UFC 254: McGregor vs Aldo
Illinois, USA
Attendance: 20,989 (Gate: $4,197,800)
Critical Rating: 73%, Commercial Rating: 100%

MAIN EVENT

(#2 LW) Conor McGregor (24-4) defeated (#3 FW) Jose Aldo (29-7) via TKO (Strikes) at 3:17 of Round 1

CO-MAIN EVENT

(#1) Francis Ngannou (16-3) defeated (#3) Curtis Blaydes (13-3-1NC) via KO (Punch) at 0:16 of Round 2 to retain the UFC Heavyweight Title

MAIN CARD

(#12) Justin Gaethje (22-3) defeated (#16) Anthony Pettis (22-11) via TKO (Strikes) at 3:20 of Round 2
(#11) Mirsad Bektic (15-2) defeated (#6) Yair Rodriguez (14-3) via Unanimous Decision
(#8) Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (28-11-1) defeated (#6) Thiago 'Marreta' Santos (21-9) via TKO (Strikes) at 0:55 of Round 3

PRELIMS

(#18) Cub Swanson (27-12) defeated (#5) Alexander Volkanovski (22-3) via Submission (Armbar) at 1:04 of Round 3
(#23) Belal Muhammed (18-3) defeated Dwight Grant (11-3) via Unanimous Decision
Jamahal Hill (7-0) defeated Roman Dolidze (6-1) via Unanimous Decision
Johnny Eduardo (29-12) defeated Frankie Saenz (12-7) via Unanimous Decision
Roberto de Souza (12-1) defeated Rafael Fiziev (7-2) via Unanimous Decision
(#21) Alexander Hernandez (12-3) defeated (#15) Islam Makhachev (18-3) via TKO (Strikes) at 0:56 of Round 3
Makhmud Muradov (25-6) defeated Piotr Strus (15-6-2-1NC) via Submission (Kimura) at 2:29 of Round 1
Joby Sanchez (12-4) defeated Francisco Rivera (11-8-1NC) via KO (Punch) at 2:44 of Round 3
Suman Mokhtarian (9-2) defeated Guido Cannetti (8-5) via Submission (RNC) at 1:27 of Round 1
Steven Ray (24-11) defeated Thibault Gouti (12-6) via Submission (Armbar) at 1:46 of Round 3


Bonuses: ($50,000)

Fight of the Night: Belal Muhammed vs Dwight Grant
Knockout of the Night: Francis Ngannou (vs Curtis Blaydes)
Submission of the Night: Cub Swanson (vs Alexander Volkanovski)


Notes:

- Suman Mokhtarian picked up his first ever UFC win in his third fight in the organisation.
- Czech fighter, Makhmud Muradov moves to 3-0 in the UFC, and is getting a reputation as a very exciting fighter with all 3 fights exciting the crowd. The fight was the debut of former KSW title challenger, Piotr Strus.
- Rizin veteran, Roberto de Souza was another debutant, taking a unanimous decision over Rafael Fiziev. de Souza's loss to UFC veteran, Johnny Case, remains the only blemish on his record.
- In the battle of the debuting 6-0 fighters, Jamahal Hill defeated Roman Dolidze via Unanimous Decision to maintain his undefeated record.
- Belal Muhammed extended his 3 fight win streak to 4 with a close decision victory over Dwight Grant, who saw his own 3 fight win streak snapped. Muhammed has seen 7 of his last 8 fights head to a decision.
- Alexander Volkanovski was hoping to bounce back from losing the UFC Featherweight Title, but was stunned with a 3rd Round Armbar by Cub Swanson, who counts this win as only his second in his last seven fights, albeit all those fights being against top contenders at Featherweight.
- Shogun Rua's late career renaissance continued with a excellent stoppage victory over former title challenger, Thiago 'Marreta' Santos. Shogun improves to 4 fights without defeat and just the one loss in 8 fights. A no.1 contender fight looks likely next for the Brazillian.
- Mirsad Bektic took a decision over Yair Rodriguez in a battle of big prospects at Featherweight. Rodriguez wouldve likely been next in line for a title shot with a win here, but is only 27 so has plenty of time to recoup and put together another win streak.
- Francis Ngannou once again proved his devastating punching power with a KO over Curtis Blaydes just 16 seconds into the second round to retain his Heavyweight title in his first defense. This was his first fight that got past the first round without him finishing his opponent.
- Conor McGregor adds a third straight 1st round TKO victory to his resume. After victories over Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier, Jose Aldo was the latest victim. Conor called for his rematch for the title with Khabib next, but will have to wait to see if Khabib can beat Kevin Lee before getting his shot.


