UFC Fight Night 91: McDonald vs. Lineker live results, discussion, play by play

Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion and play-by-play for UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. Lineker. Bantamweights John Lineker and Michael McDonald get top billing and, after Michael Chiesa was forced out by injury, former main-eventer Tony Ferguson now faces Lando Vannata in the co-main.

Also on the main card: charismatic scrapper Josh Samman draws fearsome bruiser Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch in a middleweight bout, heavyweights Alexey Oleinik and Daniel Omielanczuk collide, crafty welterweight vet Keita Nakamura meets Aussie Kyle Noke and a flyweight firecracker pitting Luis Smolka vs. Ben Nguyen.

Live results and play-by-play will commence with the Fight Pass prelims. The full lineup and schedule follows.

Main Card
(Fox Sports 1, 9 p.m. ET)

Michael McDonald vs. John Lineker

R1: McDonald looks to establish range early with jabs and a long front kick. Lineker whiffs on a big right hand. Short right counter to the body from Lineker but McDonald answers with a counter left. Lineker sights in a meatball of a right hand and it sinks McDonald to the canvas. McDonald, out of sorts, gets up but goes back down after digesting a hard left. McDonald jogs away to regain his senses and lands a hard right of his own.

They trade right hands, Lineker’s landing with more oomph. Still on the trigger, Lineker plasters him with a left hook and McDonald goes down again, and this time he’s finished with the follow-up barrage.

Tony Ferguson vs. Lando Vannata

R1: Ferguson busy with short angles and uppercuts early, also landing a body kick. Vannata wallops Ferguson with a spinning elbow, causing him to stumble backwards upon impact. Vannata holds his ground on a Ferguson flurry and plugs him with a heavy right cross, again wobbling Ferguson briefly. Ferguson responds with a spinning back elbow of his own that partially lands.

Ferguson notches down his aggression and starts slicing in jabs from outside. Four consecutive jabs land for Ferguson as Vannata’s hands are dangerously low. Clean front kick to the body from Vannata but Ferguson answers with a hard left and a stiff right cross. Vannata shoots a takedown and Ferguson stuffs it, then plugs him with a right cross. Vannata delivers a brutal head kick out of nowhere, and Ferguson reels across the cage and goes down. Vannata pounces but Ferguson rolls into a leg lock. Vannata patiently works his way out and ends up on top. 10-9 Vannata.

R2: Snapping jabs from Ferguson to start the second. Two front kicks to the body and a clean jab upstairs from Ferguson. Vannata ducks a punch and comes up just short with another big head kick. Ferguson answers with a kick to the body. Ferguson clips him with a Superman punch off the cage wall and Vannata eats it like a champ.

Counter knee to the body from Ferguson, who threatens with a guillotine from the front headlock, then a deep D’arce choke. Vannata fights it off valiantly but eventually succumbs.

Tim Boetsch vs. Josh Samman

R1: Samman catches a front kick but can’t convert the takedown, and puts Boetsch on the fence with a left-side under-hook. No dice on Boetsch’s foot sweep attempt. Samman with a knee to the body and Boetsch with an uppercut to the body, then Boetsch anticipates the next knee and off-balances Samman to the canvas. Boetsch gets a smothering base, pinning Samman on the cage to prevent the get up. Samman gets a butterfly hook in to trigger his get up, and they reset in the center.

Samman forces another clinch and spins behind Boetsch, then tries to jump into standing back mount from the rear waist cinch. Boetsch shakes him off and tries to circle off the cage but he’s held in place by Samman’s under-hook. Samman separates with a front kick that’s off the mark but he lands the follow-up kick to the body. Samman ricochets a high kick off Boetsch’s head on his way back into the clinch. A two-kick and right cross combo closes the stanza for Samman. 10-9 Samman.

R2: Samman stays at range to probe with a jab before repelling a clinch attempt. He goes on the attack after they separate but catches a kick and takes him down. Half heel-on-hip for Samman until Boetsch bulldozes forward and stacks the legs to land a few punches. Samman barely staves off a mount pass from Boetsch, who then leans over and gets the two-on-one, seeking a kimura.

Samman stays calm and slippery enough to break the kimura but he’s still trapped under the considerable girth of Boetsch. Boetsch unloads some sharp ground-and-pound, forcing Samman to give his back. Boetsch, with both hooks in, hurls down a torrent of heavy leather until the ref steps in to wave it off.

Alexey Oleinik vs. Daniel Omielanczuk

R1: Oleinik comes out flashing heaters, following the barrage into the clinch in pursuit of a double leg. He gets it and picks the ankle the sit Omielanczuk on his butt. Oleinik spends the next minute pinching Omielanczuk’s knees together to prevent him from sitting up on the cage, and both succeeds and passes to mount in the same transition.

