Tag: sean strickland

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

Daily Update: Shows in Mexico canceled due to violence, UFC fallout

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Daily Update

Latest News

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania updates. Update on ticket sales to both shows as well as AEW Revolution and explanations of why and current interest level in tickets.
  • Notes on the giant gates WWE drew for WrestleMania last year and John Cena’s retirement.
  • How much Mania tickets have increased in recent years
  • Odds on this week shows
  • Gina Carano vs. Ronda Rousey and a history of how women’s MMA overcame so many obstacles due to those two. We look at what each did, their background, the story behind the 2014 fight that never happened and why this fight is happening, as well as addressing very serious questions regarding the fight.
  • A look at nostalgia fights and different ways to do them and how they work or don’t work
  • A look at the life and career of the Great Mephisto, one of the most creative minds in wrestling as a wrestler and booker of the 60s and 70s, including his heyday in San Francisco and Australia and stories about his confrontations with Roy Shire, copying from and teaming with The Sheik, Booking WCW in Australia, and a life that start as a street hustler in the depression to facing Hulk Hogan in his first match ever in Northern California.
  • The most detailed look at the television ratings over the past week, with comparisons, Nielsen and Netflix flaws, Olympics and more.
  • Major change in CMLL rules and thoughts about it
  • This past week in CMLL including a hot Friday night sold out show with Mistico vs. Templario
  • Mistico talks Observer awards
  • Saya Kamitani update
  • FantasticaMania first night
  • Cain Velasquez update
  • Notes on the death of Brett Wolverton and Kerwin Silfies
  • Mick Foley television series
  • Longest lasting pro wrestling ring announcer
  • Eve sets UK record
  • Tag team holds titles in Europe & Japan at the same time
  • TNA No Surrender notes
  • More on mainstream coverage of Brody King
  • More on WBD sale
  • Report that Trump will kill current deal
  • AEW in Australia notes
  • Sean Strickland is an idiot
  • Dana White talks boxing
  • Gable Steveson fights again and update
  • Janel Grant lawsuit update
  • Another WWE European tour and PLE show
  • Bad Bunny wrestling update

This Week’s Back Issue

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Sunday Update

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— I’ll be back tonight for a show. It’ll be either with Bryan or Garrett that I guess is to be determined by schedule.

— The shooting of El Mencho (famous Mexican gang leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes), one of the most powerful cartel members (leader of the CING group), has rocked the country. Mass violence has broken out in many parts of Mexico. A ton of wrestling shows have been canceled and more will be. Everyone is concerned and people are afraid to go out in several different states in that country. There is an unwritten rule that gangs don’t do violence in Mexico City because the tourism business is so big and if they did, that would kill the business and hurt the economy for everyone. But outside of Mexico City, shows are being canceled left and right. I expect some stuff to be made official in CMLL in the next 24 hours.

Lots of people in places like Jalisco and Michoakan are afraid to leave their homes. Schools in Jalisco and Nayarit are closed tomorrow. The Puerto Vallarta government is strongly urging residents and visitors to stay indoors and avoid non-essential travel. Public transportation services are temporarily suspended in that city. Drivers are advised to avoid the roadways. Businesses are asked to temporarily close and hotels are advising guests not to leave the premises. I’ve had people suggest that the wrestling business in Mexico is going to take a hit from this for some time to come.

— On Tuesday, a lot of the CW stations around the U.S. will be pre-empting NXT for the State of the Union address. I expect when the rating comes out it’ll include those stations so the rating will be artificially very high and will have to be adjusted later.

— The plan right now is for Friday’s Arena Mexico show to be headlined by Angel de Oro vs. Johnny Consejo (Johnny TV) in a hair vs. hair match.

— Thanks for all the nice comments on the Great Mephisto article and the Ronda Rousey & Gina Carano article in the current issue.

— Sean Strickland beat Anthony Hernandez in yesterday’s UFC main event. Dana White blamed the media for asking questions to Strickland which led to him saying stupid misogynistic and racist stuff. Then he complained about fighter pay. I mean, Zuffa signing Connor Benn to a one-fight deal that has been reported for $15 million has made many in the UFC take notice. Strickland after the show said, “You want to see the last American in the sport go and F*** (Khamzat Chimaev) up. I’ll bring a ‘ f***ing goat and he’ll get distracted.” At that point UFC cut his mic off.

— Dana White, when talking about the Benn signing, said, “Is there a bigger pussy than Eddie Hearn (Benn’s promoter). This guy’s supposed to be your friend, you’re f***ing crying? He made more money. He’s going to make more money, and he had the right to match it. He could have matched it.” White’s line on the other major boxing promoters is, “We’re literally beating up babies.”

— Take Turki’s checkbook away and this reverses in no time flat.

— White refused to say anything negative on the Rousey vs. Carano fight, saying they talked about this since last year but it didn’t work out, but said he was happy for Rousey, and happy for both of them. Rousey said in their talks she was offered the highest PPV bonus package to date, but when the deal with Paramountwas signed, they wouldn’t give them a guarantee at the level of what she perceived they’d have made for PPV and they got the deal from MVP Promotions. That indicates UFC won’t try and block the fight.

— Wrestler Nicole Lucero, real name Lincoolth Hernadnez-Lucero, was taken into ICE custody on 2/11. She is from Colombia and has lived in the U.S. for nine years. She and her husband were working on updating their immigration status. Her attorney said she entered the U.S. legally at the age of 15 and has been undergoing the asylum application process with the rest of her family when she was detaind.

— There was WWE on TV tonight with CW airing the A&E Bio on Steve Austin in primetime and ESPN airing an edited version of the 2026 Royal Rumble show also in prime time. For those on the West Coast, it’s airing shortly.

— The name Dorian Van Dux that WWE trademarked last week is for Mike D Vecchio, meaning he’ll be starting immintely on NXT. He’s been working house shows.

— Countdown to AEW Revolution airs Saturday night on TNT at 10 p.m. right after Collision.

— Steve Corino wrestled this weekend for PWF.

— Kushida reportedly became the first Japanese wrestler to wrestle in Alaska yesterday and the first to be given a piledriver on the snow. At least that’s what’s being claimed. This took place for the 907 Wrestling promotion.

— Raw tomorrow has added Maxxine Dupri vs. Nattie to the AJ Styles tribute, the return of Brock Lesnar and Chamber qualifiers with Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed vs. Original Grande Americano and Raquel Rodriguez vs. Iyo Sky vs. Kairi Sane.

— AEW Dynamite for Wednesday has only announced Jon Moxley vs. Clon, Brody King vs. Mark Davis and Orange Cassidy vs. Gabe Kidd. They will also finalize stips for MJF vs. Adam Page’s PPV match.

— Congrats to Bruce Buffer who celebrated 30 years as UFC ring announcer last night in Houston.

— WWE is looking at blacking out all public airings of Elimination Chamber on Saturday because the show hasn’t sold out. In the end, it will be a full house, but this is likely not to be the best P.R.

  • — FantasticaMania today in Osaka:
  • El Hijo de Stuka Jr. & Shoma Kato b Tiger Mask & Tatsuya Matsumoto
  • Yujiro Takahashi & Sho & Yoshinobu Kanemaru b Ultimo Guerrero & Satoshi Kojima & Okumura
  • Philip Marlowe Jr. (Yota Tsuiji) & Titan & Shingo Takagi & Bone Soldier Jr. (Taiji Ishimori) & Daiki Nagai b Stigma & El Desperado & Ryusuke Taguchi & MasterWAto & Masatora Yasuda
  • Templario vs. Soberano Jr. vs. Hechicero went to a 10:00 draw
  • Averno & Maganus b Atlantis & Atlantis Jr. in the 2026 tag team tournament semifinal. Averno pinned Atlantis Jr., which sets up Atlantis Jr. defending the historica light heavyweight title against Averno on Thursday night at Korakuen Hall
  • Mistico & Mascara & Dorada b Futuro & Valiente Jr. in the other semifinal. People have been raving about this one.

— On the Google searches for the weekend, nothing from pro wrestling had any traction this weekend. Yesterday’s UFC show had 215,000 searches which is a strong Fight Night number. The show was the No. 2 television show and No. 4 show overall on Paramount yesterday and up six percent in viewers from the show two weeks ago.

— Ratings for AEW on Wednesday and TNA on Thursday should be out tomorrow.

— For best matches of the weekend, I saw some of Friday’s Josh Alexander vs. Esfinge match and what I saw was excellent and super heated. AEW Collision was unusually good in that the action in every match but the Megan Bayne squash was good, and really most bouts were great. As for in-ring wrestling, it was a hell of a television show. Alexander vs. Claudio Castagnoli was uniquely good in a different way from most matches nowadays because it was built around creative stuff. I guess the Young Bucks matches usually are as well. FTR vs. Rascalz was exactly what I’d expect prior to the surprise finish, which immediately puts the Rascalz in the title picture. The other bout I heard raves about was the Osaka match today with Misitco & Mascara Dorada vs. Futuro & Valiente Jr. I figured that to be great given Futuro & Valiente Jr. don’t get main events in Mexico. Also mentioned to me was the Yuki Ueno vs. Kaisei Takechi main event of the DDT show.

— Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley will be the main event of the 4/25 UFC show at the Apex. Renato Moicano vs. Chris Duncan will headline the 4/4 show at the Apex.

— Jailton Almeida was contacted by MVP Promotions to face Junior Dos Santos on the Rousey vs. Carano undercard on 5/16. But he turned it down to sign with ACW out of Russia. Almedia was just cut by UFC even though he was ranked in the top ten at heavyweight, believed to be for having a boring fight.

— House of Glory from Friday night in New York: Midas Black & Jay Lyon b JJP & KB Prime, Gabby Forza b Amira Sahar, Joey Silver b Diamond Virago-DQ, Private Party b Angel Vazquez & Idris Jackson, Andrade El Idolo b Charles Mason-COR, MJF b Zilla Fatu to keep the AEW title. They shot an angle with MJF and Andrade for a possible future AEW title match here that aired on Collision last night.

— On Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO, Bill did a joke saying that at every State of the Union address the President enters the room like he’s Conor McGregor entering the Octagon (thanks to Jeff Beecher)

— The 3/6 Eve show at The Big Penny Social in Walthamstow, London, England with Jamie Hayter vs. Miyu Yamashita has sold out all seats but there is standing room available. The 3/8 show at the Indigo in the O2 Arena is completely sold out.

— Super Calo turned 55 today. The original Mr. Niebla was born on this day 53 years ago. (thanks to Tony Richards)

UFC Fight Night 267 live results: Sean Strickland vs. Anthony Hernandez

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

The Octagon returns to the Lone Star State this weekend with a big middleweight main event as UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Hernandez on Paramount+ takes place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

The main event is a pivotal bout in the middleweight division as former UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland takes on Anthony Hernandez. Strickland fights for the first time in a year and looks to get back into the win column after a title fight loss to former champion Dricus Du Plessis. Hernandez is the hottest fighter at 185 pounds, entering this fight riding an eight-fight win streak.

In the co-main event, fireworks are expected at 170 pounds as Geoff Neal takes on Uros Medic, both with ten knockout wins in their career. Also on the main card is a featherweight battle between Dan Ige and Melquizael Costa; a battle of ranked heavyweights as Serghei Spivac takes on Ante Delija; and a middleweight fight pitting Zachary Reese against Michel Pereira.

PRELIMS | 5 PM ET/2 PM PT

> Women’s Flyweights- Juliana Miller (4-3, 2-2 UFC) vs. Carli Judice (5-2, 2-1 UFC)

Judice pressing forward and throwing as both connect. Judice lands a body kick and Miller grabs the leg looking for a takedown. Miller has the back and the body lock against the fence. Miller drags it to the mat and has the body triangle locked on. They scramble to their feet and Miller lets go of back control. Judice lands a big elbow as they are clinched up against the fence. Judice is able to break the clinch as Miller lands an uppercut. Judice lands a combination. Judice stuns Miller with a straight left hand and then defends a takedown attempt from Miller. Judice lands some more punches as she’s pressuring. Judice lands a big combination. Miller shoots for a takedown but Judice defends. They trade knees. Judice lands some elbows. 10-9 Judice.

Judice landing to start the second as she connects with some leg kicks and a left hand. Miller lands a counter right hand. Judice with a combo as Miller lands a right hand. Judice lands a combo and Miller is busted up a little. Judice continuing to pour on the volume as she is pressuring. They trade kicks. They clinch and both land elbows as Judice lands a body shot on the break. Judice lands a solid left hand. Judice with a hard body kick. Judice with a flurry though Miller is firing punches back. Miller lands a right hand. Judice lands a pair of uppercuts. They trade and Judice lands a head kick. Judice with a knee to the body and a body kick late. 10-9 Judice, 20-18 Judice.

Judice landing to start the third. Judice lands a pair of left hands followed by a body kick. They clinch against the fence. Miller jumps on the fence to use it to take the back of Judice as they go to the mat. Judice is trying to scramble out as Miller keeps back control. Miller lands from the back and looks for a rear-naked choke. She is on the jaw as Judice is landing back punches. Miller is squeezing but Judice is able to get out and they scramble up. Judice lands a combination. Miller lands a solid right hand. Judice with a front kick to the body. Miller looks for a takedown but Judice slides off. They trade against the fence. They both land left hands. Judice lands a solid left hand. They trade at the end. 10-9 Miller, 29-28 Judice.

