Tag: UFC 245

VIDEO: UFC 280’s Petr Yan makes title-shot claim with KO of Urijah Faber

Petr Yan twice has had a UFC title put around his waist, but it could be argued his biggest fight yet is his next one.

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] twice has had a UFC title put around his waist, but it could be argued his biggest fight yet is his next one.

Yan (16-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) is set to take on Sean O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in a key bantamweight bout at UFC 280, which takes place Oct. 22 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card, including Yan-O’Malley, airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Yan needs to bounce back after a bantamweight title unification loss to champion Aljamain Sterling in April. Yan took the interim title into the bout, but once again fell short to Sterling. Sterling beat him with a controversial disqualification to win the title in March 2021, then won a split decision earlier this year.

If Yan wants another crack at the belt down the line, it’ll have to start with a win over O’Malley, against whom he’s a -320 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook.

Ahead of that key bantamweight bout, check out the fight that got Yan to his first title shot: a third-round finish of all-time great Urijah Faber with a brilliant head kick at UFC 245. Not long after that win, Yan beat Jose Aldo with a TKO to win the vacant 135-pound title.

Ahead of UFC 280, check out Yan’s win over Faber in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.

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Valentina Shevchenko wants to show why she’s huge favorite vs. Jennifer Maia

Valentina Shevchenko discusses being a -1200 favorite at UFC 255: “I cannot just think, ‘Oh, it’s going to be an easy fight.’

[autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] does her best to avoid acknowledging betting odds going into her fights. However, she admits a touch of pressure comes with the steep line for her title defense against [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] at UFC 255.

Shevchenko (19-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC), the reigning women’s flyweight champion, is currently as great as a 12-1 betting favorite for the Nov. 21 bout against Maia (18-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC). Shevchenko was recently made aware of the odds and said it only makes her think of how she needs to put on a performance worthy of them.

“I didn’t hear (about being a -1200 favorite) yet, and I never do,” Shevchenko told MMA Junkie Radio on Thursday. “I never focus on what the bet is, and I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me. It’s the last thing I would consider during my training camp. The most important thing I consider is to prepare myself mentally, physically. I know that Jennifer Maia, she will be preparing in her best shape.

“… For me I cannot just think, ‘Oh, it’s going to be an easy fight.’ For me, it means a lot of responsibility to do everything that I have to do in the fight.”

Shevchenko’s primary focus is to live up to her “responsibility” as a dominant champion, but she said an onus also falls on Maia to prove the public perception wrong.

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By no means is Shevchenko looking to get in the octagon with anyone who will roll over for her. UFC 255 represents her fourth title defense at 125 pounds, and the champ is preparing as if Maia is the most dangerous threat to her reign. And she hopes that’s the reality on fight night.

“I don’t want anyone that would come into the octagon and not be ready for the fight,” Shevchenko said. “I don’t need this kind of opponent. I need someone who will want to fight. That’s why I will put my best to win this fight and to show my technique, my spirit, my power, my everything. I need good opponent, and I hope she will do good in her training camp.”

No matter who the opponent or what the odds, Shevchenko said her next fight is an extremely important one. It’s testing uncharted water as, for the first time, she’ll be entering a fight following surgery.

Shevchenko was supposed to defend her belt against Joanne Calderwood in June, but she suffered a leg injury that forced her out of the bout. Her timeline was then pushed back from August to November because recovery wasn’t going as anticipated.

The process is going well enough that Shevchenko was able to sign on for a date and opponent, she said, but caution is still needed. According to Shevchenko, the top priority for her UFC 255 training camp is to not reaggravate her leg injury and enter the octagon in her best condition.

“You never can expect how your body will react after the surgery,” Shevchenko said. “It’s my first surgery. I never had before, and definitely I would not risk something that important for me as my belt. It’s all about my recuperation. When I will be back to the octagon, I will feel my body 100 percent, definitely. I will not do something when there is not risk for major injury.

