Slide show: Photos from UFC 209 in Las Vegas
UFC welterweight title: Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson live round-by-round coverage
Tyron Woodley comes from a wrestling background but has added powerful striking to his game as he moved to the championship level. Stephen Thompson comes from a kickboxing background and has adapted that to MMA. Their first fight was an entertaining one, with Thompson doing better for longer periods but Woodley doing the most damage and having the most successful periods. They now rematch to settle who is best with the welterweight title on the line.
Round 1. Thompson lands a kick early. Woodley explodes in with punches but Thompson backs up and avoids danger. Neither fighter is throwing much in the early going. The crowd boos the lack of action. Woodley uses a few low kicks but may be giving away the round with the excess caution. 10-9 Thompson.
Round 2. Woodley comes out more aggressively, not letting Thompson back him up initially. However, he ends up falling back into the same pattern, circling on the outside as Thompson occasionally throws a little shot here or there. Woodley ducks forward and lands a little right hook. There is so little action in this fight. Just dreadful. 10-10.
Round 3. Woodley grabs a single leg and looks for a takedown. He transitions to a double leg and slams Thompson down at the beginning of the third. Woodley starts landing punches on Thompson up against the cage. Woodley has Thompson’s leg triangled so Thompson can’t get up. Eventually he gives that up and Thompson stands up. Woodley lands a few knees in the process.Thompson connects with a body punch. While Woodley is going to receive criticism for his inactivity, Thompson isn’t doing much at all either even while having his sort of fight. Thompson does land a nice hook late. 10-9 Woodley.
Round 4. Thompson continues to back Woodley up around the cage, throwing next to nothing while Woodley circles out throwing next to nothing. Thompson throws a wheel kick to the head. Woodley punches Thompson to the body. The crowd continues to boo. 10-10.
Round 5. Woodley moves in looking to land something but then settles back into staring and looking. Woodley lunges in with a couple punches but doesn’t come close. Woodley continues to press forward and drops Thompson with a punch. He goes to town on Thompson, rocking him with punches and looking for the stoppage. But time runs out. 10-9 Woodley, 49-48 Woodley. It would be surprising to see the judges give it to Woodley, though. 10-10 rounds are rare even where nothing happens and Thompson is likely to get the benefit of the doubt in rounds 2 and 4 even though neither man did basically anything.
Winner: Tyron Woodley, majority decision (48-47, 47-47, 48-47).
That was an awful fight. Both men deserved to lose. Thompson deserved to lose more because he did next to nothing the entire time despite the fight being contested on his terms and Woodley at least had a couple flurries where he tried to do something. Thankfully this is over and they can move on to other things.
Lando Vannata vs. David Teymur live round-by-round coverage
Lando Vannata has generated a lot of interest in short order. First, the now 24-year-old took a fight with top contender Tony Ferguson on short notice and gave Ferguson everything he could handle before falling to a D’Arce choke. Then, he knocked out John Makdessi with a beautiful wheel kick in his next fight, putting the rest of the division on notice. David Teymur is a 5-1 Swedish fighter with KO/TKO wins in both of his UFC fights.
Round 1. Vannata is moving forward but Teymur seems confident in his defense. Vannata hurts Teymur with punches and looks to finish but Teymur survives. Teymur comes back with some hard punches of his own a little bit later and forces Vannata to back off. Vannata lands a hard spinning back kick to the body while missing with a couple other wild kicks. Teymur lands a head kick of his own. Vannata gets a late takedown but can’t get Teymur’s back and Teymur returns to the feet. Teymur hurts Vannata with a couple of looping punches late and again swarms on him. That was an exciting and competitive first round. 10-9 Teymur.
Round 2. Both men connect well with looping punches in an early exchange. The pace continues to be very fast. Teymur pummels Vannata’s body with a series of hard knees. Vannata then lands a spinning head kick. Teymur hits Vannata with a stiff superman punch that sends Vannata backwards. Teymur utilizes a series of knees to the body again and then a big punch on the break as well. That was a big round for Teymur. 10-9 Teymur.
Round 3. Teymur mixes his kicks up low and high. He lands a number of knees to the body again. Teymur then connects with a three punch combination to the face. Teymur gets a brief takedown but Vannata pops right back up. Vannata moves in with a big right hand and then another. Teymur keeps going for takedowns where Vannata will just immediately get back up if he hits the ground. Teymur with a hard kick to the body late. 10-9 Teymur, 30-27 Teymur.
