Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) fans free fisticuffs this Saturday night (July 23, 2016) by way of the UFC on FOX 20: “Holm vs. Shevchenko” event, taking place inside United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
That’s where former champion Holly Holm and rising contender Valentina Shevchenko battle for a spot in the crowded 135-pound title hunt. In the UFC on FOX 20 co-main event, lightweight striker Edson Barboza collides with ex-Strikeforce kingpin Gilbert Melendez.
Fun!
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC on FOX 20 fight card below, starting with the UFC Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, and then the remaining under card balance on FOX at 6 p.m. ET, before the FOX main card start time at 8 p.m. ET.
Many of our readers check-in before, during and after the televised fisticuffs to share their thoughts on all the exciting action. Therefore, feel free to leave a comment (or 20) before you split and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it always turns out to be a great discussion.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps and post-fight analysis after “Holm vs. Shevchenko.”
Without further delay, see below for the latest UFC on FOX 20 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC ON FOX 20 QUICK RESULTS:
Holly Holm vs. Valentina Shevchenko — Shevchenko def. Holm by unanimous decision (49-46 x3)
Edson Barboza vs. Gilbert Melendez — Barboza def. Melendez by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Francis Ngannou vs. Bojan Mihajlovic — Ngannou def. Mihajlovic by TKO (punches) at 1:34 of Round One
Felice Herrig vs. Kailin Curran — Herrig def. Curran by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:59 of Round One
Eddie Wineland vs. Frankie Saenz — Wineland def. Saenz by TKO (punches) at 1:54 of Round Three
Darren Elkins vs Godofredo Pepey — Elkins def. Pepey by unanimous decision (29-27 x2, 30-26)
Kamaru Usman vs. Alexander Yakovlev — Usman def. Yakovlev by unanimous decision (30-25 x3)
Mitchell Prazeres vs. J.C. Cottrell — Prazeres def. Cottrell by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27 x2)
Alex Oliveira vs. James Moontasri — Oliveira def. Moontasri by unanimous decision (30-26 x2, 30-25)
Jim Alers vs. Jason Knight — Knight def. Alers by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Luis Henrique vs. Dmitry Smolyakov — Henrique def. Smolyakov by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:58 of Round Two
UFC ON FOX 20 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
135 lbs.: Holly Holm vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Round 1: Shevchenko looks significantly smaller in there. Low kick from Shevchenko. Low kick exchange. One minute in. Shevchenko low kick. Slow start. Counter right lands for Shevchenko. Hard right hand drops Shevhenko, who pops back up and gets out of harm’s way. Two minutes in. Shevchenko looking for the check right hook. Lead hook lands for her. Two minutes to go.
Side kick to the leg from Holm. Simultaneous kicks. Shevchenko locks up and hits a takedown. Holm pops right back up. Good knee to the body by Holm. One minute to go. Another knee. They separate and move about until the bell. 10-9 Holm with the knockdown.
Round 2: Quick low kicks from Shevchenko. One minute in. Shevchenko tries an axe kick. Shevchenko ties up, Holm reverses position against the fence. Two minutes in. Good check hook lands for Shevchenko. Spinning back fist from Shevchenko doesn’t land clean. Two minutes to go.
Holm with a side kick. Left hand from Shevchenko. Jabs by Holm. One minute to go. Sharp 1-2 by Shevchenko connects. Oblique kick trips Shevchenko up. Low kick exchange. Shevchenko with a good low kick. Tough round to score. 10-9 Shevchenko?
Round 3: Low kick exchange. Another one from Shevchenko. Superman punch from Holm and she nearly runs into a spinning back fist. One minute in. Check hook from the Kyrgysztani. High kick glances off. Low kick exchange. Shevchenko catches a body kick and takes Holm down. The former champ scrambles up and reverses position. Inside trip by Shevchenko into half guard. Two minutes to go.
Holm has an underhook but can’t budge her foe. She’s also bleeding from her right eyebrow. One minute to go. Shevchenko with some hammerfists and short elbows. Round ends there. 10-9 Shevchenko.
