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Main Card (10pm EST., ESPN+ Pay-Per-View)
UFC Middleweight Championship
Israel Adesanya def. #2 Paulo Costa by TKO via strikes (3:59, R2) to retain the title
Vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
#3 Jan Blachowicz def. #1 Dominick Reyes by TKO via strikes (4:36, R2) to win the title
#9 Brandon Royval def. #7 Kai Kara-France by submission via guillotine choke (0:48, R2)
#7 Ketlen Vieira def. #13 Sijara Eubanks by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Hakeem Dawodu def. Zubaira Tukhugov by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 28-29)
Preliminary Card (7pm EST., ESPN 2)
Brad Riddell def. Alex Da Silva by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jake Matthews def. Diego Sanchez by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Ludovit Klein def. Shane Young by KO via strikes (1:16, R1)
William Knight def. Aleksa Camur by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Juan Espino def. Jeff Hughes by submission via scarf hold (3:48, R1)
Danilo Marques def. Khadis Ibragimov by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
UFC Middleweight Championship
Israel Adesanya (c) vs. #2 Paulo Costa
Round One: The round begins with Adesanya attacking Costa with some leg kicks, Costa starts landing some leg kicks of his own on Adesanya. Costa cracks Adesanya with a kick to the midsection, Costa follows up with a second body kick against Adesanya. Costa eats more leg kicks before kicking Adesanya in the midsection again, Costa goes for a high kick and Adesanya blocks it. Adesanya also starts landing some jabs to the face of Costa, Adesanya then nails Costa with a kick to the midsection. Costa throws a few jabs as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Adesanya
Round Two: The round begins with Adesanya attacking Costa with more leg kicks, Costa and Adesanya exchange high kick attempts. Costa starts landing leg kicks of his own against Adesanya, Adesanya and Costa start exchanging some jabs. Adesanya then nails Costa with a kick to the midsection, Costa charges at Adesanya and Adesanya pops him with a left. Adesanya then lands a head kick on an incoming Costa, Adesanya eats a kick before landing a three punch combo on Costa. Adesanya drops Costa with a follow up combination and he pounces on him with more strikes until the referee jumps in.
Official Result: Israel Adesanya def. #2 Paulo Costa by TKO via strikes (3:59, R2) to retain the title
Vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
#1 Dominick Reyes vs. #3 Jan Blachowicz
Round One: The round begins with Blachowicz attacking Reyes with some leg kicks, Reyes responds by landing some leg kicks of his own. Reyes cracks a kicking Blachowicz with a pair of left hooks, Blachowicz nails Reyes with a kick to the midsection. Reyes looks for a head kick and Blachowicz avoids it, Reyes lands a counter left on a kicking Blachowicz. Blachowicz and Reyes exchange a bunch of kicks, Blachowicz nails Reyes with a combo followed by a body kick. Blachowicz continuously charges at Reyes while swinging away at him, Blachowicz throws a front kick as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Blachowicz
Round Two: The round begins with Reyes attacking Blachowicz with a two punch combination, Reyes also lands some leg kicks on Blachowicz. Blachowicz charges at Reyes while throwing a combination, Reyes pops Blachowicz with a front kick to the midsection. Blachowicz starts landing his own leg kicks against Reyes before landing a right, Blachowicz lights up Reyes with another multiple punch combination. Reyes goes for a high kick and Blachowicz avoids it. Reyes backs up Blachowicz while throwing a multiple punch combination, Reyes nails Blachowicz with a kick to the midsection. Blachowicz responds by landing his own kick to the midsection of Reyes, Blachowicz throws multiple combos on a backing Reyes. Reyes eats a bunch more strikes from Blachowicz before landing a counter left hook, Blachowicz rocks a swinging Reyes with a counter left hook. Reyes goes down and Blachowicz lands a few follow up strikes as the round ends.
