Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to its APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the UFC Vegas 75 mixed martial arts (MMA) event TONIGHT (Sat., June 17, 2023), streaming LIVE on ESPN and ESPN+. UFC Vegas 75 will be headlined by the 185-pound showdown between Top 5-ranked middleweight contenders Marvin Vettori and Jared Cannonier. Before that five-round clash of styles gets underway, lightweight veterans Arman Tsarukyan and Joaquim Silva collide in UFC Vegas 75’s co-main event. Elsewhere on the card, middleweight mainstay, Armen Petrosyan, welcomes UFC sophomore, Christian Leroy Duncan, to his first UFC main card.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 75 fight card below, starting with the ESPN2/ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET. Bet on all the UFC Vegas 75 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 “Vettori vs. Cannonier.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Vegas 75 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action).
UFC VEGAS 75 QUICK RESULTS:
185 lbs.: Marvin Vettori vs. Jared Cannonier — Cannonier def. Vettori by unanimous decision (49-45 x2, 48-46)
155 lbs.: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Joaquim Silva — Tsarukyan def. Silva by TKO (punches) at 3:25 of Round Three — HIGHLIGHTS!
185 lbs.: Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Armen Petrosyan — Petrosyan def. Duncan by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
145 lbs.: Lucas Almeida vs. Pat Sabatini — Sabatini def. Almeida by submission (arm triangle choke) at 1:48 of Round Two
155 lbs.: Nikolas Motta vs. Manuel Torres — Torres def. Motta by KO (elbow) at 1:50 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS!
170 lbs.: Nicolas Dalby vs. Muslim Salikhov — Dalby def. Salikhov by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
125 lbs.: Alessandro Costa vs. Jimmy Flick — Costa def. Flick by TKO (elbows) at 1:03 of Round Two
135 lbs.: Kyung Ho Kang vs. Cristian Quinonez — Kang def. Quinonez by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:25 of Round One
125 lbs.: Denys Bondar vs. Carlos Hernandez — Hernandez def. Bondar by technical decision (30-27 x2, 29-28) — KNOCKOUT OR HEAD BUTT?
125 lbs.: Tereza Bleda vs. Gabriella Fernandes — Bleda def. Fernandes by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
135 lbs.: Dan Argueta vs. Ronnie Lawrence — No Decision (premature stoppage) at 2:02 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS!
205 lbs.: Modestas Bukauskas vs. Zac Pauga — Bukauskas def. Pauga by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
UFC VEGAS 75 LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY:
185 lbs.: Marvin Vettori vs. Jared Cannonier
Round 1: Cannonier slowly advancing behind his kicks. Vettori pops him with a couple of jabs, then hurts him with a straight left. Vettori trying to swarm, Cannonier waving him on. 1-2 from Vettori, then a combination a minute in. Back to medium range. Big overhand right by Cannonier, who walks into a counter left while throwing a naked low kick. Two minutes in. Vettori cracks him with a body kick as Cannonier pushes forward. Cannonier low kick checked. Vettori comes back with a right hook and low kick. Two minutes to go.
1-1-2 from Vettori stings Cannonier again. Cannonier quickly gets his wits back and fires kicks. Combo from Vettori in return. One minute to go. Vettori circles away from the fence and looks for a knee. Overhand right by Cannonier, body shot behind it, low kick. Trading near the fence. 10-9 Vettori.
Round 2: Cannonier continuing to pressure. Solid punches against the fence. Brief clinch, low kick. One minute in. Back-and-forth striking so far this round, Cannonier getting the better of it. Huge overhand rights by Cannonier back Vettori to the fence. Good knee behind it. Vettori giving ground, absorbs a huge 1-2 and left hook. Cannonier looking for the finish but Vettori showing off an unreal chin. Two minutes in. Low kick knocks Vettori over and Cannonier goes to work with ground-and-pound. Vettori turns to his knees, eating shots from the front headlock. He makes it to his feet and Cannonier goes back to brutalizing him against the fence. Two minutes to go.
Vettori continuing to absorb damage and give ground. Cannonier cannot miss. Vettori tries a knee and an overhand right finally seems to to take his legs out. He wobbles back as Cannonier pours on the punishment. One minute to go. Cannonier continuing to stalk and land monstrous power punches. Vettori now firing back with 30 on the clock. 1-2. Cross counter. 10-8 Cannonier.
