Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its return to combat sports action with the UFC Fight Island 7 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, taking place this Sat. night (Jan. 16, 2021) by way of ESPN+ and ABC from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Headlining duties fall to featherweight contenders Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar, who collide for a spot in the crowded 145-pound title chase. In the UFC Fight Island 7 co-main event, losngtime welterweight veterans Carlos Condit and Matt Brown battle for 170-pound bragging rights.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Island 7 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 12 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ and ABC main card start time at 3 p.m. ET.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Holloway vs. Kattar.” Without further delay, see below for the latest UFC Fight Island 7 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC FIGHT ISLAND 7 QUICK RESULTS:
Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar — Holloway def. Kattar by unanimous decision (50-43 x2, 50-42) — HIGHLIGHTS
Matt Brown vs. Carlos Condit — Condit def. Brown by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Li Jingliang — Li def. Ponzinibbio by KO (punch) at 4:25 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS
Alessio Di Chirico vs. Joaquin Buckley — Di Chirico def. Buckley by KO (head kick) at 2:12 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS
Punahele Soriano vs. Dusko Todorovic — Soriano def. Todorovic by TKO (punches) at 4:48 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTSPhil Hawes vs. Nassourdine Imavov CANCELED
Wu Yanan vs. Joselyne Edwards — Edwards def. Wu by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Carlos Felipe vs. Justin Tafa — Felipe def. Tafa by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
Ramazan Emeev vs. David Zawada — Emeev def. Zawada by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
Vanessa Melo vs. Sarah Moras — Melo def. Moras by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Jacob Kilburn vs. Austin Lingo — Lingo def. Kilburn by unanimous decision (30-26 x2, 30-27)
UFC FIGHT ISLAND 7 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
145 lbs.: Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar
Round 1: Kattar opens with low kicks. Holloway looks for boxing combos, eats a jab. One minute in. Kattar blocking the punches so far. He tries a cross counter, takes a right hand to the body. Holloway very active early on. Trading leg kicks. Heavy counter right by Kattar two minutes in. Jab exchange. 1-2-2, body shots by Holloway. Kattar calf kick, Holloway right hand. More low kicks by Holloway as well. Combination with two minutes to go.
Kattar lands a pair of lead rights. Holloway comes back with a straight flurry. Kattar 2-1, takes a body shot and 1-2. Holloway with a knee to right hand. Kattar calf kick, heavy rights by Holloway force Kattar back. One minute to go. Holloway getting the better of the boxing exchanges as the round progresses. Good spinning back kick, 1-2 downstairs, spinning back kick, 1-2. Kattar comes back with a right cross and calf kick. Holloway tries another spin. 10-9 Holloway.
Round 2: Trading punches in the center. Holloway with the volume and aggression so far. Jab to body shot. Combinations upstairs. Good left hook by Kattar. One minute in. More body work by Holloway, knee to right hand. Jab exchange. 1-2. Kattar’s just getting outworked so far. He slips after throwing a calf kick. There’s a 1-2. Big counter right by Kattar. Two minutes in. Spinning back kick from Holloway met by a front kick attempt. He’s mixing up his body and head attacks well. There’s a nice connect for Kattar. Calf kick. Holloway goes low-high. Lengthy combo from Holloway. Two minutes to go.
Kattar tries a head kick, eats a right hand and knee to the body. Front kick downstairs. More body work from Holloway, then a vicious elbow that hurts Kattar. Holloway tries to polish him off with a barrage, cannot do so. Now another big elbow sneaks in. Kattar stuck against the fence, manages to weather the onslaught once again. Another elbow from Holloway on the break. 1-2, elbow. Head kick at the bell. 10-8 Holloway.
