Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring and play-by-play as UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum goes down in Fortaleza, Brazil.
The headliner comes in the middleweight division, with Vitor Belfort trying to stay relevant in the title picture as he takes on rising star Kelvin Gastelum.
Live results and play-by-play will commence with the Fight Pass broadcast at 7pm ET/4pm PT. They will move to FS1 at 8pm for four prelims fights, and stay there for the main card’s six fights starting at 10pm ET. The full lineup and schedule follows. Check out this week’s MMA Vivisection for predictions, analysis and betting odds on the each match up.
Paulo Borrachinha vs. Garreth McLellan
Round 1 – Borrachinha with a body kick right away. McLellan with a side kick to the body. Borrachinha opens up with punches against the cage. McLellan fires back with a right. Big shots from Borrachinha. Head kick and straight right. Head kick again. McLellan had a takedown attempt stuffed. Huge body kick and a left drops McLellan! Borrachinha turns it up and it’s over. Very impressive.
Paulo Borrachinha defeated Garreth McLellan by TKO (strikes), 1:17 of round 1
Rony Jason vs. Jeremy Kennedy
Round 1 – Kennedy jabbing. Jason with a winging right. Head kick from Kennedy. More jabs. Jason clips him with a right hook and stumbles him. Flying knee and Kennedy is on his back. He doesn’t stay down for long though. Kennedy looking for his own takedown but Jason’s whizzer fights it off. He perseveres though and worked from Jason’s back briefly on the ground. Jason popped up but was put back down. Kennedy works in Jason’s full guard. Lands a hard elbow. He’s posturing up and landing some nice shots, while Jason is just stuck against the cage. 10-9 Kennedy.
Round 2 – Jason with a right and an uppercut. Kennedy shakes his head indicating he didn’t get caught, but an immediate flying knee from Jason puts him down. He lands a few punches in Kennedy’s guard. Kennedy briefly looks for a sub from the bottom and lands some elbows to the top of Jason’s head. Jason is landing short punches to the body but can’t pass Kennedy’s guard. Jason’s shorts were falling off a bit. Awkward. The referee stood them up with 50 seconds to go, and helpfully pulled Jason’s shorts up for him. Kennedy went for a head kick and Jason shook his head…so Kennedy kicked him in the balls. Jason immediately drops to the mat in pain. He took a couple of minutes to recover, and they fought out the last 15 seconds of the round. 10-9 Jason.
Round 3 – Jason with his hands behind his back Roy Jones-style to start the round. Kennedy went for a takedown. He got Jason to one knee, and almost to his back, but Jason got back to his feet. Kennedy kept at it but Jason spun away with 3:30 to go. Kennedy lands a nice double leg takedown in the middle of the Octagon. Elbows from Kennedy. Jason complains of an eyepoke. He’s looking for a gogoplata. Wow. He switches to an omoplata and briefly secures it, but Kennedy spins out. Jason got back to his feet with a minute to go. He needs something big here. Instead, Kennedy goes back to grappling immediately. He ends up on Jason’s back, landing punches to the side of the head. 10-9 and 29-28 Kennedy.
Jeremy Kennedy defeated Rony Jason by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
Josh Burkman vs. Michel Prazeres
Round 1 – Prazers with big pressure early and he’s all over Burkman! Big left hooks over and over. Burkman is staggering around. He went for a takedown but Prazeres stuffed it and kept pounding away. Burkman went down and ate a ton of punches, but stayed in the fight. Barely. Prazeres planted him on the ground away from the cage and worked from side. He’s looking for a north-south choke and Burkman taps. Domination.
Michel Prazeres defeated Josh Burkman by submission (north-south choke), 1:42 of round 1
Joe Soto vs. Rani Yahya
Round 1 – Yahya steps up with a combo punctuated by a body kick. He presses forward with a flurry. Soto cracked Yahya with a right that floors him! Soto puts his hand up in the air and doesn’t go after him, confusingly. Rani with a step-in knee that cracks Soto on the chin. Yahya with an outside leg kick. Soto looked for a trip takedown but got denied. Yahya with a takedown but Soto looked for a guillotine. Yahya popped out and worked from half. Not much time though. 10-9 Soto.
