Tonight, UFC will return to the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, USA for UFC 247. Headlining the pay-per-view event, Jon Jones will defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Dominick Reyes.
The co-main event also sees gold on the line, as UFC Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko fights Katlyn Chookagian.
The show starts at 6:30PM EST with the UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims. Follow along with the blog throughout the night for live coverage and updates.
Quick Results – Click a fight to skip to its part:
Early Prelims (UFC Fight Pass) (6:30 PM EST / 5:30 PM CST)
Bout 1: Youssef Zalal def. Austin Lingo via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Andre Ewell def. Jonathan Martinez via Decision, Split
Bout 3: Journey Newson def. Domingo Pilarte via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:38)
Prelims (TSN / ESPN) (8:00 PM EST / 7:00 PM CST)
Bout 4: Mario Bautista def. Miles Johns via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:41)
Bout 5: Khaos Williams def. Alex Morono via KO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:27)
Bout 6: Lauren Murphy def. Andrea Lee via Decision, Split
Bout 7: Trevin Giles def. James Krause via Decision, Split
Main Card (PPV) (10:00PM EST / 9:00 PM CST)
Bout 8: Derrick Lewis def. Ilir Latifi via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Dan Ige def. Mirsad Bektic via Decision, Split
Bout 10: Justin Tafa def. Juan Adams via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:59)
Bout 12: Jon Jones def. Dominick Reyes via Decision, Unanimous
Live Coverage:
Bout 1: Austin Lingo (7-0) vs. Youssef Zalal (7-2) (Featherweight)
The early prelim card started with undefeated Austin Lingo fighting Youssef Zalal. Lingo was pressing forward from the start. In a clinch Zalal landed a knee to the body. Zalal threw a head kick which was guarded. Zalal grabbed a leg, getting into another clinch from it. Lingo started to bleed from the nose. Zalal tried for a takedown, not fully getting it. Another takedown attempt forced another clinch. Zalal was landing jabs frequently. Lingo came forward with a two punch combination that connected. Zalal got his first takedown of the fight in the final minute of the round. They stood back up shortly after, with Lingo pressing Zalal against the cage in the final seconds. On the way down, Zalal tried for a kimura that was never fully put together.
Zalal tried for another single leg takedown in the first minute, getting eventually. As Lingo was trying to escape being in bottom position, Zalal tried for a darce choke. He kept trying for the choke as they went to their feet, going back down eventually. Lingo slipped out and went back to his feet with a minute and a half to go. Zalal got another takedown in the final minute of the round. They stood back up for the final 10 seconds of the round.
Lingo ran forward and tried for punches early in the final round. In the second minute, Zalal got another takedown. They got back to their feet with two minutes left. They went back down as Zalal tried for an anaconda choke. They got back up with just over a minute left. Zalal got a single leg takedown, He tried for chokes on the ground before the round ran out of time. After three one-sided rounds, Youssef Zalal fought to a unanimous decision win (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27)
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Lingo | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 |
| Zalal | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
Bout 2: Andre Ewell (15-6) vs. Jonathan Martinez (11-2) (Bantamweight)
In the first of many bantamweight fights this evening, Andre Ewell and Jonathan Martinez fought next. They traded hard leg kicks early on. Martinez caught a leg kick and dumped Ewell to the ground. Ewell seemingly got hurt by a strike, retreating in the second minute. After stopping the flurry from Martinez, Ewell started to unload strikes and take control of the fight. Martinez shot for a takedown with two minutes to go, although never went after than a clinch against the cage. They went back to striking in the final 10 seconds, where they both connected with hard punches.
Ewell had some sharp striking at the start of the second round. Martinez was guarding himself, but also taking lots of shots. Martinez tried for a takedown, not even getting ahold of Ewell. Ewell was going to the body often. Martinez countered with two punches to the head in the third minute. A teep kick to the body had Ewell retreating in the final minute. Martinez was patient through the final minute, picking his shots. He landed a leg kick which dropped Ewell.
During the final round, the broadcast team speculated that Ewell had hurt his right hand. It was a much slow paced final round, with Martinez walking down Ewell throughout. Similar to the end of the first round, both fighters threw a wild exchange of strikes as the horn sounded. When going to the scorecards, Andre Ewell had a split decision victory (29-28 Martinez, 29-28 Ewell & 30-27 Ewell). The crowd reacted a little sour to this.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Ewell | 9 | 9 | 9 | 30 |
| Martinez | 10 | 10 | 10 | 27 |
Bout 3: Domingo Pilarte (8-2) vs. Journey Newson (9-2) (Bantamweight)
Before the prelims switched to ESPN, Domingo Pilarte and Journey Newson battled. Pilarte landed a head kick early on. He had a clear height advantage. Newson landed a counter-right hook that dropped Pilarte. He landed a few more punches on the ground before the fight ended. With a quick and explosive win, Journey Newson got the first win in his UFC career.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Pilarte | ||||
| Newson |
Bout 4: Miles Johns (10-0) vs. Mario Bautista (7-1) (Bantamweight)
The prelims on ESPN started with undefeated Miles Johns returning to face Mario Bautista. Johns was favoured by the crowd since he is from the state of Texas. The first few minutes had close stand-up, with neither fighter landing any hard shots. Bautista was moving around on his feet more. With a minute and a half in the round, Johns landed a right hook which looked clean.
