Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to its APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the UFC Vegas 79 mixed martial arts (MMA) event TONIGHT (Sat., Sept. 23, 2023), streaming LIVE on ESPN+. UFC Vegas 79 will be headlined by the 155-pound showdown between Top 10-ranked lightweight contenders Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot. Before that five-round clash of styles gets underway, featherweight veterans Bryce Mitchell and Dan Ige collide in UFC Vegas 79’s co-main event. Elsewhere on the card, strawweight standouts Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson-Gomez hook ‘em up at 115 pounds.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 79 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 7 p.m. ET. Bet on all the UFC Vegas 79 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 “Fiziev vs. Gamrot.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Vegas 79 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action).
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Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
UFC VEGAS 79 QUICK RESULTS:
Rafael Fiziev vs. Mateusz Gamrot — Gamrot def. Fiziev by TKO (knee injury) at 2:03 of Round Two
Dan Ige vs. Bryce Mitchell — Mitchell def. Ige by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2) — HIGHLIGHTS!
Marina Rodriguez vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez — Rodriguez def. Waterson-Gomez by TKO (punches and elbows) at 2:42 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS!
Bryan Battle vs. A.J. Fletcher — Battle def. Fletcher by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:32 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS!
Charles Jourdain vs. Ricardo Ramos — Jourdain def. Ramos by submission (guillotine choke) at 3:12 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS!
Dan Argueta vs. Miles Johns — Johns def. Argueta by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Andre Fialho vs. Tim Means — Means def. Fialho by TKO (punches) at 1:15 of Round Three
Cody Brundage vs. Jacob Malkoun — Brundage def. Malkoun by disqualification (illegal elbow) at 4:15 of Round One
Jake Collier vs. Mohammed Usman — Usman def. Collier by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Hannah Goldy vs. Mizuki Inoue — Inoue def. Goldy by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Montserrat Rendon vs. Tamires Vidal — Rendon def. Vidal by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
UFC VEGAS 79 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
155 lbs.: Rafael Fiziev vs. Mateusz Gamrot
Round 1: Quick jab from Gamrot. Fiziev tries a body kick. Gamrot low kick a minute in. Head kick whiffs. 1-2 falls short. Neither man committing to anything yet. Gamrot steps in too deep with a jab and Fiziev rips the body before following up upstairs. Two minutes in. Simultaneous kicks, Fiziev takes one to the groin but shrugs it off. Low single from Gamrot, impressive defense by Fiziev. Fiziev body kick with two minutes to go.
Nice lead right by Gamrot, his first clean connection. Head kick blocked. Fiziev sends out body shots. One minute to go. Good jab by Gamrot. Low kick trips Gamrot up for a moment. He comes back with a straight right. He shoots, denied, ultimately completes it right at/after the bell following a lengthy scramble. 10-9 Fiziev? Gamrot landed a few decent shots.
Round 2: Gamrot catches a body kick and drives for his life, ultimately completing the takedown in center cage. Fiziev gets to his knees and crawls his way to the fence. One minute in. Fiziev makes it to his feet, Gamrot still attached. Fiziev manages to fight him off and separates. When he tries to throw a body kick, however, he damages the knee on his planted leg. He falls to the mat and the ref quickly waves things off as Gamrot jumps on him and drops punches
Final result: Gamrot def. Fiziev by TKO (knee injury)
145 lbs.: Dan Ige vs. Bryce Mitchell
Round 1: Ige orthodox, Mitchell southpaw. Body kick from Mitchell. Ige tries a combo, can’t connect. One minute in. Ige falls short with another combo, Mitchell comes back with a body kick and eats a straight right. Straight left to level change from Mitchell, driving hard to complete the single-leg. Ige forces his head down and limp-legs out. Double right hand and Mitchell’s already cut under his right eye. Two minutes in. Straight left from Mitchell, then another level change that takes Ige to the fence. Slick foot sweep, looking for the back. Ige pops back up and reverses before separating. Two minutes to go.
