Less than a week ago, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier downplayed the notion of returning to heavyweight to fight UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic as good friend and former champion Cain Velasquez announced preparations to return back to action in the division.
What a difference a few days makes.
On Friday night, the promotion announced that both Cormier and Miocic will fight in the main event of UFC 226 in Las Vegas as part of International Fight Week after a run as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter.
The two men just defended their respective titles at last Saturday’s UFC 220 with Miocic downing Francis Ngannou by unanimous decision while Cormier bested Volkan Oezdemir by second round TKO.
This continues a trend of UFC management wanting to do champion vs. champion fights as opposed to interdivision bouts. Women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg vs. women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes has been bandied about on social media this week while flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson vs. bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw has been in discussion since last summer.
Cormier is the former Strikeforce Grand Prix heavyweight champion and moved down in weight after two UFC fights while Miocic just set the record for consecutive UFC title defense with three.
There was talk this week that all three fights will be part of the same show, effectively holding up three divisions.
Welcome to our live cageside coverage of UFC 220, coming to you from somewhat cageside at Boston’s TD Garden
The UFC kicks off their 2018 PPV calendar with a card headlined by two title fights as UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic defends against Francis Ngannou in the main event while UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier defends against Volkan Oezdemir in the co-main event.
Miocic looks to make UFC history and successfully defend his title for the third time, but Ngannou is the most dangerous challenger in the division, with power punching and ten straight wins, all by stoppage. Cormier looks to defend the 205-pound title for the first time since being reinstated as champion. He enters the Octagon for the first time since July, while Oezdemir looks to extend his five-fight win streak and win UFC gold less than a year since making his UFC debut.
Rounding out the main card is undefeated Shane Burgos taking on Calvin Kattar, winner of nine straight, at 145 pounds, light heavyweights Gian Villante and Francimar Barroso battle to get back into the win column, and bantamweight prospect Thomas Almeida looks to get back on track as he fights Rob Font.
Send along your thoughts on tonight’s event (thumbs up-down, middle finger) along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave Meltzer at [email protected].
**********
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS:
> Islam Makhachev (15-1, 4-1 UFC) def. Gleison Tibau (33-13, 16-11 UFC) by first round knockout (:57) Lightweights
This was quite a way to start the card. Makhachev hit a left hook that knocked Tibau flat. He hit few unneccesary punches after that and it was over. This is Tibau’s first tilt in two years due to a USADA suspension and it showed. Makhachev (flanked by Khabi Nurmagomedov) said in his post-fight promo that he wants someone tougher next.
The crowd really popped for the finish which isn’t a surprise. What is a surprise is so many people are here already, a good sign for a loud and rowdy crowd tonight. Loooooong break until the next fight.
> Enrique Barzola (14-3-1, 4-1 UFC) def. Matt Bessette (22-8, 1 NC, 0-1 UFC) by u/d (30-27, 29-28 x2) Featherweights
Bessette is a Massachussets kid who made an impression on the Dana White Tuesday Night Contender series and was an injury replacement. This is his UFC debut against Barzola, a past TUF Latin America winner
Bessette started out hot, throwing a lot of kicks and landing a nice head kick as Barzola was still warming up. That gave him a 10-9 on my card, but the dreaded Octagon adrenaline dump seemed to take over in the second. Barzola hit a leg kick that swept Bessette and hit a few takedowns that didn’t amount fo much. Still, he got a 10-9 on my card as he the aggressor over a waning Bessette. In the third, Barzola was landing with more precision. Bessette was still throwing, but his tank was clearly running low. There was a little hope spot as Bessette was working for a triangle and leg lock with a minute to go but Barzola fended it off for a 10-9 round.
This was a decent fight that was buoyed by the crowd rooting for their guy.
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS:
> Julio Arce (13-2, 1-0 UFC) def. Dan Ige (8-2, 0-1 UFC) by ud (30-27×2, 29-28) Featherweights
These are also two DWTNC guys, both making their UFC debut.
It was a really slow start until Arce hit a straight left that wobbled Ige and was aggressive going after with more punches. Ige survived and threw a few counters, but Arce was on top of him to pick up the round 10-9. Arce controlled a fairly ho hum second round with punches for a 10-9 where Ige was going for takedowns but not getting them. Ditto for the third as Arce was simply better on the feet and lit up Ige on the feet. This was a fairly missable fight, but the crowd was into it.
There was lots of whoooing int his one which the MMA equivalent of saying ‘What?”
> Dustin Ortiz (#10, 18-7, 7-5 UFC) def. Alexandre Pantoja (#11, 18-3, 2-1 UFC) by ud (29-28×3) Flyweights
This featured a great first round. Pantoja was a backpack on Ortiz and was diligently working for a rear naked that turned into a face crank. Ortiz worked his way out in the last minute, hit a big knee and then was working Pantoja’s back. Pantoja won the round 10-9, but that was close and fun to watch. Ortiz won the second round 10-9 by controlling Pantoja’s body for nearly the entire round, working him over with knees to the legs and body while attempting to take him down. Pantoja went back to the well in the third, backpacking Ortiz and wriggling him down two minutes in. But Ortiz worked out of it and earned the third 10-9 by outstriking Pantoja and grinding him out.
There’s a significant Brazilian presence here and they were chanting loudly during that first round. Despite that, Ortiz got a nice pop when his name was read.
After that quick start, we’re now at three straight decisions. The crowd is still lively, but I’m interested to see how these next two go.
WWE’s Dolph Ziggler is here.
Abdul Razak Alhassan (9-1, 3-1 UFC) def. Sabah Homasi (11-8, 0-3 UFC) by first round knockout (3:47) Welterweights
This was a rematch of a fight that happened recently with a controversial finish that Alhassan took. That streak of decisions came to a violent end as Alhassan crushed Homasi with a clean uppercut, knocking him cold in the first round. It was a no doubter as Homasi was out before he hit the canvas. Alhassan did a backflip and the crowd went nuts. Alhassan bears some watching in 2018. Have I mentioned how good this crowd is tonight?
> Kyle Bochniak (8-2, 2-2 UFC) def. Brandon Davis (8-4, 0-1 UFC) by u/d (30-27, 29-28×2) Featherweights
We get to our final FS1 prelim with another local in Bochniak trying to get a win and another DWTCS guy getting an opportunity. No big surprise but the crowd was pretty big into Bochniak’s intro.
This was not a great fight and that it was the featured FS1 prelim shows you the depth of this card outside the PPV. Bochniak edged him out in the first round with body control, a few well-timed strikes, and a takedown, good for a 10-9 first round. From there, he really didn’t do that much and I scored the final two for Davis who also didn’t do a lot but did defend a few takedowns and landed a few punches and kicks. I wasn’t surprised that Bochniak picked up the win here as it was that close.
PPV MAIN CARD:
> Rob Font (#14, 15-3, 5-2 UFC) def. Thomas Almeida (#10, 22-3, 5-3 UFC) by second round TKO (2:24) Bantamweights
Outside the top two fights, this is the one I was most excited to see. Both are coming off losses, but are both young enough in thier careers where an ‘L’ here isn’t going to sink them. Font is another local guy and the locals have gone 1-1 on the show thus far.
A huge second round propelled Font to a big win to open up the show. After battling to a stalemate in round 1 with no clear advantage for either guy, Font hit a big overhand right that hurt Almedia badly. He was on him ,throwing shots while Almiesia was trying to clinch and slow things down. Then came a big head kick that led to the end followed by some hammer fists that wrapped up the show for Almedia.
This was a great way to open the PPV. I’m assuming the live crowd isn’t coming through on the broadcast, but they went nuts for that one, obviously.
For the first time tonight, the Boston faithful booed. Nearly four hours into the show, I guess that’s a good thing.
This fight…existed. It was complete filler and something you’d expect to see on the Fight Pass prelims of an FS1 show. The light heavyweight division hasn’t been good for a while and this was evidence of that.
Villante was better standing and really hit a few good shots in the second round, but that’s all you need to know about this. That it was a split decision was…interesting. Villante got the crowd back a bit with his post-fight promo because he was rooting for Miocic.
There are plenty of names here to watch the show including Amanda Nunes, Demetrious Johnson, Kelvin Gastelum, Kamaru Usman, Bethe Correia, and even Forrest Griffin to name a few.
> Calvin Kattar (18-2, 2-0 UFC) def. Shane Burgos (10-1, 3-1 UFC) by third round TKO (:32) Featherweights
By way of New Hamsphire’s Massachussetts’ Kattar rounds out the group of four local fighters tonight and has a tough challenge in the undefeated Burgos. Kattar was out to Tom Petty’s ‘Wont Back Down’ which is Chris Weidman’s music. He cornered Villante tonight so we’re definitely getting a distraction finish or some kind of interference here.
After going into the third tied at 1 a piece on my scorecard, Kattar landed an uppercut from hell to a leaning-in Burgos who was instantly on roller skates. Kattar then hit another uppercut that put Burgos on his back. He went after him, hit a few more shots and when Burgos gave him his back while getting up, Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight. The crowd went ballistic and rightfully so for an outstanding and satisfying finish to a very technical fight.
Up until that point, it was all stand-up with Kattar taking the first and Burgos taking the second. Kattar’s jab was on point while Burgos was connecting with some nice body shots.
> UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier (20-1 1 NC, 9-1 1 NC UFC) def. Volkan Oezdemir (#2, 15-2, 3-1 UFC) by second round TKO
Said in Mauro Ranallo voice: Oezdemir is out to the Game of Thrones theme, but will he be Ramsey or Jon Snow tonight?
The outcome here is going to be quite intriguing, but I’m guessing Alexander Gustafsson gets the winner regardless. Cormier is a huge fan favorite here and this has a big fight feel even with a lesser-known challenger.
Go time.
For eight minutes, Cormier was the king of the city, taking out Oezdemir in the second round, outclassing him and showing why he’s one of the best in the world.
In the first round, both guys were swinging for the fences with the challenger looking to use his recent power surge to take out the champion. But Cormier withstood the attack and landed plenty of his own, eventually securing a takedown and working for a rear naked choke at the end of the round. It was so loud in the Garden that people thought the fight was over.
In the second, Cormier took over and popped the crowd when he got a takedown. After some ground and pound, he worked Oezdemir into crucifix position and landed punches and elbows, eventually getting the fight stopped to Boston’s delight.
He was emotional in his promo and was happy that he won what he considered a vacant title. As the kids say, he was over here tonight despite never having fought here before.
> UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic (C, 19-2, 12-2 UFC) def. Francis Ngannou (#1, 11-2, 6-1 UFC) by u/d (50-44)
My god, it’s time. The anticipation is like watching the final seconds tick down from a bomb that is about to go off.
R1: Miocic fought a smart and fantastic first round, waiting out the hurricane of power and eventually tagging Ngannou on counters and scoring takedowns that tired Ngannou out. Ngannou did connect a few times, but as he began to swing wildly, Miocic nailed him with a punch that staggered the big man. After scoring another big takedown to end the first, it’s clear that he had a sound gameplan coming in. 10-9 Miocic
R2: Both guys slowed a bit in the second after taht fast paced first. Miocic (nearly 20 pounds lighter) was still able to tag him and with two minutes to go, got a big takedown and started working Ngannou over. For the final minute, Miocic had Ngannou kneeling against the cage and was kneeing and punching him. Ngannou couldn’t get up, his strength completely sapped. Everyone is standing, making for an incredible atmosphere. They are ridiculously into this fight. 10-9 Miocic with an argument for a 10-8
R3: Can you believe we’re in the third? Ngannou has nothgn left for Miocic and the champion did exactly what he did to finish the second: putting Ngannou up against the cage and working his body over. Just when Ngannou tagged Miocic, the champion smartly took him down to negate the damage. Flat on his back, Ngannou wasn’t trying to get up. This is way more one-sided than I expected. 10-9 Miocic
R4: Can you believe we’re in the fourth? Miocic scored a takedown 20 seconds into the round and just kept pounding away. At one point, he got up, Ngannou meekly tried for a leg lock or kneebar and Miocic simply spun around and went right back on the ground before Ngannou knew what was happening. Miocic was also a bit tired so his ground and pound shots weren’t enough to do big damage and end this. There was even a smattering of boos from the crowd as they wanted the finish — or at least a stand-up — badly. 10-8 Miocic
R5: Can you…ok, now we can believe it. Both guys were exhausted, but Miocic was slightly fresher. Ngannou could barely throw a punch which negates his one thought-to-be-big advantage. This was a boring round and unfortunately, fans didn’t get the finish they wanted. 10-9 Miocic
I certainly didn’t expect that to go the distance and neither did everyone else. Miocic is now the record holder for the most UFC heavyweight title defenses and is the best UFC heavyweight of all-time.
After a fun UFC St. Louis show headlined by a solid Jeremy Stephens 2nd round TKO over DooHo Choi, we launch into a weekend with not only one show but TWO SHOWS GOING HEAD-TO-HEAD. If that’s not worthy of ALL CAPS, I don’t know what is.
Let’s get to a look at what matters and what doesn’t this weekend. Your guides as always: Paul Fontaine, Ryan Frederick, and your friendly neighborhood podcast host.
First, The Cards
UFC 220 (whole card)
Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou
Light heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier vs. Volkan Oezdemir
Shane Burgos vs. Calvin Kattar
Francimar Barroso vs. Gian Villante
Thomas Almeida vs. Rob Font
Kyle Bochniak vs. Brandon Davis
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Sabah Homasi
Dustin Ortiz vs. Alexandre Pantoja
Julio Arce vs. Dan Ige
Matt Bessette vs. Enrique Barzola
Islam Makhachev vs. Gleison Tibau
Bellator 192 (main card)
Heavyweight Grand Prix Round 1: Chael Sonnen vs. Rampage Jackson
Welterweight champion Douglas Lima vs. Rory MacDonald
Michael Chandler vs. Goiti Yamauchi
Aaron Pico vs. Shane Kruchten
Henry Corrales vs. Georgi Karakhanyan
What fight(s) are you most looking forward to this weekend?
