LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 229 took place Saturday, and MMA Junkie provided live play-by-play and official results throughout the event.
UFC Fight Night 229 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.
In the main event, Grant Dawson (20-2-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) took on fellow lightweight contender Bobby Green (31-14-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC). In the co-feature, Abdul Razak Alhassan (12-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) met Joe Pyfer (12-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at middleweight.
Scroll below to read a play-by-play of the action and get the official results. You also can get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway ) on Twitter.
Enjoy the fights, everyone.
JJ Aldrich vs. Montana De La Rosa
Round 1 – The first fight of the night begins with a feel out process in the center of the cage. Aldrich fires out a right jab while De La Rosa tries a kick to the body. De La Rosa charges with punches but is countered nicely by Aldrich. A kick from Aldrich is caught and De La Rosa counters with an overhand right. A moment later, De La Rosa goes for a head kick but it’s blocked. Aldrich ducks under an overhand right and gets the body lock. They clinch moves to the fence. Aldrich looks for a right elbow on the exit. Aldrich lands a nice left as De La Rosa kicks to the legs. Aldrich stings with a sharp right hand. De La Rosa connects with an inside leg kick. Aldrich fires off a two-punch combo. A hard exchange of punches soon follows, with De La Rosa adding a head kick at the end. Aldrich lands a nice left hand in the final exchange.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Aldrich.
Round 2 – Aldrich opens with a nice kick to the body. De La Rosa responds with a nice right hand in the next exchange. The action stalls for a moment as they both feint actions while circling the cage. Both dart in with punches at the same time, each fighter landing well. Aldrich fires off a quick left hand. De La Rosa looks to land a combination, but Aldrich evades. A head kick from De La Rosa is blocked. They trade punches in the center, but neither offer much power on the shots. Aldrich lands a snappy right jab. De La Rosa punches to the body and offers more punches upstairs. They exchange once more before the round ends, with Aldrich landing nicely to the body.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Aldrich.
Round 3 – Aldrich goes first with punches, getting better of the opening exchange. De La Rosa looks for a hard right hand as Aldrich looks for a right counter. Blood begins to flow from De La Rosa’s nose as she tries to get the fight to the ground, but Aldrich stuffs it. De La Rosa sticks with the clinch for a moment, but gives up on it. De La Rosa charges ahead with punches, but doesn’t connect. Aldrich lands a nice left hand. A head kick from De La Rosa is blocked. Two punches that follow a moment later are also brushed away. Aldrich’s jab scores again. De La Rosa looks for a two-punch combo, but is countered well. De La Rosa punches nicely to the body, but Aldrich connect with a hard left hand. They clinch and trade short punches. Quickly separating, they begin to let the punches fly in the center. The action is really picking up in the final seconds with both fighters landing punches.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Aldrich, giving her the fight 30-27.
Result: JJ Aldrich def. Montana De La Rosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Photos: UFC Fight Night 229: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: JJ Aldrich (13-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC), Montana De La Rosa (12-9-1 MMA, 5-5-1 UFC)
Division: Women’s flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Jacob Montalvo
Judging: Eric Colon, Sal D’Amato, Junichiro Kamijo
Johnny Munoz vs. Aori Qileng
Round 1 – Aoriqileng gets the action started with a hard outside leg kick. Controlling the center with little movement, Aoriqileng studies Munoz’s movements. Aoriqileng cracks with a hard punch. Munoz collects himself and threatens a takedown a moment later. Munoz then charges forward with a right hand and connects well, but Aoriqileng lands a counter. Aoriqileng appears to take the worst of the exchange and Munoz goes in for the takedown. Aoriqileng keeps things on the feet initially, but Munoz slips to his back and pulls him down to the mat. Controlling the back, Munoz maintains the position while looking for a rear-naked choke. Munoz gets a body triangle to further secure back control, but Aoriqileng defends the choke attempts well. Munoz transitions to an armbar, but Aoriqileng slips out and lands a nice right hand before the horn.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Munoz.
