UFC 272 ‘Covington vs. Masvidal’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Dustin Jacoby (205.5) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (206)

Round 1

Throughout these prelims tonight for UFC 272, holdout fans will have to make the tough decision as to whether this fight card with no titles on the line but two five-round bouts will be worth about $80. Buy or sell, it may all hinge on the grudge match on the top of the billing tonight. Before we get there, we have a dozen matches to get through, and we begin things in the light heavyweight division. Making the most of his second stint with the promotion, former kickboxer Jacoby (16-5-1, 4-2-1 UFC) will aim to go unbeaten in his sixth straight UFC fight as he takes on the newly re-nicknamed “Hussar” Oleksiejczuk (16-4, 1 NC; 4-2, 1 NC UFC). Between them, 21 knockouts across their 32 victories have taken place, and referee Mark Smith may have his hands full to start the night. The gentlemen are happy to touch gloves before coming out swinging, and it’s on! Both men aim strikes at one another right off the bat, with the Polish man letting go with punches down the pipe while Jacoby backs off with a high kick. They miss, but the next blows that come are not inaccurate, as Jacoby sits down on a body kick and a left hand that reddens his foe’s nose up early. Oleksiejczuk goes to the body as he walks Jacoby down, and Jacoby pushes off with his left hand and his finger jabs straight into the eye of “Hussar,” who lets out a wail of pain as Smith is quick to intervene. After about 40 seconds of recovery, Oleksiejczuk blinks it out and is ready to continue but seems a little reticent and keeps his guard high to defend it. Oleksiejczuk scores a solid one-two as Jacoby advances briefly, and he stands right in front of Oleksiejczuk to throw hands with him. Oleksiejczuk sticks and moves, reaching him with a punch before catching a low kick. The Polish fighter lifts Jacoby’s leg up in the air and plants him on the mat, but Jacoby is able to scramble quickly enough to get back to his feet. Oleksiejczuk gets countered with a left as he strides forward, but he plants his right hand square on the nose of his retreating opponent. Oleksiejczuk continues to make Jacoby fight going backwards, taking Jacoby’s kicks out of the equation. “Hussar” gets off a few punches, ducking one and landing a solid left on the side of Jacoby’s jaw. Jacoby reaches up with a knee, and Oleksiejczuk greets him coming forward with a straight left hand that shakes him up. This makes Jacoby shoot in for an unexpected takedown, and he bails on it when there is nothing to it. Oleksiejczuk resets and targets a few punches to the body, putting volume together while Jacoby is more content to throw single power shots. Jacoby gets off a kick to the midsection up close, and he tries to time a counter knee when Oleksiejczuk bears down on him with long, rangy punches to the torso. A left from Jacoby opens a cut beneath Oleksiejczuk’s eye, and he pays it no mind and tags Jacoby with a clean left hook. A brief exchange from both men concludes the round.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Oleksiejczuk
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Oleksiejczuk
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Oleksiejczuk

Round 2

The two start off the second round with a brief punch exchange, and Jacoby catches him with a short uppercut. Jacoby tags his opponent with a left hand, and he strings together a wild combination consisting of punches, knees to the body and kicks up close that hurt Oleksiejczuk. Jacoby drops his man down to his knees, and Oleksiejczuk is able to recover and spring back up but Jacoby will not let him off the hook. Jacoby throws everything he has to finish the fight, and Oleksiejczuk smartly defends himself and rebounds off the fence while shelling up, possibly on hopes of Jacoby punching himself out. “The Hanyak” slows on his offense and pursues a takedown instead, where he succeeds in grounding his Polish opponent briefly. Oleksiejczuk is able to work his way back up, eating shots all the while, and he stands back up to drill Jacoby in the side of the head with a left hand. Oleksiejczuk appears to have gathered himself, and his lefts are stinging Jacoby now as Jacoby wants to clinch and pursue body lock takedowns. Oleksiejczuk fights his way off the cage wall and turns his man around, and he gains space and ducks when Jacoby aims a right hand at him at the break. Oleksiejczuk gathers himself and starts walking Jacoby down again, and he clubs him with a solid left hand. Jacoby wears it well and gives it right back to him, and Oleksiejczuk shrugs it off and strides forward to engage. The two tie up and pummel against the fence, and the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Jacoby
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Jacoby
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Jacoby

Round 3

The light heavyweights touch gloves to come out for the last round, and Oleksiejczuk is fired up as he wades forward into the fire with a fast one-two. Jacoby slips the punches and takes a step back, reaching out with a jab and smacking Oleksiejczuk in the face with a follow-up left hand. Jacoby starts flicking out a jab a few times as Oleksiejczuk advances, and he times a lumbering Oleksiejczuk with a few punches. Oleksiejczuk feints and fakes, and he lunges forward only to get clipped with a left. Oleksiejczuk returns fire with two punches, and Jacoby jabs out with outstretched fingers to stab Oleksiejczuk in the same eye again. Smith is not thrilled, and he gives Jacoby a hard warning. Oleksiejczuk recovers after less than 30 seconds, and Jacoby leads the dance with a quick string of punches that get Oleksiejczuk’s attention. Jacoby steps in with a knee and times a left over the top shortly thereafter. Jacoby changes levels after scoring the strikes, going after a double as he jams Oleksiejczuk against the fence. “Hussar” fights off the takedown but continues to remain pressed to the wall, forced to defend from a takedown try from the former kickboxer. Jacoby grinds his man against the wire, occasionally getting off short strikes but far more focused on grounding the Polish fighter. Jacoby gets off a knee and an elbow, and Oleksiejczuk explodes out of the position and walks straight into a leg kick. Jacoby hops out of the way, and the fight comes to a close.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Jacoby (29-28 Jacoby)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Jacoby (29-28 Jacoby)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Jacoby (29-28 Jacoby)

The Official Result

Dustin Jacoby def. Michal Oleksiejczuk via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Ludovit Klein (156) vs. Devonte Smith (156)

Round 1

In this next tilt at 155 pounds, “King Kage” Smith (11-3, 3-2 UFC) and “Mr. Highlight” Klein (17-4, 1-2 UFC) have seen 27 of their 28 career wins come before judges were involved. Holding on to his hat is referee Marc Goddard, as these two are excited to get after it following the touch of gloves. Smith starts off with punches that miss and a front kick that does not. Smith stays constantly busy with a long left jab, and they do enough to keep Klein from advancing. Klein shrugs them off to load up on a left hook, and Smith dances out of the way well in time. Klein slowly, methodically works forward, and he fires a left-right with a body kick to follow. Smith returns fire with a loud body kick of his own, and Klein glances a left hand off the top of his head in response. Smith keeps his left hand out, and he walks back but absorbs a head kick that zips towards him. Smith pays it no mind and lands a right hand down the pipe. Smith score a body kick, blocks a head kick and resets. To give Klein a taste of his own medicine, Smith fires off a head kick, and the Slovakian fighter is surprised but he blocks it and scores a right hand to the body. Smith tries to pay him back, but he gets clipped with a left hand that sends him staggering back to the fence. Instead of succumbing to more strikes, Smith latches on to his opponent, and his mouth may be bloodied but he is recovering while tied up. Klein gets off a short elbow and a knee to the thigh, but the position is largely stuck there because Smith has his hands clasped. Klein tries to break the grip by kneeing Smith in the solar plexus a few times, and Smith gives him one back. Goddard splits them up after a period of inactivity, and Klein takes the center of the cage in the reset. Smith whiffs on a front kick, and Klein strides forward with a one-two and a head kick that knocks Smith back to the wall again. “Mr. Highlight” chases him to the fence, and the round ends in this clinch position.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Klein
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Klein
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Klein