Oleinik looking to set up his trademark no-gi Ezekiel choke, now from half guard. Omielanczuk fights back to his feet but eats a glancing elbow along the fence. Oleinik finishes another double leg and takes back control on the escape attempt. 10-8 Oleinik.

R2: Omielanczuk accidentally takes a swing on Oleinik’s glove-touch, then he apologizes, they touch gloves and
Omielanczuk drills him with a trio of punches and a kick that looks to land square in the balls. Omielanczuk follows the salvo with a successful double leg and Oleinik angles for a leg lock. Deep half guard for Oleinik as Omielanczuk starts to level some heavy ground strikes.

Despite the hefty base of Omielanczuk, Oleinik manages to counter-wrestle his way into a reversal, yanking Omielanczuk’s hips out and away from the cage. Short rights to the body from Oleinik before Omielanczuk gets back on his feet and separates. Omielanczuk glances with a one-two and clubs Oleinik with a big left hand. Oleinik pursues a defensive takedown and finishes it, again quickly sliding into full mount. Another no-gi Ezekiel set up from Oleinik, who then flows seamlessly into an armbar and a triangle transition. Oleinik gets in triangle position but
Omielanczuk drubs him with clean hammer-fists to the face. 10-9 Omielanczuk.

R3: Oleinik dives on a single leg right out of the gate and, after stabilizing with a wide base, Omielanczuk starts digging uppercuts to the face. Oleinik falls back into a full guard and randomly spits out his mouthpiece.
Omielanczuk buries his head in Oleinik’s chest and hangs on until they’re stood up.

Oleinik gets tagged during his entry but succeeds in putting Omielanczuk on the cage. Omielanczuk fights it off for a moment but eventually succumbs to the double leg, then gives up his back in the transition. Both hooks in for Oleinik but he’s late to respond when Omielanczuk spins into his guard. Omielanczuk covers Oleinik’s mouth and mashes short hammer-fists into his face. 10-9 Omielanczuk. I have it a 28-28 draw.

Keita Nakamura vs. Kyle Noke

R1: Noke comes out with a brick-fisted jab, then a kick-heavy strategy including low kicks and rear-leg push kicks to the knee. Now a clean jab for Noke. And a few more. A front-leg side kick to the lead knee from Noke as Nakamura finally comes forward flinging punches. Noke blocks a high kick and plunges a front kick to the body.

Nakamura lands a right upstairs, then another. Noke hits a body-lock takedown but Nakamura pops back up and slips while throwing a high kick. They both trade punches. Nakamura lands an outside low kick. Nakamura keeps marching forward but he can’t disrupt the kicking barrage from Noke. 10-9 Noke.

R2: Noke thwarts a takedown despite retreating in a straight line. Evenly matched striking exchanges make up the first half of the round. They trade kicks to the body. Noke with a few clean jabs off his back foot, then a side kick to the knee.

Half-blocked body kick from Nakamura, then a heated flurry that puts Noke back on the cage. Noke responds with a defensive double leg but Nakamura again is quickly back to his feet. Noke gets the rear waist lock in the transition, bombing knees off Nakamura’s thighs. Clean front kick to the body from Nakamura, then another charging flurry. Nakamura persists with a knee to the head that puts Noke on his butt, and Nakamura follows him to the ground with a salvo of strikes. Nakamura moves to back control and taps Noke with a rear-naked choke with literally one second left on the clock.

Ben Nguyen vs. Louis Smolka

R1: Smolka throws a spinning kick and then sprints away when Nguyen swarms him with a head kick and punches. They clinch up and Smolka gets reversed on a throw. Nguyen slithers to mount but Smolka bucks him off and counter-wrestles his way into top position. Nguyen hits a counter ankle pick and teleports into back control in the transition, quickly sinking both hooks in. Smolka tries to spin out and Nguyen goes to full mount.

Nguyen looks for an armbar as Smolka scrambles free, then flows into an omoplata. Dizzying scrambles and grappling transitions here with Smolka emerging on top for the time being. Smolka tries two courageous passes to mount before he controls the scrambling Nguyen with the front headlock and bounces heavy shots off his head. Smolka switches to a Darce but Nguyen battles his way out. Smolka smothers him, threatening with a guillotine and then lighting off a succession of brutal punches and elbows. Smolka tees off relentlessly to end the round. 10-8 Smolka.

R2: Smolka pressures Nguyen with a head kick and a right cross, then shakes Nguyen off his back and takes him down. Smolka devours Nguyen with the front headlock when he tries to escape, powering him back down and cranking an elbow-lift guillotine. The pace stabilizes briefly until Smolka starts emptying the clip with more ground-and-pound.

