On the anniversary of the first, record-breaking UFC event at Madison Square Garden, UFC returns to the iconic venue with an event headlined by two highly anticipated championship matchups. In the main event, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya looks to settle the score with former kickboxing foe and No. 5 ranked contender Alex Pereira. In the co-main event, UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza intends to defend her newly won title for the first time against former champion and No. 2 ranked contender Zhang Weili.
UFC 281: ADESANYA vs. PEREIRA takes place Sat., November 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City with the main card at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on ESPN+ PPV. The prelims will be seen on ESPNNEWS, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with the night’s action starting at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT with Early Prelims on ESPN+ (English and Spanish) and UFC Fight Pass.
Main and co-main event scheduled for five rounds, all other bouts scheduled for three rounds. | Official Scorecards
UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira Results
- Dan Hooker defeats Claudio Puelles by TKO (body kick) at 4:06 of Round 2
- Renato Moicano defeats Brad Riddell by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:20 of Round 1
- Ryan Spann defeats Dominick Reyes by knockout (left hand) at 1:20 of Round 1
- Erin Blanchfield defeats Molly McCann by submission (kimura) at 3:37 of Round 1
- Andre Petroski defeats Wellington Turman by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Matt Frevola defeats Ottman Azaitar by KO (left hook) at 2:30 of Round 1
- Karolina Kowalkiewicz defeats Silvana Gomez Juarez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Michael Trizano defeats SeungWoo Choi by TKO (punches) at 4:51 of Round 1
- Montel Jackson defeats Julio Arce by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Carlos Ulberg defeats Nicolae Negumereanu by KO (punches) at 3:44 of Round 1
UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira Main Card
Dan Hooker defeats Claudio Puelles by TKO (body kick) at 4:06 of Round 2
Patient targeting of the midsection proved beneficial for Dan Hooker on Saturday night, as “The Hangman” put an end to Claudio Puelles’ five-fight winning streak in the main card opener.
In the opening round, Hooker deftly navigated the leg locks attempts of the Peruvian grappler, taking his time to make the correct moves and counter-moves to avoid becoming the third straight fight to lose by submission to Puelles. In the second, the veteran lightweight picked at him from range and clearly hurt Puelles, recognizing that each kick to the midsection prompted the young hopeful to collapse to the canvas, trying to catch a breather.
Each time, Hooker would call him back to his feet, stick another kick into his guts, and send him back to the ground. The third time it happened, referee Keith Peterson stepped in to halt the action.
The victory puts Hooker back into the win column after a two-fight skid, while Puelles is handed his first loss since his promotional debut at the TUF: Latin American 3 Finale. | Official Scorecards
UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira Prelims
Renato Moicano defeats Brad Riddell by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:20 of Round 1
Renato Moicano continues to show he’s a dangerous threat just outside the Top 15 in the loaded lightweight division.
The Brazilian absolutely dominated tough Kiwi Brad Riddell in Saturday’s final prelim, busting him up on the feet in the early stages of the round before initiating a grappling exchange, taking the back, and securing the fight-ending choke. The transition to back mount and cinching in of the hold was ultra-slick from Moicano, who adjusted his grip and sunk the arm under the chin swiftly, leaving Riddell no choice but to tap.
Moicano has now won three of his last four, with the only setback coming in a short-notice, five-round fight with former lightweight champ Rafael Dos Anjos. The talented Brazilian was a tenured fighter at featherweight, and now has his sights set on a place in the rankings at lightweight.
A performance like this could very well get him there. | Official Scorecards
Ryan Spann defeats Dominick Reyes by knockout (left hand) at 1:20 of Round 1
Ryan Spann is a problem.
“Superman” walked into the Octagon and knocked out Dominick Reyes in violent fashion, hurting him early and then putting him down for good with a clean left hand. The two men came out swinging, and the Fortis MMA man hurt Reyes with every shot that landed.
Spann’s coach Sayif Saud has always said that his charge has the potential to be world champion, and this effort certainly makes that seem possible. Just an incredible effort by the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate, who has now earned consecutive first-round stoppage wins to push his record to 6-2 in the UFC and 20-7 overall. | Official Scorecards
Erin Blanchfield defeats Molly McCann by submission (kimura) at 3:37 of Round 1
Erin Blanchfield ran through Molly McCann on Saturday night, halting the Liverpool native’s run of success with a blistering first-round finish.
The flyweights started out trading shots on the feet, with Blanchfield showing that she was more than capable of standing with the British fan favorite before scooping McCann into the air, depositing her to the canvas, and never letting her back to her feet. After smashing away from a mounted crucifix for more than a minute, Blanchfield started hunting for a kimura, eventually forcing McCann to tap late in the round.
