Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Live, blow-by-blow updates for today’s UFC event in suburban Albuquerque, which features a light heavyweight fight as the headliner.
Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and play-by-play as UFC Fight Night: Anderson vs. Blachowicz 2 goes down in Rio Rancho, NM.
The headliner comes in the light heavyweight division, where a possible title shot is on the line when Corey Anderson and Jan Blachowicz run it back. The co-main features TUF 1 winner Diego Sanchez fighting on home turf when he takes on Michel Pereira.
This is an ESPN+ card so everything is pretty normal. Seven preliminary card fights on the streaming service, kicking off at 5pm ET. We stay on ESPN+ for the main card at 8pm ET with six more matchups.
Check out this week’s MMA Vivisection for predictions, analysis and betting odds on the each matchup.
Main card (8pm ET)
Corey Anderson vs. Jan Blachowicz
Diego Sanchez vs. Michel Pereira
Montana De La Rosa vs. Mara Romero Borella
Round 1 – Outside leg kick from Vargas. Vargas looks for a takedown, then lands a nice jump knee. He gets a takedown. Weaver looks for a guillotine. It’s tight! But Vargas deftly defends. Weaver is up, eventually. He tries to spin out with a kimura but eats a hard shot! Vargas lands some more and Weaver is done! Wait, there might have been an illegal knee, but there’s no replay here. On the replay, that was CLEARLY illegal. Weaver wasn’t even close to being on a single knee. Is this a DQ?
Round 1 – Measured start. Low outside kick from Bontorin. They tie up. They stay there for a while, as Bontorin can’t get a takedown. Borg slips around and gets his own takedown. Nice. Two minutes to go. Bontorin scrambles to his feet, but Borg clips him and drags him back down. 10-9 Borg.
Round 2 – Borg with a right hook and he’s in on a single. Bontorin fights him off but Borg won’t accept anything short of assimilation. He jumps on Bontorin’s back and looks for a choke. Human backpack now, with a body triangle. Nice shots from Borg, and he’s looking for the choke again. He gives up the backpack, gets a body lock, and throws Bontorin to the mat. Elbows. There’s not a lot going on other than the occasional Borg elbow, but it’s effection. Bontorin gets up but Borg is stuck to his back like glue. 10-9 Borg.
Round 3 – Bontorin with a lead right hook that’s blocked. He initiates the clinch. Not the best move. Borg turns the corner and gets a takedown. Bontorin is up, then down, then up…then down. He jumps on Bontorin’s back, and we’re human backpacking again. He eventually gives that up but keeps Bontorin against the fence. Another takedown. Bontorin gets up, but gets put right back down. 10-9 and 30-27 Borg.
Ray Borg defeated Rogerio Bontorin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)
Lando Vannata vs. Yancy Medeiros
Round 1 – Vannata has his hands down. Medeiros is pressing but not landing. They keep switching stances. Vannata presses. They trade rights. Vannata with a sneaky left. Medeiros with a low kick. Medeiros tries to press but can’t get much going. A high kick is blocked. Vannata with a nice counter combo. Medeiros holds his hands up ala Diaz brother. Vannata doesn’t bite. Close round. 10-9 Vannata.
Round 2 – Vannata with a left and a leg kick. Inside leg kick. He ties Medeiros up and almost throws him to the mat, but can’t. Medeiros with a lead left. Vannata with a left and he pushes for the clinch again, but Medeiros rebuffs him. Medeiros with a left hook. Vannata with his own. Yancy lands the left again. Vanna with a leg kick. Jab from Medeiros. He fakes a shot. Vannata with a counter left. Again. Big right hook too! Vannata has his hands down but he’s evading what Medeiros is throwing at him. Vannata shoots but gets nowhere. Lead left from Vannata. Body kick. 10-9 Vannata.
