LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 233 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.
In the main event, Song Yadong (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) took on Chris Gutierrez (20-5-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) in a bantamweight clash. In the light heavyweight co-feature, former title challenger Anthony Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) met Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC).
You also can get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@1khathaway) on X.
Check out the full event play-by-play, results, and more below.
Talita Alencar vs. Rayanne Amanda
Round 1 – Two UFC newcomers get us started here. Amanda comes out aggressive. Alencar looks a bit uncomfortable on the feet, which isn’t totally surprising considering she’s an IBJJF champion who is still young in the MMA game. Amanda lands another good combination. Alencar ties her up in the clinch and lands a hard knee on the break. Alencar throws a kick and Amanda catches it. They exchange. Alencar whiffs on a punch and Amanda pops her. Alencar’s striking accuracy is low right now. Amanda is having a field day with counters. Alencar is bleeding from both cheeks. Alencar tries clinching and eats a pair of punches. They’re getting wild. Both fighters are slinging leather. The speed is there but I’m not sure the knockout power is. The horn sounds. 10-9 Amanda.
Round 2 – Alencar falls on her back. Amanda lets her up. Alencar takes a breath. Remember – Alencar’s undoing on DWCS this past summer was her cardio. Let’s see if that becomes an issue. The two fighters are at a far distance from one another. Both are striking air right now. Amanda lands a combination. Alencar rushes in and clinches. She pushes Amanda against the fence. Alencar stomps Amanda’s feet violently, then gets the takedown she’s been seeking. Alencar is on top in half guard. This is probably not where Amanda wants to be. Alencar is landing good ground-and-pound from the top. Amanda shoves Alencar off, but even standing Alencar continues to hit her downed opponent. Alencar dives back down and the round ends. 19-19.
Round 3 – They trade. Lots of misses. Alencar’s gas tank is holding up OK. Amanda is actually the one throwing less now. Alencar throws a big left hand. Many of her combinations haven’t been combinations at all – just single strikes. Alencar ties up Amanda and tries for a takedown. Amanda escapes. Back in the center, they exchange again. Amanda throws such a big punch that she spins herself all the way around when it misses. Amanda lands a hard leg kick. Not much volume from either fighter. Each has taken a some deep breaths. Alencar misses on a combination. Amanda shoots and Alencar pushes her away. Alencar ducks under a big punch. Amanda lands a punch. Alencar shoots for a takedown as Amanda lands a couple more punches. MMA Junkie scores the bout 29-28 Amanda.
Result: Talita Alencar def. Rayanne Amanda via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Records: Alencar (5-0-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Amanda (14-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Women’s strawweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Keith Peterson
Judging: Adalaide Byrd, Ron McCarthy (29-28, scoring Round 1 for Amanda); Sal D’Amato (29-28, scoring Round 2 for Alencar)
Carlos Hernandez vs. Tatsuro Taira
Round 1 – Taira has gone blond for this fight. Let’s see how that pays off. Taira throws a kick and he slips. Hernandez pounces on him. They’re scrambling for position. They get up but are clinching. Hernandez pushes Taira into the fence. Taira glances at his corner for advice. Hernandez tries a throw and it backfires. Taira lands right on top of him. Quickly, Taira slides into half guard. He’s seeking mount but Hrenandez denies. Taira keeps with it though and eventually moves to mount. Taira postures up and lands some big punches. Hernandez gives up his back and flattens out. Taira punches away. Hernandez turns back into Taira, who then moves to the back. Really the ongoing battle here is the hands. Taira has been in a very dominant position but has yet to fully commit to a submission. Taira postures up and locks in a body triangle. Once again, Taira is on Hernandez’s back. Hernandez faces up again and Taira lands a hard (and loud) ground-and-pound punch. Hernandez shoves Taira off just as the round ends. 10-9 Taira.
Round 2 – Taira lands a low kick. Taira lands a hard right hand that floors Hernandez! Taira is swarming! Hernandez is desperately shooting for a leg but he’s absorbing a TON of damage. He’s essentially holding on for dear life. Taira is landing hard punches over and over again. Referee Mark Smith is taking a close look. He might stop it – and he does! Taira has his first stoppage by strikes in the UFC. Solid performance.
Result: Tatsuro Taira def. Carlos Hernandez via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:55
Recap: Tatsuro Taira scores first octagon TKO, calls out Muhammad Mokaev
Records: Hernandez (9-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC), Taira (15-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Stephanie Egger vs. Luana Santos
Round 1 – A women’s bantamweight fight up next between two fighters who plan on fighting at flyweight from here on out. This was a short-notice bout for Santos, who missed weight despite being up a class. Anyway, she’s aggressive early. Egger lands a punch and her hand gets caught in Santos’ top. Both fighters pause and referee Herb Dean calls timeout. Santos adjusts herself and a time-in is called. Santos ties up Egger along the fence. Lots of pushing. With her back against the cage, Egger lands a sneaky knee to the body. Dean warns Santos that she needs to work. Egger lands another knee. The round ends. 10-9 Santos.
Round 2 – Egger misses on a punch and Santos lands a flurry. They tie up and separate. Santos whiffs on a big punch and breathes deeply. Egger is getting aggressive. Santos lands a leg kick. Egger gets aggressive. Santos tries a hip toss but settles for pushing Egger into the fence again. Egger lands another knee to the body. Santos tosses Egger down – finally. Egger goes to side control and now has the back. She doesn’t get the books in and Egger stands up. Santos leans on Egger from the back position standing along the fence. Santos tries to hook Egger’s leg but Egger evades that. Now it’s back to the position they’ve been in a bunch: Santos driving Egger into the fence. They separate and are trading. I’m not sure how much is landing, though. Egger connects on a big punch. Santos ties her up again. 19-19.
Round 3 – Santos tosses Egger down once again. Egger raises up and lands a flurry. Santos shoves Egger into the fence again. After many warnings, Dean separates the fighters. Santos lands a combination and Egger returns. Santos tries to tie Egger up but no luck. Egger marches forward. Santos is on her bicycle, sucking wind with her mouth open. Egger throws a big right hand. Once again, Santos grabs hold and spins Egger into the fence. Dean eventually separates them again. Santos goes right back to a clinch attempt. This time, Egger grabs the plum clinch and works to the back. Egger tosses Santos down and remains on top until the final horn. MMA Junkie scores it 29-28 Egger.
Result: Luana Santos def. Stephanie Egger via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Records: Egger (8-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC), Santos (7-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
Division: Women’s bantamweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Herb Dean
Judging: Junichiro Kamijo (29-28, scoring Round 3 for Santos); Tony Weeks (29-28, scoring Round 2 for Santos); Jacob Montalvo (30-27)
Melquizael Costa vs. Steve Garcia
Round 1 – Costa ties up Garcia along the fence. Luana Santos would be proud. Costa is on his back, though they’re both standing. Garcia can’t get away. Costa can’t get him down. We’re stuck here. Costa drops Garcia down. Garcia pops up. Costa still on the back. He can’t get Garcia down for anything longer than a second or two. Costa knees him in the body and thigh. They throw hellacious standing elbows on a break as the bell rings – but neither lands. 10-9 Costa.
Round 2 – Garcia stuns Costa early. Costa on wobbly legs and falls backward. Garcia pounces and is pummeling away. Costa is gushing blood everywhere. Garcia mounts Costa as he continues to pound away. Costa ends up on the back and tries a rear-naked choke. There’s so much blood and it’s slippery. Garcia lets go and pounds Costa with some more heavy, loud shots. Finally, referee Chris Tognoni stops it. Costa is out of it. He shoots on the Tognoni, as Garcia celebrates a gory TKO victory.
Result: Steve Garcia def. Melquizael Costa via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:01
Recap:
Records: Costa (14-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC), Garcia (21-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Chris Tognoni
Sung Hyun Park vs. Shannon Ross
Round 1 – Ross comes out throwing bombs. He hits air and then is struck directly in the groin. A timeout is called. Ross says he’s OK. The action resumes. They return to being aggressive. Park clips Ross and puts Ross on his back foot. Ross tries a flying knee as he attempts to recover. Park continues to push forward. Ross signals for an eye poke. Referee Keith Peterson tells Park to watch the fingers. Park jabs Ross, who tumbles over backward. Park dives into half guard. Park works and eventually takes Ross’ back. Park looks for a rear-naked choke. He has the body triangle locked. Ross doing all the squirming he can to try to wiggle out. No luck. Park gets the arm under the chin but his grip is not tight. Ross breaks out. The round ends. 10-9 Park.
Round 2 – Ross lands an overhand right. Two body punches land for Ross. Park is the more aggressive fighter in the footwork department – and it pays off with the hands. Park stuns Ross, who stumbles backward into the cage. Park hits Ross again, then ties him up. Park tries some dirty boxing, including a standing elbow. Ross pushes him away and jabs. Ross lands a pair of hard rights. His leg kick has become a big weapon here too, all of a sudden. It’s throwing Park off. Park lands a hard combination. Ross goes back to the kick. Ross is bleeding from the bridge of his nose. Ross superman punches and follows it up with a kick. I’m not sure how effective that was, but it looked cool. Park drills Ross in the body with a kick. Ross flinches. He didn’t like that. Park goes back to the body with a punch. Ross grabs his midsection and retreats. Park follows him to the canvas with punches and referee Keith Peterson dives in.
Result: Sung Hyun Park def. Shannon Ross via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:59
Recap: Sung Hyun Park swarms Shannon Ross for ‘lucky’ TKO win
Records: Park (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Ross (13-9 MMA, 0-3 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Keith Peterson
Kevin Jousset vs. Song Kenan
Round 1 – Jousset opens the fight going heavy on the low kicks. He mixes in some attacks to the body, and it doesn’t take long for Song to start to show the effects in his movements. Song looks to push forwards with the hands, but Jousset does well to keep him at bay with punches and more low kicks. Song starts to find the range with his left hook and straight right, but Jousset is eating the shots comfortably so far. Jousset lands more kicks late in the round and starts to end combinations with some well placed punches. MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Jousset.
Round 2 – Jousset sticks Song with more jabs to start the round and is in a good groove with his low kicks and body kicks. Song counters one shot that’s his best punch of the fight, staggering Jousset slightly. He quickly recovers and goes back to his boxing and kicking game, and the damage is starting to show on Song’s face. Jousset tags him with more jabs and is in full control of the action. Song is still coming forward and swinging, but Jousset appears unfazed by anything coming his way. Jousset shoots for a late takedown that’s stuffed, then goes right back to working Song with his hands to close the round. MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Jousset.
Round 3 – With all the momentum on his side, Jousset sticks to his game plan to start the final round. He peppers Song with low kicks and jabs with an extreme look of calmness on his face. Song tries to clinch up, but Jousset pushes him away and lands a series of thumping kicks to the legs. Song has no quit in him but he’s getting completely broken down as commentary notes Jousset has thrown 250 strikes and landed nearly 150 of them. Jousset pushes Song against the fence and burns time off the clock. Both men try takedowns but neither can establish anything as the clock expires. MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Jousset, giving him a 30-27 win.
Result: Kevin Jousset def. Song Kenan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Records: Jousset (10-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Kenan (21-8 MMA, 5-4 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Judging: Sal D’Amato, Chris Leben, Ron McCarthy
Andre Muniz vs. Junyong Park
Round 1 – Muniz tries a high kick. It’s blocked. Lots of staring. Not a lot of throwing. Muniz breaks the lull with a takedown, which he gets. Park stands up along the fence but Muniz tosses him back down. Referee Chris Tognoni warns Park about a cage grab attempt on the way down. Again, Park stands up but Muniz is still draped on him. Muniz gets Park’s back. He’s working for a submission. Park works his way out of it and is on top. Muniz tries a triangle. Park passes and mounts. Wow. Who would’ve thought this would happen? Park lands some short ground-and-pound. Muniz returns him to half guard but Park ends the round on top after some brutal elbows. I think Park stole the round there. 10-9 Park.
Round 2 – Park lets his hands fly early. Muniz shoots for a takedown. Initially, Park appears on top but Muniz uses a slick sweep maneuver to roll through. Muniz gets Park’s back again – no hooks, at least not yet. Park posts up. Muniz is wet-blanketing him. Every time Park works up, Muniz drags him down, and the saga begins all over again. Muniz is in side control now. Park crawls to the cage. He gets up and Muniz pulls him back down. Tognoni warns Park again about grabbing the fence. The round ends with Muniz leaning on Park. 19-19.
