Main Card:
- Justin Gaethje defeats Dustin Poirier by KO (right high kick) at 1:00 of Round 2
- Alex Pereira defeats Jan Blachowicz by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Derrick Lewis defeats Marcos Rogerio de Lima by TKO (strikes) at 0:33 of Round 1
- Bobby Green defeats Tony Ferguson by technical submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:54 of Round 3
- Kevin Holland defeats Michael Chiesa by submission (D’arce choke) at 2:39 of Round 1 Preliminary card
- Gabriel Bonfim def. Trevin Giles by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:13 of Round 1
- CJ Vergara defeats Vinicius Salvador by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28
- Roman Kopylov defeats Claudio Ribeiro by KO (left high kick) at 0:33 of Round 2
- Jake Matthews defeats Darrius Flowers by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:37 of Round 2 Early preliminary card
- Uros Medic defeats Matthew Semelsberger by TKO (strikes) at 2:36 of Round 3
- Miranda Maverick defeats Priscila Cachoeira by submission (armbar) at 2:11 of Round 3
Early Prelim Fight Results:
Miranda Maverick defeats Priscila Cachoeira by submission (armbar) at 2:11 of Round 3
Miranda Maverick made the most of her short notice opportunity in Saturday’s opener, dominating Priscila Cachoeira to get back in the win column.
Tagging in for Joanne Wood, Maverick played to her considerable advantage on the ground, dragging Cachoeira to the canvas and punishing the Brazilian from top position for considerable stretches in the first two frames. A quick takedown in space in the third proved to be the beginning of the end, as two minutes in, the 26-year-old attacked an armbar, extending and drawing out the tap from Cachoeira.
After dropping a decision in Vancouver at UFC 289, Maverick jumped at the opportunity to get back into the Octagon and used it to get things moving in the right direction again, picking up her fifth UFC victory in eight appearances.
Uros Medic defeats Matthew Semelsberger by TKO (strikes) at 2:36 of Round 3
“The Doctor” is in! Uros Medic announced his presence in the welterweight division with a third-round stoppage win over Matthew Semelsberger.
The two men got after one another in the opening frame, Semelsberger dropping Medic twice while eating a big upkick himself before the pace slowed in the second. Pressed by their respective corners to seize control of the fight in the final stanza, Medic did exactly that, stinging Semelsberger with short shots in the clinch before felling him with a spinning back elbow and pounding out the finish.
ighting for the first time in well over a year, the Dana White’s Contender Series grad Medic is now 3-1 in the UFC with three finishes. The 30-year-old moves to 9-1 with the victory, while Semelsberger drops his second straight contest to fall to 11-6 overall.
Prelim Fight Results
Jake Matthews defeats Darrius Flowers by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:37 of Round 2
Jake Matthews’ wealth of experience in the Octagon shone through in his bout against Darrius Flowers, as the 28-year-old Australian outclassed the newcomer to secure the second-round submission finish.
Flowers came out pressuring and looking to land big shots, but Matthews weathered the storm and responded in kind, attacking the body and out-working his short-notice opponent. As the second began, Matthews showed even greater urgency and aggression, continuing to focus on the body before turning a takedown attempt by Flowers into a chance to secure top position, working from a kimura grip in half guard to eventually find his way to the back. From there, Matthews latched onto a rear-naked choke and secured the finish.
“The Celtic Kid” is now 8-3 since moving to welterweight, and appears to be rounding into form as a more complete and confident fighter. He’s been in the UFC for nearly a decade, but is just now reaching his athletic prime and is someone to pay close attention to going forward.
Roman Kopylov defeats Claudio Ribeiro by KO (left high kick) at 0:33 of Round 2
Roman Kopylov did his best Leon Edwards impression in the opening seconds of the second round, knocking out Claudio Ribeiro to collect his third straight victory.
The Russian middleweight spent much of the opening round picking away at Ribeiro in space before the Brazilian pressed forward behind big shots in the waning moments of the frame to sting Kopylov and potentially steal the round. But at the start of the second, Kopylov faked a jab and went high, putting his shin on the side of Ribeiro’s head to send him crashing to the canvas in a heap.
After dropping his first two UFC assignments, the 32-year-old Kopylov has now earned three straight wins, all by stoppage, to put himself on the radar in the middleweight division.
