UFC 259: Usman vs Edwards II
Birmingham, England
Attendance: 5,689 (Gate: $1,203,223)
Critical Rating: 77%, Commercial Rating: 85%


MAIN EVENT

(#1) Kamaru Usman (17-1-1) defeated (#4) Leon Edwards (19-4) via Submission (RNC) at 3:05 of Round 1 to retain the UFC Welterweight Title

CO-MAIN EVENT

Tom Aspinall (8-3) defeated Tyson Fury (0-2) via TKO (Strikes) at 1:48 of Round 1

MAIN CARD

(#11) Antonio Carlos Junior (12-4-1NC) defeated (#16) Tom Breese (13-2) via Split Decision
Gunnar Nelson (18-6-1) defeated Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos (21-8) via Submission (Heel Hook) at 1:14 of Round 1
(#12) Petr Yan (16-3) defeated (#17) Brett Johns (18-3) via KO (Punch) at 0:37 of Round 3

PRELIMS

Jack Marshman (25-9) defeated Danny Roberts (18-7) via Submission (RNC) at 4:35 of Round 2
Paul Craig (13-4-1) defeated Klidson de Abreu (16-5) via KO (Punch) at 0:31 of Round 2
Terry Brazier (14-3) defeated Takashi Sato (16-4) via Split Decision
Davey Grant (11-4) defeated Benito Lopez (10-3) via Unanimous Decision
Chris Fishgold (20-3-1) defeated Steven Ray (24-12) via Unanimous Decision
Ross Houston (10-0) defeated Iuri Lapicus (14-1) via Unanimous Decision
Dmitry Poberezhets (26-5-1-1NC) defeated Stav Economou (19-6-2) via Split Decision
Scott Askham (20-5) defeated Kevin Holland (16-7) via TKO (Strikes) at 4:56 of Round 1
Nad Narimani (14-3) defeated Alex Reyes (14-4) via TKO (Strikes) at 1:28 of Round 2
Bradley Scott (14-6) defeated Bruno Silva (19-8) via KO (Punch) at 4:30 of Round 1


Bonuses: ($50,000)

Fight of the Night: Jack Marshman vs Danny Roberts
Knockout of the Night: Petr Yan (vs Brett Johns)
Submission of the Night: Gunnar Nelson (vs Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos)


Notes:

- Ross Houston faced off against Italian debutant with both putting their undefeated records on the line, but it was Houston's record that stayed intact, moving to 10-0, and 2-0 in the UFC. Houston called out fellow Englishman, Alex Lohore for his next fight
- Jack Marshman submitted Danny Roberts then requested a fight against solid prospect, Sean Brady for his next cage appearance.
- Gunnar Nelson snapped a 3 fight losing streak by submitting Brazillian, Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos just 74 seconds into their fight.
- Tyson Fury continues to not have a great time in MMA, again being stopped in the first round. He moves to 0-2 and really has to put some time into his ground game if he wants to turn around his bad start to his MMA career.
- Kamaru Usman made quick work in his latest title defense, submitting hometown fighter, Leon Edwards in the first round in a rematch of their 2015 fight.


Rankings Changes:

Heavyweight: N/A
Light Heavyweight: Paul Craig enters at #21
Middleweight: Antonio Carlos Junior up to #7, Tom Breese down to #20, Scott Askham enters at #23
Welterweight: Leon Edwards down to #8, Gunnar Nelson enters at #16
Lightweight: N/A
Featherweight: N/A
Bantamweight: Petr Yan up to #6

Bellator is coming for you Tyson Fury!

Lmao

UFC on ESPN: Scandinavia: Gustafsson vs Bader
Copenhagen, Denmark
Attendance: 3,190 (Gate: $653,950)
Critical Rating: 76%, Commercial Rating: 83%


MAIN EVENT

(#15) Alexander Gustafsson (19-7) defeated Ryan Bader (28-7-1) via TKO (Strikes) at 2:47 of Round 2

CO-MAIN EVENT

(#4) Alexander Volkov (33-7) defeated (#2) Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson (24-7) via KO (Punch) at 1:55 of Round 1

MAIN CARD

(#8) Dominick Reyes (13-1) defeated (#18) Nikita Krylov (25-9) via Unanimous Decision
Nicolas Dalby (19-4-1-1NC) defeated Leonardo Santos (17-5-1) via KO (Punch) at 2:46 of Round 2
Carrington Banks (12-2) defeated Soren Bak (15-2) via Unanimous Decision

