The Blog

 Introduction UFC Fight Night 224: Aspinall vs. Tybura took place on July 22, 2023 at The O2 Arena in London, England — the UFC’s 15th visit to London and first since UFC 286 in March 2023. The heavyweight main event marked Tom Aspinall’s triumphant return from the devastating knee injury he suffered at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall over a year earlier. Aspinall made it look effortless, completely outclassing Marcin Tybura and finishing him via TKO at just 1:13 of round one — the perfect

 Introduction UFC Fight Night 223: Dern vs. Hill took place on May 20, 2023 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas — UFC Vegas 73. The women’s strawweight main event featured BJJ specialist Mackenzie Dern against veteran Angela Hill in a five-round contest. Dern delivered the most complete performance of her career, dominating Hill with a surprising display of striking en route to a lopsided unanimous decision (49-43, 49-44, 49-44). The main event earned Fight of the Night, while the undercard featured Jo

 Introduction UFC Fight Night 222: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes took place on April 22, 2023 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas — UFC Vegas 71. The heavyweight main event was a critical top-five clash between No. 3-ranked Sergei Pavlovich and No. 4-ranked Curtis Blaydes, with the winner set to challenge for the heavyweight championship. Pavlovich was devastating once again, stopping Blaydes via TKO (punches) at 3:08 of round one — extending his streak to six consecutive first-round knockouts and making UFC h

 Introduction UFC Fight Night 221: Yan vs. Dvalishvili took place on March 11, 2023 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas — the UFC’s debut at this venue. The bantamweight main event was a high-stakes contender bout between former champion Petr Yan (No. 2) and Merab Dvalishvili (No. 3), with the winner positioned for a title shot. Dvalishvili delivered a masterclass in relentless wrestling, earning a shutout unanimous decision (50-45 x3) over Yan. The event set the UFC record for most tak

 Introduction UFC Fight Night 220: Muniz vs. Allen took place on February 25, 2023 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas — UFC Vegas 70. The card was originally headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Ryan Spann and Nikita Krylov, but Krylov succumbed to food poisoning on fight day and the bout was scrapped. The Muniz vs. Allen middleweight contest was elevated to main event status, though it remained three rounds. Brendan Allen shocked the middleweight division by submitting Andre Muniz — himself

 Introduction UFC Fight Night 219: Andrade vs. Blanchfield took place on February 18, 2023 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas — UFC Vegas 69. The women’s flyweight main event featured former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade stepping in on one week’s notice to face rising prospect Erin Blanchfield. Andrade replaced No. 1-ranked Taila Santos, who withdrew after her cornermen were repeatedly denied visas. Blanchfield was spectacular, controlling Andrade on the feet before taking her down and finishin

 Introduction UFC Fight Night 218: Lewis vs. Spivac took place on February 4, 2023 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas — UFC Vegas 68. The heavyweight main event was a rematch of a fight that never happened: Derrick Lewis vs. Serghei Spivac was originally scheduled to headline FN 215 in November 2022, but Lewis was hospitalized on fight day. He later confirmed the illness was COVID-19. The event was also originally targeted for Seoul, South Korea before being moved to the Apex. Spivac dominated from st

 Introduction UFC Fight Night 217: Strickland vs. Imavov took place on January 14, 2023 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas — UFC Vegas 67 — and served as the first UFC event of 2023. The main event was a short-notice light heavyweight five-round contest between middleweight contenders Sean Strickland and Nassourdine Imavov. Strickland stepped in when Kelvin Gastelum was forced out, and both fighters moved up to 205 pounds for the occasion. Strickland dominated with his trademark pressure style to earn

 Introduction UFC Fight Night 216: Cannonier vs. Strickland took place on December 17, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas — UFC Vegas 66 — and served as the final UFC event of 2022. The main event was a middleweight five-round contest between former title challenger Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland, both looking to re-establish themselves as legitimate contenders following losses to champion Alex Pereira. Cannonier won a close, competitive split decision (49-46, 46-49, 49-46) to close out the

 Introduction UFC Fight Night 215: Nzechukwu vs. Cuțelaba took place on November 19, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas — UFC Vegas 65. The card was originally headlined by a heavyweight bout between Derrick Lewis and Serghei Spivac, but Lewis was hospitalized on fight day due to illness and the bout was scrapped. Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Ion Cuțelaba was elevated to main event status — though the bout remained a three-round contest. Nzechukwu rose to the occasion, finishing Cuțelaba with a beautifu

 Introduction UFC Fight Night 214: Rodriguez vs. Lemos took place on November 5, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas — UFC Vegas 64. The main event was a women’s strawweight five-round contest between No. 3-ranked Marina Rodriguez and No. 7-ranked Amanda Lemos, both Brazilian strikers looking to earn a title shot. Lemos delivered a stunning third-round TKO to score one of the biggest upsets in the women’s strawweight division. The card was one of the most finish-heavy of 2022: nine finishes in ele

 Introduction UFC Fight Night 213: Kattar vs. Allen took place on October 29, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas — UFC Vegas 63. The main event was a featherweight top-10 clash between No. 5-ranked Calvin Kattar and No. 6-ranked Arnold Allen, with Allen competing in a UFC main event for the first time. Like FN 208 before it, the main event ended prematurely — Kattar appeared to blow out his knee late in round one and collapsed at the start of round two, forcing referee Herb Dean to wave off the f