Round 2 – Yahya with a left. Soto has a huge cut on his head. They’re n the middle of a grappling exchange and the referee is stepping in to get the cut checked. It came from an unintentional clash of heads. The doctor checked it out and they’re letting him continue. They restart on the feet, which is weird. Soto with a takedown, but they’re back up quickly. Yahya shoots in on a takedown but there’s nothing there. Jab from Soto. Yahya scoops a single, Soto goes for the guillotine to stop Yahya in his tracks. Head kick and some punches from Yahya. Hard jab and a right from Soto. His blood is all over Yahya’s face now. Soto gets him down and looked for a north-south choke. Yahya spun out and returned to his feet. Yahya misses with a spinning backfist and can’t get a takedown. They trade rights. Yahya is getting tired. Soto ends up on top. 10-9 Soto.
Round 3 – Yahya with a couple of shots but he badly missed a takedown attempt and ended up on his back. Soto works from half. Yahya isn’t doing anything, so Soto is landing some punches and contolling position. Yahya on his hands and knees. Soto landing more punches. Yahya rolls through but it doesn’t get him anywhere. The mat is totally covered in blood. Yahya finally got up with 60 seconds to go. Misses with a spinning backfist again. Yahya with a combination. Soto with a takedown. I gave Soto a 10-8 there and have him winning 30-26.
Joe Soto defeated Rani Yahya by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
Sergio Moraes vs. Davi Ramos
Round 1 – Moraes with a knee as Ramos wades in. Big, wide overhand right lands for Moraes.They trade winging hooks. Outside leg kick for Ramos. Not a lot happening here. They bull charge at each other. A lot of feinting. Ramos looking almost exclusively to counter, which isn’t helping action-wise. Overhand right from Moraes and he sneaks a left in. Body kick from Moraes. 10-9 Moraes I guess.
Round 2 – Moraes with an outside leg kick. Ramos with an inside leg kick and a right. Moraes responds with a right. Ramos landed a huge body shot that actually dropped Moraes briefly. That looked really awkward. Moraes with a beautiful counter left hook that wobbled Ramos. They both land body shots.Both landed left hooks at the same time. Ramos misses with a spinning wheel kick. Moraes with a left, Ramos with a counter left. Ramos digs to the body. Ramos has a takedown attempt stuffed. 10-9 Ramos.
Round 3 – Moraes with a front kick to the body. Nice jab from Moraes. Again. Ramos hasn’t really thrown anything of note 90 seconds in. Moraes sneaks a right in. Ramos with a jab to the nose. Ramos almost got a takedown after Moraes missed with a kick, but he couldn’t get him down. The crowd is booing at the lack of action. Ramos cornered him and landed a few punches. Moraes with a nice left hook. Now a right. Ramos with a jab. Outside leg kick from Ramos. Ramos charges forward late but ate a left. 10-9 and 29-28 Moraes on my card.
Sergio Moraes defeated Davi Ramos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Kevin Lee vs. Francisco Trinaldo
Round 1 – Lee with a high kick that’s blocked. Another. Lee has a takedown attempt blocked. His second attempt, set up with an overhand right, is much more successful. Trinaldo threatens with a sub from the bottom. Lee with a front headlock. Trinaldo gets up and looks for a standing choke. That’s different. Lee with an uppercut inside. Trinaldo hurts Lee with a left! Lee immediately went for a takedown. Trinaldo stuffs him and they brawl in the clinch. Trinaldo with a knee to the head in the clinch. Left, and a body shot hurts Lee again! Trinaldo opening up with elbows on the ground. Lee gets up and lands a step-in knee. He’s looking to wrestle again. Trinaldo lands a left and Lee smiles. 10-9 Trinaldo.
Round 2 – Lee with a straight right. Trinaldo jabbing. Lee with two straight rights, Trianldo responded with a straight left to the shoulder. Lee with a head kick and Massaranduba is hurt! Trinaldo immediately went for a takedown but Lee reversed and he’s in mount. Switches to the back. He sinks a choke and Trinaldo taps! Winning streak over for the Brazilian.
Kevin Lee defeated Francisco Trinaldo by submission (rear naked choke), 3:12 of round 2
Tim Means vs. Alex Oliveira
Round 1 – Body kicks and a right from Oliveira. Means charging at him but Cowboy ties him up against the fence. Takedown from Oliveira. Means almost pushed him off with butterfly guard but Oliveira managed to stay on top. Means keeps trying to get up and Oliveira keeps throwing him down. Finally on the fourth instance of this, Means reversed and worked from side control with 1:25 to go. Means is just grinding his elbow into the face and throat of Oliveira. Old school. Oliveira warned a few times for using his toes to grip the cage. Means doesn’t get much done with top position. 10-9 Oliveira.