Ryan: There are a lot of good to great fights this weekend, but the big one for me is Miocic vs. Ngannou. It has all the makings of fireworks. Miocic is on his way to being the best UFC heavyweight of all time as he has finished five of the best heavyweights ever in a row, most of them in the first round. Ngannou has finished a few of the same opponents, but in more violent form. Both have knockout power, but the big question is if Miocic can avoid the punches of Ngannou and drag the fight out. The only time Ngannou has been past the second round was his lone loss in his career. I expect a violent finish in this one — one that will have the Boston fans going crazy.
Paul: The heavyweight title fight is the biggest one for sure. Either Miocic stakes his claim as perhaps the greatest heavyweight of all time or UFC potentially gets a new mega-star in Francis Ngannou. It’s a no-lose situation for UFC and especially the fans. On the Bellator side of things, Michael Chandler will be on a mission to steal the show and earn a shot at the lightweight title he doesn’t feel he should’ve lost.
Josh: I mean, it’s got to be Miocic vs. Ngannou for all the reasons Paul and Ryan listed above. Big dudes, big stakes, and a real path toward being what the combat sports world wants: a heavyweight champion to rally behind. I’m bummed that Bellator is running at the same time as I really want to see that MacDonald-Lima fight. For those at home, enjoy using that clicker.
Any dark horse great fights?
Paul: The Chandler-Yamauchi fight is the one that has the potential to steal the show. Both are finishers and both have a great history of exciting fights. The bantamweight fight between Thomas Almeida and Rob Font is also one to watch for from UFC.
Ryan: I’m also going with Chandler vs. Yamauchi. Both are two of the most exciting fighters on the Bellator roster. Chandler is a former two-time champion, but Yamauchi is on the rise and is a dangerous opponent. Yamauchi has dangerous submissions and Chandler has excellent power on his feet. It’s going to be a wild one.
Josh: The Almeida-Font PPV opener should be a lot of fun. Both guys are coming off a loss, but are both young enough to make a run at any time. Font is a local guy and will get a great pop with a big win. This is a good litmus test for where both guys are at at this point in their young career.
What isn’t doing it for you this weekend?
Paul: The entire UFC undercard after the two top fights. Using my scoring system that I employ at MMADraws.com, it’s the weakest FS1 prelims show ever for a PPV. The names on this card are people even hardcore fight fans have a hard time caring about.
Josh: I completely agree. I love going to these shows, but this card is hard to get excited about outside the top two fights and personal interest fights like New Hampshire’s Calvin Kattar.
Ryan: It’s the Bellator “main event” between Chael Sonnen and Rampage Jackson. It shouldn’t be the main event over Lima-MacDonald and has the potential to be very boring. Sonnen hasn’t been the same since he had to get off the performance enhancers, and Jackson hasn’t looked like a good fighter in six years, hanging around just to make money. Jackson has been in some boring fights the last few years, and this will likely be another one.
Why do both shows matter?
Josh: UFC 220 matters for two reasons and that’s the two title fights. It’s been a while since we saw Miocic last do this thing and unless this is a dud of a fight, the promotion is going to come out ahead no matter who wins. This sets up at least one more heavyweight title fight this year and possible two more depending on the damage done. Secondly, we either get the beginning of the latest Daniel Cormier light heavyweight redemption story or a new champion that we’re not necessarily ready for. The division is thin as it is and a Cormier win sets up a fun rematch with Alexander Gustafsson. Now if Oezdemir wins, that adds another promotional challenge but we’ll cross that bridge when he crosses it.
Paul: Both title fights on the UFC show have tremendous stakes both for the short and long-term. Ngannou is the most impressive title challenger to come along since Brock Lesnar and, in fact, Miocic is the first UFC heavyweight champion to go into a title defence as an underdog since Randy Couture (against Lesnar). And in the co-main, Cormier has to prove that he is the best light heavyweight on the planet, and maybe ever, who is not named Jon Jones. If he gets tagged by Oezdemir and goes down, it could wipe away everything he’s done in the division, especially to the segment of UFC fans who already seem to not like him very much.
Ryan: There is a potential for two new champions on the UFC card, and that would shake up both divisions a great deal. Ngannou has the chance to become the next breakout star in the UFC while Miocic can further cement his legacy, so that matters. Cormier has the chance to further his career as the best light heavyweight not named Jon Jones, but has a tough test. Bellator could see a new champion at 170 pounds, and the Heavyweight Grand Prix gets off to a start. It may not be the most-stacked shows, at least on one side, but both have future company plans on the line.
Who wins?
Miocic vs. Ngannou
Ngannou: Paul, Josh
Miocic: Ryan
Cormier vs. Oezdemir
Oezdemir: Paul
Cormier, Ryan, Josh
Font vs. Almeida
Font, Josh, Paul
Almeida: Ryan
Bellator Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima vs. Rory MacDonald
After Francis Ngannou’s highlight-reel knockout of Alistair Overeem at this past Saturday’s UFC 218, it wasn’t a case of ‘if’ but ‘when’ when it came to getting a shot at UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
On Wednesday night, we may have found out the ‘when’: Saturday, January 20th at UFC 220 in Boston, Mass., first reported by MMA Junkie and confirmed by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani.
UFC has not officially announced the bout as of this writing.
Ngannou’s rise to a title shot was accelerated after the Overeem victory, his 10th straight and sixth in the Octagon where he’s finished everyone he’s faced. In Miocic, he’ll face the man who has held the title since May 2016 and has won five straight, including two successful defenses of the gold. He’s one away from setting the UFC heavyweight record.
After downing Junior dos Santos in May, Cleveland, Ohio’s favorite son sat on the sidelines with a contract dispute.
The fight should headline a show with a co-main event of light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier vs. light heavyweight prospect Volkan Oezdemir who burst onto the scene this year with three wins, two by first round knockout. This will be Cormier’s first fight since losing the title to Jon Jones this summer and then being given the title back after another Jones USADA violation.
UFC hasn’t been in Boston since a January 2016 FS1 show headlined by then-bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz vs. TJ Dillashaw.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 211: Miocic vs. Dos Santos 2, emanating from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The UFC presents their most stacked card of 2017 thus far in an event headlined by Stipe Miocic defending the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Junior Dos Santos in a rematch of their epic clash in 2014.
Miocic and Dos Santos met in a five-round war in December 2014, a back-and-forth encounter that ended with Dos Santos taking home the win by decision. Since then, Miocic has won four straight fights by knockout, defeating Fabricio Werdum to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion in the process, and making a successful defense against Alistair Overeem.
Dos Santos has only fought twice since then, going just 1-1, and hasn’t fought since an April 2016 win over Ben Rothwell.
In the co-main event, the most dominant female fighter in the world, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, defends the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship against Jessica Andrade. Jedrzejczyk is undefeated in her career at 13-0 and defends the title for the fifth time. Andrade gets a title shot on the heels of three straight wins since moving to 115 pounds.
Also on the main card is a welterweight bout with title shot implications on the line as Demian Maia goes for his seventh straight win against Jorge Masvidal, winner of three straight, and former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar looks to get back to a title fight when he faces rising star Yair Rodriguez in the biggest test of Rodriguez’ young career.
In a featured prelim bout, Eddie Alvarez returns for the first time since losing to Conor McGregor at UFC 205 in November as he takes on Dustin Poirier.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT
> Joachim Christensen (14-4, 1-1 UFC) vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov (19-4, 1-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
They were trading early and Antigulov got a takedown. Antigulov was landing knees to the body as he took the back. Antigulov was looking for the choke early on. Christensen was defending but Antigulov had it locked in and Christensen taps! Antigulov with the quick first-round submission win.
Official Result- Gadzhimurad Antigulov def. Joachim Christensen by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:21 of Round 1
> Gabriel Benitez (19-5, 3-1 UFC) vs. Enrique Barzola (12-3-1, 2-1 UFC) Featherweights
Benitez landed a big leg kick early on. Barzola landed a head kick as they were going back and forth with kicks. Barzola scored a takedown. Benitez scrambled out from the bottom and they got back to their feet. Barzola scored another takedown but Benitez was quick to get back up. Benitez scored with a straight left and then landed another. Barzola landed a good combination and scored a big takedown and was landing from the top at the end. 10-9 Barzola.
They were trading early on and Barzola got a quick takedown but Benitez was quick back to his feet. Barzola got another takedown- Benitez has been unable to stop them. They got back up. Another takedown from Barzola and he was looking to take the back. Benitez landed a knee to the body. Benitez landed a big body kick. Barzola started firing back punches and landed a knee to the body. 10-9 Barzola, 20-18 Barzola after two.
Benitez tried a spin kick but it almost went badly as he slipped to the mat and Barzola pressured on for a takedown. Benitez was scrambling but gave up his back in the process and Barzola was looking to lock in a choke. He had it in and Benitez was fighting it off and able to escape. They got to their feet and a big crowd reaction. Benitez landed a sharp left hand. Barzola is relentless with his looking for takedowns. They traded punches. Barzola got another takedown into the guard. Benitez scrambled to his feet but Barzola had the back. Benitez landed a body kick but Barzola fired back with a big right hand. Benitez hurt Barzola bad at the horn and knocked him down. Excellent fight. 10-9 Barzola, 30-27 Barzola.
Official Result- Enrique Barzola def. Gabriel Benitez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Casey was landing some punches early. Aguilar tripped Casey to the mat and swarmed on top landing some good hammerfists. Aguilar got to her feet and Casey was looking for upkicks. They got to their feet and Casey landed a lot of punches and Aguilar had to run away as she was trapped against the fence. Casey landed a combo but Aguilar was able to get a takedown. Aguilar drug Casey by the foot to the center of the mat. Aguilar went into the guard and was landing short punches before they were stood up. Casey landed a nice combination. Casey with a head kick and a nice combo at the end. 10-9 Casey.
Aguilar got Casey to the mat quickly to start the second. Aguilar got up and was looking for an opening to the guard but Casey was using push kicks on the mat until she was stood up. Casey with some solid combinations. Aguilar got a quick takedown. Casey landed some upkicks. Aguilar got on top in the half-guard. Aguilar ended on the top. 10-9 Casey, 20-18 Casey.
Casey was landing punches and then pushed Aguilar against the fence. Aguilar was able to get away. Casey was landing some big punches and had Aguilar in trouble. Aguilar is busted open and bleeding all over. Aguilar landed a knee to the body but is just eating shots from Casey. Casey landed some good punches and defended some takedown attempts. Aguilar with a nice combo at the end. Casey looked very good in this fight. 10-9 Casey, 30-27 Casey.
Official Result- Cortney Casey def. Jessica Aguilar by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
FX PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> James Vick (10-1, 6-1 UFC) vs. Marco Polo Reyes (7-2, 3-0 UFC) Lightweights
Reyes landed a quick opening flurry and then they were trading kicks. Reyes landed a solid combo. They clinched and Reyes was landing to the body. They were trading and Vick dropped Reyes with a big right hand and after a few more punches on the ground it was stopped. Vick gets a big win in front of a hometown crowd.
Official Result- James Vick def. Marco Polo Reyes by TKO (punches) at 2:39 of Round 1
Sherman with a high kick early on but Coulter fired back with a right hand. They were trading again and Coulter landed a right hand. Sherman landed a jab that hurt Coulter and was then landing some leg kicks. Sherman landed a big shot and hurt Coulter. Coulter landed a big right hand that hurt Shetrman. Sherman has Coulter hurt with leg kicks. 10-9 Sherman.
Sherman with a leg kick but Coulter landed a big right hand. Sherman has Coulter hurt after a leg kick. Sherman dropped Coulter and was pounding away. Lots of punches on the mat but Coulter got to his feet. Coulter was firing back punches but is visibly hurt. Sherman with leg kicks and Coulter can barely walk. Coulter with heavy punches. Sherman with punches against the fence. Coulter with big punches. They traded punches. The crowd is really into this. Sherman with a combo. Sherman finishes Coulter off with a flurry of strikes to a big reaction. Excellent fight.
Official Result- Chase Sherman def Rashad Coulter by TKO (strikes) at 3:36 of Round 2
> Chas Skelly (17-2, 6-2 UFC) vs. Jason Knight (16-2, 3-1 UFC) Featherweights
They were trading early and Knight landed a nice combo. Skelly landed a nice combo. Skelly got a takedown into the guard of Knight. Skelly got to his feet and was looking to slam Knight but Knight held onto the fence. Skelly went back down and Knight reversed positions to the top. A scramble ended with Skelly back into Knight’s guard. They scrambled all over the mat looking for dominant position until they separated and just stood up. Knight got a late takedown. 10-9 Knight.
They were trading and Knight got a quick takedown. Knight is talking trash inside the Octagon. Skelly landed a left hand. Skelly landed an uppercut and a body kick which cause Knight to stumble a little. Knight was saying all sorts of things to Skelly after he hit him. Skelly went for a takedown but Knight sprawled. They were battling for underhooks against the fence. Knight scored a takedown. Skelly scrambled to the top but Knight was looking for an armbar. Skelly got up and landed a head kick on Knight right as he got to his feet and then a hard right hand. 10-9 Knight, 20-18 Knight.
Knight has a big cut underneath his right eye. Knight knocked Skelly down with a right hand and was looking for the finish with punches on the ground and he got it. Jason Knight with a huge win. Skelly not happy about the stoppage but it was the right call.
Official Result- Jason Knight def. Chas Skelly by TKO (punches) at :39 of Round 3
> Eddie Alvarez (#3, 28-5, 3-2 UFC) vs. Dustin Poirier (#9, 21-5, 13-4 UFC) Lightweights
Poirier landed a big body kick to start. Poirier with a hard leg kick. Poirier landed a straight right hand that stunned Alvarez. Alvarez missed on two right hand attempts but landed a high kick. Poirier with a leg kick. Poirier lands another straight right hand. They traded and Poirier landed a body kick. Alvarez just missed a hard right hand. Alvarez lands a right hand at the end. 10-9 Poirier.