Round 3: Right back to trading in the center. Lead right lands for Kattar. Holloway tries a spinning back fist. More combination work, right hand to the body. 3-2. Another elbow and a lengthy combo. Kattar ties up, gets pressed against the fence. One minute in. They separate, trading strikes. Hard uppercut stings Holloway in return. Back to trading heat. Two minutes in. High-low 3-2 from Holloway, body kick, shovel hook splits the guard. Fake knee to right cross. Big 1-2 by Kattar in return. Holloway with another sequence of straight punches. Low kicks, straight left. Body shots with two minutes to go.
Kattar tries a left hook and uppercut. Pull-back right just misses. Holloway answers with combinations. One minute to go. 3-2, left hands against the guard. Hard body shots. Jabs upstairs. Left hook, then one to the body. Right to the body as well. 1-2, body shot. 1-1-2. Beautiful work by Holloway to end the round. 10-9 Holloway.
Round 4: Holloway continuing to punish the head and body. Right hands landing downstairs. Kattar falling short with his punches as Holloway takes him apart. One minute in. Holloway just tearing up his body. Hard left hook lands for Kattar, Holloway shrugs it off. Crunching liver shot by Holloway met by a stiff Kattar jab. Lengthy Holloway combo, walks through a right cross. More body shots. Elbow, body shots, elbow. Right hands upstairs and Kattar is still throwing back but Max Holloway is beating the living shit out of him. Kattar’s legs are gone. He’s still doing everything in his bower to throw back and he’s even landing but he just can’t hurt Holloway. Holloway is brutalizing him with two minutes to go.
Elbow again. Holloway threatens a takedown. Hard right hand, knee. Cross counter by Kattar, eats body shots. Good right cross by Kattar. Spinning elbow attempt. Holloway with a spinning back kick. Sneaky head kick connects, then a cartwheel kick attempt. Another spinning back kick. 10-7 Holloway.
Round 5: More body shots by Holloway. Counter left. High-low 3-2. Check hook. Another right to the body. One minute in. Lengthy combination forces Kattar back. Right to the body. More high-low work. Crushing pair of right straights. Body shot. 1-2, body shot. Two minutes in. Left hook. They can stop this whenever. Holloway laughs off a clean three-piece. Spinning back kick lands for him. Glancing head kick. 1-2. Body shots. Two minutes to go.
More body shots. 1-1-2. Holloway blasting him, talking to the commentary booth, and trash-talking Kattar at the same time. One minute to go. Holloway is taking him apart and there is nothing Kattar can do about it. Big right hand by Holloway. Counter jab. Kattar right cross. Holloway low kicks. 10-8 Holloway.
Final result: Holloway def. Kattar by unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Matt Brown vs. Carlos Condit
Round 1: Condit sending out kicks early on. Calf kick connects. Brown grabs a body lock and takes Condit down against the fence. Brown on top in half guard a minute in. Condit regains guard as Brown stays tight. Short elbows two minutes in. Condit landing punches off of his back. Brown continuing to grind. Two minutes to go.
Back to half guard. Condit tries to spin for a triangle as he regains guard. Brown postures out of his high guard, lands an elbow. One minute to go. Now Condit uses the fence to hit a switch. Brown rolls for a kneebar, eats shots. 10-9 Brown.
Round 2: Condit looking for head kicks, clips Brown with a right hand as he flurries. Brown comes back with a nasty level elbow. Condit lands a low kick after having a head kick blocked. More kicks, one to the body connects. Well-timed level change by Brown, can’t finish it a minute in. Condit slips as he takes a body kick. Brown shoots again, lands a couple hard body knees. Condit comes back with a combination. Another clinch knee by Brown. Condit tries a whizzer throw, still stuck on the fence two minutes in. Elbow from Brown on the break. Good combo by Condit, who hits a sneaky trip to bring Brown down. He continues the scramble with a single-leg to land on top in guard. Two minutes to go.
Good elbow from Condit, chipping away with short shots. On to half guard. One minute to go. Brown regains guard. Condit continuing to do damage from the top. 10-9 Condit.
