Mick Parkin has suffered his first defeat, but it did not come without debate, as he dropped a decision to Marcin Tybura during the UFC London preliminary card.
The first round proved to be quiet and even. Parkin took the lead in terms of strikes landed, though Tybura used his grappling to give some trouble, including a late takedown. The Englishman had complete control of the second round, however, scoring his own takedown and maintaining several minutes of top control. The previously unbeaten heavyweight, in fact, landed a series of ground-and-pound shots, nearly finishing the fight.
The third frame appeared to be similar, but a reverse of the first. This time, Tybura edged a tiring Parkin out in term of strikes. The teammate of interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall’s, however, scored his own late takedown on the Polish veteran before the final horn.
Marcin Tybura Scores Controversial Decision Win, Hands Mick Parkin First Loss At UFC London
All three judges gave Tybura the nod in rounds one and three, securing 29-28 scores and a win for the No. 8-ranked heavyweight.
“Tybur” has won three of four since a loss to Aspinall in July 2023.
Parkin, meanwhile, was 4-0 in the Octagon and 10-0 overall in MMA prior to UFC London. He earned a UFC contract following a win over Eduardo Neves on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022.
The next chapter in the James Krause betting scandal that hit the UFC at the end of 2022 will finally come to fruition in the coming days.
Darrick Minner and Jeff Molina have been added to the agenda of a meeting of the Nevada State Athletic Commission on March 25, per MMA Fighting. Their appearance is noted as being a “hearing on disciplinary complaint, or in the alternative, hearing on proposed adjudication agreement.”
Minner and Molina have been suspended since December 2022.
At UFC Vegas 64 in November of that year, eyebrows were raised when Minner suddenly became a massive underdog not long before he was scheduled to face Shayilan Nuerdanbieke during the card. The American ended up getting finished in just over a minute.
The betting irregularities caused multiple commissions to act, with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement no longer accepting any bouts involving Krause or any of his fighters and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario temporarily pausing bets on any UFC fights.
An investigation was launched and, as it turned out, Krause and Minner withheld an injury that the UFC fighter had sustained during the training camp in the lead-up to the fight. Krause was a betting agent in addition to being a coach following the end of his own fighting career.
Molina, meanwhile, was also suspended for being declared a person of interest involved in the scandal.
The UFC acted quickly and disassociated themselves from the trio and ordered any fighters under UFC contract, including then-flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, also disassociate from Krause or risk termination.
Darrick Minner has been released from the UFC and effective immediately, any fighter who continues working with James Krause or trains at his gym will not be allowed to compete in the UFC while the ongoing investigation is happening. Statement from the UFC below: pic.twitter.com/SYmFmSF6YT
UFC London showed that just because you have big names helping you prepare for a fight and in your corner, it doesn’t mean you’ll be coming out on top.
Guram Kutateladze experienced this in a harsh way, dropping a one-sided decision against Kauê Fernandes to open up the preliminary card of Saturday’s event in England’s capital despite boasting both Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev in his corner.
Fernandes was one of the most notable underdogs coming into the event, standing at odds of +300 at the time of the fight.
The Brazilian controlled the fight from the outset with dynamic striking. Early on his dominance was set via a powerful head kick that dropped “Georgian Viking.”
Kutateladze attempted to gain control of the fight with his grappling, but Fernandes’ kicks and movement continued to be problematic for the fighter with the all-star corner.
Guram Kutateladze Dominated At UFC London Despite Big Names In Corner
Fernandes continued his pressure and kicks in the second round, adding in a takedown for good measure. With Kutateladze already cut, the underdog made things worse by not only busting him up to the point he was wearing a crimson mask at the end of the fight, but also dropping the Georgian twice more.
Fernandes ultimately swept the judges scorecards 30-27.
After falling short in their original encounter at UFC 286, Roman Dolidze exacted revenge when he and Marvin Vettori were placed into a five-round rematch, scoring a unanimous decision win in the UFC Vegas 104 main event.
