Tag: khamzat chimaev

UFC 328 live results: Chimaev vs. Strickland; Van vs. Taira

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

One of the most anticipated fights of the year headlines a stacked card capped off with two title fights as UFC 328 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

The main event sees a heated rivalry culminate in a championship setting as UFC Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev defends against former UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland. Chimaev is making his first title defense after defeating Dricus Du Plessis for the title in August. Strickland gets his long-awaited chance to regain championship gold following his win over Anthony Hernandez in February.

The co-main event sees a second title fight as UFC Flyweight Champion Joshua Van defends against Tatsuro Taira. Van is making his first title defense after winning the flyweight title from Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323 in December. Taira gets his chance to become the first-ever Japanese UFC Champion on the heels of two straight wins.

Also on the main card is a heavyweight bout pitting Alexander Volkov against Waldo Cortes-Acosta; a welterweight fight between Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley; and a battle of long-time UFC veterans as King Green takes on Jeremy Stephens.

PRELIMS | 5 PM ET | 2 PM PT

> Flyweights- Clayton Carpenter (8-2, 2-2 UFC) vs. Jose Ochoa (8-2 1 NC, 1-2 UFC)

They come out trading and Ochoa lands a stiff left hand. Carpenter lands a left hook. Ochoa lands a combination. They trade kicks and Ochoa lands a pair of body shots. Carpenter looks for a takedown, but Ochoa grabs the neck and they get to the feet. Ochoa lands to the body. They both swing in close range. Ochoa with a front kick to the body. Ochoa lands to the body and follows it with a combination. Ochoa is working the body of Carpenter well. They trade leg kicks. They clinch and Carpenter lands a few knees. They separate and Ochoa lands a flurry. Ochoa lands a lot against the fence and down goes Carpenter. Carpenter gets up looking for a takedown and attacks the leg. Ochoa defends with some hammerfists and Carpenter is leaking from his nose. They get to their feet. They trade right hands. 10-9 Ochoa.

Carpenter lands a leg kick. Ochoa lands a combination. Ochoa lands a big flurry to the head and body against the fence. Ochoa lands to the body and Carpenter lands a body kick. Carpenter catches a kick and jumps on the back of Ochoa standing. Ochoa shakes him off but Carpenter grabs a leg. They get to their feet and both land combinations. They trade leg kicks. Carpenter lands a left hook as Ochoa throws a kick. They trade as Carpenter comes forward. Ochoa lands a spinning back fist. Ochoa lands a switch kick right to the chin of Carpenter. 10-9 Ochoa, 20-18 Ochoa.

Ochoa pressing forward and mixing punches and kicks to start the third. Ochoa looks for a jumping knee but Carpenter catches him and scores a takedown. Ochoa landing from the bottom as Carpenter is looking to set up a choke. Ochoa with more body shots from the bottom. Carpenter looks for the back but is too high and Ochoa shakes him off as they get to their feet. Ochoa lands a combination. Ochoa lands a big flurry against the fence. Carpenter circles away and lands a leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Ochoa works the jab and Carpenter lands a pair of body kicks. They trade and Ochoa lands a pair of stiff jabs. Ochoa lands a big series of punches. 10-9 Ochoa, 30-27 Ochoa.

Fight Result- Jose Ochoa def. Clayton Carpenter by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Middleweights- Baisangur Susurkaev (11-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Djorden Santos (11-2, 1-1 UFC)

Susurkaev lands a front kick to the body. Susurkaev lands a pair of kicks. Susurkaev with a combo ending with a head kick and then lands a body kick. Santos lands a calf kick. Santos lands a pair of leg kicks. Susurkaev with a big right hand. Susurkaev lands some more kicks. They trade and both land leg kicks. Susurkaev with a body kick and Santos lands a combo. They trade late. 10-9 Susurkaev.

Both are landing to start the second with Susurkaev landing with more volume. Susurkaev lands some leg kicks and combinations. Santos with an uppercut. They trade right hands. Santos lands an elbow. They trade inside the pocket. Santos grabs the body lock and pushes Susurkaev against the fence. Susurkaev is playing to the crowd as Santos is just holding on. They separate. Susurkaev lands a combination and Santos lands an uppercut. They trade late. 10-9 Susurkaev, 20-18 Susurkaev.

They both come out landing as Susurkaev lands to the body and Santos lands a small flurry. Susurkaev lands a right hand followed by a low kick. Susurkaev grabs the body lock and pushes it against the fence. They break apart and Susurkaev lands an uppercut. They trade in close range. Susurkaev lands a pair of big punches and Santos looked stunned briefly. They clinch and Susurkaev gets a takedown and starts landing from the back. Susurkaev locks in a rear-naked choke. It is in tight and Santos goes out cold! Susurkaev remains undefeated.

Fight Result- Baisangur Susurkaev def. Djorden Santos by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:12 of Round 3

> Featherweights- Pat Sabatini (21-5, 8-2 UFC) vs. William Gomis (15-3, 5-1 UFC)

Sabatini immediately shoots for a takedown against the fence. Gomis is defending. Sabatini almost gets it down but Gomis keeps it upright. Sabatini gets the back as he’s still attacking for a takedown. Sabatini lands some punches from the back. Gomis spins and lands a knee as Sabatini keeps body control. Sabatini lands a knee. Gomis gives his back up and Sabatini lands some knees and right hands. Sabatini continues to attack a single leg. Gomis lands some and Sabatini gets a takedown. They get up at the horn. 10-9 Sabatini.

Sabatini pressing forward and throws some strikes as he shoots for a takedown and pushes it against the fence. Sabatini has neck control. Sabatini attacking the leg and is able to get a big takedown and takes the back of Gomis as they work to the feet. They break apart and Sabatini lands a right hand. Gomis lands a body kick. They tie up and both land while clinched before separating. They trade and both connect late. 10-9 Sabatini, 20-18 Sabatini.

Sabatini lands a pair of leg kicks. Sabatini with a leg kick and a right hand. Sabatini shoots for a takedown but Gomis sprawls and Gomis lands an elbow. They trade kicks. Sabatini lands a right hand and looks for a takedown against the fence. Sabatini with some short knees. Sabatini is working for the takedown as he has control of a leg. Sabatini lands to the body and gets Gomis to the mat. They get up and Sabatini has back control along the fence. Gomis lands a pair of elbows as Sabatini is working to get it down. Sabatini holds Gomis against the fence to the end. 10-9 Sabatini, 30-27 Sabatini.

Fight Result- Pat Sabatini def. William Gomis by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Middleweights- Roman Kopylov (14-5, 6-5 UFC) vs. Marco Tulio (14-2, 2-1 UFC)

They trade leg kicks as Tulio lands to the body. Tulio with a right hand but Kopylov circles away at the right moment. They both land leg kicks. Kopylov lands a body kick. Kopylov lands a combination. Tulio with a high kick. Tulio lands a right hand. Kopylov with a left hand. Tulio lands a head kick. Tulio with a straight right hand. Kopylov with a high kick and he lands a combination. Tulio with a high kick. They trade punches. 10-9 Tulio.

Kopylov lands a big right hook to start the second. Tulio works the jab and Kopylov lands a combination. Kopylov with a combination. Both connect and Tulio lands a combination. Tulio with a high kick. Kopylov lands a left hand as Tulio threw a high kick. Tulio lands a right hand. Tulio lands another right hand. Kopylov is bleeding around his eye. Kopylov lands a combination. Kopylov drops Tulio with a punch and starts landing as Tulio stands. Kopylov landing punches and Tulio goes back down. Kopylov landing from the top and Tulio gets to his feet and Kopylov grabs the body lock. 10-9 Kopylov, 19-19.

Kopylov drops Tulio again with another left hand. Tulio gets up but gets dropped again after a big combination from Kopylov. Kopylov is landing and Tulio stands. Kopylov gets a takedown. Kopylov lands from the top and they get back to their feet. They separate. Tulio lands a leg kick as Kopylov lands a jab. Kopylov lands a body kick as Tulio connects with a few punches. Kopylov lands a left hand. Kopylov with a high kick. Kopylov with a right hook. Tulio with a spin kick. They trade big punches at the end. 10-9 Kopylov, 29-28 Kopylov.

Fight Result- Roman Kopylov def. Marco Tulio by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Lightweights- Jim Miller (38-19 1 NC, 27-18 1 NC UFC) vs. Jared Gordon (21-8 1 NC, 9-7 1 NC UFC)

Gordon with a high kick as Miller lands a right hand. Miller lands a combination against the fence and Gordon was briefly hurt. They clinch and separate as Gordon lands a body kick. Miller throws a kick and Gordon grabs the leg and gets a brief takedown. They get to their feet. They trade combinations after a brief timeout for a groin strike. Miller lands a right hook. Miller grabs a guillotine choke as they go to the mat. It is in deep and Gordon is trying to fight it off. Gordon taps! Miller picks up yet another UFC win!

Fight Result- Jim Miller def. Jared Gordon by submission (guillotine choke) at 3:29 of Round 1

> Lightweights- Grant Dawson (23-3-1, 11-2-1 UFC) vs. Mateusz Rebecki (20-4, 4-3 UFC)

Dawson lands a head kick and a knee. Dawson lands a knee as Rebecki looks for a takedown and they scramble on the mat. Dawson lands a knee as they sprawl up. Dawson gets the back of Rebecki as they get to the fence. Dawson is on the back of Rebecki as they stand. Rebecki is busted open around his eye and Dawson gets a pair of warnings about grabbing the fence. Dawson is attacking for a choke but lets go to land punches. Rebecki is able to spin into top control. Rebecki has the back as they get up. Rebecki with some punches from the back. Dawson lands a short elbow. Rebecki lands an uppercut as they separate. Rebecki with a right hand. Dawson lands a right hand and Rebecki sweeps his leg to the mat. 10-9 Dawson.

Dawson lands a knee and body kick. Dawson with another pair of body kicks. They trade and Rebecki lands a right hand and Dawson goes to his butt. Rebecki landing punches from the back. Rebecki has back control against the fence on the feet. Rebecki with some right hands from the back. Rebecki lands as they separate. Dawson lands a head kick. Dawson lands a body kick as Rebecki lands a left hand. Dawson with a leg kick. Dawson pressuring with lots of volume. Rebecki lands a right hand. Dawson with a combination. They trade leg kicks. Rebecki lands a left hand. Dawson lands a combo. Rebecki lands a right hand and then another right hook. Dawson with a knee to the body then a high kick. Rebecki scores a takedown. 10-9 Rebecki, 19-19.

Dawson lands a high kick but slips to the mat. They scramble and Dawson gets on the back of Rebecki. Dawson has the body triangle locked on. Dawson is looking for a rear-naked choke but Rebecki defends. Dawson almost had it in but let go as Rebecki defended. Dawson lands some punches and goes back for the choke. Dawson lets go and keeps back control and lands more punches. Dawson smothering from the back and attacks a choke. Dawson looks for the choke and has it in and Rebecki taps!

Fight Result- Grant Dawson def. Mateusz Rebecki by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:42 of Round 3

> Welterweights- Joel Alvarez (23-3, 8-2 UFC) vs. #14 Yaroslav Amosov (29-1, 1-0 UFC)

Amosov lands some leg kicks and connects with some punches and scores a takedown. They stand and Amosov is looking for a standing arm-triangle choke. He lets go and gets Alvarez back down to the mat. They get up and Amosov has back control and lands some punches. Amosov gets a late takedown. 10-9 Amosov.

Alvarez throws a combo but eats a counter right hand by Amosov. Amosov with a high kick. Amosov lands a pair of leg kicks. Alvarez lands some punches. Amosov gets the back and scores a big takedown. Amosov gets on top and locks in an arm-triangle choke and Alvarez taps! Amosov with a dominant win and he celebrates by break dancing.

Fight Result- Yaroslav Amosov def. Joel Alvarez by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 1:13 of Round 2

> Middleweights- Ateba Gautier (10-1, 4-0 UFC) vs. Ozzy Diaz (10-3, 1-1 UFC)

Gautier lands a calf kick. Gautier lands a left hand followed by an uppercut. Gautier with a combination. Gautier with a left hand. Diaz lands a right hand. Gautier lands and Diaz forces a clinch. Diaz works hard for a takedown but Gautier lands a knee on the break. Gautier lands a right hand. Gautier with a calf kick. Diaz lands a jab. Gautier with an uppercut. They trade jabs. Diaz looks for a takedown and gets the back of Gautier against the fence. 10-9 Gautier.

Gautier lands to the body. Gautier with a high kick and a right hand to the body. Diaz lands a right hand. Gautier lands a right hand and Diaz goes down and some follow-up shots end it. Diaz was protesting but he was in real trouble. Gautier picks up another big win.

Fight Result- Ateba Gautier def. Ozzy Diaz by knockout (punch) at 1:10 of Round 2

MAIN CARD | 9 PM ET | 6 PM PT

> Lightweights*- King Green (34-17-1 1 NC, 15-12-1 1 NC UFC) vs. Jeremy Stephens (29-22 1 NC, 15-19 1 NC UFC)

*Stephens missed weight by four pounds

Green lands a left hand. Stephens lands a leg kick. They clinch and Stephens lands a right hand as they break. Green lands a big jab and then hurts Stephens with a left hand. Green lands a combo and has Stephens in trouble. Green then lands a kick right to the groin and timeout is called. They return to action and Green lands a combo and a body kick. Green gets a takedown and starts landing a big flurry from the top. Green with some big elbows and tons of left hands from the top. Stephens looks for an arm but Green lands big elbows and is teeing off from the top. Green gets the back and locks in a tight rear-naked choke and Stephens taps!

Fight Result- King Green def. Jeremy Stephens by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:20 of Round 1

> Welterweights- #6 Sean Brady (18-2, 8-2 UFC) vs. #9 Joaquin Buckley (21-7, 11-5 UFC)

Brady lands a left hand and looks for a takedown. Brady looks for a takedown but Buckley defends. Brady lands a left hand. Buckley lands a leg kick but Brady is able to turn it into a takedown. Brady gets the mount and is landing a lot of punches. Brady with lots of shots and Buckley is in big trouble. Brady landing a lot and looks for an arm for a kimura. Buckley is trying to fight it. Brady lands on top to end the round. 10-9 Brady.

Brady lands a head kick. Brady gets the back and drags Buckley to the mat. Brady gets into side control. Brady controlling and landing and looked for a choke, but Buckley forced a scramble up. Buckley looked to land and throws a kick, but Brady catches it and scores a takedown. Brady gets the mount and is landing lots of punches. Buckley is blocking a lot of them, but Brady starts landing elbows. Brady with lots of shots from the top. Brady lands a big elbow and ends the round in the mount. 10-9 Brady, 20-18 Brady.

Brady looks for a takedown, but Buckley defends. Brady shoots for another takedown and pushes Buckley to the fence. Brady completes the takedown. Brady gets the mount and is landing lots of punches as Buckley is pinned on the bottom. Brady landing a lot from the top. Brady with elbows and punches from the top. Just complete dominance so far. Brady with tons of shots from the top as he is pouring it on late. 10-8 Brady, 30-26 Brady.

Fight Result- Sean Brady def. Joaquin Buckley by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-27)

> Heavyweights- #2 Alexander Volkov (39-11, 13-5 UFC) vs. #4 Waldo Cortes-Acosta (17-2, 10-2 UFC)

Volkov with a pair of inside leg kicks. They trade leg kicks. Volkov lands some more leg kicks. Cortes-Acosta lands a stiff jab. Volkov with more inside leg kicks. He lands some more and Cortes-Acosta fires some punches in there, but nothing really connects. Volkov lands a leg kick and a left hand as Cortes-Acosta was rushing in. They trade leg kicks. Cortes-Acosta lands a jab. They both land big punches in close range. They trade leg kicks. Volkov with a body kick. Cortes-Acosta lands a left hand. Volkov with more leg kicks. 10-9 Volkov.

They both land big punches to start the second. Volkov lands a leg kick. Cortes-Acosta lands a right hand. They trade leg kicks. They trade leg kicks. Volkov with an inside leg kick and Cortes-Acosta lands a right hand. Cortes-Acosta swings big but just misses. Cortes-Acosta lands a jab. Volkov hurts Cortes-Acosta with a left hand and Cortes-Acosta backs up. Volkov lands a combo. Cortes-Acosta lands a leg kick. Volkov with a kick to the body. Volkov lands a pair of jabs and a leg kick. Volkov hurts Cortes-Acosta with a leg kick and then a body kick. 10-9 Volkov, 20-18 Volkov.

Volkov lands a body kick. Volkov with a pair of kicks. Timeout is called after an eye poke by Cortes-Acosta. They get back going and Cortes-Acosta lands a combination. Cortes-Acosta lands a right hand. Volkov lands a stiff jab. Volkov lands a jab and a body kick. Cortes-Acosta misses a right hand but lands a jab. Volkov is bleeding from the nose. Cortes-Acosta connects. Cortes-Acosta lands an uppercut. Volkov lands a body kick. Volkov with a body kick and Cortes-Acosta looks for a takedown. Cortes-Acosta lands a knee as they separate. Volkov with a body kick. Cortes-Acosta lands a right hand. Volkov lands a stiff jab. Volkov with a front kick to the body followed by a right hand. Volkov lands a calf kick. Cortes-Acosta lands a combo. Cortes-Acosta with a right hand. 10-9 Cortes-Acosta, 29-28 Volkov.

Fight Result- Alexander Volkov def. Waldo Cortes-Acosta by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

> UFC Flyweight Championship- C Joshua Van (16-2, 9-1 UFC) vs. #3 Tatsuro Taira (18-1, 8-1 UFC)

Taira lands a calf kick. Taira with another calf kick. Taira shoots for a takedown and pushes it against the fence. Taira scores the takedown and gets right into the mount. Taira controlling from the top and gets into side control. Van tries to get up and Taira has neck control. Van is able to get to his feet. Van lands a jab. Taira with a leg kick. Taira gets another takedown. They get to their feet and Taira has Van pinned against the fence. Taira lands some knees. Taira gets it back down and lands some shots as they stand. 10-9 Taira.

Taira lands a combination. Taira shoots for a takedown and pushes it against the fence. Van is fighting the hands. Taira lands a knee and separates. Taira with a right hand. He lands another. Van lands a jab. Van lands another and is connecting as he lands a right hand. Taira scores a takedown. Taira controlling from the top. Taira gets the mount. Van with some elbows to the body from the bottom. Taira attacking the neck and looks for a D’Arce choke. They stand and separate. Van drops Taira with a right hand and starts landing from the top. Van lands from the top but Taira is able to survive. 10-9 Van, 19-19.

Taira is chasing the takedown as Van is stalking him. Taira lands a jab. Van lands a combination. Van lands some big punches. Taira shoots for a takedown but Van defends. Van lands a big combination to the head and body. Van with a jab and a right hand. Taira lands a calf kick. Taira shoots for a takedown but Van lands a big knee. Van follows with a flurry and Taira circles away. Van lands a big uppercut and then a right hand. Van with a double jab and Taira goes down. Van starts landing shots from the top. They get up and Van drags Taira down. Van looking for a rear-naked choke. Van landing left hands. They get to their feet. Taira lands a left hand. Van with two right hands. Van with an uppercut. Taira shoots for a takedown but Van defends. Taira scores a takedown. They get up. Taira lands a left hand. 10-9 Van, 29-28 Van.

Taira lands a heavy calf kick. Taira lands an uppercut and they trade punches. Taira shoots for a takedown and is able to score it. Taira is able to work his way to the mount position. Taira is smothering from the top. Taira lands an elbow. Van is able to spin to the top and Taira goes for a triangle choke. Van escapes and they stand. They trade jabs. Van hurts Taira with a right hand and some follow-up punches. They trade. Taira shoots for a takedown but Van defends against the fence. They separate as Van lands a jab. 10-9 Taira, 38-38.

Van landing to start the round as he connects with a right hand. Taira lands a right hand. Taira shoots for a takedown but Van defends it. Van lands a combo. Taira gets a clinch but Van connects to the body to break it. Taira looks for a takedown but Van defends and lands to the body. Van lands some big shots and Taira is having trouble on his feet but stays on it though it it stopped! Van picks up the win and keeps the title.

Fight Result- Joshua Van def. Tatsuro Taira by TKO (punches) at 1:32 of Round 5 to retain the UFC Flyweight Championship

> UFC Middleweight Championship- C Khamzat Chimaev (15-0, 9-0 UFC) vs. #3 Sean Strickland (30-7, 17-7 UFC)

Chimaev with a body kick. Chimaev gets a takedown. Chimaev gets the back and is keeping Strickland down. He is looking to lock in a choke. Chimaev with a left hand. Chimaev gets the hooks locked in. Chimaev lets the hooks go but keeps full back control. Chimaev gets the mount position and lands a right hand. He gets the back of Strickland as they stand and gets it right back down. Chimaev looks for the choke and has it around the chin. Strickland defends. 10-9 Chimaev.

