Live Now! UFC 319 ‘Du Plessis vs. Chimaev’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring (2025)

AlibiIdiris (126) vs. JosephMorales (126)

BETTINGPREVIEW | SCOUTINGREPORT | ODDS: Idiris (-450), Morales (+350)

Round 1

Tonight’s the night, and it’s going to happen again and again. Hasto happen. Nice night. Chicago is a great town. I love the deepdish pizza, even if it’s no match for a giant New York slice. Wehave before us a dozen matches of varied intrigue, with the leastinteresting—sorry TUF, but your model is antiquated and wornout—starting off first. Not because they are flyweights, butbecause the victor between Idiris (10-0, 0-0 UFC) and Morales(12-2, 1-2 UFC) will earn a six-figure UFC contract that does notlook nearly as appealing as it did 20 years ago. Still, businessmust be settled, and referee Nick Cimmarusti is assigned to theopening proceeding. The match with a shiny crystalline trophy onthe line commences with a touch of gloves.

Morales is the immediate aggressor, going right after Idiristhrowing big punches. Idiris takes one or two on the chin andcounters back, and he circles away. Morales keeps the pressure upeven as a front kick pushes him away, and he dodges a spinning backfist to get hands on his opponent. Idiris tries for a wheel kickthat bounces off the guard, and Morales catches him in the middleof the air when Idiris goes after a flying knee. The two slowthings down in the clinch, with Morales jamming his foe up andworking him with short knees. Idiris gives him a few knees back tothink about as they jockey back and forth for position. Fans growrestless after this prolonged grappling exchange, and have alreadystarted booing 90 seconds into the event. Morales tries to wrestlehis man to the floor, and he comes up top with a knee that poundsinto Idiris’ forehead. The fighters split up, and Idiris works thebody on the way out.

Morales throws back body shots, and he ducks under a spinning backfist to hit a double-leg takedown. When he finds himself on top,Morales starts attacking with elbows, and Cimmarusti warns Idirisfor striking the back of the head. Morales lowers himself down topursue an arm-triangle choke while still in half guard, and Idirisis quick to defend it but gives up full mount in the process.Morales lets go of the submission to allow Idiris to turn around,and he takes the back and wraps a triangle around the midsection.Idiris stands back up despite Morales on his back, and Moralesslugs him in the sides of the dome. Morales lets go of the backtake to turn himself around and drive a knee to the body, and whenIdiris considers a takedown, Morales counters with a kimura toreverse the position and get on Idiris’ back again. Morales gets inhis hooks and wraps up an arm-in rear-naked choke. The forearmslides beneath the chin, and Idiris issues a thumbs-up to thecamera and rides out the round.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Morales
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Morales
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Morales

Round 2

To keep Morales from grabbing hold of him—after they share a fistbump—Idiris starts letting loose with spinning and flashy strikes.Nothing lands of note, but he keeps Morales honest enough to notshoot for naked takedowns. Idiris spins with a well-timed back fistthat rebounds off Morales’ head, but Morales ignores it andpressures his man back. Chants for “U.S.A.” rain down for Morales,who can only channel their energy with a knee to the body and aright hand up top to split them up. Idiris pitches a high kick whenMorales advances, and a Morales right hand gets the newcomer’sattention. Morales lays into the unbeaten fighter with body shots,and Idiris covers his torso and is not faring well from the attack.He spins wildly, and Morales knocks him off his feet with a counterright hand. Morales leaps on top to take the back as Idiris triesto scramble, and he flirts with a banana split where he wouldtorque Idiris’ leg far in the wrong direction.

Idiris fights out of the leglock and turns all the way through toput Morales on his back, only for Morales to wrap up a trianglechoke in response. The choke is instantly tight, and Idiris doesnot know what to do and does not move. Before long, he taps out onMorales’ chest, and just like that, Morales is theflyweight tournament winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 33."Bopo" drops to his knees after letting the choke go, and fans boomcheers of “USA” for the victor. Tears well up in Morales’ eyes, wholooked like a man on a mission en route to a statement triumph.

The Official Result

Joseph Morales def. Alibi Idiris R2 3:04 via Submission (TriangleChoke)

DioneBarbosa (125.5) vs. KarineSilva (125)

BETTINGPREVIEW | SCOUTINGREPORT | ODDS: Silva (-218), Barbosa (+180)

Round 1

Moving to the standard fights with no extra stipulations beyond winand move up/lose and move down, Silva (18-5, 4-1 UFC) learned lastNovember about the latter when she lost her nine-fight win streak.Barbosa (8-3, 2-1 UFC) too had a good stretch halted last year,although she turned things around by throttling Diana Belbita. Theflyweights will be joined in the cage by referee Rob Madrigal, whoobserves the countrywomen meeting in the middle without sharing afist bump.

Silva takes to the center of the cage, and within 15 seconds ofinactivity, the crowd is already fussing at the two athletes.Barbosa tosses out a half-hearted low kick to quell the woo birds,and Silva comes back with one-two out of range. Barbosa flicks outa few jabs and parries a front kick, and she comes back to aim astraight shot to the torso. They do not do much other than potshotone another for a good minute until Barbosa steels herself andfires off two heavy punches.

The inactivity generally continues for both ladies, other than theoccasional shot from either side as if they are taking turns.Barbosa scores well with body shots, staying just busy enough whileSilva is stuck in first gear whiffing. Silva does reach one or twoof her strikes, and she fails on a takedown shot and stands back upto get caught with a right hand. Barbosa sneaks in an elbow, andshe digs kicks to the body. Silva responds with her own jab toknock her back, and she backpedals but is in a bad spot almostimmediately. Barbosa hits a beautiful trip to hurl her countrywomanto the floor, and she zips down to secure the back, get both hooksin and fish for a rear-naked choke. The forearm gets beneath thechin for a moment, but Barbosa bails on it to transition into anarmbar. She rolls with the armbar at the last second, and Silva issaved by the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Barbosa
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Barbosa
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Barbosa

Round 2

The Brazilians rush out to meet one another to start the secondround, and Silva wants to keep Barbosa away from her early bythrowing high kicks in bunches. Silva mixes in a body shot, and sheswats down a one-two aimed at her. Barbosa pecks and pokes with herjab, beating Silva to the punch most of the time and keeping herguard up to block the worst of a punch combo. Barbosa uses a kneeshield to block body kicks, and she wraps her foot up and aroundSilva’s head. Silva catches the kick and tackles Barbosa to thefloor, with Barbosa not too upset about this decision. Barbosadecides that she does not want to be on her back, so she explodesback up but is still grabbed by Silva. Barbosa turns her foe aroundand starts kneeing her to the body, grinding out “Killer” on thecage wall.