Both men put their striking on display in the opening frame. While Vettori landed more in terms of quantity, it seemed Dolidze was landing the powerful, more effective strikes. The Georgian managed to pull away in activity with a clear second round, though he appeared to get lucky when a pair of fouls did not result in a point deduction from referee Herb Dean.
The two were even in terms of strikes in round three, but the Italian former title challenger had the better activity around this time. Dolidze, however, seemed to turn things up in the main event/championship rounds. “The Caucasian” established control with his strikes and was the one bringing the pressure in the fight’s final 10 minutes.
This led to the judges giving Dolidze the nod 49-46 across the board.
Roman Dolidze Gets Revenge On Marvin Vettori With Clear Five-Round Decision Victory
Very even scrap but I have Dolidze up on the score cards. Finishing this round strong should seal the win for the Georgian powerhouse #UFCVegas104
Despite missing weight, Chidi Njokuani may be in for a big fight at welterweight next after his victory over Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 104.
With both men being kicking specialists, the fight started at range, with both men landing low kicks. Njokuani piled on the strikes, but a short right hook from dos Santos to the temple stumbled “Chidi Bang Bang” for a bit. The Brazilian pressured and got Njokuani to the fence, but Njokuani was able to shake him off. Dos Santos got control again when he caught a kick from Njokuani and pressed him back into the fence.
Njokuani got back on the front foot during the second round, where he landed a sudden knee that rocked dos Santos. The Bellator veteran then jumped on and finished the fight with ground-and-pound.
Chidi Njokuani Wins Third Straight, Finishes Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos At UFC Vegas 104
Chidi Njokuani with the KO win out of nowhere! #UFCVegas104
After three straight losses between 2022 and 2023, Njokuani has battled back to score his third straight victory, scoring wins over Rhys McKee and Jared Gooden last year.
Dos Santos, meanwhile, is now 4-3-1 stretching back to 2020.
UFC Vegas 104 was certainly a debut to forget for Diyar Nurgozhay.
After coming in to the fight missing weight by 4.5 pounds, Nurgozhay ended up being submitted by Brendson Ribeiro during the event’s main card.
Ribiero started strong, attacking with leg kicks and crisp punching, scoring a knockdown of Nurgozhay during the first round. The Brazilian looked to keep control during the second round with added pressure, but the Kazakh newcomer managed to find his way to Ribiero’s back.
Brendson Ribiero Submits Diyar Nurgozhay At UFC Vegas 104
Ribiero, however, managed to reverse the position on the ground and lock up a rare kimura, scoring a tapout.
A night featuring some brutal-looking finishes at UFC Vegas 104 continued with an additional just before the main card thanks to Waldo Cortes-Acosta.
The rising heavyweight contender managed to secure a late second-round finish of Ryan Spann in the featured preliminary bout of the evening.
Cortes-Acosta controlled the fight with relentless striking, overwhelming the formerly ranked light heavyweight with combinations. The Dominican scored a takedown in the first round and dominated from there.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta Uses Boxing To Overwhelm, Finish Ryan Spann
Spann tried to take back control in the second, but Cortes-Acosta’s boxing proved to be too much. A jab and cross ultimately wobbled “Superman,” and on the ground, “Salsa Boy” laid in vicious ground-and-pound with seconds remaining in the second frame to finish the fight.
Cortes-Acosta has won six of seven fights he’s had with the UFC since joining after an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Spann, who was making his heavyweight debut, has lost four of his last five fights.
After UFC Vegas 104 already experienced a pair of upsets during the preliminary card, one more was added courtesy of the biggest underdog listed on the card, Carlos Vera.
Vera scored a first-round submission win over “KO Wizard” Josias Musasa. A win via submission for Vera came out to odds of +1200, according to the UFC broadcast team following the victory.
The Ecuadorian targeted Musasa’s body with several kicks during the fight, doing notable damage and taking control early on the fight favorite. Vera landed a head kick that rocked Musasa, and the fight went to the ground, where the underdog was able to lock up a choke and score the submission.