Chimaev lands a right hand. Strickland with a jab. Strickland just misses a right hand. Strickland with a counter right hand after Chimaev lands to the body. They trade jabs and Strickland lands a right hand. Chimaev shoots for a takedown but Strickland defends and is on top. Strickland with a left hand from the top. They get to their feet. Strickland lands a right hand. Chimaev shoots for a takedown but Strickland defends. Strickland gets on top and lands some big ground strikes. Strickland controlling from the top. 10-9 Strickland, 19-19.

They trade jabs and Chimaev lands a right hand. Strickland works the jab and Chimaev lands two kicks. Strickland with a combination. Both are working the jab. Strickland just working the jab and lands a right hand. Strickland with a right hand. Strickland lands a big right hand. Chimaev is pushing forward and lands to the body as Strickland works the jab. Strickland tagging Chimaev with the jab. Strickland landing the jab and Chimaev lands a right hand. They’re trading jabs. They continue to trade and Strickland is getting the better of it. 10-9 Strickland, 29-28 Strickland.

They trade jabs. They trade and Strickland circles away. Strickland peppering punches in there. Chimaev lands a leg kick and a body shot. Chimaev lands a big right hand. Chimaev lands a body kick. Strickland is working the jab but it doesn’t have the same impact. Strickland then lands a right hand. Chimaev with a right hand. Chimaev with a left hook to the body and lands a right hand. They trade jabs. Chimaev lands to the body. Strickland continues to work the jab. Chimaev scores a takedown. Chimaev gets the back of Strickland. Chimaev landing as he has control. Chimaev keeps the back. 10-9 Chimaev, 38-38.

Chimaev gets the takedown and has the back as they work to the fence and to their feet. Strickland spins and Chimaev still has control against the fence. Chimaev attacking the back. Strickland with a knee and Chimaev lands to the body as they separate. They trade jabs. They trade them again. Chimaev lands a right hand. Strickland lands a right hand. Chimaev lands a calf kick. Strickland works the jab. Chimaev is pressing forward. Strickland lands a jab. Chimaev scores with a right hand. Chimaev scores a takedown but they get to their feet. Chimaev holding onto Strickland’s back. Chimaev lands to the body as they break apart. Strickland lands a right hand. Chimaev with a big right hand. Strickland lands a jab. Close fight. 10-9 Chimaev, 48-47 Chimaev.

Fight Result- Sean Strickland def. Khamzat Chimaev by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) to win the UFC Middleweight Championship

UFC 328 Predictions: Chimaev vs Strickland and more

Posted on by Jake Skudder

UFC 328 is pretty a loaded card this weekend (Saturday, May 9, 2026) at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. There are two championship fights set to take place, a heavyweight title eliminator, and a welterweight upset potentially on the cards. Here are my predictions for every main card bout, backed by stats, odds, and analytical breakdowns.

Odds Snapshot – UFC 328 Main Card

FightFavoriteOdds (DraftKings)UnderdogOdds
Chimaev vs. StricklandKhamzat Chimaev-590Sean Strickland+470
Van vs. TairaJoshua VanSlight favTatsuro Taira~+115
Volkov vs. Cortes-AcostaAlexander VolkovFavWaldo Cortes-AcostaDog
Brady vs. BuckleyJoaquin BuckleyFavSean BradyDog
Green vs. StephensKing GreenFavJeremy StephensDog

Chimaev vs. Strickland – Main Event

Prediction: Chimaev via TKO, Rd. 3

Chimaev opened as a -400 favourite and is now priced at -590, but this fight is nowhere near as clean as those odds imply. Strickland has trained alongside Chimaev in the past, knows his tendencies better than any previous opponent, and publicly pledged to keep this standing (if he can) for all 25 minutes. The blueprint for Strickland here is simple, as he just needs to survive Chimaev’s explosive early bursts, drain his notorious cardio, and impose volume striking from Round 3 onwards.

What makes Borz dangerous isn’t just his elite wrestling (3x Swedish national freestyle champion, black belt in BJJ), but it’s how he manages to blend the grappling with dirty boxing (that’s what overwhelmed du Plessis at UFC 319). Strickland as a 185-pounder has a chin that has absorbed punishment from Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira, and Dricus du Plessis, so this won’t e a walk in the park for Chimaev.

Van vs. Taira – Flyweight Title

Prediction: Van via Decision

This is the most technically nuanced fight on the card. Tatsuro Taira’s only career loss came by decision, he has never been stopped, making Van’s finishing power something of a moot point if the fight remains competitive. Taira averages 1.6 submission attempts per 15 minutes (via UFCStats) and is simply better on the mat, so Van needs to stay upright and use his superior output (SLpM 8.84) to pile up volume rounds. I expect Van to survive, but I don’t expect it to be pretty.

UFC 328 Predictions – Full Main Card

Here are my full predictions for the main card of UFC 328, with Joaquin Buckley beating Sean Brady my upset pick of the night.

FightDivisionPredictionMethodRoundConfidence
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean StricklandMiddleweight (Title)ChimaevTKORd. 3High
Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro TairaFlyweight (Title)VanDecisionRd. 5Medium
Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-AcostaHeavyweightVolkovTKORd. 2High
Joaquin Buckley vs. Sean BradyWelterweightBuckley ⚡TKORd. 2Upset Pick
King Green vs. Jeremy StephensLightweightGreenDecisionRd. 3Medium

⚡ = Upset pick of the night

UFC 328 Fight Card: Chimaev vs Strickland and more

Posted on by Jake Skudder

UFC 328 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey this weekend (Saturday, May 9, 2026), and it’s one of the most loaded cards of the year, with two championship belts on the line, a heavyweight collision with title implications, and a stacked undercard.

Main Event: Chimaev vs. Strickland – Middleweight Title Fight

Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev (15-0-0) puts his UFC Middleweight Championship on the line for the first time after a historic title-winning performance at UFC 319, where he set a UFC record with 529 total strikes landed and 12 takedowns against Dricus du Plessis. The challenger, Sean Strickland (30-7-0), is no stranger to Newark, it’s where he delivered one of the biggest statement wins of his career, and he heads into this fight ranked #3 in the division with the longest average fight time in UFC Middleweight history at 17:47.

Tale of the Tape

StatKhamzat ChimaevSean Strickland
Record15-0-030-7-0
Sig. Strikes Landed/Min4.04High volume boxer
Striking Accuracy60%~42%
Takedown Average5.29/15 minSprawl-heavy
Takedown Defense85%Tested at elite level
Submission Average1.8/15 min4 career subs
Finish Rate80% (KO+Sub)53% (KO+Sub)

Co-Main Event: Van vs. Taira – Flyweight Title

Undefeated flyweight champion Joshua Van (16-2-0) makes his first title defense against Japan’s Tatsuro Taira (18-1-0) in what is arguably the most technically fascinating bout on the card. Van is a finishing machine ,8 KO/TKOs and 2 submissions, while Taira is a submission specialist averaging 1.67 submission attempts per 15 minutes, the highest average on the card.

Full UFC 328 Fight Card

Main Card (Paramount+, 9 PM ET)

  • Khamzat Chimaev (c) vs. Sean Strickland – UFC Middleweight Championship
  • Joshua Van (c) vs. Tatsuro Taira – UFC Flyweight Championship
  • Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta – Heavyweight
  • Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley – Welterweight
  • King Green vs. Jeremy Stephens – Lightweight

Prelims (7 PM ET)

  • Grant Dawson vs. Mateusz Rębecki – Lightweight
  • Jim Miller vs. Jared Gordon – Lightweight
  • Joel Alvarez vs. Yaroslav Amosov – Welterweight

Early Prelims (5 PM ET)

  • Roman Kopylov vs. Marco Tulio – Middleweight
  • Pat Sabatini vs. William Gomis – Featherweight
  • Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Djorden Santos – Middleweight
  • Clayton Carpenter vs. Jose Ochoa – Flyweight

UFC 319 live results: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

A big week for the UFC, which featured the signing of a new media rights deal, closes out with one of the most anticipated fight cards of the year as the Octagon returns to the United Center in Chicago, Illinois for the first time in six years for UFC 319.

The main event is one of the biggest fights of the year as UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis defends the title against undefeated challenger Khamzat Chimaev. Du Plessis is making his third title defense after defeating Sean Strickland in January, while Chimaev returns for the first time since October looking to improve on his perfect 14-0 record.

In the co-main event, undefeated featherweight contender Lerone Murphy welcomes the UFC debut of wrestling standout and former Bellator fighter Aaron Pico.

Also on the main card is a welterweight bout between Geoff Neal and Carlos Prates; a middleweight fight pitting Jared Cannonier against Michael Page; and a battle of former flyweight title challengers as Tim Elliott takes on Kai Asakura.

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> TUF 33 Flyweight Finale- Alibi Idiris (10-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Joseph Morales (12-2, 1-2 UFC)

They trade right away as Morales comes forward. Idiris lands a front kick to the body. Morales lands as they clinch and lands an elbow on the break. They tie up against the fence. Idiris lands some knees in the clinch. Idiris tries to trip it down but Morales reverses up and lands a knee. Morales lands an elbow and Idiris lands a right hand as they separate. Morales lands a body kick. Morales scores a takedown. Idiris lands from the bottom. Morales is looking for a choke as he lands some body shots. Morales gets the mount. Idiris gives up his back. Morales has the body triangle on as they stand. Morales with punches from the back. Morales lets go and lands a knee. He looks for a kimura as he takes the back when they go to the mat. Morales has the hooks in and has a choke locked in but Idiris survives the round. 10-9 Morales.

Idiris lands a right hand after they both swing and miss. Morales looks for a takedown but Idiris defends. Morales lands a small flurry as he was coming forward and Idiris misses a spinning attack. They tie up against the fence. They separate and Morales lands to the body. Idiris lands a high kick and Morales continues to land with volume. Morales lands to the body and Idiris is hurt. Morales drops Idiris with a right hand. Morales jumps on the back of Idiris and starts landing. Idiris is able to reverse into the guard of Morales. Morales looking for a triangle choke and it is locked in. Idiris taps! Morales picks up the win to win this season of The Ultimate Fighter!

Fight Result- Joseph Morales def. Alibi Idiris by submission (triangle choke) at 3:04 of Round 2 to win the TUF 33 Flyweight Finale

> Women’s Flyweights- #11 Karine Silva (18-5, 4-1 UFC) vs. Dione Barbosa (8-3, 2-1 UFC)

Barbosa lands a leg kick. Barbosa lands a right hand. They trade right hands. Barbosa lands a leg kick. Barbosa lands a left hook and works the jab. They trade and Barbosa is landing with more volume. Silva looks for a takedown but Barbosa defends. Barbosa lands a right hand and an elbow. Silva with a body kick and a jab as Barbosa lands a double jab. Barbosa gets a big takedown and gets the back right away looking for a choke. Silva defends it as Barbosa lands some punches. Barbosa goes for the armbar late but the horn sounds. 10-9 Barbosa.

Silva lands a leg kick. Barbosa lands an uppercut and Silva lands a combination. Silva scores a takedown. They both land punches while tied up and working to their feet. Silva trips Barbosa down to the mat. They stand and Silva lands a knee in the clinch. Barbosa lands some knees as she is in clinch control. Silva drags it down but ends up on her back. Silva looking for a triangle choke from the bottom. Silva with elbows from the bottom. Silva landing lots of shots from her back. Barbosa lands from the top. 10-9 Silva, 19-19.

Silva lands a body kick. Barbosa lands a body kick. Silva lands a right hand. She lands a left hand then a leg kick. Silva lands a combination. They tie up and Barbosa is able to score a takedown. Both look for triangle chokes and Silva looks for a guillotine choke and it was in deep but Barbosa is able to escape. Silva is on top and lands. Barbosa is able to reverse to the top and both are landing on the mat. Silva with clubbing fists from the bottom. Barbosa lands from the top. Close fight. 10-9 Silva, 29-28 Silva.

Fight Result- Karine Silva def. Dione Barbosa by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Lightweights- Edson Barboza (24-12, 18-12 UFC) vs. Drakkar Klose (15-3-1, 9-3 UFC)

Barboza with some early hard leg kicks. Klose lands an inside leg kick as Barboza lands a jab. Barboza lands a right hand then a leg kick. They trade leg kicks as Klose lands a right hand and clinches up against the fence. Barboza is able to land some foot stomps and a body shot as they break. Klose lands a jab and a right hand then a left hand. They tie back up against the fence. Barboza lands a knee to the body. They separate. Barboza with a hard calf kick. Barboza with a spin kick to the body. Klose lands an uppercut. Barboza with a leg kick and a left hook to the body. Klose lands a jab and they clinch up. 10-9 Klose.

They trade in the center in close range. Barboza with a spin kick. Klose lands a right hand. Klose with a calf kick. Klose lands a right hand and then lands a few big shots against the fence that hurt Barboza. Klose with some foot stomps. They separate and Barboza lands a leg kick. They clinch back up against the fence. They break apart. Klose with a leg kick. They trade and Klose lands a solid right hand. Barboza lands a right hand and a spin kick to the body followed by a left hook. Klose lands a few big right hands that tag Barboza and they clinch back up. Barboza lands a knee to the body. They end the round there. 10-9 Klose, 20-18 Klose.

Klose lands a right hand. Barboza lands a body kick and Klose lands a right hand before they clinch up. They separate and Barboza lands a leg kick. Klose with a right hand. Barboza lands a right hand. Klose with a right hand. Barboza lands a leg kick and Klose lands a series of punches inside the pocket. Barboza with a heavy leg kick. Klose lands two solid leg kicks and a right hand. They tie back up against the fence. They separate and both throw spinning attacks. 10-9 Barboza, 29-28 Klose.

Fight Result- Drakkar Klose def. Edson Barboza by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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> Lightweights- Chase Hooper (16-3-1, 8-3 UFC) vs. Alexander Hernandez (16-8, 8-7 UFC)

Hooper throwing front side kicks early. He lands a body kick then a head kick and a spinning back fist. Hernandez lands a right hand. Hernandez lands a left hand and a right hand as Hooper continues to attack with front side kicks. Hernandez lands a left hand. Hooper lands a right hand. Hernandez lands as Hooper shoots for a takedown, but Hernandez defends. Hooper shoots for a long takedown and Hernandez slips away. Hooper with a leg kick. Hernandez connects as both came forward. Hooper lands in close range. Hernandez drops Hooper with a big right hand and lands punches and it is stopped right before the round ends!

Fight Result- Alexander Hernandez def. Chase Hooper by TKO (punches) at 4:58 of Round 1

> Women’s Strawweights- #5 Jessica Andrade (26-14, 17-12 UFC) vs. #11 Loopy Godinez (13-5, 8-5 UFC)

Andrade with a pair of leg kicks and a left hook. Godinez lands a combo in close range. Andrade with a leg kick. Godinez lands another combination. They trade inside the pocket. Godinez lands a right hand. Godinez lands a combo. Godinez with a jab. Godinez with a hard leg kick. Godinez lands a right hand and then a jab. Andrade lands an uppercut as Godinez lands a knee to the body. Andrade connects as she rushes forward. Godinez lands a combo ending with a body kick. Godinez lands a right hand. Andrade lands a quick flurry as she rushes in. Andrade stuns Godinez with a big combination. Andrade lands a big combo. Godinez lands a right hand. 10-9 Godinez.

They trade and Godinez gets a takedown and is in the mount position. Godinez lands from the top and gets to the back and lands before they scramble up. Godinez lands a left hook. Andrade with a leg kick. They trade and Andrade lands to the body. Godinez lands a right hand. Andrade fires back with a right hand and then lands a left hook. They trade and Godinez looked for a takedown, but Andrade defended it. Andrade rushes in and both land. Godinez lands a left hand and then looks to take it down against the fence. They separate late. 10-9 Godinez, 20-18 Godinez.

They are both throwing as Andrade is coming out pressuring and lands. Andrade keeping her foot on the gas as she lands a flurry. Andrade lands a right hand. Godinez connects with a right hand and lands a jab. They both land as they trade inside the pocket and Andrade lands a quick flurry and Godinez with a knee. Andrade with a big flurry but Godinez connects with a knee to slow it down. Godinez lands a left hand. Andrade throws a flurry. Andrade with a big right hand and Godinez has a cut opened. Andrade lands a combination, but Godinez connects with a right hand. Godinez lands a right hand and a knee. Andrade lands a combo and a leg kick. Andrade with a right hand. Godinez shoots for a takedown, but Andrade defends and lands. Andrade with a big right hand. 10-9 Andrade, 29-28 Godinez.

Fight Result- Loopy Godinez def. Jessica Andrade by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Middleweights- Gerald Meerschaert (37-19, 12-11 UFC) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (20-9 1 NC, 8-7 1 NC UFC)

Meerschaert with a leg kick. Oleksiejczuk lands a left hand. Meerschaert shoots for a takedown but Oleksiejczuk defends. Oleksiejczuk lands a left hand. Meerschaert looks for a takedown but Oleksiejczuk defends. Oleksiejczuk lands some big punches and drops Meerschaert, but he backs off and lets him up. Oleksiejczuk drops Meerschaert again and starts landing big shots from the top and it is all over! Oleksiejczuk gets the big finish in the first.

Fight Result- Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Gerald Meerschaert by TKO (punches) at 3:03 of Round 1

> Middleweights- Baisangur Susurkaev (9-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Eric Nolan (8-3, 0-0 UFC)

Nolan lands a pair of jabs. Susurkaev lands a leg kick then a high kick. Nolan connects with some shots. Susurkaev with a high kick. Nolan lands a right hand. Susurkaev lands a right hand and Nolan lands a knee as they clinch. Nolan with another knee. Nolan has clinch control. They break and Susurkaev lands a counter right hand and some punches and kicks. Susurkaev scores a takedown. Susurkaev lands from the top and they get up. Susurkaev pushes it to the fence and lands some knees. They break and Nolan rocks Susurkaev with a big knee and has Susurkaev in trouble as the round ends. 10-9 Nolan.

Susurkaev hurts Nolan with a body kick. Nolan then lands to the body and Susurkaev lands a knee to the body. Nolan rolls for a leg lock and Susurkaev ends up on top and is landing. Susurkaev works to the back of Nolan and is landing as he has the hooks in. Susurkaev with lots of big punches and he goes for a choke. He has it locked in and Nolan taps! Susurkaev gets the win after being in big trouble late in the first.

Fight Result- Baisangur Susurkaev def. Eric Nolan by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:01 of Round 2

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> Flyweights- #11 Tim Elliott (20-13-1, 9-11 UFC) vs. #15 Kai Asakura (21-5, 0-1 UFC)

Elliott coming out with his front leg in motion at all times. Asakura lands a right hand. Asakura lands a combo to the body. Asakura lands a big right hand. Elliott lands a couple of leg kicks. Asakura lands another sharp right hand. Asakura with a left hook and then lands to the body. Asakura with a stiff jab. Asakura lands a right hand. Asakura with a knee and both land left hands. Elliott lands a right hand. Asakura lands but Elliott is able to score a takedown and is in side control. Elliott with some knees to the body. Elliott lands a pair of elbows to the body as Asakura scrambles up. 10-9 Asakura.

Asakura lands some high and leg kicks early. Elliott lands a left hand. He lands another one. Asakura lands a combo. Asakura with a right hand. Elliott lands. Asakura lands a left hand. Asakura lands a combo. Elliott gets a brief takedown and jumps on the back as they stand, but Asakura escapes. Asakura lands but Elliott ducks under and scores a takedown. Asakura gets Elliott inside his guard. Elliott lands and looks for a guillotine choke and as it in from the mount. Asakura taps! What an upset win from Elliott!

Fight Result- Tim Elliott def. Kai Asakura by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:39 of Round 2

> Middleweights- #9 Jared Cannonier (18-8, 11-8 UFC) vs. #15 WW Michael Page (23-3, 2-1 UFC)

Page working the jab early. Page lands a jab. Cannonier is able to push Page to the fence. Page is defending the underhooks and lands a pair of knees. Page throws Cannonier off of him as they break apart. Page drops Cannonier with a massive right hand but lets Cannonier get right up. Cannonier looks for a takedown against the fence but Page is defending it. Cannonier with some short knees. They separate. 10-9 Page.

