Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to uncork its latest round of ESPN+ fights by way of the UFC Fight Night 151: “Iaquinta vs. Cowboy” mixed martial arts (MMA) event, scheduled for Sat., May 4, 2019 inside Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. As the name would suggest, this weekend’s big shebang will be headlined by the 155-pound showdown pitting “Ragin’” Al Iaquinta opposite longtime lightweight “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone. In the UFC on ESPN+ 9 co-main event, middleweight veteran Derek Brunson looks to get back into the 185-pound title chase against the rough-and-tumble Elias “The Spartan” Theodorou. In addition, longtime featherweight contender Cub Swanson stays busy in a 145-pound pairing with budding “Hurricane” Shane Burgos.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 151 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time of 8 p.m. ET.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Iaquinta vs. Cowboy.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Fight Night 151 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 151 QUICK RESULTS:
Al Iaquinta vs. Donald Cerrone — Cerrone def. Iaquinta by unanimous decision (49-45 x2, 49-46)
Derek Brunson vs. Elias Theodorou — Brunson def. Theodorou by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
Shane Burgos vs. Cub Swanson — Burgos def. Swanson by split decision (27-30, 30-27, 29-28)
Merab Dvalishvili vs. Brad Katona — Dvalishvili def. Katona by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Walt Harris vs. Sergey Spivak — Harris def. Spivak by TKO (knees and punches) at 0:50 of Round One
Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Andrew Sanchez — Sanchez def. Barriault by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Macy Chiasson vs. Sarah Moras — Chiasson def. Moras by TKO (punches) at 2:22 of Round Two
Vince Morales vs. Aiemann Zahabi — Morales def. Zahabi by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Nordine Taleb vs. Kyle Prepolec — Taleb def. Prepolec by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Kyle Nelson vs. Matt Sayles — Sayles def. Nelson by submission (arm triangle choke) at 3:16 of Round Three
Juan Adams vs. Arjan Bhullar — Bhullar def. Adams by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
Mitch Gagnon vs. Cole Smith — Smith def. Gagnon by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 151 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
155 lbs.: Al Iaquinta vs. Donald Cerrone
Round 1: Iaquinta showboating a bit early. Leg kick lands. Another Iaquinta leg kick. Cerrone with an inside low kick. Tight right hands by Iaquinta. Counter body shot. Cerrone nearly lands a head kick as Iaquinta ducks in. Body kick connects for Cowboy. Iaquinta lands a 1-3. They trade right hands two minutes in. Cerrone jabs, combination soon after. Iaquinta whiffs on an overhand, eats a leg kick. Two minutes to go.
Another Cerrone low kick met by a counter right hook. Cerrone pops him with the jab. Glancing right by Iaquinta, coming on strong. Cerrone with a counter left. Big uppercut by Iaquinta and they trade heavy shots. One minute to go. Cerrone catches Iaquinta coming in with a clean knee, fights off the takedown. Cerrone with a jab. 10-9 Cerrone.
Round 2: Iaquinta triples up the low kick. Iaquinta counters a body kick with a right hand. Counters a leg kick with a jab. One minute in. Cerrone tries to step in with an elbow. Leg kick lands, then another hard one to the inside. Iaquinta catches a body kick, lands a leg kick. Another inside low kick by Cerrone. Two minutes in. Hard left hook and a pair of rights by Iaquinta knock Cerrone back. Head kick attempt. Iaquinta leg kick. Iaquinta on the advance. Two minutes to go.
Good jab from Iaquinta. Cerrone combination. Iaquinta with a glancing head kick, eats a leg kick and left hook. One minute to go. Iaquinta whiffs on a right. Good combination. He counters a leg kick with an overhand right that stings Cerrone. 10-9 Iaquinta.
Round 3: Iaquinta flicks out kicks. They trade jabs. Low kick from Cerrone, double jab. Iaquinta with a right downstairs a minute in. 3-2 by Iaquinta, Cerrone answers with punches. Low kicks by Cerrone. More nice jabs. Two minutes in. Iaquinta bloodied by the stream of jabs, blocks a body kick. He catches the next one, can’t use it and eats another low kick. Iaquinta fakes a single-leg. More jabs from Cerrone. Two minutes to go.