“This is the most important or me. Right now I focus so much to start my training with no injuries and not repeat the same injury and to protect my legs and protect them from unwanted force during the training camp. This is for me what’s very important. I know if I do this and follow this plan, I will do good.”

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UFC 251 free fight: Petr Yan sparks UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber

Ahead of his bantamweight title fight on July 11, watch Petr Yan’s knockout over Urijah Faber at UFC 245.

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] packs some serious power at bantamweight.

Yan faced UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] on the main card opener of UFC 245 in December in a fight that was critical in proving himself as a top player at 135 pounds.

Yan stalked Faber and pressured “The California Kid” right off the bat. He took his time, trying to find his range with faints and fakes, forcing Faber to constantly move side-to-side to evade. Yan opened up at the end of Round 1, tagging Faber with an uppercut then a short right hand.

In Round 2, Faber started out with another step-in knee, but Yan ate it with no issues. He continued to press Faber, pushing him back with a perfect one-two combination that dropped the former WEC champ. Faber showed good survival instincts, but was immediately dropped again with a big elbow that had him bloodied up, swollen and in all sorts of trouble.

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Yan was finally able to put the ever-so-tough Faber away in Round 3, blasting him with a massive head kick for his sixth consecutive UFC win.

Yan (14-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) returns at UFC 251 on July 11 when he meets Jose Aldo (28-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) for the vacant bantamweight title in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

Before he faces Aldo, though, relive Yan’s finish over Faber in the video above.

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UFC 251 free fight: Alexander Volkanovski shuts down Max Holloway to win featherweight title

Ahead of his first title defense on July 11, relive Alexander Volkanovski’s win over Max Holloway at UFC 245.

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] has been able to outpace the majority of the 145-pound division, but met his match when he met [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag].

Unbeaten in the UFC, Volkanovski (21-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) challenged featherweight champion Holloway in the co-main event of UFC 245.

Volkanovski threw hard leg kicks early, a technique that would become the story of the fight. He charged in with combinations, backed  Holloway up and didn’t allow him to control the center of the octagon.

Holloway started to ramp up the offense, countering Volkanovski’s leg kicks with solid one-two combinations and shots to the body. But Volkanovski continued to beat Holloway to the punch and chopped away at his legs throughout the fight. The Aussie’s distance management was impeccable, as he shut down Holloway’s offense and out-struck the Hawaiian.

After five rounds, Volkanovski earned the unanimous decision win to become the first Australian-born champion in UFC history.

Now the newly-crowned featherweight champ returns in the co-main event of UFC 251 when he faces Holloway in a 145-pound title rematch.

Before he faces Holloway, relive Volkanovski’s championship-winning performance in the video above.

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Kamaru Usman scoffs at Colby Covington’s fake foul claims: ‘This kid is tiring’

Kamaru Usman won’t entertain Colby Covington’s fake foul accusations.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] won’t entertain [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]’s fake foul accusations.

Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) finished Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in a thrilling battle to retain his UFC welterweight title at this past December’s UFC 245, in a last-minute stoppage that Covington immediately contested.

Covington was also unhappy with referee Marc Goddard, accusing him of giving Usman unnecessary breaks in the heated action that saved him from losing the fight.

But Usman says he doesn’t understand why Covington is claiming that he was faking those fouls when there’s video evidence to prove otherwise. He does admit, though, that the low blow may not have connected as hard as he initially thought in the moment.

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“I’ve seen a little bit here and there, but I try and disconnect,” Usman told MMA Junkie this past Saturday at a media day for Dominance MMA. “This kid’s tiring. Like I was asked earlier, going to these shows and things like that, it gets tiring after a while, and I just kind of want to back out and indulge in my family and being at home, so I had to unplug for a little while, but making those claims is stupid.

