UFC 244 live results and analysis: Corey Anderson shuts down Johnny Walker
“Street cred” is how Dana White kept describing the essence of UFC 244’s main event.
Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal aren’t fighting for an official title or belt Saturday night in Madison Square Garden. They’re fighting because after Diaz beat Anthony Pettis on Aug. 17 and called out Masvidal, the momentum it generated demanded the fight take place. And as the momentum built, the idea of having the fight headline the card — which is a rarity for a non-title fight — kept making more and more sense.
Every fight from UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz is available to watch on ESPN+. Note: You must have purchased the UFC 244 PPV in order to watch replays from that portion of the night.
• Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz
• Kelvin Gastelum vs. Darren Till
• Stephen Thompson vs. Vicente Luque
• Derrick Lewis vs. Blagoy Ivanov
• Kevin Lee vs. Gregor Gillespie
• Corey Anderson vs. Johnny Walker
• Shane Burgos vs. Makwan Amirkhani
• Brad Tavares vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
• Andrei Arlovski vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
• Jennifer Maia vs. Katlyn Chookagian
• Lyman Good vs. Chance Rencountre
• Julio Arce vs. Hakeem Dawodu
“The reality was for me to think about, how do we do a main event that isn’t a title fight?” White said. “Once I got past that, I started thinking about the things that Diaz said and the fight itself.
“We were in a matchmaking meeting, I kicked around to the guys, ‘What do you think about me doing a BMF belt for this thing?’ I was getting ready for them to say, ‘Are you nuts?’ And they loved it. They loved it and we went with it, and here we are.”
The BMF belt will be strapped around the winner’s waist by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, enhancing the vibe of this being a special event.
White has said this BMF fight will be a one-off, but there’s already rumblings about a challenger down the road.
“[Conor] McGregor already said ‘I want the next shot. I designed that belt, I should be able to fight for it,'” White said. “But I love it, I love the fact people care.”
The main event is just one of several fights with championship implications and interesting subplots. It’s possible the winner of the co-main event between Kelvin Gastelum and Darren Till will be the next to face welterweight champ Israel Adesanya. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Vicente Luque and Derrick Lewis are a few of the other notable fighters who will take the Octagon before the main event.
Keep it here as Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim provide analysis on each of the 12 bouts.
Heavyweight: Derrick Lewis (21-7, -105) vs. Blagoy Ivanov (18-2, -125)
Lightweight: Kevin Lee (18-5) defeats Gregor Gillespie (13-1) by first-round KO
Welcome back to lightweight, Mr. Lee.
After a one-fight detour to welterweight, Lee returned to 155 pounds to face one of the division’s rising stars, and he knocked his opponent cold with a left kick to the head at 2:47 of the first round.
Gillespie (13-1) came in unbeaten and with the wrestling credentials that made him a threat to go all the way to the top. But Lee (18-5) has wrestling in his arsenal too, and on this night he used it defensively, setting up in a low stance to keep Gillespie away from his legs.
That stance also packed power into Lee’s punches, and while Gillespie was clipping him with jab after jab, Lee was connecting with bigger punches. Nothing Lee delivered early on seemed to faze Gillespie, though, until Lee landed a straight right hand followed immediately by a left kick that landed square on the jaw, stiffening Gillespie as he collapsed backward. Gillespie was out before he fell against the cage and to the canvas. As the referee lunged in to save Gillespie, Lee calmly walked away.
Lee was back, he knew it and he had just let the rest of the lightweight division know.
— Wagenheim
Light heavyweight: Corey Anderson (14-4) def. Johnny Walker (17-4) by TKO in the first round
Anderson has been trying hard to make the UFC interested in a fight between him and UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. He even confronted Jones at an autograph signing over the summer in New Jersey.
On Saturday night, Anderson might have put forth his best pitch yet.
“Overtime” stopped hot prospect Johnny Walker by TKO at 2:07 of the first round in the featured fight of the UFC 244 prelims. Anderson blasted Walker on the feet and put him down for good with a huge right hand — a big development for someone who usually wins via his great wrestling.
Anderson (13-4) has won four in a row, and he came in ranked No. 6 among light heavyweights by ESPN. The Illinois native had not finished a fight since 2016. Anderson, 30, has 10 wins since 2014, tied for the most in the UFC light heavyweight division with Ovince Saint Preux.
