Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to uncork its UFC on ESPN 3 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, locked and loaded for TONIGHT (Sat., June 29, 2019) inside Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Leading the charge will be top-ranked heavyweight power punchers, Francis Ngannou and Junior dos Santos, who collide for a pivotal spot in the 265-pound title chase. In the UFC Minneapolis co-main event, Joseph Benavidez looks to cement his place as No. 1 contender in the flyweight division by turning away gritty veteran, Jussier Formiga. In addition, long-time grappling sensation, Demian Maia, continues to compete in the twilight of his storied cage fighting career opposite the rough-and-tumble Anthony Rocco Martin. Best of all, it’s free! Assuming you have access to ESPN through your cable or satellite provider, of course.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC on ESPN 3 fight card below, starting with the “Prelims” matches on ESPN, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Ngannou vs. Dos Santos.”
Without further delay, see below for the latest UFC on ESPN 3 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC ON ESPN 3 QUICK RESULTS:
Francis Ngannou vs. Junior dos Santos — Ngannou def. Dos Santos by TKO (punches) at 1:11 of Round One
Joseph Benavidez vs. Jussier Formiga — Benavidez def. Formiga by TKO (head kick and punches) at 4:47 of Round Two
Demian Maia vs. Anthony Rocco Martin — Maia def. Martin by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Roosevelt Roberts vs. Vinc Pichel — Pichel def. Roberts by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Drew Dober vs. Marco Polo Reyes — Dober def. Reyes by TKO (punches) at 1:07 of Round One
Paul Craig vs. Alonzo Menifield — Menifield def. Craig by KO (punches) at 3:19 of Round One
Journey Newson vs. Ricardo Ramos — Ramos def. Newson by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Eryk Anders vs. Vinicius Moreira — Anders def. Moreira by KO (punches) at 1:18 of Round One
Jared Gordon vs. Dan Moret — Gordon def. Moret by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Dequan Townsend — Lungiambula def. Townsend by TKO (punches and elbows) at 0:42 of Round Three
Emily Whitmire vs. Amanda Ribas — Ribas def. Whitmire by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:10 of Round Two
Maurice Greene vs. Junior Albini — Greene def. Albini by TKO (punches) at 3:38 of Round One
UFC ON ESPN 3 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
265 lbs.: Francis Ngannou vs. Junior dos Santos
Round 1: Ngannou opens with low kicks. Dos Santos comes back with one that knocks Ngannou over. Doesn’t swarm. Dos Santos to the body. Ngannou with a glancing overhand right and they trade low kicks again. One minute in. Dos Santos overcommits to a right hand and Ngannou slams home punches to force “Cigano” to his knees, pouring it on for the finish.
Final result: Ngannou def. Dos Santos by TKO (punches)
125 lbs.: Joseph Benavidez vs. Jussier Formiga
Round 1: Hard body kicks from Benavidez in the early going. One minute in. Glancing right hook. Formiga with a counter right, eats a leg kick. Another low kick. Formiga tries a wheel kick. Two minutes in. Counter right from the Brazilian opens a cut. Benavidez lands a leg kick and overhand right. Banvidez fakes a shot, goes low-high. Two minutes to go.
More body work from Benavidez as he takes Formiga to the fence. They separate. Formiga head kick glances off. Benavidez slips and Formiga jumps on his back. Beautiful scramble. Benavidez turns and shoots as Formiga holds onto a front headlock. They separate. Benavidez tries to flurry, falls short. 10-9 Benavidez.
Round 2: Body kick lands for Benavidez. Falling short with punches. Formiga spinning back fist goes high. Counter right lands for him. Benavidez fakes a knee tap and lands a body shot. Counter elbow from Formiga a minute in. Straight left by Benavidez, straight right from Formiga. Formiga with a well-timed shot, slings Benavidez to the mat and looks for the back. Benavidez manages to spin into guard, then pass to half guard two minutes in. Formiga works his way up, eats a left hand. They separate. Two minutes to go.
They trade near the fence. Benavidez slips on a body kick, lands a low kick. Straight left connects. Nice knees from Benavidez in the clinch. Left hook by Formiga as they trade. One minute to go. Body shots from Benavidez, then a head kick that stings Formiga. Benavidez pours it on against the fence until the Brazilian falls to his knees.