Alvarez came out firing with punches to start the round and was working for a takedown. Alvarez was landing left hands in a tie-up before they broke apart. Alvarez’ left eye is showing some good damage. Alvarez landed a clean right hand but Poirier rocked him back with a left hand. They started throwing bombs at each other and Poirier had Alvarez in huge trouble. Alvarez was almost finished with a head kick but survived. Poirier then started teeing off again and they were throwing back and forth. Alvarez with a head kick. Alvarez was teeing off on Poirier and had him in a ton of trouble. Incredible. Incredible. Loud chants for Alvarez. Alvarez got a takedown.Alvarez with an illegal knee that sent Poirier down and we have a break. This might be a DQ. It was a very illegal knee.
Herb Dean waved off the fight after the doctors looked over Poirier. It was an incredible fight up until that point. We’ll see what the decision is here. WHAT??? They are declaring it a no contest. That is all sorts of wrong. It was called an accidental foul by Herb Dean. Blown call there.
Official Result- Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier declared a no contest due to an accidental foul at 4:12 of Round 2
PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
> Krzysztof Jotko (#9, 19-1, 6-1 UFC) vs. David Branch (20-3, 2-2 UFC) Middleweights
They were trading and Branch scored a takedown after ducking under a punch from Jotko. Branch was landing from the top but Jotko managed to get to his feet. Branch with some knees but Jotko able to reverse position. Jotko got a brief takedown but they stayed clinched against the fence. Not a lot of action and the crowd boos. I don’t blame them considering the action we’ve had on this card. Not much of a round. 10-9 Branch.
They clinched right back up and nothing was happening. They broke and Branch kicked Jotko right in the cup so we had a brief timeout. Back to action and there isn’t a lot of action going on here. Branch got a takedown but Jotko got right back up. Branch pushed Jotko against the fence and was blanketing him before they were broken up by the ref. Jotko got a head kick but Bramch scored a takedown. They each landed left hands on the way up. Crowd still booing this. 10-9 Branch, 20-18 Branch.
Jotko landed a spin kick but Branch fired back with a jumping body kick. Jotko landed a left hand off a takedown attempt from Branch. They clinched and Branch blanketed Jotko against the fence. This fight has been really boring and the crowd is letting them know it. This should have been on Fight Pass. They were broken up by the ref. They clinch again and Branch is punching the thighs of Jotko. Broken up again. Jotko with a late punch. Terrible fight. 10-9 Jotko, 29-28 Branch.
Official Result- David Branch def. Krzysztof Jotko by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Frankie Edgar (#2, 21-5-1, 15-5-1 UFC) vs. Yair Rodriguez (#7, 9-1, 6-0 UFC) Featherweights
Edgar with a quick combo. Rodriguez was landing some shots until Edgar stunned him with a combo an pushed the fight against the fence. Edgar got a takedown. The hockey horn blew twice. Edgar was landing from the top but Rodriguez working hard from the bottom. Edgar landing a lot of punches from the top. Edgar with elbows from the top and more punches and he’s looking to finish it. Edgar with a huge round but Rodriguez survived though he has huge swelling under the eye. 10-8 Edgar.
Edgar landed a combo to start the second. Rodriguez with a wheel kick but Edgar was able to score a big takedown in return. Edgar landing from the top but Rodriguez is working for a leg from the bottom. Edgar with more punches from the top and it’s getting close to being stopped. Edgar looking to set up a choke. Rodriguez gives up his back. Rodriguez trying to roll out from under but Edgar back in the guard and landing elbows. Edgar with more stuffing punches from the top. Rodriguez is doing all he can to survive. Rodriguez looking for a triangle but Edgar transitioning out of the way. Another huge round for Edgar. 10-8 Edgar, 20-16 Edgar.
They’ve stopped the fight in between rounds. Edgar gets the win after a corner stoppage.
Official Result- Frankie Edgar def. Yair Rodriguez by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2
Maia went right for a takedown and Masvidal defended it but Maia got him down for a moment. Masvidal got back up but Maia still had the body lock and got the takedown and has the back of Masvidal. Maia got him back down and is on the back. Masvidal to his feet but Maia has the backpack on him. Masvidal backs Maia into the fence. Maia looking to get his arms free. He does and is looking for the choke. Maia is cut on his eye. Maia still has the back and is working for the choke but Masvidal defending well. Masvidal able to shake off Maia and is on top throwing lots of punches. Masvidal has Maia in trouble bt the round ends. 10-9 Maia.
Masvidal landed a punch and then a head kick and a leg kick. Maia has another takedown stuffed. Masvidal with a high kick. Masvidal with a leg kick. Maia went for another takedown but it is defended and Masvidal landed an elbow on the way up. They went back to the mat and Maia scrambled to the top position. Maia looking for the mount but Masvidal holding him in the half-guard. They get to their feet but Maia has the back. Maia with another brief takedown. Masvidal drops down to the mat and gives up his back. Maia looking to get the choke in. Maia landing from the back. I think Masvidal gave this round up. 10-9 Maia, 20-18 Maia.
Masvidal with a body kick. Maia looks very tired, Masvidal more fresh. Masvidal with a high kick. Maia is circling around the cage avoiding the attacks of Masvidal. Masvidal not really chasing after either. Masvidal with a head kick. Maia grabs the leg and gets Masvidal down and quickly jumps to the back. Maia has the neck of Masvidal but lets go. Maia now has the hooks in on the back. Masvidal has now officially given up on this fight. Maia in full control of the back and working to finish but too little, too late. Dominant showing from Maia though. 10-9 Maia, 30-27 Maia.
Official Result- Demian Maia def. Jorge Masvidal by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
It’s official. Demian Maia will get the next title shot at Tyron Woodley and the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Jedrzejczyk attacking the legs early. She lands a solid combo. Andrade lands some big punches. They were trading some hard shots and Andrade clinched up. Jedrzejczyk with a hard knee in the clinch. Andrade gets a big takedown and is on top. They get to their feet and Jedrzejczyk with some hard knees to the body.They break and Jedrzejczyk with some leg kicks. Loud Joanna chants. Jedrzejczyk with a head kick. Jedrzejczyk with a front kick. They trade leg kicks and Jedrzejczyk lands a nice left hand. They clinch again and Andrade with another takedown but Jedrzejczyk right back up.Jedrzejczyk with a couple of late leg kicks. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk.
Jedrzejczyk starts off with some leg kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a quick jab. Jedrzejczyk with another power jab. She’s defending all of Andrade’s attacks before they are even thrown. Jedrzejczyk with a head kick. Andrade unable to land her punches as Jedrzejczyk is circling away perfectly. They trade leg kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a big right hand. Andrade ate it and then missed all of her return punches. Jedrzejczyk’s footwork is incredible. Andrade got a half-second takedown. Jedrzejczyk with a jumping head kick. Jedrzejczyk with some more jabs that are slowing Andrade down. Jedrzejczyk tagged her with a head kick and Andrade stumbled into a takedown late. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 20-18 Jedrzejczyk.
Jedrzejczyk with some leg kicks but Andrade is able to land a nice left hand. Jedrzejczyk with a body kick. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick and a hard right hand. Andrade chases her down looking for a takedown but it’s defended. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a big head kick that stunned Andrade. Jedrzejczyk lands a right hand and just misses a spinning head kick. Andrade got a late takedown. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 30-27 Jedrzejczyk.
Andrade’s leg is a mess from the leg kicks. And she eats a right hand from Jedrzejczyk to start the fourth. Jedrzejczyk lands another right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a big head kick. Andrade is tough. They clinch and Andrade is trying to get a takedown but is eating knees from Jedrzejczyk. Andrade got a brief takedown. Jedrzejczyk with a combo left hand and leg kick. She then lands a big right hand. Jedrzejczyk with another head kick. Jedrzejczyk with a knee in the clinch and a quick combo on the break. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 40-36 Jedrzejczyk.
Andrade has to finish this. They were trading inside the clinch. Andrade was landing some short punches but Jedrzejczyk was landing the same in return. They clinch but not much happens and Jedrzejczyk lands an elbow on the break. Andrade lands a nice right hand. Jedrzejczyk just keeping the distance and landing whenever Andrade rushes in. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. One minute left for Andrade to find a finish. Jedrzejczyk ducks under a right hand and lands a front kick to the body. Andrade had nothing for Jedrzejczyk. Another dominant performance from the defending champion. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 50-45 Jedrzejczyk.
Official Result- Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Jessica Andrade by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45), Jedrzejczyk remains the UFC Strawweight Champion
> Stipe Miocic (C, 16-2, 10-2 UFC) vs. Junior Dos Santos (#4, 18-4, 12-3 UFC) UFC Heavyweight Championship
Miocic with an early leg kick. They started throwing big bombs at each other. Miocic with a right hand. Miocic lands some punches as Dos Santos circles away. Dos Santos has landed a couple but Miocic has more volume thus far. Miocic rocks Dos Santos. Miocici with a ciplle of clean right hands and he drops Dos Santos with another right hand. Miocic swarms on top with more punches and Herb Dean finally steps in and stops the fight! Miocic with another first-round knockout win as he remains the champion.
Official Result- Stipe Miocic def. Junior Dos Santos by TKO (punches) at 2:22 of Round 1, Miocic remains the UFC Heavyweight Champion
In terms of fight quality and star power, UFC presents its biggest pay-per-view of the year so far tonight with UFC 211.
In the main event, heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic looks to avenge a decision loss at the hands of former champ Junior dos Santos in ia rematch from December 2014.
In the co-main event, strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk will be looking for her sixth straight title defense and eight UFC win overall as she faces former bantamweight and top contender Jessica Andrade.
Two other main card fights could have immediate title implications as Demian Maia aims for his seventh straight win as he takes on the surging Jorge Masvidal, a former lightweight who has rung up three consecutive wins. The winner will have the best claim to a title challenge against division champ Tyron Woodley.
Former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar hopes to finally earn another featherweight title shot as he faces Yair Rodriguez, one of the most dynamic contenders in any division. With Jose Aldo and Max Holloway set to meet at UFC 212 to determine an undisputed 145-pound king, this fight could determine the next challenger for that belt.
Headlining up the FX-aired prelims is a key lightweight tilt as former champion Eddie Alvarez squares off with Dustin Poirier, one of the hardest hitters in the division. Alvarez will be fighting for the first time since losing his title to Conor McGregor last November at Madison Square Garden.
If you’re new here, our panel picks are listed below and listed alongside the fighter’s names are their worldwide FightMatrix rankings, as well as BestFightOdds.com betting odds. The panelist’s 2017 records is in parentheses, and we also have panel consensus picks as well as a line where we show how the betting favorites did:
Dave Meltzer (23-10; .697) — Wrestling Observer publisher
Favorites (23-10; .697)
John Pollock (23-10; .697) — Fight Network analyst, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, MMA Report co-host
Consensus Picks (22-10; .688)
Mike Sawyer (22-11; .667) — Tough Talk MMA publisher
David Bixenspan (22-11; .667) – Deadspin pro wrestling columnist, Between the Sheets podcast host
Steve Juon (21-12; .636) — MMA Mania writer, Angry Marks publisher
Mike Sempervive (19-14; .576) — Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
Ryan Frederick (18-15; .545) — WrestlingObserver.com UFC writer
Paul Fontaine (16-17; .485) — MMADraws.com publisher, WrestlingObserver.com writer
Front Row Brian (15-18; .455) — MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, podcast host
UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic (16-2) vs. Junior dos Santos (18-4) II
Many, myself included, feel that Miocic won their first fight, which headlined a Fox show in late 2014. Miocic went on to defeat Fabricio Werdum to win the heavyweight crown and will be aiming for his second title defense here against the former champion.
Dos Santos has been relatively inactive as this will be just his third fight since beating Miocic and his first fight in over a year. He has not finished an opponent in nearly four years since stopping Mark Hunt on Memorial Day weekend in 2013.
The betting lines are very close on this one, but our panel doesn’t see it quite that close.
UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (13-0) vs. Jessica Andrade (16-5)
Andrade has fought more times than any woman in UFC history as tonight marks her 11th time stepping into the Octagon. She will fight for a title for the very first time as she goes up against the unstoppable-to-this-point “Joanna Champion”.
While flyweight king Demetrious Johnson recently tied the long-standing record for consecutive title defenses at 10, Jedrzejczyk is quietly approaching that record herself and has shown no signs of slowing down. Despite her long winning streak, the oddsmakers have set a fairly close line on this one.
Andrade is one of the hardest hitters in the division and the former 135-pounder will likely have the size advantage here as well. She has three straight wins in her new division including two stoppages and a one-sided beatdown of former Invicta champion Angela Hill in her last outing.
Demian Maia (24-6) vs. Jorge Masvidal (32-11) WELTERWEIGHTS
Many feel that Maia has already earned a UFC title shot as the 39-year-old’s seven-fight win streak is the longest in the division. He’ll once again try to hold serve against former lightweight Masvidal, one of the gutsiest brawlers in the division who will try to pick up his fourth straight win.
Maia has an obvious advantage if the fight goes to the ground, but Masvidal is a very tough fighter to put away. His last three losses have been by split decision and he has not been finished since a submission loss in Bellator to Tody Imada in 2009.
At some point, age has to catch up to the veteran Maia, and the oddsmakers surprisingly have the former middleweight title contender set as the underdog. This should be a very close fight either way.
Frankie Edgar (21-5-1) vs. Yair Rodriguez (10-1) FEATHERWEIGHTS
This is a big step up in competition for Rodriguez, who has picked up main event wins in each of his last two fights, beating journeyman Alex Caceres and the legendary BJ Penn. He faces another future Hall of Famer here, although Edgar is much closer to the peak of his abilities than Penn was.
