Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is inching closer to its upcoming UFC Fight Night 168 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, featuring a battle of top-ranked lightweight strikers in the former of Paul Felder and Dan Hooker, who sling leather on Sat., Feb. 22, 2020 on ESPN+ from inside Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.
In the light heavyweight co-main event, local hero Jimmy Crute battles fellow up-and-coming 205-pound prospect, Michal Oleksiejczuk. Elsewhere on the card, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Xiaonan Yan hook ‘em up at strawweight, while Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Ben Sosoli get it on at heavyweight.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 168 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.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Felder vs. Hooker.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Fight Night 168 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC AUCKLAND QUICK RESULTS:
Paul Felder vs. Dan Hooker
Jimmy Crute vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Xiaonan Yan
Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Ben Sosoli — de Lima def. Sosoli by TKO (punches) at 1:28 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS!
Magomed Mustafaev vs. Brad Riddell — Riddell def. Mustafaev by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Kevin Aguilar vs. Zubaira Tukhugov — Tukhugov def. Aguilar by TKO (punches) at 3:21 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS!
Jalin Turner vs. Josh Culibao — Turner def. Culibao by TKO (punches and elbows) at 3:01 of Round Two
Jake Matthews vs. Emil Meek — Matthews def. Meek by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Song Kenan vs. Callan Potter — Song def. Potter by KO (punches) at 2:20 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS!
Kai Kara-France vs. Tyson Nam — Kara-France def. Nam by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Angela Hill vs. Loma Lookboonmee — Hill def. Lookboonmee by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)Maki Pitolo vs. Takashi Sato
Shana Dobson vs. Priscila Cachoeira — Cachoeira def. Dobson by KO (punch) at 0:40 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS!
UFC AUCKLAND PLAY-BY-PLAY:
155 lbs.: Paul Felder vs. Dan Hooker
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Round 4:
Round 5:
Final result:
?205 lbs.: Jimmy Crute vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Final result:
115 lbs.: Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Xiaonan Yan
Round 1: Yan with some early kicks. Kowalkiewicz trading punches with her. Heavy exchanges. One minute in. Combinations landing for Yan, finding the mark with uppercuts. Kowalkiewicz with a knee, eats a right hand as they separate. Counter 1-2 from Yan. Kowalkiewicz with a spinning back fist, brief clinch. Yan pressuring, Kowalkiewicz ties up and takes her to the fence. Yan hits a throw into side control, now guard two minutes in. Yan lets her up after trying a can opener with two minutes to go.
Back on the fence, Yan doing the pressing this time. They separate. Good combo by Kowalkiewicz. Yan thumps her with a side kick and 1-2. Kowalkiewicz’s eyes are giving her trouble. One minute to go. Kowalkiewicz ties up after eating a right hand and gets hip tossed into half guard. She stands over Kowalkiewicz and drops some punches. Kicking at her legs, gives her room to stand. Yan with a clean 1-2 before the bell. 10-9 Yan.
Round 2:
Round 3:
Final result:
265 lbs.: Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Ben Sosoli
Round 1: de Lima swinging heat to start, Sosoli answering in kind. Jab from de Lima, blocked head kick. Left hand catches Sosoli leaning in. Counter after counter from de Lima but Sosoli’s tanking it. 1-2 lands for Sosoli a minute in. Sosoli walks into another vicious series of hooks and this time it’s more than he can take. A right hook behind the ear sends him to his knees and de Lima ends it with one more monster punch.
Final result: de Lima def. Sosoli by TKO (punches)
155 lbs.: Magomed Mustafaev vs. Brad Riddell
Round 1: Tentative start. Both try head kicks. Body kick lands for Mustafaev. Riddell answers a side kick with a brutal right hand that knocks the Dagestani down against the fence a minute in. Mustafaev gets his wits back and turns for a heel hook, using it to get back to his feet. High crotch gets Riddell down, can’t keep him there. Two minutes in. Mustafaev again tries to wrench him down. Again he drags him to his knees, again Riddell uses the fence to work his way up. Two minutes to go.
Good knees from Mustafaev. Now looking for a single-leg, lands some right hands. Hard knee to the body. One minute to go. Single-leg gets Riddell down, still can’t establish. Riddell spins out and changes levels. Knee from Mustafaev on the break. 10-9 Mustafaev?