Round 2

Smith lets out a “woo” before the round starts, and Klein yells in response as they are fired up to get back to it. Smith strikes first, stringing together a series of fast kicks that slam into the head and body of “Mr. Highlight.” Klein wears them well, and he decides to clinch back up as he might have taken some damage from that succession of strikes. From up close, Klein scores several shoulder check strikes to the chin, and Smith appears to not like this and he explodes out of position to stop these from continuing. Klein bullies him back to the fence, and he rips a knee to the body when he gets Smith there. Smith returns fire with a single similar strike, and Klein backs off to claim the center of the Octagon again. Klein works the liver with a kick, and he tries to time another but instead goes low with a kick to Smith’s rear leg. Smith blocks a left hook and catches a front kick, where he uses the position to try to take the fight down. Klein sets his leg down and turns him around, and the action stalls out other than a few short knees to the thigh. Smith sneaks up a pair of knees from up close, only to get nailed in the face with a crisp elbow. Klein slices another elbow over the top, and he continues to jam Smith into the wall. Goddard tells them to improve position after Klein complains about his foe grabbing his glove, and he is quick to separate them again. Klein whiffs on a leg kick, and when he swings a left, Smith ducks down and grabs his hips to take him down. Miraculously, Klein posts and fights his way back up without ever hitting the ground, and he springs up to push Smith into the wall until the round wraps.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Smith
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Smith
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Smith

Round 3

The lightweights touch gloves to check in the last round, and just like the previous frame, Smith begins to sling head kick. Klein responds with a high kick and then a front kick to the chest, and Smith is hurt as he wobbles back to the fence, possibly having the wind knocked out of him. Instead of laying into Smith, Klein elects to clinch up, thereby allowing Smith to get his sea legs back beneath him. They trade short strikes up close, and Smith lands an elbow on the break. Smith wings a high kick that collides with his foe’s shoulder, and Klein marches forward winging a left that bounces off Smith’s temple. They trade body kicks, and Klein chains into a low kick. After the strike, Smith marches forward, only to get snagged by “Mr. Highlight” and wrenched over to the fence in the clinch. When they separate, Smith scores a stunning body kick. “King Kage” charges with a few punches, snapping Klein’s head back, and Klein attempts to sprint at him to clinch. Smith tosses him aside so that he can reach out with a few jabs, and he starts loading up on power punches while Klein remains elusive. Smith gets off a knee to the chest and a swinging elbow, and Klein is feeling it as his volume has diminished. From a great distance, Klein shoots in for a takedown, and he gets stood up as Klein holds him against the wire. As Klein clings to him clinched up, Goddard warns them, so this spurs Klein into action. The Slovakian fighter spins with a back elbow, clipping the side of Smith’s head, but Smith ignores it so that he can try to initiate a brawl. Klein is wise to it, hopping back to throw a few kicks and a one-two as the final bell rings.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Klein (29-28 Klein)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Smith (29-28 Smith)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Klein (29-28 Klein)

The Official Result

Ludovit Klein def. Devonte Smith via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

Tim Elliott (126) vs. Tagir Ulanbekov (125.5)

Round 1

It’s the U.S. vs. Russia up now in the flyweight division, as former title challenger Elliott (17-12-1, 6-10 UFC) will try to become the second fighter to beat Ulanbekov (14-1, 2-0 UFC) as a pro. Having laced up his shoes, referee Chris Tognoni is now prepared for what could be a thrilling, fast-paced grappling affair for as long as it lasts. The gloves get touched, and Elliott swings with a spinning back kick that is well out of the way. Elliott turns through to score a leg kick, and Ulanbekov dings him up with two jabs and a one-two. Elliott keeps his hands down, and Ulanbekov cracks him with a right hand and follows it with a front kick. Elliott ignores the strikes to wade forward, throwing unorthodox strikes like stomp kicks to the knee and whipping uppercuts. The American charges ahead and secures a quick takedown, and Ulanbekov fights his way back to his knees. Elliott blasts him in the face with a knee, and it is unclear if Ulanbekov’s knee was off the ground as to whether it was illegal or legal, but it appeared that Ulanbekov’s knee was down. Despite this, we continue, and Elliott shouts at his man to come on and fight him. Elliott blitzes forward, landing punches and low kicks, and evading the strikes with odd, bobbing head movement. Ulanbekov replies with a punch to the chest, and he checks a kick but gets smacked with a left hand. Ulanbekov is much more composed with jabs, but as he flicks one out, the ex-title challenger darts forward and lands another takedown. The Russian is not down for more than one second before exploding back up, and Elliott is quick to chase him down and land another. Ulanbekov sweeps him after a wide scramble, and he gets back to his feet. Tognoni calls time as Elliott sticks his hands out to strike, and he warns Elliott from keeping his fingers outstretched while Elliott protests. The fight resumes, and Elliott lands a front kick to the body and a low kick. Elliott dips a few punches, eats a couple more, and slings a left hook that slides off the side of Ulanbekov’s head. Elliott tries to step in with an elbow, and as he does, Ulanbekov drills him with a few punches. Elliott laughs them off, keeps his self-described movement awkward, and he turns his hips while launching a massive left hand. The strike sends Ulanbekov crashing down to the mat, and he appears to get back up after the flash knockdown only into the hands of Elliott, who takes him down. Ulanbekov powers his way back up, gets popped with another questionable knee when he was standing, and he starts talking to his corner. The wild and crazy round ends in the clinch.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Elliott
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Elliott
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Elliott

Round 2

The gloves get touched to start the second round, and Elliott comes out with a brief swarm of punches. Ulanbekov is energized, and he returns fire with a salvo of his own. Elliott just misses with a huge overhand right, and he windmills a left that follows that blows Ulanbekov’s hair back. The Russian mixes things up with a takedown try, and Elliott sprawls well and pops right back up. Ulanbekov gets off a few right hands, appearing to have started to time the head movement, and he ignores the counters from Elliott to score a hard right hand. When Elliott marches forward, Ulanbekov hits a double that puts the former title challenger on his seat momentarily. Elliott scoots his way to the wall to power back up, and when Ulanbekov tries to secure a mat return, Elliott scrambles to wind up on top. As they both get back up to their feet, Elliott lands a few punches that make Ulanbekov blow his nose out. Ulanbekov drills Elliott in the jaw with a right hand, and Elliott comes forward to clinch. Elliott grabs his foe’s glove and cracks Ulanbekov with a punch from his other hand, and Ulanbekov protests to draw a warning from Tognoni. They both try to set up a takedown after this confusion, and a furious scramble ensues where Elliott is able to take top position and even snag mount for a couple seconds. Ulanbekov fights his way back up, and he lifts Elliott in the air but cannot wrangle him, as the former title challenger circles around to take top position until Ulanbekov bucks him off. They tie up, and start belting one another with short elbows and punches. Elliott grabs Ulanbekov’s glove again and tries to slug him in the face, but Ulanbekov is able to evade the blow and he shoots for a double that plows Elliott in the wall. Ulanbekov holds on tight, not letting Elliott get space, and ignoring when Elliott starts chattering at him. Elliott fights off one takedown, and he throws up a guillotine right when the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Elliott
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Elliott
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Elliott

Round 3

The last round begins with no glove touch, as replays show several uncalled illegal moves that Elliott got away with in the previous round, all while Ulanbekov’s coach Khabib Nurmagomedov is incensed. Dundasso is alive and well in the Octagon tonight. The action starts off with Elliott attacking, working the body with kicks and a few punches. Ulanbekov replies with a single crisp elbow, and he backs off and marks Elliott up with a one-two. A cut opens up on the corner of Ulanbekov’s eye, but it does not appear to be from a punch but rather from when they clacked heads when they were tied up. They clinch up again just long enough for Ulanbekov to work the body with several knees, and Ulanbekov hops back and dives forward with a double-leg takedown. Elliott sprawls, using the fence as his ally, but Ulanbekov lifts his leg off the ground to drop Elliott to a knee. Ulanbekov tries to elevate the ex-title challenger again, to no avail, as Elliott is able to get his feet beneath him to keep himself upright. With his hands clasping Elliott from behind, Ulanbekov gets off several emphatic knees to the back of Elliott’s thigh. Ulanbekov hops on to the back, circling over to get one hook in. As Elliott tries to escape, he leans over and Ulanbekov crawls on to his back to take it and secure a body triangle. From there, the Russian attacks a rear-naked choke, and Elliott grimaces but grits it out. Elliott legally fights the hands, holding on to the wrist instead of the inseam of a glove, and he stops the choke but cannot stop punches connecting to the side of his head. Ulanbekov keeps his body triangle tight, landing unanswered shots, and he pounds away until the final bell sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Ulanbekov (29-28 Elliott)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Ulanbekov (29-28 Elliott)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Ulanbekov (29-28 Elliott)

