Francis Ngannou will get his second chance to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion on Saturday night, fighting current titleholder Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 260. The 10-fight pay-per-view card will take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Follow along throughout the evening for live coverage of the event.
Click here for a preview of the card.
Quick Results:
Early Prelims (7:30PM EDT / 4:30PM PDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 1: Marc-Andre Barriault def. Abu Azaitar via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 4:56)
Preliminary Card (8:00PM / 5:00PM PDT) (ESPN / TSN 5)
Bout 2: Omar Morales def. Shane Young via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Modestas Bukauskas via Decision, Split
Bout 4: Abubakar Nurmagomedov def. Jared Gooden via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Alonzo Menifield def. Fabio Cherant via Submission, Von Flue Choke (RD 1, 1:11)
Main Card (10:00PM EDT / 7:00PM PDT) (PPV)
Bout 6: Jamie Mullarkey def. Khama Worthy via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:46)
Bout 7: Miranda Maverick def. Gillian Robertson via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Sean O’Malley def. Thomas Almeida via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 3:52)
Bout 9: Vicente Luque def. Tyron Woodley via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:56)
Live Coverage:
Bout 10: Stipe Miocic (20-3) vs. Francis Ngannou (15-3) (UFC Heavyweight Championship)
Ngannou Earns Second-Round Knockout Over Miocic To Become New UFC Heavyweight Champion
Francis Ngannou floored Stipe Miocic with punches in the second round of the main event to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Ngannou knocked Miocic out with a left hook, landing a hammer fist punch on the ground before the referee stopped the fight. The new champion scored a knockdown early in the second round prior to the stoppage, taking Miocic down with a two-punch combination.
Ngannou had a strong first round as well, scoring hard punches on the feet and even landing shots after taking the back of Miocic.
The win for Ngannou avenged a loss he took to Miocic in 2018. In their first meeting, Miocic won via unanimous decision after a five-round fight. Ngannou entered the fight on a four-fight win streak that consisted solely of first-round stoppage wins.
Ngannou’s previous win was his quickest in the run, stopping Jairzinho Rozenstruick in just 20 seconds at UFC 249.
After the fight, Ngannou was open to the idea of fighting former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, who called for a fight in a vague series of tweets on Saturday night.
“I’m ready. Anytime soon. Even in the summer I’ll be ready to fight,” said Ngannou following his win.
Miocic entered the bout with the goal of defending his heavyweight belt for the second time in his run. The two-time champ defeated Daniel Cormier in his previous fight, winning via unanimous decision at UFC 252.
Bout 9: Tyron Woodley (19-6-1) vs. Vicente Luque (19-7-1) (Welterweight)
Luque Hurts Submits Woodley With Darce Choke, Hands The Former Champ His Fourth Consecutive Loss
Vicente Luque prevailed in a hectic one-round fight against former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley, submitting him with a darce choke in the fourth minute.
Luque was able to secure the choke late in the fight after hurting Woodley with strikes earlier in the frame.
Luque wobbled Woodley halfway through the first round with punches. The fight went to the ground after Woodley shot for a takedown, allowing Luque to apply the darce choke that forced a tap.
Luque’s win came after being hurt by some strikes that Woodley was able to connect with.
“If I get hit hard, I’m going to keep pushing forward and look for the finish,” said Luque after the fight, admitting that he got hurt at points.
Luque called out Nate Diaz after the fight.
Woodley has now lost four consecutive fights. He has yet to win since losing his 170-pound belt to Kamaru Usman in 2019.
Luque is now on a three-fight win streak.
Bout 8: Thomas Almeida (22-4) vs. Sean O’Malley (12-1) (Bantamweight)
O’Malley Dominates, Eventually Stops Almeida In Return From Loss
Sean O’Malley put together a dominant win on Saturday, defeating Thomas Almeida to bounce back from his sole pro loss.
O’Malley was able to drop Almeida late in the fight with a left hand. Since the referee had not stopped the fight at that point, O’Malley dove down with another punch to the head that put an end to the fight.
The finish came after a one-sided performance from O’Malley throughout three rounds.
O’Malley was able to land a knockdown in the first round, scoring a knee to the body then dropped Almeida with a left hand. O’Malley thought he would get a walk-off win from the knockdown, although the fight didn’t stop and Almeida was given the chance to return to his feet.
O’Malley’s previous fight saw him lose to Marlon Vera, who capitalized on foot injuries to stop him in the first round.
Almeida is now on a four-fight losing streak. His last fight saw him lose to Jonathan Martinez last year.
Bout 7: Gillian Robertson (9-5) vs. Miranda Maverick (8-2) (Flyweight)
Maverick Continues UFC Campaign With Win Against Robertson
Miranda Maverick earned her second UFC victory on the main card, defeating promotional vet Gillian Robertson in a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28).
Maverick had a strong opening round, landing strikes and scoring a takedown.
Robertson was able to control Maverick on the ground for most of the second round, getting on her back for most of the round.
Maverick made a comeback in the final round, using ground and pound and general control on the ground to win the frame.
Maverick, a former Invicta FC fighter, has been flawless on paper since entering the UFC. She won her UFC debut last year to Liana Jojua, with their fight ending after a round due to doctor stoppage.
Robertson had lost her previous fight as well, losing on scorecards to Taila Santos.
