Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to the hurt business this TONIGHT (Sat., Dec. 2, 2017) with UFC 218: “Holloway vs. Aldo 2,” which pops off from inside Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
UFC 218 will be headlined by the featherweight championship rematch between reigning division kingpin Max Holloway and former 145-pound titleholder Jose Aldo, while heavyweight bruisers Alistair Overeem and Francis Ngannou battle for contendership in the three-round pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event.
All that and so much more.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 218 fight card below, starting with the Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.
Many of our readers check-in before, during and after the televised fisticuffs to share their thoughts on all the exciting action. Therefore, feel free to leave a comment (or 218) before you split and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it always turns out to be a great discussion.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps and post-fight analysis after “Holloway vs. Aldo 2”
Without further delay, see below for the latest UFC 218 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC 218 QUICK RESULTS:
Max Holloway vs. Jose Aldo
Francis Ngannou vs. Alistair Overeem — Ngannou def. Overeem by KO (punch) at 1:42 of Round One
Henry Cejudo vs. Sergio Pettis — Cejudo def. Pettis by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Eddie Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje — Alvarez def. Gaethje by KO (knee) at 3:59 of Round Three
Tecia Torres vs. Michelle Waterson — Torres def. Waterson by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Paul Felder vs. Charles Oliveira — Felder def. Oliveira by TKO (elbows) at 4:06 of Round Two
Yancy Medeiros vs. Alex Oliveira — Medeiros def. Oliveira by TKO (punches) at 2:02 of Round Three
Drakkar Klose vs. David Teymur — Teymur def. Klose by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Cortney Casey vs. Felice Herrig — Herrig def. Casey by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Amanda Cooper vs. Angela Magana — Cooper def. Magana by TKO (punches) at 4:34 of Round Two
Razak Alhassan vs. Sabah Homasi — Alhassan def. Homasi by TKO (punches) at 4:21 of Round One
Jeremy Kimball vs. Dominick Reyes — Reyes def. Kimball by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:39 of Round One
Allen Crowder vs. Justin Willis — Willis def. Crowder by KO (punch) at 2:33 of Round One
UFC 218 LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY:
145 lbs.: UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway vs. Jose Aldo
Round 1: Holloway looking more confident than in the beginning of the first fight, looking for jabs and right hands. Not much from Aldo yet as Holloway presses forward. One minute in. Now Aldo hurls a counter flurry, lands one. Leg kick lands, countered by a Holloway jab. Holloway leans away from a right hand. Aldo working his jab now. Leg kick lands and Holloway waves him on. Counters from Aldo. Holloway left hook. They tie up briefly. Holloway taunting Aldo with two minutes to go.
Aldo to the body. Holloway digs a right downstairs. 1-2 lands for Aldo. Lead right. Holloway plugs the body. Hard counter right by Aldo with a minute to go. Holloway tries a head kick. Holloway switching stances, firing his jab. Holloway mean mugging, gets blasted by an uppercut for his trouble. 10-9 Holloway on activity.
Round 2:
Round 3:
Final result:
265 lbs.: Francis Ngannou vs. Alistair Overeem
Round 1: Both men swing rather than touch gloves. Overeem ties up, Ngannou puts him on the fence. Ngannou with a foot stomp and knees to the thigh. One minute in. Ref separates them for lack of action. They swing and Francis Ngannou lands one of the nastiest uppercuts I have ever seen in my life. Alistair Overeem is in another dimension. Good lord.
Final result: Ngannou def. Overeem by KO (punch)
125 lbs.: Henry Cejudo vs. Sergio Pettis
Round 1: Cejudo orthodox, Pettis southpaw. Leg kick from Pettis. Solid counters so far from Pettis. One minute in. Leg kick again. Cejudo hits an easy takedown into side control. Cejudo staying tight, not landing much. He sneaks in an elbow and looks for the back two minutes in. Knees from Cejudo with Pettis on his knees. Left hands from the Olympian. Pettis not letting him get the hooks in but unable to stand. Two minutes to go.