Edgar’s only loss in the last four-plus years came at the hands of division champ Jose Aldo where he took the champ the distance. Sandwiched around that loss at UFC 200 were wins over top contenders Chad Mendes, Urijah Faber, Jeremy Stephens, Cub Swanson, Charles Oliveira, as well as the aforementioned Penn.
Edgar has already lost to Aldo twice, so his best shot at another title fight would be if Holloway were to win that fight at UFC 212, but should Rodriguez emerge victorious here, he could immediately step into the next featherweight title bout.
Edgar #3; -122 betting favorite: Juon, Fontaine, Nason, Pollock, Meltzer
Eddie Alvarez (28-5) vs. Dustin Poirier (21-5) LIGHTWEIGHTS
Alvarez scored one of the most surprising title wins in recent UFC history when he stopped former champ Rafael dos Anjos last July. His reign was short-lived, however, as McGregor blitzed him to capture the belt.
Another past McGregor victim stands in the way this time out as Poirier shoots for his sixth win in his last seven fights. Many have this one pegged as the leading contender for Fight of the Night as Poirier in particular has a penchant for picking up performance awards.
With the division somewhat on ice with champion McGregor focused on a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, both guys badly need a win here to maintain relevance in a tough weight class.
Dave Branch (20-3) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (19-1) MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Branch #16; +135 betting underdog
Jotko #13; -147 betting favorite
Chas Skelly (17-2) vs. Jason Knight (17-2) FEATHERWEIGHTS
Skelly #17; -123 betting favorite
Knight #36; +113 betting underdog
James Vick (12-1) vs. Marco Polo Reyes (7-3) LIGHTWEIGHTS
Vick #36; -335 betting favorite
Reyes #178; +353 betting underdog
Jessica Aguilar (19-6) vs. Cortney Casey (6-4 STRAWWEIGHTS
Aguilar NR; +103 betting underdog
Casey #19; -116 betting favorite
Rashad Coulter (8-1) vs. Chase Sherman (9-3) HEAVYWEIGHTS
Coulter #205; +130 betting underdog
Sherman NR; -126 betting favorite
Enrique Barzola (12-3-1) vs. Gabriel Benitez (19-5) FEATHERWEIGHTS
Barzola #192; +137 betting underdog
Benitez #66; -140 betting favorite
Gadzhimurad Antigulov (19-4) vs. Joachim Christensen (14-4) LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Antigulov #25; -345 betting favorite
Christensen #57; +363 betting underdog
Action begins with the Fight Pass prelims at 6:30 p.m. ET and moves over to FX at 8 p.m. ET. The main card airs on PPV at 10 p.m. ET, covered by our Ryan Frederick, who will be live at cageside.
You know it’s an incredible year in MMA when you have several fighters over several promotions making a real case to cement their status as Fighter Of The Year.
While many had the resume to make the cut, narrowing it down to just five will leave some overlooked. From Joanna Jedrzejczyk to Michael Chandler to Tyron Woodley to Donald Cerron and so many more, there were plenty of contenders to make this year’s list.
Regardless, here are my top five MMA fighters for the year that was 2016 — all of which happen to reside in the UFC.
5) Michael Bisping
The Count had an incredible 2016 as the UFC veteran finally captured gold when he won the middleweight title in June at UFC 199 when he knocked out Luke Rockhold in less than one round.
It was the middle of three wins this year, putting Bisping at the top of a tough division. He started the year off by taking on arguably the greatest fighter in the history of the sport, Anderson Silva, in a fight many fans had been anticipating for years. It was a great back-and-forth battle, but one that was not without controversy. In the end, Bisping took home the unanimous decision.
The win over Rockhold was the most impressive as not only did he avenge an earlier loss in his career, but he did it on just two weeks notice. Bisping ended the year with a unanimous decision win in his first title defense, avenging another loss on his record when he defeated Dan Henderson in October.
Bisping had a great year, but the two decision wins over opponents who have seen their best days go by keep him from making him #1.
4) Amanda Nunes
Nunes capped off an incredible 2016 last Friday with the biggest win of her career.
Nunes began her fight year in March as she defeated Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 196 to earn a bantamweight title shot, a shot in what turned out to be the main event of July’s UFC 200 in July against then-champion Miesha Tate. Nunes made it look easy as she ran right through Tate, submitting her in the first round to become the new champ.
She then defended the title for the first time in one of the biggest fights of the year as she welcomed Ronda Rousey back to the Octagon at UFC 207. In wasn’t really as much of an upset as some people thought, Nunes made quick work of Rousey, dispatching the former champion in just 48 seconds with a barrage of strikes.
Nunes went 3-0 in 2016, capped with two first-round finishes, and enters 2017 with the entire division gunning for her.
3) Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor is the only man to make my top five who suffered a loss, but he also was the first fighter to consecutively hold two UFC titles at the same time.
Then-featherweight champion, McGregor expected to challenge Rafael Dos Anjos for the lightweight belt in March, but an injury forced Dos Anjos out. In stepped Nate Diaz on 12 days notice, and they agreed to fight at welterweight. McGregor was moving up two weight classes at the time, and it didn’t work out all that well as Diaz submitted him in the second round at UFC 196.
Obsessed with wanting a rematch, the two squared off again at UFC 202 in August, and again at 170 pounds. In one of the best fights of 2016, McGregor and Diaz went to war again, and McGregor escaped with a close majority decision.
McGregor then set his sights back on the lightweight title and challenged Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November. He made it look easy, scoring a TKO in the second round to become the new champion, becoming the first fighter to hold championships in two weight classes at the same time.
All three of the events headlined by McGregor ended up in the top four of most-purchased UFC pay-per-view events for the year.
While McGregor ended the year only holding one title after “relinquishing” the featherweight title, there is no doubt that 2016 was truly a transcendent year for the biggest star in mixed martial arts.
2) Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic started his 2016 fighting on the first event of the year in search of an elusive title shot, and ended the year as the most dominant heavyweight in the world.
Miocic earned his title shot at UFC 195 in January as he knocked out former champion Andrei Arlovski in just 54 seconds.
Miocic would head into enemy territory in Brazil to challenge UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 in May. It was a successful night in Curitiba as Miocic scored another first-round knockout to win the gold and establish himself as the man to beat in the heavyweight division.
Miocic followed that up with his first title defense as the Octagon debuted in his hometown of Cleveland. He defended against Alistair Overeem, and after weathering an early storm from Overeem, he came back to win again by first-round knockout.
Miocic ends the year with three first-round knockouts over top-five opponents, and he goes into 2017 as the man at heavyweight.
1) Cody Garbrandt
Garbrandt locked himself as the 2016’s best fighter with an incredible performance at Friday’s UFC 207 and heads into 2017 as an undefeated UFC bantamweight champion — incredible to see considering Garbrandt came into the year unranked.
He started his climb up the ladder in February with a first-round knockout of Augusto Mendes. That led Garbrandt to his first main event in May as he took on another undefeated prospect in Thomas Almeida. That fight ended with Garbrandt scoring another first-round knockout, cementing his prospect status.
With another first-round knockout win, this time over veteran Takeya Mizugaki, Garbrandt went from prospect to title challenger and got the nod to face Dominick Cruz for the belt at UFC 207.
Garbrandt beat Cruz at his own game, and had a star-making peformance in winning the title by unanimous decision, handing Cruz his first loss since 2007.
With three first-round knockouts and going from unranked to champion in just over ten months, Garbrandt has established himself as a force at 135 pounds, capping off an incredible 2016.
When all the punches and kicks are thrown, all the blood is wiped off faces, and we get answers to all of our burning questions, there will be the UFC 203 post-event press conference, streamed live here in the early Sunday morning hours.
What are those questions we want answered? We’re glad you asked.
– How did former WWE star CM Punk fare in his MMA debut?
– Did Stipe Miocic successfully defend his UFC heavyweight title for the first time?
– Did Alistair Overeem claim his last major fighting title with UFC gold?
– Did youth or experience win out in Urijah Faber vs. Jimmie Perez?
– Did anyone else get attacked by an elevator like C.B. Dolloway did?
– Did any major future fight announcements get made, especially for UFC’s NYC debut?
Watch all of those questions get answered and more after UFC 203: Live From Cleveland wraps up.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem, eminating from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
We’re looking for your thoughts on this show, as well as tomorrow’s Backlash show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worest match to [email protected]
The event is headlined by UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic making his first title defense against challenger, Alistair Overeem. In the co-main event, it is a heavyweight battle as former UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum meets Travis Browne in a rematch of their April 2014 bout won by Werdum. Also on the card is the MMA debut of former professional wrestler C.M. Punk, who makes his much-hyped Octagon debut against Mickey Gall.
********** YANCY MEDEIROS (12-4 1 NC, 3-4 1 NC UFC) VS. SEAN SPENCER (12-5, 3-4 UFC)
First round: Medeiros with a body kick. Low kick by Spencer. Medeiros with a body punch. Left by Spencer. Spencer with a nice right. Body kick by Medeiros. Low kick by Spencer. Low kick by Spencer. Body kick by Medeiros. Left by Spencer. Medeiros with a body kick which knocked Spencer to one knee. Body kick by Spencer. Lots of Whoo chants which often happen s at UFC shows. Very close round. 10-9 Medeiros.
Second round: Medeiros landed a left kick to the head which knocked Spencer down. Medeiros grabbed a guillotine, but then let it go and got behind him and grabbed a choke and had it in deep for the submission.
DREW DOBER (16-7 1 NC, 2-3 1 NC UFC) VS. JASON GONZALEZ (10-2, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Gonzalez hurt him with a punch. Dober kicked him low. Dober was given a warning. Dober landing a flurry of punches. He’s landing a lot of punches and the ref stopped it as Gonzalez went down. The sequence was a right to the jaw, left to the jaw, a few punches missed or grazed, then a huge right, then a left and another right and it was over. 1:45
NIK LENTZ (26-7-2 1 NC, 10-4-1 1 NC UFC) VS. MICHAEL MCBRIDE (8-1, 0-0 UFC)
First round: McBride missed weight by two pounds. Lentz landed some punches. He landed a knee to the head but McBride spun out of a choke attempt. Lentz got behind him and took him down into back control. Lentz with a knee to the body and another trip takedown. McBride back up. Lentz got him down again. McBride trying for a leg lock. Lentz throwing punches from back position. Lentz tried a guillotine again but McBride out. Lentz throwing punches. Lentz throwing some punches and elbows from back control. 10-9 Lentz.
Second round: McBride landing punches. Lentz landing punches. McBride seems real tired but put Lentz down and has his back. Lentz is back up. McBride with punches and took him down again. Lentz is trying for a guillotine. Lentz got his back. Lentz working for a head and arm choke. Lentz landing a lot of punches from back position. McBride put his thumb up like he was okay but the ref stopped it.
First round: Magalhaes with a body kick. Magalhaes got the takedown. Tavares back up. Tavares pushing Magalhaes up against the cage. Not much happened this round. Both trading knees at short range. Magalhaes 10-9.
Second round: Body kick by Magalhaes. Body kick by Magalhaes Good right by Tavares. Front kick by Tavares. Low kick by Magalhaes. Magalhaes got a takedown but Tavares right back up. Another close round, could go either way. 19-19
Third round: Tavares pushed him into the fence. Magalhaes working for a guillotine. He let it go. Tavares landed punches. Low kick by Tavares. Both traded. Body kick by Tavares. Right by Tavares. Body kick by Tavares. Magalhaes with a left hook. Right by Tavares and a high kick. Magalhaes in with some punches. Tavares with a knee. Tavares definitely took this round, so I’ve got 29-28 but the first two rounds were close.
First round: Eye is from Cleveland and is the big crowd favorite here. Eye landed a right. Nice right by Correia. Right by Eye. Eye took her down but Correia was let back up. Eye landing more punches. Eye 10-9.
Second round: Eye landing punches. Both were landing punches. Both were bleeding at this point. Eye 20-18.
Third round: Eye landing body kick. Correia landed. Both traded. Eye landed a left. Correia landed a left. Correia landing more punches. Both in a clinch and landing punches. Correia’s round so 29-28 Eye.
Scores: 29-28 Correia 29-28 Eye 29-28 Correia. The crowd is really upset. Fact is this fight could have gone either way.
First round: Andrade took her down. Andrade cut over the left eye from an elbow. Andrade with a high takedown into side control. The cut look s nasty. Andrade landing punches. Short power bomb by Andrade. Andrade landing punches. Andrade with good punches. Andrade back in side control. Calderwood got half guard back. Andrade working for a guillo0tine. Calderwood tapped. This was a strong one-sided win for Andrade.
Jimmie Rivera (19-1) vs. Urijah Faber (33-9)
First round: Front kick by Faber. Nice right by Rivera. Low kick by Rivera. Very little happening. Both are moving. A quick trade. Very hard to score because so little happened. Faber may have a right hand injury because he’s not throwing the right. Rivera 10-9.
Second round: Low kick by Rivera. Accidental low blow kick by Faber. Rivera landed a few punches. Low kick by Rivera put Faber down. Right by Rivera. Another low kick by Rivera. Another low kick by Rivera. Another low kick by Rivera. Faber’s left knee looks swollen. Another low kick by Rivera. Hard low kick by Rivera. Another low kick by Rivera. They traded punches. Rivera’s round I’ve got it 20-18. Boring fight.
Third round: Both swinging. Body kick by Faber. Faber tried for a takedown but didn’t get it. Right and left by Rivera. Rivera dropped down for the takedown. Low kick by Rivera. There was an accidental eye poke by Faber. Rivera back with punchds. Rivera landed more late. Rivera said he couldn’t see out of his right eye from that eye poke as soon as the match ended. Rivera 30-27. Boring fight.
Scores: All three had it 30-27 for Rivera. It’s sad to see Faber in this position.
