Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to its APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the UFC Vegas 65 mixed martial arts (MMA) event TONIGHT (Sat., Nov. 19, 2022), streaming LIVE on ESPN+. UFC Vegas 65 will be headlined by a 265-pound showdown between Top 15 heavyweights Derrick “Black Beast” Lewis and Serghei “Polar Bear” Spivac. Before that five-round clash of styles gets underway, veteran light heavyweight Ion “The Hulk” Cutelaba looks to snap a two-fight losing streak by turning away hot-and-cold 185-pound “African Savage” Kennedy Nzechukwu in the UFC Vegas 65 co-main event. Elsewhere on the card, Andre Fialho and Muslim Salikhov go to war at welterweight shortly before Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Chase Sherman collide at 265 pounds.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 65 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 1 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 4 p.m. ET. Bet on all the UFC Vegas 65 action with our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook right here.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Lewis vs. Spivac.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Vegas 65 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action).
UFC VEGAS 65 QUICK RESULTS:
Derrick Lewis vs. Serghei Spivac — CANCELED! Full Details Here.
Ion Cutelaba vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu — Nzechukwu def. Cutelaba by TKO (knee and punches) at 1:02 of Round Two
Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Chase Sherman — Cortes-Acosta def. Sherman by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Andre Fialho vs. Muslim Salikhov — Salikhov def. Fialho by TKO (wheel kick and punches) at 1:03 of Round Three
Jack Della Maddalena vs. Danny Roberts — Della Maddalena def. Roberts by TKO (punches) at 3:24 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS
Charles Johnson vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov — Johnson def. Zhumagulov by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jennifer Maia vs. Maryna Moroz — Maia def. Moroz by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Miles Johns vs. Vince Morales — Johns def. Morales by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Kevin Natividad vs. Ricky Turcios — Turcios def. Natividad by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Maria Oliveira — Demopoulos def. Oliveira by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Fernie Garcia vs. Brady Hiestand — Hiestand def. Garcia by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Tereza Bleda vs. Natalia Silva — Silva def. Bleda by TKO (spinning back kick and punches) at 1:27 of Round Three — HIGHLIGHTS
UFC VEGAS 65 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
205 lbs.: Ion Cutelaba vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
Round 1: Low kick from Cutelaba, then an overhand right that stings Nzechukwu. He follows with some more good shots before changing levels. He drags Nzechukwu to his knees, lands good right hands on the way up. One minute in. Knee from Cutelaba, who hits an outside trip into mount. Back to half guard two minutes in. Short shots from Cutelaba. Solid elbow, but he gives Nzechukwu space to stand. Rear body lock. Two minutes to go.
Nice head-and-arm throw puts Cutelaba on top in scarf hold. Landing left hands, trying to pin Nzechukwu’s arm. Nzechukwu slips out and grabs a body lock with a minute to go. Cutelaba holding onto a kimura grip. Foot stomps. 10-9 Cutelaba.
Round 2: Trading heat to start. Cutelaba shoots directly into a knee, survives, and boots Nzechukwu in the junk in return. Nzechukwu waves off the ref and gets back to throwing. Another big knee folds Cutelaba and Nzechukwu buries him in punches for the finish.
Final result: Nzechukwu def. Cutelaba by TKO (knee and punches)
265 lbs.: Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Chase Sherman
Round 1: Trading jabs in the center. Good low kick from Sherman. Another. Cortes-Acosta throws his own. A third low kick from Sherman a minute in. Back to the jab battle. Both fire rights to the body. Another hard low kick from Sherman that Cortes-Acosta tries to answer in kind. Cortes-Acosta to the body. Two minutes in. Counter right from Sherman. 201. Cortes-Acosta continuing to work behind the jab, can’t land a four-piece. Leg kick. Body jab. 2-3 falls short. Two minutes to go.
Another combo from Cortes-Acosta. He lands a jab, eats a eg kick. Nice uppercut after hauling Sherman to the fence. 1-2 from Sherman. Chopping right comes back at him. Another low kick from Sherman, who takes advantage of Cortes-Acosta’s momentum to grab a body lock. One minute to go. Knee from Sherman after pulling Cortes-Acosta’s hand off the mat. Cortes-Acosta exits with an uppercut. More sharp jabs. Sherman ties up and trips him into side control in the waning seconds. 10-9 Cortes-Acosta.
