Round 1 – Fights! We only have seven of them tonight, so there’s lots of opportunities for these guys to walk away with a bonus. Anyway, the first fight is underway. Smith comes out with a jumping kick. Azure blocks. Smith continues his kick attack. Azure takes Smith down, but Smith gets back up moments later. Azure lands a leg kick and follows it up with a massive punch. Smith is floored. Azure pounces but somehow Smith survives. Smith uses the cage to get back to his feet. Azure is still holding onto him against the cage. Smith reverses position and is pushing Azure against the fence. Smith lands a hard, sneaky elbow which sends Azure’s mouthpiece flying out. A few seconds later, referee Mark Smith calls timeout and places Azure’s mouthpiece back where it belongs. Shortly after the action resumes, Azure breaks Smith’s clinch. Azure rushes Smith and gets another takedown. Smith threatens an armbar but Azure avoids any sort of danger. Smith gets up against the fence but Azure is still leaning on him. Smith breaks Azure’s grip. Azure lands an uppercut on the break. Smith starts pitter-pattering Azure with light kicks. The two fighters exchange. Azure lands a good punch. The round ends. 10-9 Azure.

Round 2 – Both fighters jab. Azure lands a leg kick. Azure throws a wild overhand right that whiffs. That one had a lot of power on it. Moments later, Azure lands a rushing combination. Azure leans on Smith against the fence. Smith reverses position and gets a takedown of his own. Smith immediately gets Azure’s back. Azure stands up, with Smith draped on top of him. Azure spins around to Smith’s back. They separate briefly. Smith goes for a single leg. Azure stuffs the attempt and spins to Smith’s back, as the two scramble to their feet. Azure pulls Smith’s legs out from under him. However, Smith pops right back up. Referee Smith warns Azure to be more active with his offense against the cage. Azure gets another takedown. Smith is sucking wind, landing short shots on Azure that aren’t doing much of anything. Smith gets up and the two exchange as the round ends. 20-18 Azure.

Round 3 – Smith kicks, kicks, and kicks to start off Round 3. Smith is switching stances fairly consistently. Azure waits for his moment then shoots for a takedown. Azure is pressing Smith against the fence. Smith escapes and they square off. Azure tries a low kick. Smith lands a right hand but gets a little overzealous with a flying knee attempt. Smith slips onto his butt and Azure grabs hold of him. Azure is pushing Smith against the fence. Azure pulls Smith’s legs out again. Smith rotates to his stomach to try to get up but Azure gets his back. Azure lands a few punches. Smith tripods up and slips out the back. Smith tries to grab hold of Azure, who appears to be a bit slippy at the moment. Smith grabs Azure’s back and jumps up into a backpack position. Smith is working for a rear-naked choke. Azure drops down and now Smith has his back on the ground, with the body lock locked. Smith works for another rear-naked choke, but his arms are over the jaw. Azure breaks the submission attempt. Azure tries to get up against the cage with Smith on his back, but Smith is too heavy. The round ends with Smith on Azure’s back. MMA Junkie scores it 29-28 Azure.

Result: Hunter Azure def. Cole Smith via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Records: Hunter Azure (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), Cole Smith (7-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Judging: Mike Bell, Dave Hagen, Eric Colon

Round 1 – Both fighters jab. Araujo misses on a right hand. De La Rosa connects with a punch. Araujo lands a punch when rushing forward, but De La Rosa largely avoids her attack. Araujo is now targeting De La Rosa’s body. She lands two punches. De La Rosa throws a left hand and Araujo ducks out of the way. De La Rosa lunges in and lands a left hand. Referee Jason Herzog warns her to watch the headbutt. Araujo lands a hard leg kick. Araujo lands a right hand. De La Rosa is standing stagnant, counterpunching the more aggressive Araujo. Araujo falls off balance and De La Rosa dives on top of her. Seconds later, Araujo works her way to the feet and separates. Araujo connects with another hard leg kick. That one hurt De La Rosa. She switches stances. Araujo jabs. De La Rosa is bleeding out of her nose. Araujo and De La Rosa trade leg kicks. De La Rosa misses on a combination. Araujo doubles up on her jab, but misses on a follow-up punch. De La Rosa grabs hold of Araujo, who shoves off the attempt. De La Rosa halfway-shoots again but Araujo avoids. Araujo shoots for a takedown of her own. The round ends. 10-9 Araujo.

