2012 in UFC | ||||
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Information | ||||
First date | January 22 | |||
Last date | December 31 | |||
Events | ||||
Total events | 32 (1 cancelled) | |||
UFC | 14 (1 cancelled) | |||
UFC on Fox | 4 | |||
UFC on FX | 6 | |||
UFC on Fuel TV | 6 | |||
TUF Finale events | 2 | |||
Fights | ||||
Total fights | 341 | |||
Title fights | 13 | |||
Chronology | ||||
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The year2012 was the 20th year in the history of theUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC), amixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. 2012 started withUFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes and ended withUFC 155: dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2. The year saw the successful UFC Featherweight title defense byJosé Aldo, the crowning ofCarlos Condit as the Interim Welterweight Champion, a new Lightweight Champion inBenson Henderson, a tournament to crown the first UFC Flyweight Champion as well as the finales ofThe Ultimate Fighter 15 andThe Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.
The following fighters fought their first UFC fight in 2012:
Season | Finale | Division | Winner | Runner-up |
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TUF 15: Live | Jun 1, 2012 | Lightweight | Michael Chiesa | Al Iaquinta |
TUF: Brazil | Jun 23, 2012 | Featherweight | Rony Mariano Bezerra | Godofredo Pepey |
Middleweight | Cezar Ferreira | Sergio Moraes | ||
TUF 16: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson | Dec 15, 2012 | Welterweight | Colton Smith | Mike Ricci |
TUF: The Smashes | Dec 15, 2012 | Lightweight | Norman Parke | Colin Fletcher |
Welterweight | Robert Whittaker | Brad Scott |
Title fights in 2012 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Event | Notes | |||
Featherweight | José Aldo (c) | def. | Chad Mendes | KO (knee) | 1 | 4:59 | UFC 142 | [a] |
Welterweight | Carlos Condit | def. | Nick Diaz | Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 48–47, 49–46) | 5 | 5:00 | UFC 143 | [b] |
Lightweight | Benson Henderson | def. | Frankie Edgar (c) | Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 48–47, 49–46) | 5 | 5:00 | UFC 144 | [c] |
Light Heavyweight | Jon Jones (c) | def. | Rashad Evans | Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 49–46, 50–45) | 5 | 5:00 | UFC 145 | [d] |
Heavyweight | Junior dos Santos (c) | def. | Frank Mir | TKO (punches) | 2 | 3:04 | UFC 146 | [e] |
Middleweight | Anderson Silva (c) | def. | Chael Sonnen | TKO (knee and punches) | 2 | 1:55 | UFC 148 | [f] |
Bantamweight | Renan Barão | def. | Urijah Faber | Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 50–45, 49–46) | 5 | 5:00 | UFC 149 | [g] |
Lightweight | Benson Henderson (c) | def. | Frankie Edgar | Decision (split) (48–47, 48–47, 46–49) | 5 | 5:00 | UFC 150 | [h] |
Flyweight | Demetrious Johnson | def. | Joseph Benavidez | Decision (split) (48–47, 47–48, 49–46) | 5 | 5:00 | UFC 152 | [i] |
Light Heavyweight | Jon Jones (c) | def. | Vitor Belfort | Submission (americana) | 4 | 0:54 | UFC 152 | [j] |
Welterweight | Georges St-Pierre (c) | def. | Carlos Condit (ic) | Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 50–45, 50–45) | 5 | 5:00 | UFC 154 | [k] |
Lightweight | Benson Henderson (c) | def. | Nate Diaz | Decision (unanimous) (50–43, 50–45, 50–45) | 5 | 5:00 | UFC on Fox 5 | [l] |
Heavyweight | Cain Velasquez | def. | Junior dos Santos (c) | Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 50–43, 50–44) | 5 | 5:00 | UFC 155 | [m] |
UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis | ||||
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![]() The poster for UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis | ||||
Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
Date | January 28, 2012 | |||
Venue | United Center | |||
City | Chicago, Illinois | |||
Attendance | 16,963[38] | |||
Total gate | $1,270,960[38] | |||
Event chronology | ||||
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UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis (also known asUFC on Fox 2) was amixed martial arts event held by theUltimate Fighting Championship on January 28, 2012, at theUnited Center inChicago, Illinois.[39]