Smolka curiously switches to a leg lock but returns to top position to smash Nguyen with more punches. Nguyen fights to his feet but gets taken back down with a double leg. Smolka is adhered to Nguyen, tossing him around or showering him with strikes at a frenetic pace. Smolka gets the front headlock again, cranks a guillotine, then takes Nguyen’s back and starts fishing for a rear-naked choke. Nguyen, showing a big heart, escapes the choke but finds himself being pummeled into the canvas with more vicious ground-and-pound. Herb Dean finally steps in to wave it off.

Fox Prelims
(Fox Sports 1, 7 p.m. ET)

Katlyn Chookagian vs. Lauren Murphy

R1: Chookagian shows good angles and busy hands to start the action, circling heavily and stinging Murphy with fast jabs. She tacks on a low kick outside. Murphy blunts the striking pressure by putting Chookagian on the cage with a hard knee to the thigh. Chookagian separates with a knee that misses. Murphy slips in a straight right.

More effective jabbing from Chookagian though Murphy’s starting to cut the cage off better. They trade glancing shots with Murphy leading the exchanges. Chookagian catches Murphy with a counter right before glancing with a one-two. Murphy dodges a flurry and lands an outside low kick. 10-9 Chookagian.

R2: Chookagian finally angles to her right and plants a left kick to the body before Murphy can counter. Murphy forces a clinch, looking for a double along the fence. Chookagian gets a low, wide base but can’t stay on her feet. Closed guard for Chookagian, seemingly content with locking Murphy’s posture down.

Murphy scoots Chookagian’s head onto the fence and lands a volley of rights to the ribs. Still no scramble or hip activity from Chookagian as precious time ticks away in what should be a balancing round for Murphy. Hard right hand from Murphy on top. 10-9 Murphy.

R3:
Chookagian establishes her left hand early with more jabs and the occasional hook, controlling distance well. Counter uppercut is there for Chookagian, then double jabs to the head. Clean one-two now for Chookagian. Murphy continues to chase and run into jabs instead of cutting the cage off.

Murphy is able to clinch but Chookagian steers her onto the fence, then circles off and separates. Sharp knee to the body lands for Chookagian, prompting Murphy to shoot a double leg. Chookagian goes down to a knee and Murphy picks the ankle but can’t keep her down. 10-9 Chookagian. I have it 29-28 Chookagian.

Sam Alvey vs. Eric Spicely

R1: Alvey steps off-center and glances with a counter right, then gets an under-hook to stay upright on Spicely’s takedown attempt. Alvey circles off with the Thai plum grip and separates. They connect with beefy rights simultaneously, then Alvey again steps off-center to crunch Spicely with a right. Brazen single-leg attempt from Spicely with his head exposed and Alvey stuffs it, circles off the fence and lands a hard knee up the middle.

Horizontal elbow on the clinch break glances for Spicely, who gets sloppy with his head position on the next entry, and Alvey cinches on a tight front choke, wrenching it to force the tapout.

Cortney Casey vs. Cristina Stanciu

R1: Casey gets off with a right hand early. Outside low kick is the response from Stanciu. Casey barrels forward behind wide lefts and rights and takes Stanciu down, then passes immediately to mount. Hard right elbow from Casey, then two more as Stanciu regains her guard and escapes. Casey lands a left body kick and again powers Stanciu to the mat, this time with an outside trip. Casey bulldozes into full mount and clobbers Stanciu with a violent hail of elbows, and the finish comes shortly after.

Scott Holtzman vs. Cody Pfister

R1: Holtzmann backs off Pfister and his busy jab with a one-two, then connects with a right hand. Holtzmann wings another heavy one-two and follows with a glancing jump knee to the body. Pfister connects and looks for a double leg, then socks Holtzmann with a fast left hook that puts him down to one knee. Outside low kick is there for Holtzmann, who’s showing solid angles and head movement.

They trade glancing shots and Holtzmann follows with a knee to the body in the clinch before sprawling on a takedown attempt. Holtzmann puts him on the fence with an under-hook, then lands a round knee to the body. Inside trip for Holtzman but he can’t Pfister down. Lead left hook to the liver lands for Holtzmann. Now an outside low kick and a glancing head kick. Pfister, looking increasingly exhausted, has a takedown stuffed before eating a few knees. 10-9 Holtzmann.

