As the world awaits the return of Anderson "The Spider" Silva to the Octagon in the main event against Nick Diaz, the UFC 183 preliminary bouts and main card scraps are providing a solid lead off to the featured fight.
I'll be updating the results as they happen, so check back for the most updated results. Check out the results table below and a breakdown of the fights as they conclude.
| UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. ET | ||
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Thiago Santos vs. Andy Enz | Middleweight | Santos by KO (first round) |
| Richardson Moreira vs. Ildemar Alcantara | Middleweight | Alcantara by split decision (29-28x2, 28-29) |
| Diego Brandao vs. Jimy Hettes | Featherweight | Cancelled |
| Fox Sports Prelims at 8 p.m. ET | ||
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Rafael Natal vs. Tom Watson | Middleweight | Natal by unanimous decision (30-27x2, 30-26) |
| Ian McCall vs. John Lineker | Flyweight | Lineker by unanimous decision (29-28x3) |
| Derek Brunson vs. Ed Herman | Middleweight | Brunson by KO (first round) |
| Miesha Tate vs. Sara McMann | Women's Bantamweight | Tate by majority decision (29-28, 29-27, 28-28) |
| PPV Main Card at 10 p.m. ET | ||
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Jordan Mein vs. Thiago Alves | Welterweight | Alves KO (second round) |
| Thales Leites vs. Tim Boetsch | Middleweight | Leites submission (second round) |
| Joe Lauzon vs. Al Iaquinta | Lightweight | Iaquinta TKO (second round) |
| Tyron Woodley vs. Kelvin Gastelum | Welterweight | Still to come |
| Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz | Middleweight | Still to come |
Results per Fight Pass, Fox Sports 1 and PPV Broadcast
UFC Fight Pass Prelims
Illness Forces Jimy Hettes out of Prelim Bout
On Friday, two fighters had weight issues. Saturday, Hettes fell ill prior to his bout with Brandao, and the fight was scratched, per ESPN's Brett Okamoto.
183 not off to the start you want. Jim Hettes ill, bout with Diego Brandao scrapped.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) January 31, 2015
This was potentially a big fight for both men, and it was a little better matchup than fans usually get with the UFC Fight Pass prelims. Welp, on to the next one. We can only help Hettes is OK.
Kill the Body and the Head Will Follow
Thiago Santos followed that formula en route to a dominant first-round finish over Andy Enz. Santos landed some kicks to the midsection and then finished flurried against Enz to grab the win. Okamoto give his take on the bout:
Thiago Santos tears through Andy Enz in first UFC fight. Enz not easy guy to finish. Santos killed him to the body, finished on the fence.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) February 1, 2015
Enz landed just one strike in the entire bout. Santos was on the attack from the beginning of the bout, and things were over just three minutes and three seconds in. He was impressive in defeat against Uriah Hall in his last bout. On Saturday night, he proved that he is one to watch moving forward.
Bathroom-Break Bout
If you were looking for a fight that you could walk away from to shave, or to begin a body cleanse, it was the Richardson Moreira vs. Ildemar Alcantara bout. The latter won a split decision by out-landing Moreira in a punch-less affair to earn the nod from two of the three judges.
Alcantara landed a total of 21 total strikes in the entire fight...and he was the winner.
While the bout wasn't great, Mike Bohn of USA Today tells us that Alcantara at least set a bit of UFC history with the victory.
Ildemar Alcantara becomes the sixth fighter in UFC history to earn victories in three different weight classes. #UFC183
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) February 1, 2015
Women's bantamweight Lauren Murphy was in attendance, and she is hilarious. Here's her take on a disgruntled fan in the crowd.
There is a powerful booer in attendance at #UFC183. Sounds like a baritone version of the old lady from Princess Bride who boos Buttercup.
— Lauren Murphy (@LaurenMurphyMMA) February 1, 2015
That tweet doesn't require any further analysis. Lauren gives us everything we could ever want right there. I will say, on personality alone, I can't wait to see her take on Liz Carmouche on April 4 at UFC Fight Night in Fairfax, Virginia.
Fox Sports 1 Prelims
Sapo Tames Kong
With a performance that will undoubtedly be featured in his personal highlight reel, Rafael "Sapo" Natal simply took Tom "Kong" Watson to school. Natal dominated this fight in every way. He scored eight takedowns to none for Watson.
In the standup, Natal more than doubled Watson's effectiveness in striking (67-29). Natal doesn't always look as good as you'd expect, but as Jordan Breen of Sherdog states, Sapo was at the top of his game on Saturday night.
Rafael Natal might be constantly sloppy and haphazard in the cage, but he executed damn well tonight and handled Tom Watson. Quality stuff.
— Jordan Breen (@jordanbreen) February 1, 2015
Hands of Stone Wears Down Uncle Creepy
This one was an early favorite for Fight of the Night, but there's still a lot of scrapping to come. UFC Canada also thought this bout was great.
WHAT A FIGHT! Unanimous decision victory for @johnlineker #UFC183 pic.twitter.com/wVDvDW1JL6
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) February 1, 2015
On the strength of sledgehammer-like body shots, two near-misses on guillotine chokes and a huge right hand in the third round, John "Hands of Stone" Lineker beat Ian "Uncle Creepy" McCall.