Official Result: #3 Jan Blachowicz def. #1 Dominick Reyes by TKO via strikes (4:36, R2) to win the title
#7 Kai Kara-France vs. #9 Brandon Royval
Round One: The round begins with Royval attacking Kara-France with a lot of high kicks, Kara-France drops Royval with a right. Royval gets up and he quickly drops Kara-France with a spinning elbow strike, Kara-France and Royval scramble on the ground and Royval looks for an omaplata. Kara-France gets up and Royval drags him back to the ground while getting side control, Kara-France gets Royval in his half guard. Royval looks for back control and Kara-France scrambles to his feet to get to fight standing again, Royval backs up Kara-France while landing multiple knee strikes. Royval drops Kara-France with a knee strike and Royval drops for a guillotine choke, Kara-France defends and he gets top control. Royval causes a scramble and both fighters get back up, Kara-France trips up a kicking Royval and he lets him get back up. Kara-France and Royval get into a wild striking exchange, Royval backs up Kara-France while another wild striking exchange breaks out. The fighters swing away at each other as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Royval
Round Two: The round begins with the fighters swinging away at each other, Kara-France and Royval exchange some leg kicks. Royval goes for a jump guillotine choke and a tap out follows.
Official Result: #9 Brandon Royval def. #7 Kai Kara-France by submission via guillotine choke (0:48, R2)
#7 Ketlen Vieira vs. #13 Sijara Eubanks
Round One: The round begins with Vieira grabbing Eubanks and getting her up against the cage wall, the fighters exchange a few strikes while in the clinch. The fighters separate and Vieira nails Eubanks with a two punch combination, Eubanks starts landing some leg kicks on Vieira. Eubanks cracks a swinging Vieira with a counter right hook, Vieira clinches with Eubanks and Eubanks defends against the takedown. Eubanks starts attacking Vieira with combinations, Eubanks and Vieira get into a few wild striking exchanges. Eubanks and Vieira exchange some rights to the face, Vieira then lands a left to the midsection of Eubanks. Vieira follows up by landing a two punch combo onEubanks, Vieira then lands a counter right on a kicking Eubanks. Vieira and Eubanks again get into a striking exchange, Vieira lands a multiple strike combination on Eubanks before scoring a takedown as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Vieira
Round Two: The round begins with Eubanks attacking Vieira with a high kick, Vieira scores a takedown on Eubanks and she gets the full guard. Vieira attacks Eubanks with some ground and pound, the referee stands up the fighters for inactivity. The action resumes with Eubanks attacking Vieira with a multiple punch combination, Vieira lands a counter strike on a swinging Eubanks. Vieira then cracks Eubanks with a straight right to the face, Eubanks nails a swinging Vieira with a counter right to the midsection. Eubanks swings away at Vieira as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Vieira (Overall Score: 20-18 for Vieira)
Round Three: The round begins with Eubanks and Vieira getting into a wild striking exchange, Eubanks and Vieira exchange rights to the midsection. Vieira starts peppering Eubanks with some jabs to the face, Eubanks backs up Vieira while landing a left hook. Vieira eats an overhand right before attacking Eubanks with a combo of her own, Eubanks then nails Vieira with a kick to the midsection. Vieira then lands a multiple strike combination on a swinging Eubanks, Eubanks goes back to attacking Vieira with some leg kicks. Vieira starts hunting for more takedowns on Eubanks, Vieira drops for a knee bar on Eubanks and Eubanks lands some strikes as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Eubanks (Final Score: 29-28 for Vieira)
Official Result: #7 Ketlen Vieira def. #13 Sijara Eubanks by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Hakeem Dawodu vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
