UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz – live results, discussion, play by play

Live, blow-by-blow updates for tonight’s UFC event in Boston, which is captained by the bantamweight championship bout between T.J. Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz.

Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion and play-by-play as UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz takes place from the TD Garden in Boston, MA.

Atop the 13-fight ensemble, the world’s alpha-bantamweight will be determined as former 135-pound kingpin Dominick Cruz returns to face current champ T.J. Dillashaw. The co-main features two former lightweight champs as Bellator crossover Eddie Alvarez squares off with Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. Completing the main card are bouts pitting heavyweights Travis Browne vs. Matt Mitrione and lightweights Ross Pearson vs. Francisco Trinaldo.

Live play-by-play will commence with the Fight Pass prelims at 6 p.m. ET. The full lineup and schedule follows. Check out this week’s MMA Vivisection for predictions, analysis and betting odds on the entire card.

Main Card

(Fox Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET)

T.J. Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz (UFC BW Championship)
Eddie Alvarez vs. Anthony Pettis
Travis Browne vs. Matt Mitrione
Ross Pearson vs. Francisco Trinaldo

Fox Prelims

(Fox Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET)

Patrick Cote vs. Ben Saunders
Mehdi Baghdad vs. Chris Wade
Tim Boetsch vs. Ed Herman
Maximo Blanco vs. Luke Sanders

Fight Pass Prelims

(UFC Fight Pass at 6 p.m. ET)

Daron Cruickshank vs. Paul Felder

R1: Felder lands an outside low kick but Cruickshank lands one inside in response. Felder lands a right cross. Cruickshank has a spinning kick to the body blocked. Another outside low kick from Felder. Cruickshank doubles up on front-leg side kicks and the second blasts Felder in the jaw. Felder barges into the clinch with a right/left combo and puts Cruickshank on the fence.

Short right lands for Cruickshank as he circles off the fence. Cruickshank throws a kick on the break, then re-clinches. Felder snatches a deep guillotine and jumps guard but Cruickshank is able to peel his head out. Felder gets back to his feet but eats a knee in the process, then circles off the cage. Hard left knee to the ribs from Felder. Cruickshank lands a spinning kick to the body on the break, then catches Felder by surprise with a quick level change. Cruickshank finishes the round on top. 10-9 Cruickshank.

R2: No dice on Cruickshank’s question mark kick but he glances with a side kick downstairs. Cruickshank throws another spinning attack and follows behind it with a double-leg attempt. Felder defends but gets put on the fence with Cruickshank forcing the double leg. Felder hits a switch and puts Cruickshank on his back. Felder moves to half guard but Cruickshank recomposes full guard shortly after.

Cruickshank sits out quickly and stands up, then lands a hard spinning elbow to the face and follows with a side kick upstairs that snaps Felder’s head back. Cruickshank gets in on a double leg and he’s deep enough that Felder cinches on an inverted triangle. Cruickshank hoists him up and slams him but Felder keeps the inverted triangle and Cruickshank goes all defense. Felder sits up and hammers punches to the ribs. Cruickshank picks an ankle to break the hold and it works; Felder stands up but gets planted on the canvas with a power double. 10-9 Cruickshank.

R3: Felder opens with a stiff low kick, then whiffs with a spinning strike. Felder continues his momentum and puts Cruickshank on the fence with a right-side under-hook. Cruickshank pummels under and lands a glancing knee to the body but can’t get off the cage. Heavy left knee to the ribs from Felder, then a round knee from the right side. Cruickshank shoots a takedown to create space but Felder freezes him with the front headlock.

Felder moves to the rear waist cinch. Cruickshank puts his back on the fence and spins to face Felder but he’s taken down by a Felder double leg. Full, closed guard for Cruickshank. Two forearms to the face from Felder, then two that glance. Felder goes back to the rear waist lock during a Cruickshank escape, then he gets back mount with both hooks in. Cruickshank is late to react to the rear-naked choke and it’s too deep, forcing him to tap.

Ilir Latifi vs. Sean O’Connell

R1: O’Connell methodically walks Latifi into a corner but Latifi uncorks a meatball of an overhand right that puts O’Connell on roller-skates. Latifi follows up with another shot for good measure. And that’s that.

Kyle Bochniak vs. Charles Rosa

R1: Rosa comes out in a closed stance throwing side kicks but Bochniak holds his ground and dings him with a right. Chopping outside low kick from Bochniak. Rosa grazes with a spinning heel kick to the face. Rosa stays with the side kick as a tool to control distance. Left kick to the body from Rosa. Bochniak digs a right counter to the ribs.

Another left body kick from Rosa. Bochniak sits down on a beefy counter right and it drops Rosa. Bochniak swarms but finds himself caught in a leg lock attempt but he’s able to stabilize and escape. Back on the feet, Bochniak lands a right kick to the body, then a glancing counter right. Bochniak eats a low kick in order to land a counter right to the forehead. Rosa gets in on a single but he can’t complete it. 10-9 Bochniak.

R2: Rosa has a left high kick blocked but he lands a follow-up low kick. Glancing left kick upstairs from Rosa. Bochniak wades forward and clubs Rosa with a short right. Sharp low kick landed by Rosa. Rosa ducks a punch and wings an overhand right that puts Bochniak off-balance. Rosa switching stances but generally still engaging in southpaw. Hard outside low kick from Rosa. Rosa shoots from way too far outside and Bochniak stuffs it, landing a shot on the break.

