The final UFC PPV of 2022 is here, we will see the crowning of a new Light Heavyweight champion, rising stars looking to make a name for themselves, plus a whole lot more.
For those that did not catch the prelims and early prelims earlier in the night, here are the results for each fight.
Cameron Saaiman defeated Steven Koslow via TKO in the 3rd round.
TJ Brown defeated Erik Silva via submission in the 3rd round.
Billy Quarantillo defeated Alexander Hernandez via TKO in the 2nd round.
Chris Curtis defeated Joaquin Buckley via TKO in the 2nd round.
Edmen Shahbazyan defeated Dalcha Lungiambula via TKO in the 2nd round.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik defeated Chris Daukaus via KO in the 1st round.
Raul Rosas Jr defeated Jay Perrin via submission in the 1st round.
It is time to kick off the main card after an already huge night from the early prelims and prelims, and what better way to do that than with a battle at Featherweight between Bryce Mitchell vs. Ilia Topuria.
Bryce Mitchell vs. Ilia Topuria:
1st round: A combination of punches find the mark for Topuria, and a moment later a hard leg kick takes Mitchell off his feet for a second. A moment later a clean right hand lands for Topuria. As more punches land for Topuria, Mitchell attempts a takedown but is easily stuffed. Mitchell has a cut over his left eye now. Topuria stops another takedown from Mitchell, and then gets back to landing punches. Topuria puts big power into his punches and is swinging for the fences, but doesnât connect with the home run shot. Mitchell finds an entry and gets Topuria on his back. A nice elbow lands for Mitchell, but thatâs all he can muster before the round ends. 10-9 Topuria.
Round 2: Mitchell shoots for a takedown and gets stuffed. Topuria continues to look for hard punches while Mitchell marches forward, looking to find another entry from a takedown. A moment later Topuria drops Mitchell with a hard uppercut. Topuria follows him to the mat and takes side control. Mitchell stands up to get away from the damage, but Topuria sticks with him and drags him back to the ground. More punches are landed, and then Topuria finds the opening for an arm triangle. He takes the chance and itâs deep. Mitchell canât escape and taps out.
Result: Ilia Topuria def. Bryce Mitchell via submission (arm triangle) â Round 2, 3:10
Darren Till vs. Dricus Du Plessis.
Round 1: Till pressures forward with feints, and lets a left hand go. Du Plessis covers up and changes levels for a takedown as Till attempts to get back up, Du Plessis takes the back and unloads hard punches to the head. Du Plessis secures his positioning and continues to unload punches. Du Plessis attempts to prove that wrong by landing even more unanswered punches. Till nearly gets away, but Du Plessis dumps him back to the ground and gets back to landing punches. Du Plessis switches up to a rear-naked choke. Till defends it, but Du Plessis locks in a body triangle and continues to hunt for the finish. Till escapes and immediately stands up, looking for big punches. A front headlock is there, and Till jumps on it. Du Plessis escapes, and Till gets back to punching. Du Plessis then gets another takedown before the horn. 10-8 for Du Plessis.
Round 2: They exchange kicks to start. Till presses ahead with punches as Du Plessis covers up against the cage. The fatigue is apparent for Du Plessis as Till keeps the forward pressure high. An accidental eye poke from Till stops the action for a few seconds, but they quickly get back to trading strikes. Till lands a sharp combination. Du Plessis shoots for a takedown. Du Plessis is unable to keep Till down for long, and they return to the feet with Till continuing to lead the action. Till lands a crushing elbow counter as Du Plessis looks for a leg kick. A front kick land for Till, and Du Plessis misses with a Superman punch. A sharp two-punch combo gets in on Du Plessis. A moment later, Du Plessis gets a takedown begins working from half guard. After landing a few punches, Du Plessis looks for a footlock before the horn. 10-9 for Till.
Round 3: Du Plessis still breathing hard, fires back as Till looks to land punches. Till peppers with punches, but Du Plessis appears to have more energy to answer now than in the second round. Du Plessis changes levels just as Till attempts a left elbow, and gets a clean takedown. He quickly finds the back and slaps on a rear-naked choke and Till taps!
Result: Dricus Du Plessis def. Darren Till via submission (rear-naked choke) â Round 3, 2:43
Alex Morono vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
Round 1: Ponzinibbio looks for the left jab, as does Morono. Morono lands a nice punch a moment later. Morono lands a solid punch and then looks for a spinning backfist, but it doesnât connect. They continue to trade, with Morono just missing on a big overhand right. Blood begins to trickle from a cut over the left eye of Ponzinibbio after an accidental clash of heads. A big right drops Ponzinibbio, and Morono rushes in to capitalize. Short on time, Morono tries for the finish, but is unable to get Ponzinibbio out before the horn sounds. 10-9 for Morono.
Round 2: They exchange punches, but the crowd spoiled with finishes seems restless with the action. Regardless, they stick with the same pace, and Morono lands another hard strike that drops Ponzinibbio. This time Morono doesnât follow him to the ground and Ponzinibbio pops back up. More punches at a steady pace are exchanged. Morono goes for a wheel kick, but Ponzinibbio evades. A moment later, Ponzinibbio lands a solid right hand and then begins to turn up the pressure. Morono spins again but doesnât land fully. A solid exchange of punches soon follows and they return to their corners. 10-9 for Morono.
Round 3: Ponzinibbio lands a low leg kick and Morono looks to counter with another spinning backfist. A Ponzinibbio leg kick is checked. Morono tags Ponzinibbio and draws a delayed reaction. Ponzinibbio is wobbled and rapidly circles away from Morono who tries to land a big follow-up punch. It doesnât come and Ponzinibbio appears to have recovered as he begins to fire off shots. Ponzinibbio throws a laser of a right hand and it staggers Morono. A second right hand drops him, and Ponzinibbio rushes in for another shot, but the referee is there to stop the fight.