Pettis scrambles up, snapped back down from the front headlock. Knees from Cejudo to the body and thighs. Pettis manages to get his guard back. Solid right hand by Cejudo as he returns to guard a minute in. Cejudo having some trouble navigating his guard. Pettis fires upkicks, eats some nasty ground-and-pound before the bell. 10-9 Cejudo.
Round 2: Right hand and body kick from Cejudo. Pettis tries to go high as well. Body kick lands well for him. Cejudo tries a single-leg, denied and they trade punches. One minute in. Leg kick from Pettis. Cejudo cracks him with a right hand and sets up in guard. Pettis with good defense from guard, still can’t get Cejudo off of him. Two minutes in. Man, this crowd sucks. Cejudo tries to pass, can’t. Again. Body triangle from Pettis to hold him close. He brings his legs up and lands a couple dinky heel strikes. Two minutes to go.
Pettis looks for a triangle/armbar, Cejudo rotates to safety and latches on when Pettis gets to his knees. Pettis stands, heaved back down. One minute to go. Pettis gets to the fence, Cejudo attached. He manages to face Cejudo and separate. Cejudo rips to the body. Clash of heads. Pettis tries a wheel kick. 10-9 Cejudo.
Round 3: Solid counter right from Pettis. Cejudo lands a 2-1. Another counter right by Pettis, eats a right hand in the clinch and denies a takedown. Cejudo shoots in and completes a single-leg into guard a minute in. Again, good defense from Pettis but not making much progress. Two minutes in. Cejudo stands and jumps in with a right hand, passing to side control. Pettis rolls into a front headlock. Cejudo forces him back down into guard. Two minutes to go.
Pettis works his way to his feet, dragged back down. Now Pettis manages to face him and ultimately separate. Left hook by Cejudo met by a right hand. One minute to go. Both try head kicks. They exchange. Pettis shoots before the bell. 10-9 Cejudo.
Final result: Cejudo def. Pettis by unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Eddie Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje
Round 1: Leg kicks from Gaethje right away as Alvarez looks for right hands. Overhand right lands for Gaethje, uppercut comes back. Gaethje looking to punish the leg early, doing so well. Overhand right by Gaethje, who has blocked most of Eddie’s shots so far. One minute in. Another leg kick, Alvarez catches it. Uppercut from Alvarez. Gaethje to the body. Anotehr hard leg kick form Gaethje, Alvarez comes back to the body. Alvarez winging some big shots. Leg kick again. Alvarez trying to catch Gaethje dipping. Good left hook from Eddie two minutes in. Another hard leg kick. Alvarez fires uppercuts, eats an overhand . Good jabs. He catches a Gaethje leg kick, can’t stay on top. Lovely body shot by Alvarez, firing his jab and straight right. Two minutes to go.
Heavy body shots by Alvarez. Gaethje whiffs on an uppercut, eats another body shot. Leg kick lands for him. Low-high goes Alvarez. Cuffing shot from Gaethje. Gaethje hooks inside, eats some nasty body shots. One minute to go. Gaethje cut open by the left eye. Alvarez to the body, goes upstairs. Gaethje with another heavy leg kick. Alvarez tries a rolling thunder before the bell because why not. 10-9 Alvarez for body shots.
Round 2: Gaethje goes right back o the leg kicks. Dart right by Alvarez. Alvarez counters a leg kick with left hooks, then styles a bit. Gaethje eats a leg kick and body shots. One minute in. Leg kick again, sharp left hook. Dart right again by Alvarez. Gaethje with a heavy right hand, eats an uppercut. Uppercut by Gaethje, counters from Alvarez. They trade in the clinch. Alvarez digs a right to the body. Two minutes in. Gaethje knee and a hard left hook. Uppercut when Alarez ducks in. Both land to the body. Leg kick from Gaethje. Body shot. Knee by Gaethje, left hook by Alvarez. Two minutes to go.
Alvarez pumping the jab. Knee inside. Gaethje leg kick, Alvarez 1-2. Alvarez rips to the body with fury and they trade bombs upstairs. Booming hook by Alvarez. Gaethje chops the lead leg some more. Knee from Gaethje. Again. Left hook. Alvarez finding a home for uppercuts with a minute to go. Gaethje elbow. Alvarez leg kick. Gaethje cracks him with a harder one. More body work by Alvarez. Gaethje tries a shot, kicked in the face on the way up, jumps in with a knee. 10-9 Alvarez.
