Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and play-by-play as UFC 207 goes down in Las Vegas.
The card features two title fights, with the headliner seeing UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes defending her title against returning superstar Ronda Rousey. The co-main is Dominick Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt for the men’s 135-pound belt.
This post will cover the main card up to the headliner. So that means a solid flyweight fight, a contender’s bout at welterweight, a battle of top-five bantamweights, and the Cruz/Garbrandt title fight mentioned above. The main event between Nunes and Rousey will have a standalone post.
Live results and play-by-play will commence on this post at 10pm ET/7pm PT, the traditional starting time for PPVs. The full lineup and schedule follows. Check out this week’s MMA Vivisection for predictions, analysis and betting odds on the each match up.
Ray Borg vs. Louis Smolka
Round 1 – Smolka jabbing early. They clinch up. Smolka scoops a single but can’t get a takedown. Counter left from Borg. Borg with a takedown. Someone’s bleeding. It’s Smolka. Smolka up, but gets slammed back to the mat. Borg goes to mount. Borg secures an arm. Smolka is squirming but Borg still has it. Smolka looking for a leg lock now. Huge right makes him give that up. Borg controls position for the rest of the round. 10-9 Borg.
Round 2 – Borg with a nice left and a leg kick. Borg with a takedown. Smolka almost reversed, but Borg managed to stay on top. He moved to mount. Smolka attacked a leg and forced Borg out of position. A huuuge right from a standing position clubs Smolka on the ground. Borg takes his back again. He’s so smooth. His transitions are wild. Now he’s looking for an arm triangle. Smolka with some good defense and he gets to his feet. He dropped for a guillotine, but Borg popped his head out. 10-9 Borg.
Round 3 – Borg says he broke his ankle, but you can’t tell by watching him. They clinch up immediately. Borg with a nice right over the top. Borg gets a takedown that bends Smolka’s leg back on an awkward angle. Borg works from half. Borg secures an arm triangle and jumps out to side against the cage. Smolka looks dead to rights here, but he’s still surviving. Borg moved to mount and gave it up. Smolka up with 1:50 to go. Borg trying to take the back again. Smolka cracks him with a back elbow. They separate. Both throwing leather. Smolka with a step-in elbow. Spinning elbow from Borg. 10-9 and 30-27 Borg.
Ray Borg defeated Louis Smolka by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Tarec Saffiedine
Round 1 – They’re getting to it right away. Both men throw hands, and Kim looks for a throw. Elbow over the top from Kim. Beautiful throw by Saffiedine. Kim with a throw now. Kim still clinching. They finally separate. Three-punch combo from Kim. He’s pressuring. Saffiedine circling away. Nice left hook from Saffiedine. Kim with his own. Reaching right hook by Sponge. They exchange in the pocket again. Kim pushes him against the fence and looks for a single leg takedown. Saffiedine spins away. Head kick from Saffiedine. Kim with a shovel hook. More clinching. Kim misses three times in a row. A knee in the clinch for Saffiedine and another trip. Kim up immediately though. 109 Saffiedine.
Round 2 – Saffiedine with a right over the top that staggers Kim a bit. He’s continuing to bring great pressure but he’s not landing a ton. Leg kick from Saffiedine. Kim looking for a throw but it’s not there. Spinning elbow from Kim. He clinches. Goes to thebody. His hands are down and he’s just walking forward. Right hook from Kim. A lot of clinching again, but they don’t stay there long. Head kick and a counter left from Saffiedine. Elbow in the clinch from Kim. Straight right from Kim connects. Leg kick from Sponge. Yet again in the clinch. Saffiedine spins him around. They separate wth 20 seconds to go. Saffiedine with a head kick. The crowd is booing a bit. 10-9 Saffiedine.
Round 3 – They came out brawling in round 3! Kim with a hard shot. Saffiedine with a head kick. This isn’t how Saff normally fights, but he’s indulging Kim, at least for now. Aaaand then they clinch. Nice uppercut by Kim after an extended sequence against the cage. Kim scoops a single and gets Saffiedine down, but just for a second. Kim with some knees to the legs in the clinch. Saffiedine looks at the clock halfway into the round and lands an elbow on the break. Kim back in looking for a takedown. Saffiedine with two body kicks on the breka, and a knee. Straight right form Saffiedine, and a leg kick. Kim’s pressure is fading. Saffiedine looking for a double leg. Nothing there. More clinching. More booing. Kim with a late takedown. 10-9 Kim, but 29-28 Saffiedine.
Dong Hyun Kim defeated Tarec Saffiedine by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
T.J. Dillashaw vs. John Lineker
Round 1 – Lineker misses with a head kick right away. He catches a kick and briefly secures a front head lock. Dillashaw with a leg kick. Dillashaw with a head kick and it got caught too. Dillashaw stalking, and scores wit ha lead uppercut. Low kick. Super fast takedown. The former champ peppers him with some punches. Lineker gets back up with 90 seconds to go. Lead right hook from TJ before Lineker can even react. Low kick from Dillashaw. Lineker tries to work the body. TJ with a body kick. Left hooks from Lineker. Dillashaw fires back wit ha counter right. Hard right from Lineker. Front kick from Dillashaw. 10-9 Dillashaw.