The Official Result

Tim Elliott def. Tagir Ulanbekov via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Brian Kelleher (145) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (146)

Round 1

Back-to-back fights pit an American against a Russian adversary, this time with Kelleher (24-12, 8-5 UFC) representing the states against unbeaten Dagestan native and famously named Nurmagomedov (13-0, 1-0 UFC). Can “Boom” Kelleher blow up the undefeated record of the Russian? Referee Marc Goddard will be the first to know. The featherweights show a sign of respect by touching gloves, but not before Kelleher spinning fist bumps Bruce Buffer. Kelleher advances early, and he swats away an oncoming right hand. Kelleher strides forward into a high kick, and he rolls with it to let it slide off his shoulder. Nurmagomedov push kicks Kelleher’s chin, and Kelleher is barely able to avoid a whipping head kick. Nurmagomedov checks a low kick and slaps Kelleher in the face with the ball of his foot like he was Billy Jack. Kelleher pays it no mind and continues pressuring his opponent, and he charges ahead with a few punches to close the distance and push the undefeated fighter into the fence. Nurmagomedov turns him around with ease, and Kelleher hooks his finger in the wire only to get warned. Nurmagomedov tries to trip the American down, and Kelleher falls to a knee and powers right back up. Nurmagomedov gets away with fence grab of his own, and he fails on another takedown effort as Kelleher breaks away. Kelleher absorbs a clean knee to the body, and he surges ahead right into a takedown try from Nurmagomedov. Kelleher hops back up without being grounded for even one second, but the mat return from the Dagestan native puts Kelleher down to his knees. Nurmagomedov takes the back of “Boom,” and like a snake ensnaring its prey, he slithers his arm beneath Kelleher’s chin to lock up a textbook rear-naked choke. Kelleher struggles and fights the hands, but there is no way out in this position, so he taps out before he gets put to sleep. The crowd is instantly silenced by the Russian getting his hand raised and keeping his record spotless, seemingly a bit surprised at just how fast the finishing sequence materialized.

The Official Result

Umar Nurmagomedov def. Brian Kelleher R1 3:15 via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)

Mariya Agapova (126) vs. Maryna Moroz (125.5)

Round 1

The fight likely with the most actual emotion and energy going into it is not the headliner and its manufactured beef to sell tickets, but instead one of national pride here in the ESPN preliminary opener. The first Ukrainian fighter to take the stage since Russian forces invaded the nation will be “The Iron Lady” Moroz (10-3, 5-3 UFC), who will be fighting for her people in her flyweight clash with Kazakhstan’s Agapova (10-2, 2-1 UFC) with a new nickname of “Demonslayer.” The two women were heated during the week, but cooled to a degree where they could shake hands at the weigh-ins. They do not elect to touch gloves as referee Herb Dean watches on. Moroz comes forward, ready to block a left hand from Agapova that is coiled and ready to throw. Agapova pushes out several jabs with her right hand that are more for range finding than actually striking, and Moroz crashes forward in pursuit of a takedown. Clinching up with Agapova, Moroz goes after a body lock and a trip, and she forces Agapova to defend it by posting her arm on the mat. Agapova stands back up and scores with a few inside punches, and she lands a couple on the spine but there is no warning. Agapova targets a few 12-6 elbows that land right on the spine, and Dean warns her from these strikes. As Moroz persists, she drags Agapova down to the mat and takes her back. From there, “The Iron Lady” goes after a rear-naked choke, and Agapova keeps her against the fence where the leverage is not quite there. Moroz keeps her arm tightly squeezing on Agapova’s jaw, but it cannot get under the chin, so Moroz softens Agapova up with punches. Agapova looks to try to turn over and get out of the position, but this allows Moroz to hook her legs and sink the choke in even tighter. Agapova, on her knees, manages to fight out of the choke and sits up. Moroz instantly locks on to an armbar off her back, and Agapova wriggles her arm out but it might have taken some damage. When Agapova escapes, Moroz stands up, and Agapova takes her back. The Ukrainian fighter shakes her foe off of her, and she turns around to go after a double-leg takedown against the fencing. Moroz lands several emphatic foot stomps, kiaiing every time she does, and the round ends with the two flyweights tied up.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Moroz
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Moroz
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Moroz

Round 2

Moroz is the aggressor to start off Round 2, kicking and punching her way forward with kiais until she bullies Agapova straight to the fence in about 10 seconds. From there, Moroz ties Agapova up, and they trade strikes up the middle. A few knees land, and Agapova appears to grimace in pain. Moroz wrestles the Kazakh fighter down to the mat, and she immediately gets a hook in to try to secure Agapova’s back. Moroz drags Agapova away from the fence so she can get both hooks in, and Agapova is able to keep herself tightly pressed to the cage wall to prevent a full back take. All the while, Moroz is smacking her in the face with left hands. Moroz manages to get her down after a subsequent effort, and she climbs on top to take three-quarter mount. Agapova finds herself trapped as Moroz fishes for an arm-triangle choke, but she elects to slice through guard and slash down with several jagged elbows. “Demonslayer” finds that the shouting demon that is Moroz is overwhelming her, as Moroz handles her with ease to go from full mount to back control as she hammers on Agapova. Every strike that lands, Moroz screams with aggression, until Agapova falls to her back. Moroz sees an opening and hops to the side, where she latches on to an arm-triangle choke. The shoulder pressure is crushing, the choke is tight as a drum, and Agapova has no way of getting out of this precarious position. Agapova’s arm falls to the side, as she finds herself drifting off to unconsciousness, but right before she goes out, she taps one single time as if she were Fedor Emelianenko. “The Iron Lady” has done it, vanquishing a dangerous foe that had never been submitted in impressive fashion and winning one for her home country. It is an emotional moment for the victor, and commentator Joe Rogan hands her the microphone in her post-fight interview – an extremely unusual occurrence, to be sure. With tears in her eyes, Moroz thanks all those that supported her, and wishes love to her family and those in her home country struggling during horrible times, as the crowd erupts with cheers for her.

The Official Result

Maryna Moroz def. Mariya Agapova R2 3:27 via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke)

Nicolae Negumereanu (205.5) vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu (206)

Round 1

Up next in the light heavyweight division may be a pair of rock-em sock-em robots when Negumereanu (11-1, 2-1 UFC) throws down with Nzechukwu (9-2, 3-2 UFC). Both men bring knockout rates in the mid-to-high 60% range, and referee Mark Smith will need to keep his head on a swivel for this one. There is no bad blood here, and they are glad to touch gloves to seal the cage. Negumereanu strikes first with an oblique kick to the knee, and Nzechukwu walks into a second without replying. Nzechukwu slowly walks his foe down, but Negumereanu circles away when in punching range. Nzechukwu sticks out a jab and stomps his foot at the same time, and he eats a right hand as he coils back a left hand to strike. Negumereanu goes after another kick to the knee, and he ducks down with a feinted shot so that he can draw a reaction out of Nzechukwu. The Fortis MMA fighters gets warned for outstretched fingers, and he closes his fist and slams it into the nose of his opponent. Negumereanu has another front kick to the knee land, and he gets jabbed once and backs off before the rangier fighter can mark him up. They swing and miss with alternating right hands, and then whiff with lefts. Nzechukwu stays elusive as he backs off, swatting away punches that come at him, but he cannot avoid the kick to his knee. Nzechukwu pokes Negumereanu in the eye, and the former apologizes and is admonished by Smith to close his hands once and for all. Needing less than 20 seconds to get back to it, Nzechukwu does not close his fingers and is holding them out towards an advancing Negumereanu. When Negumereanu jumps forward with a superman punch, Nzechukwu kicks him in the gut to intercept him. This same kick lands, and the crowd starts showering the fighters with boos for their relative lack of engagement. Nzechukwu pushes a left straight through the guard, but it is one-and-done when Negumereanu surges forwards with a short salvo of punches. Negumereanu gives chase, throwing hands while making Nzechukwu back off and defend himself. The round ends as the Fortis fighter gets off a glancing kick to the body.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Negumereanu
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Negumereanu
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Negumereanu

