands a right hand. Magomedshapirov with a spin kick to the body. Bochniak lands the jab but Magomedshapirov comes back with a spin kick and a jumping switch kick. Magomedshapirov with a head kick and then a spinning back fist. Magomedshapirov with a hard right hand at the end. 10-9 Magomedshapirov.
Bochniak comes out with a combo to start the second. Magomedshapirov with a body kick. Magomedshapirov grabs the back and is looking for a takedown. Magomedshapirov gets the takedown but they get back to their feet. Magomedshapirov lands some punches but Bochniak lands some of his own. Magomedshapirov with a leg kick. Magomedshapirov with an uppercut and then gets a big takedown into side control. He flips to the full guard of Bochniak. They scramble to their feet. Magomedshapirov with a body kick. Bochniak goes for a takedown but it is defended. Zabit with a spinning back fist at the end. 10-9 Magomedshapirov, 20-18 Magomedshapirov.
They both come out swinging to start the third round. Magomedshapirov lands a left hook. Magomedshapirov with a spin kick to the body and he then gets a takedown. Bochniak is bleeding heavily from the side of his head as Magomedshapirov has his back. Magomedshapirov gets the fight back to the mat and is in the full guard of Bochniak. Bochniak able to scramble to his feet. Magomedshapirov grabs the back again but Bochniak able to shake him off as they get to their feet. Bochniak coming forward in the final minute. Magomedshapirov lands a left hand. Bochniak tagged Zabit. Bochniak lands a few punches towards the end. Zabit with a spinning back elbow. They have a slugfest at the end of the fight with both landing. A tremendous fight. 10-9 Magomedshapirov, 30-27 Magomedshapirov.
Official Result- Zabit Magomedshapirov def. Kyle Bochniak by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
They trade early. Moicano with a leg kick. Moicano with a leg kick and Kattar also lands a leg kick. Kattar with a left hand. They land left hands at the same time. Slow pace to this fight. Moicano lands a right hand and then follows with a body kick. Moicano with a leg kick and then another. He lands another leg kick. Moicano lands the jab. Moicano with another inside leg kick. They trade wild punches. Moicano lands a right hand. Kattar isn’t checking the leg kicks. 10-9 Moicano.
Moicano with a big flurry of punches ending with a body kick. Kattar unable to land any punches. Moicano with a leg kick. Moicano with a head kick. Moicano with a leg kick followed by a straight right hand and then follows with some more leg kicks. Moicano with a leg kick and Kattar lands a right hand. Kattar lands a left hand. Moicano with some more leg kicks. He keeps attacking the legs. Moicano with another inside leg kick. Kattar can’t stop the leg kicks. 10-9 Moicano, 20-18 Moicano.
Moicano tries a leg kick but Kattar grabs it and Moicano goes to the mat for a brief second. Moicano lands a big right hand. Moicano with a leg kick. Moicano with a solid combination. Kattar trying to jab but Moicano ducking away. Moicano with a big combination ending with a body kick. Moicano with another inside leg kick. Moicano with more big combinations and he lands a big right hand. Moicano with an uppercut and he keeps swarming on Kattar. Kattar lands a right hand but Moicano back with leg kicks. Moicano with a big right hand and a nasty elbow. Moicano cruising to the win here. 10-9 Moicano, 30-27 Moicano.
Official Result- Renato Moicano def. Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
> Rose Namajunas (C, 7-3, 5-2 UFC) vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (#1, 14-1, 8-1 UFC) UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship
Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a combo. Namajunas controlling the distance right now and using good footwork. Namajunas lands a right hand. They trade punches. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. She lands another. Namajunas lands a good combo. They trade punches. They trade again. They trade once again. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Namajunas lands a good combo and then lands a big right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a body kick. They trade in close range. Namajunas with a left hand but Jedrzejczyk counters with a right hand. They trade big punches at the end. Close round. 10-9 Namajunas.
Namajunas lands a solid combo to start the second. Jedrzejczyk lands a hard jab. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Namajunas lands a left hand. Namajunas lands another big left hand. Jedrzejczyk with a hard leg kick. Namajunas with a combo. They clinch and Jedrzejczyk with a knee to the body and she lands a left hand on the break. Namajunas did poke her in the eye but the referee missed it. Namajunas with a left hand. They clinch and both landing inside the clinch. Jedrzejczyk with some knees in the clinch. 10-9 Namajunas, 20-18 Namajunas.
Namajunas clips Jedrzejczyk early but Joanna smiles at her. Jedrzejczyk just misses a head kick. She lands an inside leg kick. Jedrzejczyk lands a big combo and a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a head kick followed by a right hand. Joanna with another leg kick but it is checked. Jedrzejczyk lands a left hand and then two hard leg kicks. They trade punches. Jedrzejczyk with a hard leg kick. They trade punches. Jedrzejczyk with another leg kick. Jedrzejczyk lands a right hand and then follows up with a combo. Joanna coming on strong now. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 29-28 Namajunas.
