One of Bellator MMA’s most-anticipated fights in recent memory is off for now as Yoel Romero was pulled from his fight next Friday with Anthony Johnson.
News broke overnight Thursday that Romero was pulled due to not clearing pre-fight medicals. No other information was given as to what that means.
The light heavyweight clash of heavy hitters was a first round match in the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament. Romero is now out of the tournament completely while Bellator is looking for a replacement to fight Johnson. Because of the short notice, it’s unknown whether that will be for next Friday’s show or a future event.
Bellator PR said Romero will be “eligible to reapply for clearance to compete in the coming months” and that they will look to reschedule the fight in the future. Romero was signed by Bellator last December after a UFC run that saw him challenge for both the undisputed and linear middleweight title on multiple occassions.
The Friday, May 7th, Showtime event is headlined by bantamweight champion Juan Archeleta vs. Sergio Pettis and Michael “Venom” Page vs. Derek Anderson.
Despite initially showing no interest when he was released by the UFC, Bellator MMA has signed former UFC middleweight title contender Yoel Romero for their light heavyweight division, debuting at some point in 2021.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani first reported the news with Romero’s agents confirming. Helwani reported that after Bellator initially passed, both sides talked further with a light heavyweight run on the table, coming to a deal recently.
With the deal, Romero reunites with Scott Coker who he fought for once during an injury-plagued run in Strikeforce.
UFC released the 43-year-old ten days ago as part of 60+ cuts UFC president Dana White said are coming by year’s end in an effort to cut down their growing roster size.
Bellator has made an effort to deepen their light heavyweight division this year, signing former UFC contender Corey Anderson and former UFC title contender Anthony “Rumble” Johnson to join current champion Vadim Nemkov and former champion Ryan Bader.
In a surprising move, the UFC released former middleweight title contender Yoel Romero Friday with three fights left to go on his contract.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani first reported the news, getting a quote from Romero’s management that he is already talking to other promotions while thanking the UFC and alluding to the fact this was unexpected.
The 43-year-old with an 80s style pro wrestling physique was known for both exciting and controversial fights during his seven year run. A freestyle wrestling silver medalist in the 2000 Summer Olympics, Romero challenged for both the undisputed and interim middleweight title four times but was eligible to win the belt only twice due to missed weight cuts.
The “Soldier of God” won his first eight UFC fights in a row which included victories over former champions Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida, Tim Kennedy, Jacare Souza, Derek Brunson, and Brad Tavares. He challenged Robert Whittaker for the interim belt in July 2017 and lost via decision. He was due to challenge him again a year later for the undisputed version, but he missed weight and lost via split decision.
He faced Luke Rockhold for the interim title in February 2018, but he missed weight and knocked out Rockhold anyway. After a close loss to Paulo Costa in August 2019, he unsuccessfully challenged Israel Adesanya for the title in a widely panned fight in March — the last fight in front of fans before the pandemic changed everything.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 248: Adesanya vs. Romero, emanating from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Octagon heads back home to Las Vegas for a big event featuring two title fights with some of the rising superstars in the sport defending their championships against long-time contenders and a former champion.
In the main event, UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya makes his first title defense since becoming the undisputed champion in October as he defends against Yoel Romero. Adesanya is looking to keep his undefeated record going as he continues his rise to superstardom, but Romero is looking to finally capture gold despite losing his previous two fights. This fight has quickly become one of the most anticipated fights on the upcoming UFC schedule.
In the co-main event, UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Weili Zhang makes her first title defense when she defends against former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Zhang won the title from Jessica Andrade in August, extending her win streak to 20 straight. Jedrzjeczyk was the champion in the division from March 2015 until November 2017, and she looks to regain the title after coming up short in two prior chances to become a champion once again.
Also on the main card are a pair of welterweight bouts as Neil Magny returns from a long layoff to fight the always exciting Li Jingliang, and a slugfest between Alex Oliveira and Max Griffin is also on tap. Headlining the preliminary card is the long-awaited return of rising prospect Sean O’Malley, who looks to remain undefeated when he takes on Jose Quinonez.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
They trade low kicks to start. Cannetti with a head kick that gets checked. Cannetti with a leg kick. Batgerel lands a straight right hand. Batgerel with a combo and they are trading punches. Cannetti lands a right hand. They are trading hard punches. Batgerel lands a left hand and Cannetti goes down and Batgerel finishes it off with punches on the ground. Great finish by Batgerel.
Official Result- Danaa Batgerel def. Guido Cannetti by knockout (punches) at 3:01 of Round 1
They were trading early and Chikadze was landing some good shots. They trade leg kicks. Chikadze with a right hand that drops Emmers for a moment. Emmers recovers and gets up. Chikadze with a body kick. Emmers with some calf kicks. They are throwing wild kicks and punches and not much is landing. Chikadze with a left hand. Chikadze with a leg kick. They trade at the end. 10-9 Chikadze.
Emmers with a right hand. Emmers with a right hand as Chikadze lands a body kick. Chikadze with a high body kick. Chikadze lands a combo. Emmers with a big takedown and passes into half-guard. Chikadze is able to reverse and ends up on top and lands a big right hand before they stand. Chikadze with a left hand that wobbles Emmers. They clinch and Emmers has the double underhooks. They break. They trade kicks and Emmers shoots for a takedown and lands a knee to the body. Emmers lands a right hand and Chikadze counters with a high kick. 10-9 Chikadze, 20-18 Chikadze.
Emmers lands the jab and Chikadze with some leg kicks and then a high body kick. They are trading and Chikadze is landing some good distance punches as Emmers is just standing right in front of him. Emmers lands some good punches. They trade in close range. Chikadze is starting to slow and showing signs of gassing. Emmers with a right hand as Chikadze backs up. Emmers coming forward and landing but Chikadze is landing some counters. Emmers with a right hand. Emmers gets a takedown. Chikadze is holding on a tries a triangle but Emmers gets out and lands some good punches to close the fight. 10-9 Chikadze, 29-28 Chikadze.
Official Result- Giga Chikadze def. Jamall Emmers by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Meerschaert with a body kick and then a low blow early. Meerschaert using his length well as he lands a left hand and body kick. Winn lands a hard left hand. They clinch and Winn with a foot sweep takedown. Winn stands and lets Meerschaert up. Winn lands a combo and a knee in close range. Meerschaert lands a left hand. Winn with an uppercut. Meerschaert with a left hand. Winn lands a big combo. Meerschaert with a high kick. Winn with a high kick and follows it with a jab and right hand. Meerschaert with a left hand. Close round. 10-9 Winn.
Meerschaert lands a left hand. His right eye is swollen a little. Meerschaert lands a left hand. Winn with a leg kick and follows with a body punch. Meerschaert with a left hand. Meerschaert with a soft body kick. Meerschaert with a leg kick and follows with a left hand. Meerschaert with a left hand. Winn with an inside leg kick. Winn with a body kick. Meerschaert with a body kick. Meerschaert with some jabs. Winn with a leg kick but misses a hard right hand. Winn with a jab and Meerschaert lands a hard body kick. Meerschaert with a left hand as Winn is retreating. Meerschaert with a left to the body and Winn lands a hard right hand. Meerschaert with a knee to the body. 10-9 Meerschaert, 19-19.
Meerschaert landing the left hand to the body. Winn with a leg kick and then follows it with a right hand that rocks Meerschaert. Winn lands another right hand. Meerschaert has recovered and land a left to the body. Meerschaert hurts Winn with some punches and he’s chasing Winn around the cage. Meerschaert landing and Winn stumbles and they go to the ground. Meerschaert grabs the neck and then gets the back of Winn and has a rear-naked choke locked in and Winn taps! Big win for Meerschaert.
Official Result- Gerald Meerschaert def. Deron Winn by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:13 of Round 3
Vieira is jacked. Safarov with a leg kick. He lands a front kick that hurt Vieira. Vieira gets a huge takedown but Safarov able to scramble up. Vieira gets a big takedown again and takes the back. Vieira with some big punches from the back. Safarov was grabbing the gloves and the fence and clearly trying to find ways to treat. Vieira takes the back again and then gets the mount and is looking for an arm-triangle and Safarov taps. Dominant showing from Vieira once he got Safarov to the ground.
Official Result- Rodolfo Vieira def. Saparbeg Safarov by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:58 of Round 1
> Mark O. Madsen (9-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Austin Hubbard (11-3, 1-1 UFC) Lightweights
Hubbard with a leg kick. Madsen coming forward and grabs the body and works for the takedown and gets a big suplex and has the back. They got up but Madsen still has the back and drags Hubbard down. They got up and Hubbard was able to escape. Hubbard with a leg kick and Madsen was able to grab him and got another takedown. Madsen is looking for a D’arce but Hubbard is able to roll out. Madsen still looking for a choke. Hubbard escapes and Madsen gets in his full guard. Madsen lands before the round ends. 10-9 Madsen.
Madsen gets a takedown to start the second and is trying to work on the top but Hubbard is showing good defense on the ground. They scramble and Madsen has the back. They stand and Madsen gets another takedown and lands a left hand. They stand and break. Madsen gets another takedown. He doesn’t want to strike on the feet. Madsen lands some hammerfists. Madsen is trying for a choke. They stand. Hubbard lands a knee to the body. 10-9 Madsen, 20-18 Madsen.
They trade to start the third. Hubbard was trying to land hard punches but Madsen took him right down and is in the guard of Hubbard. Hubbard able to scramble up. Madsen is looking tired. Hubbard lands a huge knee right to the chin and Madsen was rocked but Madsen is able to grab the body lock and is recovering. They break and Madsen lands a right hand. Hubbard with another knee. Hubbard with a left hand to the body. Hubbard lands some leg kicks. Hubbard with a low kick and Madsen tries for a takedown and has the back against the fence. Madsen drags him down. They stand and break. Hubbard lands a right hand. They trade. Hubbard lands a right hand. Hubbard with another knee and an elbow. 10-9 Hubbard, 29-28 Madsen.
Official Result- Mark O. Madsen def. Austin Hubbard by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Sean O’Malley (10-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Jose Quinonez (8-3, 5-2 UFC) Bantamweights
O’Malley with a kick that stumbles Quinonez up right out of the gate. O’Malley with a right hand that hurts Quinonez and then throws him to the mat. Quinonez gets up and O’Malley with a head kick that hurts Quinonez. O’Malley follows it with an uppercut that keeps Quinonez down and he follows it up with punches and O’Malley finishes Quinonez off. What a performance by O’Malley.
Official Result- Sean O’Malley def. Jose Quinonez by TKO (punches) at 2:02 of Round 1
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> Alex Oliveira (20-7-1 2 NC, 9-6 1 NC UFC) vs. Max Griffin (15-7, 3-5 UFC) Welterweights
Griffin coming forward with some pressure as he’s looking to land. Oliveira lands a right hand and they clinch but break. Oliveira lands a right hand and then a front kick to the body. Griffin lands a right hand. Oliveira with a right hand and they clinch. Griffin gets a takedown. Griffin working in the guard of Oliveira. Griffin landing from the top. Griffin gets the back and they stand. They scramble up and Oliveira with a knee. 10-9 Griffin.
They are trading to start the second and Oliveira lands an uppercut that opens a cut on Griffin. Oliveira shoots in for a takedown and they are clinched. They break and we have a timeout to check the cut on Griffin. They get back to action and trade leg kicks. Oliveira with a right hand as he has his timing down. Oliveira with an inside leg kick followed by a right hand. They trade right hands. Griffin shoots for a takedown but Oliveira defends and they break. They clinch again and break and Oliveira with a front kick. Oliveira shoots for a takedown and the round ends. 10-9 Oliveira, 19-19.
Oliveira with a front kick to the body and then a head kick. They clinch and Oliveira has the body lock. Griffin fights off and is looking for a takedown but eats some elbows from Oliveira. They break and Oliveira shoots for a takedown and gets it. Oliveira takes the back but moves to the mount. Oliveira lands some punches from the top. Griffin is able to slip out and reverse to the top and steps over to half-guard and is landing punches and elbows. Griffin with short elbows from the top and he is trying to finish late. Close last round. 10-9 Griffin, 29-28 Griffin.
Official Result- Alex Oliveira def. Max Griffin by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
> Neil Magny (21-7, 14-6 UFC) vs. Li Jingliang (17-5, 9-3 UFC) Welterweights
Magny lands the jab and Jingliang lands a right hand. Magny with a leg kick. Jingliang grabs the back of Magny against the fence. He drags him to the mat but Magny pops right back up. They break and Jingliang with a big right hand. Jingliang landing some more shots and now Magny looks for a takedown and has the back and gets it. They get up and trade position against the fence. Magny with some knees to the body of Jingliang. Jingliang gets a takedown but didn’t do anything with it and they scramble up. Magny with a right hand. Magny lands a jab and then another. 10-9 Magny.
