The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its way to the Honda Center in Anaheim, California tonight for UFC 241: “Cormier vs Miocic 2.” The event featured a UFC Heavyweight Championship rematch between current defending champion Daniel “D.C.” Cormier and challenger Stipe Miocic.

In the welterweight co-feature, Anthony “Showtime” Pettis took on Nate Diaz in a bout six years in the making. Elsewhere, Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero faced Paulo Henrique “The Eraser” Costa in a middleweight bout. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s UFC 241 main card.

UFC Heavyweight Championship

Stipe Miocic vs Daniel “D.C.” Cormier

Round 1:
Cormier opened the fight with leg kicks and he followed with a lead left hook after faking a shot. Miocic landed leg kicks of his own, but Cormier cracked him with left and right hooks. He landed more punches and elevated Miocic into the air before slamming him down to the mat. Cormier worked from the top in Miocic’s half-guard until Miocic got back to full guard. Cormier postured up with some hard punches and stood up, then punished a kneeling Miocic with hammerfists and elbows until the end of the round. 10-8 Cormier.

Round 2:
Miocic landed a one-two and a knee to the body early in the second round. He followed with a combination and Cormier countered with a right hook over the top. Two forearm strikes landed for Cormier and Miocic countered with a combination. A hard right hand landed for Cormier and he stunned Miocic, but Miocic recovered and he cracked Cormier with counter flurries. Cormier regained his composure and backed Miocic up with punches that led to a clinch against the cage. Miocic landed another nice combination and the fighters traded jabs and straight punches. Cormier scored with an uppercut and a right hook. Miocic threw quick flurries, but Cormier continued to counter with heavy shots to the chin and temple. A flurry and a heavy kick landed for Cormier late in the round and Miocic countered with a left hand. Close round. 10-9 Cormier.

Round 3:
The third round began with Miocic landing a hard right hand and he shot in for a takedown. Cormier stuffed it and just missed with a right hook and a head kick. Cormier jabbed at Miocic’s right eye and mixed in leg kicks. The fighters clinched and Miocic tried unsuccessfully for a trip takedown. Both men landed right hands after separating and Cormier mixed in jabs. Both men scored with right hooks and Miocic dragged Cormier down to the mat. Cormier stood and Miocic landed a knee to the body. Cormier scored with a nice combination and a leg kick, which he followed with an overhand right. Both men landed hard one-twos in the final minute. Another close round. 10-9 Cormier.

Round 4:
Miocic opened round four with jabs and Cormier replied with a right hand. Miocic scored with a hard left hook to the liver and he kept Cormier at bay with jabs. Another left hook landed for Miocic and he threw half a dozen more in the ensuing seconds. Cormier landed a big right hand, but Miocic was unfazed and he kept the pressure on with punches to the body and head. He wobbled Cormier with a flurry to the head and dropped him with follow-up punches. A final barrage of punches on the ground prompted referee Herb Dean to step in and stop the fight.

Winner: Stipe Miocic by TKO (Punches) at 4:09 of round four. He improves to 19-3-0 and becomes the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Nate Diaz vs Anthony “Showtime” Pettis

Round 1:
Diaz pressed forward aggressively early on and he landed a front kick to the body. Pettis countered with a right hook and he followed with another one from a southpaw stance. Big punches were exchanged and Diaz pinned Pettis against the cage. Pettis punched his way free and the fighters taunted one another. Diaz closed the distance and he landed short punches in a clinch. He followed with a knee to the body and a flurry over the top. Diaz caught a kick and he took Pettis down, but Pettis locked on a guillotine choke. Diaz escaped and he landed punches from the top in Pettis’s guard. Diaz took Pettis’s back in a scramble and transitioned from mount to back control again. 10-9 Diaz.

Round 2:
Pettis hurt his shin with a kick to begin round two and Diaz backed him up against the cage with punches. Pettis recovered and circled away, then tagged Diaz with jabs and right hands. He punched to the body and time was called to check on Diaz’s eye, which was bothering him from a Pettis strike. Action continued and Pettis just missed with a head kick. Diaz pressed forward with punches and knees, but Pettis landed solid counters to the head and body. Diaz took his back and landed a knee, then dragged Pettis down to the mat. Pettis scrambled and got back to full guard, but Diaz drilled him with a knee as the fighters got back to their feet. Two hard elbows landed for Diaz and he followed with a flurry that briefly stunned Pettis. Both men landed knees and Diaz got the better of the exchange as he continued to punish Pettis with short punches. Pettis opened a cut above Diaz’s right eye, but Diaz continued to batter him with punches until the end of the round. 10-9 Diaz.

Round 3:
Diaz closed the distance and peppered Pettis with punches early in the final round. Both men landed combinations in close and Diaz kept Pettis on the defensive with a big flurry soon after. He hurt Pettis with three knees and Pettis fell to the mat. Diaz took his back and landed punches while looking to set up a submission. Pettis spun into Diaz’s guard and he struck from the top as Diaz looked to set up a triangle choke. Pettis stood up and then dropped back into Diaz’s guard, but Diaz countered with elbows and an armbar attempt. The fighters scrambled and Diaz wound up on top. He took Pettis’s back and worked for a rear-naked choke until Pettis reversed into his guard. Diaz spun into an armbar attempt just before the end of the fight. 10-9 Diaz.

