SALT LAKE CITY – UFC 291 took place Saturday, and MMA Junkie provided live play-by-play of the event.
UFC 291 took place at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
The main event was a “BMF” title fight between former interim lightweight champions Dustin Poirier (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC) and Justin Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC). They met in a rematch, but this time for the “BMF” belt. Poirier won their first meeting in 2018 by TKO. In the co-feature, former light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) welcomed ex-middleweight champ Alex Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) to 205 pounds.
You also can get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporters Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn ) on Twitter. and Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway ) on Twitter.
Enjoy the fights, everyone.
Priscila Cachoeira vs. Miranda Maverick
Round 1 – Clean left hook by Maverick to get things started. Cachoeira eats it well. Another left by Maverick. Body kick by Maverick! Maverick looking sharp so far, getting the better of the striking exchanges. Maverick takes down Cachoeira. Three minutes left. Maverick controlling only the legs against the fence, hasn’t put Cachoeira’s back to the mat. Two minutes left. Good control here by Maverick, but no damage. And there’s the full takedown. Maverick takes side control. Couple of shots land for Maverick. One minute left. Oh! Nasty elbows from Maverick. She ends the round on top.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Maverick.
Round 2 – Maverick comes up short in a couple of takedown attempts. Leg kick by Maverick. Cachoeira chasing, but not landing much yet. Maverick shoots and presses Cachoeira against the cage. Three minutes left. And there’s the takedown. Maverick controlling from half guard. Full control here by Maverick. Two minutes left. Maverick moves to full mount. Cachoeira escapes, but Maverick takes her back down. Some shots land for Maverick. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Maverick.
Round 3 – Oh! Hard left hands land for Maverick! And there’s a takedown for Maverick. Maverick in side control. Now on north-south. Good elbows by Maverick. Three minutes left. Maverick goes for the armbar! There’s the tap! It’s over.
Result: Miranda Maverick def. Priscila Cachoeira via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 2;11
Recap: Miranda Maverick scores wicked armbar on Priscila Cachoeira
Photos: Miranda Maverick def. Priscila Cachoeira at UFC 291: Best photos
Records: Miranda Maverick (12-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC), Priscila Cachoeira (12-5 MMA, 4-5 UFC)
Division: Women’s flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Dave Saljestad
Uros Medic vs. Matthew Semelsberger
Round 1 – Semelsberger takes down Medic with a leg kick! Oh crazy ground-and-pound from Semelsberger! He’s all over him! Medic gets up, but Semelsberger controls against the cage. Medic escapes, back to striking. Good left by Medic. Leg kick by Medic. Three minutes left. Huge left by Medic! Semelsberger eats it well. Medic having good success on the feet. Oh! Semelsberger drops Medic with a right hand! Medic hurts Semelsberger with an upkick, he gets up, but gets rocked by Semelsberger! What a crazy fight. They hit the ground, but back up. One minute left. They strike, but nothing lands super clean. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Semelsberger.
Round 2 – Semelsberger comes out pressing Medic. Good leg kicks by Semelsberger. Big left by Semelsberger! Medic is landing some shots, but so far not the same impact as Semelsberger. Three minutes left. Medic pressing now. Leg kick by Medic. Big left by Medic. He’s making up for some lost ground. Medic throwing plenty of head kicks but hitting Semelsberger’s guard. `The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Semelsberger.
Round 3 – Leg kick by Semelsberger. Jab by Medic. They clinch and Medic lands a couple of left hooks. Back to striking. Good right by Semelsberger. Very competitive fight. Oh! Huge combo by Medic! Semelsberger is wobbled! Medic drops him with a spinning back fist! Ground-and-pound and it’s over! Great finish by Medic.
Result: Uros Medic def. Matthew Semelsberger via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 3, 2:36
Recap: Uros Medic spinning elbow leads to TKO of Matthew Semelsberger in slugfest
Photos: Uros Medic def. Matthew Semelsberger at UFC 291: Best photos
Records: Uros Medic (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), Matthew Semelsberger (11-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Tyler Tomlinson
Darrius Flowers vs. Jake Matthews
Round 1 – Flowers pressuring Matthews right off the bat. Good jabs, leg kick by Matthews. Flowers with an insane amount of pressure! These two are swinging! Body shot by Matthews. Another one. Leg kick by Matthews. Couple of wild hooks land for Flowers. More body shots by Matthews. Flowers slowing down a bit. Two minutes left. Body kick by MatthewsLeg kick by Matthews. Flowers is slowing down a lot. Right hook wobbles Flowers! Flowers played possum. He wasn’t hurt. One minute left. More body shots by Matthews. Flowers shoots for a takedown and gets it. Flowers on side control. Matthews recovers guard. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Matthews.
