LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 218 takes place Saturday, and you can join us for live play-by-play and official results beginning at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).
UFC Fight Night 218 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
In the main event, two-time heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis (26-10 MMA, 17-8 UFC) takes on Serghei Spivac (15-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in a bout rescheduled from UFC Fight Night 215 this past November.
Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 10 p.m. ET for the prelims on ESPN+ and 1 a.m. ET for the main card on ESPN+.
To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC Fight Night 218 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.
Jesus Aguilar vs. Tatsuro Taira
Synopsis: Tatsuro Taira was the biggest favorite on the card, but early in the fight it looked liked Jesus Aguilar was primed for an upset. When Taira got the fight to the canvas, Aguilar caught him in a guillotine choke and kept him subdued for much of the opening round. But when Taira finally pulled his head out, he went to work, reversed, and got a triangle choke. He held Aguilar in place, grabbed his arm, then pivoted again and gave Aguilar no way to tap – forcing him to verbally submit before taking more damage to his arm.
Result: Tatsuro Taira def. Jesus Aguilar via verbal submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:20
Recap: Tatsuro Taira stays unbeaten with slick armbar finish
Photos: UFC Fight Night 218 – Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Tatsuro Taira (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) def. Jesus Santos Aguilar (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Chris Tognoni
That Armbar was slick 🔒 #UFCVegas68 pic.twitter.com/CE6a2EKtBA
— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) February 5, 2023
Junyong Park vs. Denis Tiuliulin
Synopsis: Junyong Park made things look easy against Denis Tiuliulin. Park made his way to full mount on the canvas and softened Tiuliulin up with punches and elbows. By the time Tiuliulin was a bloody mess and dripping all over the canvas, he got tired of getting hit in the face and gave his back. Park stayed latched to him, got a body triangle, then got his arm under Tiuliulin’s chin. A few seconds later, Park had a nice and easy first-round submission win when Tiuliulin went to sleep.
Result: Junyong Park def. Denis Tiuliulin technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:05
Photos: UFC Fight Night 218 – Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Junyong Park (16-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) def. Denis Tiuliulin (11-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Park put him to sleep 😴 #UFCVegas68 pic.twitter.com/1KQJkZUCiP
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 5, 2023
Seung Guk Choi vs. Sung Hyun Park
Synopsis: Sung Hyun Park was known for getting opponents out of the cage in a hurry, but he had to put a little work in Saturday and mount a comeback of sorts. But after he worked his jab to near perfection, Park found himself on the canvas with an opportunity to take Seung Guk Choi’s back. Once he did, the rear-naked choke finish was fairly standard stuff – and it gave Park a flyweight contract with the UFC win a win in the final of the “Road to UFC” flyweight tournament. Park became the first South Korean to earn his way into the UFC’s 125-pound division.
Result: Sung Hyun Park def. Seung Guk Choi via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:11 – to win “Road to UFC” flyweight tournament
Photos: UFC Fight Night 218 – Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Sung Hyun Park (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) def. Seung Guk Choi (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Marc Goddard
Hyunsung Park earns a UFC contract 👏 #UFCVegas68 pic.twitter.com/FAH0tvbGmB
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 5, 2023
Toshiomi Kazama vs. Rinya Nakamura
Synopsis: Rinya Nakamura came out like a man possessed and left no doubt about his intentions against Toshiomi Kazama. Kazama came forward with reckless abandon – the kind of abandon befitting a big underdog who said before the fight he likely would retire if he lost. Nakamura landed punches on him quickly and knocked him down. When Kazama popped back up quickly and threw a right, Nakamura took a step back, reset himself, then drilled Kazama and put him out cold on the canvas. It was the second fastest debut finish in UFC bantamweight history and got Nakamura a contract through the “Road to UFC” bantamweight final.
