Here’s Mike Coppinger’s report from cageside in Los Angeles.
That’s a wrap
Jon Jones fought brilliantly. He stayed out of Gustafsson’s range and waited for his opportunity to take down and take out an opponent who was completely flustered and gave up the ghost with little resistance.
But the performance of the night -- and the year and maybe several years -- belonged to Amanda Nunes. That was Rocky vs. Drago if Rocky had knocked him out in the first minute.
And it was a night the UFC needed. Marquee names such as Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey have faltered or disappeared. Champions Robert Whittaker and Tyron Woodley are several levels of fame removed from previous champs Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre. This card was under a cloud, having been moved from Las Vegas to Los Angeles because Nevada wouldn’t rush to sanction the Jones bout after a drug-test controversy.
Now we have Jon Jones back atop the light heavyweight division. We have the best women’s fighter ever in Amanda Nunes. We have all sorts of possibilities as the UFC goes into a pivotal year on a new network.
Thanks for spending your evening with us. See you next time.
And we have the callout of Daniel Cormier ...
Cormier was recently named one of ESPN’s most dominant 20 athletes of 2018. But that list didn’t include Mikaela Shiffrin, so maybe we shouldn’t put too much stock in it.
But here’s the deal -- Cormier is a heavyweight. He shouldn’t make any more weight cuts down to 205.
So if Jones wants to try to be a two-division champion, well, maybe we’ll have a megafight at heavyweight. Cormier would face the only fighter who’s ever beaten him. Jones would have a chance to erase the stain of the drug test he flunked when he beat Cormier 18 months ago.
Cormier is pushing 40. He may only have one or two fights left.
Might be fun, but the prefight banter will be excruciating.
Updated
Jones cites God a few times in his postfight interview. He now has more light heavyweight UFC wins (17) than Chuck Liddell, a graphic tells us.
“He landed very few punches on my face tonight,” Jones says with grand understatement.
Gustafsson simply folded. And it wasn’t as if Jones was dominant.
Jones goes over and dances while pointing to his short shorts. Blech.
The two fighters embrace, chat and laugh after Dana White puts the belt on Jones.
Updated
Jon Jones defeats Alexander Gustafsson by TKO
Round 3
Jones again takes the initiative and finally gets a takedown. He’s in Gustafsson’s half-guard but not able to do much other than smother. Then he passes into side control and then an awkward mount.
Gustafsson just looks done. And he is. He rolls onto his stomach and does nothing in response to several punches from Jones. That’s it.
Ouch.
Close first round. I have Jon narowly up by a picogram.
— Ryan Loco (@RyanLoco) December 30, 2018
That is, of course, a reference to the doping controversy surrounding this fight and Jones’ recent career in general.
Round 2
Much livelier exchange to start. Limbs flying everywhere -- Jones is intent on chopping away at Gustafsson’s legs.
Jones is managing to stay out of Gustafsson’s range, but that also means he’s not able to throw anything.
And we get a second stoppage, this time for an eye poke from Gustafsson. Jones takes a while and even sees a doctor. Beltran imposes himself again to tell both fighters to watch their fingers.
We return with another exchange of punches that don’t hit much. Honestly, the Nunes-Cyborg fight is just too hard to follow. It’s like Queen in their prime opening for Leonard Cohen.
But Jones’ leg kicks are taking a toll, and Jones finds his range on a couple of punches. Gustafsson lands one, too, but this is surely the ex-champ’s round.
Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Jones (19-19)
Updated
Round 1
Jones begins the fight on his knees to Gustafsson’s bewilderment. Upon standing, Jones tries a couple of takedowns, for which Gustafsson is well-prepared. Then Jones knees Gustafsson in the privates, for which Gustafsson was not prepared. Gustafsson shakes it off quickly, but referee Mike Beltran gives a loud, stern warning to Jones.
Gustafsson is pushing forward, but he walks right into a stiff jab. Jones throws a head kick, then a leg kick. Jones gets closer to a takedown on his third or fourth attempt, but Gustafsson is again up to the taks of defending.
Gustrafsson tries a Superman punch, which occasionally works. Not here.
Then we go round in circles, as Billy Preston sang.
Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Gustafsson.
Other reporters say 10-9 Jones, but no one seems particularly emphatic.
Updated
For the vacant title ...
Daniel Cormier, who was holding two belts, let one go. This is a title fight.
Here we go ...
Updated
Jones’ walkout is taking an eternity. He spent some time spinning in a room while We Are the Champions played. “Bad mistakes, I’ve made a few” indeed.
He slaps himself in the torso a few times before checking in. Then he crawls into the cage at last. Why keep Bruce Buffer waiting so long? And Mike Beltran, the ref with the astounding beard?
Moment of appreciation to UFC ref Mike Beltran’s beard plaits! #UFC232 pic.twitter.com/r1RCNsfKcZ
— Quoc Nguyen (@QN1981) December 30, 2018
We apparently still have another fight.
