Live Now! UFC Vegas 104 ‘Vettori vs. Dolidze’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Sherdog’s live
UFC Vegas 104 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. The
event is also known as
UFC Fight Night 254.

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Judice (-380), Duben (+300)

Round 1

Of all the fight cards the UFC has ever held, UFC Fight Night 254
is certainly one of them. With 10 of the 26 combatants sporting UFC
records above .500, this could be one of those shows where the cut
list will reach five or more players. We kick things off in the
women’s flyweight division with one of those types of matches where
a fighter has their back against the wall. Unbeaten Venezuelan
Duben (6-0, 1 NC; 0-0 UFC) may have a bit of a gaudy record, but
her first five wins came against ladies with a combined record of
0-0 (and a no contest). Standing in her way with a lot on the line
will be Judice (3-2, 0-1 UFC), who earned her spot on the roster
with a loss on the Contender Series. Fists are
soon to fly, and before they do, referee Mark Smith checks them in.
There is a quick fist bump that precedes the action. Judice takes
to the center of the cage, and Duben walks right towards her and
kicks her several times on the lead leg. Judice jabs her way out of
an engagement, and she snaps up a question mark kick that surprises
her opponent. The Venezuelan plants her feet and throws hands, and
when she scores, she circles away. Judice plants her fist on her
foe’s face, and she appears more technical than Duben as her
strikes are straight while Duben’s are winging and a bit sloppy.
Judice cracks Duben with a straight punch combo, and she makes
Duben bounce off the fencing. Duben responds with a spinning back
fist, and Judice blocks the worst of it and comes out swinging.
Duben ricochets off the wall again, and she punches her way out of
a tough situation. Judice resets, and she marches the newcomer down
and chambers her left leg.
Her shin smashes square into the chin, and Duben goes down on her
side in a heap. A few follow-up punches from “Crispy” are merely
academic, as Smith is rushing in between them to stop the
fight. This is a heck of a way to start the night,
with Duben ejected violently out of the ranks of the unbeaten while
Judice concludes her losing streak with a bang. Headkicks MMA is
her team, and she represented it well with that performance.

The Official Result

Carli
Judice def. Yuneisy
Duben R1 1:40 via TKO (Head Kick and Punches)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Nunes (-185), Cachoeira (+154)

Round 1

Keeping to the women’s weight categories, bantamweights take center
stage next in a must-win for either lady. Stout, power-punching
Nunes (10-3, 3-2 UFC) has dropped two straight, while Cachoeira
(12-6, 4-6 UFC) should have been released with prejudice after
repeatedly gouging Gillian
Robertson’s eyes in 2021. One of these two struggling fighters
has to win, and referee Chris Tognoni will know first who that is.
They touch gloves before getting down to business, and Cachoeira
keeps a wide stance as she walks to the middle of the Octagon and
punches Nunes square in the face. Nunes loves this idea, and she
does the same. The fight immediately devolves into an all-offense
fist frenzy, where the two countrywoman blast one another with
unguarded power punches. They trade blows without concern for
health or well-being, but as the strikes continue to mount, it is
the fiery Nunes who is getting the worst of it. Nunes shoots for a
desperate double after getting stung, and Cachoeira shuts it down
and backs her off with a one-two. Nunes changes things up with a
couple heavy low kicks, and she uses the leg kicks to try to open
up one to the head. The more compact Nunes cannot quite get her
foot up high enough, so she settles for brawling. Cachoeira tags
Nunes, Nunes swings back, and the pendulum keeps swinging. With
more range on her side, Cachoeira is able to occasionally land and
circle away. Nunes keeps her guard up after taking a few especially
damaging blows, and she rushes in with a swarm of fists.

Cachoeira dances out of the way, bounces off the fence and plants a
one-two on the mug. Seeing that Nunes is stunned, “Zombie Girl”
opens up with a monstrous uppercut that completely separates Nunes
from her senses. “Josi” hits the ground on her face like a sack of
bricks, and Cachoeira knows her work her is done and strides
away, pounding her chest and raising her arms in the
air. It takes a couple seconds for Nunes to come to, and Tognoni
has to let her know that she got knocked the heck out. The night is
two for two in sweet knockouts from the ladies, and post-fight
bonus checks could already be in the mail.

