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The last-minute cancellation of the Middleweight title fight between Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum threatened to derail the much-anticipated card. However, it still managed to end up being a noteworthy PPV as the remaining fighters on the card gave the fans their money's worth.
In case you didn't know, Robert Whittaker had to pull out at the last moment as he had to undergo emergency surgery to treat a hernia. The show had to go on and the co-main event between Israel Adesanya and Silva became the main event as the Lightweight fight between Lando Vannata and Marcos Rosa Mariano was promoted to be the co-main event of the evening.
Let's jump right into the results then, shall we?
UFC 234 Prelims Results
* Devonte Smith def. Dong Hyun Ma via KO (punches) (3:53, Round 1)
* Shane Young def. Austin Arnett via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30, 27)
Kai Kara-France def. Raulian Paiva via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
* Kyung Ho Kang def. Teruto Ishihara via Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) (3:59, Round 1)
* Jalin Turner def. Callan Potter via KO (punches) (0:53, Round 1)
* Jonathan Martinez def. Wuliji Buren vs. via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
#1 Jimmy Crute vs. Sam Alvey (Light Heavyweight)
Round 1: Crute fired off a head kick, to begin with, but missed as Alvey assessed his opponent in the southpaw position. A sharp hand down the middle was followed by a high kick from Crute, who followed it up with solid inside leg kicks and a straight right.
Crute looked to pick Alvey apart slowly but Alvey landed a left to counter. Alvey walked into a well-placed right hand straight to the jaw as he got knocked down. Crute walked away celebrating but Alvey got back up to his feet. Crute landed another kick but got caught by Alvey, who took him down. Crute flipped him over and unleashed some nasty ground and pound. The referee stepped in and stopped the fight.
Alvey was livid with the stoppage as he argued that he was still conscious enough to continue. However, it was the right decision from the ref as fans popped for Crute, who celebrated by climbing atop the cage.
Result: Jimmy Crute def. Sam Alvey via TKO (Punches) (2:49, Round 1)
The insanely popular Crute extended his undefeated streak to 10. He gave an adrenaline-fuelled post-fight interview as he announced himself as the prospect to watch out for in the near future.
#2 Montana De La Rosa vs. Nadia Kassem (Women's Featherweight)
Round 1: De La Rosa looked to impose her wrestling superiority on Kassem and it didn't take long for the fight to go to the ground. La Rosa got in half guard after working tirelessly for over a minute. She kept herself busy with short punches. She briefly gave Kassem the guard but got the half guard back. La Rosa aggressively pushed for a submission in the final stages of the round as she assumed side control. She switched to north-south and went for the armbar before attempting a kimura. Kassem survived.
10-9 De La Rosa
Round 2: De La Rosa set up the takedown yet again with some punches. She assumed half guard again and landed some nasty elbows. De La Rosa got into the mount and locked in the triangle. She shifted to an armbar but Kassem fended it off and saw herself back into the triangle. De La Rosa wore Kassem down again with some elbows before locking in a tight armbar. Kassem was left with no option but to tap.
Result: De La Rosa def. Nadia Kassem via Submission (Triangle Armbar) (2:37, Round 2)
De La Rosa extended her record to 10-4 as she put on a grappling clinic against the clueless Kassem, who sadly had no answer to her opponent's dominance on the ground.
#3 Ricky Simon vs. Rani Yahya (Bantamweight)
Round 1: Yahya and Simon began cautiously as they looked to asses each other's range. Yahya produced a nice high kick but that didn't stop Simon from pushing forward at Yahya and landing a wild right as Yahya momentarily slipped.
Yahya landed a nice right hook and a one-two but Simon countered with a good shot to the body. He stuffed Yahya's single-leg takedown effectively. He then rocked Yahya with a huge strike and went for the kill. Yahya tried to get back on his feet as the fans in attendance cheered him on.
Simon was all over Yahya as he stunned him yet again with a left hook. Yahya kept going down but Simon kept telling him to stand up. Simon meant business as he kept stuffing Yahya's takedown attempts and landed solid shots all throughout.
Simon ended the round by chasing Yahya and connected with an overhead kick. It was all Simon as he amped up the crowd by thumping his chest after the round.
10-9 Simon
Round 2: A good straight kick to the body by Yahya. A clash of heads caused an opening on the right side of Simon's head. Yahya grew into the fight as he continued to chip away with strikes.
He rattled Simon with a strong right hand and pushed in for the potential finish. Simon showed great footwork to avoid getting finished off as Yahya rammed into his shoulder while coming in and went straight to the ground. He stayed on his back after the shoulder crash and invited Simon into the guard.
Simon obliged in the final ten seconds of the round as he got into the guard and saw the round out.
10-9 Yahya
Round 3: Simon with an attempted uppercut to begin with. Yahya on his back again as Simon raised his arms up to taunt him. Yahya with an overhead kick and Simon answered with a straight right.
Simon showed off his incredible takedown defense yet again as Yahya couldn't even get a hold of his leg. He kept going down on his back but Simon retreated. Simon stuffed another takedown attempt and then increased the volume as he tagged Yahya with straight rights and jabs.
