Author: Dan Hiergesell

Santiago Ponzinibbio turned the clock back earlier tonight (Sat., Jan. 11, 2025) at UFC Vegas 101 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the former welterweight contender stopped Carlston Harris with a comeback TKO (punches) in the third round.

Ponzinibbio, who turned 38 this past September, was just 1-4 in his last five Octagon appearances entering Saturday night. The veteran fighter was looking to start 2025 off on a good note and prove he’s still talented enough to contend with the top 15 welterweights in the world. Stopping a tough fighter like Harris would be a great start for “Gente Boa.”

The first two rounds were a nice back-and-forth display of striking and chins. Harris did some solid damage along the way and had Ponzinibbio hurt more than once, but Ponzinibbio’s offensive work left the Brazilian’s face bloody and bruised. It was a tight race entering the final five minutes.

The third round saw Ponzinibbio push the pace and start to land at a good clip. His right hands piled up and Harris nearly went out on his feet. It took the referee a little longer than expected to step in for the stoppage, but Ponzinibbio eventually walked off with the standing TKO win.

Check out the late finish in the above video player.

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For complete UFC Vegas 101 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Cesar Almeida produced a Knockout of the Year candidate earlier tonight (Sat., Jan. 11, 2025) at UFC Vegas 101 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, pulling off a comeback stoppage over Abdul Razak Alhassan with a insane counter left hook. It’s easily going to be one of the best finishes of 2025.

Alhassan has a 100% finish rate, but he still entered this weekend’s striking-friendly tilt with Almeida as a sizeable underdog. That’s because Almeida is a former GLORY kickboxer who has shared the ring with the likes of Alex Pereira. He’s the real deal when it comes to standup so it was going to be up to Alhassan to gain some momentum in the early going.

Luckily for the veteran UFC fighter, he was able to land some powerful shots in the opening minutes that kept Almeida honest. Eventually, Alhassan found his window of opportunity to shock Almeida with a nice knockdown. Alhassan is not one to take his foot off the gas pedal so he tried to find the finish. That left him susceptible to a counter punch along the fence.

Out of nowhere, Almeida uncorked a thunderous left hook that connected perfectly. Alhassan immediately went out and planked to the canvas. It was a scary finish to say the least, especially because it took Alhassan a few minutes to come back. He even needed help getting out of the Octagon after suffering the knockout blow.

Check out the final moments below:

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For complete UFC Vegas 101 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

A middleweight barnburner between veteran Chris Curtis and striker Roman Kopylov ended in controversy earlier tonight (Sat., Jan. 11, 2025) at UFC Vegas 101 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the referee called a stop to the fight with one second left in the third and final round.

Both Curtis and Kopylov have proven to be two of the more active strikers at 185 pounds so fight fans knew this main card meeting was going to be an all-out war from the opening bell. That’s exactly how this played out as Curtis and Kopylov pushed forward every second of the fight and exchanges heavy jabs, uppercuts, leg kicks, and power shots.

The fight seemed to be tied up entering the third round as both middleweights were searching for a way to victory. The third round was a fairly even fight on the feet, but Kopylov did change levels at one point and secured a timely takedown. Curtis’ fans were holding out hope that maybe he somehow captured both the first and second rounds to win a decision on the scorecards, but they were jumping the gun.

That’s because Kopylov launched a nasty head kick in the final seconds of the fight that partially connected. Curtis, who is known for his durability, fell to the canvas. He looked to be in trouble, but Kopylov just walked off. However, the referee still felt that Curtis was hurt too badly to last the last second of the round.

Check out the final moments in the above video player and let us know if you thought this finish was a controversial one!

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For complete UFC Vegas 101 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Punahele Soriano continued his welterweight takeover earlier tonight (Sat., Jan. 11, 2025) at UFC Vegas 101 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the former middleweight became the first fighter to stop Uros Medic with strikes by way of 31-second knockout (punches).

This main card opener was a clash that stood out to most. That’s because Soriano and Medic came into Saturday night with 20 combined professional wins and 14 finishes in the very first round. The writing was on the wall. We just needed to wait it out to see which welterweight would capture the finishing blow.

It didn’t take long for Soriano to start blitzing inside and trying to find a home for his heralded power. Medic is a very talented striker in his own right, but Soriano eventually clipped him with a clean overhand right. Medic crashed to the canvas and Soriano finished his performance off with nasty ground-and-pound. It took just 31 seconds.

Check out the final moments in the above video player.

Soriano, 32, is now 2-0 since moving to 170 pounds back in June 2024 when he defeated Miguel Baeza via unanimous decision. The Hawaiian welterweight may be sidelined through the first half of 2025 after announcing that his wife his pregnant, but when he returns it’s possible Soriano is just one more win away from a shot at the top 15.

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For complete UFC Vegas 101 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Ari Emanuel and his fashion designer wife have reportedly lost their home in the Pacific Palisades due to the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles, California.

In case you didn’t know, Emanuel is the CEO of Endeavor, which is the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Emanuel is a big reason why Endeavor (formerly WME-IMG) was able to purchase the UFC back in 2016 for $4 billion. He’s been a close friend and business partner to UFC CEO, Dana White, ever since.

On Thursday, Emanuel’s wife, Sarah Staudinger, took to Instagram to reveal that the two have lost their Pacific Palisades home to the unprecedented fires still running rampant through L.A. It was certainly a tough post to write and one to read. Check it out below:

“Thank you for the magical memories house,” wrote Staudinger over an old photo of a sunset in her backyard (via MSN.com). The photo can be seen below:

“Thank you for keeping us safe for so long and watching us grow up. Thank you for being there until the very end,” she continued. “We will miss you.”

Staudinger posted again, but this time she shared the aftermath of her home burning down from the wildfires. The images are pretty telling of the disaster that has struck the L.A. area. Check it out below:

Making matters worse is the fact that it appears their Pacific Palisades home was renovated as recently as 2022 (per the New York Times).

Emanuel, who made headlines earlier this year for taking a shot at President Joe Biden, has yet to comment on the burning of his Los Angeles home.

Jacobe Smith delivered a memorable Octagon debut earlier tonight (Sat., Jan. 11, 2025) at UFC Vegas 101 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, as ‘“Cobe” ended welterweight Preston Parsons with a first-round knockout (punch).

The talented prospect looked incredible last October to earn a UFC contract on the Contender Series, but nobody knew just how good Smith’s stopping power would translate into the Octagon. That’s exactly what happened Saturday night when Smith went toe-to-toe with Parsons, who entered UFC Vegas 101 a massive betting underdog.

It took Smith a grand total of 73 seconds to establish his range and timing to land a critical left hand. The punch connected flush and bended Parsons backwards to the canvas. The referee was in hot pursuit for the stoppage as Smith was lining up to land more punishing shots. Luckily for Parsons, the referee made it in time.

Check out the final moments in the above video player.

Smith, 28, is now 10-0 in his professional MMA career with eight of those victories coming by way of knockout. He’s one of the most promising new additions to the UFC’s stacked welterweight division and someone who can climb the ranks pretty quickly if his power continues to land.

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For complete UFC Vegas 101 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.