Round 3 – Side kick from Vannata. Medeiros with a right. Vannata spins and lands with a kick. They miss a lot with some strikes. Medeiros wades in but gets caught with two strikes from Vannata. They trade low kicks. Medeiros holds Vannata’s wrist and tries to crack him. That was different. Vannata with a hard lead left. And a right. Another lead left. Medeiros has a bloody nose. Vannata with another left and a leg kick. He spins and misses. Vannata shoots but can’t get a takedown, and eats a Medeiros elbow. Medeiros spins but misses. Vannata with a nice counter. Medeiros is landing now, but it’s too late. 10-9 and 30-27 Vannata.
Lando Vannata defeated Yancy Medeiros via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Tim Means vs. Daniel Rodriguez
Round 1 – Means changes angles and gets a takedown. Rodriguez gets up quick though. Means with a left and a body kick. He catches a kick and lands a right. Both adopt a measured pace. Means with a low kick. Means misses with two rights. Front kick from Rodriguez. They’re both landing jabs. Not a lot going on though. Means with a body shot. Rodriguez with a jab and a combo behind it. Means with a right. Rodriguez drops Means at the horn! And they go to commercial! NOOO! 10-9 Rodriguez if that was real.
Round 2 – Wow, Means was walking through potholes on the way back to his corner after that, but he’s good to go in round 2. He’s pressing a bit. Rodriguez is rubbing his right eye. Nice combo from Means. Rodriguez fires back with a combo! Means scores with a left and Rodriguez scores with a high kick. More jabs and a nice combo from Rodriguez. Another right staggers Means! He stays upright because he’s Tim Means, but this isn’t looking good. Means with a left, to his credit. Jabs from Means. Low kick from Rodriguez. Rodriguez presses and lands three hard left hooks. Means tries to tie him up, but standing guillotine from Rodriguez off a Means takedown attempt. Means taps! Quick!
Daniel Rodriguez defeated Tim Means via submission (guillotine choke), 3:37 of round 3
John Dodson vs. Nathaniel Wood
Round 1 – Inside leg kick from Wood. Dodson gets inside with a short uppercut. Front kick from Wood. They trade outside leg kicks and Dodson lands a straight left. Wood lands his own as Dodson circles out. Dodson flurries. Wood clips him again but Dodson acts like nothing happened. Dodson with a bunch of lefts and a few lands. Nice response from Wood with a left of his own. Dodson with a lead straight left. Another, but Wood lands his own. And a straight right to boot. Both of them land again. Dodson ties him up. Wood gets a takedown, but Dodson is up right away. 10-9 Wood.
Round 2 – Wood with a body shot. Side kick. Low kick. Dodson darts in with a nice left. Wood with an inside leg kick but that catches cup and Dodson immediately reacts. He doesn’t need long to recover. Wood goes right back to the same kick. Dodson with a pretty counter combo. He presses with lefts. Another low shot and Dodson is pissed. The ref threatens to take a point but doesn’t. That was a long tow minutes. Wood presses, but Dodson has enough of that and backs Wood off all the way across the cage. Wood with a straight right, so Dodson clinches. Dodson with an elbow and he puts Wood against the cage. He keeps him there for a while till the ref breaks them, and oddly checks Wood’s cut with less than 20 seconds left in the round. Dodson flurries so Wood counters with a leg kick. 10-9 Wood.
Round 3 – The cut came off of a head clash apparently. Dodson comes out on fire, but Wood is ready. Dodson hurts Woods! Counter left drops him! He’s stunned and Dodson finishes him! WHOA!
John Dodson defeated Nathaniel Wood via TKO (strikes), :16 of round 3
Round 1 – Miller trips Holtzman up with a kick, but can’t take advantage. Inside leg kick from Holtzman. Miller with a straight left. Body kick, and a left. Holtzman pushing forward. Counter right lands glancingly for Holtzman. Body kick but Miller lands a left hook. Head kick is blocked by Holtzman. They clinch and Holtzman lands an elbow inside. Miller with two lefts. Holtzman with a counter right, and again. Miller kicks the inside of the leg. Holtzman counters again with a right. Miller’s nose is bleeding. Miller with a body kick. Miller landsa nice left hook. Another stuns Holtzman, but his right counter connects. 10-9 Miller.
