Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to its APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the UFC Vegas 73 mixed martial arts (MMA) event TONIGHT (Sat., May 20, 2023), streaming LIVE on ESPN+. UFC Vegas 73 will be headlined by the 115-pound showdown between Top 15-ranked strawweight contenders Mackenzie Dern and Angela Hill. Before that five-round clash of styles gets underway, middleweight up-and-comers Anthony Hernandez and Edmen Shahbazyan collide in UFC Vegas 73’s co-main event. Elsewhere on the card, lightweight veterans Diego Ferreira and Michael Johnson hook ‘em up at 155 pounds.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 73 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 7 p.m. ET. Bet on all the UFC Vegas 73 action with our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook right here.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Dern vs. Hill.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Vegas 73 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action).
UFC VEGAS 73 QUICK RESULTS:
Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill — Dern def. Hill by unanimous decision (49-43, 49-44 x2)
Anthony Hernandez vs. Edmen Shahbazyan — Hernandez def. Shahbazyan by TKO (punches and elbows) at 1:01 of Round Three — HIGHLIGHTS
Emily Ducote vs. Loopy Godinez — Godinez def. Ducote by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Joaquin Buckley vs. Andre Fialho — Buckley def. Fialho by KO (head kick) at 4:15 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS
Diego Ferreira vs. Michael Johnson — Ferreira def. Johnson by KO (punch) at 1:50 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS
Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Hayisaer Maheshate — Borshchev def. Maheshate by TKO (punches) at 2:37 of Round Two
Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz — Kowalkiewicz def. Demopoulos by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Orion Cosce vs. Gilbert Urbina — Urbina def. Cosce by TKO (body kick and punches) at 2:55 of Round Two
Ilir Latifi vs. Rodrigo Nascimento — Nascimento def. Latifi by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Nick Fiore vs. Chase Hooper — Hooper def. Fiore by unanimous decision (30-26 x2, 30-27)
Victoria Leonardo vs. Natalia Silva — Silva def. Leonardo by TKO (punches and head kick) at 2:58 of Round One
Themba Takura Gorimbo vs. Takashi Sato — Gorimbo def. Sato by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
UFC VEGAS 73 LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY:
115 lbs.: Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill
Round 1: Dern comes out swinging. They tie up and Hill puts her on the fence. Knees from Dern as they fight for position in the clinch. Hard body knee from Hill a minute in. They separate. Dern launching straight rights and she’s finding the mark. Huge hip toss, but Hill rolls through to land on top before separating. Dern answers a jab with a massive right hand that sends Hill to the mat. Dern follows her down and takes top side control, looking for the back two minutes in. Hill trying to use the fence to her advantage, manages to regain half guard. Potential arm triangle on the way. Two minutes to go.
Hill fighting to maintain half guard, manages to spin into full. Dern spins for a kneebar, takes side control when she can’t break Hill’s figure-four. One minute to go. Dern steps over, takes mount, postures up. Big shots from Dern. Hill gives up her arm, but somehow holds on for dear life with just her fingers to survive the round. Wow. 10-8 Dern.
Round 2: Dern again comes out slugging, but eats a good left hook. Body kick and blitz from Dern. Hill lands an elbow and separates. Overhand right from Dern. Hill grabs a body lock as Dern falls into the clinch. One minute in. Short shots from Hill, looking for the back. Hard knee to the head, then to the body two minutes in. More short knees. Dern tries a hip toss, denied. They trade on the break. Lengthy flurry from Dern that Hill slips. Hill absorbs a low kick and puts her on the fence. Two minutes to go.
Short left hands from Hill. Knees to the body. Dern occasionally trying to hit a throw but Hill showing very good clinch control. One minute to go. Trading knees to the body. Hill’s are the heavier. Right hand from Hill on the exit. Hard overhand. Trading heat in the waning seconds. Dern shoots, denied, eats a knee. 10-9 Hill.
