One thing that never seems to fail is that if a UFC card takes place in the state of New York and the New York State Athletic commission is overseeing the festivities, controversy will not be far behind. That's once again the case as we get set for the UFC Fight Night 131 card in Utica on Friday night, as women's strawweight competitor Jessica Aguilar has been pulled from her scheduled fight -- and for a strange reason. Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting was the first to report on Friday, just about an hour before the event, that Aguilar had been pulled from the bout against Jodie Esquibel by NYSAC. The initial report didn't state why Aguilar was deemed unable to compete, but MMA Junkie would confirm whispers that Aguilar was cut from the event because of chapped lips. Yes ... chapped lips. Can't get enough UFC? Subscribe to our podcast In This Corner with Brian Campbell where we break down everything you need to know in the Octagon. Apparently, this was an issue that has been lingering since Thursday. In a bizarre twist to this whole saga, Aguilar was informed that she needed extra medical clearance on Thursday, and she received it. But an issue on Friday arose that rendered that extra medical clearance null and void, it seems. This is yet another setback for the former World Series of Fighting women's strawweight champion. Since joining UFC in 2015, Aguilar has lost both of her fights in the top promotion, suffered a torn ACL and now has been pulled from a fight for chapped lips. Still, this entire incident from this week is yet another reminder that when the NYSAC is present, that controversy is peeking right around the corner. The UFC Utica card on Friday is set to be headlined with Jimmie Rivera taking on Marlon Moraes in a bantamweight bout.<doc-sep>Join us today (Friday, June 1st) on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring and play-by-play as UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs. Moraes takes place at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York. The headliner is an intriguing five-round bantamweight clash between #4 ranked Jimmie Rivera and #5 ranked Marlon Moraes. In all likelihood, the winner will get a title shot next against one of T.J. Dillashaw or Cody Garbrandt, as those two will rematch in August. Live results and play-by-play will commence with the Fight Pass broadcast at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT for the first three two bouts (Jessica Aguilar-Jodie Esquibel was nixed). FS1 will have the remaining ten bouts, with four prelims at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, and six main card scraps at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT. The full lineup and schedule is as follows. Check out this week’s MMA Vivisection for predictions, analysis and betting odds on the each matchup. Main Card (FS1, 10 PM ET) Jimmie Rivera vs. Marlon Moraes Round 1 - Head kick drops Rivera! He’s hurt! Moraes pounces and finishes Rivera with several right hands. That was incredible! Official result - Marlon Moraes def. Jimmie Rivera by KO (head kick and punches) at :33 of round 1 Gregor Gillespie vs. Vinc Pichel Round 1 - Left hand by Gillespie and an immediate takedown by the New Yorker. Gillespie pulls Pichel away from the fence and into side control. Gregor going for a front choke, doesn’t have it. Lands a knee as Pichel is back up. Gillespie in on a single and Pichel is down again. Pichel up again and down again and Gillespie lands a few strikes. Gillespie looking at an arm triangle, passes to mount instead. Pichel does well to scramble and back to his feet. Gillespie turns the corner on Pichel and takes Vinc down again. Gillespie goes for a choke in the closing seconds and he won’t be able to get it. 10-9 Gillespie. Round 2 - Pichel pushes forward with strikes, and a handful of seconds later, Gillespie dumps Pichel on his backside again. Gregor is in side control. Pichel scrambles but Gillespie stays on him and lands a big punch against the fence. Gillespie takes the back, looked a little high, adjusts but then gives up the hooks. He still has the body lock but can’t slam Pichel down. Pichel now dealing with Gillespie in side control. Gillespie searching for full mount. Gillespie now goes for the arm triangle and unlike round 1, he gets Pichel to tap out. What a showing. Official result - Gregor Gillespie def. Vinc Pichel by submission (arm triangle) at 4:06 of round 2 Walt Harris vs. Daniel Spitz Round 1 - A minute in and not much going on here. Spitz with an outside leg kick. Harris sticks out the jab and then lands a leg kick. Front kick by Harris catches Spitz’s attention. Big punches hurt Spitz. He hangs in there but no doubt he got clocked. Harris with a body kick and he comes up short with the jab. Fast and hard body kick by Harris. Body kick by Spitz is blocked. 