The event was the first to be broadcast onFox as part of a seven-year agreement between theUFC and the network and the second to air live onFox after the inauguralUFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos.[40]
A bout betweenDemetrious Johnson andEddie Wineland was originally slated for this event. However, Johnson was pulled from the bout to be a participant in the UFC'sFlyweight tournament set to begin in March. Wineland was then expected to faceJohnny Bedford at this event.[41] However, Wineland himself was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by promotional newcomerMitch Gagnon.[42] Then just days before the event, the bout was cancelled due to an alleged visa issue for Gagnon.[43]
Paul Sass was expected to faceEvan Dunham, but was forced from the bout with an injury and replaced byNik Lentz.[44]
Cody McKenzie was expected to faceMichael Johnson at the event, but was forced from the bout with an injury and replaced byShane Roller.[45]
Mark Muñoz was expected to faceChael Sonnen in a #1 contender's bout for amiddleweight title shot, but Munoz was forced out of the bout with an injury.Michael Bisping, who was pulled from a scheduled fight withDemian Maia,[46] replaced Munoz to face Sonnen in the #1 contender's bout.Chris Weidman would step in on 11 days notice to face Maia as Bisping's replacement.[47]
The preliminary bout betweenChris Camozzi andDustin Jacoby was not aired on television orFacebook, making it the first bout on aUFC card to go unaired on the event's live broadcast sinceUFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis in March 2011.[48]
The event averaged 4.7 million viewers with a ratings peak of 6 million viewers for the main event.[49]
Main card (Fox) | |||||||
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Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
Light Heavyweight | Rashad Evans | def. | Phil Davis | Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 50–45, 50–45) | 5 | 5:00 | |
Middleweight | Chael Sonnen | def. | Michael Bisping | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | [a] |
Middleweight | Chris Weidman | def. | Demian Maia | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | [b] |
Preliminary Card (Fuel TV) | |||||||
Lightweight | Evan Dunham | def. | Nik Lentz | TKO (doctor stoppage) | 2 | 5:00 | |
Heavyweight | Mike Russow | def. | John-Olav Einemo | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Featherweight | Cub Swanson | def. | George Roop | TKO (punches) | 2 | 2:22 | |
Featherweight | Charles Oliveira | def. | Eric Wisely | Submission (reverse calf slicer) | 1 | 1:43 | |
Lightweight | Michael Johnson | def. | Shane Roller | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Heavyweight | Lavar Johnson | def. | Joey Beltran | KO (punches) | 1 | 4:24 | |
Preliminary Card | |||||||
Middleweight | Chris Camozzi | def. | Dustin Jacoby | Submission (guillotine choke) | 3 | 1:08 |
The following fighters received $65,000 bonuses.[50]
UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger | ||||
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![]() The poster for UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger | ||||
Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
Date | February 15, 2012 | |||
Venue | Omaha Civic Auditorium | |||
City | Omaha,Nebraska | |||
Attendance | 6,283[51] | |||
Total gate | $405,895[51] | |||
Event chronology | ||||
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UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger (also known asUFC on Fuel TV 1), was the first UFC event to air exclusively onFuel TV. It was held on February 15, 2012, at theOmaha Civic Auditorium inOmaha, Nebraska.[52] At the time, the event was the most watched show ever aired on Fuel TV with 217,000 viewers tuning in.[53]
The main event consisted ofDiego Sanchez facingJake Ellenberger. Ellenberger came into the match on a five fight win streak, four of which ended by stoppage, including one againstJake Shields. The fight against Ellenberger would become Sanchez's eighteenth fight with the UFC going back to April 2005 when he wonThe Ultimate Fighter 1.[54] Ellenberger continued his win streak defeating Sanchez by unanimous decision.
