Max Holloway retained his featherweight crown in his rematch with Jose Aldo as history repeated itself with a third-round stoppage for the Hawaiian.
Aldo again started the better and looked to trouble Holloway at times utilising his leg kicks more frequently this time around. However his cardio proved to be his downturn again with the Brazilian clearly breathing heavily at the end of the first round.
Holloway upped the pace in the second round, throwing strikes at a higher volume, but Aldo was still competing with the champion, going back to the leg kicks and throwing some heavy hands. The champion continued to bloody the face of the challenger but it was possibly one round a piece heading into the third.
Both men were trading strikes blow-for-blow early in the third, but Holloway’s combinations were beginning to string together as he was perfectly going from head to body seamlessly. Aldo was struggling to deal with the pace and with the fight on the verge of being stopped, the Brazilian shot for a takedown which Holloway pounced on as an invitation to continue his barrage of strikes. Herb Dean was forced to step in after multiple strikes received no answer from Aldo.
Absolutely stunning display from @BlessedMMA at #UFC218 👊
Max Holloway retains his crown at 145-pounds, but what does the future hold for Jose Aldo? Is he done with mixed martial arts?
What other moments lit up the Little Caesars Arena?
Francis Ngannou is the scariest man alive
Can he step up to the biggest challenge of his career? Don’t worry about Francis.
Alistair Overeem was presented as a big step up, but with just over a minute into the fight, it was all over with a brutal left hand. Overeem had looked to immediately swing for Ngannou from the bell, trying to land a hayemaker in the opening seconds before clinching up against the cage.
The fight was brought back to the centre after inactivity in the clinch and when Overeem looked to land a left hook of his own, Ngannou dipped under and responded with a left uppercut of his own that dropped him flat out. An additional hammerfist landed before the referee could intervene but Overeem was out cold.
Six straight wins for Ngannou leave him as the next man to challenge heavyweight king Stipe Miocic. How does that fight go?
Francis Ngannou has arrived people. One shot is all it took... 👊 #UFC218
Gaethje and Alvarez didn’t disappoint
It was exactly what we all wanted! With the earlier war between Medeiros and Oliveira, we weren’t sure if Gaethje and Alvarez could live up to the hype.
Gaethje started well, targeting Alvarez with a barrage of leg kicks that appeared to hamper his mobility momentarily. The former lightweight champion responded at the end of the first round with some brutal body shots, clearly slowing Gaethje down, who became frustrated with Alvarez’s movement.
Defence went out of the window in the second round, with both men landing heavy uppercuts and continuing to trade back and forward. For Gaethje, those body shots looked to be taking effect whilst Alvarez was bloodied in his corner.
Gaethje went back to his leg kick strategy in the final round of the bout, looking to restrict Alvarez’s mobility, but the former champion just kept firing back. Alvarez landed a perfectly timed knee, sending Gaethje slumping face-first towards the canvas. A couple of strikes followed and Herb Dean stepped in to declare Alvarez the victor.
Eddie Alvarez becomes the first man to defeat Justin Gaethje. Is he back on the road to a title shot?
Medeiros defeats Oliveira in incredible bout!
A definite round of the year candidate went down in Detroit with Yancy Medeiros and Alex Oliveira went to war! Both men dropped each other inside the first round with Oliveira clearly showcasing a broken nose. Despite that, Oliveira won the first round, outstriking his opponent more than five-to-one.
The second round swung in the favour of Hawaii’s Yancy Medeiros, landing some brutal elbows from the mount after a perfectly timed reversal. The pair continued to exchange strikes at a frantic pace.
As the third round emerged, Oliveira looked like he was going to take control, landing two takedowns and firing strikes at will. However, Medeiros seemed to capitalise on a problem with Oliveira’s vision as he backed up against the cage and eventually dropped to a barrage of strikes from Medeiros.
Fight of the Year? Crazy fight!