Round 3: Alvarez doing well at range. Jabs from Alvarez. Gaethje firing his own. Leg kick s from Gaethje and Alvarez switches stances. He kicks it again. Alarez throwing, can’t put weight on his left leg. Another buckling kick a minute in. Alvarez tries to pull guard, no dice. He cannot transfer weight right now. Gaethje to the body. Leg kick from Gaethje, uppercuts from Alvarez. Right hand by Alvarez, knee to the body. Another heavy kick from Gaethje. Again. He has three minutes to get rid of that leg. Alvarez shoots after trying to spin. Gaethje works his way to his feet and blasts the leg again and again. Big uppercut and Eddie’s is swollen up. Big uppercut. Inside leg kick this time. Outside. Alvarez firing uppercuts as Gaethje rips that leg. Two minutes to go.
Alvarez tries to spin, tries a takedown, denied. Again. Gaethje with a crippling uppercut. Another. Suddenly, just as Gaethje seems to have him on the ropes, Alvarez destroys him with a knee through the guard.
Final result: Alvarez def. Gaethje by KO (knee)
115 lbs.: Tecia Torres vs. Michelle Waterson
Round 1: Torres on the advance and both look for kicks. Waterson hits a trip takedown and goes into backpack mode. Torres gets the hooks out and Waterson walks her to the fence. Knee to the body. Torres reverses and they separate. Lead right by Torres. Going back-and-forth. 1-2 from Torres two minutes in. Torres with some knees inside, hard elbows in the clinch. More elbows against the fence. Short punches too. Two minutes to go.
Knees from both, another heavy elbow by Torres. Waterson with a good left on the break. Torres advancing, puts her back on the fence. Waterson frames and looks for a knee up top. They separate. Waterson knees, Right hand by Torres. One minute to go. They trade knees inside. Left by Torres on the break, hard side kick from Waterson. Somebody’s mouthpiece fell out. Torres hauls her back to the fence and goes to work with rights and elbows. Good shots on the break. 10-9 Torres.
Round 2: Torres presses forward with punches, stuffs a takedown. Hard right hand in combination. Again and another. Waterson comes back with a knee. Flicking out her jab. Good knee inside and she hits a head-and-arm throw a minutes in, avoiding a back take. Full guard. Half guard now for Waterson, staying heavy. Torres grabs a Kimura, tries to sweep with it. Back to full guard. Two minutes to go.
Back to half guard. Torres looking to set up a triangle. The angle’s not good. One minute to go. She transitions to an armbar on the wrong side and Waterson gets side control. Knees to the body form Waterson on the way up. Torres shoots before the bell. 10-9 Waterson.
Round 3: Leg kick from Waterson, 1-2 from Torres. Leg kick from Torres, right hand by Waterson. Waterson trying to put her on the fence, Torres puts her there instead. One minute in. They separate and Torres lands a counter right. Combiantion. Counter right form Waterson, lead right by Torres. Waterson lead right two minutes in. Torres on the counter and she backs Waterson to the fence with punches before tying up. Waterson separates. Lead right by Waterson. 1-2 lands clean for Torres, body shot by WAterson. Two minutes to go.
Waterson with an overhand right off a Torres body shot. Left hook from Torres and Waterson slips. Torres latches onto her, drags her back down and looks for the back. Torres is too high. One minute to go. Torres landing little whacks, manages to flatten Waterson out. Heavy shots by Torres. Waterson rolls. Waterson manages to turn into half guard and they exchange until the bell. 10-9 Torres.
Final result: Torres def. Waterson by split decision
155 lbs.: Paul Felder vs. Charles Oliveira
Round 1: Oliveira firing leg kicks, eat a left hook and wrangles Felder to the mat. Felder gets to his feet, dragged back down. He avoids teh mount, but Oliveira’s looking for a d’arce a minute in. He locks his grip, looking to put his forearm in deeper. Felder rolling as Oliveira cinches it up tighter, gets mount. Two minutes in. Oliveira loses his grip, lands a hard knee to the body and re-applies the choke. It’s not there, so he transitions to the human backpack. Two minutes to go.