Round 4: Jab from Holm. Shevchenko tries a body kick. Side kick from Holm, low kick from Shevchenko. One minute in. Shevchenko just misses on a wheel kick. Right hook lands, Holm comes back with a low kick. Low kick from Shvchenko. Lead left by Holm met with counters. Two minutes in. Counter 1-2 from Shevchenko. Low kick lands after both miss punches. Two minutes to go.
Shevchenko goes low for a takedown, can’t get it. Shevchenko catches a low kick, can’t use it and eats a body kick. One minute to go. Shevchenko with a low kick. 1-2 by Holm. 10-9 Shevchenko.
Round 5: Shevchenko continues to win the counter battle. Brazilian kick from Holm blocked. Superman punch lands for Shevchenko. One minute in. Holm just totally ineffective on the lead in this fight. Shevchenko tries a spinning back kick. Holm lands a body kick and stuffs a takedown. Low kick from Shevchenko. Wheel kick connects for Shevchenko and a counter right soon after. Check hook by Holm this time. Two minutes to go.
Shevhcneko again dings her with a counter right and straight left. Holm leg kick. Body kick by the former champion. Shevchenko misses a spinning back kick. One minute to go. Another clean right hook by Shevchenko. Holm swinging big in the waning seconds. Left hand lands for Shevchenko, then another check right hook. They swing until the bell. 10-9 Shevchenko.
Final result: Shevchenko def. Holm by unanimous decision
-end-
155 lbs.: Edson Barboza vs. Gilbert Melendez
Round 1: Quick exchanges early, Barboza landing a pair of leg kicks. Melendez shoots, Barboza limp-legs out. One minute in. Counter 1-2 by the Brazilian. Fake shot by Melendez. Melendez eats a few counters to clip him with a left hook. Two minutes in. Melendez catches a body kick, lands a knee to the body. Barboza low kick, then a snapping body kick. Spinning back kick from Barboza. Hard left hook by Barboza. Two minutes to go.
Melendez flurries near the fence. Counters from Barboza, hard left hands. One minute to go. Barboza cracks him with a right hand, then goes to the body. Barboza hops in with a knee before the bell. 10-9 Barboza.
Round 2: Rapid punching exchanges early on. Melendez on the advance. Short right from Melendez. Barboza easily stuffs a takedown attempt and Melendez falls to his back. Barboza boots his legs a few times. One minute in. He lets Melendez up. Hard low kick from Barboza. Another one and this one knocks Melendez over. Another brutal leg kick. Two minutes in. Another low kick. Nasty body kick from Barboza, then another low kick. Christ, those kicks are vicious. Overhand right drops Barboza! Two minutes to go.
They trade heavy punches. Melendez shoots in and Barboza catches him with a knee coming in before separating. One minute to go. Barboza to the body. Another leg kick lands clean. Barboza catches a body kick and scores a takedown into guard. Heavy shots by Barboza until the bell. 10-9 Barboza.
Round 3: Low kick from Barboza, Gilbert answers with a left hook and eats another leg kick. Yet another brutal low kick and Melendez is struggling to put weight on it. Left hook, low kick. One minute in. Another low kick. 1-2 from Melendez. Inside low kick by Barboza. Outside again. Two minutes in. Melendez shoots, Barboza limp-legs out with ease. Low kick, left hook, low kick. Two minutes to go.
Check hook lands for Barboza. One minute to go. Barboza circling, blocks a right hand. Good shots by both men inside. Both men raise their hands. 10-9 Barboza.
Final result: Barboza def. Melendez by unanimous decision
-end-
265 lbs.: Francis Ngannou vs. Bojan Mihajlovic
Round 1: Mihajlovic moving quite a bit in the early going. Ngannou stalking after him. One minute in. Mihajlovic to the body. 1-2-3 by Ngannou and another left hook sends Mihajlovic to the ground. He covers up and Ngannou pounds away until the referee intervenes.