Jab lands for Mitchell. Body kick catches Ige in the cup. Straight left to level change gets the rear waist lock for Mitchell. Nice takedown into mount with a minute to go. Mitchell staying heavy. He postures up with 20 seconds to go, can’t find a sup, settles for some solid shots. 10-9 Mitchell.
Round 2: They trade lefts to start. Good combo from Ige, but Mitchell times a reactive double-leg against the fence. Good defense from Ige to get back to his feet and reverse. Mitchell reverses in turn with over-unders and they separate a minute in. Mitchell might have a second cut above his right eye. Straight left lands for him. Long left hook from Ige gets Mitchell’s attention, and when he doesn’t follow up, they pause to check out Mitchell’s eye. There’s some weird-looking swelling there but they let it continue. Bad shot by Mitchell and Ige ends up on top. Ige lets him up when Mitchell starts to scramble. Two minutes in. Mitchell tries a low single, can’t get it, lands a body kick. Ige tries to pressure, but a nice body lock to outside trip puts Mitchell back on top in mount with two minutes to go.
Mitchell looking for Ige’s back as the latter tries to stand. One hook in, then the other with a minute to go. Mitchell’s high but he manages to retake mount, hunting an arm triangle. The position isn’t great and he drops it with 10 seconds to go. 10-9 Mitchell.
Round 3: Body kick from Mitchell and he completes another takedown. Looking for the back. Ige appears to counter and land on top in an awkward guard, but Mitchell somehow manages to cinch up the body triangle and secure back mount a minute in. No ground-and-pound from Mitchell over the next minute. Ige controlling Mitchell’s wrists, so Mitchell worms his way into mount. Ige scrambles up, Mitchell still attached. Knee from Mitchell with two minutes to go.
Mitchell trying to take the back again, threatening Ige’s base with trips. Big lift, but he can’t secure it and it’s Ige on top with Mitchell seated and chasing a kimura. One minute to go. Mitchell loses it. Ige gets a low mount with 10 seconds to go, can’t do anything with it. 10-9 Mitchell, wouldn’t argue with a 29-28 Ige.
Final result: Mitchell def. Ige by unanimous decision — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!
115 lbs.: Marina Rodriguez vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
Round 1: Waterson-Gomez comes out uncharacteristically aggressive, landing combos and taking Rodriguez to the mat in the opening seconds. On top in full guard. Rodriguez trying to strike off her back as she scoots to the fence. One minute in. Waterson-Gomez stands and Rodriguez uses the space to get to her feet, then frame and throw knees in the clinch. Nasty knees to the body. They separate two minutes in. Waterson-Gomez shoots right back in. Rodriguez defends, landing knees and a hard elbow in teh clinch. More big knees from Rodriguez and she’s got Waterson-Gomez hurt. She tries to put her away with a flurry and Waterson-Gomez fires a desperation shot. It doesn’t buy her much time, as Rodriguez defends and goes right back to mauling her in the clinch with two minutes to go.
Waterson-Gomez survives at first, but Rodriguez continues to maul. Knees, elbows, and punches piling up. One minute to go. More elbows and knees from Rodriguez, who shrugs off a side kick to the face. More elbows, but Waterson-Gomez ties up right as the ref is seemingly about to stop it. When they break, the ref calls a pause to check out the cut on Waterson-Gomez’s face. Rodriguez rushes right back after her with punches and knees, countering a takedown to land on top in half guard. Waterson-Gomez latches onto her wrists to avoid any more damage before the bell. 10-8 Rodriguez, arguable 10-7.
Round 2: Hard low kick from Rodriguez. Body kick. Waterson-Gomez ties up and takes her to the fence. Body knee from Rodriguez. One minute in. Rodriguez reverses. Another knee downstairs and Waterson-Gomez slips, though Rodriguez doesn’t follow her down and instead goes back to stalking when she stands. Back to the clinch, high knee by Rodriguez. Two minutes in. Knee to elbows. More knees. Waterson-Gomez tries to change levels and Rodriguez counters directly into mount, where she fires punches and elbows until the ref intervenes. A sobbing Waterson-Gomez tries to plead her case that she was still fighting, but that was an uncomfortable amount of punishment.