Round 3: Dern fires a front kick, then lands a right hand. Hill knocks her off-balance and follows her down into guard. Dern looking for a triangle, Hill has both hands inside. She tries to transition to an armbar, no luck there either. Hill lets her up a minute in. Huge knee from Dern short-circuits Hill, but Hill somehow stays lucid enough to scramble through Dern’s takedown attempt. Dern muscles her to the mat and quickly takes mount two minutes in. Hard punches from Dern. Hill uses the fence to try and spin to her knees, eats hard punches with two minutes to go.
Dern postures up and drops more heavy shots. Again Hill tries to use the fence, again she can’t escape. Dern bombing away from the top. One minute to go. Hill’s corner telling her she’s going to get stopped if she doesn’t move. Dern switches to an armbar and drops hard hammerfists to make Hill release her arm, but again Hill survives. 10-8 Dern.
Round 4: Dern continuing to throw heat. Hill ties up and puts her on the fence. One minute in. Solid elbow from Hill. Right hand on the exit. Trading in center cage. Dern continuing to outwork her with jabs and straights. Both land in the clinch, hard low kick from Dern. She shoots two minutes in. Trading position on the fence. Dern grinding Hill against it with two minutes to go.
Hill reverses with a minute to go. Dern cracks her with an elbow and 1-2 on the break and they’re trading bombs. Hill tries to jump on her back and Dern flings her to the mat before spinning into top guard. Hill tries an arm triangle from guard, loses it at the bell. 10-9 Dern.
Round 5: Dern secures a takedown within 30 seconds of the bell. Working from top guard. One minute in. Not a ton of activity from Dern, but Hill’s struggling to get anything done. Dern moves to side control two minutes in. Solid ground-and-pound, looking for the back. Two minutes to go.
Full back control for Dern, continuing to chip away. Hill tries to turn into guard, can’t do so with a minute to go. More punches from Dern. Now some heavy elbows. She continues to pound until the bell. 10-8 Dern.
Final result: Dern def. Hill by unanimous decision
185 lbs.: Anthony Hernandez vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
Round 1: Shahbazyan slowly advancing, appears to hurt Hernandez with a jab. Heavy clinch shots from Shahbazyan and Hernandez answers with a smile. Low kick from Hernandez. He shoots from too far out and eats some solid shots. Another thudding jab by Shahbazyan a minute in. 1-1-2. Shahbazyan’s jab is looking vicious. Hernanez backs him to the fence and shoots, eating a knee along the way. Hernandez looks for a foot sweep, then jumps on a guillotine, but Shahbazyan slips free and gets back to his feet two minutes in. Hernandez really struggling to deal with the jab so far. There’s a 1-3-2 from him to set up another level change. Solid defense from Shahbazyan. Two minutes to go.
Hernandez switches from a single to a double, still can’t secure it. Elbows on the break to answer a knee from Shahbazyan. More knees from Shahbazyan, who latches onto a guillotine and uses it to spin Hernandez to the mat and take mount. Shahbazyam grabs an armbar in the scramble, but Hernandez pulls his elbow free and looks for his own Jack Hermansson-style guillotine. The scramble continues with a minute to go. Hernandez looks for a no-hooks RNC, loses it, blasts Shahbazyan with an elbow and right hand before dumping him back to the mat. Hard knees from the front headlock before the bell. Think Shahbazyan still edged it. 10-9 Shahbazyan.
Round 2: Hernandez opens with a low kick, then barrels into the clinch. Another Hermansson-style guillotine attempt, can’t get it, maintains the front headlock. Shahbazyan works his way up and separates. Trading jabs. One minute in. Brutal elbow by Hernandez, then a heavy right hand that Shahbazyan answers with a knee. Shahbazyan denies a level change and puts him on teh fence. Good knee. Absolutely wild pace, as we expected. Shahbazyan looks for a single-leg and Hernandez uses a cradle to sit through and take low mount against the fence. Good elbow by Hernandez, now in top turtle two minutes in. Good high crotch, front cradle. Knee to the body on teh way up, then another level change. He’s draining the life from Shahbazyan against the fence. He falls back for a guillotine, then transitions to an anaconda with two minutes to go.
Shahbazyan again manages to escape. Hernandez goes from guillotine to mount to the back, dropping punches.Hernandez constantly threatening the Hermansson guillotine, threatening the back with a minute to go. Elbows piling up for Hernandez. Shahbazyan regains guard but he’s folding under the pace. More vicious elbows as he moves to half guard. 10-8 Hernandez.