Round 2: Sherman low kick, Cortes-Acosta left hook. Shrot left hook lands for Cortes-Acosta, who answers a low kick with another good left. Big combo from Cortes-Acosta and he’s looking for the kill. Sherman manages to tie up and put him on the fence. Sharp lead right by Cortes-Acosta when they resume. One minute in. Looking for overhand rights. Trading jabs. Sherman forces him back with a combo and briefly ties up. Hard overhand right from Cortes-Acosta. Another. Snap kick downstairs answered by Sherman in kind. Two minutes in. Nice counter hook catches Sherman throwing. Sherman comes back with a leg kick. Cortes-Acosta answers another leg kick with an overhand right. Sherman puts him on the fence, can’t keep him there. More jabs from Cortes-Acosta. Two minutes to go.
Sherman low kicks. Cortes-Acosta taunts him, then goes back to cracking him with jabs. Lengthy combo. He catches a body kick and lands a kick that Sherman claims was low. Cortes-Acosta wading after him with power shots. One minute to go. Brutal 1-2 has Sherman hurt and Cortes-Acosta swarms. Sherman throwing back and somehow manages to survive. 1-2 from Sherman, who puts him on the fence. 10-8 Cortes-Acosta.
Round 3: Low kick from Sherman. 1-2-1. He’s still going for it. 2-1 connects, low kick behind it. One minute in. Swatting right from Cortes-Acosta and a straight behind it. Back to the jabs. Hard 3-2 after eating a body kick. Lead hook and overhand right knock Sherman back, but again he comes back with punches. Body kick from Cortes-Acosta. Sherman still marching after him two minutes in. Solid check hook from Cortes-Acosta. They’re both pretty spent. Hard lead right. Shifting right hook, body jab, backhand. Two minutes to go.
Cortes-Acosta potshotting as Sherman tries to muster up the finisher he needs. Solid low kicks from Sherman. Jab-beat-cross from Cortes-Acosta. Hard combo upstairs. Sherman low kick. One minute to go. They trade in the center, Cortes-Acosta gets the better of it. Big collision in the center. Counter 3-2 from Cortes-Acosta. Sherman low kick. 10-9 Cortes-Acosta.
Final result: Cortes-Acosta def. Sherman by unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Andre Fialho vs. Muslim Salikhov
Round 1: They trade low kicks to start. Simultaneous kicks knock them back. Both fire lead hooks in what’s become a mirror match in the first minute. Salikhov low kick, left hook falls short. Another nice low kick. Wheel kick falls short by inches. Overhand right met by a Fialho uppercut two minutes in. Stiff jab from Fialho, tries to follow with a hook-uppercut. Good exchange, spinning back kick by Salikhov into a single-leg. On top in guard. Two minutes to go.
Fialho stands up, eats a right hand and spinning back kick before coming back with a right hand. Knee inside. Now he’s stalking, denies a takedown and lands body shots. Good uppercut inside and another knee with a minute to go. Salikhov’s left eye is giving him problems. Fialho puts him on the fence, knees his thighs. Salikhov tries a left hook before the bell. 10-9 Fialho.
Round 2: Right hand into a level change for Salikhov. Nice punches on the break and a body kick. Lead left hook to body jab. Teep. Another spinning back kick from Salikhov. Fialho lands a jab and avoids the return hook. Body jab from Salikhov, circling well as Fialho plods after him. Fialho lands a low kick and gets cracked by a spinning back fist. Hard shot and a glancing wheel kick follow. Two minutes in. Both hurl right hands, short hook lands for Salikhov. Lead hook around the guard. Body shot, then another big left hook. He’s moving excellently this round. Two minutes to go.
Fialho a step behind. Superman punch puts Fialho on rubber legs. Fialho tries to throw back and ends up throwing himself off balance, allowing Salikhov to follow into guard and blast him with hammerfists. Things slow down with a minute to go. Salikhov rides out the round from there. Could have gotten a 10-8 with more work in the last minute, but 10-9 Salikhov.
Round 3: Early tie-up, left hook from Fialho on the exit. Switch head kick from Salikhov, then a spinning back kick that sits Fialho down. Heavy follow-up flurry but he still can’t get rid of Fialho. As I say that, a clubbing wheel kick freezes Fialho in place, and two more big shots send the ref into action.
