Welcome to Fighters Only’s live coverage of UFC 276, coming to you direct from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Throughout the night, we’ll bring you live fight-by-fight updates and live results as we run through an absolutely stacked card of fights, including two undisputed UFC championship fights, as Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski put their respective titles on the line in the main attraction of UFC International Fight Week.
UFC 276: Live Updates
ISRAEL ADESANYA DEF. JARED CANNONIER VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION (49-46, 49-46, 50-45)
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya cruised to victory with a clear unanimous decision win over top contender Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC 276.
Adesanya appeared to be in cruise control for the overwhelming majority of the matchup as he controlled the range and scored with strikes, while Cannonier seemed almost hypnotised by the champion’s fighting style.
As the fight went on, Cannonier made a few attempts to break up Adesanya’s flow with clinches and occasional punches that made their way through, but the challenger wasn’t able to apply the pressure needed to take the champion out of his comfort zone as the Kiwi retained his title with scores of 49-46, 49-46, 50-45.
After his victory, Adesanya made sure everyone knew who he wanted next, his former kickboxing nemesis, Alex Pereira, who scored a huge knockout win earlier in the evening.
ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI DEF. MAX HOLLOWAY VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski put on a virtuoso performance to defeat former champion Max Holloway and finish their featherweight title trilogy with a 3-0 shutout. The Australian world champion dominated the Hawaiian across the five-round championship duration to earn scores of 50-45 from all three judges as he retained his title in style and secured his 22nd consecutive win.
Volkanovski comprehensively outboxed Holloway throughout, and left the former champ with a nasty cut over his left eye after the opening round of the bout. That cut only got worse as the bout progressed as a bloodied Holloway was repeatedly punished, both at close range and from the outside, by Volkanovski, who looked as good as we’ve ever seen him inside the UFC octagon.
After his victory, Volkanovski stated his intention to pursue double-champ status by challenging for the UFC lightweight title, which is currently vacant after Charles Oliveira lost the crown on the scale in his last title defence (which he went on to win) against Justin Gaethje. But the Aussie said he wouldn’t leave the 145-pound division, and stated that if he became a two-division champ he would stay busy, continue to defend his featherweight crown and fight across two weight classes.
ALEX PEREIRA DEF. SEAN STRICKLAND VIA KNOCKOUT (PUNCH) – ROUND 1, 2:36
Former kickboxing champion Alex Pereira blasted his way into the upper echelon of the UFC middleweight division with a massive knockout of No. 4-ranked contender Sean Strickland.
Strickland opted to stand and trade with Pereira, as the fight settled into a kickboxing-style matchup and never deviated as the pair jabbed, parried and threw leg kicks in the opening exchanges. And it didn’t take long for Pereira to find his mark with his honey punch, the short left hook, as he flattened Strickland in spectacular style.
The short left hook connected flush and dropped Strickland to one knee as Pereira made the crucial breakthrough. Then, with the dazed American struggling to get back to his feet, the Brazilian striker stepped in and knocked out his man with a huge right hand to install himself as a bonafide contender for the middleweight title.
BRYAN BARBERENA DEF. ROBBIE LAWLER VIA TKO (PUNCHES AND ELBOWS) – ROUND 2, 4:47
The welterweight clash between Bryan Barberena and former champ Robbie Lawler was earmarked as a potential fight of the night, and the two duelling 170-pounders left it all in the octagon in a thrilling scrap that eventually ended with a blistering TKO finish by Barberena.
Things were looking good for Lawler after the first round, as he answered Barberena’s prolific volume striking with heavy-handed responses that repeatedly hurt “Bam Bam.”
But Barberena would not be denied and, after stepping into his shots and mixing short step-in elbows into his close-range strikes, made the breakthrough in the second half of the second round. When he saw Lawler hurt, Barberena launched into a non-stop barrage of strikes that only ended when referee Mark Smith intevened with Lawler virtually unconscious against the fence.
It was an incredible finish to a hugely entertaining bout, as Barberena looked to prove that he’s more than just a crowd-pleasing scrapper. With a former UFC champion on his list of victims, he’ll be looking to make his way toward the division’s top contenders as he plans his next move at 170 pounds.
PEDRO MUNHOZ VS. SEAN O’MALLEY RULED A NO DECISION – ROUND 2, 3:09
The bantamweight main card opener between Pedro Munhoz and Sean O’Malley promised much, but, after a cagey start to proceedings, an unfortunate accidental eye poke eventually led to the bout being stopped and ruled a no contest.
Munhoz invested heavily in leg kicks through Round 1 and was doing the same in Round 2, while O’Malley looked to score with flashy strikes from range. But the action never really caught fire as expected and, after an accidental eye poke from O’Malley left Munhoz with a shut right eye and unable to see, the octagonside doctor advised referee Jason Herzog to wave off the fight.
JALIN TURNER DEF. BRAD RIDDELL VIA SUBMISSION (GUILLOTINE CHOKE) – ROUND 1, 0:45
In the final preliminary card bout of the night, lightweight prospect Jalin Turner claimed the biggest scalp of his UFC career with a stunning quickfire submission finish of Brad Riddell.
Turner rocked Riddell with a big right hand early, then, when Riddell shot in for a takedown, he grabbed the Kiwi’s neck, tightened his grip and squeezed the fight out of his man to score a hugely impressive 45-second submission victory.
JIM MILLER DEF. DONALD CERRONE VIA SUBMISSION (GUILLOTINE CHOKE) – ROUND 2, 1:32
In the battle of beloved UFC veterans, Jim Miller and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone entered the octagon tied for the lead in the UFC’s all-time wins list, and it was Miller who left the cage away and clear as the UFC’s all-time wins leader.
