UFC 224 live updates: Fight-by-fight coverage leading up to the Nunes-Pennington main event

Amanda Nunes won the UFC women’s bantamweight title by submitting the popular Miesha Tate and then knocking out Ronda Rousey. Unfortunately, Nunes hasn’t been able to connect as a pay-per-view attraction in the way that her previous opponents did. Meanwhile, the division has been hollowed out by retirements and fighters moving to new divisions at featherweight and flyweight. Raquel Pennington gets this title shot in part because of the lack of strong contenders. Pennington has won four straight but hasn’t competed since 2016 and is coming off a severe injury.

Round 1. Nunes knocks Pennington down with a leg kick. Nunes comes in with a big right hand but gets countered in the process as well. Nunes keeps attacking the leg and she knocks Pennington down with a leg kick for the second time. Nunes appears to stun Pennington a little with a two punch combination but Pennington is fine. Pennington is able to land some counter punches here and there but Nunes has so much more power. Pennington’s leg is also very red all over the place. They exchange late with Nunes landing the harder punches. 10-9 Nunes.

Round 2. Nunes moves in with punches. Pennington looks to clinch but Nunes prevents that. Nunes continues to walk down Pennington and is both the more versatile and effective fighter. Nunes lands a few hard knees to the head during a brief clinch. Pennington scores a takedown in the final minute of the round and ends up in side control. Pennington drops a few elbows but then lets Nunes back up and they exchange late. 10-9 Nunes.

Round 3. Nunes presses forward with strikes like in the first two rounds, although she doesn’t land much that’s telling early on in the third. Nunes gets an emphatic takedown a minute and a half in. Nunes isn’t doing much there, just holding Pennington down for the most part. The referee stands them back up. Nunes lands a few punches and clinches but nothing happens there. Pennington goes for a takedown late but Nunes blocks it. 10-9 Nunes.

Round 4. Nunes lands a nice leg kick. The pace has definitely slowed and little is landing of much consequence. Nunes adds another hard leg kick and follows that with two punches that land well. Nunes scores a takedown. Nunes is mostly inactive from the top but does land a few punches here and there. Pennington stands up and eats a few knees in the process. Nunes follows with additional knees. 10-9 Nunes.

Between rounds, Pennington told her corner that she did not want to continue. The coach insisted she continue and she did.

Round 5. Nunes gets a takedown. She lands a series of punches and elbows. Pennington is busted open badly and the fight is stopped.

Winner: Amanda Nunes, TKO, round 5.

The fight wasn’t as exciting as many on the card, but Nunes put it on a game opponent and got a late stoppage when in the past she has faded later in fights.

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Kelvin Gastelum are both pursuing a middleweight title shot and either man could receive one with a victory here. Souza is one of the best jiu jitsu practitioners in MMA history and has added dangerous striking as well. Gastelum comes from a wrestling background and has quick hands plus knockout power. Gastelum is also a decade younger than the Brazilian Souza.

Round 1. Souza looks for a takedown early. Gastelum defends well, even landing punches while hopping on one foot. Souza attacks the leg and uses that to take top position. He quickly gains side control. Souza moves into full mount and lands some punches there. Gastelum gets half guard but Souza then regains full mount. Souza lands punches from there while waiting for the opportunity for a submission. Souza goes for an armbar while Gastelum stays close to avoid letting Souza extend it. Gastelum escapes it altogether late. 10-8 Souza.

Round 2. Gastelum lands some hard punches at the start. Souza looks for a takedown but doesn’t come close. Souza answers with a strong right hand of his own. Souza has a takedown attempt blocked but he follows with a few looping punches that connect very well. Gastelum seems more confident in the standup but Souza is landing his punches. Gastelum drops Souza with a two punch combination and adds more punches on the ground before letting Souza up. Souza struggles to get up. Souza lands a solid left hand late. Souza lands a couple right hands after that. Gastleum connects with a straight left hand at the close and Souza has a little trouble getting to his corner. 10-9 Gastelum.

Round 3. Souza lands another hard right hand. He lands another moments later. Gastelum’s body language looks much better but Souza is doing well for himself in terms of actual landed shots. Souza gets a takedown but Gastelum quickly returns to his feet. Gastelum lands a nice two punch combination. Gastelum lands a stiff left hand. Souza goes for a takedown in the final 30 seconds but Gastelum prevents it and attacks with some punches at the end. 10-9 Gastelum, 28-28 draw.