Final result: Ngannou def. Mihajlovic by TKO (punches)
-end-
115 lbs.: Felice Herrig vs. Kailin Curran
Round 1: Herrig tossing out kicks early. Body kick lands. combinations from Herrig. Not much at all from Curran thus far. Low kick lands, Curran cracks her with a left hook in return but gets taken down into half guard. One minute in. Herrig makes a smooth transition to the back and works to lock up the choke. Curran hand fighting, but is ultimately forced to tap.
Final result: Herrig def. Curran by submission (rear-naked choke)
-end-
135 lbs.: Eddie Wineland vs. Frankie Saenz
Round 1: Low kick from Saenz. Once again. A third, this one to the inside. Again. One minute in. Wineland ducks a left hook and tries a shot, can’t keep him down. Spinning back fist by Saenz, right hand by Wineland. Saenz low kick. Two minutes in. The punching exchanges are fairly even thus far. Good low kick from Saenz trips Wineland up briefly. BIG right hand drops Saenz. He manages to scramble back up and circle off. Wineland cracks him near the fence. Two minutes to go.
Left uppercut by Saenz, followed by a low kick. Eaenz completes a takedown into guard. Wineland briefly tries a guillotine before letting go. One minute to go. Solid elbow by Saenz. A scramble ensues and Saenz takes the back with thirty seconds to go. 10-9 Saenz.
Round 2: Wineland eats a kick to the nards to start the round. Saenz connects with a right as they exchange. Low kick lands for him. 1-2 from Saenz. One minute in. Lead hook connects. Short right from Wineland. Swatting right by Wineland just misses, 3-2 from Saenz does not. Wineland counters a low kick. Two minutes in. Anotehr leg kick by Saenz, then a right hand as they exchange. Hard counter right by Wineland as he eats a glancing nut shot. 1-2 by Saenz. Two minutes to go.
Counter 2-3 lands for Wineland. He shrugs off a double-leg attempt. Saenz knees him in the ribs as he slips. Hard lead uppercut from Saenz. One minute to go. Wineland goes low-high wiht a 2-3, eats a body kick. Wineland drops him with aright hand. Lead right by Saenz after he’s let off the hook. Good combo by Saenz. 10-9 WIneland.
Round 3: Saenz tries to jump in with a knee, settles for a low kick. Wineland counters a low kick with a right cross. Punching combination by Saenz. One minute in. Wineland with a right to the body. Saenz low kick. He looks for a single-leg, denied. Clubbing right from Wineland, then a stunning right cross that destroys Saenz. The wrestler tries to stagger back to his feet, but Wineland’s all over him. As he’s poised to crumble again from the onslaught, the referee steps in to save him.
Final result: Wineland def. Saenz by TKO (punches)
-end-
145 lbs.: Darren Elkins vs Godofredo Pepey
Round 1: Wheel kick from Pepey and Elkins comes back with hard punches. They jockey for position on the fence and Pepey lands a knee upstairs. High kick from him and he surrenders a takedown into guard. Pepey hits his favorite Kimura sweep into mount. Scrambles ensue. One minute in. Nice right hand by Pepey, standing over Elkins. Elkins looks for a heel hook, can’t get it but manages to stand and shoot. Pepey pulls guard and Elkins comes down with an elbow. Elkins sporting a cut above his right eye. Two minutes in. Pepey working off his back as Elkins goes to work with short punches. Pepey tries an omoplata, nothing there. Two minutes to go.
Elkins snuffs out another Kimura attempt as he digs away with short punches to the head and body. Pepey scrambles up and Pepey counters with a Kimura grip. He lifts Pepey into the air, then comes down with his arm in peril. One minute in. Elkins slips his arm free. Good round. 10-9 Elkins.
Round 2: Pepey rushes into the clinch, eats a right hand. Wheel kick from Pepey and they fall into 50/50 position in the scramble. Pepey looks for a heel hook, slams home a hard elbow. One minute in. Great scramble. Pepey lands on top and, as Elkins moves to stand, Pepey drops him with an illegal knee and uppercut. The ref gives Elkins time to recover and takes a point from the Brazilian. Good right by Pepey on the restart. Elkins hits a nice reactive takedown into guard. Two minutes in. Elkins grinding, landing short blows and staying heavy. Two minutes to go.
