Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently put the finishing touches on its upcoming UFC 256 pay-per-view (PPV) event, which takes place TONIGHT (Sat., Dec. 12, 2020) by way of ESPN+ from inside its APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining duties will be handled by Flyweight rivals Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno, who battle for “Daico’s” 125-pound belt. In UFC 256’s co-main event, former interim Lightweight champion Tony Ferguson looks to quell the uprising of 155-pound submission specialist Charles Oliveira.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 256 fight card below, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN 2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Figueiredo vs. Moreno.” Without further delay, see below for the latest UFC 256 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC 256 QUICK RESULTS:
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno — Majority Draw (47-46, 47-47 x2) — HIGHLIGHTS
Tony Ferguson vs. Charles Oliveira — Oliveira def. Ferguson by unanimous decision (30-26 x3)
Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba — Dern def. Jandiroba by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Ronaldo Souza vs. Kevin Holland — Holland def. Souza by KO (punches) at 1:45 of Round One
Junior dos Santos vs. Ciryl Gane — Gane def. dos Santos by TKO (elbow and punches) at 2:34 of Round Two
Daniel Pineda vs. Cub Swanson — Swanson def. Pineda by KO (punches) at 1:52 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS
Rafael Fiziev vs. Renato Moicano — Fiziev def. Moicano by KO (punches) at 4:05 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS
Billy Quarantillo vs. Gavin Tucker — Tucker def. Quarantillo by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Tecia Torres vs. Sam Hughes — Torres def. Hughes by TKO (eye injury) at 5:00 of Round One
Peter Barrett vs. Chase Hooper — Hooper def. Barrett by submission (heel hook) at 3:02 of Round Three — HIGHLIGHTS
UFC 256 LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY:
125 lbs.: UFC Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno
Round 1: Figueiredo lands a stiff jab in the early going, threatens a takedown on the fence. Good scramble ends with both of them back on the feet. Figueiredo stalking forward, eats jabs from Moreno a minute in. Figueiredo with a right hand to the body, then a pair upstairs. Stiff jab. Cross counter. Moreno tries a head kick. Body shot from Figueiredo. Two minutes in. Low kick connects. Stiff jab. Brief technical difficulties; we’ll resume with 100 seconds to go.
Left hook lands hard for Figueiredo. Moreno sneaking in some shots of his own but there’s a power difference. Good jabs from Moreno. Left hook lands. one minute to go. Figueiredo lands a heavy elbow and denies a level change. Moreno comes back with a glancing head kick. Figueiredo with one of his own. Body shot and elbow upstairs. Continuing to stalk forward, hard lead right. Moreno tries an elbow on the break. 10-9 Figueiredo.
Round 2: Moreno comes in with a couple right hands. Spinning back kick from Figueiredo cracks off the guard, met by a low-high combo and stiff jab. Figueiredo low kicks. Moreno answers with a counter right. Jab exchange. Body shot lands for him a minute in. Hard lead right by Figueiredo and a combo behind it. Stiff jabs, low kick. Moreno capitalizes on an elbow attempt to take him down, but gets poked in the eye as Figueiredo attempts to stand two minutes in. They resume in guard. Great scramble and they slug it out when they get back to the feet. Heavy shots by both men. Two minutes to go.
Big left hook from Figueiredo. Lots of feints at the moment. Figueiredo tries a body kick, eats an overhand right and jab. Low kick and jab land for Moreno with a minute to go. Moreno lands an overhand right, takes some damage to his eye in an exchange, and hits a critical takedown. Figueiredo kicks him off and gets back to stalking. Hard combo by Moreno. Picking him off. 10-9 Moreno.
Round 3: Some significant swelling under Moreno’s left eye. Worrying.
Huge combination from Figueiredo to start the round. Moreno catches a head kick, lands one of his own while shoving him back. Vicious body shot by Figueiredo on the fence, takes a body kick in return. Figuredio body kick, body shot, combination upstairs. Monstrous elbow that Moreno just tanks before firing back. One minute in. Front kick to the body stings Moreno. Moreno gets a body lock after avoiding an elbow. Figueiredo gets an underhook and separates. Moreno back to circling, lands a stiff jab and avoids a spinning back kick. Two minutes in. Good jab, eats a loaded-up left hook. Good combo from Moreno in return. Huge left hook lands for Figueiredo and Moreno eats it without issue. Good left hook and combo in return. Two minutes to go.
