LIVE COMMENTARY (Be sure to refresh your browser)
Main event - Dan Hooker v Dustin Poirier - Poirier wins via uanimous decision. Click here for a full wrap.
3:34pm - And it's Dustin Poirier who has his hand raised, 48-47, 48-47, 49-46. No disservice there for the Kiwi, that was another screamer of a bout.
3:32pm - Unbelievable main event fight. Hooker is taking his time getting to his feet. Poirier comes over to embrace him. What a war. I think the American may edge this one.
Round five - This is a razor close bout so far, it may come down to this round. Very measured start to the final stanza from both fighters, both blowing hard now.Poirier throws out the jab, finding its target regularly. Poirier lands a big left hand, Hooker eats with a slight wobble. Hooker shoots for the takedown, smart tactic this deep and in a fight this close. POoirier stufing the Hooker takedowns now rather than chasing the guillotine. Hooker has Poirier pressed against the cage. Poirier reverses the takedown, ends the fight in string fashion.
Round four - Into the main event rounds. Hooker has the advantage statistically but you get the sense something has to give here. Hooker shoots the takedown, can't hold Poirier on the mat but immediately takes the back. Poirier escapes, back to the feet. Takedown again for Hooker, Poirier content to chase the guillotine but there's too much sweat and blood to lock it in. Poirier with the top position now, advancing to the top. Poirier landing a heap of shots from the side mount. Poirier now hunting an armbar, he's pretty close here. Hooker holding on. The Kiwi finishes on top. Probably Poirier's round.
Round three - Hooker wearing a significant cut above his eye, measured start to this round. Both guys starting to feel the effects of hthis torrid start to the bout. Poirier now, putting together some lovely counter shots that are finding their mark. Poirier locks in a tight guillotine, Hooker struggles his way out and finds himself in top position. Poirier chasing a triangle, Hooker content in full guard. Poirier landing some shots from below, statying aggressive. Poirier trying to stand up now, Hooker lands a knee as he gets to his feet, Poirier unleashes with a one-two combo of his own that stuns Hooker. Both of these guys have eaten some enormous shots. This is going to be a classic, too close to call.
Round two - Hooker goes right back to the calf kicks. Poirier stings him on the counter but Hooker tags him with another heavy knee. Poirier right to the clinch, lands a huge elbow. These guys are trading, massive output and the damage is showing both ways. Hooker being tagged consistently, plenty of blood on his grill. Poirier chasing the killer shot, Hooker countering well to the body, keeps going to that knee. Hooker charges forward and lands a big three-shot combo, Poirier eats them all. Hooker unloads against Poirier on the fence, leaving him wobbled as the round closed after a flurry of huge shots. That's Hooker's round.
Round one - Hooker comes out with an early teep, establishing range. Poirier replies. Hooker with a definitive reach advantage. Hooker fighting at distance, landing the calf kick early and often. Hooker moving from the power side of Poirier, tags him with a jab. Poirier clinches, presses Hooker against the fence. Hooker bleeidng form the nose, Poirier has stung him with a couple of jabs of his own. Poirier lands a heavy shot, Hooker clinches immediately. Hooker launches a knee against Poirier, both men throwing in the pocket. These two setting the tone early here, this promises to be a classic. Hooker having some success to the body, lands a long jab to close the round. Great start to this one.
3pm - Bruce Buffer launches into his main event theatrics. Hooker with the NZ flag hanging form the cage behind him. Not a glimpse of emotion.
2:58pm - Turns out Hooker's walkout tune was a former fave of Poirier's. How about that for mind games.
2:57pm - Poirier's turn now, walking out the strains of James Brown's seminal "The Boss".
2:55pm - Hooker begins his troll to the Octagon, draped in an NZ flag with Eugene Bareman, Andrei Paulet and Mike Angove in tow.
2:52pm - "'I'm here to pick fights and feed my family". Tell 'em, Dan.
2:50pm - Dressing room shots for both fighters, Hooker looking standardly calm and composed as ever.
2:44pm - Hooker time! Main event fighters set to make their walk to the middle momentarily.
Mickey Gall v Mike Perry - Perry wins via unanimous decision
Round three - Gall probably needs a finish to win this one. Perry now putting some nice combos together, drawing some blood from Gall's face. Perry throwing some heavy leather and Gall is starting to wane. Perry goes to the grappling again, he's getting the better of these exchanges against the BJJ black belt. Gall throws up a Hail Mary trinagle choke, doesn;t find the mark, and this should be a comfortable decision win for 'Platinum'.