Final result: Rodriguez def. Waterson-Gomez by TKO (punches and elbows)
170 lbs.: Bryan Battle vs. A.J. Fletcher
Round 1: Low kicks from Fletcher to start. Battle showing kicks of his own, but not checking what Fletcher’s throwing. One minute in. Battle looking for body kicks. Neither man committing to much. Lots of feints, movement, and stance switches from Fletcher, who lands a glancing right hook. Two minutes in. Low kick exchange. Battle teep. Pure sparring thus far. Two minutes to go.
Battle double jab as he eats a low kick. Bouncing body kicks off of Fletcher’s guard. Hard jab from Fletcher. Left splits the guard. One minute to go. Battle constantly firing front kicks to the body, mixing in head and low kicks as well. Fletcher shoots from too far out, takes him to the fence. He can’t finish the takedown, but hurts Battle with an elbow on the break. He stays patient and they reset at range, allowing Battle to keep firing kicks. 10-9 Fletcher.
Round 2: Early punches from Fletcher. Battle body kicks and jabs. Fletcher shoots, hauls Battle to the fence. Jockeying for position. Battle reverses a minute in, landing knees to the body. More knees as he presses Fletcher against the fence. Two minutes in. Battle changes levels and spins Fletcher to the mat, avoiding a guillotine as he does. Half guard for Battle. Two minutes to go.
Short left hands landing for Battle. Attacking the far arm, loses his grip. One minute to go. He slips in a hook when Fletcher turns to his knees, then inserts the other and the RNC in quick succession to force the tap.
Final result: Battle def. Fletcher by submission (rear naked choke)
145 lbs.: Charles Jourdain vs. Ricardo Ramos
Round 1: Solid body kick from Jourdain to start. Ramos looks for head kicks in return. Jourdain 1-2. Left hand into teh clinch for Jourdain, who lands a knee and looks for a guillotine as Ramos shoots a minute in. Nice move from Ramos to take him down into side control. Jourdain regains guard, gives up half guard trying to find the guillotine again two minutes in. Trying to stand, denied. He’s not accepting the position, and with two mintues to go, he forces a wild scramble. Ramos tries to shoot again and Jourdain’s waiting with the guillotine once again. With his corner screaming that he’s got it, Jourdain clamps down and quickly forces the tap.
Final result: Jourdain def. Ramos by submission (guillotine choke)
135 lbs.: Dan Argueta vs. Miles Johns
Round 1: Johns orthodox, Argueta southpaw. Johns falls short with a looping right. Argueta catches a low kick and hauls Johns to the fence. One minute in. Argueta briefly muscles him down, then smoothly slips in both hooks for a standing back take. Argueta with some nice moves to maintain position. Short punches, then back to looking for the RNC. Two minutes in. Johns fighting the hands well, but Argueta gets enough of a squeeze to force Johns to fall to the mat. Slick scramble from Johns and they reset on the feet with two minutes to go.
Looping 1-2 from Johns. Argueta literally runs in with an elbow and eats a huge right hand. He doesn’t look steady on his feet. He shoots, gets reversed against the fence, and jumps guillotine a minute in. Johns uses his knee to keep Argueta from finding a good angle and pops his head free. They soon return to the feet, where Johns lands some solid punches. Argueta wading awkwardly after him. 10-9 Argueta.
Round 2: Big overhand right from Argueta and Johns puts him on the fence. Argueta looking for an arm-in guillotine, but Johns gets to half guard to neutralize it. One minute in. Awkward sort of headlock, Johns gets his head free and fires ground-and-pound. Argueta turns to a knee, short knees by Johns. Hard knee from Argueta on the exit seems to rattle Johns for a moment. Argueta back to awkwardly rushing in and eating hard punches. Two minutes in. Argueta bullies him to the fence and hits a double-leg. Body lock on the way up, looking to take his back again. Two minutes to go.
