UFC will present an international lineup of talent on Saturday afternoon when hosting a “Fight Night” event from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
In the main event of the show, Darren Till will return for a middleweight contest against Derek Brunson.
Follow along throughout the day for updates.
A preview of the card can be read here.
Quick Results:
Preliminary Card (1:30PM EDT / 10:30AM PDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass Canada)
Bout 1: Marc-Andre Barriault def. Dalcha Lungiambula via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Julian Erosa def. Charles Jourdain via Submission, Darce Choke (RD 3, 2:56)
Bout 3: Jack Shore def. Liudvik Sholinian via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Molly McCann def. Kim Ji-yeon via Decision, Unanimous
Main Card (4:00PM EDT / 1:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass Canada)
Bout 5: Paddy Pimblett def. Luigi Vendramini via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:25)
Bout 6: Khalil Rountree def. Modestas Bukauskas via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:30)
Bout 7: Alex Morono def. David Zawada via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Tom Aspinall def. Serghei Spivac via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:30)
Bout 9: Derek Brunson def. Darren Till via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 2:13)
Live Coverage:
Bout 9: Derek Brunson (22-7) vs. Darren Till (18-3-1) (Middleweight)
Brunson Continues Dominant Middleweight Campaign, Submits Returning Till
Derek Brunson continued his strong run up the middleweight division on Saturday night, putting together a dominant performance against Darren Till that culminated with a third-round submission.
Brunson was able to battle through a worrying moment in the third round to secure a rear naked choke win on Till.
Till hurt Brunson in the third round with a series of punches. Brunson immediately diffused the situation, scoring a takedown and taking the back of Till. He applied a rear naked choke from the position, causing a quick tap from Till to end the fight.
Brunson was doing lots of damage in the first and second rounds of the bout, getting the fight to the ground and hurting Till with ground and pound. Till’s right eye became swollen after the first round due to the shots he endured early on.
After his win, Brunson called for a rematch against UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya. Addressing the fact that Adesanya might face former champ Robert Whittaker first, Brunson claimed he is happy to “sit and wait” for that fight to happen before his shot.
Brunson’s previous bout against Adesanya was in 2018, where he was stopped within a round with strikes. That bout was the last time he lost as a pro.
The 37-year-old middleweight is now on a five-fight winning streak. His two previous appearances were also UFC main event bouts, defeating Edmen Shahbazyan and Kevin Holland.
Till was competing for the first time in over a year. He was booked for bouts against Jack Hermanssona and Marvin Vettori in that time, but injuries forced him out of both bookings.
Till has now lost four out of his last five matches. Before Saturday, his last fight was a five-round unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker in 2020.
Bout 8: Tom Aspinall (10-2) vs. Serghei Spivac (13-2) (Heavyweight)
Aspinall Earns Quick Finish Win, Continues Fast Climb Up Heavyweight Ranks
Tom Aspinall continued his undefeated UFC run in the co-main event, finishing fellow rising heavyweight Serghei Spivac in the first round with strikes.
Aspinall was able to hurt Spivac in a clinch position, dropping him with a combination knee to the body and elbow to the head. He then went to the ground, where he scored with a few punches before the referee stopped the fight.
Aspinall now has four wins since joining the UFC last year. His previous victory came against veteran Andrei Arlovski, who he submitted in the second round with a rear naked choke.
Aspinall was originally set to face returning Sergei Pavlovich but was instead given on short notice Spivac due to visa issues.
Spivac entered the bout on a three-fight winning streak, including a decision victory against Aleksei Oleinik in June.
Bout 7: David Zawada (17-6) vs. Alex Morono (19-7) (Welterweight)
Morono Shows Striking Ability In Decision Win
Alex Morono scored a milestone 20th pro win on the main card, fighting three rounds against David Zawada to earn a unanimous decision win (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).
Morono had the sharper striking for the entire 15 minutes of action, getting the better shots in during back-and-forth exchanges.
Morono is now on a two-fight winning streak. He stopped veteran Donald Cerrone within a round in his prior appearance, scoring that win in May.
Zawada has now lost four of his last five. He fought once earlier this year, dropping a split decision to Ramazan Emeev.
Bout 6: Khalil Rountree (8-5) vs. Modestas Bukauskas (11-4) (Light Heavyweight)
Rountree Returns To Winning Ways With Kick Stoppage
Khalil Rountree showed his vicious kicking skills against Modestas Bukauskas, stopping him in the second round with a short side kick to the leg and knee section.
Bukauskas shouted as he went down due to the kick, causing the referee to immediately step in and end the fight. Bukauskas left the cage with his leg in a brace.
Rountree had sharp striking in the first round as well.
Bukauskas was hurt right off the bat by Rountree, who backed him up and connected with powerful left hands in the opening frame.