Rivera was almost in tears about fighting Faber saying he grew up watching him. He said he couldn’t see out of his right eye the last three minutes of the fight. He told the doctor he wanted to finish the fight. He kind of apologized for not finishing. Rivera said he knew Faber doesn’t check kicks so he took advantage of that.
C.M. PUNK (0-0, 0-0 UFC) VS. MICKEY GALL (2-0, 1-0 UFC)
First round: Mickey Gall came out to “Hey Mickey” after all the controversy so Dana gave in on that. Punk came out to “Cult of Personality.” Punk looked so happy coming out and just being in the cage. It’s so weird how this is the real main event. Punk got a big reaction. Gall took him right down. Gall landing big shots from the top. Gall working for a guillotine. Gall go this back and working for a choke. Gall gave it up and punching and again working for a choke. Gall landing lots of punches. Gall is landing a lot of punches and again working for a choke. Punk escaped. Gall got it again and Punk tapped. This was a one-sided slaughter. This is just reality. 2:14
Gall said this has been crazy, it was a great opportunity, said people hate too much, he hated all the things people have said with Punk. We’ll all be dead in 100 years fuck the hate. He said this was a great opportunity for me, he said people may say you’re a gimmicky fight but I’m no gimmick. He challenged Super Sage Northcutt next. That’s exactly who he should have called out. Exactly.
Punk’s right ear looks like hell. Punk said this was a hell of a mountain to climb. He said this doesn’t mean he’s going to stop believe it or not. Said Mickey was a hell of a fighter. Said this was the second best night of my life other than getting married. Life’s about falling down and getting up and said to believe in yourself. Sometimes the outcome won’t always be what you desire it to be but the true failure is not trying at all, This was the time of my life.
First round: Werdum came out with a flying side kick that landed to the chin which was one of the best moves of the fight. Wedrum went for takedown. Werdum tried a Jushin Liger koppo kick but that missed as well. Werdum looks so slow. Browne suffered a dislocated finger and popped it back in. The dislocation came from a punch. The referee went to stop the fight as an injury time out which makes no sense. The fight should have been stopped. They all argued about whether to allow the fight to continue and they let it continue. Werdum with a body kick. Werdum is now landing. Werdum landing all kinds of punches. Browne actually landed some punches. Werdum with a spin kick to the body. Browne landed a left. Another left by Browne. Low kick by Werdum. Brown landed a right. Front kick by Werdum. Browne threw him down. Werdum with low kick. Werdum dropped him with a right. Werdum landing punches on the ground. Werdum got his back. Werdum working for a choke. Werdum landing lots of punches from back position until the round ended. 10-8 Werdum.
Second round: Spin kick by Werdum. Werdum landing punches. Werdum with a body kick. Fans are booing as nothing is happening. Browne with a front kick. Werdum with a right to the chin. Uppercut by Werdum. Left by Browne landed. Werdum is so slow. Brown with a left hook to the body. Crowd booing now. Browne with a left. Low kick by Browne. Werdum tried another Liger kick that missed. Werdum 20-17.
Third round: Browne with low kick and another. Werdum with a low kick. Werdum tried a takedown but Brown easily blocked it. Side kick by Werdum. Werdum landing punches. Werdum landing more pucnhes and knees. Browne with high kicks. Right by Browne. Browne landed a right. Werdum dropped down for a takedown that didn’t come close. Werdum landed a right. Left by Werdum. The crowd is booing this like crazy. It’s really bad fight with both looking slow and doing little aside from Werdum having him in trouble late. Werdum 30-26
Wedum started mocking the fans booing. Werdum threw a kick at Edmond Tarverdyan (Browne’s trainer) when Tarverdayn started mouthing off to him. There’s going to be trouble for that. It was broken up quickly. Bruce Buffer went to calm Werdum down. Werdum’s corner was hot as well.
Scores: 29-28, 29-27 and 30-27 for Werdum.
The crowd is booing Werdum heavily in his interview. Werdum said it was a good fight blamed the booing on this being Stipe Miocic’s house.
First round: Loud Stipe chant. Overeem moving backwards. Body kick by Oveeeem. Overeem just running away. Overeem deked him with a left and put on a guillotine but Miocic is out of it. That was insane. Miocic landed a left but Overeem with a body kick and a left. Miocic landed a right. Miocic with good punches. Miocic landed a good right. Miocic landing good punches. Miocic landed punches and Overeem is running away. Overeem with a body kick. Overeem with an uppecut and knee to the body. Loud “Stipe” chants. Body kick by Miocic. Left by Overeem and a body kick. Body kick by Miocic. Miocic landing several punches. Miocic took him down and is pounding on him. Miocic finished him with punches on the ground. Overeem was out after a series of punches on the ground. That was a hell of a round. This is one of the biggest celebration pops in UFC history. Overeem was out cold. They tried to get him on the stool and he fell back down. 4:27
Miocic interview. Said Overeem kicked harder than he thought. Said he kicked hard as f***.
Overeem said Stipe was the better man today, he’s a great athlete and he came to fight. Overeem said that Miocic tapped from the guillotine and the ref didn’t see it. He said it’s a bummer. He said he’s the better fighter but he wasn’t the better fighter.They showed the replay and no tap and the fans booed the hell out of it. Now theyr’e going to look at it again. There was no tap. Overeem looked like the kid who lied and got caught red handed.
While all of the offical weigh-ins took place Friday morning, the roster of sluggers and sluggettes for Saturday’s UFC 203 will publicly take to the scales at 6 PM EST for all of the world’s eyes to see.
That means CM Punk will (possibly) be stripping down to his Underoos for the first time in several years for public consumption. Punk hit the scales at 170 pounds, meaning there’s nothing else standing in his way, aside from slipping on a pipe or an attack by HHH, from him making his MMA debut against Mickey Gall Saturday.
The card also features heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic vs. Alistair Overeem, a redemption fight in Fabricio Werdum vs. Travis Browne, Urijah Faber looking to prove people wrong against rising prospect Jimmie Rivera, a Sempervive special in Joanne Calderwood vs. Jessica Andrade, and more.
For more coverage of CM Punk and UFC 203, visit the Related Articles links below.
UFC returns to pay-per-view this weekend as the company travels to Cleveland, OH, for the very first time for UFC 203 on Saturday. The event is headlined by a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout as champion Stipe Miocic defends against challenger Alistair Overeem.
Also, you may have also heard of another significant bout as CM Punk makes his debut against Mickey Gall.
Below are fighters to target when setting your fantasy line-ups for the event.
TOP TARGET
Stipe Miocic ($10,000)
Stipe Miocic is making his first title defense when he defends the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 203 on Saturday. Miocic won the championship by knocking out Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 in May, going into the enemy territory of Brazil and getting the biggest win of his career. Miocic now makes his first title defense in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, and he comes in with a ton of confidence.
Miocic has won three straight fights and six of his last seven while Overeem earns his title shot on the heels of four straight wins. Overeem disappointed early in his UFC career, but he has earned his shot at getting the belt out of the hands of Miocic.
This is a tough match-up to predict as both men are equally close in skillsets. Miocic is the better pure boxer of the two and has a ton of power in his hands, but Overeem has more technique on his feet with his kickboxing. Overeem has punishing kicks and knees that end fights, and Miocic is going to need to be light on his feet and use a lot of movement. Miocic is the better wrestler of the two should he choose to go that route, but Overeem has good takedown defense and is good at getting back to his feet.
I expect Overeem to be on the attack of the legs of Miocic with kicks and to keep enough distance to negate Miocic’s strong counterpunching game. Miocic is very durable and has shown a stronger conditioning game than Overeem has. Any time Overeem has been past the second round, he has slowed considerably. He has been lucky his opponents slowed quicker than him. That won’t happen with Miocic.
I expect Overeem to give Miocic some trouble but for Miocic to start coming on after the first round. Either man can win by knockout, but I see the hometown crowd giving Miocic a lot of confidence and him feeding off of that en route to a win inside of three rounds. Miocic is my top target on this tough card.
VALUE TARGET
Joanne Calderwood ($9,500)
Joanne Calderwood meets Jessica Andrade in a high-level strawweight battle that will kick off the main card of UFC 203 on Saturday. Both ladies are strong, high-volume strikers and both looked super impressive in their most recent wins. This will be Andrade’s second time fighting at 115 pounds while Calderwood goes back down to 115 pounds after fighting her most recent bout at 125 pounds.
It was Calderwood’s first full camp with Tristar and she looked much improved and more confident having the better coaching staff behind her. Andrade is short for the division, but she has a ton of power and has shown devastating finishing abilities at both womens’ weight classes in the UFC.
A big difference between the two is Andrade starts out fast and slows down while Calderwood is a slow starter who comes on late. If Calderwood has a slow start, Andrade can make her pay early. Andrade mixes her attack to the head and body well, and she goes right after opponents.
Calderwood is a solid kickboxer and likes to work in the clinch, and her kicks and knees come into factor in a grueling bout. Calderwood is also a good wrestler and has solid submission skills. Andrade has been finished in four of her five career losses, two each by submission and knockout. More importantly, all of Andrade’s UFC losses have seen her stopped.
Calderwood is the slight underdog in this fight, but I see her having more tools to win this fight out of the two women. Calderwood is going to have to survive an early attack from Andrade, but the later this fight goes, the more it favors Calderwood. She scores a lot of points in fantasy and is a sneaky pick for a late finish, and her salary makes her a very good value pick.
DO NOT TARGET
CM Punk ($8,000)
There are a multitude of reasons to avoid CM Punk on your fantasy team for this weekend’s card. I think he’s going to do better than a lot of people think he is, but it is still a big risk, and his low salary reflects that. He is making his professional debut, at 37-years-old, coming off of years of his body being beaten up in pro wrestling.
The fact that he is debuting 21 months after his signing and coming off of two surgeries isn’t a great sign either. He has a top training camp and top coaching staff behind him, so that is going to play a big factor.
Everything is pointing to him not doing so well, and that is where I think he will surprise some people. Everyone watching his reality show has seen the holes in his game, but don’t let that be a true reflection of where he stands today as the show isn’t going to show everything for a number of reasons. As inexperienced as he is, Mickey Gall is a real opponent.
He has just two professional fights, both wins, and while he is a raw prospect, he has the ability and he has done everything to show that he would eventually make it to the UFC, but he is there quicker than he should have been because they needed an opponent for Punk, and he was in the right place at the right time. Punk may actually surprise some people and he could sneak out a win as while some should think he has all that pressure on him, he really should have no pressure on him at all.
There really isn’t much for him to lose because everyone expects him to lose, and everything for him to gain if he is better than people expect. For fantasy reasons, with Punk being in his first career fight, I don’t recommend playing him at all unless you want a Hail Mary pick. This is a very interesting situation, though, to say the least.
UNDERDOG TARGET
Travis Browne ($8,700)
Travis Browne makes a quick turnaround on short notice as he looks to avenge one of the losses in his career when he takes on Fabricio Werdum in the co-main event of UFC 203. Browne is coming off of being finished in the first round by Cain Velasquez at UFC 200 in July, and he steps in on short notice as a replacement for Ben Rothwell.
Browne and Werdum fought in a five-round bout in April 2014 that was dominated by Werdum, who won by unanimous decision. That was Werdum at his best, and now he is coming off of him being at his worst when he lost by first-round knockout, losing the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Neither man has been terribly active in the 29 months since their first fight as Browne has fought just four times and Werdum just three. There are a lot of factors to show that Werdum may be done. He looked different in his bout with Stipe Miocic in May, looking like another man than the one who won the championship. Perhaps that has to do with more stringent drug testing, or other factors coming into play such as Werdum getting older.
Browne has the power to finish Werdum with one shot, much like Miocic did. Werdum was happy to engage with Browne in their first bout, and that shook Browne, who didn’t look like he did prior to that fight. Both men have lost a step in recent times, but they are also fighting much quicker than their recent schedules have.
The short notice, in my opinion, actually favors Browne. I think Werdum’s chin may be done as it has been cracked a lot, and I see Werdum wanting to engage with Browne on the feet. Browne has one of the lower salaries on the card, and you have to pick at least one big underdog on every event. Browne is a good one and I see him as my top underdog target.
SURPRISE TARGET
Brad Tavares ($9,800)
Brad Tavares fights for the first time since May 2015 as he returns to the Octagon to take on Caio Magalhaes in a preliminary bout at UFC 203. Tavares has been battling injuries that have forced him from fights since his last fight, but he gets an opponent who has also been out for a while as Magalhaes hasn’t fought since July 2015, but his inactivity has been due to suspensions and injuries.
Tavares was actually a rising middleweight who found himself in the top 15 rankings after going 7-1 in his first eight UFC bouts, but he has since lost three of his last four, including being knocked out by Robert Whittaker in 44 seconds in his last fight.
This is a great match-up for him as Magalhaes is an opponent who cuts a lot of weight and it shows in his performances. He comes out aggressive but is unable to keep up the pace for very long while Tavares has excellent conditioning. Magalhaes also telegraphs his takedown attempts too easily and Tavares has strong takedown defense.
In fact, the only opponent who hasn’t had trouble taking Tavares down has been Yoel Romero, and he is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC. Tavares has solid striking, mixing kicks with knees and solid jabs and punches. Tavares also has good takedowns of his own. Magalhaes is going to have to hit him with a hard shot early, but Magalhaes also has a questionable chin.
Tavares is in big need of a win, and I think he gets the job done here, and a first-round finish is always there. I like his chances for a surprise finish with a lot of points being scored.
OUR LINE-UPS
RYAN FREDERICK- Mickey Gall ($11,400), Jessica Eye ($10,100), Stipe Miocic ($10,000), Joanne Calderwood ($9,500), Travis Browne ($8,700)
Mickey Gall has his chance to make a name for himself at the expense of CM Punk, and I think he’s too good of a pick to pass up, even at his salary. If he is going to win, and I think he will, I think it will be by a finish and in the first round.