Page lands a right hand. Cannonier with an inside leg kick. Page lands another right hand. Page ducks under Cannonier throwing some offense. Page lands a combo and Cannonier ends up falling down and rolling and gets up. Page with a right hand. Cannonier lands a right hand. They clinch up and Cannonier gets a takedown, but Page gets right back up. They separate. Page lands a right hand. Cannonier misses a right hand but pushes Page against the fence. They break. 10-9 Page, 20-18 Page.

Page lands a leg kick. Page lands a right hand. Cannonier gets a takedown. Cannonier gets the mount and starts landing. Cannonier with an elbow from the top. Cannonier landing and looks to attack the arm. Cannonier looking to work for an arm-triangle choke. He lets go and goes back to the half-guard and lands an elbow. Cannonier ends the fight on top. 10-9 Cannonier, 29-28 Page.

Fight Result- Michael Page def. Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Welterweights- #11 Geoff Neal (16-6, 8-4 UFC) vs. #12 Carlos Prates (21-7, 4-1 UFC)

Neal with an inside leg kick. He lands another before going high with a kick. Prates lands a low kick. Neal with a left hand. Prates with a spin kick to the body then a low kick. Neal lands a quick flurry against the fence. Prates lands a leg kick. Prates with a combo. Prates lands a leg kick. Prates with more leg kicks. Neal lands a left hand. Prates lands a combo and Neal lands a left hand. Neal lands a right hand and Prates circles away. Prates lands a jab. Neal lands a combo ending with a right hand and Prates lands a body shot then a knee to the body of Neal. Neal lands inside. Prates lands a left hand. Prates lands a knee as Neal grabs the body lock. They break apart. Prates lands a left hand and a leg kick. Prates drops Neal with a spinning elbow right at the end of the round and Neal was out and it is all over! What a finish from Prates!

Fight Result- Carlos Prates def. Geoff Neal by knockout (spinning back elbow) at 4:59 of Round 1

> Featherweights- #6 Lerone Murphy (16-0-1, 8-0-1 UFC) vs. Aaron Pico (13-4, 0-0 UFC)

Pico lands a jab and a right hook and a body shot as they clinch against the fence. They separate and Pico lands a leg kick and a left hook to the body. They clinch and Murphy lands an elbow and has a choke locked in as they go to the mat. Pico escapes and is on top. They get to their feet and separate. Pico throws and Murphy lands a knee. Pico with a left hook to the body. Murphy then lands a spinning elbow and Pico goes down out cold! What a knockout by Murphy!

Fight Result- Lerone Murphy def. Aaron Pico by knockout (spinning elbow) at 3:21 of Round 1

> UFC Middleweight Championship- C Dricus Du Plessis (23-2, 9-0 UFC) vs. #3 Khamzat Chimaev (14-0, 8-0 UFC)

Chimaev gets a takedown right away. Chimaev gets the crucifix position and starts landing. He’s landing lots of punches as Du Plessis is trying to escape. It’s a lot of small shots to the ear that Chimaev is landing. Du Plessis gets out of the position as Chimaev stays in side control. Chimaev is just holding Du Plessis on the mat. Du Plessis is trying to get up but having no success, but not much else is happening. Chimaev gets the back and Du Plessis is able to escape for a moment but Chimaev ends up back in side control. 10-9 Chimaev.

Chimaev shoots for a takedown and has the back and lands a couple of knees. Chimaev drags Du Plessis down to the mat. Chimaev with short knees but not a lot of action is happening. Chimaev looked for a choke but Du Plessis was able to defend it. Chimaev with short knees. Chimaev with more short knees. Not a lot of damage taking place here. 10-9 Chimaev, 20-18 Chimaev.

Du Plessis lands and Chimaev shoots for a takedown and gets the back of Du Plessis and has it down. They briefly get up but Chimaev gets it down and is in side control. Chimaev gets the crucifix position and lands some short punches. Chimaev landing better in this position so far as opposed to the first. Chimaev landing and gets the mount and lands. Du Plessis gives up his back and Chimaev looks for a choke but Du Plessis is defending. 10-8 Chimaev, 30-26 Chimaev.

Chimaev lands a body kick and goes for a takedown but Du Plessis sprawls but Chimaev keeps chasing it and has the back as they go to their knees. Chimaev keeps dragging Du Plessis on the mat from the back. Du Plessis tries to roll and Chimaev ends up in side control. Chimaev has the back and they are separated and stood up. Du Plessis lands a body kick and Chimaev grabs him and gets a takedown and has the back and starts landing knees. 10-9 Chimaev, 40-35 Chimaev.

Du Plessis lands a pair of body kicks. Du Plessis lands a combo. Chimaev shoots for a takedown and gets the back and drags it to the mat. Chimaev landing from the crucifix position but lets Du Plessis out and takes the back. Chimaev lands from the back but Du Plessis is able to reverse to the top. He looked for a guillotine choke but Chimaev escapes and is inside the guard of Du Plessis. They are stood up. Chimaev with a leg kick. Du Plessis lands a body kick. Du Plessis connects with a punch. Chimaev tries a takedown but Du Plessis sprawls to defend and lands some elbows. Du Plessis gets Chimaev down and has the mount and the back and looked for a choke. 10-9 Chimaev, 50-44 Chimaev.

Fight Result- Khamzat Chimaev def. Dricus Du Plessis by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-44) to win the UFC Middleweight Championship

UFC 308 live results: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

The Octagon returns to Abu Dhabi for their yearly big pay-per-view event as UFC 308 takes place inside the Etihad Arena on Yas Island.

The main event is one of the best match-ups of the year as UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria makes his first title defense against former UFC Featherweight Champion and current BMF Champion Max Holloway. Topuria won the featherweight title at UFC 298 in February, knocking out Alexander Volkanovski to win the title. Holloway became the BMF Champion with a dramatic last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in April, and has won three straight fights overall.

In the co-main event, Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev finally square off in a pivotal five-round bout. They were scheduled to fight in June, but Chimaev was forced out about a week before the fight due to illness. Whittaker went on to knock out Ikram Aliskerov, notching his second straight win.

Also on the main card is a light heavyweight bout between Magomed Ankalaev and Aleksandar Rakic; a featherweight fight pitting Lerone Murphy against Dan Ige; and a middleweight bout between Shara Magomedov and Armen Petrosyan.

ESPN+ PRELIMS | 10 AM ET/7 AM PT

> Welterweights- Rinat Fakhretdinov (23-2-1, 4-0-1 UFC) vs. Carlos Leal (21-5, 0-0 UFC)

Fakhretdinov with a quick inside leg kick. Leal with a right hand as Fakhretdinov lands a leg kick, then another. Fakhretdinov gets a takedown. They get to the fence and get up but Fakhretdinov still has the body locked. Fakhretdinov lands a knee. Leal with some body shots as Fakhretdinov lands some knees. They separate and Fakhretdinov lands a right hand and Leal landed a right hand. They trade and Fakhretdinov scores a takedown, but Leal pops right up. Fakhretdinov pushes it to the fence. Leal lands a knee and a left hook as they separate. Leal lands a pair of calf kicks. Leal lands a left hand. They trade punches. Leal with a left hook. Fakhretdinov lands a combination. Leal lands a left hook and a right hand. Leal with a left hook. 10-9 Leal.

Leal lands a calf kick. Fakhretdinov lands a left hand. They trade in close range. Leal lands a quick combo and defends a takedown attempt from Fakhretdinov. Leal with a left hand and a leg kick. Fakhretdinov lands a jab. Fakhretdinov lands a combination. Leal with a calf kick then a combo then another calf kick. Leal landing more and defends a takedown attempt from Fakhretdinov, landing a knee. They trade and Fakhretdinov lands a solid right hand. Fakhretdinov with a combination. Leal lands a right hand. Fakhretdinov lands a pair of stiff jabs. Fakhretdinov with a combination. Fakhretdinov lands a right hand. Leal with a hard calf kick. Fakhretdinov gets a late takedown. 10-9 Leal, 20-18 Leal.

Leal with a leg kick to start. Fakhretdinov tries a takedown but Leal defends and lands to the body as Fakhretdinov lands a left hand. Fakhretdinov tries a takedown but Leal defends. Fakhretdinov tries for a takedown as he pushes it to the fence. They separate. Fakhretdinov lands a right hand. Fakhretdinov with a back fist. Leal lands a right hand. They clinch and trade knees. Leal gets a takedown and takes the back as they stand and lands a knee as they break. They trade in close range. Fakhretdinov lands a left hand. Leal with a series of punches and a calf kick. They trade right hands and Leal lands a combo. They clinch and both land. They trade leg kicks. Fakhretdinov lands a combination. They trade late. Fun fight. 10-9 Leal, 30-27 Leal.

Official Result- Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Carlos Leal by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

This is one of the worst decisions in UFC history. Absolute robbery. Carlos Leal deserved that win.

> Middleweights- Ismail Naurdiev (23-7, 2-2 UFC) vs. Bruno Silva (23-11, 4-5 UFC)

Silva lands a jab. Naurdiev with a hard calf kick. Silva lands a leg kick. Silva tries a high kick but Naurdiev grabs it and forces the fight to the fence. Naurdiev steps back and lands a combination. They trade in close range and Naurdiev with a high kick. Naurdiev with a leg kick. Naurdiev grabs Silva and pushes him to the fence and lands. Naurdiev lands a knee and Silva counters with an elbow and Naurdiev counters that with an elbow. Naurdiev scores a takedown. They stand and Naurdiev jumps on the back for a choke but Silva gets out. Naurdiev still looking for it and Silva grabbed the fence. Naurdiev jumps off the back. 10-9 Naurdiev.

Naurdiev lands a body kick. They trade and Naurdiev lands a right hand that trips Silva to the mat. Naurdiev jumps on the back and Silva grabs the fence again. Naurdiev with some elbows. They get to their feet. They separate and trade jabs. Naurdiev grabs the neck for a standing guillotine choke. Silva shakes him off. Naurdiev with a jab and scores a takedown. Naurdiev with some punches from the top. Naurdiev lands some left hands from the back. Silva grabs the fence again. They get to their feet. Naurdiev lands a right hand. Naurdiev with a side kick. 10-9 Naurdiev, 20-18 Naurdiev.

Naurdiev lands a leg kick and pushes it to the fence. Naurdiev with some punches then a knee then a combination and lands before backing away. Silva shoots for a takedown but Naurdiev grabs the neck and lands a knee. Silva throws a kick that misses and just stops and Naurdiev pushes him to the fence. Naurdiev lands an elbow as he breaks away. They trade left hands. Naurdiev lands a solid combination. Naurdiev with a jab and Silva lands a knee. Naurdiev with a leg kick. Silva lands a left hand. Naurdiev with a leg kick and lands a right hand. 10-9 Naurdiev, 30-27 Naurdiev.

Official Result- Ismail Naurdiev def. Bruno Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Naurdiev looked good in his UFC return. Silva looked awful and has now lost four straight fights and is 1-6 in his last seven, so I expect this to be it for him in the UFC.

> Featherweights- Farid Basharat (12-0, 3-0 UFC) vs. Victor Hugo (25-4, 1-0 UFC)

They trade leg kicks. Hugo lands a right hand. They’re trading in close range. Basharat lands a leg kick. Basharat shoots for a takedown but Hugo defends. Hugo with a stiff leg kick. Basharat lands a right hand. Hugo with a spinning elbow. Hugo rolls for a leg lock. Basharat is able to pull his leg free and gets on top. Basharat lands and Hugo is cut open. Basharat lands as they scramble up. Hugo with a spin kick. Basharat lands a right hand. Basharat lands a right hand. Hugo shoots and they scramble as Hugo looks for a leg lock. 10-9 Basharat.

Hugo lands a leg kick. Hugo hurts Basharat with a knee. Basharat lands a combination. Hugo with some leg kicks. Basharat lands a right hand. Basharat with some leg kicks. Basharat with a combination. They trade inside the pocket. Hugo with a leg kick and a left hook. He lands another then a right hand. Basharat lands a knee. Basharat lands a right hand. Hugo lands a back elbow. Basharat lands a combination. Basharat grabs the back late. 10-9 Basharat, 20-18 Basharat.

Hugo lands a flurry that had Basharat in brief trouble. They clinch and Basharat lands a knee before breaking away. Hugo lands a left hand and uppercut and Basharat counters with a left hand. Basharat scores a takedown. Basharat lands from the top and has the back as they get to their feet. They separate and trade before going back to the mat and Basharat takes the back. Basharat lands before they scramble up. 10-9 Basharat, 30-27 Basharat.

Official Result- Farid Basharat def. Victor Hugo by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

This fight was changed from bantamweight to featherweight before the weigh-ins and Hugo looked a weight class above Basharat, but Basharat was able to overcome it and looked good. Hugo needs to be forced up to featherweight.

> Heavyweights- Kennedy Nzechukwu (12-5, 6-5 UFC) vs. Chris Barnett (23-8, 2-2 UFC)

Nzchukwu with a jab as Barnett lands a pair of leg kicks. Barnett lands a left hand. Nzchukwu with a body kick. They trade punches. They trade kicks. Nzchukwu pressing forward and lands some body kicks. Nzchukwu still landing kicks. Nzchukwu with more body kicks. Barnett looks to have injured his left foot. Nzchukwu landing at will. Barnett lands a left hand. Nzchukwu with a knee to the body. Nzchukwu starts teeing off and lands a knee. Barnett goes to the mat and it is stopped. Nzchukwu picks up the win as Barnett is injured.

Official Result- Kennedy Nzchukwu def. Chris Barnett by TKO (punches) at 4:27 of Round 1

Nzchukwu looked big and solid in there at heavyweight, but Barnett’s leg injury will overshadow it. Poor Huggy Bear when it comes to the injury, and I hope we see Barnett again.

> Middleweights- Abus Magomedov (26-6-1, 2-2 UFC) vs. Brunno Ferreira (12-1, 3-1 UFC)

Magomedov with a body kick. He lands a leg kick. Magomedov with a left hook to the body. They aren’t doing much as neither is landing. Magomedov then lands a leg kick. Magomedov with a body kick. Magomedov lands a leg kick. Ferreira not doing much. Magomedov with a high kick. Magomedov with a teet kick to the body. Magomedov lands a combination. Magomedov lands a left hand. 10-9 Magomedov.

Ferreira coming forward and lands some as Magomedov lands a body kick. Magomedov lands a left hand. Ferreira lands a left hand. Magomedov with a leg kick. Ferreira lands a combination. Ferreira connects with a right hand and Magomedov lands a leg kick. Ferreira hurts Magomedov with a jab and follows up with a head kick and Magomedov is stumbling around. Magomedov gets a takedown as Ferreira has the neck. Magomedov gets the back and looks for a choke but they scramble up. Ferreira lands a jab. Ferreira lands a body kick and a big left hand. Magomedov shoots for a takedown but Ferreira defends. Ferreira with another left hand and has Magomedov hurt. Ferreira lands but Magomedov is able to get a takedown. Magomedov lands from the back. They scramble and Magomedov ends up inside the guard of Ferreira. Magomedov with some body shots. 10-9 Ferreira, 19-19.

They both land. Magomedov with a solid left hook. Ferreira lands a left hand. Magomedov gets a takedown. He takes the back and looks for a choke but they scramble up. Magomedov gets a takedown. Ferreira lands some elbows but Magomedov gets the mount. Magomedov locks in an arm-triangle choke and gets Ferreira to tap! Magomedov picks up the submission win.

Official Result- Abus Magomedov def. Brunno Ferreira by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:14 of Round 3

Magomedov was able to weather a tough second round to get the finish in the third, and this was a solid win for him.

> 160-pound Catchweights- Mateusz Rebecki (19-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. Myktybek Orolbai (13-1-1, 2-0 UFC)

They tie up for a brief moment but quickly break. Rebecki lands a left hand. Rebecki with a leg kick. Orolbai lands an uppercut. Rebecki lands two more left hands. They trade leg kicks. Orolbai lands a counter right hand. Rebecki lands a left hand. They trade before a quick clinch. Rebecki with two left hands. Orolbai lands a high kick. Rebecki lands a left hand. Orolbai lands a right hand. Rebecki hurts Orolbai with a left hook. Orolbai lands a right hand. Rebecki throws Orolbai to the mat for a brief moment. Rebecki with a leg kick. Orolbai lands a right hand. 10-9 Rebecki.

Orolbai’s right eye is a mess. He comes rushing out and starts landing. Rebecki lands a left hand. Orolbai with a right hand. Orolbai lands an uppercut. They trade in close range and Orolbai with another uppercut. Rebecki grabs the back and pushes it to the fence. They separate. Rebecki with a left hand. Orolbai lands a right hand. Rebecki with a leg kick. Orolbai lands a right hand. He lands another right hand. Orolbai with an uppercut. Rebecki lands a leg kick then a left hand. Orolbai shoots for a takedown and gets it. Rebecki has a bad cut opened up over his right eye. They scramble to the feet. Rebecki with a leg kick. Orolbai with an uppercut. Orolbai with a big elbow. Orolbai lands a right hand. 10-9 Orolbai, 19-19.

Orolbai lands an elbow. Orolbai with a right hand. They both land and Rebecki hurts Orolbai with a right hand. Rebecki drops Orolbai with a left hand and starts teeing off but Orolbai is able to get to his feet. Rebecki still landing lots of punches and takes Orolbai down. Rebecki in side control and lands. Rebecki with more left hands as they get to their feet. Orolbai gets the back and starts landing right hands. Rebecki ends up on top as they scramble down. Rebecki is pouring blood while landing. Orolbai sweeps to the top and lands to the body then an elbow. Orolbai is bleeding everywhere as well. Orolbai lands but they scramble up. Orolbai lands a right hand. Orolbai with a jab. 10-9 Rebecki, 29-28 Rebecki.

Official Result- Mateusz Rebecki def. Myktybek Orolbai by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

This was a wild, crazy, bloody and dramatic fight- one of the best fights of the year. Credit to both men, especially Orolbai, who fought the last two rounds with one eye. Watch this fight.

> Welterweights- #10 Geoff Neal (15-6, 7-4 UFC) vs. #15 LW Rafael Dos Anjos (32-16, 21-14 UFC)

Neal pressing forward and lands a leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Neal drops Dos Anjos with a combination and gets on top. Neal backs off and Dos Anjos is ordered up. They tie up and Neal gets a takedown. Neal backs off and Dos Anjos gets up. Neal rocks Dos Anjos with a left hand and Dos Anjos’ knee pops and he goes down and it is stopped.

Official Result- Geoff Neal def. Rafael Dos Anjos by TKO (injury) at 1:30 of Round 1

This was an unfortunate end due to Dos Anjos injuring his knee, but Neal was in complete control of the fight before it happened. I hope Dos Anjos can bounce back and Neal looked sharp in the 90 seconds it lasted.

> Light Heavyweights- Ibo Aslan (13-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Rafael Cerqueira (11-0, 0-0 UFC)

Cerqueira with a leg kick but Aslan stuns him with a jab. Aslan starts unloading with tons of punches and is pouring it on. Cerqueira is trying to cover up but he is getting tagged and it is stopped on the feet. What an explosive finish from Aslan!

Official Result- Ibo Aslan def. Rafael Cerqueira by TKO (punches) at :51 of Round 1

Aslan couldn’t have looked any better in this one. The 205-pound division needs some new contenders coming up and he has potential to be one. It’s a disappointing debut for Cerqueira, but one that he can bounce back from.

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> Middleweights- Shara Magomedov (14-0, 3-0 UFC) vs. Armen Petrosyan (8-3, 3-2 UFC)

Petrosyan with a pair of inside leg kicks. Petrosyan with more leg kicks. They trade stiff right hands. Petrosyan with a combination then a right hand as he had Magomedov hurt. They clinch but break. Petrosyan with an inside leg kick. Magomedov with a leg kick. Petrosyan lands a right hand. Petrosyan with more leg kicks. Magomedov lands a big right hand. They trade and Petrosyan lands a knee. They trade leg kicks. Petrosyan with a left hand. Magomedov connects with a left hand. They trade leg kicks. They trade them again. Petrosyan lands some more leg kicks. Magomedov lands a right hand. Magomedov with a side kick. Petrosyan with some leg kicks. Petrosyan with a body kick. Magomedov lands a spinning back fist. 10-9 Petrosyan.