Round 3: Hernandez catches a body kick, hauls Shahbazyan to the fence, and takes him down once again. Hard elbows and punches piling up. Shahbazyan is a bloody mess. Hernandez moves to the back and pounds until the ref steps in.
Final result: Hernandez def. Shahbazyan by TKO (punches and elbows)
120 lbs.: Emily Ducote vs. Loopy Godinez
Round 1: Early exchanges, good 2-1 from Godinez. Another good right hand as she pushes forward. Both land solid rights. One minute in. Hard hooks by Godinez, then a cracking lead right. She shoots, can’t get it, lands an uppercut. Godinez continuing to get the better of these exchanges, repeatedly landing clean right hands. Sneaky low kick two minutes in. More combinations, solid left hand. Ducote struggling to find her footing so far. There’s a decent body shot from her, but she eats a three-piece in return. They trade in the center with two minutes to go.
Low kick exchange. More heavy shots by Godinez as they exchange. Ducote fakes a shot and eats a right hand for her trouble. Good counters from Godinez with a minute to go. Reactive level change from Ducote and she takes Godinez to the fence. Both land elbows on the break. Lead hook by Godinez, then a faked shot that leads to one last exchange. 10-9 Godinez.
Round 2: Early counter right by Godinez. Ducote tries a head kick, eats a 3-2. Quick exchange inside. 2-1-low kick by Godinez. One minute in. 1-2-1, body kick. Godinez in total control of the standup so far. There’s another good counter right. Ducote looks to come back with kicks. Shovel hook from Godinez splits her guard. Ducote shoots under a left hand, Godinez sprawls and cracks her with knees from the front headlock. Two minutes in. Quick 1-2 lands for Ducote near the fence. Decent sequence from her, including a straight right that catches Godinez backing away. Two minutes to go.
Continuing to exchange. Solid 3-2 by Ducote, who’s seemingly clawing her way back into the fight. Heavy right cross after eating a jab. 1-2s from both. Ducote turning up the aggression, lands a sneaky body shot. She shoots, denied with a minute to go. More combinations from Ducote. Godinez tries a 1-2-head kick. Godinez shoots behind the jab, can’t quite dump her to the mat. Elbow from Ducote on the exit. Both land well in the waning seconds. Think 10-9 Ducote on the late work.
Round 3: Right back to the rapid-fire exchanges. Good punches landing for both. Neither with a clear lead after one minute. Low kick exchange. Continuing to trade leather without a clear advantage on either side. Heavy counters by Ducote, left hook and 1-2 from Godinez. Godinez backs her to the fence with combinations. Godinez now getting the better of it, though Ducote backs her off and lands a body shot. Two minutes to go.
Heavy left hooks from both women. Counter lefts land for Godinez. Big lead right by Ducote. 1-2s from Godinez in return. Ducote shoots, good use of the whizzer by Godinez to stay up. One minute to go. Ducote shoots, eats a knee, lands a 1-2. Good right hand by Ducote as Godinez’s swings hit air. 1-2-double leg by Godinez to land on top in guard. Ducote tries to toss up her legs in the final seconds. 10-9 Godinez.
Final result: Godinez def. Ducote by unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Joaquin Buckley vs. Andre Fialho
Round 1: Low kick from Buckley to start. Lots of lateral movement, head kick attempt. Fialho staying patient, just avoids a head kick a minute in. Head kick from Buckley blocked, low kick connects. He blitzes, doesn’t land clean. Combo and spinning back kick fall short two minutes in. Another combo that Fialho backs away from. Lead right from Fialho, his first real connection of the fight. Hard body kick with two minutes to go.
Fiaho counter right and lead left hook. Buckley blitzes, still can’t land clean. Surprise double-leg briefly puts Buckley on top, though Fialho pops right back up. Flying knee falls short. One minute to go. Fialho body kick and counter hook. Another strong blast double by Buckley, still can’t keep him down. He tries a lateral drop in the final seconds. I guess 10-9 Buckley? Fialho was incredibly passive.