Round 2 – Body shot from Lineker. Takedown from Dillashaw. He looks for the back but Lineker spins out and returns to his feet. Lineker with a left. Lineker tries again but Dillashaw deftly steps away. Body kick and a takedown. TJ moves to side and lands two big elbows. He’s really opening up now. Lineker looked for a kneebar, but Dillashaw moved to mount. Lineker retained half guard. More punches from Dillashaw. He’s landing a ton of shots to the face. Lineker is just eating them. Thudding elbows. 10-9 Dillashaw.
Round 3 – Front kick for Dillashaw. Hard body kick after some feinting. Right hook, and a takedown from Dillashaw. So smooth. Lineker up quickly though. Slower pace here. TJ with a quick left as he runs right by Lineker. Lineker does land a left though. Another takedown. Lots of hammerfists. Dillashaw with a bodylock as Lineker tries to get up. Dillashaw looking for a calf slicer. That was cool. Lineker rips to the body once they’re back up and Dillashaw backs off. Lineker pressing late. Flying knee from Dillashaw. Lineker to the body again. 10-9 and 30-27 Dillashaw.
T.J. Dillashaw defeated John Lineker by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Dominick Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt
Round 1 – Cruz in with a quick right and avoids Cody’s power. Cruz is talking already. Leg kick. Cody misses with a body kick. Cruz misses now. Garbrandt in with a left, Cruz with a counter right. Garbrandt caught him three times in a row with the left. Leg kick from Cruz and he ducks away from a winging right. Garbrandt to the body, but Cruz makes him miss with the power shots. Jabs from Cruz. Low leg kick from Cruz. Body kick from Garbrandt. Low outside leg kick now. Grabrandt is talking now. The crowd is chanting his name. Garbrandt showboating as he makes Cruz miss. Cruz can’t get a takedown. Cruz with a jab and a hard left. Garbrandt with a takedown, but Cruz scrambles up quickly. 10-9 Garbrandt.
Round 2 – Cruz looks more serious now. They’re feinting a lot more now. Cruz with a nivece combination. Low leg kick from Cruz. Garbrandt cracked him with a combo. Cruz fired back with his own and wobbled Garbrandt! He’s resetting. Now the crowd is chanting for Cruz. Garbrandt with a unique kick and he lands a counter right. Cruz with another low kick. Body kick from Garbrandt. Another. Body kick from Cruz. Cody lands two left hooks. Jab from Cruz. Hard body kick again from Garbrandt, and followed it with a combo. Cruz continuing to kick low. Cruz with a left. Body kick, counter right. Cruz looks for a late takedown and he lands three punches. Close round. 10-9 Cruz.
Round 3 – Takedown attempt. Cruz connected with a left but Garbrandt clubbed him with two lefts. Cruz is bleeding. Apparently it was a headbutt. Garbrandt lands three shots and starts talking trash. Another combo lands. Cruz can’t get much going yet. Head kick and right from Cruz. Cody responds with his own. Inside leg kick from Cruz. Garbrandt keeps inviting him back to the center of the Octagon. Garbrandt cracks him again! Knee! Cruz taking a lot of punishment. Cruz with a left. Cody moves away from a combo and lands a right. Big round for Garbrandt. Cruz can’t get a takedown and they both miss with punches. Outside leg kick for Cruz. Cody responds with his hands. Cruz with a left. 10-9 Garbrandt.
Round 4 – Cruz’s cut from the headbutt is big. They’re still chirping. Good kick from Cruz. Cruz with a left and a combo. Garbrandt dropped him with a shot! He didn’t charge in though. Cruz up quick. Cruz with a left again. Garbrandt with another right. Garbrandt taunting him on a missed kick. A straight right gets through for Cody and he’s smiling. Garbrandt dodges nine punches and does the robot dance. He looks incredible. Cruz coming up way shot with his stuff now. He’s flustered. Inside leg kick from Garbrandt. Cruz is coming forward but can’t connect. Garbrandt dropped him again! And danced! He hurt him again! AND ANOTHER! This is crazy! 10-8 Garbrandt.
Round 5 – Garbrandt with a kick. Much slower pace. Cruz scores with a right. Flying knee from Cruz connects. Outside leg kick from Cruz. He misses and Garbrandt teases him. Cruz asks him to come to the center. Cruz throwing. Low kick. They trade takedown attempts. Head kick from Cruz caught. Cruz misses with a spinning backfist. Garbrandt backs Cruz up against the cage. Short punches from Cruz and a knee to the body from Codfy. He’s circling away. Cruz chops at him with a leg kick. 10-9 Cruz, but 48-46 Garbrandt.
They’re talking amicably before the decision.
Cody Garbrandt defeated Dominick Cruz by unanimous decision (48-46, 48-47, 48-46)
About the author