Winner: Kelvin Gastelum, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

That was a hard fought fight that showed the strengths of both fighters. Souza was dominant in the first round with his ground game but Gastelum came on strong in the striking in the second and third. No judges scored the first round 10-8, which could have made the difference in the fight.

Mackenzie Dern has become a well known figure in short order thanks to her world-class jiu-jitsu pedigree, looks and controversy surrounding her weight cuts and even accent. She missed weight for this fight by over 7 pounds, a completely unprofessional amount. Amanda Cooper was an Ultimate Fighter finalist and is 3-3 in her UFC career.

Round 1. The fighters exchange power punches from early on. Dern drops Cooper with a big right hand. Dern moves into full mount, Cooper turns her back, and Dern locks in a rear naked choke for the submission.

Winner: Mackenzie Dern, submission, round 1.

The weight cut will remain the biggest story in this fight and she may have to move to 125 pounds, but Dern turned in an impressive performance either way. Her striking isn’t fully developed but she shows a lot of promise given her strong background in submission grappling. She also pounced with her ground game when given the opportunity.

For years, John Lineker struggled to make weight at 125 pounds. He was eventually forced to move up to 135 for good and the thought process among many was that he wouldn’t translate that well to the new division because of his natural size. 5-1 since then with his only loss coming to current bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, Lineker has established himself as a topflight bantamweight. Brian Kelleher is 3-1 in the UFC with wins over former champion Renan Barao and perennial contender Iuri Alcantara. He gets another big opportunity here.

Round 1. Both men open with some leg kicks. Lineker’s appear to have more power behind them. Kelleher lands a big hook that staggers Lineker. Kelleher doesn’t follow up aggressively, which may have been a mistake given how hard the shot connected. In any event, Lineker recovers pretty quickly. Lineker drops Kelleher with a hook of his own. Lineker follows Kelleher to the ground, looking to finish the fight. Kelleher is able to hold and recover before standing back up. Kelleher lands a spinning back fist in a wild exchange. Kelleher shoots in for a takedown but it is blocked easily. Lineker pursues Kelleher with heavy punches late. Lineker lands another nice hook late. 10-9 Lineker.

Round 2. Lineker lands another big left hook. Kelleher is having real trouble defending against that. He lands another a minute later. Lineker charges in with punches and both men connect solidly in the exchange. Lineker’s increased aggression may suggest he’s confident about the matchup and looking for a finish. Lineker is really pouring it on. 10-8 Lineker.

Round 3. Lineker lands another of those big left hooks, set up so often by his attacks to the body. Lineker looks for a guillotine choke but cannot get it and Kelleher ends up on top. Lineker stands back up. Lineker’s pace appears to be slowing down and Kelleher starts to throw more. Lineker lands a strong straight right hand and then follows with a flurry of big punches. A number of them connect well and Kelleher is forced to retreat out of the way. Lineker knocks Kelleher loopy with the same combination that worked so often throughout the fight — a right hand to the body followed by a left hook to the chin. The referee stops the fight in the final 90 seconds.

Winner: John Lineker, TKO, round 3.

That was another great performance from John Lineker. He connected with power throughout the fight and kept looking for the finish, which he finally got at the end.

Vitor Belfort and Lyoto Machida are two of the most accomplished fighters in MMA history from the nation of Brazil. Now 41 and 39, respectively, the former champions are likely towards the end of their careers.

Round 1. Both men are hesitant to engage early. Machida throws out a front kick to establish range. Machida lands a leg kick. Belfort finally moves in with a couple of punches but Machida just backs out of the way and they don’t come close. Machida follows with a few kicks. Belfort lunges in again with punches and this time connects with at least one toward the end. The crowd loudly boos at the close of an uneventful round.

Round 2. Machida throws out the occasional kick or jab from distance while Belfort continues to struggle to find a way to close distance. Machida then knocks Belfort out cold with a front kick, the same style of kick that Anderson Silva used to KO Belfort and Machida used to KO Randy Couture.

Winner: Lyoto Machida, KO, round 2.

