Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is locked and loaded for the UFC Vegas 41 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, which takes place this weekend (Sat., Oct. 23, 2021) from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, streaming LIVE on ESPN+. Main event duties fall to top-ranked Middleweight combatants Paulo Costa (No. 2) and Marvin Vettori (No. 5), who collide in a 205-pound bout because “The Eraser” apparently doesn’t care about contracted weight limits (full details here). In UFC Vegas 41’s Lightweight co-main event, Grant Dawson looks to remain undefeated inside the Octagon when he locks horns with Rick Glenn.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 41 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” bouts at 1 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 4 p.m. ET.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Costa vs. Vettori.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Vegas 41 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action).
UFC VEGAS 41 QUICK RESULTS:
Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori — Vettori def. Costa by unanimous decision (48-46 x3) — HIGHLIGHTS
Grant Dawson vs. Rick Glenn — Majority draw (29-28, 28-28)
Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Joselyne Edwards — Clark def. Edwards by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Alex Caceres vs. Seung Woo Choi — Caceres def. Choi by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:31 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS
Dwight Grant vs. Francisco Trinaldo — Trinaldo def. Grant by split decision (27-29, 29-27 x2)
Nick Negumereanu vs. Ike Villanueva — Negumereanu def. Villanueva by TKO (punches) at 1:18 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS
Jun Yong Park vs. Gregory Rodrigues — Rodrigues def. Park by KO (punches) at 3:13 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS
Mason Jones vs. David Onama — Jones def. Onama by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Tabatha Ricci vs. Maria Oliveira — Ricci def. Oliveira by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Laureano Staropoli vs. Jamie Pickett — Pickett def. Staropoli by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Khama Worthy vs. Jai Herbert — Herbert def. Worthy by TKO (punches) at 2:47 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS
Jeff Molina vs. Daniel Da Silva — Molina def. Da Silva by TKO (punches) at 0:46 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS
Livia Renata Souza vs. Randa Markos — Markos def. Souza by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Jonathan Martinez vs. Zviad Lazishvili — Martinez def. Lazishvili by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
UFC VEGAS 41 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
205 lbs.: Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori
Round one: Hard low kicks from Costa to start. Head kick attempt, slips throwing a body kick. Straight left from Vettori. Another lands clean. One minute in. Costa body kick and hard right hand as they tie up. They separate. More straight lefts from Vettori. Jab lands for Costa. Body kick. Heavy right cross. Two minutes in. Both hit the body. Vettori straight left, Costa body shot. Nice counter combo lands for Vettori. Costa low kick, jab exchange. Nice combo by Vettori on the fence with two minutes to go.
Costa staying on the fence even as Vettori disengages. Now he circles off. Body shots land for him. Vettori pops him with a jab with a minute to go. Hard 1-2, sneaky uppercut. Another left hand. Costa lands a right downstairs. 10-9 Vettori.
Round two: Vettori pressuring. They trade body kicks. Combo from Vettori, keeping Costa near the fence. Body kicks from Costa, solid right hands. Vettori looks for a combo on the fence, but gets cracked by a head kick. Costa looking to finish, slams home body shots. Punches upstairs as well a minute in. Vettori seems stable, firing back. 1-2 lands for him. Costa low kick, Vettori body kick two minutes in. Vettori goes low-high, absorbs hard body blows in return. Costa body kick, tries to follow with a spin. Hard left hook connects. Vettori grabs a body lock and drags him to the mat with two minutes to go.
Vettori looking for the back as Costa tries to work his way up. They separate. Vettori takes a finger in the eye soon afterwards and the ref takes a point from Costa. Vettori comes out throwing, eats a low kick. Body kick lands for him. Costa fires some heavy head kicks, lands a low kick. Counter right by Vettori with a minute to go. Straight left, knee to the body. Firing elbows and punches against the fence. Uppercut connects in center cage. Brutal counter right by Costa. Body kick, straight right. 9-9 with the point deduction.
