Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Live, blow-by-blow updates for today’s UFC 245 preliminary card from Vegas.
Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and play-by-play as UFC 245 goes down in T-Mobile Arena in Vegas.
The main event will a welterweight title contest between champion Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. That is the last of three title fights on the card, which also features featherweight champ Max Holloway defending against Alexander Volkanovski and champ champ Amanda Nunes defending her women’s bantamweight title against Germaine de Randamie.
This post will cover the preliminary card.
We’ll start on Fight Pass at approximately 6pm ET with four fights. The card then moves to ESPN2 at 8pm ET for four more bouts, then onto the main PPV card at 10pm ET. The full lineup and schedule follows. The main card and main event will be covered in separate posts.
Chase Hooper vs. Daniel Teymur
Round 1 –
Brandon Moreno vs. Kai Kara-France
Round 1 – Kara-France with an inside leg kick as Moreno scores with a short hook. Head kick from Kara-France is blocked. A second lands. Step-in right from Kara-France. Jab and another right. Moreno with a step-in elbow. Body work from Kara-France. Kara-France with a big overhand right. Moreno fires back with a combo and a head kick. He’s throwing jabs now. Another step-in right nearly drops Moreno! Leg kick and doube jab. Outside low leg kick knocks Moreno off balance. Moreano with a left. Another right stuns Moreno briefly. Leg kick from Moreno. Moreno with a right over the top. Cartwheel from Kara-France. Moreno lands two nice rights. Leg kick from Kara-France. Moreno with a head kick that is barely blocked. Moreno with a combo. 10-9 Kara-France.
Round 2 – They get after it immediately. Spinning wheel kick from Moreno misses. Kara-France kicks low. Moreno has a head kick blocked. Hard jab from Kara-France. Moreno steps up with a combo. Kara-France is circling now. Body shot from Moreno. He’s pressing hard. Body kick from Moreno. Moreno with a counter right. Head kick is blocked. Another. Moreno goes body-head and he’s connecting hard. Kara-France lands a right but Moreno scores with the counter. Both miss with wild shots. Kara-France backs off from a Moreno flurry. He score to the body, but Moreno counters effectively again. Moreno jumps in with a left. Jab from Moreno. More jabs. 10-9 Moreno.
Round 3 – Kara-France misses with a head kick. Moreno throws a couple of combos. Moreno tries to jump over a leg kick. Kara-France with a slapping head kick. Moreno digs to the body wit ha left. Lead right from Kara-France. Jab from Moreno. Kara-France presses forward and he sends Moreno tumbling backwards. He does a back somersaut and rolls to his feet. Moreno channeling his inner Diaz and slapping Kara-France a bit. He’s yeling. Jab from Moreno. Another. Kara-France presses and lands an overhand right. Moreno touches him back. Body-head from Moreno. He’s mean-mugging. Kara-France with a left. Kara-France with a combo but Moreno comes right back with his own. Moreno lands a powerful body shot. They trade all the way to the horn. 10-9 and 29-28 Moreno.
Brandon Moreno defeated Kai-Kara France via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Jessica Eye vs. Viviane Araujo
Round 1 – Jessica Eye with an inside leg kick. Araujo scores with a right hook and a leg kick. Body kick from Araujo but she eats a two-punch combo. They trade rights. Eye with a body lock but can’t do anything with it. Spinning back fist from Eye off a caught kick. Eye digs to the body but gets countered. Araujo fakes a side elbow. Jab from eye. Left hook from Araujo. Araujo catches a kick and dumps Eye onto her back. Eye defends well. Araujo briefly takes the back but Eye is up with 70 seconds left. Two inside leg kicks and a big body kick from Eye. She lands another power shot. Head kick is blocked. Araujo misses with a punch as Eye shoots. Araujo lands a right. They trade leg kicks. 10-9 Eye.
Round 2 – Eye with a right off a missed Araujo uppercut. Lead right hook from Eye. They both swing and miss a few times. Eye with a right hook. Inside leg kick. Another lead right scores for Eye. She goes to the body. Mixing it up well. Araujo with a right. Eye responds. Inside leg kick from Eye. Araujo catches a kick again, but Eye defends the takedown this time. Body and leg kick from Eye. Aruajo is chasing but not landing. She ducks under and scores a nice takedown with 90 seconds left. Eye back up pretty quick again. Two right hooks and an inside leg kick from Eye. Araujo fires back with a right. Another inside leg kick from Eye. She looks for a takedown but can’t get it. Good knee though. 10-9 Eye.
Round 3 – Eye with a jab. Aruajo isn’t landing. She’s trying to move but it’s not helping. Eye with a leg kick. They trade in the pocket. Body kick from Araujo. Lead right from Eye. Body shot. Hard right scores for Eye. She goes body/head. Another hard body shot. Araujo jumps on her legs as she throws a kick, but Eye fought her off. Araujo ducks under but can’t get anything. Araujo claims an eye poke but referee Marc Goddard tells them to continue. Hard lead right from Eye. Low inside leg kick from Eye. Araujo lands a couple of jabs. Eye fires back with the right that has been working all fight. More body work from Eye. Eye defends a late takedown and lands a knee before the horn. 10-9 and 30-27 Eye.
Jessica Eye defeated Viviane Araujo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Punahele Soriano vs. Oskar Piechota
Round 1 – Piechota circling. Soriano misses with a right hook. Piechota with an inside leg kick. Piechota eats a left hook inside, and then another from Soriano drops him! Soriano is all over him with hammerfists, but Piechota is defending. Soriano jumps on his back but can’t sink a choke. Piechot takes top position and immediately looked for a kimura. He lands a legal knee on the ground and attacks the kimura again. Soriano gets back up and lands an immediately left hook. Soriano wades inside and drops him again with a left! Soriano is in an awkward position and Soriano tees off on him unil the ref mercifully steps in.
Punahele Soriano defeated Oskar Piechota via KO (punches), 3:17 of round 1
Preliminary Card (8pm ET)
Ketlen Vieira vs. Irene Aldana
Ian Heinisch vs. Omari Akhmedov