Magny lands the jab as Jingliang rushes in for a body lock. Jingliang is just holding on. Magny reverses and goes for a takedown but Jingliang grabs the fence to block. Magny takes the back and is landing right hands. Jingliang is warned multiple times about grabbing the fence. Magny lands a knee and a shoulder strike. Magny gets a takedown but they scramble up. Magny still has the back. Magny with some more shoulder strikes. They break and Magny lands and they clinch. They separate and Magny with a barrage of punches and knees and Magny pours on the punches and gets a late takedown and steps into mount. 10-8 Magny, 20-17 Magny.
Magny comes forward and lands a leg kick. Jingliang lands a combo. Magny lands some jabs and then a right hand. They trade and Magny shoots for a takedown. Jingliang grabs the back but Magny defends the takedown attempt. Magny lands some jabs. Jingliang lands a left hand. Jingliang with a leg kick. Magny with some knees in the clinch. Magny gets a takedown against the fence. Magny landing punches from the top. Magny gets the back and is landing more punches. They stand and Magny lands some punches. Excellent showing from Magny. 10-9 Magny, 30-26 Magny.
Official Result- Neil Magny def. Li Jingliang by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Dariush with a body kick. Klose with a left hand and then a right hand. Dariush gets a takedown against the fence. They get up and Dariush has the back. Dariush was going for a takedown but Klose was grabbing the fence. Klose repeatedly grabbing the cage. Dariush jumps up on the back standing. Dariush looking for a standing rear-naked choke. Dariush still has the back and is landing punches. Dariush is looking for the choke and has it locked in around the jaw. Klose is fighting it off. Big round for Dariush. 10-8 Dariush.
Dariush lands a low blow to start the second. Back to action and Klose lands a leg kick and a right hand. Klose lands a big right hand and is pouring it on. A barrage of punches by Klose. Dariush landing punches. They are just trading punches back-and-forth and then Dariush suddenly knocks Klose out with a big left hand. That was a wild exchange and a crazy finish by Dariush. That was insane.
Official Result- Beneil Dariush def. Drakkar Klose by knockout (punch) at 1:00 of Round 2
They trade leg kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. Zhang with a leg kick and follows it with a right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a hard right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a combo. They trade in close range and Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Zhang with a right hand. Zhang with an inside leg kick. They trade in close. Zhang lands a right hand. Zhang with a side kick. Jedrzejczyk with a combo and Zhang counters and lands a low kick. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. They trade in close. Zhang with a combo. Jedrzejczyk with a combo. Zhang with a right hand as she counters a front kick from Jedrzejczyk. They trade body kicks. Jedrzejczyk lands some punches. Zhang with a combo. Jedrzejczyk landed after the bell rang. 10-9 Zhang.
They trade in close range. They each land a right hand. They trade leg kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a combo ending with a leg kick. They trade hard kicks. Zhang lands a right hand. Zhang goes for a takedown and Jedrzejczyk defends and pushes Zhang against the fence. Jedrzejczyk with a knee in the clinch. Jedrzejczyk with some knees to the body and Zhang with an elbow as they break. Zhang with a right hand. She lands another. Jedrzejczyk is retreating. Zhang with a side kick. Zhang gets a trip takedown but Jedrzejczyk gets up. Jedrzejczyk with a front kick. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. They trade. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a body kick. 10-9 Zhang, 20-18 Zhang.
Jedrzejczyk with a right hand followed by a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a body kick. Zhang with a right hand. Zhang with a left hook. Jedrzejczyk with a combo. Jedrzejczyk with a left hand. Jedrzejczyk with a combo and she’s tagging Zhang. Zhang is slowing a little. They trade kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a left hand as she’s switched stances. Jedrzejczyk with a combo and a front kick. They clinch and Zhang gets a brief takedown. They break. Zhang with a body kick. They trade leg kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. They trade kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a left hand. Jedrzejczyk has a big hemotoma on her forehead. Jedrzejczyk with a body kick and they exchange late. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 29-28 Zhang.
Zhang with a body kick. They exchange in close range. Zhang with a right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a left hand. Zhang with a right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a head kick and follows with a left hand. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. They both land hard punches. Jedrzejczyk with a knee to the body. Zhang is throwing hard but looking more tired. Nice combo from Jedrzejczyk. Jedrzejczyk with a head kick. Jedrzejczyk with a left hook. They trade in close range. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Zhang with a right hand. Zhang with another hard right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a big elbow in close range and they clinch. They trade in close range. Jedrzejczyk with a left hand and a head kick. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 38-38.
They trade in close range to start the fifth. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Zhang with a right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a left hook. Zhang also with a left hook. Zhang with another left hook. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a left hand and then another. Zhang with a right hand. They exchange. Zhang with a right hand. They trade kicks. Zhang with a left hand and they clinch. They break and Jedrzejczyk with a body kick. Jedrzejczyk with a body kick. They trade kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a spinning back fist. Zhang with a right hand. This was an all-time classic fight and arguably the greatest women’s fight in history. 10-9 Zhang, 48-47 Zhang.
Official Result- Weili Zhang def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) to retain the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship
> Israel Adesanya (C, 18-0, 7-0 UFC) vs. Yoel Romero (#3, 14-4, 9-3 UFC) UFC Middleweight Championship
Romero standing there with his hands up and not moving. Nothing has happened over a minute in. Still nothing happening two minutes in. Adesanya with a low kick. Romero with a low kick. Romero lands a left hook. Adesanya with a leg kick. Romero with a jumping body kick. 10-9 Romero.
Adesanya with a leg kick and Romero lands a counter left hook. Adesanya just misses a head kick. They trade kicks. Adesanya with a high kick. Adesanya with a body kick followed by a low kick. Adesanya with a low kick. Romero explodes with a flurry against the fence. Adesanya with a high kick. Adesanya with a leg kick. Adesanya with a leg kick and then a high kick. 10-9 Romero, 20-18 Romero.
Romero ducks under a high kick from Adesanya. Adesanya with a leg kick. Romero with a left hand. Adesanya with a body kick. They trade leg kicks. Romero with a leg kick. Romero lands a left and slips. They trade leg kicks. Romero with a body kick. Adesanya with a front kick to the body. Adesanya with another body kick and then a leg kick. Adesanya with a high kick. 10-9 Adesanya, 29-28 Romero.
Adesanya with a low kick and Romero acting all weird. Adesanya with the jab and a leg kick. Adesanya with a leg kick. Adesanya with a leg kick. We have an eye poke and a timeout. We get back to action and Romero with a brief takedown. Adesanya with a body kick. Adesanya with a leg kick. Romero’s right leg is red. Adesanya with a hard leg kick. Romero shoots and Adesanya defends. 10-9 Adesanya, 38-38.
Adesanya with a high kick and then a low kick. Adesanya with a leg kick. Adesanya with a leg kick and Romero with a left hand that gets checked. Romero tries a takedown and Adesanya defends and then lands a leg kick. Adesanya lands a left hand. Romero with a left hand. Adesanya with a leg kick and then trips trying to evade. Adesanya with a head kick. Adesanya with a right hand and then a leg kick. This was not a pretty fight. 10-9 Adesanya, 48-47 Adesanya.
Official Result- Israel Adesanya def. Yoel Romero by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) to retain the UFC Middleweight Championship
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero 2, emanating from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
The Octagon returns to the Windy City with the deepest fight card of the year, headlined by what has become a non-title fight, but with another title fight still on the card and a slew of big names all along the card.
UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker will fight Yoel Romero in the main event. It was scheduled to be a championship fight, but Romero missed weight on Friday, coming in just over at 185.2 pounds. The fight remains a five-round affair, but Whittaker will walk out of Chicago remaining the champion, win or lose. Whittaker does hold a previous win over Romero, at UFC 213 eleven months ago.
In the co-main event, it will be a battle for the Interim UFC Welterweight Championship as Rafael Dos Anjos takes on Colby Covington. Both men are on impressive win streaks, as Dos Anjos is undefeated since moving to 170 pounds, winning three straight, while Covington has won five straight bouts. The winner should be in line to face UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley later this year.
Also on the main card, former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm welcomes Megan Anderson to the UFC in a fight that could set up the next challenger for Cris Cyborg, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski takes on Tai Tuivasa, and former WWE superstar CM Punk looks for his first professional MMA win after a trying few weeks as he battles Mike Jackson.
In a star-studded preliminary card, we have Alistair Overeem taking on Curtis Blaydes in heavyweight action, women’s strawweights Claudia Gadelha and Carla Esparza do battle, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans returns to 205 pounds to take on Anthony Smith, flyweights Joseph Benavidez and Sergio Pettis take on each other looking for a title shot, and popular lightweight Clay Guida takes on Charles Oliveira.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:15 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 6:15 PM ET/3:15 PM PT
> Mike Santiago (21-11, 0-2 UFC) vs. Dan Ige (8-2, 0-1 UFC) Featherweights
Ige with a quick combination and he gets Santiago to the ground and is in the mount. He is dropping punches and takes the back and is landing big punches from the back. He is working for the choke but still landing hard punches. Santiago in tons of trouble and the referee stops the fight. Wow. Ige with a dominant victory in the first round.
Official Result- Dan Ige def. Mike Santiago by TKO (punches) at :50 of Round 1
> Clay Guida (34-17, 14-11 UFC) vs. Charles Oliveira (22-8 1 NC, 10-8 1 NC UFC) Lightweights
Oliveira with some kicks early. They trade punches. Guida now with some leg kicks. Both are finding their timing. Oliveira lands a left hand. Guida has a cut and Oliviera lands a right hand and grabs the neck on a Guida takedown and it is on tight. Guida taps as there was no escape there. Oliveira with a big submission win in the first in a fight he took two weeks ago.
Official Result- Charles Oliveira def. Clay Guida by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:18 of Round 1
BREAKING: In between fights, it was announced that UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson would be defending against Henry Cejudo at UFC 227 on August 4 in Los Angeles. It is the second fight between the two as Johnson defeated Cejudo by first-round TKO at UFC 197 in April 2016.
> Joseph Benavidez (#1, 25-4, 12-2 UFC) vs. Sergio Pettis (#5, 16-3, 7-3 UFC) Flyweights
Benavidez with an early series of leg kicks. They trade punches and Pettis lands a clean right hand. Pettis tags and hurts Benavidez with a right hand. He lands another and Benavidez is in trouble early. Benavidez gets a takedown into the guard of Pettis and it will give him time to recover. Pettis able to scramble to the feet and they are clinched against the fence. They trade strikes as both are landing. Pettis lands a right hand. Benavidez is keep his hands low. Pettis lands a right as Benavidez comes in range. Benavidez with a leg kick. Pettis with a head kick as Benavidez shoots in and has a leg but Pettis defends and breaks away. Pettis lands a left jab. 10-9 Pettis.
Benavidez lands a quick combo to start the second. Benavidez pushes Pettis against the fence in a tie-up. Pettis was able to get out of the clinch and they’re back to the center. Benavidez with a leg kick. Pettis with a high body kick. Benavidez with one of his own and they clinch against the fence. Benavidez working hard for a takedown against the fence but Pettis defends and they break. They trade kicks. Benavidez with a leg kick. They trade punches and Benavidez back working for a takedown. They trade punches. Pettis lands the jab. Benavidez pushes Pettis against the fence. Close round. 10-9 Benavidez, 19-19.
They come out swinging. Benavidez with a hard right hand and a spinning back fist that lands. They clinch but Pettis defending the clinch and takedown attempts well. Pettis lands a right hand as they break. They trade punches. Pettis with a knee to the body of Benavidez. Benavidez with some body kicks and he lands his punches. Pettis lands a right hand and a body kick. Benavidez goes for a takedown but Pettis grabs the neck for a moment before he lets go. Benavidez goes back for the takedown but Pettis gets away. Pettis lands a double jab and a body kick. Benavidez goes for yet another takedown and it is defended again. They break. Benavidez with a body kick and he gets a takedown. Pettis gets to his feet and has the neck. They break. They trade big punches and kicks late. Good, close fight. 10-9 Benavidez, 29-28 Benavidez.
