It all goes down later tonight (Sat., July 7, 2018) at UFC 226 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic puts his title on the line against current UFC light heavyweight kingpin Daniel Cormier. In addition to the main event, former heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou will trade leather with knockout artist Derrick Lewis, former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will try to ward off grizzled veteran Michael Chiesa, and lightweight striker Paul Felder will move up in weight to test his chin against welterweight slugger Mike Perry. But, before the premier bouts get underway on PPV starting at 10 p.m. ET, UFC 226’s “Prelims” action will go down on Fight Pass starting at 7:00 p.m. ET and FOX Sports 1 starting at 8 p.m. ET. Find out what happened right here as the UFC 226 undercard recaps roll in real-time: Uriah Hall vs. Paulo Costa The “Prelims” headliner pitted former Ultimate Fighter middleweight standout Hall (13-9) against undefeated Brazilian powerhouse Costa (12-0). Costa struck the first blows with heavy body kicks. Hall mixed in some spinning kicks and jabs while avoiding serious damage. “Prime Time” continued to find a home for his lead jab, as Costa countered with an overhand. The Brazilian inadvertently hit Hall with a low blow. The action resumed and both mean exchanged hard shots on the feat. Costa put the most work in along the cage with heavy knees, combinations, and uppercuts. Hall tried to respond but Costa poured it on with another heavy right hand. An apparent eye poke closed out the first round. In the second, Hall came out aggressive and landed a barrage of low leg kicks and right hands. Costa responded with hard shots upstairs before Hall secured a surprising takedown. Costa landed a combination when the action returned to the feet. As he went in on an hurt Hall, “Prime Time” dropped him with a right hand. The Brazilian was hurt, but continued his own onslaught. Both middleweights teed off and exchanged to the delight of the crowd. In the end, it was Costa who landed the more devastating shots en route to claiming a TKO over Hall. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Raphael Assuncao vs. Rob Font In the lone bantamweight matchup of the evening, perennial contender Assuncao (26-5) aimed to knocked off divisional finisher Font (15-3) and prove his title worth. Both bantamweights exchanged leg kicks early. Font leaned on his range and length well, while Assuncao powered through to land a crucial right hand that dropped Font. In Round 2, Assuncao burst into a quick takedown. He landed some good ground-and-pound on Font before transitioning to side control. Assuncao stayed busy but Font defended well and eventually returned to his feet. Font got some blood to come out of Assuncao’s nose, but didn’t land anything too significant. The third frame saw Assuncao start to come over the top on Font. unfortunately, an inadvertent eye poke by Assuncao called a temporarily stop to the action. Assuncao landed a timely takedown after the fight resumed. From there, he would grind out Font and cruise to a unanimous decision win. Assuncao letting his hands go and landing on Font in round 2! #UFC226 pic.twitter.com/fqUhZJM7UG — UFC (@ufc) July 8, 2018 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Lando Vannata vs. Drakkar Klose Wild striker Vannata (9-3-1) looked to hop back into the lightweight win column when he met divisional bull Klose (9-1-1) in a matchup of promising prospects. Klose landed a huge spinning elbow during an early grappling exchange along the cage. Vannata got loose with some kicks to the calf and head. Klose landed his own leg kick before nearly taking Vannata’s head off with an uppercut. Every time Vannata tried to land one of his patented specialty strikes Klose would be there for a solid counter and constant pressure. In Round 2, Klose opened up with a big body kick. Vannata returned favor with a spinning head kick. Klose kept tying “Groovy” up whenever he started to launch combinations. Half way through the frame, Klose tied the action up the cage and blasted Vannata with a huge elbow that opened up a cut. Vannata tried to catch Klose with a spinning back fist, but Klose countered with his own shot that briefly buckled “Groovy.” Vannata recovered nicely and kept slinging heavy leather despite a bruised lead left leg. The third frame saw Vannata come out with another spinning attack, but Klose walked through it. Klose then closed the gap and pushed Vannata against the cage. A bloodied Vannata was behind on the scorecards but really didn’t show a sense of urgency. Klose kept him pinned against the cage before the referee broke it up. Vannata would temporarily grab back control, but it didn’t last long. Klose got back to his feet and finished the round off strong with a takedown of his own. In the end, Klose looked really good en route to a unanimous decision win. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Curtis Millender vs. Max Griffin The opening FS1 bout showcased a welterweight meeting between surging finisher Millender (16-3) and veteran Griffin (14-5), who was coming off a unanimous decision win over Mike Perry. The significantly bigger Millender used his size early to avoid punches and counter with knees inside. Griffin responded by waiting for his opening to secure a timely takedown along the cage. Millender didn’t do much to get Griffin off of him as Griffin landed some decent ground-and-pound when he could. In Round 2, Griffin opened up with some good outside leg kicks. Millender looked hesitant to throw strikes after being taken down the round before. He tried to land a sick flying knee but it didn’t stick. Griffin came over the top with a power right before Millender responded with a stinging head kick. The rangy welterweight then followed his efforts up with more knees inside before the end of the frame. The third round saw Griffin land a hard left hand early. Millender remained patient in the middle of the Octagon and launched another flying knee attack. Griffin timed an entry inside and shot for a takedown. Millender defended nicely along the cage and eventually circled out. Griffin tried to come over the top but missed. Millender returned with a hard right uppercut before unloading along the cage with combinations and another patented knee. In the end, it was Millender who walked away with the unanimous decision win. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Dan Hooker vs. Gilbert Burns In the Fight Pass “Prelims” headliner, rising lightweight contender Hooker (17-7) looked to finish his fourth-straight fight when he took on Brazilian submission expert Burns (14-3). Burns opened up with early leg kicks and a nasty spinning back kick to the body. The Brazilian then clipped Hooker with a huge right hand. Hooker returned favor with a few straight jabs before dropping Burns with a right. Burns recovered and then shot for a takedown, but Hooker quickly went for a choke. Burns escaped. The two lightweights exchanged some punches in the pocket once it returned to the feet before Hooker toppled Burns with a perfectly-timed left hook to the body and head. The referee immediately stepped in for the first-round TKO stoppage. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Jamie Moyle vs. Emily Whitmire The opening bout of the evening saw former Invicta FC standout Moyle (4-3) square off against women’s strawweight prospect Whitmire (3-2). Both women opened up with hands early, but it was Moyle who did more damage with her combinations. Moyle was the more mobile attacker as Whitmire stayed in the center of the cage and waited to counter with hooks and straight punches. Neither fighter attempted a takedown in the first round. The second frame saw Whitmire press the action on the feet with jabs and combinations inside. Moyle returned favor with a few hard leg kicks that allowed her to reestablish control. She then shot for her first takedown along the cage, but Whitmire defended nicely and countered with a knee. Moyle kept up the pressure inside as Whitmire used the cage to parry out of danger. In Round 3, Whitmire came out strong and secured a takedown. From there, Whitmire moved into half guard and landed some valuable ground-and-pound. Moyle tried to escape throughout the round, but Whitmire remained heavy in top control and rode it out until the final bell. In the end, it was Whitmire who did enough on the scorecards to walk away with the unanimous decision win. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 226 fight card, starting with the Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.<doc-sep>Do you ever wish for one thing, express disappointment when you get something else, only to be completely satisfied once you finally indulge in what you got? The FS1 prelims very much have that type of feel to them. Nobody was asking for any of these contests prior to them being put together. Hell, I don’t think Paul Felder clashing with Mike Perry ever crossed anybody’s mind until injuries to their opponents allowed for the two to be paired together. Nonetheless, each of these contests offer a captivation of the mind upon closer inspection. The UFC 226 FS1 prelims begin at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT on Saturday. Uriah Hall (13-8) vs. Paulo Costa (11-0), Middleweight Few fighters have been as maligned as Hall. No one denies his talents. Hall’s ability to land a fight changing strike out of nowhere is unmatched. Just ask Gegard Mousasi or Krzysztof Jotko about it. However, he is also a complex personality who doesn’t seem to have the mindset to excel in the sport the way his physical abilities indicate he should. It doesn’t take away from how dangerous he can be, but it does offer some insight into his glaring inconsistent results. While Hall isn’t as good as some believe, he’s also not as bad as his harshest critics might suggest. One of the things those critics might suggest is that Hall has no ground game. Granted, he’s unlikely to obtain a submission, but Hall has shown the ability to hit the occasional takedown while executing sound takedown defense. Still, his bread and butter has always been his rangy kicks and punches with the ability to land a home run at any point. He sent Mousasi sprawling with a jumping knee and is known for his spinning attacks, but it isn’t like he does everything with flash. A simple straight right hand was all that was needed to begin the finishing process of Jotko. Costa could be more physically gifted than Hall, though he hasn’t faced the same gauntlet of challenges Hall has. That doesn’t mean the UFC hasn’t tried to test Costa, matching him against the recently retired Johny Hendricks in his last contest, but everyone knows Hendricks was well past his prime. Nonetheless, Costa looked impressive, using his reach to piece up the former welterweight champion, Costa displayed more discipline than most anticipated he possessed. That likely won’t be as effective against Hall whose 79” reach is about 10” more than Hendricks… and 7” more than Costa. Nonetheless, Costa’s pressuring style is just what