Round 3: Cannonier low kick, Vettori counters. Vettori seems to have some spring back in his step. Heavy straight left. Low kick met by a 1-2 from Cannonier. Cannonier shoots, denied. Nice counter 1-2 from Vettori a minute in. Head kick attempt. High-low 1-2. Cross counter again by Vettori. 1-2 down the pipe. Cannonier comes back with a body kick and combination. Double jab. Counter left by Vettori, who eats a huge right hand without issue two minutes in. Vettori has the read on Cannonier’s low kicks, constantly countering. Massive straight right from Cannonier and suddenly he’s back in the driver’s seat, hammering a retreating Vettori with bombs. Nice takedown, big right hand on the way up. Vettori’s face is busted up with two minutes to go.
2-3 from Cannonier, piling on the punishment against the fence. Punches and elbows. Cannonier flubs a throw and Vettori takes him down, but can’t establish. They separate with a minute to go. Stiff jabs from Cannonier. Vettori trading with him. 2-3 by Vettori. Counter left, nice jab. 10-9 Cannonier.
Round 4: Vettori opens with volume punching, only to get knocked back by a pair of right hands. Solid body kick met by another right from Cannonier. Vettori 1-2. One minute in. Head kick attempt. Low kick from Cannonier, straight left and jab by Vettori. The sequence repeats a couple times. Well-timed double-leg by Cannonier, who gets the front headlock but can’t keep him down two minutes in. Cannonier puts him on the fence. Vettori counters a low kick with a straight left. 1-2 from Cannonier in the center, combo from Vettori and a step-in knee. Two minutes to go.
Big straight right by Cannonier, who eats a low kick in return. Jabs and crosses landing. Inside low kick. He shoots with a minute to go. Front kick, overhand right. Vettori 1-2 met by a counter right. 10-9 Cannonier on the late work.
Round 5: Cannonier finding the right hand quickly this time. Vettori firing back but still clearly outgunned. Low kick exchange. Quick lead right from Cannonier a minute in. Huge counter right, maybe the biggest punch of the fight, but Vettori again eats it without issue. Cannonier bouncing some absolute meteors off of Vettori’s skull. Two minutes in. Heavy body kick. He backs Vettori to the rope and goes to work with combinations, just missing with elbows. Vettori body kick. Two minutes to go.
Vettori tries a head kick. Fast lead right from Cannonier, then a 3-2 behind it. Brutal elbow into an easy double-leg, then a crushing elbow on the mat. On top in full guard. One minute to go. More ugly elbows by Cannonier. Short right hands on the way up, elbow on the break. More power shots from Cannonier. Good exchange, then another takedown by Cannonier. 10-8 Cannonier.
Final result: Cannonier def. Vettori by unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Joaquim Silva
Round 1: Heavy body kick from Tsarukyan draws first blood. He catches a low kick for a takedown, powering through a whizzer to take top position at the base of the fence. One minute in. Short shots from guard. Two minutes in. Continuing to chip away. Silva trying to use the fence to stand with two minutes to go.
One hook in for Tsarukyan. One minute to go. Tsarukyan tries to pull him back into full back mount, no dice, brief scramble that ends where they started. He gets a bit of space and blasts with elbows and a knee to the body. 10-9 Tsarukyan.
Round 2: Another hard body kick from Tsarukyan, then a 1-2 behind it. They trade elbows on the fence and Tsarukyan follows with punches. Good clinch elbow into the clinch a minute in. They separate 30 seconds later. Silva low kick, then a check hook. Trading hands in center cage. Tsarukyan elbow, Silva overhand right two minutes in. Tsarukyan digs to the body two minutes in. Both connect inside. Tsarukyan pumps the jab and follows with a 1-2, then an axe kick. Good shots after backing Silva to the fence. Two minutes to go.
Tsarukyan backs him up with a right hand, tries to follow with a left hook. Silva to the body, gets caught leaning by a body kick. Good right by Silva on the exit, then a massive left hook that puts Tsarukyan on chicken legs. He gets too eager in pursuit and Tsarukyan takes him down into guard. One minute to go. Solid elbows from Tsarukyan. 10-9 Silva.
Round 3: Tsarukyan once again slamming home body kicks. Heavy pressure, putting together some hard combos. He puts Silva on the fence with double unders. Nice takedown a minute in and he settles in half guard. Silva immediately trying to use the fence to stand. He gets to a knee two minutes in, then stands and separates. Tsarukyan right back on the attack. Knees from Silva in the clinch, but Tsarukyan catches one and dumps him to the mat before unloading with ground-and-pound. Tsarukyan fighting angry, battering Silva with punches and hammerfists. Looking for the back and continuing to unload. He moves to mount and just carpet bombs Silva with hammerfists until the ref intervenes.