Barbosa gets off a knee to the body or two before Silva spins heraround, and when she gives a knee back, Barbosa spins her aboutonce more. Silva tries to hit a takedown, and Barbosa falls on topof her. Silva lifts her legs up to set up a high guard, and Barbosastays tightly pressed to her opponent to not give up anything.Silva hunts for a triangle choke and grabs hold of both arms aswell, and she starts hacking with elbows while Barbosa is trappedwith her arms in. Barbosa stacks Silva up and keeps taking elbowson the top of her head, and she lands a few punches to end theround.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Silva
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Silva
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Silva

Round 3

Silva walks her adversary down to open the last round, and Barbosabacks off and probes her with jabs. The jabs continue to score asone of the few effective weapons on either side, and when Silvaconsiders bending over for a takedown, Barbosa knees her in the guta few times. Silva lets go with a big right hand, and she hurls aleft after it to get Barbosa’s attention. Another two punches landfor Silva, only to take a right hand on the chin in a counter. Theytie up, and Barbosa shoulder-throws her foe flat to her back. Silvahits her back and employs rubber guard to wrap her right leg aroundthe back of the neck, and Barbosa lifts her up to slam her out ofit. With Silva attempting a surprise Gogoplata as she was slippingher shin around to get under the neck, Barbosa has to scramblesuddenly, and she turns to her knees.

“Killer” attacks with a killer power guillotine choke, using it topush Barbosa over in an attempt to get to mount. Barbosa fights outof the submission but is still stuck on her knees, and she electsto roll to her back so she can spin around and find top position.All the while, Silva slashes with elbows until she is placed on herback again. Of the two, Silva is the more active member striking,with Barbosa getting off little more than a couple hammerfists.Barbosa is warned for putting her fingers in the eyes while shesmothers Silva’s mouth, and she drops 12-to-6 elbows to the bodyand chest. Fans are not amused as Barbosa smothers out the rest ofthe fight, but it is in the books and the lingering question may behow the judges score the second stanza. It could be a closeone.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Barbosa (29-28 Barbosa)
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Barbosa (29-28 Barbosa)
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Barbosa (29-28 Barbosa)

The Official Result

Karine Silva def. Dione Barbosa via Unanimous Decision (29-28,29-28, 29-28)

EdsonBarboza (155.5) vs. DrakkarKlose (156)

BETTINGPREVIEW | SCOUTINGREPORT | ODDS: Barboza (-142), Klose (+120)

Round 1

A lightweight scrap that could have easily served in a main cardslot if not a headliner spot of a Fight Night is relegated to theearly prelims here in Chicago. Ultimate action fighter Barboza(24-12, 18-12 UFC) still wants to show he has something left in thetank at the age of 39, even though he has been away for over ayear. Klose (15-3-1, 9-3 UFC) on the other hand took off the lastnine months to get his head right after a crushing knockout at thehands (and knee) of Joel Alvarez. Before the fist and feet fly,referee Marc Goddard checks in the two 155ers, who sportingly touchgloves ahead of their scheduled engagement.

Klose gets right behind a jab, and Barboza chips at his front legand strings together a combination of strikes ending with a bodyshot while backing off. Klose tries for a spin, and it goes wide.The Brazilian gets away from the wall and plants a few heavy kickson the front leg, with Klose already anticipatorily raising his legto either check or stop a calf kick. Barboza changes the kicktarget to the waist, and Klose begins to chop at the front leg.Klose punches his way into a clinch, and fans immediately showerhim with boos. Klose ignores their disdain and starts stomping onBarboza’s foot with his heel. Barboza turns him about, and Kloseremains vigilant attacking with any open limb he can use like heelstrikes to the back of the calf. Barboza weighs heavily on his man,and Goddard asks for more activity.

Barboza digs two punches to the body and backs off, and Klosefollows him with a pair of punches. Barboza gets caught upstairswhen circling, and he is shoved to the wire. Barboza almostimmediately turns him to the wall, and for some reason, theaudience cheers Barboza clinching while booing when Klose does it.Barboza drives knees to the body before abandoning the position,and he rifles off a noiseless low kick that plants directly on thecalf. Barboza feints and fakes his way in to connect with aspinning back kick to the ribs, and Klose gets up close andpersonal with a few strong uppercuts. Barboza circles off andwhiffs on a wheel kick, and he evades the looping punches aimed hisway shortly thereafter. Klose eats a body shot to tag Barboza witha pair of punches, and the round concludes in the clinch.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Klose
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Klose
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Klose

Round 2

Barboza strikes first to start the round, but Klose’s counters aremuch heavier and drive Barboza back a bit. Klose spins with a wheelkick that catches the Brazilian on the side of the melon, and hegathers his thoughts and prods out with a jab. Klose kicks him tothe front leg, and his forward motion crashes into Barboza. Kloseunloads with short but destructive punches when up close and tightto Barboza, and Barboza leans on the fence to keep himself upright.Fans fly to his side suddenly, with “USA” chants supporting him ashe clinches and grinds. Barboza turns his hips into a low kick whenhe breaks free, and a second has a lot less intensity behind it. Athird, however, connects with a resounding thud, and he gets awaywith all three without getting countered. Klose drives towards himand pushes Barboza back to the wall.