Official Result- Sergio Pettis def. Joseph Benavidez by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
> Rashad Evans (19-7-1, 14-7-1 UFC) vs. Anthony Smith (28-13, 4-3 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Smith with an early leg kick. Smith with another. They clinch and Smith lands a huge knee that drops Evans and Evans is out cold. Smith with one final punch for good measure as he gets the knockout win in less than a minute. A brutal finish and this is likely the end of Evans’ career.
Official Result- Anthony Smith def. Rashad Evans by knockout (knee) at :53 of Round 1
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> Rashad Coulter (8-3, 0-2 UFC) vs. Chris de la Rocha (4-2, 0-2 UFC) Heavyweights
They trade punches early. They clinch and de la Rocha has Coulter against the fence. Coulter with a short knee to the body. They break and Coulter lands a couple of big punches. They clinch and Coulter slips on a knee to the body and de la Rocha gets into the mount and lands some punches. Coulter gives up his back. de la Rocha looking for a choke. Coulter escapes and they get to their feet. Coulter lands some big punches and de la Rocha is rocked and in trouble. Coulter lands some more big punches. de la Rocha is cut badly above his eye. de la Rocha now landing big punches on Coulter against the fence. They are swinging and both landing big punches. Both look gassed. Coulter lands another big right hand. de la Rocha gets a takedown. Not much happened at the end. 10-9 Coulter.
de la Rocha lands a big right hand. Coulter lands a huge right hand. They clinch and de la Rocha gets a takedown. Coulter gives up his back and de la Rocha looking for a choke. He looked to have it for a minute but lets go. de la Rocha landing punches but gets warnings for grabbing the fence a couple of times. de la Rocha looking for the choke again but can’t get it. de la Rocha landing more punches from the back. Coulter somehow surviving. Both are exhausted. de la Rocha still landing from the top. The fight is finally stopped by the referee and de la Rocha gets the win.
Official Result- Chris de la Rocha def. Rashad Coulter by TKO (punches) at 3:53 of Round 2
Lamas with a front kick. Lamas gets a brief takedown but Bektic right back to his feet. Lamas has the body lock on Bektic against the fence. Bektic is landing punches. Lamas with a couple of knee to the body but Bektic reverses position and lands his own knees. They trade knees. They break. Bektic lands a left hand. Bektic lands a right hand. Lamas with a leg kick and eats a right hand as he tries for a head kick. They clinch and Bektic with some short knees. They break but Bektic quickly grabs Lamas for a takedown. They get back to their feet. Lamas misses a spin kick. 10-9 Bektic.
They come out trading to start the second. Lamas with a leg kick. They both defend takedown attempts from the other. Bektic lands a right hand and Lamas is cut open. They clinch and trade knees. Bektic has Lamas pinned against the fence. It was a headbutt that cut Lamas open. Bektic with an elbow. They break. Lamas tries for a takedown but Bektic defends it. They get up and break. They clinch again and each land but they break. They trade punches and Bektic lands a solid combination. Bektic lands a couple of solid punches as Lamas lands a couple of leg kicks. 10-9 Bektic, 20-18 Bektic.
Lamas lands a right hand as he tries to change levels. Bektic counters with a right hand. Lamas fakes a takedown but eats some punches from Bektic. They clinch but nothing happens before they break. Lamas mistimes a spin kick and Bektic is able to score a takedown off of it. Lamas is able to reverse into side control but Bektic quickly scrambles back to the top. Lamas grabs the neck and is looking for a guillotine choke. He is squeezing but Bektic is holding on and broke out of it. They get up and Bektic has the body lock. Lamas grabs the neck again and was looking for a choke but lets go and lands some elbows and punches. Lamas tried for it again but Bektic slipped out and is on top. Bektic with a knee to the body. 10-9 Bektic, 30-27 Bektic.
Official Result- Mirsad Bektic def. Ricardo Lamas by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
They trade punches and Esparza with a leg kick.Gadelha drops Esparza for a moment with a right hand. They scramble and Esparza working for a takedown but Gadelha sprawls and grabs the neck. They get to their feet and break. Gadelha with a right hand but Esparza with a leg kick. Gadelha lands a couple more hard right hands. Esparza clips Gadelha with a right hand and has her rocked. Esparza with another right hand and drags Gadelha down and is in the guard. Gadelha sweeps out by grabbing a leg. Gadelha then gets in the guard of Esparza. Both women landing punches on the ground. They scramble to their feet. Gadelha gets a takedown into side control. Gadelha with some hammerfists. Gadelha has a deep guillotine late but Esparza survives. 10-9 Gadelha.
They come out swinging. Both land right hands. They clinch against the fence. Both battling for position and underhooks. Esparza has the better position. Gadelha reverses and has the body lock and gets Esparza down. Gadelha in the guard and landing punches and big elbows. Big elbow from Gadelha. They get to their feet and Gadelha gets another takedown. She is in real control of the fight now. Gadelha working in the half-guard. Esparza gets to her feet and quickly takes Gadelha down at the end of the round. 10-9 Gadelha, 20-18 Gadelha.
Esparza lands a nice right hand at the start of the third. They trade right hands. Esparza with a front kick but eats a counter right hand from Gadelha. Esparza lands a couple of right hands. Esparza with a knee to the body. Esparza lands a combo. Esparza with a leg kick. Esparza with a combo. Gadelha looks to be trying to coast this round. Esparza lands another hard right hand. Esparza tries a kick but Gadelha grabs the leg and grabs the back. Gadelha with a suplex takedown and is in side control. Both landing on the ground. Esparza pushes Gadelha off and then gets a takedown and is in the guard of Gadelha. Esparza starts landing big punches from the top. Gadelha’s right eye is closed. Esparza finishes with punches from the top. Close fight. 10-9 Esparza, 29-28 Gadelha.
Official Result- Claudia Gadelha def. Carla Esparza by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Overeem keeping his hands low. Nothing has happened 90 seconds into the fight. Blaydes misses a high kick. Blaydes gets a big takedown. Blaydes with some punches from the top. There isn’t much happening otherwise. Overeem going for a leg lock late but isn’t going to have enough time. A complete nothing round. 10-9 Blaydes.
They are fighting now. Overeem with a big knee that hurts Blaydes. Blaydes looks for a takedown but Overeem has the neck. Blaydes completes the takedown and Overeem is looking for a heel hook. Blaydes gets out of it and jumps right back on Overeem. They get to their feet. Blaydes lands an uppercut. Overeem with a step in knee and Blaydes grabs him and gets a takedown. Blaydes in the half-guard and keeping Overeem pinned on the mat. Blaydes with an elbow. Blaydes with some late ground-and-pound. 10-9 Blaydes, 20-18 Blaydes.
They trade punches. Overeem with a body kick. Blaydes lands a right hand. Blaydes with a hard right hand and a knee and then lands some punches against the fence and gets a takedown against the fence. Blaydes solidly in control on top. Blaydes then lands a huge elbow that rocks Overeem badly and then starts firing elbow after elbow and the fight is stopped as Overeem is out and is a bloody mess. A huge win for Blaydes and a dominant showing.
Official Result- Curtis Blaydes def. Alistair Overeem by TKO (elbows) at 2:56 of Round 3
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> CM Punk (0-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Mike Jackson (0-1, 0-1 UFC) Welterweights
Punk with a leg kick. Jackson lands a right hand. Punk lands a right hand and they clinch. Punk with a knee to the body. They break the clinch. Punk lands another right hand. Jackson lands a right hand. They clinch against the fence and Punk with a knee. Jackson with some body punches. Punk goes for a takedown but it is defended. They break and trade punches. Punk goes for a takedown but it is defended again. Jackson lands a left hand. Punk gets a takedown and steps over into half-guard. Punk lands a couple of punches but they scramble to the feet. Jackson with a body punch and a big elbow. 10-9 Jackson.
Punk goes for a takedown and it is defended. They break the clinch. Punk lands some punches. Jackson lands a right hand that hurts Punk. Jackson with an elbow over the top. Punk tries for a jumping guillotine and Jackson takes it to the mat and is in the guard of Punk. Jackson with some punches and elbows from the top. Punk is bleeding. Punk looked for a triangle choke but couldn’t secure it. Jackson still on top and landing some punches to the body. Jackson with punches to the body. This isn’t a good fight at all. 10-9 Jackson, 20-18 Jackson.
They clinch and just nothing happening. Jackson lands a right hand. Punk goes for a takedown but eats a left hand and Punk flops to his back. Punk does land a left hand. Jackson lands a right hand. They clinch and Punk going for a takedown. They break and Jackson lands a right hand. Jackson with some elbows and they clinch and Jackson has the back. Jackson gets the takedown and is in side control. Kudos to Punk because he has heart but this has no business being on a UFC event. Jackson on top and lands some punches. 10-9 Jackson, 30-27 Jackson.
Official Result- Mike Jackson def. CM Punk by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
> Andrei Arlovski (#9, 27-15 1 NC, 16-9 UFC) vs. Tai Tuivasa (#12, 7-0, 2-0 UFC) Heavyweights
They both land short punches. Arlovski lands a right hand and a leg kick. Tuivasa with a leg kick. Arlovski with a hard inside leg kick and he follows with a jab. Tuivasa gets a takedown right into full mount. Nothing is happening on the ground and they scramble to their feet. Tuivasa is cut open but drops Arlovski with a left hand and lets him up. Arlovski with a body lock and almost gets a takedown. Arlovski with a knee to the body. Tuivasa with a combo. They clinch and Arlovski with a knee. They break and Tuivasa lands a big punch. They trade right hands. Tuivasa slips after landing a head kick. 10-9 Tuivasa.
Arlovski with a front kick to the body. Arlovski with some leg kicks. Arlovski lands a couple of solid right hands and then lands a leg kick. They trade and Arlovski lands a solid one-two combo. They trade big punches and Arlovski with a double jab. Tuivasa is a bloody mess but lands a right hand. Tuivasa with a leg kick. Arlovski with a spinning back fist. Tuivasa with a combo and Arlovski stumbles for a moment. Arlovski gets a brief takedown and we have a timeout as Tuivasa pokes Arlovski in the eye. We get back to action and both land solid punches. Close round and close fight. 10-9 Arlovski, 19-19.
Tuivasa with a leg kick. Arlovski counters with his own but eats a right hand from Tuivasa. Arlovski with a couple of kicks and then he lands a right hand. They trade in close range. They trade again. Tuivasa with a right elbow. Arlovski with some knees in a brief clinch. Arlovski misses a head kick. Tuivasa hurts Arlovski with a right hand but Arlovski is recovering. Arlovski with a solid combo. This is gonna come down to the last minute. Arlovski with the jab. They trade strikes. Arlovski with the jab. Tuivasa with a right hand. They trade at the end. Close fight. 10-9 Arlovski, 29-28 Arlovski.
Official Result- Tai Tuivasa def. Andrei Arlovski by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Holly Holm (#1 WBW, 11-4, 4-4 UFC) vs. Megan Anderson (8-2, 0-0 UFC) Women’s Featherweights
They trade early. Holm with a body kick but eats a big knee from Anderson. They clinch and Anderson with another knee. Holm with a short elbow. Holm with a knee to the leg of Anderson. They stay in the clinch as Holm has Anderson up against the fence. They break. Anderson lands a knee. Anderson lands a short combo but eats a front kick to the face from Holm. Holm gets a takedown but Anderson is looking for a twist. Anderson lets go and Holm is in side control. Holm with an elbow from the top. 10-9 Holm.
Holm coming out with some kicks. Anderson tries a kick but Holm grabs her and pushes her against the fence. They break. Holm with a body kick. Anderson tries a knee but Holm is able to counter into a takedown and is in side control. Holm landing punches from the top. Holm gets into full mount and lands some big punches. Holm working for an arm-triangle. She lets go but lands some big punches. Holm in control from the top. 10-9 Holm, 20-18 Holm.
Holm firing kicks but eats a hard right hand from Anderson. Holm goes right for the takedown but Anderson is defending well. Holm pushes Anderson against the fence. Holm gets a takedown and is in the half-guard of Anderson. Holm gets into the mount. Anderson was looking to escape so Holm just got up and let Anderson up. Holm with a head kick followed by a leg kick and then a front kick to the body. Holm gets another takedown into half-guard. Holm moves to side control and lands some elbows. Holm back into full mount and with punches and shoulder strikes. Holm is going to cruise to victory on top. Great performance from Holm. 10-9 Holm, 30-27 Holm.
