UFC 215: “Nunes vs Shevchenko 2” Live Play-By-Play & ResultsThe Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada tonight for UFC 215: “Nunes vs Shevchenko 2.” The event was headlined by a UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship rematch between Amanda “Lioness” Nunes and Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko.

With injuries resulting in late changes to the card, tonight’s co-main event featured a welterweight showdown between Neil Magny and former 155-pound champion Rafael dos Anjos. Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo battled Wilson Reis at flyweight. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.

 

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship

Amanda “Lioness” Nunes vs Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko

Round 1:
Nunes pawed out with single punches and short leg kicks in the opening minute of the main event. Shevchenko calmly countered with outside-leg kicks and lead right hands. Nunes continued to throw leg and body kicks during the middle portion of the round and Shevchenko offered little in return. The fighters traded body kicks in the final minute and Shevchenko attempted a head kick. Nunes cracked her with a left hook and pushed her to the mat late in the round. 10-9 Nunes.

Round 2:
Nunes remained the aggressor in round two and she picked her shots with jabs, leg kicks and right hands. Shevchenko struggled to find her range and she came up short with Superman punches. Nunes jabbed and Shevchenko missed with a spinning backfist. She tried to set up overhand lefts with lunging right hands, but Nunes stayed out of range. Shevchenko attempted a spinning back kick and both women landed combinations before the bell. 10-9 Nunes.

Round 3:
The third round began with Nunes throwing kicks to Shevchenko’s lead leg and body. Shevchenko scored with kicks of her own and she countered Nunes’s jabs with one-twos. Shevchenko narrowly missed with a knee and Nunes grazed with a step-in back elbow strike. Shevchenko flurried again and Nunes landed a nice kick to the ribs. Nunes was warned for extending her fingers to gauge distance and Shevchenko landed a left cross late in the close round. 10-9 Nunes.

Round 4:
The fighters continued to trade single punches and leg kicks in round four as the crowd became restless with the relative inactivity. Shevchenko landed a hard left cross and Nunes responded with a right hand soon after. A nice one-two landed for Shevchenko and she finished with a knee to the body. Shevchenko continued to find success with overhand lefts and she landed a body kick after a brief clinch. 10-9 Shevchenko.

Round 5:
Nunes picked up the pace early in the final round and she scored with an early combination. Both women landed one-twos and leg kicks, and Nunes briefly looked for a takedown. Shevchenko countered a second takedown attempt with a hip-toss throw, but she lost the position on the way down and Nunes took her back. Shevchenko scrambled up and ate a knee on the way. Nunes was relentless in her pursuit of a takedown until she finally got Shevchenko down on her third try. Shevchenko countered with upkicks and punches from the bottom until the end of the fight. 10-9 Nunes.

Winner: Amanda Nunes by Split Decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-48) after five rounds. She improves to 15-4-0 and remains the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.

 

Rafael dos Anjos vs Neil Magny

Round 1:
Magny kicked at dos Anjos’s body as the fight began, but dos Anjos tripped him with a sweeping leg kick and he landed elbows from the top in half-guard. Dos Anjos used elbows to set up a guillotine choke attempt, then passed to side control and threw knees to the body. He mounted Magny and locked on a tight arm-triangle choke. Magny tried to hold on, but he was forced to submit.

Winner: Rafael dos Anjos by Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 3:43 of round one. He improves to 27-9-0.

 

Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo vs Wilson Reis

Round 1:
Cejudo stunned Reis with an early combination and he followed with quick kicks to the body. Reis landed a lead right hook and Cejudo fired right back with a nice flurry and a leg kick. He pulled Reis into a front headlock after landing a hard knee to the body. Reis scrambled up to his feet and tried for a takedown, but Cejudo stuffed it and landed a head kick. He dropped Reis with a one-two and landed more kicks as Reis returned to his feet. Cejudo tripped Reis to the mat and finished the round on top. 10-9 Cejudo.

Round 2:
Cejudo dropped Reis with a right hand in the opening seconds of round two and he dove in with more shots on the ground. Reis turtled and Cejudo continued to tee off with punches until the bout was stopped.

Winner: Henry Cejudo by TKO (Punches) at 0:25 of round two. He improves to 11-2-0.

 

Ilir “The Sledgehammer” Latifi vs Tyson Pedro

Round 1:
Pedro targeted Latifi’s lead leg with kicks early on and he followed with a knee, but Latifi took him down and quickly transitioned to North-South position. Pedro scrambled back up to his feet and he countered a right hand with a powerful kick to the body. Pedro went high with a head kick, but Latifi caught it and took him down. He passed to North-South again, but Pedro scrambled up once more and Latifi pinned him against the fence. Both men landed right hands and Pedro missed with a wild head kick before the bell. 10-9 Latifi.

Round 2:
Latifi lunged in with a flurry to begin round two and Pedro responded with a front kick to the chest. Both men landed chopping leg kicks and Latifi connected with more hooks. Pedro grazed his head with a kick, which prompted Latifi to clinch in search of a takedown against the cage. He slammed Pedro on his head and worked from the top in his guard. Pedro battled back to his feet, but not before eating a series of punches on the way up. The round ended in a clinch against the fence. 10-9 Latifi.

Round 3:
Pedro began round three with a leg kick that was immediately answered by a one-two from Latifi. He clipped Pedro behind the ear with an overhand right, but Pedro hurt him with two leg kicks. Latifi continued to counter Pedro’s kicks with punches, and he backed Pedro up with three hooks and an uppercut. Pedro pressed forward again and landed another leg kick, but Latifi slammed him down. He opened a cut near Pedro’s left eye with short right hands from the top. Pedro was unable to get back up to his feet and Latifi peppered him with punches until the end of the fight. 10-9 Latifi.

Winner: Ilir Latifi by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 13-5-0, 1 NC.

 

Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens vs Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez

Round 1:
Stephens landed first with a quick one-two, and he followed with overhand rights and leg kicks. The fighters traded right hooks and Stephens landed another hard leg kick. Melendez cracked him with an overhand right, but Stephens hurt Melendez with a leg kick and he followed with punches. Melendez recovered and he backed Stephens up with a flurry. Stephens missed with spinning backfists, but he dropped Melendez with a leg kick. The round ended with Stephens landing punches and elbows from the top. 10-9 Stephens.

Round 2:
After being cleared by the doctor to continue, Melendez opened round two with an overhand right and a stiff jab. Stephens fired back with kicks to both of Melendez’s legs and he followed with jab-cross combos. Melendez walked forward with a flurry of his own, but Stephens halted his momentum with three punches and a head kick. He knocked Melendez down with a leg kick and allowed him to stand. Stephens scored with left and right hooks, and he finished with an uppercut. He dropped Melendez yet again with another leg kick before the end of the round. 10-9 Stephens.

Round 3:
Stephens used his jab to set up uppercuts in the final round as Melendez walked forward and switched stances frequently. A hard right hook and another leg kick scored for Stephens, who followed with right hands over the top. Stephens knocked Melendez down with a leg kick, but Melendez rolled backward and returned to his feet, which drew applause from his opponent and the crowd. Stephens fired off a flurry to the body and Melendez responded with a knee. Stephens scored two more knockdowns with leg kicks and he closed out the round with ground and pound. 10-8 Stephens.

Winner: Jeremy Stephens by Unanimous Decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26) after three rounds. He improves to 26-14-0.

 

(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)