NEW YORK – UFC 295 took place Saturday, and it crowned two new UFC champions.
UFC 295 took place at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.
In the main event, former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka (29-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) was stopped by ex-middleweight champ Alex Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in their vacant 205-pound title. Pereira is now the UFC’s newest two-division titleholder.
In the co-feature, the interim heavyweight title was on the line between Sergei Pavlovich (18-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and Tom Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC), who were fighting for that belt after champ Jon Jones suffered an injury training for his fight with Stipe Miocic, which was the card’s original headliner. Aspinall stopped Pavlovich in the first round.
Below is the play-by-play and results for UFC 295:
Dennis Buzukja vs. Jamall Emmers
Round 1 – Emmers comes out pressuring. Oh! Huge right-hand floors Buzukja! It’s over. Flawless performance.
Result: Jamall Emmers def. Dennis Buzukja via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:49
Recap: Jamall Emmers starches Dennis Buzukja in 49 seconds to open card
Photos: Jamall Emmers def. Dennis Buzukja at UFC 295: Best photos
Records: Emmers (20-7 MMA, 3-3 UFC), Buzukja (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Keith Peterson
Kevin Borjas vs. Joshua Van
Round 1 – They trade leg kicks early. Van doing most of the pressing. Oh! Big leg kick by Borjas. Good jabs by Van. Van is havinga higher output and connecting with more leg kicks. Two minutes left. Clean right hand by Borjas! Oh! Borjas dops Van. Van gets back up, but Borjas all over him. Borjas stuns Van again. Action cools down a bit, but Borjas is now the agressor. Hard leg kick by Borjas. Nice jab by Borjas. Nasty jasb by Borjas. Van is in defense mode. Van with a left hook. Borjas presses Van against the cage and the bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Borjas.
Round 2 – Van comes out pressuring. Good left by Borjas. Right hand connects for Borjas. Van lands a left. Crazy pressure from Van. He’s giving Borjas a much tougher fight this round. Oh! Good body shots by Van. Van all over Borjas. More body shots. Van is walking down Borjas and out striking him.. Borjas is connecting, too, but Van has more volume. Two minutes left. Borjas is slowing down. It looks like the body shots are adding up. Sharp jab by Borjas. Van’s nose is busted up. Good shots from both to end the round.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Van.
Round 3 – Van goes back to pressuring Borjas. Van shoots for a takedown and gets it! Oh! He goes for a heel hook and loses it. Borjas gets back up immediately. Van tries another takedown and fails. Good jabs by Borjas. Body shots by Van. Van is just overwhelming Borjas right now. More body shots by Van. He’s in full control. Halfway through the round. Good knee by Borjas. Man, Van is looking good. He’s walking down Borjas. Big right hand by Van, but Borjas eats it well. Oh! Borjas stuns Van! And a knee to the head by Borjas! Van takes him down and is in side control. Van goes for a submission and Borjas reverses him! Van reverses back and ends on top. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Van. Overall 29-28, Van.
Result: Joshua Van def. Kevin Borjas via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Photos: Joshua Van def. Kevin Borjas at UFC 295: Best photos
Records: Van (9-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Borjas (9-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mike Beltran
Judging: Dave Tirelli, Bryan Miner, Chris Bolinski 29-28.
John Castaneda vs. Kyung Ho Kang
Round 1 – Kang immediately pressing Castaneda. Good body kick by Kang. Castaneda with a few good leg kicks. Castaneda staying patient and kicking the legs of Kang while on the outside. More leg kicks by Castaneda. Two minutes left. Not a ton going on. Kang is chasing Castaneda, while Castaneda attacks his legs with kicks. Good jab by Kang. A couple of right hands land clean for Kang. More leg kicks by Castaneda. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Castaneda.
Round 2 – Kang gets right to it and Castaneda answers back. The action cools down and it goes back to the default. Good leg kicks by Castaneda. Castaneda with a right hand. Castaneda closes the distance and presses Kang against the cage. And there’s the takedown for Castaneda Kang gets back up quickly. The fight is paused after an apparent low blow from Castaneda. The fight resumes after a few seconds. Castaneda closes the distance immediately, presses Kang against the cage, but Kang escapes. Back to striking. Castaneda is now pressing Kang. Good kicks to the body by Castaneda. Leg kicks by Castaneda. Good jabs by Castaneda. Castaneda backs Kang with a good combination to end the round.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Castaneda.
Round 3 – They both trade leg kicks. Castaneda is pressuing and putting on volume here. Castaneda still landing body shots, but he’s attacking the head more with punches, something he did little of in Round 1. Good pressure by Castaneda. Kang with a good jab. Two clean left straights connects for Castaneda. It’s clear Kang is behind. Castaneda connecting a ton, but has yet to really hurt Kang. Castaneda shoots for a takedown and gets it. Two minutes left. Kang back up. Castaneda all over him in the striking. Kang is having some success, but not more than Castaneda. Castaneda with another takedown. They scramble. Kang briefly threatens with a guillotine, but Castaneda gets out. The bell rings shortly after.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Castaneda. Overall 30-27, Castaneda.