Final result: Salikhov def. Fialho by TKO (wheel kick and punches)
170 lbs.: Jack Della Maddalena vs. Danny Roberts
Round 1: Solid 2-3 from Della Maddalena, body jab behind it. Roberts comes back with a low kick. Solid jabs, nasty combo on the fence. Della Maddalena pounds the head and body until Roberts ties up. They separate a minute in. Della Maddalena lands a straight left, then follows with a shovel hook that sends Roberts to the mat. He follows him down into half guard. Roberts gets to his feet. He tries combos, can’t land clean. Straight left and uppercut by Della Maddalena two minutes in. Stiff jab, avoids a combination. Nasty knee upstairs and a right hook behind it. Della Maddelena looking a step ahead of Roberts so far. Roberts fires a double-leg. Two minutes to go.
Della Maddalena turns and lands an uppercut on the exit. Roberts low kick, Della Maddalena counter left. A hard right hook to the body hurts Roberts, who wilts under the follow-up onslaught. Absolute dominance by Della Maddalena.
Final result: Della Maddalena def. Roberts by TKO (punches)
125 lbs.: Charles Johnson vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
Round 1: Zhumagulov firing low kicks. Body shot. Johnson body kick. Low kick exchange. Zhumagulov takes an eye rake a minute in. After another minute of recovery, they return to action. Trading low kicks. More body work from Zhumagulov. These are solid rib roasters. Johnson starting to throw the jab. Zhumagulov catches a kick, can’t use it. 1-2. Body shot into the clinch. Two minutes in. Body shot, then a counter right. Quick jab from Johnson. Good flurry from Zhumagulov in return, more rib roasters. 1-2 from Johnson, starting to push forward. Big two-piece with two minutes to go.
Zhumagulov goes to the body and takes a shin to the jewels for his trouble. He takes a couple minutes to recover, then goes back on the advance. Nice straight right and low kick. Low-high 3-2. Overhand right into a double-leg. He looks for Johnson’s back, gets hip tossed, eats a knee. Johnson tries a pair of head kicks. Good knee downstairs met by body shots with a minute to go. Zhumagulov counter hook. Quick Johnson lead left. He’s advancing, tries a head kick, lands jabs. Another low-high 3-2 by Zhumagulov. 10-9 Zhumagulov.
Round 2: Low-high 2-1 from Zhumagulov as he fires low kicks. Constantly chewing up Johnson’s legs. Counter left hook. Body shot. Johnson tries a side kick, eats a low kick. One minute in. Left to the body, low kick, overhand left. They trade good lefts. Both go to the body. More low kicks by Zhumagulov. He claims an eye poke, ref says keep going. The low-high 3-2 again. More body work two minutes in. Body shot to level change. They trade knees downstairs and this time it’s Johnson he takes one to the nuts. They restart at range. Zhumagulov keeps finding success leading to the body and following upstairs. Two minutes to go.
Johnson just isn’t throwing enough, while Zhumagulov never stops throwing. Body kicks and low kicks from Johnson, eats that same combo again and lands it in return. Johnson firing kicks and gets taken down for it. Zhumagulov looks for the back, can’t hold him down, gets put on the fence with a minute to go. Knees from Johnson. Zhumagulov tries a whizzer kick, can’t get it, reverses on the fence. Hitting each other from single collar tie. Good body shot from Johnson at the bell. 10-9 Zhumagulov.
Round 3: Johnson punts Zhumagulov in the balls to start the round. When they resume, Zhumagulov lands an inside low kick that compromises Johnson’s right leg. Zhumagulov firing low kicks as Johnson tries to stomp it back in place. Both throwing hard. One minute in. Hard kick to the other leg from Zhumagulov. Zhumagulov retreating, firing leg kicks. Check hook from Johnson. Low kick to uppercut by Zhumagulov in return. More low kicks two minutes in. Johnson walking after him, eats a counter left and comes back with a heavy combo on the fence. Trading heat. Johnson on the attack, trying to potshot. Zhumagulov sill attacking the legs. Two minutes to go.
Zhumagulov digs a left downstairs. More low kicks, overhand right, body shot. Good combo from Johnson as he stalks forward. Low kick. Left hook upstairs. Johnson shoots, lands a pair of hard rights on the exit. One minute to go. Overhand right from Zhumagulov, eats a teep. More kicks from Johnson. Zhumagulov shoots, gets put on the fence. Trading at close range. Johnson with a right hook. 10-9 Johnson.
Final result: Johnson def. Zhumagulov by split decision
125 lbs.: Jennifer Maia vs. Maryna Moroz
Round 1: Sharp right cross from Moroz after eating a low kick. Aggressive start from both women. There’s a nice right by Maia inside. Continuing to trade a minute in. Maia leg kick and counter right. Another clean right. Moroz continuing to march forward. Maia 1-2. Low kick and right cross. Combo to body kick. Vicious 1-2 two minutes in. Another right cross. Another right hand lands as they trade. Moroz still marching forward but she’s getting pieced up whenever they trade. 1-2 buzzes Moroz, then a 3-2 behind it. Two minutes to go.
