The BE team is here to provide you with our predictions for UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw, aka the UFC’s debut show of the ESPN era. Most of us are going with T.J. Dillashaw to make history and become the first “champ-champ” to win his second belt by moving down in weight. As for the co-main event, it’s overwhelmingly in Greg Hardy’s favor over Allen Crowder, although myself and Phil Mackenzie are picking Crowder for the hell of it. Note: Predictions are entered throughout the week and collected the day before the event. Explanations behind each pick are not required and some writers opt not to do so for their own reasons. For example, if Phil Mackenzie entered all of his predictions on Wednesday without adding in any explanations, he has no idea if he’s going to be the only one siding with one fighter for any given fight. Henry Cejudo vs. T.J. Dillashaw Anton Tabuena: Cejudo has been constantly improving, and while TJ has better finishing ability, I think Cejudo has the speed and technical ability to also cause problems on the feet, especially if he has that constant takedown threat. If Cejudo can take him down, he probably won’t do much damage, but he can score points and wear on TJ’s compromised gas tank. Dillashaw is still more dangerous and more diverse overall, but he won’t be the faster fighter and I feel like he has to end it early or risk slowing down and dropping the later rounds. If this was at bantamweight, I would probably pick Dillashaw, but now, I’m not quite sure. There’s a lot of question marks with TJ’s cut, and I think that opens it up for a good chance of an upset on the judges scorecards. Henry Cejudo by Split Decision. Mookie Alexander: I can’t bring myself to pick Cejudo. On Tuesday I thought he’d win, but then changed my mind for good on Wednesday. Don’t get me wrong, he absolutely can win this. Cejudo is the better wrestler and Dillashaw’s chin and gas tank could potentially be worse off with this rough cut down to 125. He’s also a very improved striker, particularly his boxing, and he’ll have the speed advantage. The problem I have with Cejudo is that he’s not high-volume, whereas Dillashaw historically is. Dillashaw is a much better kicker than Cejudo and works in combination more fluidly than Henry, and I think it’s a bad idea if Cejudo wants to exchange in the pocket. Dillashaw’s style is better suited for this particular matchup in terms of winning rounds, and I don’t think Cejudo can win a high-paced volume kickboxing match. It should be a really good, technical fight though. T.J. Dillashaw by unanimous decision. Fraser Coffeen: I’ve felt for awhile now that Dillashaw has quietly established himself as an all time great, and this is a great opportunity for him to prove that. In the past five years he’s had one split decision loss - and I don’t think he lost that fight. He looked terrific in the Garbrandt fights, and has over the years shown off so many terrific aspects to his game. All that said, Cejudo is coming off a win over the greatest non-Jon Jones fighter in the sport today, and it’s entirely possible I’m again underrating him. But I don’t think so. TJ Dillashaw, Dec Zane Simon: I have minor concerns about Dillashaw’s willingness to go to war against Cejudo’s speed early, but everything else seems to push toward a Dillashaw win. Cejudo hasn’t been a finisher in his UFC career and Dillashaw is tough as nails. Dillashaw is the more deft, well-rounded striker, and I’d be surprised if Cejudo can put him down. TJ might even get a late stoppage, but even without that, his volume and consistency should see him winning rounds. TJ Dillashaw by decision. Shakiel Mahjouri: I may have failed senior math in high school but I like to think of myself as a statistics man. Traditionally, multi-division champions have had more success moving down vs. moving up in weight classes. Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre, Daniel Cormier, and Amanda Nunes can all attest to that. Now there are a lot of holes in that argument. To that I say, I failed senior math in high school, remember? Nevertheless, I don’t like uncertainty and Dillashaw at flyweight is too confusing for this simpleton. Henry Cejudo by decision. Staff picking Cejudo: Dayne, Tim, Anton, Stephie, Shak Staff picking Dillashaw: Harry, Nick, Fraser, Mookie, Phil, Zane Greg Hardy vs. Allen Crowder Anton Tabuena: I hope I’m wrong. Greg Hardy by KO. Mookie Alexander: Yeah, this is just me doing pure wishful thinking. 