Knees to the body from Argueta. Johns breaks his grip and separates. Hard 2-1 from Johns. Argueta shoots for a single-leg, gets forced down with a headlock. Argueta continues to drive. Looking for up-elbows with a minute to go. Johns swats him with a hard hook on the break. Huge overhand right, then a jab that stings Argueta. Low kick. Lead knee from Argueta. He tries it again, then gets the rear crucifix when Johns shoots. 10-9 Johns.
Round 3: Nasty flurry from Johns to start the round. Good low kick. Argueta runs in with a knee, can’t cut the cage off. Johns low kick. Another a minute in. Short hook as he pivots out. They trade near the fence. Stiff Johns jab. Check hook drops Argueta, who pops right back up. Low kick and jab by Johns. Argueta continuing to walk after him. Spinning elbow attempt two minutes in. Uppercut-hook. Johns shoots and Argueta sprawls, looking for elbows. Nice scramble from Johns, who lands shots on the way up. Big uppercut by Argueta. Big exchange. Argueta continuing to match after him and Johns changes levels. Two minutes to go.
Argueta holding onto the front headlock as Johns drives. Johns gets him down as Argueta looks for a guillotine. One minute to go. Johns pops his head free and stands. Argueta spins to his knees, caught in the front headlock. He escapes before the bell. 10-9 Johns.
Final result: Johns def. Argueta by unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Andre Fialho vs. Tim Means
Round 1: Both open with body blows. Means doing good work downstairs. Low kick from Fialho. Clinch knee from Means, body punches from Fialho. Fialho straight right met by a two-piece. One minute in. Both land in the clinch. Nice clinch uppercuts by Fialho, but as he tries to follow up, Means crushes him with a knee to the head. Means follows him down with punches and elbows. Fialho survives and regains guard. More shots from Means. Fialho makes it to his feet and separates two minutes in. Looking aggressive, firing volume. Counters from Means, another knee into the body lock. Two minutes to go.
Means throws on the break, lands a knee to the body. Lead hook kick from Means, then a counter body shot. Hard counter with a minute to go. Means with steady forward pressure. Heavy lead left. Fialho body kick. High knee by Means. 10-9 Means.
Round 2: Good exchanges early, Means getting the better of it. Glancing head kick. Side kick to the body. Two-piece from Fialho. Both try front kicks, knee from Means. Hard counter left, then a front kick through the guard as he walks Fialho down. Fialho comes back with a left hook a minute in, then some clean right hands that hurt Means. Means shoots, denied. Fialho continuing to land clean right hands. Two-piece from Means into the clinch. Fialho reverses two minutes in, can’t get the outside trip. Knee from Means, short punches after reversing. Hard knee kicks off a vicious flurry of head and body shots. Jockeying for position and they separate. Two minutes to go.
Straight right by Fialho, counter hook by Means. Means walks him down with punches, then goes to work in the clinch with knees and elbows. Fialho with a right hand on the exit. Means triple jab, eats a 1-2-3. Well-timed knee catches Fialho coming in again, but he catches it for a takedown into guard. One minute to go. Means slips free and ends up on top in guard. Big elbows. Fialho turns to his knees, eating punches. Big knee to the body from Means, then a barrage of head shots to end the round. 10-9 Means.
Round 3: Means leads to the body, Fialho answers with kicks. Solid Fialho body kick. Glancing head kick from Means and a two-piece behind it. Another head kick stings Fialho a minute in. 3-2 and there go Fialho’s legs. Means mauls him against the fence until he crumples and the ref intervenes.
Final result: Means def. Fialho by TKO (punches)
185 lbs.: Cody Brundage vs. Jacob Malkoun
Round 1: Brundage takes Malkoun down inside of 10 seconds. Malkoun considers a guillotine, then sits up into his own single-leg. Good defense by Brundage but Malkoun just keeps driving, even when the next single-leg fails. The third one does the trick and Malkoun moves into top turtle a minute in. Landing punches with Brundage stuck on his knees. Brundage scoots to the fence, gives up a hook. Steady punches from Malkoun. Two minutes in. Continuing to find the mark with punches and hammerfists, a few of which land to the back of the head. Brundage gets wrist control with two minutes to go.