Official Result- Holly Holm def. Megan Anderson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
> Rafael Dos Anjos (#1, 28-9, 17-7 UFC) vs. Colby Covington (#4, 13-1, 8-1 UFC) Interim UFC Welterweight Championship
They come out swinging and Covington right into a takedown. Dos Anjos back to his feet. Covington is all over Dos Anjos. They break. Dos Anjos with a leg kick and then lands a left hand as Covington clinches. Dos Anjos with a knee to the body. Covington with a high kick and back to the clinch but they break. Dos Anjos with a right hook to the body and then a knee to the body. They clinch and Covington with some short left hands. Covington trying a takedown but eats some elbows and a knee to the body. Dos Anjos with another knee to the body. Covington with some leg kicks. Dos Anjos lands a combo. They trade body kicks. Covington keeps going back to the clinch as Dos Anjos is landing more when they are separated. 10-9 Dos Anjos.
Dos Anjos with a leg kick and they trade punches in close range. Covington gets a brief takedown but Dos Anjos gets up. They break the clinch and Dos Anjos with a big body kick. Covington goes for another takedown but Dos Anjos defending. They break and trade kicks. Dos Anjos landing punches to the body. They trade punches and Dos Anjos rocks Covington with a left hand. They trade punches. Covington lands an uppercut. They break the clinch with both utilizing dirty boxing. Covington gets a takedown and takes the back. Covington with some punches from the back. 10-9 Covington, 19-19.
Dos Anjos lands some quick punches before Covington clinches against the fence. They break. They trade punches. Covington back working for a takedown but they break. Covington with some kicks. Covington back working for a takedown and gets it for a brief second. Covington lands a low blow on Dos Anjos and we have a break. Back to action and they trade in the pocket. They clinch and not much happens. Dos Anjos lands a big left hand as they break and Covington back to a takedown attempt that is defended. They trade kicks. Covington grabs the back of Dos Anjos. Not much happened afterwards. 10-9 Covington, 29-28 Covington.
Dos Anjos lands a huge left hand to start the fourth. Dos Anjos gets a takedown on Covington. Covington scrambles to the sprawl and Dos Anjos has the neck. They get up and break and Dos Anjos gets another takedown. Covington with some deep breaths. They get up and Dos Anjos has the back and the body lock. Dos Anjos with some knees to the legs and he takes Covington back down. They get to their feet. They break. Dos Anjos lands a left hand. Dos Anjos gets a brief takedown but they clinch against the fence. They break and trade punches. Both land solid punches and now Covington going for a takedown. Covington lands an uppercut but eats a counter left from Dos Anjos. Covington gets a late takedown and ends the round on top. 10-9 Dos Anjos, 38-38.
They trade early and Covington working for a takedown. Covington has the back. They break. Covington gets a takedown. Dos Anjos gets back up. They trade kicks. Covington working for another takedown. Covington hanging on to Dos Anjos but not really doing much. They break and Dos Anjos with a body kick. Covington lands a left hand and going back for another takedown. Dos Anjos with a right hand to the body. They break. They trade punches. Dos Anjos clips Covington with a left hand. They are battling in the clinch, Covington gets him down but they scramble back up. They trade punches. They are swinging in the last minute. Dos Anjos landing cleaner. Covington tries a takedown to no success. Dos Anjos with a body kick. Close fight. 10-9 Covington, 48-47 Covington.
Official Result- Colby Covington def. Rafael Dos Anjos by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47), Covington wins the Interim UFC Welterweight Championship
> Robert Whittaker (C, 19-4, 10-2 UFC) vs. Yoel Romero (#1, 14-2, 9-1 UFC) Middleweights* (Originally a UFC Middleweight Championship bout, but Romero missed weight by .2 pounds)
Main event coverage by Paul Fontaine as I ran into computer issues
Whittaker opening with kicks, mostly to the lead leg. Punch combo from Whittaker at 1:30. Romero just biding his time and covering up. Punch combo from Whittaker at 2:45. Romero with one at 3:00. Whittaker with 17 kicks landed in the first 3 minutes. Romero lands his first leg kick at 4:45 and it staggers Whittaker. Nice punch combo from Whittaker follows. 10-9 Whittaker
Total strikes are 35-8 for Whittaker. Whittaker continuing to land kicks early. Punch combo from Whittaker at 45 seconds. Punch/kick combo from Romero at 1:00. Punch/kick combo from Whittaker at 2:00. Total strikes attempted 128-44 for Whittaker. Romero with damage to his right eye and it’s almost swollen shut. Punch/kick combo from Whittaker at 3:30. Punch combo from Romero at 4:00. Kick/punch combo from Romero at 4:30. Romero stuffed on a takedown attempted. Whittaker picking him off with jabs before the buzzer. 10-9 Whittaker, 20-18 overall
Punch combo from Romero to open. Romero rocks Whittaker with a punch at 30 seconds. Romero all over him. Whittaker down and Romero dropping hard elbows. Whittaker up and tries a takedown but Romero landing elbows to the head. Romero controlling a cage clinch at 1:00. Punch combo from Romero and Whittaker is rocked. Whittaker lands elbows to the head and Romero in trouble. Both guys just throwing bombs. Romero back to the clinch at 1:45. Romero with light punches to the body. Whittaker bleeding from his nose. Romero with a punch combo and tries a takedown but maintains clinch control. Whittaker takes control at 2:45. Romero quickly takes it back. They separate and another crazy punch exchange at 3:00. Both guys throwing bombs again. Romero all over him but Whittaker stays up. Romero all over him with punches again. Whittaker running away at 3:30. Whittaker rocks him with a head kick. Romero with a punch combo. Elbows and punches from Romero at 4:00. Romero takes the back standing. Romero with a 54-20 advantage in strikes landed and gets a takedown but Whittaker right up. Whittaker controlling the clinch at 4:45. 10-9 Romero, 29-28 Whittaker overall
Punch combo from Whittaker 15 seconds in. Whittaker rocks Romero with a head kick at 45 seconds. And another. Whittaker landing hard leg kicks. Punch combo from Romero at 1:45. Whittaker with a series of jabs at 2:00. Whittaker may have broken his right arm as he’s throwing exclusively lefts and kicks. Whittaker has landed 36 leg kicks so far. Whittaker with a punch combo at 3:30. Punch combo from Romero at 4:15. Whittaker bleeding heavily from beside his left eye. Whittaker with a 32-6 advantage in strikes landed for Round 4. Romero rocks Whittaker with a punch at 4:45. Another combo follows. Whittaker running away. Romero may have stolen it at the end. 10-9 Romero, 38-38 overall
Punch combo from Romero 15 seconds in and Whittaker is rocked. Punch combo from Whittaker at 1:00. Punch combo from Romero at 1:15. Romero chasing Whittaker down now. Whittaker down and Romero all over him. Romero dropping punches and elbows and Whittaker cowering up. Romero landing punches to the body and head. Whittaker not blocking the punches at all. Whittaker to his feet and attempting a takedown but Romero stuffs it and lands more punches. Elbows and punches to the head at 2:30. Whittaker up and eats knees and punches to the head. Romero takes his back and takes him down. Whittaker up and Romero drags him down. Romero on his back at 3:15. Hard knees to the back from Romero. Whittaker to his feet and Romero drags him right down. Whittaker up again at 3:45. Ref warns them to work. Ref breaks it up at 4:15. 10-9 Romero, 48-47 overall
Official Result- Robert Whittaker def. Yoel Romero by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47)
Despite a day full of nonsense revolving around whether or not we had a main event due to Yoel Romero missing weight, UFC 225 is a full go for Saturday and man, what a card it is. I mean, where else can you get two pro wrestlers — former WWE star CM Punk and former TNA star Colby Covington — competing for big stakes on a PPV?
Helping me answer the many questions about this card are Paul Fontaine and Ryan Frederick. Note that everyone wrote their piece before the events of Friday at the weigh-ins. An added note from Paul: Since November, fighters missing weight are 13-2 since November in their fights.
UFC welterweight champion Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero II (non-title)
UFC Interim middleweight championship: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Colby Covington
Holly Holm vs. Megan Anderson
Andrei Arlovski vs. Tai Tuivasa
CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson
Prelims
Alistair Overeem vs. Curtis Blaydes
Claudia Gadelha vs. Carla Esparza
Ricardo Lamas vs. Mirsad Bektic
Rashad Coulter vs. Chris de la Rocha
Rashad Evans vs. Anthony Smith
Joe Benavidez vs. Sergio Pettis
Clay Guida vs. Charles Oliveira
Mike Santiago vs. Dan Ige
What are you most looking forward to?
Josh: This entire damn show. Even without the big name headliner, it’s been a while since we had one of these top to bottom loaded shows. I can find storylines and interest in nearly every fight.
Ryan: There’s not one thing I don’t love about this card. It’s the deepest fight card in quite some time and has intrigue all over it. When Clay Guida and Charles Oliveira are in the second fight on a card, you know you have a special card. The fight I’m most looking forward to is the main event between Whittaker and Romero. Their first fight was excellent and I think this one will be even better.
Paul: Punk vs. Jackson. This really intrigues me on so many levels. Two weeks ago, I was firmly convinced that Punk would win but then, I heard Josh interview Jackson on his podcast and then Punk spent the key part of his time he should have been getting ready for the fight in court. Now, I’m not so sure.
Anything being overlooked?
Josh: A lot. Basically, the entire Fight Pass portion (Evans/Smith, Benavidez/Pettis, Guida/Oliveira) has intrigue from returns (Benavidez) and last stands (Evans). Also, the Gadelha-Esparza and Overeem-Blaydes bouts are of interest for what happens to the winners.
Ryan: I think the fight between Holly Holm and Megan Anderson is getting overlooked. As much as people might not believe it, Anderson is a real threat to women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg as she’s as big or even bigger than Cyborg and has good all-around skills. I think she gets past Holm here and gives a great challenge to Cyborg in the near future.
Paul: In addition to the fights Josh mentioned, there’s Alistair Overeem vs. Curtis Blaydes. Overeem is going to be looking to prove a point as he’s mad his fight wasn’t put on the main card and honestly, he’s got a point.
Anything not doing it for you?
Josh: The arrangement of the fights is kinda strange. I would think FS1 would want the more well known fighters like Benavidez and Evans on their prelims. It’s weird to me that UFC would decide to throw a bone to Fight Pass subscribers at this point, but the conspiracy theorist in me wonders if this will be a trend on PPV shows until the current TV deal is done. I can’t imagine they’d do the cut nose/spite face deal, but it’s possible.
Ryan: Other than the fact I’m not a fan of Colby Covington’s tactics outside the cage, everything is doing it for me. I won’t ever complain about placement on a show of fights because I watch everything, and there is something for everyone from the moment the first fight enters the Octagon.
Paul: I feel the same as Josh here. I mean, why is Rashad Coulter vs. Chris De La Rocha with their combined 0-4 UFC record on FS1 while Evans vs. Smith is on the Fight Pass portion? The Evans fight might be boring, but you know what won’t be? Charles Oliveira vs. Clay Guida and their combined 17 post show bonus awards. Why this isn’t headlining the FS1 prelims right before the PPV is beyond me and it’s a mistake the previous regime wouldn’t have made. In fact, go ahead and add Oliveira-Guida to the list of overlooked fights. How Josh, with his obsession for “crossroads fights” missed that is just more evidence as to how overlooked it is.
(Josh note: HOW DARE YOU, PAUL!!!)
Any intrigue with this show?
Josh: And how! Will Covington be able to back up the talk? Can RDA win another (interim) title? Can Whittaker or Romero put their stamp on the middleweight division? Is Benavidez back? Is Evans done? Has Punk improved? Real talk, this show is something else.
Ryan: Lots and lots of intrigue with this one. The main event is dynamic and has intrigue on its own. The co-main will set up a showdown with Tyron Woodley. Anderson, Benavidez, and Gadelha could secure title shots. Tuivasa could show he’s the next big thing at heavyweight, or Arlovski could show he has more in the tank. Blaydes gets his tough fight with Overeem who wants to show he’s still a top dog. Bektic can be a threat at featherweight, but Lamas is a guy you have to get by to contend. And then, there’s CM Punk.
Paul: Is Tuivasa the next heavyweight contender? Does Guida have another good run left in him? Can Arlovski turn back time and pick up a third straight UFC win at his advanced age? Does Overeem have another run to a title shot in him? Is Megan Anderson the next featherweight contender for Cris Cyborg? Is CM Punk still a PPV draw? Ya, I’d say there’s just a bit.
What will be people talking about most after the show is done?
Josh: That CM Punk has fought his final fight in the UFC and that we need to be treating RDA as a real threat to Tyron Woodley’s title.