Round One: The round begins with Dawodu attacking Tukhugov with a few kicks, Dawodu lands some leg kicks on Tukhugov. Tukhugov cracks a swinging Dawodu with a counter left hook, Dawodu and Tukhugov exchange a few combinations. Tukhugov then cracks Dawodu with a straight right to the face, Dawodu responds by landing a left to the midsection of Tukhugov. Tukhugov continuously nails Dawodu with rights, Dawodu hits Tukhugov with another left too the midsection. The fighters swing away at each other as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Tukhugov
Round Two: The round begins with Dawodu landing a switch kick to the midsection of Tukhugov, Dawodu barely lands a spinning back kick to the midsection of Tukhugov. Dawodu lands a two punch combo on a swinging Tukhugov, Tukhugov responds by landing a combo of his own. Tukhugov and Dawodu exchange some jabs, Tukhugov and Dawodu get into a few striking exchanges. Dawodu starts landing some leg kicks on Tukhugov and Tukhugov responds with some of his own, Tukhugov cracks a kicking Dawodu with a counter right hook. Dawodu lands a jumping front kick to the midsection of Tukhugov, Dawodu lands a left hook to the midsection of a swinging Tukhugov. Tukhugov grabs Dawodu and he gets him up against the cage wall for a short time, Tukhugov scores a takedown on Dawodu after a brief striking exchange. Tukhugov attacks Dawodu with some ground and pound, Dawodu gets up and Tukhugov drags him back to the ground as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Tukhugov (Overall Score: 20-18 for Tukhugov)
Round Three: The round begins with Dawodu kicking Tukhugov in the midsection, Dawodu starts attacking Tukhugov with some leg kicks. Dawodu goes for a head kick and Tukhugov manages to block it, Tukhugov goes for the takedown and Dawodu defends. Dawodu cracks Tukhugov with a counter left hook, Tukhugov grabs Dawodu and he gets him up against the cage wall. The fighters separate and Dawodu swings away at Tukhugov, Dawodu cracks Tukhugov with a two punch combination. Dawodu nails Tukhugov with another jump kick to the midsection, Dawodu then hits a swinging Tukhugov with a counter right. Dawodu swings away at Tukhugov as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Dawodu (Final Score: 29-28 for Tukhugov)
Official Result: Hakeem Dawodu def. Zubaira Tukhugov by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 28-29)
Brad Riddell vs. Alex Da Silva
Round One: The round begins with Riddell kicking a swinging Da Silva in thee midsection, Da Silva stuns Riddell with a multiple punch combination. Riddell comes forward and he takes some swings at Da Silva, Da Silva scores a takedown on Riddell and he gets the half guard. Da Silva attacks Riddell with some ground and pound, Riddell scrambles to his feet and Da Silva gets him against the cage wall. Da Silva scores another takedown on Riddell and Riddell gets right back up, Da Silva drags Riddell back to the ground and Riddell gets up again. Da Silva attacks Riddell with a variety of kicks, Riddell goes for a takedown and Da Silva catches him in a guillotine choke. Riddell defends until the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Da Silva
Round Two: The round begins with Riddell attacking Da Silva with some leg kicks, Riddell and Da Silva get into a few striking exchanges. Da Silva grabs Riddell and he gets him up against the cage wall, the fighters separate and Da Silva attacks Riddell with a side kick. Riddell ducks down and Da Silva cracks him with a knee strike, Riddell lands a few jabs and a right on Da Silva. Riddell starts hunting foor his own takedowns on Da Silva, Riddell then cracks a swinging Da Silva with a counter right. Da Silva barely lands a jump knee strike on Riddell, Riddell scores a takedown on Da Silva and Da Silva gets right back up. Da Silva cracks a swinging Riddell with a counter right to the midsection, Da Silva goes for a takedown and Riddell defends. Riddell lands some leg kicks on Da Silva, Riddell lands a right hook on Da Silva as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Da Silva (Overall Score: 20-18 for Da Silva)