Pepey tries to kick him off, can’t do so. Elbows from his back. Pepy not offering nearly as much submission threat off his back. One minute to go. He does crack Elkins with a few elbows. Elkins thumping him in return with punches. 10-8 Elkins with the point deduction.
Round 3: Elkins lands a hard body kick in the early going, coming out aggressively. Elkins shoots in and Pepey pulls guard. Elkins keeping up the ground-and-pound. One minute in. Solid left from “The Damage.” Elkins looks to pass to half guard. Pepey kicks him away and stands. Two minutes in. Pepey jumps in with a knee and surrenders another takedown. Two minutes to go.
Elkins doing solid work from top position. Pepey’s guard is significantly less effective than it was earlier in the fight. Punches and elbows by Elkins, one minute to go. Pepey grabs an overhook, can’t use it and they swat at each other until the bell. 10-9 Elkins.
Final result:
-end-
170 lbs.: Kamaru Usman vs. Alexander Yakovlev
Round 1: Usman checks a low kick and they tie up on the fence. Yakovlev fighting off the takedown. One minute in. Usman forces him down, Yakovlev defends with the whizzer, and Usman forces him down once again. Usman looking for the back. Yakovlev repeatedly grabbing the fence and John McCarthy takes a point. Two minutes in. Yakoevlev gets a hold on a leg and tries to shoot. Usman fights it off and goes back to wearing the Russian down against the fence. Two minutes to go.
Usman digs in some knees before slinging Yakovlev to the ground and taking side control. Yakovlev regains half guard, then guard. One minute to go. More ground-and-pound until the bell. 10-8 Usman with the point deduction.
Round 2: Low kick by Yakovlev, then a body kick. Straight left and body kick. Usman to the body. One minute in. Yakovlev lands a body kick. Solid knee inside. Yakovlev lands a knee, which allows Usman to tie up once again. He forces Yakovlev to a knee and looks to put in a hook. He breaks Yakovlev’s base and sets up in half guard. Two minutes in. Elbows from the Blackzilians product. Still more as Yakovlev tries to control his posture. Two minutes to go.
Yakovlev mostly just holding on as Usman thumps him in the ribs. Yakevlev turns for a leg and Usman avoids the heel hook before moving to north-south. One minute to go. He continues to dig away at the body until the bell. 10-9 Usman.
Round 3: Usman on the advance. Yakovlev tries a knee and Usman clinches, again forcing him to a knee and driving home right hands. Yakovlev turns to half guard and briefly looks for a keylock. Usman continues dishing out elbows. One minute in. Usman looking to set up an arm-triangle. He can’t get it, but does manage to hop into side control. Yakoevlev moving, working to improve his position. He makes it to his feet, gets thrown back down and mounted. Two minutes in. Yakovlev just holding on as Usman scoots higher, bashing Yakoevlev with elbows. Two minutes to go.
Yakovlev scrambles and makes it to his knees. Usman slams home a knee to the body. Yakovlev gets to his feet, Usman slings him down and takes mount again. One minute to go. Usman tries to set up an armbar, cannot do so. 10-8 Usman.
Final result: Usman def. Yakovlev by unanimous decision
-end-
155 lbs.: Mitchell Prazeres vs. J.C. Cottrell
Round 1: Low kick from Prazeres. Head kick attempt. Prazeres shoots and scores a brief takedown, locked up on the fence. Cottrell pops up and separates. Right hand by Cottrell, Prazeres catches a body kick and takes him down. Good scramble by Cottrell and Prazeres locks up an omoplata. Two minutes in. Prazeres looking to finish from there. He transitions to an armbar and uses it to sweep into top position. Two minutes to go.
Cottrell looks for a Kimura, loses it and the Brazilian passes to half guard. He nearly takes mount, Cottrell manages to control him. One minute to go, nice pass by Prazeres into side control. He briefly tries a north-south choke, but manages to float back into side control. Great groundwork by “Trator.” 10-9 Prazeres.
