
Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results and in-depth play by play as the pay-per-view segment of UFC 192: Cormier vs. Gustafsson takes place from The Toyota Center in Houston, TX.
In his first title defense, light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier meets perma-contender Alexander Gustafsson in the main event. Since the Johny Hendricks vs. Tyron Woodley bout has been scratched, light-heavies Ryan Bader and Rashad Evans now form the new co-main event and flyweights Ali Bagautinov and Joseph Benavidez have been bumped to the main card. That leaves bouts pitting heavyweights Shawn Jordan vs. Ruslan Magomedov and women’s bantamweights Jessica Eye vs. Julianna Pena.
Live results and play-by-play will commence with the pay-per-view broadcast. The full lineup and schedule follows. Check out this week’s MMA Vivisection for analysis, predictions and betting odds on the entire UFC 192 card.
UFC 192 Main Card
(PPV, 10 p.m. ET)
Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson (LHW championship)
R1: Cormier lands an inside low kick. Gustafsson throws a body kick and Cormier shoots on it, getting deep on his hips. Cormier lowers his center of gravity and hoists Gustafsson skyward for a monster high-crotch takedown. Cormier, in half guard, throws a few short lefts as Gustafsson gets full guard. Cormier leaves a little space and Gustafsson nearly escapes but Cormier drives him back down. Left hands to the head and body for the champ.
Gustafsson closes his guard and fights for wrist control to stifle Cormier’s ground and pound. Gustafsson slings a leg over the shoulder in a triangle attempt but Cormier passes his legs and advances to side mount. Gustafsson scrambles free and they reset on the feet. Glancing low kick lands for Gustafsson. Cormier answers with an inside low kick. 10-9 Cormier.
R2: Cormier barely dodges a big right hand. Looping uppercut whiffs for Gustafsson, but he changes levels on Cormier again, just to keep him thinking. Gustafsson lands a few snapping jabs and Cormier’s right eye is bleeding. Gustafsson times an up-knee beautifully as Cormier is coming in and it lands. Gustafsson amazingly completes a takedown even though Cormier pops back up. Cormier goes in hot pursuit, chasing Gustafsson with punches but the Swede sets his feet and lands a tight uppercut.
Cormier glances with an overhand right. Gustafsson lands another uppercut but Cormier lands two in response from the single collar tie, and they seem to land harder. Cormier is pressuring Gustafsson but riskily willing to stand in front of him and exchange. Cormier lands an overhand right and glances with a jab as Gustafsson counters with a right. Cormier plugs Gustafsson with another heavy uppercut. Gustafsson lands another takedown but can’t hold position. 10-9 Gustafsson.
R3: Gustafsson opens with a straight right. Counter knee to the body is there for Gustafsson. Gustafsson lands an uppercut as they nearly clash heads. Right hand slips through for Cormier, as does his follow-up right hook, which pops the Swede’s nose and causes some significant bleeding. Cormier encroaches and grabs the single collar tie, bombing Gustafsson with right uppercuts.
Cormier dramatically sprawls out on Gustafsson’s next takedown attempt. Short left hook to the body is good for the bloodied Gustafsson. Cormier blasts Gustafsson in the nose with another right hand and it visually stuns the challenger. Gustafsson lands a check hook and Cormier walks through it to land more uppercuts with the single collar tie. Gustafsson uncorks a brutal left knee that lands square to Cormier’s jaw, and it drops him. Cormier recovers quickly via clinching. 10-10 (Gustafsson’s knee and knockdown evened out what was a strong Cormier round)
R4: Gustafsson opens with a left kick to the body, then a low kick. Now a one-two lands for Gustafsson. And another. Gustafsson swoops low for a single leg that Cormier defends. Another jab for Gustafsson, followed by a left kick to the body. Cormier misses with a right but lands a back-hand. Gustafsson ducks a hook but gets caught with another while turning his back to Cormier’s pressure.
Gustafsson slips a jab and lands a sharp right. Twice. Cormier glances with a lead overhand. Double jab from Gustafsson, one low and one high. Another clean jab. Hard left front kick lands to Cormier’s body. Gustafsson initiates a clinch and lands a knee up the middle. Gustafsson sweeps out Cormier’s lead leg with a low kick. 10-9 Gustafsson.
R5: Gustafsson lands first with a right hand. Cormier glances with a left hook but lands with the follow-up right. Counter right from Gustafsson. Now a right from Cormier. Cormier glances with another overhand right but he’s becoming a bit predictable. Cormier forces a clinch and lands two uppercuts from the single collar tie.
Two more uppercuts from the champ though they’re glancing at best. They trade right uppercuts in the next clich entanglement. More right hands from the champ with that single collar tie and Gustafsson’s face is a mess. Cormier’s output is paying off as he’s putting his hands on Gustafsson though the shots aren’t particularly significant. Gustafsson lands a knee to the body. 10-9 Cormier. I have it a 48-48 draw.
