Over the weekend, the UFC and Bellator MMA went head-to-head with events airing almost at the exact same time.
Thankfully, in this day and age of streaming devices and with most homes already having multiple television sets or recording capabilities, you don’t actually have to decide one one or the other – or the dreaded flip-back-and-forth method.
But if you missed anything from either show, we have you covered.
At UFC 224, reigning bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes cemented her status as the second-best female fighter in the world, finishing Raquel Pennington in her native home of Brazil.
Nunes earned her third title defense, adding to wins over Ronda Rousey and Valentina Shevchenko. She finally put an end to “Rocky’s” upset bid in the fifth with a flurry of strikes.
While Nunes didn’t want to talk about what could be next, most signs point to a summer champion vs. champion match with reigning UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg.
The end of the fight also showed an incredible display of sportsmanship between Nunes, Pennington, Nina Ansaroff and Tecia Torres. Nunes and Ansaroff are in a relationship, while Pennington and Torres are engaged to be married. Torres previously was a coach for Nunes during her early MMA days.
To the surprise of many, Kelvin Gastelum was able to score a split decision over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. The win is a big one for Gastelum, as he positions him nicely in the middleweight division.
Mackenzie Dern was able to block out her weigh-in issues and submit Amanda Cooper in the first round, with John Lineker finishing Brian Kelleher in the third.
The main card kicked off with a bang, as Lyoto Machida landed another front-kick to a retiring fighter. After sending Randy Couture packing years ago, Machida did the same to Vitor Belfort.
Following the contest, Belfort officially “retired,” leaving his gloves inside the Octagon.
Here are complete UFC 224 results:
* Amanda Nunes def. Raquel Pennington via TKO (strikes) at 2:36 of Round 5 to remain UFC female bantamweight champion
* Kelvin Gastelum def. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
* Mackenzie Dern def. Amanda Cooper via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:27 of Round 1
* John Lineker def. Brian Kelleher via KO (left-hook) at 3:43 of Round 3
* Lyoto Machida def. Vitor Belfort via KO (front-kick) at 1:00 of Round 2
* Cezar Ferreira def. Karl Roberson via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:45 of Round 1
* Oleksiy Oliynyk def. Junior Albini via submission (Ezekiel choke) at 1:45 of Round 1
* Davi Ramos def. Nick Hein via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:15 of Round 1
* Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Sean Strickland via TKO (spinning wheel kick/strikes) at 3:40 of Round 1
* Warlley Alves def. Sultan Aliev via TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2
* Jack Hermansson def. Thales Leites via TKO (strikes) at 2:10 of Round 3
* Ramazan Emeev def. Alberto Mina via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Markus Perez def. James Bochnovic via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:28 of Round 1
Back in the U.S., reigning Bellator light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader served notice in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix, flooring Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in just 15 seconds.
The fourth and final quarterfinal in the grand prix aired on Paramount Network from San Jose, California and was the main event for Bellator 199.
Bader, a former Ultimate Fighter winner in the UFC, will now meet Matt Mitrione in one semifinal, with Chael Sonnen taking on Fedor Emelianenko in the other. The winner of the tournament will be the new Bellator heavyweight champion.
In the co-main event, Jon Fitch made his promotional debut, as the former UFC title challenger bested Paul Daley. Aaron Pico, Cheick Kongo and Adam Piccolotti all scored finishes, as well.
Pico topped Lee Morrison in just 70 seconds, Kongo knocked out Javy Ayala and Piccolotti submitted Carrington Banks.
Here are Bellator 199 results:
* Ryan Bader def. Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal via KO (strike) at :15 of Round 1 in Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix quarterfinal
* Jon Fitch def. Paul Daley via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-26, 29-26)
* Aaron Pico def. Lee Morrison via TKO (strikes) at 1:10 of Round 1
* Cheick Kongo def. Javy Ayala via KO (strike) at 2:29 of Round 1
* Adam Piccolotti def. Carrington Banks via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:41 of Round 1
* Jordan Williams def. Brandon Hester via TKO (strikes) at 1:11 of Round 2
* Amber Leibrock def. Janay Harding via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
* James Terry def. Danasabe Mohammed via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
* Gaston Bolanos def. Malcolm Hill via TKO (leg kicks) at 2:54 of Round 1
* Justin Tenedora def. David Rivera-Cruz via submission (triangle choke) at 4:27 of Round 1
* Deron Winn def. Ahmed White via KO (strike) at 2:32 of Round 1
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