Jessica Eye is coming in with her back against the wall, but she has a ton of confidence fighting in front of her hometown crowd, and she fights a favorable opponent. She is going to bounce back in a big way in Cleveland.
Stipe Miocic also has a lot of confidence fighting in front of the Cleveland crowd, and him and Alistair Overeem are going to have a battle. Miocic will land a lot of punches and some takedowns and finish the fight and retain his championship.
Joanne Calderwood has good value at her salary and I see her finishing Jessica Andrade after wearing her down after the first five minutes.
My last pick is Travis Browne. I’m not sold that Fabricio Werdum is the same fighter that he was when Browne and him first fought, and I think his chin is done. Browne is big and hard with his punches, and I think he can finish Werdum.
PAUL FONTAINE- Yancy Medeiros ($10,500), Stipe Miocic ($10,000), Caio Magalhaes ($9,600), Michael McBride ($9,200), Travis Browne ($8,700)
Medeiros is very underrated and I think he’s going to have a lot more power at welterweight where he’ll be fighting for at the first time in UFC. He had fought as high as 185 in Strikeforce and had KO power at that weight. I look for him to finish Sean Spencer since he has his back against the wall, having lost 2 of 3.
Miocic is a killer and will have the hometown crowd behind him. He should KO Alistair Overeem in fairly short order. Caio Magalhaes is a beast in more ways than one and he’s going to blitz Brad Tavares, who hasn’t fought in 19 months and has only one win in the last 2 1/2 years.
Michael McBride makes his UFC debut with all of his career wins coming by submission. Nik Lentz grappling style leaves him vulnerable to getting caught and I’m going with the newcomer to score the upset here.
My last pick is Travis Browne. I think the former champion Werdum is coming back too soon after getting KO’d by Miocic. At 39 years old it can’t be easy for him to come back from that and Browne should enter the title picture with a win over Werdum.
PEACH MACHINE- Drew Dober ($11,200), Jessica Eye ($10,100), Urijah Faber ($9,700), Alistair Overeem ($9,600), CM Punk ($8,000)
I’m not convinced Miocic is the champ. He got lucky against Werdum and I don’t think he’ll get lucky against Overeem. Like I wrote about in my column a few days ago, Punk is playing opossum. Eye is really tough as is Correira but Eye needs the win badly here.
Faber is woefully underrated in my book. Sure he’s never won the big one, but this isn’t the big one. I’ve been impressed by Dober in his last few outings. I expect him to cruise here. I’ll be live at the event, and if Punk wins, I may crash the cage with my posse and call him out. Look for that.
UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, Alistair Overeem, CM Punk, Mickey Gall, and more will take the dais Thursday afternoon in Cleveland, OH, for the official UFC 203 pre-event press conference.
Watch the video below starting at 2 PM EST.
While much has been made of Punk this week due to his celebrity status, Miocic’s first defense of his heavyweight crown is being underplayed, especially since it will take place in his hometown. Overeem is a live challenger and poses a serious threat to Miocic if he can connect.
Also on the undercard is Urijah Faber who is quietly making his return to the Octagon for the first time since losing to bantamweight champion Dominic Cruz this summer. He faces unheralded Jimmie Rivera, winner of 18 straight with three of those coming in the UFC.
Should Faber win, expect a big push for him to face T.J. Dillashaw next as Cruz seems slated for fast-rising prospect and Faber teammate Cody Garbrandt.
Watch all this unfold, likely sans bottle throwing, at 2 PM EST as part of our #PunkWeek coverage.
Welcome to our live coverage of UFC 198: Werdum vs. Miocic from the Arena de Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil. The UFC brings their biggest event to Brazil as they visit a soccer stadium, the fourth stadium show in company history, with a headline bout featuring UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum defending against Stipe Miocic. The co-main event is a pivotal bout in the middleweight division as Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza takes on Vitor Belfort. Also on the card is the UFC debut of Cris Cyborg as she takes on Leslie Smith. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:15 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
ROUND 1- This is an interesting battle of young prospects. The huge crowd is already very loud. They trade punches and Moicana comes back with some leg kicks. Tukhugov complains about a low blow but there is no break. They trade again and Moicano lands a nice left hand. Tukhugov misses a head kick and Moicana lands a couple of leg kicks. Tukhugov lands a left hand. Tukhugov lands a left and Moicano stumbles to the mat and Tukhugov goes into his guard. Moicano goes to rubber guard. Moicano is looking to go for a triangle choke. Not a lot happening as Moicano abandons the triangle attempt. Tukhugov with some strikes and eats an upkick from Moicano. They scramble and Moicano has a brief look at a choke from the back but they get to their feet. Crazy end to the first. Close round. 10-9 Moicano.
ROUND 2- Moicano with a right hand early. Tukhugov looking for a head kick but eating the jab from Moicano. Moicano with some leg kicks and then a stiff jab. Tukhugov misses a big left hand. They trade punches. Moicano lands a low blow but the referee doesn’t see it. Moicano looks to pressure but Tukhugov fires back with punches. They each land in a wild exchange. Tukhugov shoots for a takedown but Moicano stuffs it and looks for a choke but Tukhugov scrambles out. Each man landing but Moicano controlling the center with leg kicks. Moicano lands a nice right hand. Tukhugov with a left hand and misses a spinning attack. Moicano with some leg kicks and goes high. Moicano with an uppercut and a high kick. 10-9 Moicano, 20-18 Moicano.
ROUND 3- They trade as this fight is close and could come down to this round. Tukhugov has a cut under his left eye. Moicano lands a big punch on Tukhugov. Tukhugov goes for a takedown but Moicano scrambles out of the position and they are on their feet. Moicano with a jab. They call timeout to check the cut but fight continues. They trade punches as Tukhugov lands a nice left hand. Tukhugov with a quick takedown but they get up to their feet. Moicano with a big knee to the body. Tukhugov lands a punch but Moicano comes back with a series of punches. Moicano with a spinning head kick and then a quick left hand. Tukhugov shoots for a takedown but it is stuffed. They scramble to their feet. 10-9 Moicano, 30-27 Moicano.
Official Result- Renato Moicano def. Zubaira Tukhugov by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
ROUND 1- Chagas makes his UFC debut on short notice. Chagas looking to land early and Moraes goes for a takedown but the fence gets in the way. Chagas with a combo and a series of leg kicks. Chagas misses a spinning head kick. Chagas with a head kick that was blocked. Chagas with a leg kick and one to the body. Moraes with a leg kick. Moraes with a nice uppercut. They scramble. Chagas with a hard inside leg kick. Moraes with a big right hand. They trade leg kicks. Chagas drops Moraes with a head kick but lets Moraes back up. Moraes is still stunned after the head kick with under a minute left in the round. Chagas with a front kick to the body and then drops him with a left hand. Moraes inviting him down but Chagas gets away and they are on their feet. Chagas with a head kick and some punches to end the round. 10-9 Chagas.
ROUND 2- Chagas lands a combo to start the second. Moraes with a big right hand and then misses a big swing. Left hook from Moraes. Chagas with a right hand and then two leg kicks. Chagas with another leg kick. Chagas with a combo and Moraes counters with a big right hand. They clinch and Chagas with a knee. Chagas misses a spinning wheel kick. Moraes with a kick and Chagas goes to the mat for a moment as he may be tired. Moraes with a right hand against the fence. They trade punches. Moraes grabs the neck and drops down for the guillotine and looking for the submission. Moraes has it tight but Chagas somehow gets free and is in the guard. Moraes landing some punches from the bottom as Chagas doing nothing from the top. They are stood up from the referee. Moraes goes for the takedown and they scramble to the mat. Chagas looks for mount but they scramble with Moraes on top and he lands an elbow and some punches from the top. 10-9 Moraes, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Chagas misses two left hands and eats a right hand from Moraes. Moraes gets a takedown and is in the half-guard of Chagas. He looks to go to full mount but gets back into full guard. Moraes with an elbow from the top. Moraes gets to his feet and lands a big right hand and Moraes goes back into the guard. Chagas is exhausted on the mat. Moraes looking to pass guard. Moraes looking for mount from the half-guard. Moraes gets into side control. Chagas looks to spin out and gives up his back. Chagas attempts to roll out but eats punches from Moraes. Chagas looks for a leg lock. Moraes keeps the back. Moraes has the back but Chagas is defending. They get to their feet but Moraes still has the back. Slow end to the fight. 10-9 Moraes, 29-28 Moraes.
Official Result- Sergio Moraes vs. Luan Chagas scored a split draw (28-29, 29-28, 28-28)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#10) ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA (21-7, 4-4 UFC) VS. (#11) PATRICK CUMMINS (8-3, 4-3 UFC)
ROUND 1- Cummins with a leg kick. Nogueira misses a left hand but defends a takedown attempt from Cummins. Cummins with a leg kick. Nogueira with a left hand. Cummins with a head kick that is blocked but he lands a leg kick and one to the body. Cummins with a leg kick. They trade punches. Nogueira with a big left hand and then another and Cummins is in trouble. Cummins grabs the leg and pushes the fight against the fence. They break. Cummins with two kicks, one high and one to the leg. They trade punches. Nogueira with a big right hook and Cummins is hurt. Nogueira looking for the finish as he lands more punches. Big left hands from Nogueira and he drops Cummins. Nogueira with punches from the top looking for the finish. Cummins gets up and Nogueira lands some more left hands and the fight is stopped! The crowd erupts as Nogueira gets the standing knockout win.
Official Result- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Patrick Cummins by TKO (punches) at 4:52 of Round 1
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
BANTAMWEIGHTS- (#12) JOHN LINEKER (26-7, 7-2 UFC) VS. ROB FONT (12-1, 2-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- Lineker is one of the more exciting fighters in the UFC. Font missing some kicks to start. Lineker lands a right hand and then a left hook. They trade punches as Font is just staying out of range. Font with a front kick. Lineker just misses an overhand right. Lineker lands a left hook. Lineker lands a combo. Font with a leg kick. Lineker with a combo to the body. Lineker with some body shots and leg kicks Font who goes to the mat for a moment. They trade punches and Lineker lands good to the body. Font circling against the cage and they go to the mat and Lineker is in the side position on top. Lineker with punches from the top and they get to their feet. Lineker with more body punches. Font misses a head kick. 10-9 Lineker.
ROUND 2- Lineker with a leg kick and then a huge left hook. Lineker with a series of leg kicks. Font lands some jabs. Lineker with a solid combo. Lineker with a left hook and then lands a combo as Font misses the jab. Lineker with a leg kick. Font with a leg kick. Lineker with a left uppercut and right hand. Font with a leg kick and Lineker fires back with some big punches to the body. Font lands a couple of good punches. Lineker really controlling the center of the Octagon. Font with a leg kick. Lineker with a combo to the body. Font with the jab. Lineker looks for a takedown but Font defends. Font ducks under a punch and goes for a takedown but Lineker defends it as well. Font with an uppercut. Lineker with a high kick but then lands a leg kick. 10-9 Lineker, 20-18 Lineker.
ROUND 3- Lineker with some leg kicks. Font lands a left hand. Font with a leg kick but Lineker counters with some right hands. Lineker with a body kick. They trade punches in close range. Lineker with some good left hands against the fence. Font falls to the mat in an exchange and Lineker is on top next to the fence. Lineker with some big punches from the top. Lineker with some knees to the body on the mat. Font gets to his feet and they are back up. Font just misses a head kick. Font with a leg kick and Lineker catches it and counters with a right hand and they go to the mat. Lineker in the guard of Font and landing punches and elbows from the top. Lineker moves to half-guard and goes into side control. Lineker with some knees. They scramble to their feet. Lineker urging Font to attack. They go to the mat and Lineker is landing big punches as the crowd goes wild to end the fight. 10-9 Lineker, 30-27 Lineker.
Official Result- John Lineker def. Rob Font by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-26)
LIGHTWEIGHTS- FRANCISCO TRINALDO (19-4, 9-3 UFC) VS. YANCY MEDEIROS (12-3 1 NC, 3-3 1 NC UFC)
ROUND 1- Medeiros with a body kick. Trinaldo with a brief takedown but they end clinching against the fence. Trinaldo with double underhooks looking for a takedown. Medeiros reverses and looks for his own takedown but Trinaldo reverses again. They trade knees to the body. Both men battling in the clinch. They break. Trinaldo with a leg kick. Trinaldo with a big left hand and they clinch again. They trade punches as they break. They trade body kicks. Trinaldo with a big left hand. A nice combo from Trinaldo and he lands another big left hand and then a right hand. Another left hand from Trinaldo. He rocks Medeiros with another left hand. Trinaldo with more left hands and Medeiros is in trouble. Medeiros is eating the punches and he will survive the round on wobbly legs. He was close to being done there. 10-8 Trinaldo.
ROUND 2- Trinaldo with a body kick. Medeiros with a body punch and then a body kick. They trade strikes. Trinaldo lands a right hand and then the left hand. More big punches from Trinaldo land. Medeiros lands a right hand and then another. Medeiros with a front kick to the body. Trinaldo takes a deep breath and lands a leg kick. Trinaldo with a body kick and then two left hands. Trinaldo with another left hand. They clinch and Trinaldo with a knee to the body as he sprawls. They get up and Medeiros eats a head kick on the way up. Trinaldo with another series of left hands. Medeiros in trouble again. Trinaldo with a hard body kick. Trinaldo with a nice combo. Medeiros with a right hand to the body and then another. Trinaldo counters with a left hand. Trinaldo with a body kick. Medeiros with a big right hand that drops Trinaldo. Medeiros with punches from the top but the round ends. 10-9 Trinaldo, 20-17 Trinaldo.