Round 2: Low kick from Prazeres. Quick level change and he puts Cottrell on his back once again in full guard. Cottrell scrambles up and Prazeres grabs the rear waistlock. Cottrell fighting off the hooks, manages to stand and separate. One minute in. Another nice reactive takedown by Prazeres, again to the rear waistlock. Prazeres looking for hooks, Cottrell defending. He turns to face him. Two minutes in. They separate. Prazeres body kick blocked. Another nice takedown, two minutes to go.
Knee to the body from Prazeres as Cottrell stands. They separate. Cottrell stuffs a shot and Prazeres looks winded. One minute to go. Low kick from Prazeres and he hits yet another takedown. Cottrell struggles to stand on the fence until the bell. 10-9 Prazeres.
Round 3: Prazeres with an early punching flurry. Counter rights by the Brazilian, then a 3-2. He seems to have a second wind. Hard counter 3-2. Body kick. Prazeres tearing into him in the fence. Easy takedown by Prazeres. One minute in. Cottrell works his way back to his feet, Prazeres attached to his waist. Cottrell manages to face him and separate. Two minutes in. Body shots by Prazeres and he ties up again. They separate. Prazeres landing some hard blows to the head and body between clinches. Two minutes to go.
Counters from Prazeres. Check hook lands, right cross. Another takedown by Prazeres, who rolls back to guard after losing it and then stands. Thumping right hand by Prazeres. Cottrell walking into counters. Check hook connects for Prazeres, Cottrell just whiffs on a head kick on the break. Counter left. Cottrell kick goes low. Prazeres thumps him with a few more punches to end a dominant performance. 10-9 Prazeres.
Final result: Prazeres def. Cottrell by unanimous decision
-end-
170 lbs.: Alex Oliveira vs. James Moontasri
Round 1: Oliveira on the front foot early. Moontasri tries a spinning back kick and Oliveira shoots in. Moontasri defending on the fence as Oliveira gets deeper on his hips. Great takedown defense from “Moonwalker” as Oliveira tries to slam him. Oliveira still driving. Moontasri reverses position. Hard knee to the junk by Oliveira and Moontasri goes down in a heap. Moontasri is writhing in agony. Incredibly, he elects to continue despite looking like he wanted to die. Two minutes in. They trade head kick attempts. Oliveira takes him back to the fence, eats a knee as he does. Oliveira looking for a single-leg, Moontasri grabs double underhooks and reverses. Two minutes to go.
Knees by Oliveira. Elbows by Moontasri, Oliviera reverses again. Moontasri still defending, eats knees to the body. One minute to go. Brutal elbows from both men. Oliveira digs in a hard knee. Short uppercuts. Moontasri reverses position before the bell. 10-9 Oliveira.
Round 2: Body kick from Moontasri. Oliveira blocks a head kick and ties up again. Moontasri grabs the bodylock and reverses, Oliveira reverses in turn. One minute in. Knee by Oliveira and an uppercut behind it. Two minutes in. Oliveira finally completes a takedown. Oliveira heavy on him in half guard. Nearly in mount, two minutes to go.
Hard ground-and-pound by the Brazilian. Oliveira postures up and drops some brutal punches. One minute to go. To the body now. Moontasri scrambles up, avoiding a guillotine, and eats a hard knee. 10-9 Oliveira.
Round 3: Spinning back fist by Moontasri and they trade huge bombs. Oliveira bashes him with a right and scores another takedown into guard. One minute in. Oliveira chipping away from guard. Two minutes in. It continues, two minutes to go.
Oliveira thumping away at the body. Nice right hand. One minute to go. Moontasri doing nothing off his back. Heavy shots by the Brazilian. 10-9 Oliveira. Second round could be a 10-8.