Counter 2-1 from Moroz, her best sequence of the fight. They tie up and Maia puts her on the fence. One minute to go. Solid knee from Maia as she tries to get past Moroz’s whizzer. 10-9 Maia.
Round 2: Moroz right back on the advance. Nice exchanges. Shovel hook by Maia. Low kick met by a flurry. Clubbing right by Maia and a combo behind it. Moroz left hook a minute in. Good exchange. Maia falls short with a 1-2. Continuing to get the better of the exchanges. Moroz 1-2 two minutes in. Another right from Maia. She really can’t miss with that punch. Nasty one on the counter. There’s some hooks from Maia. Two minutes to go.
Maia continuing to find the mark with counter rights. Moroz to the body. Good 1-2. Back-and-forth exchanges with a minute to go. Huge right hands from both women. Maia leads to the body. Moroz digs a right downstairs, eats a combo in return. Big counter right from Maia to answer a low kick. Heavy exchange. Maia tries a head kick. 10-9 Maia.
Round 3: They pick up right where they left off with the quick exchanges. Solid counter right from Maia a minute in. It’s Moroz who finds the straight right in the next exchange, knocking Maia back. Another hard right as they exchange. Again she finds the mark. Moroz left hook, Maia overhand right. They trade in the center with two minutes to go.
Moroz lands a counter left. Low kick. They trade right hands. Maia counter right. Launching volleys at one another. Maia front kick with a minute to go. 2-1 lands for Maia. Two more good right hands. Moroz comes back with aggression. They tie up and Maia puts her on the fence. Maia throws on the break. Teep. 10-9 Moroz.
Final result: Maia def. Moroz by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Miles Johns vs. Vince Morales
Round 1: Feinting early. Johns jab, Morales check hook. Low kick from Johns. Quick jab a minute in. Both men hesitant to commit. Morales tries a teep. Two minutes in. Jab exchange. Sticking to jabs. Two minutes to go.
Morales tries a front kick. Johns backs away from a low kick, eats a double jab. 3-2 attempt. Morales falls short with a left hook. One minute to go. Jabs from Morales. Johns whiffs on an overhand right, shoots, denied. Glancing Johns overhand, then a better left hook. Body shot. Big exchange before the bell. That sucked. 10-9 Johns?
Round 2: Light low kick from Johns. Fake level change. Jab exchange. One minute in. Great, they’re back to the staring contest. Jab and low kick by Johns. Reactive single-leg attempt. Two minutes in. Morales limp-legs out and separates. Morales takes a finger in the eye and some time to recover. Johns showing a bit of pressure. He swings and Morales changes levels before separating. Jab exchange. Two minutes to go.
Low kick and right hook by Johns. Morales fires front kicks downstairs. Johns jab. Good flurry with a minute to go. Overhand right falls short, as does Morales’ 1-2 in return. Johns tries a 3-2, then a single-leg attempt. Morales lands some elbows, but gets slammed at the bell. 10-9 Johns.
Round 3: Jab lands for Morales. Counter right. Johns shoots and hauls him to the fence. Morales pops up as soon as he hits the mat and they separate a minute in. Jab exchange. Calf kick by Johns. Morales body kick met by a jab. Both whiff on right hands two minutes in. Solid combo by Morales as he retreats. Johns tries an overhand, then back to the jabs. He shoots, denied. Morales body kick, long right hand from Johns in return. Johns shoots again. Two minutes to go.
Johns looks for the ankle pick, can’t get it. Morales body kicks. Straight right by Johns. They trade in the center. One minute to go. Johns keeps trying the same single-leg. He briefly gets Morales down, then grabs a body lock on the way up. 10-9 Morales.
Final result: Johns def. Morales by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Kevin Natividad vs. Ricky Turcios
Round 1: Turcios comes out swinging and gets taken down for it. Blasting each other with hammerfists. Turcios sits up for his own takedown attempt against the fence. One minute in. Short right hands. Natividad scrambles to the feet and they trade shots on the break. Turcios sprawls on the next shot and lands elbows as Natividad tries to wrangle him down. Natividad wants the back two minutes in. Turcios scrambling. Nearly in a banana split position but manages to land on top and land punches. Natividad sits up into an attempted level change and gets to his feet with two minutes to go.
