Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring and play-by-play for UFC on FOX 23, which goes down in the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO.
The headliner will take place in the women’s bantamweight division, with top contenders Valentina Shevchenko and Julianna Pena facing off.
Live results and play-by-play will commence early, as is traditional with Fox cards, with the Fight Pass broadcast at 4pm ET/1pm PT. There will be two fights there before the card moves to Fox Sports 1 for six more preliminary bouts starting at 5pm ET/2pm PT. Finally, the four-fight main card will kick off at 8pm ET/5pm PT.
The full lineup and schedule follows. Check out this week’s MMA Vivisection for predictions, analysis and betting odds on the each match up.
J.C. Cottrell vs. Jason Gonzalez
Round 1 – Cottrell with a head kick. Slow pace to start. Nice combo by Cottrell. Gonzalez with a body kick. He landed a beautiful counter uppercut, but Cottrell got a takedown. Fun scramble. Cottrell ended up on top in side control against the cage. He looked for a north south choke but Gonzalez fought it off. Now they’re stacked up in an odd position on the cage. Gonzalez is looking for a leg lock. Cottrell gets to mount and looks for a mounted triangle, but Gonzalez scrambles out. He’s got a D’Arce! Cottrell is stuck and he taps! Wow that was beautiful.
Jason Gonzalez defeated J.C. Cottrell by submission (D’Arce choke), 3:54 of round 1
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Eric Shelton
Round 1 – Shelton with an early takedown. Pantoja kicked him off quickly though. Counter right by Pantoja. Low kick from Shelton, just a couple of seconds for a break. Nice body kick from Pantoja and he’s calling Shelton forward. Nice knee in response by Shelton. Pantoja to the leg kicks. Shelton with an uppercut. Good action thus far. Spinning backfist from Shelton as Pantoja charged in. Pantoja hops on the back and drags Shelton down against the cage. He only has one hook for now. He finally sinks the second with two minutes to go. He’s hunting for a choke, but Shelton is hand-fighting well. Shelton finally gets away and gets his own takedown. He let him up though, just to take him down again. 10-9 Pantoja.
Round 2 – Shelton with an uppercut. Pantoja with a leg kick but Shelton caught it. Shelton looking for another takedown against the cage. Nice knee to the body from Pantoja on the break. The pace is still really high here. Shelton with an uppercut and counter left. Pantoja stuffing his shots and landing kicks. Hard knee to the body from Pantoja. He dropped for a guillotine but Shelton immediately popped his head out and worked from the top. They’re up quickly though. Nice scramble. Pantoja drops for a guillotine again, but Shelton popped his head out just as easily. Shelton let him up and cracked him with a flying knee. That was cool. Pantoja stuffed another takedown attempt. They trade big shots in the pocket. Pantoja gets a takedown and takes his back. He has both hooks and he’s looking for a choke. Now he’s mounted. Back mount. They’re moving faster than I can type. Now he has one arm under the chin. Shelton pulls that one off. Now the other arm is there! He ripped that one off too! Wow. That was a hell of a round. 10-9 Pantoja.
Round 3 – Slower pace to start round three, as expected in Denver. Straight left from Pantoja. Another. Uppercut from Shelton. Pantoja misses on a trip takedown attempt. Glancing spinning backfist from Shelton. Counter left from Shelton. Jumping knee. Nice combo from Pantoja. They trade a bit. Straight right from Shelton. Pantoja missed with the counter. They touch gloves as the crowd gives them props. They both miss. Pantoja rebuffs a takedown attempt. Uppercut from Pantoja. They brawl to the horn. 10-9 Shelton, but 29-28 Pantoja.
Alexandre Pantoja defeated Eric Shelton via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jeremy Kimball vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Round 1 – Pezao with a heavy leg kick. Another one, and a right. De Lima walking him down. Kimball in with a nice combo. Kimball pushes Pezao down and jumps into his guard – right into a leg lock. They’re back up. They trade kicks. Big right rom De Lima. Inside leg kick too. Kimball either slipped or got put down by a grazing right. Pezao clubs him with rights and it’s over.