Felder shrugs him off, eats a hard upkick, Ground-and-pound from Felder. Heavy elbows. Oliveira’s busted open around his right aye. One minute to go. Half guard. Oliveira threatens a leg, eats a precise right hand. More elbows. 10-9 Oliveira.
Round 2: Oliveira leg kick checked. He shoots, Felder gets an underhook and they jockey for position. Knee from Felder. One to the head. Double underhooks for Felder. One minute in. Nasty elbow drops Oliveira. Felder pouring it on. Oliveira tries to roll, settles for bottom half guard. Upkick by Oliveira. Felder stands over him two minutes in and kicks at his leg. Oliveira goes for a leg, planted back on his back. Full guard. Oliveira rolls for a kneebar despire a Felder fence grab with two minutes to go.
Oliveira turns into top position, falls to his back. I think he’s tired. Elbows from Felder. Nasty elbows and Oliveira’s just covering up. “Do Bronx” taps to strikes.
Final result: Felder def. Oliveira by TKO (elbows)
170 lbs.: Yancy Medeiros vs. Alex Oliveira
Round 1: Medeiros with a left to the body. Body kick from Cowboy and a pair of heavy right hands. More body kicks by Oliveira as he marches forward. Medeiros suddenly drops him with a straight left and threatens a guillotine when Oliveira tries to shoot. Oliveira charges after him with punches, lands a knee, looks for a takedown a minute in. Oliveira pressing him into the fence. Medeiros takes a knee to the bojangles and the ref pauses the action. Back to the center. Body kick from Oliveira and a straight right drops Medeiros. Oliveira with a heavy knee to the body as his foe stands. Two minutes in. Another knee by Oliveira. Elbow on the break goes just short. 1-2 from Medeiros, eats a knee. Oliveira drops him with another right hand and unloads with bombs. Big knee, nasty punches. Elbows to the head with two minutes to go.
Oliveira with a knee to the body, eats an elbow. Again, knee and elbow. They trade elbows and separate. Front kick and knee from Oliveira. Back to the fence with a minute to go. Medeiros with a slicing elbow, avoids the spin. Another right hand buzzes Medeiros and on come the bombs. Medeiros throwing back but getting just blasted with punches. They clinch. Medeiros with a counter elbow. 10-9 Oliveira.
Round 2: Oliveira sending out more front kicks to the body. 2-1 from Cowboy and they trade big punches. Medeiros to the body. One minute in. More body kicks from Oliveira, but a trio of left hands force him to retreat. Body kick from Medeiros. Oliveira with a big counter right. Medeiros combination lands two minutes in. Oliveira continues to drill the body. Medeiros tries a head kick. Hard combination and he rips Oliveira’s body on the cage. Oliveira roars back with right hands. Two minutes to go.
Oliveira with another heavy right before tying up. He looks for a takedown, denied. Wheel kick attempt by Oliveira, body kicks. Right to the gut. Medeiros left hand lands. One minute to go. Oliveira coming on strong late in the round. They tie up and Medeiros hits a gorgeous counter throw right into mount. Elbows raining down. Oliveira scrambles to his feet. 10-9 Medeiros.
Round 3: Medeiros gets a kick caught, eats a left hand. Body kick exchange, but Oliveira lands a brutal series of punches before hurling Medeiros to the mat. Looking for the back. Medeiros makes it to his feet, slammed back down. One hook in, now both a minute in. Medeiros removes the hooks and turns into guard. Half guard now. He tries to set up a d’arce on the way up, not there. Overhand right by Oliveira. Oliveira backs to the fence, covers up, and Medeiros blasts him with punches until the ref steps in.