Round 3: Condit opens the round with a low blow. Brown doesn’t take long to recover. Condit sends out combos, denies a shot. Again. Sneaky foot sweep by Brown, follows up with a good right cross into a shot. Condit spins to his back a minute in and gets both hooks in. He loses the hooks, back to turtle. He turns into side control against the fence. Now the back. Brown manages to turn and look for his own takedown with two minutes to go.
Condit landing Browne elbows as he defends, loses his grip on a kimura and ends up on his back, looking for a triangle. Brown escapes and sets up in guard. Condit scrambles up with the cage with a minute to go. Hard elbow into his own double-leg, but Brown rolls through to land on top and slams home elbows. Condit tries the switch at the bell. 10-9 Condit.
Final result: Condit def. Brown by unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Li Jingliang
Round 1: Ponzinibbio tries an early low kick. Both men tentative in the first minute. Counter hook from Li. 2-3. Staying busy with the left hand. Low kicks. Two minutes in. Low kick from Ponzinibbio. He’s yet to land a noteworthy punch. Li tries a front kick, eats a leg kick. More leg kicks. Two minutes to go.
Li with a low kick to right hand. Lunging hook glances off. Ponzinibbio with a stiff jab, eats a leg kick in return. Li sending out more kicks. One minute to go. Low kick to left hook. Ponzinibbio finally commits to an exchange and gets absolutely destroyed by a left hook, spoiling his long-awaited return to the cage.
Final result: Li def. Ponzinibbio by KO (punch)
185 lbs.: Alessio Di Chirico vs. Joaquin Buckley
Round 1: Di Chirico tries an early body kick. Front kick. Buckley marching after him, looking for left hands as Di Chirico picks at him. Good low kicks from the Italian. Nice counter right. One minute in. Buckley tries to leap in with haymakers. Left to the body met by a Di Chirico right hand. Knee lands for him two minutes in, then he crushes Buckley with a head kick that catches him charging in.
Final result: Di Chirico def. Buckley by KO (head kick)
185 lbs.: Punahele Soriano vs. Dusko Todorovic
Round 1: Todorovic fires a front kick, just avoids a 1-2. Knees inside. Soriano eats a body kick after missing a head kick. Counter left hand. Jabs from Todorovic, rapid exchange. One minute in. Good left hand by Todorovic in combination. Hard body kick. Soriano head kick falls short. Big left hand lands for Soriano, then another left in the clinch. Two minutes in. Soriano advancing, brief clinch. Todorovic lands a 1-2 and backs away from a flurry. Soriano lands a knee in the clinch and they trade. Two minutes to go.
Short knee by Todorovic. Soriano 1-2. Todorovic lands a combo, then gets floored by a 1-2 and badly hurt with a follow-up. Todorovic somehow manages to survive and wrap Soriano up in guard. Todorovic manages to stand, then gets crushed by another series of left hands. Soriano lets him up and they pause to give Todorovic his mouthpiece back. Soriano back on the attack when they resume, sends him down with another combo for the finish.
Final result: Soriano def. Todorovic by TKO (punches)
?185 lbs.: Phil Hawes vs. Nassourdine Imavov
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Final result:
135 lbs.: Wu Yanan vs. Joselyne Edwards
Round 1: Low kicks from Wu to start. Edwards looks for counters. Good left hook by Edwards prompts Wu to tie up and take her down into guard a minute in. Edwards looking for an armbar. She’s got her legs in position, trying to break Wu’s grip. Two minutes in. Wu stacking, holding onto her own bicep. Wu lifts her, puts her back down without slamming. Two minutes to go.
We manages to work her elbow free and start dropping ground-and-pound, absorbing an upkick in the process. Wu looks for a kimura, then attempts a back take with a minute to go. Edwards wins the scramble and ends up on top, pounding from mount and then taking the back. Wu turns into guard in the waning seconds. 10-9 Edwards.