That was pretty much your prototypical Lyoto Machida performance. He’s careful and defensively aware but also has devastating knockout power that can manifest itself at any time. It’s hard to judge what the fight says about Machida’s future but certainly it wasn’t an encouraging evening for Belfort.

Ferreira is a popular figure in Brazil and he has won three of his last four fights. Karl Roberson is undefeated and thought of as a potentially dangerous force as he gains more experience.

Round 1. Ferreira gets a takedown early. He tries to move from half guard into side control but instead Roberson gains full guard. Roberson works his way back to the feet but Ferreira then pulls him back down. Ferreira successfully works his way into full mount in the final minute. Ferreira lands some punches from there and then transitions into an arm triangle choke. Roberson goes out.

Winner: Cezar Ferreira, submission, round 1.

A night of impressive finishes continues, as Ferreira dominated the fight on the ground and choked a formerly unbeaten fighter unconscious.

Oleksiy Oliynyk is one of the most experienced competitors in the sport. He debuted in 1996 and has accumulated a prolific 55-11-1 record. Submissions have been his specialty. Junior Albini is more of a striker and is coming off a setback against former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.

Round 1. Oliynyk lands a right hand early and then clinches. Nothing much happens there. Albini lands a few solid punches and Oliynyk is cut. Oliynyk grabs an Ezekiel choke, pulls Albini down, and gets the submission.

Winner: Oleksiy Oliynyk, submission, round 1. Oleksiy Oliynyk did it again. Oliynyk came into the UFC with 10 wins by the rare Ezekiel choke, but it wasn’t thought that the hold would work at the UFC level. Oliynyk proceeded to score the first Ezekiel choke submission in UFC history against Viktor Pesta and now he did it again. It’s an extreme rarity in MMA for a technique to not work often in general but for one fighter to be prolific with it.

Davi Ramos, a jiu jitsu artist, is 1-1 thus far in the UFC. He takes on German competitor Nick Hein who has been a featured attraction on European cards and has won his last three UFC contests.

Round 1. Hein knocks Ramos down with a punch. Ramos is fine and Hein elects not to pursue to the ground. Ramos lands a high kick. Ramos shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Ramos looks to set up a kimura. Hein avoids that but in the process Ramos takes the back and looks for a rear naked choke. Ramos isn’t able to get under the chin but Hein taps anyway from the pressure to the chin.

Winner: Davi Ramos, submission round 1.

Ramos showcased an excellent ground game there and became the first fighter to submit Nick Hein.

Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos has won four straight in the UFC. That momentum nets him a bout against 19-2 Sean Strickland. Strickland is 6-2 in the UFC with his only losses coming to top competition.

Round 1. Strickland seems to be content to stand. He walks down Dos Santos, establishing his jab. Dos Santos mixes in more kicks than Strickland’s hand-based attacks. Dos Santos connects with a beautiful spinning back kick to the head. Strickland is in massive trouble, and Dos Santos knocks him out with additional punches on the ground.

Winner: Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos, KO, round 1.

Dos Santos not only beat the toughest opponent of his UFC career, but also won in the most impressive fashion of his UFC career.

Warlley Alves was a very highly regarded prospect after winning the Ultimate Fighter Brazil and is the only fighter to defeat Colby Covington (via submission). However, Alves suffered back-to-back losses that greatly dropped his stock and he is looking to reestablish his previous reputation. Sultan Aliev is a Dagestani competitor who is 1-1 thus far in the UFC.

Round 1. Alves lands a right hand early. He then connects with a right high kick. Aliev clinches. On the break, Alves lands a few nice punches. Alves appears to stun Aliev a little with a wild overhand punch late. Aliev throws Alves down at the end of the round.

Round 2. The fighters end up in the clinch early on and work there for the majority of the round. Neither man is able to accomplish a lot and they are broken up. Aliev’s eye is a mess from punches in the clinch. Alves lands a high kick and then follows up with two additional punches late. 10-9 Alves.

The fight is stopped after the second because Aliev’s eye is a grotesque mess.

Winner: Warlley Alves, TKO, round 2.

Warlley Alves did very well in that fight. His striking looked crisp and dangerous. He had no cardio issues, which have come up in the past.

Thales Leites is an elder statesman in the sport, having fought all over the world and competed against elite competition including a title shot against a prime Anderson Silva. Jack Hermansson is a Swedish competitor with good standup. He is 3-2 thus far in the UFC.

