Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 260 live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Francis
Ngannou carries a different kind of power in his massive
fists. The
Xtreme Couture rep avenged a 2018 defeat in resounding fashion,
as he blew away Stipe
Miocic with punches and captured the undisputed
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title in the second
round of their UFC
260 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Miocic
(20-4, 14-4 UFC) succumbed to blows 52 seconds into Round 2.
Ngannou (16-3, 11-2 UFC) fought at a frighteningly measured pace
from the start, picking his spots while he probed for openings. He
sprawled out of a Miocic takedown in the first round, punished him
with crushing ground-and-pound and set the stage for what was to
come. Ngannou put the Euclid, Ohio, native on unsteady feet with a
short but devastating left hook early in Round 2, ate a right hand
in return and then uncorked a left hook that sent the champion
careening backward, his right leg bending awkwardly beneath him.
One final hammerfist drew the curtain and gave rise to the latest
“Baddest Man on the Planet.”
Luque Choke Vanquishes Woodley
Cerrado MMA export Vicente
Luque dispatched Tyron
Woodley with a brabo choke in the first round of their
welterweight co-main event. Submitted for the first time in 27
professional outings, Woodley (19-7-1, 9-6-1 UFC) conceded defeat
3:56 into Round 1 before appearing to lose consciousness.
Luque (20-7-1, 13-3 UFC) did not escape unscathed. Woodley stormed
out of the gate with some rediscovered aggression and buzzed the
tower with a pair of overhand rights, the Brazilian’s legs seeming
to buckle beneath him. Luque withstood his brush with potential
disaster and turned the tide in an instant with a counter right
hand of his own. A badly staggered Woodley stumbled across the cage
but found no reprieve. Luque swarmed with a variety of strikes,
drove him to the canvas and locked in the choke. Woodley struggled
to free himself, only to find all avenues of escape cut off.
The 29-year-old Luque has pieced together three straight
victories.
O’Malley Wrecks Spiraling Almeida
MMA Lab standout Sean
O’Malley rebounded from his Aug. 15 loss to Marlon Vera
and did so in style, as he disposed of Thomas
Almeida with punches in the third round of their featured
bantamweight battle. Winless since 2016, the once-ballyhooed
Almeida (22-5, 5-5 UFC) bowed out 3:52 into Round 3.
O’Malley (13-1, 5-1 UFC) controlled virtually every second of the
fight. He dazed Almeida with a head kick in the first round,
dropped him with a left hook and stepped away in a bid for a
walk-off knockout. However, the Brazilian was not yet finished.
Almeida recovered despite significant damage to his nose and waded
forward into further danger. O’Malley connected on a counter left
late in the third round, followed his suddenly supine adversary and
uncorked a devastating standing-to-ground right hand that brought
it to an emphatic close.
Almeida, 29, now finds himself in a four-fight tailspin.
Surging Maverick Sings Robertson
Invicta
Fighting Championships Phoenix Series 2 tournament winner
Miranda
Maverick moved one step closer to joining the Top 15 at 125
pounds, as she laid claim to a unanimous decision over Gillian
Robertson in a three-round women’s flyweight feature. Maverick
(9-2, 2-0 UFC) carried all three scorecards: 30-27, 30-27 and
29-28.
Robertson (9-6, 6-4 UFC) was overmatched in the standup exchanges
but nevertheless made life difficult for the 23-year-old prospect.
The Din
Thomas protégé advanced to Maverick’s back in the second round
and threatened her with an armbar from the bottom in the third.
However, the stretches in between were not kind to Robertson.
Maverick struck for repeated takedowns, enjoyed considerable
control time and piled up points with ground-and-pound.
Maverick has rattled off five straight victories.
Mullarkey Levels Favored Worthy
Magnus
MMA export Jamie
Mullarkey wiped out Khama
Worthy with punches in the first round of their lightweight
showcase. Worthy (16-8, 2-2 UFC) met his end 46 seconds into Round
1, as the Pittsburgh native suffered his second setback in as many
appearances.
Mullarkey (13-4, 1-2 UFC) feinted a right hand and connected with a
perfectly time left hook. Worthy’s legs gave way underneath him, as
he collapsed forward and ate a follow-up right hand before referee
Chris Tognoni could arrive on the scene.
The win was Mullarkey’s first since May 3, 2019.
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UFC 260 Prelims: Nurmagomedov Handles Overmatched Gooden