Ryan: Obviously. the Punk fight will get the most attention. I think people will be talking about a trilogy between Whittaker and Romero after this one, and we’ll actually have people excited for a future Woodley fight with the co-main winner.
Paul: The Punk fight for sure, win or lose. If Romero beats Whittaker….was he clean? Who’s next? Do they do a rubber match? If Covington wins, I feel like we may hear rumblings about a fight with Conor McGregor.
Yoel Romero missed weight Friday, so his UFC 225 main event vs. middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is now a non-title affair.
There was no official statement from the UFC on the matter, but UFC president Dana White said the fight is on. MMA Junkie’s John Morgan said as of 11 PM that the commission has yet to make an official statement either.
It’s unknown as of this time whether a financial arrangement was made between the two or if there are fight day parameters in place. Several reporters cited that Whittaker was comfortable with the fight going on, but Romero was the one unsure if he wanted to continue.
If this sounds like deja vu, Romero missed championship weight at February’s UFC 221 in an interim middleweight fight with Luke Rockhold. He won that fight via third round knockout but was ineligible to win the title.
At the official weigh-ins Friday morning, Romero missed weight at 186 pounds but the Illinois Athletic Commission gave him two extra hours to cut, apparently because he is fighting for the title. His second attempt was 185.2, just 2/10 of a pound over where he needed to be.
What happens to Romero after the fight is anyone’s guess. One would think the UFC would make him move up to light heavyweight (205) as this is two straight misses, something they’ve done in the past with other fighters who keep missing.
The 41-year-old faced Whittaker at UFC 213 for the interim title nearly a year ago and lost a unanimous decision. Due to injuries, Whittaker hasn’t fought since then.
UFC 225 is finally on the doorstep and we already have controversy not involving a former pro wrestler or a would-be pro wrestler.
Joining yours truly as a special guest is friend of the show and a man of numbers Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie. On this 40 minute, free edition of the show, we hit on some of the news of the week, plus an overview of UFC 225. Some of the topics:
– The latest flare-up in the strange GSP vs. Dana White feud
– The prospects of Israel Adesanya vs. Thiago Santos, Brad Tavares, or another middleweight
– All of the storylines surrounding UFC 225 including CM Punk, thoughts on exactly Colby Covington is doing well and what he isn’t, the prospects of veterans like Rashad Evans and Alistair Overeem, and plenty more
As always, Mike drops a few of his numbers-filled nuggets of information.
The UFC’s second PPV effort of the year is here and boy, is it….a card full of people that fight. Your faithful three of Paul Fontaine, Ryan Frederick, and I will pose a few questions about UFC 221 and whether it’s worth your effort and money to watch.
The latest twist to this blaise card is that Yoel Romero missed weight by nearly three pounds so if he wins, he doesn’t get the interim middleweight title. If Luke Rockhold wins, it may just be a done-in-one situation because he wants to move up in weight. BUY THIS SHOW NOW.
First, The Card
Interim Middlweight Championship (for one person): Luke Rockhold vs. Yoel Romero
Mark Hunt vs. Curtis Blaydes
Tai Tuvasa vs. Cyril Asker
Jake Matthews vs. Li Jingliang
Tyson Pedro vs. Saparbek Safarov
Damien Brown vs. “Non Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim
Rob Wilkinson vs. Israel Adesanya
Jeremy Kennedy vs. Alexander Volkanovski
Jussier Formiga vs. Ben Nguyen
Ross Pearson vs. Mizuto Hirota
Teruto Ishihira vs. Jose Alberto Quinonez
Luke Jumeau vs. Daichi Abe
What fight(s) are you most looking forward to?
Ryan: I’m most looking forward to the main event. Say what you want about this being an interim title fight, but it is an excellent matchup. This was going to likely be next if Rockhold had beaten originally scheduled opponent Robert Whittaker and Romero beaten originally scheduled opponent David Branch in Orlando. That some pundits are saying this is the worst interim title fight to date is really a slap in the face to both guys as there have been worse interim title fights. I expect this to deliver. I’m also looking forward to seeing Mark Hunt fight because it’s Mark Hunt and he’s always fun, and the UFC debut of Israel Adesanya. He has future star potential and is a violent and exciting fighter.
Paul: Gotta say the main event as well. I’ve been as down on this as a title fight as much as anyone but taking that aspect away from it, it’s a helluva fight. Combined, they are 14-2 in their last 16 fights and all against top notch competition. The winner here is a worthy #1 contender to Whittaker once he returns, but I’m just not sure they’re a worthy champion. But, it should be a great fight.
Nason: I mean, that Jumeau vs. Abe fight is going to be LIT. (Just kidding. I’m too old to be using lit.) It’s the Rockhold-Romero fight. This is a one-fight show with a few slightly interesting storylines, but that’s about it. I still am impressed they brought back an interim title they just put back in the closet this soon. I was interested to hear both guys wanted this fight on free TV a few times, but now we get to pay $65 for it. Hooray.
Any dark horse fights?
Ryan: I really like the prelim headliner between Damien Brown and Maestro Dong Hyun Kim. They are exciting lightweights, and both have been involved in some of the best fights in the UFC in recent years. They both like to stand and trade, and they have the chance to steal the show. I also like the featherweight bout between Alex Volkanovski and Jeremy Kennedy. They are both undefeated, and while not known much and not known for the most exciting fights, they are definite prospects in a crowded division with a chance to breakout here.
Paul: The flyweight fight on the FS1 prelims between Ben Nguyen and Jussier Formiga should be great. Nguyen, in particular, is an exciting fighter with finishing ability, which is rare for the flyweight division. These are easily the two best contenders to never receive a title shot at Demetrious Johnson and an impressive showing from either guy should put them at the top of the list in my book.
Nason: I’ll go with Tai Tuvasa vs. Cyril Asker. Tuvasa is six-for-six with knockouts in a career that started nearly six years ago. He hasn’t fought a lot, but at 24 years of age, a young heavyweight is badly needed in the UFC. And, if we’re being honest here, I’ve never heard of Cyril Asker before in my life.
What isn’t doing it for you this weekend?
Paul: I get they want to push local guys in the market, but UFC usually saves that stuff for FS1 shows. Tyson Pedro and Saparbek Safarov is not a PPV caliber fight, nor should Tai Tuivasa and Cyril Asker be third from the top…or even on the PPV card, really. But looking down the card, it’s hard to even find a fight you’d replace them with. This show has no depth and at some point in the last six weeks, I feel UFC should have made the decision to move this card to free television. A move like that is not without precedence. UFC simply doesn’t have enough star power at present to justify monthly PPVs without having cards like this come up more regularly. The next few months are not looking much better either.
Ryan: The main card isn’t doing much for me outside of the main event. It is definitely an event made for the market they are in, but it isn’t a pay-per-view caliber event. That’s what happens when you have 24 events in 26 weeks. It’s overkill, and you get left with events like this that suffer. I think there are several prelim fights that are stronger than a couple of main card fights.
Nason: That people are being asked to pay $65 for this is…interesting. This will be a good check of the base as I think this will be the floor for PPV sales. 100,000 buys…maybe?
Does this show matter?
Nason: I’ll answer first. It doesn’t. Rockhold said a move to light heavyweight is “imminent”, so even with a win, we may never see him fight Whittaker. If Romero was to win, we’ll get a rematch of he and Whittaker but that fight wasn’t that great to begin with. The rest of the card is shuffling cards. I like Mark Hunt, but he’s gone from the promotion after he finishes his last few contracted fights.
Ryan: I guess in the long run, you can say yes because it gets a clear next challenger at 185 pounds. It also gives you a good sense of how the UFC fares in a new market. However, outside of Rockhold vs. Romero, it’s not a show that has any immediate bearings on divisions, so it’s a true “meh” type of pay-per-view offering.
Paul: It matters for two reasons. The Romero-Rockhold winner is the clear #1 contender and depending on the recovery time for Whittaker, they could end up even defending that interim title down the road. The other reason is to see just what the UFC’s low-end base for PPV is in 2018. I feel like it’s up a bit since the really down days of 2014 but we’ll likely find out soon enough as this show may be the weakest overall lineup that UFC has presented for a PPV card since UFC 177.
Who wins?
Rockhold vs. Romero
– Rockhold: Nason, Ryan
– Romero: Paul
Hunt vs. Blaydes
– Hunt: Ryan, Paul, Nason
Jake Matthews vs. Li Jingliang
– Matthews: Nason, Ryan, Paul
Keep up with our coverage on Saturday night, starting with the Fight Pass prelims through FS1 through the PPV.
UPDATE: Yoel Romero missed weight again, coming in at 187.7 pounds on the second attempt. Only Luke Rockhold will be able to win the interim middleweight title.
**********
It’s Friday, which means that there will be some sort of a weight-cutting issue for the UFC.
Yoel Romero just weighed in at 188.3 pounds, three-plus pounds over the 185 limit since it’s a championship fight. Right now he’s got under two hours to make weight for his interim middleweight championship fight with Luke Rockhold, which is scheduled to be the main event of UFC 221 in Perth, Western Australia on Saturday.
It he fails to make weight, the fight will still go on. In that situation, if Rockhold wins, he will be the interim champion. If Romero wins, there will be no interim champion. What that will mean for Robert Whittaker in that case becomes less clear. Romero could win and still get a shot at Whittaker, but there are also reasons why they could go to someone else in that situation.
Video of the weigh-ins is available to watch below. Romero and Rockhold have a heated staredown a bit after the 31-minute mark:
As the UFC prepares to offically open up for 2018 business Sunday in St. Louis, they are already dealing with injuries to main events, necessitating the revival of an interim championship they just put in mothballs.
First reported early Saturday morning by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, middleweight champion Robert Whittaker had to withdraw from his title defense against former champion Luke Rockhold at February’s UFC 221 in Perth, Australia, due to an undisclosed injury.
With an already thin card and a desire to not cancel a PPV, Rockhold will now fight fellow top contender Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight title. The irony is that Whittaker was the interim middleweight champion after a win over Romero in the summer of 2017 and had the ‘interim’ dropped when new champion Georges St-Pierre recently announced he would be out for a undisclosed amount of time dealing with colitis.
Whittaker has been out since the Romero fight with injuries.
The UFC was in a tough spot with the Whittaker injury as even by their standards, UFC 221 sported a very thin card with a co-main event of Mark Hunt vs. Curtis Blaydes. PPV-wise in North America, there probably won’t be a depreciable drop with the change with the only real financial impact being felt at the box office as Whittaker returning to his native country was the big draw.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 213: Romero vs. Whittaker, emanating from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The UFC’s biggest weekend of the year caps off with their annual early July pay-per-view event, generally one of the biggest cards of the year. After Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko was confirmed as off of the show earlier today, the Interim UFC Middleweight Championship will be up for grabs in the main event as Yoel Romero faces Robert Whittaker.
The fight is one of the best to be put together this year. Both are on long win streaks, with Romero having won eight straight and Whittaker seven straight, and they are a combined 15-0 at 185 pounds.
The main card also sees former heavyweight king Fabricio Werdum take on former title challenger Alistair Overeem in a trilogy bout that could determine the next top contender, as well as former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis returning to 155 pounds to take on Jim Miller.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down, or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
> Trevin Giles (9-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. James Bochnovic (8-1, 0-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Both men were making their UFC debuts on short notice. They were trading a little early on. Bochnovic scored with a big body kick. Giles then scored a takedown and was working from the top landing some big elbows in the guard. Bochnovic got to his feet before Giles grabbed his back and suplexed him to the mat. Giles with more punches from the top to end the round. 10-9 Giles.
Giles landed some punches to the body and then got a takedown and was working in side control. Bochnovic was giving up his back and Giles was taking advantage. Bochnovic scrambled up and Giles took him back down and moved to mount. Giles started landing big punches from the back and then the mount and Bochnovic went out cold. Dominant win for Giles as he finishes Giles.
Official Result- Trevin Giles def. James Bochnovic by knockout (punches) at 2:54 of Round 2
> Cody Stamann (14-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Terrion Ware (17-5, 0-0 UFC) Featherweights
They were trading early inside the pocket with both landing punches and knees. Stamann got a takedown and was inside the guard. Ware was able to push off to the feet. Ware landed a low blow and we have a timeout. Stamann got a takedown as they got back to action. Stamann landed some solid punches from the top. Stamann got into the half-guard and finished the round with some punches from the top. 10-9 Stamann.