Round 2: Early kicks from Edwards. Wu with a body kick and left hook. Edwards appears to take a finger in the eye and retreats to the fence. Trading side kicks, Wu with a right hand into the clinch a minute in. They separate. Hard right hand by Wu, backs away from a combo and lands a side kick. Edwards with a flurry in return. Wu gets another body lock for an outside reap, but ends up on the bottom in guard. Edwards stands over her and drops hard punches as Wu works to her feet two minutes in. Hard shots on the break by Edwards. Two minutes to go.
The ESPN+ broadcast breaks for about 10 seconds, then Edwards sprints after Wu and slips. An upkick knocks Wu back before she can capitalize and they return to the feet. Neither lands as they exchange. One minute to go. Edwards tries a reactive shot, eats a knee. Body kick from Wu, avoids a spinning back fist. Edwards with some nice flurries. 10-9 Edwards.
Round 3: Edwards side kick met by a 1-2. Nice spinning back kick. Wu with a knee in the clinch that’s met by a right hand on the exit. One minute in. Quick exchange. Trading in the center. Good trade, Wu lands a hard left hook. Edwards shoots, denied. Flurry attempts. Two minutes in. 1-2 downstairs. Leg kick. Wu tries a quick combination, absorbs another low kick and body kick. Edwards tries to spin. Two minutes to go.
Wu lands a sharp 1-2. Edwards body shots, running after Wu. Body kicks. Wu with a two-piece upstairs. Leg kick connects. One minute to go. Wu straight right, Edwards blitzes in return. Both throwing, neither landing. Wu denies a takedown with an overhook and lands on the break. Closer round. 109 Wu by a hair.
Final result: Edwards def. Wu by unanimous decision
265 lbs.: Carlos Felipe vs. Justin Tafa
Round 1: Both men feinting early. They trade low kicks. Felipe with a 1-2 downstairs, eats another low kick. Both whiff with right hands a minute in. Heavy body kick lands for Tafa, then another, met by a leg kick. Felipe looking for 1-2s. Hard body kick again by Tafa two minutes in. He tries a counter right, takes a body kick. The low kicks are bothering Felipe. Felipe combo falls short. Two minutes to go.
Tafa body kick and low kick, takes an eye poke. Another body kick, another leg kick. Felipe straight right, next one falls short. Straight left by Tafa. Another low kick stumbles Felipe. One minute to go. Good Tafa straight left. Both fire right hands. Felipe coming on more aggressively as Tafa continues to land kicks. Tafa straight left and right hook. 10-9 Tafa.
Round 2: Back to trading. Felipe looking aggressive, lands to the body, eats a jab. Tafa low kick and left hand. Felipe to the body a minute in. Tafa leg kick. Felipe 1-2, level change easily denied. Tafa rips a body shot and tries to follow up with an uppercut. Overhand right lands for Felipe, Tafa waves him on. Hard Tafa body kick. Two minutes in. Tafa 1-2. Again. Leg kick, jabs. Quick exchange, both land hard. Tafa body kick to uppercut to right hook. Felipe warned for keeping his fingers outstretched. Two minutes to go.
Felipe with a right to the body, then to the head and he looks to open up on the fence. Tafa tries to tie up, denies a level change. Felipe to the body in the clinch. One minute to go. Nice knee by Tafa. Felipe separates. 1-2 connects. Uppercut met by a Tafa left hand. Hard exchanges in the center. Tafa body shot, Felipe right hands. What a slugfest at the end. 10-9 Felipe.
Round 3: Overhand right lands for Felipe. Tafa comes back with a body shot. Felipe body kick, eats a straight left. Tafa ties up after taking a body shot, quick separation. One minute in. Tafa answers a body shot with an elbow. Nasty Felipe body shots. Tafa rips the body in return. Forehead to forehead. Both tear up the body. Felipe 1-2s, then he takes a finger in the eye. Not a long recovery period. Back to the point-blank slugging. Two minutes in. Nice body shots from both. Tafa ducks a right hand and hauls Felipe to the fence. Short body shots from Tafa in the fence. Two minutes to go.
