LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 217 takes place Saturday, and you can join us for live play-by-play and official results.
UFC Fight Night 217 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
In the main event, Sean Strickland (25-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC), who headlined UFC Fight Night 216 a month ago, steps up on five days’ notice for a light heavyweight bout against Nassourdine Imavov (12-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC). In the co-feature, Dan Ige (15-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) takes on Damon Jackson (22-4-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) at featherweight.
Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 4 p.m. ET for the prelims on ESPN+ and 7 p.m. ET for the main card on ESPN+.
To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC Fight Night 217 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway ) on Twitter.
Enjoy the fights, everyone.
Jimmy Flick vs. Charles Johnson
Round 1 – Alright, here we go with the first fight of 2023. Both fighters very cautious here in the first minute. Flick shoots for a takedown, but gets reversed and ends on bottom. He’s back up. Johnson pressuring him now. Good front kick by Johnson. Another one to the body. A right hook from Johnson seems to stun Flick. Yep, he’s a bit hurt – a few follow-up shots from Johnson confirm that. Two minutes left. Flick presses Johnson against the cage. And he gets the takedown and transitions to the back of Johnson. Flick loses it and ends on bottom. One minute left. Decent ground-and-pound by Johnson. Flick is cut. Big shots by Johnson. Oh, those elbows are nasty. And it’s over! Johnson overwhelms Flick to get the stoppage win.
Result: Charles Johnson def. Jimmy Flick via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:33
Photos: UFC Fight Night 217: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Charles Johnson (13-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC), Jimmy Flick (16-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Kerry Hatley
Nick Aguirre vs. Daniel Argueta
Round 1 – Argueta pressures Aguirre right off the bat! And there’s the takedown from Argueta. Argueta looking to land ground-and-pound, but Aguirre very agile and hard to hit from bottom. Aguirre nearly reverses the position, but Argueta ends on top in the scramble. Another scramble and this time Aguirre gets the back. Aguirre locks the body triangle. Two minutes left. And Aguirre loses the back and ends on bottom. Argueta this time around landing shots from the top. Argueta the much stronger fighter here. Argueta ends on top as the round comes to an end.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Argueta.
Round 2 – Same story here. Argueta pressures Aguirre and looks to muscle him around. Good leg kick by Argueta. Another one. Now Argueta presses Aguirre against the cage. Argueta having a much tougher time in this round in terms of scoring a takedown. Good takedown defense by Aguirre. He slips out and fight resumes on the feet. Once again, Argueta presses Aguirre against the cage. He gets the takedown. Two minutes left. Argueta moves to the back. He sinks in a rear-naked choke. It looks tight. Aguirre gets out! Argueta loses the submission, but gets mount. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Argueta.
Round 3 – Final round! Both guys exchanging evenly here. Good right hook by Aguirre. Argueta with a nice jab. Argueta now presses and takes down Aguirre against the cage. He’s using the Khabib-pin to control Aguirre. He moves to mount. Aguirre scrambles and pulls guard. Two minutes left. Complete control by Argueta here. Aguirre trying everything to get back to his feet but unable to do so. Thirty seconds left. And Argueta out-grapples Aguirre until the final bell. Dominant showing.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Argueta. Overall 30-27, Argueta.
Result: Dan Argueta def. Nick Aguirre via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Photos: UFC Fight Night 217: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Daniel Argueta (9-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), Nick Aguirre (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Judging: Derek Cleary, Ran McCarthy, Adalaide Byrd 30-27.
Carlos Hernandez vs. Allan Nascimento
Round 1 – Both fighters testing each other’s timing here. Not much going in the first minute. And Nascimento connects with a combo on Hernadez and takes his back while standing. They fall on the ground now. Nascimento keeping tight control. Three minutes left. Nascimento looking to get the rear-naked choke, but Hernandez so far defending well. Hernandez gets up while Nascimento is on his back. And Nascimento sinks in the rear-naked choke! Oh, it’s tight. And there’s the tap! Solid win by Nascimento.
Result: Allan Nascimento def. Carlos Hernandez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:16
Recap: Allan Nascimento gets standing choke in front of coach Charles Oliveira
Photos: UFC Fight Night 217: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Allan Nascimento (20-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC), Carlos Hernandez (8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Jason Herzog
Nick Fiore vs. Mateusz Rebecki
Round 1 – Rebecki comes out firing on all cylinders. He’s pressuring Fiore and looking to land big shots. Rebecki getting a bit too wild and Fiore landing a few counters. Nice body kicks by Rebecki. Fiore cuts Rebecki on his bone cheek. Rebecki’s shots are adding up and Fiore looks a bit battered. Super high-paced fight. Two minutes left. And Rebecki scores a takedown. Fun fight so far. Big shots from top by Rebecki. Man, he’s got heavy hands. And the bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Rebecki.