Carlos Vera Scores Major Upset With +1200 Submission At UFC Vegas 104
Though there were plenty of bad feelings heading into UFC Vegas 104 from fans and pundits after the aftermath of UFC 313, the results of the first two fights may have taken things up a notch pretty quickly.
The opening two bouts of the card were women’s fights that both ended in first-round knockouts from Carli Judice and Priscila Cachoeira.
Judice opened the event up with a battle against Yuneisy Duben, who made her official Octagon debut after a stunning knockout performance on Dana White’s Contender Series last September.
A head kick dropped Duben for the shocking victory in only about 100 seconds.
Judice entered her fight tonight just 3-2, having most recently dropped back-to-back split decisions against Ernesta Kareckaite and Gabriella Fernandes. This marks the first loss of Duben’s professional career.
Cachoeira, meanwhile, had lost her last two fights, and this win marked her first fight since being submitted by Jasmine Jasudavicius at UFC 297 last year. Nunes has now lost three straight after starting her professional MMA career 10-1.
One week after a UFC 313 broadcast that left plenty of complaints and rants against ESPN and their ESPN+ platform, it appears the UFC’s relationship with the American broadcast sports network will be coming to an end.
According to a recent report from the New York Post, officials at TKO, created by the parent company of the UFC, Endeavor, are furious with the difficulties for UFC 313. They included everything from being unable to purchase the pay-per-view, to customers being double charged for the event, to streaming quality of the card.
Now, in a new video from the news publication, Jake Aryeh and Erich Richter on Against the Cage noted that while the UFC is still in the middle of an exclusive negotiating window with ESPN, the MMA promotion may be looking to get a deal with Netflix as soon as possible to ensure it begins following the expiration of the deal with ESPN at the end of the year.
The exclusive negotiating window ends on April 15, according to the Post.
Richter, in fact, says that he has heard from a “well-connected” source that Netflix will “definitely” be the new home for the UFC.
UFC Doing ‘Everything In Their Power’ For Netflix Deal After ESPN Exclusive Negotiating Window Expires
During the 40-minute video, Aryeh and Richter break down multiple issues between the UFC and ESPN. The UFC, who a week later is still very upset by the UFC 313 issues, has an issue with the quality of the technology used by ESPN for broadcasts. ESPN, meanwhile, is reportedly upset with the number of pay-per-view buys for what they pay to broadcast UFC.
The Post video added that PPV numbers are “way down” to the point where fighters are upset because PPV points in fighters’ contracts mean virtually nothing. The low number of buys can be attributed to various potential reasons from quality of cards to easier methods of pirating in the modern, digital age.
Aryeh and Richter also note a lack of recent cards that are not behind the ESPN+ subscription paywall, though that could be due to current other commitments of ESPN the last several months that included college football and basketball programming.
A deal with Netflix may be the easiest and most logical fit given the streaming platform’s recent attempts to get into live sports programming. The UFC’s partners in TKO, the WWE, have found quite the success with their deals with Netflix, which started at the beginning of this year. In fact, the Post notes that the UFC will do “everything in their power” to get a deal with Netflix.
The Post notes that one roadblock in a deal with Netflix is that Netflix is opposed to the pay-per-view model, which the UFC were able to retain in their deal with ESPN. Customers currently have to pay for an ESPN+ subscription before being able to purchase a UFC pay-per-view. Netflix, however, is reportedly flexible in this regard.
The light heavyweight division has been given a major shake-up courtesy of Magomed Ankalaev.
In upset fashion, Ankalaev’s grappling proved to be too much for “Poatan,” as the Dagestani defeated Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 313 to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
Pereira focused on leg kicks to start the fight, while Ankalaev looked to find a way inside. The challenger tried to increase his output and pressure past the halfway point of the first round, but Pereira continued to work the legs, chewing up Ankalaev’s right leg.
Ankalaev looked to pressure and take control right away in the second. And while Pereira continued to bother him with leg kicks, it worked in the Russian’s favor. The challenger found success with short strikes on the inside, including a powerful one that rocked Pereira moments before the end of the second round.