So much for the early Christmas present. This is exactly why I just let them light heavyweight do all the talking.
Walker (17-4) had won four in a row to start his UFC career, the past three via highlight-reel KO/TKO. The Brazil native was in the light heavyweight title discussion, and he might have been tabbed as a top contender with an impressive win here. Despite the loss, Walker, 27, remains one to watch in the future at 205 pounds.
— Raimondi
Featherweight: Shane Burgos (13-1) def. Makwan Amirkhani (15-4) by TKO in the third round
Burgos took a while to get going, but once he did, he did not stop coming until he had worn down Amirkhani to the point where the fighter from Finland could barely stand up, much yet fight.
It was Round 3 by that point, and the fight had turned around dramatically — and was all Burgos. He punished a helpless Amirkhani for much of that final round before finally crumbling him with a body kick for a TKO finish at 4:32.
“The first time I competed in MSG, it was quick, like two minutes or something, so I didn’t have a chance to embrace it. This time, I soaked it in; walking out, being in there, walking back, I soaked it all in,” Burgoes said. “My pace and my power made the difference; he felt those body shots. I expected him to stand a little longer. He shot right off the bat, and it caught me a little off guard, but it went well. I’m happy with it.
“A ranked opponent would only make sense for me now, but whatever the UFC wants. That was the last fight on my contract, so hopefully, I made a statement. I want a big deal next.”
Amirkhani (15-4) had started out well, clipping Burgos (13-1) with a hard right hand that bloodied him and set up a takedown. Amirkhani stayed on top of Burgos for much of the round, riding him back to the mat every time the fighter from the New York attempted to get up. But that took energy, and by round’s end, Amirkhani looked wilted.
Burgos took over from there, and it wasn’t far into Round 2 before it seemed to be a matter of time before he would get a stoppage. But Amirkhani kept coming and kept fighting; he was giving everything he had, but he had little to give. So Amirkhani absorbed punishment, more and more, doing just enough for the referee to not jump in. His cornermen just stood there and watched until Burgos finally, mercifully, finished the job with a body kick that dropped Amirkhani in a heap.
— Wagenheim
Middleweight: Edmen Shahbazyan (11-0) defeats Brad Tavares (17-7) by first-round KO
Glendale Fighting Club, the longtime home gym of Ronda Rousey, might have its next superstar.
The undefeated Shahbazyan flattened Tavares with a left head kick knockout at 2:27 of the first round. The gorgeous kick, which he hid expertly behind a jab, came after Shahbazyan had already dropped the veteran Tavares with a right hand.
Somehow, Shahbazyan is so polished at just 21 years old.
“I’m the new breed of MMA, man,” Shahbazyan said. “I’m coming for that belt.”
Shahbazyan (11-0) has won four straight in the UFC, which is tied for the third longest active streak in the middleweight division. Only Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa have longer streaks. The California native has 10 first-round finishes in 11 career fights. Shahbazyan trains under Rousey’s coach Edmond Tarverdyan and is represented by Rousey’s management company. He is ranked third in ESPN’s top 25 MMA fighters under 25.
“I believe this puts me in the top 10 of the division, or at least fighting those guys,” said Shahbazyan. “I like fighting every three to four months and staying active, so something early next year sounds perfect, we’ll see what happens.”
Tavares (17-6) has lost two in a row following a four-fight winning streak. The Hawaii native has only lost to Adesanya, former champion Robert Whittaker and now Shahbazyan going back to 2014. Tavares, 31, filled in for Krzysztof Jotko, who withdrew from the scheduled bout with Shahbazyan four weeks ago.
— Raimondi
Heavyweight: Jairzinho Rozenstruik (9-0) defeats Andrei Arlovski (28-19) by first-round KO.
Rozenstruik put in an early bid to steal some thunder from those fighting later in the night. Jorge Masvidal might be coming off a five-second KO, but Rozenstruik came in having put away his last foe in nine seconds. Then he showed up at Madison Square Garden and face-planted Arlovski, a onetime UFC heavyweight champion, in just 29 seconds.