Round 2 – Aoriqileng comes out fast with a right hand and then tosses Munoz to the ground. Munoz gets Aoriqileng in his guard and ties to keep him locked down. Munoz begins to turn his hips and slaps on an armbar. Aoriqileng appeared in danger for a second, but slipped his arm out and returned to full guard. Aoriqileng stands up and kicks the legs of Munoz who remained on the ground. Aoriqileng darts in with a right hand, and then stands back up. The referee then allows Munoz to get back to his feet. Munoz eats a hard punch, but appears stunned momentarily. Munoz looks for the clinch but Aoriqileng defends and reverses the clinch.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Aoriqileng
Round 3 – Aoriqileng comes out aggressively again to begin the round, looking to land a hard leg kick. A moment later, Munoz looks for a combination followed by a takedown, but can’t complete it. Back in the center now, Munoz looks to land more punches. Aoriqileng fires off a combo of his own. Munoz changes levels but gets clipped by a sharp punch and falls to the mat. Aoriqileng doesn’t follow him down, but Munoz tries to get a hold of him. Aoriqileng backs away, but they end up on the ground a moment later. On top in guard, Aoriqileng lands a hard right hand. Munoz scrambles for Aoriqileng’s legs and nearly has a calf slicer. It’s an awkward position that stalls the action momentarily, but Aoriqileng realizes Munoz’s head is there to be punched and takes advantage. Munoz gives up on the hold and they return to the clinch against the cage.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Aoriqileng, giving him the fight 29-28.
Result: Aori Qileng def. Johnny Munoz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Photos: UFC Fight Night 229: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Johnny Munoz (12-4 MMA, 2-4 UFC), Aori Qileng (25-10 MMA, 3-3 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Keith Peterson
Judging: Junichiro Kamijo, Jacob Montalvo, Chris Lee
Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Kanako Murata
Round 1 – No glove touch here. Murata connects with a leg kick for the first strike of the fight. Demopoulos pumps out a left jab. Murata kicks to the body, but Demopoulos catches it and clinches. Demopoulos lands a couple of nice knees in close, but Murata is quick to reverse the position and take the fight to the ground. Demopoulos does well to prevent offense on the ground and Murata eventually stands up. Demopoulos lands a hard kick to the body. Murata responds a few seconds later with a leg kick. Murata lands a left hand. A moment later, she luges forward with a kick, and Demopoulos pushes her backward, causing her to lose balance. Murata gets a hold of Demopoulos’ leg for a takedown, but has to defend a few short elbows from Demopoulos until the horn.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Demopoulos.
Round 2 – Demopoulos comes out aggressively, looking for kicks and punches. Murata tries to clinch and they clash heads. Murata gets the fight to the ground. Murata lands a few short punches to the head as Demopoulos works back to guard. Demopoulos attempts a rubber guard to control Murata’s movement, but when she worked free, threw double hammerfists to the chest of Demopoulos. Another double hammerfist from Murata as Demopoulos tries to scramble. More hammerfists from Murata, and Demopoulos elbows to the head.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Murata.
Round 3 – Demopoulos kicks high, but Murata catches it and uses it to take the fight back to the mat again. Murata is once again working from full guard. Demopoulos opts to punch from her back, and they trade punches from guard for a few seconds. Demopoulos goes for an armbar, but it’s not there and Murata just keeps control from the top. Demopoulos goes back to guard, and pulls Murata down. They’re back to trading punches now. Murata adds elbows and the double hammerfists. Demopoulos pulls her down again to slow the action. Another armbar attempt is easily broken up. Murata counters and stacks her, and scrambles to back side control with a kimura threat. Murata gives up on it all and Demopoulos tries to stand up. Murata is on her back, and she lifts and dumps Demopoulos to the ground before the horn.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Murata, giving her the fight 29-28.