Final result: Tsarukyan def. Silva by TKO (punches)
185 lbs.: Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Armen Petrosyan
Round 1: Duncan schmoving right off the bat, tossing out a variety of kicks. Petrosyan comes back with more traditional low kicks. Flying knee to left hand by Duncan. Another low kick by Petrosyan. One minute in. Duncan tries to lead with an uppercut and eats two hard counters. Solid straight left by Duncan. Wheel kick attempt, eats a low kick for his trouble. Counter right to the body from Petrosyan.Duncan with a stiff jab; his fancy moves aren’t working but he’s landing his conventional shots decently well. Petrosyan catches a kick two minutes in and lands a chopping right before separating. Spinning punch from Duncan met by a counter right. Heavy calf kick. Petrosyan pressuring, catches him with a left hook with two minutes to go.
Double low kick from Petrosyan. Duncan catches a kick, can’t use it. Heavy counter right lands for Petrosyan. He eats a jab, comes back with a two-piece. Both men landing well with a minute to go. Duncan tries a jumping whatsit. Petrosyan pressures him to the fence and tries a spinning back kick. Duncan tries some Genki Sudo movement and gets low kicked for it. 10-9 Petrosyan in a close round.
Round 2: Duncan appears to have settled down and they’re having some nice tit-for-tat exchanges. Duncan shoots, denied. Crescent kick just misses. Petrosyan continuing to eat up Duncan’s legs. He ties up when Duncan tries to spin and lands some solid punches on the exit with a minute to go. Jab exchange, Petrosyan low kicks. Solid low kicks from Duncan in return. Stiff body kick by Petrosyan two minutes in. Another one to answer a Duncan low kick. Duncan whiffs on a wheel kick and Superman punch. Hard 1-2 comes back at him, then a low-high two-piece. Petrosyan follows up with a brutal straight right, then tries to unload on the fence. Duncan ties up with two minutes to go.
Petrosyan reverses and looks for a right on the break. Duncan ties up once again after eating a body shot. Again Petrosyan reverses. One minute to go. Duncan throwing some heel kicks to the thigh. They separate with just over 30 to go. Duncan front kick, Petrosyan low kick. Duncan clinches once again and unsuccessfully tries to sling Petrosyan to the mat, ending up on the bottom and eating shots until the bell. 10-9 Petrosyan.
Round 3: Duncan trying to re-establish the kicks. Heavy low kick from Petrosyan in response, head kick attempt behind it. Jab exchange. Petrosyan body kick a minute in. More low kicks. Duncan fires a straight left and puts him on the fence. Two minutes in. Petrosyan reverses position and tries a spinning elbow on the break. Running elbow from Duncan, who tries to swarm. Petrosyan capitalizes on his momentum to hit a double-leg into guard. Two minutes to go.
Petrosyan staying heavy, landing the occasional short punch. He passes the guard after avoiding a triangle and Duncan tries to use the fence to stand with a minute to go. Duncan makes it up and separates with around 25 seconds left. Wheel kick falls short. Counter right by Petrosyan. 10-9 Petrosyan.
Final result: Petrosyan def. Duncan by unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Lucas Almeida vs. Pat Sabatini
Round 1: Sabatini ties up in the first 10 seconds and puts him on the fence. Soon after, he drags Almeida down into half guard. Almeida trying to use the fence to stand a minute in, can’t do so. Sabatini staying heavy in half guard, chipping away. Two minutes in. Not a ton of activity from the top, but Almeida can’t break free. Two minutes to go.
Sabatini slowly works his way to mount and drops left hands. Heavy elbow with a minute to go. More elbows form Sabatini, abandons a potential armbar to drop more shots. Considering the armbar again as he blasts away. 10-8 Sabatini.
Round 2: Sabatini quickly ties up and puts him on the fence again. He goes for a lift a minute in, settles in half guard after nearly taking the back. Solid elbow. He soon wraps up the arm triangle, moves to side control, and forces a grievously bloodied Almeida to tap.
Final result: Sabatini def. Almeida by submission (arm triangle choke)
155 lbs.: Nikolas Motta vs. Manuel Torres
Round 1: Long teep from Torres, solid low kicks. Hard 2-3 from Motta in the pocket. Another big left hook knocks Torres back a minute in. Torres still looking to pressure. He steps in, and as Motta tries to load up on a counter hook, Torres fires a massive elbow that puts Motta to sleep on impact.
