UFC Fight Night 169 Results: Undefeated fighter loses, Title fight ends in brutal knockout
The latest Fight Night event of the UFC came from Norfolk and it was headlined by a vacant Flyweight Championship fight between long-time contender Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo.
The show, however, was marred by the unfortunate news of Figueiredo missing weight, which made him ineligible to capture the title even if he won in the main event. A win for him would have meant that the title still stayed vacant and it was all down to Benavidez to save the Flyweight division from being potentially scrapped.
Despite the controversy surrounding the main event, the rest of the card featured some exciting bouts and at the end of the day, the event managed to live up to its billing as it included some eye-catching finishes.
Every fight on the main card ended in a finish and that's always great for the fans. On that note, let's take a look at the results and highlights of the show:
UFC Fight Night 169 Results: Prelims
Kyler Phillips def. Gabriel Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Brendan Allen def. Tom Breese via TKO (punches and elbows) (4:47, Round 1)
Marcin Tybura def. Serghei Spivac via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Luis Pena def. Steve Garcia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
T.J. Brown def. Jordan Griffin via technical submission (guillotine choke) (3:38, Round 2)
Spike Carlyle def. Aalon Cruz via TKO (elbows and punches) (1:25, Round 1)
Sean Brady def. Ismail Naurdiev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
UFC Fight Night 169 Results: Main Card
#1. Grant Dawson vs. Darrick Minner (Featherweight)
35-fight veteran Darrick Minner made his UFC debut tonight against talented Featherweight prospect Grant Dawson in the main card opener.
Dawson had just one professional loss on his resume and he looked to build on his impressive record in his third Octagon appearance tonight. And that's exactly what he did with a second-round finish against the UFC newcomer.
The first round saw both men exchanging strong positions on the mat and it all started with Minner firing off low kicks to begin the fight. Dawson's jumping knee failed and saw him get stuck in a guillotine. Dawson, however, managed to land a takedown in response to Minner's early takedown. Minner enjoyed top position for a while before ending up on his back. Dawson took the half guard position with a couple of minutes left to go in the round.
Dawson passed to side control before going to full mount. He landed shots to Minner's head before locking in the RNC, however, he didn't have time to get the finish.
The second round began with Dawson pushing forward and scoring a swift takedown. He got the low mount against the fence and effortlessly transitioned to the RNC. He got in the under hooks, squeezed hard and forced the tap out of Minner. Clinical.
Result: Grant Dawson def. Darrick Minner via submission (rear-naked choke) (1:38, Round 2)
Darrick Minner's UFC debut didn't end as he would have intended as Dawson continued his undefeated streak in the UFC with another solid performance.