UFC Fight Night 39 began with a no-contest. And it didn’t end with much of one, either.
In the main event of the card, which took place in Abu Dhabi and aired Friday in the United States, heavyweight Roy Nelson brandished his signature right hand to flatten Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and take a first-round knockout victory.
Though Nogueira absorbed a few of Nelson’s famous power shots, he could only take so much, and eventually his lights flickered off. While Nelson’s UFC future is undoubtedly secure, Nogueira, 37, will face questions about his road ahead, now that he’s lost three of his last four while battling injuries over the past three-plus years.
But that was only the topper on what was frankly a strange night of fights. (In hindsight, those illegal headbutts in the card’s first bout really set the tone. More on those presently.)
And you know what? The final stat lines only reveal so much, especially for a card as weird as this one. Here are the real winners and losers from UFC Fight Night 39.