Gregory Payan/Associated Press
The UFC was befriend within the pay-per-investigate cross-take a look at industry on Saturday evening.
So it is no surprise that the mixed martial arts huge trotted out its A-crew to name the pictures.
Blow-by-blow man Jon Anik ran level on a 3-man crew for the ESPN+ broadcast that incorporated stalwart Joe Rogan and faded champion Dominick Cruz, and Rogan was clearly intrigued by the premise of working the kind of gigantic indicate within the personnel-free atmosphere on the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
“I have been telling these that here’s like an acoustic dwell performance somewhat than seeing a huge rock band in a huge area,” he talked about. “Or no longer it is an wonderful journey, and we’re lucky to be here.”
Or no longer it is far a honest wager viewers will most likely be announcing the same component within the aftermath.
The 11-bout indicate featured a compelling stop to a heavyweight title trilogy, an appearance by the fighter being touted as the promotion’s most modern smartly-known person and a listing 36th appearance by a respected outmoded.
The Bleacher Document combat sports activities crew was in its customary Saturday evening plight to account your complete goings-on, and we now maintain produced one other total list of winners and losers from the indicate.
Get hold of a stare at our thoughts and watch how they line up with your be pleased takeaways.
Loser: Fairytale Endings
As heavyweights scamper, it is far the UFC’s model of Ali-Frazier.
And appropriate as passed off within the boxing ring, the person that received the essential match never received again.
Primitive champ-champ Daniel Cormier hoped to dawdle into the retirement sunset with one other Octagon coronation ceremony, but as an replacement he was on the undesirable shedding stop of a unanimous nod to incumbent Stipe Miocic within the third and presumably last match of their head-to-head series.
“It sucks. Being on the shedding stop of two gigantic fights in a trilogy, it is far a truly sad plight to be in,” Cormier talked about. “But I might form out it as I in actuality maintain within the past.”
Cormier received the essential battle by opening-spherical KO in 2018 ahead of shedding the rematch by fourth-spherical TKO one year within the past. It was the 14th trilogy battle in UFC history, with supreme one-third of the finales being received by the same fighter who received the essential one.
And it is presumed to be Cormier’s last battle, as he urged in a while.
“I’m no longer drawn to one thing else but titles,” he talked about, “but I don’t imagine there will most likely be these opportunities.”
As for Miocic, it was his sixth title-battle win at heavyweight, equaling Randy Couture’s listing.
Miocic was battered unhurried within the essential spherical by Cormier, who landed a extremely effective overhand suitable with 15 seconds final within the session. Miocic rallied with strikes and extended advantages in clinch time along the fence within the 2nd and third rounds, and he badly damage Cormier with a flurry unhurried within the 2nd. Cormier was also broken by a inch to his left witness within the third and was clearly compromised the remaining of the formula, announcing in a while that he couldn’t watch one thing else from the witness.
Peaceable, the ex-champ rallied within the fourth and held a slim edge in significant strikes, and the battle perceived to tighten because it entered the last spherical. Cormier did land intermittently in these five minutes, but Miocic again managed matters after they had been in shut and never allowed an extended rally.
He received 49-46—or four rounds to 1—on two scorecards and 48-47 (3-2 in rounds) on the third.
Bleacher Document also had it 48-47 for the winner.
“[Cormier is] a hell of a fighter. I want him nothing but the most effective,” Miocic talked about. “He’s an wonderful champion and a tough dude. But he got that first takedown and I got suitable befriend up, and I comprise he knew he’d be in anxiety if he got me in that plight again.”
Winner: The Chito Demonstrate
Marlon Vera was savoring the put up-battle moment.
He wrapped himself within the Ecuadorian flag. He pointed at a cynical broadcast crew. He shouted at any microphone he might most likely gather. And given what he’d appropriate completed, no person might most likely blame him.
The prohibitive underdog brought the UFC’s most modern hype educate to a screeching spoil, driving a seemingly injured Sean O’Malley to the mat and landing a series of strikes that caused a TKO stoppage from referee Herb Dean at 4: 40 of the essential spherical.
“Doubt me now. Deliver one thing now,” Vera talked about. “Everyone has an design. But that would now not topic. I’m a tough guy. The canines I in actuality maintain in me is bigger than all these guys.”
O’Malley landed several low kicks and had Vera reacting to feints within the early going, but he noticeably reacted after stepping forward awkwardly and acting to roll over his suitable foot.
The sequence impacted his coast, and he at this time went to his befriend after a subsequent exchange of suitable fingers. Vera at this time pounced, landing a extremely effective left hand and a observe-up left elbow with O’Malley on the floor, then flurrying with three extra pictures ahead of Dean intervened.
O’Malley stayed on his befriend for several moments, was standing on one foot when the legit result was read and then left the cage dwelling on a stretcher.
O’Malley had entered as the No. 14 bantamweight contender and was a minus-300 favorite. It was his first loss after 12 expert wins and three within the UFC.
“Vera is a dedicated expert mixed martial artist. He’s targeted and intensely skillful, and he survived some very tough moments in that first spherical,” Rogan talked about. “Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera is a bona fide bantamweight contender.”
