Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns from its holiday hiatus to kick off the new year with its UFC Vegas 46 mixed martial arts (MMA) event TONIGHT (Sat., Jan. 15, 2022) from inside the UFC APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, streaming LIVE on ESPN+. Main event duties fall to featherweight title contenders Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze, who collide for a spot in the 145-pound title chase. In UFC Vegas 46’s co-headliner, heavyweight hurters Jake Collier and Chase Sherman battle for a place among the Top 15. Flyweight veterans Katlyn Chookagian and Jennifer Maia are also scheduled to appear, along with 125-pound standouts Rogerio Bontorin and Brandon Royval.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 46 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” bouts at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 7 p.m. ET.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Kattar vs. Chikadze.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Vegas 46 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action).
UFC VEGAS 46 QUICK RESULTS:
Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze — Kattar def. Chikadze by unanimous decision (50-45 x2, 50-44)
Jake Collier vs. Chase Sherman — Collier def. Sherman by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:26 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS
Rogerio Bontorin vs. Brandon Royval — Royval def. Bontorin by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia — Chookagian def. Maia by unanimous decision 30-27 x3
Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Dakota Bush —Borshchev def. Bush by TKO (body punch) at 3:47 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS
Bill Algeo vs. Joanderson Brito — Algeo def. Brito by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Jamie Pickett vs. Joseph Holmes — Pickett def. Holmes by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Court McGee — McGee def. Brahimaj by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Brian Kelleher vs. Kevin Croom — Kelleher def. Croom by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Charles Rosa vs. T.J. Brown — Brown def. Rosa by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
UFC VEGAS 46 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
145 lbs.: Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze
Round 1: Low kicks from Chikadze to start. Hard left hook to answer a Kattar low kick. Kattar jab. Continuing to pursue a minute in. Solid straight left, body kick, straight left. Body kick, straight left, head kick whiff that allows Kattar to slam him to the mat. On top in half guard. Two minutes in. Kattar staying heavy, not throwing much. Two minutes to go.
Kattar nearly takes the back as Chikadze tries to stand. Chikadze considering a guillotine, no dice. Side control for Kattar. Chikadze sweeps into guard, but Kattar uses an arm triangle setup to take the back. Full body triangle. 10-9 Kattar.
Round 2: Body kick from Chikadze, then a step-in right hook. Body shots. Body to head kick. Counter 3-2, then another straight left. One minute in. More kicks from Chikadze. 1-2. Counter right. Nice uppercut-hook from Kattar in response. Lead right. Chikadze strips throwing a left. They trade rights. Two minutes in. Trading jabs. Chikadze combo, Kattar jab. Nasty jabs from Chikadze. Kattar stings him with a right hand and tries to follow up. Check hooks by Chikadze. Liver shot. Kattar shoots, denied. Two minutes to go.
Kattar continuing to march forward. Glancing knee and left hook. Lead elbow connects. They trade right crosses. Kattar finding success with the pressure, absorbing the counters so far. One minute to go. Multiple straight lefts land for Chikadze in a row. Kattar comes back with a spinning elbow. Trading heat, huge uppercut from Kattar. Five-piece from Chikadze. Kattar hits a takedown in the waning seconds. Heavy right hands. 10-9 Kattar.
Round 3: Kattar continuing to march forward. Chikadze jabs. Kattar shoots, denied. One minute in. Elbow from Kattar against the fence. Clean 1-2. Heavy combo. Not a lot coming back from Chikadze. There’s a 2-1. Cross counter. More low kicks two minutes in. Brutal right crosses. Kattar ducks a left hook and shoots. Denied. Chikadze jab, Kattar elbow. Kattar pushing forward behind the jab. Left hook upstairs. Two minutes to go.
Big elbow by Kattar on the lead. Uppercut to the body. Advancing with jabs. Long rights behind it. Heavy counter left. Chikadze stings him, nearly throws himself off his feet trying to follow up. One minute to go. Kattar with a clubbing right. Chikadze counter 3-2. Kattar tries to load up on an elbow, eats a hard cross in the waning seconds. 10-9 Kattar.