Rankings Changes:

Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes down to #5
Light Heavyweight: Shogun Rua up to #5, Thiago Santos down to #10
Middleweight: N/A
Welterweight: Belal Muhammed up to #21
Lightweight: Justin Gaethje up to #6, Alexander Hernandez up to #15, Anthony Pettis down to #20, Islam Makhachev down to #21
Featherweight: Mirsad Bektic up to #7, Yair Rodriguez down to #8, Alexander Volkanovski down to #11, Cub Swanson up to #12
Bantamweight: N/A

I love the unexpected results, always make me mix up my matchmaking and title contenders etc

Champions and Next Defenses

Heavyweight - Francis Ngannou (c) vs winner of Junior Dos Santos vs Jair Rozenstruik
Light Heavyweight - Jon Jones (c) vs Corey Anderson, then Shogun Rua
Middleweight - Israel Adesanya (c) vs winner of Robert Whittaker vs Kelvin Gastelum
Welterweight - Kamaru Usman (c) vs Leon Edwards, then winner of Tyron Woodley vs Santiago Ponzinibbio
Lightweight - Khabib Nurmagomedov (c) vs Kevin Lee, then Conor McGregor
Featherweight - Zabit Magomedsharipov (c) vs Max Holloway
Bantamweight - Aljamain Sterling (c) vs Cory Sandhagen

TUF 29 Results



In the first Quarter Final of the season, Chris Camozzi earned his second straight stoppage, this time knocking out Alex Garcia in the first round. Garcia couldn't use his wrestling at all on the former Glory Kickboxer, with Camozzi keeping him at length with nasty kicks.



In the second Quarter Final, Francis Carmont frustrated fan favourite, Tom Lawlor with his wrestling, getting a unanimous decision and leaving the cage with very little damage to take into the semi finals.
After the loss, Tom Lawlor went into filthy mode and got drunk and was hilarious in his antics.



Tom Watson was the next fighter to advance to the semi finals after knocking out Kendall Grove with a big overhand right. Grove's weak chin continues to hinder his career as he did have good moments in the fight prior to the finish.



Jason 'Mayhem' Miller continued to entertain outside the cage, but was blanketed by Karlos Vemola in the cage to lose his spot in the competition.

The Semi-finals are set:

Striker vs Striker - Chris Camozzi (Team Wanderlei) vs Tom Watson (Team Punishment)
Wrestler vs Wrestler - Karlos Vemola (Team Wanderlei) vs Francis Carmont (Team Wanderlei) (wrestler vs wrestler)

Upcoming Fight Cards

TUF Finale: Tito vs Wanderlei II: (Nevada)

Coach vs Coach - Wanderlei Silva vs Tito Ortiz
TUF Finale - TBD vs TBD
Paul Felder vs Donald Cerrone
Dan Hooker vs Charles Oliveira


UFC 255: Zabit vs Holloway: (Hawaii)

Zabit Magomedsharipov (c) vs Max Holloway - UFC Featherweight Title
Cody Garbrandt vs Dominick Cruz
Kelvin Gastelum vs Robert Whittaker
Gregor Gillespie vs Edson Barboza
Geoff Neal vs Michael 'Venom' Page - MVP's UFC Debut


UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs Rumble: (Netherlands)

Alistair Overeem vs Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson
Darren Till vs Yoel Romero
Rico Verhoeven vs Ben Sosoli
Brett Johns vs Sean O'Malley
Stefan Struve vs Alexey Oleynik


UFC 256: Jones vs Anderson: (Nevada)

Jon Jones (c) vs Corey Anderson - UFC Light Heavyweight Title
Tyron Woodley vs Santiago Ponzinibbio - Interim UFC Welterweight Title
Jorge Masvidal vs Colby Covington
Junior dos Santos vs Jair Rozenstruik
Joseph Benavidez vs John Dodson


UFC 257: Khabib vs Lee + Lesnar vs Velasquez II: (Minnesota)

Khabib Nurmagomedov (c) vs Kevin Lee - UFC Lightweight Title
Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez
Rafael dos Anjos vs Robbie Lawler
Deontay Wilder vs Greg Hardy - Deontay Wilder's MMA Debut
Nick Diaz vs Jason 'Mayhem' Miller

TUF 29 Results



Team Wanderlei emerged as the dominant winner of the season, with two of their fighters now scheduled to fight at the TUF Finale alongside the coach vs coach fight.
Chris Camozzi was the first fighter to make the final, with a Unanimous Decision victory over Tom Watson in a stand-up brawl, likely edged by Camozzi's experience in professional Kickboxing.
The second fight was the complete opposite with Francis Carmont's wrestling proving too strong for Karlos Vemola, also advancing to the final with a Unanimous Decision win.
Camozzi and Carmont face off at the end and the finals are set, there were a few laughs and jokes as they faced off, which can't be said about the intense face off between coaches Wanderlei Silva and Tito Ortiz, whos rematch has been 20 years in the making, stay tuned for the TUF Finale results....

Eww at that tuf finals.

haha i know right?!