Winner: David Teymur, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
That was a terrific fight. Teymur proved to be a really bad matchup for Vannata. It will be interesting to see how Teymur does against different types of opponents as he moves forward. For Vannata, it’s a tough setback. He further cemented his reputation as an exciting fighter to watch but perhaps he doesn’t have the competitive upside many thought.
Rashad Evans vs. Dan Kelly live round-by-round coverage
Rashad Evans is a former UFC light heavyweight champion and one of the most accomplished fighters in the history of that division. Now 37, Evans hasn’t looked like the same fighter in recent fights. He has dropped four of his last six after starting his career 17-1-1. This is his middleweight debut as he seeks to inject new life in his career. Dan Kelly has competed in the Olympics in judo four separate games and built a 12-1 MMA record. At 39 years old himself, he has often been counted out in recent fights but has three consecutive UFC wins.
Round 1. Kelly moves forward leaning in. Both fighters throw out their jabs. Evans throws a head kick and then lands a solid right hand. Kelly hits Evans with a hard left hand counter as Evans comes in. Kelly follows that with a big straight left hand, the hardest shot of the fight by either man. Evans shoots in for a takedown but Kelly blocks it. Kelly looks for a throw but can’t get it and they break off. Kelly lands that left hand again. Evans uses a nice knee to the body but eats a series of uppercuts in the process. Evans uses a hard kick to the body late. 10-9 Kelly.
Round 2. Kelly presses forward early in the second, backing Evans up around the cage. Kelly looks for a judo throw but can’t get Evans to the ground. Kelly lands another of those hard straight left hands that are giving Evans difficulty. Evans looks for a takedown but it is blocked. Evans uses a nice knee to the head. The boxing continues to be competitive with both men landing well. Evans gets a takedown momentarily but Kelly pops up and they return to the standup. Evans uses a high kick but Kelly catches it and lands a few punches. 10-9 Kelly.
Round 3. Evans has success early with an uppercut and later a hook. Kelly trips Evans but can’t pursue him to the ground. Kelly continues to push forward and is landing more although he hasn’t connected as hard as in the first two rounds. Kelly does use a nice uppercut. They exchange rapidly late with both men connecting well. It was an exciting end to the fight.10-9 Evans, 29-28 Kelly.
Winner: Dan Kelly, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
Kelly deserved that decision. He pressed the action, landed more shots and landed the best shots. It’s another upset win for a fighter who deserves tremendous respect for the way he fights after such a long athletic career. For Evans, it’s yet another disappointing setback. Physically he looks the same or better than he ever did but he just can’t compete like he used to anymore.
Amanda Cooper vs. Cynthia Calvillo live round-by-round coverage
This fight was originally scheduled to be early in the preliminary portion of the card but was moved up to the main card due to the co-main event of the card falling through. Cooper is 2-2, coming off her first UFC win. Calvillo is 3-0 against low level opposition and is making her UFC debut.
Round 1. Cooper is generally getting the better of the striking early, utilizing her boxing. Calvillo gets a takedown. Calvillo lets Cooper up briefly and a scramble ensues for position. Calvillo goes for an anaconda choke. She can’t get it but she transitions into taking Cooper’s back and looks to set up a rear naked choke. She gets the rear naked choke and Cooper is forced to submit.
Winner: Cynthia Calvillo, submission, round 1.
Calvillo’s groundwork was impressive in that fight. She dominated Cooper once it hit the ground and showed some promise. It remains to be seen how she will do as she steps up in competition.
Alistair Overeem vs. Mark Hunt live round-by-round coverage
Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem are two of the most decorated strikers in heavyweight MMA history, with a long list of accomplishments between them. Now late in their careers, both could really use a win here to secure additional top shelf opportunities. They fought once before, with Overeem winning via submission. Hunt’s ground game has improved to a large degree since then.
Round 1. Hunt opens with a heavy leg kick. Hunt throws another leg kick and Overeem checks it, causing a bad cut on the shin of Hunt. Overeem begins throwing low kicks of his own. Both men are relying heavily on those kicks and not really coming too close to the range of the other’s punches. Hunt does land a solid right hand to the jaw as he attempts to close distance. Overeem connects with a pair of nice combinations late. 10-9 Overeem.
