UFC 185: Pettis vs. Dos Anjos live results, discussion, play by play (PPV)

Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results and in-depth play by play as the UFC 185: Pettis vs. Dos Anjos pay-per-view (PPV) lineup unfolds.

Lightweight champion Anthony Pettis defends the strap against the multifarious Rafael dos Anjos in the headliner while women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza defends against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Also on the card: former welterweight champ Johny Hendricks clashes with scrapper Matt Brown, heavyweights Alistair Overeem and Roy Nelson collide, and wrestling phenom Henry Cejudo meets former flyweight title contender Chris Cariaso.

Live results and play-by-play will commence with the PPV card at 10 p.m. ET. Feel free to peruse this week’s MMA Vivisection for analysis, betting odds and picks for the entire UFC 185 event.

UFC 185 Main Card (PPV at 10 p.m. ET)

Anthony Pettis vs. Rafael dos Anjos (UFC Lightweight Championship)

R1: Pettis unrolls consecutive high kicks. Dos Anjos answers with two of his own, landing the second to the body. Dos Anjos lands a clean left hand to the jaw. Pettis scores with a short shot and dos Anjos wallops him with a left cross. Dos Anjos walking the champ down with left body kicks and nasty one-twos. The flying knee of Pettis is blocked. Dos Anjos lands another left body kick and left cross combination.

Dos Anjos continues to stalk Pettis, landing another left. Pettis answers with a body shot and a right cross. Dos Anjos clips him with a right. Another left body kick for the challenger. Inside low kick for dos Anjos. Pettis curiously staying in the phone booth with dos Anjos and trading with him, playing his game. Dos Anjos nails a double leg with a minute left. Pettis sits up against the cage with butterfly guard. Pettis fights back to his feet but absorbs a few elbows in the process.

R2: Pettis stays at range with a jab and a front kick. Dos Anjos plugs him with an overhand left, then clinches up, looking for a double. Pettis defends and lands a sharp right kick to the ribs with his back on the fence. Rugged left body kick from the challenger, who dodges a Pettis combo. Lead back-elbow from dos Anjos to set up a successful double leg. Pettis goes with a closed guard until dos Anjos pries it open with the can opener.

Dos Anjos goes back to the can opener to set up a few cleaving elbows and Pettis’ face is bloodied up. Dos Anjos postures up and levels down more stiff strikes from on top. Pettis angles for an armbar but dos Anjos anticipates it and defends, then thwacks Pettis with more ground strikes. More of the can opener set up to land left punches and elbows. 10-9 Dos Anjos.

R3: Dos Anjos clubs Pettis with a left hand but we pause shortly after for an accidental eye poke to dos Anjos. We restart a minute in and Pettis lands a head kick that dos Anjos walks through. Pettis land a jab and dos Anjos lands a cross, then takes the champ down again. Pettis reverting back and forth from open and closed guard, finding little success with either option. Pettis takes a knee and stands up, looking the worse for wear.

Pettis has a high kick partially blocked and ends up on his back again shortly after. Pettis stands back up but dos Anjos stays adhered and puts him back down with a double leg. This time dos Anjos hops on to Pettis’ back during his escape but only has time to pelt him with a few shots. 10-9 Dos Anjos.

R4: Pettis lands a short uppercut. Dos Anjos lands a left and right outside low kick; Pettis answers with a right outside low kick. The overhand left of dos Anjos finds the mark again and Pettis doubles up on sharp right body kicks. Dos Anjos traps Pettis in the corner and takes him down 90 seconds into the round. Pettis pursues an armbar and tries to use it to sweep but dos Anjos is wise to it.

Now in side control, dos Anjos isolates the far-side arm and locks his hands in kimura position. Dos Anjos steps over the head and continues trying to wrench the arm free. Pettis shows grit in breaking the hold, but gets his back taken while trying to scramble free. Both hooks in for dos Anjos. Pettis spins into him and counters with a double leg, completing it, but dos Anjos stands back up. Pettis keeps him on the cage with an underhook. Knees to the body from dos Anjos, who then snaps Pettis down with the front headlock. Pettis regains his footing but he’s trapped in the body lock of dos Anjos, then taken down again. 10-9 Dos Anjos.

R5: Pettis with an outside low kick. Pettis with a right body kick and right hand, but dos Anjos catches the kick and forces a clinch. Dos Anjos patiently awaits his opportunity before springing for another easy takedown. Dos Anjos in side mount, pulverizing Pettis with a methodical downpour of elbows and punches.

Pettis gets back to his feet and separates. Dos Anjos lands the left body kick, then uses a wild flying knee to transition into another easy takedown. The slow and steady drubbing continues. Pettis manages to attempt a kimura but dos Anjos easily slips out and takes Pettis’ back in the ensuing scramble. And we have a new lightweight champion. 10-9 Dos Anjos for a clean 50-45 sweep on my card.

