LIVE! UFC On FOX 29 ‘Prelims’ Recaps

The action returns to the Octagon later this evening (Sat., April 14, 2018) at UFC on FOX 29 from inside Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, as lightweight contender Dustin Poirier takes a swing at fan favorite Justin Gaethje in a main event clash capable of winning Fight of the Year honors.

In addition to the 155-pound headliner, welterweight veteran Carlos Condit will try to get back into the win column when he takes on Brazilian “Cowboy” Alex Oliveira. Rising middleweight sensation Israel Adesanya will also be on full display when he aims to remain undefeated in an interesting bout with Italian prospect Marvin Vettori.

But, before the premier bouts get underway on FOX starting at 8:00 p.m. ET, UFC on FOX 29’s “Prelims” action will go down on Fight Pass starting at 3:30 p.m. ET and FOX starting at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Find out what happened right here as the UFC on FOX 29 undercard recaps roll in real-time:

Tim Boetsch vs. Antonio Carlos Junior

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Muslim Salikhov vs. Ricky Rainey

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Wilson Reis vs. John Moraga

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Krzysztof Jotko vs. Brad Tavares

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Gilbert Burns vs. Dan Moret

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Shana Dobson vs. Lauren Mueller

Former Ultimate Fighter alum Dobson (3-2) aimed to make it two in a row in UFC when she took on women’s flyweight newcomer Mueller (5-0). Dobson came out firing with a lead jab. Mueller landed a crisp counter right on Dobson’s nose. Dobson returned with some high kick attempts as Mueller rushed forward with a flurry of strikes. Mueller kept sneaking in her right hand off of sensational footwork and head movement. Dobson ate the most damage, but scored well with more jabs. In Round 2, Dobson pushed forward with combinations instead of her jab. She stuck Mueller on the end of her punches, but Mueller’s head movement allowed her to stay in the pocket and play the angles. Dobson found a home for a big left hand and then circled away. Mueller came back with a stiff jab, while Dobson landed a side kick. Mueller fired a nasty combination inside that busted Dobson’s nose up and hurt her badly. The third frame saw Mueller pressed the action and score a powerful right hand. Dobson was hurt and decided to change levels for a brief takedown. Mueller got back to her feet and scored some short strikes in the clinch. Mueller separated and landed a fast jab down the pipe. Dobson came back and attacked Mueller’s body, forcing the UFC newcomer to cover up and backpedal. Mueller recovered, fired her own offense, and gained control along the cage before the end of the frame. In the end, it was Mueller who did enough on the scorecards to walk away with the split-decision win.

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Dhiego Lima vs. Yushin Okami

In the first of three welterweight pairings, former Ultimate Fighter standout Lima (12-7) took a big step up in competition against former UFC middleweight title challenger Okami (35-11). Okami landed a powerful takedown in the early going. The veteran quickly gained back control, but Lima defended the hands nicely and worked back to full guard. Okami scored control time, but couldn’t land much offense outside of a hard right hand. In Round 2, Lima opened up with some good body shots and a lead jab. Okami quickly leaped in, closed the distance, and locked the Brazilian along the cage. Okami dragged Lima to the canvas and temporarily took back control. Lima was able to reverse positioning and got back to his feet. Little offense was landed by either fighter in the round. The third round saw a desperate Lima launch heavy power shots early, but Okami kept his distance and countered with another quick takedown, eventually tying Lima up against the cage once again. Lima did all that he could to peel the former middleweight off of him, but Okami locked his hands, trapped Lima from behind, and scored timely punches to the body and side of the head. In the end, Okami cruised his way to a unanimous decision win.

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Arjan Bhullar vs. Adam Wieczorek

The lone heavyweight bout of the evening pitted undefeated prospect Bhullar (7-1) against Polish submission specialist Wieczorek (10-1). Bhullar wasted no time entering range and securing a single-leg takedown on the towering Wieczorek. Bhullar didn’t do a ton of work out of full guard, but was able to score control time and some solid punches to the body. If anything, Bhullar made Wieczorek work and exhaust a bunch of energy early. In Round 2, Bhullar found a home for a flush right hand and then rushed in to land more damage with an uppercut in the clinch. Once along the cage, Bhullard picked Wieczorek up and slammed him for another powerful takedown. Following a transition on the ground, Wieczorek was able to lock up Bhullar’s arm, lock in his hips, and sink in a perfect omoplata submission finish (the first one in UFC since 2014).

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Matthew Lopez vs. Alejandro Perez

In the second bantamweight matchup on the card, Arizona native Lopez (10-3) looked to rebound from a knockout loss to Raphael Assuncao when he met talented Mexican finisher Perez (20-6-1). Perez opened up with leg kicks early. Lopez returned favor with a big left hand before securing a slamming double-leg takedown. Lopez nearly sunk in a rear-naked choke, but Perez defended with wrist control and hammer fists behind his head. Perez went back to the leg kicks as Lopez landed a nice power right hand. Lopez landed another sweeping takedown and worked for another choke, but failed to sink it in. In Round 2, Perez leaned on more lead leg kicks. Lopez failed to check most of them. Perez started to find his range and landed some quick punches from distance. Lopez returned with a heavy scooping left hand. Lopez failed to take Perez down and was then leveled with a brutal knee inside. Lopez stumbled around the cage as Perez chased with ferocious combinations to the head and the body. The referee eventually saw enough and stepped in for the second-round TKO stoppage.

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Luke Sanders vs. Patrick Williams

The opening bout of the evening saw bantamweight wrestler Sanders (12-2) try to shake off a two-fight losing streak against 36-year-old veteran Williams (8-6). Sanders struck first with a huge left hand over the top that dropped Williams. Williams returned favor with a few front leg kicks before landing a combination along the cage. Sanders came back with another left hand down the middle during a clinch towards the end of the first, cutting Williams in the process. Williams looked tired early into Round 2, as Sanders pushed forward and landed a crisp head kick. Sanders attacked the body along the cage, but Williams countered with a perfect right hand that instantly blew up Sanders’ eye. Williams was able to score a sweeping leg kick after a slip by Sanders. The elder bantamweight landed another power right on Sanders followed by a takedown to end the frame. In Round 3, Sanders aggressively pursued Williams, but Williams remained mobile and countered well with low leg kicks, left hooks, and body punches. Sanders found a home for another big left hand that temporarily dropped Williams, but Sanders was unable to find a window for the finish. In the end, it was Sanders who escaped with the unanimous decision win.

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC on FOX 29 fight card, starting with the Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on FOX at 6 p.m. ET, before the FOX main card start time at 8 p.m. ET.