Round three: Costa comes close with an early head kick. Vettori to the body, lands a jab. Right hand exchange. Counter two-piece by Costa. Vettori body kick and straight left, continuing to push forward. Body shot, left upstairs a minute in. Costa just misses with a wheel kick, doesn’t miss with a right hook. Heavy straight left comes back at him. Right hand around the guard for Costa. Vettori continuing to advance, eats a body kick. He puts Costa on the fence two minutes in. Elbow on the break. Costa lands a straight right. Another one to the body. 1-1-2 by Vettori in response. Hard combination splits the guard. Two minutes to go.
Costa lands a body shot, eats a knee, and takes Vettori down into guard. Good ground-and-pound by the Brazilian. Vettori gets to his knees, lands on top when Costa tries to commit to a guillotine. One minute to go. Vettori heavy on top, not really looking to pass. 10-9 Vettori.
Round four: Nasty body kick by Costa, Vettori answers with punches. Hard right from Costa, another body kick. Vettori ties up against the fence. Right hand on the break, absorbs a huge left hook in response. Counter right by Costa. Vettori cracks him with a clean 1-2, follows up with more punches and a knee a minute in. Counter jab by Vettori, who’s now bleeding beside his right eye. Costa switch kick just misses, body shot doesn’t. Vettori rips the body in return. Nasty body shots from Costa as Vettori looks for a Thai clinch. Head kick attempt two minutes in. Two straight right crosses land for Costa. Combination from Vettori in return. Again Costa cracks him with a right cross and body kick. Low kick as well. Good 1-2 by Vettori. Massive straight left. Two minutes to go.
Body shot and low kick from Costa. Another body kick. Vettori answers with a straight left. Knee strays low, Costa ignores it. They separate. Lengthy combo by Vettori. One minute to go. Vettori changes levels, can’t complete the double-leg. Another Costa body kick. Trading in the center. Liver kick by Vettori. 10-9 Vettori in a close one.
Round five: 1-2 from Costa to start the round. Trading at range. Heavy combo lands for Costa. Vettori absorbing some clean shots and throwing back. Good jab from Vettori, who eats a heavy body kick. Costa with a series of jabs. One minute in. Heavy body shots from Costa on the fence. Vettori tries a knee, shoots, denied. He hauls Costa to the fence. They separate two minutes in. Huge 1-2 by Costa. Knee to the body. Gruesome liver shot that Vettori just ignores somehow. Vettori shoots, sprawled on. Two minutes to go.
They separate. Body kick from Costa. Vettori answers in kind. Costa landing brutal punches to the head. Head kick attempt. Vettori’s volume has cratered this round. Costa low kick. One minute to go. Clean 3-2 from Costa. Vettori tries a two-piece, absorbs a leg kick. He goes hard for a double-leg, taking Costa to the fence. 10-9 Costa.
Final result:
155 lbs.: Grant Dawson vs. Ricky Glenn
Round one: Glenn opens with low kicks. Counter left. Low kick from Dawson. Nice body kick from Glenn, who nearly scrambles out of the first takedown but ends up stuck in side control a minute in. Knees to the body two minutes in. Dawson staying heavy. Looking for the back, gets both hooks in as Glenn tries to stand. Hammerfists as he looks for the RNC. Two minutes to go.
Full body triangle. Glenn fighting the hands well so far. One minute to go. Dawson staying patient as he works for the choke. Glenn waits it out. Not quite enough damage for the 10-8, so 10-9 Dawson.
Round two: Strong shot from Dawson, but Glenn rolls through and avoids the chain-wrestling. Dawson fakes a shot, lands an uppercut. Single-leg attempt. Strong defense by Glenn so far a minute in. Dawson uses a nice foot sweep to drag him back down into side control. Glenn trying to scramble, regains guard. Ref wants more action. Glenn tries to bring up his legs and gives up side control. Two minutes to go.
Dawson staying heavy, not throwing much. One minute to go. Back to half guard, landing right hands. 10-9 Dawson.