The Official Result

Priscila
Cachoeira def. Josiane
Nunes R1 2:46 via KO (Punch)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Lima (-355), Barez (+280)

Round 1

Keeping things pushing in a lengthy lineup, a classic matchup of
Spain vs. Brazil will play out between flyweights. Entram Gym
representative Barez (17-6, 1-1 UFC) is aiming to go on a run,
while Lima (10-0, 3-0 UFC) won his pro debut in 2022 and never
looked back. The two will be joined in the cage by Octagon ranger
Kerry Hatley, who is ready for wherever this fight takes them.
Fists are bumped before they are traded, and Lima winds up and
slams his shin on the lead leg. He does this three more times,
until Barez responds with one of his own. Barez steps in with a
thudding right hand, but the leg kicks from “Mascote” are
damage-dealing and frequently coming. Lima has already reddened up
his foe’s leg as he continues assaulting it, and he keeps his guard
up to parry a few punches. Lima flashes out a jab and follow with a
straight right, and he continues battering the front leg. Lima
cracks the Spanish fighter with a huge right, and Barez bends over
and briefly reevaluates his life decisions leading up to this
point. Meanwhile. Lima marches him down with accurate, clubbing
punches, and Barez is taking them well but still hurt. Barez grabs
hold of his advancing opponent in pursuit of a takedown, and when
that fails, he somehow circles around to take the back. Barez looks
for a choke while riding the back, but Lima shimmies him off and
gets back to pummeling his front leg. Barez fires back with
impunity, and Lima loads up on several body shots to back Barez up.
Lima nails the ribcage with a mean-spirited right hand, and he dips
and rips the liver with his other fist. Lima spins with a back
kick, and Barez slips out of the way and wipes at his bloodied
nose. Lima keeps on the with the aggression, walking through jabs
to load up. Barez backpedals, absorbs a few more body shots, and
one particularly nasty left to the liver drops his hands for a
second. Barez tries to back his man off with a step-in knee, and
Lima ignores it and unleashes a hellacious kick to the lead leg
that is welted up and swollen after four minutes of punishment. As
they keep trading, Lima pushes off and his thumb jams into Barez’
eye. Hatley calls time, and Barez takes 30 seconds to recover. On
the restart, Lima gest right back to attacking the front calf, with
strikes landing with thumps and not slaps. Barez shoots for a
takedown, and Lima stonewalls him and jams him up against the fence
until the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Lima

Round 2

The fighters clap hands and immediately pick up where they left
off. Barez sticks out his jabs early to keep Lima from coming at
him, but that does not slow “Mascote” one iota. Lima hammers the
front leg with kicks, and he mixes in head and body shots as Barez’
nose busts open again. Lima turns his hips into his leg kicks,
thrashing Barez with these blows until Barez has to turn or lift
his leg up gingerly to take some of the sting out of it. Lima is
far from a one-trick pony, as he pounds on Barez’ torso with bad
intentions. Barez punches back a few times, but Lima is firmly in
the driver’s seat putting it to the Spaniard. Barez circles away
after taking a painful leg kick, limping as he tries to escape.
Lima is a steamroller of offense, chewing up Barez’ midsection
while putting his leg through a veritable wood chipper. Barez
wobbles as he backs off, and Lima has to stop to shut down a feeble
takedown effort before beating on Barez some more. It is a varied
attack of head, body and legs, and when Lima gets in close, he
starts shredding Barez with vicious elbows. Hatley wans Lima to not
strike behind the head, and Lima changes things up once more and
trips Barez up to deposit him to the canvas. Lima postures up in
the guard, landing ground-and-pound while blood continues to flow
out of Barez’ nose. Barez is able to slow Lima by hanging on in the
guard, and he is sucking wind with deep breaths until Lima puts his
hand over Barez’ mouth. Lima grinds his elbow down and works on
Barez until the round concludes.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Lima
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 Lima
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-8 Lima

