The UFC has arrived at its final event of the year — and despite all the challenges of 2020, the promotion is closing out its schedule on a high note.
UFC Fight Night on Saturday from the Apex facility in Las Vegas will feature 10 fighters ranked inside the top 10 of their respective divisions and two former champions, Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis. In the main event, two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson will square off against up-and-comer Geoff Neal.
Saturday will mark Neal’s first UFC main event, and it represents a big opportunity for the 2017 Contender Series alum. Neal is 5-0 in the UFC with four finishes and is looking to build his case for a 170-pound title shot in 2021. Neal, 30, is seven years younger than Thompson and he’s riding a seven-fight win streak. To many, his time has come. Will that translate into a win?
Thompson last fought in November 2019 when he beat Vicente Luque via unanimous decision. But Thompson has lost three of his last five, and he’ll need a win to stay part of the title conversation. Are his best days behind him?
The co-main event features Aldo facing Marlon Vera, and one of the most anticipated fights on the card is a welterweight bout between Michel Pereira and Khaos Williams, who is 2-0 in the UFC with two knockouts within a combined 57 seconds.
All fights will air on ESPN+.
Men’s bantamweight: Rob Font (18-4, 8-3 UFC) defeats Marlon Moraes (23-8-1, 5-4 UFC) via first-round TKO
Rob Font was thrown into the deep end. He had not fought in more than a year due to surgery to repair a torn right ACL. His first fight back? Against Marlon Moraes, ESPN’s No. 4-ranked bantamweight in the world.
In a superb performance, Font stopped Moraes via TKO at 3:47 of the first round in a 135-pound contender bout. Font rocked Moraes with a jab, dropped him with an uppercut and then finished him on the ground with punches.
“I put the division on notice,” Font said in his postfight interview. “I hit hard. … I’m no joke, man. I’m here.”
Moraes went to his wrestling early and got Font down to open the fight. From there, he held solid top position, moving into half guard. But Font worked his way to his feet, which allowed him to show off his beautiful boxing. Moraes is a high-level striker. But Font flowed with nice combinations and packed some serious pop in almost all of his punches. Moraes felt all of them until referee Marc Goddard jumped in to stop it, which looked a bit late. Font landed over and over on the ground without Moraes intelligently defending.
“I thought it went a little longer than it should have, but I can’t complain — I got the ‘W,'” Font said.
Font, 33, has won three straight and four of his last five. The New England Cartel product cashed as a +130 underdog. Afterward, he mentioned former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw as a potential next opponent.
“Whatever gets me closest to the title,” Font said.
Moraes, a 32-year-old Brazil native, has lost two in a row via knockout and three of his last four in total. He is the former World Series of Fighting bantamweight champion and former UFC bantamweight title challenger.
— Raimondi
Heavyweight: Marcin Tybura (21-6, 8-5 UFC) defeats Greg Hardy (7-3 1 NC, 4-3 1 NC UFC) by second-round TKO
0:39
Marcin Tybura finishes Greg Hardy in Round 2 with some vicious ground-and-pound for the win at UFC Fight Night.
Marcin Tybura extended his current win streak to four, and he became the first man to hand Greg Hardy a knockout loss in MMA.
Tybura weathered some early offense from Hardy en route to a TKO victory at 4:31 of the second round. He slammed Hardy to the mat late in the round, and used ground and pound from Hardy’s half-guard to put him away. With the four-fight streak, Tybura moves into a tie for the longest in the heavyweight division with Francis Ngannou, Curtis Blaydes and Ciryl Gane.
An ex-NFL defensive lineman who transitioned to MMA in 2017, Hardy looked good in the opening round. He mixed his shot selection well on the feet, attacking Tybura to the body with left hooks and the head with lead right hands. Hardy maintained his signature aggressive style, but looked composed and measured against his veteran opponent.
Just stoppage. Marc Goddard gave him every chance to stay in the fight. I give him a lot of respect for this one. Sometimes I give him flack but this was perfect IMO. No questions or room for debate https://t.co/LlwXfmlrLA
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) December 20, 2020
Tybura, of Poland, began to find his rhythm in the second round, however, and Hardy’s energy level started to wane. A takedown along the fence was the beginning of the end, as Hardy looked uncomfortable off his back and quickly covered up. The loss snaps a two-fight win streak for Hardy and drops him to 4-3 in the UFC overall.
Hardy, who trains under former American Top Team coach Din Thomas, was a slight favorite going into the bout.
— Okamoto
Welterweight: Anthony Pettis (24-10, 11-9 UFC) defeats Alex Morono (18-7 1 NC, 7-4 1 NC UFC) by unanimous decision
0:42
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis brushes the top of Alex Morono’s head with a spinning kick late in Round 3 that surprises Morono at UFC Fight Night.
Don’t look now, but Anthony Pettis has won two in a row for the first time since 2014.