Marcos Rogerio de Lima defeated Jeremy Kimball by TKO (strikes), 2:27 of round 1
Alessio Di Chirico vs. Eric Spicely
Round 1 – Spicely trying to get inside early. He scoops a single but can’t get a takedown. Instead, Di Chirico ended up on top. Spicely looking for a triangle. He almost has it secured but can’t get his foot under his knee. And right as I say that, he gets the tap anyway. Wow.
Eric Spicely defeated Alessio Di Chirico by submission (triangle choke), 2:14 of round 1
Luis Henrique da Silva vs. Jordan Johnson
Round 1 – Inside leg kick from Da Silva. They brawl a bit in the clinch. Johnson with a strong takedown in the clinch and he’s working from side control. He’s looking for an anaconda choke and it’s deep. Da Silva is surviving and Johnson gives it up. They reteurn to the feet. Johnson wit ha nice jab. Another, but Da Silva fired back with a straight right counter. More jabs. Frankenstein with two knees in the clinch. Outside leg kick as well. Da Silva really beating up the lead leg. They trade jabs, and Johnson lands an uppercut. Johnson backed him to the cage and got a takedown. He lands a few shots on the ground. 10-9 Johnson.
Round 2 – Johnson with a big overhand right. Da Silva landed a thudding kick to the body but got taken down. Johnson with some GnP in half guard. Da Silva looked for a kimura, then a leg, but Johnson kept the top pressure. Frankenstein is trying his best to hunt for subs from the bottom but Johnson is defending them handily. Da Silva finally got up with 90 seconds to go, but Johnson still had a body lock and stomped on his feet. Da Silva finally landed a knee to get separation but he looks gassed out. 10-9 Johnson.
Round 3 – Johnson with a huge right hook right off the start. He scooped a single and go the takedown. He rode the back for a bit, then settled into beating him up a bit. Johnson stood up, and Da Silva stayed on his back. The ref didn’t do anything, so Johnson just jumped into side. Johnson looking for a kimura. Da Silva doesn’t have much left. Johnson’s not rushing for the finish either, and this has slowed down considerably. 10-9 and 30-27 Johnson.
Jordan Johnson defeated Luis Henrique da Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Li Jingliang vs. Bobby Nash
Round 1 – Nash with an outside leg kick. Jingliang responds with an inside leg kick. The Leech lands a nice counter as Nash charges in. Nash wades and and lands two punches again, but Jingliang cracks him with a counter again. They’re brawling. Jingliang is doing a better job of staying out of Nash’s range. Overhand right from Jingliang drops Nash! The Leech stuffs a takedown and lands it again. Beautiful counters. Now he’s kicking the outside of the lead leg. Jingliang with another counter, but Nash follows up with a huge left hook and he drops Jingliang! Nash is looking for a choke! He’s got one arm under the arm but can’t get the leverage. Nash to mount. Jingliang re-establishes half guard. Some elbows. Very tough to score, but I’ll go 10-9 Nash.
Round 2 – Nash storms forward and cracks Jingliang with three hard shots. Jingliang is still dazed. A right sends him staggering back. He just missed with a head kick. Jingliang fires back with a counter right! Nash gets a takedown. Jingliang gets back to his feet and they stall out on the fence. The Leech scores with a hard shot on the break. Huge straight right from Jingliang! Nash just took that one. He didn’t take the next one though! Wow, he’s down, and Jingliang gets the W after a couple of followup punches. That was a fun fight.
Li Jingliang defeated Bobby Nash by KO (strikes), 4:45 of round 2
Raphael Assuncao vs. Aljamain Sterling
Round 1 – They trade low kicks. It’s all kicks for the first minute. Overhand right from Assuncao connects. Nice combo from Assuncao as Sterling landed a kick. Now Assuncao cup checked him. Let’s go to the Cornuts Cup Cam – yup, right down the middle. Sterling back to kicking. Assuncao with another well-timed right hook as Sterling kicked. Assuncao caught a kick and punches Sterling in the gut. Lots of kicks from Sterling. Kind of tough to score, but Assuncao landed the much harder shots. 10-9 Assuncao.
