UFC Fight Night Cowboy vs. Gaethje: Live results and recaps

Sep 13, 2019

One of the most anticipated UFC Fight Night cards of the year has arrived. Justin Gaethje and Donald Cerrone, two most exciting fighters in the world, will square off in the main event on Saturday. Not only will the bout surely provide fireworks, there are major stakes at play.

Cerrone is ranked No. 4 by ESPN among MMA lightweights and Gaethje is No. 5. The winner has a big fight ahead — perhaps even a highly desired matchup against UFC superstar Conor McGregor. Cerrone (36-12, 1 NC) owns the most wins (23), finishes (16) and fight-night bonuses (18) in UFC history. Gaethje (20-2), meanwhile, lands more significant strikes per minute (8.5) than any other fighter in UFC history. He also absorbs more strikes (10.2) than anyone ever has in the UFC.

In the UFC Vancouver co-main event, light heavyweight stalwart Glover Teixeira meets Nikita Krylov in a bout with 205-pound contender implications. A win over Teixeira would be the biggest of the 27-year-old Krylov’s career.

Also on the card, former blue-chip heavyweight prospect Todd Duffee returns after more than four years to face Jeff Hughes; electric knockout artist Michel Pereira faces Tristan Connelly; and undefeated Aussie Jimmy Crute gets a big test in Misha Cirkunov.

This file will be updated with analysis after every fight. Watch UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Gaethje on ESPN+.

Bantamweight: Louis Smolka vs. Ryan MacDonald

Fight in progress.

Austin Hubbard def. Kyle Prepolec via unanimous decision

Once Austin Hubbard was able to adjust and get the fight to the ground, he was in the clear.

Kyle Prepolec hurt Hubbard with punches in the first round, but Hubbard took him down in the second and third en route to a unanimous decision win (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). It wasn’t just Hubbard’s wrestling, either. Once he got Prepolec down, he was able to use his grappling for control, then landed some nice ground and pound with wrist control, especially in the second round from half guard.

This was Hubbard’s (11-3) first career UFC win, bouncing back from a UFC debut loss to Davi Ramos in May. The 27-year-old Colorado resident has now won four of his last five fights. Prepolec (12-7), a 30-year-old Canadian, has lost two straight to begin his UFC career.