Bautista landed a flying knee which dropped Johns in the second minute of the second round. He landed ground and pound until the fight ended. Scoring a flying knee, Mario Bautista put an end to Miles Johns’ undefeated record.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Johns | 10 | |||
| Bautista | 9 |
Bout 5: Alex Morono (17-5) vs. Khaos Williams (9-1) (Welterweight)
The next fight saw Khaos Williams made his UFC debut against Alex Morono. Williams shook Morono with a left hook early on. He kept on Morono with punches from the start, eventually dropping Morono and getting the victory. Living up to his first name, Khaos Williams ran through Alex Morono in under a minute.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Morono | ||||
| Williams |
Bout 6: Andrea Lee (11-3) (#8) vs. Lauren Murphy (11-4) (#7) (Flyweight)
The first fight of the evening that featured ranked fighters was between Andrea Lee and Lauren Murphy. They were trading strikes from the start of the fight. Lee’s mouthguard kept falling out in the first round. She was warned after the fight was paused the second time for her. They were both getting through good punches and working a fast pace throughout the round. Lee threw Murphy, although it was Murphy who got the takedown in the final seconds of the round. They stood up in a clinch against the cage before the horn.
The second round was a slightly slower pace, although both fighters were back to their fast speed. Murphy got a takedown in the final minute of the round.
In the final round, Murphy slipped and fell, letting Lee try for a choke on the ground. Lee eventually let go of the choke attempt, as Murphy was in top position. They went back to their feet with two minutes left. Lee’s mouthguard fell out again, with the referee giving her a warning again. Lee shot for a takedown with just over a minute to go, although Murphy was able to stop it. Lee landed some good knees to the body in the clinch. Lee finished the fight with some good punches. The fight went the distance, with Lauren Murphy getting a split decision win (29-28 Lee, 29-28 Murphy & 30-27 Murphy). The crowd was protesting this one. After the fight, Murphy called out Roxanne Modafferi.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Lee | 9 | 10 | 10 | 29 |
| Murphy | 10 | 9 | 9 | 28 |
Bout 7: James Krause (27-7) vs. Trevin Giles (11-2) (Middleweight)
The prelims finished with James Krause facing Trevin Giles. Krause took this fight last night after Giles’ original opponent Atonio Arroyo was pulled from the card. Krause was in the area to corner Zalal. The striking from Giles was looking very sharp at the start. Krause got a takedown a minute into the fight, hopping on the back of Giles. While Giles was on his feet, Krause tried for a rear naked choke. They went to the ground where Krause continued to fight for the choke. After defending Krause who was on his back for a while, Giles eventually flipped over to take top position. They got up in the final seconds of the round where Giles had Krause against the cage.
Giles was landing some good strikes early in the second round. Krause was backed up against the cage ducking shots in the second minute, but that was stopped by Krause clinching up. Krause got a takedown, although Giles was able to stand up immediately. Krause stayed on his back on the ground, and Giles went down into top position. Giles started unloading shots from top position in the final minute. Krause was taking a lot of shots, although he kept moving to stay in the fight. Giles got on the back of Krause and tried for a rear naked choke as the round ended.
Both fighters were visibly tired as the third round started. While Giles was clearly the better striker in the rounds before, it felt like both of them got clipped by shots in this round. With that being said, Giles was landing the better strikes. Krause was bleeding from his nose. Giles had a body lock on Krause as the fight was winding down. The fight went to decision, with Trevin Giles getting the split decision win (29-28 Krause, 29-28 Giles & 29-28 Giles).
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Krause | 10 | 9 | 9 | 28 |
| Giles | 9 | 10 | 10 | 29 |
Bout 8: Derrick Lewis (22-7) (#6) vs. Ilir Latifi (14-7) (Heavyweight)
Starting off the main card was Houston’s own Derrick Lewis facing Ilir Latifi in a heavyweight bout. As expected, the crowd was widely in favour of Lewis. Latifi put in a clinch when Lewis charged in for his first combination of strikes. They separated, where Latifi motioned that he was poked in the eye. The fight did not pause. Lewis landed a flying knee to the head. After eating the knee, Latifi put Lewis in another clinch. Latifi tried for a single leg takedown, but Lewis stayed against the fence avoiding it. When they went back to striking, Lewis landed a head kick two times. Latifi put him against the cage again tonight. Lewis tried for another flying knee in the closing seconds of the round. When Latifi clinched up again, the crowd booed.
In the second minute of the second round, Latifi put Lewis against the cage again to the crowd’s displeasure. Latifi got his first takedown of the fight halfway through the second round. Latifi threw strikes periodically until the referee stood them up in the final minute of the round. Latifi tossed Lewis to the ground again, taking top position and not doing much from it.