“There’s clear-cut video. Your fingers went in my eye, easy as that, and at the same time, like the cup shot, I can’t touch on that enough. We are trained in our minds, if something hits you here (points down) as a man, you anticipate, and you wait for that pain to come, and you saw the break was literally maybe 10 seconds if that, in that period. It’s like, ‘Boom,’ I got grazed in the cup to where it’s like I’m anticipating that pain to come, and it’s not that bad. ‘OK ref, let’s go. Let’s keep going,’ to where now he’s saying, ‘You faked it. I was ready to finish you.’ You weren’t ready to finish anybody. At the end of the day, if you were ready to finish me, why didn’t you finish me at the end of the fight?”

It appears that Usman’s next title defense will likely come against Jorge Masvidal, despite Covington campaigning for a rematch, which Usman says he’d be open to at some point down the line.

“At the end of the day, if he wants a rematch, that’s not up to me,” Usman said. “That’s up to the company. I’d be happy to break his face, break his jaw again.”

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Colby Covington on why he didn’t wrestle Kamaru Usman at UFC 245: ‘I was beating him up so easily standing’

Colby Covington explains why he did not use his wrestling against Kamaru Usman at UFC 245.

The fight between [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] turned out to be a classic, but it didn’t play out the way most expected it to.

UFC welterweight champion Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) faced former UFC 170-pound interim champ Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the main event of this past December’s UFC 245, where both men stood toe-to-toe in the middle of the octagon and traded for 24 minutes.

Considering both men’s decorated collegiate wrestling backgrounds, it came as a surprise that two fighters that have leaned heavily on their grappling in the past, didn’t even attempt to take the fight to the ground.

Covington, who was up 3-1 on one judge’s scorecard, said he abandoned his wrestling because he felt that he was having his way with Usman on the feet before being stopped in the final minute of the fifth round in a controversial finish.

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“No, I was not surprised one bit that he didn’t want to wrestle because he knows that if he wrestles a D1 all-star like me, he’s going to get exposed and he’s going to get tired, and he’s going to gas,” Covington told MMA Junkie. “The reason I didn’t implement any wrestling is I was beating him up so easily standing.

“I wobbled him in the first, the second, and the fourth. I hurt him with the head kick, got a nasty body kick on him where he was about to quit. I caught him with some good straight lefts, good hooks, good uppercuts, and had him on wobbly legs multiple times, so I was having so much success striking that I didn’t need to wrestle. I was winning the whole entire fight, so I didn’t feel like I had to switch to the wrestling.”

Both men attempted over 750 significant strikes combined, putting on an incredible pace. Covington was able to previously show off that impressive work rate in his unanimous decision win over former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler at this past August’s UFC on ESPN 5, where he broke the record for most significant strikes attempted with 515.

Covington put the pressure on Usman early but was unhappy with the officiating throughout the fight. There were numerous breaks in the action due to an eye poke and groin shot by Covington that he’s adamant did not land – and he thinks those breaks in the early rounds that he was in control of completely changed the tide of the fight.

“I noticed that when I kicked him in the liver and I was starting to put the pressure on in the second round, he didn’t like that,” Covington said. “He was ready to fold up, you could see it in his eyes. If you go freeze frame to when I kicked him in the liver and he turned around, you could see it in his eyes. He was ready to break and he was ready to quit, but when you get five minutes to recover in a fight and you get that two separate times, that’s 10 minutes of resting in a title fight. There’s no way for me to build momentum or build pressure on because he just takes breaks, and that’s cheating.”

“The rematch, there’s going to be a different game plan, a different strategy and I’m 110 percent confident that he won’t be able to stand with me.”

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Colby Covington far from finished with Kamaru Usman: ‘There’s a sequel and trilogy coming’

“It was a great fight, exciting fight, we put on a show for the people, but this has just started.”

[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] has unfinished business with [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] after losing a barnburner to the welterweight champion.

Last December at UFC 245, Covington lost by fifth-round TKO to Usman, with the fight being stopped by referee Marc Goddard in the final minute of the fight. Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has remained steadfast in his opinion that Goddard stopped the fight too early.