Round 4: Trading jabs. Body kick from Chikadze, tries to go high. Kattar backs him to the fence and fires jabs. He shoots, denied. Sneaky elbow a minute in. Calf kicks by Chikadze. Swiping right. Kattar jabbing from both stances. Chikadze body shot. Kattar check hook. Uppercut to left straight. Two minutes in. Kattar looks for a single-leg, Chikadze lands strikes on one leg before separating. Lead elbow by Kattar. Two minutes to go.
Counter three-piece by Chikadze. Kattar swinging elbows. Right-left elbow combo. One minute to go. Chikdaze tries a head kick. Kattar continuing to advance and outwork him. Short-range combos by Chikadze. Trading heat. Elbow catches Chikadze throwing. They trade on the fence. 10-9 Chikadze.
Round 5: Chikadze throwing heat to start the round. Solid shots to the head. Kattar just walking through everything. Body kick by Chikadze. Kattar with a lengthy combo as he pursues along the fence. Nasty elbows by Kattar a minute in. Body kick and left hand by Chikadze. Stiff jab. Kattar 1-1-3. Big elbow. Continuing to exchange. Two minutes to go. Kattar spinning elbow attempt, Chikadze overhand right. Chikadze body and head kicks. Kattar looks for a 2-3, lands a long cross. Lead elbow. Two minutes to go.
Simultaneous kicks. 1-1-2 from Kattar. Putting together combinations. Clean straight right. Big counter right by Chikadze. Kattar rips the body. Chikadze digs to the midsection as well. Huge spinning elbow by Kattar that Chikadze walks into but somehow absorbs. One minute to go. Combo from Chikadze. Kattar with an elbow, walks into an overhand right. Trading brutal shots. Chikadze tries an axe kick and gets absolutely blasted with a series of elbows. He finally hits the deck, but manages to survive the round. Hell of a fight. 10-9 Kattar.
Final result: Kattar def. Chikadze by unanimous decision
265 lbs.: Jake Collier vs. Chase Sherman
Round 1: Collier with some nice combinations early. Nice exchange, Collier definitely getting the better of these. Sherman firing counters. Solid right hand kicks off a heavy combo. One minute in. Collier body kick. Heavy exchanges. Collier catches a kick for a takedown 80 seconds in. Full mount for Collier, dropping huge elbows. He takes the back, goes palm-to-palm with the RNC, and forces the tap.
Final result: Collier def. Sherman by submission (rear naked choke)
125 lbs.: Rogerio Bontorin vs. Brandon Royval
Round 1: Lots of feints from Royval to start. Head kick attempt. Bontorin lands a low kick and bails when Royval threatens a leglock. One minute in. Left cross lands for Royval. By far the busier of the two so far. Nice counter right. Low kick, right hand behind a jumping knee attempt. Bontorin tries a two-piece. Two minutes in. Nice spining back fist from Royval, Bontorin answers with a body lock to side control. Two minutes to go.
Royval trying to stand, regains guard. He kicks Bontorin away and stands. Royval lobbing volleys at a distance. One minute to go. Counter left lands for Bontorin, who grabs a rear waist lock and avoids a leglock attempt to take guard. Royval tries a gogoplata, no dice. Throwing off his back. Tries a granby roll, no dice, makes it to his feet. 10-9 Royval.
Round 2: Counter left from Bontorin catches Royval off-balance and lets him take top position. He avoids a triangle, denies a kneebar. Nice back take from Bontorin. One hook in. One minute in. Royval regains half guard. Full guard. Royval elbows off his back, eats a heavy shot from Bontorin as the latter postures out of a gogoplata. Two minutes in. Royval works his way back to the feet, Bontorin still attached. They separate. Nice 1-2 from Royval, stumbles on a rolled ankle and tries a spinning elbow. Bontorin drags him down and hunts the back with two minutes to go.