95% chance Hardy knocks Crowder out in two minutes. I’m rooting for the 5% of Crowder sparking Hardy out. Allen Crowder by KO, round 1. Phil Mackenzie: Look, don’t go to this sport expecting morality tales. There’s no karma in fighting, nothing mandates good guys winning and bad guys losing. That being said, it would be pretty funny on several levels to watch Greg Hardy get knocked out. Allen Crowder by KO, round 1. Zane Simon: Nothing about this matchup suggests Hardy doesn’t KO him in a round other than Hardy being really inexperienced. Hardy by KO, round 1. Shakiel Mahjouri: Hardy is about to put a whooping on Allen in the most undeserved co-main event bout in recent memory. Hardy by KO, round 1. Staff picking Hardy: Harry, Nick, Fraser, Dayne, Tim, Anton, Zane, Stephie, Shak Staff picking Crowder: Phil, Mookie Gregor Gillespie vs. Yancy Medeiros Mookie Alexander: Gillespie is willing to brawl if he wants to, but that seems like a bad idea against Medeiros. Yancy is a slow starter and Gillespie is tailor made to shut down his scrambles. I expect Gillespie to get this fight to the ground and just dominate Medeiros and then finish him. Gregor Gillespie by submission, round 2. Phil Mackenzie: I enjoy the hilarious size discrepancies that the UFC matchmakers seem to enjoy putting Gillespie up against. The basic dynamic isn’t dissimilar to his fights against Franca or Gonzalez - he’s up against a big, dynamic dude who has multiple ways of finishing fights but who is something of a defensive void everywhere. Given that Medeiros is a slow starter and thus will struggle to take out Gillespie before he closes in, this seems reasonably clear-cut. Gregor Gillespie by submission, round 2. Zane Simon: Medeiros isn’t the worst takedown defender and he can be really dangerous with time in open space to set up strikes. But, he’s not a consistent pressure fighter and when he backs up he is wide open to be hit or to let an opponent in on his hips. That should be too much given away against a constant pressure wrestler like Gillespie. Gregor Gillespie by decision. Shakiel Mahjouri: I don’t think people are giving Medeiros enough credit, but maybe I am being influenced by his good vibes. I would like to think his training with Max Holloway will payoff big on Saturday night. Sparring in the gym and fighting in the octagon are two different things and thus far Gillespie has been perfect. The stand-out wrestler is more vulnerable on the feet than some may think, but it is going to be a bad night for Medeiros if Gillespie gets things to the ground early. Gregor Gillespie by decision. Staff picking Gillespie: Phil, Nick, Fraser, Dayne, Mookie, Tim, Anton, Zane, Stephie, Shak Staff picking Medeiros: Harry Joseph Benavidez vs. Dustin Ortiz Mookie Alexander: I’d have probably picked Ortiz if Benavidez hadn’t looked sublime against Alex Perez. We know that Benavidez’s cardio can still hold up, as he came back reasonably well against Sergio Pettis in the final round of a losing effort. Ortiz has become more of a finishing threat as of late, which is a pleasant surprise, but Benavidez is still crafty enough that he should be able to outwork him and outstrike him as he did in the first fight. And Ortiz isn’t going to outwrestle him, either. Joseph Benavidez by unanimous decision. Phil Mackenzie: Ortiz has improved in his ability to sit down on punches and trust himself in the pocket a bit more rather than just trying to out-tough opponents. Unfortunately, should Joe B still be present in some meaningful way, this is still a rough style matchup for Ortiz, because Benavidez will be consistently forcing him to work at a high pace. Given that fight I think he still loses his head, swings, and gets outworked. Joseph Benavidez by unanimous decision. Zane Simon: Ortiz has looked good lately, but the reasons why don’t really feel like strong cases for him to beat Benavidez. He’s quicker on the trigger with his counters and more willing to sit down on punches. But, he doesn’t have the kind of pressure volume striking or defensive footwork to counter Benavidez’s speed and volume. If he’s going to try and pick off Joe-B with single counters or try and lead with 1-2s Benavidez should be able to land 2-3 strikes for every one he gets hit with. And I can’t bank on Ortiz out-wrestling him. Joseph Benavidez by decision. Shakiel Mahjouri: Why anyone still doubts Joseph Benavidez is beyond me. It was a crime that he came into his last fight as an underdog. I would like to think I’m an open-minded person -- unless you say anything bad about 2003’s Knights of the Old Republic -- but I refuse to believe Ortiz has the recipe to beat Benavidez. Joseph Benavidez by decision. Staff picking Benavidez: Phil, Harry, Nick, Fraser, Dayne, Mookie, Tim, Anton, Zane, Shak Staff picking Ortiz: Stephie Paige VanZant vs. Rachael Ostovich Mookie Alexander: Sentimentally I’m rooting for Ostovich to win. It is admittedly hard to get a read on this fight because VanZant has seemingly stalled out in terms of her development. That said, she’s fought a higher level of competition and Ostovich really hasn’t. VanZant has the edge as a striker and I think Ostovich puts herself in as many bad spots as she does good spots