Round 1. Hermansson establishes his striking early. He lands a series of kicks at different level and mixes in some punches as well. Hermansson is longer, faster and more dynamic on the feet than Leites. After a hard jab connects to the chin of Leites, Leites elects to go for a takedown. He works diligently for the takedown but Hermansson ends up taking top position. This process ends up repeating twice more before the round ends. 10-9 Hermansson.

Round 2. Leites gets a takedown at the start of the round and Hermansson is in great pain on the ground. It appears his leg is injured although Hermansson later says it was a rib injury. Leites grabs an arm triangle choke and Hermansson despite the pain fights it hard. Leites keeps squeezing but eventually gives up on the arm triangle choke, which happens to be his favorite submission that he has used for eight wins over the course of his career. 10-8 Leites.

Round 3. Leites goes for a takedown and then looks for an anaconda choke. Leites transitions to a guillotine choke attempt but loses that and Hermansson has top position. Hermansson takes full mount and immediately goes to work with heavy punches from the top. Leites is getting hurt badly by the punches and the referee calls off the fight.

Winner: Jack Hermansson, TKO, round 3.

That was a performance by Hermansson that calls for superlatives. He was injured and getting squeezed by a master in the second but he refused to give in and he then took advantage of a small opportunity in the third to pull off the very surprising come-from-behind victory. It was a real gutsy performance by the Swede.

Ramazan Emeev is part of the wave of Dagestani fighters making their way to UFC. He won his UFC debut, albeit in a less than scintillating fight against Sam Alvey. Alberto Mina is undefeated, although at 36 years old he has had an unusual career in that he doesn’t fight all that often. He debuted in 2005 and has gone 13-0 in the 13 years since.

Round 1. Emeev lands a quality right hand early. The fighters engage in a relatively slow feeling out process, trading jabs. Mina looks for a knee bar but doesn’t come close. Mina continues to control the leg but Emeev takes top position. Emeev lands some punches from there before the end. 10-9 Emeev.

Round 2. Emeev gets a takedown early but can’t do much with it before Mina gets up. Mina lands some knees to the body in the clinch. Mina looks for a leg lock but can’t get it and Emeev takes top position again. Emeev lands punches from the top. 10-9 Emeev.

Round 3. The fight goes back to a slow standup pace. Neither man is throwing much or landing much of consequence. After a clinch, Emeev lands a solid combination. Mina looks for a forward roll late but doesn’t come close with his kick. 10-9 Emeev.

Winner: Ramazan Emeev, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Emeev won that fight clearly but it wasn’t the sort of fight that is going to excite fans about either fighter. Emeev seems like the sort of fighter who is content to coast with a moderate advantage.

The UFC 224 opener pits the native Brazilian Markus Perez against Wisconsin resident James Bochnovic. Both men are looking to rebound from setbacks in their UFC debuts.

Round 1. Bochnovic attempts a takedown early. Perez controls his neck and rolls around to try to take the back. Bochnovic prevents that. Perez takes Bochnovic down and ends up in half guard after a scramble. Perez tries for a D’Arce choke but doesn’t get it. Perez then looks for a rear naked choke. Bochnovic defends well at first but Perez persists and gets under the chin. Bochnovic is forced to tap.

Winner: Markus Perez, submission, round 1.

That was a solid win for Perez, who consistently looked to finish on the ground and pulled it off before the end of the first.

Amanda Nunes was told a year ago that she’d never return to a main event after falling ill before a scheduled UFC headline bout.

But talent can’t be denied.

“Exactly,” Nunes said. “I’m the champion.”

With the UFC returning to Brazil, Nunes’ homeland, on Saturday night for a pay-per-view card, the women’s bantamweight champion defends her belt against Raquel Pennington.

“I knew everything would be fine,” Nunes said of the previous admonishment from UFC President Dana White for bowing out of a fight against Valentina Shevchenko on the morning of a March 2017 card in Las Vegas.

“I was sick. I don’t have anything to say sorry about. I want to fight at 100%. If I’m not 100%, I’m not supposed to fight. It’s happened in all of the sports over the years. The times a football player has an injury, he doesn’t play the next game, or if you’re a little sick, you don’t go. This is the case in all types of sports. Now I feel great.”

Read More