Figueiredo sends out a kick and it catches Moreno about as perfectly in the groin as you can. It’s nasty enough that the ref takes a point, but Moreno gets back to it after two minutes. Back to the insane slugging. Takedown from Figueiredo. One minute to go. Moreno turns and stands, caught in a front headlock. They trade on the break. Huge overhand right lands for Moreno. Figueiredo tries to storm after him. 9-9.
Round 4: Figueiredo looks for a flying knee to start. Jab exchange. Big left hook lands for the champ, eats a low-high combo in return. Great exchange in the center. Hard punches from Moreno and a head kick seems to hurt Figueiredo through the guard. One minute in. Overhand right from Moreno and he reverses a takedown against the fence. Figueiredo scrambles up and cracks him with a pair of right hands. Low-high combo two minutes in. Brutal uppercut and left hook. Jab, Superman punch. Big combo by Moreno on the fence and they slug it out. Figueiredo tries a takedown, can’t get it. Stiff jab lands for him, answered in kind. Two minutes to go.
Cross counter from Figueiredo, right cross from Moreno. Another overhand from the champ. Right hand catches him leaning. Jab exchange. Brutal right hands from Figueiredo, but Moreno grabs a body lock and takes him down into half guard. One minute to go. Figueiredo throwing elbows off of his back. Diving left by Moreno. Figueiredo kicks him off and tries a back fist, only to eat a heavy series of punches. 10-9 Moreno.
Round 5: Figueiredo fires off a series of southpaw kicks. Combination lands for him a minute in. He whiffs on a big left. Two minutes in. Big lull in the action, Figueiredo ends it with a left hook. Body kick. Left hook lands for Moreno. Two minutes to go.
Figueiredo tries an overhand right. They trade in the center. He fires a combo, Moreno slips trying to retaliate. Left hook lands for him. One minute to go. Nice straight right. He ties up against the fence. Nice whizzer throw by the champ, who tries to go Donkey Kong in the final seconds. Incredible fight. 10-9 Figueiredo.
Final result: Majority Draw
155 lbs.: Tony Ferguson vs. Charles Oliveira
Round 1: Both men looking to kick early. Hard low kick by Oliveira. Ferguson jab, Oliveira cross. Hard right hand by Oliveira, Ferguson spins to start a combo. Head kick from Oliveira, who walks into a right hand. One minute in. Good exchanges in the center. Ferguson slips throwing a right, tries an elbow, and gets taken down into side control. Ferguson regains half guard after Oliveira wants mount. Two minutes in. Hard hammerfists. Beautiful transition to mount. Two minutes to go.
Oliveira heavy on top. Hard elbows. Ferguson unable to buck him off with a minute to go. More elbows by Oliveira. He turns for an armbar at the bell and though Ferguson is saved by the bell, that was gruesomely deep. 10-8 Oliveira.
Round 2: Ferguson steps in with a hard right hook. Oliveira sends out some kicks in return. Low kick connects. He catches a kick and bulls Ferguson to the mat. Illegal upkick from Ferguson causes a pause. Oliveira goes back to stacking him. Nasty elbow. Ferguson trying to scramble, caught in north-south. Heavy right hands by Oliveira. Two minutes in. Nice knee to the body from the top. Ferguson trying to roll. Two minutes to go.
Back to north-south against the fence. One minute to go. Oliveira chipping away with short punches. 10-8 Oliveira.
Round 3: Ferguson looks for an early combo. Low kick from Oliveira. Counter jab, leg kick. Oliveira catches a kick for a high-amplitude takedown, can’t quite get mount a minute in. Side control now. Switches sides, takes mount. Two minutes in. Ferguson uses the cage to sweep, but gets caught in a deep triangle as he does. Oliveira uses it to sweep back into side control. Two minutes to go.
Ferguson tries to spin for a d’arce, can’t do so. He rolls free, gets slammed for his trouble. One minute to go. North-south, back to side control. Some short elbows until the bell. 10-9 Oliveira.
Final result:
115 lbs.: Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba
Round 1: Low kick from Dern. 1-1-2, hard shots inside. 3-2 from Jandiroba. One minute in. Dern tries a combo on the fence. Counter 1-2 by Jandiroba. Big looping right lands for Dern. Two minutes in. Dern opens up on the fence. Jandiroba tries a wild right. 1-1-2 and flurry from Dern, who changes levels on the fence. Two minutes to go.