Result: John Castaneda def. Kyung Ho Kang via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Photos: John Castaneda def. Kyung Ho Kang at UFC 295: Best photos
Records: Castaneda (21-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC), Kang (19-10 MMA, 8-4 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Dan Miragliotta
Judging: Derek Cleary, Eric Colon, Chris Lee 30-27.
Jared Gordon vs. Mark Madsen
Round 1 – Madsen is attempting to close the distance on Gordon. Good knee from the clinch by Madsen. Dirty boxing from Madsen, as he fights Gordon up close. Gordon looking to stay distant, but having a tough tim. Good leg kick by Gordon. Good knees by Madsen, as he presses Gordon against the cage. Three minutes left. Gordon breaks free, but not for long. Madsen pressing Gordon against the cage. Gordon breaks free. Gordon now doing a better job at maintaining distance. Good left by Gordon. Madsen with several good shots here. Nice elbow by Gordon, as he presses Madsen against the cage! Oh! Huge right! Madsen goes down. It’s over.
Result: Jared Gordon def. Mark Madsen via TKO (right hook, punches) – Round 1, 4:42
Recap: New Yorker Jared Gordon brutally blasts Mark Madsen for TKO
Photos: Jared Gordon def. Mark Madsen at UFC 295: Best photos
Records: Gordon (20-6 MMA, 8-5 UFC), Madsen (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Marc Goddard
Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Nazim Sadykhov
Round 1 – Both attacking the legs early. Sadykhov is walking down Borshchev here, but both fighters being very shy so far. Good combo by Sadykhov. Borshchev with a nasty leg kick. Another one from Borshchev. Big left by Borshchev. Sadykhov shoots for a takedown, but comes up short. More leg kicks by Borshchev and Sadykhov’s mobility looks compromised. Good body kick by Sadykhov. These two are trading heavy. Borshchev drops Sadykhov with a leg kick but he gets up quickly. Man, what a fight. Nasty leg kicks by Borshchev. Sadykhov is hurting. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Borshchev.
Round 2 – Borshchev up on the striking, but Sadykhov is not too far off. Oh! Nasty uppercuts by Borshchev. More leg kicks by Borshchev. Sadykhov is pressing, but he’s falling behind. Hard spinning back fist lands for Borshchev, but Sadykhov eats it well. Oh! Sadykhov wobbles Borshchev bad with a punch. Borshchev goes down! Sadykhov jumps on him and is attacking with ground-and-pound. Sadykhov working from guard. Good shots from top. He cuts open Borshchev. Borshchev is bleeding bad from his forehead. Borshchev gets back up. He’s still wobbled. Sadykhov with more shots! Now he takes down Borshchev. Borshchev working a heel hook. Sadykhov gets out and gets mount. One minute left. Borshchev back to his feet and Sadykhov is all over him. Good shots by Sadykhov. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-8, Sadykhov.
Round 3 – Sadykhov comes out pressuring Borshchev. He lands a few shots and easily gets takedown. It seems Borshchev is not fully recovered from Round 2. Borshchev gets back up. Borshchev with a few good hooks. Nasty body shots by Borshchev. Sadykhov shoots for a takedown and fails. Oh! Borshchev stuns Sadykhov. Borshchev teeing off on Sadykhov. Good jab by Borshchev. More body shots by Borshchev. Sadykhov gets a takedown. Two minutes left. Borshchev gets back up. Sadykhov’s output has dropped. one minute left. Borshchev winning the striking battle clearly. Good combo by Borshchev. Man, he’s looking good considering how bad he was hurt earlier. Sadykhov gets a takedown with a few seconds left. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Borshchev. Overall a tie, 28-28.
Result: Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Nazim Sadykhov ends in a majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
Photos: Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Nazim Sadykhov majority draw at UFC 295: Best photos
Records: Borshchev (7-3-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC), Sadykhov (9-1-1 MMA, 2-0-1 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPNews
Referee: Keith Peterson
Judging: Derek Cleary, Chris Lee 28-28. Bryan Miner 29-28.
Mateusz Rebecki vs. Roosevelt Roberts
Round 1 – Rebecki closes the distance on Roberts and gets a quick takedown. Rebecki working from guard. Rebecki all over Roberts. Roberts almost escapes and gtes back to his feet, but Rebecki tales his back in the process. Rebecki landing some ground and pound and looking to for the submission. Robersts spins out, but gets caught in an armbar. And there’s the tap! Solid win by Rebecki.
Result: Mateusz Rebecki def. Roosevelt Roberts via verbal submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:08
Recap: Mateusz Rebecki quickly submits Roosevelt Roberts, extends winning streak to 16 fights
Photos: Mateusz Rebecki def. Roosevelt Roberts at UFC 295: Best photos
Records: Rebecki (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Roberts (12-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPNews
Referee: Mike Beltran
Loopy Godinez vs. Tabatha Ricci
Round 1 – Leg kick by Ricci. Godinez with a left hand. Oh and a nice right hand by Godinez. Godinez doing most of the pressing. Ricci closes the distance and pins Godinez against the cage. Godinez breaks free and back to striking. Godinez drops Ricci! Ricci back up and presses Godinez against the cage. Solid striking by Godinez. Godinez breaks free. A left connects for Godinez. Godinez stuffs a takedown and lands a knee to the body. Godinez hunting down Ricci. Oh! Ricci wobbles Godinez! The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Godinez.
Round 2 – Godinez lands a left. Another left by Godinez. That left hand is landing for Godinez often. Godinez backs Ricci with a jab. Ricci lands a right hand. Leg kick by Ricci. Oh! Massive left hand by Godinez. Another one. Ricci eats it well. Ricci goes for a takedown and fails, Godinez makes her pay with a counter right. One, two by Godinez. She’s looking sharp. Good combo by Ricci! Oh! Ricci knocks down Godinez! She jumps on top and the bell rings almost immediately after.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Godinez.
Round 3 – The two trade shots. Ricci comes out more aggressive than the previous rounds. Ricci shoots for a takedown and Godinez defends it well. Looks like Godinez is bleeding from her nose. Nice left by Godinez. Ricci with a clean right hand. Two minutes left. Good left hook by Godinez. That keeps landing all night. Oh! It looks like Godinez stunned Ricci with a left. Godinez shoots for a takedown and fails. These two are going at it now! Both land shots. The bell rings. Great fight.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Godinez. Overall 30-27, Godinez.
Result: Loopy Godinez def. Tabatha Ricci via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30)
Recap: Loopy Godinez displays sharp striking in record win over Tabatha Ricci
Photos: Loopy Godinez def. Tabatha Ricci at UFC 295: Best photos
Records: Godinez (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC), Ricci (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC)
Division: Women’s strawweight
Broadcast: ESPNews
Referee: Dan Miragliotta
Judging: Derek Cleary, sal D’Amato 29-28. Bryan Miner 27-30.
Alessandro Costa vs. Stephen Erceg
Round 1 – Both fighters very hesitant so far. Only a few leg kicks have landed by Erceg. Costa has connected with a few right hands. Erceg has ate them well so far. Good right hand by Erceg. Strong leg kick by Costa. Another right hand by Erceg. Oh! Huge right hand by Erceg drops Costa! Costa shoots for a takedown, but Erceg reverses him and mounts him. He now has Costa’s back and is threatening with a rear-naked choke. Costa gets out and back to his feet. Costa presses Erceg against the cage. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Erceg.
Round 2 – Erceg wobbles Costa early in the second. Costa recovers. Oh, now Costa connects. Erceg is stunned. Costa is pressing. Strong leg kick by Costa. Costa with a big right hand. Good chin by Erceg. Costa shoots for a takedown and Erceg defends well. Costa now presses Erceg against the cage. Costa gets the takedown. He’s working from half guard. Costa tries to go for the back and loses the position. Now they’re back up, but Erceg pressing Costa against the cage. Two minutes left. Oh! Costa goes for a flying armbar! He loses it and gets back up. Erceg still pressing him against the cage. On the break, Costa drops Erceg with a right! He goes in there to submit and loses top position. Erceg gets top position. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Costa.
Round 3 – Erceg closes the distance and presses Costa against the cage. Not a ton going on, but Erceg controlling Costa against the cage. Costa breaks free. Three minutes left. Good jabs by Erceg. Erceg shoots for a takedown and gets it. Costa right back up, but pressed against the cage. Erceg controlling Costa against the cage, but not a ton going on. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Erceg. Overall 29-28, Erceg.
Result: Steve Erceg def. Alessandro Costa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Photos: Stephen Erceg def. Alessandro Costa at UFC 295: Best photos
Records: Erceg (11-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Costa (13-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Broadcast: ESPNews
Referee: Marc Goddard
Judging: Sal D’Amato, Chris Lee, Chris Bolinski 29-28.
Diego Lopes vs. Pat Sabatini
Round 1 – These two are a little tentative. Oh! Good right hand connects for Sabatini. Lopes recovers. Sabatini shoots for a takedown, they scramble, Lopes rocks him on tehir way up! Sabatini is hurt! Sabatini is all over him. It’s over!
Result: Diego Lopes def. Pat Sabatini via KO (punches) – Round 1, 1:30.