Round 2 – Rebecki is back at it again. He immediately pressures Fiore and looks to land big shots. Fiore is trying to fire back, but he’s being outpowered. Rebecki closes the distance and punishes Fiore against the cage. Fore is tough as hell. Fiore cuts a corner and the fight resumes in the middle of the octagon. Oh! And Fiore takes down Rebecki. He controls him for a few seconds and Rebecki gets back up. Now Rebecki is the one that gets the fight to the ground. Two minutes left. Rebecki working from guard. He’s keeping busy, but not a ton of damage. One minute left. Rebecki maintains control until the end of the round.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Rebecki.
Round 3 – It’s been the Rebecki show for now. Again, Rebecki comes out with all the pressure. He takes down Fiore and begins to work ground-and-pound from the guard. Rebecki just in complete control here. He’s unable to advance position, but he’s winning. Rebecki is controlling the action and is landing shots from top. Rebecki keeps control all the way through.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Rebecki. Overall 30-27.
Result: Mateusz Rebecki def. Nick Fiore via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Photos: UFC Fight Night 217: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Mateusz Rebecki (17-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Nick Fiore (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Kerry Hatley
Judging: Tony Weeks 30-26, Sal D’Amato, Junichiro Kamijo 30-27.
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Claudio Ribeiro
Round 1 – Man, Ribeiro with nasty leg kicks to start this fight off. And again, and again, and again. Alhassan can’t take too many of these. Alhassan closes the distance and pins Ribeiro against the cage. Four minutes left. Alhassan landing some shots from clinch. Ribeiro breaks free. Another nasty kick by Ribeiro. Alhassan switches stances. Big right-hand snaps Alhassan’s head back. Alhassan shoots again and pins Ribeiro against the cage. Two minutes left. They go back and forth on who controls the position against the cage. Not much going on. Alhassan mainly just holding Ribeiro here. Alhassan controls until the bell.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Ribeiro.
Round 2 – Oh! Alhassan hurts Ribeiro with a straight right. Now a right hook. Ribeiro drops and the fight is over! Ridiculous power by Alhassan. Wow.
Result: Abdul Razak Alhassan def. Claudio Ribeiro via KO (punches) at 0:28 of Round 2
Recap: Abdul Razak Alhassan violently knocks out Claudio Ribeiro in second
Photos: UFC Fight Night 217: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Abdul Razak Alhassan (12-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC), Claudio Ribeiro (10-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Javid Basharat vs. Mateus Mendonca
Round 1 – Mendonca closes the diatance on Basharat and tries to pin him against the cage. Basharat slips out to keep the fight on the feet. Mendonca with some hard leg kicks. And Mendonca drops Basharat with a leg kicks. Basharat gets up and seems to be fine. Mendonca getting a bit wild here. Big leg by Basharat, but Mendonca eats it well. Mendonca working extremely hard for the taekdown, but unable to get it. Another big left by Basharat. Good leg kick followed by a right hand from Mendonca. Basharat takes the fight to the ground with a single leg takedown. Mendonca right back up. Oh! Big head kick to close out the round.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Basharat.
Round 2 – Wild fight here. Mendonca pressuring Basharat right off the bat. He pins down Basharat against the cage for a few seconds, but Basharat splits out eventually. Both fighters land good leg kicks. Mendonca working hard for the takedown, but unable to get it. Basharat connects hard on Mendonca. Mendonca looks to be fading. Basharat gets a takedown and moves to half guard. Good shots from top position. Mendonca’s face is bloodied. One minute left. Mendonca looks very worn out. Mendonca attempts a kneebar, but doesn’t come close. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Basharat.
Round 3 – Basharat clearly the fresher fighter here. But despite each fighter’s form, Mendonca is the one pressuing. Basharat backing up a lot, seems he’s less eager to engage. Mendonca pushes Basharat against the fence. He’s working for a takedown, but Basharat with solid defense. Mendonca goes for a throw but ends up on the bottom. Two minutes left. Basharat not doing much damage here. Props to Mendonca, he’s attampting all kinds of submissions from bottom, but none get close. Basharat doing a good job of staying out of trouble, while maintaining top control. And the bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Basharat. Overall 30-27, Basharat.
Result: Javid Basharat def. Mateus Mendonca via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Photos: UFC Fight Night 217: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Javid Basharat (14-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Mateus Mendonca (10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Chris Tognoni
Judging: Mike Bell, Ron McCarthy 30-27. Adalaide Byrd 29-28.