Result: Rinya Nakamura def. Toshiomi Kazama via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:33 – to win “Road to UFC” bantamweight tournament
Photos: UFC Fight Night 218 – Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Toshiomi Kazama (10-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), Rinya Nakamura (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Keith Peterson
NAKAMURA SLEPT HIM 😮 #UFCVegas68 pic.twitter.com/GTLhTUIfP1
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 5, 2023
Jeong Yeong Lee vs. Yi Zha
Synopsis: The “Road to UFC” saw its featherweight final go back and forth, and was the first fight of the card to go the distance after four straight finishes. Even though Yi Zha spent a good amount of time in top position against Jeong Yeong Lee, two of three judges thought Lee did enough in two of the three rounds to get the nod. The dissenting third judge scored all three rounds for Zha.
Result: Jeong Yeong Lee vs. Yi Zha via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28) – to win “Road to UFC” featherweight tournament
Photos: UFC Fight Night 218 – Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Jeong Yeong Lee (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) def. Yi Zha (21-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Judging: Junichiro Kamijo 29-28 Lee (R1-2), David Lethaby 29-28 Lee (R1, R3); Jacob Montalvo 30-27 Zha
Anshul Jubli vs. Jeka Saragih
Synopsis: Jeka Saragih did some showboating in the first round against Anshul Jubli, but it didn’t get him anything but some steady punishment. Jubli steadily wore Saragih down and got to full mount in the second round. From there, he landed ground-and-pound until he finally got the stoppage and a UFC contract as the lightweight winner of “Road to UFC.” He became the second fighter from India to fight in the UFC.
Result: Anshul Jubli def. Jeka Saragih via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:44 – to win “Road to UFC” lightweight tournament
Photos: UFC Fight Night 218 – Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Anshul Jubli (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) def. Jeka Saragih (13-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Marc Goddard
ANSHUL JUBLI GETS THE POWER-PACKED W 💪 #UFCVegas68 pic.twitter.com/YcSfuPOrd4
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 5, 2023
Adam Fugitt vs. Yusaku Kinoshita
Round 1 – After a feeling-out process in the first minute, Kinoshita drills Futitt with a head kick. Somehow, Fugitt eats it and walks through it enough to land a takedown. With Kinoshita pressed against the fence, Fugitt tries to recover from the kick and keeps Kinoshita stifled and tied up. When Kinoshita gets back to his feet, Fugitt consistently wrestles him back to the canvas. With about two minutes left in the frame, Kinoshita breaks free and looks confident until Fugitt drills him in the chin with a straight left and puts him on the canvas. Kinoshita pops back up, but eats a knee and soon finds himself back on the mat. Fugitt works Kinoshita over with punches and elbows and finally, with Kinoshita able to go nowhere, he gets the TKO finish.
Result: Adam Fugitt def. Yusaku Kinoshita via TKO (strikes) – Round 1
Photos: UFC Fight Night 218 – Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Adam Fugitt (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) def. Yusaku Kinoshita (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Keith Peterson
FUGITT SHOWED NO MERCY 😤 #UFCVEGAS68 pic.twitter.com/Sc5SarHzCj
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 5, 2023
Dooho Choi vs. Kyle Nelson
Round 1 – After a layoff of more than three years, “The Korean Superboy,” Dooho Choi, is back. And he looks pretty calm to open against Nelson. But about 45 seconds in, a Choi kick is caught by Nelson, who puts him off-balance and scoops him up for a takedown right against the fence. Choi tries to work his way back up, but can’t do it. Nelson keeps him stifled. But about halfway through the round, Choi brilliantly reverses position and goes from being in big trouble for a Nelson submission attempt to on top looking for a submission of his own. Nelson tries to move to side control in the crucifix position and has about 75 seconds left to work on it. Nelson gets back to half-guard, and he’ll survive the round on his back. Choi turned the tables and gets a 10-9 round on the Junkie scorecard.