Result: Vanessa Demopoulos def. Kanako Murata via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Photos: UFC Fight Night 229: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Vanessa Demopoulos (10-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC), Kanako Murata (12-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Division: Women’s strawweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Judging: Eric Colon, Sal D’Amato, Chris Lee
Nate Maness vs. Mateus Mendonca
Round 1 – They touch gloves to start as Mendonca offers early pressure. A left hand followed by a right kick gets things started for Mendonca. Another kick into a takedown attempt follows. Maness gets down to a knee but stops the takedown. They stay clinched, but Mendonca drops down for a leg lock. Maness tries to stack and eventually works free. Mendonca keeps with the clinch against the cage, though. A few short punches and knees are landed here before Mendonca drops down for another leg lock. This time Maness rains down hard punches as Mendonca leaves his head exposed. Mendonca keeps with the leg attacks, and has both legs on the same side. Maness continues to punch to the head and the body, but Mendonca keeps going for the legs. More hard punches connect for Maness, including a left that rocks Mendonca. Maness postures up and keeps landing hard punches. Mendonca appears to go out for a second, but another punch from Maness looks to wake him back up! Maness keeps punching and finally the referee steps in to stop the fight.
Result: Nate Maness def. Mateus Mendonca via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:40
Recap: UFC Fight Night 229 video: Nate Maness pounds out submission-happy Mateus Mendonca
Photos: UFC Fight Night 229: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Nate Maness (15-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC), Mateus Mendonca (10-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Chris Tognoni
Diana Belbita vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Round 1 – They touch gloves and get right to trading punches. Fast combinations are offered by both fighters. Kowalkiewicz keeps the volume high and looks for a Thai clinch. Belbita reverses and gets a head and arm toss, but Kowalkiewicz reverses when the fight hits the mat and scrambles from the back into full mount. Belbita hits a beautiful bridge sweep and they’re back to standing. They continue to trade before clinching and wrestling for position against the cage. Belbita breaks free and they return to the center. Striking exchanges continue at a pretty steady pace. Both fighters connect with punches. Belbita offers combinations and Kowalkiewicz responds. Belbita keeps the pace up and lands well as she charges forward. In the closing seconds, Kowalkiewicz clinches and looks for a takedown before the horn.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Belbita.
Round 2 – Picking up right where they left off, striking exchanges occur at a fast clip. Kowalkiewicz looks for the clinch, grabs a single leg, but can’t get Belbita down. Back in the center now, they exchange more punches. Kowalkiewicz looks for a kick, and then punches to the body. Belbita lands a nice right hand. Kowalkiewicz starts to work behind a left jab and puts nice combinations together. Kowalkiewicz looks for the clinch again, but Belbita reverses to keep her back off the fence. Short strikes are traded before they return to the center again. Kowalkiewicz sneaks in a nice uppercut as they trade. Belbita goes for a kick to the body, but Kowalkiewicz catches it to start another clinch. Belbita counters with a guillotine and gets a trip takedown.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Kowalkiewicz.
Round 3 – They touch gloves one last time and get right back into the action with punching exchanges. Belbita doubles up the jab and punches to the body. Kowalkiewicz responds with punches and grabs Belbita’s leg, but lets go. More punches from both in the center of the cage. Belbita tries for a jumping kick, but Kowalkiewicz evades. Another brief clinch against the cage. Kowalkiewicz keeps the pressure up and lands solid punches as Belbita covers up. Back to the middle again, Kowalkiewicz goes first with more punches. Belbita answers with a combination, adding a kick at the end. Kowalkiewicz lands a nice front kick. Punches and kicks continue as they move around the cage. A minute to go now, and they keep throwing. Kowalkiewicz spins for a kick but misses. The pace remains high and it’s like they just made an agreement to just brawl it out in the closing seconds, but Kowalkiewicz got the better of the closing moments. That was a fun one.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Kowalkiewicz, giving her the fight 29-28.
Result: Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Diana Belbita via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Photos: UFC Fight Night 229: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Diana Belbita (15-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC), Karolina Kowalkiewicz (17-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC)
Division: Women’s strawweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Kerry Hatley
Judging: Sal D’Amato, Jacob Montalvo, Chris Lee
Bill Algeo vs. Alexander Hernandez
Round 1 – Algeo attacks the legs of Herandez early in the fight then goes upstairs and grazes the face of his opponent. Hernandez is patient with his output to begin the contest and is being backed up by Algeo’s kicks. Hernandez finally starts to open up a bit, and lands a hard stepping hook with roughly three minutes left. Algeo continues to land effect kicks, including dropping Hernandez to his backside with a side kick. Hernandez keeps mobile and works straight punches to the body and head as the round comes to its conclusion.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Algeo.