Round three: Dawson shoots, stuffed, eats a knee. Glenn stops the re-shot as well. Dawson shoots, pulls guard. Trying to sit up into a takedown attempt as Glenn looks for hammerfists. One minute in. Strong sprawl by Glenn. Dawson pulls half guard. Two minutes in. Glenn considering an arm triangle. Two minutes to go.
Looking for the arm triangle again, gets caught in guard. Now looking for mount. Crucifix, solid shots. One minute to go. Dawson tries to stand, fells back to guard. Solid shots from Glenn. Dawson goes for a last-second d’arce, can’t get it. 10-9 Glenn.
Final result: Majority draw
135 lbs.: Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Joselyne Edwards
Round one: Clark scores an early takedown despite Edwards’ combination punching. Edwards regains guard, trying to play rubber guard. One minute in. Clark keeping her pressed against the fence. Two minutes in. Neither woman throwing or threatening much. Ref stands them up with two minutes to go.
Clark steps right back into the clinch. Edwards rolls through on the double-leg and looks for the back. One minute in. Edwards tries a head kick on the break. Body kick, heavy counter combo. Clark changes levels once again, completes the takedown into guard. 10-9 Edwards.
Round two: Elbow lands for Clark. Edwards still looking for combos, puts her on the fence when Clark ties up. Trading knees inside a minute in. Edwards grabs the fence, but can’t stop the takedown into half guard. Clark not doing much from the top. She takes mount when Edwards tries to bridge. Two minutes to go.
Clark still not posturing up or throwing punches. No submission attempts either, though she’s showing good balance on top. One minute to go. There’s a couple nice elbows from Clark. Edwards goes for a leg and Clark abandons ship. Counter right from Clark as Edwards fires kicks. 10-9 Clark.
Round three: Edwards throwing volume to start. Clark ties up and puts her on the fence. Another successful takedown into guard. One minute in. Still not much in terms of offense from Clark. Two minutes in. Half guard now. Two minutes to go.
More of the same. Edwards works her way up with the fence. Nice trip by Clark to end up in half guard once again with a minute to go. She gets mount in the final seconds. 10-9 Clark.
Final result: Clark def. Edwards by unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Seungwoo Choi vs. Alex Caceres
Round one: Early head kick lands for Caceres. Choi slowly advancing. Caceres low kick. Body jab. One minute in. Head kick and right hand. Choi blitzes, falls short with the latter part of the combo. Body shots. Long cross lands for him. Caceres throws a naked kick and Choi floors him with a 1-2 down the pipe. He tries to pound Caceres out, but lands an illegal knee as Caceres tries to stand. The doctor comes in to take a look as the ref gives him time to recover, then takes a point from Choi. They resume two minutes in. Caceres back to circling and looking to potshot. Low kick from Choi. Two minutes to go.
Nice body kick lands for Caceres. They trade in center cage, favoring Caceres. Good overhand left and body shots inside. One minute to go. Hard right cross lands for Choi. Head kick attempt. Caceres body kick. Choi takes a finger in the eye, shrugs it off. Caceres slips throwing a kick as Choi counters. 9-9 with the point deduction.
Round two: Choi continuing to push forward as Caceres circles. Sharp straight left lands for Caceres. Side kick strays low, Choi ignores it. Caceres puts him on the fence. They separate a one minute in. Caceres leg kick. He ties up once again. Choi tries a body kick on the break. Sneaky counter right from Caceres. Two minutes in. Head kick appears to land for Choi, then a counter 1-2. Caceres straight left. Good exchange in center cage. Choi body kick with two minutes to go.
Caceres wraps up a body lock and jumps on Choi’s back. Standing body triangle. He wraps up the RNC and there’s the tap.
Final result: Caceres def. Choi by submission (rear naked choke)
170 lbs.: Dwight Grant vs. Francisco Trinaldo
Round one: Trinaldo slowly advancing, eats a counter right. Grant whiffs with a pair of big hooks, takes a body kick. One minute in. Right cross and left hook connect for Grant. Trinaldo still pushing forward. They trade low kicks. Two minutes in. Lead left from Trinaldo. He slips a bit after they exchange. Trinaldo head kick attempt. Two minutes to go.
