Christos Giagos rolled the dice by accepting a fight week bout in place of Rick Glenn, but the gamble paid off in the opener, as he won a three-round unanimous decision Carlton Minus in a bout fought at a 160-pound catchweight.

Scores were 30-26, 29-27 and 29-28 for Giagos, now 18-8. Minus falls to 10-3, 1 NC.

Giagos took his time waiting for an opportunity to strike, and with nearly a minute gone, he made that move, landing a right before scoring a takedown. Minus got up quickly, but after a second Giagos takedown, he found himself in trouble as his foe got into the mount position. With 1:34 left, Minus got back to his feet, but he was dumped back to the mat soon enough, wrapping up a dominant frame for “The Spartan.”

There was more of the same in the second, as Giagos dominated from start to finish, primarily with his ground game, and while Minus had some brief positive moments in the final round as Giagos tired, it was too little, too late for the Alaskan.

Official Result: Christos Giagos def. Carlton Minus by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-28)

Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Jimmy Flick put a stamp on his UFC debut, submitting Cody Durden in the first round of their flyweight matchup. 

Durden got Flick to the mat early, showing his foe that he was ready to perform wherever the fight went. Flick rebounded nicely when they stood, as he landed a head kick then jumped and pulled Durden into a triangle choke that forced a tap out at the 3:19 mark.

With the win, Flick moves to 16-5. Durden falls to 11-3-1.

Official Result: Jimmy Flick def. Cody Durden by submission (triangle choke) at 3:19 of Round 1

Highly touted Tafon Nchukwi was forced to go the distance for the first time as a pro, but he impressed in his UFC debut, as he shut out fellow Dana White’s Contender Series alum Jamie Pickett in a middleweight bout.

Scores were 30-25 and 30-26 twice for Nchukwi, now 5-0. Pickett falls to 11-5, 1 NC.

Nchukwi was throwing hammers in the early going, but Pickett eluded any danger and got a solid point-scoring takedown midway through the frame. Nchukwi got up quickly and went back to work, bloodying his foe while eluding any more trips to the mat.

Continuing to do good work, particularly on the inside, Nchukwi impressed with his pace and striking variety in the second stanza, but a late surge by Pickett changed the complexion of the fight briefly until a clash of heads slowed the North Carolina product down as the round closed.

In the third, Nchukwi found the opening he had been waiting for just before the three-minute mark, as a head kick followed by a knee put Pickett down and apparently ended the fight. But Pickett fought off the finish, got back to his feet with a little over a minute remaining in the fight, and he made it to the final horn.

Official Result: Tafon Nchukwi def. Jamie Pickett by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)

Brazil’s Taila Santos likely landed herself a spot in the flyweight top 15 with a hard-fought three-round unanimous decision over Gillian Robertson.
 
Scores were 30-26 twice and 29-28 for Santos, now 17-1. The No. 13-ranked Robertson falls to 9-5.
 
Robertson went for the kill early, nearly catching Santos in an armbar, and the Brazilian got out of trouble, she remained on the mat, landing hard shots from the top position and staying in control for the rest of the round.
 
The Robertson armbar nearly happened again early in round two, but again Santos got loose and attacked a triangle choke. That allowed the now bloodied Robertson to reverse position, but only briefly, as Santos took the top position once more and held it until the horn.
 
Santos got caught in a guillotine choke as round three began, but she calmly escaped as she put Robertson on her back again. And outside of a brief armbar attempt by “The Savage,” it was all Santos on the ground in the final frame.
 
Official Result: Taila Santos def. Gillian Robertson by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-28)

In a bout held at a catchweight of 195 pounds, Deron Winn got back in the win column with a three-round unanimous decision over Antonio Arroyo.

Scores were 29-28 across the board for Winn, now 7-2. Arroyo falls to 9-4.

Looking two weight classes bigger than Winn, Arroyo used his size advantage to score with several thudding kicks in the first round, but Winn wasn’t backing down, and four takedowns made it a close frame.