Covington was dropped multiple times late in the fight, but as soon as Goddard waved it off, a conscious Covington stood right back up in disbelief.

Now, it appears the UFC will go with Jorge Masvidal as the next title challenger to Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) during “International Fight Week,” putting Covington’s rematch aspirations on hold.

Covington isn’t too worried, though, as he told MMA Junkie that the UFC has expressed interest in running it back in a rivalry that he sees stretching out over the next few years.

“There has been some talks with the UFC; they like the idea of a rematch,” Covington said. “They think it’s justified. I mean, look at the fight. I’m up three rounds to one going into the fifth round. I won the first, second and fourth, there’s no questions about that, and the UFC likes the idea. The fight delivered. It was a great fight, exciting fight, we put on a show for the people, but this has just started. This just started. That was Round 1; there’s Round 2 and 3 coming. There’s a sequel and trilogy coming to this fight, so I think they like the idea of it.”

Covington also was unhappy with a few breaks in the action. Goddard stopped the fight on numerous occasions, warning Covington of an eye poke and low blow. In both instances, Covington is adamant he didn’t even connect.

“The people know who’s the real champion, and the people want Round 2,” Covington said. “This is war, and we had one battle. But you know what, we’re just getting started. We’re just getting started. That was Round 1, there’s still Round 2 and 3 to go, and next time it’s going to be a fair playing field. He’s not going to be able to fake injuries to get a momentum shift when I’m about to stop him in a fight, so it’s going to be a completely different outcome next time.”

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Should the UFC decide to book Usman vs. Masvidal, Covington is willing to wait. In the meantime, he’ll stay ready as always, in case one of them doesn’t make it to the fight.

“I’m going to sit tight, play my cards tight, and I’m going to keep getting better,” said Covington, who broke his jaw against Usman. “I love training and just getting better and just improving every day, and I know I still have a lot to work on. I’m still new in the game, and the good thing for me is I’m still young. I’m 31 years young. Time is on my side, so whatever they want to do, I’m still going to be here. I’m not going anywhere, and there’s no one that can take me out of this position right now, so I’m going to sit back, I’m going to see what happens, if someone overprices themselves out of this title fight, and I deserve to fight for the title.

“I already won a world title. I’m a world champion. I’m the people’s champion. I’m America’s champion. I’m Donald Trump’s favorite fighter, so to get me back, they need to do me right and put an even playing field and give me my rematch vs. ‘Marty Fakenewsman.’ And if not, if they want to go another direction, and they want to have ‘Street Judas’ journeyman Jorge Masvidal fight ‘Marty Fakenewsman’ then that’s fine. I can wait for the winner.

“Time is on my side. I’m not going anywhere. We can fight by the end of this year.”

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Marc Goddard stands by Colby Covington stoppage in Kamaru Usman fight at UFC 245: ‘I handled it on the money’

Marc Goddard defends his stoppage of the UFC 245 main event between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.

Referee Marc Goddard is adamant he handled his officiating of the UFC 245 main event the best way he could.

It was a back-and-forth competitive fight between UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], but also one that involved numerous low blows and eye pokes, making Goddard a busy man on the night.

With the clock winding down, Usman dropped Covington twice, and Goddard decided he had seen enough. An infuriated Covington stood up right away, blasting Goddard for the early stoppage. He took aim at his profession, and didn’t hold back when it came to bashing the veteran referee’s decisions in the fight.

But Goddard stands by his stoppage of the fight. Speaking to Dan Hardy on “Listen!,” Goddard broke down why he thought it was the right decision to intervene, despite there being less than a minute left in the championship fight.

“(It was a) difficult fight. I know I handled it on the money, to a T,” Goddard said. “I’m seeing things unfold, and I see Colby put down twice in rapid order – plus 24 minutes of back-and-forth before that. So there’s a lot of damage sustained. Then I see him go down, and obviously he stays in that turtle position started on the double, then pulling his hands back. This is where everything will narrow in for me. I’m now firmly put in the spotlight. I have a decision to make and I’m trying to assess this. I have to assess this, real time, with everything I saw, etc.”