ROUND 3- Medeiros might need a finish here and he was close. They trade punches. Trinaldo with a leg kick. Trinaldo lands a counter left hand. Medeiros with a spin kick to the body following a body punch. Trinaldo with a left hand to the body. Trinaldo with a left hand. Trinaldo with a hard body kick. Trinaldo rocks Medeiros with a left hand and then a flying knee. Trinaldo with a left hand and he is looking for a finish. Trinaldo with a combo and a body and then a head kick and a left hand against the fence. More punches from Trinaldo. He drops Medeiros with a left hand and more punches from the top by Trinaldo. Trinaldo in side control with hammerfists. Medeiros not defending much. They scramble to their feet. Medeiros is out on his feet and this should be stopped. More left hands from Trinaldo. Knees to the body and they go to the mat. Hammerfists from Trinaldo. This fight should be stopped. More punches from the top by Trinaldo. Medeiros gets to this feet. Takedown by Trinaldo and more punches from the top. Medeiros scrambles to the half-guard. Medeiros with punches to the body from the top. He somehow survived the fight. 10-9 Trinaldo, 30-26 Trinaldo.
Official Result- Francisco Trinaldo def. Yancy Medeiros by unanimous decision (29-26, 30-27, 30-26)
ROUND 1- Marquardt with a leg kick. Santos with a leg kick. They trade kicks. Santos with a leg kick and then a head kick. Marquardt with a leg kick. Santos with a leg kick and Marquardt comes back with his own. Santos with a body kick. Santos with a body kick. Santos with a left hand that drops Marquardt. They get to their feet. Santos with a left kick and then a combo from Santos finishes Marquardt. Santos with the knockout win!
Official Result- Thiago Santos def. Nate Marquardt by knockout (punches) at 3:39 of Round 1
WELTERWEIGHTS- (#6) DEMIAN MAIA (22-6, 16-6 UFC) VS. (#8) MATT BROWN (20-13, 13-7 UFC)
ROUND 1- Brown got hit by some fans during his walkout and actually threw a punch back at one. Brown with a right hand. Maia shoots for the takedown and gets it and this is his world. Maia moves to the back. They are standing and Maia has the back and putting pressure on Brown’s knees. They go to the mat and Maia still has the back of Brown. Maia looking for the choke but Brown defending. Maia with punches from the back. Maia looking for the choke yet again. Maia with more punches from the back as he looks to get his arm under the neck. Brown looks to reverse and now has the top as Maia looked for an arm. 10-9 Maia.
ROUND 2- Maia goes right back for a takedown but Brown defends. Maia goes right back for another and drives Brown to the fence and has a single leg. Maia gets the fight to the mat. Maia has the back again. They get to their feet but Maia trips them back to the mat and still has the back of Brown and is looking for the choke. Maia with punches from the back. Brown is looking for a stand-up but isn’t going to get it. Maia with more punches from the back. Brown is able to get on top and land punches as the round ends. 10-9 Maia, 20-18 Maia.
ROUND 3- Maia goes for a takedown but it is defended. Maia with a left hand and misses another takedown attempt. Maia with a right hand and goes for a takedown. Brown lands some punches and they get to their feet. Maia looking for a takedown again. They go to the mat and Brown is on top. Maia ends up on top in a scramble. Maia flattens Brown out on the mat and is in the guard. They get to their feet and Maia takes the back of Brown. They go back to the mat and Maia is looking for a choke yet again. Maia still looking for the choke. Brown has defended the choke well all fight. Maia with more punches from the back. Maia has the arm under the chin and the choke is tight. Brown submits! Maia gets the win by rear-naked choke and the crowd goes wild.
Official Result- Demian Maia def. Matt Brown by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:31 of Round 3
ROUND 1- Alves with a body kick and takes the fight down and has the neck looking for a guillotine choke. Barberena gives a thumbs up that he is good but Alves still has the neck. Barberena escapes and lands a couple punches from the top. They scramble to their feet. They break and Alves misses a spinning wheel kick. They trade against the fence. Alves with a head kick and then a right hand and combo. They clinch and Barberena with an elbow. They break and Alves with a hard punch to the body. Barberena with a right hook. Alves with a combo. Alves with a big body kick and then a big combo against the fence. Alves with a straight right hand. Barberena with an inside leg kick. Alves with an uppercut against the fence. Barberena with some low kicks and a knee in the clinch. Close round. 10-9 Alves.
ROUND 2- Alves with a right hand and a body kick. Alves with two right hands and another big body kick. Alves is cut under his left eye. Alves with a leg kick and a right hand. Alves with a right hand and then a body kick. Alves with a right hand to the body. Both men trading jabs against the fence and they clinch. They break and Alves takes a deep breath. Both men trading punches and Alves lands a big body kick. They clinch and Barberena lands an elbow on the break. Trading punches again. Barberena with a leg kick and another. Alves is starting to slow down. Barberena lands a solid combination and then another. They trade and Barberena gets the better of it. Barberena with a body kick. Close round again. 10-9 Barberena, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Alves comes out quick with a combo and a body kick. Alves misses a big head kick. Barberena with a leg kick. Alves with the double jab. Barberena slips to the mat and Alves quickly grabs the neck but they get to their feet and clinch against the fence. They trade punches after a break. Both men looking tired, Alves moreso. Both men with front kicks to the body. Alves with a nice combo. Alves with a flying knee. Barberena lands some elbows. They clinch and Alves with some knees to the body. Barberena with a right hand and lands a left hand. Barberena with a good combination but Alves counters with his own. Both men are throwing for the fences. Alves with a left hand. Barberena with a combo. Alves with a body kick. They trade in the clinch. Both men landing and Alves misses a wheel kick. Barberena lands a good combo and is looking to make a closing impression. Alves with a right hand. Both men trade to end the fight. Very close fight. 10-9 Barberena, 29-28 Barberena.
Official Result- Bryan Barberena def. Warlley Alves by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#8) MAURICIO RUA (23-10, 7-8 UFC) VS. (#12) COREY ANDERSON (8-1, 5-1 UFC)
ROUND 1- Rua with an early leg kick. He lands another after both feint punches. Rua with another leg kick. Rua with another followed by an uppercut. They trade punches. Rua with an overhand right. Rua with an uppercut followed with a leg kick. Rua with another big leg kick. Anderson goes for a leg kick and Rua goes for a takedown but it is defended. Anderson goes for a flying knee but Rua lands a right hand. They clinch and the crowd starts to boo. They break and Anderson with a nice right hand. They trade and Rua with a leg kick. They trade in a wild exchange. Anderson with a head kick. Anderson lands a left hook. Anderson with a leg kick. Anderson with a combo. Anderson with a double jab. Rua with a big left hand that drops Anderson and he goes for a finish but the round ends before he can get it. That was close. 10-9 Rua.
ROUND 2- Rua with a leg kick. They trade wild exchanges. Rua with a leg kick and Anderson counters with a combo that was mostly blocked. Anderson scores a takedown and is in the half-guard. They scramble to their feet and are clinched against the fence. Rua with a knee to the body and Anderson lands his own and they break. Anderson with a jab and he shoots for another takedown but Rua defends it. They tie up against the fence. Anderson with short punches. They break and Rua circles away. Rua with an uppercut as he blocks a takedown attempt. Anderson with another takedown but Rua right back up. They trade punches. Rua with a leg kick and he drops Anderson again with a right hand at the end of the round. He lands two punches but again the round ends before he can get a finish. 10-9 Anderson, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Rua with a leg kick. They trade punches. Anderson goes for a takedown and gets it against the fence. Anderson with some punches and elbows from the top. Anderson smothering Rua on the mat. Rua gives up his back as he tries to scramble to his feet. They are up and they break. Rua with a leg kick. Anderson goes for another takedown and Rua defends it. Anderson grabs the leg and finishes the takedown but they get right back up. Anderson with a knee. They scramble to the mat and right back up. Anderson still looking for the takedown but Rua defending and landing some small punches. Anderson digging for the takedown still. They break and Anderson with a flying knee and another takedown attempt as the fight ends. Boring last round. 10-9 Anderson, 29-28 Anderson.
Official Result- Mauricio Rua def. Corey Anderson by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
140-POUND CATCHWEIGHT- CRIS CYBORG (15-1 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) VS. LESLIE SMITH (8-6-1, 2-2 UFC)
ROUND 1- Cyborg is making her long-awaited UFC debut. Cyborg with a right hand to start. A big combo from Cyborg lands. Cyborg with a head kick. Big combo from Cyborg drops Smith and Cyborg looking to finish. Smith is hurt and Cyborg with some punches from the top and this fight is stopped. Cyborg with the knockout win in her UFC debut. Fight was stopped early looking at replays and Smith is not happy about it.
Official Result- Cris Cyborg def. Leslie Smith by TKO (punches) at 1:21 of Round 1
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- (#2) RONALDO SOUZA (22-4 1 NC, 5-1 UFC) VS. (#3) VITOR BELFORT (25-11, 14-7 UFC)
ROUND 1- Big fight that could determine next middleweight title challenger. Souza with a body kick. Belfort fakes a flying knee and stuffs a takedown attempt. They clinch against the fence and Belfort lands a knee. Souza gets a takedown and is on top against the fence. Souza with short elbows from the top. Belfort is cut open and bleeding pretty badly right now. They call timeout at a wrong time for the cut to be checked. The doctor clears Belfort and they continue in the position they were in. Souza passes guard and Belfort ends on top and they scramble to the feet. They are clinched against the fence. Belfort pulls guard and Souza lands from the top. Belfort with a couple of upkicks but Souza is landing a lot from the top. Souza in mount and landing big elbows and punches with less than a minute left. Belfort in a lot of trouble. Souza with more punches from the top and the fight is stopped. Souza gets the TKO win in a dominant showing.
Official Result- Ronaldo Souza def. Vitor Belfort by TKO (strikes) at 4:38 of Round 1
ROUND 1- They trade kicks to start. They trade leg kicks. Werdum with a body kick and then one to the leg. Werdum with a right hand. Miocic with a combo. Werdum lands a right hand. Miocic with a leg kick. Werdum looks to grab a leg but Miocic shakes it off. Miocic lands a right hand. They trade leg kicks. Miocic lands a left hand. They trade right hands. Miocic then lands a big right hand and Werdum is out cold! A one-punch knockout and Miocic has won the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Official Result- Stipe Miocic def. Fabricio Werdum by knockout (punch) at 2:47 of Round 1
A back injury has forced former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez (13-2, 11-2 UFC) from his chance at regaining the championship next month. Velasquez has been forced to pull out of the main event of UFC 196, where he was scheduled to fight UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum (20-5-1, 8-2 UFC) in the main event of the February 6 event in Las Vegas, Nevada. Werdum will now defend the championship against Stipe Miocic (14-2, 8-2 UFC) at the event in the headline bout. UFC President Dana White made the announcement on Sunday on his Twitter page.
Cain Velasquez is out with a back injury. Stipe vs Werdum for the heavyweight championship February 6th. pic.twitter.com/vPRJYJvOjL
Miocic gets the title shot after scoring a 54-second knockout win over Andrei Arlovski at UFC 195 earlier this month. Miocic was expected to fight the winner of the bout between Werdum and Velasquez, but his title opportunity will come on less than two weeks’ notice. Miocic has won five of his last six fights overall.
It will be the first title defense for Werdum after he submittied Velasquez to win the championship at UFC 188 in June. Werdum has won six straight fights overall.
UFC 196 takes place from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Super Bowl Weekend and airs on pay-per-view. Former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks takes on Stephen Thompson in the co-main event.
The following was post to Cain’s FB Page after the announcement:
I’m sure you’ve heard the news that I won’t be able to fight at UFC 196. I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I am and how I feel I’m letting you all down. I’ve heard and read all of your messages of support since my last fight and during this camp and for that I thank you.
Training camp has been difficult for the last few weeks, but sometimes no matter how much the heart and mind want to fight through an injury, healing has its own timeline. We thought we’d get through it, but we had to face the truth that it wasn’t going to be OK in time to fight. All of us fighters have all fought injured at one time or another, but I can’t ignore this injury, as my doctor has indicated that not addressing the problems with my sciatic nerve could have longer-term consequences.
My fans deserve to see me compete as close to 100% as possible. I’m committed to giving them that. I’m not going to let my fans down, and I want to make sure I do the right things to ensure a long career.
Fabricio, I hope that you accept my sincere apology. I understand how you may think this is an excuse. From one professional to another, I can tell you I was committed and looking forward to competing with you again. I greatly respect you as a fighter and man, and we will meet soon.
I will get this taken care of as soon as possible. I will heal and will come back and show you the Cain Velasquez you all deserve to see.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 195: Lawler vs. Condit from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the first event for the UFC in 2016 and airs on pay-per-view as UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler makes his second title defense against former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit in the main event. The co-main event is a heavyweight bout that could secure the winner a title shot as Stipe Miocic takes on former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 PM eastern time with the preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on the event, so send a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and worst fight to Dave Meltzer.
WELTERWEIGHTS- SHELDON WESTCOTT (8-3-1, 0-2 UFC) VS. EDGAR GARCIA (14-4, 0-3 UFC)
First round: Wescott with a bodylock takedown Wescott throwing lefts. He’s got the back and working for a choke. Wescott landing all kinds of punchex from back position. Wescott landing a ton of punches. I’m surpised it wasn’t stopped. This is too many punches. It was stopped way too late. Not as bad as the Sakuraba fight, but it was feeling like the same kind of nightmare.
BANTAMWEIGHTS- JOE SOTO (15-4, 0-2 UFC) VS. MICHINORI TANAKA (10-1, 1-1 UFC)
First round: Holy crap does Mario Yamasaki look like he hasn’t slept in a month. Soto using low kicks. Soto tried a takedown, Tanaka blocked and landed punches. Tanaka landed a right. Soto with another low kick. Hard low kick by Tanaka. Nice left by Soto. Low kick by Tanaka and Tanaka took him down. Soto working for a googplata. Elbows by Soto. Tanaka out of trouble. Tanaka escaped and had a huge smile on his face. Soto 10-9, but close.