Royval back up, dragged back down. Inside trip from Bontorin, looks for the back. They separate with a minute to go. Trading punches. 1-2 from Royval. Low kick from Bontorin, then a counter hook that knocks Royval off-balance. Two huge counter lefts and a heavy takedown into side control. 10-9 Bontorin.
Round 3: Royval coming on aggressively. Hard counters from Bontorin. More volleys from Royval. Sneaky body shot. Bontorin catches a kick, Royval kicks him away before he can establish. One minute in. Brief clinch. They trade lefts. Bontorin blast doubles his way into guard. Avoiding a gogoplata. Deep armbar from Royval, denied. Tries to go for a leg, gives up side control attempting a sneaky elbow. Bontorin uses a whizzer to deny a standup but gets swept with two minutes to go.
Royval on top in half guard. Short punches. One minute to go. Bontorin just holding on. Elbows. Bontorin throwing off his back as well. 10-9 Royval.
Final result: Royval def. Bontorin by split decision
125 lbs.: Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia
Round 1: Maia looking for jabs, walks into a clean right cross. Trading potshots at range; Maia doesn’t have the distance down yet. One minute in. Maia 1-2, Chookagian counter left. Stiff jab and teep by Chookagian. Maia low kick. Chookagian answers in kind. Two minutes in. Maia busy with the low kicks. 2-1 by Chookagian in return. Solid counter right from Maia, but Chookagian wraps up a body lock for a takedown into half guard. Staying heavy with two minutes to go.
Shoulder pressure, no strikes at the moment. Nice pass to side control. One minute to go. Trying to set up an arm triangle, nothing doing. Can’t quite get mount. Maia scrambles up and eats a knee. 10-9 Chookagian.
Round 2: Maia looking aggressive. Back to the long-distance sniping. They trade right hands. Chookagian grabs the body lock again and takes her to the fence. Knee to the body before they separate. Body shots, jab. Maia low kick and left hand. Two minutes in. Fairly even striking battle so far this round. Swatting right by Chookagian, left to the body. Maia hauls her to the fence. They trade knees downstairs, then separate. Two minutes to go.
Maia tries a long-distance shot, eats a knee and lands a right. Chookagian low kick, Maia right cross. They exchange in the center. Chookagian overhand right, well-timed knee. One minute to go. Maia takes her to the fence. Maia tries a shoulder throw and winds up giving her back. Both hooks in for Chookagian. 10-9 Chookagian.
Round 3: 1-2 from Chookagian to start. Maia swings an overhand right as she avoids a knee. Well-timed head kick. 1-1-2 lands clean for Chookagian. Counter hook. Landing jabs a minute in. Body shots. Maia advancing but largely falling short. Chookagian catches a body kick, can’t use it. Counter 1-2 from Maia. Low-high 1-2 from Chookagian in return. Coutner knee to the body. Brief clinch, Maia lands a right on the exit two minutes in. She’s aggressive, but losing the exchanges. Chookagian continuing to control distance. Two minutes to go.
Maia counters a low kick. Jab exchange. Low-high combo from Maia. There’s a 1-2. They trade right hands upstairs. Chookagian teep. Nasty cross from Chookagian with a minute to go. Maia 1-2. She tries to tie up, Chookagian frames and separates. Chookagian with a clean jab, 1-2, another jab. Sneaky uppercut from Maia, continuing to push forward. 10-9 Chookagian.
Final result: Chookagian def. Maia by unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Dakota Bush
Round 1: Bush looking to pile up kicks at range. Nice overhand right. Heavy flurry by Borshchev, gets taken down throwing a knee. Bush on top in guard a minute in. Butterfly guard for Borshchev. Nice scramble back to his feet. Bush puts him on the fence, lands a knee on the exit two minutes in. Bush coming on strong after that knee. He tries to open up and gets wobbled by a check hook, but takes Borshchev down on jumps on his back. Borshchev slips out the back door and settles on top in guard. Two minutes to go.
Angry-looking punches from Borshchev. Knee to the body as Bush stands and he sprawls on a shot. They separate and Borshchev just annihilates him with a liver shot from Hell. Bush is in agony.