Another leg kick, Iaquinta answers in kind. BIG left uppercut snaps Iaquinta’s head back. He’s wearing it well, comes back with an overhand right. Heavy body kick from Cerrone, hit by a cut kick. One minute to go. Leg kicks from Cerrone. Iaquinta starting to switch stances. Iaquinta walks right into a jab that drops him to his seat. Cerrone clobbers him with elbows until the bell. 10-9 Cerrone.
Round 4: Cerrone floors Iaquinta with a front kick to the face, then tries to jump on his back. Iaquinta somehow survives and gets back to his feet. One minute in. Another buckling leg kick. They trade left hooks. Cerrone going back to the jab. Two minutes in. Head kick attempt. BIG left hook from Iaquinta. Cerrone with a leg kick, follows with a head kick attempt. Another hook from Iaquinta. Two minutes to go.
Cerrone with a left hook to left uppercut. Iaquinta left hook. Iaquinta lands a counter right, Cerrone just keeps punching for some solid connections. Iaquinta with a left hook downstairs, eats a right cross and a jab. One minute to go. Cerrone leg kick and a heavy punching flurry. Iaquinta catches a leg kick, can’t use it. 10-9 Cerrone.
Round 5: They pause to look at the swelling around Iaquinta’s right eye. He gets the go-ahead. Iaquinta still coming forward as Cerrone looks to pick him off with the jab. Overhand right by Iaquinta. Left hook just misses. Cerrone with a lead elbow and right cross a minute in. Another clean jab. Heavy low kicks from Cerrone. Iaquinta tries to answer in kind. Iaquinta right hand, Cerrone combination and a leg kick that makes Iaquinta briefly go southpaw. 2-3 from Cerrone. Iaquinta overhand right met by a head kick attempt two minutes in. He counters a leg kick with an overhand right. Combination from Cerrone. Another leg kick. Right cross. Two minutes to go.
Body kick lands clean. Another right cross. Left hook by Iaquinta met by a combination. Iaquinta looks for a single-leg off a caught kick, lands a jab. One minute to go. Cerrone tries a head kick. Head kick from Iaquinta. Cerrone lands a nasty, lengthy combination. Heavy leg kick. Cerrone tries a flying knee and cracks Iaquinta with a right hand as the latter tries to pull guard in the scramble. 10-9 Cerrone.
Final result: Cerrone def. Iaquinta by unanimous decision
185 lbs.: Derek Brunson vs. Elias Theodorou
Round 1: Theodorou tossing out a panoply of high kicks. They tie up, Theodorou firing knees and landing an uppercut on the break. Leg kick by Theodorou, Brunson gets over-unders and drags him down. He passes directly into mount and takes the back. One minute in. Theodorou stands, Brunson wrenches him back down. Looking for the choke, not there, back to punches. Now looking for the choke again near the fence. Theodorou manages to turn and get back to his feet. Brunson still has over-unders. Knees from Theodorou, who denies a trip attempt. They separate. Theodorou tries a head kick, but Brunson ties up when Theodorou tries to spin. They separate again. Two minutes to go.
Brunson backs him to the fence, Theodorou circles off with kicks. Theodorou tries a spinning back fist with a minute to go. Theodorou looks for a single-leg, sprawled on and eats an uppercut. 10-9 Brunson.
Round 2: Low kicks from Theodorou. Still the busier of the two. Brunson tries a head kick and shoots. Can’t get the single-leg, stays tied up. They separate. One minute in. Theodorou body kick, Brunson low kick. Brunson just walking slowly after him. Theodorou flicks out kicks. He something off the cage. tries a flying something off the cage. Slow-motion spin. Brunson lands a low kick. Two minutes to go.
Brunson counters a body kick with a straight left. Head kick lands for Brunson. Theodorou catches it, can’t use it. Brunson body kick. Theodorou tries to spin and walks into a left hand. Counter right next time. One minute to go. Brunson fires a head kick and gets underhooks. They separate. Low kick by Brunson. 10-9 Theodorou I guess.
