Israel Adesanya vs Brad Tavares - Adesanya wins by unanimous decision
For highlights and more, check out the full wrap here
That's the best performance of Adesanya's young UFC career, by far. Statement win for the Nigerian-born Aucklander. Stay tuned for highlights.
Round five - "Forget about what just happened," implores trainer Ray Sefo to his fighter Tavares. Easier said, the cut above the right eye seems to really be impeding his vision. Tavares shoots and Adesanya sprawls beautifully then moves to take the back. Threatens with the head and arm choke then decides to go back to his feet. Tavares jaw being tested over and over, to the leg now and the Hawaiian wobbles. Tavares goes to the ground and Adesanya is willing to engage, brings it back to the feet and welcomes Tavares with the 104th knee to the grill. Tavares is really slowing now, Adesanya just continues to dictate terms, Tavares has just heart left. Token takedown attempt easily stuffed. Adesanya spins for a mounted guillotine which looks deep but the bell mercifully sounds. It's a five round shutout for the Kiwi.
Round four - Adesanya looking spritely, no question of cardio with this man. Tavares breathing heavily, in contrast. Adesanya jabs, Tavares looks to clinch again, presses against the cage and finally gets the takedown. Scrambles well, threatens with a triangle but Tavares takes the back, albeit briefly. Adesanya sweeps with the kimura, takes the centre then delivers two slicing elbows. Tavares is bleeding heavily now, big cut has opened above the eye after a razor elbow from Adesanya. Just stalking Tavares now and landing the one-two at will. Heavy leg kick then moves in with another jab. Confidence growing by the minute, back to the clinch and a pair of nasty knees follow. Another big one for Adesanya. The doctor wants to look at the cut.
Round three - Adesanya finding a rhythm now, fighting at his pace and looking spry on the feet. Jab then a huge knee which finds its mark and that rattled Tavares. Adesanya calls him forward for more. To the clinch now and another big knee. Adesanya masterfully using his head movement to defend, evading and countering. Stuffs the takedown. Tavares struggling to land any effective offence. Adesanya with a spinning eblow that grazes Tavares, the crowd gasps. Huge knee in the clinch, Tavares is feeling it, covering up but eating shots. Best round of the fight for Adesanya.
Round two - Tavares lunging with a couple of rights but Adesanya keeps the distance perfectly, evading the shots. Spinning high kick for Adesanya misses. Throws to the body now, Tavares counters with a right. Adesanya goes to the mid-section with a snapping roundhouse. Tavares initiates the clinch but it doens't last long, Adesanya turning out of danger. Push kick landing for Adesanya, he's definitely throwing the most shots. Head-body by Adesanya. Herb Dean gives Israel a warning for open palms. Huge salvo follows by Adesanya, punctuated by a monster kick to the liver. Tavares hurt, Adesanya presses and lands. Tavares is opened up, starting to bleed. Good round for the Kiwi.
Round one - Early leg kick Adesanya. Light on the feet, switching to southpaw as he measures his range. Tavares throws two rights and closes the distance effectively, pressing to the fence but the Kiwi spins away and back to the centre. Big leg kick Adesnya. Tavares head kick but Adesanya blocks well. Two nasty inside leg kicks from Adesanya, lightning quick. Adesanya measures with the elbow then lunges with a stinging knee. Tavares looks for the taledown, Adesanya balances beautifully on on leg then escapes and points to the middle with an invitation of sorts. Adesanya dives for a heel hook as the round ticks to a close. Tight one, perhaps a slight edge for the Kiwi.
5:05pm - Nothing but collected focus from Adesanya as his intro is belted out by the inimitable Buffer. Let's dance...
5:03pm - Significant height and reach advantage for Adesanya. Bruce Buffer takes the mic...
5:01pm - Tavares' turn now, and the Hawaiian flag drapes his state's flag behind him on his way to the middle.
4:59pm - The Kiwi makes a typically casual and hyper-relaxed stroll to the Octagon. This man has been here before, and then some.
4:58pm - "I'm gonna smoke him," exclaims Adesanya in the pre-fight hype video.
4:57pm - The main event has finally arrived, team. Here we go...
Mike Trizano vs Joe Giannetti - TUF Lightweight final - Trizano wins via split decision
4:53pm - And Trizano gets the nod.
Round three - Trizano manages to keep his output high without doing too much damage. Giannetti not willing to engage, almost too casual.
Round two - A ton of brutal leg kicks both ways before the contest devolves into a messy scramble. Trixano gains top position for a considerable amount of time but doesn't really cash in on his positional advantage. Tough round to call.
Round one - Action-packed opener from the two 6-0 fighters. Giannetti edges it.
4:29pm - Gianetti makes his entrance to Whitney's seminal classic "I Wanna Dance With Somebody". The crowd is thoroughly pleased.
4:25pm - Just one more fight before we hit our main event. Stay tuned.