on the mat for a submission. I’ll go with Paige VanZant by unanimous decision. Phil Mackenzie: This is a fight booked because both fighters are good-looking, and despite the obvious clash with Greg Hardy in the co-main. PVZ isn’t a world-beater, but she’s generally consistently aggressive and has a significant athleticism advantage over Ostovich, who is an OK boxer and opportunistic submission grappler. Whether VanZant goes for her slightly aimless outside kicking game, or goes to her clinch game, she should be able to ride speed and power advantages. Paige VanZant by unanimous decision. Zane Simon: VanZant is likely the better athlete, and she reacts better to opponents getting in her face and taking the fight to her. Ostovich can get a bit taken out of her game when she’s on the wrong end of strikes. VanZant’s overall style has been getting less effective it feels like, but her combo of dynamic range kicking and crashing the clinch for dirty boxing will likely push her for the win if she can stick to it for 15 minutes. Paige VanZant by decision. Shakiel Mahjouri: This is too big a step-up for Ostovich (4-4). PVZ might not be the world-calibre fighter the UFC would like her to be, but she has a versatile skill set and incredible toughness. Pair that with her octagon experience against the likes of Rose Namajunas and Michelle Waterson and this should be PVZ’s fight to lose. Paige VanZant by decision. Staff picking PVZ: Harry, Nick, Phil, Fraser, Dayne, Mookie, Tim, Anton, Zane, Stephie, Shak Staff picking Ostovich: Glover Teixeira vs. Karl Roberson Mookie Alexander: I think the Mutante fight gives me a good idea of how Teixeira likely wins this one against Roberson. There’s still very much a chance Glover goes from “shop worn” to “shot” overnight, and Roberson is able to just work him over on the feet, but Glover has a clear grappling advantage that he should use to get the W.<doc-sep>UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo was highly confident heading into his title defense on Saturday night in Brooklyn at UFC Fight Night 143 against reigning bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw. It didn't take long to figure out just why Cejudo didn't seem worried about the challenge he'd be facing against the man some consider to be the best bantamweight of all time. Just 32 seconds into the first round, Cejudo earned a more-than-convincing TKO victory over Dillashaw to retain the flyweight championship and possibly keep the 125-pound division alive. Cejudo barely missed Dillashaw with a kick attempt, but the strikes that would follow were enough for the referee to abruptly bring the fight to a close as Dillashaw became to first fighter in UFC history to unsuccessfully challenge for the right to be called a dual-champion. "I busted my butt my whole life. I was able to beat one of the greatest of all time. It's surreal, it really is," Cejudo said immediately following the victory. As a dejected -- and possibly stunned, as well -- Dillashaw looked on from the cage, Cejudo did say that he'd be willing to run this all back at 135 pounds somewhere down the line. It was the fifth-fastest TKO in UFC history. "TJ, we can do it again. This time we'll do it at 135 pounds. I'll give you another shot at 135 pounds," Cejudo said. Cejudo also turned his attention to UFC president Dana White amid all the talk that the flyweight division is on life support. In addition to Cejudo telling White that it's time to talk about him being compensated properly for his recent efforts, which of course includes ending the historic reign of former champion Demetrious Johnson, he also reiterated one more time that he performed on Saturday night in Brooklyn not just for himself, but for all the other competitors within the 125-pound ranks who have presumably been concerned about their futures. "Uncle Dana, where are you, Uncle Dana? Where are you hiding now?" Cejudo said. "I came here guys. This victory, and I've said it before, it was much bigger than me. This was for the flyweights." Dillashaw was not as convinced after the bout that he truly lost, telling reporters after the fight that his opportunity was "stolen" from him. He pushed for an immediate chance to run back a rematch at 125 pounds, but White was hesitant to make any decisions immediately after the bout, though he agreed with Dillashaw that the stoppage was too early. CBS Sports was with you for every punch, kick and submission attempt on Saturday with our live blog below. If you are having trouble viewing the blog, please click here. UFC Fight Night 143 card/results Henry Cejudo (c) def. T.J. Dillashaw via first-round TKO (strikes) Allen Crowder def. Greg Hardy via second-round disqualification (illegal knees) Gregor Gillespie def. Yancy Medeiros via second-round TKO (strikes) Joseph Benavidez def. Dustin Ortiz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Paige VanZant def. Rachael Ostovich via second-round submission (armbar) Glover Teixeira def. Karl Roberson via first-round submission (arm-triangle choke) Donald Cerrone def. Alexander Hernandez via second-round TKO (strikes) UFC Fight Night 143 updates, highlights Thanks for stopping by.<doc-sep>
Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images Henry Cejudo denied TJ Dillashaw a second title with a shocking first-round TKO win to defend his UFC flyweight title to close out the UFC's first show on ESPN+ from Brooklyn, New York. The whole thing was over fast enough to land The Messenger on the leaderboard for fastest knockouts. The former Olympic gold medalist came out on fire and landed a right hand behind Dillashaw's ear that turned out the lights early. Cejudo was quick to follow up while Dillashaw hung on for dear life, and the ref quickly called an end to the bout. The bantamweight titleholder was not happy with the decision after the fight: Regardless of Dillashaw's disappointment, in the end, it doesn't take away the shocking performance from the reigning flyweight champion. Cejudo was nearly a 2-1 underdog, per OddsShark, heading into this bout and proved his worth among the best in the organization. After the bout, Cejudo offered a rematch, potentially for the bantamweight belt. Video Play Button Videos you might like Of course, looking for another belt is all the rage in the sport now, but Cejudo also made his case for the flyweight division. With Demetrious Johnson no longer under the UFC banner, the state of the division was in question. Now Cejudo has made a strong case that the division should have a place in the organization. It was a fittingly shocking end to what turned out to be a memorable night of fights. The UFC's debut on ESPN didn't disappoint with plenty of surprising moments and violent finishes. Here's a look at the complete results and a look at the main event bouts. Main card Henry Cejudo def. TJ Dillashaw via first-round TKO (0:32) Allen Crowder def. Greg Hardy via disqualification (illegal knee) (R2, 2:28) Gregor Gillespie def. Yancy Medeiros via second-round TKO (4:59) Joseph Benavidez def. Dustin Ortiz via unanimous decision (29-28 x3) Paige VanZant def. Rachael Ostovich via submission (armbar) (R2, 1:50) Glover Teixeira def. Karl Roberson via submission (arm-triangle) (R1, 3:21) Undercard (ESPN Now) Donald Cerrone def. Alexander Hernandez via second-round TKO (3:43) Joanne Calderwood def. Ariane Lipski via unanimous decision (30-26 x2, 30-27) Alonzo Menifield def. Vinicius Moreira via first-round TKO (3:56) Cory Sandhagen def. Mario Bautista via submission (armbar) (R1, 3:31) Dennis Bermudez def. Te Edwards via unanimous decision (30-26 x3) Geoff Neal def. Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x2) Chance Rencountre def. Kyle Stewart via submission (RNC) (R1, 2:25) Greg Hardy vs. Allen Crowder Greg Hardy's UFC debut could best be described as disastrous. What the organization hoped for was a former NFL star-turned-heavyweight machine. Instead, what it got was a controversial finish to a lackluster performance from its prized prospect. Hardy started off as expected—slinging haymakers in hopes of another highlight knockout. Instead, Allen Crowder responded like the experienced fighter that he is, clinched and made Hardy work for his first UFC round. In the second frame, things got even worse for Hardy. The former Carolina Panther and Dallas Cowboy launched an illegal knee to a clearly down Crowder, leaving his opponent unable to continue and handing him a disqualification. Bringing Hardy into the promotion was a gamble to begin with because of his past. He was convicted on two counts of domestic violence in 2014 before the charges were later dismissed and expunged from his record after Nicole Holder stopped cooperating with the prosecution. This incident only makes that decision look even worse. Now that Hardy has a middling performance on the big stage, it will be interesting to see if he is brought back to fight under the UFC banner again. Gregor Gillespie vs. Yancy Medeiros It might be time to start taking Gregor Gillespie seriously as a wild-card contender in the lightweight division. The New Yorker turned his main card matchup with Yancy Medeiros into a one-sided affair with ease en route to a second-round TKO win. Gillespie pressure-cooked Medeiros from the opening bell, giving his opponent little room to breathe, much less move. In the second round, he was basically a violent backpack just controlling Medeiros from behind and swarming him with volume. The end result was a TKO that took the fight to the final moments of the second round and another dominant performance for the undefeated Gillespie. This dominant run for Gillespie could only be made more impressive with a higher level of competition.