Result: Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Alex Morono via knockout (punches) â Round 3, 2:29
Paddy Pimblett vs. Jared Gordon
Round 1: Pimblett lets off a two-punch combo. Gordon answers back with a solid left hand. Gordon cracks Pimblett again with a hard left. Gordon lands a pair of kicks too. Pimblett wears it and fires back punches of his own. This time itâs the right hand that cracks for Gordon. Pimblett sneaks in a nice uppercut in a combination. Gordon fires back a nice combination. Legs clash as they both go for a leg kick. A jumping switch kick lands for Pimblett and Gordon answers with a roundhouse to the body. They continue to exchange punches at a high clip. Gordon grabs a single leg to switch things up but gives up on it quickly. After another exchange, Pimblett looks for the takedown, but Gordon winds up on top in guard. 10-9 Gordon.
Round 2: They trade punches and kicks, with Pimblett landing a nice hook to the body and Gordon a hard left upstairs. Close strikes are exchanged, but Gordon cracks with a hard punch on the exit. Pimblett gets right back into range and throws hard combinations. Gordon defends, then answers back with punches of his own before pressing Pimblett into the cage in a clinch. Pimblett lands a nice knee to the body on the exit and then lets his hands go. An accidental eye poke pauses the fight for a moment and referee Herb Dean issues a hard warning to Pimblett. The fight resumes and Pimblett unloads with combinations until the horn. 10-9 Pimblett.
Round 3: Gordon comes out looking for the takedown and dumps Pimblett to the mat briefly. Pimblett gets back to his feet, but keeps his hands on the canvas to prevent knees to the head. Gordon tries to kick out the legs, but Pimblett keeps his balance. Gordon keeps with the clinch, changing levels to find the leverage. Gordon doesnât let Pimblett mount any offense before clinching again. However, Pimblett scrambles to the back, but nothing comes of it before the round and the fight ends. 10-9 Gordon.
Result: Paddy Pimblett def. Jared Gordon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Vacant Light Heavyweight championship main event: Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev
Round 1: The light heavyweight championship is underway with a glove touch. Ankalaev paws out a right jab and Blachowicz slaps with an inside leg kick. Blachowicz then goes to an outside leg kick. Ankalaev looks for a left hand, but Blachowicz lands another leg kick. A sharp counter right hand finds the mark for Ankalaev as Blachowicz looks for a punch. They trade leg kicks, and then Blachowicz punches to the body. Ankalaev lands a snappy jab. Blachowicz slaps with another inside leg kick. An overhand right from Blachowicz is countered with a short right from Ankalaev. Blachowicz lands a solid punch a moment later. Blachowicz then goes to the body with a left and Ankalaev answers with a left head kick. Ankalaev lands a nice counter left and a sharp front kick. They exchange kicks a few seconds before the end of the round. 10-9 for Ankalaev.
Round 2: Ankalaev puts a lot into another left high kick but misses. Ankalaev connects with a pair of front kicks to the body, and then an inside leg kick. Blachowicz has an inside kick checked, and then charges forward with a combo a moment later. Blachowicz lands a hard inside leg kick that gets a big reaction from Ankalaev. Another one lands to the right leg a moment later and Ankalaev stumbles to the mat. As Blachowicz closed in, Ankalaev popped up and clinched. They separate after a few seconds and Blachowicz continued to target the legs with kicks. Ankalaev changed levels, but the round ends with a clinch against the cage. 10-9 for Blachowicz.
Round 3: The action is starting to intensify as they trade punches. Blachowicz goes high with a kick, but itâs blocked. Ankalaev charges forward with a combination, but Blachowicz evades. The front kick from Ankalev is there, and a nice counter combo a moment later. A pair of hard leg kicks land from Blachowicz and Ankalaev starts to hop on one leg. Blachowicz doesnât capitalize, and Ankalaev charges in for a clinch a moment later. Blachowicz keeps it standing and they separate. Another hard leg kick from Blachowicz connects, but Ankalaev attempts to check it. Ankalaev clinches again and a knee goes south, pausing the action for a moment. They get back to it and Blachowicz looks for another kick. Ankalaev avoids it and clinches again. He lifts a single leg and gets the takedown, but only a few seconds are left on the clock. 10-9 for Blachowicz.
Round 4: Ankalaev gets off a couple of short punches and knees to the body before separating. However, they werenât apart for long because Ankalaev immediately shot back in for a takedown, this time putting Blachowicz on his back. Ankalaev found the back of Blachowicz against the cage a moment later. Blachowicz did well to prevent punches from landing, and got back to half guard against the fence. Ankalaev landed a nice short elbow before posturing up and landing a pair of hard punches. Ankalaev then stands up, but Blachowicz stays down until the round ends. 10-9 for Ankalaev.
Round 5: The crowd begins to boo as the time ticks away, but Ankalaev keeps working to advance his position. Ankalaev gets to half guard, but the fight for position continues. Ankalaev finally gets his left arm free and begins to land hard punches to the head of Blachowicz. With his back pinned against the fence, Blachowicz offers backward elbows, but Ankalaev seems unbothered and continues to land hard left hands. Blachowicz grunts as he tries to turn back into guard. The referee warns the fighters to stay busy. Ankalaev obliges by landing short elbows. Blachowicz can only try to hold on to stop the damage, but the round and the fight ends with Ankalaev turning in a dominant round. 10-8 for Ankalaev.
Result: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Jan Blachowicz declared a split draw (48-47, 46-48, 47-47)
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