UFC Fight Night 191 was supposed to take place in London, England. But, after the UFC decided to switch the event from The O2 Arena to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, the fighters took the venue change in their stride and served up an action-packed night of fights.
Check out the official results below, accompanied by action shots taken from octagonside by the UFC’s photographers. All photos courtesy UFC.
Derek Brunson def. Darren Till via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:13
Brunson’s wrestling went up against Till’s striking in the main event, and wrestling won the day in pretty emphatic fashion.
Till looked sharp on the feet, but had no answer to Brunson’s wrestling and heavy top game, as the American hammered the Brit with ground and pound for long spells before eventually submitting his man with a rear-naked choke in Round 3.
Brunson called for a shot at the UFC middleweight title, and said he’d be prepared to sit and wait for champion Israel Adesanya to face former champ Robert Whittaker in a title rematch before returning to the cage to challenge for the belt.
Tom Aspinall def. Serghei Spivac via TKO (elbow and punches) – Round 1, 2:30
If people weren’t on the Tom Aspinall hype train before his co-main event appearance, they probably will be after his emphatic, cruise-control finish of Serghei Spivac.
Spivac had previously proved himself to be a dangerous, tricky customer in the UFC heavyweight division, but Aspinall had no trouble putting the Moldovan away as he dealt with his opponent with consummate ease, finishing him with an elbow and follow-up strikes to claim his fourth straight win in the UFC.
All four of those wins have come inside the distance, and it might be time to stop calling Aspinall a prospect. The man looks all set to be a legitimate contender in the very near future.
Alex Morono def. David Zawada via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Every time Alex Morono steps into the cage, action follows. And that was no different when he took on the equally high-energy David Zawada.
But, despite Zawada’s come-forward approach, he just couldn’t keep pace with Morono, who outstruck him through three punishing, but competitive, rounds to earn 30-27 scores on all three cards.
Khalil Rountree Jr. def. Modestas Bukauskas via TKO (leg kick) – Round 2, 2:30
When Khalil Rountree is on this form, he looks every inch a light heavyweight contender. But consistency has been a problem over the years. If he can follow up on his hugely impressive dismantling of former Cage Warriors champion Modestas Bukauskas, he could be in there with the division’s big boys very soon indeed.
Bukauskas was left with a broken nose and a badly torn knee as he suffered his third straight defeat in the octagon.
Paddy Pimblett def. Luigi Vendramini via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:25
The undoubted star of the show, Pimblett scored a spectacular TKO finish to announce his arrival in the UFC, but there were signs that things won’t necessarily all go “The Baddy’s” way on the big stage.
Pimblett was clipped hard early on by Brazil’s Luigi Vendramini, but he bounced back brilliantly to finish his man and back up his pre-fight promise of a first-round stoppage.
The Conor McGregor comparisons are somewhat unfair, but he’s a huge personality and one that is sure to get plenty of attention now he’s where he belongs, on the sport’s biggest stage.
Molly McCann def. Ji Yeon Jim via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Riding a two-fight skid heading into fight night, Molly McCann desperately needed a win, and she got it after a breathless 15-minute display of pressure fighting.
Conceding significant height and reach advantages over Ji Yeon Kim, McCann put the pressure on her opponent from start to finish in a remarkable display of guts and cardio. McCann walked through Kim’s punches to land her own, and did so to good effect.
Her final flurry before the buzzer in Round 3 was shades of Max Holloway against Ricardo Lamas as she left it all in the cage to claim the win.
And “Meatball’s” night got even better as she returned to the arena to see her friend and teammate Pimblett claim his memorable debut win.
Jack Shore def. Liudvik Sholinian via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jack Shore continues to impress, and he did so again as he defeated short-notice replacement Liudvik Sholinian by unanimous decision after dominating the entire fight.
Shore barely broke a sweat as he kept the game newcomer at by with a smart combination of slick kickboxing and a dominant ground game.
He’s now 15-0, and matchups with some of the UFC bantamweight division’s bigger names are surely only around the corner for the Welshman.
Julian Erosa def. Charles Jourdain via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:56
Erosa and Jourdain served up a fun catchweight clash as their 150-pound matchup delivered plenty of action that culminated in a D’Arce choke finish for Erosa.
Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dalcha Lungiambula via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Barriault’s sheer toughness was on show as he walked through Lungiambula’s powerful punches to land plenty of strikes of his own in a bruising encounter to kick off the event.
But, while the South African started to wane as the fight went on, the “Power Bar” on Barriault stayed full as he pushed the pace to earn a unanimous decision victory.