Live updates: UFC 267 - Dan Hooker v Islam Makhachev, Jan Blachowicz v Glover Teixeira at Abu Dhabi

31/10/2021
Stephen Foote

Main card:

Main event - Jan Blachowicz v Glover Teixeira - Teixeira wins via second-round submission

Co-main event - Petr Yan v Corey Sandhagen - Yan wins via unanimous decision

Dan Hooker v Islam Makhachev - Makhachev wins via first-round submission

Alexander Volkov v Marcin Tybura - Volkov wins via unanimous decision

Li Jingliang v Khamzat Chimaev - Chimaev wins via first-round submission

Magomed Ankalaev v Volkan Oezdemir - Ankalaev wins via unanimous decision

___________________________________________________________________________

Main event - Jan Blachowicz v Glover Teixeira - Teixeira wins via second-round submission

10:15am - And new! Teixeira completes a remarkable career resurgence to lift the light heavyweight title. Heart-warming stuff.

Round two - Jan landing some heavy shots to start the round, stuffs the early takedown attempt. Stuffs a second and puts another combo together. Heavy left hook from Glover! Glover has the back! Rear naked choke locked in and this is over! Wow.

Round one - Jan opens with a handful of heavy leg kicks and a few of his trusty jabs. Teixeira shoots and scores with his first takedown attempt and he's into Jan's full guard. Huge for the Brazilian. Plenty of top position time for Teixeira but Jan has limited any ground and pound damage. One in the bag for the challenger.

9:55am - This is the first time we've seen Jan Blachowicz since his title defence against NZ's own Israel Adesanya back in March, taking on the 42-year-old Brazilian.

Petr Yan v Corey Sandhagen - Yan wins via unanimous decision

9:44am - Up goes Yan's hand and the belt around his waits, the new interim bantamweight champion. The eventual rematch with Sterling will be must-watch TV.

Round five - Sandhagen needs a finish here. Increasing his volume accordingly. Huge head kick from Yan, Sandhagen ate that one well. Yan still the aggressor. Unleashes a gorgeous combo as the bout ends. Think we should see his hand raised here.

Round four - Yan has found his groove here, stringing together combos from all angles. All of the momentum on his side.

Round three - Yan scores a knock down with a spinning back fist, followed by a heavy left hand. Swoops with heavy ground and pound to clinch a big round.

Round two - Fast-paced chess match in the second round, some beautiful high-level striking. Think Yan may have levelled the scores there.

Round one - Yan looking to bounce back from his controversial loss to Aljamain Sterling. This should be a goodie. Impressive opening round from Sandhagen, movement and volume should have clinched it.

Dan Hooker v Islam Makhachev - Makhachev wins via first-round submission

8:45am - Hooker frustrated with himself after that one. He knew Islam was working for the kimura but couldn't clear his other arm to defend. Expert stuff there for Makhachev, who claims his ninth straight victim.

Round one - Anyone else nervous? Hooker circles, measuring his jab. Huge support for Islam in the building in Abu Dhabi. Catches Hooker's jabs and blasts the double leg takedown, to the mat they go. This is definitely not where Dan wants to be fighting this one. Hooker doing well to prevent Islam taking full mount. Attacking the wrist, looking for the kimura. This is over.

8:40am - Islam 'Khabib is my best mate' Makhachev enters the cage to some generic Euro-trance. Let's do this.

8:37am - Enormous opportunity here for the Aucklander against one of the UFC's hottest properties.

Hooker makes his entrance to 50 Cent's 'Many Men', accompanied by his team of Doug Viney, Hemi Ahio, and George Hickman.

8:32am - Buckle up, team. 'The Hangman' is up next.

Alexander Volkov v Marcin Tybura - Volkov wins via unanimous decision

Round three - Tybura clinches to start the final round, can't hold Volkov to the fence. Volkov letting his hands go, landing his uppercut consistently. Volkov continues to stuff Tybura's takedown attempts. Heavy three-piece wobbles Tybura. We're off to the judges' scorecards, which should read in favour of the Russian.

Round two - Volkov establishes his jab again early, using that reach advantage expertly. Tybura lunges and eats a knee, he's desperate for that takedown but can't close the distance effectively. Volkov to his kicks now. Tybura still pressing, landing inside. Both guys stagnating here as the round ends. Tybura may have stolen that round.

Round one - Here go with the light heavyweights. The Russian heavily favoured in this one. Tybura the aggressor early but he's eating plenty of countershots for his troubles. Volkov scores a takedown, moves to half mount to close out the round. One in the bag for Volkov.

7:58am - Chimaev states he wants to "kill everybody", when asked who he wants to fight next.

He's taken just one shot in his first four UFC wins. Remarkable.

Li Jingliang v Khamzat Chimaev - Chimaev wins via first-round submission

Round one - Chimaev shoots for the takedown immediately. Li defending well, just a brief ride to the mat. Chimaev still has his back, working his hand free for some shots against the cage. Both hooks in now, flattening Li out. Huge shots from above. Referee is close here. Chimaev locks in the rear-naked choke. This is deep. No tap, Li goes to sleep and that's the end of that.

7:45am - A ton of interest in this one, as Chimaev makes his return to the Octagon after a sparkling debut run that tagged him as one of the UFC's hottest talents. Let's see if he can keep that up against 'The Leech'.

7:36am - Ankalaev has his hand raised after a dominant unanimous decision win.

Don't look now, but 'The Hangman' is in the building! Two more bouts, then the Kiwi is in action.

7:30am - Morena fight fans! Ankalaev puts the finishing touches on a comfortable victory over Volkan Oezdemir to kick off the main card.

***

Kia ora and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of Kiwi lightweight Dan Hooker's clash with the surging Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 on 'Fight Island'.

'The Hangman' is backing up as an injury replacement from his win over Nasrat Haqparast in Las Vegas last month, accepting the bout on just 35 days turnaround.

Widely labelled as the second coming of the 'GOAT' Khabib Nurmagomedov, the Russian is one of the hottest properties in the UFC and represents a golden opportunity for the Kiwi to stake his claim for the lightweight title.

Headlining the tacked card is a light heavyweight title bout between Polish champion Jan Blachowicz - who last defeated Hooker's teammate Israel Adesanya back in March - against Brazilian veteran Glover Teixeira.

Join us for all of the main card action from 7am.