The eccentric and humorous knockout slugger Derrick Lewis picked up his ninth win in ten bouts in a come-from-behind performance against Alexander Volkov, earning him a title shot this month on a card that needed a main event. He takes on Daniel Cormier, the two division champion who knocked out Stipe Miocic to capture the UFC heavyweight title. Cormier plans to retire around his 40th birthday next year so it is imperative he win in order to get a fight with Brock Lesnar or a rematch with Jon Jones next year.

Round 1. Cormier grabs a single leg and takes Lewis to the mat. Cormier isn’t able to do much damage and Lewis stands back up. Cormier then takes Lewis back down. Lewis tries to stand up again and eats some more punches in the process. 10-9 Cormier.

Round 2. Lewis connects with a few hard punches as Cormier is moving in. Cormier finally catches Lewis and slams him down. Lewis gets up quickly. Cormier takes him back down and locks in a rear naked choke for the submission.

Chris Weidman is one of the most accomplished middleweight fighters in the sport’s history. The former UFC middleweight champion ended the historic run of Anderson Silva and is looking to recapture that gold. He was originally scheduled to take on Luke Rockhold, who defeated him for that title. An injury forced Rockhold to pull out so now Weidman will take another of the world’s elite middleweights in Jacare Souza. Souza is a jiu jitsu master who over time has added excellent striking as well and he is looking for his shot at the UFC middleweight title. This is one of the top middleweight bouts of the year.

Round 1. Weidman connects with a jab early. Weidman briefly has a Thai plum and lands a knee before Souza backs away. Weidman knocks Souza back with a right hand at the end of a combination. Weidman doesn’t pursue all that aggressively, a measure of his respect for Souza. Souza is throwing low kicks regularly but not many higher kicks. Weidman is more active with his boxing and is generally getting off first. Souza lands a couple of stiff punches to the body and follows with a punch to the head that appears to stagger Weidman a little. Good, competitive round. 10-9 Weidman.

Round 2. Weidman lands a strong two punch combination early. Souza continues to mix in low strikes but Weidman is attacking the head much more. Souza decides to really pursue a minute or so in and he opens up with power punches from close range. Weidman is firing back but Souza is generally landing the better shots and it feels like Souza could be one big blow away from having Weidman in trouble. Weidman answers back and hurts Souza with some punches. Souza attacks with some uppercuts that land solidly. Weidman gets Souza down briefly. Souza nearly reverses and gets top position and they end up back on their feet. 10-9 Souza.

David Branch is a former two division WSOF champion and has won 12 of his last 13 bouts. He was originally going to take on Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza on this card in a fight that would have provided a much greater opportunity to elevate his stock. Jared Cannonier has lost three of his last four bouts and has the chance to turn things around against a top middleweight contender.

Round 1. Branch gets a quick takedown. Cannonier gets back up. Branch gets another takedown but Cannonier again quickly gets up. Cannonier lands a hard knee to the body in the clinch and Branch backs off. Branch gets another takedown and lands some punches while Cannonier tries to get up. Cannonier finally returns to his feet. Branch gets another takedown but Cannonier pops right back up. Cannonier opens up and lands a wild spinning kick late. 10-9 Branch.

Round 2. Cannonier drops Branch with a right hand and follows with additional punches on the ground until the fight is stopped.

In victory or defeat, Karl Roberson’s fights don’t tend to last long. The former kickboxer is 6-1 in professional MMA and has the biggest opportunity of his career here. Jack Marshman is a Welsh fighter with a 2-2 UFC record.

Round 1. Roberson throws a big head kick early. Roberson then clinches. Marshman blocks a takedown so Roberson lands an uppercut and backs off. Roberson follows with a heavy straight left hand. Roberson connects with a quality combination of punches and attacks aggressively seeming to think he might get a finish, but Marshman fires back and Roberson has to back off. Marshman pulls off his best combination of the fight late in the round. 10-9 Roberson.

Round 2. Marshman comes out strong with a few attacks to the body. Roberson lands an emphatic takedown halfway through the round. Roberson works his way into side control and is active with his offense as the round progresses. 10-9 Roberson.

With a dynamic fighting style and outspoken personality, Israel Adesanya has all the makings of a star. The key will be whether he can continue to perform at a high level while moving up in competition. Derek Brunson is the toughest test yet for the undefeated Adesanya. Brunson is a talented contender who has fought many of the best fighters in the division and will provide some answers as to how good Adesanya is.

Round 1. Brunson shoots for a takedown. He doesn’t immediately get it but he does instigate a clinch that they work from. Brunson is warned for grabbing Adesanya’s shorts and Adesanya gives Brunson the finger in response. Brunson shoots again for a takedown. It is blocked but when Adesanya looks to fire back Brunson clinches again. Brunson lands a punch and goes back to the takedown attempt. Adesanya prevents that. Adesanya blocks another takedown and they end up back in the clinch. Adesanya lands a heavy knee and follows with vicious punches. He drops Brunson with a head kick. Adesaya lands additional knees and drops him again with punches. The fight is stopped.