This was a standout performance from the 23-year-old prospect, who is now 4-0 in the UFC, 10-1 in her mixed martial arts career, and looking more and more like a potential title challenger with each appearance. | Official Scorecards
Andre Petroski defeats Wellington Turman by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
It was a battle of attrition between middleweight grapplers Andre Petroski and Wellington Turman to kick off the televised prelims, with the American wrestler ultimately seizing control and securing the victory.
The first round was contested primarily on the feet, with neither man getting a considerable advantage. They grappled more in the second, but again, each man had moments of success, sending the fight to the third with the outcome potentially hanging in the balance. Petroski opened up the round sinking in a deep guillotine that Turman managed to escape, but the Philadelphia native was able to settle into top position and maintain control for the remainder of the round.
When the scores were tallied, the judges all saw things the same way, awarding the victory to Petroski with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 across the board. With the win, the former Ultimate Fighter contestant advances to 4-0 in the UFC and 9-1 overall. | Official Scorecards
UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira Early Prelims
Matt Frevola defeats Ottman Azaitar by KO (left hook) at 2:30 of Round 1
Hometown boy Matt Frevola sent the “Steamrolla” section at Madison Square Garden into a frenzy, closing out the early prelims with a thunderous knockout win over Ottman Azaitar.
The duo showed each other a great deal of respect early, neither wanting to get caught by the other’s power. But when the two came together looking to trade, it was Frevola that found a home for a gorgeous left hook that spun Azaitar to the canvas.
This was easily the biggest win of the Huntington, New York native’s career and a second straight first-round stoppage victory for the veteran from the Serra-Longo Fight Team. | Official Scorecards
Karolina Kowalkiewicz defeats Silvana Gomez Juarez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Six years after taking part in the first UFC event at Madison Square Garden, Karolina Kowalkiewicz returned and collected a victory of her own, defeating Silvana Gomez Juarez by unanimous decision.
Kowalkiewicz, who suffered her first career setback in a championship bout opposite Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 205, dominated the first with her grappling before getting the better of things on the feet over the final two rounds. While Gomez Juarez had her moments and flashed her power, the Polish veteran had more, salting away the victory by toppling the Argentine in the final minute of the fight.
After suffering through a five-fight losing streak and dropping seven of nine at one point, the former title challenger has now won back-to-back outings. On the other side, Gomez Juarez falls to 1-3 inside the Octagon and 11-5 overall with the loss. | Official Scorecards
Michael Trizano defeats SeungWoo Choi by TKO (punches) at 4:51 of Round 1
Michael Trizano and SeungWoo Choi came out swinging, starting their bout with a double knockdown off mirrored left hooks, and it stayed competitive and chaotic from that point forward until the Ramsey, New Jersey put Choi on the canvas late in the opening round and never let him up.
This was an all-action affair where both men threw with nasty intentions, each one scored knockdowns and landed clean, and neither showed any interest in doing anything other than engaging in the pocket. Fireworks were expected and fireworks were delivered by these two featherweights, setting the excitement bar exceptionally high for the rest of the fighters slated to step into the Octagon.
Trizano snaps a two-fight skid with the victory and picks up the 10th win of his career (against three losses), while Choi suffers a third straight setback, falling to 10-6 overall with the defeat. | Official Scorecards
Montel Jackson defeats Julio Arce by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
The bantamweight battle between Montel Jackson and Julio Arce was every bit as competitive as anticipated, with the duo running close to level for the opening two rounds before Jackson controlled the final round en route to earning a unanimous decision win.
For the first 10 minutes, they largely traded blows on the feet, with neither man getting a significant advantage in either frame. But to start the third, Jackson dropped Arce with a clean left hand before controlling him on the canvas for the majority of the frame. While the veteran New Yorker made it back to his feet, he was unable to do enough to swing the round back in his favor.
With the victory, Jackson pushed his winning streak to three and his record to 12-2 overall, taking another step forward in the dynamic bantamweight division, while Arce fell to 18-6 and continued his pattern of alternating wins and losses over his last eight appearances. | Official Scorecards
Carlos Ulberg defeats Nicolae Negumereanu by KO (punches) at 3:44 of Round 1
Carlos Ulberg kicked off the night in spectacular fashion on Saturday, running his winning streak to three with a first-round stoppage win over Nicolae Negumereanu.
The first of four City Kickboxing representatives set to hit the Octagon, Ulberg worked patiently from the outside, ignoring Negumereanu’s calls to engage before opening up with his offence in the second half of the round. As Negumereanu looked to charge forward and close the distance, