She lifts Chookagian and brings her to the floor, setting up in her opponent’s half-guard. Rencountre clinches, but Good scores with uppercuts up the middle. Still, Maia is banging away.
He spins off the cage, but Dawodu pulls away and resets in the center. Good with a high kick and a few big right hands. Amirkhani desperate for the takedown. Jab lands for Till, and he just misses a big knee. Gastelum trying to press, but Till moving well and avoiding any real damage. Rencountre has a little blood trickling down from the left eye. Lee answers with a nice right hand. Anthony Smith’s loss to Aleksandar Rakic confirmed his feeling on a size and strength difference at light heavyweight. What a performance.Round 1 – Low stance from Lee as he moves out to the center. Till kicks the leg and is trying to use his range. Aleksandar Rakic had his rise in the light heavyweight division paused in December 2019, but now may find himself right back in the mix. Thompson loose on the feet. Masvidal kicks the body, and Diaz falls to the canvas. Masvidal meets him with powerful punches. Burgos loose on the feet as he attacks from the center. Maia with the low kick, and Chookagian swings back with punches. ET for the ESPN+ prelims, 8 p.m for the ESPN2 prelims, and 10 p.m. for the main card on ESPN+ pay-per-view.Round 1 – Dawodu misses an early low kick but scores with a second. Punches are non-stop. Shahbazyan walks forward with a crisp combination, but Tavares catches his attention with a stern counter.
MMA Junkie gives the round to Dawodu, 10-9.Round 3 – Dawodu out quickly and looking to control in the clinch. Diaz wise to control the wrists from the back, and he stands. He’s surviving on heart.
Arce battles his way off the fence, but Dawodu turns it again. Big mistake there, and Ivanov controls from a front headlock. Anderson flurries with punches. Diaz against the cage, but he’s punching in tight. Maia seemed to want the takedown, but Chookagian slips away rather easily. He leaps forward with a punch, but Till slips under it and moves to the clinch. UFC 244 main card results. On the restart, he kicks the leg. Burgos with punches and elbows, and he pushes Amirkhani to his back and takes side control. He’s hunting the takedown, but Burgos defending well. Masvidal declines, kicking the legs a bit and looking to control the ankles and pass the guard. They end on the feet. Masvidal drills the body a few times and backs away. Lee working his jab often.
Big left hand lands. He tries to drag the action back to the floor but has to switch when Burgos winds up on top. Diaz stays on the leg but can’t get the submission, and Masvidal lands a few more punches before the bell. Chookagian kicks to the legs and lands a nice right. He flurries his way into a clinch. MMA Junkie gives the first to Lewis, 10-9.Round 2 – Crowd chanting Lewis’ name, but it’s Ivanov who lands a left hand. Drama. MMA Junkie gives the round to Dawodu, 10-9, awarding him the fight 30-27. Less than a minute. Till misses a big left over the top.
Arce moving side to side on the outside.
Ivanov tries to attack the arm, but Lewis spins and rolls to climb back to his feet. Luque the one pressing forward, but Thompson is certainly finding the mark, as well. They battle against the fence. Lewis digging underhooks and trying to get free. ET (3:30 p.m. PT). Low kick for Gastelum. He somehow scrambles back up amid a flurry of punches. Masvidal kicks hard to the body, but Diaz grabs it and is able to move into the clinch, pushing the action to the fence. He’s trying to move forward, but it’s clear he’s trailing now.
Rencountre lands an uppercut. The event takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York, with a main card that streams on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2, ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass.