Live, blow-by-blow updates for today’s UFC Vegas 17 event in Vegas on ESPN+, which features an important welterweight headliner.
Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and full play-by-play as UFC VEGAS 17: ‘THOMPSON VS NEAL’ goes down in Las Vegas to wrap up the UFC’s 2020 schedule.
Topping this event is a five-round welterweight battle between former title challenger Stephen Thompson and rising star Geoff Neal. Legendary former WEC and UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo takes co-main honors against bantamweight contender Marlon Vera. It is truly one of the more stacked Fight Nights we’ve seen in recent times.
This is an ESPN+ show and will go down at an earlier time. The preliminary card is scheduled to start at 4pm ET/1pm PT on ESPN+. The main card is set for 7pm ET/4pm PT, and will air on ESPN+.
Jose Aldo vs. Marlon Vera
Round 1 – Front kicks from Vera. Body shot from Aldo. Low kicks from Vera. Aldo with his own kicks. Vera charges in and tries to talk Aldo down. Come on man. Aldo switches him on the fence and they reset. Aldo digs to the body. Again. Vera is shook. He fires back with a kick that’s blocked. Aldo with another leg kick. Old Aldo. Vera looks for a takedown again. Nada. Body shot and a leg kick from Aldo! 10-9 Aldo.
Round 2 – Vera with a left over the top. Aldo lands two to the body. Vera kicks high. Leg kick from Vera. Jab from Aldo. Vera with a jab to the body. Aldo responds. Jab from Aldo and he bails out. Vera with a leg kick. Aldo with a lead uppercut and two body shots. Vera gets a leg kick checked and Aldo rips him to the body again. Vera spins and lands. Then they clinch. He looks for a takedown, but come on. Aldo cracks him with the counter. Again. Vera with a good body shot in the clinch. Knees. More. Aldo with two of his own. 10-9 Aldo.
Round 3 –
Khaos Williams vs. Michel Pereira
Round 1 – Nice 1-2 and a kick to the body from Pereira. Front kick gets caught by Williams, but he can’t do anything with it. Leg kicks from both. Williams eats a front kick but lands two counter shots that rattle Pereira. Williams with the counter again. Pereira with a step-in knee. I actually thought there’d be a lot more here. 10-9 Pereira I guess.
Round 2 – Khaos with a wide left. Pereira with a nice long left. Williams pushes forward but can’t get Pereira to the ground. They break. Low kick from Williams. Nice counter right hook from Williams! Leg kicks. Williams batters him into the corner but Pereira defends. He fires back with his own shots and they’re in a brief firefight. Pereira forced the action and looks for the no hooks choke late after he spins to the back on the feet. Nothing there. 10-9 Pereira.
Round 3 – Not much goin on early. Really not much. Pereira backs in with a weird mule kick that misses. He wades in with jabs but eats a counter left. Pereira with a right hook. Pereira with a takedown. Right into side. Williams pops up and lands. Head kick from Ferreira, and a takedown. Williams can’t do much. 10-9 and 29-28 Ferreira.
Michel Pereira defeated Khaos Williams via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Marlon Moraes vs. Rob Font
Round 1 – Kicks right off, and Moraes with a takedown. Didn’t expect that. He flips over and looks for a guillotine, but Font pops out. They scramble and Font ends up on his back again. Moraes with two big shots on the ground and settles back into Font’s guard. Half. He’s popped to side, and Font uses it to get up with two minutes to go. Moraes with a hard shot, but he gets clipped right back. Moraes lands a big shot but Font lands a hard jab that staggers Moraes! Another one and Moraes does down! Font jumps on him, deftly pops out and pounds Moraes out! SO PRETTY! HOLY HELL!
Rob Font defeated Marlon Moraes via TKO (strikes), 3:47 of round 1
Marcin Tybura vs. Greg Hardy
Round 1 – Hardy presses and gets Tybura against the fence. Tybura resets. He’s doing some good distance management to stay away from Hardy’s power. Nice jab and a left. Nice counter combo from Tybura. Nice left from Hardy. The right too, he’s touching him up. Tybura scoops a single but can’t get it, and Hardy tattoos him with three big shots. And some lead elbows. Hardy looks well ahead of his previous fights on the feet. 10-9 Hardy.
Round 2 – They both land. Hardy with a right. Hardy’s speed advantage is apparent. Tybura’s got a bloody nose. He jumps in with a right hook. Both lead with jabs. Both touch the other guy. Tybura is getting ahead of Hardy. He misses with a jab. Tybura ducks a jab and looks for a takedown. He finally scoops the hips and drops Hardy. To his credit, Hardy is not flat on his back and is trying to defend, but Tybura reaches over in half and starts to land punches. Hardy doesn’t what to do and just turtles. Tybura gets position and keeps hitting him with hammerfists. Over and over. Hardy has nothing in response. The ref warns Hardy, but he’s doing nothing and it’s stopped. Nice!
Marcin Tybura defeated Greg Hardy via TKO (strikes), 4:31 of round 2
Main Card (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Stephen Thompson vs. Geoff Neal
Preliminary Card (4 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Anthony Pettis def. Alex Morono by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Pannie Kianzad def. Sijara Eubanks by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Deron Winn def. Antonio Arroyo by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Taila Santos def. Gillian Robertson by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-28)
Tafon Nchukwi def. Jamie Pickett by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)
Jimmy Flick def. Cody Durden by submission (flying triangle choke) at 3:18 of round 1
Christos Giagos def. Carlton Minus by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-28)