Alexander Gustafsson hasn’t fought in more than 18 months, thanks to a few injuries and other setbacks.
Jon Jones hasn’t fought in nearly 18 months and has only fought four times since barely beating Gustafsson ... in 2013.
These are two supremely talented light heavyweights. But the question here is whether Jones is back to being the Jones we saw in 2009 through 2013.
Don’t just take my word for it ...
Nunes' accuracy and power while throwing overhands in a firefight was absolutely incredible. That is remarkable fearlessness. That is honestly the some of the most savage ish I've ever seen in 20 years of watching MMA. I'm still just reeling.
— Jordan Breen (@jordanbreen) December 30, 2018
One more punch after this sent Cyborg down face-first ...
HAYMAKERS!!!#UFC232 @Amanda_Leoa pic.twitter.com/dbvMgokE9K
— UFC (@ufc) December 30, 2018
I still haven’t caught my breath. That was women’s MMA’s Hagler-Hearns.
What do you think, Dana White?
Amanda Nunes immediately hopped out of the cage to greet the UFC president.
THE BADDEST WOMAN ON THE PLANET!!!@Amanda_Leoa #UFC232 pic.twitter.com/miyNd7xBwb
— UFC (@ufc) December 30, 2018
From someone who knows what it’s like to face Cyborg ...
I had a feeling that was going to happen.. congrats to Nunes. 💯
— Gina Carano (@ginacarano) December 30, 2018
Two-division champions
Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier have done it, too. And McGregor quickly disposed of a great champion in Jose Aldo.
But that was on another level. It was rock’em, sock’em robots until Nunes landed four straight.
51 seconds.
One of the best performances ever seen in MMA
This wasn’t Nunes-Rousey, in which Nunes simply treated the once-dominant champion as a punching bag. Rousey, reeling from the stunning loss to Holly Holm and a long layoff, was nowhere near the fighter that Cyborg is.
And Cyborg landed some good shots. This was a throwdown akin to the Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar scrap that propelled the UFC to new heights ... except these punches were more accurate.
If Nunes hadn’t knocked out Cyborg, Cyborg might have knocked out Nunes.
Nunes is in tears after racing around the cage with two belts.
Joe Rogan says she looks like the best women’s MMA fighter ever. There’s no way to dispute that right now.
Amanda Nunes defeats Cris Cyborg by KO!
Round 1
They touch gloves at the final instructions and touch again when Marc Goddard calls them out to fight.
Nunes throws a couple of punches and slips one. Can’t dodge the next one.
But Nunes hurts Cyborg! A punch leaves her wobbly. Then another!
This is INSANE!!!
Cyborg wobbles. Falls. It’s over.
That was the stuff of legend.
Cris Cyborg vs. Amanda Nunes
The Josh Gross prediction ...
Cyborg too athletic, too big, too strong, too prepared. If Nunes takes a round I'll be impressed. No disrespect to the 135lb champ, but Cris is that good.
— Josh Gross (@yay_yee) December 30, 2018
But it’s not unanimous ...
I’ve been waffling. But I think Nunes gets it done tonight.
— Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) December 30, 2018
The intro for the Cyborg-Nunes fight is refreshingly honest. The big problem here is finding an opponent for Cyborg, who insisted she can’t make 135 pounds through a couple of years of the MMA community’s agitation for a Cyborg fight vs. Ronda Rousey. (Remember her?)
Rousey refused to move up to 145. Amanda Nunes, who utterly demolish Rousey to end the Olympian’s MMA career, is making that move tonight.
So this is champion vs. champion. Nunes could walk out of here with two belts.
But that means she has to get past one of the scariest fighters ever to walk into a cage -- Cris Cyborg. The only person to make it through a fight with Cyborg in the past 10 years is Holly Holm.
That was a weird one. Chiesa used both hands to get Condit’s arm going the wrong way, but then he let go with one hand and actually finished it with the other.
Significant strikes were few -- 12-9 for Chiesa, we’re told on the broadcast. It was quite a grappling contest.
The camera pans the crowd to find former UFC fighters Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes, who seems to have recovered completely from a horrific accident in 2017.
Shall we take a break before Cyborg and Nunes throw down?
Chiesa defeats Condit by submission (kimura)
Round 2
Condit fights off one takedown attempt. Can’t stop the second.
Chiesa gets Condit’s arm and yanks it behind his back. And farther behind his back. Human beings aren’t suppose to stretch that way, and Condit taps.
Round 1
The battle of the beards (appropriately reffed by Mike Beltran, who has braids from his beard hanging down to his waist) starts quickly. Chiesa gets control on the ground, but Condit scrambles out.
Another takedown for Chiesa, who struggles through Condit’s guard and eventually lands some punches.