Petrosyan pressing forward. They trade kicks and timeout is called for a groin strike. Petrosyan with a leg kick after they restart and Petrosyan lands a right hand. Magomedov lands as they clinch but break apart. Magomedov lands some kicks. Magomedov lands a check hook as Petrosyan was coming forward. Magomedov lands a right hand. Another timeout for a groin strike, this time by Magomedov. They get back to action and trade leg kicks. Petrosyan with a body kick. Petrosyan lands a left hand. Petrosyan with a spinning back fist then a body kick. Magomedov with a leg kick. Magomedov lands a right hand. Magomedov drops Petrosyan with a double spinning back fist and it is all over with seconds to go in the round. What a finish from Magomedov!

Official Result- Shara Magomedov def. Armen Petrosyan by TKO (punches) at 4:52 of Round 2

This was a tremendous finish from Magomedov, who remains a fighter to keep an eye on as he moves up. He did get off to a slow start, but he’s dangerous and fun to watch.

> Featherweights- #12 Lerone Murphy (14-0-1, 6-0-1 UFC) vs. #14 Dan Ige (18-8, 10-7 UFC)

Ige lands a right hand. Ige with a leg kick. Murphy with a front kick that just misses Ige’s jaw. Ige lands a hard right hand. Ige lands to the body. Murphy lands a right hand. They trade jabs. Ige lands two left hands and scores a takedown. Murphy scrambles after Ige lands and Ige grabs the back. They scramble up and clinch. Murphy lands a knee then some body shots. Ige with an elbow and they separate. Ige was cut open from an elbow by Murphy. Murphy lands a right hand and a back kick. Ige drops Murphy with a left hand and starts landing. Murphy is able to get up but Ige is still landing. Murphy lands a switch knee and they tie up. Murphy gets a takedown. Ige uses a kimura attempt to sweep. 10-9 Ige.

Murphy lands a body kick and a right hand. He lands an elbow as Ige was coming in. Ige lands to the body. They trade in close range after Murphy lands a leg kick. Murphy lands a jab. Ige with a left hand and Murphy lands a spin kick. Ige shoots for a takedown and pushes it to the fence. Murphy with some left hands as he reverses positioning. Murphy with a knee. They break apart. Murphy with a right hand then a front kick and a high kick. Murphy gets a takedown. Murphy gets the full mount but Ige quickly gives up his back. Murphy looks for a triangle choke as Murphy lands some elbows. 10-9 Murphy, 19-19.

Murphy grabs the body and tries for a takedown. They both battle in the tie up but break. Murphy with a head kick that is partially blocked. They scramble to the mat and Ige ends up on top. Both battle to grab a leg. They scramble and Ige remains on top with an arm-triangle choke attempt. He lets go and lands an elbow. Ige gets the back of Murphy. They end up on their feet and its pressed against the fence. Murphy gets it down and lands some punches. Murphy looks for a guillotine choke. Ige gets out and they get to their feet. Ige with a knee. Murphy lands an elbow. Murphy with a big left hand and big knee late. Very close fight. 10-9 Murphy, 29-28 Murphy.

Official Result- Lerone Murphy def. Dan Ige by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

This was a close fight that could’ve gone either way, and came down to the third. I felt Murphy did enough. It’s tough to stay undefeated at 145 pounds, and Murphy still is, and he needs a big opponent next.

> Light Heavyweights- #1 Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1 1 NC, 10-1-1 1 NC UFC) vs. #5 Aleksandar Rakic (14-4, 6-3 UFC)

Rakic lands a jab. Rakic with a high kick. They trade leg kicks. Rakic with another high kick. Rakic with a leg kick and they trade quick punches. They trade kicks and then trade them again. Rakic with a high kick. Ankalaev lands a left hand. Rakic with a body kick then a leg kick. Ankalaev lands a right hand. Rakic with a high kick. Ankalaev lands a left hand. They continue to each land punches and kicks. Rakic with a right hand. Ankalaev lands a left hand. 10-9 Rakic.

They trade leg kicks. Rakic lands a right hand as Ankalaev lands an up elbow. Rakic with a body kick. Ankalaev with a glancing head kick. Rakic lands a right hand. Ankalaev with a right hand and a body kick. Ankalaev lands a right hook. Ankalaev lands a left hand to the body. They trade leg kicks. They trade inside the pocket. Ankalaev with a high kick. Ankalaev lands a combination then a body kick. They clinch. They separate and Ankalaev lands a left hand. Rakic lands a right hand. Rakic with a high kick. 10-9 Ankalaev, 19-19.

Rakic lands a right hand and a body kick. Ankalaev lands a left hand. Rakic with a body kick. Ankalaev pressing forward but Rakic is throwing more though they are connecting evenly. Ankalaev lands a big left hand. He lands another. Rakic looks for a takedown as he is in on a single leg. Ankalaev defending against the fence with short punches. Ankalaev reverses as he lands to the body. Ankalaev with a knee to the body. Ankalaev with a knee to the body then a high one. Ankalaev with more knees to the body. 10-9 Ankalaev, 29-28 Ankalaev.

Official Result- Magomed Ankalaev def. Aleksandar Rakic by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Ankalaev did enough to pick up the win, but it was close. He should get the next title shot against Alex Pereira. I don’t know that he will fare well against him, though.

> Middleweights- #3 Robert Whittaker (26-7, 17-5 UFC) vs. #13 Khamzat Chimaev (13-0, 7-0 UFC)

Whittaker with a leg kick. He lands another. Chimaev shoots for a takedown and gets the back of Whittaker. They’re sort of on the mat as Chimaev lands a left hand. Chimaev with some knees. Chimaev goes for the hooks but Whittaker scrambles up. Chimaev gets it back down. They scramble and Chimaev remains on top. Chimaev lands some punches and quickly locks in a rear-naked choke and Whittaker taps fast. Chimaev gets the big win and remains undefeated.

Official Result- Khamzat Chimaev def. Robert Whittaker by submission (face crank) at 3:34 of Round 1

Chimaev couldn’t have looked any better. Is he ready for a title shot? Maybe, but there are some obstacles to overcome there.

> UFC Featherweight Championship- C Ilia Topuria (15-0, 7-0 UFC) vs. #2 Max Holloway (26-7, 22-7 UFC)

Holloway with a body kick. Holloway with two more body kicks. Holloway with a leg kick and a jab. Topuria lands a right hand. Topuria scores a takedown. They get to their feet and separate. Topuria with a leg kick as Holloway lands a left hand. Topuria lands a right hand. Holloway connects with a pair of jabs. Topuria lands a leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Topuria with a right hand. Topuria with a hard leg kick. They trade inside the pocket. Holloway with some kicks and a combination. Holloway lands a solid right hand. Holloway with a left hook after a jab. Topuria lands and Holloway slips. Topuria grabs the back and the round ends. Close round. 10-9 Topuria.

Holloway lands a jab. Holloway lands a stiff right hand. Topuria with a leg kick. Both are landing. Topuria with a calf kick. Topuria with a right hand as Holloway lands the jab. Topuria lands a left hook. Topuria with a right hand. Holloway lands a combo. Topuria lands a right hand. Holloway with a combination. Topuria lands a right hand. Topuria with a leg kick as Holloway lands a jab. Topuria lands a right hand. Holloway lands a big right hand. Topuria with a right hand. Topuria with a right hand as Holloway lands a body kick. Holloway with a spin kick to the body. Another close round. 10-9 Holloway, 19-19.

Holloway with a high kick. Topuria lands a left to the body. Holloway with a combo and a body kick. Topuria with a leg kick. Holloway lands a right hand and then two side kicks to the leg of Topuria. Topuria lands a big right hand and starts throwing but Holloway is able to circle away. Topuria pouring it on and he drops Holloway and finishes it off with shots from the top. What a finish from Topuria!

Official Result- Ilia Topuria def. Max Holloway by knockout (punches) at 1:34 of Round 3 to retain the UFC Featherweight Championship

A fantastic fight with a fantastic finish by Topuria. Holloway gave him a tough fight but his power held up as the fight went on. Topuria is going to be hard to beat, and this is a stacked division.

UFC 294 live results: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

The Octagon returns to pay-per-view this weekend with their annual visit to Abu Dhabi for UFC 294: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2 from the Etihad Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

The card underwent a recent shake-up to the two big fights, but arguably is now stronger than before. In the main event, UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev defends against UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski in a rematch. The two fought in February in the current front-runner for 2023 Fight Of The Year, which was won by Makhachev. Volkanovski is taking this rematch on twelve days’ notice, replacing Charles Oliveira.

In another fight coming together on short notice, former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman steps in on eleven days’ notice to take on undefeated Khamzat Chimaev at 185 pounds. Usman is coming off a pair of welterweight title fight losses to Leon Edwards, while Chimaev steps inside the Octagon for the first time in 13 months.

Also on the main card is a light heavyweight bout between Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker, a middleweight bout pitting Ikram Aliskerov against Warlley Alves, and a bantamweight bout between Said Nurmagomedov and Muin Gafurov.

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> Middleweights- Shara Magomedov (11-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Bruno Silva (23-9, 4-3 UFC)

Magomedov lands an inside leg kick. He lands some more leg kicks. He lands a high kick and one to the body. Silva lands a body kick. Silva lands another body kick then a combination. Magomedov lands a hard leg kick and then rocks Silva with a right hand then a knee. Magomedov with another hard leg kick and then he defends a takedown attempt from Silva. Silva lands a couple of left hands. Magomedov lands a pair of hard leg kicks. They trade punches. We have a timeout for a groin kick from Magomedov. They get back to action. Magomedov lands another loud leg kick. They both land nice left hooks simultaneously. They trade and Silva lands some nice punches and Magomedov lands some leg kicks. 10-9 Magomedov.

Magomedov lands a body kick then an axe kick followed by a leg kick. Silva lands a left hand followed by a leg kick. Magomedov lands a head kick then a pair of body kicks. Magomedov lands a combo ending with a knee. Magomedov eating Silva up with some kicks but Silva is able to get a takedown. Magomedov lands some elbows from the bottom. Silva stands and Magomedov lands some upkicks as Magomedov is staying active from the bottom. Magomedov doing better on the mat though Silva now lands from the top. Silva stands and Magomedov lands more upkicks. Silva lands from the top but eats a massive upkick from Magomedov. Close round. 10-9 Magomedov, 20-18 Magomedov.

Magomedov lands a leg kick and Silva is able to get a takedown. They both land on the mat. Silva lands some punches and elbows from the top. Magomedov landing left hands from the bottom but Silva lands right hands from the top. Both are working on the mat as Silva remains on top. They get to their feet and Magomedov lands a knee. Silva tries a takedown as he pushes it against the fence but Magomedov rocks him with an elbow. Silva is able to get another takedown. Both landing on the mat. Magomedov lands a flurry of elbows from the bottom. Both landing hammerfists on the mat. Silva gets to side control. They get to their feet late. Fun fight. 10-9 Magomedov, 29-28 Magomedov.

Official Result- Shara Magomedov def. Bruno Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Women’s Strawweights*- Viktoriia Dudakova (7-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Jinh Yu Frey (11-9, 2-5 UFC)

*Dudakova missed weight by .6 pounds

Dudakova lands a right hand. Frey lands to the body. They clinch and Dudakova lands a knee as she looked to get it down but Frey broke it up. Frey lands to the body. Dudakova looks for a takedown as she pushes it against the fence. They separate. Dudakova lands a left hand. They have a clash of heads and timeout is called. They get back to action and have a quick exchange. They clinch and Dudakova lands a series of knees. They tie up and Dudakova trying for a takedown but Frey shakes it off. Frey lands a body kick. Dudakova lands a big left hand that drops Frey late. 10-9 Dudakova.

Dudakova lands to start before Frey is able to get a takedown. Frey in side control but eats a few punches from Dudakova on the bottom. Frey lands some elbows and knees from side control. They get to their feet for a moment but Frey lands a punch and Dudakova goes back to the mat. Frey gets back on top. Dudakova looks for an armbar but Frey defends. Dudakova gets a warning for having her fingers inside of Frey’s glove, but an illegal upkick was missed. They stand and Dudakova lands a combo. They trade late. 10-9 Frey, 19-19.

Dudakova lands a combo as Frey landed a body kick. Frey went for a takedown but Dudakova defended. Frey lands a right hand. They trade in close range and Frey lands a nice left hand, though Dudakova is ahead on volume in this round. Dudakova lands a right hand. Dudakova lands a right hand then a stiff jab. They tie up and Frey pushes it against the fence. Frey trying hard for the takedown and lands a knee but Dudakova keeping it on the feet. Dudakova lands some knees. They trade late. 10-9 Dudakova, 29-28 Dudakova.

Official Result- Viktoriia Dudakova def. Jinh Yu Frey by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Featherweights- Nathaniel Wood (19-5, 7-2 UFC) vs. Muhammad Naimov (9-2, 1-0 UFC)

They both land leg kicks to start. Wood lands a nice leg kick and Naimov counters with a combo that hurts Wood. Naimov is able to get a takedown and is working from the top. Naimov landing from the top. He continues to land left hands from the top. They get to their feet. They clinch and Naimov lands a pair of groin strikes and Wood is in a lot of pain as they call timeout. They get back to action. Wood lands a pair of leg kicks. Wood lands a big left hand that hurts Naimov and Naimov might’ve fallen down if not for the fence. Wood follows up with a pair of punches before getting a takedown into side control. He looks for the arm as he moves to the back but lets Naimov get on top. Naimov in side control and grabs the neck. They get to their feet. Wood lands an elbow. 10-9 Naimov.

Naimov lands a kick to the groin of Wood to start the second and we have another timeout. They get back to action without a point taken away. They immediately clinch against the fence. Wood gets a takedown. They get to their feet as Wood has the back. Naimov tries to grab the fence. Naimov is able to get a takedown. Wood almost got to his feet but Naimov is able to keep it down. Wood is able to work it to the feet after not a ton of action on the mat. Wood looking for the arm and a kimura attempt as he lets Naimov take him down. Naimov with some knees to the thighs of Wood. They get to their feet and clinch at the end. 10-9 Naimov, 20-18 Naimov.

Naimov lands a kick. Wood grabs the back and pushes it against the fence but they separate. Naimov lands a high kick. Wood partially lands a left hand. Naimov lands a left hand and a leg kick. They trade kicks. Naimov drops down for a takedown and is able to secure it. They get to their feet and Wood lands a big right hand and then lands another. Wood lands another combo. Naimov tries a spin kick and falls to the mat and Wood lands a lot of big punches at the end from the top. 10-9 Wood, 29-28 Naimov.

Official Result- Muhammad Naimov def. Nathaniel Wood by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Lightweights*- Mike Breeden (10-6, 0-3 UFC) vs. Anshul Jubli (7-0, 1-0 UFC)

*Breeden missed weight by 3.5 pounds

Jubli lands a leg kick. Breeden lands a leg kick. Jubli lands to the body. Jubli lands a body kick. Breeden lands a combo. Jubli lands a right hand and a knee to the body. They trade as Jubli lands to the body and Breeden lands a right hand. Jubli lands a right hand to the body. Jubli lands a combo. Jubli lands a knee. Breeden lands a leg kick. Jubli ahead on volume here. They trade punches. 10-9 Jubli.

Jubli hurts Breeden with a right hand and starts swarming. Jubli lands a knee and a body kick. Jubli with more right hands and Breeden is cut open. Jubli with a body kick and they clinch. Breeden is throwing punches but not really landing as Jubli lands some right hands. Breeden lands a right hand. Jubli lands a right hand and Breeden counters with a combo. Breeden lands a body kick. They trade punches. Jubli lands a right hand. Jubli with a pair of leg kicks and Breeden counters with some punches. Jubli lands a right hand. They trade late. 10-9 Jubli, 20-18 Jubli.

They’re trading to start the third as Jubli is landing punches. Breeden is barking at Jubli. Jubli lands a big right hand. Breeden is landing and taunting Jubli. Jubli lands a leg kick and Breeden lands a right hand. Breeden lands a flurry against the fence. Breeden lands a stiff jab. Breeden’s taunting is affecting Jubli. Jubli tries a takedown but Breeden defends. They trade right hands. Jubli lands a pair of body kicks. He lands a right hand and Breeden lands a big left hand. Breeden lands a combo and drops Jubli and lands another right hand and gets the finish. What a comeback from Breeden!

Official Result- Mike Breeden def. Anshul Jubli by knockout (punch) at 3:00 of Round 3

> Middleweights- Abu Azaitar (14-3-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. Sedriques Dumas (8-1, 1-1 UFC)

Azaitar lands some big punches and gets Dumas down but scrambles up and gets a takedown. Azaitar landing from the bottom as Dumas is trying to improve his position. Dumas lands a knee to the body from the top. Azaitar getting warned for hitting the back of the head. Dumas is controlling from the half-guard. He ends the round on top. 10-9 Dumas.

Dumas lands a leg kick. He lands another. He lands another. Azaitar rushes forward with punches and lands a right hand. Azaitar lands another right hand that makes Dumas circle away. Dumas lands a leg kick. Azaitar lands a leg kick. Dumas lands a stiff jab. They trade some big punches. Azaitar catches a leg and lands some right hands as he gets Dumas down. Azaitar lands from the top but they scramble up. Azaitar lands a leg kick. 10-9 Azaitar, 19-19.

Dumas lands a leg kick. Dumas lands a spin kick. Dumas rushes in and Azaitar lands some punches. They have a timeout for a hair pull. Dumas lands a left hand that hurts Azaitar but he’s able to recover. Azaitar lands a big flurry to the body. Azaitar is landing more here but there’s not a ton of activity. They trade kicks. Azaitar tries a late takedown and Dumas lands a head kick. Close fight. 10-9 Azaitar, 29-28 Azaitar.

Official Result- Sedriques Dumas def. Abu Azaitar by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Bantamweights- Javid Basharat (14-0, 3-0 UFC) vs. Victor Henry (23-6, 2-1 UFC)

Henry lands a leg kick. Basharat lands a leg kick. Henry lands a leg kick as Basharat lands a right hand. Basharat lands a combo. Basharat gets a takedown. They scramble up and Basharat has the back. They separate and both land leg kicks. Henry lands some leg kicks. They tie up late and Basharat lands some knees. Close round. 10-9 Basharat.

We have an immediate groin strike on a kick from Basharat and Henry goes down in pain. The doctor is in and is telling Henry that he got kicked in the leg and not the groin, which is completely wrong. The fight is waved off as the five minute clock on the timeout runs out and Henry is still in tons of pain. This will either be a no contest or a disqualification, but likely a no contest.

Official Result- Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry ends in a no contest (accidental groin strike) at :15 of Round 2

> Lightweights- Mohammad Yahya (12-3, 0-0 UFC) vs. Trevor Peek (8-1, 1-1 UFC)

Peek lands a leg kick. Peek lands a combo and Yahya goes down for a brief moment. Peek is able to get a takedown and is in the half-guard. They get to their and Peek has it pushed against the fence. Peek lands a knee to the inside leg of Yahya. They separate and Yahya lands a body kick. Peek lands a leg kick. Yahya lands a left hand. Peek lands a left hand and Yahya lands a jumping knee. Yahya has the neck and drags it down for a choke attempt but Peek escapes near the end. 10-9 Peek.

They trade kicks. Yahya lands a body kick as Peek lands a right hand to the body. Yahya landing to the body with kicks as both are looking for openings. Yahya with a partial head kick. Peek lands a combo and then a body shot. Yahya slipped to the mat and Peek looks for a takedown against the fence. Peek lands a flurry. Yahya lands a left hand. They trade some big punches. Peek lands a combo to the body and head. Yahya lands a body kick. 10-9 Peek, 20-18 Peek.

Peek lands some punches to start the third. Peek landing some big shots against the fence. Peek gets it down and kind of has the mount. They get to their feet and Peek has the body lock and gets it back down. They get to their feet. Yahya lands a pair of body kicks. Peek lands a right hand. Yahya lands a left hand. They trade and Yahya pushes it against the fence but Peek reverses position. They separate. Peek lands some heavy right hands. Peek gets a takedown and is in the half-guard. He has full mount but Yahya escapes late. 10-9 Peek, 30-27 Peek.

Official Result- Trevor Peek def. Mohammad Yahya by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

> Flyweights- #10 Tim Elliott (19-12-1, 8-10 UFC) vs. #11 Muhammad Mokaev (9-0 1 NC, 4-0 UFC)

Elliott lands a leg kick. Mokaev lands a right hand but Elliott is able to get a takedown. They scramble to their feet. Mokaev comes forward and lands. They trade punches and Mokaev shoots for a takedown but Elliott defends. Elliott lands some knees but a couple of them were illegal and a timeout is called. They get back to action and Mokaev lands a high kick. Mokaev lands a right hand and combo before getting a takedown. Elliott has the neck and is looking for a guillotine choke. Elliott loses it but goes back for it. Mokaev landing body punches as he escapes the choke. Mokaev lands from the top. 10-9 Mokaev.