Trading knees downstairs. Elbow from Dern on the break. Combination lands for Jandiroba and Dern puts her back on the fence with a minute to go. 1-2 from Dern. Jandiroba lands one of her own a bit later. 10-9 Dern.
Round 2: Dern tries an early blitz, takes a knee to the body. Right cross lands for Jandiroba. Dern counter right. They trade in the center. One minute in. Jab from Jandiroba. She knocks Dern off-balance, doesn’t follow her down. They trade knees inside. Jandiroba puts her on the fence. Hard knees two minutes in. 3-2 misses, elbows and a low kick inside. Dern lands an uppercut, then a deep eye poke. Dern back on the attack with two minutes to go, catches a kick with two minutes to go.
Jandiroba reverses on the fence. Dern jumps guard and Jandiroba follows her down. Nasty cut on Dern’s nose from a Jandiroba knee. One minute to go. She looks for a leg, denied. Short punches from Jandiroba. 10-9 Jandiroba.
Round 3: Jandiroba with a couple 1-2s to start. Stiff jab lands and Dern tries to spin. Dern with a good jab of her own. More Jandiroba 1-2s. Dern shoots, eats short elbows. They separate a minute in. Jandiroba 1-2. Head kick on the break. Dern answers with a body kick. She takes a right hand to the top of the head. They trade jabs, overhand right by Jandiroba. Dern suddenly cracks her with a good right and looks for a single-leg two minutes in. Jandiroba reverses the takedown and lands on top in guard. Upkicks from Dern, butt-scooting after her. Two minutes to go.
Both swinging big, uppercut from Dern. Lead elbow by Jandiroba. Dern body kick, Jandiroba right hook. Jabs from Dern, Jandiroba 1-2. One minute to go. Dern lands a good body kick. Jandiroba takes her to the fence, lands a couple knees downstairs. Dern reverses for a takedown defends and Jandiroba jumps for an omoplata. 10-9 Dern, but it’s close.
Final result: Dern def. Jandiroba by unanimous decision
185 lbs.: Ronaldo Souza vs. Kevin Holland
Round 1: Holland lands an early leg kick and gets taken down for it, immediately setting up a triangle and landing vicious elbows. Souza passes, stays attached as Holland stands. One minute in. Souza takes him down again, avoiding a guillotine, and cracks him with a pair of right hands from guard. Holland responds with a monstrous right hand from his back that badly hurts Souza, then puts him to sleep with follow-up shots. Good Lord.
Final result: Holland def. Souza by KO (punches)
265 lbs.: Junior dos Santos vs. Ciryl Gane
Round 1: Both men light on their feet early on. Gane grabs a front headlock, puts him on the fence. They separate. Low kick lands for Gane, right hand comes back at him. Another low kick a minute in. dos Santos tries to counter a low kick with a 1-2. Gane looks for a head kick, takes a body kick. Two minutes in. Gane body jab, low kick from dos Santos in return. Gane head kick attempt, jab lands clean. Uppercut falls short, low kick catches cup with two minutes to go.
Low kicks land for Gane. dos Santos looks for a spinning back kick. Body kick from Gane, avoids the return. Both send out right hands. One minute to go. Body kick lands for Gane, gets his leg free when dos Santos catches a low kick. They trade near the fence. Spinning back kick from dos Santos, then a hard counter left that catches Gane. Right hand behind it. Gane answers with a leg kick. 10-9 Gane.
Round 2: Trading low kicks to start. Glancing rights from Gane. Inside low kick. dos Santos just misses with an overhand right and eats a body kick for his trouble. One minute in. Body and low kicks from Gane. He puts dos Santos on the fence after taking a short right hand. dos Santos circles off. Gane continuing to work at range, circling and bouncing. Heavy low kick two minutes in. Stiff jab hurts dos Santos and Gane follows up with a brutal elbow that sends dos Santos to his knees. A couple more punches and it’s over.
Final result: Gane def. dos Santos by TKO (elbow and punches)
145 lbs.: Daniel Pineda vs. Cub Swanson
Round 1: Pineda tries a head kick to start. Good low kick met by a right hand. Uppercut and left hook on the break. Swanson tries to lunge in with a right hand, eats another leg kick. Hard 3-2 form Pineda, who eats a right and comes back with left hands a minute in. More heavy low kicks. Swanson switches stance, lands a good three-piece. Sharp lead right. Lead left this time. Pineda knocks him back with a lead right in return, then spins him around with a leg kick. Heavy right hand by Swanson two minutes in. Pineda slips after landing a leg kick, threatens a leg. Swanson sets up in half guard. Two minutes to go.