Fight Result- Carli Judice def. Juliana Miller by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

> Featherweights- Jordan Leavitt (12-3, 5-3 UFC) vs. Yadier del Valle (10-0, 2-0 UFC)

del Valle tries a front kick but Leavitt grabs the leg and clinches and then drags del Valle down to the mat. They stand with Leavitt keeping body control. Timeout is called as Leavitt landed a groin strike on del Valle. They get back to action and Leavitt scores a takedown. Leavitt working from inside the guard of del Valle as Leavitt slams him back down. Leavitt with a short elbow from the top. Leavitt with more elbows from the top. Leavitt postures up for a moment to land a right hand before getting back into del Valle’s full guard. Leavitt trying to pass guard as he lands from the top. Leavitt with more shots from the top. 10-9 Leavitt.

del Valle is pressing forward and lands a leg kick and a left hand. Leavitt shoots for a takedown but del Valle sprawls away. del Valle with a right hand to the body of Leavitt. Leavitt looks for a takedown but del Valle defends and grabs the neck. Leavitt is able to get into side control before working to the half-guard of del Valle. Leavitt landing from the top as del Valle is trying to use the fence to get to his feet. Leavitt with more shots from the top. del Valle lands an illegal upkick and timeout is called. They restart on the mat. Leavitt looks for a heel hook. 10-9 Leavitt, 20-18 Leavitt.

Leavitt throwing kicks to keep del Valle at a distance. del Valle is cutting the Octagon off from Leavitt but isn’t throwing punches. Leavitt isn’t throwing either. Leavitt goes for a takedown but del Valle lands a knee and ends up on top. Leavitt hanging on with double underhooks on the bottom. del Valle isn’t doing a lot but lands some body shots. Leavitt reverses and ends up on top. Leavitt with some shots from the top and he smacks the butt of del Valle. Leavitt with a pair of elbows from the top. 10-9 Leavitt, 30-27 Leavitt.

Fight Result- Jordan Leavitt def. Yadier del Valle by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Welterweights- Phil Rowe (11-6, 4-4 UFC) vs. Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani (9-2, 0-0 UFC)

They trade leg kicks at the same time. Lebosnoyani lands a leg kick and then a left hand as he looks for a takedown, but Rowe defends. Lebosnoyani backs away and then lands a solid combination. Rowe lands a stiff jab. Rowe lands a leg kick. Rowe working the jab and lands a leg kick. Lebosnoyani is able to score a takedown against the fence. Lebosnoyani attacks the neck. Lebosnoyani with some elbows from the top. Lebosnoyani lands from the top but they scramble up. Lebosnoyani lands against the fence before backing away. They trade left hands and Rowe lands a knee. Lebosnoyani lands a head kick followed by a right hand and then lands to the body. Lebosnoyani with a combo. Both land at the end. 10-9 Lebosnoyani.

Lebosnoyani lands a pair of kicks. Rowe works the jab. Rowe lands a leg kick. Lebosnoyani with a body kick after Rowe lands on the feet. Lebosnoyani with a body kick and a right hand. Lebosnoyani shoots for a takedown but Rowe is defending against the fence. Rowe lands an elbow as he’s defending. Lebosnoyani scores the takedown. They get to their feet and are clinched against the fence. Lebosnoyani lands a right hand as they separate. Rowe lands a leg kick. 10-9 Lebosnoyani, 20-18 Lebosnoyani.

Lebosnoyani lands a right hand. Rowe with a jab and a right hand. Rowe still working the jab but eats a pair of leg kicks from Lebosnoyani. Both work the jab. Rowe with a double jab and a high kick. Lebosnoyani lands a right hand. Rowe throws a knee but Lebosnoyani grabs it and scores a takedown. Lebosnoyani looks for a guillotine choke but lets go to get the mount. They scramble and Lebosnoyani remains on top. Rowe tries to scramble but Lebosnoyani keeps attacking the neck and stays on top. They get to their feet. Lebosnoyani lands a right hand. They trade right hands. Rowe with a combination. Rowe lands a big combo. 10-9 Lebosnoyani, 30-27 Lebosnoyani.

Fight Result- Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani def. Phil Rowe by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

> Welterweights- Ramiz Brahimaj (13-5, 5-3 UFC) vs. Punahele Soriano (12-4, 6-4 UFC)

They trade left hands. Soriano lands an uppercut. Brahimaj with a body kick. Soriano with a high kick. Brahimaj lands some counter shots and a high kick. Brahimaj lands a body kick. They clinch and both land dirty boxing before separating. Brahimaj landing with slightly more volume. Brahimaj with a body kick. Brahimaj lands a combination. Brahimaj lands to the body then Soriano lands a series of punches. Brahimaj with another body kick. Soriano lands a straight left hand. Soriano lands a combination. Soriano with a solid left hand. Brahimaj shoots for a takedown and drags it down from the back. Soriano spins to the top and lands to end the round. 10-9 Brahimaj.

Brahimaj looking for a takedown early as they work to the fence. Brahimaj has back control and is trying to drag it down. Soriano goes to one knee. They scramble and Soriano is on top and has control as they stand. Soriano with some knees against the fence and lands an elbow. They are separated. Brahimaj shoots for a takedown but Soriano sprawls to defend. Brahimaj takes the back and gets Soriano down and has the body triangle locked on. Brahimaj gets the mount late but grabs the fence. Close round. 10-9 Soriano, 19-19.

Soriano lands a pair of high kicks. Soriano lands two more kicks and Brahimaj is hurt a little. Soriano lands a combination. Brahimaj looks for a takedown and is able to get one. Brahimaj is holding onto Soriano and not doing anything. Soriano is able to force it to the feet but Brahimaj keeps ahold of the body. Brahimaj looks gassed. They scramble down as both attack the neck and they stand. Soriano with a combo against the fence. Brahimaj goes to his butt and Soriano lands from the top and lands a knee as they stand. Brahimaj attacking the neck on the feet. They go to the mat and Soriano ends up on top and he ends it there. 10-9 Soriano, 29-28 Soriano.

Fight Result- Punahele Soriano def. Ramiz Brahimaj by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Women’s Bantamweights- #12 Nora Cornolle (9-3, 3-2 UFC) vs. #14 Joselyne Edwards (16-6, 7-4 UFC)

Cornolle lands a solid right hand. Cornolle lands a combination before they clinch. Cornolle with an elbow as they’re up against the fence. Edwards pressuring and lands some knees. Edwards has the body lock and looks for a takedown, but Cornolle defends and lands an elbow followed by some heavy knees against the fence. Edwards reverses and they’re still working against the fence. Cornolle with a pair of hard knees. They separate. They trade combinations. Cornolle with a spinning back fist. They both throw spinning back fists before tying up against the fence. Cornolle with a knee and an elbow. 10-9 Cornolle.

Cornolle lands a leg kick as Edwards is pressing forward. Cornolle with a pair of leg kicks. Edwards is able to score a takedown. Edwards with a pair of left hands from the top as she gets the back of Cornolle. They get to their feet. Edwards slams Cornolle to the mat and is landing heavy shots. Cornolle looked out but the referee let it go. Edwards grabs the back and locks in a rear-naked choke and Cornolle taps! What a finish from Edwards!

Fight Result- Joselyne Edwards def. Nora Cornolle by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:44 of Round 2

> Flyweights- Alden Coria (11-3 1 NC, 1-0 UFC) vs. Luis Gurule (10-2, 0-2 UFC)

Coria works the jab and they exchange leg kicks. Coria lands a leg kick. Coria with a right hand. Coria works the jab. Gurule lands a right hand. Coria with a pair of left hands. Both are being patient. Gurule lands a combo as he presses Coria up against the fence. Coria reverses position and lands a shoulder strike and a knee to the body before they break apart. Coria works the jab. They trade jabs. Coria with a calf kick. Coria with a knee to the body. 10-9 Coria.

Coria lands a pair of leg kicks. Gurule catches a leg and scores a brief takedown as Coria gets right to his feet. Coria lands a right hand that briefly hurts Gurule. Coria lands a body kick. They clinch against the fence and Coria lands a couple of elbows before they separate. Coria lands an uppercut amidst a flurry of punches landed. Coria with a left hand followed by a head kick. Gurule lands a flurry of punches before they clinch. They separate and Coria lands a knee. Gurule with a right hand. Gurule ducks under a spin attack and gets a slam takedown, but Coria quickly gets to top position. Coria with some elbows from side control. Coria grabbed the neck but let go and landed a pair of elbows. 10-9 Coria, 20-18 Coria.

Coria working the jab as Gurule is pressuring and lands a combo. They tie up against the fence. They separate to the center. Coria lands a combination to the body, but eats a right hand from Gurule. They trade and Coria scores a takedown. Coria has the back as they stand. They separate as Coria lands. Gurule lands a right hand. Coria with an uppercut and Gurule lands a left hand. Coria lands to the body then hurts Gurule with a jab. Coria landing some big shots now. Coria with a pair of left hands and grabs the leg of Gurule. He lets go and lands a body kick. Coria lands a combo. Gurule with a right hand. They trade to end it. 10-9 Coria, 30-27 Coria.

Fight Result- Alden Coria def. Luis Gurule by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Flyweights- Ode Osbourne (13-9, 5-7 UFC) vs. Alibi Idiris (10-1, 0-1 UFC)

Idiris shoots for a takedown but Osbourne shakes him off. Idiris lands a right hand and Osbourne goes down for a brief moment. Osbourne lands a combo. Osbourne with a left hand and a body kick. Idiris lands a right hand. Idiris with a leg kick and looks for a takedown but Osbourne defends as they go to the fence. Idiris gets the takedown. Osbourne tries to force it up but Idiris gets back into the full guard. Idiris lands from the top before passing guard. They get to their feet and break apart. Idiris lands a right hand. Osbourne with a combo. Osbourne lands a right hook. Idiris lands an elbow. 10-9 Idiris.

Osbourne lands a right hand and a body kick. Idiris looks for a takedown but Osbourne defends and they break apart. Osbourne lands to the body. Idiris with a leg kick. Osbourne lands a left hand, and then Idiris lands a right hand. Idiris tries to get Osbourne down and almost does as he takes back control. Idiris lands from the back. They get to their feet and separate. Osbourne with a body kick and Idiris lands a counter right hand. Idiris looks for a takedown against the fence. Idiris gets the body lock and gets a takedown. Idiris with some hammerfists from the top. 10-9 Idiris, 20-18 Idiris.

Idiris lands a body kick as Osbourne connects with a right hand. Idiris lands a counter punch and then scores a takedown. He lands from the top before they scramble and Idiris keeps body control, but Osbourne connects with a right hook on separation. Osbourne with a jab. Osbourne shoots for a takedown, but Idiris defends and lands a knee. Idiris with a left hand. Idiris scores a takedown. Osbourne ends up inside the guard of Idiris. Not much happened before they get up. Idiris connects and they clinch. Idiris lands a knee. 10-9 Idiris, 30-27 Idiris.

Fight Result- Alibi Idiris def. Ode Osbourne by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

> Welterweights- Chidi Njokuani (25-11 1 NC, 5-4 UFC) vs. Carlos Leal (22-7, 1-2 UFC)

Njokuani with a series of kicks to start things off. Njokuani with lots of calf kicks early on. Leal lands a combo to the body. Leal with a series of combinations to the head but eats a knee from Njokuani. Leal with an inside leg kick then a flurry of punches. Njokuani with a front kick as they trade elbows then some punches. Leal with a flurry of punches to the head and body. Leal with a solid right hand and Njokuani lands a knee. Leal with a series of punches to the head and body as he lands a big right hand. Njokuani with a pair of kicks and a right hand. Leal lands a right hand. Leal lands a combo as Njokuani lands a body kick. 10-9 Leal.

Njokuani lands some kicks and Leal catches one and pushes it against the fence. Njokuani lands a pair of knees as they separate. Leal lands a right hand and Njokuani stumbles back but recovers. Njokuani lands a body kick. Leal pressing forward and landing punches as Njokuani lands some kicks. Leal pushes it against the fence. Leal has the body lock and gets a brief takedown. Leal still has body control as they stand. Njokuani with a back elbow as Leal lands some short knees. They separate. Njokuani with a body kick. 10-9 Leal, 20-18 Leal.

Njokuani lands a jab but Leal backs him up with a series of punches. Njokuani working the jab. Leal working the jab as well. Njokuani lands a high kick. Leal with some big punches, mixing to the head and body. Njokuani with a leg kick but Leal lands a series of combinations. They trade leg kicks and Leal lands a flurry of shots. Njokuani misses an elbow and Leal lands a combo. Njokuani with a jab. Leal lands a combination. Njokuani with a body kick followed by a jab. Leal lands a right hand. Njokuani lands a leg kick. Leal with a leg kick and a combination. Njokuani with a leg kick that put Leal down on one knee. Njokuani with a pair of kicks. Leal lands a right hand. They trade punches. Njokuani with a head kick. 10-9 Njokuani, 29-28 Leal.

Fight Result- Carlos Leal def. Chidi Njokuani by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

MAIN CARD | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT

> Middleweights- Zachary Reese (10-2 1 NC, 4-2 1 NC UFC) vs. Michel Pereira (31-14 2 NC, 9-5 UFC)

Pereira lands a hard body kick. Reese with some leg kicks as Pereira lands a right hand. Pereira lands a right hand that drops Reese to his butt. Reese is throwing upkicks but Pereira backs off and lets him back up. Pereira with a front kick to the body. Reese lands a kick that grazes the cup and timeout is called. Replay looks clean like there was no shot to the cup. They get back to action. Reese with an inside leg kick. Pereira with a front kick. Timeout is called for another groin strike by Reese, and this one fully connected this time. They get back going and trade punches. Reese lands a head kick. Reese misses a spinning attack and Pereira scores a takedown. Both landing on the mat. Pereira lands a pair of knees as they stand. Pereira with a combination. 10-9 Pereira.

Reese with a pair of body kicks as Pereira lands some punches. Pereira lands a knee to the body and Reese briefly goes down but gets up. Pereira lands a right hand followed by a knee. Timeout is called for an eye poke by Reese. They return to action and Reese scores a takedown. They scramble up and Reese has the back but is busted open. They separate. Pereira with a jumping knee to the body. Pereira with a jab as Reese lands a body kick. Reese with a solid left hand. Reese with a flying knee. 10-9 Reese, 19-19.