This native of Suriname, now 9-0 with KOs in all three of his UFC fights, is one bad man. He sent Arlovski backward with one of his first punches — a jab. And when Arlovski came toward him to try to engage again, Rozenstruik stepped back and clipped him with a left hook, crumbling the 40-year-old to the canvas.
“It was my biggest fight and definitely the biggest win of my career,” Rozenstruik said. “It means a lot to me, of course, if you have a win over Arlovski, who is a legend. It’s huge.”
— Wagenheim
Flyweight: Katlyn Chookagian (13-2) defeats Jennifer Maia (17-6-1) by unanimous decision.
No one has a better case for a women’s flyweight title shot than Chookagian, especially after this victory.
Chookagian beat Maia to further solidify her place high up in the UFC’s 125-pound women’s rankings. A fight with champion Valentina Shevchenko should now be close. Chookagian came in ranked No. 3 in the division by ESPN, while Maia was No. 7.
“Valentina is the fight that I’ve been wanting since she got the title,” said Chookagian. “I’m not just in the UFC to be another fighter. I want the title.”
Chookagian was able to outpoint Maia throughout with her long combinations, leg kicks and side kicks. Chookagian nicely finished her combinations with right hands that gave Maia fits. Maia took Chookagian down with about a minute left in the third round and landed some solid right hands, but Chookagian was never in trouble and won the standup battle throughout.
Chookagian (13-2) has won two straight and five of her past six. The only woman she has lost to in that stretch, Jessica Eye, got a flyweight title shot.
Chookagian, 30, now has four UFC flyweight wins, tying her with Shevchenko, Joanne Calderwood and Gillian Robertson for the most. Maia (17-6-1), the 31-year-old former Invicta FC champion, had her two-fight winning streak snapped.
— Raimondi
Welterweight: Lyman Good (21-5) defeats Chance Rencountre (14-4) by TKO in the third round.
Good led the dance from start to bloody finish. However, this welterweight prelim wasn’t bloody or even particularly violent for much of the way. For the first two rounds, Good showed off his IQ by maintaining distance and not allowing Rencountre to move inside, where he fights best. Rencountre instead was forced to eat a steady diet of jabs and straight right hands as he continued to advance, fruitlessly. For his trouble, Rencountre ended up with a cut over his left eye.
It got worse for him in a hurry in Round 3, when Good sent Rencountre into retreat with a straight right hand, which also bloodied his nose. Good maintained his poise but went into pursuit, catching his opponent against the cage and dropping him with punches and kicks and finishing the job at 2:03.
“I do want to get a crack at a top-10 opponent eventually, but I know it all depends on my performance, and I’m very pleased with mine tonight.”
— Wagenheim
Featherweight: Hakeem Dawodu (11-1-1) defeats Julio Arce (16-4) by split decision.
Dawodu squeeked by with a win, but he was not at all happy with how he fought.
“S—ty performance, sorry for everyone that supported me,” Dawodu said. “I’m gonna come back 10 times better than that. My bad.”
Dawodu started strong with hard leg kicks in the first round that clearly affected Arce. Arce was able to find a home for his left hand at times, but it was Dawodu’s fight early on. In the second, Arce briefly had Dawodu’s back, but Dawodu quickly reversed. Arce finished strong, landing three straight hard left hands at one point. In all, it was a very close fight.
Dawodu (11-1-1) has won four straight and seems to be ready for a higher level of competition at featherweight. The 28-year-old Canada native is now tied for the fifth-longest winning streak in the 145-pound division. Arce (16-4), a 30-year-old from nearby Bayside, Queens, has dropped two of three — both losses at Madison Square Garden. Arce’s only prior UFC loss was also by split decision vs. Sheymon Moraes at UFC 230 on Nov. 3, 2018, according to ESPN Stats & Information data.
“Maybe he was just better than I thought. Could be the big stage; it was my first time in such a big venue, so that could have gotten to me,” Dawodu said.
— Raimondi
PPV
Welterweight: Jorge Masvidal (34-13, -16) vs. Nate Diaz (21-11, +130)
Middleweight: Kelvin Gastelum (16-4, -230) vs. Darren Till (17-2-1, +185)
Welterweight: Stephen Thompson (14-4-1, -120) vs. Vicente Luque (17-6-1, -110)