One minute left, and Simon landed a takedown. He got out of the guard initially but played into it as there were only 30 seconds left on the clock. Simon looked to run the clock down as he landed some nasty ground and pound from the mount to end the fight.
A great showing from Simon who played to his strengths and out-landed Yahya with a 61-50 significant strike differential.
Result: Ricky Simon def. Rani Yahya via Unanimous Decision
With an impressive record of 15-1, Simon's explosive performance against the veteran Yahya has surely raised his stock as one of the prospects to watch out for in the Bantamweight division.
#4 Lando Vannata vs. Marcos Rosa Mariano (Lightweight)
This fight was supposed to be a part of Fight Pass but had to be pushed to the co-main event slot after the unfortunate setback to Robert Whittaker. Vannata (9-3-2) came into the fight without a win in his last four fights and would have been looking to use his unpredictability and creative striking techniques to revitalize his UFC career.
As for Mariano (6-4), this was set to be his UFC debut at the age of 32.
Round 1: Mariano's 5-inch reach advantage was evident from the get-go as he stretched his legs out to land a few kicks, to begin with. A powerful leg switch kick from Mariano was followed by a head kick that got blocked. Vannata got the body lock and took Mariano down to the mat.
Vannata in side control as Mariano tried to control the posture. Mariano looked for the head and arm triangle as he controlled the posture well. Vannata landed with a couple of elbows and rights from the top. Mariano seemed confused on the back as he let Vannata land shots without much resistance from the top. Mariano failed to create the separation using his size as he just wanted to get to the end of the round.
Vannata pushed right through Mariano's feet and rained down with some big shots. Mariano couldn't use the space as Vannata got hold of his arm. He cranked down on Mariano's arm with a Kimura and forced the tap in the dying stages of the first round.
Result: Lando Vannata def. Marcos Rosa Mariano via Submission (Kimura) (4:55, Round 1)
Mariano had no answer to the ground game of Vannata, who showed off a different side to his skill set as he got the win without taking much damage. Vannata called out Jim Miller in his post-fight interview and even pandered to the fans with an 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie' chant.
#5 Israel Adesanya vs. Anderson Silva (Middleweight)
The Style Bender surely looked like The Spider but would be able to fight like the legend too? It was finally the time to find out as the impromptu main event of the evening was up next. Let's go!
Round 1: Silva began the fight in the southpaw position as well as Adesanya who mirrored his idol in the early goings of the bout. A lot of flash but not too much work to begin with as both men were cautious. Adesanya kept switching stances as he fought with his hands down, shooting kicks and loose straight punches.
Silva wobbled for a bit as Adesanya connected with the right to the jaw. Silva rushed in after a few minutes of reading Adesanya's movements. Silva landed a body kick and Adesanya avoided a few incoming strikes. Adesanya connected with a solid punch but Silva replied with his usual theatrics. Silva danced around as Adesanya landed with a left. Adesanya then gestured Silva to bring it in his own trademarked style as the round came to a close. That was epic!
10-9 Adesanya
Round 2: Adesanya produced a left jab but Silva looked to counter as he tagged Adesanya with a right. Adesanya faked and feinted to set up a killer shot and then connected with a solid one-two as Silva lowered his guard and shrugged it off by shaking his head. Classic Spider.
Adesanya landed with a left and rushed in again but Silva came up with a good counter right. Silva tried to make the fight ugly as he landed a few strikes in the clinch. Adesanya attacked the lower body of Silva with kicks but the Brazilian kept up the pressure. Adesanya was patient as Silva rose up against the odds and put on a great effort up until this point.
Adesanya edged Silva when it came to the total strikes but Silva continuously looked dangerous, especially when he indulged in some dirty boxing.
Silva ended the round strong as the fans cheered on before the final five minutes got underway!
Close round!
Round 3: 'Silva' chants reverberated around the arena. Adesanya landed with a leg kick, which looked like it hurt but the Spider kept a straight face. Silva caught Adesanya off guard, who slipped, and the Brazilian flew through the air with the flying knee. Adesanya got out of the way and the fight continued. Silva's right eye looked busted as both men got back right into the center of the Octagon with two minutes left on the clock. Adesanya continued to garner points with the leg kicks, which he had been throwing all throughout the fight.
Adesanya went to the body of Silva and the legend asked for more. Adesanya landed four back-to-back shots as Silva demanded more. Weidman vibes!
They closed out the fight by measuring each other. A long, tight hug ensued after which Adesanya lifted Silva's hand in a highlight-reel post-fight moment.
Result: Isreal Adesanya def. Anderson Silva via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
It was like watching a kickboxing match with 4-ounce gloves as the prodigy and his idol went the distance. Adesanya extended his unblemished record to 16 wins and while he may have been a little annoyed with himself for letting the fight go the complete distance, he got the job done.
Adesanya thanked the fans and Silva before taking a shot at Robert Whittaker in the post-fight interview. He even targeted Kelvin Gastelum who was standing by cage side with a belt around his shoulders.
As for Silva, the Spider said that he loved his job and will continue to fight, possibly in his hometown next. Considering the performance he put on tonight, it does make sense for the future UFC Hall of Famer to stick around for a little more time. He beat the odds and surprised us all to last the entire three-round fight against one of the best strikers in the world. He's 43 years old! Truly gifted!