They traded leg kicks. Stamann landed a knee to the body, Ware fired back with a right hand as they talked trash, and then Stamann scored a big takedown. Stamann landed from the top before they got to their feet. Stamann landed a head kick. Ware landed some knees. Stamann started firing back with leg kicks and scored a huge takedown. They scrambled up and Stamann landed a hard punch. Ware was able to get Stamann’s back against the fence but Stamann pushed off with a front kick and then got a takedown with about 30 seconds to go. 10-9 Stamann, 20-18 Stamann.
They were trading in the first minute. Stamann landed a body kick and Ware landed a counter right hand. Stamann started to land more solid crisp combinations. Stamann scored a big takedown and Ware was stuck on the bottom for a moment but was able to get up, but he gave up his back and was taken back down in the process. Stamann got full mount against the fence and was landing punches. Ware got to his feet but Stamann got his back. They traded punches at the end. 10-9 Stamann, 30-27 Stamann.
Official Result- Cody Stamann def. Terrion Ware by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Jordan Mein (29-11, 3-3 UFC) vs. Belal Muhammad (11-2, 2-2 UFC) Welterweights
They were trading punches and leg kicks throughout the first two minutes. Muhammad went for a takedown but Mein defended it. Mein landed a couple of left hands but Muhammad fired back with punches and kicks to the body. Mein with a leg kick. Mein with a front kick to the body. They are pretty even on the feet but Mein is taking advantage of the leg kicks. Muhammad went for a late takedown but Mein defended it. Muhammad with some knees and elbows in the clinch. Close round. 10-9 Mein.
They were trading kicks and Mein went back to work of the lead leg with kicks. Mein has a cut over his left eye. Muhammad clinched Mein against the fence. Muhammand got a split second takedown. Muhammad pressing the action. Mein landing more leg kicks but Muhammad is opening up with his hands. Mein went for a takedown but it was stuffed and Muhammad pushed Mein against the fence and was landing short knees. Muhammad got a takedown in the last minute. 10-9 Muhammad, 19-19.
They traded kicks and Muhammad went for a takedown but Mein stuffed it. Muhammad pushed Mein against the fence. Mein grabbed the arm and dropped down for a kimura but lost it and Muhammad was able to scramble to the top. Muhammad took the back and was working to find the choke. Muhammad was punching from the back and they got to their feet and Muhammad had Mein pinned against the fence and was landing knees. Mein went for a kimura again but had no body control and lost it, though he got Muhammad down briefly. They got back to their feet. 10-9 Muhammad, 29-28 Muhammad.
Official Result- Belal Muhammad def. Jordan Mein by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Santos with a leg kick. Meerschaert scored a takedown but they got back to their feet. They clinched and Meerschaert got another takedown and was landing punches as they got back to their feet. Santos started throwing big punches and scored a knockdown and Meerschaert was in survival mode. Santos was landing big punches and let Meerschaert get to his feet. Santos poked him right in the eye. They got back to action and Santos was landing more big punches. Santos with a jumping head kick followed by a huge left hand. Santos is bleeding heavily but won the round. 10-9 Santos.
Meerschaert went for a desperation takedown but Santos sprawled and was landing a lot of punches and it was close to being stopped. Santos was laying in more punches and hammerfists. Meerschaert able to get to his feet but was taken down. Santos with more big punches and he finally finishes Meerschaert off. Big stoppage win by Santos, and he looked impressive.
Official Result- Thiago Santos def. Gerald Meerschaert by TKO (punches) at 2:04 of Round 2
> Chad Laprise (11-2, 4-2 UFC) vs. Brian Camozzi (7-3, 0-1 UFC) Welterweights
Camozzi landed some leg kicks and then Laprise landed a straight right hand to the jaw. Camozzi with a body kick. Camozzi with a leg kick but Laprise counters with a nice combination. They were trading but Laprise was landing crisp punches. Laprise landed another big overhand right. Camozzi is coming forward and finding range but still eating punches from Laprise. Camozzi landed a high kick and then a leg kick but Laprise countered that with a takedown and finished the round in the guard. 10-9 Laprise.
Laprise landed a combo and was doing a good job of circling around the Octagon. Camozzi with a body kick and Laprise countered with a right hand. Laprise with another combo. Camozzi landed a right hand and then another. Camozzi landing more straight right hands. Camozzi with a body kick. Camozzi with a leg kick. Laprise just misses a right hand but lands a leg kick. Close round. 10-9 Camozzi, 19-19.
Laprise hurt Camozzi with a right hand to the body and then dropped Camozzi and was landing lots of punches as Camozzi was cradled up. Herb Dean finally stopped the fight after lots of punches landed by Laprise. Laprise gets the big stoppage win he needed.
Official Result- Chad Laprise def. Brian Camozzi by TKO (punches) at 1:27 of Round 3
> Travis Browne (#9, 18-6-1, 9-6-1 UFC) vs. Aleksei Oleinik (#14, 51-10-1, 3-1 UFC) Heavyweights
Browne came out firing kicks. Oleinik landed a right hand. Browne was throwing a lot of kicks and landed a knee to the body. Browne landed a knee to the head and Browne rocked Oleinik with a left hand and then dropped him with a left hook. Oleinik survived but is still in trouble. Oleinik then dropped Browne with a right hand. Browne got up but still in trouble. Oleinik landed a right hand and then punches to the body. Browne with front kicks to the body. Oleinik got a takedown and went to side control. Browne gives up his back and Oleinik is landing punches from the back. He has Browne flattened out. Oleinik looking for a choke but time runs out. 10-9 Oleinik.
Oleinik is chasing Browne around the Octagon. Both men are landing punches. Oleinik landing punches to the body. Browne with a series of knees. Browne got a big takedown and Oleinik let out a deep breath afterwards. Browne working inside the guard before moving to side control. He didn’t do much and Oleinik got up and drug him to the mat and had the back of Browne. Oleinik landing punches from the back. Oleinik has the choke and Browne taps! Huge win for Oleinik as it looks like Browne just got tired and gave up.
Official Result- Aleksei Oleinik def. Travis Browne by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:44 of Round 2
PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
> Rob Font (#15, 13-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. Douglas Silva de Anrade (24-1 1 NC, 2-1 UFC) Bantamweights
They traded kicks to start. Font got a takedown but Silva popped right back up then he dropped back down. They scrambled to their feet and Font landed a punch on the break. Font landed a good combo ending with a knee to the face. Font poked Silva in the eye and we have a break. Silva with a big body kick. They traded jabs and Silva landed a left hand. Font pressured Silva back with some punches that didn’t quite land. Silva landed a left hook but Font got in a counter knee. Font with a right hand to the face and then one to the body. Font locked in a late guillotine choke but time ran out. 10-9 Font.
They were trading and Font was landing a lot of clean punches. He was really mixing his combos well and controlling the action inside the cage. Silva was throwing body kicks and did land a right hand. Font is landing step-in knees followed by right hands and has Silva in trouble. Font knocks Silva down briefly with a right hand and is going for the finish as he lands knees and elbows in the clinch. Font gets a takedown. Font has the neck and is being careful not to land knees. Silva picks Font up and slams him but Font still has the guillotine locked in and Silva taps! Great performance by Rob Font, he looked really good tonight.
Official Result- Rob Font def. Douglas Silva de Andrade by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:36 of Round 2
> Anthony Pettis (#6 FW, 19-6, 6-5 UFC) vs. Jim Miller (28-9 1 NC, 17-8 1 NC UFC) Lightweights
Miller landed some left hands early. Pettis scored with a jumping knee. Pettis landed a clean right hand while Miller fired back a left. Miller with some inside leg kicks. Pettis lands a left hand and Miller goes to the body with kicks. Pettis with a body kick and then a flying knee and he unloads a combo against the fence. Pettis with a right hand. Pettis lands a clean combo and Miller circles away. Pettis with a high kick and then a front kick to the body. Pettis with a spinning back fist. Pettis with a switch kick to the body. Miller lands a right hand and then a body kick. Pettis with a right hand followed by a head kick. 10-9 Pettis.
Miller with a body kick. Pettis with a head kick and then went high with a kick but Miller grabbed the leg and got a takedown. Pettis was working for a triangle choke from the bottom but Miller escaped. Miller is bleeding heavily as he’s in the guard of Pettis. Pettis working to get up but Miller remaining on top. Pettis rolls out and Miller grabs the back and is working with the body triangle. Pettis is able to escape and he gets to the top and lands some punches. Pettis stands up and lands a kick to Miller’s legs on the ground and Pettis goes back into the guard. Pettis moves to side control. Pettis working for a kimura and then he takes the back and Miller is trying to escape. They get to their feet and Pettis gets a takedown with ten seconds to go. Fun fight so far. 10-9 Pettis, 20-18 Pettis.
Miller with some leg kicks early in the third. Pettis went up top with some high kicks. Miller looking to land the left hand. They’ve slowed down a little. They were trading and Miller went for a takedown but Pettis was able stay upright and switched and put Miller’s back against the cage. Pettis is controlling but Miller lands a knee and an elbow. Pettis fires back with his own elbow. Pettis landed a cartwheel kick and Miller tried a roll to grab the legof Pettis but was off. Miller with a cartwheel kick and Pettis with a jumping kick to end the fight. 10-9 Pettis, 30-27 Pettis.
Official Result- Anthony Pettis def. Jim Miller by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Daniel Omielanczuk (#15, 19-7-1 1 NC, 4-4 UFC) vs. Curtis Blaydes (6-1 1 NC, 1-1 1 NC UFC) Heavyweights
Blaydes clinched early and landed some low knees and then landed one to the groin. They are broken up by Marc Goddard. Blaydes clinches back up and lands more knees and an elbow. Blaydes has had Omielanczuk pushed against the fence, and whenever there are breaks, Blaydes goes right back to pressure against the fence. Very boring round. 10-9 Blaydes.
Blaydes landed a knee to the body followed by a right hand and then he went right back to the takedown attempt against the fence. They break and both land punches. Blaydes with a leg kick and Omielanczuk misses as he swings his left hand. They went back to the clinch and the crowd is not happy. They were trading punches and Blaydes landed a kick to the groin. Marc Goddard gives him a talking to. Nothing happened after. 10-9 Blaydes, 20-18 Blaydes.
They traded punches and Blaydes back for the takedown attempt position against the fence. They broke. Omielanczuk landed a left hand. Blaydes with the jab and Omielanczuk is bleeding a little from under the eye. Omielanczuk with a body kick. Blaydes stuffed a takedown attempt and is landing elbows to the body of Omielanczuk. They got to their feet. Blaydes with an uppercut. Boring fight, very boring. 10-9 Blaydes, 30-27 Blaydes.
Official Result- Curtis Blaydes def. Daniel Omielanczuk by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Werdum tried a running flying knee to start. Overeem rocks Werdum with a head kick. Werdum tried a combo but Overeem ducked under all of the punches. Werdum landed a knee. Overeem clipped Werdum with a right hand and then another. Werdum with a body kick and then misses a takedown attempt. Overeem lands a right hand and is being very patient. Werdum misses a rolling kick. 10-9 Overeem,
Overeem with a body kick. Werdum pulls guard and Overeem goes to the top but nothing happens and they get up. Overeem lands a left hand and a knee that rocked Werdum. Overeem doesn’t capitalize. Overeem with a kick to the body followed by a right hand. Werdum lands a jab. Overeem really controlling this round but not much is being landed as both being patient. Overeem lands a left hand that hurts Werdum. Werdum is cut on his nose. 10-9 Overeem, 20-18 Overeem.
They were trading a little early. Werdum with a knee but eats an uppercut. Werdum with another knee. Werdum rocks Overeem with a knee and Overeem went down. Werdum tried to grab Overeem but slipped and Overeem went on top. They went to their feet. Werdum still has Overeem in trouble and is landing. Werdum with a big takedown. Werdum with some punches from the top. Werdum with short punches and Overeem is being warned to not grab the fence. Overeem hanging on as Werdum is now doing nothing on the mat. Werdum with a late punch. Close fight, depends on the first round. 10-9 Werdum, 29-28 Overeem.
Official Result- Alistair Overeem def. Fabricio Werdum by majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Yoel Romero (#1, 13-1, 8-0 UFC) vs. Robert Whittaker (#3, 18-4, 9-2 UFC) Interim UFC Middleweight Championship
Romero with a side kick to the leg to start out. Whittaker lands a right hand. Romero with a side kick. They trade body kicks. Romero missed a hook kick and gets a takedown and takes the back but Whittaker gets right back to his feet. Romero with a flying knee. Whittaker stuffs a takedown attempt from Romero. Whittaker with a front kick to the body. Romero gets a brief takedown but Whittaker right back up. Romero with a leg kick. Whittaker just misses a head kick. Close round. 10-9 Romero.
