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The UFC 221 card that seemingly lacked star-power, delivered in a big way Down Under.
Yoel Romero once again reminded the world just how deadly a finisher he is, as the 40-year old former Olympic medalist obliterated ex-UFC Middleweight kingpin, Luke Rockhold.
On the other hand, while the co-main event of the evening saw a few questionable scorecards drawn out, the rest of the card delivered several action-packed fights.
So, without further ado, here are the complete results for UFC 221—
*Indian fans can watch UFC events Live & Exclusive on SONY ESPN & SONY ESPN HD*
#Main Card (PPV)
#1 Yoel Romero vs. Luke Rockhold
Yoel Romero revealed in the post-fight interview on FOX that he indeed suffered from a broken leg in the very first round after getting tagged by a couple of hard low kicks courtesy Luke Rockhold.
The fight was highly entertaining and featured both competitors come close to finishing the bout on multiple occasions. While Romero stunned Rockhold throughout the bout, the former wasn’t fazed by Rockhold’s strikes but almost had to quit the fight in between rounds owing to the aforementioned broken leg.
Rockhold showed great offensive striking and pivoted away from Romero’s hooks masterfully in Round 1. Nevertheless, sensing that the fight could be stopped at any time by the ringside medical team in lieu of the leg injury, Romero moved forward with reckless intent in Round 2.
Romero strung together with beautiful punching combinations in the second round and followed up with yet another hellacious offensive chain of movements in the third round. The Soldier of God caught Rockhold with a huge overhand left; dropping the latter, following which he landed an uppercut to the jaw when Rockhold was already slumped against the fence; putting out his lights out.
Nevertheless, one ought to note that since Romero missed weight he wasn’t eligible to win the Interim UFC Middleweight title. However, UFC President Dana White has indeed alluded to possibly booking Romero in a fight for the Undisputed title against current titleholder Robert Whittaker.
Result: Yoel Romero def. Luke Rockhold via KO (Punches) (Round 3, 1:48)
#2 Curtis Blaydes vs. Mark Hunt
Mark Hunt almost finished Curtis Blaydes in Round 1; dropping the latter with a couple of slick punches, and continuing his striking clinic.
Nevertheless, Blaydes reverted back to his wrestling roots as soon as he felt Hunt’s power; securing a takedown on the latter but not landing any significant ground strikes whatsoever. The second round saw more of the same take place, whereas Round 3 saw both fighters exhausted—a round in which Blaydes managed to get Hunt on the ground, but again didn’t risk opening up with heavy strikes as Hunt threatened to secure leverage and stand up.
In the end, the judges scored the bout in favor of Blaydes. And although most in the MMA community agreed with the result, two of the three scorecards had Hunt losing by 4 points—something that was pointed out to be a significant error as the fight was much closer than what the scorecards indicate.
Hunt's future is the topic of intense speculation now after the loss. The outspoken Super Samoan could be on his way out of the promotion with his contract expiring soon.
Result: Curtis Blaydes def. Mark Hunt via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27)
#3 Tai Tuivasa vs. Cyril Asker
Tai Tuivasa further solidified his status as a legitimate Heavyweight prospect, by making a huge statement at UFC 221.
Tuivasa dominated Asker on the feet; gauging the distance expertly, and tagging the latter at will. Tuivasa caught Asker with a barrage of punches in Round 1, and followed up with a few slick elbows to end the bout.
Result: Tai Tuivasa def. Cyril Asker via TKO (Punches & Elbows) (Round 1, 2:18)
#4 Jake Matthews vs. Li Jingliang
Jake Matthews did what he had to do against Chinese KO artist Li Jingliang.
Matthews stayed wary of the latter’s power, and carefully waded in and out of range without planting his feet and throwing heavy leather. Regardless, Jingliang should’ve been deducted a point for the blatant eye-gouge he used in order to escape from a submission attempt by Matthews.
In the end, Jingliang’s eye-gouging didn’t affect the outcome of the bout after all, as the judges scored the fight in favor of Matthews—as the Aussie not only out-struck Jingliang but also out-grappled him throughout the matchup.