Carla Esparza vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
(UFC women’s Strawweight Championship)

R1: Esparza opens up threatening to change levels. Jedrzejczyk peels off a jab, then a one-two and Esparza tries the duck-under double leg. Jedrzejczyk sprawls out and stands back up in open space. Esparza shoots a single leg and sticks with it, eventually running the pipe to finish. Jedrzejczyk scrambles back to her feet but Esparza keeps her in the clinch this time, then fires a right hand on the clinch break. Esparza is back in on a double as soon as Jedrzejczyk throws her hands.

Jedrzejczyk fights back to her feet and swings off the fence with an underhook, then wobbles Esparza with a short right hand. Esparza shoots a somewhat telegraphed takedown that Jedrzejczyk easily shrugs off. Same sequence again only
Jedrzejczyk clubs Esparza with a right after stopping the takedown. Another crisp right from Jedrzejczyk, then another that sails through unhindered. Esparza’s takedown smack of desperation now, and Jedrzejczyk adds in elbows while defending. Then a at least four consecutive right hands that have Esparza looking completely lost. 10-8 Jedrzejczyk.

R2: Jedrzejczyk opens the second pelting Esparza with more clean rights. Esparza’s shot has lost some quickness and
Jedrzejczyk defends it well. Jedrzejczyk walks Esparza down with punches and coolly anticipates the level change.
Jedrzejczyk absolutely clobbers Esparza with a combination and this is getting ugly. Jedrzejczyk in Terminator mode, stalking Esparza and drubbing her at will with heavy punches.

Jedrzejczyk plasters Esparza with another elbow after thwarting the takedown and this is becoming one-sided enough for the referee to step in. A few more pulverizing combos and he does.

Matt Brown vs. Johny Hendricks

R1: Brown darts out of his corner and touches gloves. Hendricks ducks a jab and glances with an uppercut, then clinches up to hit a powerful double leg. Brown works his way back up to his feet quickly and they separate. Inside low kick from Hendricks but he can’t finish the outside trip from body lock. He stays clinched and gets it on his second attempt, falling into the closed guard of Brown. Brown controls posture and Hendricks scoots his head onto the fence. Brown’s active guard and posture control results in almost no offense nor attempts from Hendricks on top.

Brown slings his left leg over the shoulder in triangle position; Hendricks pulls his head back to escape and it offers enough room for Brown to scramble free. Brown, showing a cut around his left eye, just misses with a right elbow but cracks Hendricks with two uppercut elbows from the single collar tie. Hendricks gets in deep on Brown’s hips and, despite an obvious fence grab from Brown, takes him down. 10-9 Hendricks.

R2: Brown leads with a left hook but Hendricks bowls him over with a takedown. Brown pops right back up to his feet. Hendricks plugs Brown with consecutive left uppercuts, then scoops him up and plants him with a power double. Hendricks is high in Brown’s open half guard, using his left arm to cross-face and elbow. Hendricks goes from the cross-face to a back hand strike and a punch.

Brown stabilizes with good wrist and posture control, causing the referee to stand them up around the two-minute mark. Brown doubles up on right hands but gets clocked by a big Hendricks left. Hendricks continues to pressure with punches, then lands a knee to the body and rag-dolls Brown to the mat. Brown again fights back to his feet and separates. Hendricks unbolts a stream of charging left hands, then takes Brown down when he tries to return fire. 10-9 Hendricks.

R3: Hendricks slips early but regains his footing. As soon as Brown commits to a combo, Hendricks changes levels and takes him down. Hendricks gets the ankle pick as Brown is escaping and Brown fights for inverted triangle position but ends up bailing on it and ejecting. He finds himself on his back again a moment later despite another blatant fence grab. Hendricks in side mount with Brown trying to cage walk.

Hendricks smothers Brown in side control, then postures up for some short hammer-fists. Hendricks buries his head and Brown pursues the inverted triangle again, still with no success. Hendricks slips out and maintains top position, then moves into north-south. Brown pushes off the fence and raps a series of hammer-fists off Hendricks’ injured eye. 10-9 Hendricks. I have it 30-27 his way.

Roy Nelson vs. Alistair Overeem

R1: Overeem opens with a stomp kick to Nelson’s knee. Not a ton of action until Overeem thuds a lead knee into the body of Nelson. Nelson wings an overhand right that Overeem blocks. Overeem spins Nelson around with a nasty outside low kick. And another in the next exchange. Lead right hand lands for Overeem. Nelson glances with a left hook amidst two more big rights. Another outside low kick from Overeem, then a jump knee that thunders into Nelson’s chin.