- Daniel Cormier defeats Alexander Gustafsson by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)
R1: Bader draws first blood with an inside low kick, then just misses with an overhand right. Short left kick to the body lands for Bader. Bader scores with a sneaky shovel punch. Another left body kick lands for Bader. Rashad sidesteps Bader’s takedown attempt and glances with a right hand. Two jabs land clean for Bader. Evans comes up short on a big right counter.
Bader definitely looking much more fluid and comfortable in the exchanges. Evans clips him with a quick lead right. Side-shuffling right lands for Bader. Evans answers with a left, then dings Bader with a right hand on his way into the clinch. Bader shucks him off and lands an elbow on the clinch break. Evans grazes with an overhand right. 10-9 Bader
R2: Sharp jab from Bader, then another lead shovel punch that slips through. Now a side kick from Bader plunges into Evans’ body. Evans lands a left body kick with the toes. Bader shoots a double with no set up and still finishes it. Bader gets the rear waist lock as Evans is standing and trips him back down to the canvas. Evans is back up and he spins to face Bader, but can’t break his body lock.
Evans clears space with a knee downstairs and they reset in the center. Evans whiffs large on a wild right. The next one connects even though it sails in a wide arc. Bader lands a jab and Evans answers with a stiff low kick. Bader lands a right hook downstairs. Evans switches to southpaw and heaves an overhand left but Bader’s lateral movement is effective. Evans glances with another big right but Bader lands two quick counters off his back foot. No dice on Evans’ takedown attempt. 10-9 Bader.
R3: Evans lands an outside low kick and Bader counters with his lancing jab. Step-in left hook scores for Bader. Lead uppercut is there for Bader. The left eye of Evans is becoming increasingly swollen. Evans ducks a Bader jab to clinch up but Bader isn’t having it, breaking the clinch with a horizontal elbow.
Bader distracts Evans with a one-two and it sets up a clean left kick to the gut. Evans sticks him with a jab and follows with a right hand. Evans changes levels for a double against the cage but Bader repeats his proven process of stuffing it, circling off the cage and popping Evans with a horizontal elbow on the clinch break. Overhand right lands for Bader. Evans lands a glancing left high kick. After perpetually shuffling backward, Bader switches gears and catches Evans off-balance with a blast double. He completes it though Evans is quickly back up. 10-9 Bader for a clean 30-27 sweep by my tally.
- Ryan Bader defeats Rashad Evans by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Shawn Jordan vs. Ruslan Magomedov
R1: They touch up and Jordan backs Magomedov into a corner. Magomedov flurries while circling out but Jordan swallows up the open space again. Jordan ducks a left hook and clinches, putting Magomedov on the cage with an under-hook. A series of short knees to the thighs from Jordan but Magomedov circles off the cage, briefly, as Jordan reverses position and takes Magomedov down with a double leg.
Magomedov reaches over for a kimura while posting on a knee but Jordan picks the ankle to keep him down. Magomedov gets to his feet and he’s still in kimura position. Magomedov starts to isolate the arm and Jordan disengages. Magomedov glances with a right hand, then reels off two clean rights after having a high kick blocked. Magomedov slips a Jordan punch and tags him with a long right. Jordan looks to have suffered an injury to his rib on his way back to the corner. 10-10.
R2: Magomedov glances with a front-leg question mark kick and then stings Jordan with a string of fast punches. Jordan ducks his head and lands a heavy punch, then initiates a clinch. Magomedov circles off the fence and throws right hands while breaking the clinch. Jordan wings a one-two and follows behind it to clinch. No dice on Jordan’s first attempt to off-balance Magomedov.
Magomedov circles off the fence and grazes with a left high kick on the clinch break, and it appears to have blurred Jordan’s vision. Jordan’s next clinch/takedown attempt seems a little desperate as Magomedov sidesteps it and lands a quick counter combo. Jordan ducks under and dashes in for another clinch but Magomedov circles off again and lands knees to the thigh. Another grazing head kick to the face from Magomedov on the clinch break. 10-9 Magomedov.
R3: Magomedov opens with another grazing question mark kick that Jordan ducks to set up a hard right hand. Jordan clinches and thumps Magomedov with knees to the thigh. Magomedov circles off the cage and slashes Jordan with right and left horizontal elbows. Both of Jordan’s eyes are bleeding as they reset in the center. Hook/cross combo lands for Magomedov. Snapping jab from Magomedov.