Round 2 – Matthews throws a kick to the body, but it appears to land low. Flowers goes down in pain and the fight is paused. The replay seems to show that it was a clean shot, the commentators agree, and the crowd is booing the pause. The fight resumes after a few minutes. Flowers with crazy pressure again. More body shots by Matthews. Good knee to the body by Flowers. Flowers shoots for a takedown and gets stuffed. Matthews with top control. He’s got a kimura locked! Three minutes left. Matthews lets it go and gets mount. Ground-and-pound from Matthews. Flowers gives up his back! Matthews sinks in the rear-naked choke. It’s over!
Result: Jake Matthews def. Darrius Flowers via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:37
Recap: Jake Matthews submits Darrius Flowers after controversial low kick
Photos: Jake Matthews def. Darrius Flowers at UFC 291: Best photos
Records: Jake Matthews (19-6 MMA, 12-6 UFC), Darrius Flowers (12-6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: ABC/ESPN/ESPN+
Referee: Tyler Tomlinson
Roman Kopylov vs. Claudio Ribeiro
Round 1 – Leg kick by Ribeiro. Both guys very hesitant, with Kopylov doing most of the pressing. More leg kick by Robeiro. Couple of body kick by Ribeiro. Kopylov with his own body kick. Couple of hooks semi connect for Kopylov. Two minutes left. Good right hand by Ribeiro. Body kick by Kopylov. Oh! Clean left stuns Ribeiro! Kopylov upping the pressure. Good jab by Kopylov. Ribeiro seems to have recovered, although not badly hurt. Big right-hand wobbles Kopylov! Robeiro shoots for a takedown, but unable to get it before bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Kopylov.
Round 2 – Oh! NASTY head kick by Kopylov! Ribeiro goes down and has no idea where he is. The fight is over. What a finish.
Result: Roman Kopylov def. Claudio Ribeiro via KO (head-kick) – Round 2, 0:33
Recap: Roman Kopylov loudly cracks Claudio Ribeiro with vicious head kick
Photos: Roman Kopylov def. Claudio Ribeiro at UFC 291: Best photos
Records: Roman Kopylov (11-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC), Claudio Ribeiro (11-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Broadcast: ABC/ESPN/ESPN+
Referee: Marc Goddard
Vinicius Salvador vs. CJ Vergara
Round 1 – Salvador chasing Vergara and connecting several leg kicks. More leg kicks by Salvador. One, two by Salvador. Three minutes left. Vergara has yet to land anything significant. Jab by Salvador. Vergara complained about an eye poke and the referee pauses the bout. Vergara says he can’t see. The replay seems to show it was a punch, not an eye poke. The fight resumes. Leg kick by Salvador. Jabs by Salvador. Hard left by Salvador. One minute left. Leg kick by Vergara. Leg kick by Salvador. Vergara not throwing much. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Salvador.
Round 2 – Couple of hooks by Salvador and then a jab. Leg kick by Salvador. Vergara is pressing Salvador a bit more here in the second. Body kick by Vergara. Capoeira kick by Salvador. Leg kick by Vergara. Body kick by Salvador. Three minutes left. Knee to the head by Salvador. Salvador, easily outpointing Vergara so far. Body kick by Salvador. Good left hook by Vergara. Leg kick by Vergara. A nice left hook lands for Vergara. Vegara making up for lost ground here. Nasty left hooks connects for Salvador at the end.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Salvador.
Round 3 – These two just trading shots, taking turns. Good jab by Salvador. Vergara with a good combo. Vergara seems to have more pop in the third. Left hook lands for Salvador. Vergara has stepped up with his output and is being far more accurate. Three minutes left. More leg kicks by Salvador. Another good combo by Vergara. Salvador’s leg is pretty beat up, but his movement seems fine. Clean left hook for Vergara. One minute left. Both tries takedowns and fail. Hook to the body by Salvador. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Vergara. Overall 29-28, Salvador.
