UFC On ESPN 40: "Santos vs Hill" Live Play-By-Play & ResultsThe Ultimate Fighting Championship headed back to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC on ESPN 40: “Santos vs Hill.” The card was headlined by a light heavyweight bout between former UFC title challenger Thiago “Marreta” Santos and rising star Jamahal “Sweet Dreams” Hill.

In the welterweight co-main event, Vicente “The Silent Assassin” Luque battled Geoff “Handz of Steel” Neal. The card also featured The Ultimate Fighter 30 finals in both the men’s heavyweight and women’s flyweight divisions. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for UFC on ESPN 40.

 

Jamahal “Sweet Dreams” Hill vs Thiago “Marreta” Santos

Round 1:
Santos landed two leg kicks in the opening minute and he lunged at Hill’s right leg, but Hill easily shrugged off the takedown attempt. Hill jabbed and Santos landed an overhand left. He clinched with Hill and held him against the cage. The fighters exchanged knees to the body and time was called when Santos was kneed in the groin. The fight resumed in the centre of the cage and Hill missed with a head kick attempt. Santos kicked at his leg and Hill landed a jab-cross combo. Santos landed a hard right hand in the final seconds. Close round. 10-9 Santos.

Round 2:
Both men went high with head kick attempts in the second round. Santos landed a body kick and he took Hill down very briefly. Hill stood against the cage and he landed a knee. Santos could not get Hill down and Hill stunned him with a combination. Santos recovered and a brief clinch followed. When the fighters separated, they exchanged huge left hands and Santos landed a hard right hook. Hill grazed with a head kick and both men noticeably slowed down. Hill landed a lead right hook and Santos kicked at his leg. Hill stunned Santos with a right hook and he landed another one before the bell. 10-9 Hill.

Round 3:
Hill opened round three with leg and body kicks. Santos took him down against the cage, but Hill immediately stood back up. Santos tripped him again and tried to take his back, but Hill shook him off and the fight returned to the feet. Hill sprawled out of a Santos takedown attempt and he pushed Santos’s head down to the mat. Santos stood and he dumped Hill to the mat before taking partial back control. Each time Hill stood, Santos took him down. He landed short right hands as Hill stood against the cage. Hill landed a knee and the fighters traded wild hooks before Santos clinched once more. Hill landed a knee and Santos took him down one more time. 10-9 Santos.

Round 4:
After an early exchange of body kicks, the fighters teed off with heavy punches and both landed looping right hooks. Hill landed a jab-cross combo and Santos fired back with another body kick. More big punches were exchanged and Hill dropped Santos. He tried to finish him with punches and hammerfists on the ground. Santos attempted to get to his feet against the cage, but Hill kept him down and mounted him. He dropped a final barrage of punches and elbows, which prompted referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.

Winner: Jamahal Hill by TKO (Punches & Elbows) at 2:31 of round four. He improves to 11-1-0, 1 NC.

 

Geoff “Handz of Steel” Neal vs Vicente “The Silent Assassin” Luque

Round 1:
After Luque landed a body kick, Neal answered with one of his own and punches were exchanged. Neal threw two more body kicks and a straight left. Luque closed the distance, but Neal rocked him with a one-two. Luque retreated to the cage and he covered up as Neal threw more punches. Luque recovered and he resumed pressing the action. Neal landed a left cross and a lead right hook. Luque bled from the bridge of his nose, but he continued to move forward. Another straight left backed Luque up and Neal dropped him with yet another left hand. Luque survived hammerfists from Neal on the ground and got back to his feet. Neal landed two jabs and he wobbled Luque with a pair of left crosses before the bell. 10-8 Neal.

Round 2:
The second round began with an exchange of leg kicks. Neal jabbed and Luque landed another strong leg kick. Neal blocked a head kick and he used his jab to set up a straight left hand. Luque landed two body kicks and a step-in elbow. Neal whipped him down to the mat and tried to take Luque’s back as Luque stood up. Luque turned into the clinch and landed two elbows, but Neal quickly answered with three elbow strikes of his own. He flurried to Luque’s body and head. Luque circled to his left and landed a solid leg kick. He jabbed and landed a right cross, then mixed in two leg kicks late in the close round. 10-9 Luque.

Round 3:
Luque opened round three with kicks to Neal’s lead leg. Neal landed a left cross and a hard right-left combo. Luque took a step back and Neal rocked him with another one-two. Neal swarmed on Luque with uppercuts, then landed a final right-left combo that sent Luque crashing face-first to the mat.

Winner: Geoff Neal by KO (Punches) at 2:01 of round three. He improves to 15-4-0.