Round 2: Lead hook from Fialho, then a body kick that strays low. Fialho comes out aggressive after the break, landing a straight right and check hook. Buckley low kick, Fialho counter right. One minute in. Buckley starts a blitz with a flying knee, can’t land clean. Solid left hand connects for him. Fialho body kick. Two minutes in. Buckley lands some glancing shots as he blitzes, connects with a clean low kick afterwards. Two-piece falls short. Fialho takes a low blow, brushes it off. Sharp counter right with two minutes to go.
Fialho landing the better shots, though Buckley is far busier. 1-1-2 stings Buckley and Fialho follows with a body kick. Buckley tries a spinning back kick. One minute to go. Buckley fakes a level change and appears to catch Fialho with a headbutt on the way up, prompting a brief pause. As soon as they resume, Buckley fires probably his two-dozenth head kick of the night and this one finally lands clean, knocking Fialho stiff as the latter tries to throw a counter left hook. Buckley goes to follow up and the ref half-heartedly moves in to stop it, prompting the ref to shove him away.
Final result: Buckley def. Fialho by KO (head kick)
155 lbs.: Diego Ferreira vs. Michael Johnson
Round 1: Johnson’s hand looking quick as always. Solid straight left as he eats a low kick. Ferreira leaning on the kicks early. One minute in. Nice counters by Johnson. Left to the body after blocking a head kick. Two minutes in. Ferreira shoots, denied. He’s looking uncharacteristically muzzled so far. There’s a 1-2 from Ferreira, who eats counters as he lands. Johnson to the body. Ferreira body kick. Two minutes to go.
Low kick lands well for Ferreira, Johnson comes back with a 1-2 downstairs. Hard straight left by Johnson. Ferreira body kick. Good exchange, Ferreira body kick to cap it off. 1-2 stings Ferreira with a minute to go. Johnson body shot. Jab lands for Ferreira, then a low kick. He’s picked it up a bit but Johnson’s still in control. 10-9 Johnson.
Round 2: Quick combo from Johnson to start things off. Ferreira answers with a body kick, eats one in return. Solid head kick by Ferreira. Decent-looking level change a minute in, but Johnson shrugs it off. More body kicks from Ferreira, more boxing combos from Johnson. Ferreira leads with a jab, then follows it with a looping right hand that lands about as perfectly as any punch I’ve ever see. Johnson goes down like a felled tree, worryingly stiff. That’s a Knockout of the Year candidate right there.
Final result: Ferreira def. Johnson by KO (punch)
155 lbs.: Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Hayisaer Maheshate
Round 1: Pressure from Borshchev early on. Nip-and-tuck exchanges, neither landing clean. One minute in. Maheshate throwing a lot of front kicks, eating some hard calf kicks. He shoots, denied. Nice uppercut. Borshchev to the body, then another calf kick. Maheshate head kick attempt. Two minutes in. Maheshate leads with the uppercut again and eats a combination in return. Jab battle in center cage, teep from Borshchev. Body shot to low kick, stiff jab. Body kick, liver shot. Borshchev’s speed, technique, and versatility winning the day so far. Two minutes to go.
Switch head kick from Borshchev, who avoids a knee but eats an eye poke. It’s a bad one and he’s got a cut in a bad spot, but he elects to continue. Back to the exchanges. Body kicks from Borshchev, combo from Maheshate. One minute to go. Cross counter lands for Maheshate. Good counter right. Borshchev goes low-high with left hooks in response. Good calf kick. Hard right from Maheshate into the clinch, but Borshchev spins him around and floors him with a right on the break. Most of the follow-up swarm misses, allowing Maheshate to escape the round. 10-9 Borshchev.
Round 2: Trading kicks to start. Spinning back fist from Borshchev. Maheshate shoots, denied. Borshchev continuing to eat up that lead leg. One minute in. Overhand right just misses, as does a Maheshate elbow. Another body kick from Borshchev, then a pair of hard rights inside. He’s looking ultra-sharp despite the eye issue. Shifting two-piece drops Maheshate a second time, though he pops right back up. Two minutes in. Clinch knee by Borshchev, elbow by Maheshate. 3-2 from Borshchev and there’s knockdown number three, which he follows by bombing Maheshate out on the mat.