Hall has tended to crumble under. Combine that with Costa’s rapid improvement fight to fight and it’s hard to see Hall emerging victorious. Then again, it’s impossible to completely count out Hall. Perhaps he could even hit the occasional takedown on Costa – whose grappling and wrestling are still a mystery – and score a decision… though the sudden KO seems more likely should Hall win. Costa via TKO of RD1 Paul Felder (15-3) vs. Mike Perry (11-3), Welterweight I’m not sure how I feel about this contest, but that doesn’t mean I’m not excited to see how it plays out. Felder is a natural lightweight, but stepped in when the UFC pulled the rug out from under him by removing his opponent for UFC Boise to replace Al Iaquinta against Justin Gaethje. Sure, I’d still prefer to see Felder and James Vick do the damn thing, but seeing how Felder does with a larger opponent in Perry is an intriguing option I won’t turn away from. One of the funny things about this contest is the opposite trajectories of the fighters. Felder has been rocketing upwards after a rocky period whereas Perry has struggled to get back on the winning path after an exciting start to his UFC career. Perry’s struggles can be rooted to a couple of things, but perhaps the most notable would be a lack of direction. That became apparent when cameras caught his girlfriend in his corner telling him to break the leg of Max Griffin. Even if the fight were a grappling contest at the time, it wouldn’t seem like the best technical advice. It comes across even worse when the fight is strictly a standup affair. Perry decided to change things up, moving his camp to Jackson-Wink. Given Perry is a highly emotional fighter, many would agree Greg Jackson appears to be on the surface the right person to tap into Perry’s vast potential. It isn’t that Perry is a stupid fighter. He knows his strengths and plays to them. His power is unworldly and he’s patient in waiting for his opponents to wade into his striking range. The problem is opponents became keen to this strategy and have stuck to picking apart Perry from the outside with the well-time takedown mixed in there. Though he’s used to fighting smaller opponents, Felder may have the fighting style to expose Perry the same way Griffin and Santiago Ponzinibbio have been able to. Felder has sharpened his boxing skills in recent contests to compliment his vast kicking arsenal, ranging from basic low and round kicks to spinning techniques. He’s tough in the clinch too, but it’s hard to see Felder outmuscling the stocky Perry in close quarters. The wild card is what type of effect Jackson will have on Perry. If he can help the power puncher make in-fight adjustments and spice up his strategy a bit, Perry could end up blasting past Felder with ease. If Perry is resistant to change, Felder could easily end up picking him apart. Both have proven to be durable, but Perry’s power is damn-near superhuman. He may need just one good shot on Felder. With the help of a new camp, he may get it. Perry via TKO of RD1 Raphael Assuncao (26-5) vs. Rob Font (15-3), Bantamweight If you need proof title shots are given and not earned in the UFC, look no further than Assuncao. With 10 wins in his last 11 appearances since moving to bantamweight – including a win over current champion TJ Dillashaw in that stretch – the longtime veteran has been rewarded with a trap fight against a dangerous Rob Font. Don’t mistake me for saying Font isn’t a tough fight. He absolutely is. But Assuncao has nothing to gain with a win over Font and everything to lose should he come up short. Tough noogies for the Brazilian. Assuncao hasn’t been able to get that well-deserved shot at the belt due to his milk-toast style. He throws a counter right with regularity – and accuracy – as his primary offensive weapon. Though he has some power behind it, his finish of Matthew Lopez last fall was his first finish in nearly five years. As good as he is, Assuncao isn’t selling tickets with his slick footwork and barrage of low kicks. Though he has become a technically sound striker, his grappling may be the strongest part of his game with his wrestling the most underrated part. Font won’t be able to out-slick Assuncao, but he could overwhelm him. Font’s punching power is near the top for the 135 division and he possesses a 5” reach advantage over Assuncao to help him find a way to connect with his chin. Granted, Font has never made the greatest utilization of his reach, preferring to counter with hooks in the pocket, but he has been making strides to improve at keeping his opponent at a distance. My gut instinct says Font does the UFC a favor and notches a loss on Assuncao to remove him from near the top of the pecking order. However, I think of two things and back off that thought: Font’s loss to Pedro Munhoz and his poor takedown defense. Font did piece up Munhoz most of the fight, but Assuncao doesn’t have the same defensive deficiencies as Munhoz. As for his weak defense of takedowns, Font does tend to get back to his feet quickly, but I also don’t see any noted grapplers on his ledger… aside from Munhoz… and Munhoz did submit him. Assuncao via submission of RD2 Curtis Millender (15-3) vs. Max Griffin (14-4), Welterweight Millender made a hell of a statement in his UFC debut, coming in on short notice to dispose of former title contender Thiago Alves in fashion, all while making it look easy. A massive welterweight at 6’2” with a 78” reach, Millender won’t be able to ply his trade at 170 forever. Until the time comes that he can no longer make the cut, his