Round 2 – Oliveira gets a front headlock and moves Means to the cage. They battle it out there for a while, but Oliveira gets a takedown. Means gets to his hands and knees, then up. Oliveira still has a bodylock though, and dragged him back down. This time he sinks his hooks. Body triangle. He gets his arm under the chin and makes Means tap! That was nice.
Alex Oliveira defeated Tim Means by submission (rear naked choke), 2:38 of round 2
Bethe Correia vs. Marion Reneau
Round 1 – Correia with a jab. Correia blocks a kick and lands a left. Jab from Reneau. Leg kick from Reneau. They brawl a bit inside. Nice body kick from Reneau. They battle in the clinch. Correia lands a counter left, but Reneau lands a knee to the body. More clinch work. No one gains an advantage. Reneau with a jab. Correia with a leg kick, and a combination with her hands. Body kick from Reneau. They both land counter lefts. Two rights from Reneau and a body kick. Correia with a takedown. 10-9 Reneau.
Round 2 – They both land stiff jabs at the same time to open the stanza. Correia pushes Reneau against the fence. Correia with a left and a right hook. Reneau’s output has dropped off. Correia with a left counter a right a right hook. Overhand right too. Big uppercut from Correia! She lands a counter left to the body and a leg kick. Correia really taking over. Reneau fires a jab back though. Nice body/head combo from Bethe. Reneau lands a solid right and a front kick. Reneau lands the right again. Uppercut and a knee, but Correia caught the knee and took it to the floor. Reneau looked for a triangle but Correia pulled out of it. Reneau is landing a lot from her back. 10-9 Correia.
Round 3 – Reneau lands a huge head kick that stuns Correia! She’s blasting away but Correia is firing back. Correia went for a takedown and she’s stuck to Reneau’s leg. Reneau is pounding her with hammerfists. She frees the leg and tries to take the back, but ends up in half guard. She moves to mount and lands a big right. Big shots from high mount. Correia is forced to roll over. Reneau just blasting her. Correia gets up, but goes for a takedown and get reversed. Reneau works from the top with elbows and tries to move to mount again, but Correia pushes her off. She can’t escape though. Reneau landing punches from side, and now secures the back with hooks. Reneau looking for the choke as the Brazilian crowd chants for Bethe. Body triangle now. One minute to go. Reneau is trying to land strikes but Correia valiantly fights back even though she’s trapped. 10-8 Reneau and 29-27 overall.
Marion Reneau and Bethe Correia go to a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
Ray Borg vs. Jussier Formiga
Round 1 – Nice straight left/right leg kick combo from Formiga. They clash heads. Borg wit ha knee in the clinch. Borg ripped him with a huge uppercut. Another couple of knees to the body. Formiga with a jab to the body. Inside leg kick. Nice head movement as Formiga evades a straight right. Borg gets kicked low. Not a long break. Again they clinch up. Formiga with body punches while Borg threw knees to the gut. They stalled out. More knees. They separate with 1:50 to go. Formiga with a left kook. Borg with another uppercut. Formiga slipped a punch and landed a left. They both land. Borg with a kick to the body but Formiga responded with a combo. Formiga lands at the horn. Close. 10-9 Borg.
Round 2 – Borg looks for an immediate takedown but Formiga fought him off and reversed against the fence. Borg lands a knee as they separate. Borg with an uppercut. Nice inside leg kick from Formiga. Borg with a jumping kick that doesn’t connect. Borg went for a takedown but somehow Formiga escaped it. That was slick. Borg held him against the cage. Borg working hard to secure a single, but Mario Yamasaki separates them with 1:50 to go. Formiga shoots in but gets denied. Jabs from Borg. Formiga with a leg kick, and a combo. Borg rips him with a left hook. Spinning back fist from Formiga. Formiga with a a big inside leg kick that stumbled Borg. Borg with a spinning back fist now. Formiga with an outside leg kick. 10-9 Formiga.
Round 3 – Borg went for a takedown again. Formiga gets a takedown and looked to get to mount but Borg squirmed way and took Formiga’s back briefly. Great scramble. Formiga with another takedown. He’s on the back with a body triangle now. Borg looks stuck. Formiga is looking for a choke but Borg is defending. Borg allllmost rolls through the body triangle and he does. That was excellent. He worked with punches from the top. Big elbows now. Formiga is cut up. Borg takes Formiga’s back now. 30 seconds to go. He tried to mount but got pushed to half guard. More elbows 10-9 and 29-28 Borg.