Round 2 – Hernandez starts to work around his body attacks early in the frame. Algeo is circling the cage looking to avoid head shots. He fires out a punch that Hernandez complains about an eye poke, and there’s a break in the action. Hernandez takes some recovery time, and the action eventually resumes. The intensity picks up and Hernandez is much more aggressive in going to the head. He tags Algeo with some of his best shots, but Algeo remains composed and loads up with a left hand that drops Hernandez. He gets right back up and clinches with Algeo, pushing him against the fence. Hernandez appears to have fully recovered and goes back on the offense. Hernandez lands some late shots, but it’s not enough to swing the round after the knockdown.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Algeo.
Round 3 – Hernandez pushes forward to start the round and shoots for a double leg takedown. Algeo shuts it down and circles free and they go back to striking exchanges. Hernandez finds some success with his hooks but Algeo is taking everything in stride. Algeo works behind the job and puts the pace on Hernandez with a lengthy combination. Hernandez answers with a counter of one off Algeo’s punches. Hernandez complains about an eye poke but the referee claims it was a punch and the fight continues. The commentary booth replay shows it was a thumb to the eye, but Hernandez is still fighting hard. Algeo’s straight left fights a home, and Hernandez comes back with a big right with one minute left. They trade down the final stretch of the closest round of the fight.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Algeo, giving him a 30-27 sweep on our scorecard.
Result: Bill Algeo def. Alexander Hernandez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Photos: UFC Fight Night 229: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Bill Algeo (17-7 MMA, 4-3 UFC), Alexander Hernandez (14-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Keith Peterson
Judging: Junichiro Kamijo, Chris Lee, Rick Winter
Drew Dober vs. Ricky Glenn
Round 1 – It doesn’t take Dober long to start finding a home for his punches. He starts to hurt Glenn just over a minute in, and was close to a finish. He egregiously holds the gloves of Dober as he tries to pull away, and the referee separates them and stands them back up. Dober drops Glenn again and pours it on with punches on the mat before the referee finally steps in. Dober sets a new record for most KOs in lightweight history with nine.
Result: Drew Dober def. Ricky Glenn via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:36
Recap: UFC Fight Night 229 results: Drew Dober lights up Ricky Glenn in first to set lightweight knockout record
Photos: UFC Fight Night 229: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Drew Dober (26-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC), Ricky Glenn (22-7-2 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Chris Tognoni
Joaquin Buckley vs. Alex Morono
Round 1 – Buckley immedately darts across the cage looking for a takedown, but Morono was able to keep it standing and clips Buckley with a punch on the exit. They reset and Buckley fires off a couple of leg kicks. Morono kicks to the body, and adds another a moment later. Morono lands a right hand, but Buckley lands two punches in response that appear to really sting. Buckley charges forward with a combination ending with a punch to the body. Both fighters are very light on their feet as they bounce around the cage. Morono sits on a two punch combo, but Buckley is there to counter well. Out of nowhere, Buckley blasts through with a clean double leg takedown. Before Buckley can get comfortable, Morono attacks an armbar. Buckley gets out and they’re back to standing. Buckley blasts through again for a takedown, this time Morono jumps on a guillotine to counter, but gets slammed anyway.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Buckley
Round 2 – Buckley looks for a big head kick early, but Morono was able to partially block and push Buckley off balance. They trade punches, and Buckley adds another to the body. Buckley charges forward with punches, but Morono circles away. Buckley keeps the pressure high, moving forward with feints, causing Morono to back into the fence and he lands a big punch. Morono lands a nice jab. He then looks for a head kick but doesn’t get all of it. Buckley goes back to the body with a punch. Morono goes for a spinning backfist, but Buckley ducks under and land clean. With about 40 seconds to go, Buckley’s corner begins screaming for a body shot, and Buckley responds. An intense exchange follows. Buckley gets a clinch, pushing Morono into the cage, but nothing comes of it before the horn.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Buckley
Round 3 – Buckley keeps the pressure high early in the final round. He feints and finds space for a combination, connecting with a beautiful left hook that rocks Morono. The punch also opened up a cut on Morono’s mouth. Buckley continues his forward movement. A low blow from Morono causes the referee to step in, but Buckley doesn’t want his momentum halted. Buckley keepts Morono on the backfoot as he offers more punches. Morono looks to be on survival mode. Buckley attempts a wheel kick, but Morono counters for a takedown. He takes top position but Buckley is able to get up in just a few seconds. Back on the feet, it’s apparent that Morono doesn’t have much left in the tank. Buckley keeps pouring on the offense. More punches land. Morono is on wobbly legs now. Buckley reverses a takedown and ends up in full guard, raining down punches and hammerfists. Morono is just trying to hold on to stop the damage. Buckley gets up. Morono stands, looks for another takedown, but is easily countered again. Buckley pours in more punches from the top until the horn.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-8 for Buckley, giving him the fight 30-26.