R2: Holtzmann starts keying off lead uppercuts, following with a left downstairs. Holtzmann comes high with a head kick and it knocks Pfister down. Holtzmann passes to full mount and gets in arm-triangle position but bails on it. Pfister hits a well-timed sweep, reversing into Holtzmann’s guard. Holtzmann pushes down on the head and sneaks back to his feet but Pfister is on a single leg.

Holtzmann fends it off and hits a double leg, digging left hands to the ribs of Pfister. Sharp elbow from Holtzmann on top. Another easy pass to full mount for Holtzmann but he gets too high and Pfister reverses him. Holtzmann looks for a triangle but Pfister is wise to it. 10-9 Holtzmann.

R3: They trade heavy right crosses as Pfister comes out highly aggressive. Good timing on a reactive takedown from Pfister but Holtzmann manages to sprawl out and end up on top, in half guard. Pestering right hands from Holtzmann until Pfister boots him away with a kick to the chest, but Pfister’s follow-up lands illegally to the face. Referee Kevin MacDonald astutely catches the foul and warns Pfister.

Pfister goes for a counter double leg from his back and gets deep on the hips, though Holtzmann falls back for a sacrifice guillotine. Pfister pulls his head out and grinds away with a few short-range elbows. Holtzmann escapes but Pfister takes his back in the scramble. Holtzmann hula-hoops him off and lands on top, then heaves a big elbow after posturing up. 10-9 Holtzmann. I have it 30-27 Holtzmann.

Fight Pass Prelims
(UFC Fight Pass, 6 p.m. ET)

Matthew Lopez vs. Rani Yahya

R1: Yahya sets up a crisp inside low kick with a one-two, then he lands the one-two on the next collision. Lopez stings back with a counter, then he steps off-center and lands a hard right. Yahya clinches up and puts Lopez on the fence with a body lock. Yahya forces an outside trip but Lopez reverses with a last-second under-hook, then stands up and resets on the feet. They trade right hands in open space. Lopez scores with an outside low kick and a right hook.

Step-back right cross lands for Lopez. Yahya with an outside low kick. Lopez knocks Yahya off balance with a right to the chest, then transitions into an armbar after pouncing. Yahya slips his arm out and goes to work in side mount. Chopping elbows to the head from Yahya before Lopez sweeps, and Yahya flows into a kneebar, then an omoplata. Lopez deftly escapes, then tries to roll out of a double-leg attempt but ends up playing guard. 10-9 Lopez.

R2: Yahya stuffs a right into the mouth of Lopez amidst a flying knee attempt. Lopez catches a kick and glances with a right upstairs, then hoists the trapped leg to finish a takedown. Yahya swivels for an armbar, then looks to switch to a leg lock but Lopez counters with an inverted triangle that’s deep. Yahya breaks the triangle with his hands and resumes side control.

Short forearms to the head from Yahya, now in half guard. Another flush elbow lands, then a volley of heavy right hands as Lopez turtles. Lopez goes for a counter single leg and they separate in the ensuing struggle. Short right glances for Lopez but Yahya answers with a left and a clean takedown. Yahya slithers into full mount, then sits back with an arm trapped. Yahya leans back but Lopez triangles his arms to ride out the round. 10-9 Yahya.

R3: Yahya chops out the lead leg with a nasty inside low kick then goes for a takedown, but Lopez again reverses him with an under-hook. Lopez backs out shortly after and they reset on the feet. Yahya gets back in a deep takedown and hits it, landing in half guard with Lopez’s head stuck on the fence. Heavy base from Yahya, staying busy enough to keep the ref from intervening.

More topside grinding from Yahya. Lopez creates a scramble and nearly reverses but Yahya cleverly ends up on top in a high half guard. Yahya inches forward and secures an arm-triangle, forcing the tapout shortly after.

Devin Clark vs. Alex Nicholson

R1: Glancing body kick on the left side from Clark. And another. Nicholson responds with an outside low kick and Clark zings a right through his guard. Another outside low kick from Nicholson, who then gets taken down whilst heaving a body kick. Nicholson in half butterfly with a strong over-hook on the right side. Nicholson hints at a kimura but bails on it as Clark passes to side control. Clark passes to full mount and quickly lines up an arm-triangle, passing back to side to wrench it. Nicholson slips his head free and escapes to his feet but one of his kicks lands square on Clark’s cup.

After a short pause, Nicholson jobs straight into a right hand and goes down. Clark pounces and ends up in the standing rear waist cinch. Nicholson loosens a trapped wrist and spins to face Clark but he’s still jammed on the fence. They trade knees to the body and Nicholson misses a spinning elbow on the clinch break. Clark lands a clubbing right hand. In awkward, phantom-punch style in the final seconds of the round, Nicholson attacks with a one-two and the cross bounces off the head of Clark and puts him out.