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Heading into the fifth round, one judge had Usman up, one had Covington up, and the third judge had it tied at two rounds a piece, making the fifth round pivotal.

But Goddard said fighters’ safety comes first, and had he let the fight continue, he would have likely received heavy criticism had Covington gotten knocked out cold or suffered unnecessary extra damage.

He received criticism just a week later when many thought he let Frankie Edgar sustain too much damage in his first-round TKO loss to Chan Sung Jung at UFC on ESPN+ 23. The difference was, Goddard said, Edgar had not just gone through 24 minutes of a barn burner.

“I’m looking at Colby, and then I see the damage he’s sustained, the two knockdowns, etc.,” Goddard said. “When you are face down, when I can’t see you, I can’t read you. It’s difficult for me to … that exasperates everything further. So I’m now trying to compute in my mind: ‘Are you there, (or) are you not?’

“Could I have let that fight go on? Yeah. Could have I stood back and let it go on? Yeah. Should I have let it? And that’s the narrative here. Should I have? And that’s the point I make when I’m assessing what happened, assessing the position he’s in: two knockdowns, (and) he’s being punched.”

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Colby Covington: UFC 245 loss due to fake fouls, referee missteps and slipping ‘on a banana peel’

Colby Covington spoke publicly for the first time since his UFC 245 loss to Kamaru Usman.

[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] isn’t thrilled with the way things went down Dec. 14.

That night, Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) challenged [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] for the welterweight title at UFC 245. Against bitter rival Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC, Covington engaged in a back-and-forth war, but suffered a fifth-round TKO loss.

Monday, Covington publicly spoke about the loss for the first time and attributed the defeat to a number of contributing factors – all of which he made sure to describe as “fake.”

“Go look and review the tape of what happened on Dec. 14 at UFC 245,” Covington told ESPN. “Give a fair call. Call it down the center. What actually happened? Let’s talk about the bullet points.”

Covington’s first “bullet point” was the fouls referee Marc Goddard called early in the fight. At one point, Goddard stopped the action for a groin shot by Covington. Later, he called a timeout for an eye poke by Covington. The American Top Team welterweight accused Usman of faking both.

“(In) the second, I get a timeout. ‘Oh, nice job. Let me call a nut shot.’ The dude got hit in the liver and was ready to fold up like a lawn chair,” Covington said. “Then all of a sudden he wants to call a nut shot? That’s the fakest foul I’ve ever heard in all of fighting.

“… In the third round, ‘Marty Fakenewsman’ gets poked in the left eye. He’s holding his right eye. He’s selling to the doctor that, ‘Oh, my right eye. Oh, my right eye.’ Dude, you got poked in the left eye. What are you doing? You’re faker than fake. That’s why you’re ‘Marty Fakenewsman.’ You’re making fake excuses. You want a momentum change. That’s what this is all about.”

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Covington then transitioned to his second bullet point: Goddard. Covington claims Goddard saw him get poked in the eye in the fourth round, but did nothing about it.

“We go to the fourth round (and) oh – I get poked by ‘Marty Fakenewsman?” Covington said. “Marc Goddard looks at me, ‘No more timeouts. You guys keep fighting. No more timeouts. I’m not stopping it.’ So he sees a clear foul where I get poked.”

The next bullet point on Covington’s list of UFC 245 grievances was the finishing sequence. Not only does Covington think the stoppage was early, he took exception with the legality of Usman’s final blows. Covington said he thinks the shots landed to the back of his head.

“Let’s talk about the fifth round,” Covington said. “I’m beating his ass again. I’ve won the whole entire fight. The fight is mine. They’re about to wrap the welterweight championship around my waist. Then all of a sudden, I slip on a banana peel and I’m getting hit in the back of the head. Marc Goddard is seeing this right in front of his face. I’m getting hit in the back in the head.