Round 2 – Holtzman with a lead right, Miller lands a knee. Holtzman is a lot more aggressive right away, not looking to counter as much. They trade inside, and then clinch. Extended battle against the cage. Miller gets a brief takedown. They get back up and Holtzman lands hard. Miller fires back but Holtzman is getting the best of it. Miller clinches. Holtzman puts Miller down, but stands above him looking for a big shot. He drops one then pops out again. He jumps into guard. Miller plays rubber guard, then just evades. He stays away from big shots. Well he did, till the final 10 seconds when Holtzman clubbed him. 10-9 Holtzman.
Round 3 – Miller with a straight left. Holtzman with a lead left hook. Miller with another lead left hook, and a high kick. Holtzman fires back with a lead right hook that connects. They clinch. They break, then clinch again. Holtzman with an uppercut inside. They break, and both men are slowing. Two kicks from Miller. Holtzman with two rights. Miller with a nice left. Holtzman cracks him with a counter though, again. Another clinch against the cage. They break and Holtzman lands hard. Miller looks for a head kick, but gets clipped and is very off balance. They go at it to the horn. 10-9 and 29-28 Holtzman.
Scott Holtzman defeated Jim Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Devin Clark vs. Dequan Townsend
Round 1 – Clark with a quick takedown. He keeps Townsend on his back and methodically works. Actually there’s not much work. He’s doing enough to stay on top but it’s not exactly exciting. Clark still controlling position. Still. That was a nothing round. 10-9 Clark.
Round 2 – Townsend comes out with some fire and tries to land. Clark gets a takedown right into side. Once again he’s just controlling and not really doing much. He’s in side so Townsend should know how to scoot, but he doesn’t. Clark isn’t even crazy smothering, he’s just doing…enough. He tries to trap an arm but there’s nothing going on. He popped back into half, on his own. This is unfun. 10-9 Clark.
Round 3 – Townsend wants to touch up but Clark just charges forward with an awkward kick. Townsend misses with an uppercut and a right. Body kick is blocked. He throws a half-ass knee that Clark avoids. Clark with a left. Clark shoots, spins, and gets the takedown. Three minutes to go. He’s in full guard, but Townsend is stuck regardless. He’s trying to do something from the bottom, but there’s no space. 10-9 and 30-27 Clark.
Devin Clark defeated Dequan Townsend via unanimous decision (20-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Casey Kenney vs. Merab Dvalishvili
Round 1 – Body kick by Dvalishvili. Kenney returns fire with the same strike. Leg kick by Merab. Leg kick by Merab is checked. Quick-fire blows coming from both men. Good right hand by Dvalishvili. He’s very active early on. Jumping left hook by Kenney. Good counter right by Kenney and a blocked head kick by Merab. Level change by Merab but he can’t keep Kenney down. Spinning backfist fails by Merab. Takedown by Merab andthen another trip as he throws several short shots underneath the armpit. Dvalishvili takes Kennedy for a ride for another slam. Kenney on the defensive and takes a body kick. Counter right by Kenney. Knees to the body by Dvalishvili near the fence as the round ends. 10-9 Dvalishvili.
Round 2 – My video player (Mookie filling in for Tim) crashed so the first couple of minutes of play-by-play is non-existent. Nice right hand by Merab. Kenney misses on a hook. Short left by Merab but then a body shot by Dvalishvili and then consecutive missed spinning backfists. Takedown by Merab is stuffed. Left partially lands for Kenney but Merab is relentless and gets him down. Dvalishvili draped over Kenney and he’s got one hook in but loses it. Knee to the thigh by Merab. One more slam by Merab and more knees to the thigh. 20-18 Dvalishvili.