Ankalaev continued his advancement in a quiet third round, and though he couldn’t score a takedown, he continued to find success. The fourth was quiet as well, with the challenger overwhelming the defending champion against the fence a number of times, completely dominating him with grappling control.
The Dagestani then took this strategy into the fifth round, battling a last-ditch effort from Pereira, before the judges all gave the fight and title to him, with a 49-46 scorecard and two 48-47s.
Magomed Ankalaev Captures UFC Light Heavyweight Title With Decision Over Alex Pereira At UFC 313
Should be 3-2 for Pereira but candidly not the most exciting fight and it was indeed close. I think the threat of the takedown may have quieted the offense of the Brazilian. Anklaev showed some good pressure as well but don’t think it was enough for the upset. #ufc313
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) March 9, 2025
Magomed Ankalaev continues to remain unbeaten since dropping his 2018 UFC debut. He’s now won three straight.
The Russian had battled Jan Blachowicz to a controversial split draw at UFC 282 in December 2022 — a fight that Blachowicz stated he thought Ankalaev deserved the nod and title in.
Meanwhile, Pereira’s reign comes to an end after winning the title with a finish of Jiří Procházka at UFC 295. He defended the belt three times last year against Jamahal Hill, Procházka, and Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 300, UFC 303, and UFC 307, respectively.
In a rematch that proved to be as entertaining as their first fight at UFC 286 two years ago, Justin Gaethje once again was able to edge out Rafael Fiziev on the scorecards, coming out on top in the co-main event of UFC 313.
Fiziev pulled off a sudden takedown in the opening minute. Gaethje was able to explode out of it, but Fiziev landed a knee and got the fight back to the ground, where he troubled “The Highlight” briefly with an inverted triangle. Gaethje worked his way back into the round, but “Ataman” landed more and did a strong job working over his opponent’s body.
Gaethje got back into the fight with more solid output and significant strikes in the second round. This was solidified with about a minute left in the round, dodging a Fiziev punch and throwing a left hand around the Azerbaijani’s head before dropping him with a right uppercut. The former interim champion did some more damage on the ground before the round’s end.
The third round was back-and-forth, with Fiziev taking control early. “Ataman” got back to working the body in the round, landing a series of kicks to Gaethje’s torso. The American ate a bunch early in the frame, but he landed an uppercut and took the fight to the fence briefly. Gaethje took advantage of a gassed Fiziev and landed a series of hard strikes before the fight’s conclusion.
Ultimately, “The Highlight’s” forward pressure and significant strikes in the third were enough for the judges, with all three giving him 29-28 scores for the nod.
Justin Gaethje Edges Out Rafael Fiziev Once Again At UFC 313
29-28 Gaethje. Makhachev vs Gaethje is the title fight to make for International Fight Week! #UFC313
Gaethje back to doing Gaethje things! Awesome fight from both him and Fiziev. Great to see Justin back in the win column and still fighting with that classic, exciting style. #UFC313
Justin Gaethje has now scored three wins in his last four fights and rebounds from being the highlight-reel KO victim of Max Holloway, to whom he lost the BMF title at UFC 300.
Meanwhile, this was Rafael Fiziev’s first fight since tearing his ACL in late 2023. He took this fight on short notice following an injury to Gaethje’s originally scheduled opponent, Dan Hooker.
Ignacio Bahamondes pulled off a shock in what was expected to be a strikers’ battle, as he scored a first-round submission of Jalin Turner at UFC 313.
Turner then pulled off an even bigger shock when, despite pleas from his corner, he elected to retire from mixed martial arts two months before his 30th birthday.
Commentary first mentioned Turner’s retirement following Bahamondes’ post-fight interview, with reporter John Morgan quickly confirming the decision. Another journalist, Mike Bohn, later provided video of Turner’s remarks to press row.
Jalin Turner tells me he's made the decision to retire. Asked if he might want to take some time to reconsider, but he says he's sure and has been battling with the decision since UFC 300. #UFC313.
