UFC 252 Results

Featherweight newcomers Kai Kamaka III and Tony Kelley proved that they belonged in the big show, as they delivered an action-packed three-rounder won by Kamaka via unanimous decision.
 
Scores were 29-28 across the board for Hawaii’s Kamaka, now 8-2. Kelley falls to 6-2.
 
Both fighters came out fast to begin the fight, but while Kelley landed some good shots early, once Kamaka found his rhythm, his left hooks to the head and body began taking their toll on the Louisianan, who was taken down a couple times in the closing stages of the round as well.
 
The pace didn’t dip in round two, and while Kamaka may have edged Kelley in terms of significant strikes landed, Kelley threw in enough aggressive flurries to make it close and perhaps steal the frame.
 
Told that he needed to get after it in the final frame, Kelley did just that, only to get stuck on his back on the canvas after pulling guard in an attempt to sink in a guillotine choke. With three minutes left, Kelley was able to get back to his feet and the exchanges commenced, neither fighter willing to back down. A low knee by Kelley brought a momentary stop to the bout with 90 seconds left, and when it resumed, there was a brief respite before the 145-pounders got back to trading blows and capping off a great start to the UFC 252 card.
 

In a meeting of heavyweight debutants, Philadelphia police officer Chris Daukaus entered the UFC win column for the first time, stopping Parker Porter in a single round.

Daukaus and Porter were measured in their approach early in the fight as they looked for their opportunity to strike. And when they did throw, the shots certainly had an effect, but it was Daukaus who drew first blood when he knocked Porter down with under 90 seconds to go in the opening round. Porter got back to his feet, but his legs were still wobbly and Daukaus took advantage, landing a right hand-knee combination before a final right hand brought in referee Herb Dean to stop the fight at 4:28 of round one.

With the win, Daukaus moves to 9-3. Connecticut’s Porter falls to 10-6.

It took 14 years of hard work for Danny Chavez to get to the UFC, and the wait was worth it, as the Miami featherweight won a three-round unanimous decision over Little Rock’s TJ Brown.

Scores were 29-28 across the board for Chavez, now 11-3. Brown falls to 14-8.

Chavez’ kicks served him well in the first round as he attacked Brown’s legs, flooring his foe twice, giving the Arkansan trouble with his speed. Early in the second, he staggered Brown with another kick to the left leg, but to his credit, Brown kept doing whatever he could to stay in the fight. Chavez was only getting stronger as the fight went on, though, as he scored another knockdown just past the midway point of the second stanza. Brown had his best moments of the fight in the final frame, but when the scores were tallied, it was Chavez’ night. 

Brazilian strawweight prospect Virna Jandiroba impressed in her bout against Felice Herrig, submitting the veteran contender in less than two minutes.

Jandiroba scored a takedown as soon as the fight began, and the Bahia product went to work, ultimately moving into the mount, where she then grabbed Herrig’s arm and got the tap out via armbar at 1:44 of the opening round.

With the win, Jandiroba moves to 16-1. The No. 15-ranked Herrig, who was making her first start since October 2018, falls to 14-9.

Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili rose to the occasion in his biggest fight to date, winning a shutout three-round unanimous decision over fellow bantamweight contender John Dodson.

Scores were 30-27 across the board for the No. 15-ranked Dvalishvili, now 12-4. The No. 12-ranked Dodson falls to 22-12.

The two played it patient in the early going before Dvalishvili shot in and locked Dodson in a clinch. Albuquerque’s Dodson tried to scramble out of trouble, but Dvalishvili drilled his foe’s legs with knees, trying to weaken him in order to get the fight to the mat. Dodson got loose with under a minute to go but wasn’t able to get even before the end of the frame.

In the second minute of round two, Dvalishvili lifted Dodson and dumped him to the mat, but “The Magician” got right back to his feet, nullifying the takedown. It was an impressive recovery, but Dodson’s offense was nearly non-existent as Dvalishvili kept the pressure on, and “The Machine” kept to the game plan in the third, securing the win and marking him as one of the toughest puzzles to figure out at 135 pounds.

Returning to the UFC for the first time in over six years, featherweight veteran Daniel Pineda scored an impressive second round TKO of Herbert Burns, handing the Brazilian his first Octagon loss.

Pineda tagged Burns with a pair of right hands in the opening minute, leading Burns to seek a takedown. Pineda fought the attempt, and after a brief trip to the mat, he wound up getting his own takedown. Firing off ground strikes and keeping Burns grounded, Pineda was impressing in his first UFC bout since 2014, wrapping up a dominant round.