Round 3 – Good right hand by Dvalishvili and a leg kick. Kenney fails to check an outside leg kick. Failed uppercut by Dvalishvili but a landed straight right. Single leg by Dvalishvili leads to him falling to his back briefly but he’s back up quickly and has the body lock to take Kenney down. A few ground shots by Dvalishvili before Kenney scrambles to his feet, only to be taken down for a tenth time in the contest. Kenney is tough but he’s being made to look like a grappling dummy and Merab just throws him down for the umpeenth time. He’s got back mount and nearly flattened Kenney out. Dvalishvili just rides out the time in dominant position and on his way to a one-sided victory. 30-27 Dvalishvili.
Official result: Merab Dvalishvili def. Casey Kenney by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 29-28)
Macy Chiasson vs. Shanna Young
Round 1 – They’re swinging hard earl and Young lands a couple of head kicks. Chiasson walking through it but she’s eating quite a few shots. Nice knees in the clinch by Macy as she tries to stem Young’s early onslaught. Failed takedown by Chiasson, then she goes for knees to the body. More knees to the body. Failed throw by Chiasson almost led to get giving up her back. Young with a knee to the chin. More knees by Chiarsson. Elbow by Chiasson and another knee. More knees! What a pace! Elbows in the clinch by Young. These knees by Chiasson are brutal, now she’s going upstairs with them. Young struggling to break the clinch. Shanna with the trip attempt but it fails. Head kick by Chiasson. Trip by Macy but a good whizzer by Young. Chiasson scrambles to the back and is landing some shots. What a fun round this has been. 10-9 Chiasson.
Round 2 – Body kick by Young. Failed trip by Chiasson but she turns it into a standing guillotine. Young is dragged to the mat. Back to her feet is Young and she gets the trip. Chiasson is back up. Young is on top as they go back to the ground… now she loses position. Chiasson on top with elbows and punches landing. Macy controlling things on the ground and staying busy with ground strikes. Bigger shots by Chiasson coming down. Hammerfists by Macy as Young tries to scramble but she’s stuck. Dominant ending to round 2 for Macy. 20-18 Chiasson.
Round 3 – Head kick by Chiasson is blocked. High kick by Young is caught by Chiasson and they roll to the mat, where Chiasson continues to pile up the offense. Chiasson might be seeking a choke finish but she doesn’t have the positioning. Macy bails on the choke and fires off more head shots. She has Young’s back and this win is in the bag for her barring a total turn of events. Young just getting outgrappled and beaten up as the clock ticks down. Chiasson with a late choke attempt but it’s not on the cards. She’ll get the win, though. 30-26 Chiasson.
Official result: Macy Chiasson def. Shanna Young by unanimous decision (30-26 x3)
Mark De La Rosa vs. Raulian Paiva
Round 1 – Lots of feinting in the first 30 seconds. Leg kick by De La Rosa. Jab to the body by De La Rosa. Paiva ties up De La Rosa and has double underhooks. Big right hand by De La Rosa after he gains separation. Uppercut and right hook by Paiva. Knees to the thigh by Paiva. De La Rosa separates and has a nice body-head combo that scores. He goes back to the body again. Straight right by De La Rosa. Paiva misses on a leg kick. Both men land good shots in the center of the cage but De La Rosa then gets caught with a counter right. Another hard exchange as the round closes. 10-9 De La Rosa.
Round 2 – Front kick to the body by Paiva. De La Rosa flashes out his jab, as does Paiva. Leg kick lands for Paiva. Good combo by De La Rosa that included a flush right hand. Knee by Paiva and he gets underhooks again. Good knees by Paiva and then he exits. Hard body shot by De La Rosa. Counter left by Paiva. Nice jab by Paiva. Good body work by De La Rosa. Paiva is working the legs with kicks. Good right hand by Paiva. Another cross by Paiva. Hard leg kicks by the Brazilian and a well-timed right hand. Big right hand by Paiva and down goes De La Rosa and he’s out!
Official result: Raulian Paiva def. Mark De La Rosa by KO (punches) at 4:42 of round 2