Recap: Diego Lopes smashes Pat Sabatini with brutal knockout in 90 seconds
Photos: Diego Lopes def. Pat Sabatini at UFC 295: Best photos
Records: Lopes (23-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC), Sabatini (18-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Keith Peterson
Matt Frevola vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
Round 1 – Big kick to stark by Saint-Denis, but blocked by Frevola. Kick to the leg by Saint-Denis. Saint-Denis pressing Frevola. Frevola catches a kick and takes down Saint-Denis. Saint-Denis reverses the position, just to get reversed seconds later by Frevola. Saint-Denis is back up. Oh! Saint-Denis knocks out Frevola with a nasty head kick! What a KO!
Result: Benoit Saint-Denis def. Matt Frevola via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 1:31
Recap: Benoit Saint-Denis KOs Matt Frevola with spectacular head kick, makes bold callouts
Photos: Benoit Saint-Denis def. Matt Frevola at UFC 295: Best photos
Records: Saint-Denis (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), Frevola (11-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Mike Beltran
Jessica Andrade vs. Mackenzie Dern
Round 1 – Dern looking to stay mobile on the outside and pick her attacks. On the other hand, Andrade is moving forward and looking to cut the distance. Leg kick by Dern. Dern with a three punch combo. Andrade swings hard, but doesn’t connect. Leg kick by Andrade. Oh! Wild exchange! Andrade gets clipped with three punches, but then Andrade drops Dern. Dern back up and seems to have recovered quickly. Another wild exchange. Hard leg kicks by Andrade. Good jabs by Dern. More jabs. Oh! Andrade drops Dern! The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Andrade.
Round 2 – Clean one, two by Dern. Hard leg kick by Andrade. Stiff jab by Dern. Dern gets clipped with a left hook after a failed takedown. Good three-punch combo by Dern. Andrade chasing and waiting for her shots. Hard leg kick by Andrade. Oh! Andrade drops Dern! Dern gets back up. Andrade all over her. Dern is in trouble. Dern clips Andrade! Oh! Dern gets dropped! Andrade lets Dern back up. Andrade connects again and dops her. It’s over!
Result: Jessica Andrade def. Mackenzie Dern via TKO (right hand) – Round 2, 3:15
Recap: Jessica Andrade TKOs Mackenzie Dern with walkoff in wild affair
Photos: Jessica Andrade def. Mackenzie Dern at UFC 295: Best photos
Records: Andrade (25-12 MMA, 26-10 UFC), Dern (13-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC)
Division: Women’s strawweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Keith Peterson
Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall
Round 1 – Hard leg kick by Aspinall. He’s moving a lot and staying on the outside. Pavlovich is pressing. Oh! Big shots by Pavlovich. Aspianall was tagged, but he’s now backing up. Oh! Aspinall connects on Pavlovich! He goes down, a few more shots make it official! It’s over! Aspinall wins.
Result: Tom Aspinall def. Sergei Pavlovich via KO (punches) – Round 1, 1:09 – to defend interim heavyweight title
Recap: Tom Aspinall turns tables on Sergei Pavlovich with first-round KO to claim interim title
Photos:
Records: Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC), Pavlovich (18-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC)
Division: Heavyweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Dan Miragliotta
Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira
Round 1 – Here we go! An uppercut by Prochazka connects. Hard leg kicks from Pereira drops Prochazka. Again, another hard leg kick by Pereira. Both guys being very careful. Leg kick by Pereira. Prochazka’s mobility compromised. Prochazka pressuring Pereira here. Prochazka goes for a takedown, he presses Pereira against the cage. Pereira locks a guillotine choke while standing! Prochazka gets the fight to the ground. Prochazka working from half guard. Two minutes left. Pereira defending well, Prochazka unable to land ground-and-pound. A few elbows lands for Prochazka. Pereira gets back to his feet. The fight resumes in the striking. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Pereira.
Round 2 – Right hand lands for Pereira. Prochazka pressing forward. Jab by Pereira, A couple of leg kicks land for Pereira. Right hand lands for Prochazka! Pereira is hurt! Prochazka upping his attack! He’s pressing Pereira. Two minutes left. A couple of hard leg kicks lands for Pereira. Good left hook by Pereira. Prochazka closes the distance and presses Pereira against the cage. Pereira breaks free. Back to striking. Leg kick by Pereira. Prochazka hurts Pereira! Pereira drops Prochazka! Prochazka goes for the takedown and Pereira rains elbows on him. It’s over!
Result: Alex Pereira def. Jiri Prochazka via KO (punches) Round 2, 4:08 – to win vacant light heavyweight title
Recap: Alex Pereira earns second title with debated stoppage of Jiri Prochazka
Photos: Alex Pereira def. Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295: Best photos
Records: Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC), Prochazka (29-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC)
Division: Light heavyweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Marc Goddard
