Before UFC 232’s main event between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson, a multitude of undercard fights had major implications. Here’s how it all went down.
• Uriah Hall defeats Bevon Lewis by knockout
It was looking like quite a sharp UFC debut for Bevon Lewis…until it wasn’t. Uriah Hall, who came into their middleweight bout having lost four of his last five bouts, looked tentative for two rounds and was repeatedly beaten to the punch…until he wasn’t. Hall (14-9) connected with a counter uppercut that turned out the lights at 1:32 of Round 3, handing Lewis (6-1) his first career loss.
Curtis Millender defeats Siyar Bahadurzada by unanimous decision
Curtis Millender won his ninth fight in a row (17-3), keeping Siyar Bahadurzada out of range for most of the fight on his way to a unanimous decision victory in their welterweight prelim. Millender (17-3) wobbled Bahadurzada midway through the final round but couldn’t land a finishing blow, as Bahadurzada continued to shake his head derisively, even as his face grew bloodier and his gait became increasingly unsteady. Bahadurzada (24-7-1) threw a lot of big punches but hit nothing but air with a lot of them. His biggest threat came on a couple of takedowns, but he did little damage on the mat. — Jeff Wagenheim
Montel Jackson defeats Brian Kelleher by first-round submission
Nice first UFC win for bantamweight Jackson in the UFC 232 opener. After suffering his only career loss in his debut with the promotion in August, Jackson (7-1) made quick work of Kelleher. He controlled distance and landed the harder shots before flooring Kelleher (19-10) with an elbow and locking in a D’Arce choke at 1:40 of the first round. — Jeff Wagenheim
Still to come…
• Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson
• Cris Cyborg vs. Amanda Nunes
• Carlos Condit vs. Michael Chiesa
• Ilir Latifi vs. Corey Anderson
• Chad Mendes vs. Alexander Volkanovski
• Andrei Arlovski vs. Walt Harris
• Cat Zingano vs. Megan Anderson
• Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Petr Yan
• Andre Ewell vs. Nathaniel Wood