Final result: Medeiros def. Oliveira by TKO (punches)
155 lbs.: Drakkar Klose vs. David Teymur
Round 1: They trade kicks to start. Klose already angry with Teymur circling, eats another leg kick. Body kick from Teymur. Straight left. Klose catches a kick, lands a knee to the body. One minute in. Low kick by Teymur. Klose standing with his hands down, baiting Teymur to no effect. Two minutes in. Leg kick and straight left connect for Teymur. Herb Dean warns Teymur for timidity, which is garbage. Body kick from Klose and they trade. Superman punch and right hook by Teymur. Leg kick lands and they trade inside. Two minutes to go.
Teymur turns to the ref and Klose charges him. Counter left by Teymur. One minute to go. Heavy right hook lands for him. Klose shoots, takes him down. Teymur scoots to the fence and separates. Spinning back kick from Klose. 10-9 Teymur.
Round 2: Both swing, neither connect. They trade low kicks. Another leg kick by Teymur. Klose barrels in and they exchange a minute in. Hard right hook from Teymur. Klose catches a leg, can’t use it. Klose claims something on his glove, ref says to keep going. More posturing from Klose. Klose catches a head kick, still can’t use it. Anotehr hard leg kick by Teymur, then fakes into a head kick. Straight left from Teymur. Teymur tries a takedown with two minutes to go.
Klose lifts, can’t get him down, eats a left hand on the break. Klose still advancing, lands a body kick and jab before tying up. Teymur separates. Another leg kick by Teymur. Klose jumps in with a knee and Teymur catches it for a trip takedown. Full guard. Klose lands elbows off his back. 10-9 Teymur.
Round 3: Teymur blasts Klose with a knee and head kick. They both land hard shots inside. Teymur leg kick. Superman punch by Klose and he rushes in, trading right hands. One minute in. Intercepting knee by Teymur and Klose claims an eye poke. Replays agree. Back to the action and Teymur cracks him with another leg kick before avoiding a flying knee. Body kick from Teymur, Klose lands one on the break. Two minutes in. Hard spinning back kick by Klose met by a body kick. Teymur stuffs a takedown, eats a kick two minutes in. Klose looking frustrated, falls short with a wheel kick. Teymur head kick attempt. Two minutes to go.
Heavy counter left from Teymur on the cage. Good left to the body but Klose takes him down into side control. Teymur bridges and separates. Klose with an uppercut in close. One minute to go. Leg kick from Teymur, knee to the body. Teymur shoots, can’t get it. Body kick connects. 10-9 Teymur.
Final result: Teymur def. Klose by unanimous decision
115 lbs.: Cortney Casey vs. Felice Herrig
Round 1: Herrig moving forward. Both land hard inside. Another good exchange. They trade in center cage. One minute in. Herrig left hook, Casey right hand. Casey with a three-punch combo. Herrig falls short with leg kicks, lands a good left hook two minutes in. Uppercut from Casey and some heavy punches as Herrig ties up. Double underhooks for Herrig. She completes it and lands on top in half guard. Two minutes to go.
Casey keeping Herrig close, not doing much to stand. She tries a Kimura, loses it but gets the weep. She lets Herrig up with a minute to go. Casey to the body. Leg kick and right hand. Herrig pops her with a jab. They trade big shots. 10-9 Casey.
Round 2: Back to the close range exchanges. Casey appearing to get the better of these. Herrig leg kick, Casey combination. Casey right hand over the jab a minute in. Herrig comes over the top with a left hook. Casey leg kick and they trade punches. Two minutes in, both land again. Herrig with a clean overhand right. Flurry from Casey in return. Herrig with another overhand right. Left hook upstairs. Two minutes to go.
Leg kick from Herrig. Casey goes to the body, eats hard counters. One minute to go. Good trade, Casey gets the better of this one. Herrig pops her with a straight right on the counter. Casey fires uppercuts, eats good shots form Herrig. Casey frames her and lands inside. 10-9 Herrig.
Round 3: Leg kick from Herrig. They trade right hands. Herrig right cross. Power exchange. One minute in. Herrig leg kick. Counter hook connects for Casey. Two minutes in. Herrig leg kick. Good counters by Casey. Casey lands a leg kick, eats an overhand right. Casey to the body, counter upstairs. Herrig leg kick. Two minutes to go.