Round 2 – Araujo resumes picking apart her American opponent. Araujo lands another hard leg kick. De La Rosa’s movement is hindered – and almost nonexistent. Araujo lands another combination. De La Rosa misses on the return. De La Rosa lands a right hand, then backs up. Araujo pops De La Rosa with another jab. Both fighters connect with right hands. De La Rosa tries a head kick, which glances off Araujo’s dome. De La Rosa is now sliced up above her left eye. Araujo is looking good here. She looks comfortable and is pacing herself. A hard jab from Araujo snaps De La Rosa’s head back. Araujo lands an overhand right. De La Rosa answers. De La Rosa tries a pair of high kicks, but neither has much steam. Another right hand from Araujo connects. 20-18 Araujo.

Round 3 – De La Rosa sporting a seriously banged up right leg entering the final round. She’s beat up. Araujo, on the other hand, isn’t wearing much damage. De La rosa rushes in and lands a combination. De La Rosa tries to clinch but Araujo breaks her grasp. Both fighters jab. De La Rosa lands another combination followed by a kick. Araujo misses on a combination, but follows it up with a body shot. A hard jab lands for Araujo. That strike has been money for her throughout the entire fight. Araujo connects with an overhand right. Blood is splattered all over De La Rosa’s face. De La Rosa tries to get Araujo down. Like every other attempt, she comes up short. The two fighters misses on some punches before the round ends. MMA Junkie scores it 30-27 Araujo.

Result: Viviane Araujo def. Montana De La Rosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Records: Viviane Araujo (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), Montana De La Rosa (11-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC)
Division: Women’s flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Jason Herzog
Judging: Ron McCarthy, Richard Winter (30-27); Derek Cleary (29-28, giving Round 3 to De La Rosa)

Round 1 – Rodriguez is the newest member of the UFC roster – and he looks like he’s all-business. He scowls down Kelleher and shoots for a takedown. Kelleher snatches hold of a guillotine choke. This looks tight. Kelleher adjusts his legs – and gets the tap. That’s it! That. Was. Quick. Kelleher by submission.

Result: Brian Kelleher def. Ray Rodriguez via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:39
Recap: Brian Kelleher has fast finish of late replacement Ray Rodriguez
Records: Brian Kelleher (22-11 MMA, 6-4 UFC), Ray Rodriguez (16-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Herb Dean
Judging:

Round 1 – Fabinski comes out aggressive and eats two hard punches from Muniz. Absorbing the blows, Fabinski ties Muniz up against the fence. Fabinski keeps straining for a takedown but Muniz is doing a good job staying upright. Fabinski eventually muscles Muniz down, but the Brazilian has a grip of his neck. Muniz is straining for a guillotine choke but he lets go. Fabinski is in guard. Muniz shoots up for an armbar – and he gets the tap. That was a lightning-quick submission. Wow!

Result: Andre Muniz def. Bartosz Fabinski via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:42
Records: Bartosz Fabinski (15-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC), Andre Muniz (20-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smit

Round 1 – Alrighty. This should be good. Things got heated at yesterday’s weigh-ins when Imadaev shoved Pereira in the face. We’re underway. After a brief staring contest, Pereira lands a combination. They reset and Pereira lands a single punch. Pereira is circling around Imadaev, switching stances. Pereira hops straight up in the air. Imadaev moves backward, then resumes coming forward. Imadaev lands a leg kick. Pereira lands a push kick to the stomach. The volume is really low here, midway through the round. Pereira tries a superman punch off the cage. Imadaev moves forward and eats a huge knee from Pereira. Moments later, Periera tries to run up the cage Pettis-style but his kick misses. Pereira is taunting Imadaev, putting his hands behind his back and bobbing and weaving. Pereira lands a right hand and Imadaev goes down. Imadaev pops back up. Moments later, Pereira connects with another straight right hand. Pereira tries a superman punch off the fence, which misses. Pereira is dancing, not looking at Imadaev. The two exchange. The round ends. Imadaev doesn’t take lightly to Pereira’s antics. The two stare each other down and Imadaev tries to shove him. Referee Chris Tognoni is in between and makes sure things don’t escalate. 10-9 Pereira.

Round 2 – Pereira lands a flurry early in the round. A leaping attempt from Pereira fails and has him spinning to the mat. Pereira gets up and the two fighters exchange. Pereira lands a push kick to Imadaev’s stomach. Pereira tries a cartwheel kick, which misses. Imadaev tries attacking his fallen opponent but Pereira avoids danger. Pereira misses on an overhand punch and taunts Imadaev again. Imadaev smiles and tries firing back a combination, which misses. Imadaev ties up Pereira against the fence. Pereira walks him back and lands a punch. Imadaev is letting his hands go now. Pereira dodges all three of Imadaev’s attempts. Pereira lands a hard punch to the body. A leaping knee from Pereira misses. Pereira lands a leg kick. Both fighters are missing more than they’re landing. Perreira clips Imadaev with a left hand. Both fighters exchange before the round ends. 20-18 Pereira.