Round 2 – Assuncao landed another low kick right off the start of the round. The ref didn’t see it though, which is unusual. They trade hard kicks. Assuncao drops Sterling with a counter right! He didn’t jump on him though, just let him up. He only went down to one knee anyway, it may have landed on the shoulder. Sterling dropping his hands now, trying to get Assuncao to lead. And he did, with a right hook that connected. Leg kick from Sterling. Otuside leg kick. Sterling tries to catch a kick but can’t get a takedown. Assuncao with a body shot. Sterling with a right hook as Assuncao threw a front kick. Assuncao feinting a lot. They trade kicks. 10-9 Assuncao.
Round 3 – Both whiff on punches. Aljo showing a bit more urgency. He scores with a right. Outside leg kick from Assuncao, counter left for Sterling. Assuncao stuffs a shot. Sterling with a nice right. Assuncao with a counter left off a Sterling front kick. Straight left from Assuncao. Aljo fires back with a left hook. Sterling with two straight lefts. Sterling wit ha wide right hook, Assuncao goes up the middle to the body. They trade kicks. Sterling with a nice combo. Sterling rips the body with a kick. 10-9 Sterling, but 29-28 Assuncao.
Raphael Assuncao defeated Aljamain Sterling by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Sam Alvey vs. Nate Marquardt
Round 1 – Alvey throwing some awkward leg kicks early. Marquardt lands a lead right hook and charges into the clinch. They stall out there until they’re finally separated. Side kick to the knee from Nate. Alvey is fighting his usual counterstriking style and Nate’s not giving him the bait, so there’s a lot of staring here. Just a few kicks now and a gain. Alvey misses with a left and eats a low kick. The crowd is unhappy. Alvey with an uppercut and they brawled a bit in the clinch. 10-9 Marquardt.
Round 2 – Marquardt with a low kick. He wades in a connects with a nice combo. Inside leg kick from Nate. More staring. Alvey charges forward now but couldn’t land. Marquardt steps in with a knee and they clinch. Alvey shoulder blocks Marquardt to the mat, but lets him up. Left from Alvey. Combo from Alvey now. Nate with a looping right. Left from Alvey. He’s actually leading the dance a bit. Alvey tagged him with a counter, forcing Nate to reset. Straight right from Alvey. Marquardt’s face is cut up a bit. Hard combo from Alvey backs Marquardt off again. Easy 10-9 for Alvey.
Round 3 – Marquardt with a hard straight right to land the first shot. Lots of feinting. Marquardt with a body shot as Alvey threw a kick. Alvey lands a left. Nice step-in uppercut from Alvey. Marquardt looking for a takedown. He drags him down from behind, takes the back, and gets hooks against the cage. Alvey gets away and clubs Marquardt wit ha left as he comes up. Alvey with a straight right. Inside leg kick. They clinch up. Alvey pulls away with a minute to go. Inside leg kick from Alvey. A lot of feinting again. The crowd isn’t happy. Two counter lefts from Marquardt. This could go either way, but I’ll go 10-9 and 29-28 Alvey.
Sam Alvey defeated Nate Marquardt by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Alex Caceres vs. Jason Knight
Round 1 – Caceres looking for a fast start. Knight caught a kick and clinched up briefly. Nice jab from Caceres. Knight with two left hooks. Caceres ate a counter. Knight’s hands look to be a little faster so far. Knight’s catching a lot of Caceres’ kicks. Caceres punches him in the knee. And his corner loved him for it. Okay. Caceres moved away from a few punches and a front kick. He lands a right, but Knight returns one. Knight can’t get a takedown. Striaght left from Caceres, then a body shot. Caceres chops his leg out as Knight lands a right hook. Caceres catches a kick and throws a straight right that puts Caceres on his butt. He pops up quick though, but eats another right. Huge takedown from Knight. He’s got the back and sunk a choke, but it’s too late. 10-9 Knight.