Herrig with a pair of clean right hands. Counters from Casey. Again. One minute to go. They trade rude gestures and the cameramen awkwardly cut away. Casey catches a kick and lands a heavy combo at the bell. 10-9 Casey.
Final result: Herrig def. Casey by split decision
115 lbs.: Amanda Cooper vs. Angela Magana
Round 1: Cooper takes the center of the cage. Low kick from Magana. Body kick on the break. 1-2 by Cooper. Jab exchange. Magana sends out leg kicks, lands a right. One minute in. Cooper catches a body kick and tries to drag Magana down, but Magana blatantly grabs the fence to avoid it. Cooper tries to take her down anyway, denies by a whizzer. Magana tries a head-and-arm throw and winds up mounted. Two minutes in. Magana gives up her back, manages to regain half guard. Full guard with two minutes to go.
Ref pauses the fight so Magana can fix her top. Magana trying to bring her legs high. Nice little slam from Cooper, who avoids a triangle and moves to half guard. Cooper pins down Magan’s right arm and goes to work with ground-and-pound. Magana tries to scramble, mounted. Big shots from Cooper, who looks for the RNC before going back to the strikes. 10-8 Cooper.
Round 2: Cooper comes out swinging and takes Magana down against the fence. Full guard. Cooper passes to half guard a minute in. Now side control thirty seconds later and down come the elbows. Magana goes to her knees and Cooper takes her back, looking for the choke. Magana survives, takes more ground-and-pound. More punches from back mount. Two minutes to go.
Cooper goes for the choke once again, then goes back to punishing her with strikes. Magana regains half guard, eating punches and elbows as she does. Cooper laying a beating on her. One minute to go. Punches still coming and the ref decides that’s enough punishment.
Final result: Cooper def. Magana by TKO (punches)
170 lbs.: Razak Alhassan vs. Sabah Homasi
Round 1: Low kick and overhand right from Homasi. Al-Hassan checks another low kick. Overhand right lands twice for Homasi. Alhassan with a low kick of his own. Two-piece counter connects for him and he pursues. One minute in. Homasi shoots under an overhand right, denied. Alhassan pressuring, hurling huge right hands. He ties up and lands in the clinch. Homasi exits with some decent shots. Alhassan overextends with a right hand, ties up, and gets rocked with hard shots. He falls to his back and Homasi drills him with elbows from guard. Alhassan works his way to his feet and shoots. Homasi tries an outside trip and Alhassan nearly takes his back. Two minutes to go.
Alhassan throws some bombs, ties up. Homasi throws some knees, gets taken down and eats left hands. They trade knees on the cage. Homasi lands a knee and they trade absolute bombs. Homasi changes levels for what looks like a takedown and Herb Dean calls it. Homasi is livid.
Final result: Alhassan def. Homasi by TKO (punches)
205 lbs.: Jeremy Kimball vs. Dominick Reyes
Round 1: Reyes firing kicks early. Heavy combination from Kimball and he shoots. Reyes threatens a guillotine, but gets slammed to the mat. He pops up with Reyes attached to him. One minute in. Kimball briefly gets him to a knee and lands punches on the way up. Reyes reverses and takes him down into side control with a single-leg. Kimball regains guard, eats some hard left hands. He gives up his back and Reyes locks up the body triangle. Solid elbows from Reyes. Two minutes to go.
Reyes continuing to pile up elbows. He worms his forearm under Kimball’s chin and draws the tap.
Final result: Reyes def. Kimball by submission (rear naked choke)
265 lbs.: Allen Crowder vs. Justin Willis
Round 1: Willis twice catches early leg kicks and pops Crowder with left hands. Solid rights by Crowder. Solid knees and lefts in the clinch from Crowder a minute in. Willis with a solid combination, rocks Crowder briefly with a left hand. Leg kick by Crowder. Hard shots inside by Willis. BIG counter left, Crowder comes back with an inside leg kick. Heavy counter hook forces Crowder to retreat and Willis annihilates him with a brutal follow up.
Final result: Willis def. Crowder by KO (punch)