Round 2: Riddell steps in with another hard right hand. Mustafaev tries a front kick, slipped. Another lead right by Riddell. One minute in. Low kick lands. Another, answered in kind. Mustafaev tries a big swing, avoids a combo. Riddell body kick, avoids an uppercut and lands a right cross. Mustafaev comes back with a snap kick and a heavy overhand right. Two minutes in. Leg kick spins Mustafaev around, Riddell doesn’t follow. Brutal close-range exchange. Body kick and spinning back fist from Mustafaev, who catches a kick for a takedown with two minutes to go.
Riddell trying to use the cage to stand, stuck in the same position as in the first round. One minute to go. Mustafaev looks for a single-leg, gets him down but can’t establish. Outside trip, same procedure. 10-9 Riddell?
Round 3: Riddell pressing forward, avoids a wheel kick and doesn’t elect to follow him into guard. Hard left from Mustafaev, then they trade body kicks. Counter flying knee by Mustafaev but he gets blasted by a right hand, prompting a shot a minute in. He puts Riddell against the fence, Riddell manages to separate. Low kick lands for him. Two minutes in. Riddell shoots through a spinning back fist to land in guard. He flips Mustafaev off, then starts cracking him with ground-and-pound. Mustafaev scrambles up, back to the grappling against the fence. Two minutes to go.
Riddell circles off, lands a heavy body kick. Mustafaev looks for a reactive takedown, back to the fence. One minute to go. Riddell tosses him down as he defends, poses for the crowd from the front headlock as he chips away. Riddell looking for a kimura now, drops it. Riddell reverses a final takedown and lands a couple more punches. 10-9 Riddell.
Final result: Riddell def. Mustafaev by split decision
145 lbs.: Kevin Aguilar vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
Round 1: Tukhugov tries a front kick, eats a leg kick. Counter left answers an Aguilar combo. One minute in. Tukhugov overhand blocked. Aguilar pops him with a jab. Low kick lands. Two minutes in. 2-1 connects. Tukhugov tries an uppercut-left hook. Both land right hands in the center. Body shot from Aguilar, who gets put on his butt by a left hook. Two minutes to go.
Aguilar pops right back up, but Tukhugov won’t be denied. An overhand right around the guard kicks off a brutal flurry that ultimately floors Aguilar against the fence, and the follow-ups send the ref into action.
Final result: Tukhugov def. Aguilar by TKO (punches)
155 lbs.: Jalin Turner vs. Josh Culibao
Round 1: Turner fires a combo as Culibao ducks in. Turner switching stance, eats a body shot. Hard right hand by Culibao, who powers through a knee for a takedown attempt but ends up on his back. One minute in. Half guard for Turner, firing elbows. He stands over Culibao and lets him up. Spinning back kick attempt. Turner answers a body kick with body punches, lands a knee up top. They jockey for position against the fence two minutes in. Knees to the body from Turner. The last one seems to hurt Culibao, who shoots into a guillotine and falls to his back. Two minutes to go.
Turner trying to secure a grip on the guillotine on top in half guard. One minute to go. Culibao scrambles to his feet and shoots again. Turner with a heavy knee downstairs and punches as he defends. They separate. Body kicks from Turner. Culibao leg kick. 10-9 Turner.
Round 2: Counter right for Turner as he stalks forward. Culibao pops him with a jab. 1-2 lands for Turner. One minute in. Counter left. Culibao really struggling with the reach, but lands a low kick. Turner comes back with a pair of rights. Culibao appears to unjure himself while moving and Turner capitalizes, opening up with strikes before rolling to mount with a guillotine. He abandons the choke, drops some shots, and starts pounding from the back. Culibao covering up as Turner bashes away with punches and elbows. Culibao trying to turn, eating more shots. Back to the back, chipping away and it’s over.
Final result: Turner def. Culibao by TKO (punches and elbows)
170 lbs.: Jake Matthews vs. Emil Meek
Round 1: Hard low kick from Meek to start. Matthews answers an uppercut with a takedown into half guard. One minute in. Meek just holding on at the moment. Now he regains guard and scoots to the fence. Matthews lands a left as he rises and cracks him with an elbow before separating. Two minutes in. Left hook by Matthews. Meek tries a combo. He throws a naked low kick and Matthews literally knocks him into the air with an uppercut, following him down into half guard. Looking to isolate an arm. Two minutes to go.