Round Three: The round begins with Riddell attacking Da Silva with a right, Da Silva and Riddell exchange some leg kicks. Riddell starts landing some combinations against Da Silva, Riddell comes forward and he pops Da Silva with a left hook. Riddell and Da Silva get into a few striking exchanges, Riddell then lands a pair of rights on a swinging Da Silva. Riddell then cracks Da Silva with an elbow strike to the head, Da Silva grabs Riddell and gets him against the cage wall. The fighters separate and Riddell cracks Da Silva with a left hook, the referee halts the fight because he thought it was an eye poke. The action resumes with Riddell scores a takedown on Da Silva, Da Siilva scrambles to his feet and Riddell swings away at him. Riddell keeps Da Silva against the cage wall while swinging away at him, Riddell scores a takedown on Da Silva and Da Silva gets up as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-8 for Riddell (Final Score: 28-28 for Draw)
Official Result: Brad Riddell def. Alex Da Silva by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Matthews
Round One: The round begins with Matthews nailing a charging Sanchez with a right, Matthews catches a kick from Sanchez before landing more rights. Matthews charges at Sanchez while landing a few strikes on him, Sanchez comes forward and he takes some swings at Matthews. Sanchez starts landing some leg kicks against Matthews, Matthews goes for a head kick and Sanchez blocks it. Sanchez continues charging at Matthews while swinging wildly at him, Matthews pops Sanchez with a right followed by a left. Sanchez cracks a swinging Matthews with a counter left to the midsection, Sanchez continues attacking Matthews with combinations, Matthews scores a takedown on Sanchez and he gets the open guard. Matthews attacks Sanchez with some ground and pound, Sanchez rolls for a heel hook and Matthews cracks him with some rights as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Matthews
Round Two: The round begins with Sanchez charging at Matthews while swinging away at him, Sanchez starts attacking Matthews with some leg kicks. Matthews cracks a swinging Sanchez with a counter right uppercut, Matthews then pops Sanchez with a two punch combination. Sanchez responds by kicking Matthews in the midsection, Matthews continuously pops Sanchez with rights. Matthews and Sanchez both land during a striking exchange, Matthews cracks a kicking Sanchez with a two punch combination. Matthews continues landing counter uppercuts against Sanchez, Sanchez and Matthews swing away at each other as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Matthews (Overall Score: 20-18 for Matthews)
Round Three: The round begins with Sanchez attempting a jump knee strike against Matthews, Matthews lands a counter strike combo on a swinging Sanchez. Matthews drops Sanchez with a combination and he pounces on him with more strikes, Matthews gets the half guard on the ground while landing more strikes. Sanchez eventually gets Matthews in his full guard, Matthews postures up and he regains top control a short time later. Matthews attacks Sanchez with a lot more ground and pound, Sanchez rolls for an arm bar and Matthews defends to keep top control. Matthews lands more ground and pound on Sanchez as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-8 for Matthews (Final Score: 30-26 for Matthews)
Official Result: Jake Matthews def. Diego Sanchez by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Shane Young vs. Ludovit Klein
Round One: The round begins with Klein kicking Young in the midsection, Young starts landing leg kicks on Klein. Klein continues looking for body kicks against Young, Klein rocks Young with a head kick before dropping him with a follow up combination and the referee jumps in.