Final result: Torres def. Motta by KO (elbow)
170 lbs.: Nicolas Dalby vs. Muslim Salikhov
Round 1: Body kick from Dalby, calf kick from Salikhov. Lots of feints from both. 1-2 to the body from Salikhov, then a check hook a minute in. Salikhov slowly advancing, lands another pair of calf kicks. 1-2 downstairs. Dalby trying to answer with his own jabs. Two minutes in. Low kicks from Dalby. Still largely a jab battle. Salikhov falls short with a spinning back fist. Spinning back kick to the body with two minutes to go.
Slick left hook lands for Salikhov. Lead right, front kick downstairs. He catches a low kick and comes back with a counter right. Hard uppercut in close. Spinning back fist glances off with a minute to go. Low kick from Dalby, who gets stung by a counter hook. Body shot by Salikhov. Dalby blasts him with a head kick that has him wobbled, prompting Salikhov to take him down. Dalby pops back up and they fight for position in the clinch. 10-9 Salikhov.
Round 2: Dalby goes for an early takedown and hauls Salikhov to the fence. Sa;oljpv tries an uppercut on the break, then a wheel kick. Dalby lands a low kick. On eminute in. He absorbs a knee and shoots again. Double unders against the fence. Salikhov catches a high knee and dumps him to the mat. Dalby gets underhooks and stands, landing knees. Successful takedown, looking for mount, got it. Now the back, both hooks in. Now in a potential twister position with two minutes to go.
Now threatening the arm triangle. Salikhov manages to scramble free with a minute to go and get to his feet. Good elbow from Dalby on the break and a combo behind it. Salikhov slips on a head kick. 10-9 Dalby.
Round 3: Trading punches to start the round. Both fire body kicks. Dalby tries a knee, eats an elbow, gets an underhook against the fence. One minute in. Salikhov grabs double unders, gets reversed in turn. Knees to the body from Dalby. Two minutes in. Salikhov turns and separates. Hard cross counter from Dalby, who seems fired up. Stiff jab and front kick from Salikhov, then a heavy counter right that Dalby walks through to put him on teh fence. Salikhov reverses, eats a hard right on the exit, gets put on the fence again with two minutes to go.
Solid elbows from Dalby, then knees to the body. Salikhov can’t escape the clinch. One minute to go. Hard elbows by Dalby. They separate and get to trading heat. Dalby looks for a trip, no dice, gets him to his knees. Now mount. Salikhov regains half guard. 10-9 Dalby.
Final result: Dalby def. Salikhov by unanimous decision
125 lbs.: Alessandro Costa vs. Jimmy Flick
Round 1: Solid low kick from Costa to start things off. Flick shoots, denied. More low kicks by Costa. Flick teep. Nasty body shot from Costa and a flying knee behind it a minute in. More body shots landing for him. Flick comes back with a low kick. Mostly low kicks, jabs, and teeps from Flick so far. Head kick misses high. 1-2 from Costa two minutes in. More low kicks, another nice liver shot. The next low kick drops Flick and Costa kicks his leg one more time before letting him up. Flick standing southpaw now, and as soon as he goes orthodox again, Costa kicks his left leg. Two minutes to go.
Flick is clearly compromised, but he gets in fair deep on a shot and tries to run the pipe. Costa avoids a granby roll and separates. Flick tries to spin and falls over from the leg damage. Again Costa lets him up. Hard low-high 3-2, then a flying knee. Flick waves him on and tries to answer with power shots of his own. More heavy punches landing for Costa to the head and body. Flick goes low-high with lefts, eats another low kick and right hand behind it. 10-9 Costa.
Round 2: The next low kick from Costa has Flick staggering around the cage, and he elects to pull guard when they tie up. Flick tries to turn for deep half guard and Costa just hammers him with elbows until the ref steps in.
Final result: Costa def. Flick by TKO (elbows)
135 lbs.: Kyung Ho Kang vs. Cristian Quinonez
Round 1: Quinonez light on his feet as usual. Both men firing boxing combos. Low kicks landing for Kang. One minute in. Neither man’s punches landing clean so far. Solid right hook by Quinonez and a jab behind it. Swatting overhand right and a brutal uppercut. Quinonez trying to pour it on against the fence but Kang knocks him silly with some vicious counters. He tries to latch onto a no-hooks RNC, but the angle isn’t there, so he settles for taking half guard two minutes in. Kang moves to mount, then takes the back and warps up the RNC, drawing the tap in seconds.