The matchup between Robertson and Maverick was first set to happen at UFC 258 last month, although it was moved ahead after Maverick suffered illness.
Bout 6: Jamie Mullarkey (12-4) vs. Khama Worthy (16-7) (Lightweight)
Mullarkey Lands Left Hook For First UFC Win
Jamie Mullarkey had an explosive win to open the main card, catching Khama Worthy with a left hook that finished their fight in the first minute.
The left hook from Mullarkey made Worthy fall forwards. Mullarkey then swarmed him with punches on the ground before the referee stopped the fight.
Entering the UFC cage for the third time, Mullarkey scored his first win in the promotion. His previous bouts went to scorecards, losing to Fares Ziam and Brad Riddell.
“We worked so hard for this fight. I’m just happy I got to finally showcase my skills,” said Mullarkey in his post-fight interview.
Worthy is now on a two-fight skid. His previous fight was quick as well, as Ottman Azaitar stopped him in the second minute with strikes. Before losing that fight, Worthy won his first two UFC fights.
Bout 5: Alonzo Menifield (9-2) vs. Fabio Cherant (7-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Menifield Snaps Losing Streak With Quick Von Flue Choke Win
Alonzo Menifield snapped a two-fight skid on the prelims, catching short-notice opponent Fabio Cherant early with a von flue choke to finish the bout.
The submission came in the second minute of their fight. Menifield scored a takedown early in the opening minute, although he was threatened by a guillotine choke from Cherant, who was on the bottom. Menifield eventually put in a von flue choke while in side control that forced a tap from Cherant.
The fight was big for Menifield, as he entered it after losing two consecutive fights. His two previous losses came against Devin Clark and UFC veteran Ovince St. Preux.
“It’s an emotional ride for me. I’m glad I got this win. I really needed it,” said Menifield in his post-fight interview.
Cherant took the fight earlier in the week, replacing William Knight. His previous fight was just last month, where he fought for five rounds against Myron Dennis to become the LFA Light Heavyweight Champion.
Bout 4: Jared Gooden (17-5) vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov (15-3-1) (Welterweight)
Nurmagomedov Sweeps Scorecards For First UFC Win
Abubakar Nurmagomedov showed a wide range of his skills to defeat Jared Gooden and earn his first UFC win, getting the victory in a unanimous decision performance (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).
Nurmagomedov was able to hurt Gooden with striking on the feet through the first two rounds. Gooden got clearly rocked by shots twice in the first round, although he was never knocked down by Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov started to land takedowns in the final round, putting Gooden on his back for the majority of the five minutes.
Nurmagomedov, a former PFL and WSOF fighter, had his previous UFC fight back in 2019, where he was submitted by David Zawada.
Gooden was also returning after losing his UFC debut, which was a loss to Alan Jouban last year.
Bout 3: Modestas Bukauskas (11-3) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (14-4) (Light Heavyweight)
Oleksiejczuk Gets Split Decision Win Over Bukauskas After Three-Round Striking Battle
Constant pressure in the striking of Michal Oleksiejczuk allowed him to take a split decision win against Modestas Bukauskas on the prelims (29-28 Oleksiejczuk, 29-28 Bukauskas & 29-28 Oleksiejczuk).
Oleksiejczuk was able to back Bukauskas up throughout the fight, constantly advancing and throwing shots. Bukauskas was able to counter with his own shots at points, although it was the volume from Oleksiejczuk that earned him the win.
Both fighters were looking to bounce back after losing in previous showings.
Oleksiejczuk is back in the win column after being finished in his two previous bouts.
Bukauskas’ previous fight saw him get stopped by Jimmy Crute. Before then, Bukauskas had a dominant one-round UFC debut win against Andreas Michailidis.
Bout 2: Shane Young (13-5) vs. Omar Morales (10-1) (Featherweight)
Morales Earns First Featherweight Win With Decision Over Young
Omar Morales returned to the win column on Saturday with a unanimous decision over Shane Young (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27). Morales was given the nod from judges after having the sharper striking and scoring a couple of takedowns in the fight.
The victory on the prelims for Morales was his first since making the move down to featherweight. He took his first pro loss in October, losing a fight on scorecards to Giga Chikadze.
With his win on Saturday, Morales now has three UFC wins through four appearances.
Young was finished for the first time in his pro career in his previous appearance, getting stopped by Ludovit Klein in September. Young had a two-fight win streak stopped with the fight last year.
Bout 1: Abu Azaitar (14-2-1) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (11-4) (Middleweight)
Ground and Pound Earns Barriault First UFC Win Through Five Appearances
A dominant final round from Marc-Andre Barriault against Abu Azaitar resulted in a stoppage, earning the Canadian his first UFC win through five fights.
The win for Barriault came after a dominant final round which saw him land ground and pound on Azaitar for the majority of the frame. The referee called an end to the bout in the final seconds of the third round while Barriault was scoring shots from full mount.
The scrappy middleweight fight saw momentum shift numerous times during striking exchanges on the feet. Azaitar was strong early in the fight, although Barriault’s toughness and cardio was what helped him later on.
Three of Barriault’s previous four appearances resulted in a loss. The most recent one prior to Saturday was initially a win, although it was later overturned due to a USADA drug test.
Azaitar was making his return to the cage after numerous years outside of the cage. Like Barriault, Azaitar was returning from a USADA suspension.
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