Reese lands a body kick. Reese with a leg kick. Pereira lands a knee as they briefly clinch. Pereira lands two solid right hands. They are both landing but this is still wide open. Pereira is landing with slightly more volume. Reese lands a left hand. Pereira gets a takedown but Reese attacks the neck. Pereira is able to escape and they get to their feet. They trade big right hands. Pereira lands a knee as they both throw late. Close fight. 10-9 Pereira, 29-28 Pereira.

Fight Result- Michel Pereira def. Zachary Reese by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

> Welterweights- Jacobe Smith (11-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Josiah Harrell (11-0, 0-0 UFC)

Smith landing some early kicks to the body and legs. Smith with another leg kick. Smith lands a right hand followed by a heavy body kick. Smith scores a takedown and Harrell attacks the leg before they get to their feet. Smith lands a head kick and a left hook. Harrell with a left hand but Smith lands a big counter right hand. Smith scores a takedown. They get right up and Harrell lands a body kick. Smith with a body kick. Harrell scores a takedown but Smith reverses and starts landing big shots. Smith continues to land big shots and Harrell is out cold! What a finish from Smith!

Fight Result- Jacobe Smith def. Josiah Harrell by knockout (punches) at 3:01 of Round 1

> Heavyweights- #7 Serghei Spivac (17-6, 8-6 UFC) vs. #9 Ante Delija (26-7, 1-1 UFC)

They’re both working the jab. Delija lands a quick combination. They trade jabs. Delija lands a left hand. Delija lands a right hand. Spivac with a nice combination. They trade jabs. Delija with a quick combo. Spivac with a left hand as he was backing up. Spivac working the jab. Spivac stumbles Delija a little with a nice combination. Delija lands a right hand. Spivac back working the jab and Delija’s face is busted up. 10-9 Spivac.

Both are working the jab to start the second. Spivac working the jab more. Spivac lands an overhand right in close range. Delija lands a right hand. Spivac lands a right hand and then a left hand before a wild exchange against the fence between the two. Spivac lands a right hand. Delija with some big punches and Spivac is backing away. Delija with some big shots and right hands and uppercuts as Spivac is covering up. They clinch against the fence. Spivac holds Delija against the fence but they break apart before the end of the round. 10-9 Delija, 19-19.

Spivac lands a right hand and a leg kick. Spivac with a stiff jab. Right hand from Spivac and then he lands another one. They trade jabs. Spivac lands a combo. Spivac shoots for a takedown as he pushes Delija against the fence. Spivac drops down and is able to complete the takedown. Delija gives up his back but they end up on their feet. Spivac has back control but Delija is able to spin out of trouble. Spivac with a left hand. They trade jabs. Spivac with a left hook. Delija lands a left hand. Spivac with a late combo. 10-9 Spivac, 29-28 Spivac.

Fight Result- Serghei Spivac def. Ante Delija by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

> Featherweights- #14 Dan Ige (19-10, 11-9 UFC) vs. Melquizael Costa (25-7, 6-2 UFC)

They trade leg kicks. Ige gets a brief takedown but they scramble up and clinch against the fence. Ige has the underhooks and looks to get Costa to the mat. Costa is able to get Ige to the mat but they quickly get up and are still clinched. Costa lands a knee. Ige with some foot stomps. Costa with a knee. They separate. Costa with a high kick. Costa with a front kick that briefly hurts Ige. Costa lands another high kick. Costa with more kicks and they briefly clinch before breaking apart. Ige lands a right hand. Costa drops Ige with a spinning kick right to the chin and some follow-up shots end it just before the end of the first! What a finish from Costa!

Fight Result- Melquizael Costa def. Dan Ige by TKO (kick & punches) at 4:56 of Round 1

> Welterweights- #12 Geoff Neal (16-7, 8-5 UFC) vs. Uros Medic (12-3, 6-3 UFC)

They’re trading and feeling each other out early. Medic then tags Neal with a left hand and Neal goes down and is out cold! What a knockout by Medic!

Fight Result- Uros Medic def. Geoff Neal by knockout (punch) at 1:19 of Round 1

> Middleweights- #3 Sean Strickland (29-7, 16-7 UFC) vs. #4 Anthony Hernandez (15-2 1 NC, 9-2 UFC)

Strickland working the jab and teet kick early. Hernandez lands a calf kick. Strickland still working the jab. He continues to work the jab and lands an uppercut. Hernandez with a left hand and a leg kick. Hernandez lands a jab. Strickland lands a solid combination followed by a big right hand. Strickland with an inside leg kick. Hernandez lands a combination and pushes Strickland against the fence. They separate. Strickland back working the jab. Hernandez lands a right hand and Strickland stumbles a little. Hernandez with a late flurry. 10-9 Hernandez.

They’re trading in close range. Hernandez lands a solid right hand as Strickland continues to work the jab. Strickland with a teet kick and Hernandez lands a counter right hand. Strickland working the jab well as Hernandez lands a leg kick. Hernandez lands an uppercut in a brief clinch and Strickland with a knee as they break. Strickland still working the jab. Hernandez is pressing forward but is also eating the jab from Strickland. Strickland lands a combo and Hernandez lands to the body. They clinch but not much happens. Strickland lands a right hand. 10-9 Strickland, 19-19.

Both working the jab. Hernandez lands a right hand. Hernandez lands inside the pocket as Strickland is moving and throwing the jab. They trade inside the pocket before clinching up. They separate and Strickland is hurting Hernandez with shots to the head and body. Hernandez with a right hand but Strickland hurts Hernandez with a knee to the body and then drops Hernandez with a flurry and some more shots from the top gets the stoppage.

Fight Result- Sean Strickland def. Anthony Hernandez by TKO (strikes) at 2:33 of Round 3

Sean Strickland vs Anthony Hernandez Fight Preview and Breakdown UFC Houston 2026

Posted on by Jake Skudder

UFC Fight Night in Houston (Toyota Center) on February 21, 2026 closes with a pure styles clash at middleweight, with Sean Strickland’s jab-heavy, pressure boxing against Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez’s pace grappling and submission hunting. On paper, the numbers explain why this fight is so compelling. Strickland pushes a high-output striking game (5.95 significant strikes landed per minute via UFC Stats) while Hernandez pairs efficient striking with one of the most aggressive takedown rates in the division (6.46 takedowns per 15 minutes).

Strickland’s jab-first boxing and damage accumulation

Strickland’s best rounds are built on simple, repeatable wins: occupy the center, pump the jab, and force opponents to throw first into his reads. He absorbs a fair amount in return (4.57 SApM) because he is willing to trade volume for control, but his defense and pacing let him keep the same cadence in the later rounds (if it gets there).

The strategic question is whether Strickland can keep Hernandez at the end of combinations long enough to discourage level changes. Strickland’s takedown defense is really solid at 76%, and he does attempt takedowns himself at a low level (0.73 per 15 minutes), but his primary win condition is still to bank minutes with clean, repeatable boxing exchanges to get the decision.

Hernandez’s chain wrestling and submission volume

Hernandez is not a “one shot” wrestler. His whole game is built on repeat entries, resets, and re-attacks until the clinch becomes a scramble. Statistically, it shows: 6.46 takedowns per 15 minutes with 1.8 submissions attempted per 15 minutes is a rare combination at 185.

Even if Strickland initially stuffs shots, Hernandez can still win sequences by forcing extended grappling exchanges that drain output and lower Strickland’s jab volume. Hernandez also absorbs very little (2.53 SApM), which suggests he is hard to hit cleanly when he is dictating phase changes.

Where the fight is decided: entry defense vs scramble management

This main event likely swings on two micro-battles:

First contact on Hernandez’s entries. Strickland must make Hernandez pay with straight punches before the hips get involved. If Hernandez gets to the body lock consistently, the fight becomes a cardio and position test.

What happens after the first stop. Even strong takedown defense can lose if the defender cannot reset to stance quickly. Hernandez thrives when opponents defend one attempt and then get dragged into the next exchange.

    Tale of the tape and style metrics

    MetricSean StricklandAnthony Hernandez
    Record29-7-015-2-0
    Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
    Reach76 in (1.93 m)75 in (1.91 m)
    Sig. Strikes Landed per Min (SLpM)5.954.59
    Sig. Strikes Absorbed per Min (SApM)4.572.53
    Takedowns Avg per 15 min0.736.46
    Takedown Defense76%68%
    Sub. Avg per 15 min0.21.8

    The cleanest paths to victory

    FighterWin conditionWhat must show up
    StricklandBox at range, deny clean clinch entries, win rounds on volumeJab discipline, early intercepts, fast stance resets
    HernandezForce grappling minutes, win scrambles, threaten submissions to keep Strickland defensiveChain wrestling, top pressure, re-shots after the first stop

    If Strickland is consistently jabbing and forcing Hernandez to shoot from too far out, he can turn this into a long, frustrating kickboxing match. If Hernandez gets repeated clinch contact and turns every defense into a second and third attempt, the math shifts quickly in his favor.

    Variety covers UFC fighter’s homophobic & anti-female remarks at press conference

    Posted on by Josh Nason

    While former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is no stranger to making controversial comments about anything that comes to mind, it’s rare those comments are picked up anywhere outside native MMA media.

    That changed Wednesday night as Variety published a piece covering Strickland’s comments from a press conference earlier in the day where he took aim at musician Bad Bunny as well as Ronda Rousey and women’s sports in general.

    During Wednesday’s presser to promote his fight with Anthony Hernandez this Saturday on Paramount+, Strickland twice used a gay slur to reference Bad Bunny and his Super Bowl halftime performance, also pantomiming the NFL making a decision to “gay it up” and “bring in a gay foreigner who doesn’t speak English” in an effort to “f**king ruin the sport.”

    Variety reached out to both Paramount and UFC but had not heard back. Paramount is also a partner with the NFL.

    Strickland also was asked about the announcement of Rousey fighting Gina Carano in May, suggesting they fight “half naked” while putting over Rousey’s abilities while then joking she “lost a few fights to her ex” — a reference to a violent incident with a past boyfriend Rousey discussed in a book.

    He also discussed Carano, saying he was a kid when she was fighting and that he pleasured himself to her “once or twice back in the day.”

    He also said that “no one gives a f*ck about women’s sports,” adding that there is nothing wrong with women because they can do great things like cooking and cleaning.

    UFC head Dana White has been hesitant, if not defiant, in punishing any fighters for outlandish comments in the past, notably from Bryce Mitchell who last year praised Adolf Hitler, denied the Holocaust happened, and blamed Jewish people for turning people gay. He remains under contract.

    It appears unlikely Strickland will suffer any punishment this time around given that precedent.

    Former football player turned media personality Robert Griffin III also denounced Strickland’s comments on his X account which has over two million followers.

    UFC Houston 2026 Strickland vs Hernandez Predictions

    Posted on by Jake Skudder

    UFC Houston goes down on Saturday, February 21, 2026 from the Toyota Center, streaming on Paramount+ with prelims at 5 p.m. ET and the main card at 8 p.m. ET.

    Below are my UFC Houston predictions for the fights that will shape the night most, starting with the five round main event at middleweight.

    Quick picks (main card)

    FightPrediction
    Sean Strickland vs Anthony HernandezHernandez by decision
    Geoff Neal vs Uros MedicNeal by KO or TKO
    Dan Ige vs Melquizael CostaCosta by decision
    Ante Delija vs Serghei SpivacDelija by decision
    Michel Pereira vs Zach ReesePereira by KO or TKO
    Jacobe Smith vs Josiah HarrellSmith by decision

    Main event prediction: Anthony Hernandez vs Sean Strickland

    This matchup is basically cardio grappling pressure vs jab heavy, front foot boxing. On paper, Hernandez has the clearest win condition: force clinches, chain takedowns, and make every minute ugly. Strickland lands at high volume (5.95 significant strikes per minute via UFC Stats), while Hernandez’s game is built around takedowns (6.46 per 15 minutes) and submission threats (1.8 subs per 15).

    The betting market has largely treated Hernandez as the favorite, with lines around Hernandez -285 and Strickland +230 (as of Feb 16). The key question is whether Strickland can keep enough stretches upright to win rounds. He is good at making fights competitive on the cards, which is why the “Strickland stays close” angle has shown up in early betting analysis.

    Pick: Hernandez by decision. Over five rounds, Hernandez’s pace and repeated takedown attempts should bank minutes even if he is not holding long top control.

    Geoff Neal vs Uros Medic

    Neal being a slight favorite makes sense in a three round fight where one clean shot can swing everything. Neal is currently listed at around -185. Medic is live early, but Neal’s experience in high level welterweight fights and his ability to punish mistakes makes him my predicted winner.

    Pick: Neal by KO or TKO.

    Dan Ige vs Melquizael Costa

    This is a tough style test for Ige because Costa can push tempo and pile up damage in volume spots. Tapology has Costa favored (around -220). Ige is durable and savvy, so I lean decision rather than a quick finish.

    Pick: Costa by decision.

    Ante Delija vs Serghei Spivac

    Several predictions have made a strong early case for Delija as a value side given how weird the optics were around his most recent result, and they noted available numbers near -150. Tapology also leans Delija as the favorite (around -170).

    Pick: Delija by decision.

    UFC Houston 2026 Strickland vs Hernandez Card

    Posted on by Jake Skudder

    UFC Fight Night returns to Houston on Saturday, February 21, 2026, with a loaded 14 fight lineup set for the Toyota Center. The event streams on Paramount+, with the prelims at 5 p.m. ET and the main card at 8 p.m. ET.

    The main event is a five round middleweight clash between former champion Sean Strickland and surging contender Anthony Hernandez. Strickland’s pressure boxing and high volume jab heavy approach should meet Hernandez’s grinding pace, clinch work, and submission hunting style in what shapes up as a real “styles make fights” headliner. With the middleweight picture constantly moving, this is the kind of matchup that can push the winner toward a title eliminator next.