TUF 29 Finale: Tito vs Wanderlei II
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Attendance: 12,023 (Gate: $3,511,317)
Critical Rating: 64%, Commercial Rating: 90%

MAIN EVENT

Wanderlei Silva (36-14-1-1NC) defeated Tito Ortiz (20-13-1) via TKO (Strikes) at 0:39 of Round 1

CO-MAIN EVENT

Francis Carmont (26-12) defeated Chris Camozzi (24-14) via Unanimous Decision to win The Ultimate Fighter 29

MAIN CARD

(#11) Donald Cerrone (37-14-1NC) defeated (#12) Paul Felder (17-6) via Submission (Armbar) at 4:56 of Round 1
(#7) Charles Oliveira (30-8-1NC) defeated (#4) Dan Hooker (20-9) via Submission (Von Flue Choke) at 1:47 of Round 1

PRELIMS

(#13) Al Iaquinta (15-7-1) defeated (#23) Carlos Diego Ferreira (16-4) via KO (Punch) at 4:30 of Round 1
Jamal Ben Saddik (1-0) defeated Michel Batista (4-3-1NC) via TKO (Strikes) at 0:43 of Round 1
Lando Vannata (11-4-2) defeated Don Madge (9-4-1) via TKO (Strikes) at 3:33 of Round 2
Elias Theodorou (17-3) defeated Markus Perez (12-4) via Split Decision
Ryan Hall (9-2) defeated Kyle Nelson (13-4) via Submission (Cobra Choke) at 3:02 of Round 1
Kiefer Crosbie (9-1) defeated Miguel Baeza (8-2) via TKO (Strikes) at 0:45 of Round 2
Darrell Horcher (15-5) defeated Damir Hadzovic (14-6) via Submission (Kneebar) at 2:30 of Round 2
Juan Espino (10-2) defeated Justin Ledet (9-4-1NC) via Split Decision
Luan Chagas (16-4-1) defeated Brok Weaver (14-5) via Split Decision
Thomas Almeida (23-3) defeated Matthew Lopez (10-5) via Submission (Kimura) at 2:18 of Round 3


Bonuses: ($50,000)

Fight of the Night: Thomas Almeida vs Matthew Lopez
Knockout of the Night: Al Iaquinta (vs Carlos Diego Ferreira)
Submission of the Night: Ryan Hall (vs Kyle Nelson)


Notes:

- Thomas Almeida called out Joe Soto after beating Matthew Lopez.
- Juan Espino picked up his first win post-TUF by taking a close split decision over Justin Ledet, who loses his 4th straight fight.
- Darrell Horcher said he'd like to fight Chris Wade, whos just re-signed with the UFC, for his next fight.
- Conor McGregor's teammate, Kiefer Crosbie made a successful UFC debut, TKOing Miguel Baeza less than a minute into the second round. This takes Crosbie to 3 wins in a row, previously beating Antonio McKee and then Ed Ruth prior to his UFC debut, both by TKO.
- Ryan Hall made quick work of late replacement, Kyle Nelson, with a rarely seen Cobra Choke submission for a Submission of the Night bonus.
- Chris Wade is a very popular callout on this card, as Lando Vannata was the second fighter to mention him as their preferred next opponent.
- World Class Glory Kickboxer, Jamal Ben Saddik made his MMA debut on the prelims, destroying Cuban Olympic wrestler, Michel Batista in less than a minute. A headkick knocked down Batista, and follow up punches ended the fight.
- Al Iaquinta snaps a 3 fight losing streak with a first round KO of Carlos Diego Ferreira, then requested a fight against Gregor Gillespie next.
- Charles Oliveira is now on a 8 fight win streak, and with a win over Dan Hooker, will be looking for a no.1 contender fight or even a title shot next.
- Francis Carmont outlasted Chris Camozzi to win the 29th season the Ultimate Fighter.
- Wanderlei Silva completed an excellent night for him personally, after TKOing Tito Ortiz in 39 seconds minutes after seeing a finale involving two of his fighters from Team Wanderlei. Wanderlei's victory was his first since 2013.


Rankings Changes:

Heavyweight: N/A
Light Heavyweight: N/A
Middleweight: N/A
Welterweight: N/A
Lightweight: Charles Oliveira up to #2, Donald Cerrone up to #4, Al Iaquinta up to #8, Dan Hooker down to #11, Paul Felder down to #13
Featherweight: N/A
Bantamweight: N/A

BREAKING NEWS!!!

The drug results are back after UFC 254 and headliner Conor McGregor has tested positive for PEDs.
His victory over Jose Aldo has been overturned to a no-contest and McGregor has been handed a one year suspension, also putting his grudge match with Khabib Nurmagomedov onto the backburner.
This does however open up a spot for who will face the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Kevin Lee, and the likely candidate for that spot is Charles Oliveira, fresh off his quick win over Carlos Diego Ferreira and currently on a 8 fight win streak.