Vera landed 18 strikes to O’Malley’s 10 ahead of the ending sequence.
“I’m a motivated man,” Vera talked about. “I in discovering up every morning with a mission.”
Loser: Honoring the Mustache
Junior Dos Santos is a faded UFC heavyweight champion and a outmoded of 5 title fights, and he had spoken no longer too long within the past about making one other trudge in direction of the tip of the division at age 36.
And when he arrived to the cage with a newly grown mustache, he did investigate cross-take a look at ready to roll befriend the years.
But Jairzinho Rozenstruik wasn’t having it.
Coming off an inglorious 20-2nd loss to Francis Ngannou, the chubby Suriname native sturdily held his floor via a aggressive first spherical in opposition to Dos Santos, then landed a looping suitable that caused the last sequence of a TKO win at 3: 47 of the 2nd spherical.
“All it takes is one shot within the heavyweight division,” Cruz talked about.
The gigantic men had been matching hand strikes and kicks for the essential three minutes of the decisive spherical ahead of they traded left fingers along the fence. Rozenstruik adopted his preliminary shot with an appropriate, on the opposite hand, shedding Dos Santos to his knees. Rozenstruik pounced with one other series of lefts and rights, and, as Dos Santos started to in discovering befriend to his toes, landed one other left that brought referring to the arrival of referee Dan Miragliotta.
Within the aftermath, the winner credited a dedication to conditioning.
“I wished to battle as soon as likely as soon as I lost,” Rozenstruik talked about. “We appropriate got befriend at it. This was the result I was procuring for. I desired to living it straight. Any longer, I’m befriend within the gym. It is likely you’ll most likely gather me there on every occasion you will want. The mission is to get the title.”
Winner: Conserving the Faith
Daniel Pineda’s left witness was hideously swollen, and blood trickled from a lower as he spoke.
However the damage did now not diminish his electric smile.
The 35-year-outmoded from Texas returned to the Octagon for the essential time in extra than six years and made the return a memorable one with a unfavorable 2nd-spherical TKO of heavy favorite Herbert Burns of their scheduled three-rounder at bantamweight.
Real 3-4 in a seven-battle trudge within the UFC from 2012 to 2014, Pineda had toiled within the shadows all over multiple promotions ahead of getting the resolution for a transient-gape return appropriate two weeks within the past.
He talked about he lower extra than 20 kilos in that stretch, and he perceived to be in better form as he managed the opening spherical with striking. He was lower by a knee from Burns in that spherical but continued to land extremely effective blows on his toes ahead of focused on mat work within the 2nd.
He reversed a Burns takedown three minutes in, gained a half of-mount and locked his foe into a crucifix plight and battered him with elbows and fists from the becoming aspect. Burns was unable to in discovering away, and his incapacity to return fireplace caused a rescue from referee Value Smith at 4: 37.
“Coming in here an underdog like this, getting the chance after six years out. Wow,” Rogan talked about. “Or no longer it is far a huge, gigantic evening for him, and he did a astronomical job closing it out.”
Pineda landed 173 total strikes to 35, including a 57-10 edge in significant strikes.
“Y’all abet counting me out and making a wager in opposition to me,” he talked about. “Man, it feels honest. I’m increasing older, but I’m improving.’
Loser: Eclipsing the Cowboy
Jim Miller was a deserved subject of dialog.
Despite the total lot, the 36-year-outmoded Fresh Jersey native made his 36th crawl to the Octagon, breaking a tie with Donald Cerrone for essentially the most appearances in UFC history.
But as impressed as Vinc Pichel might most likely want been along with his gentle-weight rival, he was in no temper to lengthen the social gathering past the legit introductions. So the 37-year-outmoded went about matching his outmoded opponent in his consolation zone on the mat, grinding and grappling his technique to a unanimous-resolution victory over three aggressive rounds.
“It feels wonderful. I’m tremendous stoked. I worked tremendous no longer easy for this,” Pichel talked about. “Jim Miller’s a tough, tricky dude. But a variety of other folks slept on me. I’m no plod on the floor. I will grapple with any one.”
Indeed, even though Miller was aggressive and dominant on the floor within the opening spherical, Pichel rallied for extra than three minutes of abet a watch on time within the 2nd frame and again received that statistic—2: 10 to 1: 07—to clinch the decision all over the last five minutes.
Pichel also landed 26 strikes to Miller’s seven within the third spherical, enhancing to 13-2 total and 6-2 within the UFC. Miller is 32-15 total and 21-14 with one no-contest within the UFC.
“That is likely to be a huge win for Vinc Pichel. The supreme-profile win of his profession,” Cruz talked about. “He seemed astronomical. He looked like he did on the Final Fighter but lots extra seasoned.”
Winner: Delayed Gratification
It took Colombian Warrior Danny Chavez 14 years to attain the UFC, and if the put up-battle smile plastered all over the 33-year-outmoded’s face was indicative, it was price the wait.
A winner in a World Legion FC title battle appropriate four weeks within the past, Chavez happily became his surprise octagonal chance into cause for social gathering, too, defeating TJ Brown in a scintillating three-rounder at featherweight.