    The co main is at welterweight, where Geoff Neal takes on Uros Medic. Neal has long been one of the division’s most dangerous left hands, while Medic has built a reputation for aggressive finishing instincts. If you want violence early, this pairing is a good place to start.

    Further down the main card, Dan Ige vs. Melquizael Costa is a featherweight matchup that often means high pace exchanges and tough minutes. The heavyweight bout of Ante Delija vs. Serghei Spivac adds a clear style contrast, with Spivac’s wrestling and top control frequently defining his best performances.

    UFC Houston 2026 main card

    Here is the full card for the main card:

    FightDivision
    Sean Strickland vs. Anthony Hernandez (five rounds)Middleweight
    Geoff Neal vs. Uros MedicWelterweight
    Dan Ige vs. Melquizael CostaFeatherweight
    Ante Delija vs. Serghei SpivacHeavyweight
    Michel Pereira vs. Zach ReeseLight heavyweight
    Jacobe Smith vs. Josiah HarrellWelterweight

    UFC Houston 2026 prelims

    Here is the full card for the prelims:

    FightDivision
    Carlos Leal vs. Chidi NjokuaniWelterweight
    Alibi Idiris vs. Ode OsbourneFlyweight
    Alden Coria vs. Luis GuruleBantamweight
    Nora Cornolle vs. Joselyne EdwardsWomen’s bantamweight
    Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Punahele SorianoMiddleweight
    Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani vs. Phil RoweWelterweight
    Yadier Del Valle vs. Jordan LeavittLightweight
    Carli Judice vs. Juliana MillerWomen’s flyweight

    UFC 312 live results: Two title fights from Sydney, Australia

    Posted on by Ryan Frederick

    The Octagon returns to Sydney, Australia, for the first time since September 2023 with UFC 312 from the Qudos Bank Arena.

    The main event is a rematch for the UFC middleweight championship as champion Dricus Du Plessis defends against former champion Sean Strickland. “DDP” defeated Strickland to become the champion at January 2024’s UFC 297 and the rematch comes after both picked up wins in the meantime. Du Plessis is coming off a title defense over Israel Adesanya while Strickland defeated Paulo Costa.

    In the co-main event, UFC women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili defends against undefeated Tatiana Suarez in what is perhaps the best fight one could make in the division. Weili has won four straight and is coming off a title defense against Yan Xiaonan in April. Suarez has been out of action since August 2023, but has won all ten of her pro fights to date.

    Also on the main card is a heavyweight battle between Justin Tafa and Tallison Teixeira; a light heavyweight bout pitting Jimmy Crute against Rodolfo Bellato; and a welterweight bout between Jake Matthews and Francisco Prado.

    ESPN+ PRELIMS | 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT

    > Lightweights- Quillan Salkilld (7-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Anshul Jubli (7-1, 1-1 UFC)

    Salkilld lands a jab then a leg kick. Salkilld then drops Jubli with the first right hand thrown and it is all over! What a finish from Salkilld in his debut!

    Official Result- Quillan Salkilld def. Anshul Jubli by TKO (punch) at :19 of Round 1

    > Welterweights- Jonathan Micallef (7-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Kevin Jousset (10-3, 2-1 UFC)

    Micallef lands a left hand and a body kick after an exchange to start. They trade kicks. They trade body kicks and Jousset lands a counter left hand. Jousset with a right hand. Micallef lands a body kick. Jousset with a counter left hand then a jab. Micallef with another body kick. They trade kicks. They clinch and Jousset lands some uppercuts and an elbow as Micallef lands a pair of knees. They separate and trade body kicks. Micallef drops Jousset with a head kick then attacks the neck but they stand and separate. Jousset lands a right hand and they trade body kicks. Micallef with a body kick followed by a left hand. Micallef with a pair of body kicks. Micallef with another body kick then another. 10-9 Micallef.

    Micallef lands a left hand. Jousset with a heavy leg kick. Jousset with another leg kick. They trade punches. Micallef with a hard body kick. They trade kicks. Micallef with a head kick. They trade left hands. Micallef with a series of jabs. Jousset lands a body kick then a leg kick. Micallef lands a body kick. Micallef with another head kick that momentarily stuns Jousset. They trade kicks. Micallef lands a left hand and Jousset with a body kick. They trade in the center. Jousset with a body kick then a right hand, then Micallef lands a question mark kick. 10-9 Micallef, 20-18 Micallef.

    They’re trading early in the third round as Jousset is pressing forward, but Micallef is landing more from the outside. Micallef lands a body kick. Jousset with a straight right hand, but eats a body kick from Micallef. Jousset lands to the body and then lands a body kick. Micallef lands a body kick. Micallef with a head kick. Jousset with a body kick, but then Micallef lands a head kick, and Jousset lands a leg kick. Jousset lands a right hand, then follows with a left and another right. They trade combinations. Jousset lands a right hand. Jousset comes forward with a flurry late. 10-9 Jousset, 29-28 Micallef.

    Official Result- Jonathan Micallef def. Kevin Jousset by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

    > Lightweights- Rongzhu (25-6, 1-3 UFC) vs. Kody Steele (7-0, 0-0 UFC)

    Rongzhu lands early and Steele scores a takedown, but they quickly get up. Rongzhu lands a leg kick and they trade some jabs. Steele with a right hand. Rongzhu lands a left hook. Steele lands a hard right hand. Rongzhu lands some big punches and Steele is in survival mode as he is rocked and having trouble standing. Steele is throwing punches back. Rongzhu lands a right hand. Steele lands a combo and Rongzhu lands a right hand and a left hook. Rongzhu with a right hand and then another as Steele fires back at the horn. Crazy round. 10-9 Rongzhu.

    Rongzhu lands a hard right hand and Steele scores a takedown. Steele goes for a leg lock but Rongzhu escapes and they stand. They’re trading as both connect with combinations. Rongzhu with the jab and a right hand. Rongzhu with the double jab and a big left hand. They trade inside the pocket as Rongzhu lands a stiff left hook. Rongzhu with another big left hand followed by a stiff jab. Rongzhu lands a right hand. Rongzhu with a series of jabs then a right hand. 10-9 Rongzhu, 20-18 Rongzhu.

    Steele lands a right hand then a jab. Rongzhu with a combination. Rongzhu lands a right hand. Rongzhu with a double jab. Rongzhu lands a flurry of punches. They’re trading in close range. They’re trading jabs back-and-forth. Rongzhu way ahead on volume as he’s landing a lot of punches, but Steele is eating them. Steele lands a jab. Rongzhu with a combination. Steele lands a combination. They trade big punches inside the pocket at the end. Fantastic fight. 10-9 Rongzhu, 30-27 Rongzhu.

    Official Result- Rongzhu def. Kody Steele by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

    ESPN2 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT

    > Bantamweights- Colby Thicknesse (7-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Aleksandre Topuria (5-1, 0-0 UFC)

    Thicknesse lands a right hand. Thicknesse with a high kick. Topuria lands to the body. He lands some more body shots. Topuria lands a jab. Thicknesse lands a body kick. Thicknesse lands a high kick. They briefly clinch and Topuria lands an uppercut. They separate and Topuria lands a right hand. They clinch and Thicknesse lands a knee and Topuria pushes him away. Topuria lands a big right hand and Thicknesse is hurt. They scramble to the mat and Topuria has the back and lands, then lands some more as they get up. Thicknesse with a body kick. Thicknesse with a pair of kicks. Topuria lands to the body and gets the back as they scramble. Topuria with a big suplex from the back. 10-9 Topuria.

    They trade to start the second as Topuria is pressuring. Topuria lands an uppercut to the body. Thicknesse with a head kick that Topuria mostly blocks. Thicknesse with a front kick to the body. Topuria with a heavy calf kick. Thicknesse shoots for a takedown against the fence but Topuria defends. Thicknesse lands a body kick. Topuria lands a body kick. Thicknesse lands a right hand. Thicknesse shoots for a takedown but Topuria defends. They trade jabs. 10-9 Topuria, 20-18 Topuria.

    Thicknesse lands a body kick. Thicknesse shoots for a takedown but Topuria defends and sprawls to the back. Topuria has the back as they stand and they end up separating. Topuria gets Thicknesse down to the mat. Thicknesse looks to throw up a triangle choke but Topuria defends it and controls from the full guard. Topuria remaining in full control and landing from the top. Thicknesse is trying to set up something from the bottom but not having success as Topuria lands. 10-9 Topuria, 30-27 Topuria.

    Official Result- Aleksandre Topuria def. Colby Thicknesse by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

    > Women’s Flyweights- Wang Cong (6-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. Bruna Brasil (10-4-1, 2-2 UFC)

    Brasil lands a leg kick. Cong lands a leg kick. Brasil lands a leg kick. Cong lands a leg kick and a left hand. Brasil with a leg kick. They trade kicks and Cong lands a right hand and goes back to the leg kick. Cong with a combination. Cong gets Brasil to the mat late as Brasil missed a kick. 10-9 Cong.

    Cong with a right hand and a calf kick. Cong lands a combination. Cong lands to the body as Brasil was backing up. Brasil is circling around and not throwing much offense and seems to be waiting to counter. Cong with a side leg kick. She lands two more leg kicks. Cong with a heavy leg kick. She lands another. Brasil throws a right hand that misses. Cong with an overhand right and she lands another as Brasil was backing up. Cong lands a right hand to the body and then some more body shots. Cong with a massive calf kick. 10-9 Cong, 20-18 Cong.

    Cong with a side head kick but it barely missed. Cong lands a calf kick. They trade right hands. Cong lands a right hand and then another that snaps Brasil’s head back. Cong with a left hook. Cong with a side kick to the head and then one to the body. Cong with some leg and body kicks. Cong with a leg kick. They trade right hands. Cong way ahead on volume. Cong gets a late takedown. 10-9 Cong, 30-27 Cong.

    Official Result- Wang Cong def. Bruna Brasil by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

    > Lightweights- Tom Nolan (8-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (8-4-1, 3-3-1 UFC)

    They trade leg kicks and Nolan lands a body kick. They briefly clinch but quickly separate. Nolan with a body kick. Nolan grabs the body lock and gets Borshchev down to the mat for a moment and has the back as they stand. Nolan with a knee. Nolan jumps on the back and is looking for a choke. Nolan with a few elbows. Borshchev falls back to break the grip, but Nolan ends up in side control. Nolan has a D’Arce choke locked in. Borshchev is trying to fight it off. Nolan lets go and lands an elbow before they stand and separate. Borshchev with a right hand to the body. Nolan lands a head kick. Nolan with a spin kick to the body. Nolan with a high kick then a pair of leg kicks. Borshchev with a right hand then a body kick. Borshchev with a right hand to the body then goes high with a punch and a kick. Nolan briefly gets it down but they pop right up. Borshchev with a push kick. 10-9 Nolan.

    Borshchev lands a leg kick. Borshchev with some side kicks to the legs. Nolan lands a spinning back elbow. Borshchev with a high kick. Nolan with a right hand. Borshchev lands a right hand then a combination. Nolan with an elbow. Borshchev lands a pair of body kicks. Nolan lands a double jab then a leg kick. Borshchev with a jumping knee. Nolan shoots for a takedown and is in deep and is finally able to complete it after Borshchev tried defending. Nolan with a couple of left hands and attacks for the choke. They scramble up and trade punches. Nolan with a straight left hand. Borshchev lands a right hand. Nolan with a step-in knee. Nolan with a left hand. Borshchev with a spin kick. He lands another. Close round. 10-9 Nolan, 20-18 Nolan.

    Borshchev with a body kick. They trade and Nolan lands a hard body kick. Borshchev lands a body kick and Nolan shoots for a takedown. Borshchev sprawls to defend and Nolan goes to his back and lands some upkicks. Borshchev backs away and is throwing kicks at the leg. Nolan jumps up and lands a head kick then stays on his back. Nolan is ordered to his feet. Nolan lands a head kick. Nolan lands a low kick and timeout is called. They get back to action. Nolan slips to the mat. Borshchev decides to get on top and then lands from the back as they scramble. Borshchev remains on top and Nolan lands a pair of elbows from his back. Nolan with hammerfists from the bottom as Borshchev lands a pair of left hands from the top. Borshchev stands but Nolan lands an upkick. Nolan with hammerfists from his back and Borshchev is cut open. They both land on the mat. Borshchev with a pair of left hands and some hammerfists. Nolan with some elbows from his back and Borshchev lands a big left hand. Borshchev goes for a late leg lock. 10-9 Nolan, 30-27 Nolan.

    Official Result- Tom Nolan def. Viacheslav Borshchev by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

    > Featherweights- Jack Jenkins (13-3, 3-1 UFC) vs. Gabriel Santos (11-2, 1-2 UFC)

    They trade leg kicks early. Santos lands an inside leg kick. Santos with a body kick then a leg kick. Jenkins drops Santos with a head kick and starts landing from the top. Jenkins inside the guard of Santos and throwing a ton of punches. Santos looked for an armbar but Jenkins was landing. Santos then locks in a triangle choke and it looks in deep. Jenkins is trying to escape and is able to. They get to their feet as Jenkins has Santos against the fence and lands some knees. They separate. Santos scores a takedown. Santos ends the round on top. 10-9 Jenkins.

    Jenkins with a pair of body kicks as Santos lands a leg kick then a body kick. Santos lands a left hand. Jenkins with an uppercut. Jenkins just misses a head kick. Santos gets the body lock against the fence and scores a takedown. Santos lands to the body and moves to the half-guard. Santos landing from the top and controls for the rest of the round as he lands. 10-9 Santos, 19-19.

    Santos rocks Jenkins with a front kick to the face and then a left hand and jumps on the back as they’re against the fence. Santos lands from the back as they go to the mat. Santos is working for a choke and has a rear-naked choke locked in deep and Jenkins taps! Great comeback from Santos after being dropped in the first round.