Round 2

The light heavyweights touch hands to start off the second frame, and Negumereanu picks up where he left off with continuous forward pressure. Negumereanu gives chase every time Nzechukwu retreats, swarming him with short combinations. The single punches from Nzechukwu keeps him at bay long enough to reset, until Negumereanu charges ahead recklessly in pursuit of a takedown. The Romanian fighter cannot ground his opponent, but he does pin him to the fence and slowly works on him with knees to the same spot on a thigh. Negumereanu hunts for an outside trip, but that too does not succeed. On a subsequent attempt, Negumereanu wrenches Nzechukwu down to one knee, but not for long, as the Nigerian-born fighter powers his way back up. Negumereanu is a dog with a bone going for these takedowns, constantly fighting and changing levels and staying busy enough to keep Smith from stepping in. Negumereanu swings several growingly powerful knees on the other leg from Nzechukwu, and Nzechukwu is stuck with no offense of his own as he is against the cage wall. When Negumereanu ducks down for a single, Smith steps in to separate them, and tells them to actually start fighting. Nzechukwu obliges with a jab and a front kick, and he strings together a one-two and shows signs of life. Negumereanu gives him punches in bunches right back, but Nzechukwu stands him up with several straight, accurate punches that stun Negumereanu one after the other. The Fortis MMA fighter pushes out a jab a few times to decent effect, catching Negumereanu coming in towards him. They both paw at one another with punches, and Nzechukwu pulls back with a left hook but scores on another to smash Negumereanu in the nose. Negumereanu’s face suddenly transforms into a crimson mask as blood pours from both nostrils, and he looks for a takedown after eating heavy punches. The round closes out in the clinch, and it might be a close one depending on how the 90 seconds were scored.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Nzechukwu
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Nzechukwu
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Nzechukwu

Round 3

The final frame commences with a barrage of leaping, inaccurate punches from the Romanian. As Negumereanu blitzes forward, Nzechukwu pushes off and lances Negumereanu’s eyeball with his finger. Smith immediately calls in the doctor as he pauses the action, and Negumereanu is in a bad way, screaming in pain from the foul. Negumereanu is struggling to even open his right eye, but he informs the doctor and officials that he can continue. Smith deducts one point from Nzechukwu for repeated fouls. When they resume, a torrid brawl ensues, and the both come out blasting in the kind of fight that some had hoped it would be in the beginning. Negumereanu gets hurt, he dives forward into a takedown effort, and Nzechukwu leaps in the air with a knee that clicks into the Romanian’s jaw. Negumereanu eats it like Sarmale and pushes into a takedown, but ultimately settles for jamming Nzechukwu into the wire. The Fortis MMA fighter muscles his way out of the clinch and gains some space to start letting his hands go again. With range and height advantages well in his favor, Nzechukwu smartly keeps his distance and potshots Negumereanu with long punches. Nzechukwu scores a one-two, and he cracks his foe with a left hand. Negumereanu does not flinch as he continues to press forward, leaking blood that covers his beard, and he suddenly surprises Nzechukwu with a burst of offense. As Negumereanu lands power punches, Nzechukwu appears hurt, and his hands drop as he skirts away on the outer edge of the cage. Negumereanu plods forward, throwing caution to the wind with wild, looping punches. They both load up, but Nzechukwu mixes his offense up with straight strikes and then big bombs. Nzechukwu scores a right, only to eat two punches right on the chin. These two are trading every time they engage, and defense is at a premium now. Negumereanu strides forward, and he clubs Nzechukwu on the side of the head with a few punches. Nzechukwu fires back, and they throw down right to the final bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 9-9 (28-28)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-8 Negumereanu (29-27 Negumereanu)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 9-9 (28-28)

The Official Result

Nicolae Negumereanu def. Kennedy Nzechukwu via Split Decision (27-29, 29-27, 29-27)

Marina Rodriguez (116) vs. Xiaonan Yan (116)

Round 1

Buried on the prelims, two women with greater championship implications on the line than any match on the card will square off in the strawweight division. Both once-beaten inside the Octagon, Rodriguez (15-1-2, 5-1-2 UFC) and Yan (13-2, 1 NC; 6-1 UFC) will square off with sights on the title held currently by Rose Namajunas. Keeping everything on the up-and-up will be referee Chris Tognoni, and the ladies do not touch gloves. Instead, Rodriguez walks back and lets loose with a leg kick, and she hops out of the way when Yan swings a right hand at her. Yan targets another overhand right as Rodriguez keeps circling, and the Chinese fighter plays the bull to the Brazilian’s matador. Yan bullies Rodriguez back against the fence, and when she backs off, she cracks Rodriguez with a right. Any time Rodriguez pulls the trigger, Yan is right there firing back with quick combinations. Yan appears the faster fighter, beating Rodriguez to the punch when she can reach her. Rodriguez tries to keep this fight in kicking range, and Yan swarms her with punches before breaking away as Rodriguez tries to counter her. The Brazilian fighter lines up a heavy leg kick, and Yan takes a funny step after absorbing it but is able to still stay out of the way when Rodriguez marches her down. Yan lets fly a low kick and is light on her feet, and when she attempts to score another, she is countered by a pair of hooks and a check of the kick. Rodriguez absorbs another low kick on the inside of her knee, and she gives one back to the calf. They trade leg kicks, but Rodriguez appears to be the heavier while Yan’s is faster. Rodriguez fights her way into a clinch, only to get uppercutted and forced to separate. The Brazilian whiffs on a pair of hooks, with Yan easily dancing out of harm’s way and approaching from another angle to connect with a leg kick. Rodriguez wings a right hand that glances off the chin, and Rodriguez lets rip a knee that smashes square into Yan’s groin. Tognoni recognizes the unintentional foul and calls in the doctor and a translator, as Yan is in pain and needing to recover. Yan explains that she is in a “little bit of pain,” and after 90 seconds of recovery, she is good to go again. Rodriguez apologizes, and she turns her hips to connect with a solid side kick. Yan backs off, and Rodriguez charges at her aggressively. Rodriguez lets her hands go, clipping Yan, but her aggression gets the better of her as she circles around to take Yan’s back and gets turned around and tripped up. Yan lifts her up off the ground and throws her to the mat like a sack of potatoes, ending the round with that dramatic moment.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Yan
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Yan
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Yan

Round 2

When the second round begins, Yan is ready to parry the inevitable charging offense from the recharged Brazilian. Rodriguez pushes forward, punching her way into a clinch, but she bails on it and absorbs a leg kick. The ladies trade punches, and Yan scores a low kick on the inside of Rodriguez’ lead leg. Rodriguez still lands with a heavy right hand, but Yan gets off two or three to Rodriguez’ one. Rodriguez initiates a brawl, and she gets countered although managing to land a few strikes of her own. While Yan’s punches are generally straight, there is a fair amount of arc on the Brazilian’s, which allows Yan to beat her to the punch. They consider grappling for a moment, but Yan is slick and she gets to a safe distance. When Rodriguez attacks, Yan catches a raised knee and sends Rodriguez falling to the mat. Rodriguez crawls to the fence on a knee and up, but Yan clings to her like Saran wrap with her arms wrapped around Rodriguez’ waist. Rodriguez gets away with a fence grab or two, turning Yan around in the clinch when upright, only for Yan to spin her back around into the wire. On the break, Yan connects with an elbow on the top of the hair, and Rodriguez shakes it off and gets jabbed in the face. Rodriguez digs a knee to the body, and she grabs Yan and pushes her down to her knees from the side. The Chinese fighter easily powers back up, but she takes a stern knee and a sharp elbow for her effort from Rodriguez. The Brazilian chases Yan around the cage, and drills her with a solid right hook right before the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Yan
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Yan
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Yan