Suddenly, Condit swings his legs around for an armbar attempt. Chiesa defends but appears to be right on the verge of having to tap. At the last second, Chiesa wriggles free. And takes down Condit again.
Condit tries another submission, getting a group on Chiesa’s leg. They roll a couple of times, then trade punches with their legs locked around each other.
Condit hasn’t won by submission in a decade, but that’s looking like his best bet here.
Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Chiesa
Carlos Condit vs. Michael Chiesa
This one’s interesting. Chiesa won the live season of The Ultimate Fighter as a lightweight, choking out Al Iaquinta in the final. He had a decent run in that weight class but lost his last two, the latter after missing weight. He’s moving up. He also had the misfortune of being in the bus Conor McGregor and company attacked, suffering an injury.
Condit used to be great. He was the WEC welterweight champion and then plowed through some tough opponents in the UFC, eventually beating Nick Diaz to become the interim UFC champion. He hasn’t won since 2015.
Couldn’t find any photos that adequately summed up Latifi’s breathing problem, so this will have to do.
Anderson defeats Latifi by unanimous decision
29-28 across the board.
Perhaps I just expected Anderson to do a bit more in the third round against a guy breathing like Darth Vader after he threw the Emperor down into the endless void.
He calls out Anthony Smith.
Round 3
Anderson comes out with a spinning kick, as if he’s gloating about how much more energy he has than Latifi, who resumes his Lamaze breathing 30 seconds into the round. Maybe Latifi should work a little less on his abs and a little more on his cardio?
Anderson keeps shooting for takedowns, and that seems like a bad idea. Latifi lands a stiff shot to the face as Anderson backs away.
As winded as Latifi clearly is right now, Anderson isn’t doing anything to win it. He’s bobbing, weaving, bobbing, dancing, bobbing, then ducking as Latifi throws punches.
Now a better flurry from Anderson, who backs up Latifi.
Out of nowhere, Latifi does a spinning kick. It lands but maybe more on the arm than anything else. Now Latifi’s breathing looks even worse. Good thing this isn’t five rounds.
Still, this round is a tossup with 15 seconds left. Anderson just hasn’t done anything of interest. He does land a good one at the end. Latifi gestures at him to bring it on. Anderson shakes his head around in reply. The horn sounds. Both men smile and hug.
Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Latifi (29-28 Latifi overall), but I have no idea. Likely a split. And Anderson had the edge in strikes in the third round.
Round 2
This is better from Anderson. His long legs are making Latifi respect his kicks, and Latifi’s takedown efforts are going nowhere. Latifi is starting to look puzzled, as if Anderson is a very tall Rubik’s Cube.
Anderson lands a couple of kicks and backs Latifi to the cage. Latifi comes roaring back with a bunch of punches, but nothing really lands, and Latifi is dropping his hands and breathing heavily like me when I try to run.
Latifi gets a decent punch or two on Anderson as they break a clinch. Far too late to win the round.
Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Anderson (19-19 total), and I feel more certain of that one than I do the first.
Round 1
Someone in one of the corners sounds like Dr. Nick from The Simpsons.
Latifi goes for a takedown, gets Anderson’s leg, lifts him, spins, and ... deposits him right back down on the same leg? In pairs skating, that would’ve been awesome.
Latifi lands a strong 1-2 that rattles Anderson, who literally shakes it off. Not figuratively like Taylor Swift.
Nothing about Anderson looks right. His footwork is off -- he actually threw a punch standing perpendicular to a typical fighting stance.
Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Latifi
Anderson has the height and reach advantage. Latifi has the bulging ab muscle advantage.
Latifi walks out to Gonna Fly Now. Yes, the Rocky theme. A little cliche at this point, no?
Anyway, darts walkouts are far better than UFC walkouts at this point. Maybe someone will prove me wrong tonight.
Ilir Latifi vs. Corey Anderson
Another battle of guys ranked in the UFC rankings’ top 10, this time at light heavyweight. ESPN also has both guys in the top 10 (all promotions). MMA Junkie/USA TODAY is less bullish on Anderson, ranking him 14th.
Next stop: title bout?
Volkanovski says he’s Max Holloway’s worst nightmare. Sounds like a boring horror movie but a good fight.
Volkanovski def. Mendes
Second round:
Mendes tries a flying knee. He’s having fun out there. Maybe not after eating a punch from Volkonovski.
Then Mendes unloads. Multiple times. Volkanovski retreats and holds up a hand, as if to say, “Please don’t punch me again.”
But Volkanovski lands a good shot or two of his own. Mendes smiles. Mendes throws an uppercut that nearly finds the ceiling.
Once again, Volkanovski gets up from a takedown.
Both guys are bloody. Wow, that’s only three minutes into the round?