Second round: Head kick by Tanaka. Tanaka missing punches. Tanaka staring to land now. Knee by Tanaka but Soto back with a punch. Soto with a hard low kick. Body kick by Soto. Tanaka’s left leg is all red from the low kicks. Knee by Tanaka and a judo hip toss took Soto down. Soto working for a guillotine now. Tanaka cleared it and on top. Tanaka landing some elbows. Nice groundwork by Tanaka. Tanaka with some punches and elbows. Tanaka with more punches. Tanaka’s round so 19-19.
Third round: Tanaka landing some punches. Knee by Tanaka. Left by Soto. Left by Tanaka. Tanaka landing more punches and Soto back with a left. Tanaka with a takedown attempt but Soto back up. Left by Soto. Left by Tanaka as Soto taunted him. Tanaka with a takedown. Soto again working for a guillotine. Soto has a body triangle as well. Tanaka escaped and on top. Soto back up. Soto with a left and right. Crowd really into this. Uppercut by Soto. Trading punches but Soto landing more solidly. Nice left by Soto. Tanaka bleeding from the nose and mouth. Takedown by Soto and he got mount and his back and is working for a choke as time ran out. The crowd really liked the fight, 29-28 Soto.
Scores: Tony Weeks 29-28 Tanaka Adelaide Byrd 29-28 Soto, Chris Lee 29-28 Tanaka. Bad call. Not terrible call but bad call.
LIGHTWEIGHTS- (#12) DUSTIN POIRIER (18-4, 9-3 UFC) VS. JOSEPH DUFFY (14-1, 2-0 UFC)
First round: Poirier landing good shots from a clinch. Duffy with punches. Leg kick by Duffy. Body kick by Poirier. Right by Duffy. Big right by Duffy hurt Poirier to the body. Poirier looks out of trouble. Duffy with a body shot. Two right uppercuts by Duffy. Another right by Duffy. Poirier landing shots from the clihch. Both swinging. This is geat. Takedown by Poirier. Duffy bleeding from the nose. Duffy bleeding from the nose Poirier with a shot. Punch and knee by Poirier as Duffy got up. Hard elbow by Duffy. Both landed good rights. Close round, Poirier 10-9.
Second round: Poirier with a takedown. Poirier bleeding badly from the nose. Blood is pouring out of Poirier’s nose all over Duffy, who is on the bottom. The nose looks broken. Poirier just bleeding all over him. Poirier with an elbow from the top. Nice elbows from the top by Poirier. More hard elbows by Poirier. Lots of elbows by Poirier. Hard elbows by Poirier. Now Duffy bleeding badly from the elbows. He’s got a ton of different cuts. Big rights from the top by Poirier 10-8 round I’ve got so 20-17 Poirier
Third round: Poirier with a low kick. Good body shot by Duffy. Poirier took him down again. Duffy tried to roll out. Duffy went for a heel hook. Poirier escaped and back on top. The ref ordered a standup. There was no reason and fans booed that call. Duffy now landing punches. Left and right to the body. Poirier with a punch and takedown. Poirier with an elbow. Duffy with a triangle right as the fight ended. Really good fight. 30-26 Poirier.
Scores: 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 for Poirier.
Poirier said he’s coming after the strap. Poirier said I don’t get triangled, I’ve got double jointed shoulders and I don’t get tired.
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
LIGHTWEIGHTS- SCOTT HOLTZMAN (8-0, 1-0 UFC) VS. DREW DOBER (15-7 1 NC, 1-3 1 NC UFC)
First round: Dober with a left. Body kick by Holtzman. Holtzman tied him up in a clinch. Holtzman has him against the cage. Holtzman trying for a takedown but Dober blocking the attempts. Dober with a takedown. Dober with another takedown. Dober 10-9.
Second round: Elbow by Dober hurt him. Dober shot in for a takedown but Holtzman blocked it this time. Dober with elbows standing. Holtzman with a shin to the face. Takedown by Holtzman. Another takedown by Holtzman. Holtzman with ground and pound. Holtzman with good punches from the top. Holtzman with more punches and elbows from the top. Holtzman’s round for sure so 19-19.
Third round: Dober with a nice left. Dober looking for a takedown and got him down after a struggle. Spinning backfist by Holtzman. Dober took him down again. Holtzman all bloody from an elbow and Herb Dean stopped the fight for the doctor to check on him. Head kick by Hotlzman and Dober back with a punch. Right by Dober. Another right and left by Dobrer. Dober working for a takedown and got it. Hotltzman back up. Another takedown by Dober. He’s got his back. Dober 29-28.
Scores: All three have it 29-28 for Dober. All three rounds were clear.
First round: Ansaroff got poked in the right eye. Kish’s left thumbs went right in the eye. Ansaroff landing punches and kicks. Kish blocked a takedown. Both trading. Kish with elbows. Kish now landing punches. Kish with a knee to the body. Body kick by Ansaroff. Ansaroff with punches. They traded knees to the body. Takedown by Kish. Body kick by Ansaroff and Kish with punches. Ansaroff with some punches. Very close round. 10-9 Ansaroff.
Second round: Kick by Kish. Low kicks by Kish. Both landing hard shots. Ansaroff hurt him with a left hook and a kick. Left jab by Ansaroff. Right by Ansaroff. Kish used a headlock takedown. Kish’s round 19-19, but this round was close as well as Ansaroff was getting the better of the standup before the takedown.
Third round: Ansaroff with a takedown. Kish thought armbar but Ansaroff cleared it. Nice escape by Kish. Kish with punches. Kish with the takedown. Kish with punches from the top. Kish moved to the mount. Now she’s got her back. Ansaroff reversed to the top. Ansaroff’s comeback at the end made it close. I’ve got Kish 29-28 and she should win, but we’ll see.
Scores: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 Kish. You could go 30-27 as the first round was close.
WELTERWEIGHTS- KYLE NOKE (22-7-1, 6-3 UFC) VS. ALEX MORONO (11-3, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Morono was taking this fight on 11 days notice. Noke with a kick. Noke with a right. Nice spin kick by Morono. Noke landed a left as Morono was off balance. Big right by Noke. Side kicks by Noke. Morono landed a good right moving in. Noke 10-9.
Second round: Spin kick by Morono. Morono with a Superman punch. Noke missed a kick and Morono landed punches. Morono landing punches. Noke jumped on his back. Morono shook him off. Morono going for a heel hook. Noke out of it and on top. Noke with a knee to the body and punches. Noke 20-18.
Third round: Noke told his corner his nose was broken. Noke kicked the body. Both throwing punches. Morono with a hard right. Trading punches. Noke landing punches. Spinning elbow by Noke. Takedown by Noke. Morono working for an armrbar. Noke escaped. Morono so 29-28 Noke I’ve got. Morono winning would be possible.
Scores: Sal D’Amato has it 29-28 Morono, Patricia Morse Jarman has it 30-27 Noke, Chris Lee has it 29-28 Morono. Morono was shocked he won. Crowd doesn’t like it.
BANTAMWEIGHTS- (#8) MICHAEL MCDONALD (16-3, 5-2 UFC) VS. MASANORI KANEHARA (25-12-5, 1-1 UFC)
First round: McDonald with a big right. Kanehara shot for a takedown and got it. McDonald working for a guillotine with a body triangle. Kanehara out of trouble. Kanehara moved to mount. Kanehara 10-9.
Second round: Left and right by McDonald. Kanehara took him down off a kick. Kanehara moved to side control. Kanehara with knees to the body. Kanehara with a head and arm choke. McDonald escaped and got his back and is working for a choke. Kanehara tapped. Wow. McDonald was losing the entire fight, escaped a submission and then got the win.
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
LIGHTWEIGHTS- ABEL TRUJILLO (12-7 1 NC, 3-3 1 NC UFC) VS. TONY SIMS (12-3, 1-1 UFC)
First round: Both threw. Sims landed a right. Sims with a left and right. Sims took him down but Trujillo has a guillotine and tapped him out.
FEATHERWEIGHTS- DIEGO BRANDAO (20-10, 6-3 UFC) VS. BRIAN ORTEGA (9-0 1 NC, 1-0 1 NC UFC)
First round: Brandao swinging wildly. High slam and Ortega tried an uma plata, but Brandao is out of trouble. Brandao with a hard low kick. Hard right by Brandao. Takedown by Brandao. Brandao with punches. Right by Brandao. Both landing punches but Brandao’s shots are crisper. Body kick by Ortega. Brandao 10-9.
Second round: Brandao with a left. Body kick by Brandao. Ortega with a right. Big right by Brandao. Right by Brandao. Ortega with punches. Body kick by Ortega. Brandao took this round as well so up 20-18. Ortega looks to need a finish.
Third round: Both out swinging. Ortega went for a takedown but Brando ended up on top. Brandao let him up and took him back down. Ortega working for a choke. Brandao escaped. Ortega went for a triangle for the submission. It was an Anaconda choke and moved to a mount, went for a guillotine, let it go and did a great triangle set up for the submission. That finish was bonus worthy.
WELTERWEIGHTS- LORENZ LARKIN (16-4 1 NC, 3-4 UFC) VS. ALBERT TUMENOV (16-2, 4-1 UFC)
First round: Nothing happening early. Larkin caught the kick. Low kick by Larkin. Another low kick by Larkin. Tumenov moving in with a big flurry. Right and left by Tumenov. Low kick by Larkin. Hard kick by Tumenov. Front kick by Larkin. Big right by Tumenov. Low kick by Larkin. Another low kick by Larkin. Low kick by Larkin. Larkin 10-9. Close round.
Second round: Larkin with a body kick. Larkin with a low kick. Larkin throwing low kicks. Right by Larkin. Tumenov in with punches. Tumenov landing to the body hard. Larkin with a low kick and Tumenov switched his stance. Tumenov landing lefts to the body. Larkin with a right. Both missing big punches. Tumenov landed a head kick. Big left by Tumenov. Left and right by Tumonev. Tumenov’s left leg is hurt. Tumenov’s round 19-19.
Third round: Tumenov with punches. Larkin with spinning low kicks. More low kicks by Larkin. Spin kick to the thigh by Larkin. Right by Tumenov. Larkin destroyed Tumenov’s left leg. Tumenov with a right. Larkin shot in for a takedown attempt. Tumenov blocking. Right by Larkin as Tumeonv went for the takedown. Larkin 29-28. Another close one.
HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#3) STIPE MIOCIC (13-2, 7-2 UFC) VS. (#2) ANDRE
First round: Arlovski kicking the knee. Miocic hurt him with two punches and finished him with punches on the ground. Right to the left ear, a right to the jaw and a left and Arvloski was down and a few punches on the ground and it was over. :54
Miocic is demanding a title shot and with this one, he deserves it.
UFC WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- (C) ROBBIE LAWLER (26-10 1 NC, 11-4 UFC) VS. (#4) CARLOS CONDIT (30-8, 7-4 UFC)
First round: Condit with a body kick. Low kick by Condit. Lawler landing good punches. Condit landed a left and a push and Lawler went down. Body kick by Condit and a knee. Condit is hurting him. Body kick by Condit. Another body kick by Condit. Lawler with a right. Knee by Condit. Body kick by Condit. High kick by Condit. Condit with a left and kick. Low kick by Condit. Low kick again by Condit. Body kick and left hook by Condit. Condit 10-9
Second round: Slower second round. Condit with some low kicks. Lawler landed a punch but Condit back with punches Body kick by Condit. Lawler blasted him with a left and Condit went down and he’s inn trouble. Condit tied him up. Lawler wanted him to get up. Made sense for him to do so. Left by Lawler. Head kick by Condit. Lawler with a hard left. Lawler missing big punches. Big left by Lawler. Lawler’s round 19-19.
Third round: Condit with low kicks. Body kick by Condit. Both swinging and Lawler getting the better of it. Knee by Condit and hard punch, Both swinging like crazy. Body kick by Condit. Lawler with a hard elbow. Condit missing a flurry. Head kick by Condit but didn’t land hard. Condit with a knee to the body. Body kick by Condit. Low kick by Lawler. Condit 29-28.
Fourth round: Lawler threw a left. Body kick by Condit. Body kick by Condit. Lawler slipped. Lawler landed a left. Both throwing big punches. Lawler threw a kick and Condit with a low kick and Lawler went down. Head kick by Condit. Condit with a right. Jumping knee by Condit short. Front kick by Condit and hard body kick by Condit. Low kick by Condit. Punches and low kick by Condit. Condit hurt him and Condit trying to finish him. Spinning backfist, knee and a flurry of punches by Condit. Condit landing more punches and a knee. Lawler with a big left. Condit 39-37.
Firth round: Lawler rushed in but Condit landed a few punches. Lawler throwing hard punches but Condit out of the way and came back. Front kick by Condit. Lawler landed big punches. Condit in with punches and elbows. Condit landed several punches and a body kick. Condit landing more punches. Condit landing a lot of punches now. Front kick by Condit. Lawler with a left and right. Body kick by Lawler. Condit back with punches. Condit landing a ton of punches. Head kick by Condit more punches. Lawler with a big right. Big left by Lawler. Condit back. Lawler big left rand big right by Lawler. Knee by Lawler. Big left by Lawler. Head kick by Lawler. Condit with a right. Condit back with punches. One of the best rounds of all-time. Condit back with punches and Lawler with punches. Condit with a right and a left. Both throwing as time ran out. Lawler’s round. This was a match of the year and then some. Lawler’s round I’ve got 48-47 for Condit.
Scores: Tony Weeks has it 48-47 Condit, Chris Lee has it 48-47 Lawler, Derek Cleary has it 48-47 Lawler.
They need a rematch.
I just rewatched round three. This could have gone either way. You could go with Lawler in the third, he landed the best shots even though Condit landed far more. I can’t call it a bad decision although I’d go for Condit. A rematch is the way to go.