Round 3

The action is immediate to begin the final frame, with both women throwing hard at one another. Rodriguez bites down on her mouthpiece to throw bombs, and she connects with a few, but Yan is able to skirt out of the way from the worst of the blows. Rodriguez hacks at the calf with a kick, and she dips when Yan throws a few punches at her. Rodriguez scores a trio of punches, and Yan gathers herself and kicks the inside of Rodriguez’ thigh. Rodriguez plods forward, never taking a step back, and forcing Yan to fight off her back foot. Rodriguez winds up a right hand, cocking it back and aiming it. They throw hands and tie up, with the right skimming past Yan’s hair. Rodriguez introduces the ball of her foot to Yan’s face, and Yan appreciates the strike and lets Rodriguez meet the instep of her own foot in a fun kick-for-kick exchange. Rodriguez marches Yan down and scores a solid left hand, gets cracked from one by the Chinese fighter, and gives it right back to her. A stabbing kick with Rodriguez’ toes split the guard and land on Yan’s body, and Yan throws back with a few punches that open a cut on the right eye of the Brazilian. Rodriguez lands a bomb, Yan blasts her back, and it is Yan who celebrates after the trade and points in the air. They trade hammers again, and Yan once more dances a little. Rodriguez does not slow down, instead trying to brawl it out. Rodriguez lands a knee to the body, gets off two punches, and makes Yan back away. Yan times a spinning back fist that Rodriguez walks into, and Rodriguez runs after her to engage but time expires before she can catch up with her.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez (29-28 Yan)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez (29-28 Yan)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez (29-28 Yan)

The Official Result

Marina Rodriguez def. Xiaonan Yan via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Jamie Mullarkey (155.5) vs. Jalin Turner (156)

Round 1

It’s a finisher’s delight for this preliminary headliner when “The Tarantula” Turner (11-5, 4-2 UFC) and his 100% stoppage rate go against Australia’s Mullarkey (14-4, 2-2 UFC) with 93% in his own right. The judges might not be needed for this lightweight contest, but referee Herb Dean almost certainly will be. They touch gloves in anticipation of what could be thriller, and Turner walks forward to deliver a kick to the Aussie’s liver. Mullarkey bites down on his gumshield and throws hands, but Turner is able to get on the inside and let them bounce off his shoulders. They both throw big punches at one another, and Turner slips throwing so hard. He springs right back up, and Turner blasts his foe in the face with a punch that wobbles Mullarkey. They swing for the fences, and the Aussie clips Turner, and now he is hurt too, after a furious exchange. Mullarkey pushes into a clinch, tying Turner up, but Turner frames him off with an elbow and a front kick up the middle. Turner busts Mullarkey’s nose open, and he does not let Mullarkey off the hook as he shucks off a takedown and scores a clean right hand down the middle on the damaged nose. Turner marks Mullarkey up with punch after accurate punch, ducking back when Mullarkey counters him. Turner kicks him in the face and knocks Mullarkey off his feet. Mullarkey is able to spring back up, and he finds a dangerous “Tarantula” waiting on him, holding a knee and readying it as soon as Mullarkey can be legally struck in the head. Mullarkey hops back and gets tagged yet again, with his chin still holding up, and Turner changes things up with several body shots. Mullarkey bends over from the blows, but he gets his wind back and retreats. Mullarkey connects with a punch, Turner lands harder, and Mullarkey swings and misses with a high kick. In the open cage, Mullarkey darts in and lifts Turner off the ground, slamming him to the mat and claiming side control with a little under a minute to go. Turner holds on with two-on-one wrist control, but he loses it when Mullarkey sits up to elbow him in the face a few times. Mullarkey looks to pass over to full mount, but Turner recovers him back to full guard. The Aussie steps into half guard, and scores one single elbow before the horn blares.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Turner
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Turner
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Turner

Round 2

The lightweights touch ‘em up to start off the second frame, and Turner stands firm in the center of the cage while Mullarkey circles around him. Turner throws the first strikes of the round, missing with them, and he shoulder rolls when Mullarkey returns fire. Mullarkey sits down on a right hand, and as soon as it lands, Turner is there to kick him in the body with a front kick. A huge, short right hook from “The Tarantula” clubs the Aussie right at the perfect spot, and Mullarkey’s legs give way beneath him. As Mullarkey collapses to the canvas in a heap, Turner turns it on with a salvo of standing-to-ground punches as he batters his opponent that has physically surrendered. Dean sees that Mullarkey can no longer intelligently defend himself, and he steps in, sealing the victory for the rising star Turner. Retaining his excellent 100% finish rate, Turner finds himself on a four-fight win streak over increasingly impressive opposition.

The Official Result

Jalin Turner def. Jamie Mullarkey R2 0:46 via TKO (Punches)

Greg Hardy (266) vs. Sergey Spivak (243.5)

Round 1

A pair of unranked heavyweights will kick off this main card, and one will hold a UFC record at .500 or below when the dust settles. Whether it is “The Polar Bear” Spivak (13-3, 4-3 UFC) or the former all-pro defensive end Hardy (7-4, 1 NC; 4-4, 1 NC UFC), like referee Marc Goddard, we will find out shortly. The big men reluctantly touch gloves, and away we go. The two big men start off fighting hands, and Hardy lands first with a thudding leg kick. Spivak walks into another leg kick as he swarms at his opponent, and Spivak is forced to retreat after absorbing a third on the inside of his knee. Spivak tries to get off a punch, and he absorbs a leg kick but pays it no mind as he goes after a single-leg takedown. When Hardy stops this from succeeding, Spivak hits a picture-perfect hip toss to put the 290-pound Hardy on the ground with a resounding boom. Hardy crawls to the wall, and he gives up back control so that he can stand back up. The former football player looks to get back up, and Spivak does not seem concerned as he lifts Hardy up in the air and slams him back down again. With an explosive burst, Hardy jumps back up, only for the Moldovan puts him on the mat for a third time. This time, Spivak presses Hardy over to his back with a half-nelson, and he climbs to mount with ease. “The Polar Bear” begins to maul Hardy with ground-and-pound, slamming his fists into the much-maligned fighter’s head. Hardy turtles up, and Spivak continues to smash him with unanswered punches until Goddard has seen enough. Hardy sits up when Spivak gets off of him and appears to protest the stoppage, but he is confused by the whole turn of events and he might have even gone out from the beating. That’s certainly one way to start off the main card.

The Official Result

Sergey Spivak def. Greg Hardy R1 2:16 via TKO (Punches)

Kevin Holland (170) vs. Alex Oliveira (170)

Round 1

Many expect that this welterweight scrap on the docket now is a sure-fire “Fight of the Night” candidate, as both Holland (21-7, 1 NC; 8-4, 1 NC UFC) and Oliveira (22-11-1, 2 NC; 11-9, 1 NC UFC) love to put on a show. Both men had no issue making the 171-pound limit, and they appear to be fired up and excited to get after it. Referee Chris Tognoni wrangles them long enough to get them to stand behind their respective black lines, and when the fight begins, they rush together to touch gloves. Holland leads the dance with a low kick that connects and a high kick that whizzes past the head of “Cowboy.” Holland connects with another leg kick, drawing a reaction from Oliveira and a response with one of his own. Holland scores a third low kick to the calf, and he just misses when Oliveira wings a big right hook at him. Holland continues to chip away from the outside, and Oliveira catches him on the way in with a right hand counter that knocks “Trailblazer” off his feet. Holland is able to jump back up to his feet and block a flying knee that soars towards him, and he gets back to poking with calf kicks. Holland lunges forward with a right hand, and Oliveira is right there to return fire with a swiping right hook. The punches from Oliveira make Holland lean off-balance. Holland gets cracked with a right hand as he advances, and when he falls to the ground, he laces his legs up for a leglock. Oliveira is able to step out of danger, and he lifts Holland up and slams him down to the mat. Holland is able to scramble away, and he blasts “Cowboy” in the face with a crisp right hand that puts the Brazilian on rubber legs. Not one to shy away from a brawl, Oliveira swings right back and gets Holland’s respect with a few power shots that make Holland’s rear leg lock up for a second. Both men gather themselves and get back to kickboxing range, where Holland is comfortable working with leg kicks and away from the swinging punches that whiz at him. Oliveira chops down Holland’s lead leg with a kick that is much heavier than the ones Holland are throwing, and Holland does a twirl and comes back out swinging. Holland kicks low, and he has it checked, but it seems to have affected Oliveira as well. Oliveira tries to grab the kick, but when it lands, he throws back at Holland. Holland spins from the kick, and he gets snagged against from the Brazilian. In a ridiculous scramble, Oliveira takes his foe’s back and cinches up a rear-naked choke. Instead of being concerned at all, “Trailblazer” motions to thumbs-up signs from each hand to the camera, and the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Oliveira
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Oliveira
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Oliveira

Round 2

The hands get touched to start off the second round, and Oliveira appears to come out limping. Despite this, Oliveira charges ahead with a low kick, and he gets clipped with a small right hand counter. Holland smells blood, and he races out drop hammers on his wounded opponent. The knees of “Cowboy” give way beneath him and he crumbles to the mat, and Holland can see the finish line and delivers a brutal salvo of punches to end the fight. As Oliveira flails and protects himself from harm, Holland switches to elbows and smashes them in his adversary’s face one after the other. Unleashing the thunder, Holland gives it everything he has to record the finish, and Tognoni jumps in to pull Holland off of a wrecked “Cowboy.” There is no ill will between the two after the furious five-plus minutes of ferocity, and they hug it out to celebrate a hard-fought battle.