Volkanovski starts finding the jab. Mendes shoots for an impressive takedown and immediately scrambles to Volkanovski’s back. But again, Vokanovski gets up, and he lands punches. An elbow. A knee. Mendes isn’t smiling now.
A few more punches at the fence and Mendes topples. Here comes the ref.
Alexander Volkanovski def. Chad Mendes, TKO, second round
Round 1
Featherweights are fast. After the plodding Arlovski-Harris fight, this is like watching hummingbirds at a feeder.
Neither guy lands anything noteworthy for 90 seconds. Then Mendes ducks a Volkanovski punch and counters to the body. Mendes lands a combination. Volkanovski keeps pressing but not doing anything. Mendes, an accomplished wrestler, shoots for the takedown but can’t get it. Feint feint feint. Feint feint feint. Feint your booty ...
(Checks the spelling of “booty” preferred by KC and the Sunshine Band.)
They smile at each other. Mendes gets a takedown, but Volkanovski gets back up. On the commentary, Dominick Cruz says that’s a confidence-builder for Mendes. I’m not so sure. If you’re a big-time wrestler but can’t keep the other guy down, does that bode ill?
Anyway, probably 10-9 Mendes.
Updated
Walkout of the night so far?
Walkout song approved, @AlexVolkanovski.@GameOfThrones #UFC232 pic.twitter.com/58UTQTJrCJ
— UFC (@ufc) December 30, 2018
I can’t afford HBO, so I wouldn’t know.
First on the PPV card: Mendes vs. Volkanovski
And it could be a barnburner. Alexander Volkanovski is unbeaten in the UFC, and his only career loss was very early in his career. Chad Mendes has only lost to the best of the best -- Jose Aldo (twice), Conor McGregor and Frankie Edgar.
Also on the prelims, an old-school fighter (BJ Penn) went out to an old-school submission (heel hook):
Don't blink... and don't go to the ground with @RyanHall5050! 😳 #UFC232 pic.twitter.com/IYjDL0TlE7
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) December 30, 2018
Great short-range KO here for Uriah Hall ...
ONE shot! @UriahHallMMA closes the show in the 3rd with a beautiful counter right hand! What a comeback win! #UFC232 pic.twitter.com/LY1gt8zUA6
— UFC (@ufc) December 30, 2018
Then this ...
"I wasn't fighting for me tonight. I was fighting for my sister."@UriahHallMMA with an emotional Octagon speech. #UFC232 pic.twitter.com/Vuwjd0Fzrl
— UFC (@ufc) December 30, 2018
Unfortunate for a woman who, lest we forget, beat Amanda Nunes. She then lost a quick one to Ronda Rousey and has fallen on hard times since then.
Megan Anderson’s toe goes in Cat Zingano’s eye on the kick. Anderson gets the TKO win. Odd set of circumstances. #UFC232 (@allelbows) pic.twitter.com/ixwdlifd5Z
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) December 30, 2018
If you have any questions or comments ...
Please email me at duresport@gmail.com or tweet @duresport
Please. This is way past my bedtime, and UFC shows’ pacing isn’t what it was when I was younger.
Prelim results ...
In the order in which they happened ...
Montel Jackson def. Brian Kelleher, submission (D’arce choke), first round
Curtis Millender def. Siyar Bahadurzada, unanimous decision
Uriah Hall def. Bevon Lewis, KO, third round
Nathaniel Wood def. Andre Ewell, submission (rear-naked choke), third round
Ryan Hall def. BJ Penn, submission (heel hook), first round
Petr Yan def. Douglas Silva de Andrade, TKO (corner stoppage), second round
Megan Anderson def. Cat Zingano, TKO (eye injury), first round
and finally ...
Walt Harris def. Andrei Arlovski, split decizzzzion
(It really wasn’t THAT bad. It’s just strange that it was the prelim headliner.)
Updated
The prelims are the end of an era, as the UFC leaves the Fox networks to go to the ESPN networks.
They’re ending to a chorus of boos.
This would be a fitting way for the FS1 era to end. A forgettable, meaningless fight bizarrely placed over better fights, and feeling like it lasted longer than it actually did.
— Mookie Alexander (@mookiealexander) December 30, 2018
And the stars are out ...
So @halleberry just walked by the media setups backstage and everyone was rendered speechless for a moment. So great
— Megan Olivi (@MeganOlivi) December 30, 2018
Updated
Good evening everybody.
Or morning, if you’re somewhere else. Or really late evening/early morning if you’re in the UK and just really want to see if the Jon Jones-Alexander Gustafsson fight is more interesting than the drug testing.
The last of the free-TV prelims is on now, and Andrei Arlovski and Walt Harris are fighting a mostly stationary heavyweight fight. Joe Rogan sounds angry.
CORRECTION: This is Walt Harris, not Gerald. Probably would’ve been more interesting if it were Gerald.
Updated
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Josh Gross’s look back at the rocky road to tonight’s card.
