UFC 274 Oliveira vs. Gaethje: Live results and analysis
PHOENIX — One of the UFC’s most popular and dynamic weight classes takes center stage Saturday, with Charles Oliveira (32-8) preparing to step into the Octagon against Justin Gaethje (23-3) in the main event UFC 274 inside Footprint Center. However, Oliveira missed weight Friday, resulting in him getting stripped of the lightweight title. Gaethje, who made weight Friday, is eligible to win the title Saturday night.
Gaethje, of Arizona, is a former interim champion, whose only loss in the last four years came against Khabib Nurmagomedov in the Dagestani’s final fight. Up until the missed weight, Oliveira had done a tremendous job stepping into the role as champion, recording exciting finishes against Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier.
In the co-main event, strawweight champion Rose Namajunas (11-4) and Carla Esparza (18-6) will meet in a rematch of the first strawweight title fight in UFC history in 2014. Esparza won the initial meeting by submission.
And fan favorites Chandler (22-7) and Tony Ferguson (25-6) could steal the spotlight from the main and co-main events.
Follow Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim with for live updates below or watch the fights on ESPN+ PPV.
Royval, who fights out of Denver, has been one of the most entertaining men to watch at 125 pounds. Saturday’s fight was undoubtedly that, as Royval was hurt early by a Schnell punch, recovered and locked in a guillotine at the 2:14 mark.
After Schnell hurt Royval, he followed him to the floor and worked from top position. Royval attacked a leg from the bottom, which created a scramble and allowed Schnell to go for a guillotine of his own. Royval escaped and finished the fight.
Royval, 29, is now back on a winning streak after dropping two fights in a row to Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja in 2020 and 2021. He has now beat Schnell and Rogerio Bontorin in back-to-back performances.
The punches were heavy and the pace was slow. For much of the first two rounds, Ivanov walked down his opponent, with the keyword being “walked.” De Lima landed more of the punches early on, though, putting so much behind them that he tired himself out.
As a result, Ivanov connected with the more meaningful shots in Round 2, and then the third round mostly played out in heavy-breathing clinches against the cage. It looked like a sumo match.
Ivanov was tired in the end but not as tired as de Lima, and the difference in their output as the fight wore on contributed to Ivanov getting the decision, with 29-28 scores on all three scorecards. For the 35-year-old from Bulgaria, the win ended a two-fight losing streak.
De Lima, who is 36 and from Brazil, saw a two-fight winning streak end.
Fialho has been a busy man, fighting three times in 2022. He didn’t have to spend much time in the cage tonight, as he used a tight left-hook counterpunch to knock out VanCamp at 2:35 of Round 1.
Fialho, 28 and from Portugal, had been stunned by a punch earlier in the short fight. That moment of success emboldened VanCamp, who came forward with heavy offense — but light on the defense. He paid the price.
VanCamp, a 29-year-old from Indianapolis, saw a four-fight winning streak come to a sudden and violent end in his UFC debut.
The biggest early-evening ovation from the Phoenix crowd greeted the walkout of Cortez. Once the prelim was underway, the Scottsdale, Arizona, fighter lived up to the enthusiasm in this meeting of rising 125-pounders.
The 28-year-old Cortez showed no fear of Gatto’s grappling, taking her down early and often, delivering damage while on the canvas and defending well whenever the Brazilian went for a submission. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Cortez, who has won 10 in a row since dropping her MMA debut in 2017.
Gatto, 28, suffered her first career defeat. She threatened several times but seemed a step behind in terms of positioning, getting reversed repeatedly.
In essence, a split decision comes down to a difference of opinion. In this case, the split could refer to what looked like two entirely different fights between these men.
Vergara, 30 and from San Antonio, Texas, earned his first UFC win with his brutal work in Round 2. He dominated on the canvas, delivering elbow after elbow to the head and sending Rodrigues back to his corner at the end of those five minutes with grotesque swelling on his forehead. It could very well have been a 10-8 round, but none of the judges saw it that way. All three scored the fight 29-28.
Rodrigues, a 26-year-old Brazilian, was making his UFC debut amid high expectations while riding a seven-fight winning streak. He showed off aggressive striking in the first round and had moments in the third, a testament to his resilience. But it was not enough to earn him the win.
The co-main event much later in the evening will be a strawweight title fight, but those two women have a tall task to try to put on the 115-pound performance of the night after what Godinez did in this early prelim.
The 28-year-old, born in Mexico and fighting out of Vancouver, Canada, was all over Carnelossi from the get-go, securing a takedown in the opening seconds of the fight and maintaining top control for the entirety of Round 1 while delivering a steady dose of ground-and-pound. Rounds 2 and 3 played out the same way, as Godinez thoroughly dominated every second of the fight by going 8-for-8 on takedowns. The judges all scored her way every round, two of them giving her one 10-8 card.
Carnelossi, touted for her physicality and ferocity, could not put either on display. The 29-year-old Brazilian came in having won 14 of 15, but a dominant Godinez performance halted that run.
Newson had not fought since September 2020, and during his extended layoff, he developed some urgency, as he was in Garcia’s face for much of their 15 minutes inside the Octagon and earned a clear decision for his first victory in his fourth UFC fight.
Newson, a 33-year-old from Portland, Oregon, came at Garcia with an array of punches and kicks, peppering him with shots before hurting him twice in the final round — once with a punch, once with a kick. Two of the judges scored all three rounds his way, and the other had it 29-28, also in Newson’s favor.
Garcia, 30 and from Dallas, saw a five-fight winning streak end in his UFC debut. He showed some boxing skills early but never ramped up his aggression enough to put Newson in danger.
Lightweight championship*: Charles Oliveira (32-8 1 NC, 20-8 1 NC UFC, -170) vs. Justin Gaethje (23-3, 6-3 UFC, +145)
Strawweight championship: Rose Namajunas (c) (12-4, 9-3 UFC, -220) vs. Carla Esparza (19-6, 9-4 UFC, +180)
Lightweight: Michael Chandler (22-7, 1 -2 UFC, -360) vs. Tony Ferguson (26-6, 15-4 UFC, +280
Light heavyweight: Mauricio Rua (27-12-1, 11-1001 UFC, +190) vs. Ovince Saint Preux (25-16, 13-11 UFC, -230)
Welterweight: Randy Brown (14-4, 8-4 UFC, -105) vs. Khaos Williams (13-2, 4-1 UFC, -115)
Welterweight: Francisco Trinaldo (27-8, 17-7 UFC, -115) vs. Danny Roberts (18-5, 7-4 UFC, -105)
(c) = defending champion
* = Only Justin Gaethje can win the lightweight title at UFC 274