Final result: Kang def. Quinonez by submission (rear naked choke)
125 lbs.: Denys Bondar vs. Carlos Hernandez
Round 1: Hernandez pumping the jab as Bondar steadily advances. Bondar whiffs on a spinning back kick and a pair of haymakers behind it. Quick combo by Hernandez, Bondar taunts in response. Hernandez puts him on the fence a minute in. Bondar reverses, whiffs on an elbow on the break. More combinations from Hernandez as Bondar tries to answer with looping shots. Two minutes in. Body kick from Bondar. Trading in center cage, hard overhand right from Bondar. He tries a spinning elbow as Hernandez continues to put together sharp boxing combos. Two minutes to go.
1-2 from Bondar, avoids the return fire, lands a clean spinning back kick. He ties up, eats a combo on the break. Hernandez to the body. Left hook as they exchange, 1-2 with a minute to go. Lots of posturing from Bondar but Hernandez is getting the better of it so far. Hernandez ties up, follows a knee with a combination. Spinning back kick by Bondar, clinch. Hernandez puts him off-balance with a foot sweep and cracks him with an elbow. One more volley before the bell. 10-9 Hernandez.
Round 2: Bondar lands a body shot, tries to follow with a head kick, lands another right downstairs. He’s continuing to pressure. They tie up, knee by Hernandez before putting him on the fence a minute in. Jockeying for position, Hernandez whiffs an elbow on the break. Nasty straight right. More good combination work. Two minutes in. Bondar wings some shots but can’t land clean. Hernandez combo, Bondar body kick. Nice chopping right by Bondar. Two minutes to go.
Hernandez puts together some combinations, good head movement by Bondar. Hernandez comes back to the body and lands a hard hook up top. He shoots, denied. One minute to go. Nice double-leg by Bondar into half guard. Hernandez quickly uses the fence to stand and goes to work with combos inside. Flying knee attempt, level change, denied. Bondar comes back with a spinning back kick, then takes him down in the waning seconds. As Hernandez gets to his feet, Bondar lands a blatantly illegal knee to the head. No point deduction, so 10-9 Hernandez.
Round 3: Stiff jabs from Hernandez to start. Bondar whiffs on a left hook, lands a glancing low blow that Hernandez shrugs off. One minute in. Bondar low kick, Hernandez jab. Both land well to the body, hard hook by Bondar afterwards. Now he lands some decent jabs two minutes in. Chopping right, body kick. Sharp hook and counter jab by Hernandez. Very even striking so far this round. Hernandez 3-2, then a 2-3 soon after. Two minutes to go.
Bondar connects with a couple of long right hands, then muscles Hernandez to the mat. Again Hernandez pops right back up. He taking control of the round. Bondar shoots, denied. Hernandez continuing to land combinations. Head kick to knee with a minute to go. Wheel kick attempt. Bondar tries a spinning back fist and Hernandez times it to hit a double-leg. Bondar pops back up, then Hernandez slams him down into side control. Their heads collide on the way down and Bondar goes out, giving Hernandez free rein to hammer him with elbows until the ref steps in.
On review, they claim the headbutt caused the finish and thus go to the scorecards.
Final result: Hernandez def. Bondar by technical decision
125 lbs.: Tereza Bleda vs. Gabriella Fernandes
Round 1: Both women keeping their distance and throwing kicks in the early going. Low kick and counter jab by Fernandes. Bleda barrels into the clinch a minute in. Fernandes quickly reverses and separates. Bleda falling short with kicks. Solid low kicks from Fernandes. Two minutes in. Bleda catches a body kick and takes her down into half guard at the base of the fence. Two minutes to go.
Bleda not doing much from the top, but staying heavy and active enough to keep the ref off her back. Short punches with a minute to go. Elbows as well. 10-9 Bleda.
Round 2: Bleda catches another early kick and hauls Fernandes to the fence. Knees to the body. She changes levels and Fernandes tries to latch onto her back. One minute in. Fernandes looks for a knee and Bleda again goes in for her hips. Bleda driving hard, finally drags her down into guard. Two minutes in. Short strikes landing. Fernandes tosses up a triangle with two minutes to go.
Bleda stacking to defend, keeping her shin on Fernandes’ neck, then slips her other arm back in to neutralize it. One minute to go. Bleda moves to mount and goes to work with elbows and punches. 10-9 Bleda.