Final result: Borshchev def. Maheshate by TKO (punches)
115 lbs.: Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Round 1: Kowalkiewicz marching forward, lands solid shots after catching a kick. More combination work. Demopoulos looking to answer with low kicks. One minute in. Kowalkiewicz with a combo against the fence. Demopoulos shoots, denied, lands a heavy left hook on the exit. She tries to follow up and Kowalkiewicz briefly clinches. Demopoulos uppercut, hard straight rights by Kowalkiewicz in return. Heavy pressure from the Pole two minutes in. Good exchange. Double right by Kowalkiewicz. Demopoulos body kick with two minutes to go.
Demopoulos is landing some good shots but the pressure and volume of Kowalkiewicz are paying dividends. Kowalkiewicz puts her on the fence with a body lock. Elbow and right hand on the exit. Heavy right cross stings Demopoulos. One minute to go. More combinations by Kowalkiewicz. Demopoulos trying to trade with her. Double right by Kowalkiewicz. Demopoulos counter right. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz.
Round 2: Kowalkiewicz continuing to advance and throw volume. Demopoulos shoots, denied. Stiff jab comes back at her, then a 1-2. Demopoulos overhand right and body kick. One minute in. She shoots from too far out, denied. Good right cross by Kowalkiewicz in return. Counter right. Trading in the center two minutes in. Low kick exchange. Kowalkiewicz hasn’t landed as much volume this round but still seems to be getting the better of the standup. Demopoulos tries a back elbow as she eats a combo. Two minutes to go.
Kowalkiewicz buzzes her with a counter left in combination and continues to pressure. Demopoulos still throwing back, still struggling to keep up despite throwing some sneaky elbows. One minute to go. Exchanging, neither landing clean. Double right from Kowalkiewicz, then a heavy right that catches Demopoulos throwing. Kowalkiewicz tries a spinning elbow.
Round 3: Demopoulos shoots in the opening seconds, then jumps guard. Kowalkiewicz slips out of a heel hook and moves to side control. Solid elbow a minute in. Demopoulos turns to her knees, then regains guard before chasing another heel hook. Kowalkiewicz slips out again and waves her back to the feet. Exchanging in the center two minutes in. Stiff jab lands for Demopoulos. Hard counter right by Kowalkiewicz. Jab exchange. Two minutes to go.
Continuing to bounce jabs off each other’s faces. Kowalkiewicz’s is the sharper of the two. Hard long rights. Double right on the lead. One minute to go. Low-high combo from Kowalkiewicz. Demopoulos still game, still outclassed. Kowalkiewicz fires a head kick and gets knocked off-balance. Glancing overhand by Demopoulos, double right by Kowalkiewicz in return. More stinging jabs met by a Demopoulos counter right. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz.
Final result: Kowalkiewicz def. Demopoulos by unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Orion Cosce vs. Gilbert Urbina
Round 1: Cosce comes in with a big left hand, but gets clipped by Urbina on the way in. Urbina opens up with strikes, then fires knees when Cosce tries to tie up. Things slow back down a moment later. One minute in. Low and body kicks from Urbina. Cosce whiffs on a big swing. Urbina tries two flying knees in a row. Big exchange, left hook lands for Cosce, who barrels into the clinch. Urbina reverses and changes levels, dragging Cosce down into half guard. Cosce works his way up, gets muscled back down. Urbina chipping away with punches, works his way to mount. Elbows piling up for him. Two minutes to go.
To side control goes Urbina. Knee on belly, then mount once again. He postures up to drop punches, then clamps down on an arm triangle with a minute to go. The angle’s not great, so he goes back to pounding. Big shots from Urbina. He takes the back and drops more shots until the bell. 10-8 Urbina.
Round 2: Both open with kicks. Neither one committing to getting into punching range. Low kick by Urbina a minute in. Urbina getting the better of the long-range battle. Two minutes in. Solid body kicks from Urbina. One particular front kick to the body folds Cosce and Urbina follows with a pair of hard knees that send the ref into action.