Rani Yahya was expected to faceJonathan Brookins at the event. However, Yahya was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced byVagner Rocha.[55]
Promotional newcomers Yoislandy Izquierdo and Bernardo Magalhaes were expected to face each other at the event. However, Izquierdo was not allowed to compete due to a contractual dispute with another organization and was replaced byTim Means.[56]
A bout between Buddy Roberts and Sean Loeffler was scheduled for the preliminary card. However, the pairing was scrapped on the day of the event as Loeffler injured his ankle during a pre-fight warm up.[57] With the loss of the Roberts/Loeffler bout, the event took place with only nine fights, making it the smallest fight card for the promotion sinceUFC 110 in 2010.
Main Card (Fuel TV) | |||||||
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Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
Welterweight | Jake Ellenberger | def. | Diego Sanchez | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Heavyweight | Stefan Struve | def. | Dave Herman | TKO (punches) | 2 | 3:52 | |
Middleweight | Ronny Markes | def. | Aaron Simpson | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Heavyweight | Stipe Miocic | def. | Phil De Fries | KO (punches) | 1 | 0:43 | |
Bantamweight | T.J. Dillashaw | def. | Walel Watson | Decision (unanimous) (30–25, 30–25, 30–26) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Bantamweight | Ivan Menjivar | def. | John Albert | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 1 | 3:45 | |
Preliminary card (Facebook) | |||||||
Featherweight | Jonathan Brookins | def. | Vagner Rocha | KO (punches) | 1 | 1:32 | [a] |
Lightweight | Justin Salas | def. | Anton Kuivanen | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Lightweight | Tim Means | def. | Bernardo Magalhaes | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–26, 30–26) | 3 | 5:00 |
The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.[58]
UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier | ||||
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![]() The poster for UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier | ||||
Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
Date | May 15, 2012 | |||
Venue | Patriot Center | |||
City | Fairfax,Virginia | |||
Attendance | 6,668[59] | |||
Total gate | $343,175[59] | |||
Event chronology | ||||
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UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier (also known asUFC on Fuel TV 3) was amixed martial arts event held by theUltimate Fighting Championship on May 15, 2012, at thePatriot Center inFairfax, Virginia.[60] Initially, this event was referred to asUFC on FX 3, but was since clarified to be aFuel TV event.[61]
Brandon Vera was briefly scheduled to faceThiago Silva in a rematch of their January 2011 bout. However, Vera was forced out of the bout with an injury.Igor Pokrajac stepped in to fight Silva.[62] Silva was subsequently pulled from the bout to replace an injuredAntônio Rogério Nogueira againstAlexander Gustafsson atUFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva.[63] Pokrajac will now faceFabio Maldonado.[64]
Yves Edwards was expected to faceDonald Cerrone at the event, but Edwards was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced byJeremy Stephens.[65]
Mike Easton was expected to faceYves Jabouin at the event, but Easton was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced byJeff Hougland who was previously expected to faceRenan Barão atUFC 148.[66]
Aaron Riley was expected to faceCody McKenzie at the event, but Riley was pulled from the event and replaced by promotional newcomerMarcus LeVesseur.[67]
Azamat Gashimov was expected to make his promotional debut against Alex Soto. However, Gashimov was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by returning veteranFrancisco Rivera.[68]
The main event featuredChan Sung Jung facingDustin Poirier. The winner of this bout was linked to a potential bout withJosé Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Championship, but that fight did not materialize until 15 months later atUFC 163.[69]
Main Card (Fuel TV) | |||||||
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Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
Featherweight | Chan Sung Jung | def. | Dustin Poirier | Technical Submission (D'Arce choke) | 4 | 1:07 | |
Welterweight | Amir Sadollah | def. | Jorge Lopez | Decision (split) (28–29, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Lightweight | Donald Cerrone | def. | Jeremy Stephens | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Bantamweight | Yves Jabouin | def. | Jeff Hougland | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–26, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Light Heavyweight | Igor Pokrajac | def. | Fabio Maldonado | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Middleweight | Tom Lawlor | def. | Jason MacDonald | KO (punch) | 1 | 0:50 | |
