Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Live, blow-by-blow updates for today’s UFC 251 featherweight title fight from Vegas. To stream UFC 251 LIVE on ESPN+ PPV click here!
Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and play-by-play as UFC 251 goes down on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
The biggest card of the year has three title fights on top. The main event will see Kamaru Usman defending his welterweight title against Jorge Masvidal. In the co-main, Alexander Volkanovski will look to take out Max Holloway for the second time. And Petr Yan will face off with the legend, Jose Aldo, for the vacant bantamweight title.
This post will cover the featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. This will be a rematch, as Volkanovski took the title off Holloway the first time out. There is a lot more animosity this time out, which only serves to make the fight more interesting.
We’ll start on Fight Pass and ESPN+ at approximately 6pm ET with four fights. The card then moves to ESPN and stays on ESPN+ at 8pm ET for four more bouts, then onto the main PPV card at 10pm ET. The full lineup and schedule follows. Every title fight has it’s own post, like this one, because we’re cool like that.
Join us at Bloody Elbow to chat up all these great fights!
Alex Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway
Round 1 – Nice right in close from Volkanovski. Slow start overall though. Inside leg kick from Volkanovski. Holloway with a front kick. Slapping left from Holloway. They clap some legs. Holloway with a sneaky uppercut inside. Volkanovski with two inside leg kicks. Another. Yet another. Max isn’t checking anything. Holloway with a 1-2 and the 2 lands hard to the chin. Nice jab from Max. Volkanovski has a mouse under his right eye. He scores with a nice lead right though. Holloway with a sweet spinning back kick and a head kick that puts Volkanovski down on his knees! The round ends right then. 10-9 Holloway.
Round 2 – Volkanovski wades in with a lead left hook. Holloway with a step-in knee. Volkanovski with two inside leg kicks. Holloway fires back with a pinpoint combo. Front kick from Max to the body. Volkanovski is a iittle gunshy so far. He fires off with a good counter though. Inside leg kick and rib tickler though. Low kicks from both men. Nice knee to the body from the former champ. Volkanovski kicks the inside and outside of the lead leg, then scores with a nice right hook. Volkanovski lands a body kick. Holloway with a slapping head kick. Holloway with a late uppercut that puts Volkanovski to a knee again late! That won the round for him! 10-9 Holloway.
Round 3 – Inside leg kicks from both men. Volkanovski lands harder though. Holloway with a nice knee inside. Slapping kicks from both men. Volkanovski lands to the body. Nice lead left to the chin from the champ. He telegraphs a takedown attempt and Holloway easily defends. Brief clinch battle. Holloway exits with a body knee. Lead left from Volkanovski. Holloway with a slippery counter left. Head kick from Holloway blocked. Inside leg kick and a stiff jab from Volkanovski. 10-9 Volkanovski.
Round 4 – Volkanovski goes to leg kicks right away. Nice lead left hook. Holloway is out of range so far. Volkanovski scores to the body. Double inside leg kick from Volkanovski. I like that. Holloway baits him inside and just misses with a jump knee. Holloway goes head/body with the jab. Nice uppercut. Volkanovski comes back with the jab. Volkanovski gets in close and trips Holloway to the mat, but he’s up right away. Inside leg kick again from Volkanovski. They trade jabs. Nice inside leg kick from Volkanovski. He shoots again but Holloway rebuffs him. Back to the jab from the champ. Nice jab and right hook. Holloway lands nice inside with a right. Close round, but I’ll go 10-9 Volkanovski.
Round 5 – Holloway wades in close right away and lands. Holloway evades and lands a left hook. Then a head kick. Partially blocked but did damage. Jab and takedown attempt from Volkanovski. Holloway evades and they both land good shots. Holloway with a low kick as Volkanovski lands a left. Holloway with a right hook. Both land inside leg kicks. Holloway has his hands down as bait. It works as he evades and lands two counters. Low kick from Volkanovski. Nice 1-2 from the champ. Volkanovski shoots, and just muscles Holloway to the mat. But he’s up right away. Volkanovski with a left as they separate. Another left. Leg kick. Jab and he shoots again. Low kick and a jab from Volkanovski. Holloway misses with a big shot. Volkanovski shoots and gets nowhere. Volkanovski with another jab. He clinches, and gets a late takedown. 10-9 and 48-47 Volkanovski on my card.
Alexander Volkanovski defeated Max Holloway via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47)