What a way to end 2017. Two biggest fights of the year didn’t disappoint at all and opened new
challenges for the winners. It was also the first time we saw the 4D Replay which literally gave us
new perspective at the fights. Khabib and Tim Elliot picked up the ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus
of $50,000 while Cyborg vs. Holm was declared the ‘Fight of the Night’ award of $50,000 each.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Tim Elliott defeated Mark Delarosa via submission. It was a tough welcome to the new comer and
undefeated Delarosa into the flyweight division. Right from the start, Tim wanted to the take the
fight to the ground and convincingly did so with an early takedown. He controlled most of the first
round on a dominant position and continued with the same game plan in the second round. But
once he got the back of Delarosa, Tim locked up an anaconda choke and rolled him to sink in it the
choke much deeper. Delarosa had no choice but to tap at 1:41 secs of the second round. Despite a
win, Tim Elliott was not in a mood to celebrate following the death of his BJJ and MMA coach Robert
Follis.
And that's a wrap!@TElliott125 gets the Anaconda choke in round 2! #UFC219 off to a good start! pic.twitter.com/0hmpQ4daoS
— UFC (@ufc) December 31, 2017
An emotional Elliot dedicated his fight to his coach Robert
This one was for Coach Robert Follis@TElliott125 #UFC219 pic.twitter.com/xDraLXkRLF
— UFC (@ufc) December 31, 2017
What’s Next: Elliott bounced back from his previous submission loss to Ben Nguyen in June. He’s 3-2
in his last five fights and is still couple of wins away from getting into the #10 rankings. Delarosa
snapped his 9-fight win streak and is yet to showcase his skills inside the octagon.
Matheus Nicolau Pereira defeated Louis Smolka via unanimous decision. The second flyweight fight
of the night showcased an elevated level of BJJ skills as Nicolau controlled Smolka on the mat for a
brief period. Smolka looked in a hurry to finish the fight and constantly moved forward absorbing
strikes and being dropped down multiple times. Smolka did respond with his leg kicks but Nicolau
remained undeterred. As the rounds progressed, a frustrated Smolka realized he’s far behind the
points and charged ahead but was again taken down only to be put in an arm triangle that almost
costed him the fight. It was a clean sweep by Nicolau as judges scored a 30-26, 30-26, 30-25 win for
him.
Nicolau lands early!@NicolauMatheus drops Smolka here in round 1! #UFC219 pic.twitter.com/PDczC6B9UJ
— UFC (@ufc) December 31, 2017
AGAIN!@NicolauMatheus lands the combo again and cuts Smolka open! We head to round 2 on @FS1! #UFC219 pic.twitter.com/lnSh4uKevB
— UFC (@ufc) December 31, 2017
What’s Next: Nicolau remains undefeated in the UFC as he extends his win to 3-0 inside the octagon.
He needs to be more active to gain octagon experience which will get him better prospects in this
flyweight division. Louis Smolka has now lost four consecutive fights and could most likely be cut
from the UFC.
Omari Akhmedov vs. Marvin Vettori ended in a majority draw. A razor close fight that had the two
welterweights taking turns and beating each other up only to settle for a draw. With the opening
round, Omari was the one to put on the early pressure as he took Vettori to a striking class. Vettori
had no time to recover and counter as the early onslaught was too much for him. In the second
round, Omari’ pace slowed down and Vettori was the one to overwhelm him. Omari barely survived
the triangle choke and Vettori continued to put pressure going in the third-round landing multiple
strikes on the now gassed out Omari.
Fights in 4D?! YES PLEASE! Check out @MarvinVettori land this knee in #4DReplay #UFC219 pic.twitter.com/kiuUkloUfk
— UFC (@ufc) December 31, 2017
What’s Next: A rematch probably? Both Vettori and Omari should agree to fight again and settle the
score.
Myles Jury defeated Rick Glenn via unanimous decision. It was all about counter strikes for Myles
Jury who despite being the one to be backed up, continued to hit back with his well-timed strikes.
Jury clearly saw the openings in Glenn’s striking who whenever charged ahead left his head exposed
to counter punches. Jury landed numerous hooks and uppercuts coupled with his trademark straight
right to put Glenn in serious trouble. Glenn was out struck the entire three rounds and got taken
down in the final seconds that sealed the fate of the fight in Jury’s favour.
How do you eat a flying knee and act like you didn't feel it? Ask Glenn 😳#UFC219 pic.twitter.com/KhLH23RWiO
— UFC (@ufc) December 31, 2017
What’s Next: Lightweight division is stacked right now and for Jury to make his mark he needs to get
back to the same groove with which he entered the UFC and won six straight fights.
Michal Oleksiejczuk defeated Khalil Rountree via unanimous decision. Khalil opened the first round
like he was possessed and literally threw everything he had at Michal up until the mid-round. But
Michal stood his ground and weathered the storm until Khalil depleted his energy levels. From there
on, Michal turned the fight around and with well-timed body shots took away what ever was left
from Khalil. Michal dominated the second & third round on the feet and on the ground as Khalil had
nothing left to offer. Clearly a bad game plan from the light heavyweight who is known to have
cardio issues.