Winn’s takedowns kept coming in the second round as Arroyo tired, and it got even worse for the Brazilian in the third, as he basically left the door open for Winn to control the action, and that’s exactly what the Californian did, as he closed strong and secured the victory.

Official Result: Deron Winn def. Antonio Arroyo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Bantamweight contenders Pannie Kianzad and Sijara Eubanks went back and forth for 15 minutes in their pivotal bout, with Kianzad emerging with the win via unanimous decision. 

All three judges saw it 29-28 for the No.14-ranked Kianzad, now 15-5. The No.13-ranked Eubanks falls to 7-6.

After some solid striking work to begin the fight, Kianzad was grounded by Eubanks and kept there for the rest of the round. Kianzad did threaten briefly with an armbar, but jiu-jitsu black belt Eubanks wasn’t bothered.

Kianzad tripped Eubanks for a brief visit to the mat in round two, but “SarJ” was back on her feet and battling in no time, only to be pinned to the fence by Kianzad. A takedown by Eubanks followed with a little over two minutes left, and while Kianzad tried for the armbar twice more, it was to no avail. 

The bantamweight contenders fought it out on the feet in the third, Kianzad with the better technique, while Eubanks clearly had the heavier hands. What they both shared was the desire to do whatever was necessary to get the win, and on this night, it was Kianzad emerging victorious.

Official Result: Pannie Kianzad def. Sijara Eubanks by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Former world champion Anthony Pettis ended 2020 on a winning note, as he scored a close, but unanimous, decision over Alex Morono in welterweight action.

Seconds into the fight, Morono (18-7, 1 NC) got Pettis to the mat and took his back. After a spell there, Pettis, now bloodied, reversed position, nearly got caught in a triangle but was soon back on his feet and ready to go to work. The bout went back to the mat in the closing moments of round one, but Pettis was able to keep the top position.

Able to avoid the canvas in round two, Pettis (24-10) found his groove as he used a stick and move strategy to great advantage in the middle five minutes. Morono returned the fight to the mat early in the third, but Pettis rolled out of trouble and into a controlling position. The fight returned to the feet in the final minute, but Morono’s aggressiveness nearly cost him, as he ate an uppercut then a spinning wheel kick that staggered the Texan and almost finished the bout. Instead, the pair went to the judges, where it was Pettis getting the victory via identical scores of 29-28.

Official Result: Anthony Pettis def. Alex Morono by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

It looked like it might be a long night for Marcin Tybura in his heavyweight clash against Greg Hardy, but “Tybur” rebounded from a rough first round to stop Hardy in the second and score his fourth victory of 2020.
 
Hardy did everything but score a knockout in the first round, as he put it on Tybura throughout the opening five minutes, looking like the best version of himself he’s shown to date. Tybura landed some shots and tried to take the fight to the mat, but he came up short in that attempt and had trouble avoiding Hardy’s right hand.

Showing his veteran experience, Tybura made adjustments for the second round, and after doing some good standup work, he took Hardy down with 1:38 left. The winded Hardy didn’t have the gas to plot an escape, and the Poland native took advantage, firing off a series of unanswered strikes that brought in referee Dan Miragliotta to stop the fight at the 4:31 mark.
 
With the win, Tybura moves to 21-6. Hardy falls to 7-3, 1 NC.
 
Official Result: Marcin Tybura def. Greg Hardy by TKO (strikes) at 4:31 of Round 2

In his first fight since December of 2019, Rob Font sent a statement to the rest of the bantamweight division with a first-round stoppage of former world title challenger Marlon Moraes.

After a heated exchange to start the fight, Moraes smoothly took Font to the mat and locked up a guillotine choke as Font scrambled. The New Englander got to his feet, but a slam from Moraes put the fight back on the canvas. With two minutes left, Font finally found daylight and he let loose with his hands, rocking Moraes a few times before flooring the Brazilian and finishing him with unanswered ground strikes. The official time of referee Marc Goddard’s stoppage was 3:47 of round one.

