Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and play-by-play as UFC 242 goes down in Abu Dhabi.
The main event will be a UFC lightweight title unification bout between full champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champ Dustin Poirier. The co-main will see Paul Felder taking on Edson Barboza in a rematch.
This post will cover the main card up the headliner.
The show is in the Middle East, so things are kicking off early. We’ll start on ESPN+ at approximately 10:15am ET with four fights. The card then moves to FX (seriously) at Noon ET for four more bouts, then onto the main PPV card at 2pm ET. The full lineup and schedule follows. The prelim card and main event will be covered in separate posts.
Check out this week’s MMA Vivisection for predictions, analysis and betting odds on the each matchup.
Round 1 – Low kick from Barboza. Felder spins. Felder with a low kick. Right from Felder. Nice short counter left from Barboza. They clinch. Knee up the middle for Felder before they break. Low kicks from Barboza are checked. Counter right from Barboza. Felder clinches again. Barboza with a clubbing kick to the body. They clashed heads and Felder is cut. Brief break and they’re back to it. Felder misses with a spin kick. Another brutal body kick from Barboza. Lead right from Felder. Hard counter left from Barboza. Short riht from Felder. 10-9 Barboza.
Round 2 – Leg kick from Barboza in a nice exchange between the two. Low kicks from both. Spinning back kick to the body. Felder with low kick but eats a combo in return. Barboza with a double leg takedown! It’s bizarro world! It looks like Felder cut him with an elbow from the bottom. Barboza is bleeding all over him. Armbar attempt from Felder! Barboza mini-slams his way out and they return to the feet. Counter left again from Barboza. Felder clinches. Felder digs for a single leg but Barboza deftly fights him off. Lead left from Barboza. Felder clinches again. Inside knee from Barboza. 10-9 Felder.
Round 3 – Body kick from Barboza. Another. Felder with a counter right that scores. Sick counter right from Barboza. Left from Felder. Barboza JUST knicked Felder with a spinning back fist. Felder with a jab. Left scores for Felder. He’s pressing. Barboza circles out to reset. Jab from Felder. Felder with a left and enters the clinch. Knee from Barboza and they break. Good exchange in the center. Felder clinches again. Barboza with a late takedown. 10-9 and 29-28 Barboza.
Paul Felder defeated Edson Barboza via split decision (27-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Islam Makhachev vs. Davi Ramos
Round 1 – Body kick from Ramos. Makhachev with a straight left. Takedown attempt stuffed by Ramos. A lot of staring and feinting, but little striking in the first two minutes. Inside leg kick from Makhachev. Another minute of nearly zero output. Inside leg kick from Makhachev. Front kick from Makhachev. Makhachev with a winging right. 10-9 Makhachev I guess.
Round 2 – Head kick from Makhachev. Ramos takes it and flurries with a couple, landing a couple of the shots. They battle on the cage. Uppercut from Ramos as Makhachev lands a left hook on the break. Body jab from Makhachev. Jab to the head from Makhachev. The crowd is booing. Ramos staggers Makhachev with a counter! He shakes it off though. Straight left from Makhachev. Ramos tries to flurry with counters again but comes up short. Another straight left from Makhachev. Inside leg kick. Ramos looks like he’s getting a bit frustrated. 10-9 Makhachev.
Round 3 – Makhachev with a combo. He follows up and drops Ramos with a knee! He’s all over him with GnP but Ramos somehow manages to defend and stay in the fight. Two big elbows. Ramos almost spins away but Makhachev keeps a hold of him. He may have punched himself out a bit. Ramos is trying to attack from underneath but is consistently being shut down by Makhachev. He’s landing to the body from underneath. Makhachev is basically riding it out. He backs out and they finish the fight on the feet. 10-8 and 30-26 Makhachev.
Islam Makhachev defeated Davi Ramos via unanimous decision (29-27 30-26, 30-26)
Curtis Blaydes vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
Round 1 – Blaydes walks Abdurakhimov down and gets the takedown. He lands a couple of punches. Abdurakhimov up but gets bodylocked back down. Blaydes in side. Back up. Abdurakhimov gets separation. Body shot from Abdurakhimov. Blaydes shoots and manages to get Abdurakhimov to the floor again. He’s on his back,. One hook and landing punches. Abdurakhimov in a seated position. He gets up but is dropped back down. Blaydes steps over into mount and lands huge elbows! Big punches! Abdurakhimov barely survives to the horn. 10-8 Blaydes.
Round 2 – Abdurakhimov comes out punching and lands an uppercut, but Blaydes double-legs him to the mat. He looks to step over into mount again. Out to side. Blaydes rides his back. Abdurakhimov is warned for grabbing gloves. Blaydes opens fire. He lands a big elbow. Abdurakhimov is visibly hurt, but Marc Goddard lets it continue. Until Blaydes backs off and Abdurakhimov. Then it was over. Man that elbow was deadly.
Curtis Blaydes defeated Shamil Abdurakhimov via TKO (strikes), 2:22 of round 2
Mairbek Taisumov vs. Diego Ferreira
Round 1 – Taisumov on his heels early. Low kicks from Taisumov. Two long lefts from Taisumov. Hard uppercut from Taisumov but Ferreira caught him hard with a counter. Front kick tho the belly from Ferreira. Short left over the top for Taisumov. Jab from Taisumov. Ferreira with a right hook. Outside leg kick. Taisumov drops Ferreira with a short shot! He may have slipped, not sure. He’s back up quickly nonetheless. Taisumov misses with a huge uppercut. Side kick from Ferreira. Reaching right from Taisumov. Front kick to the body They’re both swinging and missing. Ferreira presses a bit with a hard shot. 10-9 Taisumov.
Round 2 – They get down to it immediately. Glancing head kick from Ferreira. Right and a combo from Ferreira. He’s in with a body lock and throws Taisumov, but can’t pin him to the ground. They’re separated and Ferreira is warned for a headbutt. Ferreira with a long straight right that connects hard twice in a row. He goes to the body. Taisumov with a counter left. They’re really throwing! Hard punches landing galorre from both sides. Ferreira rips a body kick. Ferreira really pressing but Taisumov is handling it. Chopping leg kick from CDF. Hard counter left from Taisumov! Ferreira couldn’t get a takedown. Ferreira wearing some damage on his face. Good brawl in round 2! 10-9 Ferreira.
Round 3 – Body kick from Taisumov is caught. Jump knee from Ferreira! Taisumov pressuring now but Ferreira is landing a series of rights. They trade in the middle again. Ferreira walking him down now. Body kicks. The pace isn’t as crazy as the second, but they’re both connecting well. Ferreira fakes a double leg and lands a right hook. Ferreira batters him against the cage. Taisumov is circling away. Straight right from Taisumov. Ferreira cracks him with a 1-2. Jab, right hook combo from Ferreira. Head kick from Ferreira! Huge right hook! Taisumov has some kind of chin. 10-9 and 29-28 Ferreira.
Diego Ferreira defeated Mairbek Taisumov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
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