Round 3: More Theodorou shenanigans. Brunson shoots, completes a takedown on the fence. He hits a nice takedown when they get off the fence, but Theodorou rolls through and back to his feet. Counter right hook by Brunson. Theodorou awkwardly sticking his limbs out in things that look like strikes. Brunson responds by picking Theodorou up and slamming him down into side control. Theodorou makes it back to his feet. He looks tired. Two minutes to go.
Left hand knocks Brunson aside. Brunson trying to tie up, takes knees. Standing hammerfist by Theodorou, who eats a pair of left hands. Knee from Theodorou inside. 1-2 from Brunson. One minute to go. Theodorou tries to spin. He gets shoved back after landing a knee. Short left hand lands for Brunson. Body kick, jumping knee attempt. 10-9 Brunson.
Final result: Brunson def. Theodorou by unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Shane Burgos vs. Cub Swanson
Round 1: Burgos flicking out front kicks. Lead right nearly lands. Hard 2-3 and body kick land for Swanson. Burgos leg kick, sharp counters a minute in. More low kicks from Burgos and a clean counter uppercut. Lead right by Swanson. Two minutes in. Burgos digs a left downstairs and a counter overhand right. Stuff jab. Again and a counter left. Swanson head kick. Burgos’ jab continues to land. He lands a left hook downstairs, Swanson lands one to the head. Two minutes to go.
Counter 3-2 from Burgos. Another low kick. Swanson doubles up the right, just misses with a spinning back kick. They trade leg kicks in the center. One minute to go. Burgos with a counter uppercut. That jab is working wonders so far. Swanson with a left hook around the guard, shrugs off a low blow. Trading leg kicks. 1-2 by Swanson connects. Burgos lands a straight left. 10-9 Burgos.
Round 2: Swanson firing kicks, lands a counter right. Burgos low kick, counter 1-2. Heavy 2-3 by Swanson and a right downstairs. Burgos blasts him with a counter right. One minute in. Sneaky uppercut by Burgos. Lead right connects. Swanson fires a head kick, kicking off a combination. Burgos with a straight left. Another. Hard uppercut splits the guard. Swanson bangs the body two minutes in. Heavy lead right lands clean. Burgos lands one on the counter. Keeping up the low kicks. Two minutes to go.
Lead right from Burgos, jab exchange. Uppercut lands. Swanson cracks him with a pair of lead rights. Nice jab. Again. Burgos answers a low kick with a series of counters. One minute to go. Swanson with a clean right straight. Burgos counter right. He backs Swanson to the fence, tries to open up. Cross counter, stiff jab. More low kicks and they trade right hands. Burgos counters to the body. Both try uppercuts. Fun fight. 10-9 Swanson.
Round 3: Swanson opens with lengthy combinations. Burgos bleeding some from the mouth, looks like. Nice right hands by Swanson, staying on Burgos. Double right from Swanson, straight left by Burgos. One minute in. Swanson pops him with a right again, eats a tight shovel hook. Burgos low kick and uppercut. Swanson answers with a left hook and looks for a takedown. Burgos elbowing him from behind as Swanson knees his thighs. Two minutes in. More knees from Swanson. Burgos elbow. He manages to break Swanson’s grip with just over two minutes to go.
Burgos showing some more offense of his own. Left hook from Swanson. Burgos lands a teep, knee, and elbow. Uppercut connects. Body shot. Swanson with a pair of left hooks. They trade hooks. One minute to go. Burgos waving him on, trying to walk him down. Stiff jabs. Swanson lands some of his own. Swanson catches a kick, eats counters. Burgos bangs the body. He tries a takedown. Burgos stays on him, unloads until the bell. Christ, this is close. 10-9 Swanson.
Final result: Burgos def. Swanson by split decision
135 lbs.: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Brad Katona
Round 1: Dvalishvili sending out kicks, spinning and otherwise. They continue trading kicks, but Dvalishvili starts landing punches around two minutes in. They exchange until Dvalishvili completes a single-leg. He allows Katona to stand. Two minutes to go.
Katona leaps in with a left hook and changes levels against the fence. Hauling Dvalishvili around it. Dvalishvili reverses, fights for an outside reap, and dumps Katona to the mat. Katona regains guard. Punches from the Georgian, who unloads some nasty hammerfists in the last 10 seconds. 10-9 Dvalishvili.