Round 2 – Thirty seconds into the middle round, Nelson lands a right hand that stumbles Choi. Nelson rushes in and clips him with a flying knee and Choi backs out of danger and tries to recover. Nelson stays patient and looks for another opening, but eats a 1-2 from Choi. Nelson answers with a leg kick, and 90 seconds into the round drills another right hand. But a takedown attempt seconds later is off the mark, and it allows Choi a chance to control tings on the fence. Choi gets back to leg kicks and is starting to see the effects of them. The pace slows to close the round, but it’s a 10-9 frame for Choi on Junkie’s card.
Round 3 – Choi lands a kick near the liver early in the third, but can’t fully take advantage of it. Nelson latches onto Choi mostly defensively, but gathers himself and tries to work Choi to the canvas. Nelson keeps him wrapped up, but can’t get a lot of offense going while trying to drive him to the mat. Finally, with three minutes left, Nelson gets a big slam out of his efforts. Nelson doesn’t do much to stay busy the first 30 seconds he has him there, though. He’s not letting Choi score, and it’s clear he’s trying to win the round at all costs. With two minutes left, Nelson tries to wrestle him back to the mat and loses position. Choi gets on top and tries to get some ground-and-pound going. With about 90 seconds left, ref Chris Tognoni stops the fight for a head butt and asks for a replay. Tognoni decides Choi should lose a point, and that’s going to play a major impact on this fight. On the restart, Nelson goes right after the takedown again because a win in the round is going to mean 10-8 for him. But for the last 30 seconds, Choi drills him over and over with punches and elbows to the ribcage while Nelson holds on to go to the judges. MMA Junkie gives the final round to Nelson, barely, which means 10-8 … and should leave the fight a 28-28 draw.
Result: Dooho Choi vs. Kyle Nelson declared majority draw (29-27 Choi, 28-28, 28-28)
Photos: UFC Fight Night 218 – Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Dooho Choi (14-4-1 MMA, 3-3-1 UFC), Kyle Nelson (13-5-1 MMA, 1-4-1 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Chris Tognoni
Judging: Adelaide Byrd, 29-27 Choi (R1-2 Choi, R3 9-9); Eric Colon, Chris Lee 28-28 (R1 Choi, R2 Nelson, R3 9-9)
The sound of these punches 🤭 #UFCVegas68 pic.twitter.com/RGfA072E9O
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 5, 2023
Blagoy Ivanov vs. Marcin Tybura
Round 1 – The two big men move around plenty trying to find openings. Once in a while, they sneak something through. And about two minutes in, Ivanov lands a nice right hand that gets Tybura’s attention. Past the midway mark, Tybura lands a nice left hand. With about 90 seconds left, Tybura takes Ivanov a little off balance, but there’s not a big opportunity there for him. He tries a head kick again, then gets inside and eats a couple body punches for his trouble on a nice counter. It’s not a blowout, but MMA Junkie gives the first to Tybura, 10-9.
Round 2 – The middle frame looks much the same as the first. Ivanov seems to keep coming forward no matter what Tybura hits him with – and he’s worked in a nice mix of leg kicks, kicks to the midsection and stuff up top. Ivanov offers plenty of offense, too, though, and even stumbles Tybura with 90 seconds left. Somehow, even though Ivanov is resilient and landing, it feels like another close 10-9 round for Tybura.
Round 3 – Tybura brings an interesting strategy to the last round. He shoots for a takedown and gets Ivanov to the canvas. That’s a move that likely would have been expected from Ivanov, not the other way around. And a minute in, Tybura nearly has Ivanov flat on his back up against the fence. Tybura wraps him up and keeps him stifled on the fence. Ivanov skips an opportunity to try to explode out and it allows Tybura to stay heavy on him. Tybura throws a few quick punches mostly to keep the ref from warning him for more action. Midway through, Ivanov shows no likelihood he can make it back to his feet, and Tybura nearly gets his back with both hooks. With two minutes left, Tybura tries to wrap up a body triangle. Ivanov controls Tybura’s left arm and prevents the choke. With a minute to go, Tybura won’t get a choke to stick, but he’s also not going to have to stress about Ivanov landing anything the rest of the way to hit a Hail Mary. It’s an easy 10-9 round for Tybura, and MMA Junkie has it 30-27 for him – though the fight was closer than a 30-27 score would typically indicate.