Final result: Benavidez def. Formiga by TKO (head kick and punches)
170 lbs.: Demian Maia vs. Anthony Rocco Martin
Round 1: Maia on the advance, Martin circling. Not much in the first minute. Right hand form Martin a minute in. Maia gets in on a single-leg, drags Martin to his seat against the fence. Two minutes in. Maia with a low mount, landing punches. Two minutes to go.
More right hands to the body. Martin makes it to the feet with a minute to go. Double underhooks for him. Short knees. He separates. Martin tries a flying knee. 10-9 Maia.
Round 2: Martin denies the early level change. Glancing head kick, another stuffed takedown. Maia shoots, dumps Martin to the mat. Martin scrambles up, dragged right back down against the fence. Maia on top in half guard. Two minutes in. Martin makes it to his feet, outside trip returns him to the mat. Two minutes to go.
Martin can’t dislodge Maia, who lands little arm punches. one minute to go. Ref stands them up. Maia shoots again, Martin looks for the back in the scramble, Maia spins into guard. 10-9 Maia.
Round 3: Not much besides feints in the first minute. Martin tries a head kick. Two minutes in. Another head kick. Martin trying 1s and 2s. Low kick. Two minutes to go.
Maia tries a counter left. He shoots under a right hand, stuffed. Shoots again, denied. Martin to the body. Counter right stings Maia! Martin stalking after him. Maia pulls half guard, then butterfly guard. Martin trying to drop hard shots, can’t get the finish. 10-9 Martin.
Final result: Maia def. Martin by unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Roosevelt Robert vs. Vinc Pichel
Round 1: Trading low kicks to start. Straight right from Roberts. Good uppercut and knee from Roberts in the clinch. One minute in. Oblique kick from Roberts. Pichel lands a pair of knees when they tie up and puts him on the fence. Roberts reverses and looks to change levels. No dice and they separate two minutes in. Pichel falls short with a flurry. roberts lands a counter flying knee and briefly ties up. Jabs by Roberts. Pichel ties up on the fence. Two minutes to go.
Pichel with some short knees. Roberts reverses, looks for a single-leg. Can’t get it, separates. Roberts jabs, Pichel low kicks. 3-2 from Roberts connects and Pichel lands a counter right as Roberts shoots in. One minute to go. High-amplitude takedown by Roberts, looking for the back. Pichel gets to his feet, eats a combination and comes back with a knee downstairs. Pichel shoots, knees the thigh. 10-9 Roberts.
Round 2: Pichel going back to the low kicks. Roberts switching stance. Roberts looking for straight rights. One minute in. Pichel steps in with a 1-2-low kick, eats a straight right. Pichel with a blast double behind an overhand right for a takedown on the fence. Roberts trying to stand, eats short punches two minutes in. Roberts makes his way up. Back to the center. More hard low kicks by Pichel. Two minutes to go.
Roberts fires punches and a knee into a takedown attempt. They separate. Good punching combo from Roberts, then another near-miss with the flying knee counter. Looking for a takedown on the fence, takes the back from Pichel’s kimura attempt. Pichel sweeps into half guard. He takes mount before the bell. 10-9 Pichel.
Round 3: Pichel looks for an overhand right and head kick. Leg kick connects. Good exchange in the center. Roberts forces him back with a combo. Pichel shoots, dumps Roberts into half guard against the fence. Roberts fires upkicks, failed attempt at a leg leads him to give up side control. Roberts rolls to his knees. Two minutes in. Pichel with a rear crucifix, dropping good punches. Robers works his way to his feet and Pichel clamps down on a guillotine. Pichel squeezing crazy hard, loses it and changes levels. Roberts reverses, eats a spinning elbow on the exit. Pichel marching in with hard shots. Two minutes to go.
Pichel takes him to the fence once again. He changes levels for another takedown into mount. Full back control now. Body triangle, elbow from Pichel. Back to mount with a minute to go. Then the back. Roberts looking to slip out the back door, escapes before the bell. 10-9 Pichel.
Final result: Pichel def. Roberts by unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Drew Dober vs. Marco Polo Reyes
Round 1: They trade kicks early. Big trade and a left hand hurts Reyes. Dober continues the flurry until Reyes tries to shoot. Can’t complete it, but manages to survive and get back to his feet. Another hard left near the fence has Reyes stumbling again and this time there’s no escape; yet another left flattens Reyes and Dober gives him no room to survive with the followup.