Brad Katona vs Jay Cucciniello - Katona wins via unanimous decision
4:13pm - Dana White steps up and hands Katona his over-sized paperweight to make it official - he's the TUF featherweight champion.
Round three - More of the same for Katona as he closes with another dominant round to clinch victory.
Round two - Katona drops his opponent with a glancing left hook but Cuciniello is swiftly back to his feet. Katona executes a takedown soon after, doing work on top and grinding away until the bell rings. Another in the bank for Katona.
Round one - The first of the TUF finals is underway. Canada's Katona the betting favourite and the John Kavangah-trained fighter looks sharp early. High volume of strikes holds up throughout the opening round and that's one in the bank for the Canadian.
Alex Caceres vs Martin Bravo - Caceres wins via split decision
3:38pm - Caceres delivers on the entertainment scale yet again and earns himself a split decision win against the game TUF: Latin America champion.
Round three - This turning into a real scrap - Bravo pressing ahead and eating plenty of shots for his troubles. Caceres repells the takedown attempts and finds plenty of success with his counters. He should grab this one.
Round two - Highly entertaining round as both men ramp up their output, the contest swinging from feet to mat. Careres starts to find his striking rhythm, landing consistsnetly with the right hand and bloodying Bravo up. One round apiece now, in my book.
Round one - Caceres comes out throwing his trademark arsenal of extravagant kicks but Bravo is up to the task, countering with power and closing the distance effectively. Slight edge to Bravo.
3:15pm - "Bruce Leeroy" shuffles his way out to the strains of "Express Yourself" in the shortest Octagon walk ever seen. It has to be five metres, max.
Roxanne Modafferi vs Barb Honchak - Modafferi wins via TKO
3:00pm - Modafferi in full mount and raining blows as Honchak tries to escape. Eventually the elbows are coming too thick and fast for referee Marc Goddard to ignore and he steps in to put a stop to the fight.
"I'm a Super Saiyan for all of you," Modafferi exclaims in the post-fight interview. The quirk is strong with this one.
2:53pm - First round in the bag for Modafferi, working her favoured ground game well to close out on top.
2:46pm - Battle of the female veterans right here.
2:43pm - Still not totally over the Holloway vs Ortega fight being scrapped. Having spent a fair amount of time on a preview/prediction assessment of it makes it sting even more.
2:40pm - International fight week is serving up a banquet of quality MMA over the next 48 hours. Brad Lewis and I take a look at some of the highlights and offer some predictions right here.
Alessio Di Chirico vs. Julian Marquez - Di Chirico wins via split decision
2:35pm - And what do ya know, Di Chirico earns the split decision. That's a highly dubious call and the crowd boos accordingly.
Does this make Di Chrico the John. F. Kennedy of MMA? Get it? Cuban Missile Crisis? Plenty more where that came from team.
2:31pm - Di Chririco trying to manufacture a definitive moment using his clinch as time runs out, he's likely down two rounds. Marquez looks to separate and does so, immediately throwing with full heat. Gas tank running on empty but it shouldn't matter, should be a straightforward unanimous decision win for "The Cuban Missile Crisis". What a guy.
2:24pm - Marquez is turning things up in the second stanza after after a tussle of an opening round. Marquez takes Di Chirico to the mat, threatens with an arm bar but Di Chirico is up to the task defensively.
2:11pm - Also, his fight moniker is 'The Cuban Missile Crisis'. I'm sold.
2:10pm - These two about to set proceedings off. Can't say I'm too familiar with either, but Marquez has already made quite an impression with his empassioned lip-sync rendition of his walk-out song, Miley Cyrus' 'Wrecking Ball.'
2pm - Here we go people, we're into the main card after an entertaining six-fight undercard. Luis Pena looked phenomenal in his first-round submission win over Richie Smullen. I'm a sucker for a wirey lightweight with range and 'Violent Bob Ross' fits that mould perfectly.
Montana De La Rosa stuck at it in her bout with Rachael Ostovic, locking up a choke in the third round for the finish.
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Kia ora and welcome to live coverage from Las Vegas as Israel Adesanya squares off with Hawaii's Brad Tavares in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter Finale
The hard-nosed Tavares represents Adesanya's sternest test to dates after the Kiwi's eye-catching opening salvo in the world's premier MMA promotion.
Can 'The Last Stylebender' make it three straight? The pundits are split, this should be an intriguing contest.
We'll also see the two sets of finalists from the TUF reality show duke it out for a UFC contract, while the always entertaining 'Bruce Lee Roy' Alex Caceres is in the mix against Martin Bravo.
Fight-by-fight coverage will start from around 2pm before we move into blow-by-blow commentary of the main event.