Raoni Barcelos vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
Round 1 – And the main card is underway! Big bantamweight bout between Nurmagomedov and Barcelos. Both fighters very tentative in the first minute. Nurmagomedov opening up a little more with some kicks to the legs and body. Barcelos is the one moving forward, as Nurmagomedov looks to circle around the cage. Three minutes left. They trade leg kicks. Good jabs by Nurmagomedov. Not much going on here. Oh! Nurmagomedov connects with a big left and he immediately backs away. Easily the biggest shot of the round so far. Never mind! Nurmagomedov flattens Barcelos with a two-punch combo. Nasty knockout. Barcelos is out cold.
Result: Umar Nurmagomedov def. Raoni Barcelos via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 4:40
Recap: Umar Nurmagomedov flattens Raoni Barcelos in first to remain undefeated
Photos: UFC Fight Night 217: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Umar Nurmagomedov (16-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Raoni Barcelos (17-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Jason Herzog
Raquel Pennington vs. Ketlen Vieira
Round 1 – Huge women’s bantamweight bout here. Vieira pressing Pennington here. Good jabs by Vieira. Pennington with a nice jab as well. And a hard leg kick by Pennington. Nice combo by Pennington, but gets countered with a knee to the body and a right hook by Vieira. Oh! These two are trading heavy. Both landing hard. Pennington now has a cut on her forehead. Good leg kicks by Vieira. Good left hook by Vieira. Pennington initiates the clinch but gets pressed and backed against the cage. The bell rings. Close round.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Vieira.
Round 2 – Fun and competitive fight so far. Both trade leg kicks. Big, big straight right by Pennington, but Vieira eats it well. Pennington closes the distance and gets a lock on Vieira’s waist while she’s behind her. Vieira fights her way out of it. Pennington starting to land a lot more clean. Vieira gets hit with a low blow and the fight is paused. The fight resumes shortly after and Pennington comes out hyped. Big right hand followed by a hook by Pennington. Vieira closes the distance and pins her against the cage. One minute left. Good knees from the clinch by Pennington, although she’s the one getting pressed. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Pennington.
Round 3 – Here we go, final round. Both fighters come out with a high pace. Good on, two by Vieira. Big right hand by Vieira. She’s off to a good start here. Vieira now presses Pennington against the cage. Good control here by Vieira, but not much damage. Three minutes left. Solid one, two by Pennington. These two are trading. Now it’s Pennington who forces the clinch and pins Vieira against the cage. Not much damage here. Two minutes left. Vieira reverses the position, she’s the one pressing now against the cage. Good right hand on the break by Vieira. Good elbow as well. Another one by Vieira. Pennington getting outmuscled here. One minute left. Vieira controls until the final bell.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Vieira. Overall 29-28, Vieira.
Result: Raquel Pennington def. Ketlen Vieira via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Recap: Raquel Pennington takes split decision over Ketlen Vieira, wants title shot
Photos: UFC Fight Night 217: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Raquel Pennington (15-9 MMA, 12-5 UFC), Ketlen Vieira (13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC)
Division: Women’s bantamweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Chris Tognoni
Judging: Mike Bell, Derek Cleary 29-28. Sal D’Amato 28-29.
Roman Kopylov vs. Punahele Soriano
Round 1 – Big hooks by Soriano, but nothing connects clean. Soriano really headhunting here, going for the KO. Kopylov with some good jabs and leg kicks. He’s also staying very light on his feet. Hard jabs by Kopylov. The boys are throwing hard. Both guys packing a lot of power but neither have yet to land 100 percent clean. Two minutes left. Another jab by Kopylov. Soriano is getting wild here and already breathing heavy. Good left hook by Soriano. And Kopylov gets a takedown. Soriano immediately gets back up. The bell goes off shortly after.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Kopylov.
Round 2 – Good uppercut by Soriano. Kopylov so far taking Soriano’s power with no issues. Spinning back kick to the body by Kopylov. Good jabs by Kopylov. Nasty body kick hurts Soriano. Kopylov is all over him. Another body shot. Now to the head. Soriano shoots for a takedown and comes up short. He’s tired. Good jabs by Kopylov. A body shot from Kopylov folds Soriano. He’s badly hurt. Kopylov swarms him. It’s over. Solid stuff from Kopylov.