The Official Result

Kevin Holland def. Alex Oliveira R2 0:38 via TKO (Elbows)

Edson Barboza (145.5) vs. Bryce Mitchell (145.5)

Round 1

One will rarely ever find a more perfect example of a striker vs. grappler battle, when the highlight-reel aficionado Barboza (22-10, 16-10 UFC) squares off with unbeaten submission artist Mitchell (14-0, 5-0 UFC). Referee Mark Smith is on the call for this intriguing matchup at 145 pounds, and the men do not bothering to touch ‘em up before engaging. Mitchell throws a low kick, and Barboza is right there to return fire with a much heavier kick. Barboza attacks with another leg kick, and he backs away when Mitchell walks him down. Barboza sits down an inside leg kick, and just a few strikes in, Mitchell’s lead leg is already changing color. Mitchell gives chase, walking through another low kick, and he circles away as Mitchell tries to corner him. Mitchell aims a single kick to the body, and Barboza strings together a couple punches and a thudding low kick. Mitchell tries to grab Barboza but is out of range. Barboza scoots out of the way, and as he backs off, he gets cracked by a sudden right hand that sets him down. Barboza shakes off the cobwebs as “Thug Nasty” bears down on him, and he scoops up his foe’s legs and sets him down to the mat. In Barboza’s guard, Mitchell softens up the body with short punches, and he postures up to stack Barboza up when Barboza looks to open his guard and get offensive with it. From very close range, Mitchell thumps down a pair of elbows, and he uses effective top pressure to keep Barboza stuck with his neck on the wall and his back on the mat. Body to head goes Mitchell as he works Barboza over with light but constant strikes. Barboza tightens his guard, only to find an elbow zooming at his face, and he takes it flush and keeps absorbing punishment from below. Mitchell looks to sit up and drop down heavier blows, and as he does, the Brazilian kicks off and explodes back to his feet. Keeping a safe range, and hopping out of the way of a takedown entry from Mitchell, Barboza jumps around and scores a big leg kick. Missing with a spinning back kick, Barboza then chases after his man and gets off a right hand right before the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Mitchell
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Mitchell
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Mitchell

Round 2

The featherweights are quick to get after it to start the second stanza, and Barboza blasts Mitchell’s inside calf. Although he gets a couple off, he leaves his leg out a little too long and has it snagged mid-air. From there, Mitchell hits a quick double, setting the Brazilian flat on his back on the open mat. Barboza keeps his guard tightly closed, and Mitchell does not mind, as he racks up control time and has his ground strike totals add up. Mitchell sits up every so often to elbow Barboza in the face, and then flattens him back down and punches him in the side. One such elbow slashes Barboza’s left eyebrow open, and it begins to bleed instantly. Barboza scoots his way to the fence, but Mitchell will not let him up. Smith calls for them to work, and Mitchell obliges with a powerful elbow from on top. Barboza tries to push off and scramble, but the smothering top control of the Arkansan has him nullifying Barboza. When Mitchell attempts to pass to mount, Barboza is able to buck him of momentarily. Barboza looks to stand up with the fence behind him, and as he does, Mitchell drags him right back down from behind. Barboza recovers position to get his guard back, but “Thug Nasty” is nasty with his ground-and-pound as he batters Barboza and slides over to three-quarter mount. Mitchell clubs Barboza with several right hands to the bloodied eye, and a small pool of crimson forms beneath Barboza’s head. Mitchell settles for half guard, where he pounds on Barboza until the last five seconds of the round. Barboza manages to kick Mitchell off again, and Mitchell lords over him until the horn blares.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Mitchell
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-8 Mitchell
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 Mitchell

Round 3

The last round begins as Barboza appears to have a fire lit under his backside from his corner. Instead of throwing kicks, Barboza starts swinging heavy hands. Mitchell goes up high with a kick, and his foot bumps into Barboza’s shoulder and Mitchell falls to his back. Barboza does not oblige climbing into his guard, and he lets Mitchell stand up so he can slug it out with him. Barboza ducks a jumping switch kick, and he throws a right hand that Mitchell ducks perfectly. “Thug Nasty” nails a double, putting Barboza down to the canvas far away from the cage wall. Barboza closes up the guard, and Mitchell is happy as a clam in this position as this keeps him safe from any power strikes that come at him. In an effort to change things up, Barboza sets up a triangle choke from his high guard, and Mitchell lifts him in the air and slams him in the mat to break the leg grip. Mitchell comfortably lowers himself back in the guard, with sporadic punches on the bloody eye of his foe, until he stands up and stacks Barboza up. Barboza tries to kick off the hips, but he does not have the power to get Mitchell off of him any longer. Barboza scrambles and turns to set up a leg lock, but when this fails, Mitchell secures three-quarter mount with Barboza on his side. Mitchell begins to let a series of left hands go as Barboza cannot block his face, so the Brazilian twists and yanks his arm free but continues to get pounded by Mitchell. “Thug Nasty” starts to make things nasty again as he moves to half guard and starts raining down elbows. A few more strikes from the undefeated fighter put a stamp in this performance, and he will likely keep that 0 and put himself in line for big opportunities in the near future.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Mitchell (30-26 Mitchell)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Mitchell (30-26 Mitchell)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 Mitchell (30-25 Mitchell)

The Official Result

Bryce Mitchell def. Edson Barboza via Unanimous Decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-27)

Rafael dos Anjos (160) vs. Renato Carneiro (160)

Round 1

The co-headliner sees a new face compared to the lineup last week, but it is still a thrilling five-round matchup even as it shifted to a 160-pound catchweight affair. Former lightweight champ dos Anjos (30-13, 19-11 UFC) remained on the billing, and he draws a drastically different foe compared to Rafael Fiziev as “Moicano” Carneiro’s (16-4-1, 8-4 UFC) best weapon may be his rear-naked choke – to note, every finish from Carneiro has come by this maneuver. Both countrymen are glad to be fighting tonight, but they would prefer to get started without touching gloves as referee Marc Goddard watches on. The first strike of the fight comes from “Moicano,” who lands a heavy kick to the midsection. From there, Carneiro pushes forward in an effort to drag the fight to the mat, and he circles around to hunt for a back take. Dos Anjos shimmies him off and gains some space, but Carneiro will not let him breathe for long as he tries for another takedown try. Dos Anjos breaks free and lands his own body kick before changing levels to hit a takedown on “Moicano.” Dos Anjos cannot keep his man grounded for long, and when Carneiro stands up, he dings Carneiro with a right hand on the temple. Carneiro gathers himself and shoots from a range for a takedown, but dos Anjos is the one to turn the tables and slam Carneiro to the mat with a double. Keeping Carneiro stuck on the fence in the corner, dos Anjos traps his man down even as Carneiro hooks his toes in the cage multiple times. Goddard warns him, and dos Anjos ignores them so that he can step over and drill Carneiro with some ground strikes. Carneiro looks to scramble, but the former lightweight champ is heavy with top pressure and elbows Carneiro in the face. Dos Anjos stands up so that he can readjust himself in his foe’s guard, and he lowers himself down and smashes Carneiro with a crushing elbow. “Moicano” reels from the blow and shells up for a moment, allowing dos Anjos to claim half guard and push Carneiro flat on the canvas. Carneiro looks to sit up as dos Anjos attacks with punches and hacking elbows, and dos Anjos keeps him trapped while dealing damage. Carneiro looks to escape out the back door, but dos Anjos is able to keep him grounded and grind him out with strikes until the first bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 dos Anjos
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 dos Anjos
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 dos Anjos