    Official Result- Gabriel Santos def. Jack Jenkins by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:06 of Round 3

    ESPN+ PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT

    > Welterweights- Jake Matthews (20-7, 13-7 UFC) vs. Francisco Prado (12-2, 1-2 UFC)

    Matthews lands a jab. Matthews with a quick combination. Prado connects with a left hook and Matthews lands a counter combination then a right hand. Prado rushes in and lands. They trade left hands. Matthews lands a straight right hand. Matthews with some uppercuts in the clinch as Prado landed some knees. Matthews with a body kick. Prado lands a leg kick after they have an exchange. Matthews lands a solid left hook. Prado with a leg kick and Matthews counters with a head kick then lands a right hand. Prado looks for a takedown and completes it. Prado with two elbows and Matthews lands a right hand on the way up. They trade in close range. Matthews lands late. 10-9 Matthews.

    Matthews with a combo to the body and head. Prado with an elbow and Matthews lands a flurry to the body. Prado with a leg kick. Matthews pressing forward and landing with more volume. Prado lands an outside leg kick. They trade left hooks. Matthews landing whenever they get in close range. Prado pushes it against the fence with underhooks looking to get it down. Matthews landing to the body as Prado has him pressed against the fence. They exchange knees. They separate and Matthews lands a flurry to the body. Prado with a right hand. They swing in close range. Matthews with a right hand and Prado is bleeding more. 10-9 Matthews, 20-18 Matthews.

    Matthews with a combination. They trade body kicks. They trade in close range with Matthews landing more. Matthews lands and grabs the body lock but Prado is able to shake it off. Matthews lands an uppercut. Matthews with a flurry to the body. Prado looks for a takedown but Matthews defends. Prado lands a body kick. Matthews with a stiff left hook. Matthews buckles Prado for a moment with a left hook. Prado pushes it to the fence and Matthews lands a knee. Matthews with a pair of knees as Prado has him pressed against the fence. They separate and Matthews lands a right hand. They trade in close range. Prado with a leg kick. Matthews grabs the body lock and pushes it against the fence. They break apart. They clinch against the fence and Matthews lands a knee. 10-9 Matthews, 30-27 Matthews.

    Official Result- Jake Matthews def. Francisco Prado by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

    > Light Heavyweights- Jimmy Crute (12-4-1, 4-4-1 UFC) vs. Rodolfo Bellato (12-2, 1-0 UFC)

    Crute lands some leg kicks and then a combination. Crute with a spin kick to the body. Bellato tries a takedown but Crute reverses it and ends up in the mount and lands. Crute looks for a choke but starts working from the half-guard. Crute moves to side control. Bellato looks to scramble out but Crute ends up back inside the guard of Bellato. Crute landing lots of right hands from the top. Crute with some left hands. Crute with some elbows and is still working from the half-guard. They sweep to the feet and Crute lands a right hand. Crute drops Bellato with a right hand and starts landing from the top. Crute with some big elbows and Bellato survives the round. 10-8 Crute.

    Crute lands two right hands and a leg kick. Bellato lands a combination. Crute with a combo and a head kick. Bellato lands a stiff jab. Bellato lands a right hand and Crute with some short uppercuts. Bellato lands to the body. Crute with a right hand and Bellato lands a calf kick. Bellato with a left hook and lands a calf kick. Crute shoots for a takedown but Bellato squirms away. Crute with a left hook and a spin kick. Crute lands a combo. They trade leg kicks and Bellato lands a left hook. Crute with a right hand. Bellato with a calf kick. Crute with a solid right hand and some uppercuts. They trade in the clinch as both land some dirty boxing. Bellato with a heavy calf kick. Close round. 10-9 Bellato, 19-18 Crute.

    Bellato with a leg kick. They trade inside the pocket. Bellato with a leg kick. Crute with a quick combination. Bellato with a stiff right hand then a leg kick. Crute tries to get it down but Bellato is able to scramble away. Bellato with an inside leg kick. Bellato with a heavy leg kick as Crute lands a combination. They trade right hands. Crute with a lunging right hand. Bellato scores a takedown but they scramble up. Bellato has the back and drags it down. They scramble up and Bellato lands a leg kick. Crute with a right hand and a head kick. Bellato with a leg kick. Crute lands a right hand and Bellato fires back a right hand. Bellato with a jab. Bellato with a heavy calf kick. Bellato with a combination. 10-9 Bellato, 28-28 DRAW.

    Official Result- Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato scored a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)

    > Heavyweights- Justin Tafa (7-4 1 NC, 4-4 1 NC UFC) vs. Tallison Teixeira (7-0, 0-0 UFC)

    Teixeira lands a body kick. Teixeira looks for a takedown and pushes it to the fence. Teixeira with a knee and an elbow and Tafa goes to the mat. Teixeira lands some punches as Tafa is covering up and it is stopped. What a finish from Teixeira as Tafa is protesting the stoppage.

    Official Result- Tallison Teixeira def. Justin Tafa by TKO (strikes) at :35 of Round 1

    > UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship- C Zhang Weili (25-3, 9-2 UFC) vs. #1 Tatiana Suarez (10-0, 7-0 UFC)

    Weili with a side kick and a right hand. Suarez is able to score a takedown right into side control. Suarez with some right hands to the body. Suarez with some left hands from the top. Weili throwing elbows from the bottom as Suarez lands to the body. Suarez moves back to side control. Suarez with a few knees to the body. Suarez grabs the neck as they stand and drops down looking for a choke but Weili escapes and is on top. Suarez landing to the body from the bottom. Suarez controlling an arm. Weili lands from the top. 10-9 Suarez.

    Weili lands a high kick. Weili lands a right hand as Suarez was closing in for a takedown attempt. Suarez tries a takedown but Weili immediately scrambles into mount. Weili with some left hands from the top. Weili with lots of left hands as Suarez is trying to scramble up. Weili has the neck and looks for a guillotine choke as she lands a knee. Suarez looks to take it down. Weili with a knee. They separate. Weili lands a big right hand. Suarez rushes in for the takedown and pushes Weili to the fence. They go to the mat and Weili lands from the top. Weili landing more from the top as Suarez is trying to control position. Weili with more punches to end the round. 10-9 Weili, 19-19.

    Suarez with a pair of leg kicks as Weili lands a right hand. Weili lands a head kick. Weili lands a combo. Weili rocks Suarez with a big right hand. Suarez shoots for a desperation takedown but Weili defends. Suarez lands to the body. Suarez tries a takedown but Weili defends. They are tied up against the fence. Suarez with a knee to the body as Weili lands in the clinch and they break apart. Weili with a high kick. Weili lands a right hand. Weili with a body kick and a right hand. Suarez ties it up but Weili lands an elbow and escapes. 10-9 Weili, 29-28 Weili.

    Weili with a leg kick. Weili lands a combo. Weili scores a takedown with an inside trip. Weili landing from inside the guard of Suarez. Weili looking for an arm-triangle choke. Suarez is trying to hang on as it’s not completely locked in and Weili lets go. Weili landing from the top. Weili controlling from the top and is landing punches and elbows. Suarez has a deep gash on her knee that looks bad. Weili ends the round landing. 10-9 Weili, 39-37 Weili.

    Weili lands a right hand. Suarez with a leg kick. Suarez looks for a takedown but Weili lands some knees to defend and lands an elbow. Suarez pushes it against the fence. Weili defends and they separate. Weili lands a body kick then a knee and an elbow as they clinch. They scramble down but Weili rolls and ends up on top. Weili working from inside the guard of Suarez and landing some punches. Weili continues to land to the body. Weili stands at the end. 10-9 Weili, 49-46 Weili.

    Official Result- Zhang Weili def. Tatiana Suarez by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45) to retain the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship

    > UFC Middleweight Championship- C Dricus Du Plessis (22-2, 8-0 UFC) vs. #1 Sean Strickland (29-6, 16-6 UFC)

    Du Plessis with a body kick. He lands another. Strickland lands a right hand. Du Plessis with a leg kick. Du Plessis with a high kick then a body kick. Strickland lands a jab. Du Plessis with a leg kick. Strickland lands the jab. Du Plessis with a body kick. Du Plessis lands a right hand. Strickland lands a right hand. Du Plessis with a spin kick. Du Plessis with a grazing head kick. Strickland lands the jab. They trade in close range. Du Plessis with a head kick. Du Plessis lands a right hand after a pair of body kicks. Du Plessis with a leg kick. 10-9 Du Plessis.

    Du Plessis with a body kick. They trade leg kicks and Du Plessis lands a body kick. Strickland with an overhand right hand. Du Plessis lands a right hand. Du Plessis misses a combo but eats a counter right hand from Strickland. Strickland lands a combo and ends landing the jab. Du Plessis cuts Strickland open with a jab. Du Plessis with a head kick and lands a leg kick. Du Plessis with a spinning back fist and connects with a right hand. Du Plessis lands a body kick. He lands an inside leg kick as Strickland works the jab. Du Plessis lands to the body. 10-9 Du Plessis, 20-18 Du Plessis.

    Du Plessis with a body kick. Du Plessis lands a solid right hand. Du Plessis with a side kick. Strickland with a right hand. Du Plessis lands a hard left hand. Strickland still mostly working the jab. Strickland lands a combination. Du Plessis with a right hand. Du Plessis with a side kick. Du Plessis with a body kick. Du Plessis with a right hand and a body kick. Strickland lands a right hand. They trade jabs. Du Plessis lands a spinning back fist. Du Plessis with a body kick then a left hand and a right hand. Du Plessis with a leg kick. Du Plessis lands a hard elbow after landing some jabs. Strickland lands two right hands. Du Plessis with a leg kick. Du Plessis gets a takedown but they get right up. Strickland with a right hand. 10-9 Du Plessis, 30-27 Du Plessis.

    Du Plessis with a left hand. Du Plessis lands a high kick then a right hand to the body. Du Plessis with a push kick. Du Plessis with a hard right hand and Strickland is backing up. Strickland’s nose looks broken and it is bleeding everywhere. Du Plessis lands a right hand. Du Plessis pressuring and getting a little reckless but Strickland is still trying to retreat. Du Plessis lands a leg kick. Strickland lands a right hand. He lands another. Du Plessis lands a right hand. Du Plessis with another right hand. Strickland with a jab and Du Plessis lands a body kick. Strickland lands a right hand. Du Plessis with a right hand. He lands a big right hand. Strickland with a jab. 10-9 Du Plessis, 40-36 Du Plessis.

    Du Plessis lands to the body then lands a jab to the face. Strickland with a stiff jab. Du Plessis lands a pair of leg kicks. Du Plessis with another leg kick. Strickland with a quick combo. Du Plessis lands a right hand. Strickland lands a right hand. Du Plessis throws a lot and lands a right hand. Strickland with a jab. Du Plessis lands a right hand. Du Plessis with a body kick. They trade punches and Strickland is pouring blood again. Du Plessis lands a body kick. Du Plessis with a leg kick. Du Plessis with a high kick. Strickland works the jab. Du Plessis with a right hand and tries a takedown but Strickland slips away and lands a right hand. 10-9 Du Plessis, 50-45 Du Plessis.

    Official Result- Dricus Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) to retain the UFC Middleweight Championship

    UFC 302 live results: Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier lightweight title fight

    Posted on by Ryan Frederick

    The UFC kicks off a busy five-event month of June with tonight’s UFC 302 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

    In the main event, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, also the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, defends against former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier in a highly anticipated bout. Makhachev enters his third title defense on a 13-fight win streak, while Poirier looks to stamp a Hall of Fame career by becoming an undisputed UFC champion.

    The co-main event will also be a five-round bout as former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland battles former title challenger Paulo Costa. Strickland returns for the first time since losing the his title to Dricus Du Plessis in January while Costa is also looking to get back into the win column.

    The main card will featured a middleweight bout pitting Kevin Holland against Michal Oleksiejczuk, and a pair of welterweight fights as Niko Price takes on Alex Morono while Randy Brown fights Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.

    ESPN+ PRELIMS | 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT

    >Flyweights*- Mitch Raposo (9-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Andre Lima (8-0, 1-0 UFC)

    *Lima missed weight by four pounds

    Lima lands a leg kick before they start feeling each other out. Lima lands two more hard leg kicks. Raposo with a left hand. Lima with another leg kick and Raposo lands a couple of quick punches. Lima with two more leg kicks as he’s mixing which legs he attacks. Lima lands a knee up the middle to Raposo’s body then lands a leg kick. Lima with more leg kicks. Lima with another leg kick. He lands another that spins Raposo around. Raposo unable to connect much and Lima lands a hard body kick. Raposo lands a right hand. Lima with another leg kick then a high body kick. 10-9 Lima.

    Lima pressing forward but misses a couple of kick attempts as Raposo misses a right hand. Lima with a high kick. They trade punches. Lima with a leg kick. Raposo with a right hand to the body. They trade and we have a timeout for an eye poke. They quickly get back to action and Raposo lands a left hook. Lima back to landing leg kicks. Lima with more leg kicks and there might have been another eye poke but timeout isn’t called. Raposo is able to get a takedown but Lima gets up, though he grabbed the fence. 10-9 Lima, 20-18 Lima.

    Lima lands a leg kick. Raposo lands a straight right hand. Lima with a leg kick and Raposo lands a combo, but Lima was covering up. Lima with a hard body kick. Lima lands another body kick. Lima lands a stiff jab. Lima with a leg kick. Raposo lands a combination. Lima lands a leg kick. They trade punches. Lima with a leg kick and Raposo goes to the mat for a brief moment. They trade late. 10-9 Lima, 30-27 Lima.