Round 2. Overeem is using a diverse array of attacks as the fight moves on, mixing in punches and kicks from different angles while being careful to avoid Hunt’s power. Overeem uses a hard knee to the body and follows with another to the body and one to the head. Hunt hurts Overeem with an elbow and then closes in looking for the finish. He hurts Overeem with another punch but Overeem is able to clinch and compose himself. They trade some heavy punches in the clinch. Hunt did hurt Overeem in that round but Overeem was landing the better shots on balance throughout. 10-9 Overeem.
Round 3. Hunt has to chase down Overeem as Overeem runs away from the action. They end up back in the clinch by the cage like in the second. Overeem knocks Hunt out with 2 brutal knees to the head in that clinch and then a punch as Hunt collapses face first.
Winner: Alistair Overeem, KO, round 3.
Alistair Overeem has to fight a somewhat cautious style because he knows his chin is vulnerable but he is able to absolutely pour on the offense when he has the opportunity and he has so many weapons. That’s a unique collection of traits. Mark Hunt has one of the best chins in the history of the sport so knocking him out is always extremely impressive.
Marcin Tybura vs. Luis Henrique live round-by-round coverage
Marcin Tybura is a Polish star with a 1-1 record thus far in the UFC. He is coming off a spectacular head kick knockout win. Luis Henrique is a 23-year-old Brazilian with 2 straight UFC wins via submission.
Round 1. Henrique looks for a takedown early. He can’t get it so he just settles for grinding on Tybura by the cage. They separate. Tybura lands a shot to the body and Henrique closes distance again and leans on Tybura by the cage. Henrique gets the takedown momentarily but Tybura pops up. He then slams Henrique down emphatically. Henrique stands back up and then takes Tybura down. Henrique lands a few punches but Tybura stands back up. Close round. 10-9 Tybura.
Round 2. Henrique gets the takedown and lands in side control. Henrique lands a few elbows but Tybura gets back up. Henrique lands knees in that position while controlling Tybura. Henrique just keeps holding Tybura while the crowd grows restless. They are separated. Tybura lands a front kick and Henrique clinches again. Another close round and not a good one. 10-9 Henrique.
Round 3. Henrique lands a knee. Tybura lands another front kick. Henrique then goes back to the clinch. Tybura lands some quality shots from close range but it’s mostly uneventful. Tybura goes for a takedown but Henrique grabs the neck and attacks with a guillotine choke. He appears to have Tybura in trouble briefly but Tybura ends up fine. They tumble to the ground where Tybura secures full mount position. He lands a stream of punches until the fight is finally stopped.
Winner: Marcin Tybura, TKO, round 3.
That wasn’t pretty, although it wasn’t really Tybura’s fault. He scored the win in the end, hopefully making fans forget much of what came before.
Mirsad Bektic vs. Darren Elkins live round-by-round coverage
Mirsad Bektic enters this fight a heavy favorite, with 8-to-1 odds that are rarely seen in the UFC. That’s a tribute to how impressive he has been thus far in MMA. Bektic is undefeated in MMA and is 4-0 thus far in the UFC with a series of exemplary performances. He has been discussed as a future championship level fighter. Darren Elkins is a gritty wrestler who has competed in the UFC since 2010. He has three straight UFC wins and has a big opportunity tonight.
Round 1. Bektic gets a takedown early, putting the wrestler on his back. Bektic opens Elkins up with elbows and moves into side control position. Elkins quickly regains half guard but Bektic moves back into side control. Bektic traps Elkins’ arms and lands a series of punches to Elkins’ bloody head. Elkins gets out of that danger and once again locks up half guard but Bektic continues landing punches from the top. 10-8 Bektic.
Round 2. Bektic moves in throwing wild punches and then takes Elkins down again. Elkins gets up. Elkins threatens with a guillotine and uses it to take top position. He lands a few knees to the body while Bektic stands up. They scramble for position and Bektic ends up getting the top. Bektic once again works from half guard, dropping down some elbows as the round concludes. 10-9 Bektic.