Trinaldo digs a left to the body. Grant staying busy with long punches. Body shots, Trinaldo answers with a body kick. Sharp counter left by Trinaldo gets Grant’s attention. One minute to go. Grant lands a low kick, eats another heavy left. Trinaldo tries a head kick. Right hook as they exchange. 10-9 Trinaldo.
Round two: Ref pauses the fight to warn Trinaldo to watch his fingers. Grant fires a counter hook, lands a punch as Trinaldo looks for a head kick. One minute in. Good straight left by Trinaldo. Counter left, but he gets caught with a counter right throwing a head kick and falls to his back. Grant lands some decent shots before Trinaldo manages to stand and separate. Two minutes in. Back to the usual. Jab from Trinaldo. Two minutes to go.
Low kick connects for Trinaldo. Both fire hooks. Trinaldo wraps up a body lock and tries to drag Grant down. One minute to go. Pressing Grant against the fence. Knee lands for Trinaldo. They separate. Both swing big in the waning seconds. 10-9 Trinaldo in a close one.
Round three: Trading to start the round, Grant takes a low blow. They restart and Trinaldo immediately pokes him in the eye. Grant seems like he’s in a bad way, but manages to recover. The ref takes a point from Trinaldo, who he’d warned about the fingers last round. Trinaldo comes out aggressive on the restart. One minute in. Grant with a hard right to the body but gets taken down into half guard. Two minutes in. Trying to pass to mount. Two minutes to go.
Full mount for Trinaldo. Grant regains half guard. Mount again with a minute to work. Grant trying to scramble, avoids a late arm triangle. 9-9.
Final result: Trinaldo def. Grant by split decision
205 lbs.: Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Ike Villanueva
Round one: Low kicks from Negumereanu. Villanueva looking to counter. Negumereanu hauls him to the fence. Spinning attack on the break. Nice combos from Villanueva, who gets stung by a counter right. Negumereanu charges after him and they trade nasty punches until Villanueva hits the deck. Negumereanu piles on the hammerfists, many of which hit the back of the head, before the ref intervenes.
Final result: Negumereanu def. Villanueva by TKO (punches)
185 lbs.: Jun Yong Park vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Round one: Early low kick from Park. Rodrigues digs a right to the body. One minute in. Jab lands for Park. 1-2 downstairs form Rodriguez. Hard right hand and they trade heat. Park still focusing on the lead leg. Trading jabs, lead right by Rodrigues. He grabs a body lock and takes Park to the fence, landing an elbow on the exit two minutes in. Jab appears to sting Park, still throwing back. Rodrigues cross counter. 1-2 to the body. He shoots, trips Park down into side control . Park looks to scramble and Rodrigues takes his back. Two minutes to go.
Park trying hard to turn into guard, solid control from Rodrigues. Right hand from Rodrigues with a minute to go. Hard elbows. Good punches as well in the waning seconds. 10-9 Rodrigues.
Round two: Rodrigues opens with a right downstairs. Solid right hand and left hook from Park, then another left hook that hurts Rodrigues. They slug it out against the fence until Rodrigues ties up, then shoots. Park trying to lock up an anaconda choke after sprawling. Rodrigues spins out and takes the back a minute in. Park makes it to the feet and separates, advancing with punches. He lands well, but Rodrigues hits a gorgeous judo throw to land on top once again. Looking for the back two minutes in. Park gets to his feet and separates. Both land hard right hands. Bombs from both men. Park continuing to press forward. Rodrigues looking spent, but rocks Park with huge right hands Park stumbling and a monstrous uppercut puts him to sleep standing. Holy shit.
Final result: Rodrigues def. Park by KO (punches)
155 lbs.: Mason Jones vs. David Onama
Round one: Onama opens with a clean jab. Trading in center cage. Onama lands a heavy right hand, but gets buckled by a stiff jab. Jones swarms, ties up. Jockeying for position. One minute in. They separate. Back to exchanging heavy shots until Jones takes him down into half guard. Onama gets to his knees and works his way up two minutes in. Can’t hit the switch. Jones tries a knee, drags him back down from the body lock. Back up, back down with two minutes to go.