    Official Result- Andre Lima def. Mitch Raposo by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

    >Women’s Bantamweights- Ailin Perez (9-2, 2-1 UFC) vs. Joselyne Edwards (13-5, 4-3 UFC)

    They trade kicks and Perez looks for a takedown but they clinch against the fence. Edwards with a knee to the body and Perez is able to get a headlock takedown. They get to their feet and Perez lands a knee on the way up. Perez gets it back down. Edwards reverses and sweeps to the top. Perez reverses back to the top and then they start rolling and reversing before Perez ends up back on top. They get to their feet but Perez is able to get it back down. Perez with an elbow from the top. Edwards reverses back to the top. 10-9 Perez.

    They trade to start. Perez looks for a takedown but Edwards grabs the neck. She looks for a guillotine choke but uses it as defense to end up on top on the ground. Edwards lands to the body. Edwards with a headbutt from the top and there is a timeout. They get back to action and Perez drops Edwards with a spinning back fist. Edwards gets up and they clinch. Perez gets a takedown and looks for an armbar but Edwards escapes and ends up on top inside the guard of Perez. Edwards ends the round on top. 10-9 Perez, 20-18 Perez.

    Edwards lands a body kick. Edwards lands a right hand and they clinch. They’re battling for position against the fence. Perez gets a takedown but they get right to their feet and separate. Perez with a leg kick and Edwards lands an uppercut to the body. They trade leg kicks and Perez gets a late takedown. 10-9 Perez, 30-27 Perez.

    Official Result- Ailin Perez def. Joselyne Edwards by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

    >Welterweights- Mickey Gall (7-5, 6-5 UFC) vs. Bassil Hafez (8-4-1, 0-1 UFC)

    Hafez lands a right hand. Hafez with a leg kick. Gall lands a left hand. Hafez lands an overhand right. Hafez lands a big right hand and follows with a left hook. Hafez with another right hand. Gall with a right hand to the body. Gall lands a jab. Hafez with a jab and a left hook followed by a right hand. Hafez with a left hook and leg kick. Hafez with a combination. Gall tags Hafez with a right hand. Gall lands a combo after Hafez taunts him. 10-9 Hafez.

    Gall lands a jab. Hafez with a right hand. Gall lands a right hand. Gall with a body kick. Hafez clips Gall with a left hand and Gall is circling around. Hafez with a high kick. They both miss on winding punches. They trade right hands. Gall lands a right hand to the body followed by a jab. Gall scores a brief takedown before Hafez scrambles up. Gall lands a double jab then a big right hand. Hafez gets a late takedown but stands right up and lands two leg kicks. Close round. 10-9 Gall, 19-19.

    Hafez lands a jab. Hafez with a right hand. Gall lands two right hands as Hafez misses a spinning back fist. Gall lands a big combination ending with a hard right hand. Hafez lands a big right hand. Hafez hurts Gall with a punch. Gall then drops Hafez with a right hand but he gets right up. Gall gets a takedown. They get right up. Hafez with a left hook. They trade hard punches. Hafez goes for a takedown and Gall has the neck but Hafez completes the takedown and is on top. They stand and Gall hurts Hafez with two big right hands. They trade and Gall lands some big right hands. Hafez gets a takedown. They get to their feet and trade big punches. Fun fight. 10-9 Gall, 29-28 Gall.

    Official Result- Bassil Hafez def. Mickey Gall by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

    ESPN2 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT

    >Welterweights- Phil Rowe (10-4, 3-2 UFC) vs. Jake Matthews (19-7, 12-7 UFC)

    Matthews with some early leg kicks and lands a pair of right hands. They trade against the fence. Rowe lands a right hand and a leg kick. Matthews with a jab then a leg kick. Rowe lands a right hand. They trade against the fence and Matthews lands a big left hook. Rowe with a body kick. Matthews lands a combo. Rowe lands to the body. Rowe with a jab. There’s a timeout for a groin strike. They get back to action and Matthews lands a combo. Rowe lands a knee and eats a big right hand from Matthews. Rowe slips to the mat and Matthews gets on top and lands before ending the round there. 10-9 Matthews.

    Matthews lands a leg kick. He lands another after some short punches. Matthews lands a flurry while they were tied up and Rowe is hurt. Rowe lands a jab and a right hand as he has recovered. They trade in close range. Rowe with a leg kick. Matthews lands a pair of right hands. Rowe lands a knee after Matthews lands inside the pocket. Matthews with a jab. Matthews works to the body and Rowe lands a right hand. Matthews with a left hook. 10-9 Matthews, 20-18 Matthews.

    Both throwing and Rowe shoots for a takedown but Matthews defends and gets his own takedown. Rowe is able to reverse to the top. Both are battling for position on the mat. Rowe looking to take the back but Matthews escapes and is in side control on top. Matthews gets the mount and is landing and threatened with an arm-triangle choke attempt. Matthews gets back to the half-guard. They try to scramble at the end. 10-9 Matthews, 30-27 Matthews.

    Official Result- Jake Matthews def. Phil Rowe by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

    >Lightweights- Grant Dawson (20-2-1, 8-1-1 UFC) vs. Joe Solecki (13-4, 5-2 UFC)

    Dawson gets an immediate takedown. Solecki has neck control and is looking for a guillotine choke. Dawson is trying to roll out but it is in tight. Dawson is able to pop his head out. Dawson controlling from the top. There isn’t much action happening on the mat as Dawson is looking to establish top control. Dawson lands some punches. Solecki cuts Dawson open with an elbow from the bottom but Dawson still in full control on top. Dawson with more punches from the top. 10-9 Dawson.

    They trade to start the second. Dawson gets Solecki to the fence and scores a takedown. Dawson in control from the top and landing as he’s bleeding all over Solecki. Solecki is doing nothing from the bottom as Dawson is in total control. Dawson with big shots from the top. Dawson with more big ground and pound from the top. 10-9 Dawson, 20-18 Dawson.

    There’s an immediate groin strike on Dawson but they get right back to action. Dawson backs Solecki up to the fence and gets a takedown. Dawson controlling from the top and landing as he has Solecki pinned down. Dawson continuing to land from the top and this is a boring fight as he was in complete control. 10-9 Dawson, 30-27 Dawson.

    Official Result- Grant Dawson def. Joe Solecki by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

    >Heavyweights- #7 Jailton Almeida (20-3, 6-1 UFC) vs. #13 Alexandr Romanov (16-2, 5-2 UFC)

    Romanov with a leg kick and Almeida scores a takedown. Almeida works to the back and looks for a rear-naked choke. He looks to have it in and Romanov taps! Almeida gets the first finish on the night as he bounces back into the win column.

    Official Result- Jailton Almeida def. Alexandr Romanov by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:27 of Round 1

    >Middleweights- Cesar Almeida (5-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Roman Kopylov (12-3, 4-3 UFC)

    They trade kicks to start. Kopylov lands a pair of jabs followed by a left hand. Almeida with a leg kick. Almeida lands a jab. Almeida with a pair of leg kicks. Kopylov puts Almeida down with a takedown but lets him right up. Kopylov lands a massive left hand. Almeida lands a body kick and a right hand. Kopylov scores with a kick to the body then gets a takedown. They get up and Kopylov lands a pair of right hands as they break. Almeida lands a leg kick. Kopylov drops Almeida with a left hand and starts landing hammerfists before standing and Almeida is ordered to his feet. Almeida lands two kicks before Kopylov gets another takedown right into side control. 10-9 Kopylov.

    They trade kicks. Almeida lands a few kicks. Almeida lands a left hand. Kopylov looks for a takedown but Almeida defends and lands to the body. Kopylov with a combination. Kopylov looking for a takedown but Almeida defending as he is pushed to the fence. They separate. Kopylov lands some punches. They tie up and Almeida lands some dirty boxing before pushing away. Kopylov gets a takedown and is in side control. Kopylov inside the guard of Almeida and controlling. Both with short punches. 10-9 Kopylov, 20-18 Kopylov.

    Almeida lands a leg kick. Kopylov with a high kick and a left hand. Almeida lands a knee in a tie-up. Kopylov with a left hand then a jab before he gets a takedown. Kopylov landing from the top as Herb Dean is warning them to work. Almeida with an elbow from the bottom. They are stood up by Herb Dean. Kopylov with a body kick. Almeida lands a right hand and Kopylov is able to get another takedown. Kopylov stands and gets back into side control. 10-9 Kopylov, 30-27 Kopylov.

    Official Result- Roman Kopylov def. Cesar Almeida by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

    ESPN+ PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT

    >Welterweights- Randy Brown (18-5, 12-5 UFC) vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (24-7-1, 10-3-1 UFC)

    They trade leg kicks. Brown with a leg kick then a right hand. Brown lands a body kick and Zaleski counters with a leg kick. Brown lands a jab. Brown with a leg kick. We have a timeout for an eye poke and the referee gave Zaleski no time to recover. Brown poked Zaleski in the eye again and the referee said to just fight. Brown now landing at will. Zaleski starts just throwing and gets Brown to the mat for a brief moment. Brown with a side kick. Zaleski lands a leg kick. Zaleski with a spin kick to the body. Brown lands a massive knee late. 10-9 Brown.

    Zaleski lands a big right hand and tries to land a flurry and grabs Brown against the fence. Zaleski drags Brown to the mat and has the back. Zaleski keeping control from the back and is working for a choke. He has an arm under the chin and Zaleski is squeezing. It is above the chin but Zaleski is still squeezing. Brown with some back punches. Zaleski lets go but is trying to readjust. Zaleski with some punches from the back. Brown is able to spin out and takes Zaleski’s back. Brown with some punches and he looks for a choke but Zaleski is out of it. Brown with an elbow as he mounts a late comeback. 10-9 Zaleski, 19-19.

    Zaleski with a leg kick. There is another timeout for an eye poke by Brown. They get back to action and Brown lands a jab. Zaleski with a pair of leg kicks and just misses a wheel kick. They both land leg kicks and Brown just grazes with an uppercut. Brown lands a big knee and it opened a big cut on Zaleski. Brown with a stiff jab and Zaleski looks for a takedown. Brown defending and lands an elbow. Brown with some short uppercuts. They separate. Brown lands a right hand and Zaleski grabs the back and scores a takedown. Zaleski looks for a choke but not much time is left. Brown with some left hands. 10-9 Brown, 29-28 Brown.

    Official Result- Randy Brown def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

    >Welterweights- Niko Price (15-7 2 NC, 7-7 2 NC UFC) vs. Alex Morono (24-9 1 NC, 13-6 1 NC UFC)

    They trade jabs. Price lands a jab. Morono with a leg kick. Morono lands a right hand. He lands another. Morono lands a leg kick and Price lands a right hand as Morono was tripped up and fell to the mat. Morono has Price is a crucifix type position and they scramble to their feet. Morono jumps on the back of Price and drags it down. Price reverses to the top and they stand. Morono lands a pair of right hands. Price with a leg kick. Morono lands a spin kick then a combination. Morono working the jab and lands a right hand. Price with a knee. 10-9 Morono.

    Both are throwing wildly and neither landing until Price connects with a right hand. Morono then lands a right hand. They’re both landing punches but neither is pulling ahead. Morono lands a solid right hand. Price stuns Morono with a right hand and then scores a takedown. Price lands from the top. Morono tries to reverse and get to the feet but Price remains on top and continues to land some hammerfists. They get to their feet. Price lands a back elbow. Price looks for a takedown but Morono drops down with the neck controlled. Price ends the round with some elbows. 10-9 Price, 19-19.

    Price landing to start the third. Morono lands a right hand. Price with a right hand. Price lands an inside leg kick. Both throwing sloppy strikes and not really landing. Morono lands a jab. Price landing more but this is really sloppy. Price then lands a big uppercut and gets an easy takedown. They get to their feet. Morono lands a right hand but he is completely gassed out. Price lands a body kick then a right hand. Price landing a flurry late as he scores with a right hand. 10-9 Price, 29-28 Price.

    Official Result- Niko Price def. Alex Morono by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

    >Middleweights- #15 WW Kevin Holland (25-11 1 NC, 12-8 1 NC UFC) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (19-7 1 NC, 7-5 1 NC UFC)

    Oleksiejczuk lands a left hand. They trade right hands. Oleksiejczuk drops Holland with a left hand while Holland was throwing a kick. Holland looks for an armbar as Oleksiejczuk gets on top. It is in deep and Holland is cranking. Holland has it in tight and Oleksiejczuk’s arm snaps. He doesn’t tap but Herb Dean finally stops it.

    Official Result- Kevin Holland def. Michal Oleksiejczuk by submission (armbar) at 1:34 of Round 1

    >Middleweights- #1 Sean Strickland (28-6, 15-6 UFC) vs. #7 Paulo Costa (14-3, 6-3 UFC)

    Costa with a leg kick and then another. He lands another. Strickland marching forward throwing small front kicks but Costa is still tagging him. Costa with a left hook and lands a leg kick. Strickland’s lead leg is already red. Strickland has landed a lot to the body. Costa with a leg kick. Strickland with more pressure as he keeps throwing front teet kicks to the body. Costa lands a body kick and Strickland grabs the leg and lands a right hand. Costa was off balance and went to the mat but got right up. Strickland continuing to pressure with front kicks. Close round. 10-9 Strickland.

    Costa with a leg kick. Strickland pressuring still with front kicks. Costa with a hard leg kick. He lands two more leg kicks. Strickland with a jab and a right hand. Costa with a leg kick. Strickland still pressuring with teet kicks. Costa with a hard leg kick. Costa with a wheel kick. Costa lands then Strickland lands and Costa slips to the mat for a second. Costa with a leg kick. 10-9 Strickland, 20-18 Strickland.

    Costa with a jab to the body. They trade leg kicks. Costa with a left hand to the body then a front kick to the body. Strickland with a combination. Costa lands a leg kick that was checked by Strickland. Strickland lands a combination. Costa lands a right hand. Costa with a leg kick and Strickland lands a right hand. Strickland continuing to land with more volume and lands a big uppercut late. 10-9 Strickland, 30-27 Strickland.