Malkoun continuing to chip away. Brundage half-heartedly trying to use the fence to stand. One minute to go. Malkoun forces him down with an RNC attempt and slams home an elbow to the back of the head, which finally sends the ref into action. Brundage says he can’t continue so let’s see how this goes.
Final result: Brundage def. Malkoun by DQ (illegal elbow)
265 lbs.: Jake Collier vs. Mohammed Usman
Round 1: Low kicks from Collier to start. He fires a body kick, then rattles Usman with a left hand behind it. Usman desperately trying to tie up as Collier fires volleys. Collier briefly considers a standing arm triangle, loses it a minute in. Trading knees against the fence. Both land well on the break, then trade punches. Two minutes in. Usman landing some decent shots off the back foot. Jab exchange. Usman overextends and Collier lands a two-piece, then a knee behind it. Big right cross by Collier, who’s back in control after a brief lull. Low kicks with two minutes to go.
Counter rights from Usman, trading jabs. Both swing big on the edge of the mat. Collier marching forward, landing well. One minute to go. Collier briefly puts him on the fence. Stiff jabs by Collier. Usman trying to answer in kind. Heavy Collier combo, staying patient as he pressures. 10-9 Collier.
Round 2: Collier staying on the front foot, landing the cleaner blows. Brief clinch, then as Usman tries to push off, his finger goes gruesomely deep into Collier’s right eye. Collier looks like he’s in absolute agony, so we’ll see how this plays out.
Collier takes four minutes, but he’s good to resume and goes back on the advance. One minute in. Jab from Collier, good low kicks behind it. Usman’s still keen to counter but it’s Collier landing the cleaner and more numerous strikes. Two minutes in. Solid right by Usman. Collier bullies his way in with punches against the fence. Heavy left hook soon after. Two minutes to go.
Collier still controlling things with his jab. Usman lands a few jabs of his own. 1-3. Better Collier jab with a minute to go. Usman trying to up the volume, having mixed success getting through the guard. Collier lands a 1-2, eats a long left hook in the waning seconds. 10-9 Collier.
Round 3: Both leaning on the jab in the early going. Hard low kick from Collier. Stiff jab. Nice exchange in the center, Collier gets the better of it. Both wing big shots but fail to connect a minute in. 1-2s from both. Trading jabs. Ugly level change from Usman but it gets Collier to the fence. Two minutes in. High-amplitude takedown puts Usman on top in half guard. Collier trying to use the underhook to stand, gets forced back down. Two minutes to go.
Usman moves to half guard, then moves back to half guard. Collier’s eyes seem to really be bothering him as Usman picks his shots. One minute to go. Usman denies another attempt to stand. He considers mount, elects not to. Collier makes one last attempt to stand and eats some decent punches before cranking on a deep-looking kimura that the bell denies. Comes down to the second round. 10-9 Usman.
Final result: Usman def. Collier by unanimous decision
115 lbs.: Hannah Goldy vs. Mizuki Inoue
Round 1: Goldy on the front foot to start. Lots of side-to-side movement from Inoue. 2-1-knee into the clinch. One minute in. Fighting for position in over-unders. Inoue puts her on the fence. Two minutes in. Continuing to jockey for position in the clinch, Inoue getting the better of it. She exits with a knee. Two minutes to go.
Low kick from Goldy. Inoue lead right, lands a body kick, eats a heavy counter right. Glancing body kick and 1-2 from Inoue. She catches a body kick, can’t use it, gets tied up with a minute to go. Back to spinning each other around with over-unders. They separate and Inoue runs in with a knee upstairs, only to get tied up again. 10-9 Inoue.