Short right hands from Matthews. Meek manages to get butterfly guard and throw some elbows. One minute to go. Meek tries to bridge, can’t. Matthews with some short punches. Meek makes it to the fence. 10-9 Matthews.
Round 2: Matthews with a nice uppercut-overhand. Uppercut-knee this time and a clean double-leg into guard. Meek again tries to bridge and Matthews takes his back, immediately putting in both hooks. Two minutes in. Matthews landing the occasional punch, looking to wind the hand control battle. Meek working to turn into guard, cannot do so. Two minutes to go.
Meek suddenly explodes to his feet, blasting Matthews with knees and elbows as the Aussie drives. Matthews answers with a spinning elbow and some counter shots before blasting through for another takedown into guard. One minute to go. Meek tries to stand with a single-leg, Matthews answers by looking for the back. Meek tries a spinning elbow, eats a left hook. Matthews fires knees, slips. 10-9 Matthews.
Round 3: Meek pressuring, lands a leg kick. Matthews 1-2 falls short. Lead right. Low kick from Meek. Counter hook. He tries a head kick, eats a counter hook. One minute in. Meek 1-2. Matthews catches a head kick, can’t use it. Matthews shoots, sprawled on. Two minutes in. They separate. Counter left lands for Meek, looking to throw on the fence. Low leg kick. Meek tries some head kicks. Left hook, stuffs a shot. Two minutes to go.
1-2 from Meek. Matthews goes for a single-leg, eats some Browne elbows. Meek landing punches and elbows as he defends, lands knees and threatens a trip. One minute to go. Knees from Meek, eats a counter 2-3 and waves him on. Good elbow inside. Trading at point-blank range. Meek sprints after him with a flying knee and gets taken down for it, landing hammerfists as he defends. 10-9 Meek.
Final result: Matthews def. Meek by unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Song Kenan vs. Callan Potter
Round 1: Potter punches his way into the clinch. lands a knee before separating. Combinations from Potter. They trade knees inside. One minute in. Good hook lands for him and he hits a lovely lateral drop into side control. He goes to mount, only for Song to slip out and look for his own rear waist lock before separating. Side kick by Song. Potter lands a flurry inside and clinches. Shoulder strikes by Song, Potter with an elbow on the break. Song cracks him with a right cross two minutes in, follows up with a heavy combination that culminates in a fight-ending right cross that slumps “The Rockstar.”
Final result: Song def. Potter by KO (punches)
125 lbs.: Kai Kara-France vs. Tyson Nam
Round 1: Kara-France aggressive to start the fight. Counter right as Nam ducks in. Low kick lands. Kara-France tries a high kick. One minute in. Nam tries to counter a leg kick. Kara-France jabs the body. Low-high. Jab splits Nam’s guard two minutes in. Counter uppercut lands for Nam. Kara-France body kick met by a left hook. Nam steps in, eats a a glancing elbow on the break. Kara-France low kick. Two minutes to go.
They trade right hands in the center. Jab lands for Kara-France. Again. Both land left hooks in the center, Nam’s a bit harder. Good body shots by the Hawaiian, eats a check hook. One minute to go. Jab exchange. Nam digs another hard right downstairs. Nam shoots in for a rear waist lock, can’t keep him down. Kara-France lands a big elbow on the break and they slug it out. 10-9 Kara-France.
Round 2: Kara-France pressures early, tries a cartwheel kick and an elbow on the break. Head kick attempt. He shoots, drives through the initial denial. Nam threatens a ninja choke and separates. Kara-France low kick. Nice combinations. Low kick connects. Two minutes in. Double check hook met by a Nam right cross. Nam on the advance, slinging rights. Kara-France low kick, tries an elbow and takes some rights downstairs. Nice counter right. Two minutes to go.
Cross counter from Nam. Kara-France pops him with jabs. Low kick and left hook met by a body shot. Right hand exchange. Counter uppercut lands for Kara-France as Nam tries to put him on the fence. One minute to go. Kara-France low kick and counter right. Low kick exchange. Nam ties up, lands a nice knee and body shot. 10-9 Kara-France.
