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Live, blow-by-blow updates for today’s UFC 246 main card from Vegas.
Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and play-by-play as UFC 246 goes down in T-Mobile Arena in Vegas.
The main event will be a welterweight contest between the returning Conor McGregor and veteran stalwart Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. The co-main is a rematch five years in the making, with former champ Holly Holm meeting Raquel Pennington.
This post will cover the first four fights on the UFC 246 main card, right up to Holm vs. Pennington.
We’ll start on Fight Pass and ESPN+ at approximately 7pm ET with two fights. The card then moves to ESPN at 8pm ET for four more bouts, then onto the main PPV card at 10pm ET. The full lineup and schedule follows. The preliminary card and main event will be covered in separate posts.
Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington
Round 1 – Slow start. Pennington jums in the with a superwoman punch. Side kicks and jabs from Holm. Pennington charges into the clinch. They stall out. 1:30 left and absolutely nothing is happening. Holly lands a few punches. They switch positions a couple of times. Pennington looking for a late takedown. 10-9 Holm I guess.
Round 2 – Holm reaches with punch and clinches again. Pennington is trying to lands some knees. They’re stalling out again though. Holm with a few punches. Pennington spins her around, but Holly gets position right back. Holm with a couple of good knees and a side kick. She clinches yet again, and the crowd is very unhappy. Pennington with a body shot, and a knee. Knee from Pennington again. Now Pennington is looking to clinch. 10-9 Holm.
Round 3 – Jab from Holm. They clinch but break quickly. Front kick from Holm. Bit of a staring contest now. Another jab from Holly. Pennington bullrushes Holm into the cage but is reversed. Side kick from Holm after the break. Holm flurries. Pennington with a left hook. Pennington with a right and they scramble a bit. Holm with some up-strikes in the cinch. The ref separates them with 55 seconds left. Holm presses with a combo. Pennington comes back. Back in the clinch. Doesn’t last long though. Pennington with a left. A knee on the break. She scores with a late left. 10-9 and 30-27 Holm.
Holly Holm defeated Raquel Pennington via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Aleksei Oleinik vs. Maurice Greene
Round 1 – Greene with a hard kick that sends Oleinik sprawling. Oleinik can’t land as he moves in. Greene just misses with a head kick. Oleinik grabs his back and drags Greene down. Greene looks for a kimura, with no success. Oleinik is in side. Oleinik looks for a neck crank, but Greene uses the cage to push off and almost secures a triangle. He looks for another. Nothing there so he scrambles to his feet. Oleinik drags him back down. Oleinik is basically in mount. Now he is. He lands an elbow and he’s looking for the Ezekiel. He steps over and secures it. Greene is holding on. Oleinik is adjusting and trying to make it tighter. Greene punching him in the face in return now! The round is almost over. Greene survives! 10-9 Oleinik.
Round 2 – Greene bringing some striking early. Side kick. Oleinik missing badly. Head kick from Greene. Oleinik get a hold of him against the cage, but Greene with a big knee and a head kick! Oleinik takes it and looks for a takedown. Both men are gassed. Takedown from Oleinik. He looks for the Exekiel again. He let it go. The crowd is restless. Greene with a kimura from the bottom. He can’t sweep though. Oleinik with a few punches. Greene gives up his arm and Oleinik is trying to stretch it out. Greene is defending with his own leg. It looks like he was going to get out, but…nope. Oleinik gets the submission win.
Aleksei Oleinik defeated Maurice Greene via submission (armbar), 4:38 of round 2
Brian Kelleher vs. Ode Osbourne
Round 1 – Osbourne crawled out of the corner, then landed a big shot right away. Quik kicks. Kelleher first back with a leg kick. Lefts for Osbourne. Kelleher clinches, scoops him up, and slams him down over by the cage. He’s landing a steady stream of punches but Osbourne has landed a couple of elbows from the bottom. Kelleher moves to half. He looks for a front choke. Osbourne was forced to tap with his leg because his arms were trapped! Wow.
Brian Kelleher defeated Ode Osbourne via submission (guillotine choke), 2:49 of round 1
Anthony Pettis vs. Diego Ferreira
Round 1 – Ferreira move forward right away. Pettis with a high cool. Pettis with a right hook. Ferreira looks for a takedown but eats a knee to the guy. Jab from Ferreira, and a head kick. They trade shots in close. Beautiful combo from Pettis. Body kick from Ferreira. Pettis with three side kicks. Nice quick right from Pettis. Ferreira clinches. Knees to the thigh. Ferreira has has hands locked, and he drags Pettis down. He’s got back mount with 2:20 to go. Pettis spins through and gets back up. Head kick from Pettis. Nice combo from Pettis. Ferreira grabs a leg again. He can’t get Pettis down this time. Ferreira with a combo and he clinches again. He gets a takedown with 30 seconds to go. He can’t do anything with it though. Pettis almost lands a kick off his back! Wow. 10-9 Ferreira.
Round 2 – Pettis with a body kick but Ferreira caught it and took him down. Back control. He only had one hook initially, but quickly secured the second. Pettis almost spins up, but Ferreira stays on him and lands some punches. Ferreira gets an arm across the chin and Pettis tapped! Not sure if it was a jaw crusher or a blood choke, but Ferriera just tapped out a former champ.
Diego Ferreira defeated Anthony Pettis via submission (rear naked choke), 1:46 of round 2