Dan Hooker

After his split decision win, Dan Hooker called out fellow lightweight Justin Gaethje. While that would be a great match-up it is likely that Gaethje either gets the next crack at the title or is next in line to fight Conor McGregor (coincidentally, that talk has already started). A man that is left out in this equation is Dustin Poirier. Poirier hasn’t fought since he was submitted by the champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, at UFC 242. He has been very vocal on social media calling out Nate Diaz, Al Iaquinta, and Conor McGregor. While all of these fights seem intriguing, a fight with Hooker would be Poirier’s best option to make a run back at the title.

Hooker’s Next Fight: Dustin Poirier

Yan Xiaonan

At UFC Auckland Yan Xiaonan won a very decisive decision over number 14 ranked Karolina Kowalkiewicz. This win should spring her into the top 15 of that weight class. The middle of the women’s strawweight division is a little locked up for the next few months. Putting Xiaonan in a little bit of a weird position. It really depends on whether the UFC is going to take in slow with Xiaonan or if they are going to push her to fight the top 10 opponents right away. Nina Ansaroff sitting at the number five position should be considered highly by Xiaonan. Ansaroff hasn’t fought since June of 2019 and lost that fight against Tatiana Suarez. Ansaroff and Xiaonan have very opposite fighting styles which should make for a very exciting match-up. A win against Ansaroff could also give the UFC their second women’s Chinese superstar in the making.

Xiaonan’s Next Fight: Nina Ansaroff

Marcos Rogerio de Lima

Marcos Rogerio de Lima was able to knock out Ben Sosoli in the first round at UFC Auckland. While he was throwing some wild shots, he did show everyone that he has the type of power you cannot look past in the heavyweight division. Another heavyweight that we have seen with great power is Maurice Greene. Greene is 3-2 in the UFC although he is currently on a two-fight losing streak. Greene is very diverse in his fighting style with four of his eight wins coming by submission. His last two fights were a knockout loss to Sergei Pavlovich and a submission loss to Aleksei Oleinik. Possibly showing us that Greene isn’t ready for the top of the division. The same can be said about de Lima as he has had a very up and down career — losing to top guys like Stefan Struve, Ovince Saint Preux and Nikita Krylov. With four out of his six losses coming by submission, Greene would be a great test for him to see if he can stop the grappling of an up and coming fighter.

de Lima’s Next Fight: Maurice Greene

Angela Hill

Angela Hill defeated Loma Lookboonmee at UFC Auckland by unanimous decision. Her last fight before this was on January 25th when she defeated Hannah Cifers. Making this her second fight in a 30 day period. She has now won three straight, and tied the UFC activity record with six fights in twelve months. Hill’s next fight is likely any woman who needs a short notice opponent in the strawweight division. That seems to be working for her.

Hill’s Next Fight: A bout in need of saving

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Felder’s eye swelled shut early. By the end of the bout, Hooker’s jaw appeared to have become malformed somewhere along the way. And through it all, both fighters refused to back down.

Resulting in the scene below post-fight.

Standing O for these two tonight 👏 #UFCAuckland pic.twitter.com/6tp6K2KF5t

— UFC (@ufc) February 23, 2020

If Felder does call it a career, he has his broadcast job waiting, and will go down as a fan favorite. Hooker, meanwhile, called out Justin Gaethje after the fight. While ‘The Highlight’ has been eying a title fight or potential meeting with Conor McGregor, Gaethje vs. Hooker certainly has a nice ring to it.

Performance of the Night honors at UFC Auckland, meanwhile went to Jimmy Crute, for his kimura submission of Michał Oleksiejczuk in the night’s co-main event, and Priscila Cachoeira, who opened up the card with an uppercut knockout of Shana Dobson.

$50,000 will go to each bonus winner.

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Two of the UFC’s grittiest lightweights collided in the main event of UFC Auckland on Saturday. Paul Felder and Dan Hooker had both become fan favorites, thanks to their aggressive, push-forward, never-back-down styles. Something would have to give for one man come Saturday, however — with a berth in the upper echelon of the 155lb divisino potentially on the line.

It was an intense start with no glove touch. Both fighters were whipping leg kicks to start it off. Felder came up short on a spinning backfist and lost balance in the process but nothing came of it. A left hook caught Dan Hooker in the chin. Hooker was happy to keep hunting for leg kicks. It was Paul Felder, though, who swept Hooker off his feet with a leg kick. It led to a clinch battle that lasted the remainder of the round.