Round 3 – Muniz gets another early takedown. That’s a less-than-ideal start to an important round for Park. Again, Park gets up and is dragged to the center of the cage. Muniz gets Park’s back again. This time, Muniz has the body triangle. Park muscles out of it and ends up on top in Muniz’s guard. Muniz sweeps him and Park grabs hold of a leg. Park slips away and they’re back striking in the center of the cage. Muniz tiredly shoots for a takedown. Park defends and ends up on top in guard. Park lands a hard elbow. Park rides out the round on top – with some ground-and-pound along the way. MMA Junkie scores it 29-28 Park.
Result: Andre Muniz def. Junyong Park via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Records: Muniz (24-6 MMA, 6-2 UFC), Park (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Chris Tognoni
Judging: Chris Flores (29-28 Muniz, scoring Round 3 for Park); Jacob Montalvo (29-28 Muniz, scoring Round 1 for Park); Tony Weeks (29-28 Park, scoring Round 3 for Muniz)
Tim Elliott vs. Su Mudaerji
Round 1 – Elliott gets weird and wild off the bat. Mudaerji takes a step back and looks at him. Elliott throws a kick. Mudaerji digs the body. Elliott eats a few shots but move forward. Elliott shoots for a takedown. Elliott drills Mudaerji with an elbow mid-attempt, then gets the takedown he was seeking. Elliott is in Mudaerji’s guard. Elliott open-hand smacks Mudaerji a couple times. Elliott wraps his head around Mudaerji’s. Mudaerji is curled up in a ball, making it difficult for Elliott (who is in half guard) to really lock in anything. But with Elliott’s will, there is a way. Elliott grabs hold of an arm-triangle choke. He’s squeezing. Mudaerji appears to be in trouble. He might go out. Mudaerji is out! Elliott wins a ranked fight he took on less than two weeks’ notice. What a special character and athlete he is!
Result: Tim Elliott def. Su Mudaerji via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:02
Recap: Tim Elliott chokes out Su Mudaerji on five days’ notice
Records: Mudaerji (16-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC), Elliott (20-13-1 MMA, 8-11 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Herb Dean
Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jamie Mullarkey
Round 1 – Neither guy is holding back in the opening minutes here. Mullarkey lands a hard inside leg kick. Haqparast punches the body. Both men miss. Haqparast drops Mullarkey with a big left. Mullarkey posts up on all four and tries to stand up. Haqparast unloads a dozen-plus punches. Mullarkey just eats them and stands up, only to be lit up like a Christmas tree. Again, Mullarkey falls forward, still not totally out, but referee Keith Peterson has seen enough. What a unique and powerful finish by Haqparast.
Result: Nasrat Haqparast def. Jamie Mullarkey via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:44
Recap: Nasrat Haqparast staggers Jamie Mullarkey, blitzes in for furious TKO win
Records: Haqparast (16-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC), Mullarkey (17-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Keith Peterson
Khalil Rountree vs. Anthony Smith
Round 1 – Smith walks down Rountree, who explodes with a left hand. Smith stays right out of distance. Smith throws a pair of kicks. Rountree returns with a kick of his own. Smith clips Rountree with a right hand. Rountree is circling clockwise around Smith. Rountree grabs hold of Smith and pivots him into the fence. Smith says something to referee Mark Smith about a clash of heads. They break and Rountree lands a hard combination. There’s not a lot of wasted movement by Rountree. He’s remaining relatively still. Smith is bleeding. Rountree lands two more punches. Smith kicks the body and lands a sneaky left. The fighters simultaneously land. I’d be shocked if this fight goes the distance with the way it’s playing out. Lots of power. Little hesitation to use it. Rountree kicks the body and punches the face. Smith answers. Rountree lands another left. A hard two-punch combination freezes Smith in his tracks. That stunned him. Rountree winds up like a Popeye cartoon and whiffs on a big punch that would’ve knocked out an elephant. The round ends. 10-9 Rountree.
