The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates tonight for UFC 251: “Usman vs Masvidal.” The event was headlined by a UFC Welterweight Championship bout between Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman and rival Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal.
In the co-main event, UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski faced Max “Blessed” Holloway in a rematch. Petr “No Mercy” Yan clashed with José “Scarface” Aldo for the vacant UFC Bantamweight Championship. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC 251 card.
UFC Welterweight Championship
Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman vs Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal
Round 1:
Usman caught an early kick and he took Masvidal down into full guard. He landed elbows from the top until Masvidal scrambled free and stood up. He landed a knee and an uppercut in close before Usman shot in for another takedown. He got Masvidal down to a knee and landed a right hand to the face on the way back up. Masvidal escaped from the clinch with 90 seconds to go and he threw a one-two and a step-in knee. Usman countered with a one-two, but Masvidal fired back with two hooks. The fighters exchanged punches in a clinch before the bell. Close round. 10-9 Usman.
Round 2:
Masvidal stuffed a takedown to begin round two, but Usman kept him pinned against the fence and he attacked Masvidal’s left leg with knees and foot stomps. Masvidal nearly broke free with an elbow, but Usman clinched again and he landed two punches over the top. Masvidal began to bleed from above the right eye as a result of an accidental clash of heads. Usman threw shoulder strikes to Masvidal’s jaw and kept him pinned up against the cage. Masvidal finally broke free and he threw two body kicks and a right hook. 10-9 Usman.
Round 3:
Usman fought through a body kick from Masvidal and backed him up against the cage to begin the third round. He landed punches over the top and stomped on Masvidal’s foot. Masvidal broke free for a moment and landed a body kick, but Usman punched his way into another clinch. Time was called when Masvidal was punched in the groin. Action resumed following a delay and Usman countered a right hand from Masvidal by taking him down. Masvidal stood and Usman slammed him down into side control. He landed elbows from the top and prevented Masvidal from scrambling up to his feet. Masvidal got to full guard and Usman threw short elbows from the top. 10-9 Usman.
Round 4:
The fight returned to a clinch against the cage in round four and Usman once again pinned Masvidal in place while throwing shoulder strikes and foot stomps. He prevented Masvidal from breaking free and continued to attack his left leg. Masvidal eventually landed a knee and an elbow that allowed him to circle out. Masvidal landed a body kick and Usman lunged at him with a right hand. Two big punches landed for Usman with 90 seconds to go and he clinched with Masvidal again. A big elbow landed for Usman shortly before the bell. 10-9 Usman.
Round 5:
Usman snapped Masvidal’s head back with jabs in the final round and he muscled him down to the ground. Usman pinned Masvidal against the bottom of the cage and landed elbows from the top. Masvidal threw hammerfists from his back and Usman stepped over into side control. He nearly mounted Masvidal, but a scramble followed and Masvidal got to his knees. Usman trapped him in a front headlock and he landed two knees to Masvidal’s shoulder. Masvidal finally stood up with 40 seconds to go and he landed knees to Usman’s ribs. Usman countered with uppercuts and he fought through kicks from Masvidal to land two kore punches late in the fight. 10-9 Usman.
Winner: Kamaru Usman by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) after five rounds. He improves to 17-1-0 and remains the UFC Welterweight Champion.
UFC Featherweight Championship
Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski vs Max “Blessed” Holloway
Round 1:
Holloway walked Volkanovski down with kicks early in the fight and Volkanovski answered with right hands while circling to the side. Holloway continued to land kicks and he followed with an uppercut. The fighters attacked each other’s legs and Holloway landed a one-two over Volkanovski’s guard. A right hand stunned Volkanovski momentarily and Holloway continued to pressure him with jabs. In the final seconds, Holloway dropped Volkanovski with a head kick and he landed a quick flurry after Volkanovski stood. 10-9 Holloway.
Round 2:
Volkanovski landed a kick-punch combo early in the second round, but Holloway cracked him with four punches in return. He attacked Volkanovski’s lead leg with kicks and countered his forward movement with lead left hooks. Volkanovski landed two hard leg kicks and a lunging left hook, but Holloway responded with a knee up the middle and three leg kicks of his own. Volkanovski blocked a head kick, but Holloway landed a second one soon after and he dropped Volkanovski with an uppercut just before the bell. 10-9 Holloway.
Round 3:
Volkanovski kicked at Holloway’s lead leg in round three until Holloway jumped in with a knee to the face. A step-in left hook landed for Volkanovski and he followed with another left hand that momentarily stopped Holloway in his tracks. Holloway stuffed a takedown and a clinch battle ensued against the cage. Holloway broke free with another knee to the body and Volkanovski scored with a left hook. Holloway threw a head kick that was partially blocked with one minute to go in the round. Volkanovski snapped his head back with jabs in the final seconds. Close round. 10-9 Volkanovski by a slim margin.
Round 4:
Holloway exchanged jabs and leg kicks with Volkanovski early in the fourth round. Volkanovski connected with a left hook to the body and a straight right to the face. Holloway just missed with a jumping knee and he landed a Superman Punch. An uppercut-hook combo from Holloway forced Volkanovski to back up. He kicked at Holloway’s leg and took him down. Holloway scrambled up against the cage and Volkanovski jabbed. Holloway grazed with a head kick and Volkanovski continued to attack his lead leg, which became very red. A lunging combination landed for Volkanovski late in the round and Holloway responded with a jumping knee. Another close round. 10-9 Volkanovski.
