The lightweight main event at UFC Vegas 79 was expected to propel the winner closer to championship contention at 155 pounds, but questions still remain after Mateusz Gamrot emerged victorious from his bout with Rafael Fiziev.
Gamrot and Fiziev faced off in the headline bout at the UFC Apex, but the eagerly-anticipated matchup between the former two-division KSW champion and the spectacular striker from Kyrgyzstan didn't quite produce the spectacle many had hoped for, with Fiziev being forced to retire from the fight due to a knee injury sustained in the second round.
The injury appeared to occur when a Fiziev kick aimed at Gamrot's body instead landed hard on on Gamrot's elbow. Fiziev immediately fell to the floor in clear pain and the fight was waved off at the 2:03 mark of the second round.
It meant that, despite claiming the win, Gamrot was unable to fully press his claims as a legitimate threat to the division's elite. But, despite the unfortunate nature of his win, he still used his post-fight interview to call for a bout with former champion Charles Oliveira, who is all set to face Islam Makhachev in a lightweight title rematch at UFC 294 in October.
In the co-main event, Bryce Mitchell bounced back to winning ways with a unanimous decision victory over Dan Ige, while Marina Rodriguez stopped Michelle Waterson-Gomez in their strawweight rematch, then challenged undefeated strawweight contender Tatiana Suarez to a future matchup.
Elsewhere on the card, there were submission victories for Bryan Battle and Charles Jourdain, while welterweight veteran Tim Means stopped Andre Fialho in the third round of a bout that earned the pair Fight of the Night honors.
UFC Vegas 79: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Mateusz Gamrot def. Rafael Fiziev via TKO (knee injury) – Round 2, 2:03
- Bryce Mitchell def. Dan Ige via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Marina Rodriguez def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:42
- Bryan Battle def. AJ Fletcher via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:32
- Charles Jourdain vs. Ricardo Ramos via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 3:12
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Miles Johns def. Dan Argueta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Tim Means def. Andre Fialho via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:15
- Cody Brundage def. Jacob Malkoun via disqualification (illegal elbow) – Round 1, 4:15
- Mohammed Usman def. Jake Collier via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mizuki Inoue def. Hannah Goldy via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Montserrat Rendon def. Tamires Vidal via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