size alone will create all sorts of problems for opponents. Despite that, Millender jabs only on the counter, preferring to throw a wide variety of kicks at his opponents. While he can be prone to pressure, Millender’s clinch has proven to be more than serviceable. Griffin’s UFC debut two years ago went poorly, but everything has been looking upwards ever since. Sure, he didn’t win every contest in that span, but his loss to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos was one of the most brutal brawls seen in the UFC in 2017, displaying toughness and durability in spades. In his next contest – after quitting his job to focus on training full time – Griffin displayed discipline and a technical kickboxing game, picking apart Mike Perry with a jab and low kicks from the outside. Though there are still major questions about his grappling, Griffin has proven to be a versatile striker at the very least. This isn’t an easy contest to predict. Griffin has plus power, but Millender has been coming into his own as a striker, delivering three straight brutal finishes. Putting away Alves is no easy task, even if Alves is well past his prime. If it goes to a decision, Griffin’s activity makes him a smart bet, but I’m going with my gut telling me Millender finds a home for one of his brutal head kicks to end the evening early for the upstart striker. Millender via KO of RD2<doc-sep>
The UFC 226 preliminary card is all finished, and on the FS1 portion of the broadcast, Curtis Millender improved to 2-0 inside the Octagon with a decision win over Max Griffin. Drakkar Klose turned in a very good performance in beating the always entertaining Lando Vannata. Raphael Assuncao made it a really impressive 11-1 at bantamweight with a shutout victory vs. Rob Font, and Paulo Costa remained unbeaten in a thriller with Uriah Hall. Here’s how the fights played out. Paulo Henrique Costa def. Uriah Hall via TKO (punches) at 3:38 of round 2 - Middleweights Hall started off brightly with multiple stinging jabs to back the Brazilian up. Costa answered with kicks to the body and a thudding right hand as Hall was backing up. A groin strike by Costa momentarily halted action, as Hall took time to recover from the kick. Upon restart, Hall got a spinning kick to the body on Costa and Costa took it without issue. Hall kept jabbing Costa up, but Costa came forward and attacked the body and head with monstrous power punches, kicks, and knees. Hall absorbed them all, and he also absorbed several low blow punches by the Brazilian, and the referee inexplicably didn’t dock a point despite warning Costa repeatedly both for that and for extending fingers towards Hall’s eyes. Costa sought to close the distance and land those haymakers shots on Hall, and he even used his own jab to bother the TUF 17 runner-up. Hall went for a takedown, only for Costa to spring back up. A slugfest ensued and with Costa sensing Hall was in trouble, he got caught with a counter shot and was rocked. Hall did not take advantage of the oportunity, perhaps a sign that he was still rocked. Costa recovered and unleashed the fury on Uriah, blasting him with body and head shots, stiffening Hall with a left hook, then dropping him with a three-punch combo to get the TKO finish. Raphael Assuncao def. Rob Font by unanimous decision (30-27 x3) - Bantamweights There wasn’t much to separate these two in the opening round, until Assuncao cracked Font with a right hand that briefly put him down. A beautiful shot by the Brazilian to leave no doubt as to which fighter took round 1. Assuncao took Font down straight away in round 2 and and unleashed ground-and-pound from side control. Font scrambled out of a bad spot but Assuncao quickly got back to side mount and dropped a big elbow on Rob’s face. Midway through the contest, Font got back to his feet, but in need of something major to turn the fight around. Assuncao was able to pick off Font with effective counterpunching and he seldom got caught flush in return. Round 3 was more of the same in the stand-up, as Assuncao landed sharp counter lefts and Font only had success in spurts. A leg kick put Font down as he lost his balance, then he sprung back up. Font managed to connect on a right hand, but still needed to do a lot more in order to win. In the closing minutes, Assuncao ducked under and completed a double leg takedown, and controlled Font from dominant positions to ride out another convincing win. Drakkar Klose def. Lando Vannata by unanimous decision (30-27 x3) - Lightweights lose immediately pressured Vannata towards the fence, and landed a couple of hard knees. Vannata took Klose for a ride but couldn’t hold him down, and then Klose was unable to get Vannata to the mat even after lifting him in the air. After Vannata connected on a few quality shots, a leg kick by Klose had Vannata noticeably grimace. Klose was relentless with his forward movement and want of a clinch against the fence. Vannata misfired on a spinning elbow and ate an elbow in the clinch for his troubles, as Klose limited how much time Vannata had to work with from range. Vannata upped his tempo in round 2, engaging in a firefight with Klose and landing some quality strikes. A nasty elbow cut Vannata’s face open, and Klose was steadily taking control of proceedings. The calf kicks bothered Vannata significantly and affected his balance. “Groovy” Lando fought with a sense of urgency in the final round, looking for a fight-finishing strike, but Klose’s constant pressure, leg kicks, and well-timed strikes coming in continued to pose major problems.