Lineker plodded forward being judicious with his striking. It only took 38 significant strikes to get the job done. He made up for his inactivity by being destructive with every punch he threw. The work to the body was exemplary. After splitting the first two rounds, Lineker claimed the decisive frame with a flurry against the cage that nearly put McCall down.
Uncle Creepy escaped, but enough was done to ensure he wouldn't be the winner. Unfortunately for the flyweight division, Lineker missed weight, per Okamoto, and thus Hands of Stone can't really advance in the rankings. Damon Martin of Fox Sports breaks down where that leaves the 125-pound weight class and its champion.
John Lineker 29-28. Another contender down at flyweight. Unless Dodson is ready, Johnson has no one to fight for a while #UFC183
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) February 1, 2015
Ever the competitor, even UFC flyweight champion frets at Lineker's inability to make 125 pounds.
Damn sucks he can't make weight
— Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouseUFC) February 1, 2015
Derek Brunson Makes Quick Work of Short Fuse
This one is for the ladies...um he means his GF! ;) @DerekBrunson #UFC183 pic.twitter.com/f2ofGMiHvL
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 1, 2015
It only took 36 seconds for Derek Brunson to extinguish Ed "Short Fuse" Herman. Two well-placed left hands sent Herman reeling, and Brunson showed he knows how to finish.
A flurry of punches forced referee Dan Mirigliota to rescue Herman from further damage. UFC UK tells us about the select group Brunson joined with the quick win. After the fight was over, Brunson talked about his win and his dance. Who's it for Derek? Watch yourself.
At #UFC183, @DerekBrunson becomes the 4th modern fighter to earn a KO & Sub both in under 1min. He joins Joe Lauzon, Arlovski & Tom Lawlor.
— UFC United Kingdom (@UFC_UK) February 1, 2015
"Just a little shimmy for the ladies, or, for my girlfriend." Good catch @DerekBrunson
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 1, 2015
Miesha Wins over the Majority
The decision went to @MieshaTate tonight but man, both of these ladies are TOUGH! @Sara_McMann @ufc @WSN247 #UFC183 pic.twitter.com/srAqEcFxsS
— Carie Small (@CarieIsSoVery) February 1, 2015
After being in trouble in the first round, Miesha "Cupcake" Tate outgrappled world-class wrestler Sara McMann en route to a majority-decision win.
The latter hurt Tate with a huge right hand in the first round, but she couldn't finish here. Tate locked in a guillotine that she nearly finished in the second round. The third round was all Tate as she took top position within the first 10 seconds and never gave it up.
She so dominated the last frame, one judge gave Tate a 10-8 round. MMA fighter Marcus Kowal was left scratching his head by the judges' scores, but he applauded the winner.
Some strange judging scores but the right winner between @MieshaTate and @Sara_McMann. Great fight! #UFC183 #MMA @mmanytt
— Marcus Kowal (@MarcusKowal) February 1, 2015
The Main Card
Alves Out of Nowhere
In a fight he was clearly losing, Thiago Alves came up with a clutch kick to Jordan Mein's stomach in the second round that led to the stoppage.
Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times and Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports were shocked at the way things shifted in the bout.
Big kick to body by Alves drops Mein and Alves finishes him. Wow! What a turn of events!
— Lance Pugmire (@latimespugmire) February 1, 2015
Huge body kick by Alves BADLY hurts Mein. He goes down and Alves finishes it. WHOA! What a turnaround.
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) February 1, 2015
Alves pounced and rained down punches before Mein could catch his breath. Referee Herb Dean stepped in to halt the assault. It was an especially disappointing defeat for Mein because he was fighting so well. He had outstruck Alves 37-23 before the perfectly placed kick ended his night.
Mein hurt Alves in the first round, but he couldn't stop the rugged Brazilian. This one will probably sting for awhile.
Leites' Desperation Submission Stops Boetsch
Thales Leites was beaten up, but he was not beaten by Tim Boetsch. After being wobbled and nearly stopped in the first round, Leites found a way to battle back and secure a submission win via triangle choke.
John Morgan of MMA Junkie and Okamoto talk about Leites' come-from-behind win.
Man, Leites face badly swollen. That was one gutsy gameplan. Not sure why he wanted to stand and trade with Boetsch, but made for fun fight.
— John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) February 1, 2015
These main card fights are unbelievable so far. Leites beat up, half-knocked out, still submits Boetsch via arm triangle R2.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) February 1, 2015
Leites probably could have made this fight easier for himself by taking it to the ground earlier, but for whatever reason, he wanted to try and prove he could bang with The Barbarian. That strategy nearly cost him a win.
Iaquinta Rocks Lauzon
Despite Joe Lauzon showing a little more than expected in the stand-up, he ultimately met his end after Al Iaquinta landed a nasty combination that put Lauzon in trouble.
Pugmire pinpoints a punch to the ear that looked to disturb Lauzon's equilibrium as the key shot.
Stoppage win for Al Iaquinta over Joe Lauzon in the second, big right to ear was deciding blow...
— Lance Pugmire (@latimespugmire) February 1, 2015
Instead of rushing in recklessly when Lauzon was hurt, Iaquinta took his time and methodically pounded Lauzon until the referee was forced to stop the bout.
All stats per UFC.com.