Using a right hand to set up a takedown, Burns had a good start to the second round, eventually shaking off some elbows to the high to get into the mount position. Pineda scrambled out of trouble and got into the top position, and he went back to landing ground strikes. After locking Burns in the crucifix position, Pineda unleashed strike after strike, and with Burns unable to get free, referee Mark Smith stopped the fight at 4:37 of round two.

With the win, Pineda moves to 27-12, 2 NC. Niteroi’s Burns, who missed weight for the bout at 149.5 pounds, falls to 11-3.

Back in the win column after a May loss to Francis Ngannou, heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik scored a second-round knockout of Brazilian star Junior Dos Santos.

Dos Santos fought confidently in the first round, outworking Rozenstruik, who was content to counter the right hands of “Cigano” with sharp left hooks. Neither fighter was able to hurt the other in the opening frame, even though there were some solid shots landed.

Rozenstruik opened up the second more aggressively, now choosing to lead instead of counter. Midway through the round, Dos Santos landed a hard right hand, and it was answered a minute later by Rozenstruik, who dropped the former champion with a looping right. Dos Santos rose, but was sent back to the canvas, with a follow-up barrage forcing the stoppage by referee Dan Miragliotta at the 3:47 mark of round two.

The No. 6-ranked Rozenstruik moves to 11-1 with the win. The No. 5-ranked Dos Santos, who has now lost three straight, falls to 21-8.

Ecuador’s Marlon Vera made the most of his co-main event spotlight, with an injury to Sean O’Malley, coupled with a ferocious ground-and-pound attack, allowing “Chito” to upset his foe and hand him his first pro loss via first-round TKO.

O’Malley focused on kicks to the legs in the early going, throwing in the occasional body kick for good measure. With under two minutes left, O’Malley appeared to injure his right leg, and Vera became the aggressor. O’Malley fell to the mat in the final minute, Vera following, and after a few hard elbows, referee Herb Dean stepped in, with the end coming at 4:40 of round one.

With the win, Vera moves to 16-6-1. The No. 14-ranked O’Malley falls to 12-1.

Stipe Miocic put a stamp on his claim as the greatest heavyweight in UFC history, as he concluded his trilogy with Daniel Cormier by retaining his title via five-round unanimous decision in the UFC 252 main event at the Apex in Las Vegas.

Scores were 49-46 twice and 48-47 for Miocic, now 20-3. The 41-year-old Cormier, who announced his retirement after the bout, falls to 22-3.

Miocic was the busier of the two with his striking as the bout opened, but as soon as Cormier was able to get close, he scored a takedown. Miocic scrambled back to his feet and briefly got held against the fence, but the champion got loose and resumed his striking attack to the head and body. Cormier did get a right hand in, but Miocic was unmoved. A subsequent eye poke by Cormier brought a brief halt to the bout, and once it resumed, Miocic continued to lead the action effectively, but a right hand from Cormier rattled the Ohio native late in the frame.

Cormier landed some hard shots at close range in the second minute of round two, quickly getting Miocic’s attention as he kept momentum on his side. Miocic tried to steal it back with solid punches with two minutes left, but it was Cormier continuing to throw – and land – heat. The last word went to Miocic, though, as he dropped Cormier with a right hand and proceeded to land a series of follow-up shots before the horn intervened.

Miocic pressed the action, looking to capitalize on his success in the previous round, and while Cormier didn’t seem to be fully recovered, he was still throwing haymakers as his opponent advanced. In the second minute, Miocic bulled Cormier into the fence and held him there for a spell before separating, and by that time, Cormier appeared to have his legs back under him. Another clinch exchange followed soon after, Miocic in control, and he kept it that way until the end of the frame.

Cormier took a bad poke in the eye at the end of the third round that wasn’t called by referee Marc Goddard, and he told his corner that his vision was compromised as the fourth began. Cormier did land a couple hard punches and Miocic answered between clinch attempts. But the busier striker was “DC.”

With the fight possibly on the line, both fighters did what they could to pull ahead, each landing shots at range while Miocic did the better work in the clinch. Midway through the round, each scored with big shots before a clinch followed. With 90 seconds left, the two separated and fired off bombs, then went back into the clinch until the round ended, capping a grueling battle that fittingly ended one of the sport’s great trilogies.

Cormier defeated Miocic in 2018 before Miocic evened the score in 2019.