Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Live, blow-by-blow updates for today’s UFC event in Vancouver, which features a lightweight fight as the headliner.
Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and play-by-play as UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Gaethje goes down in my hometown of Vancouver, BC.
The headliner comes in the lightweight division and has fireworks written all over it as Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone takes on perennial FOTY contender Justin Gaethje. The co-main will see veteran contender Glover Teixeira meeting Nikita Krylov.
We’re still adjusting to the new schedule the promotion is using for ESPN+ broadcasts, and this one is a little earlier than normal. The six-fight preliminary card starts at 5pm ET/2pm PT on ESPN+, while the five-fight main card will kick off at 8pm ET/5pm PT on ESPN+.
Check out this week’s MMA Vivisection for predictions, analysis and betting odds on the each matchup.
Glover Teixeira vs. Nikita Krylov
Round 1 – Leg kick from Krylov. Body kick. Inside leg kick. Again. Glover catches a kick and takes Krylov down. Glover takes is back and looks to flatten him out. Krylov turtles and eats punches. He’s up a bit high. Krylov scoots around to Teixeira’s back and sinks a choke! Teixeira escapes! They back to their feet. Teixeira staggers Krylov with a punch. Krylov fires back. 10-9 Teixeira.
Round 2 – Body kick from Krylov. Jab. They trade shots. Teixeira with a right cross. He has a takedown attempt stuffed. Krylov with a right hook. Leg kick. Glover fires back. He catches a kick but can’t get a takedown. Teixeira begs for action. He lands a body shot. Teixeira shoots again, but is rebuffed. Krylov with a takedown against the cage. 10-9 Krylov.
Round 3 –
Round 1 – Slow start. Duggee presses with punches, but Hughes circles out. Duffee shoots and gets a trip takedown, albeit briefly. They separate and trade shots. Duffee gets him against the cage and lands a few rights. Knees from Hughes in the clinch. Back at range. Hughes lands a left and cuts Duffee. Duffee drops Hughes with a right! He’s back up and Duffee shoots, without success. They reset in the middle. Jab and a head kick from Hughes. Duffee presses again and hurts Hughes! He’s back up but wobby. Duffee with two uppercuts. Hughes is covering up and clinches. They separate but Duffee gets poked in the eye in the process. Duffee says he’s seeing double. The doc is in, and he’s still saying the same thing (while pulling his shorts down a bit – not sure why). The ref waves off the fight.
Todd Duffee and Jeff Hughes go to a No Contest, 4:03 of round 1
Michel Pereira vs. Tristan Connelly
Round 1 – Connelly pressing. Pereira did a front flip and totally went over the top of Connelly with a flying knee! Holy hell. Connelly ties him up and looks for a takedown. Pereira separates but eats a left hook. Cartwheel kick from Pereira. Body shot from Pereira. He’s spinning and throws a flying knee. Connelly takes it. Takedown from Pereira. Pereira stands up and does a back flip into…nothing. Connelly gets up and pins Pereira to the floor. Connelly mounts! Pereira scoots back up. Connelly is pressing on the feet. Pereira looks tired. Left from Connelly. He drops for a guillotine. 10-9 Connelly.
Round 2 – Head kick from Connelly. Body shot from Pereira. Again. Connelly shoots but gets stuffed. Connelly with a right back at range. Hard knee from Pereira. Connelly presses and lands two rights. Knee from Pereira again. Connelly is bringing it. Pereira sloppily shoots and gets nowhere. The next one is better though, and Connelly is on his back. Connelly almost scoots but can’t. Pereira is controlling position but not much else. 10-9 Connelly.
Round 3 – Left and leg kick from Connelly. Pereira shoots but gets stuffed. Connelly rolls for a guillotine! It’s tight but Pereira flops like a fish and somehow gets out. Connelly pressing with strikes. He stuffs a takedown and ends up on top. Connelly almost mounts but settles for dominant half. Left hands land. Pereira is flat on his back with nothing for Connelly. Knees to the body. Body shots. Dominant round. 10-9 and 29-28 Connelly.
Tristan Connelly defeated Michel Pereira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
Uriah Hall vs. Antonio Carlos Junior
Round 1 – Hall steps up with jabs right away. Nice right cross. ACJ shoots. but Hall fights his takedown attempt off. Until he doesn’t. He’s high on Hall’s back with Hall standing. Carlos is bleeding a bunch already. Body lock for Carlos, human backpack style. His nose is sideways. They stall out a bit. Hall scoots away. Hall touches him up immediately. Carlos shoots but can’t get a takedown. Nice right over the top from Hall. Jabs from Hall are landing at will. Leg kick from Carlos and he lands a nice right hook. He gets a takedown. Hard elbow. 10-9 Hall.
Round 2 – Hall back to the jab. He misses bad with a right but defends a takedown attempt off of that. Jab and a left hook from Hall. He jumps in on a takedown attempt. Hall finally reverses and drops Carlos with a right! He’s landing big shots but Carlos is attempting to attack from the bottom, so Hall lets him up. Carlos immediately shoots. He gets a brief takedown, then tries to climb his back again. They separate. Hall lands a jab and and a kick. 10-9 Hall.
Round 3 – Hall with a hard jab and he spins. Carlos drags him down. He’s on the bottom with a body triangle. The crowd doesn’t like it but they stay there for a while. Hall can’t escape and Carlos is doing enough to keep the spot. The crowd is chanting “stand them up” but there’s no reason to. The whole round goes by there. 10-9 Carlos, but 29-28 Hall on my card.
Uriah Hall defeated Antonio Carlos Junior via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Round 1 – Kicks from both men right away. Cirkunov takes Crute down off of a kick. Nice. He works from half. He passes to side. He looks to mount but Crute scoots him back to half. Back to side, just like that. He’s trying to set up a crucifix, but Cirkunov can’t trap an arm. Mount. Crute explodes out and gets back up. They scramble. Crute ends up in top position and Cirkunov is bleeding. Crute pounds away and Cirkunov is covering up! He sweeps! He’s on top with a guillotine attempt! Mount and he’s cranking! Tap! That was beautiful!
Misha Cirkonov defeated Jim Crute via submission (Peruvian necktie), 3:38 of round 1
Main Card (8pm ET)
Donald Cerrone vs. Justin Gaethje
Preliminary Card (5pm ET)
Augusto Sakai def. Marcin Tybura by KO (punches) at :59 of round 1
Miles Johns def. Cole Smith by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
Hunter Azure def. Brad Katona by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Chas Skelly def. Jordan Griffin by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Louis Smolka def. Ryan McDonald by TKO (punches) at 4:43 of round 1
Austin Hubbard def. Kyle Prepolec by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)