Klose stomps on Barboza’s foot, which has developed some swellingand welting from the strikes, while in the clinch. Klose puncheshis way out of the tie-up he engaged with a right hand, and hescores a low kick and starts trading punches. Barboza takes theworse of an exchange, although he stays composed with lefts to thebody and big power upstairs. Klose marches Barboza down and clipshim with a right hand, ignoring what comes back his way to forceanother clinch. Barboza turns him around and knees him so hard thathe lifts Klose off the ground. Knees are traded in this positionuntil the horn blares.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Klose
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Klose
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Klose

Round 3

Barboza takes to the center of the cage, and both fighters attackwith jabs. Barboza whiffs on a telegraphed overhand right, and itis one-and-done as he takes a while to reset. Goddard warns Barbozafor outstretched fingers, so the Brazilian uses his foot to strike.Klose tries to clinch, and Barboza bullies him back to the wall.Barboza has a few knees land to the body as he changes levels, buthe does not go for a traditional entry. Klose escapes with a littleunder three minutes left, and he tags Barboza with a crisp righthand on the exit. Barboza retaliates with a low kick that puts afunny hitch in Klose’s step.

Klose’s right hand bashes into Barboza’s face, and he takes it wellenough and goes for a low kick-right hand combo. Klose steps inwith a right hand down the middle, and he checks a leg kick aimedhis direction. Klose clacks a right hand off the jaw of his foe,and a calf kick lands flush on him. Barboza doubles up on the kick,and Klose gives him a few back to ponder. Barboza jabs to reset,and he digs an uppercut to the sternum twice. Klose does not lovethose blows, so he engages the clinch as fans do not love what heis doing and let him know. With 20 seconds left, Klose disengagesand throws his hands in the air as if to start something crazy.Both men throw single wheel kicks that miss, and Klose ends theless-than-stellar outing with a somersault kick feet off hisintended target.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Barboza (29-28 Klose)
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Barboza (29-28 Klose)
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Barboza (29-28 Klose)

The Official Result

Drakkar Klose def. Edson Barboza via Unanimous Decision (29-28,29-28, 29-28)

AlexanderHernandez (156) vs. ChaseHooper (155)

BETTINGPREVIEW | SCOUTINGREPORT | ODDS: Hooper (-345), Hernandez (+275)

Round 1

Getting away from the prelims to the four-bout chunk on the ESPNnetwork, we start with a lightweight clash that pits ayoung-up-and-comer against someone who used to hold that statusbefore aging out of it. Hooper (16-3-1, 8-3 UFC) is full of thingsand vinegar at the age of 25 on a five-fight win streak—one shy ofa career long. His opponent Hernandez (16-8, 8-7 UFC) has wonlately to edge himself above the .500 UFC record line, although adefeat tonight would even him out again. The two men have refereeJason Herzog to thank for how the officiating will play out in thenext 15 minutes or fewer, and they opt to bump fists.

Hooper starts off with long front kicks from either limb to thebody. The kicks set up one up high, and he chains a spinning backfist into it. Hernandez steps in to kick the body, and Hoopernearly reaches him on the way out with his far longer limbs.Hernandez tries to close the distance again, and Hooper uses hisfront kick to frustrate his foe. Hernandez manages to get in toscore a pair of punches, only to have to back off and wait forHooper to throw a naked kick to counter with an overhand left.Hernandez sticks out a straight right hand, and Hooper whizzes pasthim with a combination.

Hernandez sits down on two counterpunches when Hooper kicks at theribs, and he hurls a big left hand as Hooper shoots in for asingle-leg entry. Hernandez breaks out of it and circles away,blocking a chasing strike or two including a spinning back fist.Hooper plants two punches on the jaw, and Hernandez reaches him atthe end of a left. Hooper’s front kick is mixed in, and he shootsin low for a takedown and lands on his own face. Hernandez scootsaway and lets Hooper back up, and he measures the longer fighterwith looping punches out of range. Hernandez connects on a fewpunches and evades a long right hand, while parrying two subsequentstrikes. “The Great Ape” hits with a left, and Hooper partiallyrolls with it and replies with doubled left hooks. Hernandez keeps moving from side to side, and he lances a fierceright hand down the middle to separate Hooper from his senses.Hooper collapses to his knees and tries for a desperate takedown tosave himself, and Hernandez pounds on him from both sides of thehead with seconds to go in the round. As Hooper takes damage,Herzog waves the fight off, as he does not feel thatHooper should have a few more seconds to ride out the round andrecover. Hooper is crestfallen but nods in understanding wheninformed exactly what happened, while the victorious Hernandezraises his arms and parades around the cage to celebrate.

The Official Result

Alexander Hernandez def. Chase Hooper R1 4:58 via TKO(Punches)

JessicaAndrade (116) vs. LupitaGodinez (115)

BETTINGPREVIEW | SCOUTINGREPORT | ODDS: Godinez (-148), Andrade (+124)

Round 1

The final women’s match of the night comes at 115 pounds andinvolves a former champ. Andrade (26-14, 17-12 UFC) is back againat her preferred weight category of strawweight after a couplelosses, meeting Godinez (13-5, 8-5 UFC) in a crossroads match. Thetwo will be joined in the cage by referee Nick Cimmarusti, who willkeep things on the up-and-up for the duration of the match. Theladies calmly touch ‘em up to get going.

Andrade moves right to the center of the cage behind a one-two anda low kick. Godinez responds with the same combo, and she findsherself dealing with leg kicks and right hands zooming at her face.Andrade walks face-first into a salvo, where she does land but alsogets caught on the way out. Two looping punches for “Loopy” bustopen a cut on the right side of Andrade’s face. Andrade plants legkick after unanswered leg kick on the front wheel of her opponentuntil Godinez throws punches back at her, and a one-two fromGodinez shakes Andrade up and forces a takedown shot. Andrade failson the shot and gets caught with two punches upstairs, and Godinezdrills her with another one-two in rapid succession. Andrade bearsdown on her adversary hurling punches, but the speed advantage isnoticeable. Andrade loads up on power, and Godinez dodges the worstof them and fires back a slapping leg kick.