They trade on the break, Felipe to the body. Sneaky Tafa elbow answered in kind. Tafa hits a takedown, can’t establish. Pressing Felipe against the fence. Felipe separates after taking more body shots. Brutal exchanges in the center. Felipe tries one final right. 10-9 Tafa.
Final result: Felipe def. Tafa by split decision
170 lbs.: Ramazan Emeev vs. David Zawada
Round 1: Emeev lands an awkward low kick to left hand. Zawada with some nice shots in teh clinch, blasted by a right hand. Zawada jabs, Emeev counter right. Low kick from Zawada. One minute in. Emeev with an up-jab. More clinch violence, Zawada calf kick. Emeev tries a combo, falls short. Nice reactive body lock takedown by Emeev. Zawada stands and separates two minutes in. Good underhooks to stop the next shot, more clinch blows. Hard knee upstairs. Emeev reverses on the fence. Zawada trying to separate, taken down throwing a knee with two minutes to go.
Emeev on top in guard. Now half guard. Zawada looking for a kimura. Emeev gets his arm out and tears into Zawada as he stands. Emeev tries the Yair Rodriguez reverse elbow with a minute to go. Jab by Emeev. Good leg kick by Zawada. Emeev left hook, Zawada low kick. Close. 10-9 Emeev.
Round 2: Heavy low kick visibly stings Emeev, who hits a nice reactive shot into guard. One minute in. Emeev stands over him, eats an upkick, lands a right hand. He chases Zawada down and ties up against the fence as he stands. They separate after some knees from Zawada. Another leg kick lands for him. Two minutes in. Zawada combos fall short. Nice right cross. Lead right by Emeev. Emeev changes levels, eats uppercuts on the break. Emeev right hand answers a leg kick. Two minutes to go.
More hard shots by Zawada on the break, heavy elbow lands from Emeev in return. Zawada tries a jumping knee. Emeev 2-3. Zawada with a left hook to low kick, eats a right hand. Anotehr Zawada leg kick. One minute to go. Emeev right hand. Zawada stops a takedown, lands on the break. Emeev gets in deep with a reactive shot and takes him to the fence. Fun fight so far. 10-9 Zawada.
Round 3: Emeev follows a right hand with a double-leg for a takedown in the first few seconds. Zawada threatens a triangle, eats a diving right hand. That one reopened Zawada’s cut. One minute in. Half guard for Emeev and Zawada turns to his knees. Emeev holding onto the front headlock as Zawada looks for his own takedown attempt. Emeev surrenders it, looking for a Japanese necktie, but ends up on the bottom in side control. Two minutes in. Now mount for Zawada. Emeev avoids a back take and sweeps into guard. Zawada stands and separates with two minutes to go.
Emeev counter right, Zawada low kick. They trade left hands. Emeev low kick and left hook. One minute to go. 2-1 from Zawada, eats a counter. Emeev lands a counter right and takes him to the fence for a moment. They trade. Leg kick from Zawada. Final exchange. 10-9 Emeev and it’ll be close.
Final result: Emeev def. Zawada by split decision
135 lbs.: Vanessa Melo vs. Sarah Moras
Round 1: Moras circling, lands a leg kick. Right hand lands for Melo. Low-high double hook. 1-2 to the body. Counter right after avoiding a 1-2. Body shot. Moras sending out jabs but they’re falling short. One minute in. Melo continuing to pursue and land punches as Moras picks at her leg. Two minutes in. Moras jabs, leg kick. Melo with an inside low kick of her own. Counters fall short. Jab from Moras, eats a left hook with two minutes to go.
Moras leg kick. Melo’s punches falling short, while Moras lands a combo. One minute to go. Melo body shot met by a straight left. More jabs from Moras as she circles. Melo lands a 1-2. Moras with a 1-2-1. 10-9 Moras.
