Prelim Results | UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2

Whittaker’s speed and focus on straight punches proved problematic for Krylov, as “The Reaper” was able to repeatedly land with quick jabs, right hands behind them and a singular focus on landing head shots. Early in the third round, Whittaker hurt Krylov, backing him up, and when he connected with another clean r9ght, the light heavyweight veteran signaled “No Mas,” recognizing his jaw was jacked up and it was time to call it.

This was a tremendous introductory effort in his new weight class for Whittaker, who leaned on his speed and technical striking to snap a two-fight slide and earn the finish. Size is always going to be a challenge for him at this weight class, but there is no denying Whittaker’s quality, and it’ll be interesting to see how much better he gets as he really settles into the division.

It wasn’t the one-sided drubbing everyone thought was coming, as Ellison had some positive moments of his own, but ultimately, the Olympic gold medalist was too much for the Pacific Northwest heavyweight. After two minutes of trading shots with Steveson getting the better of the exchanges, a left hook kicked off the finishing sequence, giving the newcomer a first-round finish in his debut.

Steveson said on Wednesday that “it needed to be dominant, but didn’t need to be perfect,” and that feels like the best descriptor of this one. You can clearly see why the expectations are through the roof, but it’s also clear that Steveson has much to learn now that he’s competing at the highest level of the sport.

The two didn’t waste any time slinging hands with one another, with “No Love” landing early and flashing his trademark power. But Yanez took the shots and looked for opportunities of his own, patiently waiting for the right moment to crack Garbrandt with a right hand that backed him up. From there, he continued to press forward, and when he bounced a right hand off his temple, it was the beginning of the end.

Yanez sprinted out of the gates at the start of his UFC career, went through a rough patch, and seems to be coming out of it now. After an entertaining draw with Ricky Simon earlier this year, this was a second consecutive strong effort for the Texan, who is now 18-6-1 overall, with all but four of his wins coming inside the distance.

The Next Gen MMA man was just slightly ahead of Kamaka in the early going, showing his technical prowess and the diversity of his striking attack. Midway through the first, Riley connected with a clean right hand that rocked Kamaka, and the Scouser never allowed him back into the contest, swarming with varied offense along the fence until referee Kerry Hatley stepped in to halt the action.

A teammate of co-main event combatant Paddy Pimblett, Riley maintained his unbeaten record with his third straight UFC victory and 14th consecutive win overall. He’s collected finishes in 10 of those contests and hasn’t looked better than he did this evening.

The 34-year-old Chinese fighter was the more effective striker throughout, chopping at Cortez’ lead leg from the outset and mixing in some clean boxing across the 15 minutes. The only wobble in her performance came in the second, when she was docked a point for hitting Cortez with a clearly illegal knee while she was down.

Now working with the group from Team Alpha Male, Wang continues to make positive forward progress in the flyweight division and should climb into the Top 10 on the strength of this victory. She’s continuing to look more comfortable each time out, and called for a matchup with flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko, who she beat in a kickboxing bout several years ago.

The middleweights ran level throughout the opening stanza, each showing the other respect and neither landing anything of real great substance through the first four minutes. But then Pinas changed the course of the contest with a right hand down the pipe that landed flush and put Almeida down and ended the fight.

A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series Class of ’25, Pinas is quickly establishing himself as a star on the rise in the middleweight ranks, flashing gnarly power and tons of room to still grow at just 24 years old. With consecutive first-round finishes in the UFC and six straight stoppage wins overall, the future is bright for Pinas, who called out fellow Season 9 grad Baisangur Susurkaev.

The more seasoned and varied offense of Basharat carried him in the first two rounds, as he landed the more impactful strikes for the majority of both frames before they ran closer to level in the final stanza. But Garza didn’t look out of place at all, showing good boxing to all levels, sharp takedown defense, and significant upside.

All three judges scored the fight in favor of Basharat, who moved to 7-0 inside the Octagon with the victory. This wasn’t the performance the undefeated Contender Series grad wanted, but he kept the winning streak intact and could get an opportunity to fight forward next time out.

The middleweights didn’t bother with many feelers in this one, throwing big shots at one another from the jump as they looked to find their range. Soon after, Gandra connected with a left hook that put Reese on the deck, unleashing quick follow-ups that put the Texan out before subsequent blows brought him back as referee Mike Beltran stepped in to halt the action.

The Brazilian has now won nine straight, the last six by stoppage, to establish himself as a person of interest in the 185-pound weight class. This was a punishing finish that further clarifies that Gandra is, as his nickname suggests, a problem.

The active Brazilian flyweight tagged in for Ode Osbourne and made the absolute most of it, getting the better of the striking exchanges in the first before showing his prowess on the ground in the second. When Durden slipped in the center of the cage, Costa pounced, chasing him to the canvas and taking his back when the American offered it, quickly sinking in the fight-ending choke.

That’s now three consecutive finishes for “Nono,” who flashed his striking skills in wins over Stewart Nicoll and Matt Schnell earlier this year. The longtime teammate Diego Lopes is now 5-3 inside the Octagon and should move closer to cracking the rankings after this one.