Mokaev gets a takedown. Elliott is looking for a guillotine choke. Mokaev landing heavy body punches and is able to get his neck free. Mokaev working from the top and keeping Elliott pinned on the bottom. Mokaev lands a right hand and it allows Elliott to look for a triangle choke. Mokaev then slams Elliott to the mat to get out of it and is working back in the full guard. Mokaev still landing from the top. 10-9 Mokaev, 20-18 Mokaev.

Mokaev looks for a takedown but Elliott is defending. Elliott now landing some knees and some of them were clean but he also landed a couple of illegal ones so we have another timeout. They get back to action in the same position. Mokaev is able to reverse and gets a big takedown on Elliott. Mokaev working from the top and locks in an arm-triangle choke and gets Elliott to tap. What a finish from Mokaev!

Official Result- Muhammad Mokaev def. Tim Elliott by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:03 of Round 3

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> Bantamweights- Said Nurmagomedov (17-3, 6-2 UFC) vs. Muin Gafurov (18-5, 0-1 UFC)

Nurmagomedov throws a front high kick. Gafurov lands a leg kick. Nurmagomedov lands a head kick. Gafurov shoots for a takedown but Nurmagomedov quickly locks in a guillotine choke. It is in tight and Gafurov taps on the opposite side of the referee and falls asleep. What a finish from Nurmagomedov!

Official Result- Said Nurmagomedov def. Muin Gafurov by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:13 of Round 1

> Middleweights- Ikram Aliskerov (14-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Warlley Alves (14-6, 8-6 UFC)

Aliskerov landing some early punches as Alves lands some leg kicks. Aliskerov lands a body kick. Aliskerov lands a right hand and then a jab that buckles Alves. Aliskerov is landing a flurry with a jumping knee that hurts Alves and a flurry ends up finishing it. What a showing from Aliskerov!

Official Result- Ikram Aliskerov def. Warlley Alves by TKO (strikes) at 2:07 of Round 1

> Light Heavyweights- #2 Magomed Ankalaev (18-1-1, 9-1-1 UFC) vs. #7 Johnny Walker (21-7, 7-4 UFC)

Walker lands a right hand. He lands a leg kick and then another. They trade leg kicks. Ankalaev lands a right hand. Ankalaev lands a body shot and Walker faked being hurt to try a flying knee that missed. Ankalaev gets it down for a moment and is trying to get the back. Ankalaev lands a clear illegal knee and we have a timeout. The doctor then stops the fight claiming Walker couldn’t continue and all hell broke loose as Walker pushed the referee, Ankalaev and Walker still kept trying to go after each other, security and even Dana White came in to calm things down.

Official Result- Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker ends in a no contest (accidental foul) at 3:13 of Round 1

> Middleweights- #1-WW Kamaru Usman (20-3, 15-2 UFC) vs. #4-WW Khamzat Chimaev (12-0, 6-0 UFC)

Chimaev lands a body kick. Chimaev shoots for a takedown but Usman is defending. Chimaev takes the back standing and Usman goes to a knee but gets up. Chimaev flattens Usman out for a moment and lands punches. Usman gets to his knees but Chimaev has full back control. Chimaev still landing from the back. They stand and Chimaev is on the back still and is looking for a choke. Usman slams Chimaev down but Chimaev still has the back on the ground. Chimaev looking for the choke again but lets go. Chimaev lands some more. 10-8 Chimaev.

Usman lands a leg kick. Usman lands a left hand. Chimaev lands a body kick. Chimaev lands a low kick. Usman lands a right hand. Chimaev lands a leg kick. Chimaev with a head kick attempt that Usman blocks. Usman lands a right hand after a jab then a calf kick. Usman lands a left hand. Chimaev gets a takedown. Not much happens on the ground as Usman played good defense. Close round. 10-9 Usman, 19-18 Chimaev.

Chimaev shoots for a takedown but Usman easily defends and spins away. Usman lands a right hand. Chimaev lands a right hand and Usman fires back with one. Chimaev tries a takedown but Usman defends. Usman lands a jab and a right hand in close range. Usman lands a jab and is landing away at Chimaev. Usman with a combo. Chimaev is able to get the takedown. Chimaev is on top but not doing much though he is keeping Usman pinned to the bottom. They scramble up. Usman lands a right hand. They swing late. 10-9 Chimaev, 29-27 Chimaev.

Official Result- Khamzat Chimaev def. Kamaru Usman by majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)

> UFC Lightweight Championship- C Islam Makhachev (24-1, 13-1 UFC) vs. C-FW Alexander Volkanovski (26-2, 13-1 UFC)

Makhachev lands a leg kick. He lands another. He shoots for a takedown and pushes it against the fence. Both are landing as they’re tied up with Makhachev landing some knees. They separate. Makhachev lands a body kick. Makhachev lands a left hand. Makhachev lands a head kick and Volkanovski goes down. Makhachev gets on top and starts landing and finishes it off! What a finish from Makhachev!

Official Result- Islam Makhachev def. Alexander Volkanovski by knockout (head kick & punches) at 3:06 of Round 1 to retain the UFC Lightweight Championship 

UFC 279 live results: Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 279: Diaz vs. Ferguson, emanating from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It has been a crazy week in Las Vegas as the Octagon is back home with a fight card that saw numerous changes just 24 hours before the event, ending up with a welterweight headliner featuring one of the most popular fighters in UFC history in perhaps his final UFC fight.

Nate Diaz steps inside the Octagon for perhaps the final time when he takes on Tony Ferguson in the five-round headliner after a crazy series of events saw this fight made on Friday. Diaz was originally slated to fight Khamzat Chimaev in the main event, but Chimaev missed weight by seven-and-a-half pounds and Diaz refused to fight him, so Ferguson was moved into the headline slot.

Chimaev will remain on the card, but he will now fight Kevin Holland in the co-main event, which will also be five rounds. Holland was scheduled to fight Daniel Rodriguez in a 180-pound catchweight fight, but was shifted to fight Chimaev after the two had a heated exchange that nearly led to blows backstage at the UFC 279 press conference on Thursday, and because they weighed within a pound of each other as well.

Two fighters impacted by those changes, Li Jingliang and Daniel Rodriguez, will now fight each other after agreeing despite an eight-and-a-half-pound weigh-in difference between the two. Also on the main card is a women’s catchweight bout pitting Irene Aldana against Macy Chiasson, and an exciting light heavyweight bout between Johnny Walker and Ion Cutelaba.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6 PM 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+ PRELIMS | 6 PM ET/3 PM PT

> Welterweights- Darian Weeks (5-2, 0-2 UFC) vs. Yohan Lainesse (8-1, 0-1 UFC)

They’re trading to start and Lainesse lands some leg kicks then Weeks lands some leg kicks. Weeks grabs the neck and is looking for something but Lainesse escapes. They’re trading and Lainesse works the jab but Weeks is landing more. Weeks with some kicks as he’s chasing Lainesse around. Close round. 10-9 Weeks.

They trade to start the second and both are landing looping shots. Weeks lands a left hand. Lainesse with a leg kick. Weeks pushes it against the fence looking for a takedown and scores a brief takedown but they’re right up and they break. Weeks continues to land more as the round ends. 10-9 Weeks, 20-18 Weeks.

They’re both looking for openings in the third but neither really landing much. Weeks is looking for takedowns but is unable to score them, but he pushes Lainesse against the fence looking to score one. Lainesse lands a leg kick. Lainesse with the jab but Weeks is the one pressuring and pushing the pace. Lainesse with a body kick and Weeks returns with a right hand. They trade and Lainesse grabs the neck late and looks for a guillotine. Lainesse with a flying knee late. Close fight. 10-9 Lainesse, 29-28 Weeks.

Official Result- Yohan Lainesse def. Darian Weeks by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

> Women’s Strawweights- Melissa Martinez (7-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Elise Reed (5-2, 1-2 UFC)

Martinez throwing some side kicks to start out her UFC debut. Reed attacks the lead leg with a kick and Martinez lands a right hand. Martinez lands a check left hook. Reed lands a right hand and Martinez briefly goes down but gets up and they trade. Martinez grabs the body and pushes it against the fence and is looking for the takedown. They break and Reed with a high kick. They clinch late. 10-9 Reed.

They trade punches to start the second. Martinez lands a leg kick and Reed lands a high kick. Martinez with a body kick. She lands a leg kick. Reed with a leg kick. They clinch against the fence and Reed has the advantage and they break. Martinez with a leg kick that Reed checks. They trade at the end. 10-9 Martinez, 19-19.

Reed lands a right hand that slowed Martinez down. Reed is pressuring Martinez down and lands a leg kick and Martinez scores a takedown. Martinez stands and lands a leg kick before Reed gets to her feet. They clinch against the fence and Reed lands a knee. Reed gets a takedown and has the mount at first but transitions to the back as they work their way up. Reed gets it back down but they get right back up. Reed with some knees at the end. 10-9 Reed, 29-28 Reed.

Official Result- Elise Reed def. Melissa Martinez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Bantamweights- Chad Anheliger (12-5, 1-0 UFC) vs. Alatengheili (15-8-2, 3-1-1 UFC)

Heili with a leg kick as both are looking to land the right hand. Anheliger with a leg kick. Heili lands a heavy right hand that pushes Anheliger back against the fence and he lands a combo. Heili lands a right hand that hurts Anheliger again and Heili with a leg kick. Anheliger is still running away as Heili hurts him again. Anheliger with a counter punch as he’s busted open and Heili with a leg kick. Heili with some shots late. 10-9 Heili.

Heili landing more to start the second as he is landing and circling around. Anheliger lands a right hand and Heili lands a left hand. Heili lands a left hand. Heili is pressuring and lands a combo. Heili lands a right hand. Heili with a combination. Anheliger with a body kick. Heili with a combo and Anheliger lands an uppercut. 10-9 Heili, 20-18 Heili.

Heili gets an early takedown and lands before standing and Anheliger is throwing kicks from the back but is ordered up. Anheliger with a leg kick. Anheliger landing slightly more in this round. Anheliger with an uppercut with the left hand. Heili gets a takedown and lands from the top and lands some hammerfists late as he gets the back. 10-9 Heili, 30-27 Heili.

Official Result- Alatengheili def. Chad Anheliger by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Women’s Featherweights- #15 WBW Norma Dumont (7-2, 3-2 UFC) vs. Danyelle Wolf (1-0, 0-0 UFC)

Dumont landing some leg kicks early on. Wolf lands a combo. Wolf lands a nice right hand. She lands another. She then lands a left hand and then a combo. Wolf lands a left hand and then a jab. Dumont lands a right hand. Wolf with a left hand then Dumont lands a right hand and a jab. 10-9 Dumont.

Dumont with a leg kick. She lands another. Dumont with another leg kick. Wolf lands a right hand and they clinch and Dumont is able to get the takedown. They get to their feet and break. Dumont lands a right hand that hurts Wolf badly but then decides to clinch instead of taking advantage. They break. Dumont drops Wolf with a right hand and gets into the guard as the round ends. 10-9 Dumont, 20-18 Dumont.

Wolf lands a left hand and Dumont gets a big takedown. Dumont with some shots from the top and she lands some right hands before standing. Dumont with a big left hand from the top and she moves into side control. Dumont landing and she moves to the mount. Dumont in the half-guard and lands as she looks to set up a choke. Dumont with more punches from the top. She lands more from the top at the end. 10-8 Dumont, 30-26 Dumont.

Official Result- Norma Dumont def. Danyelle Wolf by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

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> Heavyweights*- Jake Collier (13-7, 5-6 UFC) vs. Chris Barnett (22-8, 1-2 UFC)

(*Barnett missed weight by 1.5 pounds)

They have a little bit of a slugfest to start before Barnett circles away. Collier with a body kick then drops Barnett with a punch. Barnett gets up and both are throwing and Collier lands a head kick. They are having a war right now. They clinch but break. Barnett’s left eye is closed. Barnett with a leg kick. Barnett lands a nice combo. Collier lands a left hand. Barnett with a leg kick. Collier with a leg kick. Barnett with a combo. Collier gets a takedown right into mount. Collier gets the back and has Barnett flattened out and is landing punches. Collier gets the neck and looks for the choke. It’s not under the chin and Barnett gives a thumbs up. Barnett gets to his feet and they break. Collier with a left hand. Wild round. 10-9 Collier.

Barnett lands a jab then a follow-up right hand. Barnett with a right hand. Both are landing punches inside the pocket. They clinch and Collier with a knee. Barnett lands and they go to the ground and Barnett gets the mount and is landing lots of big punches. Collier is in trouble as Barnett keeps landing lots of punches. Barnett landing more and it is stopped. What a fight! Great finish by Barnett.

Official Result- Chris Barnett def. Jake Collier by TKO (punches) at 2:24 of Round 2

> Middleweights- Denis Tiuliulin (10-6, 0-1 UFC) vs. Jamie Pickett (13-7, 2-3 UFC)

Pickett with a side kick to the body. Pickett with a combo. They trade punches. Pickett with a body kick. Pickett grabs the body and tries for a takedown against the fence. Tiuliulin escapes and they break. Tiuliulin with a right hand. They trade punches. Tiuliulin lands a right hand then a flurry to the body. Tiuliulin with a pair of right hands then lands a combo. Pickett with a body kick. We have a timeout for a groin strike on Pickett. They get back to action and trade and Tiuliulin with a right hand and a leg kick. 10-9 Pickett.

They trade to start the second and Tiuliulin with some body kicks. Tiuliulin landing with more volume as he’s pushing the pace. Tiuliulin throws a kick and the knee lands to the groin and we have a timeout. A point is taken away from Tiuliulin. Tiuliulin comes out firing and is landing more. Tiuliulin with an elbow. They go to the mat after Tiuliulin lands some shots and Tiuliulin is in side control and lands some elbows and they stand. Tiuliulin with some standing elbows. Tiuliulin lands a knee and Pickett goes down and Tiuliulin is landing punches and it is stopped. Big finish from Tiuliulin.

Official Result- Denis Tiuliulin def. Jamie Pickett by TKO (strikes) at 4:52 of Round 2

> 220-pound Catchweights- Jailton Almeida (16-2, 2-0 UFC) vs. Anton Turkalj (8-0, 0-0 UFC)

Almeida immediately gets the takedown. He gets the back and Turkalj is trying to scramble out. They get up for a moment but Almeida slams it back down. Almeida lands from the top as he remains on top. Almeida gets some right hands thru. Almeida still landing big shots as he passes to the mount and looks for the arm-triangle choke. He lets go and is landing big shots. He gets the back and locks in a rear-naked choke and Turkalj taps! This was just an absolute mauling.

Official Result- Jailton Almeida def. Anton Turkalj by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:27 of Round 1

> Featherweights*- Hakeem Dawodu (13-2-1, 6-2 UFC) vs. Julian Erosa (27-9, 5-5 UFC)

(Dawodu missed weight by 3.5 pounds)

Dawodu lands some leg kicks early on. They trade and Erosa lands a spinning back fist. Dawodu with a body kick and Erosa grabs the leg but Dawodu is able to escape. Dawodu with a leg kick. Erosa with a body kick then a leg kick. Dawodu with the jab. Erosa lands a combo and then an uppercut. Erosa lands a big right hand and Dawodu is hurt. They clinch and Erosa with some knees before they break. Dawodu lands a right hand. Erosa lands a right hand then a couple of uppercuts. Dawodu with an elbow. Dawodu with a head kick. Erosa with a knee then rocks Dawodu again with a right hand and lands a flying knee. 10-9 Erosa.

Dawodu with a right hand and Erosa lands a knee. Dawodu with the jab. Dawodu with a right hand. They clinch for a moment and Dawodu lands a big elbow as they break. Dawodu lands the jab and Erosa with a counter left hand. Erosa gets a takedown. He gets the back and Dawodu stands with Erosa on his back. Erosa has the body triangle locked in standing. They go to the mat with Erosa landing from the back. Erosa working for a choke. They stand and Erosa still has the back but Dawodu escapes. Erosa lands some knees to the body. 10-9 Erosa, 20-18 Erosa.

Erosa with a right hand. Dawodu with the jab and Erosa with a right hand. They trade kicks and Erosa with a right hand. Erosa lands a couple of uppercuts. Dawodu lands a body shot and Erosa lands a combo. Dawodu with the jab. Erosa with a right hand. Erosa with a knee up the middle. Erosa gets the takedown and gets the back and locks in the body triangle. Erosa landing from the back. Dawodu able to spin into the guard of Erosa and lands some right hands but they stand at the end. 10-9 Erosa, 30-27 Erosa.

Official Result- Julian Erosa def. Hakeem Dawodu by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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> Light Heavyweights- #13 Johnny Walker (18-7, 4-4 UFC) vs. Ion Cutelaba (16-7-1 1 NC, 5-6-1 UFC)

Cutelaba with a leg kick and Walker lands a high kick. Cutelaba grabs the leg and gets the takedown. Walker has grabbed the fence a couple of times from the bottom. Cutelaba stands but works back into the guard of Walker. Cutelaba looks for an armbar but Walker escapes, gets the takedown and gets the back and is looking for a rear-naked choke but Cutelaba gets out. Walker gets the choke locked in and he has it in deep and Cutelaba taps! Big win for Walker as he gets the submission.

Official Result- Johnny Walker def. Ion Cutelaba by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:37 of Round 1

> 140-pound Women’s Catchweights- #4 WBW Irene Aldana (13-6, 6-4 UFC) vs. #10 WBW Macy Chiasson (8-2, 6-2 UFC)

Aldana with a left hook. Chiasson with a body kick. They trade punches and leg kicks and Chiasson shoots for a takedown but Aldana defends against the fence. They break and Chiasson with a left hand to the body. Aldana with the jab and then a right hand. Aldana with a leg kick. Aldana lands a right hand. Chiasson lands a right hand. Chiasson tries a takedown but Aldana is able to grab the arm and lock in an armbar but Chiasson gets out and Aldana gets the mount and lands punches and locks the armbar back in but loses it. Aldana gets side control and lands some big punches. Strong close to the first. 10-9 Aldana.

Chiasson with a combo and Aldana lands a right hand. They trade leg kicks. Chiasson gets a takedown and Aldana gets the leg and goes for a leg lock. Chiasson is looking to take the back. Aldana with some back elbows. They scramble to the feet and Chiasson drags it back down. Chiasson has the back and looks to get the hooks in. Chiasson with some elbows. Chiasson has the body triangle in from the back. Chiasson gets the mount and lands some punches. Chiasson with some right hands. 10-9 Chiasson, 19-19.

Chiasson with a leg kick. Aldana lands a couple of jabs. Chiasson shoots for a takedown but Aldana slips away. Aldana lands a right hand and Chiasson fires back with a left hand. Chiasson lands a nice left hand. Chiasson gets a takedown. Chiasson stands and all of a sudden goes down in pain holding her body and the fight is stopped. It appears that Aldana landed an upkick to the liver that shut Chiasson off and it is all over. That is a first. What a finish and win for Aldana.

Official Result- Irene Aldana def. Macy Chiasson by TKO (kick) at 2:21 of Round 3

> 180-pound Catchweights- #14 WW Li Jingliang (19-7, 11-5 UFC) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (16-2, 6-1 UFC)

Jingliang with a leg kick and Rodriguez lands a left hand. Rodriguez lands a body kick. Jingliang with a leg kick. Jingliang with a body kick. Jingliang with some leg kicks and Rodriguez lands the jab. Jingliang with a left hand and then lands a body kick. Rodriguez with a body kick. Jingliang with a right hand. Rodriguez with a high kick. Jingliang lands a left hand. Rodriguez lands a left hand. Jingliang with a low kick and then lands another leg kick and a right hand. 10-9 Jingliang.

They trade to start the second. Both land leg kicks. Rodriguez lands a left hand. Jingliang with a leg kick. Rodriguez lands the jab. Jingliang with a right hand. Jingliang with an inside leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Rodriguez with a leg kick as Jingliang lands a left hook. They trade punches. Rodriguez with a leg kick. Rodriguez with a high kick and Jingliang with a leg kick. Jingliang with a leg kick and lands a right hand. Jingliang lands a left hand then hurts Rodriguez with a right hand. Jingliang then lands some kicks. Rodriguez with the jab. Rodriguez with a head kick and Jingliang gets a late takedown. 10-9 Jingliang, 20-18 Jingliang.