Ignacio Bahamondes Scores First-Round Submission Of Retiring Jalin Turner
Bahamondes and Turner exchanged strikes early before Turner secured a takedown. Bahamondes, however, battled hard from his back on the bottom. He looked to reverse the position but settled for a triangle choke, which got him the submission.
Turner seemingly ends his career with four losses in his last five fights. His sole win since 2022 was a first-round knockout of King Green in December 2023.
Bahamondes, meanwhile, has now won three straight and is 6-2 since arriving to the Octagon.
A longtime MMA veteran whose active career spanned over 20 years, “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler will be honored for all of his memories in the sport with a solo spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.
Lawler was announced at UFC 313 as the latest member of the organization’s Hall of Fame Class of 2025 as a member of the “Modern Wing.”
Robbie Lawler The Latest Entrant Of The UFC Hall of Fame Class Of 2025
Robbie Lawler’s time in the sport began when he was just 16 years old, taken under the wing of Pat Miletich. At 19, he made his professional MMA debut, finishing John Reed in April 2001. Lawler scored first-round knockouts in his first four professional fights in that year before scoring a UFC contract.
“Ruthless” made his UFC debut at UFC 37, defeating Aaron Riley via decision. He went 4-3 between 2002 and 2004 while with the UFC, which included a memorable bout with Nick Diaz at UFC 47 that Lawler lost via second-round KO.
Lawler would go on to develop his craft and gain experience competing in various promotions over the next decade, including EliteXC and Strikeforce. The American defeated Murilo Rua in September 2007 to become EliteXC middleweight champion. He’d retain the title in a pair of bouts against Scott Smith.
Lawler also challenged Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza for the Strikeforce middleweight title in January 2011 but would end up getting submitted.
“Ruthlss” returned to the UFC after it folded Strikeforce, winning three straight before fighting Johny Hendricks for the then-vacant UFC welterweight title at UFC 171. While Lawler lost the fight, he’d go on to defeat him in a rematch at UFC 181 to become champion.
Lawler then went on to retain the title in two of the most memorable battles in history, defeating Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 and Carlos Condit at UFC 195, before dropping the gold to Tyron Woodley at UFC 201. Lawler vs. MacDonald was inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023.
That same weekend, Lawler had one of the most memorable sendoffs in his retirement fight at UFC 290, scoring a first-round knockout of Niko Price.
Lawler joins longtime UFC producer Craig Piligian and the UFC 236 clash between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum as part of the UFC Hall of Fame’s 2025 class.
The Fighting Nerds continue to do amazing things in the Octagon, with Mauricio Ruffy opening up the UFC 313 pay-per-view main card in style courtesy of a highlight, first-round knockout of King Green.
Green started the fight on the back foot as he tried to strategize against Ruffy, but that led to “One Shot” hitting him with a hook that left its mark.
About a minute later, the Brazilian put the veteran away in brutal fashion, landing a spinning head kick that faceplanted Green.
Mauricio Ruffy Lands Heavy Wheel Kick To KO King Green At UFC 313
Ruffy is now 3-0 in the Octagon after winning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in late 2023. He previously scored victories over Jamie Mullarkey and James Llontop at UFC 301 and UFC 309, respectively.
Green, meanwhile, is now 1-3 in his last four fights but is 3-3 in his most recent six. Last year saw Green defeat Jim Miller but fall short against Paddy Pimblett.
The UFC debut of The Ultimate Fighter season 32 champion Mairon Santos will go down in controversy, as he came out on top against Francis Marshall via a highly disputed split decision during the preliminary card of UFC 313.
Marshall scored a knockdown of Santos during the opening round and had an opportunity to finish the fight with an overwhelming flurry late. However, he elected to ride the round out and secure the 10-9.
Marshall appeared to not let up much control of the fight over the remaining 10 minutes, scoring multiple takedowns and clearly doing the bigger damage.
The judges, however, did not see it that way.
While Derek Clearly scored the bout for Marshall 30-27, Chris Lee and David Lethaby both scored the contest 29-28 for Santos.
Amid a chorus of boos inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, Santos said during his post-fight interview at UFC 313 that he was worried he wouldn’t get his hand raised but he felt he did enough to score the win.