Round 3. Bektic connects with a nice two punch combination early. He shoots in for another takedown. Elkins stuffs it well. Bektic does get the takedown a minute later. Elkins threatens with a heel hook but can’t get it. Elkins does use the opportunity to stand up and lands some punches as Bektic gets up. Elkins staggers Bektic with a hook and follows that with a head kick to knock out his opponent for the shocking upset.
Winner: Darren Elkins, KO, round 3.
That was an incredible performance by Elkins. He was the massive underdog against a dangerous, undefeated opponent and was losing the fight by a huge margin. Still, he kept pushing and secured a highlight reel finish that nobody saw coming. It’s a showing he can always be proud of.
Luke Sanders vs. Iuri Alcantara live round-by-round coverage
Luke Sanders is an undefeated bantamweight hopeful who beat solid veteran Maximo Blanco in his UFC debut and will now have a shot to beat another. Iuri Alcantara has been a bantamweight contender for quite some time but at 36 the clock is ticking for him in a division where speed is king.
Round 1. A wild scramble ensues early, with Sanders landing a punch from the top and letting Alcantara up. Sanders lands a few wild looping punches on Alcantara back on the feet. In another scramble, Sanders once again ends up on top. He lands some hard punches from there, forcing Alcantara to roll over. Sanders goes to town there, opening up with a continual barrage of punches to the head of Alcantara. Alcantara is forced to just cover up. Sanders just punches and punches and punches. He unfortunately lands a knee as Alcantara is still grounded. The referee deducts a point. 10-8 Sanders, 9-8 with the deduction.
Round 2. Sanders again is getting the best of the action, landing punches on the feet. He hurts Alcantara with a hard knee to the body and looks to finish up against the cage. He lands some punches and elbows as Alcantara just holds on, but doesn’t pour it on enough to get the stoppage. They go to the ground, where Alcantara grabs a knee bar and gets the shocking come from behind win.
Winner: Iuri Alcantara, submission, round 2.
Credit has to go to Alcantara for pulling out the win after struggling so much early. He found a little opening and capitalized, an indication of why he’s been successful for so long. However, the fight ultimately may have served more as an indictment of Sanders than anything. He was the much more explosive fighter and had Alcantara in trouble constantly but couldn’t put him away and had some mental lapses that cost him a fight that he absolutely should not have lost. It’s a fight he’ll likely be beating himself up over for a long time, and for very good reason.
Mark Godbeer vs. Daniel Spitz live round-by-round coverage
Mark Godbeer is an English heavyweight who has done well on the British circuit but struggled thus far on the international stage, dropping his only fights for Bellator and the UFC. He gets another opportunity tonight against Daniel Spitz, an undefeated prospect making his UFC debut.
Round 1. Godbeer is having a lot of success early landing hard punches to the head. Spitz is longer but Godbeer isn’t having trouble with his range. Godbeer is mixing in some hard leg kicks. Spitz is calm and composed, apparently looking for Godbeer to slow down, but Godbeer is getting in so much more offense. Godbeer cracks Spitz with a couple hard punches late. Spitz wasn’t hurt in that round but it was total one way action. 10-9 Godbeer.
Round 2. Spitz looks for a takedown but it is blocked. Godbeer retaliates with some punches including a hard uppercut. Godbeer hurts Spitz with a looping right hand. Spitz finally gets a takedown 90 seconds into the stanza. Godbeer gets full guard and then stands up. Spitz lands a nice knee in the process. Godbeer lands a few more heavy punches and Spitz looks tired. Godbeer is pouring it on and Spitz is just in survival mode, slowly walking away as Godbeer pushes forward with hard punches. Spitz gets out of danger and is able to survive the round. 10-8 Godbeer.
Round 3. The pace slows in the third round after pretty heavy output from the heavyweights in the first two rounds. Godbeer still has more power behind his punches but neither man is landing or throwing much. They trade nice kicks to the body. Godbeer staggers Spitz with a hard punch and follows with additional stiff punches by the cage looking for the finish. Spitz is able to hang on but he looks like he’s really struggling. 10-9 Godbeer, 30-26 Godbeer.
Winner: Mark Godbeer, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
That’s got to be a satisfying win for Godbeer, finally securing a victory on the big international stage. He wasn’t able to get the finish but he was clearly the better fighter. Spitz didn’t really look like a UFC caliber fighter at this stage in time.