The bout itself was a back-and-forth battle, with both men enjoying their successes on the feet. But, eventually, matters were settled on the mat. After both men simultaneously connected with big high kicks, Miller reacted fastest and snatched “Cowboy’s” neck as “A-10” locked up a tight guillotine choke.
Cerrone tried to fight through the submission attempt, but eventually was forced to concede defeat as he tapped out to give Miller the second-round submission win.
After the bout, Cerrone laid down his gloves and hat as he announced his retirement from the sport, while Miller spoke about his pride in becoming the all-time UFC wins record holder, and the Las Vegas crowd roared their appreciation for both men as they spoke with Joe Rogan after the fight.
IAN GARRY DEF. GABE GREEN VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Undefeated Irish welterweight Ian Garry continued his unblemished run as a pro with a unanimous decision victory over Gabe Green in their preliminary card bout. Garry outstruck Green throughout the three-round bout, and dropped his man at the start of the final round as he ran out a comfortable winner on the scorecards.
That’s not to say that Green was a sitting duck throughout the fight. He continued to push the pace and connected with some solid shots of his own, especially at the end of the second round. But it was Garry’s fight, and the Irishman pitched a shutout on the scorecards to extend his perfect career record to 10-0.
DRICUS DU PLESSIS DEF. BRAD TAVARES VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ahead of fight night, many of us in the press pack here in Vegas thought the middleweight bout between Dricus Du Plessis and Brad Tavares had the potential to be a cracker, and the two 185-pounders didn’t disappoint.
After a first round that surprisingly saw Du Plessis wrestling, rather than striking, and losing the round handily to Tavares, the South African went back to his roots and threw for the fences in Rounds 2 and 3 as the bout delivered a wild back-and-forth battle that had the crowd on their feet.
And, after switching up his approach and throwing everything he had at Tavares, Du Plessis claimed the unanimous decision victory with scores of 29-28 across the board.
ANDRE MUNIZ DEF. URIAH HALL VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
It wasn’t the prettiest fight to watch for the fans in the arena, but Andre Muniz used his grappling to completely shut down Uriah Hall, who was left to defend himself from the Brazilian’s submission attempts through much of their three-round middleweight bout.
Hall looked hesitant to strike, and indeed it was Muniz who seemed the more comfortable to throw his hands and feet, as he pushed forward before taking “Prime Time” to the mat when the action was close to the octagon fence.
Once the fight hit the mat, Muniz went to work as he progressed through numerous phases of grappling before looking to lock up any one of a host of submissions. Muniz tried for Americanas, Kimuras and rear-naked chokes through the course of the fight, but to his credit Hall did well to defend each one in turn to take the bout to the scorecards. But as they waited for the official verdict to be read, there was no suspense, with Muniz the clear winner after a dominant, if unspectacular display.
MAYCEE BARBER DEF. JESSICA EYE VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Maycee Barber and Jessica Eye fought in a phone booth for almost the entirety of their three-round flyweight bout, with Barber running out the victor with scores of 29-28, 29-28, 30-27.
Eye pushed the pace throughout as she looked to smother Barber’s striking with gruelling wrestling and pressure up against the cage. But when Barber was able to work some space to strike, she punished the former title challenger with elbows and knees from the clinch.
Eye scored a takedown in the second round, but struggled to make much of an impression with her strikes. When she used her jab, she found her mark on occasion, but it was Barber’s work that caught the eye as she claimed the decision win after a back-and-forth battle in the third round.
After the fight, Barber announced that fight was the last of her current UFC deal and that she was looking forward to negotiating a new deal with the UFC bosses. Meanwhile, Eye took off her UFC gloves for the final time and laid them on the octagon canvas before confirming her retirement from the sport.
JULIJA STOLIARENKO DEF. JESSICA-ROSE CLARK VIA SUBMISSION (ARMBAR) – ROUND 1, 0:42
What a performance from Julija Stoliarenko, who armbars Jessica-Rose Clark in just 42 seconds to claim her first UFC victory at the fourth time of asking.
After three successive losses, doubts were cast over whether Stoliarenko was UFC calibre, but that quickfire armbar finish has given her an impressive first win in the octagon. It came at a cost for her opponent, too, with Clark appearing to sustain either a dislocated elbow, or a broken arm, as a result of Stoliarenko’s armbar.
After her victory, Stoliarenko commented on her armbar finish – her 11th across pro and exhibition bouts – by channeling her inner Britney Spears. “Whoops! I did it again!” she told Joe Rogan in the octagon.
BUILD UP
Welcome to T-Mobile Arena for UFC 276. We’re situated up on the top tier of this spectacular 20,000-seat facility with a perfect view of not just the action in the cage, but the fans in the stands, as well. The fight card is locked and loaded, and the fans are filing into the building ready for what looks set to be a spectacular night of fights.
UFC 276: Official Results
MAIN CARD
- Israel Adesanya def. Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) – for middleweight title
- Alexander Volkanovski def. Max Holloway via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – for featherweight title
- Alex Pereira def. Sean Strickland via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:36
- Bryan Barberena def. Robbie Lawler via TKO (punches and elbows) – Round 2, 4:47
- Pedro Munhoz vs. Sean O’Malley ruled a no decision – Round 2, 3:09
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Jalin Turner def. Brad Riddell via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:45
- Jim Miller def. Donald Cerrone via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 1:32
- Ian Garry def. Gabe Green via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Dricus Du Plessis def. Brad Tavares via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
EARLY PRELIMS
- Andre Muniz def. Uriah Hall via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Maycee Barber def. Jessica Eye via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Julija Stoliarenko def. Jessica-Rose Clark via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 0:42