Final result: Oliveira def. Moontasri by unanimous decision
-end-
145 lbs.: Jim Alers vs. Jason Knight
Round 1: They trade inside punches early. Knight coming out aggressively, walks into a jab. Low kicks by Alers as Knight advances. Knight doing the same. Left hook by the Brit. One minute in. Knight doing solid work with oblique kicks and quick straight punches. Both land clean near the center. Nice right cross by Alers. Heavy low kick puts Alers briefly on his ass, he comes back with a left hook. 1-1-2 by Knight, who yells for Alers to come on. Taunting Alers to take him down. Two minutes in. Left hook by Knight, left hook by Alers in return. Big cut on Knight’s cheekbone. Low kicks by Knight. Alers ties up and takes him to the fence, Knight circles off. Two minutes to go.
Knight continues to punish the lead leg. Alers blasts through for a double-leg. Oh dear, Knight’s shorts nearly fall off before he gets his hips out and stands. Check hook by Alers. One minute to go. Left hook by Alers, low kicks by Knight. Knight ducks in for a well-timed takedown, finishes it, and then waves Alers up. Alers left hook. Another takedown attempt, can’t finish before the bell. 10-9 Knight.
Round 2: Knight goes back to booting the leg. Alers to the body, clips him with an overhand right and tries a throw. They return to the feet. Another heavy low kick and Alers felt that one. Nice counter right by The Beast. One minute in. Knight with a teep. Again. Good three-piece by Knight, starting with the body. Knight low kick. Two minutes in. More oblique kicks by Knight. Knight continues to taunt, lands a right hand. Alers sporting a cut of his own over his right eye. Alers just letting Knight boot his leg, stuffed on a takedown. Two minutes to go.
Flurry by Knight, hard right cross. Another right. Alers tries a side kick, eats another low kick. Alers hits a blast double with a minute to go. Knight immediately moves to mission control. Gogoplata attempt from Knight. Alers postures and drops a big right after getting out. Knight shoots as he gets space and Alers looks for some subs of his own before the bell. 10-9 Knight.
Round 3: Alers rattles Knight right off the bat with a sharp right hand and scores a takedown on the fence. Knight attacking right away off his back. Alers with ground-and-pound. Knight kicks him off and Alers shoots again. Knight looks for an inverted triangle, Alers slips out and they stand. Knight lands a low kick again. 3-2 by Alers. Knight to the body, stuffs a takedown. Two minutes in. Another low kick. 3-2 by Knight. Knight stuffs a takedown, Alers shoots again and lands in side control. Two minutes to go.
Knight worms his way back into guard. He uses the fence and makes his way up. One minute to go. Hard right cross dings Knight, Knight comes back with a good right of his own. Spinning backfist by Alers. Knight shoots, briefly gets Alers down. He looks for the back before the bell, can’t get it. 10-9 Alers.
Final result: Knight def. Alers by split decision
-end-
265 lbs.: Luis Henrique vs. Dmitry Smolyakov
Round 1: Henrique looks for a body kick. Low kick from Smolyakov. He misses badly with a spinning back fist, lands a low kick. Big left hook and Smolyakov’s rattled. They trade big shots against the fence and Henrique grabs a bodylock. One minute in. Smolyakov defending the takedown. Knees from both men and Henrique cracks him with one to the head on the break. Smolyakov blitzes and stuffs a pair of takedowns, pressed against the cage. Smolyakov looking to frame him up, chatting with his corner. Hard shots by both men as they separate and Smolyakov loses his mouthpiece. Two minutes to go.
1-2 from the Russian. Henrique again ties up after eating a right hand and scores a nice takedown into guard. One minute to go. Relentless elbows by the Brazilian. Smolyakov spits out his mouthpiece and Henrique passes to half guard. 10-9 Henrique.
Round 2: Smolyakov with a nice shiner on his right eye. Henrique tries to rush. Smolyakov stuffs a takedown. Smolyakov catches a head kick and tries to take him down, Henrique puts him on the fence. One minute in. Henrique goes for a single-leg, then moves to turtle position on the scramble. Hammerfists by the Brazilian. More punches and hammerfists. Smolyakov tries an elbow from behind. Two minutes to go.
Henrique keeps softening up until he can lock up the rear-naked choke. He doesn’t even have to put in hooks before Smolyakov taps.
Final result: Henrique def. Smolyakov by submission (rear-naked choke)
-end-