Rountree going to work here in round 1!! He's trying to finish this fight early!!#UFC219 @War_Khalil pic.twitter.com/QKp2uRAHcu
— UFC (@ufc) December 31, 2017
What’s Next: With his UFC debut win, Michal extends his win streak to a 10 and demanded Gokhan
Saki or Ion Cutelaba as his next opponent. Regardless, the next fight would be another barn burner
with either of the opponents. Khalil snaps his two-fight win streak and now is 2-3 in the UFC.
MAIN CARD
Neil Magny defeated Carlos Condit via unanimous decision. We wouldn’t call it a killer comeback
for Carlos Condit who got dominated both on the feet and on the ground by Magny. A 16-month
layoff clearly showed the octagon rust as Carlos looked slow and off the entire fight. Magny was
never in real trouble as Carlos landed his kicks and knees. Most of the strikes from Carlos missed or
either blocked. Carlos did show some signs of brilliance as he attempted a kimura but Magny was
well prepared and got back to safety. Magny’s confidence soared in the final round as he pulled
another takedown in the final round.
ANOTHER takedown!@NeilMagny has come to ruin Condit's return tonight! #UFC219 pic.twitter.com/JhACR9CSeV
— UFC (@ufc) December 31, 2017
What’s Next: With a big win over a former interim champion, Magny the #12 ranked welterweight
can get a #10 fighter for his next fight. Carlos having lost three in a row, needs to re-think his
position.
Carla Esparza defeated Cynthia Calvillo via unanimous decision. #9 Carla made a comeback after
being dominated in the first round by the undefeated #6 Cynthia. The former strawweight
champion, is back on the road to redemption with a performance that derailed Cynthia’s hype train.
At times, Cynthia’s striking did put Carla in trouble, but it was her straight right that put Cynthia on
high alert. Carla’s reversal and subsequent ground and pound took he ahead in the judges’
scorecard. In the final seconds both the strawweight’s engaged in a flurry to knock each other down.
What a way to finish this fight!!@Cyn_Calvillo & @CarlaEsparza1 swing until the end!! Who do you have winning this match? #UFC219 pic.twitter.com/xma2SqRgcD
— UFC (@ufc) December 31, 2017
What’s Next: Carla becomes the first woman to hand Cynthia’s first ever loss and with two straight
wins looks to climb up the strawweight ladder. Potential fights with Felice Herrig and Karolina
Kowalkiewicz could be on the horizon in 2018.
Dan Hooker defeated Marc Diakiese via submission. With a slow start in the first round and
continuing the slow pace in the second, both the fighters looked cautious and not wanting to make a
mistake. At some point, the crowd was getting impatience as both circled and only landed leg kicks.
In the final round, Dan showed a bit urgency and pushed the pace. Marc kept on kicking, but Dan
kept the pressure on only to look for an opening. A clever trip when Marc attempted a takedown
dropped him straight into the guillotine choke and taking the fight to the ground where Dan
wrapped a rear naked choke at :42 secs of the final round.
THAT'LL DO IT!!@DanTheHangman becomes the first man to finish Diakiese!!
Hooker gets the tap in round 3!! #UFC219 pic.twitter.com/o8ZY3rKd5J
— UFC (@ufc) December 31, 2017
What’s Next: Dan Hooker becomes the first man to finish Marc Diakiese and hand him his second
straight loss. A quick turnaround fight in Perth could be a possibility looking at the minimal damage
taken by Dan.
Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Edson Barboza via unanimous decision. For the entire 15
minutes, Khabib mauled Edson on the feet and on the ground resulting in a one-sided beating of the
year. Edson only managed to survive with little offence from his end. Khabib kept on moving forward
disrespecting Edsons striking and unpredictable kicks. Khabib landed his own kicks to show who’s in
control of the fight. By the final round, Edson’s face was bruised and bloodied. His cardio affected
with Khabib’s weight. His legs giving up and his will broke.
Khabib throws a flying knee, then gets Barboza to the ground here in round 1!! @TeamKhabib #UFC219 pic.twitter.com/1o0QV8qsVZ
— UFC (@ufc) December 31, 2017
30-25 x2 and 30-24 😳
GOODNESS GRACIOUS #UFC219 @TeamKhabib pic.twitter.com/JlvNigRVmQ
— UFC (@ufc) December 31, 2017
What’s Next: With Conor’s return still not clear, Tony Ferguson is the only legit fight for Khabib. With
25-0 record, there is no other fight that makes any sense.
Cristiane Justino defeated Holly Holm via unanimous decision. Both the women came with a well-
planned strategy – not to be too aggressive in the opening rounds only to take the fight to the
distance. Holm lived up to the expectations as she was considered the toughest challenge Cris would
face. Holm was the more cautious and on back footwork but whenever she saw an opening she
landed big shots. That left Cris bleeding after the first round. Holm surprised everyone with her take
down. But the heavy hands of the champion started to find their range and stung Holm several
times. By the end of the final round, it was clear Cybog landed more strikes than her counterpart
taking her ahead in the judges’ scorecard.
Cyborg lands a flurry at the end of the round and catches Holm!!@CrisCyborg #UFC219 pic.twitter.com/AtWkW0tTWu
— UFC (@ufc) December 31, 2017
Bloody and battered, but both show #Respect
What a fight! #UFC219 pic.twitter.com/dZBLRZBDg0
— UFC (@ufc) December 31, 2017
What’s Next: Megan Anderson could make her UFC debut and challenge Cris for the title belt or
Amanda Nunes could jump a weight class to become the first woman to hold belts in two weight
divisions.
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