With the win, the No.11-ranked Font moves to 18-4. The No.3-ranked Moraes falls to 23-8-1.

Official Result: Rob Font def. Marlon Moraes by TKO (strikes) at 3:47 of Round 1

There was no highlight reel finish in the welterweight bout between Michel Pereira and Khaos Williams, but the pair still put on a compelling three-rounder won by Pereira via unanimous decision.

Scores were 29-28 across the board for Pereira, now 25-11, 2 NC. Williams falls to 11-2.

Pereira’s movement guaranteed that he wouldn’t be the latest early KO victim of Williams, and he threw in enough on the offensive end to keep his foe honest. Williams remained patient, and when the two would engage, he landed hard shots that got the Brazilian’s attention. They didn’t keep Pereira from his game plan, though, and he fought a smart round.

The fight remained close in the second round, both having moments of success, but Pereira might have stolen the round with a sudden rear naked choke attempt with seconds left. The same could be said for the third and final round, as Williams looked to have the edge in significant strikes, but it was Pereira who finished stronger with two takedowns and a barrage of ground strikes until the end of the bout.

Official Result: Michel Pereira def. Khaos Williams by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Brazilian MMA icon Jose Aldo fought a smart three-rounder against rising bantamweight star Marlon Vera in the UFC Fight Night co-main event, and that allowed him to emerge with a workmanlike unanimous decision victory.

All three judges saw it 29-28 for the No.7-ranked Aldo, now 29-7. The No.15-ranked Vera falls to 16-7-1.

Following some trading of kicks and a spell in the clinch against the fence, Aldo caught a striking rhythm that saw him landing some flush punches to the body and kicks to the leg that had him looking in prime form. Vera got in his own strikes, mainly leg kicks, but they were not having the effect Aldo’s blows were.

Vera’s pressure served him well in the second round as he appeared to even the fight up with a solid five minutes. Aldo looked to take the fight to the mat in the early stages of round three, and he got his wish, taking Vera’s back in the process. With 1:39, Vera rose to his feet with Aldo still locked on his back, and while he attempted to break the lock by going back to the mat, it wasn’t happening. Vera tried to stay busy with strikes, but Aldo wasn’t giving up the position, and he stayed there until the final horn.

Official Result: Jose Aldo def. Marlon Vera by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Still showing prime form at 37 years old, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson put together a striking clinic against highly regarded up and comer Geoff Neal, winning their UFC Fight Night main event via unanimous decision.

Scores were 50-45 across the board for the No. 5-ranked Thompson, now 16-4-1. After a rough year that saw him survive a health scare, the No. 11-ranked Neal falls to 13-3.

Thompson was busy in the early going, and while Neal pressured him, he had to eat a few shots to get within striking range. When Neal was able to catch Thompson against the fence, he unleashed his strikes but wasn’t able to either land a telling shot or keep his opponent there for long. Late in the round, an accidental clash of heads bloodied Thompson and Neal, but the bout continued, both getting attention from the cutmen between rounds.

Neal showed a sense of urgency in his attack in round two, quickly bulling Thompson to the fence, where he worked his clinch game for a spell. Thompson got loose quickly and fired off a sharp 1-2, his momentum regained. As the round progressed, Thompson still continued to impress, but a late flurry from Neal let the South Carolina native know that he was still there.

There were more clinch exchanges in the third round as Neal tried to wear on Thompson and slow him down, but it was the busier Thompson who still did the most effective work when at range as the pair prepared to enter the championship rounds.

Thompson added to his lead in the fourth round even though he appeared to hurt his right leg late in the frame. That might have been the best news possible for Neal, and “Handz of Steel” came out for the fifth-round firing, the result being the best exchange of the fight early in the frame. But once Thompson settled back into the heat of battle, he welcomed the toe-to-toe slugging with the heavy-handed Neal, who was still in the fight and determined to win it. And though it wasn’t to be for the Texan, it was clear that his future is still bright while the present still belongs to “Wonderboy”.

Official Result: Stephen Thompson def. Geoff Neal by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)