Result: CJ Vergara def. Vinicius Salvador via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Photos: CJ Vergara def. Vinicius Salvador at UFC 291: Best photos
Records: CJ Vergara (12-4-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC), Vinicius Salvador (14-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Broadcast: ABC/ESPN/ESPN+
Referee: Dave Seljestad
Judging: Steve Faragher, Derek Cleary, Junichiro Kamijo 29-28.
Gabriel Bonfim vs. Trevin Giles
Round 1 – Bonfim immediately pressing Giles. Bonfim clips Giles with a left! Giles closes distance and presses Bonfim against the cage. Bonfim gets a takedown and moves to side control. Giles escapes, but in the scramble Bonfim locks a guillotine choke and gets the tap! Wow. Impressive.
Result: Gabriel Bonfim def. Trevin Giles via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:13
Recap: Gabriel Bonfim moves to 15-0 with quick tap of Trevin Giles, wants Neil Magny
Photos: Gabriel Bonfim def. Trevin Giles at UFC 291: Best photos
Records: Gabriel Bonfim (15-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Trevin Giles (16-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: ABC/ESPN/ESPN+
Referee: Herb Dean
Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland
Round 1 – Holland takes the center of the octagon. Chiesa staying mobile on the outside. Good uppercuts by Holland. Chiesa goes down with a shot and and pulls Holland into guard. They’re quickly back up. Chiesa shoots for a single, fails, but presses Holland against the cage. Holland reverses the position. Chiesa comes up short on another takedown. Big knee by Holland. Holland locks a D’Arce choke! There’s the tap!
Result: Kevin Holland def. Michael Chiesa via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 2:39
Recap: Kevin Holland displays wrestling defense, D’Arce chokes Michael Chiesa in opening minutes
Photos: Kevin Holland def. Michael Chiesa at UFC 291: Best photos
Records: Kevin Holland (25-9 MMA, 12-6 UFC), Michael Chiesa (16-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Marc Goddard
Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green
Round 1 – Green tags Ferguson a couple of times. Both fighters backing each other up with their weird style. Ferguson shoots for a takedown, but comes up short. Jabs and leg kicks land for Green. Hard jab by Ferguson. Ferguson is bleeding from his nose. One, two lands for Green. Looks like Ferguson briefly stunned Green. Green recovers quickly. An accidental eye poke from Green stops the action. Doctor checking on Ferguson. Fight resumes after a couple of minutes. Two minutes left. These two are throwing big. One, two by Green. Body kick by Green. One, two again by Green. Big counter left by Green. He found his timing. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Green.
Round 2 – Ferguson shoots for a takedown, comes up short. Good jabs by Green. Ferguson shoots for a takedown and ends on bottom. Green with big shots from top. Green landing shots from guard. Three minutes left. Big shots from Green. Ferguson landing shots from bottom, too. Nasty elbows by Green. Ferguson is getting worked. Ferguson is bleeding from his right eyebrow. Green lets him up. They trade shots. Good jabs by Green. Man, Green just keeps snapping Ferguson’s head back with shots. Good combo by Ferguson to end the round.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Green.
Round 3 – Right hook lands for Green. Leg kick by Ferguson. Body shot by Green. Good jab by Ferguson. More body shots by Green. Nasty jab by Green. Green tags Ferguson with a one, two. Three minutes left. Ferguson with a right hand. Green clearly outstriking Ferguson here, but Ferguson is having some moments here and there. Good leg kicks by Ferguson. Two minutes left. Good right hand by Ferguson. Ferguson is bleeding from the bridge of his nose. Green takes Ferguson’s back while standing, Ferguson rolls for a knee bar but fails ends on bottom. Green locks in an arm triangle! It looks tight! Ferguson is out. Big win for Green.
