UFC 196: McGregor vs Diaz – live results, discussion, play by play (prelims)

Live results and detailed updates for the preliminary card of tonight’s UFC 196 pay-per-view event featuring Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz.

Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results and in-depth play by play of the UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz preliminary cards.

Before Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz battle atop the featured pay-per-view card, the evening starts off with a trio of bouts on UFC Fight Pass (6:30 p.m. ET) and continues with a four-fight ensemble on Fox Sports 1 (8 p.m. ET). Violent welterweight strikers Siyar Bahadurzada and Brandon Thatch captain the Fox Sports prelims while a pair of old-school lightweights — Jim Miller and Diego Sanchez — head up the Fight Pass card.

Live results and play-by-play will coincide with the opening bouts on UFC Fight Pass. The full lineup and schedule follows. Check out this week’s MMA Vivisection for predictions, analysis and betting odds on the entire event.

Fox Prelims
(Fox Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)

Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Brandon Thatch

R1: Thatch bounces on his toes and switches stances while Bahadurzada looks to counter flat-footed. Thatch lands an outside low kick but Bahadurzada checks the next one. And the next. Thatch goes to the body with the following kick and Bahadurzada blocks it, opening up with a hail of leather. Thatch flits into range and lands a right cross, circling out before Bahadurzada can counter. They clinch up and trade knees, then Thatch breaks the clinch with a horizontal elbow.

Thatch still busy with angles and stance-switches but Bahadurzada lands a knee to the body and two looping rights. Thatch recovers with a knee upstairs, then a spinning back elbow that glances to the head. Thatch off-balances Bahadurzada with a slick foot sweep from the clinch, then follows with a takedown. Thatch gives up position to fall back for a guillotine, then he slings a leg over the shoulder for a triangle attempt. Bahadurzada escapes but he’s forced to dive after Thatch’s waist when he looks to sit up on the cage. 10-9 Thatch.

R2: Thatch lands a front kick, then two straight rights to the face. Thatch continues to flurry and the backpedaling Bahadurzada shoots a defensive double leg, finishing it. Thatch works an open guard in the center of the cage, then closes it. Thatch puts one foot on a hip and continues to angle his hips, forcing Bahadurzada to work just to maintain top position. Thatch pesters with strikes from the bottom and Bahadurzada levels a heavy right. They’re stood up just past the three-minute mark.

Thatch lands two low kicks before thwacking Bahadurzada with a right upstairs. Thatch forces a clinch and Bahadurzada drubs him with short shots from the clinch before completing a takedown. Again much of Bahadurzada’s offense is stifled from the top until he lands a hard right, then a series of sharp hammer-fists. The barrage seems to reduce Thatch’s activity from the bottom and Bahadurzada keeps wailing away with ground-and-pound. 10-9 Bahadurzada.

R3: Bahadurzada grazes with a wild right hand. Another nasty right interrupts a Thatch combination and Bahadurzada follows it up with another easy takedown. Massive right hands bounce off the ribs and head of Thatch, who’s now static on his back and unable to neutralize Bahadurzada’s top game. Bahadurzada postures up and digs right hands to the body. They’re stood up just before the halfway mark.

Bahadurzada lands a chopping side kick to the knee, then follows a right hand into another double leg. Almost zero resistance from Thatch on the takedown. Bahadurzada buries his head in Thatch’s chest, picking his spots to posture up and rain down leather. Thatch hands Bahadurzada an arm triangle from a mile away and taps quickly.

Erick Silva vs. Nordine Taleb

R1: They trade kicks at an even rate from distance. Taleb whiffs on a spinning kick as does Silva with a wild overhand right. Taleb lands a switch body kick. Taleb showing a lot of feints from range. Silva lands an outside low kick and Taleb takes a funny step forward; might’ve turned an ankle. Taleb catches a left body kick and kicks out Silva’s support leg, then lands a hammer-fist before Silva can rise.

Silva, incensed at the exchange, extends his hand as if motioning to touch gloves and fires a left hook when Taleb obliges — it lands to the crowd’s dismay. Silva fakes a right low kick and switches to a left high kick but Taleb sidesteps it. Glancing outside low kick from Silva. Taleb answers with one of his own, then another. 10-9 Taleb.