Round two - Gall continues to land consistently on the feet. Shoots for a single leg but Perry powers out of it and reverses the position, ends up in top position. Gall works his way to his feet, pressing Perry against the cage and working for the takedown. Back to the striking game we go, Gall lands a couple of clean jabs. Perry drops Gall with a hefty hook, moves to full mount and unleashes two hellish elbows to end the round.
Round one - Perry comes out in typically aggressive fashion. Continues to push the pace against the grappling specialist Gall, who's showing off some improved striking early. Perry swinging for the fences, as always, hunting that knockout shot. Gall throwing some excellent counters, Perry is wearing the effects. Perry clinches and takes the fight to the mat, what a surprise turn of events this is. Ends the round throwing from the top.
2:17pm - The co-main event about to get underway - and then it's Hangman o'clock.
Gian Villante v Maurice Greene - Greene wins via third-round submission
Round three - The two fighters enter what looks to be the decisive final round. After being dropped by Villante, Greene pulls off an incredible modified ezekiel choke from the bottom to force the tap. That came out of nowhere, and as you can see below, it meant a lot to the 'Crochet Boss'.
Round two - Greene doing some real damage with his leg kicks now, stringing some punches at the end of those attacks.
Round one - The Serra-Longo veteran Villante steps up for his first heavyweight bout in almost a decade, and he's looking every inch a heavyweight. Greene using his enormous reach advantage well. Big head kick from Greene that Villante manages to block, but he clearly still felt it. Villante working some effective leg kicks here himself. Tight opening stanza.
1:30pm - Two more fights ahead of us and then we're into the headline act. 'The Hangman' is officially in the house.
Brendan Allen v Kyle Daukaus - Allen wins via unanimous decision
Round three - Daukaus drags the bout back to the mat and proceeds to work his way to the back. Body triangle locked up now, tough spot for Allen. Allen does really well to keep fighting the hands and eventually explodes to his feet. Great battle between these two, but I think Allen has done enough for the win.
Round two - Allen quickly re-restablishes top posituion on the mat, stinging Daukaus sporadically with elbows. Daukaus sweeps and moves into half guard, gets a few of his own shots off. Beautiful oma plata sweep from Allen to regain control, as Daukaus' cut re-opens and the blood begins to flow. Allen catches him with a big left hook as the buzzer sounds.
Round one - Allen lands a rib-shattering knee that drops Daukaus and immediately swoops to mount. Looks to transition to a rear-naked choke but Daukaus fight the hands well. Spends the rest of the round trying to get the final hook in, but Daukaus' defence holds out. Huge elbow from the guard slices Daukaus open and that one is gushing. Big round for Allen.
1:02pm - The two American middlewieght grappling specialists set to square off.
Takashi Sato v Jason Witt - Sato wins via first-round TKO
12:46pm - Sato with the statement win! Lands a flush straight left on the button and Witt hits the deck. Witt manages to cling to a leg and survive but only briefly, as another shot to the dome signals the start of the end and the referee jumps in to end the fight after just 48 seconds. Monster win for the rising Japanese fighter.
Sean Woodson v Julian Erosa - Erosa wins via third-round submission
12:31pm - Erosa cinches in a darce choke on the feet and drags Woodson to the mat, hooks the right leg to lock it up and forces the tap! Huge underdog win for 'Juicy J', who brings the Woodson hype train to a momentary halt.
The veteran Erosa has returned for his third UFC stint here, and what a way to mark the occasion. The man didn't even know he had a fight on Wednesday.
12:30pm - High-paced affair here heading into the final round. Erosa stepped in to take this bout just four days ago and he is bringing it to Woodson. That said, Woodson's using his range very effectively and looks to be heading to victory.
12:15pm - Here we go fight fans, we're into the main card with a catchweight bout between Sean Woodson and Julian Erosa.
___________________________________________________________________________
Kia ora and welcome to play-by-play coverage, as 'The Hangman' tries to take another step towards the lightweight title against 'The Diamond' Poirier.
We bring you live streaming written commentary, video highlights (be sure to refresh your browser) and all the action.
Commentary will start from around 1pm. In the meantime check out the video above or the features below for a preview of today's big headliner.
LIVE COMMENTARY (Be sure to refresh your browser)
Main card:
Dan Hooker v Dustin Poirier
Mike Perry v Mickey Gall
Gian Villante v Maurice Greene
Brendan Allen v Kyle Daukaus
Phillipe Lins v Tanner Boser
Takashi Sato v Jason Witt
Sean Woodson v Julian Erosa
Head-to-head betting odds:
Dustin Poirier - $1.42 Dan Hooker - $2.70