Pineda looking to set up a triangle, switches to an armbar, can’t get it and stands with Swanson attached. They separate. Lead right by Swanson, who’s buckled by another calf kick and takes a spinning back kick soon after. Reactive shot by Pinda, who rolls through to retain top position. One minute to go. Swanson scrambles up and lands a sharp right hand. Pineda low kick met by a 1-2 that floors him hard. Swanson tries to polish him off on the ground, gives him room to stand. Pineda tries a spinning elbow as Swanson attacks. Hard right hands by Swanson, then a series of elbows. 10-9 Swanson.
Round 2: Good uppercut from Swanson. Pineda still looks rattled. Hard right hand lands for Swanson. Pineda tries a head kick a minute in. Calf kick connects and he gets in on a single-leg. Swanson defends on the fence. Hard punches from Swanson on the break and a massive right hand sends Pineda to the mat. Swanson wants the walk-off, but settles for diving in with another huge right hand for the finish.
Final result: Swanson def. Pineda by KO (punches)
155 lbs.: Rafael Fiziev vs. Renato Moicano
Round 1: Fiziev circling, Moicano advancing. Low kick from Fiziev. Moicano tries a head kick and 1-2. One minute in. Moicano with a counter right, takes body kicks in return. Another calf kick met by a Moicano body shot. Fiziev rips a left hook downstairs. Moicano jab met by leg kicks. Two minutes in. Moicano with a right to the body. High-low kicks, counter right. Good exchange in the center, Moicano lands a hard right hand and tries an unsuccessful shot. Two minutes to go.
Clean 1-2 lands for Moicano. Fiziev cracks him with a right cross at the end of a combo. Body kick, takedown he doesn’t follow up on. Fiziev fires a left hook to the body, a right hand to the head, and finally a murderous left hook that sends the Brazilian crashing down. Moicano appears to wake up when he hits the ground and protests the stoppage, but he’s still scrambled when he does so.
Final result: Fiziev def. Moicano by KO (punches)
145 lbs.: Billy Quarantillo vs. Gavin Tucker
Round 1: Early right hook from Tucker. Quantillo launching kicks. Low kick lands for Tucker, then a right hook and body kick. Quarantillo with a lead right, 1-2, and body kick, prompting Tucker to tie up. Tucker trips him down a minute in, but Quarantillo pops back up. Counter hook by Tucker as Quarantillo presses forward. Right hand by Quarantillo into the clinch. Tucker with some knees downstairs. Hard elbow on the break. Two minutes in. He ties up once againGood exchange on the break. Tucker with a hard knee and elbow inside. Counter right hook. Quarantillo with a front kick downstairs, eats a flurry in return. Another hard Tucker knee with two minutes to go.
1-2 from Tucker, then a shifting right. Quarantillo tries to bully into the clinch. Double left by Tucker, then one to the body. Clinch, Tucker knees. They trade in the center with a minute to go. Quarantillo with a couple left hooks inside and they trade knees downstairs. Tucker with another elbow on the break, walks into a left hook. Clean head kick and straight left by Tucker, who fights off a late takedown. He lands one of his own before the bell. 10-9 Tucker.
Round 2: Right back to the fast exchanges. Combination from Tucker, then a three-piece and head kick behind it. Good step-in knee and counter left as Quarantillo attacks the body. Tucker 1-2. Left hands, knee to the head. Brutal elbow a minute in. Another knee on the break, hard elbow. They trade rights. Quarantillo still sending out combos. Sharper punches by Tucker in return, eats knees inside. Uppercut to knee. They trade body knees and tie up. Another Tucker elbow two minutes in. Clean straight left. Both land right hands inside. Tucker with a knee on the break, continuing to piece Quarantillo up. Lovely three-piece. Quarantillo looks for knees inside. Tucker takes him to the fence, grabs a rear waist lock. Two minutes to go.