Jedrzejczyk with a hard inside leg kick. She lands another leg kick. Jedrzejczyk lands a right hand. Left hand to the body from Jedrzejczyk. Namajunas has slowed down while Joanna has picked up her pace. Jedrzejczyk with another leg kick. Namajunas lands a right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a high kick followed by a left hand. Joanna lands another left hand. They trade punches. Jedrzejczyk lands a combo. Namajunas’ left leg is big-time red. Jedrzejczyk lands another leg kick and Namajunas wobbles. Namajunas lands a punch. They trade punches. Jedrzejczyk with another inside leg kick. This is going to be interesting headed to the final round. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 38-38.
Jedrzejczyk with a couple of big leg kicks. Namajunas lands the left hook. They trade punches. Namajunas with a right hand. They trade right hands. They are trading big punches and Jedrzejczyk with a knee. They trade kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a left hand. She lands again. They trade again. Jedrzejczyk with an inside leg kick. Joanna with a right hand. They trade right hands. Jedrzejczyk with a head kick. Joanna with a combo and then another. Jedrzejczyk with a high front kick. This is super close. Jedrzejczyk lands a couple of left hands. They exchange and Namajunas gets a late takedown. They both hit each other on the mat. Close fight.10-9 Namajunas, 48-47 Namajunas.
Official Result- Rose Namajunas def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46), Namajunas remains the UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion
> Khabib Nurmagomedov (#2, 25-0, 9-0 UFC) vs. Al Iaquinta (#11, 13-3-1, 8-2 UFC) UFC Lightweight Championship
Khabib goes for a takedown but Iaquinta slips away. Nurmagomedov gets the leg and gets a takedown. Iaquinta gives up the back but he is able to scramble up. Khabib with another takedown. He gets into the mount. They get to their feet. Khabib talking trash while punching Iaquinta. Khabib has the back as they are on the mat. Nurmagomedov gets another takedown. Nurmagomedov landing lots of punches as Iaquinta gets up but they go back down. 10-9 Nurmagomedov.
Iaquinta lands a right hand. Iaquinta ducking under Nurmagomedov’s punches. Nurmagomedov dives for the single leg but Iaquinta gets away. For a moment, though, as Khabib gets a takedown. Nurmagomedov with some ground and pound. Khabib gets the back. He lands some punches. Nurmagomedov gets him back down. Khabib has the back and has the neck and is looking for the choke but Iaquinta escapes. Khabib still has the back and is still working for the choke. Iaquinta survives the round again. 10-8 Nurmagomedov, 20-17 Nurmagomedov.
Slow start to the third round. They trade punches and Khabib with a big body kick. Nurmagomedov with some left hands. Iaquinta taunting Khabib. Nurmagomedov lands a right hand. Iaquinta lands a right hand that stuns Khabib. Iaquinta lands another. They are trading. Nurmagomedov is landing the jab and not looking for a takedown. They are talking to each other. Khabib with a leg kick and Iaquinta counters with a right hand. Nurmagomedov with a combo. Better round for Iaquinta. 10-9 Nurmageomedov, 30-26 Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov landing the jab early. Khabib went for a single leg but Iaquinta got away. Iaquinta lands a right hand. Nurmagomedov with the jab. They are trading punches. Khabib misses another takedown attempt. Khabib with a leg kick and then follows it up with a combo. Nurmagomedov with the jab. Khabib misses all of his attack. Iaquinta goes for a takedown but lands a left hand after Khabib escapes from him. Khabib with a right hand. Nurmagomedov lands a combo. Iaquinta lands a right hand. Khabib is slowing down. Iaquinta lands a right hand. Nurmagomedov with a combo followed by a head kick. 10-9 Nurmagomedov, 40-35 Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov goes for a takedown but Iaquinta gets away. Iaquinta with a left hand to the body and one to the head. Iaquinta lands a left hand. Iaquinta lands a combo. He lands another left hand. Iaquinta is landing the punches and is working to find an opening to finish. Nurmagomedov goes for a takedown but Iaquinta defends it. Nurmagomedov landing some punches and Khabib with a flying knee. Khabib takes Iaquinta down, his first takedown since round two. Nurmagomedov with some punches from the back. They get to their feet. They go back down and Nurmagomedov works for the choke.Iaquinta survives the fight. 10-9 Nurmageomedov, 50-44 Nurmagomedov.
Official Result- Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Al Iaquinta by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-43, 50-43) to become the UFC Lightweight Champion