“Go look at the video in the fifth round. I took four shots to the back of the head. I’m completely coherent and I cover up the back of my head. When I cover up the back of my head, he calls the fight. I stand right up and I protest. ‘What are you doing? Why are you calling the fight? I’m winning the whole entire fight. There’s less than a minute left in the fight and you see a foul in front of your face and you don’t call it. Then when you don’t see a foul in front of your face, you give him time and throw him a life raft in a river when he’s drowning.’ That’s why he’s named ‘Marc Not-so-Goodard.'”

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Finally, Covington expressed displeasure with “leaked” audio that revealed he suffered a jaw injury. Covington isn’t sure if the UFC or the Nevada Athletic Commission are to blame. Regardless, he’s unhappy with the revelation.

“I also (had) to fight against the Nevada Athletic Commission releasing my corner audio,” Covington said. “I thought we were supposed to be 25 feet away in the octagon. There’s not supposed to be any audio of the corner (or) what’s going on in between rounds. How is it possible that gets broadcasted to the world?”

Covington went on the reveal he didn’t break his jaw, despite numerous reports otherwise. Additionally, Covington called for a rematch with Usman.

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MMA Junkie’s 2019 ‘Fight of the Year’: Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum

Here are the top four honorable mentions and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Fight of the Year” award for 2019.

With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best fights from January to December. Here are the top five and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Fight of the Year” award for 2019.

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Honorable mentions

5. Henry Cejudo def. Marlon Moraes at UFC 238

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) made more combat sports history when he defeated [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (23-6-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) to claim the vacant bantamweight belt after a stunning turnaround.

Cejudo, who came into the event as flyweight champ, became the fourth simultaneous two-division titleholder in company history with a third-round TKO victory over Moraes to claim the 135-pound strap.

4. Vicente Luque def. Bryan Barberena at UFC on ESPN 1

[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (17-7-1 MMA, 10-3 UFC) continued to show he’s among the most dangerous fighters in the welterweight division when he came out on the winning end of an all-out war with [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] (14-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC).

Luque kept his perfect UFC stoppage rate intact when at the end of a wild, thrilling, back-and-forth fight with Barberena, he put together a combination of knees that finally dropped his opponent and led to the stoppage with just six seconds remaining in final round.

3. Kamaru Usman def. Colby Covington at UFC 245

The highly anticipated welterweight title fight between [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) and [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) surpassed all pre-fight expectations, but in the end it was the champion who came away with his title reign intact.

Usman and Covington went toe-to-toe for nearly five rounds, exchanging strikes on the feet and not once putting a wholehearted effort into a takedown attempt. Usman proved more dangerous on the feet in the matchup of wrestlers, breaking Covington’s jaw before dropping and stopping him in the fifth for the fight-ending TKO.

2. Paulo Costa def. Yoel Romero at UFC 241

[autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) validated himself as a true middleweight contender when he defeated [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in a bout that was every bit as exciting as it was billed to be beforehand.

Costa joined reigning 185-pound king Robert Whittaker as the only fighters to beat Romero in UFC competition when he earned a unanimous-decision victory in a matchup that was deemed “Fight of the Night” on one of the best cards of the year.

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The Winner: Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236

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In one of the best fights in recent memory, [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) claimed the UFC’s interim middleweight title in a classic five-round thriller with [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) in the main event of UFC 236 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Gastelum moved quickly to the center at the start of the fight, while Adesanya was content to study from range. A few probing kicks and punches just touched the mark for Adesanya before Gastelum rushed forward with a pair of leaping power punches that missed. Gastelum looked comfortable in the pocket with Adesanya, and his left hand did land clean, leaving his opponent off-balance for a few tense steps away from the fence.