Full mount for Jones, who takes the back when Onama tries to burst out. Now Onama spins into guard, stands, and separates. Spinning back kick from Jones, who eats a leg kick and right hand. One minute to go. Both land left hands. Jones body kick and left hook, denies a trip. Big 1-2 from Onama. Jones goes low-high. Brutal punches from Onama in the center. Damaging blitz. Jones hauls him to the fence and tries to sling him down. 10-9 Jones.
Round two: Right back to trading bombs. Solid shots from Onama. Clean right hand. Body shot inside. Jones pops him with some right hands, digs to the body. Quality exchanges. One minute in. Onama can’t get an outside reap, lands a knee, cracks Jones with Browne elbows as the latter drags him to the ground. Both hooks in. Looking for the RNC. Onama slips out the back door and separates. Brutal combination from Onama and now Jones is wobbled. Rear waist lock for Jones, who lands a knee while Onama’s down. They resume with just over two minutes to go.
Trading in the center. More heavy punches landing for Onama. Jab exchange, Onama 1-2. Jones grabs a body lock. Knees to the thigh with a minute to go. Onama separates. Jones connects with a left hook and ties up again, then drags Onama to his knees. Now properly on top, taking the back. 10-9 Onama.
Round three: Right back to trading head. Onama right cross, Jones uppercut. Overhand left connects for Onama. Straight left soon after. Brutal series of shots from Onama, who succumbs to a double-leg a minute in. Jones on top in half guard, now mount. Looking to lock up an arm triangle. Two minutes in. Onama gets to his knees, gets slung back to the mat when he stands. Two minutes to go.
Jones tries to put in a hook, but he’s too low and Onama gets back to his feet. Jones remains attached. Another nice takedown. Both hooks in. Onama scrambles out but Jones refuses to let go with a minute to go. Pressing Onama against the fence. They separate with less than 20 seconds to go. Onama comes out slugging, blasting Jones with heavy blows and scrambling free of a trip. 10-9 Jones.
Final result: Jones def. Onama by unanimous decision
115 lbs.: Tabatha Ricci vs. Maria Oliveira
Round one: Ricci tries an Imanari roll to start. 1-2. Oliveira sending out jabs. Another 1-2 by Ricci. Oliveira stuffs a takedown. Nice jabs by Oliveira a minute in. Solid overhand right lands for Ricci, who puts her on the fence. Knee to the body on the break. Two minutes in. Body shot and low kick for Oliveira, who eats a pair of right hands. Oliveira side kicks. Low kick exchange. Oliveira lands a sharp counter right with two minutes to go.
Ricci puts her on the fence once again. They trade knees on the break. Oliveira counter right and side kick. Ricci 1-2. One minute to go. More solid counters by Oliveira. Ricci catches a low kick and trips her down into guard. Staying tight, landing short shots. She postures up for some nice rights before the bell. 10-9 Ricci.
Round two: Oliveira digs a right to the body, takes a finger in the eye. Continuing to send out combinations at range. Ricci punches into the clinch, lands a low kick on the exit. One minute in. Oliveira low kicks answered by a single-leg. Ricci hops right into mount. Setting up an armbar, dropping elbows as she does. Focusing on strikes now as Oliveira scoots to the fence. Oliveira kicks off the fence and uses it to stand. Two minutes to go.
Ricci falls short with some looping punches. Low kick lands. Oliveira landing jabs. Both connect with 1-2s. Nice takedown from Ricci to answer an Oliveira combination with a minute to go. On top in guard. Short punches landing for her. 10-9 Ricci.
Round three: Oliveira pushing forward, denies the first takedown. Hard right hook lands for her, knee to the body in the clinch. Ricci counter right a minute in. More jabs by Oliveira. Nice double-leg puts Ricci back on top. Short punches. Working towards mount two minutes in. Hard left hands. Oliveira uses the fence to get back to her feet and separates with two minutes to go.
