LAS VEGAS — International Fight Week begins Thursday night at MGM Garden Grand Arena with UFC Fight Night, headlined by the five-round lightweight championship bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Eddie Alvarez.
This will be the second title defense for dos Anjos, who’s 14-5 in his UFC career (25-7 overall) but is recovering from a broken foot that famously forced him to pull out of a UFC 196 showdown with Conor McGregor. Dos Anjos hasn’t fought since then, so it will be interesting to see how he moves on the foot against the challenger Alvarez, a Brazilian who’s 12-2 in his last 14 bouts.
NESN.com is octagon-side for the championship bout and will provide round-by-round commentary on dos Anjos-Alvarez, results from every fight and more. You also can order the fight on UFC Fight Pass through NESN.com.
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Eddie Alvarez Round-By-Round Commentary
Round 1: Well, that was quick. The fighters stood toe-to-toe for 2 minutes or so, then Alvarez started landing massive strikes, pinning dos Anjos to the cage. Dos Anjos escaped but only for a minute, as Alvarez tracked him down, landing more strikes, and the ref called the fight at 3:49.
Alvarez is the new UFC lightweight champion of the world.
“This has everything to do with my friends, family, trainers, my boys, my kids,” Alvarez told the crowd. “I love you guys. Rafael was the champ for a reason. Rafael is resilient. I had him hurt, so I had to empty the gas tank and let it all out.”
Pre-fight: It has been an exciting night at MGM Grand Garden Arena, with a plethora of submissions and absolutely wicked haymakers, but now it’s time for the main event: dos Anjos versus Alvarez. The winner will be the UFC light heavyweight champion of the world.
Main Card Results
Joseph Duffy def. Mitch Clarke by first-round submission
Alan Jouban def. Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision (28-27, 29-28, 29-27)
Derrick Lewis def. Roy Nelson by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Undercard Results
Vicente Luque def. Alvaro Herrera by second-round submission
Marco Beltran def. Reginaldo Vieira by second-round submission
Gilbert Burns def. Lukasz Sajewski by first-round submission
Felipe Arantes def. Jerrod Sanders by second-round submission
Pedro Munhoz def. Russell Doane by first-round submission
Anthony Birchak def. Dileno Lopes by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30)
John Makdessi def. Mehdi Baghdad by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Alberto Mina def. Mike Pyle by second-round KO
Order UFC Fight Night Las Vegas on NESN.com >>
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@UFCFightPass
