UFC Fight Night 135: Gaethje vs. Vick | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Tito Wordsmith
- May 20
- 7 min read
Table of Contents
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 135: Gaethje vs. Vick took place on Saturday, August 25, 2018 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska — broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 to 596,000 average viewers. The card drew 6,409 fans for a gate of $478,337. It was the third UFC event in Nebraska and the first in Lincoln. The main event was a lightweight bout between Justin Gaethje and James Vick.
Gaethje knocked out Vick at 1:27 of round one with a punch, earning Performance of the Night and snapping Vick’s five-fight win streak. Eryk Anders earned the other Performance of the Night with a head kick KO of Tim Williams. Cory Sandhagen and Iuri Alcântara earned Fight of the Night in Sandhagen’s UFC debut. Deiveson Figueiredo defeated John Moraga by TKO in round two. The original main event had been Gaethje vs. Al Iaquinta before Iaquinta withdrew.
First UFC in Lincoln — Gaethje’s Redemption Arc
Lincoln is Nebraska’s capital and home of the University of Nebraska. Pinnacle Bank Arena holds approximately 15,000; the 6,409 UFC attendance reflected the venue’s partial-fill for a debut market. The UFC’s previous Nebraska visits had both been in Omaha — UFC Fight Night 67 at CenturyLink Center in February 2015 and UFC Fight Night 99 at CenturyLink Center in November 2016. Lincoln was Nebraska’s first UFC visit in its capital city.
Gaethje’s narrative entering Lincoln was one of the year’s most compelling individual fighter stories. He had gone to the UFC from an undefeated WSOF career and lost his first three UFC fights — to Michael Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, and Dustin Poirier — all by stoppage, all while producing extraordinary action. His style — forward pressure, constant exchanges, no defensive safety margin — produced fights of the year contenders in every UFC appearance. Vick had won five consecutive fights, including wins over Abel Trujillo and Joe Lauzon, entering Lincoln.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, August 25, 2018 (3rd UFC in Nebraska; 1st UFC in Lincoln; previously Omaha x2)
📍 Venue: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska
👥 Attendance: 6,409
💰 Gate: $478,337
📺 Broadcast: Fox Sports 1 — 596,000 avg. viewers (FS2 prelims / UFC Fight Pass early prelims)
🏆 Main Event: Justin Gaethje vs. James Vick — LW (Gaethje 0-3 in UFC coming off 3 losses; Vick on 5-fight win streak 12-1; originally Gaethje vs. Iaquinta, Iaquinta withdrew)
✅ Result: Gaethje def. Vick via KO (punch) — R1, 1:27 (PoN $50k; Vick’s 5-fight win streak SNAPPED; “Good God… brutal finish”; Gaethje’s statement win re-established him as elite LW)
Main Event: Gaethje’s 87-Second KO of Vick
Vick was a 6-foot-3 Texas lightweight with a five-fight win streak including stoppages of Trujillo and Lauzon. His physical profile and active win streak made him a legitimate challenge for any top-fifteen LW. Gaethje’s career to that point had produced extraordinary UFC fights but no wins: his losses to Johnson, Alvarez, and Poirier were each competitive chaos that ended with Gaethje stopped — his style maximised entertainment and competitive risk simultaneously.
The Lincoln fight lasted 87 seconds. Gaethje’s single punch KO of Vick — delivered inside Vick’s frame as Vick attempted to control range — was the precise, technically delivered individual finish that his previous UFC fights had built toward without delivering. The result was described as ‘brutal’ in immediate media coverage. Gaethje’s post-fight interview reflected the relief and validation of ending a UFC losing streak with the division’s most impactful individual performance of the fight night.
Anders’ Head Kick PoN, Sandhagen’s Debut FotN & The Card
Eryk Anders’ head kick KO of Tim Williams at 4:42 of round three was his bounce-back result after the Machida loss at UFC Fight Night 125 in February 2018. Anders had gone 4-0 in his UFC career before Machida; his Lincoln win demonstrated his finishing quality remained intact after the setback. Head kick KOs in round three — after sustained competitive exchanges have produced fatigue and positional opportunities — reflect the technical patience required to land high-leverage strikes against experienced opponents.
Cory Sandhagen’s UFC debut against Iuri Alcântara earned Fight of the Night for both fighters — a remarkable individual debut outcome. Sandhagen was a 26-year-old Colorado bantamweight with a wrestling and kickboxing base; Alcântara was a 34-year-old Brazilian veteran with multiple UFC bonus results. Sandhagen’s TKO of Alcântara at 1:01 of round two — from an exceptional striking volume in the early second round — produced his debut FotN and announced his arrival as a BW contender. Deiveson Figueiredo’s TKO of John Moraga was his third consecutive UFC win at FLW.
Full Results
Main Card (Fox Sports 1)
Justin Gaethje def. James Vick — KO (punch) — R1, 1:27 — LW (PoN $50k; GAETHJE’S UFC WIN after 0-3 start; Vick 5-fight win streak snapped; 87-second brutal KO)
Michael Johnson def. Andre Fili — Split Decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28) — FW
Cortney Casey def. Angela Hill — Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28) — Women’s SBW
Bryan Barberena def. Jake Ellenberger — TKO (punches) — R1, 2:26 — WW (Ellenberger career declining; Barberena building WW career)
Deiveson Figueiredo def. John Moraga — TKO (punches) — R2, 3:08 — FLW (Figueiredo’s 3rd consecutive UFC win; future UFC FLW champion at UFC 256 December 2020!)