Both looking for openings to start the third and Jingliang with some leg kicks. Rodriguez starting to land more in the third but the pace is slowing a little. Rodriguez with some left hands. Jingliang with a leg kick. Rodriguez is landing the jab. Lots of booing from the crowd but they shouldn’t. Rodriguez pressuring and Jingliang is looking tired. Rodriguez lands more at the end. 10-9 Rodriguez, 29-28 Jingliang.

Official Result- Daniel Rodriguez def. Li Jingliang by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

> 180-pound Catchweights- #3 WW Khamzat Chimaev (11-0, 5-0 UFC) vs. Kevin Holland (23-7 1 NC, 10-4 1 NC UFC)

Chimaev gets an immediate takedown and Holland scrambles up. Chimaev gets it back down. They get up and Chimaev gets it right back down and looks for the D’Arce choke. Holland trying to slip out but Chimaev still has control of the neck. He has it locked in, though, and he gets Holland to tap! That was quick and dominant.

Official Result- Khamzat Chimaev def. Kevin Holland by submission (D’Arce choke) at 2:13 of Round 1

> Welterweights- Nate Diaz (20-13, 15-11 UFC) vs. #11 LW Tony Ferguson (25-7, 15-5 UFC)

Ferguson just misses a spinning elbow and then trips Diaz to the mat. Ferguson with a leg kick. Diaz pressing forward. Diaz with a leg kick. Ferguson is bleeding from his shin. Ferguson misses an elbow. Diaz lands a left hand. Ferguson is landing with more volume here. Diaz lands a right hand and a kick and Ferguson lands a left hand. Diaz lands a nice right hand. Ferguson with a leg kick. Ferguson misses a spinning back fist. Diaz with a left hand. 10-9 Diaz.

Diaz lands a leg kick early in the second. Ferguson with a left hand then a right hand. Diaz lands a combo. Ferguson lands a nice combination. They trade in close range. Ferguson with a leg kick. Diaz with a combo ending with a leg kick. Diaz lands a combo. Diaz with a combo and he tags Ferguson with a left hand. Diaz with a left hand. Ferguson with an inside low kick. Diaz with a right hand. 10-9 Diaz, 20-18 Diaz.

Diaz with a right hand. Ferguson throwing kicks and some are getting checked or blocked. Ferguson lands a solid leg kick. Diaz started circling the cage like he didn’t want to fight but then started and Ferguson lands some big leg kicks. Ferguson with a right hand. Diaz lands a flurry then puts his hand on top of the cage and takes a break. Ferguson continues to land the leg kicks and Diaz’ leg is getting beaten up. Ferguson lands some kicks and a right hand. Diaz chases Ferguson down and lands some punches. Diaz with a body kick then a combination. He lands a flurry against the fence. Ferguson lands the jab. Ferguson with a leg kick. Diaz with a left hand. 10-9 Diaz, 30-27 Diaz.

Diaz lands some body kicks. Ferguson with a left hand and an inside leg kick. Ferguson with a short uppercut. Diaz with a left hand and lands again. Diaz with a combination and then lands a big body shot. Ferguson with a leg kick. Diaz with a combo to the body. Ferguson with a body punch on Diaz. Diaz lands to the body then grabs the neck and locks in a guillotine choke and Ferguson taps! What a fitting end to what could be the final UFC fight for Diaz.

Official Result- Nate Diaz def. Tony Ferguson by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:52 of Round 4

Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev in the works for UFC 279 main event

Posted on by Josh Nason

With Nate Diaz’s contract status continuing to be a major storyline within the UFC, the cult hero has been calling for headline-worthy fights for months.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that he appears to have got his wish in rising welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev for the main event of September 10th’s UFC 279 at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Ariel Helwani first reported the news. It’s unknown if the fight will be the only five-round bout on the card or if they will co-headline with a title fight. 

The fight is the last on Diaz’s contract and will clear the Stockton, California, fighter to pursue a much-discussed boxing pay-per-view fight with Jake Paul. Speaking to Helwani recently, Diaz said he turned down several UFC contract offers that would have paid him more.

Diaz had a date of October 19th in which to be booked for a fight or else his contract would have ended.

The 37-year-old has fought just once since November 2019, a June 2021 unanimous decision loss to current title contender Leon Edwards. The 28-year-old Chimaev is undefeated at 11-0 (5-0 UFC) and returned after a long battle with COVID-19 in October 2021 with a first round submission win over Li Jingliang and a April 2022 unanimous decision win over Gilbert Burns.

UFC 273 live results: Two title fights, Burns vs. Chimaev

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie, emanating from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Octagon returns to Jacksonville for their second straight April pay-per-view event in the arena with another stacked card featuring two title fights and one of the promotion’s big upcoming stars in a big featured bout.

In the main event, UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski makes his fourth title defense as he defends against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. Volkanovski is coming off a decision win over Brian Ortega at UFC 266 in September, and has won 20 straight fights. Jung gets his second shot at winning UFC gold and last fought in June, scoring a main event win over Dan Ige.

In the co-main event, it is the long-awaited rematch for the UFC Bantamweight Championship, as current champion Aljamain Sterling and current interim champion Petr Yan look to settle the score. Sterling became the champion at UFC 259 in March 2021 when Yan was disqualified after landing an illegal knee. Sterling ended up having to have neck surgery following the fight, and Yan would win an interim title fight over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 267 in October to set up the rematch.

Also on the main card, former title challenger Gilbert Burns battles the much-hyped and undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in a pivotal welterweight bout. Also, Mackenzie Dern takes on Tecia Torres in a strawweight bout.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 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].

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> Bantamweights*- Julio Arce (17-5, 4-3 UFC) vs. Daniel Santos (10-1, 0-0 UFC)

*Arce missed weight by a half-pound

Santos is making his UFC debut. Santos throwing big punches early and lands a right hand. Arce with a high kick. Santos throws some heavy shots and connects then Arce lands a jab. Arce continuing to land the jab. Santos only throwing big shots as they clinch. Santos lands a big elbow before they break. Santos lands an uppercut elbow as they clinch. They break. Santos with a right hand. Arce with a head kick and Santos barely blocks it. Arce lands a few jabs. Arce with a left hand. They trade body kicks. Arce lands a jab then a left hand. Santos lands a right hand and Arce lands a left hand. Arce with a high kick. Arce lands a big head kick and some big punches. 10-9 Arce.

Santos is swinging big to start the second but missing a lot of his shots. They clinch but break. They trade in close range. Arce lands a combination as Santos is missing most of his shots. Both guys landing near the fence as Santos lands to the body. They separate and Santos lands more to the body. Arce lands a nice combination. Santos still coming forward and throwing and landing some. Arce ahead on volume in the round. Santos with a leg kick. Arce with the jab. 10-9 Arce, 20-18 Arce.

Arce lands the jab. Santos throws a head kick but Arce blocks it. They trade body kicks. They’re trading in close range and Arce is landing a little more. Arce with a head kick and Santos blocks it. Santos still coming forward and throwing but not landing much. Arce lands a solid combination. Arce lands the jab as Santos misses a spinning back fist. Santos with a spin kick that just barely lands to the body. Arce with a high kick. Arce with a left hand to the body. Santos tries a spin kick and falls to the mat and Arce lands a big left hand. They both throw big shots at the end. 10-9 Arce, 30-27 Arce.

Official Result- Julio Arce def. Daniel Santos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Women’s Strawweights*- Piera Rodriguez (7-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Kay Hansen (7-5, 1-2 UFC)

*Hansen missed weight by 2.5 pounds

Rodriguez is making her UFC debut. Hansen with a quick combination to start. Rodriguez with a leg kick. Hansen lands a solid jab. Hansen gets a takedown but they’re at the fence and Rodriguez uses it to get to their feet. They trade and Hansen gets another takedown, this time in the center of the Octagon. Rodriguez with an elbow from the bottom while Hansen is working in the guard. Hansen lands from the top as she passes to side control. Hansen is looking to set up an arm-triangle as she gets back to the half-guard. Hansen ends the round in the guard of Rodriguez. 10-9 Hansen.

Rodriguez with a body kick then a leg kick. Rodriguez lands a right hand. Rodriguez with an uppercut inside the pocket. They clinch against the fence. Hansen working hard for the takedown against the fence. They break for a moment but clinch right back up against the fence. Rodriguez gets a takedown and rolls to side control. Rodriguez has the back and lands some punches. Rodriguez has back control and lands some elbows. She’s trying to set up something but Rodriguez moves to the top. Hansen attacks the leg but time runs out. 10-9 Rodriguez, 19-19.

Rodriguez gets a takedown after not much happens to start the third round. They get to their feet. Rodriguez with a leg kick. She lands one to the body and they clinch. Hansen tries for a takedown but Rodriguez defends. They clinch against the fence. Rodriguez has the pressure and control against the fence and looks for a takedown but Hansen defends. Hansen grabs the neck but Rodriguez pops out. Hansen with a knee. Rodriguez pressuring against the fence. They break and Hansen with a front kick to the body. Rodriguez gets a late takedown and ends the fight on top. 10-9 Rodriguez, 29-28 Rodriguez.

Official Result- Piera Rodriguez def. Kay Hansen by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Heavyweights- Aleksei Oleinik (59-16-1, 8-7 UFC) vs. Jared Vanderaa (12-7, 1-3 UFC)

Oleinik tries a big overhand right and misses. Oleinik lands the right hand. Oleinik with a leg kick then a right hand. Vanderaa throwing the jab. Oleinik lands a jab and then lands a right hand. Oleinik lands another right hand and goes for a takedown but Vanderaa defends and lands a knee. Oleinik lands a right hand. They clinch and Oleinik tries to pull guard but Vanderaa stays up and lands some punches. They scramble and Vanderaa has the back of Oleinik and has the hooks in. Vanderaa has the back mount and is landing punches. Vanderaa looking for a choke but lets go. Vanderaa looking for a triangle choke and lands some punches. Oleinik escapes and has the back of Vanderaa now. Oleinik looking for a rear-naked choke. Oleinik switches to side control and has the scarf hold in. Vanderaa taps! Oleinik gets win number 60 in his career in a fun fight.

Official Result- Aleksei Oleinik def. Jared Vanderaa by submission (scarf hold) at 3:39 of Round 1

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> Welterweights- Mickey Gall (7-4, 6-4 UFC) vs. Mike Malott (7-1-1, 0-0 UFC)

Malott is making his UFC debut. They trade punches early. Malott lands a right hand that stuns Gall. Gall with a combination against the fence. Malott with a leg kick. Malott lands a nice right hand. Gall lands a double jab. Malott with the jab. Malott with a combination. Gall scores a takedown but they get right up. They’re trading and then Malott lands a left hook and Gall does a face plant to the mat and Malott lands some follow-up punches that he didn’t need to and gets the finish. What a debut from Malott!

Official Result- Mike Malott def. Mickey Gall by TKO (punches) at 3:41 of Round 1

> Women’s Bantamweights- #4 Aspen Ladd (9-2, 4-2 UFC) vs. #7 Raquel Pennington (13-8, 10-5 UFC)

Pennington landing a jab to the body early and lands a right hand. Pennington lands a right hand. Pennington with a body kick. They clinch and Pennington with an elbow as she pushes it against the fence. They break. Pennington lands a left hand and a body kick. Ladd with a high kick. Pennington lands a combo against the fence. Ladd with a body kick. Pennington lands a right hand. Pennington lands a left hand. Ladd lands a  left hand. Pennington lands a left hand. Pennington with a nice combination. Pennington with a body kick. They trade punches in close range. Pennington with a big right hand. Pennington with some knees in the clinch late and they exchange in a flurry at the end of the first. 10-9 Pennington.

Ladd lands a couple of kicks to start the second. Pennington lands a right hand. They trade punches. They exchange punches inside the pocket and Pennington pushes it against the fence in a clinch. They break and trade punches then Ladd lands two kicks and pokes Pennington in the eye and we have a pause in the action. They get back to work and Pennington pressing forward. They trade inside the pocket and Ladd lands a nice left hook. Pennington lands a big right hand. Pennington landing with more volume after Ladd lands a combo. Pennington with a combo. They clinch against the fence. They break. Ladd with a high kick. They clinch and Pennington with some dirty boxing as she lands right hands and an uppercut. Pennington with a nice combination. Pennington lands a left hand. Pennington lands a late flurry. 10-9 Pennington, 20-18 Pennington.

Ladd with a body kick. Ladd with a body kick and Pennington lands a right hand. Pennington with a leg kick. They clinch against the fence. Ladd has the Thai plumb and lands some short knees. They trade knees. Ladd gets a takedown and is in the guard of Pennington. They get to their feet and Ladd has the back and Pennington lands a back elbow. Ladd gets another takedown but they get up. Ladd still has the back. Ladd lands a knee as she’s pressuring against the fence now. They trade knees to the body. Ladd trips it to the mat. They get up and Ladd still has the body lock. Ladd with another knee. They end in the clinch. 10-9 Ladd, 29-28 Pennington.

Official Result- Raquel Pennington def. Aspen Ladd by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Middleweights- Anthony Hernandez (8-2 1 NC, 2-2 UFC) vs. Josh Fremd (9-2, 0-0 UFC)

Fremd is making his UFC debut. Fremd with a leg kick and then another. They trade punches. They clinch as Hernandez is looking for the takedown. Hernandez still trying hard for the takedown and gets it and has the back. Hernandez gets the neck and looks for the guillotine but they get up. Hernandez gets a takedown and has the back. Hernandez looks for the guillotine and now moves to the D’Arce choke. Fremd is defending. Hernandez lets go and still has the back as Fremd is grabbing the fence. Hernandez goes for a standing arm-triangle but Fremd breaks it up with a knee. They break and Hernandez with an elbow and follows it with a combo. Hernandez lands a big right hand as they break. Fremd lands a right hand. Hernandez with a right hand and gets a takedown. Hernandez has the back of Fremd against the fence. They get to their feet. Hernandez lands a right hand and gets another takedown. 10-9 Hernandez.

Hernandez lands a punch and gets a brief takedown. They break. Hernandez pressuring with more takedown attempts and he has the back against the fence. Hernandez looking for the neck to set up a choke. He lets go and lands some elbows and body punches. Hernandez with some elbows. He mixes punches and elbows. Fremd now goes for a guillotine choke. Hernandez escapes but is on the bottom. They get to their feet and Fremd has the back standing. Fremd gets the takedown against the fence. They get to their feet. Fremd with a knee as they break. Fremd with a couple of big right hands. Fremd tries for a takedown but Hernandez has the neck and has a guillotine but Fremd turns out. Hernandez with some big punches on the ground as the round ends. Close round. 10-9 Hernandez, 20-18 Hernandez.

Hernandez gets a takedown right away to start the third. They get up and Hernandez with a big slam takedown and looks for the guillotine choke. He lets go and looks for the D’Arce choke but lets go of that. Hernandez on top and lands some elbows. Hernandez lands some knees to the body on the ground. Hernandez gets the back and lands some big elbows. Hernandez has the mount and looked for a rear-naked choke. Hernandez with some right hands and Fremd lands an up-elbow. Hernandez has a reverse triangle choke locked in but Fremd gives a thumbs up and they make it to the end. 10-9 Hernandez, 30-27 Hernandez.

Official Result- Anthony Hernandez def. Josh Fremd by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Welterweights- Ian Garry (8-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Darian Weeks (5-1, 0-1 UFC)

Garry with a front kick to the body. Weeks with a leg kick. Garry with a leg kick and Weeks falls to the mat for a second. They clinch against the fence and Weeks with some knees. Garry reverses position and they break. Garry with a front kick and then a body kick. Garry with a question mark kick. Garry with the jab. They clinch. They break near the end. 10-9 Garry.

Garry with a snap jab that whips Weeks’ head back. Garry with a combination. Garry lands a couple of jabs. Weeks is barely doing anything on the feet as they clinch again against the fence. Weeks with a big elbow as they break. Garry with a front kick to the body. Garry lands a right hand. Garry lands a combo and gets away from Weeks throwing punches. Garry with a body kick and a right hand. Weeks gets the back and almost gets a takedown. They break and Weeks lands a left hook on the break. Garry with a leg kick. Garry with a late flying knee that doesn’t really connect. 10-9 Garry, 20-18 Garry.

Garry with a quick combo. Garry with a leg kick. Garry with a big combination and he lands kicks to the body and legs. Garry with another combo. Weeks goes for a takedown but Garry defends. Garry with the jab and then lands a left hand. Garry with the jab. Weeks lands a left hand. Garry with the calf kick. Garry lands a right hand and Weeks stumbles. Garry lands a leg kick and a jab to follow up. Garry with a knee against the fence and they break. Weeks has the back at the end. 10-9 Garry, 30-27 Garry.

Official Result- Ian Garry def. Darian Weeks by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

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> Lightweights- Vinc Pichel (14-2, 7-2 UFC) vs. Mark Madsen (11-0, 3-0 UFC)

They trade leg kicks to start. They trade leg kicks again. Madsen landing several leg kicks early. Pichel with a body kick. Pichel with a leg kick. He lands another. Pichel lands a right hand. Madsen with a leg kick. Pichel lands a leg kick. Madsen gets a takedown and is into side control. They get to their feet and Pichel escapes and lands a knee on the break then a jab. Pichel with a leg kick. Madsen lands a huge right hand. They trade leg kicks. 10-9 Madsen.

Madsen throwing right hands early in the second but not connecting. Pichel with a leg kick. Madsen with a leg kick. Pichel with a nice body kick. Pichel lands the jab. Pichel with a leg kick. Madsen gets a takedown and has the back near the center. Pichel has the back as they’re battling for position on the mat. Madsen escapes to his feet and Pichel looks for a takedown as gets up. Pichel with a leg kick. Pichel shoots for a takedown against the fence. He completes it. 10-9 Pichel, 19-19.

Madsen lands a right hand. Pichel with a jumping knee and follows it with a right hand. Pichel with a leg kick and he continues to land more as he’s putting on the pressure to start the third. They clinch and Madsen has the back but they break. Pichel with a front kick to the body. Madsen gets the takedown and is in the half-guard. He moves to the full guard of Pichel. Both land elbows on the mat as Madsen has top position. Madsen keeping Pichel planted on the bottom. They get to the fence and Madsen is keeping Pichel down on the mat. Pichel goes for a kneebar late but Madsen gets back on top and lands punches as the fight ends. 10-9 Madsen, 29-28 Madsen.

Official Result- Mark Madsen def. Vinc Pichel by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Women’s Strawweights- #5 Mackenzie Dern (11-2, 6-2 UFC) vs. #7 Tecia Torres (13-5, 9-5 UFC)

Torres landing some right hands as Dern is coming into range. Dern tries for a takedown but Torres shakes her off. They clinch against the fence and trade positions. They break. Torres with a leg kick. Torres with another leg kick. Dern shoots for a takedown and Torres lands a right hand. Dern pressuring and throwing more but Torres landing more. Torres with an inside leg kick. Dern with a right hand. Dern lands another right hand. They trade and Dern rocks Torres with a right hand. Torres with a side kick. Dern with another right hand and Torres with another side kick. Close round. 10-9 Torres.

They trade and Torres lands a nice counter shot. They clinch against the fence and Dern jumps up and is looking to attack the arm. Dern trying to find a kimura. Torres doing a good job of staying balanced on her feet. They go to the mat and Dern looking for the armbar. Torres escapes. Dern still attacking the arm as Torres is defending well. Dern now attacks the leg. She has it and is looking for a kneebar. Torres survives the round. 10-9 Dern, 19-19.

Dern throwing to start the third as Torres circles away. Dern with a body kick. Torres with a leg kick. Dern with a left hand. Torres with a short leg kick. Torres lands a right hand and a heel to the chin as Dern was trying to grab the leg for a takedown attempt. Dern gets a takedown and Torres lands an upkick that sends Dern down and they get up. Torres with a spin kick to the body. Dern lands a couple of right hands then Torres lands a punch. Torres with a body kick and Dern falls down trying to bait Torres to the ground but she has to get up. Torres with a body kick. Torres with a leg kick. Dern lands a right hand as Torres goes for a late takedown. Great fight, close fight. 10-9 Torres, 29-28 Torres.