The fight put Rountree back into the win column, ending a two-fight losing streak that he had developed since 2019.
On the other hand, Bukauskas is now on a three-fight losing streak. He has fought four times since joining the UFC last year, starting his run with a win but then dropping three straight.
Bout 5: Luigi Vendramini (9-2) vs. Paddy Pimblett (16-3) (Lightweight)
Cage Warriors Veteran Pimblett Makes Comeback For UFC Debut Win
Former Cage Warriors Champion Paddy Pimblett made a one-round comeback in his UFC debut, battling early adversity and stopping Luigi Vendramini late in the first round with punches.
Pimblett stormed Vendramini in the final minute of the round, unloading with a consistent series of hooks to the head until he scored a knockdown that finished the bout.
Vendramini had Pimblett in great trouble early in the fight, connecting with a left hook that had clearly wobbled him.
Paddy got the UFC call-up after a long career in European promotion Cage Warriors. He was their featherweight champion at one point and joined the UFC after scoring two first-round wins at lightweight.
Vendramini was coming off a majority decision loss he took against Fares Ziam in June.
Bout 4: Kim Ji-yeon (9-3-2) vs. Molly McCann (10-4) (Flyweight)
McCann Ends Losing Streak With Win Over Kim
Molly McCann snapped a two-fight skid on Saturday’s prelims, defeating Kim Ji-yeon via split decision after three rounds (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).
McCann was constantly the fighter marching forward, connecting with shots to Kim, who was often up against the cage. Kim kept the fight competitive, especially finding a home with her right hand exchanges.
McCann got knocked down halfway through the first round, as the flyweights had an accidental clash of heads.
McCann had lost her two previous bouts, dropping decisions against Taila Santos and Lara Procopio.
Kim’s last fight was a year ago, losing a decision to Alexa Grasso.
Bout 3: Jack Shore (14-0) vs. Liudvik Sholinian (9-1-1) (Bantamweight)
Shore Earns 15th Win In Undefeated Career
Jack Shore continued his undefeated UFC win on Saturday, fighting to a unanimous decision victory over “Ultimate Fighter” contestant Liudvik Sholinian (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).
Shore had a strong, one-sided performance throughout. He scored numerous takedowns in the contest while being able to stop Sholinian’s attempts.
On the feet, Shore out-landed Sholinian throughout.
Shore now has four wins since joining the UFC roster in 2019. The former Cage Warriors Bantamweight Champion previously fought in April, defeating Hunter Azure via split decision in April.
Sholinian was making his UFC debut after being a semi-finalist on the recent season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He was eliminated on the show by Ricky Turcios, who went on to win in the finals.
As a pro, Sholinian entered Saturday on a four-fight winning streak.
Bout 2: Charles Jourdain (11-3-1) vs. Julian Erosa (25-9) (Catchweight 150 lbs)
Erosa Ends Close Bout With Third Round Submission
Veteran Julian Erosa capped off a close three-round fight against Charles Jourdain with a darce choke submission on the prelims.
Erosa attempted the choke while on the feet, later pulling guard to take it to the ground. After a few moments, a tap eventually came from Jourdain to end the fight.
Erosa’s third-round gameplan was much different than the first two rounds, as he focused on takedowns after mostly striking earlier on. He got the fight to the ground twice in the final round before the finishing sequence.
The first 10 minutes of the fight saw Jourdain and Erosa in wild, fast-paced stand-up exchanges.
Jourdain scored a knockdown in the second round, dropping Erosa with a left cross. Erosa was quick to get back to his feet and continue throwing his own shots.
“Jourdain’s a strong striker. I wanted to get the fight to the ground earlier,” said Erosa, reflecting on the fight in his post-fight interview.
Erosa is now back in the win column after losing a bout to Choi Seung-woo in June.
Jourdain had a finish win earlier this year, stopping UFC newcomer Marcelo Rojo with punches.
Bout 1: Dalcha Lungiambula (11-2) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (12-4) (Middleweight)
Barriault Showcases Striking, Cardio In Decision Win
Marc-Andre Barriault showed his toughness and striking skills through three rounds on the prelims, defeating Dalcha Lungiambula via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 30-27).
Barriault was constantly advancing on the feet, although Lungiambula also had a high output of strikes while backing up. The middleweights engaged in quick striking exchanges, making the fight a close one to judge by the end.
Barriault had a strong finish to the fight, being the fresher fighter and coming forward with hard shots.
There was a slight concern that the fight would abruptly end in the third round due to an accidental eye poke to Barriault. After over a minute of a break, the fight resumed.
Barriault is now on his first two-fight winning streak since joining the UFC in 2019. His strong cardio was on display in his last fight as well, as he stopped Abu Azaitar in the 15th minute of action in March.
Lungiambula was returning to the cage after scoring a decision win over Markus Perez earlier this year.
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