Final result: Borshchev def. Bush by TKO (body punch)
145 lbs.: Bill Algeo vs. Joanderson Brito
Round 1: Algeo light on his feet as always, looking for kicks. Brito wraps up a body lock, can’t muscle Algeo down. A double-leg does the trick. One minute in. Algeo works his way back to his feet, Brito still attached. Brito lifts him into the air and hauls him across the Octagon before slamming him down and looking for the back. One hook in. Now two. Looking for the RNC two minutes in. Algeo manages to turn into guard. Two minutes to go.
Brito spins to his knees and stands, putting Algeo on the fence. One minute to go. Algeo sprawling hard. They separate. Sneaky knee by Algeo. Right cross from Brito, who absorbs a knee as he shoots. Jab and front kick from Algeo. Think Algeo stole it late. 10-9 Algeo.
Round 2: Brito comes out throwing heat, gets stung by a counter right. Body shot by Brito into a level change. Algeo sprawling hard once gain. One minute in. Front headlock from Algeo. Good knee. Brito stuck on one knee. Hard left hand from Algeo on the break. Body kick behind it. Low kicks from Brito in return. Two minutes in. Combo from Brito, tanks the counters that come back his way. Hard 1-2s from Brito, who follows up with a level change. Algeo muscles his way into top side control with two minutes to go.
Brito gets to his feet, keeping a hand down so Algeo can’t knee him in the head. Algeo responds by stomping his hand and kneeing him elsewhere. They separate with a minute to go. Some heavy punches by Brito into another clinch. Algeo reverses. Good knee to the body. Jockeying for position. 10-9 Algeo.
Round 3: Algeo staying mobile, lands a 1-2, avoids a lengthy blitz. Brito puts him on the fence again. They separate. Stiff jab by Brito. Right cross connects. One minute in. Jab exchange. Algeo ducks a right hand to tie up. Hard exchange. Brito low kicks. Algeo comes back with a jab, then grabs a rear waist lock two minutes in. Knees to the head. Brito turns to face, stuck against the fence. Algeo lands an elbow on the break. Brito answers some arm punches with a heavy cross. Heavy low kick with two minutes to go.
Brito to the body, tries a spinning elbow. Algeo runs into some outstretched fingers, prompting a pause. Brito continuing to punish the lead leg. Left hand by Algeo. Solid counters, eats a right hand as Brito ties up. One minute to go. Nice takedown by Algeo into side control. He takes the back and starts dropping elbows. Fun fight. 10-9 Algeo.
Final result: Algeo def. Brito by unanimous decision
185 lbs.: Jamie Pickett vs. Joseph Holmes
Round 1: Pickett looking for low kicks. Holmes checks them, lands his own. Head kick just misses a minute in, right cross and body kick do not. Pickett rushes and Holmes puts him on the fence. Two minutes in. They separate. Teep and 1-2 from Holmes, again just misses with a head kick. Pickett digs a body shot and hauls him to the fence. Jockeying for position. Two minutes to go.
Pickett staying heavy on him. Browne elbows from Holmes. They separate. Holmes turns aside a takedown attempt. One minute to go. Jab lands for Pickett. Low kick from Holmes. Pickett rushes, eats a cross but lands his own. Successful takedown for Pickett. Holmes returns to his feet, lands a knee downstairs. Close round. 10-9 Holmes? Better strikes, at least.
Round 2: Pickett comes out aggressive, gets put on the fence. He counters an outside trip attempt into top position. Holmes stands and separates. More aggression from Pickett, who eats a jab. Big right cross by Holmes and he grabs the body lock a minute in. Can’t get the trip. 2-3 connects. Three-piece. Solid left by Pickett. Continuing to advance. Holmes to the body. Two minutes in. Another rush from Pickett. Holmes changes levels. Keeping Pickett against the fence. Two minutes to go.
Knee from Pickett. They separate, right hand from Pickett on the break. Counter left lands for Holmes. He puts Pickett on the fence again. One minute to go. Pickett separates, fires a body kick, looks to open up on the fence. He ties up. 10-9 Pickett.
