Rose Namajunas v Jessica Andrade - Andrade wins via second-round KO
Namajunas lies stagnant for a moment before being lifted to the stool. Thankfully, she seems to be okay. That was the stuff broken necks are made of. Wow.
Round two - Andrade continues to press, blitzes with strikes but eats a right on the counter from Namajunas. Namajunas stays with her jab, circling away from Andrade's power and catching her leaning with some beautiful footwork. Andrade with the clinch, pressing Namajunas to the cage, lifts her high into the sky and piledrives her to the mat head first! Namajunas crumples into a lifeless heap and the referee calls the fight to a halt. That was spectacular, and completely against the run of play. Andrade is your new strawweight champion.
Round one - Andrade out of the gates throwing some looping shots, Namajunas sticks and moves and she's already opened a big cut over Andrade's left eye. Namajunas' jab is looking sharp, lightning quick. Huge speed disparity apparent early. Andrade for the takedown, lifts Namajunas over her shoulders, who threatens with an amrbar to make her give up the hold. Namajunas no stranger to a highlight reel submission, that would've been one of the ages. Andrade pressing forward but eating a ton of shots. Huge knee Namajunas! Drops Andrade and swoops with the shots, Andrade fights her way to her feet. Dominant opener for the champion, that was near flawless.
4:22pm - Don't you love it when Buffer goes non-English on the intro?
4:19pm - Namajunas makes her entrance, coach and partner Pat Barry in tow, looking as calm as ever as AC/DC's seminal 'Thunderstruck' provides the soundtrack.
4:17pm - Main event time! Will Andrade be the one to break the shackles for this Brazilian crowd against 'Thug Rose'? The look on her face says 'absolutely'.
4:05pm - I had an inkling Silva may hang 'em up tonight. He addresses the crowd, apologises, then limps his way out of the Octagon, clearly in a huge amount of pain. Tough to watch.
Anderson Silva v Jared Cannonier - Cannonier wins via first round TKO
Round one - The ubiquitous 'Uh vai morrer' chant breaks out early. Silva up to some of his old tricks, flashy switch kick. Cannonier blasts an inside leg kick to Silva's right knee, on the button. Silva drops immediately and Herb Dean rushes in to stop the fight. Silva is in all sorts of trouble, this is a serious injury right for the 44-year-old, reminiscent of what we saw against Chris Weidman all those years ago.
3:54pm - The man himself is in the building. 'Ain't no Sunshine' rings through the Jeunesse Arena.
3:48pm - This Rio crowd is still gagging for something to cheer about. Here's hoping The GOAT is able to give it to them.
Jose Aldo v Alexander Volkanovski - Volkanovski wins via unanimous decision
Round three - Volk to the clinch again, Aldo needs a finish to win this one - or some sketchy local judging. Clear 30-27 in my books.
Round two - Volk having a lot of success with the leg kicks, giving Aldo a test of his own medicine. Another round for the Aussie.
Round one - Enormous cheers for Aldo during the intros, and they continue into the opening stanza, breaking into song. Also claims the centre of the Octagon, not letting Volk apply the pressure that has become his calling card. Instead it's Aldo with the pressure, going to the body with some stinging shots. The Aussie replies using kicks, then clinches. More inside leg kicks. That's probably his round.
3:20pm - 'The General' makes his entrance to the Game of Thrones theme, followed by Aldo to his trademark 'Run this town' by Jay-Z and RiRi.
3:19pm - Volkanvovski typically spends a large chunk of his training camp at Auckland's City Kickboxing. NZ's Israel Adesanya pops up in the pre-fight package, admitting not even he enjoys the pressure that Volk brings on the mat.
3:18pm - Mouth-watering matchup on its way here. Can Aldo - one of the greatest featherweights in the sport's history - give the Rio crowd something to cheer about against the Aussie?
Laureano Staropoli v Thiago Alves - Staropoli wins via unanimous decision
Round three - For a man whose gas tank was consistently questioned, the 35-year-old version of Alves still looks surprisingly spry. Staropoli coming forward for the first time in the bout, puts some body shots on the money. Alves searching for that trademark left hook. Big knee from Alves, now he smells blood. Pressing forward with kicks, Staropoli responds. Great third round.
Round two - Alves immediately more aggressive, picking his shots wisely. Staropoli catches Silva on the counter, Silva loses balance and goes to the mat. Staropoli swoops but Silva works his way back to his feet smartly. They exchange left hooks on the break. Staropoli to the body with good effect, plenty of energy both ways as a tight round draws to a close.
Round one - Tentative start from both fighters, Staropoli clearly wary of Silva's power. Now he gets busy with his kicks, mixing his target between Silva's body and thigh. Alves searching for an opening to throw some power, none really presents itself.
2:50pm - Looking forward to seeing the Argentinian Staropoli back in action, always brings the heat. I like him to make it seven straight with a win over the card's second Brazilian 'Pitbull', a true veteran who once fought GSP for the welterweight title.
Irene Aldana v Bethe Correia - Aldana wins via third-round submission
Round three - Aldana starting to vary her strikes, two head kicks graze their target. Both fighters getting busy in on what's likely the deciding round, Correia willing to take some damage to land some of her own. Correia shoots for the takedown but Aldana lands a couple of shots while she hangs on her leg, makes a slick transition into a belly-down armbar and forces the tap. Pretty.
Round two - Correia finding a few openings on the counter as she continues to force the pace, throwing a high volume of strikes. Overhand right lands flush for Correia as the round draws to a close, a good one for the underdog.
Round one - Aldana with a significant reach advantage, puts it to good use early with an effective jab. Correia having trouble closing the gap, Aldan tags her with two hefty straight rights to close and claim opening honours.
2:16pm - Is 'Pitbull' the most popular fifghter nickname in UFC history? There's another one coming in the very next fight.
2:15pm - It seems like an eternity since Correia was labelled the antidote for the unbeatable Ronda Rousey.
Actually, it was.
2pm - Olá amiga, time to get stuck into some fights action, and what better place to do so than in Brazil?
It hasn't been the most favourable of starts for the home team, with 'Minotauro' Nogueira - affectionately know as 'Lil Nog' - falling victim to Ryan Spann via TKO in the opening round of the preliminary main event.
Can local MMA royalty Jose Aldo and Anderson Silva even the ledger? We'll find out shortly.
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Kia ora and welcome to live coverage from Jeunesse Arena as Rose Namajunas looks to defend her women's strawweight title against Brazil's own Jessica Andrade in Rio de Janeiro.
Ther card also features another pair of local legends, as Anderson Silva takes on Jared Cannonier and Jose Aldo squares off with Australia's Alexander Volkanovski.
Fight-by-fight coverage will start from around 2pm before we move into blow-by-blow commentary of the main event.
Head to head:
Rose Namajunas ($2.03) v Jessica Andrade ($1.73)
Jared Cannonier ($1.80) v Anderson Silva ($1.93)
Jose Also ($1.65) v Alexander Volkanovski ($2.16)
Main Fight Card:
Irene Aldana v Bethe Correia
Thiago Alves v Laureano Staropoli
Jose Aldo v Alexander Volkanovski
Anderson Silva v Jared Cannonier
Rose Namajunas v Jessica Andrade
Newshub.