Round 2 – Rountree lands a massive body kick. That was loud. Smith ducks in for a takedown. Rountree reverses Smith and drives him into the fence. Smith lands a hard elbow to break. That’s his best shot of the night. Smith bites down on the mouth piece and lands a combination. Rountree returns with a right and puts Smith on roller skates. Smith is out of it and dives for a leg. Rountree swipes at Smith, who has control of his leg. Rountree slips his leg away. Another nice right hand lands for Rountree. Both guys land a hard punch. Cardio does not seem to be an issue for either man. Smith tries a high kick but it’s blocked. 20-18 Rountree.
Round 3 – Rountree lands a right uppercut, then left overhand. Beautiful. Smith is wobbled. He topples over. As Smith rolls over defenseless, Rountree puts up one hand but never hits Smith. Referee Mark Smith takes a look and waves off the fight. What a weird TKO optically – but expertly executed. That’s the biggest win of Rountree’s career by far.
Result: Khalil Rountree def. Anthony Smith via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:56
Recap:
Records: Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC), Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC)
Division: Light heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mark Smith
Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez
Round 1 – Patience is dominating the opening minute. There have been some leg kick attempts but not much of anything else. Song misses on a spinning backfist. Guttierez lands a leg kick and feints. Song tries a pair of kicks that miss. Song lands an outside leg kick. Gutierrez lands a spinning backfist of his ownt hough it was blocked. Song returns as he clearly has made Gutierrez’s lead leg a target. Another Song leg kick lands. He’s given Gutierrez some of his own medicine here in Round 1. Gutierrez lands a nice body kick. Fairly uneventful round. 10-9 Song.
Round 2 – Gutierrez switches stances and boots Song in the face with a kick. Song shrugs it off. Song leaps in for a punch and Gutierrez spins for a backfist. Both miss. Gutierrez is constantly active with kicks. Song goes on the aggressive with a charging combination finishes by a leg kick. Gutierrez pokes Song in the eye and referee Herb Dean calls timeout. Song’s eyelid is a bit swollen from the gauge. The action resumes moments later, however. Song shoots for a takedown and gets it with relative ease. Yadong is in the butterfly guard of Gutierrez. Dean calls a timeout and sternly warns Gutierrez for fingers in the glove. Gutierrez protests but Dean remains firm. The action resumes and Song lands some ground-and-pound. 20-18 Song.
Round 3 – In between rounds, Factory X coach Marc Montoya tries to calm his fighter, who drops expletives about Dean’s warning. Gutierrez lands early. He’s then poked in the eye with Song. So it’s one poke apiece. Gutierrez is aggravated and starts mouthing off with a heckler as he’s given time to recover. A cloth is brought in so Gutierrez can clear his eye. The action resumes. They exchange kicks and whiff on punches. Song lands a low kick and Gutierrez says something to him. Gutierrez half-goes for a takedown and Song sprawls hard. Song pops back up. They open up and both land punches. Song lands a flurry. Song catches a body kick and dumps Gutierrez to the canvas. The round ends with Song on top of Gutierrez. 30-27 Song.
Round 4 – Gutierrez tries for a takedown and Song throws him aside. Song rocks Gutierrez with a punch. Gutierrez stumbles to the canvas. Song ends up on top of him in guard. Gutierrez briefly threatens a triangle and lets go. Not much going on here. Song working to free his arms but Gutierrez has control of his wrists. Gutierrez is repeatedly opening and closing his guard. There have been no submission attempts since the initial triangle try. Song lands some short shots and Gutierrez complains about shots to the back of the head – but it appeared Gutierrez was purposely turning his head away from the punches. 40-36 Song.
Round 5 – Gutierrez tries an Imanari roll. Bad attempt. Bad decision, period. Song leaps right on top of him. Song once again in Gutierrez’s guard. Song lands some little pitter-patter punches. Song postures up a bit and doubles up on some hard elbows. Song lands another elbow. Gutierrez grabs the fence and Dean warns him. It’s the second time that’s happened. Gutierrez tries for an armbar. No dice. Song hammers away with some hard ground-and-pound before the round (and the fight) ends. Pretty clear 50-45 Song.
Result: Song Yadong def. Chris Gutierrez via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45)
Recap:
Records: Yadong (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC), Gutierrez (20-5-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Herb Dean
Judging: Junichiro Kamijo, Ron McCarthy (50-45); Sal D’Amato (50-44, scoring 10-8 in Round 5)