Round 3 – Pereira comes out with a kick-heavy attack. Pereira lands a jab and follows it up with another punch. Pereira tries another superman punch off the cage. That one landed. Imadaev covers up and Pereira lands a flurry of punches and knees. Eventually, Imadaev pushes him away. Pereira lands a combination. Pereira slaps Imadaev with an open hand then taunts the Russian. Imadaev misses on a punch. Perreira is two steps ahead of Imadaev at this point. His cardio is holding up well for a big, muscular guy. Pereira has turned his attention to Imadaev’s body. He lands a kick and a punch to Imadaev’s midsection. Pereira is getting funky. His head movement exaggerated, Pereira lands a hard combination on Imadaev. Stalking and taunting all the way, this round has been all Pereira. Putting his hands behind his back, Pereira eats a leg kick from Imadaev. The two fighters tie up and Pereira suplexes Imadaev down. Pereira hops for rear-naked choke. Tognoni jumps in and stops it I didn’t see a tap. Hmmmm. Upon viewing the replay, Imadaev did not tap.

Result: Michel Pereira def. Zelim Imadaev via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:39
Recap:
Records: Zelim Imadaev (8-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC), Michel Pereira (24-11 MMA, 2-2 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Chris Tognoni

Round 1 – Menifield wastes no time. He comes rushing at Saint Preux, who keeps his distance. Saint Preux lands a body kick. Moments later, Saint Preux lands a punch. Menifield connects on a left hand. Menifield grabs hold of Saint Preux and pushes him against the fence. Referee Jason Herzog warns the fighters for inactivity. Seconds later, Saint Preux shoves Menifield away. Saint Preux continues to utilize his kicks to keep his distance. Menifield tries a hard, slow head kick, which Saint Preux blocks. Saint Preux tries a combination. At least one punch landed. Menifield dashes in for a combination and Saint Preux counters. Menifield lands a leg kick. Menifield avoids a Saint Preux punch. Saint Preux resorts back to his front kicks. Saint Preux throws a lazy leg kick and Menifield makes him pay with a hard punch. Menifield dives in for a takedown but Saint Preux stuffs him. Saint Preux lands a leg kick. Menifield lands a series of hard shots to finish off the round. Close but 10-9 Saint Preux.

Round 2 – Menifield lands a combination. Saint Preux whiffs on a punch, then misses on a high kick. A hard inside leg kick lands for Saint Preux, who follows it up with a punch. Saint Preux looks so calm. But unlike the Rothwell fight, he’s letting his strikes go, too. Neither fighter is throwing combinations. There are a lot of single strikes being thrown. Saint Preux misses on a spinning back kick. Saint Preux lands another body kick. Saint Preux tries a high kick, but it bounces off Menifield’s forearm. Menifield dives in and Saint Preux lands another kick. Saint Preux lands a right hand and follows it up with a body kick. Menifield loops in with a punch and goes on the attack. Saint Preux slips and Menifield gets aggressive. Saint Preux cranks him and Menifield faceplants – a walk-off knockout for Saint Preux. That’s $50 thousand right there.

Result: Ovince Saint Preux def. Alonzo Menifield via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 4:07
Recap: Ovince Saint Preux drops Alonzo Menifield with wicked left counter
Records: Alonzo Menifield (9-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC), Ovince Saint Preux (25-14 MMA, 13-9 UFC)
Division: Light heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Jason Herzog

Round 1 – Both fighters come out slow. No strikes have been thrown through the first 50 seconds. Overeem breaks the ice with a diving punch, which doesn’t land. Sakai tries a kick, which Overeem blocks. Sakai flings a right hand. Overeem ducks out of danger. Sakai lands a kick to the body. That got Overeem’s attention. Sakai doesn’t let him off the hook. He flies toward Overeem, landing a series of punches and knees. Overeem weathers the storm, but Sakai is leaning on him against the fence. Overeem tries to trip Sakai, who remains on his feet. Sakai ties up Overeem against the fence again. With his back against the cage, Overeem uses a couple of strikes to wiggle out of Sakai’s grip. Sakai throws a low kick and Overeem cracks him with a hard counter. Sakai stumbles back and hits the cage, remaining on his feet. Sakai resets and smiles. Sakai lands a clean uppercut. Overeem eats it. Overeem taps Sakai’s inside lead leg with a kick. Sakai responds with a combination. Overeem throws a kick, which lands on the cup of Sakai. Referee Herb Dean volunteers to call timeout, but Sakai waives him off. The two exchange, as the round ends. 10-9 Overeem, but very, very close.