Round 2: Solid right hand from Inoue and Goldy shoots. Sprawl from Inoue, Goldy keeps over-unders. Inoue counters a trip to land on top, Goldy trying to use a butterfly hook. One minute in. Full guard. Not much from the top. Goldy looks for a sweep two minutes in and gets the front headlock as Inoue drives forward. Inoue puts her on the fence once again.
Goldy reverses and, after a brief struggle, hits an inside trip into top half guard. Goldy stands over her and grabs the front headlock as Inoue rises. Questionably legal knee, then some cleaner ones to the body before putting Inoue on the fence again. One minute to go. Trading knees as they move around the cage. Goldy takes her back to the fence. Inoue counters another trip and gets the front headlock as Goldy tries to rise. 10-9 Inoue.
Round 3: Solid right from Goldy. Inoue backs her up with a 1-1-2. Nice punching exchanges. Inoue getting the better of it and Goldy shoots a minute in, taking Inoue to the fence once again. Inoue quickly separates, dings her with a jab, and stops another level change. Quick exchange in the center. Counter left dings Goldy and they briefly trade in the clinch two minutes in. Goldy ducks a two-piece and gets in deep on a body lock, but settles for taking her to the fence. Inoue rushes in after they separate and Goldy shoots again. Two minutes to go.
They trade knees until Inoue puts her on the fence, then continue trading knees. Both try to strike on the break. Inoue stops a shot, lands a jab. Goldy ties up again with a minute to go. Separation, another clinch from Goldy. Inoue to the body. Goldy ties up again after they separate and Inoue lands some solid dirty boxing. Inoue stops another shot with 10 seconds to go and they trade punches until the bell. 10-9 Inoue.
Final result: Inoue def. Goldy by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Montserrat Rendon vs. Tamires Vidal
Round 1: Hard low kicks from Vidal to start. Rendon looking to answer with right hands. Good lead right by Vidal. One minute in. Rendon double right as she advances. They trade hard rights. Vidal really piling up low kicks as she circles. Rendon right hand. Vidal tries to walk her down for a bit two minutes in. Continuing to chop that lead leg. Both whiff on big swings. More Vidal low kicks. They exchange near the fence. Another big trade and Vidal shoots. Rendon reverses with two minutes to go.
Vidal frames with her forearm until he can separate. Both wing big right hands and Vidal ducks in for a single-leg.Rendon defends and circles. Moving around the cage in teh clinch. Rendon looks for a trip. 10-9 Vidal.
Round 2: Tossing right hands at each other to start. Vidal low kicks. Rendon catches a low kick for a takedown and Vidal immediately inverts for a tie hold. Vidal loses it and tries to readjust. One minute in. Rendon pulls her leg free and they return to their feet. Vidal slowly plodding forward. Jabs and rights from Rendon, avoiding the return fire. Two minutes in. Vidal looks like she might already by gassed. Slow-mo right by Rendon. Vidal takes a punch directly to the breast and they call a pause, though not a long one once the ref realizes it was a legal shot. Vidal goes back to ripping low kicks when they resume and sprinkling in war cries. Overhand right with two minutes to go.
Rendon catches another kick for a takedown into guard. Posturing for some punches, wrist control from Vidal. Solid Rendon punches. One minute to go. Vidal controlling the wrists but not doing much else. 10-9 Rendon.
Round 3: Vidal lands the first low kick, gets the second one checked. Another hard low kick, Rendon walks through it. Rendon tries to tie up, denied. She catches a kick a minute in but can’t use it. Both whiff on big swings. Rendon 1-2. Low kicks. More Vidal low kicks two minutes in. Counter rights land for Rendon. 1-2-low kick from Vidal, who whiffs on an overhand right. Rendon catches a low kick and Vidal tries to turn for a leg, can’t get it. Rendon on top in guard with two minutes to go.
Short punches from Rendon. Nice elbow. Staying busy with strikes with a minute to go. Vidal has seemingly given up on getting back to her feet. 10-9 Rendon.
Final result: Rendon def. Vidal by split decision
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