Round 2: Dvalishvili catches a kick for an easy takedown into guard. Katona looking for a guillotine, loses it. One minute in. Dvalishvili staying heavy as Katona tries to fish for something. Two minutes in. Short punches from Dvalishvili. Ref wants more action. Two minutes to go.
More short punches. Ref stands them up. Dvalishvili falls well short with a wheel kick. Katona gets double underhooks with a minute to go. Dvalishvili hits a trip in the waning seconds. 10-9 Dvalishvili.
Round 3: Low kick from Dvalishvili. They trade lefts. Counter right from Katona. They stare for a bit. Katona tries to step in with an elbow a minute in. Dvalishvili shoots, puts him on the fence. Katona manages to defend and separate. Dvalishvili catches a body kick soon afterwards and looks for a takedown. Two minutes in. Nothing doing. Jab exchange. Nice double-leg into half guard against the fence. Katona regains guard with two minutes to go.
Dvalishvili postures up for some bigger shots. One minute to go. Katona turns for a leglock, lands an upkick. Dvalishvili sprawls on an attempt to stand. 10-9 Dvalishvili.
Final result: Dvalishvili def. Katona by unanimous decision
265 lbs.: Walt Harris vs. Sergey Spivak
Round 1: Low kick from Spivak to start. Combination from Harris against the fence. Straight left kicks off another combination and he brutalizes Spivak with punches and knees. Spivak covers up on the mat as Harris unloads for the finish.
Final result: Harris def. Spivak by TKO (knees and punches)
185 lbs.: Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Andrew Sanchez
Round 1: Sanchez gets in on a single-leg and chains it into a double, putting Barriault on his seat against the fence. One minute in. Short punches from Sanchez. Two minutes in. Sanchez staying heavy on him, moves to half guard. Barriault works his way to his feet, still pressed against the fence. Two minutes to go.
Knees from Sanchez. Barriault answers with short uppercuts. They separate. Counter right lands for Sanchez. Barriault steps in with an overhand left, misses and eats a counter right. One minute to go. Right hand by Barriault. He denies a takedown, lands on the way up. Body kick from Sanchez. 10-9 Sanchez.
Round 2: They trade kicks early in the round. Barriault whiffs on an overhand right, denies a shot. Sanchez looks for knees before they separate. One minute in. Sanchez sends out high kicks and body kicks. Counter right straight from Barriault. They trade jabs. 1-2 from Sanchez two minutes in. Body kick lands. Barriault briefly steps into the clinch, catches a body kick to trip Sanchez up fora moment. Overhand left from Barriault met by a two-piece. Sanchez 1-2. Barriault pressuring, lands a right hand and nice uppercuts in the clinch. Nasty right hand inside. Two minutes to go.
Sanchez separates, shoots, lands his own dirty boxing. Nasty uppercuts and a slashing elbow from Barriault. Sanchez looks for a spinning elbow and a knee. Barriault with a left hook and uppercuts on the break. They both look a little winded. One minute to go. Sanchez whiffs on a spin. eats a 2-3. Lead right connects, then a 1-2. Barriault wading after him. Heavy left hook and a 1-2. Combinations piling up. Barriualt unloading on him. Runs out of time. 10-9 Barriault.
Round 3: Hard exchange in the center. Body kick by Sanchez, who ducks a left hook and ties up. Barriault lands a knee before separating. Counters from Sanchez, eats a nasty left hook downstairs. Sanchez with an uppercut to right cross. Barriault lands a jab and Sanchez shoots. Barriault grabs the fence as he defends. Sanchez with double underhooks two minutes in. Sanchez uses an outside reap to complete a takedown into half guard. Barriault on his rear. Two minutes to go.
Barriault gets to his his feet, manages to turn to face Sanchez. He thinks about a ninja choke for a seconds. Sanchez still has a grip on a leg. One minute to go. Barriault grabs a kimura grip for a second. Crowd cheering for Barriault. He jumps guard on a guillotine, loses it and eats some punches. 10-9 Sanchez.
