Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Live, blow-by-blow updates for today’s UFC 243 preliminary card from Melbourne.
Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and play-by-play as UFC 243 goes down in Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
The main event will be a UFC middleweight title unification bout between full champ Robert Whittaker and interim champ Israel Adesanya. The co-main will come in the lightweight division, with Al Iaquinta taking on Dan Hooker.
The featured prelim comes at welterweight, with Jake Matthews meeting Rostem Akman.
This post will cover the preliminary card.
The show is in Australia, but we’re running at regular North American times. We’ll start on Fight Pass at approximately 6:45pm ET with two fights. The card then moves to ESPN2 at 8pm ET for four more bouts, then onto the main PPV card at 10pm ET. The full lineup and schedule follows. The main card will be covered in a separate post.
Check out this week’s MMA Vivisection for predictions, analysis and betting odds on the each matchup.
Jamie Mullarkey vs. Brad Riddell
Round 1 –
Megan Anderson vs. Zarah Fairn
Round 1 – Fairn presses with strikes immediately. Anderson spins her around against the cage. Anderson gets a body lock but can’t get Fairn to the floor. This time it works. She steps over into a partial mount against the cage. She slides up on the legs to secure full mount. Fairn can’t buck her off. Anderson lands a few punches. Now she’s postured up and lands a few more punches. Fairn is cut from an elbow. Another elbow. Fairn powers her way up but she’s in a triangle. Anderson dumps her to the side, still in the submission, and gets the tap.
Megan Anderson defeated Zarah Fairn via submission (triangle choke), 3:57 of round 1
Round 1 – Kassem goes to touch gloves but throws a kick. Kim clubs her with a left hook and drops her! She deserved that. She’s back up though and they reset. Kim with a body kick, Kassem with a left. They clinch. Elbow from Kassem. She looks for a trip and can’t get it, so she hit a throw instead. She’s working from the top. Kim looking to upkick and she’s up. Kassem with a right as they separate. Kim lands a hard left, and a right counter. Kassem lands a couple of kicks. Kim with a combo. Kassem with a hard shot. Kim with a counter right off a kick. Front kick from Kassem. Inside leg kick from Kassem. Kassem with a combo. Leg kick as well. Kassem lads a knee inside. They trade knees in the clinch. 10-9 Kassem.
Round 2 – Kassem eats a right as she throws a kick. They trade in the pocket. Front kick to the body from Kassem. Slower pace this round. Side kick from Kassem and she misses with a spinning back fist. Kim lands with both hands. They throw some weak kicks. Kim with a combo and Kassem’s mouthpiece came out. The ref stops it right away, while Kim is still attacking, and puts it in before resetting them. Not a good call. They get back to brawling though. Kim gets the best of it. Front kicks to the body from Kassem. Kim wades into range with a combo. Hard right from Kim. Another combo. Kassem is circling. Kim all over her! Kassem isn’t defending but the ref lets it go, and she puts her hands back up. She’s turning away from a ton of punches. Finally Kim goes to the body with two vicious body shots and Kassem collapses. It’s over!
Ji Yeon Kim defeated Nadia Kassem via TKO (body shots), 4:59 of round 2
Round 1 – Bit of feinting to start. Low kick from Silva. Both are switching stances. Taha misses with a leg kick. They trade big shots and Silva goes down via a Taha left hook. He’s up right away and clinches though. They trade light knees. They separate. Silva lands to the body. Taha with a body kick. Silva lands a right. Taha lands a counter, then just misses with a right hook. Body kick from Silva, and he lands to the body. Huge right hook from Taha. Silva takes it, but lands a cup check. Cornuts cam confirms a grazing shot. Low kick from Silva on the restart, and he wrestles. Taha defends. Another low blow on Taha, this time a knee. Yikes. He’s in a lot of pain this time. No point taken again. Taha takes about two minutes and restarts. He lands a body kick as Silva spins. He looks fo a late takedown but couldn’t get it. 10-9 Taha.
Round 2 – Immediate body kick from Silva. Taha drops Silva with a shot! He JUST missed with a totally illegal kick on the ground. Silva gets up and backs off. He charges in for a single-leg and eventually drags Taha to the mat a minute in. Silva postures up in full guard and lands a few punches. Taha with an upick but Silva uses it to pass to side. He goes back to half on his own. Weird. He lands a few shots here and there but not a lot happening. Taha lands a partial upkick. Knee to the body from Silva. Taha squirms to his knees, but Silva controls with a front headlock. Knee to the body from Silva again. 10-9 Silva.
Round 3 – Low kick from Taha. Silva gets a body lock and a takedown. Taha scoots to his feet quickly this time though. Silva holds him against the fence. Taha with a knee on the inside. Taha looks for his own takedown but there’s nothing there. They spin around and separate. Taha with a kick and a right cross. Silva with a counter shot and he shoots. Taha stuffs him and lands big elbows and punches. He’s on Silva’s back. He sinks a hook. Silva spins around and Taha immediately secures an arm-triangle choke. It’s in deep, and Silva taps!
Khalid Taha defeated Bruno Silva via submission (arm-triangle choke), 3:00 of round 3
Undercard (ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET)
Jake Matthews vs. Rostem Akman