PRELIMS

Albert Duraev (14-3) defetaed Zebaztian Kadestam (13-6-1) via Submission (Leglock) via 2:44 of Round 1
Oliver Enkamp (9-3) defeated Jonathan Meunier (8-3) via Unanimous Decision
Kenneth Bergh (8-1-1NC) defeated Antonio Branjao (5-2) via Unanimous Decision
Daniel Teymur (8-5) defeated Marco Polo Reyes (8-8) via Unanimous Decision
Jared Gordon (16-4-1) defeated Damir Hadzovic (14-7) via TKO (Strikes) at 2:40 of Round 1
Mike Davis (9-3) defeated David Teymur (8-4) via Unanimous Decision
Teemu Packalen (10-3) defeated Michel Quinones (8-5) via Submission (Armbar) at 2:16 of Round 1
Andrzej Grzebyk (18-3) defeated Alessio Di Chirico (13-5) via Unanimous Decision
Marvin Vettori (16-4-1) defeated Costello Van Steenis (13-3) via Submission (RNC) at 3:27 of Round 3
Magomed Yunusilau (8-0) defeated Roman Bogatov (10-1) via Unanimous Decision


Bonuses: ($50,000)

Fight of the Night: Mike Davis vs David Teymur
Knockout of the Night: Alexander Volkov (vs Anthony Johnson)
Submission of the Night: Albert Duraev (vs Zebaztian Kadestam)


Notes:

- The opening fight of the evening pitted two undefeated Russian Featherweights together, with 7-0 Magomed Yunusilau edging 10-0 Roman Bogatov by Unanimous Decision.
- Marvin Vettori is now 4-0 since he lost to current Middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya
- Daniel Teymur called out Jalin Turner after his win over Marco Polo Reyes, which led to his opponent getting his UFC release.
- Norwegian Kickboxer, Kenneth Bergh was victorious on his UFC debut and called out Dmitry Minakov, the brother of former Bellator Heavyweight champion Vitaly, for his next fight.
- Nicolas Dalby really excited his home crowd with a scintilating knockout of Leonardo Santos. He said a fight against Welshman, Lewis Long would be a great contest next.
- Dominick Reyes earned his way into the Quarter Finals of the Light Heavyweight Title Tournament with a hard-fought Unanimous Decision over Nikita Krylov. He moves on to face the winner of Ovince St. Preux vs Jim Crute.
- Alexander Volkov's quick KO over Anthony Johnson earned him the next Heavyweight title shot against the winner of champion, Francis Ngannou vs challenger, Junior Dos Santos.
- Alexander Gustafsson welcomed Ryan Bader back to the UFC cage with a second round TKO. Gustafsson will face Anthony Smith in the quarter finals of the Light Heavyweight Title Tournament, which will be a rematch from their June 2019 fight, which Anthony Smith won via 4th round submission.


Rankings Changes:

Heavyweight: Alexander Volkov moves up to #3, Anthony Johnson down to #8
Light Heavyweight: Alexander Gustafsson up to #6, Nikita Krylov down to #20
Middleweight: Albert Duraev enters at #15
Welterweight: N/A
Lightweight: N/A
Featherweight: N/A
Bantamweight: N/A

=


UFC on ESPN: Brazil: Barboza vs Poirier
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Attendance: 4,322 (Gate: $1,274,990)
Critical Rating: 72%, Commercial Rating: 74%


MAIN EVENT

(#8) Edson Barboza (22-9) defeated (#5) Dustin Poirier (26-8-1NC) via Submission (Guillotine) at 0:46 of Round 1

CO-MAIN EVENT

(#19) Anderson Silva (35-11-1NC) defeated (#12) Thiago 'Marreta' Santos (21-10) via Submission (Guillotine) at 1:13 of Round 3

MAIN CARD

(#3) Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (29-11-1) defeated (#13) Johnny Walker (17-6) via TKO (Strikes) at 2:26 of Round 3
(#4) Marlon Moraes (25-6-1) defeated Demetrious Johnson (29-4-1) via KO (Punch) at 3:49 of Round 2
Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza (28-8-1NC) defeated (#5) Glover Teixeira (30-8-1) via Submission (Kneebar) at 3:23 of Round 2

PRELIMS

Thiago Silva (22-11-2NC) defeated Tito Ortiz (20-14-1) via Unanimous Decision
(#17) Dong Hyun Kim (24-4-1-1NC) defeated (#12) Gilbert Burns (18-5) via TKO (Strikes) at 0:27 of Round 3
(#20) Eddie Wineland (26-13-1) defeated (#6) Alexandre Pantoja (22-5) via Unanimous Decision
Claudio Henrique da Silva (15-2) defeated Alberto Mina (13-2) via Split Decision
Rony Mariano Bezerra (17-9-1NC) defeated Thiago Tavares (23-11-1) via TKO (Strikes) at 2:43 of Round 1
Junior Albini (15-7) defeated Tanner Boser (17-8-1) via KO (Punch) at 4:59 of Round 2
Bruno Santos (19-3-1) defeated Dricus Du Plessis (13-4) via Submission (RNC) at 2:41 of Round 3
Matheus Nicolau (14-2-1) defeated Raulian Paiva (18-4) via Unanimous Decision
Arman Tsarukyan (16-2) defeated Alex da Silva (21-3) via Unanimous Decision
Raoni Barcelos (17-1) defeated Gavin Tucker (12-2) via TKO (Strikes) at 4:26 of Round 3.