Preliminary card (Facebook) | |||||||
Middleweight | Brad Tavares | def. | Yang Dongi | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Lightweight | Cody McKenzie | def. | Marcus LeVesseur | Submission (guillotine choke) | 1 | 3:05 | |
Lightweight | T. J. Grant | def. | Carlo Prater | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Lightweight | Rafael dos Anjos | def. | Kamal Shalorus | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 1 | 1:40 | |
Bantamweight | Johnny Eduardo | def. | Jeff Curran | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Bantamweight | Francisco Rivera | def. | Alex Soto | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 |
The following fighters received $40,000 bonuses.[70]
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.[71]
UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall 2 | ||||
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![]() The poster for UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall 2 | ||||
Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
Date | June 8, 2012 | |||
Venue | BankAtlantic Center | |||
City | Sunrise,Florida | |||
Attendance | 6,635[72] | |||
Total gate | $329,110[72] | |||
Estimated viewers | 1,100,000[73] | |||
Total purse | $583,500[74] | |||
Event chronology | ||||
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UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall (also known asUFC on FX 3) was amixed martial arts event held by theUltimate Fighting Championship on June 8, 2012, at theBankAtlantic Center inSunrise, Florida.[75]
Because of a scoring error atUFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann, a majority draw betweenDemetrious Johnson andIan McCall was mistakenly announced as a victory for Johnson.[76]Dana White announced the error following the conclusion of the event and that Johnson and McCall would have a rematch. The rematch was initially reported to happen atThe Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale, but instead was moved to the main card of this event,UFC on FX 3.[77] Since then, it was announced by the UFC that the fight would be the main event ofUFC on FX 3.[78]
This was the first event that the UFC hosted inSouth Florida sinceUFC Fight Night 10 in 2007. This also was the first UFC event to be headlined by a flyweight bout.
Main Card (FX) | |||||||
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Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
Flyweight | Demetrious Johnson | def. | Ian McCall | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | [a] |
Welterweight | Erick Silva | def. | Charlie Brenneman | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 1 | 4:33 | |
Welterweight | Mike Pyle | def. | Josh Neer | KO (punch) | 1 | 4:56 | |
Bantamweight | Eddie Wineland | def. | Scott Jorgensen | KO (punches) | 2 | 4:10 | |
Preliminary card (Fuel TV) | |||||||
Welterweight | Mike Pierce | def. | Carlos Eduardo Rocha | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Welterweight | Seth Baczynski | def. | Lance Benoist | Decision (split) (27–30, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Featherweight | Matt Grice | def. | Leonard Garcia | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Bantamweight | Dustin Pague | def. | Jared Papazian | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 1 | 3:21 | |
Lightweight | Tim Means | def. | Justin Salas | TKO (knee & punches) | 1 | 1:06 | [b] |
Middleweight | Buddy Roberts | def. | Caio Magalhaes | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Preliminary card (Facebook) | |||||||
Lightweight | Henry Martinez | def. | Bernardo Magalhaes | Decision (split) (30–27, 28–29, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Welterweight | Sean Pierson | def. | Jake Hecht | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 |
Semifinals UFC on FX 2 / UFC on FX 3 | Finals UFC 152 | ||||||||
Joseph Benavidez | TKO | ||||||||
Yasuhiro Urushitani | 2 | ||||||||
Joseph Benavidez | 5 | ||||||||
Demetrious Johnson | SD | ||||||||
Demetrious Johnson1 | UD | ||||||||
Ian McCall | 3 |
1 The initial semifinal bout between Johnson and McCall atUFC on FX 2 ended in a draw. Johnson defeated McCall in a rematch atUFC on FX 3
The following fighters received $40,000.[80]
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Florida State Boxing Commission. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.[74]
UFC 149: Faber vs. Barão | ||||