Round 5:
Holloway landed a solid combination in the opening minute of round five, but Volkanovski quickly responded with two overhand punches in return and a clinch followed. Holloway broke free and Volkanovski landed a left hook. Holloway blocked a head kick and he attacked with three punches and a body kick. A step-in one-two landed for Volkanovski, but Holloway cracked him with a combination. Volkanovski clinched and took Holloway down, but he could not hold him there and Holloway stood. He countered Volkanovski’s pressure with short uppercuts until Volkanovski clinched. Holloway pushed him away once and Volkanovski tried again to clinch. He landed a left hook over the top and took Holloway down just before the end of the round. Very close fight. 10-9 Volkanovski, barely. Fight could go either way.
Winner: Alexander Volkanovski by Split Decision (48-47, 48-47, 47-48) after five rounds. He improves to 22-1-0 and remains the UFC Featherweight Champion.
UFC Bantamweight Championship
Petr “No Mercy” Yan vs José “Scarface” Aldo
Round 1:
The fight began with an exchange of leg kicks and Yan scored with a huge right hand. Aldo was unfazed and he knocked Yan down with a powerful leg kick. Yan stood and Aldo punched to the body. He blocked a head kick, then landed an overhand right and more jabs. Yan connected with an overhand right and Aldo attacked his lead leg with another hard leg kick. Yan landed a right hand and a body kick in the final minute and Aldo shot in for a takedown. Yan reversed it and he dropped punches while standing over Aldo. A punch to the ribs hurt Aldo and he turtled as Yan landed more punches until the bell. 10-9 Yan.
Round 2:
Both fighters landed leg kicks and right hands in the second round. Yan rushed forward with lunging punches that came up short and Aldo attacked with a leg kick. Yan switched stances to protect his left leg and Aldo kicked to the body. The fighters traded kicks and Aldo punched to the body again. Two left hooks to the liver landed for Aldo and Yan closed out the round with a combination. 10-9 Aldo.
Round 3:
Yan maintained a southpaw stance in round three and he mixed things up with kick-punch combos. A left hand scored for Yan and Aldo responded with two right hooks to the body. He chased after Yan and landed a left hook to the liver and a quick flurry of punches. Yan covered up as he retreated to the cage, but he recovered quickly and both men landed punches in close. Aldo chopped away at Yan’s left leg with kicks and Yan aggressively pressed forward with flurries of punches. Aldo landed a hard left hook to the liver and Yan immediately answered with a one-two to the face. The fighters battled in close and Aldo landed a spinning back elbow late in the close round. 10-9 Aldo.
Round 4:
After a body kick from Yan, the fighters exchanged punches in the fourth round and Aldo landed a hard right hand to the ribs. Yan responded with a quick flurry and both men landed short hooks and uppercuts in close. Aldo avoided a takedown attempt, but he appeared to slow down slightly and Yan kept the pressure on with lunging left hooks and a flurry to the body. He backed Aldo up with a combination to the head and body, then dumped him to the mat. From the top, Yan postured up with punches to Aldo’s face until the bell. 10-9 Yan.
Round 5:
Yan dropped Aldo early in the final round with a left hook and a knee to the body, and he trapped Aldo in a top-side crucifix on the ground. Aldo freed his right arm, but not before eating elbows to the face as Yan looked for the finish. He moved to S-mount and blasted Aldo with hammerfists, then looked to take Aldo’s back. More hammerfists landed for Yan and the fight was almost stopped. A bloodied Aldo rolled over and tried to cover up, but Yan punished him with punches to the face and body. He continued to punch the sides of Aldo’s head until the fight was finally stopped.
Winner: Petr Yan by TKO (Punches) at 3:24 of round five. He improves to 15-1-0 and becomes the new UFC Bantamweight Champion.
“Thug” Rose Namajunas vs Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade
Round 1:
Both women jabbed early in the fight and Andrade kicked at Namajunas’s lead leg. A combination from Namajunas was met by one from Andrade. Namajunas connected with a hard right hand and three jabs as she circled away from Andrade’s offence. The fighters exchanged left hooks and Namajunas followed with a straight right hand. Andrade clinched and Namajunas countered with a knee. Andrade landed a right hook on the break, but Namajunas stuffed a takedown soon after and drilled Andrade with a knee to the nose. 10-9 Namajunas.
Round 2:
The second round began with an exchange of leg kicks in the opening minute. Namajunas just missed with a flying knee and Andrade continued to kick at her lead leg. Two right hands snapped Andrade’s head back, but she returned fire with a powerful hook to the body. Power punches were exchanged and Namajunas landed a jumping switch knee. She fell in the process, but immediately returned to her feet and both fighters landed punches. Namajunas scored with one-twos and Andrade landed more leg kicks. A brief clinch followed and Andrade landed a body kick on the break. Namajunas connected with a solid combination and the fighters exchanged punches until the bell. Close round. 10-9 Namajunas.
Round 3:
Namajunas kept Andrade at bay with jabs in the final round, but Andrade bloodied her nose with a lead left hook. A nice uppercut scored for Andrade and she stunned Namajunas with a winging overhand right before slamming her down to the mat. Namajunas attempted an armbar and a triangle choke before kicking Andrade off. Back on the feet, Namajunas landed a spinning back kick and a hard one-two. Andrade targeted Namajunas’s damaged nose with more jabs and both women landed combinations. Namajunas shot in for a takedown and Andrade reversed it on the way down. The fighters stood and Namajunas countered jabs with a quick combination late in the fight. 10-9 Andrade.
Winner: Rose Namajunas by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. She improves to 9-4-0.
Amanda Ribas vs “12 Gauge” Paige VanZant
Round 1:
Ribas pressed forward and landed an early body kick that led to a clinch against the fence. She whipped VanZant down to the mat in the scarf hold position. Ribas landed an elbow from the top and transitioned to back control, then to an armbar. She went belly-down with the hold and fully extended VanZant’s arm, forcing VanZant to tap out.
Winner: Amanda Ribas by Submission (Armbar) at 2:21 of round one. She improves to 10-1-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)