Bonuses: ($50,000)

Fight of the Night: Marlon Moraes vs Demetrious Johnson
Knockout of the Night: Junior Albini (vs Tanner Boser)
Submission of the Night: Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza (vs Glover Teixeira)


Notes:

- Young Russian, Arman Tsarukyan extends his winning streak to 3 with a decision victory over Alex da Silva, which comes off the back of wins over Jon Tuck and Olivier Aubin-Mercier. He called out UFC veteran Jim Miller for his next fight, which would be a massive step up, but a fight that would really establish him as a top prospect.
- Matheus Nicolau made his return after over 2 years away from the Octagon. He bounced back from his KO loss to Dustin Ortiz, his first loss in the UFC, with a decision win over Raulian Paiva, which now puts him at 4-1 in the company.
- Bruno Santos returned to the UFC with a submission victory over debuting South African, Dricus Du Plessis. His win now makes him unbeaten in his last 4 fights, and altho not hugely active in recent times, he's yet to lose since a 2014 loss to Elias Theodorou. He said a fight against Deron Winn would be a fight he'd be interested in next.
- Junior Albini was released after his last fight, a loss to Tai Tuivasa, which left him on a 5 fight losing streak, but he stepped up on a weeks notice to face Tanner Boser, and knocked out the Canadian with one second left of the second round.
- Claudio Henrique da Silva bounced back from his first UFC loss with a tight Split Decision over fellow Brazillian, Alberto Mina. He moves to 6-1 in the UFC.
- Eddie Wineland extended his win streak to 3, and called out Ray Borg for a contender fight.
- Thiago Silva was a +440 underdog against former Light Heavyweight Champion, Tito Ortiz, but managed to take a decision over Ortiz who followed up the loss with his retirement from MMA. Thiago Silva asked for a fight with Jacare Souza next, who fights in the next fight on the show.
- Jacare will not be facing Thiago Silva though, as he advanced in the Light Heavyweight Tournament with a Kneebar submission win over Glover Teixeira. He'll face Ryan Spann in the Quarter Finals.
- Marlon Moraes handed Demetrious Johnson a unwelcome return to the UFC cage with a second round knockout. This earned Moraes his 3rd straight win, after wins over TJ Dillashaw and Jose Aldo. A title shot is likely next for Moraes at Bantamweight.
- Shogun Rua is the next fighter to move into the Quarter Finals of the Light Heavyweught Tournament, TKOing Johnny Walker and moving to 5 fights without defeat. The former champion is alot of experts favourite to win the whole tournament.
- Unfortunately his opponent in the next round, Anderson Silva retired after his victory over Thiago 'Marreta' Santos, which leaves Shogun without a set opponent. After the event, both Corey Anderson and Volkan Oezdemir threw their hat into the ring to replace Silva.
- Edson Barboza made quick work of Dustin Poirier in the main event, finishing him in just 46 seconds. He called out Donald Cerrone for a future fight.


Rankings Changes:

Heavyweight: N/A
Light Heavyweight: Shogun Rua up to #1, Glover Teixeira down to #13, Johnny Walker down to #14, Marreta Santos down to #15, Jacare Souza enters at #21
Middleweight: N/A
Welterweight: Dong Hyun Kim up to #17, Gilbert Burns down to #21
Lightweight: Edson Barboza up to #4, Dustin Poirier down to #11
Featherweight: N/A
Bantamweight: Alexandre Pantoja enters at #14, Eddie Wineland up to #15, Demetrious Johnson enters at #22

With just one fight of the first round remaining - Australian top prospect, Jim Crute vs Veteran and former American Football player, Ovince St. Preux, this is how the bracket looks heading into the Light Heavyweight Title Tournament Quarter Finals.

After Anderson Silva's shock retirement after his first round win, we now have Corey Anderson scheduled to take on Switzerland's KO machine, Volkan Oezdemir to replace the Brazillian legend.

In the first fight of the bracket for the Quarter Finals, Anthony Smith will take on Alexander Gustafsson with the winner of that taking on the winner of Shogun Rua vs Anderson/Oezdemir.

On the right hand side of the bracket, Top American prospect, Ryan Spann will face his biggest challenge to date, taking on Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza. With the winner of that fight facing off against the winner of Dominick Reyes vs Crute/St.Preux.

Shogun Rua remains the bookmakers favourite, but who do you think wins the tournament?

This tournament is awesome. Shogun vs Silva with both at their peaks is a fight we never saw. Shogun on a hot streak but I go with anderson there.

My money on either Anderson or Jacare hitting the top. You might just get that Silva vs Jones superfight.

I think Anderson retired dude and will not continue in the tourney

This

aw, missed that. That sucks, peak anderson would have been good in there. I like jacare then. But Shogun is on a hot streak and could take it.