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![]() The poster for UFC 149: Faber vs. Barão | ||||
Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
Date | July 21, 2012 | |||
Venue | Scotiabank Saddledome | |||
City | Calgary,Alberta,Canada | |||
Attendance | 16,089[81] | |||
Total gate | $4,100,000[81] | |||
Buyrate | 235,000[82] | |||
Event chronology | ||||
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UFC 149: Faber vs. Barão was amixed martial arts event held by theUltimate Fighting Championship on July 21, 2012, at theScotiabank Saddledome inCalgary. It was the first event that the UFC has held in theCanadian province ofAlberta.[83][84]
On April 24, due to a conflict with the UN Conference, theUFC Middleweight Championship bout betweenAnderson Silva andChael Sonnen, which was originally scheduled to main eventUFC 147 was moved toUFC 148 to serve as the new main event. Plans were then being made forJosé Aldo, who at the time was scheduled to defend his title at this event against an undetermined opponent, to headlineUFC 147.[85] However it was reported on April 28, 2012, that Aldo would remain on this card and defend his title againstErik Koch.[86]
The bout betweenMichael Bisping andTim Boetsch, originally scheduled forUFC 148, was moved to this event to help bolster this (the UFC 149) fight card.[87] However, Bisping was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by promotional newcomerHector Lombard.[88]
Yoshihiro Akiyama was expected to faceThiago Alves at this event, but was forced to pull out of the fight due to injury and replaced bySiyar Bahadurzada.[89] Then on June 1, Alves pulled out of the bout citing an injury[90] and was replaced byChris Clements.[91] However, Bahadurzada was also forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced byMatthew Riddle.[92]
Thiago Silva was expected to faceMaurício Rua at the event. However, Silva was forced out of the bout with an injury and Rua was pulled from the event entirely, and would faceBrandon Vera atUFC on Fox 4.[93]
On June 4, 2012, it was announced that the UFC signed formerDREAM championBibiano Fernandes. He was expected to compete againstRoland Delorme.[94] However, a week later it was announced that Fernandes was removed from the event due to injury but was later announced that Fernandes had not signed with the UFC.Francisco Rivera filled in to fight Delorme.[95]
On June 9, 2012, it was announced that UFC featherweight champion,José Aldo was removed from the event due to injury. No replacement has yet been named for his scheduled opponent,Erik Koch.[96] As a result, the UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship fight betweenUrijah Faber andRenan Barão was rescheduled as the main event of the fight.[97]
George Roop was scheduled to fightAntonio Carvalho, but on June 26, Roop was forced out of the fight and replaced byDaniel Pineda.[98]
FormerPride and InterimUFC Heavyweight ChampionAntônio Rodrigo Nogueira was expected to faceCheick Kongo at the event. However, Nogueira pulled out of the bout, citing that an arm injury sustained in his last bout had not healed enough to resume the proper training and was replaced byShawn Jordan.[99]
Claude Patrick was expected to faceJames Head at the event. However, Patrick was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced byBrian Ebersole.[100]
Main Card | |||||||
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Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
Bantamweight | Renan Barão | def. | Urijah Faber | Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 50–45, 49–46) | 5 | 5:00 | [a] |
Middleweight | Tim Boetsch | def. | Hector Lombard | Decision (split) (28-29, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Heavyweight | Cheick Kongo | def. | Shawn Jordan | Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Welterweight | James Head | def. | Brian Ebersole | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Welterweight | Chris Clements | vs. | Matt Riddle | NC (overturned) | 3 | 2:02 | [b] |
Preliminary Card (FX) | |||||||
Middleweight | Nick Ring | def. | Court McGee | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Bantamweight | Francisco Rivera | vs. | Roland Delorme | No Contest | 1 | 4:19 | [c] |
Light Heavyweight | Ryan Jimmo | def. | Anthony Perosh | KO (punch) | 1 | 0:07 | |
Bantamweight | Bryan Caraway | def. | Mitch Gagnon | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 3 | 1:39 | |
Preliminary Card (Facebook) | |||||||
Featherweight | Antonio Carvalho | def. | Daniel Pineda | KO (punches) | 1 | 1:11 | |
Lightweight | Anton Kuivanen | def. | Mitch Clarke | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 |
The following fighters received $65,000 bonuses.[101]