R2: Outside low kick to the upper thigh from Taleb. No dice on Silva’s identical response. Taleb snaps Silva’s head back with a quick jab. Taleb pumping his hips with fakes and switching to southpaw briefly, then landing an inside low kick and a right cross. Taleb catches Silva’s front kick and plunges a right cross down his throat, knocking him down and out.

Marcelo Guimaraes vs. Vitor Miranda

R1: Guimaraes flings both hands and follows behind the flurry to clinch. Guimaraes drops for a double from the 50/50 clinch but Miranda gets a wide base to stop the first attempt; Guimaraes pinches his legs together and readjusts his angle to finish the second. Miranda works back to his feet quickly and they’re separated by the ref. Guimaraes lands a counter right to the face and they trade low kicks.

Guimaraes stalks Miranda, again cornering him and forcing a clinch behind a wall of tight punches. Guimaraes gets nowhere in this clinch exchange and Miranda starts spiking elbows to his head, and Guimaraes’ reaction indicates that he wasn’t enjoying it. They’re separated again and Miranda lands a one-two and a low kick. Snap jab from Miranda lands clean. They trade low kicks to close the round. 10-9 Miranda.

R2: Guimaraes blocks a kick and flails both hands before forcing a clinch. Miranda lands a knee from the Thai plum, then bounces a nasty volley of elbows off the head of Guimaraes, who’s hurt and stumbling after absorbing them. Miranda steps back and wallops Guimaraes with a question mark kick and a one-two, and the ref steps in to wave it off.

Darren Elkins vs. Chas Skelly

R1: Skelly catches Elkins with a right upstairs after changing levels, then with a check hook. Elkins fires a linear kick to the knee and clinches up, putting Skelly on the fence. Skelly is able to circle off and separate shortly after, slipping in a quick jab and then popping Elkins with two combos before Elkins clinches up. Elkins hits a sneaky inside trip from the over-under clinch but Skelly transitions to a leg lock. Elkins is casual about it at first but Skelly wrenches it to get his attention.

Elkins peels his leg out of danger partially but not enough as Skelly readjusts and reapplies the heel hook. Elkins again fights his way out but Skelly gets to his feet and separates. Another stomp kick to the knee from Elkins, then a glancing left. Now a few short uppercuts from Elkins in a brief clinch exchange in open space. Skelly lands a knee to the body in the next tie-up and Elkins in kind. They trade punches and clinch up before the horn sounds, trading knees to the body. 10-9 Skelly in a tight round.

R2: Elkins wades forward with wide punches but he can’t secure the clinch. Elkins lands a right hook on the next go-around, then finishes a strong double leg. Skelly starts to isolate a leg in the ensuing scramble and Elkins fights out of the awkward position to end up on top. Elkins postures up when Skelly goes to the knee shield and lands a pair of left hands. Skelly attacks the leg again but Elkins is wise to it, easily defending before landing more ground shots.

Skelly gets to a knee but eats an uppercut to the face, then a few more after he turtles. Skelly battles to his feet and Elkins secures the rear waist cinch, landing a knee to the body and one to the head. Skelly hand-fights the body lock and spins to face Elkins but he’s put on his back by the tenacious Elkins. Half guard with a knee shield from Skelly as Elkins continues to pound away with a heavy base. Elkins tries to maneuver his head into arm triangle position but Skelly recovers and lands a short elbow off his back. 10-8 Elkins for nearly a full round of domination and effective offense.

R3: Elkins continues his momentum with an early takedown. Skelly sits out and stands up but he can’t shake Elkins, who’s landing short rights in the clinch. Another crafty trip from Elkins grants him top position, and more relentless pressure from the top follows. Elkins takes his back and goes for the choke before he controls position, allowing Skelly to escape just before the halfway mark.

Elkins drills Skelly with a right cross to the face. Elkins forces a clinch and, despite an attempt to jog out of range from Skelly, he corners Skelly and takes him down. Skelly stays slippery and stands up, shakes Elkins off his back and spins to face him. Skelly circles off the fence and shoots a double, then switches to a single. Elkins pushes down on the head and picks an ankle to disrupt the attempt, then separates. Another desperation takedown from Skelly with 30 seconds left; Elkins stuffs it and separates, landing a pair of right hands on the reset. 10-9 Elkins. I have it 29-27 Elkins.

