UFC 204 results: Gegard Mousasi gets 40th win, throttles Vitor Belfort in second after head kick

MANCHESTER, England – Gegard Mousasi rocked Vitor Belfort with a kick to the head, then swarmed him with punches.

Belfort (25-13 MMA, 14-9 UFC) tried to recover and get back in the fight, but Mousasi (40-6-2 MMA, 7-3 UFC) never gave him space to breathe, mauling Belfort on the feet and on the mat en route to a TKO victory at the 2:43 mark of Round 2.

The middleweight bout was the co-main event of today’s UFC 204 event at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. It aired pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

From the opening seconds onward, Mousasi was the aggressor here, following Belfort around the cage and pressuring him toward the fence for most of the first round.

Which is not to say that Belfort didn’t have his moments. In short bursts of offense, usually as a counter to one of Mousasi’s many kicks, he showed flashes of the violent quickness that was a hallmark of his younger days.

But after controlling most of the opening frame, Mousasi turned up the pressure early in the second. He got Belfort to drop his hands just in time to slap a right high kick off his skull, then followed up with a barrage of punches as the wounded Belfort faded back against the fence.

Once Mousasi got Belfort on the mat, the assault only continued, with Mousasi moving to full mount and pouring on the punishment until referee Marc Goddard had finally seen enough.

“I feel good – ready for the next one,” Mousasi said. “I think I’m No. 5 in the division now. Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson are in front of me, but I don’t think I need to prove that I’m a better fighter than them. I’m way more technical than them. I’m in the top five of the middleweights for sure. To get a finish is always better – that’s what the fans want to see. I think I was flawless in the fight – a flawless victory, baby.”

The win makes it three in a row for Mousasi. Belfort has now lost two straight.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 204 results include:

• Gegard Mousasi def. Vitor Belfort via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:43
• Jimi Manuwa def. Ovince Saint Preux via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 2:38
• Stefan Struve def. Daniel Omielanczuk via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 1:41
• Mirsad Bektic def. Russell Doane via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:22
• Iuri Alcantara def. Brad Pickett via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 1:59
• Damian Stasiak def. Davey Grant via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 3:56
• Leon Edwards def. Albert Tumenov via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:01
• Marc Diakiese def. Lukasz Sajewski via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:40
• Mike Perry def. Danny Roberts via knockout (knee, punches) – Round 3, 4:40
• Leonardo Santos def. Adriano Martins via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

For complete coverage UFC 204, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan and Mike Bohn contributed to this report on site in Manchester.)