Tag: UFC on ESPN 38

UFC on ESPN 38 results: Thiago Moises wraps up, taps Christos Giagos in first

Thiago Moises had a short night at the office at UFC on ESPN 38 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag] has a serious squeeze, and proved it on the main card of UFC on ESPN 38 at the UFC Apex.

It didn’t take long for Moises (16-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) to find the neck of Christos Giagos, and when he did, it was just a matter of time before the tap followed.

Moises found his way to the back of the standing Giagos (19-10 MMA, 5-6 UFC) and wrapped up a body triangle. From there, it was a search for the opening to slide the arm under the chin, and just over three minutes into the round, Moises locked it in to get the finish with one arm.

Check out video of the submission below (via Twitter):

The win snapped a two-fight skid for Moises, who dropped back-to-back fights to Joel Alvarez and Islam Makhachev. Prior to those setbacks, Moises put together a streak of three which included wins over Michael Johnson, Bobby Green, and Alexander Hernandez.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC on ESPN 38 include:

UFC on ESPN 38 results: Khabib’s cousin Umar Nurmagomedov dominates, moves to 15-0

Umar Nurmagomedov had little problem dominating Nate Maness at UFC on ESPN 38 to go 15-0 in his career.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] had little problem dominating Nate Maness at UFC on ESPN 38 to stay undefeated in his career.

Nurmagomedov (15-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who is the cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, showed the trademark overwhelming grappling pressure that has become synonymous with his family name by making light work of Maness (14-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision victory by scores of 30-27, 30-26 and 30-25.

The bantamweight fight was part of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 38 main card, which took place at the UFC Apex.

It took about 90 seconds for Nurmagomedov to get his first takedown after an early feeling-out process between the two sides. Nurmagomedov completely smothered Maness with his top pressure, landing short shots until he passed guard and into the mount. Nurmagomedov threatened with a late submission, but there wasn’t enough time to finish it.

In the second round, Nurmagomedov needed less than 40 seconds to shoot for a takedown and plant Maness on his back. Maness never got up over the course of the round, because Nurmagomedov controlled from on top, from the back, and then landed big shots in the closing moments of a completely one-sided round.

With Maness worn down and out of answers in the final frame, Nurmagomedov started to showcase some of his striking with a hard kick to the face of his opponent and some other solid strikes. He then secured a takedown and battered Maness to the final bell.

After the win, Nurmagomedov said he’s coming for UFC gold, and ready to break into the top 10 at 135 pounds with his next fight.

“I’m going to continue to fight and I’m going to work and I’m going to be the champion,” Nurmagomedov said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC on ESPN 38 include:

UFC on ESPN 38 video: Carlos Ulberg sparks Tafon Nchukwi, scores 75-second TKO

Carlos Ulberg made quick work of Tafon Nchukwi to close out the prelims of UFC on ESPN 38 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – The improvements of [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] continue to show each time out.

Closing out the preliminary card of UFC on ESPN 38 at the UFC Apex, Ulberg (5-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) wasted little time finding the chin of Tafon Nchukwi. Ulberg didn’t rush the action, though.

After finding the range with quick punches high and to the body, he saw the opening he needed and landed a sharp left hand to stun and wobble Nchukwi (6-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC). Ulberg blitzed in with a flurry of punches and referee Herb Dean rushed in to stop the fight just 75 seconds into the contest.

Check out video of the finish in the video below (via Twitter):

The win marked the second straight for Ulberg, who entered Saturday’s fight on the heels of a unanimous decision victory over Fabio Cherant at UFC 271. Sharing the training room with UFC champions [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] appears to be paying dividends as Ulberg turned in a near-flawless performance.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC on ESPN 38 include:

  • Carlos Ulberg def. Tafon Nchukwi via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:15
  • Shayilan Nuerdanbieke def. T.J. Brown via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Sergey Morozov def. Raulian Paiva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Cody Durden def. JP Buys via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:08
  • Mario Bautista def. Brian Kelleher via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:27
  • Vanessa Demopoulos def. Jinh Yu Frey via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

UFC on ESPN 38 video: Cody Durden smokes JP Buys with 68-second TKO

Cody Durden got back on track in a big way Saturday at UFC on ESPN 38 in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag] got back on track in a big way Saturday at UFC on ESPN 38.