Many fans and pundits, however, highly disagreed.
Mairon Santos Nets Highly Disputed Split Decision At UFC 313
that might be the worst decision of the past ten years
At this point I have no idea how to score fights anymore. Great fight nonetheless and I need to watch it again because maybe I’m missing something? #UFC313
Damn 2nd fight of the night and already a AWFUL decision . I thought Francis Marshall won that fight . It’s 2025 and we still don’t have a definitive scoring system in MMA ! #UFC313
Santos scored victories over Edwin Cooper Jr., Guillermo Torres and Kaan Ofli to win the featherweight portion of the most recent TUF season. His sole loss in MMA came against fellow TUF alum Dan Argueta.
Marshall, meanwhile, has now lost three of four, with his sole victory in this span coming against Dennis Buzukja.
A former soccer hooligan, Djorden Santos made his UFC debut in the first bout of the evening at UFC 313, falling short via decision to Ozzy Diaz.
Santos utilized quick footwork and sharp, speedy strikes in the opening round, emphasized with leg kicks, as the two went back-and-forth with their boxing. Santos’ aggression increased in the second frame, landing a notable hook and several combinations that kept Diaz on the defensive. Diaz, however, upped his own output, landing stiff boxing combinations.
After the two went back-and-forth with power in the second round, Diaz really took things up a notch in the final round. Diaz managed to get Santos on the back foot. The Brazilian attempted to battle back with his own boxing, landing a head kick and takedown at the round’s end, though Diaz maintained control for most of the round.
Diaz ultimately scored 29-28s on all three judges’ scorecards.
Former Soccer Hooligan Falls Controversially Short In UFC Debut At UFC 313
Santos grew up an avid football fan, supporting Goias Esporte Clube and was never one to turn down from a fight. He eventually changed his life after joining a martial arts gym.
“When I had my first contact with stadiums and soccer firms, I kind of fell in love with it,” Santos told MMA Fighting ahead of UFC 313. “It wasn’t the aggressiveness per se, but going there and cheering and jumping and celebrating and winning. That motivated me more and more. And we had wars between local firms and rivalries going on, and I enjoyed that even more.
“My mom never liked it, and she suffered a lot at the time,” Santos continued. “It was difficult for her because I started smoking and drinking. I starting doing bad stuff like hoping on buses without paying, other things that put your life at risk. Soccer firms are more aggressive in Goias than in other places of Brazil. People take it very seriously. And when I saw people losing their lives, and others suffering serious consequences, I backed away from this dangerous path that made my mom sad.”
This was Santos’ first fight after defeating Will Currie on Dana White’s Contender Series last year.
Diaz, a Bellator and LFA alumnus as well as a former competitor on DWCS, scored his first Octagon win at UFC 313 after a loss to Mingyang Zhang in his UFC debut.
Manel Kape made a statement that he should be next in line for the UFC flyweight championship, taking out Asu Almabayev in the main event of UFC Vegas 103.
“Starboy” got off to a strong start, grabbing momentum right away with the striking display he put on in round one. He added in a couple of stops when Almabayev went for takedown attempts during the frame. Kape continued to utilize his striking in the second, but the Kazakh fighter seemed to dictate the pace by circling the cage while looking to land his own strikes.
Kape landed a flurry in round three that appeared to hurt Almabayev. This sent Almabayev stumbling and into retreat, as he ran nearly a whole lap around the Octagon backwards. He looked for a takedown on Kape when the Angolan caught up to him, but referee Mike Beltran elected to stop the fight via TKO due to Almabayev’s retreating and back-turn.
After that performance, plenty are calling for the #6-ranked contender to challenge the winner of the expected Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France clash for the flyweight gold.
Is Manel Kape Next For UFC Flyweight Title Shot After UFC Vegas 103 Win?
Kape has now won six of his last seven fights, with his sole loss in that span coming against Muhammad Mokaev.