Final result: Sanchez def. Barriault by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Macy Chiasson vs. Sarah Moras
Round 1: Chassion charges in and gets taken down into guard within about five seconds. Elbow from Moras. One minute in. Chiasson trying to bring her guard higher. Rubber guard entry into a triangle attempt two minutes in, but Moras denies it and looks for half guard. Chiasson regains guard. Moras continues to pass, settles for half guard after nearly mounting with two minutes to go.
Moras looks for the back, but winds up on the bottom. Hard left hand by Chiasson, then a series of hard strikes from half guard. Chiasson pounding away, Hammerfists, elbows, punches. Moras turns for an armbar. 10-9 Chiasson.
Round 2: Moras shoots off a Chiasson kick, eats some strikes before ending up on the bottom in half guard. Good punches by Chiasson. One minute in. Chiasson looking to free her leg and move to mount, Moras defending. Chiasson gets the pass two minutes in and simply pounds away unto the ref intervenes.
Final result: Chiasson def. Moras by TKO (punches)
135 lbs.: Vince Morales vs. Aiemann Zahabi
Round 1: Tentative start. Zahabi tries a switch kick. Lead right hand a minute in. 1-2 from Morales. Nobody’s really landed clean yet after two minutes. Zahabi steps in with a right hook that goes high. Right hand and body kick. Two minutes to go.
Morales triples up the right hand, but can’t connect. Left hand lands in combination. Zahabi tries a right cross to head kick, Morales looks to flurry in return. One minute to go. Morales pressuring, falling short with his punches. Zahabi tries a spin and follow up with a body kick. Front kick from Morales. 10-9 Zahabi.
Round 2: There are just so few clean strikes. Morales lands a right downstairs a minute in. Zahabi lands a body kick and jab. Hard counter left hook. Morales uppercut two minutes in. Not terribly scintillating despite the amount of volume. Counter right lands for Morales. Right hand to the body with two minutes to go.
Leg kick from Morales, who answers a lead right with an uppercut. He starts to open up, only to get taken down against the fence. Zahabi looks for the back as Morales stands, can’t get it and they separate. One minute to go. Morales lands a teep. 1-2. Closer round. 10-9 Zahabi.
Round 3: Morales on the advance. Body kick from Zahabi. Next one’s blocked. Spinning back fist lands for him. One minute in. Morales changes levels for a body shot, avoids a front headlock and lands an uppercut. 3-2 connects. Morales upping his volume, eats a low kick. Two minutes in. Zahabi goes back to the low kick as Morales tries to open up. Zahhabi looks for a single-leg, can’t get it. Left hook lands, then a 1-2 as Morales tries to swing back. Two minutes to go.
Nice left hook by Morales near the fence. Combination. Zahabi backs him off with a flying knee attempt. He tries to spin. Morales pressures, fights off a takedown. One minute to go. Morales digs a right downstairs in combination. He stuffs a takedown and tries to chase Zahabi down before the bell. 10-9 Morales.
Final result: Morales def. Zahabi by unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Nordine Taleb vs. Kyle Prepolec
Round 1: Taleb sending out kicks to start, mixing low and high. Taleb with a right hand, eats one in return. One minute in. Prepolec looking for the right hook. He jabs the body. Left hook by Taleb. Two minutes in. Taleb counters a low kick with a 1-2, lands one of his own. Taleb lands a straight right, eats a left hand to the body and a right hook upstairs. Two minutes to go.
ESPN+ dies again. Taleb tries a jumping switch kick, takes body shots. Prepolec looking a tad more aggressive. One minute to go. Both jab the body. Teep by Taleb and a leg kick behind it. Stiff jab catches Prepolec coming in. Snap kick from Taleb. 10-9 Taleb.
Round 2: Back to picking at each other at range. Counter 1-2 from Taleb. Prepolec tries to switch his way in and eats a right cross. One minute in. Prepolec side kick, Taleb low kick. Prepolec lands an uppercut-straight left. Taleb goes back to the lead leg as Prepolec goes to the body. Two minutes in. Prepolec blocking the high kicks, but walks into a pair of nasty counters that he takes well. Two minutes to go.
Eye poke from Taleb pauses things for a moment. Prepolec tries a tornado kick when they resume and Taleb steps in to kick off an exchange. Body kick lands for him. One minute to go. Prepolec digs a left downstairs and tries to spin. 1-2 lands for him, Taleb comes back with a low kick. Prepolec still advancing, switching stance. Prepolec tries to rush and gets cracked by a right cross on the fence. 10-9 Taleb.