Round 3: Pickett staying on the front foot, puts Holmes on the fence. Holmes gets a body lock, reverses, and separates. One minute in. Pickett puts him on the fence again. They separate. Quick exchange, then Pickett takes him to the fence again. Two minutes in. Holmes falls short with a 1-2. Pickett puts him on the fence again. Brief front headlock attempt. Two minutes to go.
Side kick from Pickett. Holmes not throwing anything. Pickett takes him to the fence again. Jab knocks Pickett off-balance. One minute to go. Nice elbow by Holmes. Pickett tossing out kicks, Holmes doing nothing. 10-9 Pickett.
Final result: Pickett def. Holmes by unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Court McGee
Round 1: Brahimaj lands a body kick. McGee with a right hand downstairs. Jab exchange. Left hook from Brahimaj. Liking McGee’s body jab so far. Nice left hook into a level change a minute in. McGee driving hard, can’t complete a lift. Now he gets Brahimaj to the mat and looks for half guard. Two minutes in. Brahimaj gets to his knees and stands, McGee attached. Brahimaj breaks his grip, but McGee shoots back in. Another double-leg with two minutes to go.
One hook in for McGee. Brahimaj turns to face him, lands a knee downstairs. They separate with a minute to go. Right cross from McGee, body kick behind it. More body work. They trade hands on the fence. Trading jabs. Solid overhand by McGee. Low-high combo, body kick, right cross. Huge cross floors Brahimaj right before the bell. 10-9 McGee.
Round 2: Low kick and right hand from McGee. Brahimaj changes levels and hits a double-leg. McGee pops back up, has to fight off a back take. He tanks a knee to hit his own takedown. Solid elbows a minute in. Rear waist lock, can’t secure the next takedown. Uppercut, re-shoot. Brahimaj threatens a front headlock. Two minutes in. Elbow from McGee. Solid knee by Brahimaj met by a McGee elbow. Another successful takedown from McGee. Brahimaj lands a knee to the body. Two minutes to go.
McGee keeping him stuck on the fence. They separate. Jab from McGee. Brahimaj looking a bit spent. McGee hauls him to the fence once again. One minute to go. Back to trading punches. Clean 1-2 from McGee. Brahimaj shoots, denied, lands a knee, gets hauled to the fence again. Another takedown from McGee. 10-9 McGee.
Round 3: McGee ducks a right hand for another level change. Brahimaj looking for a a guillotine as he’s taken down. Loses it. One minute in. McGee pushes him against the fence to deny a rubber guard. Another guillotine attempt, angle isn’t great. McGee pops his head free. Two minutes in. McGee taking the back. One hook in. Two minutes to go.
McGee transitions to a mounted arm triangle. The fence is in the way and he ultimately drops it. To the back. One minute to go. McGee rides it out with one hook in. 10-9 McGee.
Final result: McGee def. Brahimaj by unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Brian Kelleher vs. Kevin Croom
Round 1: Croom active early, sending out lengthy flurries and following with kicks. He ties up on the fence. Kelleher separates just under a minute in. He answers a low kick with a shifting right hook that puts Croom on his seat. Croom pops right back up, then kicks Kelleher in the family jewels. Back to the low kicks when they resume. Much busier than Kelleher so far. Two minutes in. Kelleher tries a spinning back fist. Shifting hook. Croom flurries in return. Croom staying active with the kicks. Two minutes to go.
Left hook by Kelleher as he continues to block most of what’s coming his way. He shoots, denied, avoids a knee. Croom’s low kicks are landing, at least. Nasty body shot by Kelleher. Front kick just misses. Croom goes to the body as well. One minute to go. Solid flurry upstairs. Body kick. Spinning back fist to overhand from Kelleher, who spins Croom to the mat with a single-leg. Could argue that either way. 10-9 Kelleher.