Round 3

Despite quite a shellacking, a swollen, bloodied and battered Barez
is able to answer the bell and double high-five his opponent. Lima
says hello with a hard leg kick, and he stays with the strike until
Barez attempts to take him down. Lima not only stops it, but
reverses him and tackles the Spanish fighter to his back. Barez
closes up his guard, and Lima settles for occasional
ground-and-pound that is not active enough for Hatley. Barez gets
away with a borderline upkick as he throws his legs up for a
triangle setup, and Lima stands up and then lowers himself back
down in the guard. As Barez turns, Lima scrambles to claim his
back, hooking his legs around the waist while fishing for a choke.
Barez twists to his side, and
Lima actively pursues and eventually finds a rear-naked choke. The
submission is instantly tight and partly a neck crank, a bit high
on Lima’s right shoulder but gripped so tightly that Barez has no
way out. Lima continues to crush on the windpipe until Barez says
enough is enough and surrenders. Hatley sees the tap
and breaks them apart, and Lima walks off to celebrate with his
team after earning his first career submission. “Mascote” is now a
perfect 11-0 as a pro, and this performance will almost certainly
put him as yet another talented flyweight to watch out for going
forward.

The Official Result

Andre
Lima def. Daniel
Barez R3 3:05 via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Luciano (-238), Hughes (+195)

Round 1

The final women’s match of the evening plays out in the lightest
weight category in the promotion. Calling herself “Rondinha” or
“Little Ronda,” Brazil’s Luciano (6-1-1, 1-0 UFC) fights quite
differently than the woman she named herself after—namely, she has
never won a fight by submission. She takes on gritty Fortis MMA
product Hughes (9-6, 4-5 UFC), who has alternated wins and losses
in her last five outings. The two 115ers have respected referee
Mark Smith in the cage with them, and they touch gloves as he
watches over the proceedings. Hughes sprints forward, lobbing a leg
kick and a few punches after it. Luciano fires back, and Hughes
shakes her up with a one-two. As Luciano tries to dip away from
strikes, Hughes follows her with a clean right hand. Luciano stands
firm and dings Hughes with a pair of punches square on the nose,
but “Sampage” is a woman on a mission tonight. Hughes continues
plodding ever forward, throwing huge punches at her opponent.
Luciano tries to keep her honest with jabs and front kicks, and she
sneaks in a leg kick and her second effort is caught. Hughes lifts
the leg up and dumps “Rondinha” to the mat, finding herself in an
awkward position until the Brazilian explodes back to her feet.
Hughes tries to muscle Luciano around against the fence, and she
stifles a trip attempt and attacks with an elbow over the top.
Luciano escapes from the second elbow slashing at her, and Hughes
takes less than a second to reset before crashing the pocket again
with a big right hand. Luciano contains her with jabs and low
kicks, and when she tries a body kick again, Hughes catches it.
Hughes lets it go, and Luciano jumps at her with a kick. Hughes
grabs hold of a body lock and jams Luciano to the floor, and
Luciano powers her way back upright without being grounded for
long. Hughes goes to the body and head, and she allows Luciano to
jab her so she can loop right hands over the top. Luciano gets off
a one-two, and her leg kicks are starting to get Hughes’ attention.
The fists of Luciano are finding their target on the beak of her
adversary, marking Hughes up and making her face turn read. Luciano
shrugs off a takedown try and jumps at her foe with a flying knee
that does not connect. The horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Luciano
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Luciano
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Luciano

Round 2

Like the previous frame, Hughes darts out of her corner ready to
engage. She leads off with straight punches that are quickly
followed by hooks, and she strikes with her own low kick. This
reminds Luciano of the particular strike, and she gives one back.
When Hughes throws a naked leg kick, Luciano times a pair of
punches over the top and steps in with a knee to the guts. Luciano
pins a one-two on the chin to break up Hughes coming at her, and
she pushes off the sternum with a front kick. Hughes ties her foe
up, and Luciano welcomes this with a knee, a few short punches and
an elbow to break. Hughes stutter-steps her way forward to catch
Luciano with a right hand, and she changes levels after it to hit a
clean double-leg takedown. Luciano hits her seat with her back
against the wire, and Hughes steps over to the side and into full
mount. “Sampage” rains down elbows until Luciano turns over, and
Hughes belts her with right hands until she finds a choke is open.
Hughes wraps up a brute force rear-naked choke and wrenches it with
all her might, and Luciano fights the hands to defend it. Luciano
pulls her toes off the fence to wall-walk and free herself from the
precarious position, but not before Smith has to slap her feet a
couple times—you cannot pull on the fence with any digit. Hughes
remains seated comfortably in full mount, hammering the Brazilian
with elbows and punches when she finds an opening. Luciano bucks
and turns, only to give her back up again as Hughes is completely
in control. Hughes sits up and starts pounding on “Rondinha” with
right hands, doing so until Luciano turns about to lay on her back
again. Hughes steps over to wrap up a partial crucifix position,
and she elbows Luciano again and again as Smith watches very
closely. The round ends before Hughes can get the finish she
seeks.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Hughes
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Hughes
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Hughes