Ricci catches a low kick for another double-leg into guard. One minute to go. Oliveira trying to strike off her back. Ricci continues to land until the bell. 10-9 Ricci.
Final result: Ricci def. Oliveira by unanimous decision
185 lbs.: Laureano Staropoli vs. Jamie Pickett
Round one: Early jab lands for Pickett. Low kick. 1-2 goes wide. Staropoli tries a single-leg, denied, takes him to the fence. One minute in. Knee from Pickett as he defends. Two minutes in. Staropoli switches to a single-leg that doesn’t get anywhere. Solid knee by Pickett. Two minutes to go.
More body knees by Pickett. Ref splits them up. Pickett tries a head kick and Staropoli hauls him right back to the fence. One minute to go. Pickett reverses, lands inside. Staropoli fires a knee on the break. Head kick from Staropoli, who tries to change levels again. 10-9 Pickett.
Round two: Staropoli slips throwing a head kick, puts him on the fence once again. Pickett spins it into his own takedown attempt and looks for the back. One hook in, loses it a minute in. Short left hand. Staropoli turns to face him. Two minutes in. Knees to the body from Pickett. Staropoli exits and tries to swing. Good body shot met by a Pickett knee. Counter 2-3 lands for Staropoli, who takes him to the fence again. Can’t get the trip. Two minutes to go.
They separate. Staropoli looks for a combination, lands a counter hook, has to deal with a flurry coming back his way. Straight left by Pickett, who avoids a left hand and ties up. One minute to go. Both try to land on the break. Trading hands. Pickett body kick. Staropoli just about completes a takedown at the bell. 10-9 Pickett?
Round three: Staropoli punches into the clinch, can’t complete the high crotch, and gets tripped to the mat in return. He works his way up and separates, avoiding a kimura. One minute in. Back to the clinch. Staropoli takes a knee to the jewels, which the replay suggests caught his hip. Head kick attempt two minutes in. Trading punches, solid right from Pickett. Nice blitz. Staropoli gets double unders, puts him on the fence. Two minutes to go.
Pickett tries to get off the fence, can’t. Now they separate. Pickett tries a head kick. Staropoli looking to punch with him. Right hand into the clinch. One minute to go. Pickett gets underhooks and takes him to the fence, where he lands another low blow. Trading bombs in the last 20 seconds. Pickett fires a flying knee. Both try head kicks. 10-9 Pickett.
Final result: Pickett def. Staropoli by unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Khama Worthy vs. Jai Herbert
Round one: Low kick from Worthy to start. Right hand to the body. Herbert staying mobile at range, tries a head kick. One minute in. Body kick attempt. 1-2 connects. Worthy buzzes him with a cross of his own. Two minutes in. Calf kick from Worthy bothers Herbert. Herbert presses forward with a nice combination and turns it into a lengthy flurry, which sends Worthy to the mat. Herbert continues to pour it on until the ref intervenes.
Final result: Herbert def. Worthy by TKO (punches)
125 lbs.: Jeff Molina vs. Daniel Da Silva
Round one: Da Silva opens with heavy kicks. Body kick from Molina in return, eats snap kicks. Molina briefly ties up. Da Silva shoots, looks for the back against the fence. Both hooks in standing, a little low a minute in. Da Silva switches to an armbar as Molina gets on top, losing it. Molina in guard. Two minutes in. Molina landing short punches. Da Silva tries a triangle, lands hammerfists. Molina comes back with some good punches of his own as he works his way out. Two minutes to go.
Heavy punches from Molina, who has to fight off an armbar. He manages to do so despite an impressive effort from Da Silva. Molina continuing to land well. One minute to go. Punches and elbows. da Silva tries to sweep, can’t. Molina continues to connect until the bell. 10-9 Molina.
Round two: Trading kicks at range. Molina times one with a vicious counter right that drops Da Silva, then moves to mount and the back. He unloads until the ref steps in.