Meanwhile, this loss snaps a 17-fight win streak Almabayev was on entering tonight, going back to 2017. The Kazakh prospect scored victories in the Octagon against Ode’ Osbourne, CJ Vergara, Jose Johnson and Matheus Nicolau prior to tonight.
Cody Brundage emerged victorious from the UFC Vegas 103 co-main event, but the finishing sequence wasn’t without some controversy.
Brundage started strong by landing an overhand right that stunned Marquez. He continued the attack, but Marquez managed to battle back and create a back-and-forth battle. After submission attempts from both men, “The Cuban Missile Crisis” took control with a hook and ground strikes.
Back on the feet in the round’s closing minute, the two traded strikes in a wild exchange, with Brundage ultimately wobbling Marquez once more, dropping him and finishing things off with ground-and-pound.
Unfortunately, the UFC Vegas 103 co-main event will go under controversy, as referee Marc Smith elected to pause the fight during the back-and-forth brawling to hand back both men’s mouthpieces, which had fallen. It was arguable that the pause allowed Brundage to gain momentum one last time for the win.
Referee Pause At Center Of Controversial UFC Vegas 103 Co-Main Event Conclusion
What is Mark Smith doing???
Stop a slugfest to hand back the mouth pieces. That was remarkably bad timing. #UFCVegas103
If the referee was Goddard or Herzog, Brundage would have never been able to get this comeback win. Good refereeing by Smith #UFCVegas103pic.twitter.com/B5Vf5HDPX4
Sam Patterson got the main card of UFC Vegas 103 underway with a stunner of a result, finishing the previously unbeaten Danny Barlow in the opening round of their bout.
About three minutes into the fight, Patterson caught Barlow coming in with a flurry, stunning “LeftHand2God” with a right hand.
The Brit caused Barlow to stumble again seconds later before putting him out against the cage with one more right hand to the face.
In his UFC debut, Mario Pinto scored a victory in a big way, brutally knocking out Austen Lane in the featured prelim bout at UFC Vegas 103.
Lane had control in the first round of the fight, which included him scoring a knockdown on Pinto. The American looked to get the job done with ground-and-pound but his Portuguese counterpart fought his way back into the fight.
While Lane had more punches thrown in the second round, too, Pinto finally got things going. That resulted in a powerful one-two that knocked Lane out cold.
Mario Pinto KOs Austen Lane In UFC Debut At UFC Vegas 103
This was Pinto’s first fight in the UFC after finishing Lucas Camacho in 103 seconds in his Dana White’s Contender Series appearance in October. The 26-year-old is now 10-0 as a pro.
Lane, meanwhile, has won just one fight in his last five.
A noteworthy UFC name has already volunteered to be a part of a potential relationship between the MMA organization and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with Michael Chandler raising his hand.
The development of a relationship between the U.S. government agency and the UFC would correlate alongside the friendship between US President Donald Trump and UFC CEO Dana White.
UFC 30 and UFC 31, both held during the first half of 2001, were the first UFC events held under Zuffa ownership – which included the introduction of White as then-UFC president. Both events took place at the then Trump Taj Mahal (now Boardwalk Hall) in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
White has openly discussed how Trump’s venue helped pave a road to success for the UFC as Zuffa took the organization from the brink of folding to the worldwide juggernaut it is today. White has since re-paid the favor as Trump’s friend and one of his biggest supporters in his time in American politics.
Trump defeated Hillary Clinton to become the 45th U.S. President in November 2016 before losing to Joe Biden four years later. This past November, Trump defeated Kamala Harris to regain the U.S. presidency, becoming the second American president with two separate terms in office.
Chandler, meanwhile, will return to the Octagon on April 12 at UFC 314, taking on Paddy Pimblett in the card’s five-round co-main event.
After a thrilling card that featured plenty of finishes and standout performances, UFC Seattle’s main event between Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong left the west coast crowd with a lot to be desired.
Song came out on top in his main event bout against former two-division champion Henry Cejudo via decision, but the fight’s conclusion came under dubious circumstances.