Godinez drives home two punches and a jab after it, further markingAndrade up but not slowing her advances. Andrade lands an uppercutand a right hand, but she takes a knee to the torso on the way out.Godinez lobs right hands to decent effect, and she has her guardhigh to defend a barrage of blows from the Brazilian. Godinezstrings together a few punches into a body kick, and a knee to thebody freezes Andrade momentarily. When Godinez shoots for atakedown, Andrade frantically escapes and resets. Godinez loops aright hand over the top, and a one-two follows it but does notdisrupt the power punches that Andrade attempts. “Bate Estaca”starts pile driving with heavy, looping punches, and she rocksGodinez with a few left hands. Godinez shoots for a takedown thatAndrade tosses out of the way, and the Brazilian keeps swinging forthe fences. Andrade reaches Godinez with another hard right hand,and a left concludes the round.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Godinez
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Godinez
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Godinez

Round 2

The strawweights bump fists to get going, and Andrade picks upwhere she left off by getting right in Godinez’ face throwingbombs. Godinez stands in the pocket to respond, and she fakes toshoot for a double and dumps Andrade on her back. “Loopy” stepsover to half guard and fastens an arm-triangle choke, and shesmoothly advances to full mount as she releases the submission.Andrade sits up but is pushed over thanks to a Godinez guillotinethat is more to keep Andrade in place than actually threaten tochoke her. Andrade scrambles like a madwoman, but Godinez remainstightly pressed on top of her foe, clubbing her with right hands asAndrade wall-walks up to her feet. Andrade adjusts her hair andleaps forward with a left hand, and she parries a counter but isnailed with a check left hook. Godinez throws the same punch to thesame spot, and she chains a few more fists behind it to getAndrade’s respect. Godinez kicks Andrade and is poked in the eye onthe way back, and Andrade stops and gives her a second to recoverwhen Cimmarusti does not.

Andrade gets right in front of Godinez hurling hammers, and Godinezis content to bang it out with her in limited exchanges usually ather prerogative. Andrade keeps the pressure on, loading up withfireballs as she hammers the body several times. Godinez sits downin a fierce right hand and plants a knee on the torso, only to getknocked back a step by looping Andrade hooks. Andrade kicks to setup a pair of punches, and she eats punches on the way out but doesnot care. Andrade scores body shots that end up thwarting atakedown, and she allows Godinez to stand straight up so she canlay into her with additional fire. Andrade shoots, and she bails onit to hurl big strikes at her foe. Godinez ducks under and shootsto complete a takedown, but ultimately pushes the former champ tothe fence. Andrade pummels around and breaks off, and she loops ahuge right hand at her foe before the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Andrade
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Godinez
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Godinez

Round 3

A high-five is shared to begin the last round, which, as youprobably guessed, begins with an aggressive Andrade headhunting.Godinez tries to slow her down with a takedown entry, but Andradethrows her to the side and hammers her with punches. Godinezescapes and tries to get behind one-twos, but Andrade’s momentum ischanging her attack patterns. Andrade goes to the body and head tokeep Godinez guessing and preventing her from simply shelling upupstairs. Andrade lands and Godinez fires back, with terrificallyviolent exchanges coming from the top strawweights. Godinez nailsAndrade at the end of a long punch, snapping her head back, andAndrade is completely unfazed and keeps stalking down hurling hugehooks. The big right hands from Andrade cause some serious damagearound Godinez’ left eye, and she smells blood and keeps onpressing. Godinez is still totally in the fight, giving just asmuch as she gets back, although Andrade appears to be putting morebehind her punches while Godinez’ individually seem to have a moremeasurable effect.

“Bate Estaca” walks through the oncoming fire to put big swings onher opponent, with a right hand from Andrade forcing Godinez toshoot. Andrade stonewalls her and keeps pressing the action, goingto the body when not firing up top. Andrade stings Godinez with apair of big strikes, and Godinez forces a clinch when a takedowndoes not come together. Andrade uses it to land a few more punchesbefore disengaging, and she plods forward with nothing but power.Godinez rings her bell with punches and a follow-up knee, but thisonly slows Andrade for a second or two before the Brazilian is backin front of her throwing caution to the wind. Godinez shoots from awide berth, and Andrade laughs it off and slugs Godinez in theface. Godinez tries elbows, but Andrade’s massive punches aregetting to her again and again. With a second or two left in thematch, Godinez may or may not successfully complete a takedown—thebell sounded halfway through Andrade going to her back. The matchends, and it’s anyone’s guess who won it.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Andrade (29-28 Andrade)
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Andrade (29-28 Godinez)
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Andrade (29-28 Godinez)

The Official Result

Lupita Godinez def. Jessica Andrade via Unanimous Decision (29-28,29-28, 29-28)

GeraldMeerschaert (185) vs. MichalOleksiejczuk (186)

BETTINGPREVIEW | SCOUTINGREPORT | ODDS: Oleksiejczuk (-218), Meerschaert(+180)

Round 1

In the battle of surnames that would likely win against any otherpair on Scrabble tonight, it should not last terribly long. In thecombined 57 pro victories for Meerschaert (37-19, 12-11 UFC) andOleksiejczuk (20-9, 1 NC; 8-7, 1 NC UFC), they have needed thejudges on six of those occasions. Referee Herb Dean—who gets abigger pop from the crowd than either athlete—will almost certainlybe needed, while the scorers might be able to take this one off.Before throwing down, the violent middleweights bump fists.

The marvelously mustached Meerschaert moves to the center of thecage, and he leans back as a huge left hand buzzes past him.Oleksiejczuk looks for another power punch, and Meerschaert is outof range pitching a low kick at him. Meerschaert ducks under a fewpunches to go after a single, and the former light heavyweight popshim in the chops on the way out. When “GM3” tries for anothertakedown, the Polish athlete shuts him down and forces him to standback up. Oleksiejczuk ignores a leg kick that misses him to cliphis foe with a left hand, but it is one-and-done. Oleksiejczukmeasures his man with an uppercut, and he avoids counters and isready to stuff a takedown before it comes to light. Oleksiejczuknarrowly avoids a left hook, and he laughs off a failed shot fromthe submission specialist. Meerschaert gets off a left hand, andOleksiejczuk answers him with two big punches that shake him to hiscore. A third uppercut dings him on the jaw when he goes for atakedown, and “step into my parlor” says the spider to the fly.