Round 3: Kara-France working behind his jab as Nam pressures. Nam with some hard shots on the fence. Counter right. Kara-France shoots, denied. Head kick attempt blocked. One minute in. Kara-France low kick, Nam body shot.Fake shot trips Nam up for a second. Right cross appears to sting the Hawaiian. Kara-France advancing behind the jab, cracks him with a left hook. Nam low kick, eats a right hand. Two minutes in. Nam counters a body kick with a left hook, eats a jab and leg kick. Kara-France just outworking him by a huge margin. Two minutes to go.
Nam tries to put him on the fence, has to block peppering shots. Nam lands a pair of body shots. 1-2 from Kara-France. Nam tries to clinch, can’t, has to fight off a high-crotch. One minute to go. Nam puts him on the fence, wrangles him to his knees. Kara-France with a left hook on the exit, lands a 1-2, gives up the body lock again. Nam tries a head kick on the break and Kara-France mocks him. 10-9 Kara-France.
Final result: Kara-France def. Nam by unanimous decision
115 lbs.: Angela Hill vs. Loma Lookboonmee
Round 1: Lookboonmee looking for kicks early. Low kick lands for her as Hill presses forward. More low kicks, counter right. Quick exchange a minute in. Hill right hand, Lookboonmee low kick and cross. Hill with another counter right, answers a low kick with more. Lead hook connects. Lookboonmee tries a 1-2-3, takes a right. Another right from Hill. Countering a low kick. They tie up, knees from Lookboonmee and a body kick on the exit. Two minutes to go.
They trade rights in the center. Hill catches a low kick, lands a knee downstairs. Double right. 3-2. Jab splits the guard. One minute to go. Hill ties up and puts her on the fence, trading knees. Hill catches a knee adn takes her down into side control. Hill drops some shots and Lookboonmee escapes at the bell. 10-9 Hill.
Round 2: Lookboonmee looks to step forward, eats a jab. Right hand exchange, teep from Lookboonmee. Hill takes her to the fence. She grabs a leg, can’t use it and eats a right on the break a minute in. Stiff jab and left hook. Hill counters a low kick and clinches. They trade elbows on the break. Two minutes in. Hill counters a leg kick with a jab. Lookboonmee fires a combo and takes her down with an outside reap. Hill immediately threatens an armbar, switching to a triangle after Lookboonmee pulls her elbow out. Two minutes to go.
Lookboonmee makes a mistake and pulls one arm free of the triangle, leaving her in danger. She manages to rotate her way out, though, and sets up in guard. Hill throwing elbows off of her back. She makes it to her feet with a minute to go. Trading shots inside. Hill knee, Lookboonmee elbow on the break. Teep sends Hill stumbling back. They clinch before the bell. 10-9 Hill.
Round 3: Cross counter lands for Hill in the early going. Good right hands as Lookboonmee lands low kicks. They trade rights. Front kick from Lookboonmee, eats a knee. One minute in. Hill low kick. Lookboonmee jabs the body. Hill catches a front kick and lands rights. Lookboonmee looks for a foot sweep, gets taken to the fence. Two minutes in. Elbow from Hill, can’t get the takedown but lands a knee on the break. Hill right hand. 1-2 by Lookboonmee, trading knees in close. Two minutes to go.
1-2-3 from Lookboonmee, right cross. Body shot. Counter right. Hill changes levels and puts her on the fence. Trading knees. Hill catches one, lands a heavy elbow after eating one. 1-2 from Lookboonmee with a minute to go. Front kick by Lookboonmee. Hill shoots, trades knees as she puts her on the fence. Fun fight. 10-9 Hill, but closest round so far.
Final result: Hill def. Lookboonmee by unanimous decision
125 lbs.: Shana Dobson vs. Priscila Cachoeira
Round 1: Cachoeira marching forward, as usual. Overhand right lands for Cachoeira and they trade heat. The Brazilian continues to flurry for a bit. Things slow down for a second, only for Cachoeira to absolutely obliterate Dobson with an uppercut for a stunning one-punch finish.
Final result: Cachoeira def. Dobson by KO (punch)