Round 2

Dos Anjos comes out of his corner a man possessed, claiming the center of the cage and ripping a kick to the liver. Dos Anjos ducks a swinging right hand that comes back at him, and the two clash legs at the same time. Carneiro swings hard at him, and dos Anjos ducks in search of a takedown. “Moicano” fights it off to stay upright, and he gets clocked with an overhand left and has to shake it off. Dos Anjos catches an oncoming kick and lifts it in the air, but he cannot put Carneiro on the mat. Punching his way into a takedown setup, Carneiro is unable to get dos Anjos to back off. Dos Anjos nails his man with a right hand, and “Moicano” returns fire with a left that stuns dos Anjos for a moment. The former champ pushes forward in hot pursuit of a takedown, and Carneiro leans against the fence and gets dragged down for a second before climbing back up. Dos Anjos coot control him against the fence, but he does boot the body with his left leg and they tie up. Dos Anjos targets a punch to the body, and he dodges an uppercut that zips towards him. “Moicano” tries to kick the body, but he gets answered by a shin to the liver. Dos Anjos plows forward, crashing into “Moicano” and taking him down to the mat ankle-first. Carneiro falls to his back, and dos Anjos is quick to move to half guard and drop down short elbows. Carneiro looks to scramble, but the weight and top control of his adversary are too strong for him to get any space and get dos Anjos off of him. Dos Anjos get pulled back to the full guard as he tries to pass, but he does not seem overly concerned as he can stack “Moicano” up and hammer him with punches and elbows. Dos Anjos secures half guard from the other side, pinning Carneiro flat, and works his foe over with a few more strikes until the second round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 dos Anjos
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 dos Anjos
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 dos Anjos

Round 3

The third round opens with Carneiro coming out the initial aggressor, sticking out a single jab. Dos Anjos sticks a punch and dips back when an uppercut comes at him, and he leans back to throw a body kick. The battle of the jab begins, as both Brazilians push them out to decent success. Dos Anjos slips several punches and pounds the body with his left shin, before ducking down to take him down. Dos Anjos gets shoved back, and Carneiro runs towards him and tackles him over. Dos Anjos gets back up and starts throwing haymakers, and Carneiro waves him on. When he does, Dos Anjos kicks him in the head, and he follows it with a crisp boxing combination. Carneiro gets bloodied up as he continues to take unanswered shots, and dos Anjos lets fly a head kick that boots Carneiro upside the head. “Moicano” staggers around the cage like a wounded animal, and dos Anjos gives chase and slams him down to the ground, where he begins what he hopes to be a final onslaught of ground-and-pound. Carneiro manages to survive and roll around enough to prevent the brunt of the damage from mounting, but Goddard is very close to intervening. Dos Anjos continues to let hands fly, mixing in elbows as he tries to finish the job, but Carneiro locks him down and gets him stuck in the guard. Dos Anjos advances to half guard, and he forces Carneiro down to the ground every time Carneiro sits up briefly. Dos Anjos cannot put his man away, but he is trying, with elbows and punches as he slowly and methodically mauls “Moicano.” Dos Anjos crushes Carneiro’s nose with an elbow, but Carneiro blinks it out and stays in the fight somehow. Blood trickles into Carneiro’s eyes while he is on his back, and dos Anjos slows with his ground-and-pound and searches for an arm-triangle choke. There is no sign of a tap, and the horn sounds. Carneiro stands back up, and he struggles to get back to his corner – it might not be the worst thing if his corner calls the fight at the end of this rough round.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 dos Anjos
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-8 dos Anjos
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 dos Anjos

Round 4

Goddard calls in the doctor before the fourth frame begins, as Carneiro’s left eye is swelling shut fast. Carneiro says that he wants to continue, and the doctor clears him to keep fighting. Dos Anjos leads off with several jabs to the busted eye, and Carneiro loads up on a high kick that bounces off the chest of the former champ. Carneiro finds a bit of life with a sharp one-two, and he gets dos Anjos attention with a jab and checks a leg kick. Dos Anjos continues firing off a jab, and “Moicano” loads up on power punches that knock dos Anjos around as they collide with his guard. In a power move, dos Anjos practically shoves Carneiro down to the ground and jumps on top to resume his ground bombardment. In half guard, dos Anjos slowly works him over with ground strikes, and he takes the opportunity to rest as he controls Carneiro completely. Dos Anjos comfortably pushes off any attempt from Carneiro to sweep, throw his legs up for a submission setup or do anything offensive of his own. Carneiro pulls with his fingers and toes on the fence, warned each time, and dos Anjos grinds him out with elbows on the face. Dos Anjos strategically stays heavy, even though it might not be a scintillating watch, and he flattens his opponent down to the ground. Dos Anjos links an arm around the back of the neck of “Moicano” in a half-hearted guillotine choke, and he instead bails on it for a possible arm-triangle choke. That does not succeed either, so he switches back to short elbow strikes. The former champ hammers the swollen eye with elbows, and one opens a cut on it that starts spraying blood. Dos Anjos picks up the ground strikes as Carneiro panics and manages to explode back up. Although he fights back up to his feet, dos Anjos lays into him with several punches that make Moicano fall back to the wall. When the round wraps, Moicano stumbles back to the corner, and he is in a horrible way.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 dos Anjos
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 dos Anjos
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 dos Anjos

Round 5

To start off the last round, Goddard instructs “Moicano” that he will stop the fight if things do not improve within the first 30 seconds, as Carneiro can still somehow see even though his eye is closed worse than Rocky before he told Mickey to cut him. Carneiro answers the call with a few leaping strikes and a spinning back fist, although they miss the mark as dos Anjos is light on his feet. Dos Anjos blocks a high kick, and he slips and rips the body with a left hand. Carneiro swings hard with a right hand, and dos Anjos ducks and looks to snatch up a single-leg takedown. Dos Anjos lets loose a head kick, and when that bounces off the guard, he changes levels and puts “Moicano” on the mat for what could be the final time of the fight. Dos Anjos looks to settle in and grind out the rest of the fight, but Carneiro suddenly finds a surge of adrenaline flowing within him as he bursts back to his feet. Upright again, “Moicano” slugs dos Anjos in the face several times to get his attention, and plants a knee on the former champ’s chest to get the crowd something to cheer for on his behalf. Dos Anjos does not seem overly fazed from the strikes, and he slows on his own offense with little more than jabs, low kicks and the occasional takedown effort. Dos Anjos sticks out a pair of jabs, and Carneiro answers with bombs that miss the mark because he can barely see out of one eye. Carneiro swings and misses so badly that he nearly falls over, and it appears that dos Anjos is taking it easy on him. A few heavier punches land from dos Anjos, but it is not about doing damage and instead about landing and staying busy. Carneiro stings his foe with a left hand, and he tries to follow it with a huge right. In a surprising exchange, “Moicano” catches dos Anjos, and he knows this might be his final time to shine. Carneiro lets loose with long combinations, and one is interrupted with a body kick. Dos Anjos appears to have his bell rung, and Carneiro lays into him with punches. When he lands a heavy shot, dos Anjos ducks down for a takedown, and he ends the bloody battle in this position. Carneiro put on a valiant effort on short notice, and he managed to survive to the final bell, but some may debate that choice to allow him to continue given the punishment he absorbed across 25 gnarly minutes.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 dos Anjos (50-44 dos Anjos)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 dos Anjos (50-44 dos Anjos)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 dos Anjos (50-44 dos Anjos)

The Official Result

Rafael dos Anjos def. Renato Carneiro via Unanimous Decision (49-45, 49-44, 50-44)

Colby Covington (170.5) vs. Jorge Masvidal (170.5)

