The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Madison Square Garden in New York City tonight for UFC 295: “Procházka vs Pereira.” The event was headlined by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship matchup between Jiří “Denisa” Procházka and former middleweight champ Alex “Poatan” Pereira.
In tonight’s co-main event, Sergei Pavlovich took on fellow rising star Tom Aspinall for the vacant UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship. Elsewhere on the main card, Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade battled Mackenzie Dern at 115. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC 295 main card.
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Alex “Poatan” Pereira vs Jiří “Denisa” Procházka
Round 1:
After a cautious opening 50 seconds, Procházka landed an uppercut and Pereira dropped him with a leg kick. Procházka stood and Pereira hurt him with another leg kick. After a third leg kick, Pereira countered a takedown attempt with uppercuts and a tight guillotine choke. Procházka slammed him down and escaped from the choke. Procházka postured up with elbows from half-guard and Pereira stood up against the cage. Close opening round. 10-9 Pereira despite the takedown.
Round 2:
Procházka stepped in with a left-right combo and a jumping front kick to the body. Pereira responded with a body kick and a hard kick to Procházka’s lead leg. Procházka landed two overhand rights that appeared to stun Pereira, but Pereira still threw punches in response and he recovered. Another strong leg kick scored for Pereira, but he could not take Pereira down. Pereira landed an overhand right and was floored by a counter one-two. Procházka dove at Pereira’s legs and Pereira attacked with elbows. Procházka fell to his back and the fight was quickly stopped. Procházka got to his feet quickly, but he was wobbly from the elbow strikes.
Winner: Alex Pereira by TKO (Punches & Elbows) at 4:08 of round two. He improves to 9-2-0 and becomes the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship
Tom Aspinall vs Sergei Pavlovich
Round 1:
Aspinall landed a powerful leg kick early in the fight and Pavlovich cracked him with a left-right combo. Another leg kick landed for Aspinall and he dropped Pavlovich with a right hook to the temple. Aspinall followed up with hammerfists on the ground that shut Pavlovich’s lights out.
Winner: Tom Aspinall by KO (Punches) at 1:09 of round one. He improves to 14-3-0 and becomes the UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion.
Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade vs Mackenzie Dern
Round 1:
Dern jabbed and circled early on, then briefly took Andrade down with a headlock throw. Andrade scrambled up and she caught a leg kick. The pace slowed until Dern landed a knee in close. Andrade connected with a lead left hook and caught another kick. A pair of hard one-twos landed for Dern as she rushed forward, but Andrade dropped her to a knee with a counter left hook. Andrade kicked at Dern’s lead leg and then landed another counter left hand. Dern attempted a takedown and Andrade balanced on one leg. She dropped Dern with a right hook late in the round and followed with hammerfists on the ground before the bell. 10-9 Andrade.
Round 2:
Andrade fought off a clinch attempt from Dern and both women landed jabs. Andrade stuffed a takedown and countered with a left hook. Dern landed two overhand rights and Andrade responded with a leg kick. She hurt and dropped Dern with a left hook and forced her to stand. Dern became very wild with her strikes and Andrade landed a combination. A right hook dropped Dern again and the fight could have been stopped, but it was not. Andrade floored Dern one more time with a left-right combo and the bout was finally waved off.
Winner: Jéssica Andrade by TKO (Punches) at 3:15 of round two. She improves to 25-12-0.
Benoit “God of War” St. Denis vs Matt “The Steamrolla” Frevola
Round 1:
Frevola secured a takedown in the opening minute and St. Denis swept from the bottom. The fighters briefly stood and Frevola slammed St. Denis back down. Once more, the fight returned to the feet. St. Denis floored Frevola with a head kick and finished him off with one more punch on the ground. Brutal knockout.
Winner: Benoit St. Denis by KO (Head Kick & Punch) at 1:31 of round one. He improves to 13-1-0, 1 NC.
Diego Lopes vs Pat Sabatini
Round 1:
Sabatini opened the fight with a hard right hook. Soon after, he dropped levels and tried for a takedown, but Lopes reversed it after landing a right hand of his own. As the fighters stood, Lopes rocked Sabatini with a right hook to the temple. Sabatini staggered backward to the cage and Lopes closed in with two more punches that dropped him to the mat. Lopes followed with right hands on the ground that knocked Sabatini out and ended the brief fight.
Winner: Diego Lopes by KO (Punches) at 1:30 of round one. He improves to 23-6-0.
Undercard Fights:
– Steve “Astro Boy” Erceg defeated Alessandro “Nono” Costa by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 11-1-0 with the win.
– “Loopy” Lupita Godinez defeated Tabatha “Baby Shark” Ricci by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30) after three rounds. She improves to 12-3-0 with the win.
– Mateusz “Chińczyk” Rębecki defeated Roosevelt “The Predator” Roberts by Submission (Armbar) at 3:08 of round one. He improves to 19-1-0 with the win.
– Viacheslav “Slava” Borshchev and Nazim “Black Wolf” Sadykhov fought to a Majority Draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28) after three rounds. Borshchev moves to 7-3-1, while Sadykhov is now 9-1-1.
– Jared “Flash” Gordon defeated “The Olympian” Mark O. Madsen by TKO (Elbow & Punches) at 4:42 of round one. He improves to 20-6-0, 1 NC with the win.
– John “Sexi Mexi” Castañeda defeated Kyung Ho “Mr. Perfect” Kang by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 21-6-0 with the win.
– Joshua “The Fearless” Van defeated Kevin “El Gallo Negro” Borjas by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 9-1-0 with the win.
– Jamall “Prettyboy” Emmers defeated Dennis “The Great” Buzukja by TKO (Punches) at 0:49 of round one. He improves to 20-7-0 with the win.