Fight results & recaps
3 stories on this topic, newest first.
Kape stops Horiguchi in round three, demands flyweight title shot
Manel Kape was losing the first two rounds of the UFC Vegas 119 main event before flooring Kyoji Horiguchi with a right hook and finishing him with ground-and-pound at 2:42 of round three, avenging a 2017 RIZIN submission loss. The win was Kape's fourth straight and earned a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus. Horiguchi (36-6-1) had his seven-fight win streak snapped and apologized to fans, vowing to return. Kape says he has done enough to face flyweight champion Joshua Van.
Why it matters: Kape has now beaten the gatekeepers and elite alike, and his finish forces the UFC's hand at 125 pounds, where Van, Pantoja and a returning Horiguchi all complicate the contender picture.
- UFC Vegas 119 results: Biggest winners, losers from 'Kape vs. Horiguchi' last night (MMA Mania)
- Manel Kape thinks he earned UFC title shot after revenge KO over Kyoji Horguchi: 'It was enough' (BJPenn.com)
- 'I got spectacularly knocked out'… Kyoji Horiguchi reacts to Manel Kape loss at UFC Vegas 119 (Bloody Elbow)
- Kyoji Horiguchi releases statement following UFC Vegas 119 knockout loss (MMA Mania)
- UFC Vegas 119 results: Sooo … About last night | Horiguchi vs. Kape 2 (MMA Mania)
Magomedov submits Baghdasaryan with rare twister in UFC debut
Undefeated Kyrgyz featherweight Murtazali Magomedov (11-0) made one of the most memorable debuts in years at UFC Vegas 119, taking the back of Melsik Baghdasaryan and locking up a modified twister for a tap at 1:17 of round one. It was only the fourth twister submission in UFC history, joining Korean Zombie, Bryce Mitchell and Da'Mon Blackshear, and earned a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus. Magomedov said he learned the move a month ago from ex-UFC flyweight Askar Askarov.
Why it matters: A finish-heavy prospect with an 11-0 record and 100 percent finish rate is exactly what a thin, big-name-starved featherweight division needs, and the twister instantly made him appointment viewing.
Herb Dean faces fresh back-of-head controversy in Oliveira-Fili finish
Vinicius Oliveira moved to featherweight and stopped Andre Fili by TKO just before the second-round horn at UFC Vegas 119, earning Fight of the Night. Some of the finishing shots appeared to land on the back of Fili's head, and a bloodied Fili was seen complaining to referee Herb Dean, who checked his head and showed him replays. It's the second such controversy for Dean this month after Ciryl Gane's win over Alex Pereira at the White House.
Why it matters: Repeated disputes over illegal blows in fight-ending sequences put officiating standards under scrutiny just as the UFC weighs glove and rule changes.