The first round proved to be close, but quiet. “Triple C” tried to use his boxing, mixing in leg kicks, to start dictating how the fight would go. Song, however, seemed to land the stronger strikes and combinations in answering back. This pace continued into the second round, but the American would have the notable strongest strikes of the round, busting up “The Kung Fu Kid’s” nose late in the frame.
But everything came to a sudden and spiraling halt in the third round, when Cejudo was poked in the eye accidentally on two occasions. The 2008 Olympic gold medalist took the full five minutes, saying he was still fine to fight. But upon going back to his corner at the end of the third, Cejudo complained that he was unable to see.
The fight was halted, and referee Jason Herzog ruled that with three out of the possible five rounds completed, the fight would go to the judges’ scorecards for a technical decision. He even claimed to Song’s team that such a ruling would save him from what would have been a disqualification loss.
The Chinese contender won on all three judges’ cards, with two 29-28s and a 30-27.
Song Yadong Gets Technical Decision Win Over Henry Cejudo In Lackluster UFC Seattle Main Event
So Song wins round 3 to effectively win the fight on the cards 29-28 x 2 by battering half blind Cejudo in round 3 after eye poking him silly. This is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen.
Song has now won three of four and six of his last eight. He rebounds from a loss to Petr Yan at UFC 299 last year.
Cejudo, meanwhile, has now lost all three fights since coming out of retirement, dropping a split decision to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288 for the bantamweight title and a unanimous decision to current champ Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298.
At LFA 32 in January 2018, prior to their arrival to the Octagon, Anthony Hernandez defeated Brendan Allen to win the then-vacant LFA middleweight championship. Now, seven years later, “Fluffy” proved that he still has the upper hand by defeating “All In” at UFC Seattle.
Allen landed a high kick early in the fight and looked to take grappling control. But Hernandez rolled through with him, got into top position and took control of the grappling exchanges. “Fluffy” looked for a couple of chokes, but Allen countered and got into top control with less than two minutes to go in the round. “All In” used short strikes to the head to work his way into mount, where he was able to trouble Hernandez with a rear-naked choke attempt and bust him open with an elbow in the process.
The Californian took back momentum with a takedown to start the second round, where he troubled Allen with another guillotine attempt and countered all of his transition and reversal attempts. But just like the first round, with less than two minutes left, Allen was able to score a reversal and get into his top game.
Allen got a hold of “Fluffy’s” back, but Hernandez was able to dump him and get back on top, staying there for the rest of the round.
Anthony Hernandez Bests Brendan Allen In UFC Seattle Rematch Seven Years In Making
Allen landed knuckles to Hernandez’s eye at the start of the third, and follow-up shots on the fight’s resumption appeared to trouble Hernandez. “Fluffy” was able to battle back and pin “All In” against the fence, attempting to get back to Allen’s back and remaining in control of the grappling exchanges for the remainder of the fight.
Hernandez won the fight 29-28 on all three judges’ scorecards. In the process, he also broke Chris Weidman’s record for most takedowns in UFC middleweight history.
Jean Silva and his teammates at the Fighting Nerds have been arguably the biggest names to watch in the UFC entering 2025, and that continued with the Brazilian’s victory over Melsik Baghdasaryan at UFC Seattle.
Silva’s power was on full display in this fight, landing 18 of his 27 strikes thrown in the contest – all significant ones. With less than a minute to go in the first round, “Lord” dropped Baghdasaryan with a right hand.
The rising fan favorite turned to the ref for the fight to be called, but when it wasn’t stopped, he landed several ground-and-pound strikes until it finally was called.
Jean Silva Brutally Finishes Melsik Baghdasaryan At UFC Seattle
Vai ser impossível Jean Silva não ser campeão dos penas do UFC.
Um dos maiores psicopatas que já pisaram no octagon.
Silva now moves to 4-0 in the Octagon and is quickly rising up the lightweight ranks. Last year, he scored victories over Westin Wilson, Charles Jourdain, and Drew Dober.
“Lord” called out Bryce Mitchell in his post-fight interview in the Octagon.
Baghdasaryan, also a Dana White’s Contender Series alumn, is now 3-2 in the UFC.