Adesanya continued to be the more accurate striker with his flicking shots, but Gastelum was finding the mark on occasion with his powerful blows. Adesanya’s movement saw him avoid Gastelum’s biggest shots, but he certainly wasn’t untouchable.

Adesanya was a little more aggressive to open the second, kicking at the body and then punching up top. Gastelum continued to press, looping the left hand over the top when in tight. Adesanya tried to attach high, but Gastelum’s defense was solid, and he countered with a beautiful straight punch down the middle. The big left followed shortly after, as well.

Adesanya did his best to slip and move on the outside, but Gastelum was undeniably finding the mark. As he gained confidence, Gastelum pressed, and Adesanya made him pay with a counter right that sent him crashing to the floor. Adesanya followed, but Gastelum was able to crawl back to his feet and reset.

Adesanya’s punches were beginning to land with more authority as the round unfolded. He countered well and again saw a right hand snap his opponent’s head back. A slick reverse elbow stunned Gastelum, who shot for the takedown unsuccessfully after being wobbled. Gastelum grabbed the body again in the final seconds but couldn’t get the fight to the floor.

Gastelum appeared energized to start the third, bouncing lightly on the outside and loading up on the big left. The crowd started chanting Adesanya’s name, and he looked confident on the outside. A brief Thai clinch saw Adesanya land a knee up the middle, but Gastelum pulled away and remained upright. Gastelum leaped forward with a few right hands, but Adesanya’s counters were well-timed and proved the more effective blows.

Adesanya’s right hand really started to find a home as the round unfolded, and Gastelum’s face showed the wear of the blows. In the final 90 seconds, Gastelum was able to drive forward and score a clean takedown, but Adesanya was instantly scrambling and back up on his feet, looking to strike. The two traded a few low kicks before the bell, and the round ended on the feet.

Gastelum came forward quickly in the fourth, and his punches came with bad intentions. Adesanya was forced to move laterally to avoid the chase, but he eventually found his way back to the center of the cage. Adesanya’s right hand again found a home, but Gastelum was able to shake it off and resume his pressure attack, eventually getting inside and briefly holding a clinch, though he wasn’t able to capitalize.

Adesanya tried to turn up the heat late in the frame, though his punches were met with powerful replies. Each time Adesanya tried to completely unload, Gastelum would swing back with menacing responses. A Gastelum high kick landed clean and stunned Adesanya in the final minute, and he couldn’t hide the repercussions. Gastelum charged to capitalize, but Adesanya was able to avoid the follow-ups and scamper to safety. Adesanya pressed inside at the bell, and the round ended against the fence.

With the fight in the balance in the final round, the crowd rose to their feet. Gastelum was incredibly aggressive again to open, but Adesanya shifted left and stayed out of trouble. Adesanya chopped the leg and then delivered a few straight punches that landed clean, but Gastelum would not go away. Gastelum continued to stalk from the center before shooting inside and looking for the takedown. Adesanya countered with a guillotine, but Gastelum slipped out of it after several very tense moments. As they hit the floor, Gastelum slipped to the top, but Adesanya threatened with a triangle choke and then an armbar in an amazing scramble. Gastelum pulled free, and the two returned to the feet.

On the restart, Adesanya went to work, peppering his opponent with stiff punches to the face. Gastelum absorbed them all and swung back, but it was clear the strikes were having an effect. Adesanya’s quick punches continued to score, and Gastelum failed on a takedown attempt. With time winding down, Gastelum moved forward. However, it was Adesanya’s punches that were true, and he again dropped his opponent with a little more than a minute remaining.

Gastelum refused to go away that easily, crawling to his feet and looking to attack. However, Adesanya was there to deliver more damage, bloodying Gastelum and sending him crashing to the canvas. Gastelum stood once again, but Adesanya was unrelenting and dropped him once again, finishing the final round with a barrage of punches on the floor. In the end, Adesanya was awarded the decision win and the interim title with scores of 48-46 across the board. He would then go to successful unify the titles with a second-round knockout of Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in October.

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