Winner: Nate Diaz by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 20-11-0.

Paulo Henrique “The Eraser” Costa vs Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero

Round 1:
Romero struck first with a lunging left hook and he followed with a head kick. Costa avoided a takedown attempt and the fighters exchanged punches. A left hook dropped Romero, but he stood up and floored Costa with a right hand. The fight returned to the feet and Costa was the aggressor with combinations. Romero landed two left hands and he just missed with a spinning backfist. Costa kept him backed up against the cage and picked his shots with hard punches and a body kick. Romero rushed forward with punches and time was called after he was kneed in the groin. Action eventually resomed and both men landed leg kicks. Costa stuffed a takedown and landed punches, but Romero returned to his feet and he fired off a heavy combination of his own. Romero scored with a hard left hook and Costa responded with a spinning hook kick and an overhand right. Very close round. 10-9 Costa, barely.

Round 2:
Both men landed hard punches in the early stages of round two. Costa kicked to the body and he tagged Romero with a one-two and a lead left hook. Both men teed off with punches and Romero kept his distance with jabs. He prevented Costa from landing most of his strikes and Costa began to slow down. Romero continued to land jabs and one-twos until Costa targeted the body with left hooks. A big right hand and a grazing head kick landed for Costa, but Romero fired back with a flurry and he scored a takedown at the bell. Another close round. 10-9 Romero due to the late rally.

Round 3:
The final round began with an exchange of power punches and Costa kicked to the body. Romero answered back with a lunging left hand and time was called after Costa was poked in the eye. The fight continued soon after and Costa landed a hard one-two. He mixed things up with punches to the head and body as Romero looked to counter with jabs and left hooks. Costa landed jabs of his own and he targeted the body with powerful right hands. The fighters traded heavy punches and taunted each other. Romero landed uppercuts in close and he followed with more punches until Costa landed a head kick. Romero caught it and he landed punches. A Romero takedown was quickly reversed and the fight ended with a final punching exchange. 10-9 Costa by a slim margin. Fight could go either way.

Winner: Paulo Henrique Costa by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 13-0-0.

“Super” Sodiq Yusuff vs Gabriel “Moggly” Benitez

Round 1:
Hard punches were exchanged right away and Yusuff cut Benitez near the left eye. More right hands landed for Yusuff to Benitez’s head and body, but Benitez answered back with knees and body kicks. Both men landed leg kicks and both grazed with head kicks. Benitez connected with two left hands and he dropped Yusuff with a third. Yusuff returned to his feet and Benitez kept the pressure on with more punches. Yusuff landed kicks and punches in return, but Benitez opened a cut near his right eye with straight left hands. Seconds later, Yusuff countered a left hand from Benitez with a right cross that sent Benitez crashing to the mat. He landed more punches on the ground until the fight was stopped.

Winner: Sodiq Yusuff by TKO (Punches) at 4:14 of round one. He improves to 10-1-0.

Derek Brunson vs Ian “The Hurricane” Heinisch

Round 1:
Heinisch rushed at Brunson right away with a hook and a head kick that dropped him to a knee. Brunson clinched in search of a takedown and he used the clinch to buy time to recover. Heinisch broke free and he grazed with a head kick. The fighters traded hard punches and Heinisch countered Brunson’s lunging hooks with kicks to the body. Brunson stuffed a takedown and he landed a kick-punch combo. More kicks landed for Brunson, who shot in for a takedown. Heinisch balanced on one leg and blasted Brunson with some hard punches until Brunson gave up on the takedown attempt. Heinisch threw single punches and kicks, which Brunson countered with a nice flurry. He took Heinisch’s back and landed a solid hook before the bell. Close round. 10-9 Heinisch.

Round 2:
Brunson landed a hard flurry of punches in the second round and Heinisch shot in for a takedown. Brunson stuffed it and he landed two hard left hands that prompted Heinisch to try for another takedown that was also stuffed. The fighters traded kicks and Brunson backed Heinisch up with a flurry and a knee. He took Heinisch’s back and looked for a takedown, but Heinisch stayed on his feet and broke free. Brunson landed a solid left hand and fell while throwing a head kick, which Heinisch took advantage of by landing two hard punches. Brunson reversed a takedown and he landed three left hands late in the round. 10-9 Brunson.

Round 3:
The final round began with an exchange of punches and Brunson scored a brief slam takedown. Heinisch stood and Brunson cracked him with a series of left hooks. He stuffed a takedown attempt from Heinisch and took him down seconds later. Heinisch rose to his feet and the fighters clinched, with both men landing short punches in close. Brunson landed more left hands and Heinisch’s right eye began to swell up. A nice right hook landed for Heinisch and he began to counter Brunson’s kicks with overhand rights. Brunson scored with a body kick and single punches, but Heinisch avoided a takedown and landed a right hand before the bell. 10-9 Brunson.

Winner: Derek Brunson by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 20-7-0.