Official Result- Mackenzie Dern def. Tecia Torres by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

> Welterweights- #2 Gilbert Burns (20-4, 13-4 UFC) vs. #11 Khamzat Chimaev (10-0, 4-0 UFC)

Chimaev coming forward and lands a right hand and goes for the takedown. Chimaev with some knees. They trade knees and Chimaev with a foot stomp. They go to their knees and trade punches. Chimaev drags Burns to the mat. They get up and Chimaev still has the body lock. Burns rolls and Chimaev ends up on top. Chimaev stands and lands some kicks. Burns with a leg kick and then a right hand. They trade inside the pocket. Burns with a body kick. Burns with a right hand then a jab. Chimaev with a combination. Burns with a right hand. Burns with a left hook. They trade in close range. Chimaev with a leg kick after Burns hit him and he slipped. Chimaev with a body kick. Chimaev drops Burns with a straight right hand and gets on top and starts throwing hammerfists. Chimaev stands and lands a kick. Burns has a big cut opened up. Chimaev with a right hand. 10-9 Chimaev.

Chimaev with a leg kick. Burns shoots for a takedown but Chimaev gets out of it. Chimaev with a right hook. Burns lands a right hand that wobbles Chimaev. Chimaev with a right hook and Burns counters with a big body kick. Chimaev with a leg kick. Chimaev with a right hand. Burns with a couple of leg kicks and a right hand. Burns tries for a takedown but Chimaev defends. Burns clips Chimaev with a left and he falls but gets up. Burns with a big flurry as he has Chimaev hurt but Chimaev recovers and lands a combo. Chimaev has a cut open. Burns with a body kick. Chimaev with a leg kick. Burns with a right hand. Burns tries for a takedown but Chimaev sprawls and gets on top. Burns with hammerfists and pushes Chimaev off and they stand. Burns with the jab. They trade punches. Burns with a right hand. Chimaev lands a right hand. Chimaev with a right hand. Burns lands a big right hand. Burns lands a punch and Chimaev slips and Burns looked to try and soccer kick him. They trade on the mat at the end and there may have been some illegal shots in there. 10-9 Burns, 19-19.

Burns with a leg kick. Chimaev with the jab. Burns lands a jab. Chimaev lands a right hand. Burns shoots for the takedown but Chimaev defends. They scramble. Chimaev starting to land big punches against the fence and Burns is covering up. Chimaev lands a big knee and Burns is in trouble. Burns looks gassed. They break from the clinch. Chimaev with a right hand. Chimaev lands a good combo. Burns misses a right hand. They trade punches. Chimaev with a combination. Burns with a right hand. Chimaev pressing forward. Burns with a right hand and then another and a third. Chimaev with a right hand. Chimaev with an uppercut. Chimaev with a body kick. What a crazy fight! 10-9 Chimaev, 29-28 Chimaev.

Official Result- Khamzat Chimaev def. Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> UFC Bantamweight Championship- C Aljamain Sterling (20-3, 12-3 UFC) vs. IC Petr Yan (16-2, 8-1 UFC)

Sterling with a leg kick. Sterling with a body kick and a right hand. Sterling with a body kick. Yan has been missing almost all of his punches. Yan with a body kick. Yan lands a left hand. Yan misses his punches as he was rushing in. They both land punches. Sterling with a body kick. Yan with two left hands. Sterling still circling as Yan is trying to find an opening. Sterling looks for a takedown and Yan lands a left hand. 10-9 Yan.

Yan with a body kick. Sterling shoots for a takedown but Yan defends. Sterling gets Yan to the mat and has the back. Sterling has the body triangle on. They both land punches on the mat as Sterling has the body lock. Sterling with a left to the body. Sterling with some big left hands. Sterling looking for the rear-naked choke. Sterling lets go and is landing big punches from the top. Sterling with more punches. Sterling with complete control in the second. 10-8 Sterling, 19-18 Sterling.

Sterling landing to start the third and Yan lands a low kick. They trade kicks. Sterling shoots for a takedown but Yan defends. They clinch against the fence. They break. Sterling lands a left hand. Sterling gets a takedown against the fence and takes the back again. Sterling has the body triangle locked in again as they’re against the fence. Sterling with some punches from the back. Sterling in complete control on the mat as the crowd is booing, but only because they don’t like Sterling. Yan has no answers on the mat right now. 10-9 Sterling, 29-27 Sterling.

Yan lands a left hand to start the fourth. Sterling goes for a takedown but Yan defends and lands a combination as they break. Sterling dives for a takedown but Yan sprawls. They get to their feet. Yan with a knee. Sterling with a body kick. They trade left hands. Sterling gets the back standing and jumps on it but is too high and Yan escapes. Yan goes to the mat and Sterling looked for a triangle but Yan gets in the guard of Sterling. Yan working from the top and lands a big right hand. Yan gets the back standing. They end the round laying on the ground. 10-9 Yan, 38-37 Sterling.

Yan with a leg kick and Sterling trips to the mat but gets up. Sterling with a body kick. Yan with a leg kick. Sterling tries for a takedown but Yan defends as they get against the fence. They break. Sterling lands a combination. Sterling goes for a takedown has has the back against the fence. Yan escapes and they break to the center. Sterling lands an elbow. Sterling trying for a takedown and Yan with a left hand to the body. Sterling shoots again but Yan stuffs it. Sterling with the jab. Yan with a jumping knee and follows it with a left hand. Sterling shoots for a takedown but Yan defends and takes the back. They get to the fence and break. Sterling with an up-elbow and shoots for the takedown. Yan defends and has the back as they’re on their knees. They end the fight in that position. This will be interesting. 10-9 Yan, 47-47 DRAW.

Official Result- Aljamain Sterling def. Petr Yan by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) to become the Undisputed UFC Bantamweight Champion

> UFC Featherweight Championship- C Alexander Volkanovski (23-1, 10-0 UFC) vs. #4 Chan Sung Jung (17-6, 7-3 UFC)

Volkanovski lands a left hand. Volkanovski with a body kick. Jung lands a right hand. Volkanovski lands a counter left hook. They trade kicks. Volkanovski with a leg kick. Volkanovski with a leg kick after they trade jabs. Volkanovski with a nice combination. Volkanovski with some more big punches. Volkanovski with the jab. Volkanovski lands a right hand and Jung is wobbled. Volkanovski gets a takedown. Jung quickly gets up. They tie up against the fence. They break. Jung lands a left hand. Volkanovski lands a left hand and Jung falls to his butt. He gets up and Volkanovski with a leg kick and a nice combo. 10-9 Volkanovski.

Jung with a leg kick. Volkanovski with an inside leg kick. He lands another. Volkanovski with a body kick. Volkanovski with a right hand. Jung with a leg kick and Volkanovski checks it. Volkanovski with a big right hand. Volkanovski with the jab. Volkanovski with an inside leg kick. Jung lands a left hand. Jung with a front kick. Volkanovski with a right hand. Volkanovski lands some big punches and Jung falls but gets up and Jung lands a big left hand. Volkanovski gets a takedown against the fence. Volkanovski with punches from the top. They get up and break. Volkanovski with an elbow and uppercut as they break. Volkanovski with two solid right hands. Volkanovski gets a trip takedown against the fence. They get up and break and Volkanovski with a right hand. Volkanovski with a body kick then a jab. Jung pressing forward but getting tagged. 10-9 Volkanovski, 20-18 Volkanovski.

Jung lands a leg kick. They trade in close range. They exchange jabs. Volkanovski with a right hand. Volkanovski lands in close range. Jung with an uppercut and follows it with a couple of shots that land. Volkanovski with a knee as they briefly tie up. Volkanovski with a right hand. Volkanovski with a right hand and then scores a brief takedown but Jung gets right up. Volkanovski has control against the fence. They break and Volkanovski with a combination. Volkanovski with a leg kick and then a short right hand and a left hook. Jung lands a nice combo. Volkanovski with a left hand. Volkanovski drops Jung with a right hand and gets on top. Volkanovski with shots from the top as he’s looking for the finish but Jung survives the round. 10-9 Volkanovski, 30-27 Volkanovski.

The doctor asked Jung if he wanted to continue and he did, so they let it go on. Volkanovski with some leg kicks. Volkanovski with a big right hand and then another and Herb Dean stops the fight. That was the right call. An absolutely dominant showing from Volkanovski as he retains the title.

Official Result- Alexander Volkanovski def. Chan Sung Jung by TKO (punches) at :45 of Round 4 to retain the UFC Featherweight Championship

Wrestling Observer Radio: Tony Khan’s tweets, NXT call-ups, UFC 273

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back on Wrestling Observer Radio talking all the latest news in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter as well as today’s news.

We talk about Tony Khan’s series of tweets and what may have been behind them. We go over the NXT call-ups to SmackDown today.

We look at Dave’s story on Cody Rhodes, if the real reason why he left will ever come out, and how WWE can further utilize him. We also look at AEW Dynamite ratings, New Japan’s upcoming show, and UFC 273.

There’s still time to join us for the F4W/Wrestling Observer Convention on Double or Nothing weekend. You can still buy tickets to all of the events. You can also join the Facebook group and follow the Twitter account @f4wconvention.

Click to listen below.

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UFC 267 live results: Blachowicz vs. Teixeira, Yan vs. Sandhagen

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 267: Blachowicz vs. Teixeira, emanating from the Etihad Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabu.

It’s a special non-pay-per-view numbered event for ESPN+ subscribers, with a stacked card as the Octagon heads back to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, bringing along two title fights and a card full of great match-ups.

In the main event, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz defends the title for a second time against challenger Glover Teixeira. Blachowicz’ last trip to Fight Island brought along the biggest moment of his career, as he finished Dominick Reyes to win the championship. He made a successful defense against Israel Adesanya in March. Teixeira gets a second chance to win the title as his career resurgence has seen him win five straight bouts coming into this one.

In the co-main event, an Interim UFC Bantamweight Championship is up for grabs as former UFC Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan takes on Cory Sandhagen. Yan was supposed to have a rematch with current champion Aljamain Sterling, but Sterling wasn’t cleared to compete due to neck issues. In steps Sandhagen on short notice, and the two will fight for the interim title and the next shot at Sterling.

The rest of the main card is full of intriguing fights as Islam Makhachev battles Dan Hooker in a lightweight bout, heavyweights Alexander Volkov and Marcin Tybura square off, Li Jingliang welcomes much-hyped Khamzat Chimaev back to action in a middleweight bout, and light heavyweight sluggers Magomed Ankalaev and Volkan Oezdemir kick off the main card.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 10:30 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].

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> Tagir Ulanbekov (#15, 12-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Allan Nascimento (18-5, 0-0 UFC)
Flyweights

Nascimento lands some leg kicks early as Ulanbekov lands some punches. Nascimento with another leg kick. Nascimento with another leg kick and they trade punches. Ulanbekov with the jab and Nascimento with a leg kick. They clinch and Ulanbekov gets the takedown. Nascimento looking for the triangle choke but Ulanbekov quickly escapes. Nascimento trying to clear the hips and get an armbar. He uses it to sweep to the top but they scramble and Ulanbekov is looking for the takedown. They scramble to the mat and Ulanbekov has a mounted guillotine choke locked in but Nascimento somehow escapes. Ulanbekov remains on top. Nascimento has the neck and then looks for an arm for a kimura. Fun round. 10-9 Ulanbekov.

Nascimento with a leg kick to start the second. He lands another. He lands another as Ulanbekov is looking to grapple. Ulanbekov drops for the takedown against the fence. He gets it down and Nascimento is looking for the arm from the bottom. Ulanbekov escapes and gets back into Nascimento’s full guard. Both land on the mat. Nascimento throwing elbows from the bottom. Nascimento with another elbow from the bottom. Ulanbekov landing small shots but not doing much. Nascimento looks for an armbar late. 10-9 Nascimento, 19-19.

Nascimento with a leg kick. Ulanbekov gets the takedown and Nascimento tries to sweep as he grabs the arm. Nascimento now looking for a reverse triangle. Ulanbekov gets out and into the full guard. Ulanbekov with short punches from the top. They both battle for ground position as both land short punches. Ulanbekov lands a nice left hand from the top. Ulanbekov remains on top and in control on the ground. Nascimento looks for a kimura again. Ulanbekov lands some nice punches from the top at the end. 10-9 Ulanbekov, 29-28 Ulanbekov.

Official Result- Tagir Ulanbekov def. Allan Nascimento by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

> Hu Yaozong (3-2, 0-2 UFC) vs. Andre Petroski (6-1, 1-0 UFC)
Middleweights

Petroski lands a left hand and then again. Yaozong tries a head kick and falls down and Petroski gets him in a guillotine choke. Petroski lets go but is in the mount and takes the back and lands some big punches. He now looks for a rear-naked choke. It was in a bad angle and they scramble and Petroski has the neck again. They get to their feet and break. Petroski with two left hands. Petroski with a hard left hand and Yaozong lands a front kick to the body. Petroski with another left hand. They trade punches and Petroski landing more. Petroski already looking tired. He gets a takedown but Yaozong scrambles up. Yaozong with a body kick. Petroski is landing punches. Yaozong with a leg kick. Petroski lands late. 10-9 Petroski.

Petroski gets an early takedown and they scramble up. Petroski with a left hand. They trade punches and Petroski gets another takedown. Petroski in the half-guard. Petroski lands some punches and he has the back and looks for the neck again. They scramble and Petroski in side control. Petroski gets the back and lands a big right hand. He now gets on top and looks for an arm-triangle. He lets go and remains on top. He goes back for it. Yaozong gets out and Petroski has the back and lands a right hand. He remains there and they scramble at the end. 10-9 Petroski, 20-18 Petroski.

Petroski with a body kick. Petroski with a left hand. Petroski gets a takedown against the fence. Petroski with some left hands. Yaozong grabs the fence. Petroski lands some elbows. Petroski takes the back. Yaozong tries to scramble out but Petroski still has control. Petroski has the neck. They break as they get to the feet. Yaozong with a leg kick. Petroski lands some big punches. Petroski gets a takedown and is in side control and moves to the mount. Petroski looks for a choke but lets go and lands a big elbow. Petroski now landing some punches. Petroski now looking for a choke from the top as he has the arm-triangle locked in and Yaozong taps. Dominant win for Petroski.

Official Result- Andre Petroski def. Hu Yaozong by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:46 of Round 3

> Makwan Amirkhani (16-6, 6-4 UFC) vs. Lerone Murphy (10-0-1, 2-0-1 UFC)
Featherweights

Amirkhani goes for the takedown and completes it. He gets to side control and lands and then moves to the half-guard. He moves to the full guard. They scramble up for a moment and Amirkhani gets another takedown. Murphy looking to throw his legs up but Amirkhani flips over to side control. Amirkhani ends up back on top after a scramble at the end of the round. 10-9 Amirkhani.

Amirkhani goes for the takedown and Murphy connects with a knee as he was coming in and Amirkhani is out cold. What a finish by Murphy.

Official Result- Lerone Murphy def. Makwan Amirkhani by knockout (knee) at :14 of Round 2

> Shamil Gamzatov (14-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (15-4 1 NC, 3-2 1 NC UFC)
Light Heavyweights

Oleksiejczuk with a body shot. Gamzatov lands a combo. Oleksiejczuk with a left hand that stuns Gamzatov. He lands a left to the body. They trade in close range. They both land again in close. Gamzatov with a leg kick. Oleksiejczuk with a flurry. Oleksiejczuk with a combo. They trade in close against the fence. Oleksiejczuk with all of the pressure. Gamzatov lands an uppercut. Gamzatov with a right hand. Oleksiejczuk with an uppercut and Gamzatov drops to his knees and some more punches from Oleksiejczuk ends it. Nice finish by Oleksiejczuk.

Official Result- Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Shamil Gamzatov by TKO (punches) at 3:31 of Round 1

> Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (22-7, 8-3 UFC) vs. Benoit Saint-Denis (8-0 1 NC, 0-0 UFC)
Welterweights

Saint-Denis is making his UFC debut. Zaleski lands some leg kicks. They clinch up against the fence. They break quickly and both throw leg kicks. Saint-Denis throwing big punches and drops for a takedown. Zaleski has the neck. Saint-Denis completes the takedown. They get to their feet. Saint-Denis with a front kick as Zaleski lands a right hand. Saint-Denis with a combo and a body kick. Zaleski with an inside leg kick. They trade and Zaleski lands a big right hand. Saint-Denis shoots for the takedown but Zaleski sprawls. Zaleski with a high kick. Zaleski with a leg kick followed by a left hand. Zaleski with a high kick. Zaleski with a combo. Saint-Denis with a body kick. 10-9 Zaleski.

Zaleski landing early in the second. Saint-Denis tries for a takedown but Zaleski defends. Zaleski looks for a takedown but Saint-Denis defends. Saint-Denis lands a right hand. Zaleski with a flying knee and then lands another knee and Saint-Denis is hurt. Zaleski with a flurry of punches and he’s teeing off and landing big punches. Zaleski with more knees and a right hand. Saint-Denis throwing as well. What an exchange. Zaleski still pouring it on and Saint-Denis shoots for a takedown. They stand and Zaleski with a knee and a right hand. Zaleski with a body shot and then wobbles Saint-Denis with a massive right hand. Zaleski pouring it on against the fence and landing a lot of shots and it should be stopped. Saint-Denis goes for a takedown but Zaleski defends and lands more punches and knees to the body. They stand and Saint-Denis can barely stand. Zaleski landing big punches and is busted open and can barely walk. Zaleski landing big punches and this fight should be stopped but the referee doing nothing. Zaleski landing more big punches as Saint-Denis is just standing there eating them. Zaleski with big knees. Saint-Denis then rocks Zaleski. Saint-Denis gets a takedown but they get up. They break. Zaleski with a big right hand. He rocks Saint-Denis with a right hand again. 10-8 Zaleski, 20-17 Zaleski.

This fight goes on though it shouldn’t. Both look exhausted. They trade and both land good shots. We have an eye poke and a timeout. Saint-Denis was saying he can’t see and the referee didn’t even bring the doctor in and pretty much made Saint-Denis continue as they get back to action. Zaleski rocks Saint-Denis and they go to the ground and Zaleski is in the guard. They get up and Zaleski lands a combo. Saint-Denis trying for a takedown but Zaleski defends as he continues to land. We have a groin strike and a timeout. He took a point from Zaleski even though he never gave him a warning. That is bad. They get back to action and Zaleski lands a right hand and a body kick. Zaleski with a flying knee. 9-9 Zaleski, 29-26 Zaleski.

This was without a doubt the worst referee job in UFC history. And I’ve seen every UFC fight in history, and I mean every single one, and many of them live since 2001.

Official Result- Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Benoit Saint-Denis by unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-26)

> Albert Duraev (14-3, 0-0 UFC) vs. Roman Kopylov (8-1, 0-1 UFC)
Middleweights

Duraev is making his UFC debut. Duraev with a leg kick. Kopylov with a leg kick that trips Duraev up. Duraev lands more leg kicks as both are being patient on the feet. Duraev misses a right hand. Kopylov with a leg kick. Duraev throws a head kick and Kopylov catches it but lets go. Duraev with a hard leg kick. Duraev with some left hooks. Kopylov with a knee that just misses the body. Kopylov with a late combo. 10-9 Duraev.

Kopylov drops Duraev right away to start the second but Duraev is able to get up. Duraev is looking for the takedown and Kopylov grabs the cage a couple of times and Jason Herzog gives him a big warning. They get back to action and Duraev gets a takedown. Duraev gets the full mount. Duraev with some big ground and pound. Big elbows from the top by Duraev. More big punches from the top by Duraev. He’s landing big shots. Duraev with more big punches and Kopylov is getting eaten alive from the top. Duraev takes the back and is landing big punches and has a choke locked in late but the horn saves Kopylov. 10-8 Duraev, 20-17 Duraev.

Kopylov is a bloody mess. Duraev goes for a takedown against the fence. Duraev backs away and lands some punches and then goes back for the takedown against the fence. They get to the center. Kopylov puts his hands on his knees and then lands a left hand. Kopylov with a combo and spits out his mouth piece. Kopylov with the double jab. He lands a combo. They trade in close. Kopylov lands a left hand as Duraev went for a takedown and then Kopylov gets a takedown and has the back as they stand. 10-9 Kopylov, 29-27 Duraev.

Official Result- Albert Duraev def. Roman Kopylov by unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Ricardo Ramos (15-3, 6-2 UFC) vs. Zubaira Tukhugov (19-5-1, 4-2-1 UFC)
Featherweights

Ramos with a leg kick. They trade left hands. Ramos with a leg kick. Ramos with a leg kick and Tukhugov lands a counter right hand. Tukhugov with a right hand. Tukhugov with a right hand. He lands another. Tukhugov with a right hand and they both land hard shots in an exchange. Tukhugov with a big right hand and then hurts Ramos with another. Ramos with a leg kick as Tukhugov lands a combo. They trade jabs. Tukhugov applying pressure. Tukhugov with a right hand. Ramos rocks Tukhugov with a spinning elbow. They trade jabs. 10-9 Tukhugov.