Result: Bobby Green def. Tony Ferguson via submission (head and arm choke) – Round 3, 4:54
Recap: Bobby Green hands Tony Ferguson sixth straight loss with arm triangle submission
Photos: Bobby Green def. Tony Ferguson at UFC 291: Best photos
Records: Bobby Green (30-14-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC), Tony Ferguson (25-9 MMA, 15-7 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Dan Miragliotta
Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Round 1 – Oh! Lewis rushes and drops De Lima with a flying knee! Lewis with insane ground-and-pound, non-stop! It’s over! What a win!
Result: Derrick Lewis def. Marcos Rogerio de Lima via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 0:33
Recap: Derrick Lewis takes pants off after running knee leads to TKO in opening seconds
Photos: Derrick Lewis def. Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 291: Best photos
Records: Derrick Lewis (27-11 MMA, 18-9 UFC), Marcos Rogerio de Lima (21-9-1 MMA, 10-7 UFC)
Division: Heavyweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Dan Miragliotta
Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
Round 1 – Blachowicz shoots for a takedown early and presses Pereira against the cage. Pereira goes for standing guillotine, but Blachowicz seems ok. Pereira no longer squeezing. Blachowicz still controlling Pereira against the cage. Not much action going on. Crowd boos. And Blachowicz gets the takedown. Three minutes left. Blachowicz gets his back! He’s going for the rear-naked choke. Pereira gets out, but still getting controlled from the back. Two minutes left. Blachowicz still controlling. Blachowicz going for the rear-naked choke, but Pereira gets out again. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Blachowicz.
Round 2 – Good leg kicks here by Pereira. Good jabs too by Pereira. Blachowicz with some leg kicks, too. More leg kicks from both. Man, Blachowicz is hurting a bit with these leg kicks. Left hook lands for Blachowicz. Blachowicz shoots for a takedown and gets it. Pereira working from guard. Three minutes left. Good control here by Blachowicz. Pereira trying to get up, but unable to. And Pereira gets up, but pressed against the cage. Good knee to the body by Blachowicz. Two minutes left. And Pereira breaks free! Blachowicz shoots for takedown, Pereira stuffs it. Nasty left hook by Pereira. Blachowicz is tired. Jabs to the body by Pereira. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Pereira.
Round 3 – They trade leg kicks. Jab by Blachowicz. Pereira with more leg kicks. Blachowicz’s leg is swollen. More leg kicks by Pereira. Good combo finished by a body kick from Blachowicz. More leg kicks by Pereira. Blachowicz is bleeding from his nose. Three minutes left. More jabs to the body by Pereira. Blachowicz presses Pereira against the cage, but Pereira breaks free immediately. Brutal leg kicks from Pereira. Jab y Blachowicz. Two minutes left. Left hook from Pereira. Nasty jab by Pereira. Blachowicz stunned. Another left hook by Pereira. Blachowicz shoots and gets stuffed. Jab by Pereira. And Blachowicz gets a takedown! Blachowicz controls until the bell.
MMA Junkie scores the round. 10-9, Pereira. Overall 29-28, Pereira.
Result: Alex Pereira def. Jan Blachowicz via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Recap: Alex Pereira earns split decision nod over Jan Blachowicz in light heavyweight debut
Photos: Alex Pereira def. Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291: Best photos
Records: Alex Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC)
Division: Light heavyweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Marc Goddard
Judging: Derek Cleary, Ron McCarthy 29-28. Junichiro Kamijo 28-29.
Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje
Round 1 – Big leg kick from Gaethje. Body kick by Poirier. Another leg kick from Gaethje. Poirier putting on the pressure on Gaethje. Another leg kick from Gaethje. They trade combos. More leg kicks from Gaethje. Left hook by Gaethje. Gaethje seems a bit more accurate. Big straight left by Poirier. Another one! Gaethje is stunned. The left eye is bothering Gaethje. Big left land from Poirier. Gaethje is bleeding from his left eye. More leg kicks from Gaethje. The bell rings.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9, Gaethje.
Round 2 – Oh! Huge head kick knocks out Poirier! It’s over!
Result: Justin Gaethje def. Dustin Poirier via KO (head-kick) – Round 2, 1:00 – to win “BMF” title
Recap: Justin Gaethje knocks out Dustin Poirier with a BMF-worthy head kick
Photos: Justin Gaethje def. Dustin Poirier at UFC 291: Best photos
Records: Justin Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC), Dustin Poirier (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
Referee: Herb Dean