Hooker started the second round with consistent leg kicks. Felder did land a pair of hooks, but Hooker was in control utilizing great range management. Hooker got a hold of Hooker’s back on the feet, but wasn’t able to drag Felder down. Felder broke free and ramped up the aggression. A spinning backfist landed as well as several heavy hooks. Hooker landed a stiff jab, and was still in control.

Felder continued the momentum he had in the third. He began pounding away at leg kicks and the left hand was landing for him. Hooker’s jab was on the money though and was staying in the face of Felder. Hooker slowed him down with the jab, and clinched against the cage to end the round.

Felder picked up the pace in the fourth round. He began firing away with hooks while Hooker’s jab continued to land. A left and a right landed for Felder, then another. Hooker ducked under a right and drove Felder across the cage against the fence. The clinch did not lead to anything and another slick combo landed for Felder. A tight right hook caught Hooker on the chin. Hooker pushed him against the cage and ate an elbow in the process. That was where the round came to an end.

Felder’s late push continued in the fifth. His power shots continued to find a home and the jab output from Hooker waned. He changed levels and drove Felder to the fence. A combination landed for Hooker after they separated, then another. A right straight connected again for Felder. Hooker then drove Felder to the canvas with an important late takedown. A scramble led to Hooker taking the back, then half guard, riding out the fight in top position.

Dan Hooker def. Paul Felder by Split Decision (48-47 x2, 47-48)

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The co-main event of UFC Auckland on Saturday night featured a light heavyweight showdown meant to put the spotlight on Jimmy Crute. Australia’s Crute entered the fight off the first loss of his career, against Canada’s Misha Cirkunov at UFC Vancouver in September. In Auckland, the Australian was paired up with Michal Oleksiejczuk, coming off a loss of his own to Ovince St. Preux.

Jimmy Crute swung a head kick that missed then took down Michal Oleksiejczuk down immediately. Oleksiejczuk got to all fours and was dragged to the floor again. Oleksiejczuk worked his way up again, broke free, but Crute immediately closed the distance and took down his opponent again. They repeated this process once more and this time it was a throw for Crute. Crute established full mount and then moved to side control to go for a kimura. Oleksiejczuk was compromised and had no opportunity to defend, getting forced to tap.

After the dominant victory, Crute called out the always-dangerous Misha Cirkunov, attempting to avenge that loss. Yes please.

Jimmy Crute def. Michal Oleksiejczuk by Submission (Kimura) in Round 1 (3:29) 

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Former strawweight title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz entered UFC Auckland at a crossroads. On the worst skid of her career, a loss against China’s Yan Xiaonan would mark her fourth consecutive defeat — and perhaps even send her packing from the promotion.

A win over Xiaonan, undefeated through four UFC bouts, would instantly turn her fortunes around. But Xiaonan had proved in wins over the likes of Viviane Pereira and Angela Hill that she was no pushover.

Both fighters got off to a blistering pace, with Yan Xiaonan mixing in kicks as well. Xiaonan backed Kowalkiewicz up with a side kick and was successfully keeping the pressure on her Polish opponent. Xiaonan initiated a clinch then a trip takedown. Kowalkiewicz eventually worked her way up and another exchange on the feet occurred before the end of the round.

After a bit of a delay for a doctor to check on the eye of Kowalkiewicz, the second round began. The eye was clearly bothering Kowalkiewicz as Xiaonan ramped up her pressure. Kowalkiewicz desperately clinched and began working on a takedown to stop the overwhelming offense of Xiaonan. Kowalkiewicz couldn’t get her down and it was Kowalkiewicz who went down first after another trip by Xiaonan. Kowalkiewicz returned to her feet, but was getting blown out in this fight.

Xiaonan continued the onslaught in the final round. Combinations were landing with ease as Kowalkiewicz was leaning back against the fence. A beautiful side kick to the face landed for Xiaonan then a takedown. Kowalkiewicz countered with a heel hook that Xiaonan broke free of after about a minute. Xiaonan landed another takedown but Kowalkiewicz was able to reverse position with little time left. An excellent performance for Yan Xiaonan who is now 5-0 in the Octagon.