Round 3

It takes Hughes no more than a couple seconds to shoot in for a
takedown. Luciano is able to defend it and get back up in the
clinch, and she turns Hughes around and tries to turn the tables on
her. Hughes pushes off, and Luciano starts throwing hands. When
Hughes trades back, Luciano initiates a clinch and pushes her
opponent to the wall. Hughes breaks out of it again, and she ducks
into a jab. Hughes performs a jumping switch kick that lands on the
solar plexus, and the two women are swinging. Luciano probes with
low kicks when trying to keep her distance, but Hughes continues to
walk her down and slug her in the chops. Hughes slips a pair of
punches, but she walks directly into a right hand. Luciano goes to
the body with her foot, and she stifles a takedown shot from the
Fortis MMA fighter. They tie up against the wall, and Hughes is the
aggressor while Luciano swings labored hooks. Hughes is tighter
with straight strikes, while Luciano is putting a lot behind her
efforts. Hughes tanks the ones that catch her on the face, and they
clash heads when leaning forward. Hughes scores, Luciano responds,
and Hughes kicks the lead leg and shoots in for a failed takedown.
Luciano looks for a right hand only to eat a body kick, and she
throws her leg back to intercept her advancing foe. Luciano steps
in with a knee that is just short of the mark, and Hughes kicks her
and scores a few punches. Luciano dings her with a spinning back
fist, and the two trade leather right to the bell. It’s going to be
a close one that could go either way, but we go the distance for
the first time today.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Luciano (29-28 Luciano)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Luciano (29-28
Luciano)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Luciano (29-28 Luciano)

The Official Result

Sam
Hughes def. Stephanie
Luciano via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-27)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Musasa (-650), Vera (+470)

Round 1

The biggest betting favorite on the lineup, Musasa (8-0, 0-0 UFC)
out of the African Knockout promotion is hoping to score one of
those big stoppages in his debut, having earned seven of eight wins
by strikes. Vera (11-4, 0-1 UFC) has never been knocked out, but he
will have to keep his chin off the gunnery range for as long as
Musasa swings for the bleachers. Keeping his head on a swivel will
be referee Herb Dean, who
is paying close attention to the bantamweights and what comes next.
No glove touch happens, and instead Musasa introduces himself with
a sweeping kick. Vera fires back with a kick with a wide arc, and
he works the body and legs before shooting for a takedown. When
Musasa steps away, Vera somersaults to channel his inner Ryan Hall—who
is his teammate—and try to take the fight down. Musasa walks away
and make Vera stand up, and they chop at one another with heavy
kicks. Musasa opens up with a pair of punches over the top, and
Vera stomps at his foe’s knee a few times. When Musasa bears down
on his foe, Vera spins with a wheel kick that smashes square into
the face of “The KO Wizard,” who does not so much as flinch. Vera
hits his back and motions for Musasa to come at him, but Musasa
wants nothing to do with it. Vera fires off a few more kicks when
upright, and Musasa catches one and slings him to the floor like a
sack of potatoes. Vera again stands up, and he receives a pair of
chopping leg kicks on his inner thigh. “Pequeno” comes out
swinging, and he misses with his big fists while Musasa sticks him
with power leg kicks. Vera tries to punches his way to a clinch,
and Musasa has having none of it. While Musasa turns to the side to
dodge a right hand, Vera blasts him in the face with a head kick.
The debuting Musasa crumbles to the mat, and Vera knows exactly
what he needs to do next.
Vera leaps down to immediately assume back control, where he wraps
up the body triangle and instantly snatches up a rear-naked choke.
Still trying to shake off the cobwebs, Musasa successfully fights
the hands well enough to stop the submission from choking him out.
Vera calmly adjusts his grip and allows Musasa to twist and buck,
and he fastens the submission completely under the chin. After a
few seconds, Musasa knows his goose is cooked and taps
out. Ever the sportsman, Vera releases the grip
immediately before Dean even gets to them. This is a big win for
Vera, who springs the major betting upset while knocking Musasa out
of the list of undefeated fighters.

