11 fights were held at UFC 264 events before the main one, between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, 11 brilliantly paired fights that certainly lived up to expectations and entertained all those who decided to follow the entire program.
Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson
The title fight of this program brought victory to Gilbert Burns against Stephen Thompson by “Durinho” being able to implement his tactics. While the fight was seen on his feet, Thompson was better but too passive for anything more. That’s why Burns was specific in his demolition entries, where one in the first and third rounds went off early enough for him to have enough time to keep control to ensure victory in the opinion of the judges. Thompson was better in the second round, but that was not enough for him and it is now clear that this 38-year-old will have a hard time reaching a new attack on the title. As for Burns, his performance ensured that he remained in second place in the challenger rankings.
Tai Tuivas vs. Greg Hardy
The only heavyweight fight of this program belonged to Tai Tuivasi, with the fastest interruption of the show. But in 67 seconds we managed to see a lot. In fact, Tuivasa was the first fighter to find himself shaken after Greg Hardy hit his fist right in the forehead. As the Australian swayed to his feet, Hardy saw his chance and moved forward uncontrollably. Tuivasa noticed this and greeted him on the left crochet. The punch landed right in his chin, and Hardy ended up on the floor, where the break came after a few more punches.
Irene Aldana vs. Yana Kunitskaya
The left hook is what brought victory and Irene Aldana against Jane Kunitskaya. It was with this precise blow to the chin that the Mexican managed to send the Russian woman to the floor and then ended up there after a while. It’s a pity that Aldana came too heavy to weigh, so this victory of hers will definitely be worth less than it would be in regular conditions.
Sean O’Malley vs. Kris Moutinho
The main program opened with Sean O’Malley’s victory over Chris Moutinho in a fight that was interrupted almost at the very end. It is a pity that referee Herb Dean did not allow Moutinho for another 15 seconds, after receiving a huge number of blows through almost three full rounds. O’Malley looked attractive and deadly, but he had a guy against him ready to take the damage, but also to respond. He seemed shaken in the end, but some impression was that he should have been rewarded on the occasion to end the fight. As for O’Malley, he has nothing to complain about. This was another fight in which he showed how attractive and dangerous he can be.
The rest of UFC 264 Fights and Results
The introductory program was led by a fight in which Max Griffin defeated Carlos Condit, primarily to account for age, speed, and freshness. It has long been clear that this is no longer the old Condit and will always have problems with opponents like this. Michel Pereira and Niko Price did the fight as expected, very attractive, but also uncertain. Much more uncertain than would be said by the judges ’scoring, as they unanimously declared Pereira the winner.
Ilia Topuria defeated Ryan Hall with a break near the end of the first round of the fight that was hard to watch, primarily due to Hall’s somewhat desperate attempts to take the fight to the ground, and former KSW champion Dricus Du Plessis defeated Trevin Giles by a beautiful knockout. The remaining victories went to Jennifer Maija, Brad Tavares, and Zhalgas Zhumagulov.
Gilbert Burns def. Stephen Thompson – unanimous decision
Tai Tuivas def. Greg Hardy – TKO (R1 1:07)
Irene Aldana def. Yana Kunitskaya – TKO (R1 4:35)
Sean O’Malley def. Kris Moutinho – TKO (R3 4:33)
Max Griffin def. Carlos Condit – unanimous decision
Michel Pereira def. Niko Price – unanimous decision
Ilia Topuria def. Ryan Hall – KO (R1 4:47)
Dricus du Plessis def. Trevin Giles – KO (R2 1:41)
Jennifer Maia def. Jessica Eye – unanimous decision
Brad Tavares def. Omari Akhmedov – split referee decision
Zhalgas Zhumagulov def. Jerome Rivera – SUB (R1 2:02)
Khabib Comments Poirier’s Triumph With a Significant and Powerful Message