“Big Country” wades into range and traps Overeem on the fence, unreeling big punches as Overeem covers. As soon as Nelson pauses, Overeem unloads a left hook, then chops Nelson’s foot out with a low kick. Another jump knee from Overeem, this time to the body. Overeem lands another knee to the body, then follows with a thundering left kick to the body. Overeem closes the frame with another knee to the gut. 10-8 Overeem.

R2: Overeem, showing phenomenal ringcraft, backpedals away from Nelson’s barrage of rights and counters with a hook, then chops away at the leg with a kick. Left body knee from Overeem. Overeem drops his hands on his way in and gets clocked by a Nelson right. Long left hook snaps home for Overeem, who seems to have shaken off the big shot from Nelson. Nelson charges Overeem behind a hail of wild rights and Overeem jogs out of range to the chagrin of the crowd.

Overeem surprisingly ducks under Nelson’s punches and trips him with a body lock but Nelson pops right back up. Overeem stays cautious in the next minute, dodging punches from outside. Another jump knee lands square in the face of Nelson after he tries to walk Overeem down with punches. 10-9 Overeem.

R3: Left body kick for Overeem, who threatens with a single leg. Lead right lands for Overeem. Overeem throws a knee as Nelson unloads a punch and it lands below the belt. We pause for a moment while Nelson recovers. Right front kick and right hand for Overeem, who retreats in an attempt to bait Nelson into a spinning back elbow. Overhand right and a left body kick for Overeem.

Nelson leads with an uppercut and follows with a left hook that glances, but Nelson curiously locks horns for a takedown that Overeem shrugs off. Overeem wheels out a nasty left high kick that causes Nelson to stumble. Nelson tries to duck under Overeem’s left hand but no dice on the takedown. Overeem slashes another left kick to the ribs, then glances with a left jump knee. Nelson wades forward with a left hook and it drops Overeem briefly, but he’s back up and keeping Nelson at bay with an underhook shortly after. 10-9 Overeem. I have it 30-26 Overeem.

Chris Cariaso vs. Henry Cejudo

R1: Cariaso starts with a stiff left kick to the ribs. Cariaso goes high with the next one and Cejudo counters with a punch. They clinch up and Cejudo takes Cariaso down, falling into his open guard. Cariaso looks to scoot away but Cejudo grabs a single and cradles the leg to keep him in place. Cariaso stands but eats two knees to the body before separating. Cariaso lands a left kick and Cejudo plugs him with a combo, then clinches up. Short knees to the thigh from Cejudo with Cariaso stuck on the fence. Cejudo backs off and then attacks with a Superman and a right high kick.

Cejudo clinches up again and drops for a single that Cariaso stops. They trade knees to the body with Cejudo getting the better of it. They exchange a pair of body knees before Cejudo hits a single leg, this time securing the front headlock to prevent Cariaso’s escape. Cariaso stands and takes another knee to the ribs for his efforts. They exchange body knees in the clinch with Cejudo in the driver’s seat. A rugged succession of knees to the body from Cejudo, who backs off with twenty seconds left. Cariaso scores with a left kick to the body. 10-9 Cejudo.

R2: Cejudo with a low kick and another flurry of punches to keep Cariaso on the defensive. The Olympic gold medalist follows behind a combination to clinch and take Cariaso down a minute in. Closed half guard for Cariaso, who uses a butterfly hook to off-balance Cejudo. Cariaso is back on his feet and he circles Cejudo onto the fence with a body lock, but can’t hold it. Cejudo clubs with a big right hand as they re-engage on the feet.

Cejudo ducks under a combo to land a smooth single leg, falling into Cariaso’s closed guard. Cejudo with the knee-pin pass to half guard. Cariaso recomposes his guard but eats a right hand in the process. Cejudo postures up and Cariaso kicks him away, and Herb Dean steps in to let Cariaso back up. Cejudo lands a strong right kick to the face that’s partially blocked. 10-9 Cejudo.

R3: Cejudo catches a front kick and converts it into a takedown. A few right elbows from Cejudo on top. Now a steady stream of short elbows from Cejudo on top, some of which are textbook 12-6, drawing a soft warning from Herb Dean. Cariaso forces a stalemate with double wrist control and Cejudo lets him stand back up. Grazing left body kick from Cariaso.

Cejudo ducks a combo and lands a left body kick. Cariaso answers in kind. They clinch up and Cariaso manages to put Cejudo on the fence. Cejudo circles off and the same cycle repeats only this time Cejudo nails another easy single leg. Cariaso fights to retain full guard with a minute left. Cejudo overhooks the head and goes for a cowcatcher neck crank. Cariaso slips out and rolls into a leg lock as the bell sounds. 10-9 Cariaso. I have it 30-27 his way.