Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brings a stellar UFC Fight Night 81 mixed martial arts (MMA) event to Boston, Massachusetts tonight (Sun., Jan. 17, 2016) inside TD Garden and it features a Bantamweight championship main event pitting titleholder T.J. Dillashaw against ex-champion Dominick Cruz.
The pair of incredible stand-up talents have traded numerous verbal barbs over the last few months and will settle their score in “Beantown” when it’s all said and done.
In the co-main event, Anthony Pettis looks to make a triumphant return following the loss of his Lightweight title when he battles former Bellator standout Eddie Alvarez.
Elsewhere on the card is a match-up of Heavyweight brutes as Travis Browne looks to bounce back from a knockout loss to Andrei Arlovski against Indiana native Matt Mitrione.
However, before we can get to the evening’s main courses, fans will be treated to a set of nine “Prelims” bouts scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on the Fight Pass digital streaming service, until the final four are broadcast on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET. The four-fight main card will start promptly at 10 p.m. ET.
Below are the results recaps for the four FOX Sports 1 “Prelims” tussles:
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Maximo Blanco vs. Luke Sanders
Blanco put his three-fight win streak on the line against the undefeated and debuting Sanders.
Blanco a little wild early, gets clipped with a left hand. The Venzeulean lands a shot to the body. He’s giving Sanders different looks. Blanco swithcing stances often, gets caught with another left. Two nice leg kicks in-a-row for Sanders. Very good knees from the American in the clinch. Hard kick from Sanders, who gets taken down by Blanco. “Maxi” goes for the arm triangle choke and lets it go. We’re back to the feet with two minutes left: Sanders to the leg once more. He catches Blanco with a right. Moments later, Sanders scores with a big left hand, dropping Blanco before he finishes him off with a rear-naked choke.
Sanders improves to 11-0 overall, while Blanco drops to 12-7-1-(1).
Result: Sanders via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
For more UFC Fight Night 81 news and notes, including up-to-the-minute live results and play-by-play, click here and here.