Whittaker may have injured his left leg in the first round. Romero with a knee to the body. Romero gets a takedown and is in the guard of Whittaker. Romero worked from top but Whittaker used butterfly guard to get to his feet. Romero still has the body locked and gets a brief takedown and isn’t letting go of the body lock. They are separated by John McCarthy with lack of action. Whittaker with a leg kick and a left hand. They start wildly swinging and Romero lands a right hand. Romero with a late takedown. 10-9 Romero, 20-18 Romero.
Whittaker landed a jab. Whittaker with a front kick and they traded punches. Whittaker rocks Romero with a left hand. Romero with a body kick. Whittaker with a push kick that hurt Romero. Romero fakes the jab looking to set something else up. Both threw left hands. Whittaker with a knee to the body followed by a right hand. Romero lands a left hand. Whittaker with a side kick. Not much from Romero in this round and Whittaker clipped him with a left at the end. 10-9 Whittaker, 29-28 Romero.
Whittaker with a high body kick. Romero grabbed the back and they scrambled around on the mat. Romero has the back against the fence. They broke and Whittaker landed a knee. Whittaker stuffed a takedown from Romero. Romero lands a flying knee. Whittaker lands a left hand and a front kick to the body. Whittaker just misses an uppercut. Whittaker with a right hand. Romero is definitely tired. Whittaker stuffs a takedown and lands a right hand and then a left hand. Romero is in trouble. Romero with a failed takedown attempt. Whittaker with a high kick. 10-9 Whittaker, 38-38.
This round likely decides it. They trade punches early. Romero with a left hand. Whittaker lands a left hand. Whittaker lands a knee. Both men land hurting punches and Romero with a big left hand. Romero is definitely gassed out but he lands a high kick. Whittaker slowing as well. Romero lands a left hand. Whittaker with a front kick. Both men are landing. Romero lands a left hand. Romero with a high kick and Whittaker with a combo. Romero lands a left hand. Whittaker circling away. Romero slips to the mat and Whittaker goes into the guard. Romero landing from the bottom. Whittaker now landing elbows from the top. Whittaker goes to the half-guard and lands some big elbows and Romero is cut open. This goes the distance, very good fight. 10-9 Whittaker, 48-47 Whittaker.
Official Result- Robert Whittaker def. Yoel Romero by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) to become Interim UFC Middleweight Champion
With Cody Garbrandt unable to compete at UFC 213, Amanda Nunes will headline the UFC’s marquee International Fight Week event for the second straight year.
Dana White revealed to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto last night that Garbrandt was officially off of the card. Garbrandt was scheduled to defend his bantamweight title for the first time against TJ Dillashaw, but he has been battling back problems and was sent to Germany to see a stem cell specialist earlier this month.
Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko for the women’s bantamweight championship is now the main event of UFC 213 on July 8th in Las Vegas. That matchup had been announced previously but wasn’t scheduled to headline the pay-per-view until Garbrandt vs. Dillashaw fell through.
Nunes was elevated to the top spot on the UFC 200 card last July when Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones was canceled at the last minute due to Jones failing a USADA test. She won the title by defeating Miesha Tate on that show.
An interim middleweight title bout is also set for UFC 213, with Yoel Romero taking on Robert Whittaker.
Controversy over Georges St-Pierre receiving the next shot at Michael Bisping’s title instead of Romero began as soon as that fight was scheduled, but White later announced that plans for Bisping vs. GSP had been scrapped when St-Pierre posted that he wouldn’t be available to compete until after October. Bisping is unavailable to fight right now due to a knee injury as well, so Romero will face Whittaker for the interim belt.
White told Okamoto that Demetrious Johnson vs. Dillashaw for the flyweight title is being planned for August, but Johnson tweeted that he hasn’t agreed to anything and is waiting on a contract to defend against Ray Borg. Johnson wrote that Dillashaw can come down to flyweight and get a win first if he wants a title fight.
As was previously revealed, Robbie Lawler vs. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Fabricio Werdum vs. Alistair Overeem, and Anthony Pettis vs. Jim Miller will also take place at UFC 213.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor, eminating from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
This is the much anticipated debut of the UFC in New York, and they are bringing the most stacked card in company history for the Octagon’s first visit to famed Madison Square Garden, capping off a night of action with the biggest draw in company history looking to make history.
In the main event, UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor looks to become the first fighter to hold championships in two divisions at the same time as he challenges Eddie Alvarez for the UFC Lightweight Championship. McGregor is coming off two high-profile fights with Nate Diaz while Alvarez makes his first title defense after knocking out Rafael Dos Anjos in July.
In addition, there are two other championship bouts. UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley makes his first title defense against top contender, Stephen Thompson, winner of seven straight fights. Woodley knocked out Robbie Lawler to win the title at UFC 201 in July, while Thompson is getting his title shot on the heels of a dominant win over Rory MacDonald.
UFC Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk makes her fourth title defense against fellow Polish strawweight, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, in the third title fight on the card. Jedrzejczyk last fought in July, successfully defending against Claudia Gadelha, while Kowalkiewicz is coming off a decision win over Rose Namajunas in July. Both women are undefeated in their professional careers, but Jedrzejczyk holds a win over Kowalkiewicz in an amateur bout.
The main card also has a middleweight bout as former champion Chris Weidman takes on Yoel Romero, and Miesha Tate battles Raquel Pennington in women’s bantamweight action. The most stacked prelims of all-time includes featherweights Frankie Edgar and Jeremy Stephens doing battle as well as top lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov taking on Michael Johnson.
We’re looking for your thoughts on the show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbe in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
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The place is fairly empty at this point. More than a Las Vegas crowd but not like a lot of first-time markets. Carmouche is ripped, more than most of the guys.
First round: Carmouche with low kicks. Chookagian landed a right., Carmouche back with a right. Carmouche with a low kick and a right and a takedown. Carmouche is in side control Chookagian back up with minimal damage. Carmouche trying for another takedown. Carmouche has her against the fence. High slam by Carmouche with 1:05 left. Carmouche is just holding her down. Fans chanting Ole for no reason. Carmouche with some short elbows. Carmouche 10-9
Second round: Carmouche has her and trying to throw her. Both landed knees. Chookagian broke the clinch. Chookagian with a low kick. Carmouche took her down with a back suplex. She moved to side control. Carmouche with short elbows. Chookagian regained guard and wants a triangle. Carmouche with some short punches. The crowd is starting to boo them. Carmouche is staying busy but they could stand them up. Chookagaian up. Knee by Chookagian. Left by Chookagian. Chookagian whiffed on a combo. Right by Chookagian landed. Low kick by Chookagian. Carmouche’s round 20-18.
Third round: Chookagian dropped her with a great head kick. Carmouche back up. The crowd exploded. Knee by Chookagian. Carmouche going for a takedown. Chookagian momentarily got behind her but Carmouche turned her into the fence. Knee by Carmouche. Chookagian landed a combo. Big right by Chokagian. Chookagian landed solid punches now. Carmouche is bleeding from the nose. Carmouche took her down which drew a groan from the crowd. Carmouche is holding her down. Chookagian up and Carmouche threw a knee. Chookagian broke free. Head kick by Chookagian. Low kick by Carmouche. Chookagian in with punches. Low kick by Carmouche. Good right by Chookagian. Carmouche shot for a takedown but doesn’t have it. But she’s taking seconds off the clock. Chookagian’s round but Carmouche should win 29-28.
> Jim Miller (27-8 1 NC, 16-7 1 NC UFC) vs. Thiago Alves (21-10, 13-6 UFC)
Catch weight of 162.5
Alves missed weight by 6.5 pounds.
First round: Knee by Alves. Miller with a left. Miller in with an uppercut. Miller landed a punch and took Alves down off a kick. Miller is working to get his back. Alves scrambled up. Left kick to the body by Miller. Both landing now with Alves landing a good knee. Right by Alves and head kick by Alves. Alves came on strong at the end but 10-9 Miller.
Second round: Body kick by Alves. Body kick by Alves. He tried another and Miller tried to take him down off it. Alves defended the takedown. Miller with a blast double leg takedown. Miller cradled him on the ground. Miller is keeping him down. There was a USA chant. Miller landed a few punches as Alves got up. Miller with a left. Alves with a right. Body kick by Alves. Punch and knee by Alves. Alves missed a spinning backfist. Alves landed the backfist. Miller is bleeding. Close round. 20-18 Miller.
Third round: Body kick by Alves. Mller slipped. Alves landing punches and a body kick. Both swinging. Miller hit the blast double again. That could clinch him the fight. Alves back up. Alves with a body kcik. Miller got another takedown. Miller got his back. Alves almost got up but Miller wrestled him back down. Miller tried a guillotine and Alves slipped out and on top. Alves landed some elbows and punches from the top as the round ended. Another close round. Miller 30-27.
Scores: 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27 for Miller
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> Vicente Luque (10-5-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Belal Muhammad (10-1, 1-1 UFC) Welterweights
First round: Luque dropped him with a left hook and landed a few brutal shots on the ground before it was stopped. 1:19′
Luque said he dropped 30 pounds for the fight.
> Rafael Natal (#14, 21-7-1, 9-5-1 UFC) vs. Tim Boetsch (19-10, 10-9 UFC) Middleweights
First round: Boetsch landed a right as Natal went for a takedown. Boetsch is the one moving forward. Natal missed a spinning backfist. Trading punches and Boetsch got the better of it. Body kick by Natal. Boetsch dropped him with a right hook that knocked Natal flying and finished him on the ground. It was weird. It was like Natal wasn’t himself at all. 3:22
Boetsch credited the win to the Irish Hand Grenade Marcus Davis for the win. Joe Rogan and Boetch said the first punch early shook up Natal and he was tentative from there.
> Khabib Nurmagomedov (#2, 23-0, 7-0 UFC) vs. Michael Johnson (#6, 17-10, 9-6 UFC) Lightweights
First round: Johnson throwing early. He landed a nice left. He’s landing good punches on Khabib. He’s got Khabib hurt now. Johnson landed a hard left. Johnson blocked the takedown attempt. But Khabib powered him down into side control USA chants Khabib with lefts. Now he’s dropping elbows and throwing hard punches on the ground. Khabib dropping more elbows. Big punches by Khabib. He’s got his back and throwing more punches. Khabib 10-9. The crowd went nuts giving both a standing ovation after the round.
Second round: Johnson landed a left. Left to the body by Johnson. Khabib landing punches now and tied him up. Johnson got away from the takedown attempt. Johnson blocked another takedown,. Knee and punch and Johnson sprawled. Johnson going for a guillotine but Khabib popped out and is on top. Khabib immediately passed to side control and throwing punches. He’s got a crucifox position on Johnson and punching. More punches by Khabib. Khabib with hard lefts from the top. Now Khabib has back position and is throwing a ton of punches. More punches from side position. Now he’s throwing hard rights. 10-8 Khabib’s round so 20-17 after two.
Third round: USA chant to start the round. Both throwing punches. Khabib took him down again. The crowd booed. Khabib is landing punches again from that position. Khabib is trying for a finish with punches but Johnson can take his shots. Johnson tried to kick off the cage to reverse. Now Khabib is working for a Kimura and got the tap. Very interesting because his win was more dominant than Ferguson but Ferguson is a more entertaining fighter 2:31
Khabib said I want to stay humble but I have to talk. I show the crazy power the UFC PR is. He cut a promo on Conor and the crowd stared to boo him. He wanted to face the Irish chicken, said
Irish only six million, Russia 150 million. He then talked Russian. He got great heat. The crowd hated him. He said Joe Rogan knows MMA for 20 years and asked Rogan if he desreved a title shot. Rogan said he deserved it which the crowd didh’t like.
> Frankie Edgar (#2, 20-5-1, 14-5-1 UFC) vs. Jeremy Stephens (#7, 25-12, 12-11 UFC) Featherweights
First round: Edgar got the biggest pop so far. The place is pretty packed now, I’d say 90-95%. Stephens looks 15 pounds heavier in the cage. Edgar tried a takedown and Stephens sprawled. Low kick by Stephens. Edgar moved in for a takedown but Stephens disengaged. Body kick by Edgar. Knee by Stephens. Low kick by Stephens. Edgar with a two punch combo. Let’s Go Frankie chant pretty loud. Edgar with a front headlock and throwing knees. He’s working for the takedown and not getting it. Edgar slammed him but Stephens right baacck up. Edgar slammed him again but Stephens up. Stephens poked Edgar in the eye and a time out was called. Stephens with punches. Edgar 10-9 but closer than you’d think.