Result: Roman Kopylov def. Punahele Soriano via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:19
Recap: Roman Kopylov folds Punahele Soriano with brutal body attacks
Photos: UFC Fight Night 217: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Roman Kopylov (10-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC), Punahele Soriano (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Kerry Hatley
Dan Ige vs. Damon Jackson
Round 1 – And these two come out firing. It seemed Jackson got stunned early, hard to tell. He seems fine now. Ige doing most of the pressuring here. Big left hook by Ige, followed by a clean two-punch combo. Three minutes left. Jackson has yet to have effective offense. Jackson blocking many of these attacks, but that’s about it. Jackson attempts a takedown, but comes up short. In the process, Jackson gets eye poked and the fight is paused. After a couple of minutes, the fight resumes. Big right hand by Ige. Two minutes left. And Jackson connects with a right. Good leg kick by Jackson. Ige connects with a couple of hooks. A left by Ige wobbles Jackson, and then he scores a takedown to finish the round.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Ige.
Round 2 – Same dynamic here. Ige pushes forward, Jackson circles away. Ige landing some big shots, but credit to Jackson, he’s eating them well. A right hand to the forehead makes a big cut on Jackson. It’s bleeding a lot and dripping onto his face. Bg left by Ige. Jackson needs to increase his attack output, he’s falling behind big time here. Big body kick followed by a right hand by Jackson. Ige with an uppercut. Left hook sits down Jackson. It’s over. A brutal walk-off KO.
Result: Dan Ige def. Damon Jackson via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 4:13
Recap: Dan Ige folds Damon Jackson with KO to snap three-fight skid
Photos: UFC Fight Night 217: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Dan Ige (16-6 MMA, 8-5 UFC), Damon Jackson (22-5-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Jason Herzog
Nassourdine Imavov vs. Sean Strickland
Round 1 – Strickland connecting early with a big right hand. And Imavov answers with a big left. A 1-2 connects for Strickland. Pretty competitive stuff so far. A left connects clean for Imavov. And Strickland stuns Imavov. He’s pressuring him a lot now. Strickland smells blood. Imavov seems to have recovered. Strickland now presses Imavov against the cage. Two minutes left. Good jab by Strickland followed by a left hook. They exchange, but nothing lands clean until the bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Strickland.
Round 2 – So far, Strickland’s output seems higher and he also seems to be connecting more cleanly. Good leg kick by Imavov. Strickland closes the distance and presses Imavov against the cage. No significant damage and they break away. They’re swinging a bit wild now, but nothing landing clean. Strickland shoots for the takedown and gets it. Imavov back to his feet, but now being pressed against the cage. Two minutes left. Imavov slips out and they’re back striking. The two having their moments. Pretty even. Strickland presses against the cage once again, but that control doesn’t last long. Imavov connects two hard punches to finish the round. Close round.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Strickland.
Round 3 – Imavov seems to be the fresher fighter here. Strickland might be slowing down. The fight has slowed down considerably. Good left hook by Strickland. Imavov shoots for a takedown and gets stuffed. Good jab by Strickland. Imavov having a tough time connecting in this round. Clean one, two lands for Strickland. One minute left. A lot of shots are being blocked or missed by both fighters. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Strickland.
Round 4 – Imavov’s corner warns him that he’s losing the fight entering Round 4. Let’s see what adjustments he makes because so far he’s falling in Strickland’s game. Good shot to the body by Strickland. Imavov is stepping on the gas here, as he looks to pressure and land a big shot. But so far, he’s just unable to. Good jabs by Strickland. One, two connects for Strickland. Imavov is getting frustrated. Strickland keeps snapping his head back with jabs. Imavov presses Strickland against the cage, but gets reversed. Strickland is in control. Two minutes left. They break away. Imavov has slowed down a ton. Strickland is not particularly fresh, but he’s keeping a constant pace. Strickland landing more often now. And the bell goes off.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Strickland.
Round 5 – Imavov is likely in need of a finish here, and his corner tells him so. No touch of gloves and the final round is on. After a few exchanges, Strickland presses Imavov against the cage. They break away and Imavov connects with a big left. Strickland seems fine. Strickland back pressing Imavov against the cage. And Imavov slips out. And back against the cage. It seems Strickland is just interested in clinching now. Two minutes left. They break away and Strickland brings him back to the cage. They’re back striking. Wrote too soon, back in the clinch. Good knee by Imavov. He’s turning it up. Good uppercut by Imavov. Grueling round. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Imavov. Overall 49-46, Strickland.
Result: Sean Strickland def. Nassourdine Imavov via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
Recap: Sean Strickland outpoints Nassourdine Imavov on short notice
Photos: UFC Fight Night 217: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Sean Strickland (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC), Nassourdine Imavov (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC)
Division: Light heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Judging: Mike Bell 48-47. Derek Cleary, Sal D’Amato 49-46.