Result: Jake Matthews def. Li Jingliang via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-26)
#5 Tyson Pedro vs. Saparbek Safarov
Tyson Pedro made a huge statement in what appeared to be somewhat of a squash match.
Pedro beat Safarov from pillar to post, and pursued the finish with ruthless aggression. While Pedro could’ve finished the fight had he kept it on the feet, his grappling exchanges with Safarov brought an end to the fight in the very first round, with a beautiful Kimura.
Result: Tyson Pedro def. Saparbek Safarov via Submission (Kimura) (Round 1, 3:54)
#Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1)
#1 Dong Hyun Kim vs. Damien Brown
Dong Hyun Kim and Damien Brown put on an excellent display of technical skills in their UFC 221 matchup.
Apparently, Kim had a slight advantage early on, as he seemed to be finding the target more often that his foe. Nevertheless, Brown got into second gear in the ensuing round; tagging Kim at will.
The third stanza was yet another closely contested one, which could’ve gone either way. Nevertheless, in the end, Kim was awarded the decision victory by 2 of the 3 judges.
Result: Dong Hyun Kim def. Damien Brown via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
#2 Israel Adesanya vs. Rob Wilkinson
Adesanya was expected to put on a striking clinic at UFC 221, and he delivered to a T.
Adesanya used the first round to gauge the distance and get Wilkinson’s timing down. While the fight only lasted a little less than a couple of rounds, Adesanya showed tremendous takedown defense, before tagging Wilkinson with several excellent knees and follow-up punches for the stoppage victory.
Result: Israel Adesanya def. Rob Wilkinson via TKO (Knees & Punches) (Round 2, 3:37)
#3 Alexander Volkanovski vs. Jeremy Kennedy
Volkanovski and Kennedy represented two prospects doing battle with one another in a pivotal matchup.
While the fight was expected to likely be a close affair, once that Octagon door slam shut, it was all Volkanovski. The slick striker stunned Kennedy at will, and never let him off the hook.
Volkanovski brought an end to the fight in the second stanza, with a barrage of powerful punches & elbows.
Result: Alexander Volkanovski def. Jeremy Kennedy via TKO (Punches & Elbows) (Round 2, 4:57)
#4 Jussier Formiga vs. Ben Nguyen
Jussier Formiga almost knocked out Ben Nguyen in Round 3.
While Formiga seems to have improved both his offensive and defensive striking, he did miss on a few wild, spinning attacks in the first two rounds. Nevertheless, once he connected flush on Nguyen’s jaw, the latter was on roller skates in the moments that ensued.
Formiga chose to go for the submission instead of following up with more ground strikes—bringing an end to the bout by way of a Rear Naked Choke.
Result: Jussier Formiga def. Ben Nguyen via Technical Submission (Rear Naked Choke) (Round 3, 1:43)
#Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
#1 Ross Pearson vs. Mizuto Hirota
Ross Pearson showcased his boxing skills in his UFC 221 matchup against Hirota.
Pearson seemed to have slowed down in the latter half of the fight, however, was still reading Hirota’s advances incredibly well—countering the latter on various occasions. In the end, Pearson did enough to sway the judges in his favor.
Result: Ross Pearson def. Mizuto Hirota via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
#2 Jose Alberto Quinonez vs. Teruto Ishihara
Quinonez and Ishihara engaged in a surprisingly gun-shy chess match, so to speak.
Ishihara seemed to be tentative in the early going—a pattern that seemed to be present, albeit in a diminishing manner as the fight progressed. Regardless, Quinones stayed light on his feet, and out-pointed Ishihara en route to a clear-cut decision victory.
Result: Jose Alberto Quinonez def. Teruto Ishihara via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
#3 Luke Jumeau vs. Daichi Abe
Luke Jumeau kept Daichi Abe and bay over the course of this matchup, however, the latter did catch Jumeau with an excellent punch to the eye—something that the referee seemingly mistook for an eye poke, and temporarily brought a halt to the action.
The aforementioned break allowed Jumeau to recover, and go on to out-point Abe.
Result: Luke Jumeau def. Daichi Abe via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-27, 28-27)