Round 1

Whether you buy the bad blood angle in this five-round welterweight headliner or not – one between two fighters that are a combined 0-4 against the sitting champion – the main event of UFC 272 is upon us. Former training partners want to settle what they claim to be ill will, and the battle of words should end as soon as the cage doors shut behind Covington (16-3, 11-3 UFC) and Masvidal (35-15, 12-8 UFC). Locked in for the long haul will be referee Herb Dean, who will try his best to keep things clean should there actually be an inkling of real hostility between the two. If you put money on the prop bet that they don’t touch gloves, cash your ticket now. Masvidal, taking a page out of his old playbook, leaps forward with a jumping knee that turns into a switch kick. Covington is well out of the way, not going to fall for what smote Ben Askren a few years ago. Covington stays on the outside, and he loops a left hand that goes wide. Masvidal scores a front kick and one to the calf, and Covington takes an odd step after that one single kick. Covington reaches in and swipes his foe with his finger, and Masvidal immediately protests an eye poke. Dean does not call it, and Masvidal shouts at him, but Covington continues forward and pursues a takedown. Although he does not secure it on his first attempt, he grounds Masvidal on the second try for a moment. “Gamebred” gets back to his knees, and Covington leans with his full body weight to drag Masvidal down to the canvas. Covington manages to take the back of his opponent, and he hunts for a rear-naked choke in a hurry. Masvidal turns towards the choke to break it up, and Covington tries to get another when Masvidal turns his head the other direction. Covington lands a few short softening punches and alternates with the strikes and rear-naked choke setups, but there is nothing to be had at the moment. Masvidal sits on his seat leaned back with Covington keeping one hook in, threatening the choke, and Masvidal is smothered but not in submission danger. Covington steps over to three-quarter mount from the side, and he lands a punch to the back of Masvidal’s head. Masvidal protests this too as he gets pushed to his back, but he turns to his knees and posts off to return to his feet. Covington swings an elbow and a right hand as Masvidal stands up, and with some space, Masvidal lands a solid body kick. Covington shakes it off, and they trade low kicks. A solid one-two from Covington ends the round, and he sticks his tongue out as Masvidal.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Covington
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Covington
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Covington

Round 2

Dean calls time before the round starts, and he goes over to issue a hard warning on Covington as he informs him it was an eye poke upon reviewing replay. Covington tries to say he didn’t do it, but Dean admonishes him nonetheless. When the round begins, Masvidal comes out swinging, with both his fists and feet, as he starts working on Covington’s lead leg from both shins. Covington goes over the top with a kick, and when that comes up short of the mark, he scores a low kick that frustrates Masvidal. “Gamebred” replies with a body kick, and he dips back when Covington walks him down with straight punches. Masvidal tries to intercept Covington coming in for a takedown with an uppercut, and he hacks at the side of Covington’s head when Covington attacks a double-leg takedown. A few of the elbows go to the back of the head, leading Masvidal to bail on them. As they are in close, Covington has a knee glance off the cup. Masvidal yells at his opponent, and some bad blood may actually be forming as a result of the fouls Covington is committing. Around the world, fight fans start losing their minds as ESPN+ crashes shortly after Dean assessed the foul. With 2:15 left in the round, the feed comes back, and it’s anyone’s guess what took place in that stretch – technical difficulties were on ESPN’s end. When the video is back running again, they trade tit-for-tat with strikes, and Covington loads up on hooks. They kick at the same time, and Masvidal gets off an inside kick to Covington’s thigh that makes him fall over. Covington manages from his knees to circle around and drag Masvidal to the mat, where he takes the partial back-take position that he held for much of the first round. Masvidal shakes it off and does not allow a submission setup this time, instead standing back up. Covington has him guessing now, with constant takedown attempts making Masvidal not commit to his punches nearly as much. Covington cannot get his foe down, and when he backs off, Masvidal lands a three-piece and a body shot with his foot. Covington wings a right hand that appear to catch Masvidal standing still, and Masvidal tries to play it cool but it might have hurt him. He drops his hands and taunts his foe until the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Covington
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Masvidal
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Masvidal

Round 3

Covington instantly takes the center of the cage to start off Round 3, and they trade hard kicks in a hurry. Covington dives forward in pursuit of a takedown, and Masvidal lands a few Travis Browne-Josh Barnett elbows to make Covington back off from the try. Covington pushes the pace, and after several attempts, he punches his way forward into a takedown and sets Masvidal on his backside. Stacking Masvidal up in his guard, Covington starts working Masvidal over with punches and switches to elbows. Several elbows get through, and Masvidal absorbs them all flush without being able to get back up. Covington swarms him with several more elbows, delivering effective ground-and-pound to totally take Masvidal out of his game. Masvidal tries to cling to his opponent to force a standup, and the crowd turns on Covington for his grinding approach to this round. “Chaos” steps over to half guard, ignoring the boo birds, and he looks to step over to the other side and get side control pressed up against the wall. Covington shoves Masvidal over a little to get some space to land ground strikes without having the fence at his back, and Masvidal scoots back up to it as he thwarts a kimura setup. Masvidal turns to his side, and Covington claims three-quarter mount and sets up a rear-naked choke. The thumbs-up appears to be an effective submission defense tonight, as Masvidal displays the sign and does not appear remotely worried about the choke. Instead, he torques his body around, twisting to get to his knees, and he finds Covington landing punches to the back of his head. Masvidal hand-fights to get back upright again, and he rings Covington’s bell with a left and a right as the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Covington
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Covington
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Covington

Round 4

The championship round opens up like the last, with Covington claiming the center of the Octagon as the two trade kicks. Masvidal misses with a punch, but he does land a pair of body kicks as Covington switches stances. Masvidal connects with a leg kick, and he blocks a shin that comes towards his chin. Covington darts forward recklessly, and Masvidal tosses him aside from the feeble double-leg attempt. “Chaos” comes right back in his face, landing a right hand and shooting in for a double that is much cleaner this time. Masvidal defends this shot as well, and he is forced to fight off the fence when Covington resets and tries again. Masvidal walks into a powerful uppercut that shakes him up, and Covington drops down low for a single, and he lifts Masvidal’s leg up but cannot put “Gamebred” on his seat. Masvidal hops back across the cage with his other leg in the air, and he sets it down. Masvidal manages to fight off this try and he pushes off, where he jumps in the air with a knee. Covington charges through it to let go with punches, and he starts laying into Masvidal. Masvidal’s hands drop, and he seems to laugh off the punches that connect cleanly one after the other. Masvidal lets Covington finish his salvo, and he steps forward with an elbow that gets Covington’s attention. Masvidal bites down on his mouthpiece and slings a right hand with all his might, and it slams into Covington’s temple and buckles his legs. Covington tries to play it off, but he is hurt badly, and Masvidal is not following up on it. Instead, “Gamebred” backs off, lets Covington come back into the fight, and Covington pushes his way forward and ties him up. As they stall out on the fence, the commentary team places bets with one another that they hug after this fight ends. The fighters separate, and Masvidal misses with a big high kick that turns him around. The bell sounds, and they stare one another down.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Covington
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Covington
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Covington

Round 5

The crowd is on its feet as the final round begins, and Covington seems to have shaken the cobwebs out. A punch from Covington allows him to bull-rush forward, where he snags a single and drags Masvidal to the mat. The crowd is no longer cheering for them, as Covington grounds him and embraces the grind. Covington tries to pass guard, but Masvidal bucks him off and turns to his side, where he returns to a knee and gets upright again. Covington hangs on tight, tripping Masvidal down to his knees and preferring to hold on from on top instead of delivering ground-and-pound. The painful nullification continues for “Chaos,” who holds Masvidal down and sneaks in several undercuts beneath Masvidal’s armpit. Masvidal spins with all his energy to try to wrest free from the grip of Covington, but he is pinned on his backside partially against the wall as Covington hangs on to him. Covington sits comfortably in half guard, and he steps over to mount with practically no resistance as Masvidal appears totally spent. Covington starts letting go with right hands, getting three-quarter mount as right hands rain down. Making Masvidal’s life miserable, Covington punches him and grips hard with a rear-naked choke that is more about power than technique. Masvidal twists out of the choke, but he surrenders full mount, and Covington begins to batter him with punches. Masvidal kicks off with seconds to spare, and Covington strides away and sticks his tongue out at Masvidal and he grabs his crotch in a rude gesture to his former friend. They do not hug it out after time expires, and Masvidal does not look happy. In his post-fight interview, Covington says that his work in Miami is done, and he calls out someone from Louisiana – that somebody would be former training partner Dustin Poirier. With that, this pair of dominant five-round fights is in the books, and we can move forward towards a Fight Night that comes next week with no grudge to be found in the headliner. We will be here for it, and we hope you are too.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Covington (50-45 Covington)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Covington (49-46 Covington)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Covington (49-46 Covington)

The Official Result

Colby Covington def. Jorge Masvidal via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 50-44, 50-45)