The Official Result

Carlos
Vera def. Josias
Musasa R1 3:16 via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: You (-625), Cunningham (+455)

Round 1

A pair of well-rounded bantamweights keep the prelims moving
forward. South Korea’s You (14-3, 2 NC; 1-0 UFC) made his way to
the promotion with the third season of Road to UFC, while “The
Savage” Cunningham (11-4, 0-1 UFC) failed to claim a roster spot in
2023 only to win on the regionals and get a callup one fight later.
The third man in the Octagon will be referee Chris Tognoni, who
claps the fighters in as they touch ‘em up. You, in the center of
the cage, measures from a great distance, while Cunningham
stretches out his arms and feet to see how far away they stand.
Over 40 seconds of that plays out in the cage until someone throws
a strike, in the form of a low kick from You. The South Korean
circles away, allowing Cunningham to slowly crowd him and toss out
his own leg kick. You times a right hand over the top and follows
with a left, leaning back to dodge the counter and sitting down on
a subsequent body kick. Cunningham thumps the front leg with a
kick, and he fires off another but gets caught with an overhand
right that stumbles him. Cunningham blinks it out and remains
chasing after his foe, kicking him in the ribs and chaining two
punches together after it. You replies with a leg kick, and he
chops the other side of the leg before shooting for a
picture-perfect double. You elevates his opponent and deposits him
ever-so-gingerly to the mat, where he lands in half guard while
Cunningham actively scrambles. You pushes Cunningham flat to his
back, and he assumes control in the guard. Cunningham tosses his
legs up in pursuit of a possible triangle, and You tosses his legs
aside and gets back on top. Cunningham wall-walks to get to his
feet, and You throws him down with a single-leg takedown despite
Cunningham grabbing the cage and earning a loud warning from
Tognoni. Cunningham escapes from mount by bucking wildly, and You
climbs back into half guard, where he prefers control over
submission or offense. Cunningham sits up and gives his back up,
and You holds on from behind and drags him to the floor again.
Cunningham stands once more, leaning on the wire until time
expires.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 You
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 You
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 You

Round 2

The 135ers get back to it with a glove touch, and then more
measuring. Just like the last round, Cunningham is looking for how
to get in on his grappling-heavy opponent. He manages to touch You
with a few rangy punches, and he wraps his foot up and around You’s
shoulder. The two get up close and personal, and it is Cunningham
who shoves them away. You tries to clinch again, and Cunningham
once more pushes off. You kicks the body, and he loads up on a
right hand that he uses to close the distance. Cunningham keeps his
safe distance and walks straight into a blistering right hand that
stands him up and flattens his nose. You does not capitalize on it,
and instead Cunningham is able to shake it out and spin with a
wheel kick. Cunningham tries a head kick and falls over, and You
cannot take advantage of the slip. Instead, it is Cunningham again
who advances and throws, and You counters with looping power shots.
Cunningham sits down on a right hand and fights off a single until
he is wrestled to his seat, only to burst his way back upright. The
second attempt allows the South Korean to put Cunningham on his
back, where he assumes half guard immediately. Cunningham maintains
a butterfly guard to try to get back to a better position, and he
even flirts with rubber guard while stuck pinned to the floor. From
out of nowhere, Cunningham wraps up a triangle choke, and You leans
and starts hammerfisting his opponent. Cunningham elbows You on the
top of a head a few times, which actually squirts You’s head out of
the legs locked. A second try from Cunningham does not result in
anything other than getting punched in the face, and blood leaks
from his visage. You rides the round out until the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 You
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 You
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 You