Fight Pass Prelims
(UFC Fight Pass, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Jim Miller vs. Diego Sanchez

R1: Diego sprints out of his corner and grabs a single, using it to drive Miller against the cage. Miller regains his balance and shoves Sanchez away. Heavy step-in right lands for Miller in open space, then he drives a right shovel punch into the body on the next exchange. Outside low kick lands for Miller, then a glancing right hook off his back foot. Miller unbolts a pair of left crosses, one lands high, the other low.

Miller finds the mark on a long one-two, then with a right check hook. Sanchez fakes high and gets in on a double leg, finishing it. Miller with a closed guard and his head resting on the fence. Mission control for Miller after Sanchez lands a few short lefts to the body, then Sanchez goes back to the same spot to break it. Diego fires some effective ground-and-pound after gathering his posture and stacking Miller’s legs. 10-10 (first half all Miller, second half Sanchez).

R2: Miller chops out the leg of Sanchez with a vicious inside low kick. Now one outside, then another inside. Miller glances with a follow-up uppercut, then lands a check hook on the right side. Glancing knee to the body from Sanchez. Miller lands a lead hook to the body, then a left body kick but Sanchez times a double-leg nicely. Miller back in his guard at the three-minute mark.

Miller goes on one hip and lands an elbow to the head, then stands up and separates. Lead knee lands to the body for Miller and he follows it with a left. Sanchez throws a spinning kick but Miller steps in to jam it. They clinch up and Sanchez lands a knee as Miller separates. Sanchez times a duck-under takedown well but Miller sprawls out, then bombs a few knees to the head from the front headlock. They separate and Sanchez shoots an ugly double that Miller defends. 10-9 Miller.

R3: Miller opens with a clean left, then stuffs a takedown attempt from Sanchez. Sanchez backs him off with a stiff jab. Miller with an inside low kick, then a left, both of which score. Sanchez doubles up on his jab and lands a counter right to the body. No dice on another spinning kick attempt from Sanchez. Glancing front kick to the body from Sanchez in open space.

The jab of Sanchez grows in frequency and effectiveness. Lead right glances upstairs for Sanchez, who then tries to duck under a Miller flurry but his takedown attempt is denied. Miller shoots a double but loses contact and Sanchez pops back up to his feet. Glancing left cross lands for Miller. Now it’s Sanchez who ducks under a flurry and gets Miller down for a fraction of a second. 10-10. I have it 30-29 for Miller.

Jason Saggo vs. Justin Salas

R1: Both probe with flicking low kicks early. Salas glances with a straight left downstairs. Saggo whiffs with a front-leg hook kick and Salas takes him down. Closed guard for Saggo in the center of the cage. Mission control for Saggo and he transitions into a beautiful sweep, landing in north-south position with Salas’ feet on the cage.

A sharp right elbow to the head lands for Saggo on top. Saggo moves to side mount, then goes back to north-south, cradling a leg in the transition. Salas goes on one hip and turtles, allowing Saggo to move to his back. One hook in for Saggo, then both. Saggo flattens him out and starts pounding away at the ribs and head, persisting until the referee intervenes.

Julian Erosa vs. Teruto Ishihara

R1: Ishihara throws a kick immediately after the glove touch, then throws another and gets bowled back by an Erosa front kick. Erosa goes for an awkward takedown and Ishihara tags him with a knee upstairs. A pair of hard inside low kicks land for Ishihara. And another but Ishihara’s high kick is blocked. Ishihara steps off center and lands a glancing left counter.

The speed disparity is evident in the opening round as Ishihara continues to flit and out of range with a variety of kicks. Erosa, now in southpaw, plunges another rear-leg teep into Ishihara’s stomach, then forces a clinch. Erosa keeps him on the cage but doesn’t do much and they’re separated with a half-minute left. Ishihara whirs his hands and catches Erosa with a flurry. Erosa completes a takedown late. 10-9 Ishihara.

R2: Ishihara steps off-center and drills Erosa with a McGregoresque counter left, and Erosa drops. Only a few finishing blows are required.