Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and play-by-play as UFC 252 goes down in UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The biggest heavyweight fight in the promotion’s history will serve as the main event tonight, with champion Stipe Miocic defending his title against Daniel Cormier in the latter’s apparent retirement fight. The co-main is the Suga Show, with Sean O’Malley looking to stay undefeated when he meets the streaking Marlon Vera.
This post will cover the first three fights of the main card. This is topped by a heavyweight battle between Junior dos Santos and Jarzinho Rozenstruik.
We’ll start on Fight Pass and ESPN+ at approximately 7pm ET with two fights. The card then moves to ESPN and stays on ESPN+ at 8pm ET for four more bouts, then onto the main PPV card at 10pm ET. The full lineup and schedule follows. The preliminary card and top two fights will have separate posts.
Junior dos Santos vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Round 1 – Inside leg kick from Dos Santos. Slow start. Another low kick, and a jab to the body from JDS. Rozenstruik with a counter. Front kick to the belly from DosSantos. High kick is blocked. Inside leg kicks from both men. JDS with a right, Rozenstruik connects with the counter right. Overhand right and a left hook from Dos Santos. They trade low kicks again. Jab to the body from Dos Santos. More inside leg kicks from Rozenstruik. JDS with a left and his own inside leg kick. Jab to the body from Dos Santos. Body kick from JDS is caught, and Rozenstruik charges across the cage with strikes. JDS with a right hook, Rozenstruik lands the counter left. JDS misses with a spinning kick. Rozenstruik with a knee/kick to the groin. Cornuts cam confirms. Quick restart. 10-9 Dos Santos.
Round 2 – Inside leg kick from Rozenstruik. Jab from Dos Santos, Rozenstruik with a low kick as a reaction to it. Outside leg kick from Rozenstruik. Jabs to the body from Dos Santos. Right over the top, and a jab for Dos Santos. Left over the top from JDS. Huge straight right from Dos Santos! Body punch too. Awkward exchange. Right over the top from Rozenstruik landed hard. Jab from JDS, counter left and a right drops Dos Santos! Rozenstruik swarms. JDS pops up but is dropped again by a left. It’s over!
Jairzinho Rozenstruik defeated Junior dos Santos via TKO (strikes), 3:47 of round 2
Daniel Pineda vs. Herbert Burns
Round 1 – Front kick and a flurry from Burns, but he doesn’t connect. Pineda with a counter right. Burns shots in and they scramble. Back elbow from Pineda. Pineda is cut already. Left hook and takedown from Pineda. He lands some punches with Burns pressed against the fence. He steps over into half. Pineda backs out, and jumps back in with a right. Burns tries to attack from the bottom but Pineda shuts him down. More punches from Pineda. Big elbows. Pineda goes body head. More body work. Pineda opens up again. He’s got Burns stuck. Huge right from Pineda. Upkick from Burns. Pineda staying very busy. Burns stays on his back for the rest of the round, 10-9 Pineda.
Round 2 – Front kick from Pineda. Leg kick from Burns. He lands a stiff right and dives in on a great takedown. He’s wrking in half. Burns jumps on him with punches. Pineda gets up, but Burns takes the back and drags him down. Pineda landing a bunch of elbows to the thigh. Burns readjusts and takes a more comfortable top position. Pineda spins back to his feet. Burns stays on his back and drags him back down. Pineda reverses and starts hitting Burns with a steady stream of rights. He passes to side. He looks for a cruicifix. He secures it, and drops a nasty elbow. A bunch more. Burns is taking a beating. Pineda keeping the pressure on. More punches. Burns is stuck. Brutal shots, this could get stopped. And it does! The Pit!
Daniel Pineda defeated Herbert Burns via TKO (punches and elbows), 4:37 of round 2
John Dodson vs. Mareb Dvalishvili
Round 1 – Dvalishvili throws a spinning back fist but misses. No other strikes thrown in the first 40 seconds. Dodson jumps and lands to the body. Dvalishvili coming up short with his strikes so far. Inside leg kick from Dodson. Another body shot from Dodson. Dvalishvili with a left and he dives in on a takedown attempt. Dodson goes down, then up, then desperately tries to stay upright after he takes a bunch of knees to the thigh. Dodson still on his feet. Dvalishvili kicking the calves. So many knees to the butt. Dvalishvili looks for a trip but can’t get it. Yet more knees. Dodson is stuck. Dodson finally escapes with 50 seconds to go, and eats a left on the way out. Outside leg kick from Dvalishvili. Nice left over top from Dodson. 10-9 Dvalishvili.
Round 2 – Dodson lands to the body. Dvalishvili scoops an ankle but Dodson stays upright. Inside leg kick from Dodson. Dvalishvili in on a takedown as Dodson throws a kick. Dvalishvili carries him all the way to the center of the cage and tries to slam him, but Dodson pops out and escapes. Dodson goes body/head. Jab. Dvalishvili with a spinning back fist and a hard right hook. Dvalishvili jumps in for a takedown again. Short shots from Dvalishvili. He throws punches and scoops up Dodson again. He goes to slam him again and Dodson just lands on his butt and immediately jumps back up. Leg kick from Dodson. Nice left from Dvalishvili. One minute to go. Dodson flurries but misses. Left hook from Dvalishvili. Dodso charges in with a couple of punches. Dvalishvili almost gets a takedown at the horn. 10-9 Dvalishvili.
Round 3 – Dvalishvili is yelling. Body shot from Dodson. Dvalishvili misses over the top. Leg kick from Dvalishvili. Body kick. Hard right hook in close, but Dodson landed at the same time. Dodson with two body shots. Right hook lands for Dvalishvili. Another one, and he looks for the takedown. Again he scoops him up. He tries a different way of slamming him, but Dodson still escapes. It’s kind of funny now. Leg kick from Dvalishvili. Dodson with a right. Halfway through the round. They both connect again. Dvalishvili brawls inside and scores. Front kick from Dodson to the body. Big right from Dvalishvili. Huge right again! Jab from Dvalishvili. Dodson with a left. Merab spins and misses. He drags Dodson to his butt for about four seconds. Elbows to the legs from Dvalishvili. 10-9 and 30-27 Dvalishvili.
Mareb Dvalishvili defeated John Dodson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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