Second round: Stephens complained of a low blow. Edgar with a right. Jumping kick by Stephens. Body kick by Edgar. Low kick by Edgar. Edgar got a momentary takedown . He got a back slam takedown. Stephens right back up again. Edgar in with punches. Good right by Edgar. Edgar with punches. Stephens with a great kick to the chin and Edgar went down. Edgar is hurt. Stephens with a right. Stephens going for the finish. Another right by Stephens. Stephens with a left. Hard left by Stephens. Let’s go Frankie chants. Stephens with a right. Edgar back with a combo, and got the takedown and got a guillotine. Stephens out of it. What a great round. Edgar on top. Loud Frankie chants. He’s going for the guillotine again. Edgar landed punches from the top late. 10-9 Stephens for 19-19 after two. Standing ovation for the round.
Third round: Let’s go Frankie chants. Stephens threw a kick and Edgar used it to take him down. Stephens working for a Kimura but Edgar out of trouble. Edgar elbowing the ribs. Edgar staying on top. Edgar trying to work for a choke. Edgar with a back suplex slam. Edgar is behind him working for a choke again. Stephens up with 2:13 left. Big right by Stephens. Edgar went for a takedown and couldn’t get it. Edgar with a left. Edgar with a right. Uppercut by Stephens. Both throwing and Stephens landed some good shots and Edgar back as the fight ended. Edgar 29-28. The crowd gave them a standing ovation again.
First round: Tate didn’t get nearly the reaction she usually gets. Tate with a right. Pennnington landing jabs. Pennington hurting her with punches. Rocky chant. Tate landing punches to the body and head and working for a takedown. Pennington lifted Tate up with a guollotone. It was crazy. Tate tried to kick off the cage. Tate finally go the takedown. Pennington back up. Pennington looks like she wants to do the old pump handle move. That’s a pro wrestling joke. Nothing much happening and crowd starting to get restless. Tate had her back. Tate did control the positioning but Pennington did more damage. Hard to score, 10-9 Pennington.
Second round: Pennington with a nice right. Left by Pennington. Anohter left by Pennington. Penningotn landed solid shots. Tate with lefts. Knee by Tate from the clinch. Tate trying for the takedown. Knee by Tate. Both throwing punches. Pennington got behind Tate. Tate throwing elbows. Crowd is bored by this fight. Pennington landing punches from the clinch. Tate with knees and Pennington with body shots as they’re in the clinch. Body shots by Pennington. Both landed punches as the round ended. Pennington 20-18.
Third round: Both the rounds were close so it’s anyone’s fight. Tate tried to pull guard to get it to the ground. She almost got an armbar. Pennington landing punches from the top. Tate again working for an armbar. Pennington landing punches from the top. Tate now trying for a triangle but doesn’t have it. Tate now going for a leglock. She tried a heel hook but didn’t get it. They’re in a clinch and Pennington is landing some short punches. Pennington took her down and is throwing more punches. Rare boring fight from Tate. Pennington landing a lot of punches late. Pennington 30-27.
Scores: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 Pennington. Bad time for a loss for Tate.
Tate announced her retirement after. She said it’s not her time anymore and she’s been around for a long time and she couldn’t pull it off.
> Chris Weidman (#2, 13-1, 9-1 UFC) vs. Yoel Romero (#4, 12-1, 7-0 UFC) Middleweights
First round: This is a really big fight because a strong Weidman win can make him a New York superstar. Not to mention he’ll probably get a title match with a win. Romero is a freak athlete, but he’s also 39 years old. They showed Bisping watching the fight. USA chant to start. Hard body kick by Romero. Weidman tried a takedown but not hard, more diversion. Body kick by Weidman. Ole chants. Weidman took him down once but Romero back up. Body kick by Weidman. Body kicks by Weidman. Another takedown by Weidman and Romero back up. Low kick by Weidman. Left by Romero. Romero with lefts. Body kick by Romnero. Weidman took him down and got his back. Weidman 10-9.
Second round: The referee wiped Vaseline off Romero’s back at the start of the round. Left by Romero. Left by Romero. Body kick by Weidman. Knee by Weidman. Romero claimed an eye poke after the knee. Weidman in on the single but gave it up to land a head kick. Romero took Weidman down and got his back after Weidman got up. Romero with another takedown. Weidman escaped and Romero took him down again. Romero has his back on the ground. Romero’s round so 19-19.
Third round: Boyd kick by Weidman. Romero killed him with a flying knee that nailed Weidman in the left eye and and pounded on him and finished him. That’s not a good thing for UFC. Romero is strutting around the ring like he’s a foreign military soldier saluting the crowd. The crowd didn’t even boo him. They were just stunned. The two hugged. :24 The crowd was eerily quiet when this ended.
Romero said he wanted the belt. Joe Rogan said that Romero will be challenging for the title next. Michael Bisping said he wouldn’t face Romero. Bisping gave Romero the thumbs down and then flipped him off with both hands. Romero kept saying “I love you Mike, see you soon, boy.” Romero said you see now the real champion.
First round: Joanna with low kicks. Ole chants. Joanna with a combo. Both landing. Nice combo by Joanna. Karolina landed some punches. The Irish are singing to entertain themselves. Joanna with another combo. Joanna 10-9
Second round: Karloline pushed her against the fence and went for a takedown but didn’t get it. Joanna with a flurry. Karolina working for a takedown. Joanna has her against the fence and threw a knee. Front kick by Joanna. Spijnning backfist by Joanna. Joanna 20-18.
Third round: Joanna with a knee and punches. Joanna outlandig her. Arolian landed a right. The crowd is so quiet for this fight except a few chants having nothing to do with the fight. It’s like this is Raw from last Monday. Body kick by Karolina. Karolina with a floury. Joannan back and landed a body kick and knee. Elbow and punches by Joanna. Trading punches. Joanna 30-27. Some boos at the end. I can’t tell you how little the people care about this fight.
Fourth round: Joanna with a few kicks and they are back against the fence. Karolina with elbows. Spinning backfist by Karolina. Karolina hurt her bad with a right to the nose. Both are trading. Both trading some more. Karolina landed a big right. Karolina is landing big rights. Joanna took her down but Karolina back up. Joanna looking at the clock. Karolina with more punches from close range. Joanna landed aan elbow. Karolina landed a good right. Trading punches. Joanna seems recovered now. Backfist by Karolina. Joanna tried the same. Joanna with a combo. Both traded punches. Hard knee by Joanna. Joanna got good shots In late in the round. The crowd completely turned and gave both a huge ovation. Karolina’s round 39-37 Joanna.
Fifth round: Good combo by Joanna. Karolina with punches and Joanna with an elbow. Joanna using her kicks to keep Karolina at a distance by Karolina got in and landed a punch. Front kick by Joanna. Joanna landing more punches. Joanna with a left. Karolina back with punches. Joanna with solid punches now. The crowd came alive. Karolina with a spinning punch and Joanna back with punches. Joanna landed punches and elbows. Knee by Joanna. Body kick by Joanna. Joanna 49-46. After all that, the whole place is standing. The fourth round turned the crowd around.
Scores: All three had it 49-46 for Joanna.
Joanna was charming, said she wasn’t hurt in the fourth round. The crowd cheered Karolina a lot after the fight. Karolina said Joanna was the best in the world. She said she’s proud she gave a good fight and the crowd cheered big.
> Tyron Woodley (C, 16-3, 6-2 UFC) vs. Stephen Thompson (#2, 13-1, 8-1 UFC) UFC Welterweight Championship
First round: Body kick by Thonpson. Thompson threw a kick, Woodley countered with a right and took him down. Woodley with body shots. Woodley with a lot of short punches on the ground to smother him . He land hard body shots late, bloodied him with elbows and landed a hard shot at the horn. 10-9 Woodley, almost a 10-8.
Second round: Thompson landed some punches and Woodley tied him up. Thompson turned him around and then Woodley turned him back around. Spin kick to the body by Thompson. Left by Thompson. Right by Thompson. Thompson with punches. Thompson landing more. Woodley with a nice right. Body shot by Thompson. Another body shot by Thompson. Woodley with a nice right. Thompson’s round so 19-19 after two.
Third round: Side kick by Thompson. Woodley moved forward with punches. Woodley moved forward and landed again. Ole chants. Head kick by Woodley. Low kick by Thompson. Thompson moved in with punches. Good right by Thompson. Left by Woodley. Left by Thompson and landed more punches. Woodley moved in but didn’t connect. Thompson landed a few. Woodley with two nice rights late in the round. Close round. Thompson’s so 29-28 Thompson after three.
Fourth round: Thompson in with a few punches. Woodley dropped him with hard right. Woodley throwing punches. Woodley dropped him again with a right and throwing punches on the ground. Thompson is in trouble. Woodley is landing shot after shot. Knees by Woodley and punches. Woodley going for a guillotine. Thompson out of it but he’s hurt. Woodley went for a guillotine again and it’s tight. Thompson is surviving so far. Thompson punching back. The crowd went nuts seeing Thompson punch back. He popped out for the biggest pop so far this show. Wonderboy chants. Thompson landing big punches late. This place is now really alive. 10-8 but that comeback could keep it 10-9, but I’ve got 38-37 Woodley after four. This is going to be very interesting how it’s judged.
Fifth round: Jumping kick by Thompson. Body kick by Thompson. Low kick by Thompson. Loud Wonderboy chants. Right and a head kick by Thompson. Body kick by Thompson. Spin kick to the head by Thompson. Left and right by Thompson. Right by Thompson. Left and right by Thompson. Body kick by Woodley. Left by Thompson. Low kick by Thompson. Woodley landed a right. Body shot by Thompson. Left and right by Thompson. Thompson with a left. Two lefts by Thompson. Thompson with a good right. Thompson’s round, I’ve got it 47-47 all. This could go either way depending on a 10-8 in the first or fourth rounds.
Scores: Derek Cleary scored it 47-47, Doug Crosby scored it 47-47, Glenn Trowbridge 48-47 Woodley. That’s a screw-up, as that’s a majority draw but Woodley would still retain on the draw. Bruce Buffer later corrected himself a majority draw. The problem is Trowbridge looks to have given 3 rounds to Woodley and Thompson won three rounds and it came down to 10-8s in round one or four. Either way, Woodley retains on the draw.
> Eddie Alvarez (C, 28-4, 3-1 UFC) vs. Conor McGregor (C FW, 20-3, 8-1 UFC) UFC Lightweight Championship
This crowd is now totally electric. They’re booing the hell out of Alvarez. Not the number of Irish flags as Vegas but a totally pro-McGregor crowd. Alvarez is called The Underground King. I wonder if he knows Sami Zayn.
First round: McGregor landed and stumbled. Low kick by Alvarez. Body kick by McGregor. McGregor dropped him with a left and Alvarez back up. Head kick by Alvarez. The crowd is really loud. Alvarez shot for a takedown. McGregor with a body kick. Alvarez landed punches and then slipped. Head kick by McGregor. McGregor dropped him with a left . McGregor with punches on the ground. Now he’s dropping elbows on him. Alvarez back up. Loud Conor chants. Alvarez shot in and McGregor evaded and landed an elbow. McGregor with a left. Body kick by McGregor. Right by McGregor. Alvarez with body shots. Alvarez with a body kick. Alvarez landed a good left. Body kick by Alvarez. McGregor 10-8.
Second round: Big left by McGregor hurt him. Alvarez shot for a takedown and it was easily stuffed. McGregor put his arms behind his back and dared Alvarez a free shot. Alvarez didn’t do anything. Body kick by McGregor. Right and left by McGregor. Alvarez with a right. He missed a left and McGregor put him down with a left. Alvarez working for a takedown. Alvarez pushing hard and couldn’t get the takedown. Push kick by Alvarez. McGregor with a series of punches put Alvarez down and ref John McCarthy waved it off. McGregor is the first two division champion in UFC history. It was a left hook, a right, a left and another right that put Alvarez down. A great combo, all four shots landed hard and McCarthy waved it after two punches on the ground. 3:04
McGregor wanted his second belt. McGregor said they’re not on my level, you need size and reach to beat him. He kept saying he wants that second belt. He I’ve ridiculed everyone on the roster, and I’d like to apologize to absolutely nobody. The place erupted on that one. Then he had both belts. He made no big announcement or anything.