Meerschaert does not get Oleksiejczuk to oblige him in playing inthe guard, instead backing off to make “GM3” strike with him.Knowing that Meerschaert is in trouble, Oleksiejczuk jacks his foein the jaw with three punches that send Meerschaert down to thefloor again. With Dean watching in closely, Oleksiejczuk unleashesa bombardment of wide-arcing hammerfists to punish “GM3” for everconsidering grappling with him. As the punches continue, with nosign of slowing down, Dean has no choice but to get involved andhalts the match. That marks one more dominant win fora Fighting Nerds competitor, and Oleksiejczuk dons the trademarkglasses while also handing commentator Joe Rogan a pair aswell.

The Official Result

Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Gerald Meerschaert R1 3:03 via TKO(Punches)

EricNolan (183) vs. BaysangurSusurkaev (186)

Round 1

A lot can change in a week. Meet Susurkaev (9-0, 0-0 UFC), a24-year-old Chechnya-born middleweight who trains out of Kill CliffFC. On Tuesday, he blew through Murtaza Talha Ali in just overthree minutes on the Contender Series to earn a contract, and nowhe’s fighting in the promotion proper. In his extremelyshort-notice debut, the Russian draws CFFC staple Nolan (8-3, 0-0UFC), and he will serve as an astronomical betting favorite whiledoing so. Never tell Nolan the odds. The ref for this 185-poundpreliminary headliner will be Jason Herzog, who sits back as themen that on Monday were not part of the UFC clap hands.

Susurkaev, who looks measurably larger than the traditionalwelterweight Nolan, gets right to chasing Nolan down with kicks.“USA” chants encourage Nolan to throw some punches, and when hepops Susurkaev in the chops, Susurkaev shrugs at him and motionshim for more. Susurkaev showboats, waving his arms aroundawkwardly, and Nolan does not bite on any of it and aims anuppercut down the middle. Nolan catches him at the end of a lefthand, and he parries a front kick and a high kick. Susurkaev jabswith the ball of his foot, and he takes a few punches and a knee onthe nose that is turning red fast. Susurkaev smiles and wadesforward to clinch up, kneeing Nolan all the while. Susurkaev triesfor an all-muscle body lock takedown, and Nolan stops it and turnshim around to place him on the fencing.

Susurkaev breaks off, and Nolan catches him with a big overhandright. Susurkaev snaps out a front kick, and he eats a right handas Susurkaev’s body language changes from overconfidence tocongratulating Nolan for landing hard on him. Susurkaev shoots indeep for a double, scooping up the CFFC athlete and depositing himto his seat. Nolan turns to his knees, and Susurkaev gladly takeshis back but cannot keep it as Nolan stands. Susurkaev hits anearly mat return, and then hurls Nolan to the floor when Nolanattempts to stand once more. Susurkaev leans heavily on hisopponent, lifting him up for a high-amplitude slam that does notget anywhere as Nolan pops back up. When Susurkaev tries to dosomething else, Nolan breaks free and lets his hands go. Nolanconnects with a series of punches and a spinning back fist, andSusurkaev is wearing it and gives back a front kick to the liver.Susurkaev knees his foe in the nose when clinched, and Nolan fightsout of a takedown shot and is kicked in the head. Nolan lands bombson his opponent, rocking Susurkaev badly and forcing him to wobbleback to the cage. Nolan spins for a back fist rather than trying tofinish the job normally, and the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Nolan
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Nolan
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Nolan

Round 2

The fighters clap hands to get down to it, and they both tradepunches early. Susurkaev pushes out his front kick and takes a kneein response, and the two reset in kickboxing range. Susurkaev kickslow, hurting Nolan in the calf. Nolan reaches for his leg, and heloads up on power punches to the body. Susurkaev kicks it a secondtime, seemingly compromising the limb as Nolan grabs his knee. WhenNolan falls to his back, he rolls for a leglock, and Susurkaevlaughs all the way through and bowls Nolan over to assume topposition. Susurkaev considers an arm-triangle choke, but uses it tostep over and take Nolan’s back when Nolan turns over. Susurkaevbriefly flattens his man out, and Nolan keeps turning to try tosurvive. Herzog asks for him to do more, and Nolan posts off his arms andhas no way to defend his neck at that moment. Susurkaev takesadvantage of the lapse, looping his forearm beneath the chin andfastening the rear-naked choke. Nolan appears frustrated that hewas caught in the submission, and before long, he surrenders lesthe get put to sleep. He may have had to overcome someadversity, but Susurkaev has officially earned two stoppagevictories this week as he is now 10-0 as a pro. In his post-fightinterview, Susurkaev jokes that he could fight again today, butsuggests that he would like to be booked on the Noche UFC event onSept. 13.

The Official Result

Baysangur Susurkaev def. Eric Nolan R2 2:01 via Submission(Rear-Naked Choke)

KaiAsakura (126) vs. Tim Elliott(126)

BETTINGPREVIEW | SCOUTINGREPORT | ODDS: Asakura (-310), Elliott (+250)

Round 1

It’s main card time, and a pair of exciting flyweights will startoff this $85 event—regional pricing notwithstanding. After over ayear and a half away, elder statesman Elliott (20-13-1, 9-11 UFC)comes back to the cage to take on former title challenger andex-Rizin champ Asakura (21-5, 0-1 UFC). The latter is looking forhis first UFC win, as he was thrust into a championship opportunityin his December debut, and he fights down the rankings board tofind his place in the division. The two will have referee RobMadrigal overseeing what should be a fun one, and they do not taptheir gloves together to engage.