Yan Xiaonan def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz by Unanimous Decision (30-26 x3)

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UFC Auckland marked the return of one of the best nicknames in combat sports: The ‘Combat Wombat’ was back in action. Ben Sosoli (a.k.a. the wombat in question) was taking on Brazilian heavyweight Marcos Rogerio de Lima on the main card of the Fight Night event. Sosoli was last seen facing Greg Hardy last year, part of the infamous “inhaler gate” bout.

Marcos Rogerio de Lima is a shapeshifter. He’s somehow fought at middleweight all the way to heavyweight in his career, looking big in every weight class. in the Octagon, he is 2-1 at heavyweight and 3-3 at light heavyweight, having debuted back in 2014 after winning TUF Brazil in just 20 seconds at heavyweight. He also holds a win over Paulo Filho in his career.

The heavyweights wasted no time. They met in the middle and started swinging for the fences. Heavy shots were connecting on both sides in a match that seemed destined to end before the final bell. Well, it ended before the first bell. Marcos Rogerio de Lima connected with a combination of hooks that caused Sosoli to fall face first. De Lima landed another punch and that was all that was necessary.

HE'S GONE DOWN! 😱

🇧🇷 @Pezao011 ends it QUICK!

Action continues ➡️ LIVE on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/CRqKNlDYuC

— UFC (@ufc) February 23, 2020

After the fight, de Lima proclaimed in English, “This is my division!”

Marcos Rogerio De Lima def. Ben Sosoli by TKO (Punches) in Round 1 (1:28)

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Lightweight Brad Riddell’s second UFC assignment was far from a cakewalk. The noted kickboxer, who made a splash in his UFC debut last year against Jamie Mullarkey, was tasked with taking on Magomed Mustafaev, who had returned to competition last April with a spinning back kick finish of Rafael Fiziev, after over two years out of action.

Both men meet at the center of the cage and began slowly circling. Magomed Mustafaev fired first with a high kick that Brad Riddell blocked. Riddell answered with a high kick that Mustafaev backed away from. A body kick hit Riddell cleanly, but then Riddell exploded in and knocked Mustafaev down with a beautiful right hand. Riddell followed him down but Mustafaev didn’t let him flurry by going for an ankle lock. Mustafaev used the submission to stand up, taking the back of Riddell and throwing him down several times. It was a Nurmagomedov-like sequence of non-stop takedowns before Riddell spun around. Mustafaev stuck on him like glue and landed a big knee to the body. With short time left, Riddell turned Mustafaev around and escaped the cage before the end of the round.

A right hand came through for Riddell to start the second and then the fighters began to exchange heavy straight punches. Both men connected and Mustafaev was swept off his feet by a leg kick. Riddell elected to let his opponent stand up and ate a heavy uppercut. Riddell responded with a blistering combination that Mustafaev fought through. Mustafaev got a hold of Riddell and had him against the cage but couldn’t take him down. Riddell spun around, which allowed Mustafaev to get a single leg takedown, albeit briefly. Mustafaev rode out the round forcing Riddell against the cage.

Riddell took the center of the cage, ate a big knee from Mustafaev, but then knocked him down with a beautiful right hook. Mustafaev recovered quickly and got a hold of Riddell against the cage. Riddell broke free, then landed a takedown while getting blasted by a spinning backfist. Mustafaev eventually turned position around and got a takedown. Riddell escaped and began pumping up the crowd in top position. Riddell was avoiding the takedown efforts of Mustafaev and landing ground and pound in the process. An excellent battle between two very tough fighters.

THESE TWO HAVE CHINS MADE OF GRANITE! 😳 #UFCAuckland pic.twitter.com/hUKiQSV8lx

— UFC (@ufc) February 23, 2020

Brad Riddell def. Magomed Mustafaev by Split Decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)

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Part of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s inner circle, Zubaira Tukhugov returned to action at UFC Auckland on Saturday. Taking on Kevin Aguilar, Tukhugov was looking for his first win since December 2015, a split decision over Phillipe Nover. Since then, the Dagestani fighter had gone 0-1-1, while also sitting out close to a year for his part in the brawl sparked by lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in 2018.

Aguilar, meanwhile, was looking to bounce back from the first loss of his UFC tenure, to Dan Ige last year. Prior to that loss, he was on a nine-fight winning streak, with wins in the UFC over the likes of Rick Glenn and Enrique Barzola.