Final result: Urbina def. Cosce by TKO (body kick and knees)
265 lbs.: Ilir Latifi vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
Round 1: Nascimento advancing, Latifi giving ground. Brief exchange, no clean connections on either side. Latifi shoots, denied. Hard left hands by Nascimento, who denies another shot. One minute in. Latifi continuing to try and barrel in with his head down. Decent left hook from him. Nascimento patiently pushing forward. Two minutes in. Sneaky left hook lands for him. Lead left by Latifi. Nascimento still advancing, Latifi circling. Counter left by Nascimento. Two minutes to go.
Latifi firing low kicks. Counter uppercut by Nascimento. Latifi lead left, counters from Nascimento. Latifi constantly enters with his head down and eats punches for it. Nascimento body kick, Latifi low kick. One minute to go. Low-high 1-3 by Nascimento. Counter uppercut met by a straight left from Latifi. Nascimento rushes in and they trade in the final seconds. 10-9 Nascimento.
Round 2: Still a slow-motion sparring match for the most part. Low kick and overhand right land for Latifi. Nascimento continuing to advance. Low kicks. One minute in. One minute in. Solid low kick by Nascimento, who’s not throwing much. Counter left hooks, overhand left by Latifi in return. Two minutes in. Nascimento 1-3. Latifi sporadically coming back with leg kicks and haymakers. Nice reactive takedown by Latifi puts him on top in guard. Two minutes to go.
Latifi in full smother mode. Short right hands. One minute to go. Ref remands more action. 10-9 Latifi.
Round 3: Nascimento pushing forward behind the jab. Making some decent connections with it. One minute in. Overhand left by Latifi, who gets stung by a jab in return. More combinations from Nascimento inside. Two minutes in. Nascimento continuing to advance and pump the jab. Left hook and uppercut catch Latifi coming in. Latifi continues to drive forward, but the ref separates them due to Latifi grabbing his shorts. Sharp uppercut by Nascimento. Two minutes to go.
Nice shot by Latifi, who latches onto a body lock. Nascimento works his way to his feet. Latifi pressing him against the fence with a minute to go. Nascimento defending the takedown, but doesn’t manage to separate for another 30 seconds. Hard straight right by Nascimento. Latifi finally starting to swing. 10-9 Nascimento.
Final result: Nascimento def. Latifi by split decision
155 lbs.: Nick Fiore vs. Chase Hooper
Round 1: Hooper throwing lots of early volume, ties up and drags Fiore down after avoiding a back take. Fiori stands, so Hooper hauls him to the fence, then looks for a banana split. Fiore slips out and settles on top in guard. One minute in. Heel hook attempt from Hooper, can’t get it, puts him on the fence again. Another scramble ensues that puts Fiore on top in side control. Fiore controlling Hooper’s arm with his shin, nearly grabs a topside triangle. Hooper scrambles to his feet and stalks him across the mat with arm punches. Back into the clinch. Nice elbow from Fiore on the exit. Right hook after the next collision. Two minutes to go.
Trading punches in the center, neither man getting the better of it. Hooper re-enters the clinch and Fiore muscles him to the mat, only to get briefly caught in a crucifix. They scramble up and Hooper goes back to work with volume punches. To the clinch once again. When they separate, Hooper blasts Fiore with a vicious straight left that visibly hurts him. Hooper pours on the volume, but can’t put him away before the bell. 10-9 Hooper.
Round 2: Hooper wades right back in and throws punches until Fiore tree-tops his leg and kicks out his base to land on top. Quick move to mount. Hooper immediately rotates into 50/50 and chases a heel hook, prompting Fiore to roll his way across the cage. Hooper sits up into a takedown attempt, can’t get it, separates a minute in. Hooper just drowning Fiore in activity, marching in with nonstop punches and elbows. Fiore’s exhausted, losing his mouthpiece as Hooper continues to unload. Finally the ref finds an opening to give him the mouthpiece back two minutes in. Fiore puts him on the fence. Knee, 1-2, elbows from Hooper when they separate. Hooper falls into the clinch. Knees with two minutes to go.