Round 3

The fighters touch gloves to initiate the final frame, and
Cunningham sticks out his jab while chasing You around the Octagon.
Cunningham strikes first with a low kick, and they parry
half-hearted punches until Cunningham tries to spin for a back kick
that is shut down before the kick is thrown. Cunningham continues
working his way forward, looking for a right hook over the top and
ultimately clashing together as the two keep moving. Cunningham’s
uppercut comes up short, and You’s own striking offense has fallen
off a cliff. It does not matter, as his takedown is able to easily
ground “The Savage” and take away his best weapons. You wraps up
Cunningham’s legs between his own to further nullify Cunningham,
until he steps over to half guard. You considers an arm-triangle
choke from the wrong side, and he adjusts perfectly to step into
mount and lean on the side. As You squeezes down with the
submission, Cunningham’s head turns a bright shade of crimson.
Cunningham is able to survive the maneuver thanks to the cage at
his side. You repositions himself to mount, and as he does,
Cunningham scrambles and temporarily gets hold of an omoplata
shoulder lock. The South Korean wants nothing to do with that,
bowling Cunningham over once more until the fight comes to a
conclusion.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 You (30-27 You)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 You (30-27 You)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 You (30-27 You)

The Official Result

Su Young You def. A.J. Cunningham via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Cortes-Acosta (-166), Spann (+140)

Round 1

The preliminaries conclude with a heavyweight match that could
provide a new contender when the dust settles. Cortes-Acosta (12-1,
5-1 UFC) has won five of six as a full-framed heavyweight, and his
opponent Spann (22-10, 8-5 UFC) is introducing himself to the
weight class by no longer cutting weight. The ex-205er weighed 249
pounds, so he will be adequately sized as he also stands an inch
taller. Referee Mark Smith will be minding his P’s and Q’s as the
big men throw down, and he stands by as they clap hands first.
Spann strikes first with a heavy leg kick, and Smith tells the
heavyweights to watch their extended fingers. Cortes-Acosta
responds with his own low kick, but Spann’s has much more behind
it. Cortes-Acosta whiffs on a left hook, and a big overhand right
of his bangs into Spann’s raised guard. Spann kicks high and is
blocked, and he kicks low but is not. Cortes-Acosta wades in with
winging punches, and Spann is well out of harm’s way in time. Spann
hammers the front leg with a kick, and he counters one coming his
way with a thudding overhand right that stuns the man from
Dominican Republic. Cortes-Acosta leans forward and the two clash
heads, and Smith calls time to make sure no damage resulted from
it. He resumes them, and the fighters trade punches. Cortes-Acosta
catches Spann on the temple with a blistering right hand, and he
uses his weight to drag Spann to the fence. Spann breaks free and
plunks Cortes-Acosta with an overhand right, but Cortes-Acosta’s
uppercut shakes him up again. Both men swing their fists from down
beneath their hips, getting full torque into it. They both lash out
with low kicks, and Cortes-Acosta checks it and draws a funny
reaction from his opponent. Spann comes up short with a front kick,
and Cortes-Acosta chews up his front leg with another kick. Spann
goes to the body with his front kick, and Cortes-Acosta winds up
with bad intentions looping his haymakers at the former light
heavyweight. They clinch up, and Cortes-Acosta drives punches into
Spann until Spann breaks away and launches some of his own. Spann
gets off a low kick and slips out of the way from “Salsa Boy,” and
Cortes-Acosta measures his man with a jab and a right hand that
hurts Spann again. Cortes-Acosta’s forward momentum results in a
tie-up, using his higher weight to toss Spann to his back. Spann
tries to upkick him in the legs a few times until the round
ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Cortes-Acosta
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Cortes-Acosta
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Cortes-Acosta