Final result: Dober def. Reyes by TKO (punches)
205 lbs.: Paul Craig vs. Alonzo Menifield
Round 1: Menifield on the advance early. They tie up on the fence. Elbow from Menifield. Craig looking for short punches and knees. He jumps guard a minute in, abandons it. Menifield separates. Craig shoots, stuffed, fails to pull guard. Another failed guard pull. Two minutes in. Menifield falls just short with a two-piece. Low kick and 1-2 from Menifield prompt Craig to tie up and shoot. Menifield gets underhooks and avoids a leglock roll. Two minutes to go.
Spinning back kick attempt from Craig, tries to pull guard again and this time Menifield follows him down with some hellacious right hands that put the Scotsman to sleep.
Final result: Menifield def. Craig by KO (punches)
135 lbs.: Journey Newson vs. Ricardo Ramos
Round 1: Ramos tries a spinning back kick and Brazilian kick. Low kick from Ramos. Newson leg kick in return. Newson tries a counter left. One minute in. Newson again goes after the leg. Ramos answers in kind, met by a right cross soon after. Newson tries a wheel kick, blocks a head kick two minutes in. Both try to kick at the same time. Ramos jab and leg kick. Newson falls short with a left hook and lands his own leg kick. Two minutes to go.
Ramos follows a knee with a right cross. Newson looks for a body lock takedown and gets reversed into mount. Ramos quickly takes the back. Newson escapes, pulls guard on a guillotine. Ramos lands in side control, prompting Newson to abandon it and scramble up. Newson wades after him with a combo and walks into a spinning elbow that he absorbs before tying up. 10-9 Ramos.
Round 2: Newson falls short with a 1-2, lands a leg kick. Teep by Ramos in return. 1-2 by Ramos met by a leg kick. One minute in. Right cross by Ramos, Newson low kick in return. Ramos tries a jumping knee. Newson continuing to pick at the lead leg. Two minutes in. He avoids a knee and elbow. Ramos body kick as Newson tries to spin. Two minutes to go.
Newson leg kick. Trading kicks. They trade near the center. Ramos sendign out his jab. Newson jab connects. One minute to go. Ramos falls short with a wheel kick. Low kick lands, glancing spinning back kick not long after. Ramos tries the elbow again. Newson lands a glancing wheel kick. 10-9 Newson on low kicks.
Round 3: Newson with some more spinning attempts and punches in the early going. Feels kinda like a sparring session, honestly. Ramos tries a wheel kick and knee, neither connect. Ramos shoots into a guillotine, but uses the fence to work his way free a minute in. Newson gets to his feet, slammed back down via body lock. He closes his guard two minutes in. Not too much GnP from Ramos so far. Newson gets back to his feet with two minutes to go.
Glancing wheel kick from Ramos. Solid body kick lands for Newson. Ramos comes back with a right cross downstairs. Newson overhand right met by a spinning elbow, then another that drops him. Newson pops back up, absorbs a 1-2 with a minute to go. Anotehr right cross has Newson stumbling along the fence. He comes back with a leg kick that appears to hurt Ramos. Well, that stopped being a sparring session real quick. 10-9 Ramos.
Final result: Ramos def. Newson by unanimous decision
205 lbs.: Eryk Anders vs. Vinicius Moreira
Round 1: Moreira eats a left hand and shoots. Anders reverses into mount, returns to his feet. Moreira keeping him against the fence. One minute in. Looking for a single-leg, can’t establish and gets blasted by a left hand when he returns to his feet. Anders pours on the hurt until Moreira goes to sleep.
Final result: Anders def. Moreira by KO (punches)
155 lbs.: Jared Gordon vs. Dan Moret
Round 1: 1-2 from the southpaw Moret. Gordon answers a body kick with an overhand right. Moret straight left, Gordon straight right. Good trade in the center. Gordon with a right hand a minute in, then a three-piece in the clinch. Another flurry. Gordon answers a head kick with a right hand that knocks Moret to his rear, following him into half guard. Two minutes in. Short blows from Gordon. Continuing with the same. Moret uses the cage to stand, Gordon with the rear waist lock. Two minutes to go.
Moret pops up from a takedown and cracks Gordon with a long sequence of clinch knees. Good right hand. 2-3. Another clinch. Gordon puts him on the fence, can’t get the outside trip. Moret gets a body lock and slams him down into side control. One hook in as Gordon stands with a minute to go. Gordon turns to face him. They separate and end the round trading. 10-9 Gordon.