10-9 Harris. Round 2 - Harris stings Spitz with a jab as Spitz throws some push kicks. Spitz is shaking out that right arm, supposedly caused by a blocked kick. Big knee to the body from Harris. Clever move by Harris to catch a kick and then go upstairs with a kick of his own. Harris with the left hand from southpaw stance. Harris swings for the fences and misses. Crowd is restless as Spitz takes a left hand but then lands a right in return. Harris attacks Spitz towards the cage but doesn’t land anything of consequence. Spitz with the leg kick. Big counter left and Harris has Spitz rocked! Combination and down goes Spitz. Harris jumps on top and unleashes some brutal ground-and-pound. The ref takes a close look and this one is over. Harris with the TKO. Official result - Walt Harris def. Daniel Spitz by TKO (strikes) at 4:59 of round 2 Jake Ellenberger vs. Ben Saunders Round 1 - Saunders throws a head kick and tries to catch Ellenberger while fighting off the backfoot. Ellenberger hasn’t thrown much. Now he throws a big right after catching a kick. clinched against the fence, Saunders throws his knees. Hard knee to the body and Ellenberger is down! Saunders pounces and it’s over! KILLA B WINS! Official result - Ben Saunders def. Jake Ellenberger by TKO (knee and punches) at 1:56 of round 1 Julio Arce vs. Daniel Teymur Round 1 - Teymur with chopping leg kicks and forward movement to begin this one. Arce throws a head kick. Teymur attacks the other leg, then goes back to the lead leg. Good left hand by Arce. Another straight left snaps Teymur’s head back. Clinch ensues but nothing comes out of it. Arce with a body kick. Jab by Arce. Teymur with a right over the top that misfires. Teymur overcommits and nearly gets caught. Arce with one more left hand with ten seconds to go. 10-9 Arce. Round 2 - Teymur starts the round with another leg kick, and Arce answers with a sharp left. Head kick lands partially for Arce. Teymur with a counter left. Two-punch combo by Arce gets through upstairs. Teymur gets clipped by an uppercut. Teymur catches a kick but Arce slips out and then rips to the body. Arce digs in a counter knee to the body. Teymur is in on a single leg but Arce turns him against the fence, then gets turned himself. Arce exits the clinch and blocks a head kick. Wild spinning backfist out of nowhere just misses Arce. Teymur initiates a clinch but doesn’t do much with it. Arce attacks with a standing guillotine but Teymur wriggles his head free. It’s all Arce, at the moment. 20-18 Arce. Round 3 - Teymur just did a spinning backfist that almost turned his body around multiple times over. Arce smacks Teymur with a left hand once again. Two front kicks to the body by Arce. Uppercuts in the clinch score for Arce as Teymur swings wildly. Nice takedown by Arce off the caught kick. As Teymur gets up, Arce drags him back down and takes his back. He’s got the rear-naked choke and it looks tight. He adjusts and Teymur gives the thumbs up for now. No thumbs up this time, as Teymur taps just seconds later. Great showing by Arce. Official result - Julio Arce def. Daniel Teymur by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:55 of round 3 Sam Alvey vs. Gian Villante Round 1 - Alvey counters with the right as Villante threw a body kick. Another counter right lands for Alvey, then his leg kick is checked. Villante staying busy with leg kicks. Gian with a right hand that caught Alvey. He misses with the left as Villante unloads a straight right. Head kick by Villante is blocked. Kick strays low and Alvey takes a few seconds to recover. Left hand lands for Alvey. Then another one drops Villante! Alvey going for the finish but can’t get it. 10-9 Alvey. Round 2 - Villante throws two head kicks and both are blocked. Gian with a straight right. Villante the more active striker here. Alvey with a right hand. Villante’s kick is caught but nothing else comes of it. Leg kick by Villante. Alvey with a stiff jab and a short leg kick. Good two-punch combo by Villante. Left hand by Villante tags Alvey. Sam moves forward and cracks Villante with a shot. The two open up a little more. Left hook by Villante. Alvey with a final flurry before the horn sounds. 19-19. Round 3 - A minute into the final round and almost nothing has been thrown. 1-2 for Alvey catches Villante. Nice counter right hook by Alvey. Villante with a rare jab. Alvey gets tagged with a left. One minute to go, mercifully. Right hand by Villante cracks Alvey, who misses in return. Head kick by Villante and it partially glanced. Alvey with a counter left that prompts a clinch from Villante. 29-28 Villante. Official result - Sam Alvey def. Gian Villante by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Preliminary Card (FS1, 8 PM ET) Sijara Eubanks vs. Lauren Murphy Round 1 - Lots of movement, lots of feinting, not a lot of landing. Murphy lands a left hook and then Eubanks tees off with a combination of punches before changing levels and getting a takedown. Murphy is back up. Hard right hand by Eubanks, and a decent left to the body. Eubanks pressuring and throwing in combinations. Wild right is way off target for Eubanks. She punctuates a combination with a leg kick, which was the only thing that landed. Clinch ensues and Murphy throws a couple of knees to the body, Eubanks tried to throw an uppercut but Murphy exited. Eubanks with a couple of winging rights to end the round. 