Durden (13-4-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) obliterated JP Buys (9-5 MMA, 0-3 UFC) in just 68 seconds at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, rushing his opponent and landing a blitz of strikes and forcing the flyweight fight to be stopped early in the first round.

After getting put away quickly by Muhammad Mokaev in his previous outing, Durden turned the tables and got the job done.

Check out the highlight below (via Twitter):

After the win, Durden detailed his sacrifice for this performance and immediately campaigned for a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

“I stayed six weeks in a hotel by myself, away from my family, away from my beautiful wife. Hopefully, I’m leaving here tonight with three checks.”

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC on ESPN 38 include:

UFC on ESPN 38: Best photos from Las Vegas

Check out these photos from UFC on ESPN 38 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check out these photos from the fights at UFC on ESPN 38 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Fight and venue photos courtesy of the UFC via Getty Images) (Gallery will update throughout the event.)

UFC on ESPN 38: Official scorecards from Las Vegas

Check out the official scorecards from all of the UFC on ESPN 38 bouts at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check out the official scorecards from all 12 bouts at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Gallery updated throughout the event.)

UFC on ESPN 38 video: Mario Bautista turns in dominant performance, taps Brian Kelleher in first round

Mario Bautista turned in one of the best performances of his UFC run on Saturday.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] wasted little time getting the job done on Saturday.

In what was perhaps the cleanest performance of his six-fight UFC run so far, Bautista (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) only needed half a round to seal the victory against Brian Kelleher on the prelims of UFC on ESPN 38 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

After getting the fight to the mat and transitioning to full mount, Bautista found an opening to slap on a rear-naked choke as Kelleher (24-13 MMA, 8-6 UFC) turned away. The choke was in deep and Kelleher had no choice but to tap.

Check out video of the submission below (via Twitter):

“I was super happy to show off my jiu-jitsu,” Bautisa told Michael Bisping during his post-fight interview in the cage. “I’ve been working a lot with John Crouch, and I’ve been waiting to show it off in the UFC. What better guy to show it against than my opponent.”

The win marks the second straight for Bautista, entering Saturday’s contest on the heels of a unanimous decision win over Jay Perrin in February.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC on ESPN 38 include:

  • Mario Bautista def. Brian Kelleher via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:27
  • Vanessa Demopoulos def. Jinh Yu Frey via spit decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

Vanessa Demopoulos surprised Michael Bisping with celebration after UFC on ESPN 38 win

Michael Bisping should’ve known what Vanessa Demopoulos had planned at the end of their UFC on ESPN 38 post-fight interview.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] should’ve known what [autotag]Vanessa Demopoulos[/autotag] had planned at the end of their UFC on ESPN 38 post-fight interview.

After Demopoulos (8-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) went viral by jumping into Joe Rogan’s arms following her victory earlier this year, she did the same again to Bisping on Saturday’s card at the UFC Apex.

As you can see on the former UFC middleweight champion’s face, though, he didn’t expect it (via Twitter):

Demopoulos had a lot to be excited about at UFC on ESPN 38. She opened the card with a split decision win over Jinh Yu Frey (11-7 MMA, 2-3 UFC) and has now won two straight after falling short in her octagon debut.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

UFC on ESPN 38 play-by-play and live results (7 p.m. ET)

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN 38 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 38 event, and you can join us for live play-by-play and official results beginning at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT).

UFC on ESPN 38 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+.

In the main event, Arman Tsarukyan (18-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) takes on Mateusz Gamrot (20-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in a lightweight fight. In the co-feature, Neil Magny (26-8 MMA, 19-7 UFC) meets unbeaten rising star Shavkat Rakhmonov (15-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC).

Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 7 p.m. ET for the prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+ and 10 p.m. ET for the main card on ESPN.

To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC on ESPN 38 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway) on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

UFC on ESPN 38 discussion thread

UFC on ESPN 38 takes place Saturday in Las Vegas, and you can discuss the event here.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 38 event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, which kicks off at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). You can discuss the event here.

Be sure to follow along with the latest card updates in our UFC on ESPN 38 live results post, and then discuss the event in the comments section below.

Round-by-round updates and official results begin at approximately 7 p.m. ET for the preliminary card and 10 p.m. ET for the main card.

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