Round 2: They go right back to trading. Both land left hands on the cage. Low kick from Moret. Gordon eats a knee, can’t establish the takedown and gets thrown right into mount. Moret moves to the back. One minute to go. Forearm isn’t under the chin yet. Still fighting for it. Gordon turns into guard. Two minutes to go. Good right hand from Gordon. Moret tosses up an armbar, loses it, briefly looks for the triangle instead. Two minutes to go.
Gordon with some punches from half guard. One minute to go. Right hands from Gordon. He stands for some bigger blows. 10-9 Gordon.
Round 3: Moret pulls guard on a guillotine, but winds up stuck on the bottom in half guard. Moret holding him close a minute in. Unable to dislodge Gordon as the latter chips away. Moret regains guard. Gordon looks for the back as Moret stands, maintaining control with a hook. Two minutes to go.
Gordon remains attached via rear waist lock, pulls Moret down a second time and jumps on the back. Moret slips out the back door, but Gordon scrambles up and looks for a takedown. Another shot, Moret sprawls and looks for the back. Moret tries to take the back or mount, but winds up back on the bottom in guard. Gordon passes to half guard. 10-9 Gordon.
Final result: Gordon def. Moret by unanimous decision
205 lbs.: Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Dequan Townsend
Round 1: Sharp jab from Townsend to start. Lungiambula jabs the body in response, eats a low kick. Good exchange as Lungiambula rushes in. One minute in. 2-1 connects for Lungiambula and he shoots in, taking punches along the way. Townsend avoids a throw, lands a knee to the body. Two minutes in. They trade knees against the fence. Lungiambula completes an inside trip into half guard. Townsend works his way part of the way up, gets hurled back down with just under two minutes to go.
Lungiambula on top in guard. Townsend briefly threatens an armbar with a minute to go. Short lefts from Lungiambula. 10-9 Lungiambula.
Round 2: Quick takedown from Lungiambula. Townsend looking to rise against the fence. One minute in. Townsend gets up, tossed back down. Lungiambula on top in half guard. Two minutes in. Townsend regains guard. Lungiambula not doing all that much from the top. Two minutes to go.
Short punches from Lungiambula. Elbows. One minute to go. Ref stands them up with about 15 seconds to go. Townsend fires a flying knee. 10-9 Lungiambula.
Round 3: Lungiambula storms in with a flurry and floors Townsend against the fence. Lungiambula in mount, cracks him with elbows until the referee intervenes.
Final result: Lungiambula def. Townsend by TKO (punches and elbows)
115 lbs.: Emily Whitmire vs. Amanda Ribas
Round 1: Whitmire with a glancing head to start. Ribas on the advance, tries a combination and ties up on the fence. Whitmire denies a throw with a whizzer. Ribas looks for the back. latches onto the body triangle a minute in. Playing backpack. Whitmire still hand fighting. Two minutes in. Ribas trying to soften her up. Whitmire falls to her back, still defending. Two minutes to go.
Whitmire manages to sweep into her guard. She stands over Ribas, avoids upkicks and a sweep attempt. One minute to go. Ribas looking for a high guard, throwing elbows off her back. 10-9 Ribas.
Round 2: Ribas advancing, Whitmire circling, both looking for combinations. Good trade on the fence. Ribas goes low-high and ties up against the cage. Knees from Ribas a minute in. She drags Whitmire to her knees again, takes top position. Hard left hands and she takes mount, then the back. The RNC’s locked up and Ribas gets the submission.
Final result: Ribas def. Whitmire by submission (rear naked choke)
265 lbs.: Maurice Greene vs. Junior Albini
Round 1: Trading low kicks to start. Greene clips him with a right cross as they trade in the center. More low kicks by Greene, 1-2 behind them. Greene working well off the back foot as Albini wades after him. Albini to the body, tries to open up on the fence a minute in. Albini exits with a left hook, lands a right to the body again. More low kicks from Greene. Albini wades through some jabs to swing. Two minutes in. Counter hook by Albini. Greene 1-2 and body kick. Greene knocks Albini to a knee with a jab, then floors him with a follow-up straight left. He follows Albini down into side control. Albini stands, stung with a right as he does. Greene tries to open up, but gets clipped by a right and staggers back. Two minutes to go.
They swing as they separate from the fence. 1-2-1 by Greene, then an overhand right that drops Albini once again. Greene follows up with hammerfists for the finish.
Final result: Greene def. Albini by TKO (punches)