Quick results
Main Card (10 p.m. ET) (PPV)
- Jon Jones def. Stipe Miocic via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 4:29) (UFC Heavyweight Championship)
- Charles Oliviera def. Michael Chandler via Decision, Unanimous
- Bo Nickal def. Paul Craig via Decision, Unanimous
- Viviane Araujo def. Karine Silva via Decision, Unanimous
- Mauricio Ruffy def. James Llontop via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (8 p.m. ET) (ESPNews / ESPN+)
- Marcus McGhee def. Jonathan Martinez via Decision, Unanimous
- Jim Miller def. Damon Jackson via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 2:44)
- David Onama def. Roberto Romero via Decision, Unanimous
- Marcin Tybura def. Jhonata Diniz via TKO, Doctor Stoppage (RD 2, 5:00)
Early Prelims (6 p.m. ET) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
- Ramiz Brahimaj def. Mickey Gall via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:55)
- Oban Elliott def. Bassil Hafez via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 0:40)
- Eduarda Moura def. Veronica Hardy via Decision, Unanimous
Jon Jones puts retiring Stipe Miocic away with spinning kick to retain heavyweight champ status
Jon Jones extended the heavyweight chapter of his career with a one-sided performance on Saturday night, out-landing former champ Stipe Miocic for three rounds before eventually finding the finish.
A flashy spinning back kick to the body of Miocic closed out the title clash late in the third round, ending a bout that saw Jones score with better shots on the feet and on the mat for nearly 15 minutes.
In the opening frame, Jones gained an early lead on scorecards by taking Miocic to the mat with a takedown. From top control, Jones spent numerous minutes connecting with hard elbows, continuing to wail away with shots until the round came to an end.
The rest of the fight took place in stand-up exchanges, where Jones controlled a slow and fatigued Miocic. While Miocic was able to get through with some of his boxing, the more varied attacks from Jones proved to be more effective. He would hurt Miocic with punches to the head and give pause with kicks to the body, always looking one step ahead of the former champ.
A tiring Jones eventually scored a highlight-reel kick to end the fight.
While Jones is most known for his lengthy title runs at light heavyweight – which have made him considered among the sport’s best – he has focused on being a heavyweight fighter in recent years.
“Bones” Jones vacated his light heavyweight title in 2020, mentioning his intention to move up a weight class. Three years later he captured the heavyweight title with a first-round stoppage against Ciryl Gane, making him the first champ following the departure of Francis Ngannou.
A clash against Miocic, a two-time champ who has held the belt for more days than anyone else in UFC heavyweight history, was in the making for a while. The duo was first expected to meet at last year’s Madison Square Garden card, with that iteration of the bout being cancelled due to Jones suffering a torn pec. A year after that event, they finally met in the same venue.
Saturday night was Miocic’s first appearance in over three years. His previous fight dated back to March 2021, when Francis Ngannou ended the Cleveland-based fighter’s second heavyweight title run with a brutal second-round knockout.
After his loss on Saturday, Miocic confirmed what many had already expected would be announced: He’s done fighting.
“I’m done. I’m hanging ’em up. I’m retiring,” Miocic, a man of few words, said in his post-fight interview.
Miocic leaves behind the legacy of being a dominating force in the mid-to-late 2010s, first capturing a heavyweight title in 2016 with a first-round finish of Fabricio Werdum and carrying the belt for a combined 1,372 days. He remained a relevant top heavyweight for years, and through his three-fight rivalry with Daniel Cormier became the only two-time heavyweight champ in the promotion’s history.
After his win, Jones was asked about his future as a fighter. Would he retire? Face light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira in a super-fight? Change his mind about a clash with interim champ Tom Aspinall, who he previously stated he doesn’t want to face?
Jones kept his possibilities vague afterward but promised he wasn’t done competing at the very least.
“I decided that maybe I will not retire,” he said. “We have some negotiating to do. And if everything goes right, maybe we’ll give you guys what you want to see.”
Charles Oliveira battles through late comeback from Michael Chandler to win on scorecards
Surviving late drama, Charles Oliveira leaned on an impressive four rounds against Michael Chandler to comfortably walk away from the cage with a unanimous decision win in Saturday’s co-main event.
Oliveira had a stellar outing against a returning Chandler through the first 20 minutes of action, all but guaranteeing him a decision victory if he was able to go the distance. While he had strong stand-up moments against Chandler, it was the overwhelming amount of ground control that mainly led to his four-round lead.
“Do Bronx” needed just one takedown in each round, giving him more than 13 combined minutes of ground control through four rounds. On the ground, Oliviera unloaded with hard elbows and went deep with some rear naked choke attempts, giving little room for Chandler to escape or produce any attacks of his own.
With a significant lead on scorecards, Oliveira needed to just survive the final five minutes of the bout to walk away with a victory. However, a late surge from Chandler made lasting until the end a hard task.
A right hand from Chandler stunned Oliveira hard early in the fifth round, backing up the Brazilian contender. Oliveira searched for a takedown while trying to recover, although the shot backfired and gave Chandler a controlling position on the mat.