Round 2

The fighters lead off with a brief glove touch, and Spann is quick
to fight behind his jab. Cortes-Acosta snaps his head back with a
straight right hand, and he is met with a front kick to the belly.
Cortes-Acosta jabs his man in the belly, but the fist goes low and
bangs into Spann’s cup. Smith calls time, and Spann drops to his
knees and takes a little under a minute to recover. They resume,
and Cortes-Acosta flashes out his jab as Spann does the same.
Cortes-Acosta scores a left and a right, and Spann indicates he was
poked in the eye. Smith again pauses the action and checks the
replay, and they get back to it after a few seconds. Spann jams the
body with a kick, and he wings a huge right hand that Cortes-Acosta
rolls with. Spann whiffs on another, and a third is met with a
sharp jab from his foe. Spann is irritated about getting poked in
the eye, and Smith issues a loud warning to Cortes-Acosta. Spann
overthrows his punches, and the Dominican is beating him to the
punch and clips the Fortis MMA fighter with his overhand right.
Cortes-Acosta kicks the inner thigh, and the strike pounds square
into his cup. Smith sighs heavily and calls time one more time.
Spann crouches down and is not a happy camper after receiving these
fouls, and Smith issues a final warning to Cortes-Acosta to keep
things clean. The Texan takes more time than before to get his wind
back, with Cortes-Acosta getting away with multiple fouls without a
point deduction. The fighters get back to business after another
90-second break, and Spann returns to fighting behind his jab.
Spann rifles off a calf kick, and Cortes-Acosta lands a powerful
right hand across the forward bow. “Superman” dodges a check left
hook but is unable to get away from the jab, and Cortes-Acosta
loads up on his overhand right and sways the right direction to
avoid one coming his direction. Cortes-Acosta prods with a jab
until Spann bears down on him, and he uses the jab again to keep
Spann honest. A one-two from Spann does not find its target, and he
dances away from a similar pair of blows. Cortes-Acosta’s head
movement and footwork keeps him safe, and he clubs Spann in the
side of the dome. Spann spins with a back kick, and he shoots for a
double that is met with 262 pounds of meat and several punches on
the side of the head. Spann explodes back to his feet, and
Cortes-Acosta is on him clubbing him with fists.
Spann swings back, still in trouble, and Cortes-Acosta sticks him
with a jab and follows with a short left hook that levels Spann.
When “Superman” hits the ground, Smith is already racing in towards
the fighters, only to allow a few more punctuating hammerfists and
punches to briefly shut Spann’s lights out. Smith gets
between them and allows Cortes-Acosta to reposition his foe’s legs
who are tangled up with his, and Cortes-Acosta walks off to
celebrate his handiwork. The ranked heavyweight calls for fights
against either Tai Tuivasa or Derrick Lewis, and both are within
his reach given his success in the division thus far.

The Official Result

Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Ryan Spann R2 4:48 via TKO (Punches)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Vallejos (-520), Choi (+390)

Round 1

Fighters from South Korea will try to end the night victorious when
“Sting” Choi (11-7, 4-6 UFC) steps up to the plate. He will receive
the honor of welcoming Argentinian gunslinger Vallejos (14-1, 0-0
UFC) to the promotion, having won his last five outings by
stoppage. Referee Kerry Hatley will keep things on the up-and-up
for as long as this featherweight clash lasts. The bout begins with
a glove touch, and the longer Choi backs off to see if he can hit
his foe with a lengthy leg kick. He can. Vallejos tries to bear
down on him, only for Choi to keep him at bay with several more
kicks. Vallejos surges forward with his overhand right flying, and
Choi moves just in the nick of time. Choi misses with a high kick
as the two keep looking for offense but not catching one another.
When Vallejos advances, he gets clipped with a short right. Choi
keeps his back to the cage throwing kicks, and Vallejos dings him
with a right hand. Choi shakes it off, and Vallejos knows he has
his man on the ropes and ducks a big right hand to wind up with
another powerful punch.
The timing is absolutely perfect, as Vallejos sends Choi flying
with his monstrous right hand. Choi collapses on his side, and
Vallejos leaps on top of him to drum him out with a stream of
punches. Hatley asks Choi to fight back, and when he sees the South
Korean is no longer intelligently defending himself, he calls a
halt to the contest. Still full of energy, “El Chino”
walks to the center of the cage and nails a back flip. Fellow
Argentinian Ailin Perez throws a flag from their home country to
the victor, who parades it around the cage, amped up from his first
UFC win. It was a big one. Unfortunately for him, officials take
his flag away after his display for some reason, even though the
UFC had reapproved the use of flags again in the Octagon.

The Official Result

Kevin Vallejos def. Seung Woo Choi R1 3:09 via TKO (Punches)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Nurgozhay (-355), Ribeiro (+280)