Result: Marcin Tybura def. Blagoy Ivanov via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Photos: UFC Fight Night 218 – Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Marcin Tybura (24-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) def. Blagoy Ivanov (19-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC)
Division: Heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Judging: Junichiro Kamijo 30-27; Ben Cartlidge, David Lethaby 29-28 (R1, R3 Tybura)
Devin Clark vs. Da-un Jung
Round 1 – Clark comes forward quickly and tries to take Jung to the canvas. He stays busy with him, but after 90 seconds it’s Jung who turns the tables and goes after a takedown. He keeps Clark tied up on the feet and midway through stumbles him a little. With two minutes left, Jung lands a nice punch, then an elbow. But Clark lands a leg kick in response, and with 90 seconds left works to get Jung to the canvas. He does, but Jung is back up immediately and breaks away with a big elbow with a minute left. Clark lands a left hand, but the two tie up again. Clark lands a big takedown with 35 seconds left and some big right hands are on the mark to close the round. That late surge makes it a 10-9 round for Clark on the unofficial Junkie scorecard.
Round 2 – A big takedown for Clark opens the second round. He uses plenty of energy trying to keep Jung from getting any offense off, and it works till about the midway point of the round. After Jung turns things around on the fence, he breaks free and seems intent on taking the round back. Clark throws a nice head kick, though, and a couple powerful punches. With about two minutes left, Clark shoots for a takedown and it’s not there. They stay clinched up trying to break free and trying to win the position. Jung may have a better position, but he’s not doing a lot with it and Clark is throwing some offense out there. Junkie will give a close one to Clark, 10-9.
Round 3 – Jung gets a big outside trip about 1:45 into the final round. Jung is on top in half-guard. Jung tries to push off with the fence to free up a chance to pass, but he makes a mistake and Clark scrambles back to his feet and briefly takes Jung’s back. With two minutes left, they start throwing. Clark tries a head kick, then drops low for a takedown. But Jung ties him up and presses him to the fence. Clark uses elbows and knees to try to break free. They sling hard late. Jung lands a spinning back elbow, and Clark answers with a hard right. Clark lands a takedown to end the fight. Jung gets the last 10-9, also close, but Clark has the fight 29-28 based on Junkie’s very unofficial scores. We’ll see what the judges say.
Result: Devin Clark vs. Da-un Jung via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Photos: UFC Fight Night 218 – Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Devin Clark (14-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) def. Da-un Jung (15-4-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC)
Division: Light heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Keith Peterson
Judging: Eric Colon, David Lethaby, Chris Lee 30-27
Derrick Lewis vs. Serghei Spivac
Round 1 – The big men tie up quickly, and Spivac lands a hip toss and puts Lewis on his back. Spivac goes to work from side control and looks initially for a potential arm-triangle choke. Lewis gives his back and Spivac gets heavy on top with punches. About two minutes in, Lewis gets to his feet, but Spivac immediately drops him back. And seconds later, the same thing happens – but puts Lewis back on the canvas head first. Midway through the round, we see it again. Then again. Lewis gets up, then taken down. Up, then taken down. And each time, Spivac lands a few more punches while Lewis covers up. And with two minutes left, Spivac puts Lewis on his back with an arm-triangle choke, and it’s absolutely easy. He’s got it, and Lewis gently taps in a hurry. Quite frankly, Lewis never was in the fight and it was pure domination from Spivac.
Result: Serghei Spivac def. Derrick Lewis via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:05
Recap: Serghei Spivac dominates Derrick Lewis, calls out Jon Jones
Photos: UFC Fight Night 218 – Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Serghei Spivac (16-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) def. Derrick Lewis (26-11 MMA, 17-9 UFC)
Division: Heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Marc Goddard
SERGHEI SPIVAC SUBMITS LEWIS IN ROUND 1 🗜 #UFCVegas68 pic.twitter.com/qSlnn4mnBv
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 5, 2023