Elliott fakes a giant spinning kick to lead off, and he lowers hishands and starts tossing out flashy kicks. Asakura answers him withtwo powerful punches upstairs, and Elliott still does not pick hishands up. Elliott hops up and down while switching stances, drawingout a few more punches that he avoids successfully before pitchinga head kick. Elliott spins with a back kick, and he absorbs threepunches to the body and head from the Japanese flyweight. Asakurabears down on Elliott to strike him a few times, and he rocks theformer Glory MMA fighter with his big swings. Elliott swings backhard too, and he nods to Asakura that he got caught. Elliott waveshis hands around awkwardly waiting for Asakura to engage, and hemisses his strikes including an open-handed slap.

Asakura nails the longtime vet with a right hand and a left hookthat drives Elliott to the wall, but Elliott bounces away no markdone. Asakura beats his man to the punch with his long strikes, andElliott’s offense is barely going at all. Asakura puts a one-twodown the pipe that cuts open Elliott’s left eyebrow, and he getsoff a knee to the body and several punches after it. Elliottbounces back, landing a single low kick but getting potshotted byAsakura. Elliott tags his foe at the end of a single right hand,but it is one-and-done as he gets back to unorthodox movements andattacks like a cartwheel kick. Asakura boots Elliott upside thehead, and Elliott ducks down and secures a double to advanceimmediately to the side. Elliott spams surprisingly heavy knees tothe body to open up elbows, and he briefly traps Asakura’s armbeneath his leg to open up more strikes. Elliott elbows a few moretimes, and Asakura scrambles to stand as the round concludes.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Asakura
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Asakura
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Asakura

Round 2

As the second round begins, Elliott motions to the crowd to getexcited and then somersaults towards his opponent. Asakura ignoresit and lets Elliott stand up so he can plant his fist in his face.Elliott’s strange movement opens up a heavy left hand for him, andhe connects a second in the middle of Asakura’s counters. Chants infavor of Elliott rain down, but no one does anything to takeadvantage of that energy. Asakura scores a leg kick, and Elliottgoes to the body and then flails his way forward with fists flying.Elliott slips and rips with a left hand, and he winds up anotherand catches Asakura flush on the jaw. Asakura comes up short with aflying knee, and Elliott dodges the worst of them and is right backin Asakura’s face with a left hook zooming. Asakura times a solidright hand with Elliott ducking, and Elliott just smiles at him.How demoralizing.

Elliott jams Asakura in the knee with a pair of stomping kicks, andhis low kicks that follow disrupt the wide-swinging Asakura.Elliott keeps himself afloat with decent movement, especiallyupstairs, but he still takes the occasional power punch that turnshis different parts of his face a shade of crimson. Elliott runs athis opponent and secures a takedown, but when he circles to takethe back, Asakura is able to escape. Asakura just misses with twobooming hooks, and Elliott is as wild as ever as he ducks somepunches, dances around and shoots with a takedown. Asakura sits up,and Elliott threatens with a guillotine choke and uses it torelocate himself to full mount. Asakura pushes with all his mightto relieve the pressure, but his eyes start to bulge and his facechanges colors. Even with little time left in the round, Asakuracannot ride it out any longer. The former Rizin champ taps outtwice on the hip, and Elliott has just pulled off quite an upset.The year is 2025 and Tim Elliott has just finished a fight over aman many years his junior.

The Official Result

Tim Elliott def. Kai Asakura R2 4:39 via Submission (GuillotineChoke)

JaredCannonier (186) vs. MichaelPage (186)

BETTINGPREVIEW | SCOUTINGREPORT | ODDS: Page (-192), Cannonier (+160)

Round 1

A fascinating clash of striking styles will play out as the maincard continues. Former title challenger Cannonier (18-8, 11-8 UFC)showed that even at 41, he can knock fools out, as he put GregoryRodrigues away a few months ago in the championship rounds. Aselusive as ever is Page (23-3, 2-1 UFC), who can snake-charm thebest of them and will have to do that fluidly for three rounds.Referee Marc Goddard will keep things official, and he bearswitness to a glove touch before the middleweights ply theirtrades.

Page customarily drops his hands and bounces in and out in hiskarate style, and he starts showboating as soon as Cannonier whiffspunches at him. Cannonier plods forward, and Page fakes dribblingbetween his legs and dances away from a looping right hand.Cannonier forces Page back to the wall, and he ignores the straightpunches to his chin as he wants to grab hold of the Brit’s leg.“MVP” kicks low, and Cannonier grabs it and initiates a takedown.Page defends the single by putting his back to the wall and kneeshis foe in the stomach. Page hits a trip and throws Cannonier tothe floor to make a statement, and he allows Cannonier to stand sohe can stick his tongue out at him. Cannonier jabs at air, but onthe same page, Page is not swinging much. When Cannonier looses abody kick, Page times a perfect right hand that sends Cannoniercrashing to the mat.

Cannonier scrambles to his feet, and Page tells him to calm downand starts pointing and dancing around. Cannonier advances, andPage uppercuts him in the face. Cannonier starts talking back toPage, who is chattering away, and he cannot seem to find histarget. “The Killa Gorilla” goes after a double and pushes Page tothe wall, but Page stands up with his back to the fence and brieflylifts Cannonier in the air big brotheringly. As Cannonier clings toPage, fans start to grow sour, as they want the theatrics.Cannonier does not pay them any mind, working the body and rightthigh with knees. Cannonier tries for a body lock takedown of hisown, and two efforts fail to force Cannonier to shoot in on thehips. Cannonier knees his man in the thigh, and Page shoves himaway with 10 seconds to spare. Cannonier’s swings blow the hairback from those in the first row while Page is out of the way, andthe horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Page
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Page
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Page

Round 2

Gloves are touched to start off the round, and Cannonier wants toknock Page’s head off and swings with a huge right hand. Pagemotions that he took the blow under his eye, and that Cannoniershould throw more of that. When Cannonier tries, Page darts in withstraight, effective punches. Cannonier chases Page around butcannot corner him, as Page dances away and looks off whiledribbling an imaginary basketball. Cannonier stays totally composedthis time, as he walks Page down and boots him in the front leg.Page drills him in the face with three punches, and Cannonier hitsthe ground and rolls to stand back up. Page mimes his fall to theground and laughs, and he snipes the former middleweight titlechallenger with more distant strikes. Cannonier’s swings are welloff the mark, and Page can pick at him without fear of reprisal.Cannonier goes for a big right hand, and Page slides to the sideand counters with a right hand upstairs. Cannonier lands a righthand, and Page’s reaction does not change as he is waiting forCannonier to shoot on him.