Final result: Molina def. Da Silva by TKO (punches)
115 lbs.: Livia Renata Souza vs. Randa Markos
Round one: Souza takes the center to start. Jab exchange. Markos fires a combo into the clinch. Hard elbow against the fence. Souza reverses. One minute in. Reversed in turn. Continuing to jockey for position. Two minutes in. Good punches from Markos on the break. Souza punches her way into the clinch and hits a head-and-arm throw. Looking for a scarf hold arm lock. Now the back with two minutes to go.
Souza wraps up the RNC, but only has one hook, allowing Markos to regain half guard. She works her way to her feet and lands elbows in the clinch. Hard knee on the break and she charges after Souza, who pulls guard while seemingly looking for an armbar. 10-9 Markos.
Round two: Solid dirty boxing from Markos as Souza shoots in. Souza completes it into half guard. Markos holding onto an awkward shoulder lock a minute in. Loses it. Markos tries to sweep, can’t get it. Now she slips free and takes top position two minutes in. Half guard. Continuing to work. Two minutes to go.
Souza offering nothing off of her back as Markos chips away. One minute to go. Markos continuing to land, snuffing out some half-hearted submission attempts. 10-9 Markos.
Round three: They trade punches in the center. Markos eats a 1-2 and blitzes, blasting away in the clinch. Picking Souza apart against the fence. Brutal right hands. One minute in. Souza grabs a head-and-arm throw to land on top once again. Markos sweeps and lands punches from turtle. Souza trying to get something going from her back two minutes in. Markos avoids guard, takes half guard. Two minutes to go.
Markos staying heavy, continuing to land. Rear crucifix as Souza tries to get on top. One minute in. Markos still in that rear crucifix, landing elbows and moving to side control. Back to the rear crucifix, more elbows. 10-9 Markos.
Final result: Markos def. Souza by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Jonathan Martinez vs. Zviad Lazishvili
Round one: Early low kick from Martinez. Body kick connects, head kick doesn’t. Lazishvili shoots against the fence. One minute in. Hunting trips, can’t get them. Solid defense by Martinez as Lazishvili tries to muscle him around. Martinez slips on the exit. Hard calf kick by Lazishvili. Martinez answers in kind. Body kick, low kick exchange. Two minutes to go.
Counter jab from Martinez as Lazishvili looks for low kicks. Both land front kicks downstairs. Nasty counter right lands for Lazishvili. Body kick, straight right. One minute to go. Another body kick, left hand exchange. Martinez not landing as much in these last couple minutes. There’s a nice jab and combination. Close round. 10-9 Martinez.
Round two: Martinez lands a snap kick. Lazishvili low kick, Martinez right hook. Hard counter left from Martinez to answer a body kick. One minute in. Calf kick by Martinez, straight left. Getting the better of these long-range exchanges. Straight left, double jab. Lazishivili lands a hard right hand, catches a knee, can’t use it. Two minutes in. Solid clinch shots by Lazishvili, avoiding elbows in return. Martinez answers a two-piece with a left hand, then a head kick attempt. This is solid, back-and forth kickboxing but it’s still Martinez landing better. Two minutes to go.
Lazishvili tries to close with a combo. Low kick from Martinez answered in kind. Head kick and left hand. Body kick from Lazishvili strays low. Martinez lead left. One minute to go. Sharp combo by Martinez after they trade kicks. Hard counter left, then another left behind a knee attempt. Body kick. Starting to potshot. 10-9 Martinez.
Round three: Early leg kicks from Martinez, good left hands. Lazishvili landing his own low kicks in return, eats a left hand. Martinez jabs a minute in. Lazishvili body kick met by a 1-2. Martinez starting to really take control, landing his jab. Lead left. Jab from Lazishvili. Two minutes in. Lazishvili ducks a left hand for a well-timed shot, but gets sprawled on. Peppering combinations by Martinez. Counter elbow, body kick. Continuing to work with two minutes to go.
Lazishvili’s output has really dropped this round and Martinez looks like he’s in the zone. Both try head kicks. Counter left by Martinez. One minute to go. More jabs. Nice counter 1-2. Lazishvili tries some fancy kicks. 10-9 Martinez.
Final result: Martinez def. Lazishvili by unanimous decision
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