“It took a decade-and-a-half of for Danny Chavez to in discovering here,” Anik talked about, “but he looked like he belonged tonight.”
Indeed, Chavez earned the unanimous resolution from the judges thanks to quickness and precision along with his fists and a devastating array of leg kicks that left Brown’s left leg bruised and swollen and compelled the 30-year-outmoded into a southpaw stance to present protection to the injured limb.
Chavez managed the essential spherical and dropped Brown with a straight suitable within the 2nd, providing sufficient of a cushion to withstand a Brown rally within the last five minutes.
“He looked like a outmoded who within the spoil got the chance,” Rogan talked about. “You appropriate saw an improbable skill living. I was very impressed.”
Chavez landed 45 p.c of his significant-strike attempts and scored all four of the battle’s takedowns.
“I have been doing this for 14 years, and I have been ready for the moment I’d in discovering here,” he talked about. “I felt honest and I felt in astronomical form.”
Loser: The Strawweight Division
This appropriate in: Virna Jandiroba is an real badass.
The 32-year-outmoded Brazilian was a transient-gape loser in her UFC debut in opposition to ex-champ Carla Esparza 16 months within the past and then bounced befriend with a 2nd-spherical win in her observe-up effort closing December.
But that was kid’s stuff in comparison with Saturday evening’s third appearance, which the jiu-jitsu ace completed in no longer as a lot as 2 minutes in opposition to 15th-ranked strawweight contender Felice Herrig.
And in doing so, she put the remaining of the 115-pounders on gape.
“I never hid from someone the indisputable truth that I want to be a UFC champion,” Jandiroba talked about, moments after the submission maintain at 1: 44 of Spherical 1. “I watch myself ranked. If the UFC wishes to put me in, I might be ready.”
She entirely seemed the fragment from the originate in opposition to the outgunned Herrig, getting her to the floor after faking an appropriate hand and diving in for a double-leg takedown.
From there, she gained a stout mount and began punishing Herrig with elbows, and then locked her up in an armbar that resulted in a tapout and an intervention from referee Marc Goddard.
It was the fourth-fastest submission within the division’s history.
“That is some wonderful methodology from a truly, very awful 115-pound lady,” Cruz talked about.
Winner: Staying on the Avenue
Chris Daukaus is indubitably accustomed to the UFC. Despite the total lot, his brother Kyle is an alumnus of Dana White‘s Contender Sequence and made his be pleased octagonal debut in June.
However, when the 30-year-outmoded Chris got the resolution that he’d be incorporated on Saturday’s indicate, he did now not precisely greet the info with grizzled steadiness.
Truly, the Philadelphia police officer was returning from a piece shift after center of the evening when his phone rang, and he talked about his response when it comes to ended the dream ahead of it started.
“It was loopy. I was driving dwelling,” Daukaus talked about. “I rattling shut to crashed my automobile on I-95.”
The outmoded of 11 expert fights steeled himself in time for action in opposition to fellow UFC beginner Parker Porter, erasing the astronomical heavyweight with a 3-punch combination adopted by a devastating suitable knee with 32 seconds final within the essential spherical of a scheduled three.
Outweighed by extra than 20 kilos (264.5 to 241), Daukaus shook off several early Porter strikes ahead of taking abet a watch on with sooner fingers and extra right counters—an means perfected within the gym.
“He confirmed his killer intuition,” Anik talked about. “Now he’s within the broad indicate and has a indubitably promising future.”
Daukaus dropped Porter with an appropriate hand from in shut at 3: 30 of the spherical, and then landed one other suitable to originate the last sequence and left Porter senseless with the knee shot that caused an intervention from referee Herb Dean.
“You come to Philly with the most effective boxers on this planet and the total lot is tremendous neat, tremendous tight and tremendous technical,” Daukaus talked about. “I will preserve tight and return with crisp, neat punches.
“You obviously recreation-notion for every opponent, so we considered that he was going to throw unbiased a little bit wild punches, gigantic overhand adopted by a huge left, so we stayed tight, the total lot down the heart.”
UFC 252 Tubby Card Results
Critical Card
Stipe Miocic def. Daniel Cormier by unanimous resolution (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
Marlon Vera def. Sean O’Malley by TKO, 4: 40, Spherical 1
Jairzinho Rozenstruik def. Junior Dos Santos by TKO, 3: 47, Spherical 2
Daniel Pineda def. Herbert Burns by TKO, 4: 37, Spherical 2
Merab Dvalishvili def. John Dodson by unanimous resolution (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
Vinc Pichel def. Jim Miller by unanimous resolution (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
Virna Jandiroba def. Felice Herrig by submission (armbar), 1: 44, Spherical 1
Danny Chavez def. TJ Brown by unanimous resolution (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Livinha Souza def. Ashley Yoder by unanimous resolution (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Chris Daukaus def. Parker Porter by TKO, 4: 28, Spherical 1
Kai Kamaka def. Tony Kelley by unanimous resolution (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Fight of the Evening
Kai Kamaka vs. Tony Kelley
Performances of the Evening
Daniel Pineda, Virna Jandiroba