The former UFC and WEC lightweight champion, who lost his UFC belt in 2015 and had been 5-7 since then in an up-and-down run, overcame an early submission threat and a bloodied face to take over the fight in the second and third rounds and get the 29-28 nod from all three judges.
That’s a HUGE win for Tybura! Hardy didn’t seem to know what to do in that position. He didn’t look hurt but more confused/lost. #UFCVegas17
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) December 20, 2020
For Pettis, who is 33 and from Milwaukee, the victory came a decade nearly to the day after his famous “Showtime kick” shuttered the doors on the WEC with a bang and set up a run at the UFC belt. Even in his difficult last few years, Pettis’ losses have come against many of the best at both lightweight and welterweight, including two champions and a couple of others who have worn interim belts.
On this night, Pettis was put into trouble immediately by Morono, who knew him well. Pettis’ last loss came in January against Diego Ferreira, who is a teammate of Morono’s. When Ferreira was training for that fight, Morono was called upon in the gym to mimic the moves of Pettis. He did his research and attacked from the get-go.
Once Pettis regained his bearings, though, he controlled distance with footwork, kicks and counter-punches. Early in Round 3, he took the fight to the canvas and appeared to be on his way to riding out a victory. But Morono was able to get the fight back to standing, and Pettis then nearly ended it in the final minute with a flashy spinning kick. He wobbled Morono, a 30-year-old from Houston, but was unable to get the finish.
“Showtime” showed, however, that his time has not passed.
— Wagenheim
Women’s bantamweight: Pannie Kianzad (15-5, 3-2 UFC) defeats Sijara Eubanks (7-6, 5-4 UFC) via unanimous decision
The UFC women’s bantamweight division might have a much-needed new contender.
Pannie Kianzad rallied to beat Sijara Eubanks via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in a battle of women’s 135-pound fighters looking to carve out a spot in the upper echelon of the division.
Eubanks had a ton of success in the first round, taking Kianzad down multiple times, gaining dominant position and landing some ground and pound. Kianzad reversed her fortunes in the second. Eubanks was able to take her down, but Kianzad worked for an armbar twice and kept Eubanks from doing any damage from the top. On the feet, Kianzad got the better of the exchanges, including some hard elbows when Eubanks was working for a takedown against the cage.
The bout mostly took place on the feet in the third. Eubanks landed some hard shots, including a strong left hook. But Kianzad, blood coming from a cut on her nose, landed combinations with some power behind the punches more often, sealing the victory.
Kianzad, 29, has won three straight. The Iranian-born Sweden resident is an Ultimate Fighter veteran and the former Cage Warriors women’s bantamweight champion. Eubanks, a 35-year-old Massachusetts native, has dropped two straight following two straight wins.
— Raimondi
Catchweight (195 pounds): Deron Winn (7-2, 2-2 UFC) defeats Antonio Arroyo (9-4, 0-2 UFC) by unanimous decision
Deron Winn snapped a two-fight skid against Antonio Arroyo, in what turned into the most obvious grappler vs. striker matchup of the year.
Winn prevailed via decision, earning scores of 29-28. A former collegiate wrestler, Winn was credited with 12 takedowns in the 195-pound catchweight fight. Arroyo had a clear advantage on the feet, and had Winn hurt with a knee and punches in the opening round, but simply could not stay off his back. Winn racked up nearly 10 minutes of control time, per UFC Stats.
Wow pettis finishes with a crazy technical and creative spinning headkick right after throwing a leg kick. Great fight for him! I can’t wait to try that technique tomorrow. 😁
— Chris Weidman (@chrisweidman) December 20, 2020
It was an important victory for Winn, who improved to 2-2 in the UFC. A California native and teammate of former two-weight champion Daniel Cormier, Winn might have been fighting for his spot on the UFC roster.
His path back into the win column wasn’t always pretty, but it had a visible effect on Arroyo. The Brazilian looked exhausted in the later rounds, and all but stopped defending Winn’s takedown attempts. He did manage to work back to his feet on a regular basis, but that only led to yet another takedown by Winn.
Arroyo actually out-landed Winn in total strikes, but did very little over the last two rounds.
— Okamoto
Women’s flyweight: Taila Santos (17-1, 2-1 UFC) defeats Gillian Robertson (9-5, 6-3 UFC) via unanimous decision
Spending an entire fight on the canvas with the only woman with more UFC submissions than Ronda Rousey might not seem like a smart strategy. It works, however, when you’re the stronger and smarter grappler.
Taila Santos had to fend off dangerous submission attempts in both the first and third rounds, but she did so with patience rather than panic, and every single time she ended up in top position, from where she controlled Gillian Robertson and bloodied her with an elbow. Santos even had some tapout tries of her own, and when she didn’t get the finish, she didn’t lose position.
It all added up to two 30-26 scores and, mysteriously, a 29-28.
Santos, 27 and from Brazil, has won two in a row after suffering her only career loss in her UFC debut last year. She is one split decision from being unbeaten.