Ray Borg defeated Jussier Formiga by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Edson Barboza vs. Beneil Dariush
Round 1 – Barboza kicking the legs early, as expected. Fariush throwing hands, working a solid left hook. Barboza with a head kick and a jab. Dariush really pressuring. He gets the Thai clinch briefly and lands a knee to the body. Inside leg kick from Dariush. Barboza with a jab. Counter left from Dariush. Uppercut for Dariush as Barboza works the body. Another inside leg kick from Dariush. Now a hard body kick. He’s landing harder kicks than the guy known for his kicks. Knee to the body from Dariush. Barboza responds with a body kick. Straight left connects for Beneil. They trade inside leg kicks. Body kick from Barboza. Barboza with a left to the body. 10-9 Dariush.
Round 2 – Barboza with a nice combo and a body kick. Dariush charges forward but eats a jab to the face and a kick to the body. Barboza missed with an uppercut. Dariush scooped a single but Barboza fought him off. Hard straight left for Dariush and he went to the body again. They trade low kicks. Barboza rips a right to the body. He’s chewing up the inside of Dariush’s leg. Barboza clipped him right in the Beneils with a right hand, which prompts a short break. The Cornuts cam confirms the shot. Dariush with a hard knee to the jaw. Barboza with a jumping knee that connects and DARIUSH IS OUT COLD! THAT WAS AWESOME!
Edson Barboza defeated Beneil Dariush by KO (knee), 3:35 of round 2
Mauricio Rua vs. Gian Villante
Round 1 – Shogun with an inside leg kick. Villante with an outside leg kick that got caught. Shogun couldn’t put him on the floor though. Villante with a right. Shogun drops him to a knee with a shot on the inside! Villante up though. Three body shots from Rua. Outside leg kick from Villante. Two-punch combo from Villante stuns Shogun! Villante clinched up briefly. Shogun connects with a hard right hook. Another. Now he goes to the body. Again with the right hook. He has Villante’s timing. Fourth right hook for Shogun connects. They both land hard. Shogun dropshim again! Villante is up again thogh. Another big right hook. Villante with a couple of shots. Nice jab from him. Shogun goes back to the body. They trade jabs twice. Shogun fires more jabs. Shogun swarms to end the round. 10-9 Shogun.
Round 2 – Inside leg kick from Shogun. They trade hard shots. Shogun with a straight left and the overhand right. Villante with a counter left hook. Overhand right connects again for Rua. Villante checks a kick. Shogun with a combo. Shogun lands again. Villante with an uppercut. Shogun with a beautiful counter right off a leg kick. Shogun with a combo. They trade jabs. They both land HARD. Shogun stumbled a bit. Villante went for a takedown but Shogun pushed him away. Shogun connects with a huge left right. Villante slipped right after it. But he’s back up. Villante looks tired. Overhand right finds the mark again for Shogun. Shogun lands it yet again! It’s crazy. 10-9 Shogun.
Round 3 – Villante with a low kick. Shogun checked it. Villante misses with an uppercut. Shogun rocked him with a counter right! He’s on chicken legs! Shogun is all over him! IT’S OVER! SHOGUN WINS!
Shogun Rua defeated Gian Villante by TKO (strikes), :59 of round 3
Vitor Belfort vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Round 1 – Belfort with a body kick. Befort went for a spinning kick but it was blocked. Gastelum with some awesome head movement to avoid Belfort punches. Gastelum landed but Belfort cracked him back wit ha counter left. Jumping knee and a left from Belfort. Gastelum landed hard to the nose. Jabs from Gastelum. Spinning kick from Belfort misses. Gastelum lands twice and then flattens him with a left! He’s all over him on the ground! Big shots! Belfort managed to hold on though, somehow. He’s up with 1:45 to go. Belfort with a big shot! He’s still there. Gastelum with some jabs. Vitor’s bloodied up. Gastelum drops him again with a left! Belfort just crumbled! Gastelum with a couple of followup punches but they weren’t even needed.Vitor was done like dinner.
Kelvin Gastelum defeated Vitor Belfort by TKO (strikes), 3:52 of round 1
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