Round 2: Melo’s largely ineffectual pursuit continues. There’s a cross counter. Combination lands for her, then they pause to get Moras’ mouthpiece back in. More low kicks from Moras. One minute in. Melo answers a body kick with a hard right hand. Cross counter. Moras with a right cross, still circling. Overhand left from Melo. Two minutes in. Moras leg kick. Hard straight left comes back at her. Heavy right hand from Melo as they exchange. Moras’ output has dropped. Two minutes to go.
Moras leg kick. Melo catches her circling with a right cross. 1-2 to the body. One minute to go. Now a stiff jab by Moras and both swing right hands. She shoots, denied, unable to pull guard. Melo lands a left hook. 10-9 Melo.
Round 3: The chase continues. Both falling short with their punches. One minute in. Counter left from Melo. Right cross as Moras falls short with noncommittal jabs. Now one lands two minutes in. Melo landing counters. Moras leg kick. Melo digs a left hook to the body. Two minutes to go.
More Moras jabs. Melo with a counter right. She answers a low kick with a 1-2. Now a nice right hand by Moras. One minute to go. Leg kick. They trade right hands. Good counter by Melo, answers a low kick with a left hook. God that was awful. 10-9 Melo? I guess?
Final result: Melo def. Moras by unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Jacob Kilburn vs. Austin Lingo
Round 1: Solid 2-3-3 from Kilburn, who gets floored by a 1-2 in return. Hard knee by Lingo after Kilburn stands and ties up. Stiff jab by Lingo into the clinch. They separate. One minute in. Lingo continuing to pressure, stuffs a takedown. More stiff jabs and another right hand buckles Kilburn. Lingo stuffs a takedown, blasts him with another right hand. 1-1-2. Kilburn wobbling along the cage but somehow surviving. He changes levels for a single-leg. Lingo defending against the fence with a guillotine grip. He gets his leg out and separates, blocking a head kick and coming back with a short left hook. Heavy exchange on the fence. Nasty body shot by Lingo. Two minutes to go.
Low kick connects. Kilburn changes levels, gets taken to the fence. They separate. Quick exchange. Lingo low kick with a minute to go. Hard right cross. 1-1-2-3. Kilburn tries a head kick behind a combo, then lands a low blow. When they resume, Kilburn clips him with a spinning back fist. 10-9 Lingo.
Round 2: Lingo lands another good cross during the opening exchange. Low-high 2-3. Now to the head. Kilburn responds with a well-timed double-leg, looking for side control. They return to their feet a minute in. More right hands by Lingo. Huge left hook prompts another shot by Kilburn, denied. Lingo continuing to pressure, long 1-2. They trade low kicks. Kilburn ducks a 1-2, denied with underhooks. Lingo tries his own outside trip two minutes in. Another 1-2 after they separate. Kilburn ducks a left hook, again Lingo gets the underhooks in. Lingo answers a low kick with a left hook. Two minutes to go.
Lingo puts him on the fence. Back to the center. Kilburn again shoots under a left hook, but good balance by Lingo to pop back up. One minute to go. Low-high combo by Lingo, who hits his own takedown as Kilburn looks for a guillotine. Kilburn makes it to his feet and tries a head kick, then spins and shoots. 10-9 Lingo.
Round 3: Early right hand by Lingo. Kilburn fires a flurry, shoots, tries to hip toss Lingo to the mat and grabs a kimura grip when Lingo lands on top. One minute in. Stalled out on the ground as Lingo hods onto that kimura grip. Now Kilburn manages to sweep with it, but Lingo scrambles out. Rapid exchange two minutes in but Lingo puts him on the fence. More trading, neither landing clean. Two minutes to go.
1-2 from Lingo, stiff jab. Kilburn tries a head kick as he gives ground. Lingo limp-legs out of a low single. One minute in. Another cracking right cross by Lingo. Kilburn leg kick. Kilburn lands a left hook as Lingo presses forward. Bigger hook by Lingo. Kilburn with a late shot, can’t get it. 10-9 Lingo.
Final result: Lingo def. Kilburn by unanimous decision