UFC 231 Live Results

After about a year away from the Octagon thanks to injuries, Max Holloway returns at UFC 231, which takes place from the ScotiaBank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, set to defend the UFC Featherweight Championship against No. 1 contender Brian Ortega.

After a very successful 2017, which saw Holloway become undisputed champion and make his first title defense — both against Jose Aldo — 2018 hasn’t been kind to the man known as “Blessed.” He was forced to pull out of a March title defense against Frankie Edgar due to injury, pulled out of a last-minute lightweight title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov after a failed weight cut, and forced from a previously scheduled defense against Ortega in July due to “concussion-like symptoms” the week of the fight.

Ortega entered the week unsure and worried Holloway would not make it to fight night, but those worries were quelled yesterday when both Holloway and Ortega made championship weight.

Holloway has won 12 straight bouts, going unbeaten since a 2013 decision loss to Conor McGregor. Holloway won the interim featherweight title at UFC 206 in December 2016, defeating Anthony Pettis, before unifying the title with then-champion Jose Aldo at UFC 212 in June 2017. Holloway defeated Aldo in his first title defense, which took place at UFC 218.

Ortega enters this bout unbeaten in his professional MMA career, with his only blemish being a July 2014 win overturned to a No Contest. After two Fight of the Night victories over Renato Moicano and Cub Swanson in 2017, he filled in for Holloway at UFC 222 against Edgar, pulling off an upset first-round knockout victory over the former lightweight champion to become the No. 1 contender to Holloway’s title.

The co-main event is also a title fight, as a new women’s flyweight champion will be determined when Valentina Shevchenko faces former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Shevchenko was scheduled to challenge inaugural champion Nicco Montano back in September at UFC 228, but Montano failed to weigh in and was hospitalized. Montano was stripped of the title and Shevchenko was booked to face Jedrzejczyk for the vacant strap. Shevchenko and the title were suddenly, briefly linked with Sijara Eubanks for the UFC 230 main event but was quickly reverted to original plans after public backlash.

While the two have never faced off in MMA, they have three times in Muay Thai competition, with Shevchenko winning all three encounters.

After a failed title bid at bantamweight, Shevchenko moved down to 125, defeating Priscila Cachoeira in dominating fashion back in February. The previously-unbeaten Jedrzejczyk won the UFC Women’s Strawweight Title back at UFC 185 in March 2015, defeating inaugural champion Carla Esparza in her own dominating performance. She defended the title five times before suffering a loss to Rose Namajunas at UFC 217 — arguably MMA’s biggest upset of 2017. After losing a rematch to Namajunas by decision at UFC 223, Jedrzejczyk rebounded back in July with a win over Tecia Torres.

If successful, Jedrzejczyk will become the first female fighter in UFC history to win titles in two different weight classes.

UFC 231 Main Card:
UFC Featherweight Championship: (c.) Max Holloway def. Brian Ortega via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) (Rd. 4, 5:00)
For the vacant UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship: Valentina Shevchenko def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
Welterweight: Gunnar Nelson def. Alex Oliveira via submission (rear-naked choke) (Rd. 2, 4:17)
Featherweight: Hakeem Dawodu def. Kyle Bochniak via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
Light Heavyweight: Thiago Santos def. Jimi Manuwa via KO (Rd. 2, 0:41)

UFC 231 Preliminary Card:
Women’s Strawweight: Nina Ansaroff def. Claudia Gadelha via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lightweight: Gilbert Burns def. Olivier Aubin-Mercier via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Women’s Flyweight: Jessica Eye def. Katlyn Chookagian via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Middleweight: Elias Theodorou def. Eryk Anders via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

UFC 231 Early Prelims Card:
Bantamweight: Brad Katona def. Matthew Lopez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Welterweight: Dhiego Lima def. Chad Laprise via KO (Rd. 1, 1:37)
Lightweight: Diego Ferreira def. Kyle Nelson via TKO (Rd. 2, 1:23)
Light Heavyweight: Aleksandar Rakic def. Devin Clark via TKO (Rd. 1, 4:05)