Solid elbow from Natividad, then a heavy knee. Turcios responds with a takedown. Natividad sits through and another scramble ensues. Front headlock for Natividad, looks for a knee. They separate with a minute to go. Heavy kicks from Natividad. Turcios ducks a right hand for another takedown. Looking for the back. 10-9 Turcios.
Round 2: Jabs from Natividad. He lands body kicks and denies a takedown to land on top. Front headlock, but Turcios gets to his feet and separates. Natividad leg kick and a nice double-leg into guard, dropping elbows a minute in. Turcios gets to his feet, dragged back to a knee. Two minutes in. Turcios spins to his knees and puts him on the fence. Natividad separates and badly rocks Turcios with a left hook as he does. Turcios somehow withstands it and puts him on the fence. They separate with two minutes to go.
Hard right hand from Natividad that Turcios ducks right into. Turcios responds with a flurry and they’re trading on the fence until Natividad takes him down and looks for the back. Turcios manages to turn into top guard, then look for the back in return. Natividad gets to his feet with a single-leg and puts him on the fence with a minute to go. Elbows from Turcios. He blatantly grabs the fence to hit a switch. They end the round trading. 10-9 Natividad.
Round 3: Natividad throwing hard to start. Nice low single into guard. Turcios already sitting up into him, landing hammerfists off his back. He gets to his feet and Natividad wrenches him back down with a front headlock. Scrambling a minute in and they return to their feet. Uppercut from Natividad, then a flush flying knee that Turcios ducks into but manages to weather. They separate. Another flying knee connects, as does a front kick. Turcios responds with straight rights. Another knee from Natividad before Turcios forces him to the fence two minutes in. Natividad shoots and runs the pipe on a single-leg. Turcios sits through and puts him on the fence. They separate and Turcios again changes levels. Two minutes to go.
Right hand from Turcios on the break. Natividad shoots, Turcios hits the switch and lands elbows. Looking for the back, gets the body triangle. One minute to go. Turcios pounding away and he’s got the RNC under the neck. Natividad fighting the other hand, keeping Turcios from cinching it up. He flashes a thumbs-up. Turcios switches to blasting with punches until the bell. fun fight. 10-9 Turcios.
Final result: Turcios def. Natividad by split decision
115 lbs.: Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Maria Oliveira
Round 1: Both women staying out of range to start. Counter right from Oliveira. Demopoulos whiffs on a big overhand. Good combo by Oliveira in return. One minute in. Low kick exchange. Intercepting knee lands for Oliveira. Teep. Once again they trade leg kicks. Oliveira digs a flying knee to the body. Quick jab, avoids a level change. Counter right two minutes in. Low-high 2-3 from Demopoulos, who continues to give ground. Nice double-leg from Demopoulos puts her on top in side control. Back to half guard with two minutes to go.
Short elbows from Demopoulos. A heavier flurry and she uses the threat of a guillotine to keep Oliveira from sitting up. One minute to go. Quarter mount, now full as she drops elbows. She postures up for a vicious flurry in the final seconds. 10-9 Demopoulos; not enough early work for the 10-8.
Round 2: Good 1-2 from Demopoulos to start. Oliveira looks for the body, continuing to work behind her jab. Front kick downstairs. 1-2. Demopoulos goes low-high, gets picked off by counters a minute in. Liking the body work from Oliveira. Oliveira catches her coming in with a knee, denies a takedown, eats an elbow before separating. Both miss with right hands. Oliveira knocks her over with a teep two minutes in. Left hook by Demopoulos and both start swinging big. Oliveira throws a naked low kick and gets leveled by an overhand right. Demopoulos follows her into half guard and pounds away. Two minutes to go.
Oliveira has her wits back and is holding her right. Demopoulos sneaking her knee through the guard. Full mount, dropping punches. One minute to go. Shoulder strikes from Demopoulos as Oliveira holds her close. Demopoulos blasts her with nasty elbows in the final seconds. 10-9 Demopoulos, again right on the borderline of 10-8.
Round 3: Oliveira marching after her. Good body shot starts a flurry on the fence. Really opening up. Demopoulos responds with a double-leg that puts her on top in half guard. One minute in. Shoulder pressure from Demopoulos. Two minutes in. She pins an arm and sneaks in an elbow. More elbows as she looks for mount. Two minutes to go.