Round 3: Fernandes putting punches together early on. One minute in. Heavy shots from Fernandes, who turns aside a level change. Again. Bleda trying to muscle her way into the clinch, eating heavy left hands. Counter jab by Bleda, who lingers on the fence for a bit before hauling Fernandes all teh way across the Octagon for a double-leg. Two minutes in. Working towards mount, got it. Chipping away with short punches and elbows. Two minutes to go.
More ground-and-pound from Bleda. One minute to go. These aren’t huge shots, but there’s a lot of them. Fernandes gives up her back and Bleda ends the fight softening her up with right hands. 10-9 Bleda.
Final result: Bleda def. Fernandes by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Dan Argueta vs. Ronnie Lawrence
Round 1: Lawrence opens with kicks, then gets hauled to the fence and dragged down. Argueta hunting for the back as Lawrence tries to stand. One hook in. Lawrence removes it, but Argueta uses the seatbelt grip to maintain position in the scramble. Argueta takes half guard a minute in, then attacks a guillotine. The first one isn’t there, so he jumps on another, prompting a lengthy scramble. Argueta works his way to mount and puts on the squeeze; the referee grabs Lawrence’s hand to check if he’s awake, and when Lawrence yanks it out of the ref’s grip, it gives the impression that he tapped. The ref stops it, much to the very-conscious Lawrence’s justifiable anger. Moronic move by Keith Peterson; we’ll see whether it stands.
Peterson acknowledges that he made a mistake, so it’s a No Deceision.
Final result: No decision
205 lbs.: Modestas Bukauskas vs. Zac Pauga
Round 1: Both men fell short with their first offerings. Pauga chases Bukauskas down with a combination for a knockdown, then takes him down into guard. Solid punches from Pauga on top. One minute in. Bukauskas uses the fence to get to his feet, holding onto a whizzer. They separate 30 seconds later and reset in the center. Bukauskas trying to circle away from danger with his hands low. Two minutes in. Stiff jab by Bukauskas, who avoids a 3-2. Pauga grabs double unders and hauls him to the fence. Big elbow whiffs with two minutes to go.
They separate 30 seconds later. Bukauskas tries a head kick and a jab behind it. Pauga to the body, gets rattled running into a jab. Bukauskas tries a spinning back kick and they exchange with a minute to go. Lunging hook from Bukauskas and a gnarly counter right that visibly hurts Pauga. Pauga tries to shoot, settles for a knee on the break. Another counter right by Bukauskas. 10-9 Bukauskas.
Round 2: Low kick and 1-2 from Bukauskas to start. Pauga double right. Both land heavy lefts at the same time, then Pauga follows with another clean corkscrew uppercut. Pauga lunges in, can’t tie up. One minute in. Another corkscrew from Pauga. Bukauskas jab, Pauga body shot. Good right from Pauga; Bukauskas has yet to land a big shot two minutes in. There’s a good low kick from Bukauskas. Body kick lands to the groin, Pauga shrugs it off. Solid head kick by Bukauskas. Two minutes to go.
Pauga’s outworking him this round. 1-2 from Bukauskas, Pauga whiffs on a loaded-up right. Pauga lands a low kick, avoids the counter hook. Nice flurry by Pauga and a body shot behind it. Bukauskas pops him with a chopping right on the exit with a minute to go. 3-2 from Pauga knocks Bukauskas off-balance and Pauga puts him on the fence. Trading on the exit. Pauga loading up on some big misses. Bukauskas wades into the clinch with some solid strikes. 10-9 Pauga.
Round 3: Bukauskas wearing some damage at this point. He hauls Pauga to the fence. One minute in. Ref wants more action. Continuing to grind against the fence, landing the occasional knee. Pauga reverses and they separate two minutes in. Running right hand. Heavy counter right by Bukauskas, Pauga wears it better than the ones before. Check hook attempt, collision. Pauga lead right splits the guard. Two minutes to go.
Stiff counter jab by Bukauskas to answer a body kick. His corner’s screaming for him to fight. Pauga lead right, then a long left as Bukauskas leans back. Pauga ducks a 1-2, can’t do anything with it. Counter right. One minute to go. Sharp 1-2 from Bukauskas. Both land hard right hands in center cage. Bukauskas tries a spinning back kick. Good jab. Another spinning back kick, then a heavy combo in the final seconds. 10-9 Bukauskas; comes down to how they scored the first.
Final result: Bukauskas def. Pauga by unanimous decision
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