UFC 281 play-by-play and live results
NEW YORK – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Saturday’s UFC 281 event, and you can join us for live play-by-play and official results.
UFC 281 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.
In the main event, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against challenger Alex Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who holds two kickboxing wins over him. In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza (19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) defends the belt for the first time in her second stint as champ against former titleholder Zhang Weili (22-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who is a 4-1 favorite to reclaim the title.
In addition, former Bellator champ Michael Chandler (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) takes on former UFC interim titleholder Dustin Poirier (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC) in a key lightweight bout and former 155-pound champ Frankie Edgar (24-10-1 MMA, 18-10-1 UFC) fights for what is expected to be the final time when he meets Chris Gutierrez (18-3-2 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) at bantamweight.
Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 6 p.m. ET for the early prelims on ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET for the prelims on ESPNews and 10 p.m. ET for the main card on pay-per-view.
To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC 281 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporters Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn), Nolan King (@mma_kings) and Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway) on Twitter.
Enjoy the fights, everyone.
Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Carlos Ulberg
Round 1 – Here we go with the first fight of the night. Ulberg staying on the outside and using a lot of movement here. He hops in and out as he picks his shots. Big leg kicks land for Ulberg. Negumereanu is chasing, growing frustrated, as he’s unable to land him. Solid jabs by Ulberg. Oh! Ulbeg catches Negumereanu with a huge left as he looked to close the distance. The fight is over. Monster performance.
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Records: Nicolae Negumereanu (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC), Carlos Ulberg (6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC)
Division: Light heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
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Judging:
Julio Arce vs. Montel Jackson
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Records: Julio Arce (18-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC), Montel Jackson (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
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Seungwoo Choi vs. Michael Trizano
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Records: Seungwoo Choi (10-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC), Michael Trizano (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
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Silvana Gomez Juarez vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
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Records: Silvana Gomez Juarez (11-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC), Karolina Kowalkiewicz (13-7 MMA, 6-7 UFC)
Division: Women’s strawweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
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Ottman Azaitar vs. Matt Frevola
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Records: Ottman Azaitar (13-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Matt Frevola (9-3-1 MMA, 3-3-1 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
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Andre Petroski vs. Wellington Turman
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Records: Andre Petroski (8-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Wellington Turman (18-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Broadcast: ESPNews/ESPN+
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Erin Blanchfield vs. Molly McCann
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Records: Erin Blanchfield (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Molly McCann (13-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC)
Division: Women’s flyweight
Broadcast: ESPNews/ESPN+
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Dominick Reyes vs. Ryan Spann
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Records: Dominick Reyes (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC), Ryan Spann (20-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC)
Division: Light heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPNews/ESPN+
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Renato Moicano vs. Brad Riddell
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Records: Renato Moicano (16-5-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC), Brad Riddell (10-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPNews/ESPN+
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Dan Hooker vs. Claudio Puelles
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Records: Dan Hooker (21-12 MMA, 11-8 UFC), Claudio Puelles (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
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Frankie Edgar vs. Chris Gutierrez
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Records: Frankie Edgar (24-10-1 MMA, 18-10-1 UFC), Chris Gutierrez (18-3-2 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
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Michael Chandler vs. Dustin Poirier
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Records: Michael Chandler (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC), Dustin Poirier (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
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Carla Esparza vs. Zhang Weili
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Records: Carla Esparza (19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), Zhang Weili (22-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC)
Division: Women’s strawweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
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Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira
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Records: Israel Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC), Alex Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
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