Official Result: Ludovit Klein def. Shane Young by KO via strikes (1:16, R1)
William Knight vs. Aleksa Camur
Round One: The round begins with Knight attacking Camur with some leg kicks, Knight drops Camur during an exchange. Camur gets right back up and Knight gets him against the cage wall, the fighters exchange strikes while in the clinch. The referee separates the fighters for inactivity, the action resumes with Camur attempting a head kick against Knight. Knight throws a few kicks followed by a combo as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Knight
Round Two: The round begins with the fighters trading some kicks, Camur pops a kicking Knight with a counter right. Camur gets Knight against the cage wall after landing a few left hooks, Camur scores a takedown on Knight and he gets back control. Knight spins at the right time to get top control on Camur, Camur scrambles to his feet and he gets Knight against the cage wall. Knight scores a takedown on Camur and he gets back control while landing a few strikes, Camur scrambles to his feet and he gets Knight against the cage wall. Camur looks for a takedown and Knight winds up getting another one on him, Knight attacks Camur with ground and pound before gaining back control. Camur gets Knight back in his half guard, Knight advances to the full mount on Camur and he looks for an arm crank as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Knight (Overall Score: 20-18 for Knight)
Round Three: The round begins with Knight attacking Camur with leg kicks, Camur comes forward and he takes some swings at Knight. Camur grabs Knight and he gets him up against the cage wall, Knight scores a takedown on Camur and he gets side control. Camur scrambles to his feet and he gets Knight to the ground a short time later, Knight scrambles to his feet and he gets Camur against the cage wall. Knight scores another takedown on Camur and he gets the half guard, Knight gets back control on Camur while landing some strikes. Knight gets the full mount again as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Knight (Final Score: 30-27 for Knight)
Official Result: William Knight def. Aleksa Camur by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Juan Espino vs. Jeff Hughes
Round One: The round begins with the fighters taking some swings at each other, Espino looks for the overhand right against Hughes. Espino scores a takedown on Hughes and he gets side control, Espino attacks Hughes with some ground and pound. Hughes scrambles to his feet and Espino drags him back to the ground, Hughes gets up again and Espino gets him down to a knee. Hughes gets up and Espino drags him back to the ground, Espino lands more strikes on Hughes and Hughes gets back up. Espino scores another takedown on Hughes and he gets the half guard, Espino transitions to the full mount on Hughes. Hughes scrambles and Espino catches him in a scarf hold to force a tap out.
Official Result: Juan Espino def. Jeff Hughes by submission via scarf hold (3:48, R1)
Khadis Ibragimov vs. Danilo Marques
Round One: The round begins with Marques attacking Ibragimov with some jabs, Marques grabs Ibragimov and he gets him up against the cage wall. Ibragimov scores a takedown on Marques and Marques gets up before getting him back against the cage wall, Marques goes for a takedown and Ibragimov scrambles to get the full mount a short time later. Marques scrambles to his feet to get the fight standing again, Ibragimov goes for an overhand right and Marques avoids it. Marques starts attacking Ibragimov with some leg kicks, Ibragimov charges at Marques while swinging away at him. Marques grabs Ibragimov and he gets him against the cage wall, Ibragimov throws strikes while defending against the takedown. Marques scores a takedown on Ibragimov and he gets back control, Ibragimov stands up with Marques on his back. Marques gets Ibragimov back to the ground as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Marques
Round Two: The round begins with Marques attacking Ibragimov with some leg kicks, Ibragimov looks for an overhand right on Marques. Ibragimov starts landing leg kicks of his own against Marques, Ibragimov backs Marques up while swinging wildly at him. Marques scores a takedown on Ibragimov and Ibragimov gets up with Marques on his back, Marques gets Ibragimov back to the ground while keeping back control. Marques retains back control until the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Marques (Overall Score: 20-18 for Marques)
Round Three: The round begins with Marques attacking Ibragimov with some leg kicks, Ibragimov starts attacking Marques with some rights. Marques cracks a swinging Ibragimov with a counter right, Marques looks for a takedown and Ibragimov defends against it. Marques attacks Ibragimov with a kick to the midsection, Ibragimov charges at Marques while throwing a few rights. Marques looks for a takedown and Ibragimov cracks him with a right, Ibragimov goes for a standing guillotine choke and Marques defends while scoring a takedown. Marques gains the full mount and Ibragimov quickly sweeps him to get top control, Ibragimov attacks Marques with some ground and pound. Ibragimov gets up while looking for a standing guillotine choke and Marques defends while scoring a takedown on him, Marques gains back control on Ibragimov and he looks for a rear naked choke as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Marques (Final Score: 30-27 for Marques)
Official Result: Danilo Marques def. Khadis Ibragimov by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
UFC 253 takes place on Saturday, September 26 from Fight Island in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The pay-per-view card is headlined by UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and challenger Paulo Costa. Keep up with Fightful for all your fight night coverage.
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