Max Holloway Remains King of Featherweight Mountain in UFC 240 Main Event
The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 240 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.
Max Holloway had all the answers.
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Edgar (23-7-1, 17-7-1 UFC) did his best work with kicks to the champion’s lower leg, but without a secondary weapon to supplement his efforts, he was out of his depth. Holloway leaned on his length, punished the New Jersey native with his jab, snuck in a few uppercuts and blitzed with punches when the opportunities presented themselves. Perhaps most importantly, he turned away all but one of Edgar’s attempted takedowns.
Holloway has won 14 of his last 15 bouts, an April 13 decision
defeat to Dustin
Poirier at 155 pounds his only misstep.
‘Cyborg’ Rebounds, Denies Spencer
Former UFC and Strikeforce champion Cristiane Justino bounced back from her first loss in more than a decade with a unanimous decision over the hard-charging Felicia Spencer in their three-round co-main event at 145 pounds. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Justino (21-2, 6-1 UFC), who competed for the first time since being knocked out by Amanda Nunes seven months ago.
Spencer (7-1, 1-1 UFC) offered a surprising amount of resistance -- she opened a vertical cut on the Brazilian’s forehead with a standing elbow strike in the first round -- but lacked the offensive wherewithal to give “Cyborg” true pause. Justino stuffed all of the Canadian’s attempted takedowns, withstood her advances in the clinch and cut loose with power punching combinations and kicks to the legs and body from a distance.
The fight was Justino’s last on her current UFC contract.
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Soaring Neal Downs Price
Fortis MMA export Geoff Neal was the last man standing in a memorable barnburner, as he put away Niko Price with punches in the second round of their welterweight showcase. Price (13-3, 5-3 UFC) succumbed to blows 2:39 into Round 2, the Cape Coral, Florida, native suffering his second defeat in three appearances.
A wild first round that included a double knockdown as the result of dueling left hands and an accidental headbutt concluded with Neal (12-2, 4-0 UFC) in full mount, momentum in his corner. The two men exchanged punches at close range at the start of Round 2, showing no regard for their well-being. Price made a pass at an ill-advised guillotine choke and wound up in bottom position, pinned beneath an adrenaline-infused opponent. Neal started dropping punches of varying intensity from inside guard and appeared to be closing in on a clean knockout before referee Dan Miragliotta intervened.
The 28-year-old Neal now finds himself on a run of six consecutive victories.
Tsarukyan Outgrapples Aubin-Mercier
Stock in Arman Tsarukyan continued its upward trajectory, as he took a unanimous decision from “The Ultimate Fighter Nations” finalist Olivier Aubin-Mercier in a three-round lightweight confrontation. Tsarukyan (14-2, 1-1 UFC) swept the cards with 29-28 scores across the board, winning for the 13th time in 14 outings.
An accomplished judoka who also holds the rank of brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Aubin-Mercier (11-5, 7-5 UFC) was undoubtedly caught off-guard by the 22-year-old’s tactics. Tsarukyan closed the distance repeatedly, trapped the Tristar Gym rep in the clinch and went to work with short punches and knees to the legs. Aubin-Mercier wobbled the Russian with a well-timed knee in the second round but failed to follow it and wound up spinning his wheels once again. Tsarukyan put to bed any hopes of a comeback in Round 3, where he countered a takedown into top position and applied his ground-and-pound, alternating between elbows and standing-to-ground punches.
Aubin Mercier has lost three fights in a row, all by decision.
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Jotko Clinch Stymies Barriault
American Top Team’s Krzysztof Jotko posted his second win in as many appearances, as he eked out a split decision over Marc-Andre Barriault in a three-round middleweight pairing. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28: Dave Hagen and Derek Cleary for Jotko, Kevin Dornan for Barriault.
Neither man distinguished himself in what devolved into an utterly forgettable 15-minute quagmire. Jotko (21-4, 8-4 UFC) pursued a grinding clinch across all three rounds, mindful of the former TKO Major League MMA champion’s punching power. He landed short punches and the occasional knee to the body, repeatedly luring Barriault (11-3, 0-2 UFC) into his close-quarters rabbit hole. The Canadian connected in one strike intervals -- a short elbow off the break opened a cut near Jotko’s eyebrow in the third round -- but failed to control distance and paid the price on the scorecards.
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