Tukhugov with a right hand over the top that lands. They trade in close range. Tukhugov with a right hand. They trade in close range. Ramos with a leg kick. They both land jabs. Ramos with a leg kick. Ramos with a right hand. Tukhugov lands a right hand. They both continue to land. Tukhugov with a leg kick. They trade jabs. Tukhugov with a combo. Tukhugov looks for a takedown and has the back and gets a back trip. 10-9 Tukhugov, 20-18 Tukhugov.

They trade jabs to start the third. They trade jabs again. Ramos with a spin kick to the body. Tukhugov with the jab. Ramos with a body kick. Ramos with a knee to the body. They trade some hard shots. They trade jabs. Tukhugov with a stiff jab. Tukhugov with the jab. Tukhugov with an overhand right. Tukhugov with the jab. Both are still landing and Ramos lands a right hand. Ramos with a right hand. Tukhugov goes for the takedown and has a brief back trip but continues with back control as the fight ends. 10-9 Tukhugov, 30-27 Tukhugov.

Official Result- Zubaira Tukhugov def. Ricardo Ramos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Amanda Ribas (#10, 10-2, 4-1 UFC) vs. Virna Jandiroba (#12, 17-2, 3-2 UFC)
Women’s Strawweights

They trade early on with both landing. Ribas with a body kick and both went for the takedown but they break away. Ribas with a leg kick. They trade and Jandiroba shoots for the takedown and gets it. Jandiroba in the full guard of Ribas. Ribas looked for some type of triangle but Jandiroba gets out. Jandiroba  stays on top but both are being active on the ground. Jandiroba with a right hand from the top. She lands some shots from the top. They are stood up. Jandiroba drops Ribas with a right hand late. 10-9 Jandiroba.

They trade and Ribas lands a hard right hand. They trade punches. Jandiroba with a combo. Ribas with a spinning back kick to the body. Jandiroba with a combo ending with a body kick. They trade in close range but Ribas putting the pressure on. Ribas lands the jab. She lands again and lands the right hand. Jandiroba tries a takedown but Ribas defends and ends up on top before they scramble up and separate. Ribas with a couple of right hands. Ribas with another right hand. Ribas pushes it up against the fence. Ribas gets a brief takedown. 10-9 Ribas, 19-19.

Ribas landing some leg kicks and a right hand. Ribas with a combo and a leg kick. Ribas with a leg kick. Ribas with the jab and a front kick to the body. Ribas continuing to land combinations as Jandiroba is trying for a takedown. Ribas defends well and lands a right hand as they break. Ribas with a head kick and that wobbles Jandiroba. Jandiroba running back and Ribas lands an uppercut. Ribas lands a right hand. Ribas with a combo. Ribas with a leg kick. They trade in close range. Jandiroba tries a late takedown but Ribas sprawls. 10-9 Ribas, 29-28 Ribas.

Official Result- Amanda Ribas def. Virna Jandiroba by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

ESPN+ MAIN CARD | 2 PM ET/11 AM PT

> Magomed Ankalaev (#7, 16-1, 6-1 UFC) vs. Volkan Oezdemir (#8, 17-5, 5-4 UFC)
Light Heavyweights

Ankalaev with the jab. Oezdemir lands a right hand. Oezdemir lands a combo and just misses a flying knee. Oezdemir with some elbows. They’re clinched against the fence. Oezdemir with some knees. They break and Ankalaev lands a left hand. Oezdemir with a leg kick. Ankalaev with a leg kick. Ankalaev drops him with a left hand but Oezdemir gets to his feet. They trade late. Ankalaev with a good left hand. 10-9 Ankalaev.

Oezdemir with the leg kick. Ankalaev lands a knee. They trade leg kicks. Both land some good punches. Ankalaev lands a punch and Oezdemir has a cut open over the left eye from the left hook by Ankalaev. Ankalaev pressing forward but neither throwing a whole lot. They clinch and Ankalaev has the back and looks for the takedown. Ankalaev lands an elbow as they break and Oezdemir with a leg kick. 10-9 Ankalaev, 20-18 Ankalaev.

Oezdemir throws a high kick. Oezdemir with a leg kick and Ankalaev lands a body kick. Ankalaev lands a right hook. Ankalaev with a combo. They trade punches as both still looking for openings. Oezdemir with an inside leg kick. Ankalaev with the right hand. Ankalaev with a body kick after he lands some punches. Ankalaev lands a right hook and a body kick. Ankalaev ties up late. 10-9 Ankalaev, 30-27 Ankalaev.

Official Result- Magomed Ankalaev def. Volkan Oezdemir by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Li Jingliang (#11, 18-6, 10-4 UFC) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (9-0, 3-0 UFC)
Welterweights

Chimaev goes right for the takedown and then gets the back and completes it. Chimaev with back control but trying to get the hooks in. Chimaev lands some punches as Jingliang trying to fight the hands. Chimaev flattens Jingliang out and Chimaev landing lots of punches and Jingliang isn’t moving much. Chimaev with big shots. He gets a rear-naked choke locked in deep. Jingliang fighting it. He switches and Chimaev has it deeper and Jingliang goes to sleep! What complete domination by Chimaev.

Official Result- Khamzat Chimaev def. Li Jingliang by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:16 of Round 1

> Alexander Volkov (#5, 33-9, 7-3 UFC) vs. Marcin Tybura (#8, 22-6, 9-5 UFC)
Heavyweights

Volkov throwing kicks right away and lands some punches. Tybura lands a left hand. Tybura with a leg kick and Volkov counters with some punches. Volkov lands a right hand. Volkov lands some more. Tybura goes for the takedown but they go to the mat with Volkov on top. Volkov in the half-guard. Volkov lands from the top as the round ends. 10-9 Volkov.

Volkov with a right hand and then a body kick. They trade punches. Tybura goes for the takedown but Volkov defends. Tybura lands a left hand and Volkov lands a big knee. Volkov continues to land after they break and they clinch and Volkov with knees. Tybura lets go and then clinches back up. Volkov with a knee and Tybura grabs the single leg. Volkov with a right hand as they break. Tybura with a high kick. They trade right hands. Both have slowed down. Tybura lands more at the end. 10-9 Tybura, 19-19.

Volkov with a knee to the body as both look for openings. Volkov lands some uppercuts and then lands another. Volkov with a right hand. Tybura with a left hand. He clinches again looking for the takedown but it isn’t even close. Volkov with a combo after they break. Volkov with a right hand. Tybura with a left hand. They clinch again. Volkov with a combo as they break. Volkov with a high kick. Volkov with a right hand. Tybura with a right hand late. 10-9 Volkov, 29-28 Volkov.

Official Result- Alexander Volkov def. Marcin Tybura by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Islam Makhachev (#5, 20-1, 9-1 UFC) vs. Dan Hooker (#6, 21-10, 11-6 UFC)
Lightweights

They trade jabs and Makhachev gets the takedown. Makhachev in the half-guard against the fence and trying to work. Hooker lands short punches from the bottom. Makhachev works for a kimura and has it locked in and Hooker taps! What a finish by Makhachev.

Official Result- Islam Makhachev def. Dan Hooker by submission (kimura) at 2:25 of Round 1

> Petr Yan (#1, 15-2, 7-1 UFC) vs. Cory Sandhagen (#3, 14-3, 7-2 UFC)
Interim UFC Bantamweight Championship

Sandhagen with a short leg kick. Sandhagen with another leg kick. Yan with a leg kick. Sandhagen with a short right hand and a body kick. Sandhagen with a leg kick. Sandhagen with a combo to the body. Yan with a body kick. Sandhagen lands to the body. Sandhagen with a leg kick. Yan with a leg kick. Sandhagen shoots for the takedown but gets the back as they work to the fence. Sandhagen with a right hand as they break. They trade and Yan with a high kick. Sandhagen with a combo ending with a leg kick. They trade in close range. Yan with some leg kicks. Sandhagen with some late body shots as they trade. 10-9 Sandhagen.

Sandhagen with a leg kick as he’s coming forward. Yan with a body kick. They trade in close range. Yan with a hard body kick. Yan with a body kick and then a leg kick and then a big left hand. Sandhagen with a left to the body and Yan lands a left to the head. They trade in close range as both show incredible movement. Yan with a spinning back fist and a follow-up left hand. Sandhagen with an uppercut and Yan comes back with a combo. They trade short punches and Yan with a body kick. Sandhagen with a leg kick. Sandhagen shoots for the takedown but Yan defends. Sandhagen with a quick combo and a jumping knee. They trade punches. Sandhagen with a leg kick. 10-9 Yan, 19-19.

They trade kicks to start the third. Sandhagen with a combo then a leg kick. Sandhagen with an inside leg kick. They trade punches in close range. Sandhagen with a leg kick and Yan checks it. Yan with a left hand. Yan with an uppercut and then lands a combo. Yan lands as he rushes forward. They both land in short range and Yan is finding a home for the left hand. Sandhagen lands the jab. Yan with a spinning back fist and drops Sandhagen. Yan gets on top and lands but Sandhagen scrambles out. Yan grabs the neck and lands some more and then tries to take the back. Sandhagen in side control as they scramble. Yan landing punches. They get to their feet. Yan lands a left hand and another late. 10-9 Yan, 29-28 Yan.

Yan lands a left hand after Sandhagen misses the jumping knee. Yan with a left hand. Sandhagen with a right hand and Yan lands a clean left hand. Yan with a body kick. Yan lands the left hand. Sandhagen gets a takedown and they both look for the ankle and Yan slips out to the feet. They break. Sandhagen shoots again but Yan defends. Yan with a big combo and then lands to the body and then a left hand to the head. Yan with a combo. Sandhagen lands an elbow. Yan with a hard right hand. Sandhagen shoots for the takedown and Yan sprawls and lands some punches. They get up and Yan lands a combo. Yan with a left hand. 10-9 Yan, 39-37 Yan.

Yan lands a left hand and Sandhagen lands a couple of jabs and an inside leg kick. Sandhagen lands the jumping knee but Yan covered up. Yan with a body kick. Sandhagen with a leg kick and Yan lands a left hand. Yan misses a left but lands a short right hook. Sandhagen with a right hand after he defends a takedown attempt from Yan. Sandhagen landing more here in the round. Yan lands a massive head kick that Sandhagen eats without issue. They trade punches in close range. They keep trading and Sandhagen with a jumping knee. Yan with a spinning attack late. Great fight. 10-9 Yan, 49-46 Yan.

Official Result- Petr Yan def. Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) to win the Interim UFC Bantamweight Championship

> Jan Blachowicz (C, 28-8, 11-5 UFC) vs. Glover Teixeira (#1, 32-7, 15-5 UFC)
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

Teixeira looking for the takedown right away and he gets it. Teixeira landing body shot from the top. Teixeira with some more punches. Blachowicz has been unable to explode from the bottom. Teixeira lands some short elbows. Teixeira with body shots then an elbow. Teixeira with more shots from the top to the body and head. He ends the round on top. 10-9 Teixeira.

Both look to trade right away. Teixeira drops down for the takedown but Blachowicz defends. Blachowicz lands some punches. Teixeira with the jab. Blachowicz with an uppercut. They clinch against the fence. They break. Blachowicz with the jab. Teixeira lands the jab. Teixeira rocks Blachowicz with a left hook. Blachowicz lands a combo. They trade and Teixeira tries for a takedown and Blachowicz slips to the mat. Teixeira gets the mount and has the back and flattens him out and Teixeira gets the rear-naked choke and Blachowicz taps! WOW. Teixeira is a champion at 42 years old.

Official Result- Glover Teixeira def. Jan Blachowicz by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:02 of Round 2 to win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

Daily Update: SmackDown changes, Chimaev-Edwards, Abadon

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News:

Latest Audio:

WON NEWSLETTER: October 26, 2020 Observer Newsletter: Ibushi wins NJPW G1 Climax 30

We’ve got a G1 special on the Observer with the deepest look at the tournament anywhere. G1 MVP, G1 best match, G1 history notes, polls on the last three nights, the story behind Kota Ibushi’s win and much more in a new double issue of the Observer.

The business decline that was unavoidable, the difference in wrestling with fans who are not supposed to cheer and boo and who does the best with it, the ups and downs of the different wrestlers, who improved the most from last year, lots of G1 records, Power Struggle notes, a breakdown of every wrestler in the tournament and how they did in the ring this year as compared to last year, who were the best at carrying opponents, who had the best matches, how this year’s match quality compared to last year, just how great this year’s A block shows were, New Japan’s U.S. popularity and which wrestlers have had the best in-ring tournaments in recent years.

Also in this issue:

Harold Meij’s final day in charge of New Japan and key issues with his legacy, Tokyo Dome updates, and how the last days went down.

Things going on behind-the-scenes with President Trump that may be done that would help Vince McMahon and Dana White, Andrew Yang talks wrestlers as independent contractors and what he plans to do  about it, Orange County Department of Health looking at COVID spreading in buildings that house WWE and MLW, and WWE’s statement. 

What is and isn’t misleading and looking at WWE COVID numbers, we preview Hell in a Cell, note a mandatory conference all WWE talent has to attend this week, WWE getting an award looked at, WWE signing, why the plight of independent wrestlers is so different from before, WWE Network November theme, WWE star nominated for a movie award and new WWE Network deals. 

Wrestling ratings compared to other sports, Canadian & U.K. ratings, Mike Bennett talks the problems in communication in WWE, Sami Zayn talks the ladder match, WWE market value and the most watched shows last week on the WWE Network.

Brian Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie with full coverage of Saturday’s UFC event,.

The surprising thing that matters far more than most gave it credit for when it comes to viewing wrestling shows.

Ratings breakdowns in every segment for Wednesdays and every category for other shows, looking at stats not available elsewhere to get the deepest read into how shows are doing, what categories are doing well and how shows compare with previous weeks and one year ago.  

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].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

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If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

We will have shows the next four nights, with a show tonight with Garrett Gonzalez, Saturday covering UFC’s biggest show in a long time with Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje, Sunday covering Hell in a Cell and Monday covering Raw.

So many things have changed of late with WWE. Smackdown is on FS 1 tonight. Originally the plan was Smackdown, followed by a one hour Talking Smack and then replaying Smackdown for the West Coast viewers for prime time since FS1 doesn’t have a staggered feed and FOX does. Then FOX decided to do a special episode of WWE Backstage in that time slot. Now it’s back to Talking Smack with Kayla Braxton, Booker T and Montez Ford as hosts.

The reason nothing was advertised for Smackdown until today is because they were rewriting the show last night. They do have a show written and why today they didn’t announce matches earlier is a different question. The Otis trial which airs tonight is the reason everything went into chaos. That became the top concern and everything ended up delayed because of it. Nobody can understand why so much was devoted to a show that is expected to have a small audience tonight. Roman Reigns also will reveal the consequences of the I Quit Hell i a Cell match on Sunday. Paul Levesque was brought in to help with tonight’s show as he did for last week’s show. 

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Leon Edwards was announced as the main event for a 12/19 UFC show. Edwards had been removed from the rankings (he was No. 3), supposedly due to turning down opponents. Edwards then said he would face Chimaev, and Chimaev agreed. And UFC put the fight together. This is a huge fight because Chimaev has looked like a monster thus far but this is a huge step up in opponents.

UFC 254 is at a new time tomorrow from Abu Dhabi with prelims starting at 11 a.m. Eastern and 8 a.m. Pacific:

ESPN+ at 11 a.m. Eastern

  • Joel Alvarez (159.5) vs. Alexander Yakovlev (155.5)
  • Liana Jojua (126) vs. Miranda Maverick (126)

ESPN 2 at noon:

  • Da Un Jung (206) vs. Sam Alvey (206)
  • Alex Oliveira (173) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov (171)
  • Nathaniel Wood (140) vs. Casey Kenney (140)
  • Stefan Struve (265) vs. Tai Tuivasa (265)

PPV at 2 p.m.

  • Magomed Ankalaev (205.5) vs. Ion Cutelaba (205.5)
  • Lauren Murphy (126) vs. Lilya Shakirova (126)
  • Jacob Malkoun (186) vs. Phil Hawes (186)
  • Alexander Volkov (265) vs. Walt Harris (254)
  • Robert Whittaker (186) vs. Jared Cannonier (185)
  • Khabib Nurmagomedov (155) vs. Justin Gaethje (155) for the lightweight title

Alvarez and Oliveira both missed weight, but both fights are on.

AAA will have a press conference on Monday which is believed to be to announce TripleMania plans.

Abadon was injured last night and hospitalized in her match with Tay Conti. We don’t have full details but it was serious and she is expected to make a complete recovery.

WWE

  • 205 Live matches that were taped on Wednesday for tonight were Tony Nese vs. Curt Stallion and Bran Kendrick vs. Mansoor. 
  • These are the www.BatOnline.ag odds for Hell in a Cell:
    Sasha Banks -225 vs. Bayley +160
    Drew McIntyre -200 vs. Randy Orton +150
    Roman Reigns -2600 vs. Jey Uso +900
    Elias -150 vs. Jeff Hardy +110
  • Thaddeus Bullard (Titus O’Neil) was announced as the grand marshal of this weekend’s Firestone Grand Prix in St. Petersburg, FL, the season finale for the NTT Indycar series. 
  • NXT UK wrestlers dressed up like James Bond characters. (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)

UFC

  • Khabib Nurmagomedov as of mid-week was a -300 favorite to beat Justin Gaethje. He’s also a -260 favorite if a fight with GSP is to happen at lightweight, but GSP is a big favorite if it was to happen at welterweight.

AEW

  • Dynamite for 10/28 was taped last night. As noted elsewhere, Rey Fenix was pulled by Dr. Michael Sampson from the match with Kenny Omega due to the neck injury suffered on Wednesday. Fenix was ready to go and tell friends he was okay, but okay in his mind is a very different word than okay in most people’s mind. Penta instead faced Omega. Right now there is a plan for a Fenix vs. Penta match down the line, and more likely than not, an Omega vs. Fenix match as well, just not this week.
  • The Jericho/MJF song and dance routine peaked Wednesday night at just under 800,000 viewers.  However, the biggest thing on either show was Penta vs. Fenix.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Today was Harold Meij’s last day in charge of New Japan Pro Wrestling. The new issue details what he’s been working on before leaving office.  
  • Dwayne Johnson’s new TV show “Young Rock” where different actors play Johnson at 10, 15 and 20, with scenes from growing up in different parts of the world, has started filming in Australia. The show will air on NBC in early 2021.
  • Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz vs. Cody Deaner & Cousin Jake will be on the one-hour preshow at 7 p.m. on AXS prior to Bound for Glory, which is a PPV that starts at 8 p.m. 
  • The Impact + streaming service will be free all weekend.
  • Kevin Eck’s weekly ROH news column.
  • Pro Wrestling Tees just passed selling its 2,000,000th item. In honor of it they are doing a 20 percent off sale for everything until midnight Central time tonight wit the code 2MIL
  • IWTV and FITE have reached a distribution agreement where FITE will distribute IWTV’s original series The Masked Wrestler.  The first episodes are up on the FITE service.  The seven episode season is an eight-man single elimination tournament with the winner getting an IWTV title match of their choosing.  There are also judges looking to guess the identity of the wrestlers.
  • FITETV has won exclusive iPPV rights for the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. exhibition fight and will also be airing TysonOnTriller to build up the fight.
  • AAW on 10/29 at 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park, IL on Fite TV with Mance Warner & Jake Something vs. Hakim Zane & Karam, Ace Austin & Mad Man Fulton vs. Air Wolf & Angel Dorado, Matt Justice vs. Jake Crist, Trey Miguel vs. Stephen Wolf, Sky Blue vs. Sierra plus ACH, Fred Yehi and more.
  • EPW on 11/7 in Perth, Western Australia has a members only show.
  • CWE tonight in Red Deer, Alberta at the Quality Inn with Johnny Devine vs. Jude Dawkins as the main event.
  • CWE results from last night in Calgary:  Tyler Adams b Rich King, Shaun Martens b Slammer, Travis Cole b Sydney Steele, AJ Sanchez & Kevin O’Doyle b Danny Duggan & Mentallo to keep the tag titles, Johnny Devine b Cody Mac.
  • Tony Capone and his NAWA announced Jingle Brawl on 12/19 in Daytona Beach, FL at the Ocean Center as a PPV show.
  • There is a new Go Fund Me for Tracy Smothers who has accumulated heavy medical bills fighting cancer.
  • A Vice piece on Washington Heights, a drag queen who says she is disowned by father New Jack.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: WCW Halloween Havoc 1994

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