Tyson Pedro vs. Paul Craig live round-by-round coverage
Tyson Pedro is an undefeated Australian who has won all of his fights in the first round. He has relied primarily on submissions of late. Paul Craig is an undefeated Scottish competitor who also has finishes in all of his victories and likewise mostly on the ground. That makes for an interesting light heavyweight matchup.
Round 1. Craig throws a series of kicks early. He clinches but Pedro counters with a hard knee to the body that stuns Craig. Craig uses a beautiful throw to take down Pedro but Pedro pops right back up. Craig lands some punches from the clinch while Pedro continually utilizes his knees. Craig lands a nice uppercut as they separate. Pedro drops Craig with a straight punch and lets Craig back up. Craig seems okay but eats another straight punch. Pedro follows with hard knees to the head. Craig tries to yank Pedro down with a headlock but Pedro gets top position and hammers Craig with elbows from side control. Pedro grabs crucifix position and lands some additional elbows until the referee stops the contest. It might have been a little bit of an early stoppage but certainly justifiable.
Winner: Tyson Pedro, TKO, round 1.
Tyson Pedro was impressive again here, finishing an undefeated opponent with punishing offense. He could be a factor down the line in a wide open division.
Albert Morales vs. Andre Soukhamthath live round-by-round coverage
UFC 209 kicks off with a bantamweight bout between Albert Morales and UFC newcomer Andre Soukhamthath. Morales is a prospect from Southern California coming off the first loss of his MMA career against highly regarded for Thomas Almeida. Soukhamthath has accumulated an 11-3 record on the regional scene to earn this UFC opportunity.
Round 1. Both men come out looking to establish the jab, with Morales also mixing in regular leg kicks. Morales lands a hard jab around 90 seconds in. Morales is by and large getting the best of the exchanges but neither man is connecting with much of note. Soukhamthath lands a quality lead uppercut, something he’d been looking for previously. In a wild exchange late, Soukhamthath hits Morales with a knee. 10-9 Morales.
Round 2. Morales comes out aggressively with straight punches. Soukhamthath utilizes some leg kicks to keep Morales off balance. Morales grabs a single leg and briefly scores a takedown but Soukhamthath works his way back to his feet and they grapple for control against the cage. Morales goes for the takedown again but Soukhamthath nicely reserves him and controls Morales’ back. Morales rolls out of that but ends up on the bottom. Soukhamthath looks to land a few punches from inside Morales’ closed guard. Morales looks to set up a kimura but doesn’t come close. Soukhamthath is struggling to do much in the way of damage on the ground and Morales gets up. Close round. 10-9 Soukhamthath, although only narrowly.
Round 3. The fighters come out exchanging punches. Soukhamthath has much more power in his shots and in particular is landing some vicious punches to the body. Morales seems to be either hurt or tired so Soukhamthath just continues targeting the body. They grapple for position and Morales gets Soukhamthath’s back. Morales lands a long series of punches from that position and looks to sink in a rear naked choke submission. Morales locks in a body triangle for control, scoring punches to the head while looking for an opening to lock in the choke. Soukhamthath lands some punches from behind, trying to influence the judges. Soukhamthath was doing great early in that round but Morales had too much control late. 10-9 Morales, 29-28 Morales.
Winner: Albert Morales, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
That was a nice win for Morales, a competitive and entertaining bout contested in a number of different areas. Soukhamthath also did well for himself making his UFC debut on short notice.
Khabib Nurmagomedov falling ill while cutting weight raises more concerns
Khabib Nurmagomedov, in an episode that raises more questions about his reliability and the rigors of cutting weight, fell ill trying to make 155 pounds, forcing the scrapping of his anticipated UFC 209 interim lightweight title fight Saturday against Tony Ferguson.
Russia’s Nurmagomedov (24-0) was seeking to stop the nine-fight winning streak of Costa Mesa’s Ferguson (23-3), with the winner first in line to face lightweight champion Conor McGregor, on hiatus awaiting the birth of his first child.
Instead, after moving past prior knee injuries and a rib injury that previously scrapped a fight with Ferguson, the weight-cut illness delays Nurmagomedov’s bid to fight for just a fifth time since September 2013.
“It’s obviously a huge blow,” UFC President Dana White said. “We have to get through [Saturday’s card], and then I’ll figure out to do with those guys.”