Result: Joaquin Buckley def. Alex Morono via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Photos: UFC Fight Night 229: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Joaquin Buckley (17-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC), Alex Morono (23-9 MMA, 12-6 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Kerry Hatley
Judging: Sal D’Amato (30-27), Junichiro Kamijo (30-26), Jacob Montalvo (30-27)
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Joe Pyfer
Round 1 – They touch gloves and Pyfer quickly blasts in for a takedown. Alhassan works his way back up but Pyfer has an arm triangle. It appears tight for a second, but Alhassan escapes and the return to the center. Pyfer offers hard kicks to the body. Alhassan pressures and Pyfer changes levels for a takedown. Alhassan coutners with a guillotine that appears tight, but he doesn’t have guard and Pyfer gets out. Back on the feet now, and Alhassan looks for a head kick. Pyfer kicks low in return, and Alhassan kicks twice to the legs. A combination of punches from Pyfer just miss. Alhassan also misses wit ha powerful over hand punch. Pyfer stings with a nice right hand. Pyfer thinks he has him hurt and turns up the pressure. A nice combination ending in a leg kick for Pyfer. A left jab gets through for Pyfer. Alhassan charges forward, but Pyfer dips and circles away. Pyfer fires another clean jab, and ends the round with a right hand.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Pyfer.
Round 2 – Alhassan looks for a big overhand right, but Pyfer evades and clinches. Alhassan lands a calf kick, and another a moment later. Pyfer favored the leg after the second one. Alhassan goes to it again. Pyfer moves forward with a combination and then gets in on a clinch. Pyfer lifts and slams Alhassan to the canvas. Alhassan has a guillotine for a second, but Pyfer quickly gets out and then locks up an arm triangle. It’s very deep. Alhassan can’t escape and he taps with a closed fist. The referee isn’t sure if he’s punching or tapping, but Alhassan goes out. What a finish for Pyfer.
Result: Joe Pyfer def. Abdul Razak Alhassan via submission (arm triangle) – Round 2, 2:05
Recap: UFC Fight Night 229 video: Joe Pyfer becomes first to submit Abdul Razak Alhassan
Photos: UFC Fight Night 229: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Abdul Razak Alhassan (12-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC), Joe Pyfer (12-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Grant Dawson vs. Bobby Green
Round 1 – No glove touch, just Green walking across the cage with his hands at his hips. Dawson fires off the first punch, touching Green’s chin early. Green evades the next punching offerings from Dawson. A high kick is also blocked. Green times a perfect left hand, straight down the pipe and Dawson goes down! Green follows up with punches as Dawson turtles up. The referee stops it. WOW.
Result: Bobby Green def. Grant Dawson via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:33
Recap: UFC Fight Night 229 video: Bobby Green upsets Grant Dawson with 33-second knockout
Photos: UFC Fight Night 229: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Grant Dawson (20-1-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC), Bobby Green (30-14-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Keith Peterson