Round 3: Taleb’s kicks continue to pile up. Prepolec lands a jab. One minute in. Right cross from Taleb on the lead. More kicks. Prepolec pops him with another jab as he steps in. Counter right by Taleb, another heavy leg kick. Two minutes in. Taleb with a low kick and counter jab. Another counter right. Prepolec lands a double left. Taleb answers with another leg kick. Two minutes to go.
Prepolec’s blocking the head kicks still, but Taleb continues to find success to the legs and body. Prepolec trying to get inside on the buigger man and struggling to do so. One minute to go. Prepolec switching stance after taking more leg kicks. Spinning elbow attempt. Taleb with some front kicks to the body. Another low kick buckles Prepolec, who tries to pull guard and eats punches on the way up. 10-9 Taleb.
Final result: Taleb def. Prepolec by unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Kyle Nelson vs. Matt Sayles
Round 1: Nelson counters a leg kick with a jab. Counters the next one with a combo. Right cross by Nelson, Sayles with a 1-2 downstairs, eats a 1-1-2 in return soon after. One minute in. Nelson digs a right downstairs and eats one to the head. Sayles throwing lots of leg kicks, not setting them up. Nelson cracks him with an overhand right, leg kicked as he comes in and stumbles. Nelson’s calf showing some color, but he lands another right hand. Two minutes in. Sayles with a right downstairs, takes a left hook. Sayles fakes a knee tap. Jab upstairs and he catches a head kick, coming back with a flying kick/knee attempt. Low-high jabs and a 1-2 from Sayles, then a heavy right hand clips Nelson in an awkward spot. Sayles follows him down and fires left hands. Two minutes to go.
Nelson trying for a kneebar as the hammerfists pile up. Nelson transitions to a toe hold, Sayles looking for one of his own. Hel hook attempt by Nelson. Sayles gets his leg out, takes mount, and goes back to pounding. Nelson gives up his back. Nelson makes another bid for a leg in the scramble and Sayles passes back to side control. Nasty punches and elbows by Sayles. 10-8 Sayles.
Round 2: Sayles opens with a leg kick, denies a takedown. Overhand right around the guard. Nelson lands a better takedown attempt and looks for a front choke, kicking off a scramble. Nelson still on the front headlock when they stand, lands a right hand as they separate a minute in. He fires a blocked head kick. Nelson shoots again and looks for the rear waist lock. He lands an uppercut, continues to drive and gets Sayles to his seat against the fence. Two minutes in. Nelson takes the back as Sayles tries to stand. Working on the choke with both hooks in. Two minutes to go.
Nelson gets his forearm under Sayles’ chin and puts on the squeeze. Solid hand fighting from Sayles so far. One minute to go. Body triangle for Nelson. 10-9 Nelson; would have been 10-8 if he’d landed more ground-and-pound.
Round 3: Sayles stuffs a takedown, eats an uppercut. Nelson still marching forward, shoots into a front headlock. One minute in. Sayles slings a right hand, misses and sprawls. Spinning back fist attempt from him, then a spinning elbow. Nelson lands a lead uppercut. Two minutes in. Nelson gets in deep on another attempt. Sayles manages to separate, going back to the jab and low kicks. Sayles stuffs a takedown directly into mount and locks up the arm triangle in one quick motion with two minutes to go.
Sayles putting on the squeeze, there’s the tap. Nelson’s brain doesn’t react well when the bloodflow comes back and he tries to grapple the ref for a moment.
Final result: Sayles def. Nelson by submission (arm triangle choke)
265 lbs.: Juan Adams vs. Arjan Bhullar
Round 1: Adams firing from range as Bhullar tries to close in. Good jabs and straights from the bigger man. Bhullar tries a counter right, continues getting potshot. One minute in. Good jabs from Bhullar. They tie up and Bhullar cracks him with a left hook on the break. Disengage, then back into the clinch. Bhullar exits with an uppercut. Two minutes in. Knee to the body by Bhullar. Clinch, knee from Adams and a right cross as they separate. Bhullar lands a lead right. Two minutes to go.
They trade jabs. Bhullar presses him against the fence, takes a knee and they trade lefts. Another knee from Adams. Bhullar with a knee. Adams lands another. They separate. One minute to go. Flurry from Adams. He ties up and lands knees. Another clinch and knee. Bhullar fires his own. 10-9 Adams.
Round 2: Adams throwing big to start the round, unloads a lengthy flurry and a knee inside. Jab from Bhullar, knee and right hand to the body from Adams. Brief clinch. One minute in. Bhullar cracks him with a pair of uppercuts, met by a hard 1-2. Bhullar looks for a single-leg and runs the pipe into half guard. Hard elbow by Bhullar two minutes in. Adams tries to bridge, nearly gets mounted. Bhullar’s corner screaming at him to hit Adams while he doesn’t have a mouthpiece in. Adams sweeps to his feet. Adams digs to the body in the clinch. Two minutes to go.
Bhullar reverses position on the fence and gets underhooks. Adams pushes him away and pursues with arm punches. Knee downstairs. They separate. One minute to go. Short uppercut by Adams. Bhullar puts him against the fence. Adams’ mouthpiece falls out again. Bhullar gets double unders. 10-9 Adams.
Round 3: Adams flurries, walks into an overhand right but continues to land. Bhullar briefly clinches. Bhullar jabs, Adams right hand. Bhullar takes him to the fence again. One minute in. Bhullar with an uppercut on the break. Backfist from Adams, knee, right cross and he puts Bhullar on the fence. Bhullar reverses two minutes in. Adams just outworking him right now, though they’re both exhausted. Clinch uppercut lands for Bhullar, then a light one on the break. Adams with a hard knee to the body with two minutes to go.
Adams frames and lands a glancing uppercut. Bhullar briefly gets an uppercut. He lands a knee and hits a takedown into half guard. One minute to go. Bhullar just staying heavy. 10-9 Bhullar? There were like, three cumulative hard shots that round.
Final result: Bhullar def. Adams by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Mitch Gagnon vs. Cole Smith
Round 1: Gagnon pressing forward as Smith flicks out kicks. Gagnon’s first double-leg comes 15 seconds in. Smith looking for a kimura as he defends. They pirouette for a bit. One minute in. Smith loses the grip as Gagnon works from the rear waist lock. Smith reverses into his own double-leg attempt two minutes in, completing it against the cage. Gagnon pops back up and drives his hips into the back of Smith’s head, firing an elbow on the break with two minutes to go.
Smith with a series of low kicks. One minute to go. Smith keeping him at bay so far, but Gagnon steps in for a good right cross. They clinch up. Smith takes him to the fence, knees the body. Left elbow connects as he denies an attempt to separate. More leg kicks. 10-9 Smith.
Round 2: More kicks from Smith. Gagnon tries a spinning back fist, takes more kicks. He falls short with a combo. One minute in. Gagnon just not committing to closing the distance; the counters aren’t landing. Left hand lands for Smith and an elbow to follow up. Jab exchange. Two minutes in. Gagnon looks for an elbow inside and ties up against the fence. Smith uses a Gagnon elbow attempt to take the back, quickly putting in the body triangle. Two minutes to go.
Smith fighting for the choke, can’t get it under Gagnon’s chin. Looking for a crank now, still nothing. One minute to go. Smith tries to move to mount, only for Gagnon to sweep into guard and fire elbows. 10-9 Smith.
Round 3: Gagnon looking appropriately aggressive early. ESPN+ stream constantly dying. The stream comes back to life just as Gagnon turns Smith’s legs to jelly with a vicious left hook. Gagnon jumps on him and takes mount, landing elbows before transitioning to an armbar. Smith survives and gets to his feet, only for Gagnon to jump onto an arm-in guillotine. Gagnon squeezes for his life, but Smith wriggles his way free. Gagnon transitions to an omoplata two minutes in. Smith uses the attempt to pass to the back and get his hook in against the fence. Two minutes to go.
Still looking for the choke. Smith gets it under the chin and puts in the squeeze with a minute to go. Impressive survival from Gagnon. He survives to the bell. 10-9 Smith.
Final result: Smith def. Gagnon by unanimous decision