Winner: Israel Adesanya, TKO, round 1.

Jason Knight had a lot of buzz not so long ago thanks to a crowd pleasing style and four fight UFC win streak. Now coming off three straight losses, Knight is looking to restore that previous reputation. Jordan Rinaldi is a submission fighter with a 1-2 record in the UFC.

Round 1. Knight blocks a takedown and lands a hard punch. Rinaldi answers with a left hook of his own that connects right on the chin. Rinaldi gets a takedown a minute in. Rinaldi gets side control but then loses it. Knight briefly gets up but then gets taken back down. Rinaldi lands punches from the top while Knight looks to work his guard. 10-9 Rinaldi.

Round 2. Rinaldi gets an early takedown and looks to set up a kimura. Knight avoids that but Rinaldi takes Knight’s back in the process. Rinaldi works for the rear naked choke while Knight has to concentrate on defending. He continued to attack the neck but cannot get the submission. 10-8 Rinaldi.

Sijara Eubanks has had a tumultuous UFC career. She went on the Ultimate Fighter for a shot to become the first UFC women’s flyweight champion and made it to the final only to be pulled from the title fight because of health complications while trying to make weight. She was briefly put into the main event of this card against Valentina Shevchenko but that fight was scrapped when UFC made Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis instead. She then missed weight for this bout. Roxanne Modafferi is a popular fighter known for her quirky personality.

Round 1. Eubanks clearly has more power in her punches on the feet. Eubanks gets the takedown two minutes in. Modafferi looks to stand up with a minute left but Eubanks takes her right back down. Eubanks continues to control Modafferi and land occasional punches until the end of the round. 10-9 Eubanks.

Round 2. Eubanks drops Modafferi with a pair of punches and follows Modafferi to the ground. Modafferi looks to threaten with a submission but doesn’t come close. Eubanks lets her back to her feet. Modafferi looks for a takedown. Eubanks lands a hard knee to the body. Modafferi gets the takedown and has control. Eubanks looks to sweep with a kimura but Modafferi is able to retain top position. 10-9 Eubanks.

Julio Arce has an impressive 14-2 MMA record and has won twice since earning a UFC slot on Dana White’s Contender Series. He fights out of the New York metro area. Sheymon Moraes is 9-2 but his only losses are to elite competitors: Zabit Magomedsharipov and Marlon Moraes.

Round 1. The fighters are cautious early but Moraes then drops Arce with a punch. Moraes goes to town on the ground, landing punch after punch from high up while trying to finish the fight. Arce is able to survive and return to his feet. They end up in a clinch where Arce looks to secure a takedown. Arce isn’t able to get the takedown so he instead hops on Moraes’ back and looks to lock in a rear naked choke from the standing position. Arce is squeezing late but time runs out. That’s a tricky round to score. Arce had control longer and was threatening at the end, but Moraes did the most damage by a wide margin early in the round and scored the best offense. 10-9 Moraes.

Round 2. Moraes lands a hard right hand and looks to capitalize. Arce counters and tries for a takedown but can’t get it. They end up in the clinch where Moraes is more on the offensive. Arce is bleeding badly and eats a few heavy punches. Moraes drops Arce late and again starts throwing heavy blows from top position. Moraes lets Arce back up. 10-9 Moraes.

Ben Saunders is one of the longest tenured UFC fighters, having competed in the organization since 2007. Lyman Good is a former Bellator champion and is 1-1 in the UFC.

Round 1. Saunders has success early with some kicks. Good comes in with power punches. They end up in a clinch with Saunders attacking with knees and Good with punches. Good drops Saunders with uppercuts, knocking Saunders unconscious in the process.

Winner: Lyman Good, KO, round 1.

Matt Frevola earned a spot on the UFC roster with a win on Dana White’s Contender Series, but he was promptly knocked out in a minute in his UFC debut by Marco Polo Reyes. He looks to rebound here. Lando Vannata impressed in his UFC debut, giving top lightweight Tony Ferguson all Ferguson could handle. However, Vannata has struggled since then and is 0-2-1 in his last three fights.

Round 1. Both fighters come out aggressively. Frevola lands a few head kicks. However, Vannata then connects with a massive head kick of his own. Frevola recovers and lands a hard kick to the body. Frevola nails Vannata with a stiff straight punch and continues to attack with high kicks. Frevola knocks Vannata back with a straight right hand. Vannata briefly teases a takedown but then separates and throws a head kick. Frevola uses a strong elbow from distance. Frevola cracks Vannata with a big two punch combination late. Vannata goes for a takedown but Frevola reverses and grabs a guillotine choke. Frevola loses that but ends up in mount. That was a very exciting round. 10-9 Frevola.

Round 2. Vannata drops Frevola with a vicious right hand. Frevola gets up and tries to answer back but Vannata is walking him down and looking for the finish. Frevola is able to recover again, just like he did from the first round head kick. They continue to keep a fast pace with their boxing. Frevola looks for a late takedown but Vannata grabs a guillotine choke as the round comes to an end. 10-9 Vannata.