From a top position, Chandler unleashed questionable hammerfist punches to the head of Oliveira, who was clearly still trying to recover. He kept going with more punches and elbows, coming closer than ever to a finish.
Oliveira was able to recover from the rough moment, returning to his feet and even scoring a takedown of his own. In a testament to the quality of his performance, Oliviera closed out his least successful round of the fight in control, hunting a rear naked choke on the back of Chandler.
The victory maintains Oliveira as the second-best contender at lightweight. While he is likely not favored for a title shot over first-ranked Arman Tsarukyan – who he lost to earlier this year – Oliveira is easily the next man up after him.
For Chandler, Saturday was his return to the cage after two years away. The former Bellator champ spent the past year and some change promoting a fight against Conor McGregor, which has yet to come to fruition.
Chandler once again set his sights on McGregor after the fight, asking the former two-division champ to “get your house back in order.” He also eyed a fight against Max Holloway, who is expected to return to lightweight for his next fight.
Bo Nickal remains undefeated in front of disapproving crowd
Undefeated middleweight prospect Bo Nickal got past his biggest test yet on Saturday night, albeit not with a performance that impressed a large contingent of fans.
Nickal out-landed experienced Scottish talent Paul Craig through three rounds, allowing him to take a decision win.
In a fight that put two fighters known for their ground work up against each other – Nickal for his wrestling background and Craig for his long history of submission wins – the bout ironically took place strictly on the feet.
Nickal, while struggling to put together any major moments in the fight, connected with singular big blows through 15 minutes to gain a lead against Craig and eventually sweep scorecards. Large overhand punches and big hooks would score clean by Nickal, giving him the more pronounced moments of the fight.
But Nickal’s inability to finish the fight, something he had done in all six of his previous pro appearance, didn’t sit right with the live crowd. Chants of “overrated” were shouted late in the bout, and the audience booed Nickal as the bout’s result was read.
“These guys want to see blood. They expect me to knock everybody out in 25 seconds, or choke ’em in a minute,” Nickal said in his post-fight interview. “The reality is, these guys are all professional fighters. They’ve been training for over a decade. I’ve been in this [for] two-and-a-half, three years. I’m fired up about that performance.”
While not the most memorable fight of his career, Nickal kept his flawless record alive with a win on Saturday night through four UFC outings. Craig was a notable step up in competition for him, as the 36-year-old entered with 18 UFC appearances already under his belt.
Viviane Araujo turns back rising flyweight Karine Silva
Viviane Araujo denied Karine Silva a spot in the flyweight division’s top 10 rankings on Saturday night, stopping the Brazilian contender’s rise with a comeback decision victory.
Araujo struggled early against an aggressive Silva but crawled back into the bout as fatigue became a significant factor.
Silva had a strong start to the fight, causing Araujo to constantly backtrack as she defended constant striking in the opening round. Silva was able to rock Araujo at points, including a two-punch combination late in the frame.
The fight became more competitive after Silva gained a one-round lead on official scorecards. Both fighters had moments to search for a submission as the fight went to the ground, with Silva trying for a D’Arce Choke and Araujo looking for an armbar at one point. The second round also saw Araujo have more success on the feet than before.
An incredibly tired Silva had lost grip of the fight by the third round, looking nothing like her first-round self. This allowed Araujo to earn takedowns and further take control of the fight on the feet, earning her a crucial second round on scorecards for a victory.
The decision result was close, and it wasn’t unanimously agreed upon by critics. Media scores at MMADecisions.com saw five of the 14 scorecards dissent from the result official judges gave the bout.
Silva had an impressive run stopped this weekend against Araujo. She broke into the flyweight division’s standings after four consecutive wins in the UFC, scoring three submission victories and then getting past Ariane Lipski on scorecards.
Araujo, a long-time contender who has previously faced names like former champ Alexa Grasso and past title challenger Jennifer Maia, returned to the win column with her performance this weekend. Her prior outing came against another rising contender in Natalia Silva, who beat her via decision.
Mauricio Ruffy goes the distance for first time
Rising Brazilian lightweight Mauricio Ruffy showcased his sharp striking against a tough opponent in James Llontop, forcing him to settle with a unanimous decision win after three rounds in the main card opener.
Ruffy bruised and battered the face of Llontop throughout the fight, scoring with punches which earned him a knockdown and caused significant swelling around the left eye.
Ruffy had a somewhat slow start to the fight but still stole the round on scorecards with clean punches near the end. The second round was easily the best part of his performance, hurting Llontop numerous times with his crisp boxing.
Ruffy faded somewhat in the final round, allowing Llontop to become the aggressor and make the fight closer. However, what he did wasn’t enough to make judges tip the bout in his favor.
28-year-old Ruffy had an impressive win in his UFC debut earlier this year, putting away Jamie Mullarkey in the first round with strikes. The flashy finisher had never gone the distance in a pro fight prior to this weekend.
Ruffy is one of the many names who are on the rise in the Brazilian Fighting Nerds gym. Other notable talents coming out of the camp include Carlos Prates, Caio Borralho, and Jean Silva.
