UFC 243 Results: Incredible knockout in the main event, undefeated fighter loses
The biggest fight in the combat history of Australia and New Zealand went down inside the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya faced each other in a Middleweight title unification bout in the main event and as promised, we witnessed a masterclass from an elite athlete.Β
The co-main event saw Al Iaquinta take on Dan Hooker in an important Lightweight contest. Tai Tuivasa and Sergey Spivak were involved in a heavyweight scrap while former TUF competitor Dhiego Lima looked to extend his win-streak.
The main card kicked off with a vintage walkout knockout.Β
The event overall broke the record for having the largest stadium crowd for a UFC show as 57,000+ fans were in attendance to witness history unfold in front of their eyes. And by the end of their night, they surely got their money's worth.
Here are the results and highlights of UFC 243.
UFC 243 Results: Prelims
Jake Matthews def. Rostem Akman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Callan Potter def. Maki Pitolo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Brad Riddell def. Jamie Mullarkey via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Megan Anderson def. Zarah Fairn dos Santos via submission (triangle choke) (3:57, Round 1)
Ji Yeon Kim def. Nadia Kassem via TKO (punches) (4:59, Round 2)
Khalid Taha def. Bruno Silva via submission (arm triangle choke) (3:00, Round 3)
UFC 243 Results: Main Card
#1 Yorgan De Castro (5-0) vs. Justin Tafa (3-0) (Heavyweight)
The main card kicked off with a heavyweight bout between two undefeated fighters. It doesn't get any better than that!
Round 1: They engaged from the get-go and threw bombs at each other near the fence. Both men settled for a body lock with Tafa pushing Castro against the cage.
Tafa landed a few punches to the body in the lockup. Tafa continued to work the body with punches and landed a few uppercuts on the break and both were back circling in the centre.
Tafa squared up and came in for a big overhand right, however, Castro timed his power right to perfection, that landed straight to Tafa's jaw and it was lights out. Castro walked away in classic Mark Hunt style to make the knockout look even more special. Now that's how to kick off the main card!
Result: Yorgan De Castro def. Justin Tafa via KO (2:10, Round 1)
Yorgan De Castro couldn't have asked for a better debut. A quintessential one-punch walkout doesn't happen quite often, but when it does, it's a proper highlight-reel moment and The Mad Titan deserves all the props.
Justin Tafa's undefeated streak ended with one of the best knockouts of the year.