Oliveira regains half guard. Shortly after, she manages to scramble to her feet and go back to stalking. Demopoulos shoots, denied, eats a knee downstairs. One minute to go. Counter 1-2. Another counter right. Oliveira sprinting after her and throwing heat. Nice flurry. 10-9 Oliveira.
Final result: Demopoulos def. Oliveira by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Fernie Garcia vs. Brady Hiestand
Round 1: Garcia blasts Hiestand with a vicious counter combo in the first 15 seconds and nearly wraps up a bulldog choke in the scramble, but Hiestand manages to end up on top and take side control. One minute in. Both land elbows. Garcia sweeps up, avoids an anaconda, and looks to take the back. Again Hiestand wins the scramble and hunts the back two minutes in. Garcia turns into guard and starts dropping GnP. Hiestand wriggles free and hits another takedown. Garcia gets to his feet with two minutes to go.
Hiestand wants the back, looks for the RNC with one hook. Both hooks in, now the body triangle. Garcia tucking his chin well as Hiestand softens him up. One minute to go. Back to half guard as Hiestand drops punches. Garcia looks for a front choke and gets to his feet. Nice exchanges. 10-9 Garcia.
Round 2: Stiff jabs from Garcia. Dart right by Hiestand. Sneaky switch head kick lands for him a minute in. Another switch head kick from Hiestand as he circles. Garcia fires a flurry. Hiestand shoots, gets sprawled on. Leg kick. Garcia answers in kind and follows with a 1-2 two minutes in. Good low kick. Quick jab. Hiestand fires a reactive single-leg, hits the ankle pick, and drags him down against the fence. Garcia holding onto a guillotine, wrong side, drops it. Two minutes to go.
Side control for Hiestand, then north-south. Garcia rolls to his feet. Good body kick by Hiestand, eats a pair of right hands in return. Garcia changes levels with a minute to go. Hiestand looks for a knee on the break. Garcia low kick and another shot. Hiestand rolls him over, looks for a front choke, loses position, shoots at the bell. 10-9 Hiestand.
Round 3: Garcia lands a leg kick, gets hauled to the fence. Hiestand drags him down and looks for the back. One hook in a minute in. Continuing to control and look for the RNC two minutes in. Body triangle. Garcia fighting the hands but unable to improve position. Two minutes to go.
Garcia still can’t get Hiestand off of him. One minute to go. Hiestand trying to squeeze on the chin, no dice. They bludgeon each other in the final seconds. 10-9 Hiestand
Final result: Hiestand def. Garcia by unanimous decision
125 lbs.: Tereza Bleda vs. Natalia Silva
Round 1: Early low kicks from Silva. Quick exchange in the center. Silva tries a spinning back kick and Bleda uses it to put her on the fence. Silva holding into a whizzer as they jockey for position. Nice hip toss a minute in, but Bleda stays attached and gets right back to her feet. Double underhooks for Silva. She hits another throw when Bleda tries to force her way off the fence, but ends up on the bottom in half guard two minutes in. Short punches from Bleda. Two minutes to go.
Silva tries to regain guard, can’t get it, but uses the opportunity to hit a sweep. Bleda working on a triangle and she’s got it locked up. One minute to go. Bleda looking for the armbar now. Silva manages to survive until the bell. 10-9 Bleda.
Round 2: Bleda opens with a leg kick, gets blasted with a counter right. Silva firing her own inside low kicks. Bleda changes levels and takes her to the fence. One minute in. Silva gets double unders, reverses, gets reversed in return. They separate. Nasty counter right again from Silva, tries to follow with a head kick. Two minutes in. Bleda changes levels again as Silva throws a low kick. Silva trying to push her head down as Bleda fights to lock her hands and it’s Bleda who accomplishes her task. Silva works her way back up and drives her hips into Bleda’s head. Two minutes to go.
Silva reverses and separates. Spinning back kick. Bleda looking like she’s running out of steam. Big flurry from Silva. 1-2. Bleda fires a tired-looking low kick with a minute to go. Knee stomp from Silva. Brutal counter left and she follows with a flurry that forces Bleda to change levels and put her on the fence. 10-9 Silva.
Round 3: Back to the inside low kicks from Silva. She catches a kick and tries to jump on Bleda, prompting a scramble before they separate. Body kick by Silva. Brutal combination in center cage a minute in. 1-2. Once again Silva goes for the spinning back kick, and this time Bleda ducks right into it and takes it flush on the chin. Somehow she’s still awake, but a few more vicious punches send the ref into action.
Final result: Silva def. Bleda by TKO (spinning back kick and punches)
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