Robertson, a 25-year-old Canadian who fights out of Coconut Creek, Florida, saw a two-fight winning streak end.
— Wagenheim
Middleweight: Tafon Nchukwi (5-0, 1-0 UFC) defeats Jamie Pickett (11-5, 0-1 UFC) by unanimous decision
Tafon Nchukwi isn’t the fastest fighter in the middleweight division. In fact, the thickly muscled slugger is almost plodding. But standing in the cage with him for any length of time seems to be a dangerous proposition.
In his UFC debut, Nchukwi beat Jamie Pickett via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26) in a 185-pound bout. Nchukwi’s size, strength and power was just too much. Nchukwi dropped Pickett with a head kick followed by a knee in the third round. Even though Pickett was able to make it to the end of the fight, it was a dominant performance for Nchukwi.
Nchukwi landed hard in every round with punches, knees and kicks. In the second round, he landed a series of hard knees to Pickett’s body in the clinch. Pickett, the faster man, was able to land a nice combo and hurt Nchukwi briefly. But as soon as Nchukwi got close again, he was able to push around and maul Pickett against the fence. That is where Nchukwi caught Pickett in the third round, landing that head kick and knee with Pickett’s back to the cage.
Nchukwi, 26, had finished all four of his previous pro fights. The Cameroon native, who appears to be a real prospect to watch at middleweight, had fought at light heavyweight and heavyweight previously, weighing in as heavy as 235.3 pounds. Pickett, a 32-year-old North Carolina resident, had a two-fight winning streak snapped. Like Nchukwi, this was Pickett’s UFC debut following a TKO victory on Dana White’s Contender Series earlier this year.
— Raimondi
Men’s flyweight: Jimmy Flick (16-5, 1-0 UFC) defeats Cody Durden (11-3-1, 0-1-1 UFC) by first-round submission
1:19
Cody Durden drops Jimmy Flick towards the end of Round 1, but Flick pulls a triangle choke out of nowhere and finishes Durden at UFC Fight Night.
Submission ace Jimmy Flick didn’t even require a takedown to tap Cody Durden, as he locked up a flying triangle in the very first round of his UFC debut.
Flick (16-5), of Tulsa, Oklahoma, submitted Durden (11-3-1) just 3:18 into the opening round, despite taking some early damage in the flyweight contest. Flick leapt into a flying triangle immediately after throwing a head kick, and finished the fight off his back. It was his 14th career win by submission.
Ninja ish! #UFCVegas17
— Frankie Edgar (@FrankieEdgar) December 19, 2020
It was a quick flip in momentum by Flick, who spent the first minutes of the fight defending bad positions and trying to get out of the way of Durden’s jab. Durden took Flick’s back in the opening minute of the fight, and landed several shots from back mount. After Flick was able to get back to his feet, Durden dictated much of the standup with a crisp jab.
Durden’s one mistake could barely even be called that. He caught a head kick attempt from Flick, which opened the door for Flick to jump into the flying triangle attempt. Durden fought the triangle for several moments, standing over Flick, before eventually submitting.
A former Contender Series alum, Flick has now won his past four fights via submission. It is his eighth career finish in the first round.
— Okamoto
Lightweight: Christos Giagos (18-8, 3-2 UFC) defeats Carlton Minus (10-3, 0-2 UFC) by unanimous decision
Giagos was scheduled for this show-opening fight only on Wednesday, brought in as a replacement after not having competed since the summer of 2019. But he came in prepared.
Giagos took down Minus less than a minute into the fight and dominated him on the ground in a big way throughout the first two rounds. He tired in Round 3, but by then he had such a big lead in the bank that he just had to steer clear of a Minus desperation shot.
Not bad for three days notice! 👏
It’s a flush UD for the short-notice Spartan, @CGiagos. #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/RaOJ8xN705
— UFC (@ufc) December 19, 2020
The domination was enough to give Giagos, a 30-year-old from Hawthorne, California, who was the biggest favorite of Saturday’s card at -360, a decision victory with scores of 30-26, 30-27 and 30-28.
The best that could be said of Minus is that he survived. He was taken down four times, and it might have been more if he’d had the ability to get the fight back to standing. Instead, he repeatedly surrendered dominant positions to Giagos, who threatened finishes throughout — the submission setups and ground-and-pound beatdowns came one after another.
Minus, 27 and from Anchorage, Alaska, has lost both of his UFC bouts. He was originally slated to face Rick Glenn, who had to pull out of the matchup at midweek.
— Wagenheim
Still to come:
Welterweight: Stephen Thompson (15-4-1, 11-4-1 UFC, -110) vs. Geoff Neal (13-2, 5-0 UFC, -110)
Men’s bantamweight: Jose Aldo (28-7, 10-6 UFC, -150) vs. Marlon Vera (16-6-1, 10-5 UFC, +125)