Latifi got another takedown in the second minute of the third round from a clinch. Lewis got up with two minutes left in the fight. Lewis came forward with another flying knee. Latifi got a trip takedown with a minute to go, although Lewis stood right back up. Latifi seemed tired. Lewis was landing good shots, although Latifi was trying to stop it by stalling with clinches. Latifi at a lot of shots in the final minute. Going to the scorecards to find a winner, it was Derrick Lewis who got the unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Lewis | 10 | 9 | 10 | 29 |
| Latifi | 9 | 10 | 9 | 28 |
Bout 9: Dan Ige (12-2) vs. Mirsad Bektic (13-2) (Featherweight)
The next fight saw Dan Ige and Mirsad Bektic fight in a featherweight matchup. Ige started strong, landing a punch, getting a takedown and landing a knee in the clinch when they stood back up. Ige got a takedown from a different clinch. He got Bektic with a few clean punches as they were getting back up. In stand-up, Bektic’s legs went a little weak after eating a left hook. Ige scored some punches while exiting a clinch.
Bektic got a takedown early in the second round. Bektic kept top position for quite a while. He tried for an arm triangle while in half guard. He switched into full mount and kept the hold. Ige stayed composed and eventually escaped the hold.
Bektic tried for a takedown for quite some time at the start of the third round. The referee separated them while in a body lock against the cage. Bektic got a takedown with over a minute to go in the fight. Ige got back to his feet, although Bektic was still holding him. Bektic got Ige back to the ground as the round ended. With yet another split decision tonight, Dan Ige got the win on the scorecards (29-28 Bektic, 29-28 Ige & 29-28 Ige).
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Ige | 10 | 9 | 9 | 28 |
| Bektic | 9 | 10 | 10 | 29 |
Bout 10: Justin Tafa (3-1) vs. Juan Adams (5-2) (Heavyweight)
In the final fight before the championship bouts, Justin Tafa and Juan Adams attempted to get back in the win column. The first minute or so of the fight was a feeling out process. Tafa landed a right hook which shook Adams. Tafa then landed an uppercut which dropped Adams, then landed a couple more on the ground before the referee ended it.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Tafa | ||||
| Adams |
Bout 11: Valentina Shevchenko (18-3) vs. Katlyn Chookagian (13-2) (#1) (UFC Flyweight Championship)
In the co-main event of the show, Valentina Shevchenko put her UFC Flyweight Championship on the line against Katlyn Chookagian. The first round had a bit of a feeling out process for a minute or so. Shevchenko connected with a spinning back fist in the second minute of the round. Chookagian threw a leg kick in the fourth minute which was caught by Shevchenko for a takedown. Shevchenko landed an elbow near the end of the round that cut Chookagian open at the end of her left eyebrow.
The second round saw Shevchenko out-strike Chookagian. She landed a spinning back kick in the third minute. Just like the round before, Shevchenko got a takedown with two minutes to go. She stayed in control until the round ended.
Shevchenko got another takedown in the first minute of the third round by catching a kick. From top position, Shevchenko got in a crucifix position and started to land punches. After landing a few unanswered punches, the fight was put to an end. After three rounds of dominant performance, Valentina Shevchenko made the third defence of her UFC Flyweight Championship.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Total |
| Shevchenko | 10 | 10 | ||||
| Chookagian | 9 | 9 |
Bout 12: Jon Jones (25-1) vs. Dominick Reyes (12-0) (#4) (UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)
The main event of the evening saw Jon Jones try to defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Dominick Reyes. Reyes tried for a punch off the bat. Jones clinched up, with both fighters trying strikes in the clinch. They both threw lots of leg kicks early on. Reyes landed a left hand to the head that seemingly hurt Jones. Reyes then landed a two-punch combo that made Jones retreat to the cage. Reyes had another good push forward, landing semi-protected shots, including a spinning back kick. Jones scored a head kick in the final minute.
To start the second round, Reyes was landing lots of leg kicks. In the first minute of the second round, Jones was running around the octagon to avoid strikes by Reyes. Jones countered a kick by catching it and responding with a punch. Jones landed a good jab in the fourth minute. Reyes connected with an uppercut in the final minute that landed clean.
At the start of the third round, Reyes landed a good head kick. Reyes started to bleed from his nose early in this round. As Jones came forward, Reyes landed a left-uppercut. Jones shot for a takedown halfway through the round, although Reyes stopped it and kept the fight on the feet. Jones tried for another takedown as the round ended.
Reyes landed punches early in the fourth round that stunned Jones. Jones clinched up and got Reyes to the ground for a moment. They got back up, but Jones put him back down. Reyes worked his way back up to his feet again, still in the clinch. They separated and went back to striking. Jones was bleeding now too. Jones started throwing more in the second half of this round. Reyes was slowly backpedalling for the final minute of the round, avoiding most of what Jones threw. Jones landed some good punches as the round ended.
Jones got a double leg takedown in the first minute of the final round, although Reyes stood up in a clinch after only a few moments. Jones was walking down Reyes and landing lots of shots as the round continued. Reyes ducked a high kick and countered with a punch in the fourth minute. Jones was clearly less fatigued than Reyes. Jones continued to walk down Reyes until the fight ended. This championship fight went to the scorecards, with Jon Jones retaining his belt (48-47, 48-47 & 49-46).
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Total |
| Jones | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 48 |
| Reyes | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 47 |
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