While it was a strong showing, the defeat for Llontop puts him winless in the UFC through three appearances this year. He previously dropped bouts against Chris Padilla and Viacheslav Borshchev earlier this year.
President-elect Donald Trump returns to the UFC, where he was embraced in the lead-up to an election
Just over a week after he secured a return to the White House, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump made one of his now numerous appearances at a UFC card.
Entering the building just before the broadcast transitioned over to pay-per-view, Trump was given a prolonged spotlight on the UFC broadcast, unlike anything he had received in his past trips to the events. The President-elect walked alongside UFC CEO Dana White, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Elon Musk, and Kid Rock on his way to the cage. As he appeared at cage-side, a video package hyping Trump’s upcoming presidential reign played on the big screen. He was seen embracing numerous UFC personalities, including commentator Joe Rogan.
Trump appeared at numerous high-profile UFC events amid his quest to get back into political power in recent years, with the top MMA promotion willingly giving him a spotlight numerous times along the way. His presence around the UFC was considered by many as a larger play to become the candidate of the “manosphere,” an unofficial network of entertainment which heavily skews male and young. Exit polls from the last election showed that Republicans saw a significant increase of support among young men.
UFC CEO Dana White has long been an ally of Trump, endorsing him with a speech at the past three Republican National Conventions. And in a testament to the fight king’s close ties to the Republican leader, he was just one of a few names who got to share the microphone with Trump during his acceptance speech last week.
White and Trump have a symbiotic relationship of sorts. At the very least, the UFC can soon link itself to the country’s leader after playing a small but notable role in his political re-emergence, giving them clout among the country’s growing republican voter base. At most, there are potential political and business gains the promotion could have for helping him out.
Prelim results: Marcus McGee secures bantamweight rankings spot, Jim Miller earns record 27th UFC win
Marcus McGee was able to hold onto his early lead against a slow-starting Jonathan Martinez, allowing him to walk away with a unanimous decision win on Saturday night. McGee out-landed Martinez in the first and second rounds of the fight, as former Jose Aldo opponent Martinez had trouble engaging sufficiently. Martinez significantly damaged the right leg of McGee late with kicks, but it was too little, too late, and without a stoppage he sealed his fate as the losing fighter. McGee has now picked up four wins since joining the UFC roster and is expected to break into the bantamweight rankings after his win over 13th-ranked Martinez.
Jim Miller extended the UFC record for most appearances (45) and wins (27) with a quick outing on Saturday night, countering a takedown attempt from Damon Jackson with a guillotine choke for a first-round submission. The quick victory was a bounce-back performance for Miller, who lost a decision earlier this year to Bobby Green. Jackson has struggled over the past two years, having prevailed in just one of his past five fights. The fight seemingly marked the end of Jackson’s MMA career, who left his gloves in the middle of the cage after the bout.
In an early “Fight of the Night” contender, David Onama had a hard-fought decision win against short-notice UFC newcomer Roberto Romero. While expectations were that massive underdog Onama would cruise to a win, he found himself knocked down due to shots by Romero early and nearing an early defeat. However, Onama was able to regain control of the fight, having a big moment of his own later in the round by striking and continuing to out-work his opponent in the rounds that followed. Onama has now put together three consecutive wins since mid-2023.
Polish veteran Marcin Tybura sliced Jhonata Diniz open with hard elbows from a full mount position, forcing a doctor stoppage after two rounds and handing the Brazilian heavyweight his first pro loss. While Diniz opened the fight with clean punches on the feet, suffocating ground work from Tybura allowed the more experienced talent to win the fight. A flurry of hard elbows late in the second round rocked and cut Diniz, causing the fight to be stopped. Ninth-ranked Tybura is now back to his winning ways after losing to Serghei Spivac in August after the short-notice matchup this weekend.
Ramiz Brahimaj earned a nasty knockout win, catching Mickey Gall with a hard overhand right to stop him in the first round. The overhand right, which came as part of a two-punch combination, put an end to a back-and-forth striking battle. Bronx’s own Brahimaj is now back in the win column after a loss to Themba Gorimbo in May. The loss might mark the end of the UFC road for former CM Punk opponent Gall, who has now lost four in a row.
Oban Elliott added the first highlight-reel finish to his UFC career, flooring Bassil Hafez in the third round with a right cross before ending the fight with hard ground and pound shots. Elliott, who was in a slow-paced stand-up battle prior to the finishing sequence, has now earned three wins since making his UFC debut in February.
Eduarda Moura won her flyweight debut in the opening bout of the night, sweeping scorecards against Veronica Hardy to bounce back from her first pro loss. Moura out-struck Hardy in the first and third rounds of the fight, stringing together punches while her opponent mainly was able to score with kicks. She also utilized her wrestling to win the second round, putting Hardy on her back for a large portion of the round. Moura moved up a weight class after missing her weight for her last fight at strawweight.
When UFC went live on Saturday night, they arrived with some news to break. The broadcast trio confirmed on air that former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman wouldn’t compete as part of Saturday’s prelims, as opponent Eryk Anders withdrew due to a medical issue. No details were disclosed as to why Anders suffered a medical setback, or if the fight will be re-booked for a later date.