Jordan barely gets a glove in front of Magomedov’s lead-leg question mark kick. Magomedov lands a right and Jordan answers with one of his own. Front kick lands to the body for Magomedov. Jordan clinches but Magomedov circles off the cage. Jordan lands a short uppercut. Magomedov lands another left high kick on the clinch break. Now it’s Magomedov who ducks under a punch to clinch up. Jordan reverses and puts Magomedov on the cage, then separates with an elbow to the head. Double jab lands for Magomedov. Left front kick plunges into Jordan’s midsection. 10-9 Magomedov. I have it 30-28 his way.
- Ruslan Magomedov defeats Shawn Jordan by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Ali Bagautinov vs. Joseph Benavidez
R1: Benavidez steps in with a feint to set up a hard right hand down the middle. He repeats the process and glances with a right though Bagautinov tags him with a jab on the way in. They joust on the fringe with strikes, neither exhibiting an advantage. Bagautinov lands a low kick and sidesteps a Benavidez takedown attempt.
Benavidez is now bleeding from his left eye. Benavidez whiffs on two consecutive left kicks. Benavidez shoots and is denied but lands a quick punch. The left eye of Benavidez is looking worse and worse. 10-10.
R2: Bagautinov is quicker to the punch on the first two exchanges. Benavidez answers with a right hand, then lands a left kick to the body. Bagautinov catches Benavidez’s next left kick and lands a low kick. Hard left cross lands for Benavidez. Now a right kick to the body thuds home for Benavidez.
Benavidez lands a lead right to the body. Glancing left lands for Bagautinov. More cautious jousting on the feet ensues with neither landing cleanly. Benavidez scores with a left. Bagautinov scoops up a single leg but can’t finish it. He catches the next kick from Benavidez, slips behind him and hits a takedown from the rear waist cinch, but Benavidez is up as quickly as he went down. 10-9 Benavidez.
R3: Short right lands hard for Benavidez. Bagautinov answers with a counter left but can’t complete the takedown. Benavidez lands an outside low kick. Strong counter left from Bagautinov. Benavidez slips in a quick knee to the head. Bagautinov glances with a right. Bagautinov misses a spinning kick. Benavidez lands rights on consecutive advances. Bagautinov ducks under the next flurry and gets Benavidez down briefly; Benavidez is back up and plugging Bagautinov with a right to escape his clutches. 10-9 Benavidez. I have it 30-28 Benavidez.
- Joseph Benavidez defeats Ali Bagautinov by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
R1: The ladies come out swinging after Eye backs Pena off with an inside low kick. They both trade punches in a prolonged, mutual flurry. Pena pulls guard but can’t make anything happen, then she stands up and pushes Eye against the fence. Eye circles off and keeps Pena on the fence with good head pressure. Pena lands a short knee to the body. Eye answers with one of her own.
Pena gets off the fence, lands two knees downstairs and hits a body-lock takedown. Eye gets back to her feet though she eats two punches and a knee along the way. Pena puts Eye on the fence and lands another knee to the body. Eye circles off and returns the favor. Cross-face elbow lands for Eye. Pena hits an outside trip and lands in side mount. Back-elbows to the head land for Pena though she’s warned for illegal placement. Pena keeps a strong base and lands another back-elbow, then a few lefts. 10-9 Pena.
R2: Eye circle jabs to keep Pena at bay but Pena loosens a tight flurry en route to the clinch. Eye hits the takedown, landing in half guard. Pena tries to spin into Eye but Eye counters with a half nelson to maintain position, then passes to side mount. Pena turtles and Eye takes her back, but loses position with only one hook in.
Eye brilliantly transitions into an arm triangle and Pena “answers the phone” to defend. Pena breaks the hold but is still stuck in half guard underneath Eye’s strong base. Pena turtles again and this time Eye isolates the far-side arm and rolls into an armbar, then tries to transition into a reverse triangle. Pena escapes and Eye blasts her with a knee to the head, which is a foul on the ground. The ref makes a questionable call in taking a point for the foul, then an outright blunder in restarting the fight standing instead of in their original position (on the ground). 10-9 Eye, 9-9 with the point deduction.
R3: Pena closes the distance quickly and puts Eye on her back, though she’s issued a “last warning” for strikes to the back of the head. One butterfly hook for Eye but Pena peels it out. Eye transitions into another reverse triangle but it’s not there and Pena takes her back after escaping. Though she only has one hook in, Pena gets deep under the chin on a rear-naked choke attempt.
Eye fights her way out of the choke and looks for a sweep from deep-half guard. Pena stops it and postures up to rain down a few punches. Eye gets wrist control to pass her leg, in pursuit of a triangle. Pena is wise to it and goes for a topside one-arm guillotine after escaping. 10-9 Pena. I have it 29-27 Pena.
- Julianna Pena defeats Jessica Eye by unanimous decision (29-27 x3)
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