Cannonier shoots, and Page defends with ease, getting out of theway before the Alaskan can grab him. Cannonier meanders forwardafter landing a leg kick or two to grapple Page against the wall.While keeping Page stuck on the fencing, Cannonier lands a fewknees, and he uses the knee to set up a trip takedown. Page climbsback to his feet shortly thereafter, and Cannonier is still wrappedaround him looking for mat returns. Page breaks free, and he splitsthe guard with an uppercut. Cannonier lands at the end of a thirdright hand, which “The Killa Gorilla” uses to pursue a double.Cannonier’s knees land on the inner thigh of his foe when tyingPage up, transitioning briefly to a trip before giving it one finalfull-throated effort. Knees are traded, and Cannonier breaks out asecond before the round wraps.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Page
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Page
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Page

Round 3

Page reintroduces himself to his opponent with two speedy punches,and his inside calf kick connects heavily after it. Cannonier justavoids an uppercut and lands on Page, and Page darts in and outwhile landing and taking one. Page slips and rips with a big left,and he leaps forward with a Superman punch that Cannonier takesadvantage of by planting him in the center of the cage with amagnificent double. Cannonier lands on top in half guard, where heimposes heavy chest pressure and grinds his bicep on Page’s throat.Cannonier advances to full mount, and he postures up and startslanding power punches. Page scrambles to drag him back to halfguard, and Cannonier lets him have it with a stern elbow.

Cannonier wraps his arm around the back of the neck to set up aguard pass, and he isolates Page’s left arm for a kimura setup.Page defends it by clasping his hands together, and Cannonieranswers with an arm-triangle choke as he shifts into full mount.Cannonier may lose the submission grip, but he still hasmount—until Page bucks him back to guard. Page keeps moving to tryto escape, and Cannonier thumps on him with an elbow. Cannonierpushes back into half guard, and he slashes down with a few elbows.Time expires before much more comes from it, and they help oneanother up and hug it out after 15 minutes of odd-but-expectedpoint fighting.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Cannonier (29-28 Page)
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Cannonier (29-28 Page)
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Cannonier (29-28 Page)

The Official Result

Michael Page def. Jared Cannonier via Unanimous Decision (29-28,29-28, 29-28)

GeoffNeal (171) vs. CarlosPrates (170)

BETTINGPREVIEW | SCOUTINGREPORT | ODDS: Prates (-250), Neal (+205)

Round 1

Welcome to what many are considering the “just bleed” matchup ofthe evening. Two welterweight flamethrowers will throw downmightily, and referee Jason Herzog gets the honor of handling itpersonally. Fortis MMA athlete Neal (16-6, 8-4 UFC) and FightingNerds representative Prates (21-7, 4-1 UFC) meet with 26 knockoutsacross their 37 total victories, and one more could be coming soon.Before they try to lop one another’s head off, Herzog has to usherthem back to their corners. Despite that, they bump their fiststogether cordially.

Prates bounces up and down in the center of the Octagon, and Nealleads off with an inside calf kick. Prates jabs him back, and Nealkicks to the same spot before going high. Neal crowds a kickingPrates but goes not let his hands go, instead resetting to score ashort but powerful left hook. Prates spins with a back kick to thestomach and kicks him in the front leg when planting, and Nealbull-rushes him. Prates tries for a jump knee, and Neal catches itand fires back with his right hand a few times. Prates reclaims hislimb and resets, where he goes high with punches. Neal jabs him tothe body and makes Prates back off with long punches, while Pratesscores a few hard calf kicks. Prates darts in and out with a jab,and Neal crowds him with punches before Prates circles all the wayaround the cage. Prates sinks a leg kick home, and he is out of theway before Neal can get to him.

Both men connect with single left hands before bailing, and Pratescalms himself down and looses two punches down the middle alongwith a step-in knee. Neal fires back with a vengeance, landing atleast partially on his opponent and kicking him in the chest. Nealjacks Prates in the jaw with a left hand, and Prates responds witha crisp left to the body and then a knee to the same spot. Someswelling develops under Neal’s left eye, and Prates notices it andaims a spinning wheel kick at it. The kick pops off the guard, butPrates’ jab finds its target. Neal does not seem concerned,cracking Prates on the way in. Prates gathers a head of steam andloose a one-two, a body kick, a knee, two more punches and ajumping knee in one heck of a combination. Neal grabs him at theend of it to turn him to the cage, and Prates makes fun of him fortrying to wrestle. Neal lets him go, and Prates blasts him withpunches and chases him around the cage with an elbow strike. Withseconds left on the clock, the Brazilian spins like a top anddemolishes Neal with a spinning back elbow. The sound of the blowechoes through the United Center, and blood sprays from an openwound on the side of his temple. Herzog waves the fight off with asecond to go on the clock, and Prates has bounced back from a toughloss with a spectacular knockout of an insanely durable Neal. Onhis post-fight interview, Prates gives it up for the Fighting Nerdsteam, remarks that he will be celebrating his birthday tomorrow,asks for a fight in Rio de Janeiro in October along with apost-fight bonus—which UFC chief Dana White grants bothimmediately—and pitches that the UFC sign up his training partner,LFA flyweight champ Marcos Degli.