Round 2 – Sakai finds success in the opening sequences of the round. After catching Overeem with a combination, Sakai chases Overeem and lands a flurry. Overeem shoves him off and lands a combination of his own. The two fighters resume point-fighting until Sakai rips a hard head kick. Overeem lands a combination and briefly ties Sakai up against the fence. Back in the center, Sakai works Overeem back to the fence. Sakai opens up with a series of punches to the head and body. Overeem calmly covers up and reverses position. Now it’s Overeem pushing Sakai against the fence. Overeem keeps him there for a little while but Sakai reverses. With his back against the fence, Overeem lands a knee to the stomach in order to reverse position again. Sakai lands a pair of hard elbows and Overeem backs away. Sakai is bleeding from above his left eye. Sakai isn’t fazed though, as he rips a body kick. Sakai dives in and lands a combination. The round ends with Sakai tying up Overeem against the fence. After two, it’s 19-19.

Round 2 – Overeem lands a leg kick – and another. Sakai rushes in with another combination. Once again, Overeem lets Sakai whack him until he stops, then moves away. Both fighters exchange and land. They trade low kicks. Overeem moves in clinch Sakai, who sneaks an uppercut in before they grab hold. Moments later, Sakai pushes Overeem away. Sakai lands a combination and begins to unload on Overeem. With his back against the cage, Overeem puts his hands up in a defensive position, grabs Sakai, and scoots away from the cage. They separate. Overeem tries a switch kick. Sakai lands a hard leg kick that almost knocks Overeem off his feet. Sakai lands a leg kick and a body punch. Sakai is back to pushing Overeem against the fence. Overeem reverses and takes Sakai to the mat. Overeem is in Sakai’s guard, postured up and landing ground-and-pound. This is Overeem’s world. Sakai is doing a good job, though, of pushing Overeem away. Sakai lands an upkick, but Overeem (who is standing) is still trying to pass Sakai’s legs. Eventually, Overeem is able to join Sakai on the ground. He begins landing loud, hard punches and elbows – one at a time. Overeem passes to half guard. The round ends and Sakai is leaking even worse now. 29-28 Overeem.

Round 4 – Sakai’s cutman did a good job closing up the cuts – at least for now. Overeem has a hematoma in front of his ear, on the left side of his face. Sakai gets another flurry in, but Overeem fends him off again. A few unmeaningful exchanges later, Sakai lands another combo. Overeem does his thing – he covers up, blocks the punches, and gets away. Overeem eats a punch from Sakai and is busted open on his forward. As the blood flows down, Overeem nails Sakai in the cup again. This time, Sakai takes advantage of the timeout. The fight resumes and Overeem lands another low-ish shot. Sakai signals it went low, but Herb Dean says it was a legal shot. Moments later, Overeem grabs hold of Sakai’s leg and drags him to the mat with about two minutes left. Overeem lands some shots from guard, the covers Sakai’s mouth. Sakai tries to push Overeem away, but Overeem dives right back on top. Overeem lands in half guard and lands some hard ground-and-pound. This is his most effective offense of the fight thus far. Sakai really looked hurt there for a moment, turning face down to avoid the blows. Now facing Overeem again, Sakai eats some more ground-and-pound on the bottom. A series of hard elbows cause a “Fight back!” out of Herb Dean. Sakai survives to the end of the round but he is absolutely battered. His face is a mess. 39-37 Overeem.

Round 5 – Overeem goes straight for the takedown – a single leg, which he gets. Overeem lands in half guard again. Big elbows are landing for Overeem. Herb Dean is warning him to fight back. Sakai turns away but eats a hammerfist. Herb Dean waves it off. The fight is over. Overeem wins by TKO. Sakai wasn’t thrilled but he had taken some damage there.

Result: Alistair Overeem def. Augusto Sakai via TKO (strikes) – Round 5, 0:26
Recap: Alistair Overeem rallies for fifth-round finish of Augusto Sakai
Records: Alistair Overeem (47-18 MMA, 12-7 UFC), Augusto Sakai (15-2-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC)
Division: Heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Herb Dean