CJ Vergara defeats Vinicius Salvador by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28
Flyweights CJ Vergara and Vinicius Salvador spent 15 minutes trading shots on the feet, neither man ever grabbing clear control of the contest, becoming the first fight of the night to go the distance.
Salvador appeared to get the better of things in the opening round, his length frustrating the shorter Vergara. But over the next two frames, the San Antonio native seemed to find his range and have greater success, taking advantage of Salvador’s penchant for pronounced resets and limited output.
When the scores were added up, all three officials saw the fight the same way, awarding Vergara the unanimous decision victory.
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Gabriel Bonfim def. Trevin Giles by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:13 of Round 1
Gabriel Bonfim does not waste time!
The young welterweight took the fight to Trevin Giles right out of the gate, rag-dolling him to the canvas, advancing his position, and jumping on a guillotine choke to secure the first-round finish. Giles was dead to rights and had to tap, bringing the fight to a halt just over a minute into the opening round.
Just 25 years old, Bonfim is now 15-0 overall with 15 finishes, having registered each of his first two UFC victories by rapid submission to announce his presence as a dynamic prospect in the 170-pound weight class.
Main Card Fight Results
Kevin Holland defeats Michael Chiesa by submission (D’arce choke) at 2:39 of Round 1
Kevin Holland picked up the biggest win of his career to kick off the main card, submitting Michael Chiesa in the first round.
The popular welterweight used his length and striking well in the early stages of the fight, showcasing improved takedown defence when Chiesa looked to take the fight to the canvas. After stinging Chiesa with big shots along the fence, Holland locked up a D’arce choke as Chiesa looked for a leg, quickly drawing out the tap.
That’s now consecutive victories for “The Trailblazer,” who is one of the most active fighters on the roster. He said following the contest that he’d like to move back up to middleweight, so we’ll see what the future holds for him following this impressive win.
Bobby Green defeats Tony Ferguson by technical submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:54 of Round 3
Bobby Green got back into the win column while handing Tony Ferguson a sixth consecutive loss on Saturday’s pay-per-view main card.
“King” was the sharper, more active fighter throughout, rallying from an early knockdown in the first to still out-hustle the former interim lightweight champion. He busted up Ferguson from top position for a good portion of the middle frame, and remained a step ahead of the former contender throughout the third, sealing the impressive effort by submitting Ferguson in the final seconds of the fight.
This was an excellent veteran effort from Green, who remains an under-appreciated stalwart in the lightweight division. As of right now, his UFC resume is bookended by submission finishes, the only two of his UFC career. For Ferguson, that’s now six consecutive losses, with the last three coming by stoppage.
Derrick Lewis defeats Marcos Rogerio de Lima by TKO (strikes) at 0:33 of Round 1
The UFC Knockout King does it again!
Derrick Lewis landed a flying knee to start his fight with Marcos Rogerio de Lima and never let him back into the fight, pounding out the finish before stripping off his shorts and dancing around the Octagon.
Co-Main Event: Alex Pereira defeats Jan Blachowicz by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Alex Pereira announced his presence as a factor in the light heavyweight division, defeating former champion Jan Blachowicz in a gruelling battle in the UFC 291 co-main event.
After surviving having Blachowicz on his back for the duration of the opening stanza, “Poatan” had success on the feet in the second, quickly getting back up when the Polish veteran took him down in the center of the cage. While the former champion had solid moments in the third, Pereira was the fresher, crisper of the two, seemingly doing enough to secure the victory.
For just the second time all evening, the judges were called upon to determine the victor, with two of the three seeing the fight in favor of Pereira. This was a hard-fought, gutsy effort from the former middleweight champ, and puts him squarely in the title conversation.
Main Event: Justin Gaethje defeats Dustin Poirier by KO (right high kick) at 1:00 of Round 2
Another pay-per-view in Salt Lake City, another walk-off head kick finish!
Justin Gaethje claimed the BMF title with a right high kick knockout of Dustin Poirier in the early stages of the second round. After running level through the first round — Gaethje landing the great volume, Poirier connecting with the bigger individual shots — Gaethje went upstairs with a perfectly placed kick that went through Poirier’s guard and put him down.
Just an absolutely brilliant finish from Justin Gaethje, closing out the second straight pay-per-view in Utah with a Knockout of the Year shot. What an effort!.