    Strickland with some kicks as he is pressing forward. Costa lands a leg kick and his leg is hurt from them being checked by Strickland. Strickland coming forward and landing front kicks. Costa with a left hook to the body and they trade front kicks to the body. Costa with some body and leg kicks. Costa lands another kick. Costa with a body punch and a leg kick then a jab. Costa with another leg kick. Strickland with a flurry in close range. 10-9 Strickland, 40-36 Strickland.

    Costa with a jab to the body. Costa with a leg kick then a right hand. Costa with a leg kick then a body kick and Strickland lands a right hand. Costa trying to keep Strickland at distance with some front kicks. Strickland lands a jab. Costa lands a jab. Strickland with some jabs then a right hand. Strickland with a flurry and drops Costa with a head kick late and then lands another head kick with a strong close to the round. 10-9 Strickland, 50-45 Strickland.

    Official Result- Sean Strickland def. Paulo Costa by split decision (46-49, 50-45, 49-46)

    >UFC Lightweight Championship- C Islam Makhachev (25-1, 14-1 UFC) vs. #3 Dustin Poirier (30-8 1 NC, 22-7 1 NC UFC)

    Poirier lands a jab. Makhachev lands and shoots for a takedown and gets Poirier down to the mat. Makhachev controlling from the top. He looks for a kimura but Poirier rolls out. Makhachev is able to get the back of Poirier. Makhachev with a punch from the back as he is covering Poirier’s mouth. Makhachev trying to find the choke but Poirier showing great defense. Poirier with a few back punches. Poirier survives the round. 10-9 Makhachev.

    Poirier with a leg kick. Makhachev goes right for the takedown but Poirier is able to stay on his feet as they separate. Makhachev lands a knee. Makhachev shoots for a takedown but Poirier slips away. Poirier lands a jab. Makhachev with a jab. Makhachev pushes Poirier against the fence looking for a takedown. Poirier reverses position. Poirier with an uppercut as they’re clinched and he lands to the body before they break. They clinch and Poirier lands a right hand. Poirier with a left hand. They trade and clinch. Makhachev looking for the takedown and gets it late as he ends the round on top. 10-9 Makhachev, 20-18 Makhachev.

    Makhachev lands a knee as both threw punches. Makhachev lands another knee as they clinch and Makhachev pushes it to the fence. Makhachev gets it down and has the back of Poirier. Makhachev moves to the mount and is looking to trap an arm. Poirier slips under and gets to his feet. Poirier lands a jab. Makhachev lands a combo. Both are landing. Poirier lands a jab. Both land late. 10-9 Makhachev, 30-27 Makhachev.

    Makhachev lands a right hand to the body. They trade to the head and Poirier lands to the body. Poirier stuffs a takedown attempt from Makhachev. Poirier lands a jab. Poirier stuffs another takedown attempt. Makhachev with a pair of right hands. Makhachev lands a left hand. Makhachev drags Poirier down after they clinch and Makhachev has the back as they’re on the knees. Poirier switches and gets out and starts landing against the fence. Poirier with a flurry to the body. Makhachev is cut open but lands an uppercut. Makhachev with a combo. Makhachev shoots for a takedown and Poirier is defending by landing. Poirier had the neck late. 10-9 Poirier, 39-37 Makhachev.

    Poirier lands a jab. Makhachev with a combo. Poirier with a calf kick. Makhachev tries for a takedown but Poirier defends and lands as they break. Poirier lands to the body. Poirier lands a big left hand. Makhachev tries for a takedown and they scramble ad Makhachev looks for the neck. Makhachev looking for a D’Arce choke. Poirier taps! Makhachev gets the late submission to retain the title.

    Official Result- Islam Makhachev def. Dustin Poirier by submission (D’Arce choke) at 2:42 of Round 5 to retain the UFC Lightweight Championship

    Wrestling Observer Radio: UFC 297 recap, Okada, Omega, Rollins updates

    Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

    Dave Meltzer and I are back with Wrestling Observer Radio.

    Ryan Frederick joined us to recap UFC 297. We went over the entire main card and Ryan talked about some of the undercard highlights in addition to the news coming out of the show.

    Dave and I then discussed the following:

    • Updates on Kazuchika Okada, Seth Rollins, and Kenny Omega
    • AEW rankings
    • Tama Tonga
    • The Dark Side of the Ring slate for the next season
    • A new Hall of Fame for the Rock
    • Gable Steveson’s dark match
    • Highlights from SmackDown and Rampage
    • AEW Collision recap

    Click here to listen (website subscription needed) or watch on YouTube (with video subscription).

    UFC 297 live results: Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis

    Posted on by Ryan Frederick

    The Octagon returns to Toronto for the first time in over five years for the first UFC pay-per-view event of 2024 as UFC 297: Strickland vs. Du Plessis takes place at the Scotiabank Arena.

    The main event sees UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland making his first title defense against top contender Dricus Du Plessis. Strickland scored a massive upset over Israel Adesanya in September to become the new champion and has faced scrutiny for several comments he made this week. Du Plessis has yet to taste defeat on the UFC roster, winning six straight fights to earn his title shot.

    The co-main event will see a new women’s bantamweight champion crowned when Raquel Pennington squares off with Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant title. Pennington has won five straight fights while Bueno Silva is unbeaten in four fights since moving to bantamweight.

    Also on the main card is a welterweight battle between longtime veteran Neil Magny and rising prospect Mike Malott, a middleweight bout pitting Chris Curtis against Marc-Andre Barriault, and a battle of featherweight contenders as Arnold Allen takes on undefeated Movsar Evloev.

    ESPN+ PRELIMS | 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT

    > Flyweights*- Malcolm Gordon (14-7, 2-4 UFC) vs. Jimmy Flick (16-7, 1-2 UFC)

    *Gordon missed weight by 1.5 pounds

    Gordon comes out throwing and Flick lands a high kick. Gordon lands and Flick looks for a takedown. Gordon pushes it against the fence. Gordon gets a takedown. Flick gets Gordon inside of his full guard. Gordon with some right hands from the top. Flick looking for a triangle choke. Gordon lands some right hands. Flick lets go and Gordon lands from the top. Gordon landing some elbows and some more punches from the top. Gordon looks for a guillotine choke but Flick rolls to the top and is looking for a Von Flue choke. They get to the end. 10-9 Gordon.

    Flick lands a leg kick and left hand. Gordon lands a combo and follows it with more punches. Gordon landing right hands and some uppercuts before landing a knee. Flick is backing up and is able to get a takedown. Flick has the back on the mat and now looking for an arm-triangle choke. It’s locked in and Gordon taps! Big comeback win for Flick.

    Official Result- Jimmy Flick def. Malcolm Gordon by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 1:17 of Round 2

    > Women’s Bantamweights- Jasmine Jasudavicius (9-3, 3-2 UFC) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (12-5, 4-5 UFC)

    Jasudavicius gets an early takedown against the fence. She gets the back and lands some right hands. She’s landing from the back and then gets the mount and starts landing big right hands. Cachoeira in a lot of trouble on the bottom eating punches and elbows. Jasudavicius with some left hands from the top. Cachoeira is stuck on the bottom. Jasudavicius with more big punches from the mount. She keeps landing from the top. Complete domination from Jasudavicius. 10-8 Jasudavicius.

    Jasudavicius drops Cachoeira with a right hand to start the second and gets on top and starts landing. Jasudavicius with some elbows from the top. Jasudavicius gets the mount and lands an elbow as she’s looking to set up a choke. Jasudavicius locks in a D’Arce choke and lets go and lands some elbows. She goes back to locking the choke in. Jasudavicius lets go and lands some punches. Cachoeira is a bloody mess. Jasudavicius with big elbows from the top. More domination. 10-8 Jasudavicius, 20-16 Jasudavicius.

    They trade to start the third. They’re both landing as Jasudavicius is pushing forward. They trade jabs. Cachoeira running around and Jasudavicius is chasing her and is able to get a takedown. Cachoeira is bleeding heavily. Jasudavicius is landing big punches from the top. She has the crucifix position and then locks in a D’Arce choke that gets Cachoeira to tap. Complete domination and a terrific performance from Jasudavicius.

    Official Result- Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Priscila Cachoeira by submission (anaconda choke) at 4:21 of Round 3

    > Welterweights- Yohan Lainesse (9-2, 1-2 UFC) vs. Sam Patterson (10-2-1, 0-1 UFC)

    Patterson lands a left hand. Lainesse lands a right hand and Patterson counters with a left. Patterson grabs the neck and drags it down. He looks for a front choke on the ground. Patterson gets the back and looks to lock in the hooks. Patterson locks in a rear-naked choke and Lainesse taps!

    Official Result- Sam Patterson def. Yohan Lainesse by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:03 of Round 1

    ESPN PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT

    > Women’s Strawweights- Gillian Robertson (12-8, 9-6 UFC) vs. Polyana Viana (13-6, 4-5 UFC)

    Viana landing some combos and leg kicks to start off. Robertson gets a takedown. She’s working from the half-guard. She’s looking to set up a kimura as she has an arm but lets go. Robertson still working from the half-guard and looks for an opening for a choke. Robertson gets the mount and lands before locking in an arm-triangle choke. Viana is defending but it is in tight. Viana is able to squirm out. Robertson has the back. Robertson gets the mount and lands some elbows. Robertson now looks for an armbar. Viana slams Robertson down and is able to get her elbow free. Viana lands from the top before they stand. 10-9 Robertson.

    Viana lands a combination. Robertson lands a right hand. Viana with a right hand and a body kick. Robertson gets a takedown and has the mount. Viana almost gives up her back as Robertson is landing right hands. Robertson with an elbow. She lands some more right hands. Robertson with some hard elbows from the mount. She lands some big punches and gets the stoppage. Big finish and complete domination from Robertson.

    Official Result- Gillian Robertson def. Polyana Viana by TKO (punches) at 3:12 of Round 2

    > Bantamweights*- Serhiy Sidey (10-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Ramon Tavares (9-2, 0-0 UFC)

    *Tavares missed weight by 3.5 pounds

    Sidey lands some leg kicks. Sidey shoots for a takedown but Tavares defends against the fence. They get to the center and separate. Sidey lands a left hand and some body kicks. They trade kicks and Sidey lands a jab. Tavares lands a right hook then a left hand to the body and Sidey slips to the mat for a moment. Sidey lands a high kick. Tavares with a combo. Tavares with some punches and leg kicks. Sidey pressing forward and lands a high kick. Tavares ends with a body kick and hard right hand that hurts Sidey. Close round. 10-9 Tavares.

    Tavares with a combination to start off. Sidey shoots for a takedown but Tavares defends. Sidey lands a right hand. Tavares lands a left hand. Sidey lands a right hand that hurts Tavares. Sidey follows with a head kick. Sidey with some jabs then a right hand and a high kick, but misses a flying knee. Tavares drops Sidey with a left hand but Sidey gets right up. Tavares lands some more punches and Sidey’s nose is busted open. Sidey lands a body kick. Sidey with some punches and a head kick as Tavares is retreating. Sidey lands some more punches. Sidey with some elbows and left hands as they’re clinched. Sidey closes the round strong. 10-9 Sidey, 19-19.

    Sidey with some punches as he’s landing more to start the third. Tavares lands a combination. Sidey lands a leg kick. Tavares with a left hand. Tavares lands a combination. Sidey with a knee then an elbow and a straight right hand. Sidey lands a high kick. Tavares lands a combo. Sidey with a body kick. Sidey landing with more volume in this round. Sidey lands a combo ending with a high kick. Tavares lands a combo. Fun fight. 10-9 Sidey, 29-28 Sidey.

    Official Result- Ramon Tavares def. Serhiy Sidey by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

    > Featherweights- Charles Jourdain (15-6-1, 6-5-1 UFC) vs. Sean Woodson (10-1-1, 4-1-1 UFC)

    Jourdain lands a head kick that Woodson partially blocks. Woodson lands a jab then a leg kick. Jourdain lands a leg kick and they trade right hands. Woodson lands a combo. Jourdain with a leg kick. Both landing equally as both are having trouble finding openings. Jourdain with some more leg kicks. Woodson lands a combo. Woodson looks to land a knee and Jourdain grabs it but Woodson defends as they clinch. 10-9 Woodson.

    Jourdain lands a combination ending with a body kick to start the second. Woodson lands a left hand. Woodson with a nice combination. Jourdain looks for a takedown as he pushes it against the fence. They separate and both land. Jourdain pushes it back against the fence but they end up breaking. Jourdain with a body kick. Woodson lands a jab. Jourdain lands a head kick. 10-9 Woodson, 20-18 Woodson.

    Jourdain lands to start the third and pushes it against the fence looking for a takedown. They separate and Jourdain is pressuring but Woodson is landing as he backs up. Jourdain lands a leg kick. Woodson with a left hand to the body. Jourdain lands a left hand. Jourdain with a right hand. They trade and Jourdain looks for a takedown against the fence. They break and Jourdain with a body kick. Jourdain is landing more this round. Jourdain with a high body kick. Jourdain looks for a late guillotine choke but Woodson gets out before the fight ends. 10-9 Jourdain, 29-28 Woodson.

    Official Result- Sean Woodson def. Charles Jourdain by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

    > Bantamweights- Brad Katona (13-2, 3-2 UFC) vs. Garrett Armfield (9-3, 1-1 UFC)

    They trade leg kicks. Armfield lands a left hand. Armfield lands a quick combo. Katona with a right hand. Armfield with a jab to the body. We have a timeout for a groin strike by Katona. They get back to action and trade. Armfield lands a right hand. They’re trading in close range. Armfield lands a right hand. They tie up and Katona is looking for the takedown but they separate. Katona lands a left hand. Katona grabs the back and almost gets a takedown. Katona still has back control. Katona lands a knee. 10-9 Armfield.

