The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York tonight for UFC 244: “Masvidal vs Diaz.” The card was headlined by a welterweight BMF Championship bout between two of the UFC’s most popular stars, Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal and Nate Diaz.
In the middleweight co-feature, Kelvin Gastelum battled Darren “The Gorilla” Till. At welterweight, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson looked to get back on track to title contention when he took on Vicente “The Silent Assassin” Luque. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC 244 card.
BMF Championship
Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal vs Nate Diaz
Round 1:
Diaz pressed forward right away with punches and a body kick that led to a clinch against the cage. Masvidal landed short knees and elbows and he dropped Diaz with a head kick. Diaz began to bleed from a cut near his right eye from an elbow strike and Masvidal kept the pressure on with punches while standing over a downed Diaz. He continued to punch from the top and Diaz countered with kicks to Masvidal’s legs and body. The fight eventually returned to the feet and Diaz clinched after catching a kick. Masvidal broke free after landing a knee and a left hand. Diaz came back with a hard right hook that backed Masvidal up, but Masvidal appeared to recover instantly and he clinched with Diaz against the cage. A body kick and a combination landed for Masvidal, and a bloodied Diaz responded with a flurry and a right hook. 10-8 Masvidal.
Round 2:
Both men landed punching combinations early in round two and Masvidal followed with kicks to Diaz’s leg and body. He landed a big right hand and wobbled Diaz with a second one. Diaz fell after Masvidal landed a body kick, but the fight returned to the feet and Masvidal landed a counter left hook. He followed with elbows in a clinch and Diaz responded with short left hands. Masvidal flurried to the body and backed Diaz up with more punches that led to another clinch. Masvidal took Diaz’s back and slammed him down to the mat. Diaz stood and tried to roll through, but Masvidal wound up on top again. Diaz countered with a late heel hook attempt and Masvidal punched his way free. 10-8 Masvidal.
Round 3:
Diaz landed a solid combination in round three and Masvidal responded with a right hook. He countered a left hand from Diaz with a body kick and lunged in with punches over the top. A brief clinch followed and Masvidal landed another big right hand after the break. The fighters traded power punches and Masvidal finished with a body kick and a left hook to the liver. He landed another hook to the liver in an ensuing exchange and Diaz clinched. Masvidal countered a trip attempt and took Diaz’s back, then dragged him down to the mat and scored with punches from top position. Diaz punched from his back and ate elbows from Masvidal before the bell. 10-9 Masvidal.
Between rounds, the cageside doctor stopped the fight due to cuts around Diaz’s right eye.
Winner: Jorge Masvidal by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 5:00 of round three. He improves to 35-13-0 and becomes the BMF Champion.
Darren “The Gorilla” Till vs Kelvin Gastelum
Round 1:
The fighters clinched right away and traded short strikes in a series of clinch battles throughout the opening three minutes. Both men landed leg kicks and Till followed with a lunging left cross. Till scored with another leg kick and a left hand. He closed out the largely uneventful round with a one-two. 10-9 Till by a slim margin.
Round 2:
Gastelum tried to counter Till’s kicks with a combination in the second round, but Till sidestepped and he continued to land powerful leg kicks. A left hand and a knee also landed for Till, but Gastelum connected with an elbow over the top. Time was called after Till was poked in the eye. Action continued and Till landed more leg kicks. Gastelum replied with a hard leg kick of his own and he clinched with Till against the cage. Gastelum landed two knees and Till circled away. Gastelum landed occasional leg kicks as the pace slowed and the crowd voiced its displeasure. Till landed a short elbow and a one-two late in the round. 10-9 Till.
Round 3:
Gastelum was active with leg kicks to begin the final round, but Till caught a body kick and fired back with a hard left hook. He landed a nice one-two, but Gastelum responded with a left cross. Till threw a spinning back elbow that partially landed and he followed with another one-two. Soon after, Till tripped Gastelum after catching a kick, but Gastelum quickly regained his footing. Gastelum ducked into a knee and Till stuffed a takedown attempt. Gastelum got him down soon after and took Till’s back as Till stood up. Till broke free from Gastelum’s grasp and Gastelum mixed up his strikes with kicks and punches. He took Till down very briefly before the bell. 10-9 Gastelum.
Winner: Darren Till by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 27-30) after three rounds. He improves to 18-2-1.
Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson vs Vicente “The Silent Assassin” Luque
Round 1:
Luque opened the fight with leg kicks and Thompson responded with one of his own. Luque tried to close the distance with quick punches and Thompson sidestepped after landing a jab. Both men landed leg kicks and Luque followed with two right hooks that forced Thompson to circle away. Thompson landed kick-punch combos and an overhand right, but Luque swarmed on him with left and right hooks. He appeared to hurt Thompson, but Thompson recovered and Luque landed a body kick seconds later. Another leg kick landed for Luque and he countered punches from Thompson with a body kick. Luque kept the pressure on with more punches as Thompson backed up to the cage. Thompson responded with a combination and a lead right hook late in the round. 10-9 Luque.
Round 2:
Thompson landed jabs and quick combinations in the second round. He followed with a head kick and Luque responded with a nice one-two. Thompson continued to jab and he mixed up his punches while switching stances. Thompson knocked Luque down with a side kick and he hurt him with punches and a spinning wheel kick after Luque returned to his feet. Big punches were exchanged and Luque landed three hard shots. Luque began to bleed from above the left eye and Thompson attacked with a flurry of punches. Luque responded with counter hooks and an overhand right. The fighters traded leg and body kicks, and Thompson scored with a right hand before the round ended. 10-9 Thompson.
Round 3:
Thompson circled in round three and the fighters traded jabs. Luque landed a right hand and a body kick, but Thompson continued to land punches and he dropped Luque with a left cross. Thompson dove in with more punches on the ground, but Luque recovered and Thompson allowed him to stand up. Thompson continued to switch stances and he targeted Luque’s damaged left eye with left and right hands. Thompson threw flurries of punches and Luque answered with single strikes, but he landed some solid right hooks as the round entered the final two minutes. Thompson wobbled Luque with a one-two and followed with a grazing head kick. He landed a spinning back kick to the body and two side kicks, then followed with a hard left hand. 10-8 Thompson.
Winner: Stephen Thompson by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27) after three rounds. He improves to 15-4-1.
Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis vs Blagoy “Baga” Ivanov
Round 1:
Following a tentative opening minute, Ivanov caught a kick and took Lewis down into side control. He attempted a keylock from a top-side crucifix, but Lewis scrambled up to his feet. Lewis unloaded with huge punches and a head kick, but Ivanov landed punches in return. Lewis scored a takedown and Ivanov briefly attempted a guillotine choke before returning to his feet. Short punches landed for Ivanov and Lewis responded with an elbow over the top. Lewis avoided a takedown attempt and he landed some hard punches soon after. Close opening round. 10-9 Lewis.
Round 2:
Ivanov scored with a left hook early in round two and Lewis missed with an uppercut after attempting a takedown. Big punches were exchanged and Lewis wobbled Ivanov, but Ivanov recovered quickly and survived a follow-up flurry from Lewis. He took Lewis down and torqued back on a keylock, but Lewis refused to submit. He battled back to his feet and cut Ivanov with a combination of power punches. Ivanov clinched and landed a knee to the body and short uppercuts. Lewis countered with a knee and a right hook that backed Ivanov up. Ivanov recovered and landed a one-two before clinching against the fence. He threw Lewis to the mat and locked on a power guillotine choke, but time expired. 10-9 Lewis, barely, due to damage.
Round 3:
The pace slowed in the final round and little transpired until Ivanov countered a Lewis right hand with a combination that led to a clinch. Ivanov tried unsuccessfully for a takedown and the fighters exchanged looping punches. Ivanov stuffed a takedown and attempted a front choke, but Lewis scrambled free and stood up. Both men missed with wild punches and they clinched again. An exchange of uppercuts followed and Lewis finished the round with hooks and a knee. 10-9 Ivanov by a slim margin. Fight could go either way.
Winner: Derrick Lewis by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 22-7-0, 1 NC.
Kevin “The Motown Phenom” Lee vs Gregor “The Gift” Gillespie
Round 1:
Jabs and lead left hooks were exchanged right away and Lee easily shrugged off a takedown attempt. More jabs were exchanged and Gillespie countered a right cross with one of his own. The fighters continued to trade jabs and right hands as the round progressed and Lee began to bleed from a cut below his left eye. Both men landed right hands and Gillespie followed with a left. Seconds later, Lee landed a devastating head kick and Gillespie collapsed unconscious against the base of the cage.
Winner: Kevin Lee by KO (Head Kick) at 2:47 of round one. He improves to 18-5-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)