Eryk Anders def. Tim Williams — KO (head kick) — R3, 4:42 — MW (PoN $50k; Anders bounce-back from Machida loss)
Preliminary Card (FS2 / UFC Fight Pass)
James Krause def. Warlley Alves — TKO (flying knee) — R2, 2:28 — WW (Krause flying knee finish quality)
Cory Sandhagen def. Iuri Alcântara — TKO (punches) — R2, 1:01 — BW (FotN $50k each; SANDHAGEN’S UFC DEBUT; future BW top-3 contender and interim champion!)
Andrew Sanchez def. Markus Perez — Unanimous Decision (29-28x3) — MW (Perez replaced Neto who withdrew with personal issues)
Mickey Gall def. George Sullivan — Submission (RNC) — R1, 1:09 — WW
Joanne Calderwood def. Kalindra Faria — Women’s FLW (UFC Fight Pass early prelim)
Rani Yahya def. Luke Sanders — Submission (heel hook) — R1 — BW (Yahya called out TJ Dillashaw post-fight!)
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: Cory Sandhagen + Iuri Alcântara — $50,000 each (Sandhagen’s UFC DEBUT FotN!)
🥇 Performance of the Night: Justin Gaethje + Eryk Anders — $50,000 each
Records & Milestones
• Gaethje’s first UFC win after 0-3 start — all three losses by stoppage in elite LW fights.
• Cory Sandhagen’s debut FotN — one of the most commercially impressive UFC debut results of 2018.
• Deiveson Figueiredo’s 3rd consecutive UFC FLW win — building toward the FW championship at UFC 256 in December 2020.
• Third UFC in Nebraska; first UFC in Lincoln.
Legacy & Impact
Gaethje’s Lincoln win launched the active LW contender career phase that produced a win over James Vick, then wins over Edson Barboza and Donald Cerrone, then the TUF 28 Finale win, then the Tony Ferguson win at UFC 249 in May 2020 for the interim LW title, then the Khabib Nurmagomedov title fight at UFC 254 in October 2020 — lost by submission. His Lincoln redemption narrative transformed from journeyman-level UFC record to interim LW champion in approximately 24 months. Cory Sandhagen’s Lincoln debut FotN opened the BW career that produced wins over Raphael Assuncao, Frankie Edgar, Marlon Moraes, Song Yadong, and Rob Font before his interim BW title fight against Petr Yan at UFC Fight Night 207 in October 2022.
Deiveson Figueiredo’s Lincoln win was the 3rd step in a UFC FLW career that produced the championship at UFC 256 in December 2020 with a finish of Alex Perez. His subsequent FLW career produced the championship series against Brandon Moreno — one of MMA’s most celebrated multi-fight rivalries with four championship bouts. Eryk Anders’ Lincoln head kick PoN demonstrated the finishing quality that his previous Machida loss had interrupted; his subsequent UFC MW career produced additional wins and bonus performances.
FAQ
What was Gaethje’s UFC record before Lincoln?
Gaethje had gone 0-3 in the UFC: losses to Michael Johnson by TKO, Eddie Alvarez by TKO, and Dustin Poirier by TKO. Each fight was a competitive war that produced post-fight bonuses for opponents and Gaethje — but no wins. His style made every UFC fight a potential fight of the year while simultaneously producing finishing opportunities for opponents. His WSOF career had been 17-0 with the LW championship; his UFC transition had produced consecutive losses despite extraordinary competitive quality.
What was Vick’s standing before Lincoln?
Vick was a 29-year-old Irving, Texas lightweight who had gone 12-1 professionally entering Lincoln, with five consecutive UFC wins. His wins over Abel Trujillo at UFC Fight Night 88 and Joe Lauzon at UFC Fight Night 126 were quality individual results against UFC LW veterans. His 6-foot-3 frame and submission threat made him a top-fifteen LW with genuine title contender potential. The 87-second KO by Gaethje was his first career KO loss.
Who was Cory Sandhagen before Lincoln?
Sandhagen was a 26-year-old Fort Collins, Colorado bantamweight who had gone 8-2 professionally before Lincoln. His wrestling background from Colorado State and kickboxing development produced the technical hybrid style that his Lincoln debut displayed. His TKO of Alcântara — a 34-year-old Brazilian with UFC bonus results and a polished BJJ game — at 1:01 of round two was a dominant individual performance that produced his debut FotN and immediate top-fifteen BW contendership positioning.
What was Deiveson Figueiredo’s FLW position after Lincoln?
Figueiredo was a 30-year-old Belém, Brazil flyweight who had gone 13-1 professionally before Lincoln, with three consecutive UFC wins after an earlier debut loss. His Lincoln TKO of Moraga — a former title challenger with UFC FLW experience — was his most significant individual UFC win at that point. His subsequent FLW career produced wins over Alexandre Pantoja and Jussier Formiga before the championship fight against Henry Cejudo, which resulted in a No Contest, before winning the vacant title against Alex Perez at UFC 256.
What was the Eryk Anders head kick?
Anders was a 29-year-old Bessemer, Alabama middleweight who had gone 10-1 professionally before Lincoln, with four consecutive UFC wins before the Machida loss at UFC Fight Night 125 in February 2018. His head kick KO of Williams at 4:42 of round three demonstrated the patient timing required to land a high-kick in round three against an opponent who had been defending for two-plus rounds. Head kick KOs in later rounds reflect accumulated positional intelligence and opponent conditioning.
What was James Krause’s flying knee finish?
Krause was a 31-year-old Shawnee, Kansas welterweight who had built a reputation for creative finishing techniques across his UFC career. His flying knee TKO of Warlley Alves at 2:28 of round two — a technique that requires timing, positioning, and execution quality — was his most individually discussed finishing result. Alves was a Brazilian WW with UFC experience; Krause’s flying knee over a legitimate opponent demonstrated his creative finishing approach within a competitive UFC welterweight context.
References
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