    Armfield lands a right hand. Katona lands a right hand. Armfield lands a right hand. They trade inside the pocket. They continue to trade and Katona looks for a takedown, but Armfield defends and they separate. Katona lands a right hand. Katona with a jab. Armfield lands a combo and Katona fires back. They trade in close range. Katona lands with a left hand and is the one pressuring. Armfield is landing more and Katona gets a brief takedown. They get right to their feet and Katona has the back. Katona lands a knee. 10-9 Armfield, 20-18 Armfield.

    Both throw in close range but neither land. Katona lands a pair of left hands. Katona gets a takedown. They get to their feet and Katona pushes it against the fence. Katona trying for the takedown but Armfield is defending and landing elbows. They separate. They trade punches. Katona lands a right hand. Katona gets a takedown and is inside the guard of Armfield. Katona gets the back of Armfield. They separate but Katona goes right back for the takedown. They separate and are trading. Armfield goes for a takedown but Katona sprawls away and lands late. Close fight. 10-9 Katona, 29-28 Armfield.

    Official Result- Garrett Armfield def. Brad Katona by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

    ESPN+ PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT

    > Featherweights- #4 Arnold Allen (19-2, 10-1 UFC) vs. #9 Movsar Evloev (17-0, 7-0 UFC)

    Evloev tries a high kick as Allen lands a left hand. Allen lands a left hand. Allen lands to the body then the head. Allen lands another left hand to the body. Evloev looks for a takedown as he pushes it to the fence and Allen defends. They separate. Evloev lands a jab. Evloev lands a right hand. Allen lands a jab. Evloev shoots for a takedown but Allen is able to defend for a moment. They scramble and transition as they go from the feet to the mat to the feet to the mat and back up. Evloev has the back as the round ends. 10-9 Evloev.

    Evloev lands a body kick. Allen lands to the body. Evloev with a head kick. Allen then rushes in and lands a high kick. Allen lands a combo. Evloev with a leg kick. Evloev lands a right hand and gets a takedown. They get to their feet and separate. Evloev lands a jumping knee. Evloev lands a nasty jab that hurts Allen. Allen is cut bad under his eye as Evloev lands late. 10-9 Evloev, 20-18 Evloev.

    Evloev lands a high kick then a leg kick. Allen lands a combo to the head and body. Allen lands a left hand. Evloev shoots for a takedown and grabs a single leg. Allen is defending and landing knees and landed one as Evloev’s hand was down. Evloev was lifting his hands up but we have a timeout for an illegal knee. Evloev has a big cut open on the side of his head as they get back to action. Evloev tries for a takedown but Allen defends. Evloev tries a takedown and Allen grabs the neck looking for a choke but Evloev is able to roll out of it. They get to their feet and Evloev has the back along the fence. Allen landing some back elbows and they separate. Allen lands a left hand. 10-9 Allen, 29-28 Evloev.

    Official Result- Movsar Evloev def. Arnold Allen by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

    > Middleweights- #14 Chris Curtis (30-10 1 NC, 4-2 1 NC UFC) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (16-6 1 NC, 5-5 1 NC UFC)

    Curtis lands a leg kick. He lands another. He lands another. Barriault lands a pair of leg kicks and one high. Barriault with a right hand. Curtis with a combination. They’re trading but no one doing a lot of work at the moment. Barriault with a high kick. Curtis lands to the body. Curtis with a combination. Barriault lands a leg kick. 10-9 Barriault.

    Both looking for openings to land to start the second. Barriault with a combination. Curtis with a combination. There isn’t a ton of offense going on. Curtis lands a combination to the body. Curtis with a leg kick and Barriault lands a right hand. Barriault lands a body kick. Barriault with a leg kick. Curtis lands a pair of right hands. Barriault with a leg kick. Curtis lands a combo. Barriault with a body kick. They trade late. 10-9 Curtis, 19-19.

    Curtis lands an uppercut. Barriault lands a combination. They trade uppercuts. Curtis lands a straight left hand. They trade inside the pocket. Curtis lands a right hand. Barriault lands an uppercut and Curtis lands a counter elbow. Curtis lands some knees and Barriault lands to the body. Barriault with a right hand. Barriault landing with more volume as the round is going on. Curtis lands to the body. Barriault with a combo. They continue to trade. Barriault lands to the body. Curtis now landing more as he’s mixing to the head and body. They trade knees. Curtis with some body shots. Curtis with some knees and elbows. Close fight. 10-9 Curtis, 29-28 Curtis.

    Official Result- Chris Curtis def. Marc-Andre Barriault by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

    > Welterweights- #13 Neil Magny (28-11, 21-10 UFC) vs. Mike Malott (10-1-1, 3-0 UFC)

    Malott with a leg kick then another to start. Malott with more leg kicks. Malott with a high kick. Malott lands a right hand. Malott continuing to land with leg kicks as Magny isn’t getting much offense going. They clinch for a moment and Magny lands a left hand as they break. Malott with more leg kicks and Magny is showing damage. Malott with more leg kicks late. 10-9 Malott.

    Magny lands a leg kick. Malott lands a nice right hand. Malott with more punches and lands a leg kick. Malott with a body kick. Malott gets a takedown and is in the half-guard. They get to their feet and trade before Malott gets another takedown. Malott trying to transition and he ends up in the full mount. Malott landing from the top and in complete control as the round ends. 10-9 Malott, 20-18 Malott.

    Magny rushes forward and lands but Malott scores a takedown. Malott looking for the neck but Magny gets his head out. They get to their feet and are tied up against the fence. Magny landing some slaps. Malott has the single leg and scores the takedown. Malott working from the top smothering Magny and landing punches. Malott grabs the neck but Magny is able to slam him down and lands. Malott looks for a leg as Magny goes back to the mat. Magny gets the mount and is landing and now takes the back and is landing. Malott is eating a ton of punches as Magny is pouring it on and it is stopped! What a comeback from Magny to get the stunning win.

    Official Result- Neil Magny def. Mike Malott by TKO (punches) at 4:45 of Round 3

    > UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship- #2 Raquel Pennington (15-8, 12-5 UFC) vs. #3 Mayra Bueno Silva (10-2-1 1 NC, 5-2-1 1 NC UFC)

    Pennington rushes forward with a combo. Pennington grabs a single leg looking for a takedown but Silva defends. They trade and Pennington is looking for a single leg and Silva lands an elbow. They separate. Silva gets a takedown. She takes the back of Pennington. They get to their feet and Silva is still on the back in the backpack position. Silva lands an elbow. They go back to the mat and Silva has both hooks in. Silva with some punches from the back. 10-9 Bueno Silva.

    Pennington lands some jabs as Silva is landing some leg kicks. Pennington with a right hand and a left hook. She lands another combo. They clinch and not much happens. Pennington lands after they break and she lands some more in close range before they clinch again. Silva lands a knee. Silva lands to the body and they break. Pennington lands some big right hands. Pennington rushes in and lands. They tie up and Pennington lands an elbow. Pennington with some punches in the clinch. They trade uppercuts. Pennington with some foot stomps. Silva gets the back and jumps on it. Silva looking for a choke. Pennington gets out. Silva with some elbows. 10-9 Pennington, 19-19.

    Silva lands a leg kick and Pennington lands some punches. Silva with another leg kick and lands afterwards before they tie up. Pennington lands some knees and Silva lands some. Silva gets a brief takedown but Pennington is able to reverse it to the feet. Silva grabs the neck and is looking for a front choke but Pennington gets out and lands an elbow. Silva lands an elbow. She lands some more as she looks for a takedown. Pennington defends and has the neck from the top. Pennington stands and Silva remains on her back. Silva is ordered to her feet. They clinch right away and Silva lands a knee. Pennington lands to the body and Silva lands an elbow. Pennington has the neck and Silva drops to the mat. Pennington lands from the top. She ends the round on top. 10-9 Pennington, 29-28 Pennington.

    Pennington lands a Superwoman punch. Pennington with a combination. They tie up against the fence. Silva lands an elbow then a knee then another elbow. Silva looking to get the back and has it. Silva drags it down. She looks for a choke and is squeezing as it’s around the chin. Pennington is able to get out. Pennington is on top and pressuring. Silva looks for an arm but Pennington gets out and lands a pair of hammerfists. Pennington with some big punches from the top. 10-9 Pennington, 39-37 Pennington.

    They trade and Pennington gets a takedown. Pennington lands from the top and has an arm-triangle choke locked in. Silva is trying to get out. Pennington lets go and lands before getting the mount. Pennington is now in the half-guard. Pennington landing and stands. Silva is laying on her back. Pennington lands some leg kicks. Really bad fight. 10-9 Pennington, 49-46 Pennington.

    Official Result- Raquel Pennington def. Mayra Bueno Silva by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45) to win the vacant UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship

    > UFC Middleweight Championship- C Sean Strickland (28-5, 15-5 UFC) vs. #2 Dricus Du Plessis (20-2, 6-0 UFC)

    Strickland lands a body kick then a left hook. He lands a leg kick then a jab. Du Plessis lands a leg kick. Strickland lands the jab. Strickland working the jab and front kick. Strickland lands a combo. Du Plessis with a hard body kick. Du Plessis with a head kick. Du Plessis with a leg kick. Strickland lands a jab. Du Plessis with another high kick. Du Plessis shoots for a takedown and gets it. They get to their feet but Du Plessis still pressuring before they separate. Du Plessis with a body kick. Strickland lands a jab. Du Plessis with a leg kick then another high kick. Strickland lands a right hand. 10-9 Strickland.

    Du Plessis lands a combo. Strickland with the jab. Strickland still working the jab. He lands another. Du Plessis lands a right hand. Du Plessis with a body kick. Strickland still working the jab. Du Plessis lands a leg kick. Du Plessis with another leg kick. Du Plessis lands to the body. Strickland with the double jab then a right hand. Du Plessis lands a right hand. Du Plessis with a body kick. Du Plessis lands a left hand. Du Plessis lands a combo. Du Plessis gets another takedown. They get up and Du Plessis lands a knee before they break. Du Plessis with a left hand then a leg kick. Du Plessis lands a left hand. 10-9 Du Plessis, 19-19.

    Du Plessis lands a head kick. Du Plessis with a left hand. Strickland lands a jab. Du Plessis with a leg kick then a right hand. Du Plessis with a body kick. Du Plessis with a left hand and lands another. Strickland lands a jab and Du Plessis with a left hand. They trade left hands. Strickland with a double jab and Du Plessis lands a right hand. Du Plessis lands again. They trade in close range. Close round. 10-9 Du Plessis, 29-28 Du Plessis.

    They’re both pawing in close range. Du Plessis lands a left hand. Du Plessis tries a takedown but lands an elbow on the break and Strickland is cut open. Strickland lands a right hand. Du Plessis lands a nice body kick. Strickland lands an overhand right. They both land and Du Plessis with a leg kick. Strickland lands a combo. Du Plessis with a left hand. Du Plessis gets a takedown. They get to the fence and to their feet. Strickland is bleeding even more now. Du Plessis has the back against the fence and they separate. Du Plessis lands a big right hand. Du Plessis lands a combo then a head kick. Du Plessis gets another takedown. They get to their feet and Du Plessis has the back. Du Plessis with a German suplex but they end up standing. Du Plessis with an uppercut. Strickland lands a combo. 10-9 Du Plessis, 39-37 Du Plessis.

    Strickland lands the jab. Du Plessis with a right hand then a high kick. They trade left hands. Strickland lands a right hand. Du Plessis lands a combination. Strickland with a right hand and Du Plessis lands a left hand. Du Plessis shoots for a takedown but Strickland defends. Du Plessis with a jab and Strickland lands a pair of right hands. They trade jabs. Du Plessis fakes a takedown and they trade right hands. They trade in close range. Du Plessis with a right hand. Du Plessis with a combination. Du Plessis with a jab. Strickland lands a right hand. He lands another. Du Plessis with a right hand and Strickland lands a right hand. They trade late. 10-9 Strickland, 48-47 Du Plessis.

    Official Result- Dricus Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) to win the UFC Middleweight Championship

    JNPO: The MMA year in review, pt. 3

    Posted on by Josh Nason

    The third installment in my Josh Nason’s Punch-Out four-part MMA year in review series rolls on with a look at July, August & September 2023.

    Joining me as always is Paul Fontaine of the In The Clinch podcast, The Dynamite Show, and wrestling TV ratings writer for this very website.

    It was a month of big business for the UFC as they held four pay-per-views from Las Vegas, Utah, Boston, and Australia that generated over $30 million in gate revenue.

    The quarter saw Sean Strickland upset Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title, Alexandre Pantoja win his first UFC flyweight title, and Sean O’Malley finally climb to the top of the UFC bantamweight mountain.

    Robbie Lawler retired in spectacular fashion, there was a major development in the Cung Le vs. UFC class action lawsuit, the UFC held their first-ever Noche UFC event to big acclaim, and tons more.

    If you missed any of the series, check out the archives.

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    Sean Strickland wins middleweight title at UFC 293

    Posted on by Bryan Rose

    Sean Strickland is the new UFC middleweight champion.

    Strickland defeated Israel Adesanya by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) to win the middleweight championship for the first time. Adesanya had been champion for 155 days, defeating Alex Pereira at UFC 287 back in April of this year. 

    After the decision was read, Strickland said he never thought in a million years that he would ever be here. He called Adesanya a “bad mother*****r”, saying that Adesanya beat a majority of his friends. He said the people of Australia motivated him, and their yelling fueled him.

    Adesanya has been part of the middleweight title scene dating back to 2019, when he became the undisputed champion. He had held the title up until Pereira defeated him at UFC 281 on November 12 of last year, being knocked out in the fifth round of that fight. The only other loss in Adesanya’s career was a loss to Jan Blachowicz in March of 2021 for the UFC light heavyweight title, preventing him from becoming a double champion.