The Official Result

Carlos Prates def. Geoff Neal R1 4:59 via KO (Spinning BackElbow)

LeroneMurphy (146) vs. Aaron Pico(145)

BETTINGPREVIEW | SCOUTINGREPORT | ODDS: Pico (-185), Murphy (+154)

Round 1

Sporting an undefeated record with his biggest career win coming inApril, Murphy (16-0-1, 8-0-1 UFC) wants nothing more than to be thenext in line for the featherweight title shot. Instead of gold inhis sights, he will compete against homegrown ex-Bellator MMAtalent Pico (13-4, 0-0 UFC). Who knows how many wins Murphy willneed if he gets past Pico, but he cannot look past the dangerousJackson-Wink-trained athlete. Can Pico defy the so-called Bellatorcurse, where debuting athletes coming straight from that promotiontend to fare poorly in their debut match? Referee Herb Dean willknow first. The fighters do not touch gloves.

Pico strikes first with a jab, and he is right in Murphy’s faceslinging leather. Murphy drops to a knee when hurling punches back,and Pico sees this and swings even harder and faster. The momentumof the newcomer results in a clinch, where he pushes Murphy to thewall. Murphy manages to escape but takes a low kick, a body shotand a few more punches. Murphy counters when Pico leans over withan elbow and a ninja choke, and he falls to his back to set it up.Pico lets him hit his back and lords over Murphy, climbing over hislegs but ultimately not able to keep him there. Murphy backs offand flicks out front kicks, and Pich shoots in for a double andlowers Murphy to the floor on his side. The newcomer hacks with afew short elbows as Murphy wall-walks to get back upright, and hefights himself free. Pico walks him down and takes a spinning backkick to the breadbasket, ignoring it to block a head kick andducking down for a takedown shot.

Murphy times a solid knee to the body, and he lands another toforce Pico to separate. Pico darts back and forward to clinchagain, and he digs a serious left hand to the body. Murphy loops apunch at him, and Pico slips and counters. Murphy has his frontkick land flush, and what happens next, nobody in the arena orwatching worldwide expects. Pico strafes to his right to set up aleft hand, and Murphy times the most dazzling spinning back elbowone could see, smashing Pico in the temple and shutting his lightsout immediately. Pico clatters lifelessly to his back like a birdthat’s had its wings clipped, his arms splayed to the side, andMurphy hammers him with an academic but unnecessary hammerfist asDean is racing to intervene. Unbelievable! One spinning back elbowknockout in a night is a special occurrence, but two? Inback-to-back main card matches between highly ranked combatants?This event just leapfrogged over most of the other shows this yearfor “Event of the Year” as we have consecutive “Knockout of theYear” performances logged with these mighty, majestic elbows.Additionally, Murphy likely jumps over other fighters forfeatherweight championship contention. Like the brilliant interviewfrom the fight before, the victorious Murphy campaigns for teammateJordan Barton to join the roster. Pico stays on the ground for sometime to regain his senses as physicians tend to him, but thankfullyhe does recover. What a knockout. What an absolutely sensationalknockout.

The Official Result

Lerone Murphy def. Aaron Pico R1 3:21 via KO (Spinning BackElbow)

UFC Middleweight Title Fight:
Dricus DuPlessis (185) vs. KhamzatChimaev (183)

BETTINGPREVIEW | SCOUTINGREPORT | ODDS: Chimaev (-238), du Plessis (+195)

Round 1

Let’s be honest: this is what you came here to see. The otherfights tonight were pretty solid, nothing extraordinary with mixedresults featuring some duds and a few good knockouts. Thismiddleweight championship battle is one that people have marked ontheir calendar the day it was announced, and it was one fans havebeen waiting for since Chimaev (14-0, 8-0 UFC) won in the Octagonthree times in 2020. The so-called boogeyman has his time to shinetonight, but he will have to get through Du Plessis (23-2, 9-0UFC). Irresistible force, meet immovable object. No one has gottenpast “DDP” in the UFC to date, but Chimaev is expected by thebetting populace and fan contingent to go home with the belt.Referee Marc Goddard takes the final assignment of the evening,bringing the two 185ers to the center of the cage. They are sofired up and intense that they crash into each other when staringdown, but they do touch gloves after all. Let’s all take a deepbreath here. It’s on with the show.

Chimaev pushes out a front kick and shoots for a double, and DuPlessis rolls through it but ends up winding up on his back within15 seconds. Du Plessis briefly considers a guillotine choke off hisback, but when Chimaev considers a Von Preux shoulder choke, DuPlessis abandons it. Chimaev is already in side control in thecenter of the cage, and he wraps up the champ’s right arm in acrucifix position. Chimaev starts pounding on the side of the head,and a few punches land to the back of the head as Goddard is payingattention. Chimaev keeps beating on the downed champion with shortbut scoring punches, and Du Plessis bucks and kicks to try to getout. With Du Plessis’ face turned to Chimaev’s chest, the puncheshave little on them even as they add up like a big brother bullyinga young sibling.

Chimaev keeps smacking his foe with any free hand, and he flirtswith an arm-triangle choke when Du Plessis wrenches his arm free.Du Plessis’ bucks and twists allow him to put his feet on thefence, and he pushes off of it while not hooking his toes in thefencing. Chimaev stays tight as a drum on top, bopping“Stillknocks” with his irritating little punches. When Chimaevsteps to get to mount, Du Plessis illegally grabs the cage toreposition himself and Goddard admonishes him for it. Chimaev kneeshim in the side once or twice when he puts Du Plessis flat on hisback again. Goddard asks the challenger to do more in thisposition, and it is Du Plessis who twists all the way around notjust to get out of the bad position but escapes the brief backtake. The champ thinks about another guillotine choke, and Chimaevflips him over and elbows him to concluded the one-sided round. Asa rule-based reminder, 10-8 rounds now must have damage as amandatory criteria.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Chimaev
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-8 Chimaev
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-8 Chimaev

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Devin Tejada scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Devin Tejada scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 4

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Devin Tejada scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

Round 5

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round:
Devin Tejada scores the round:
Scottie Smith scores the round:

The Official Result