 

TUF 30 Heavyweight Final

Mohammed “The Motor” Usman vs Zac “The Ripper” Pauga

Round 1:
Pauga opened the fight with a flying switch kick thay grazed Usman’s face. Both men jabbed and they traded hard right hands. Pauga landed a lead left hand and a head kick, but Usman caught it and he took Pauga down very briefly. The fight returned to the feet and Usman landed a right hook to Pauga’s temple. Pauga recovered and landed a right cross. Both men landed left hooks and Usman blocked a head kick. Pauga landed a kick to Usman’s body and he ended the round with two jabs and a leg kick. 10-9 Pauga.

Round 2:
After a cautious beginning to round two, Usman landed a counter left hook as Pauga stepped forward. The punch sent Pauga crashing to the mat and Usman landed one follow-up hammerfist, but Pauga was already out.

Winner: Mohammed Usman by KO (Punch) at 0:36 of round two. He improves to 8-2-0 and becomes the TUF 30 Heavyweight Winner.

 

TUF 30 Women’s Flyweight Final

Juliana “Killer” Miller vs Brogan “The Bear” Walker

Round 1:
Lead left hooks were exchanged to begin the fight and Miller just missed with an overhand right. Walker clinched and Miller took her down into half-guard. She threw short right hands to Walker’s face and prevented her from regaining full guard. Miller landed short elbows and Walker finally got back to guard. Walker threw up her legs in search of a triangle choke and then an armbar. Miller avoided both and she spent the rest of the round landing left hands from the top. 10-9 Miller.

Round 2:
Miller landed a hard jab early in round two and Walker backed her up with a side kick to the body. Punches were exchanged and Walker initiated a clinch against the cage. Miller swept out her leg and tripped her, but Walker scissored her leg and briefly eyed a heel hook. A scramble followed and Walker got to her knees, but Miller took her back and sunk in one hook. She tried for a rear-naked choke, and had Walker in some trouble, but Walker stayed calm and eventually broke Miller’s grip. The fight returned to the feet and Miller landed a knee to the body and a left hook. She tripped Walker again and landed on top in side control. The round ended with Miller posturing up and landing hammerfists. 10-9 Miller.

Round 3:
Miller pawed out with jabs and Walker came up short with a combination. Miller scored with a left hook and a one-two. After trading left hooks with Miller, Walker clinched with her against the fence. Miller took Walker down and mounted her. She dropped elbows to Walker’s face and prevented her from kicking off of the cage. More elbows scored for Miller and Walker tried unsuccessfully to buck her off. Miller sat up and dropped hammerfists and two final elbows until the fight was stopped.

Winner: Juliana Miller by TKO (Punches & Elbows) at 3:57 of round three. She improves to 3-1-0 and becomes the TUF 30 Women’s Flyweight Winner.

 

Sergey “The Polar Bear” Spivak vs Augusto Sakai

Round 1:
Spivak scored an early trip takedown and he attempted a standing guillotine choke as Sakai got back to his feet. Sakai freed his neck and Spivak took him down again. He passed to half-guard and landed a short elbow and punches. Spivak then moved to side control and he took partial back control as Sakai attempted to get to his feet against the cage. Spivak landed right hands and Sakai briefly stood up. Spivak tripped him two more times and he passed to side control again. Sakai gave up his back and Spivak landed right hands to the side of his head. He locked on a rear-naked choke, but Sakai quickly spun to his left and that allowed him to escape from the choke. Back on the feet, Spivak landed two right hooks and Sakai answered with a knee to the body. 10-9 Spivak. Could be a 10-8.

Round 2:
Sakai fought off a takedown attempt early in round two and he landed a leg kick. Spivak hurt him with a jab and Sakai began to bleed from his nose. Spivak took him down and moved to side control. Sakai briefly got back to his feet and Spivak tossed him back down. He landed two short elbows and then postured up with hammerfist strikes as Sakai covered up. Sakai got to one knee and Spivak continued to land punches to the side of his head. Sakai could not get to his feet and referee Mark Smith stopped the fight after a final series of hammerfists from Spivak.

Winner: Sergey Spivak by TKO (Punches) at 3:42 of round two. He improves to 15-3-0.

Winner:

 

Terrance “T.Wrecks” McKinney vs Erick “The Ghost Pepper” Gonzalez

Round 1:
The fight began with an exchange of power strikes and McKinney repeatedly scored with straight lefts. He backed Gonzalez up to the cage with more punches and followed with a knee to the body. Gonzalez broke free and he cracked McKinney with a hard left hook of his own. McKinney took him down and he hopped on Gonzalez’s back as Gonzalez stood up. McKinney locked on a face crank across Gonzalez’s jaw. He slipped his forearm under Gonzalez’s jaw for a rear-naked choke and Gonzalez tapped out.

Winner: Terrance McKinney by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:17 of round one. He improves to 13-4-0.

 

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