Tucker looking for the back, can’t get it, lands a knee on the way up. Right hands from Quarantillo, who succumbs to an outside trip into side control. Tucker puts in a hook, then another. One minute to go. Quarantillo turns into guard but can’t keep him down. Sharp counters by Tucker and they trade knees downstairs. Combo by Quarantillo after landing a good knee. Foot sweep by Tucker, takes a knee to the gut. 10-9 Tucker.
Round 3: Hard punching combo from Tucker in the first few seconds. Head kick to straight left and he puts Quarantillo on the fence. Outside trip, can’t establish. Another trip, can’t get the front headlock. Quarantillo lands a knee inside, then an elbow on the break. Big straight left and right hook by Tucker. One minute in. Tucker considers a standing head-and-arm, then changes levels for a takedown into guard. Looking for the back as Quarantillo tries to stand. Two minutes in. Quarantillo makes it up. Clash of heads before the next clinch. Hard right hand lands for Quarantillo when they resume, eats a combo in return. Tucker claims a low blow, gets taken to the fence. He reverses. They trade jabs on the break, then Tucker takes him down again. Two minutes to go.
Tucker puts in a hook, then throws him back down into side control from the body lock. Left hand from Tucker. Quarantillo trying upkicks before Tucker comes back down. One minute to go. Quarantillo lands an elbow, then a knee downstairs as they separate. Quarantillo wading in with punches. Another takedown by Tucker into guard. 10-9 Tucker.
Final result: Tucker def. Quarantillo by unanimous decision
115 lbs.: Tecia Torres vs. Sam Hughes
Round 1: Trading low kicks early, mostly from Hughes. Torres lands a Superman punch. Good combination in the center. Spinning back fist to flurry, which prompts Hughes to put her on the fence. One minute in. Torres reverses, then separates. Back to the low kicks. Torres with another Superman punch to a low kick, then a teep two minutes in. Side kick soon after. Cleanest Superman punch so far. She’s considerably faster than Hughes and is making great use of it. Hughes tries to spin, lands a jab. Two minutes to go.
Torres to the body. Good exchange. More kicks from Torres, avoids a Superman punch and follows a head kick attempt with a right cross. Body shots from Torres. One minute to go. Right hand from Hughes, who’s giving ground. Double leg kick. Hughes catches one, tries to tie up and eats a heavy combo for her trouble. Torres knee answers a level change and she slams Hughes to the ground, waiting out a guillotine. 10-9 Torres.
Hughes tells her corner between rounds that she can’t see out of her left eye, so that’ll do it.
Final result: Torres def. Hughes by TKO (eye injury)
145 lbs.: Peter Barrett vs. Chase Hooper
Round 1: Hooper tossing out kicks to start. He looks for a reactive shot, no dice. Low kicks from Barrett, counter right soon after. Barrett tries a combo on the fence a minute in. Sharp right jabs. Hooper staying side-on, trying kicks. Left hand lands for him. Kick exchange, Hooper takes a low blow. Barrett goes back to the leg and body kicks when they resume. Good overhand left as he stalks forward. Barrett keeping him near the fence with two minutes to go.
Barrett takes the next low blow. Side kicks from Hooper. Combination from Barrett, continuing to advance. Hooper with a well-timed reactive shot, looking for a single-leg with a minute to go. Now a double, eats Browne elbows. He spins for a leg kick in the waning seconds, can’t get it. 10-9 Barrett.
Round 2: Jabs from Hooper. More low kicks from Barrett. Nice straight left lands for Hooper. 1-2, eats a low kick in return. He’s switching stance now as Barrett tears up the right calf. One minute in. 3-2 and body jab from Barrett, then another pair of calf kicks that have Hooper stumbling. Hooper tries to pull guard, cannot do so. Two minutes in. Hooper tries some leg kicks. He shoots, denied. Now an Imanari roll. Two minutes to go.
Awkward north-south position. He tries the heel hook, can’t keep Barrett down. One minute to go. Low kicks from Hooper. He tries a 1-2-wheel kick. Barrett with a counter right hook. 10-9 Barrett.
Round 3: Glancing head kick lands for Hooper. Barrett catches a body kick. Barrett still advancing, counters a low kick with a 1-2. Hooper changes levels, denied. 2-3 lands for him. Another good Imanari roll by Hooper. Hammerfists from 50/50. Barrett headbutts his fist in return. Two minutes in. Hooper looking for an inverted heel hook now, has his hips in position. He cranks on the hook and draws some frantic taps.
Final result: Hooper def. Barrett by submission (heel hook)