Round 2 – Front kick to the body from Caceres. They trade inside leg kicks. They trade shots again. Knight slipping Caceres’ punches now. Knight looks for another big takedown. He ends up on the back again and secures a body triangle. Knight looking for the choke. Caceres is turtling after some punches. Now in a seated position. Elbows to the side of the head. Caceres can’t shake the body triangle. Another big elbow from Knight. He’s trying to secure the choke again but he can’t get the arm under the chin. Big left to the grill. Elbows to the shoulder blade. That’s unique. 50 seconds to go. He’s still not under the chin, or is he? Caceres taps! Nice finish.
Jason Knight defeated Alex Caceres by submission (rear naked choke), 4:21 of round 2
Andrei Arlovski vs. Francis Ngannou
Round 1 – Ngannou misses with a huge overhand right. Arlovski looking for inside leg kicks. Arlovski wades in with a right, and Ngannou was slow on the counter. Arlovski with a right, but the counter’s there that time! Arlovski goes down from a two-punch combo! Bunch of punches to the dome and it’s over. The first two punches he landed put Arlovski on the floor. This is a scary, scary man. Arlovski was literally knocked up and off his feet before he fell.
Francis Ngannou defeated Andrei Arlovski by TKO (strikes), 1:32 of round 1
Donald Cerrone vs. Jorge Masvidal
Round 1 – Cerrone with an outside low kick. They trade jabs. Cerrone with a straight left and a body kick. Masvidal with a jab and a combo. They trade big shots! Right and counter left. Inside leg kick. Cerrone jab that makes Masvidal laugh. Low kick again. Jab from Masvidal, low kick from Cerrone. And again. Cerrone looked for a takedown but couldn’t get it. Spinning backfist from Masvidal. Head kick from Cerrone. They trade jabs. Spinning back kick to the belly from Masvidal. Masvidal with a jab and two nice rights. Body kick from each man. Masvidal drops Cerrone! He’s pounding him out but the horn went! It looked like it was over but it isn’t! Cowboy is super wobbly on the stool. 10-9 Masvidal.
Round 2 – Masvidal coming forward with aggression on a still-wobbled Cerrone. Cerrone is weathering the storm though. Masvidal working the body. Strong jab. Masvidal knocks him down again! Cerrone’s up but Masvidal is still beating him up! IT’S OVER! WOW!
Jorge Masvidal defeated Donald Cerrone by TKO (strikes), 1:00 of round 2
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Julianna Pena
Round 1 – Shevchenko throwing combos. Pena ducks into the clinch. Pena with a couple of knees. Shevchenko tries to spin her around but can’t. Now they’re trading knees. Shevchenko caught a knee, swept the foot, and took her down against the cage into side control. Beautiful. Pena powers her way up. Back against the fence in the clinch. Hard knees to the belly from Pena. Shevchenko threw her down again off of a knee! Hammerfists from Shevchenko. Pena gets full guard back, but Shevchenko is heavy on her. Pena tying her up so her opponent can’t score much damange. Pena postures up for an armbar. she flipped her over at the horn. 10-9 Shevchenko.
Round 2 – Pena complained of an injured shoulder in the corner. She charged over and clinched up right away looking for a takedown. Shevchenko didn’t let it happen though. They’re mostly stalled out, though Pena is still throwing a knee now and again. They trade knees. Pena almost gets a takedown but the whizzer stops it. Pena pulls Shevchenko out from the cage, and trips her to the floor. Very nice. Pena with body shots. Shevchenko throwing punches from the bottom. Shevchenko briefly looks for an armbar but Pena swats it away. She tries again. She’s flattened it out! Rolled over and the arm is bent at an ugly angle! Pena taps!
Valentina Shevchenko defeated Julianna Pena by submission (armbar), 4:29 of round 2
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