10-9 Eubanks. Round 2 - Eubanks gets countered in an exchange but not before landing a flush right hand. She doubles up on the jab as Murphy throws a half-hearted leg kick. Murphy jabs the body. Good body kick by Murphy, as Eubanks tries to back Murphy up with the jab. Eubanks going for the takedown, lets go of the single leg, now has Murphy tied up against the fence. Eubanks tries again and slams Murphy down, as Murphy bails on the guillotine and looks for rubber guard. Right hand to the face by Eubanks. Murphy looking for a triangle choke but that’s not there, either. Eubanks trying to stay busy with ground-and-pound. She passes to half-guard with under a minute to go. Eubanks trying to pass to mount but can’t get there. Murphy staying active from her back but Eubanks connects on some quality shots and elbows Murphy to end round two. 20-18 Eubanks. Round 3 - Early right hand by Eubanks. Murphy steps into a high kick but it doesn’t find its target. Murphy drops for a single leg. And she almost gets it. Eubanks with a couple of short punches to the head before Murphy gets to her feet. Murphy dodges Eubanks’ flurry of head shots. Ugly overhand right by Eubanks. Sijara goes to the body and head. Murphy needs to up the urgency and she shoots again for a takedown. Eubanks throws an elbow but Murphy ducks under it. Body kick by Eubanks, followed by a couple of jabs. Both fighters clearly look tired and are pushing their strikes. Eubanks times Murphy coming forward and takes her down. Sijara in half-guard and dropping down some elbows. Upkick from Murphy but that’s all she can muster. 30-27 Eubanks. Official result - Sijara Eubanks def. Lauren Murphy by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) Nik Lentz vs. David Teymur Round 1 - Lentz throwing head shots early, but Teymur times him perfectly and rocks Lentz with a left.Lentz pressures but Teymur circles away. Knee in the clinch by Lentz. Takedown is stopped by Teymur. The Swede lands a long right hand. Body kick by Teymur forces a body lock and a takedown by Lentz, but Teymur is back up. He gets Lentz in the eyes twice and grabs the fence. Poor reffing. Teymur with a left over the top. Lentz with a body kick, then another one. The kicks are taking a toll on Lentz’s right leg. 10-9 Teymur. Round 2 - Lentz has no answer for Teymur’s counter left. Slapping power right hand and then a leg kick from Lentz, but Teymur slams home another leg kick. Teymur with one more leg kick and then he keeps on moving. Next leg kick sees Lentz almost take Teymur down but he can’t hold him there. Kick to the lower thigh by Teymur. Lentz slips and Teymur looks for a temple shot. Low blow? Fight continues after it looked like a low shot from Teymur. Spinning high kick by Teymur, followed by his umpteenth leg kick. Left hand partially there for Lentz. Another round in Teymur’s favor. 20-18 Teymur. Round 3 - Lentz pressuring after taking an uppercut. Good left hand lands for Lentz but Teymur is showing great footwork and defense.<doc-sep>
1 of 6 Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images Eleven seconds into the fight, Fox Sports 1 play-by-play man Jon Anik asked his broadcast partner, the excellent color commentator Jimmy Smith, what viewers should expect in the opening moments of the main event. "I think we'll see a lot of feeling out," Smith responded. "Both these guys have a lot of respect for one another." Smith's comment felt right. Although the two camps exchanged some salvos before the contest, Rivera (21-1) and Moraes (20-5-1) maintained the kind of respect you would expect between two electric fighters in their primes. It stood to reason that respect would be borne out in the opening moments of the contest. Sixteen seconds later, Rivera hit the mat like a sack of potatoes. The switch kick made a popping noise when it connected flush with Rivera's skull, not unlike a Max Scherzer fastball hitting the catcher's mitt. Rivera struggled to survive but was largely out of it, and Moraes finished him off with punches. The official end came at 33 seconds of the first round. "I'm ready," the Brazilian told Anik in the cage after the fight. "I want the title! I want to fight for the UFC title, for the bantamweight UFC title. That's it." Moraes is a very good fighter. His muay thai is razor-sharp, and he appears to be gaining power and diversity in his striking arsenal. But he's a well-rounded guy with a jiu-jitsu black belt to boot. He always comes off in interviews as a humble and friendly person. Most importantly, he's now 3-1 in the UFC, with his only negative being a split-decision loss to the great Raphael Assuncao. If there's a reason to deny Moraes a title shot at this point, it's impossible to know what it is.