UFC 248: Live Updates and Reaction
Will UFC 248 be remembered as the night that led to Israel Adesanya fighting Jon Jones?
Adesanya headlines 248 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, meeting a dangerous-yet-aging opponent Yoel Romero.
Originally intended to meet Paulo Costa in the main event, Adesanya wisely called out Romero after Costa was ruled out with a bicep injury. Romero still looks like a monster, but the reality is he has dropped three of his past four fights and it is highly unlikely that he is the man to dethrone Adesanya of his Middleweight Championship. If Adesanya wins, all ears will be listening to see if he calls out Jones in his post-fight Octagon interview.
The card is filled with fights that should be entertaining, but lacks the high stakes typically on display in UFC’s biggest cards. But the ultimate story will be the takeaway from the Adesanya-Romero main event, and whether the elusive Jones will be called out in the aftermath of an Adesanya victory.
MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT: ISRAEL ADESANYA VS. YOEL ROMERO - 1:45 AM ET
Israel Adesanya retained his Middleweight Championship by unanimous decision against Yoel Romero in a massively disappointing 248 main event.
The pace was extremely slow with little physicality. It felt as though there was just as much action in the post-fight taunting as there was in the actual fight.
It was a slow start as the two fighters felt each other out, and that pace never intensified. Adesanya (19-0) refused to be pulled into the cerebral -- but ultimately unsuccessful -- game plan by Romero (13-5), avoiding the big explosion and assault from Romero.
Romero expressed his frustration following the fight that Adesanya did not do enough to beat him, but he did not engage Adesanya after doing very little for the first two rounds. But Adesanya’s low kicks did damage to Romero’s right leg, factoring into the judges’ scoring in Adesanya’s favor.
After the win, Adesanya taunted Paulo Costa. Jon Jones’ name never came up during the post-fight interview in the Octagon, making Adesanya-Costa the next title fight for the Middleweight Championship.
WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT: CHAMPION ZHANG WEILI VS. JOANNA JEDRZEJCZYK - 12:05 AM ET
Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk combined for the most compelling title fight in women’s MMA history.
After five rounds, Weili (21-1) won by a split decision. Weili’s face was battered and bruised, and Jedrzejczyk (16-4) was barely even recognizable after enduring such brutal punishment to her face.
All five rounds were full of exchanges. Weili looked defeated in the second and third rounds, then somehow looked like the fresher fighter in the final two championship rounds.
A third round shot from Weili put a massive welt on Jedrzejczyk’s forehead, but incredibly, her chin held up against Weili’s lightning fast strikes.
The fight was a valiant display by two warriors. Weili refused to let go of her title, while Jedrzejczyk looked as dominant as she did when she was carrying the division.
This was the most compelling fight in the history of UFC’s women’s strawweight division, and one that may end up as the fight of the year in the Octagon. Although the winner of the Rose Namajunas-Jessica Andrade bout is in line for a title shot, there is now an immediate demand for a rematch between Weili and Jedrzejczyk.
LIGHTWEIGHT FIGHT: BENEIL DARIUSH VS. DRAKKAR KLOSE - 11:33 PM ET
Beneil Dariush made his case for a “Fight of the Night” performance with a knockout win against Drakkar Klose.
A vicious left hand ended Klose’s night just moments after he appeared to have taken control of the fight.
Two minutes into the first round and Dariush (18-4-1) had a body triangle on the back standing up, which he stayed in for the remainder of the round. He was not able to force Klose (11-2-1) to submit to the rear naked choke, but that stretch tired out Dariush’s legs. Klose opened the second round with an inside low kick, attacking Dariush’s legs, then briefly—with an emphasis on the word briefly—took control of the fight before getting too wild with his punches. Dariush capitalized, this time with his fists, and he finished the fight just a minute into the second round.
WELTERWEIGHT FIGHT: NEIL MAGNY VS. LI JINGLIANG - 10:58 PM ET
Neil Magny outclassed Li Jingliang, winning by unanimous decision.
Magny (22-7) dominated the second and third round against Jingliang (17-6). Magny’s last fight took place in November of 2018, but showed no signs of rust.
Jingliang had two takedowns in the first round, but that was the beginning and end of his highlight reel.
The second round was a showcase for Magny, overwhelming Jingliang with an outrageous amount of volume in an unrelenting attack. A strong third round made the decision inevitable, as Magny picked up his 15th win in the UFC.
WELTERWEIGHT FIGHT: ALEX OLIVEIRA VS. MAX GRIFFIN -- 10:19 PM ET
UFC 248’s main card opened with a fantastic fight, as Alex Oliveira and Max Griffin went three rounds in a bloody, gnarly bout that featured stand up fighting and a battle on the mat.
Oliveira (20-8-1 (2)) won the fight by split decision, which was the right call after a dominating second round and doing slightly more damage in the third than Griffin (15-8).
Griffin controlled the majority of the opening round courtesy of a vicious right hand to the face of Oliveira, followed by a takedown, but the cagey Oliveira hung on to extend the fight.
Oliveira opened the second round with a right hand to Griffin’s eye. He forced Griffin to eat another big shot, and the shot to the eye clearly affected his vision. Oliveira also found success with the front to the body, seizing control of the fight in the round. Ultimately, the entire fight changed after Oliveira’s shot to Griffin’s eye.
The loss marks the second in a row for Griffin, and this victory was an absolute necessity for Oliveira, who had dropped three in a row before tonight’s win.