Round 2: Croom answers a missed front kick with punches. Good low-high combo. Croom still by far the more active as Kelleher tries to pick his spots. Kelleher to the body a minute in. Both look for uppercuts. Nice body kicks from Croom. Counter two-piece. Kelleher lands a check hook. Shifting hook two minutes in. Croom backs him to the fence and lands a solid cross before tying up. They separate. Two minutes to go.
Low-high 3-2 from Kelleher, then another hard left downstairs. He avoids a knee to hit a takedown, then hunts a Hermansson-style guillotine. When it’s not there, he spins to the back. Now half guard. Croom trying to stand, gets slung back to the mat. Full guard. Solid left from Kelleher. May have stolen it late. 10-9 Kelleher.
Round 3: Kelleher got cut open by an elbow late that round. He comes out hunting body shots and they trade punches until he takes Croom down again. Seatbelt grip, can’t secure back mount. One minute in. Croom gets to his feet, lands one Browne elbow before Kelleher takes him down again. Front headlock, can’t find the guillotine, shoots in for another successful double-leg two minutes in. Again looking for the back, then the front headlock as Croom stands. Knee makes Croom go back to a knee. Kelleher tries to transition from a guillotine to a d’arce. Denying Croom’s scrambling attempts. Two minutes to go.
Kelleher riding extremely well. One hook in. Keeps using the guillotine to roll Croom over. Croom isn’t letting him lock anything up but he’s stuck in this loop. Kelleher gets both hooks in and drops punches in the final seconds. Not quite enough damage for a 10-8. 10-9 Kelleher.
Final result: Kelleher def. Croom by unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Charles Rosa vs. T.J. Brown
Round 1: Brown advancing behind the jab. Solid right cross. Rosa firing calf kicks as Brown connects with right crosses. Body kick from Brown a minute in, 1-2 behind it. More Rosa low kicks. One knocks Brown over. Brown responds by snatching a rear body lock and taking him down. Single-leg transition as Rosa hunts a guillotine. Brown bails and lands an elbow. Body shot. Continuing to get his calf chewed up and he turns southpaw. Counter hook lands for Brown. Again. Rosa hasn’t landed many punches but the calf kicks are doing work for him. Two minutes to go.
Nice head kick from Rosa, who tries a Yair Rodriguez elbow. Nasty cross and left hook from Brown. A near-miss on an elbow and he follows with a takedown. Rosa looking for the guillotine, but Brown takes side control to neutralize it. Arm triangle setup from Brown. Squeezing from mount, loses it. Back to guard. Brown dives in with some punches. 10-9 Brown.
Round 2: Counter rights landing for Brown. Spinning back fist glances off. Rosa continuing to target the calf. Looping left appears to land for him. Brown times a calf kick for another takedown into side control. One minute in. Rosa turns to turtle, then uses it to sweep into top side control. Nice scramble from Brown and he’s back on top two minutes in. Looking for the arm triangle again, can’t get it from half guard. Rosa tosses up a triangle, no dice with two minutes to go.
Armbar, still nothing but he gets to his feet. Brown shoots, avoids an anaconda to land in to side control. Brief punches from turtle, snuffs out a leglock. Rosa just a step behind with all of his sub attempts so far. Elbow from Brown with a minute to go. Another arm triangle, still nothing. They swat each other from guard until the bell. 10-9 Brown.
Round 3: Brown opens with a low kick and an overhand right. Rosa looks for a guillotine and again Brown takes him down into side control. On to the back a minute in. Rosa scrambles out, then uses the threat of a guillotine to force Rosa onto his back and take half guard. Now side control. Two minutes in. Brown spins to his knees, elevates a single-leg and kicks out his base to land on top. Rosa trying to lock up an inverted triangle and gives up side control again. Brown takes mount, threatens the arm triangle, then hunts the back.
Both hooks in. Rosa manages to dislodge them and stand. Again he uses the front headlock to force Brown to his back. One minute to go. Can’t find the d’arce setup. Brown scrambles out, shoots, pulls guard again when Rosa goes for his neck. Elbows from Rosa. 10-9 Rosa.
Final result: Brown def. Rosa by unanimous decision
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