They trade punches in the center, then low kicks, simultaneously. Bochniak grazes with a knee up the middle. Rosa shoots a double, then switches to a single to finish it. Rosa looks to scramble and punch but it allows Bochniak enough space to escape. Now Bochniak turns the tables by hitting a duck-under double leg. Rosa escapes as the round ends. 10-9 Rosa.

R3: Rosa opens with a low kick. Bochniak backs him off with a tight counter flurry. Bochniak holds his ground and throws heavy counters again, then just misses with a knee. Bochniak grazes with a left hook counter. Low kick lands for Rosa but he’s flinging his kicks hesitantly rather than committing. Counter right lands for Bochniak. Rosa grabs a single but Bochniak stays upright with good balance.

Chopping counter right lands for Bochniak, followed by another. The third lands heavily and he follows with an up-knee. Rosa goes on the attack with a low kick and left crosses but his half-hearted takedown attempt is stuffed. Bochniak again walks through a shot to land a hard right over the top. Rosa closes the gap but he’s shoved aside by Bochniak. Rosa persists and gets the front headlock, then snaps Bochniak’s head down. Bochniak eventually slithers free and they end the round slinging leather. 10-9 Bochniak. I have it 29-28 Bochniak.

Rob Font vs. Joey Gomez

R1: Font lands a long rear-leg front kick to the gut. Gomez half-checks a low kick and tries to flurry on Font’s next attempt. Both men take turns throwing rangy combos from distance. Font ducks under a left hook and hits a takedown but Gomez springs off the canvas. Font keeps him on the cage with an under-hook, then hits an outside trip. Gomez pops back up again but gets tagged with a shot.

Font glances with a one-two, then catches Gomez on the way out with a wide left hook. Now a long straight right and a left hook land for Font, who’s finding his rhythm. Font follows behind a one-two and hits a takedown but Gomez is back on his feet almost instantly, dinging Font with a hard right. They separate with just under a minute left. Hard jab from Gomez snaps Font’s head back. Font answers with a right hand and then glances with a spinning elbow. 10-9 Font.

R2: Font flings a few front and switch kicks from distance. Now a roundhouse into a hook kick from Font. Font gets the better of the next exchange, then lands a left switch kick downstairs. Now Font goes from a roundhouse into a lead-leg side kick and it glances to the body. Consecutive front kicks to the body from Font. Gomez yet to get on the board in the second.

Now Gomez compensates for Font’s retreat angle by closing his combo with a hard kick to the body. Font drills Gomez with a left uppercut, then stings him with a few more lefts while chasing him down. Gomez, retreating, wisely times a takedown and completes it to slow Font’s momentum. Font works back to his feet and cracks Gomez with a horizontal elbow, then swarms with punches upstairs and down. Gomez keels over and the ref waves it off.

Francimar Barroso vs. Elvis Mutapcic

R1: Barrosa wings a heavy right hand to start things off. Barrosa lands a counter left hook to the ear and it draws a smile from Mutapcic. Another hefty right from Barrosa. Mutapcic starts adjusting to Barrosa’s one-shot outbursts with angles, looking for counters. Barrosa hits a blast double but he’s greeted with two hard elbows from Mutapcic in guard. Barrosa postures up and glances with two punches.

Mutapcic closes his guard, controls Barrosa’s posture and holds on, occasionally looking for spike elbows to the head. Barrosa surprisingly complacent from on top. Barrosa postures up with two glancing forearms. Very little transpires for the rest of the round as the pair trade sporadic but ineffective shots, though Mutapcic does escape with a few seconds left. 10-10.

R2: Mutapcic comes up just short on a counter right cross. Barrosa lands a body kick and looks to catch the return offering from Mutapcic, but he can’t. Barrosa tries to snatch up the next low kick as well but Mutapcic pulls his leg free and lands a counter. Barrosa is chipping away with quick, lead-leg low kicks but there’s not much on them. Barrosa snaps a stiff jab home and it knocks Mutapcic’s mouthpiece out.

They trade short rights. Three consecutive low kicks land for Barrosa. They trade lefts. Hard looping left lands for Barrosa and it opens a cut under the right eye of Mutapcic. They collide with punches and Mutapcic’s mouthpiece flies loose again. Barrosa scores with a hard left body kick and Mutapcic lands a glancing counter. Barrosa fires a right down the middle and it glances but he can’t complete the takedown attempt that follows. 10-9 Barrosa.

R3: Barrosa comes out swinging more big leather. Mutapcic heeds the advice of his corner and connects on a lead uppercut. Short left hook lands for Barrosa, then an outside low kick. Barrosa tries to time a duck-under double leg and Mutapcic stuffs but loses his mouthpiece for a third time in the fight. Hard counter knee from Mutapcic in a quick double collar tie. Now a sharp left from Mutapcic.

No dice on Barrosa’s sloppy takedown attempt. Lead left hook lands downstairs for Mutapcic. Counter right lands for Barrosa down the middle. Massive left body kick slams home for Barrosa. Glancing left hand from Barrosa, who catches Mutapcic’s kick but eats a few glancing punches. Barrosa puts Mutapcic on the fence. Mutapcic circles off and tries to flurry but most of his shots are deflected. 10-9 Barrosa. I have it 30-28 Barrosa.