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The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned this weekend with UFC 290 on Saturday live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a championship doubleheader.
It was a thrilling night of back-and-forth fights, highlight reel finishes, and a brand new champion getting crowd.
Early in the night, Mexico’s Jesus Aguilar got the crowd on its feet with a picture-perfect one-punch knockout against Shannon Ross. Agular’s knockout came in just 17 seconds — the first of three fights on the night to finish in under 40 seconds which is the most in the modern UFC era.
One and DONE by Jesus Aguilar 😮💨 #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/wloIpvNCEA
— UFC (@ufc) July 8, 2023
In the final prelim of the night, Robbie Lawler had a storybook ending to his long career when he knocked out Niko Price just 38 seconds into the bout. It was Lawler’s retirement fight and he came out looking to make a statement. After Price engaged in the clinch, Lawler landed some heavy hooks and an uppercut which sent Price crumbling to the mat.
After the bout, the usually stoic Lawler was overcome with emotion.
ROBBIE LAWLER’S LAST EVER FIGHT AND ITS A BANGER
— 🌴ᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴏꜰᴡᴀʀ🌴 (@TheArtOfWar6) July 9, 2023
One last time on the mic for 'Ruthless' Robbie Lawler 🥲 #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/XwjpPFlBdF
— UFC (@ufc) July 9, 2023
To kick off the main card, super prospect Bo Nickal once again showed how dangerous of an out he is when he demolished Val Woodburn in just 38 seconds. Known for his strong wrestling pedigree at Penn State, Nickal used the fight to showcase his hands and overwhelmed his opponent en route to the finish.
Bo Nickal wins by knockout in the first round 😳 pic.twitter.com/Wj182Lk4QQ
— WrestlersGrind (@_wrestlersgrind) July 9, 2023
When it came time for the title fights, the co-main event did not disappoint.
Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja put on a show in their flyweight championship showdown in what is being regarded as a Fight of the Year candidate. It was a back-and-forth bout that went down to the wire, but ultimately it was the challenger who squeaked out a split decision win to claim the title.
With the win, Pantoja brings a belt back to Brazil after the country was left with no champions following the retirement of double champ Amanda Nunes.
In the main event, Alexander Volkanovski left no doubt that he is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and completely dominated interim titleholder Yair Rodriguez. Volkanovski had his way with Rodriguez through the first two rounds with his dominant grappling.
In the third round, Rodriguez showed some life by keeping the fight at a distance and utilizing his kicks, but ultimately Volkanovski was able to land a devastating shot that dropped the Mexican before some devastating ground-and-pound forced the referee to jump in and stop the fight as a third-round TKO.
If you missed out on the action, we have you covered.
A full look at the results from Saturday night’s UFC 290 can be seen below.
UFC 290 Results
- Alexander Volkanovski def. Yair Rodriguez via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:19
- Alexandre Pantoja def. Brandon Moreno via split decision (46-49, 48-47, 48-47)
- Dricus Du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:23
- Dan Hooker def. Jalin Turner via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Bo Nickal def. Val Woodburn via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:38
- Robbie Lawler def. Niko Price via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:38
- Tatsuro Taira def. Edgar Chairez via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
- Denise Gomes def. Yazmin Jauregui via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:20
- Alonzo Menifield def. Jimmy Crute via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 1:55
- Vitor Petrino def. Marcin Prachnio via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:42
- Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:10
- Jesus Aguilar def. Shannon Ross via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:17
- Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