Fiore reverses. Good shots from Hooper on the exit. There’s nothing behind these, but they just don’t stop. Clean head kick. One minute to go. More punches and elbows. He puts Fiore on the fence and hunts for a takedown. Good reversal by Fiore into mount and a scramble ensues. 10-8 Hooper.
Round 3: As with the start of the second, Fiore grabs a leg and kicks out Hooper’s base to take top position. Near-miss on a triangle from Hooper. Working off his back from guard. Fiore stands and gives him enough space to get to his feet as well. Trading punches. Stame takedown again from FIore, Hooper Dark Souls rolls his way free. Nice body kick from Hooper as they trade arm punches. Single-leg attempt from Hooper allows Fiore to roll into a Goodridge-Herrera-style rear crucifix. Two minutes in. Hooper slowly works his way into top position and drops hammerfists as he rides. Looking for the back, can’t get the hooks in and Fiore puts him on the fence. Two minutes to go.
They separate and Hooper goes back to marching forward with punches and elbows. Nice takedown into low mount, dropping punches. One minute to go. Hooper maintaining control as Fiore tries to work his way to his feet, landing all the while. 10-9 Hooper.
Final result: Hooper def. Fiore by unanimous decision
125 lbs.: Victoria Leonardo vs. Natalia Silva
Round 1: Early exchange in center cage. Leonardo pressuring, throwing heat. Silva showing off a major speed advantage, but yet to land anything clean. One minute in. There’s a 1-2 from Silva. On the counter this time. Showing a lot of head kicks as Leonardo fires right hands. Two minutes in. Check hook connects for Silva. The next time she steps in, Silva answers with a three-piece, capped by a left hook that drops Leonardo. Leonardo shoots, denied, covers up when she gets back to her feet. Silva stings her with another 1-2 that has Leonardo staggering back, then slams home a head kick around the guard that sends the ref into action. I think Leonardo’s jaw might be broken.
Final result: Silva def. Leonardo by TKO (punches and head kick)
170 lbs.: Themba Takura Gorimbo vs. Takashi Sato
Round 1: Sato comes out pressuring as Gorimbo tosses out head kicks. Gorimbo changes levels as they collide and puts Sato on the fence, hunting the takedown. One minute in. Slick hip toss by Sato, but Gorimbo gets right back to the original position and completes the shot at the base of the fence. Sato on his knees, uses a whizzer to get to his feet. Short rights from Gorimbo, still attached. Two minutes in. Sato reverses, gets reversed in turn. More grinding from Gorimbo. Two minutes to go.
Nice outside trip puts Sato on top in side control. Seconds later, Gorimbo scrambles directly onto Sato’s back and locks up the body triangle. One minute to go. Short punches from Gorimbo as he periodically looks for the RNC. 10-9 Gorimbo.
Round 2: Sato again comes out pressuring, only to get floored by an overhand right. Gorimbo follows him down and tries to pound him out, but Sato manages to tie him up in half guard. Good scramble by Sato gets him to his feet, where he and Gorimbo battle for position in the clinch. One minute in. Gorimbo keeping him against the fence, gets the body lock. Two minutes in. Hip toss from Sato into scarf hold. Gorimbo turns for deep half guard, then into heel hook position. He turns it into a sweep and re-establishes the body lock, looking for the back on the way up. Two minutes to go.
Gorimbo drags him to a knee, eating short shots along the way up. One minute to go. Sato turns him and lands a knee on the break. Gorimbo looking spent, hurls some tired-looking overhand rights before taking him down against the fence. 10-9 Gorimbo.
Round 3: Sato’s still marching forwards. He ties up against the fence. Gorimbo reverses, can’t find the takedown. One minute in. He successfully gets Sato to his seat, then settles in top guard. Quick move to the back, body triangle once again. Two minutes in. Gorimbo continuing to control from the back, sneaking in occasional punches and periodically trying to wrap up the RNC. Two minutes to go.
Sato not doing much to escape. One minute to go. Finally Sato manages to sweep into guard with 30 seconds to go and fire elbows. He postures up to pound, but runs out of time before anything major can connect. 10-9 Gorimbo.
Final result: Gorimbo def. Sato by unanimous decision
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