Head to head:
Israel Adesanya - $1.75 Brad Tavares - $1.95
Fight Card:
Brad Tavares vs. Israel Adesanya
Joe Giannetti vs. Mike Trizano – "The Ultimate Fighter" lightweight tournament final
Jay Cucciniello vs. Brad Katona – "The Ultimate Fighter" featherweight tournament final - Katona wins via unanimous decision
Martin Bravo vs. Alex Caceres - Caceres wins via split decision
Barb Honchak vs. Roxanne Modafferi - Modafferi wins via TKO
Alessio Di Chirico vs. Julian Marquez - Di Chirico wins via split decision
Pre-match banter
Israel Adesanya: Vegas, Tall Poppies and Tavares
By Stephen Foote
Fear isn't something you'd typically associate with Kiwi MMA phenom Israel Adesanya.
But "The Last Stylebender" admits there's one thing which truly terrifies him – the thought of being forced to return to the banality of nine-to-five office life.
Amid a heady rise through the UFC ranks which has seen him book a slot as the headline act at The Ultimate Fighter Finale in Las Vegas next weekend, the 28-year-old still uses the mundanity of those watercooler moments as a motivating factor.
In fact, he still remembers the precise date he gave it all up to chase what he deemed destiny.
"I quit my job Sept 4, 2013," Adesanya told Newshub.
"The building's knocked down now, but I was driving past it the other day and I could remember sitting there on level 10 at my smoko time, just looking out the window constantly and wondering.
"Every time I step in [to the Octagon] I feel like if I don’t win, I'll be back to that life. I know I won't, but I just like to think that so it drives me.
"I never want to be back there, because I felt trapped. I hate that feeling. I hate being controlled."
Adesanya has a lifetime of elite fighting experience under his belt, excelling as both a kickboxer and boxing before committing full-time to MMA. But his career with the UFC, combat sports' premier fighting promotion, is in its relative infancy.
However it's only taken two fights for the UFC to determine that the unbeaten Nigerian-born Aucklander has that precious commodity of personality and show-stopping ability that so often translates to stardom.
It's what's seen him thrust into a main event clash with Hawaiian veteran Brad Tavares next Saturday (NZ time) in just his third bout, joining a short list of fighters which includes some of the sport's most famous figures, including Conor McGregor.
It's a rise the supremely confident Adesanya embraces wholeheartedly, in what is a refreshing break from the typical Kiwi tendency to evade expectation.
"There's this part of Kiwi culture where everyone's trying to shy away from the bright lights – where it's like 'I don't want to boast in case I fail, then I can just say I wasn’t even trying'.
"F**k that. Tell people what you want to do and if you fall on your face, cool, you get back up, dust yourself off and do it again. Climb to the next level and keep going.
"I don’t like to shy away from the spotlight because if you do, this is not the game for you. If you want to be a household name, if you want to be a millionaire…you have to get used to all this."
Predictably, Adesanya has no qualms about stepping into the bright lights of the Pearl Theater next weekend.
"At the end of the day it's me, another man and the ref in that cage," he says.
"Whether it’s the first fight of the night or the last fight of the night, it doesn’t matter…I'm going to work him. Same shit, different night".
Coached by NZ kickboxing legend Ray Sefo, Tavares (17-4) represents a significant step-up in competition for Adesanya.
What the Hawaiian lacks in flair he makes up for with his willingness to grind his way to wins, an ethos which has served him well as he rides a four-fight win streak into his date with the Kiwi, an opportunity of which he says Adesanya is "undeserving".
Speculation has also swirled this month regarding the health of Tavares, UFC President Dana White at one stage declaring the fight off due to injury. He's since strongly denied the allegations, not that Adesanya's taking much notice.
"It didn't faze or bother me… I just kept on doing me. I'm fighting at the end of the day. I've got my ticket booked. If he's not fighting we'll find someone else. It's my show.
"His camp said he's not injured but where there smoke, there's fire. Either way I'm still I'm coming for him. I'm coming for his head.
"I want to make sure I make a statement that night. He's just another guy in the way."
Adesanya will be joined by gymmate and fellow UFC fighter Dan Hooker when he makes his way to the "City of Sin" for the seventh edition of the organisation's annual International Fight Week.
"The Hangman" will square off with Gilbert Burns at UFC 226 on Sunday, the day after Adesanya's bout. He'll be a part of one of the promotion's most star-spangled cards of the year, headed by a "super fight" between Dan Cormier and Stipe Miocic.
The self-proclaimed "frienemies" spend their days sparring one another at City Kickboxing, a converted garage tucked away in the back streets of uptown Auckland which, led by head trainer Eugene Bareman, has evolved into a factory of elite combat sports talent.
"We level up every day. I'm always poking at him, he's poking at me. We push each other," says Adesanya.
Add UFC featherweight Shane Young to that trio and you have the spearhead of the next wave of world-renowned Kiwi fighters.
"All of us are constantly trying to level up," he notes.
"We've got this thing with the rising tide right now. When the tide rises, all the ships float."
But don’t call it a comeback. It's merely a renaissance of the days when the likes of Sefo and Mark Hunt lauded over K1 and Pride rings, Adesanya says.
"We were on top of the world at one stage during the K1 days, and I felt like that fell off.
"But now we're about to do it again. It's a little bit of a takeover, they just don't know it yet."
Newshub.