Tukhugov opened up with a front kick to the body of Aguilar, and Aguilar responded with a low kick that landed stiff. Aguilar shot in with some looping strikes that missed, and Tukhugov responded with a jab. Tukhugov sat down on a right hand that landed, and Aguilar threw a leaping left hook that landed. Tukhugov landed another right, and Aguilar countered with a left as Tukhugov was getting out of range. Tukhugov landed a massive left hook that sat Aguilar down, he made his way back to his feet but he ate another powerful left that put him down badly. Tukhugov jumped on with the ground and pound and that was all it took for Mark Goddard to call off the fight.

RE-LENT-LESS! 😤

🇷🇺 @ZubairaTukhugov with the constant pressure!

Watch now ➡️ LIVE on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/JunVIGNyM8

— UFC (@ufc) February 22, 2020

Putting all the controversy aside in his young career, Zubaira Tukhugov is a phenomenal fighter and showed it at UFC Auckland.

Zubaira Tukhugov def. Kevin Aguilar via TKO (Punches) in Round 1 (3:21)

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It’s a storyline that pretty much writes itself, one that comes attached to any number of UFC debuts. The short-notice replacement, the last-minute call-up. At UFC Auckland, the role was handed to Joshua Culibao, who put his perfect 8-0 record on the line when he stepped in against Jalin Turner. Up a weight class, no less, as featherweight Culibao was heading north to lightweight for the affair.

Turner starts off the feet controlling the Octagon with his length. Some good offense with punches, knees, and kicks forced Culibao to shoot. Turner showed good defense and controlled the smaller Culibao for quite some time. Midway through, he landed a big knee to the body of the Australian and then dropped for a guillotine. The submission came up short as the position wasn’t right. The first round closed with some good body kicks from Turner, utilizing his range.

In the second round, Culibao continued to find his range, but Turner kept it where he wanted it with slips and counters. Culibao seemed to roll his ankle against the cage and Turner smelt the blood and went right after the Aussie. Another guillotine from Turner set the finish up as he quickly got the mount and the back. Turner let go with some ground and pound and Culbao showed no improvement of position so the ref stepped in.

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TUF Nations alum Jake Matthews was in action at UFC Auckland on Saturday, taking on the always game Emil Weber Meek. Matthews entered the affair with a solid octagon record of 4-1 across his last five bouts. Meek, meanwhile, had lost his last two bouts — and perhaps more crucially, had not competed inside the confines of the UFC cage since 2018.

A host of injuries had kept the Norwegian out since then, but that was set to change in Auckland.

Emil Weber Meek started the fight with a pair of leg kicks before getting driven to the ground by Jake Matthews. Matthews worked from full guard for a bit before Meek stood up against the talented wrestler. The fighters circled, then Matthews crushed Meek with an uppercut that lifted him off his feet. Matthews followed him to the canvas and went from half guard to full guard, riding out the round in top position while sprinkling in some ground and pound.

HE LIFTED HIM OFF HIS FEET! 😱 #UFCAuckland pic.twitter.com/SbBHXkPPQX

— UFC (@ufc) February 22, 2020

Matthews started the second round with a right hand then a knee down the middle. He then drove Meek down had full guard. Meek tried to sweep, but ended up giving Matthews his back. Matthews established both hooks and wanted the choke. However, he didn’t have much room to work with as both fighters were against the fence. Meek spun out and landed two big knees on Matthews and all hell broke loose. A spinning elbow connected for Matthews and a wild exchange of hooks was ended by another Matthews takedown. Before the end of the round, Meek stood up and landed another big knee.

NON-STOP! 💪

These two are throwing EVERYTHING they have! #UFCAuckland pic.twitter.com/2MhCbMxOFC

— UFC (@ufc) February 22, 2020

Meek landed a leg kick to start the final round and Matthews checked the second. A left hook connected for Matthews, who had his back to the cage. After some strikes on both sides, Matthews drove in for a takedown, but Meek sprawled effectively. He then landed an uppercut on Matthews followed by a leg kick. Meek kept the pressure on and stuffed another takedown. Meek landed more strikes and Matthews tried a single leg takedown. Meek stuffed it again. Both men landed right hands but it was Meek who was dominating the final stanza of the fight. Meek tried a flying knee but Matthews caught it and brought Meek down right before the end of the round. Meek landed a few hammerfists as time expired.

Jake Matthews def. Emil Weber Meek by Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)

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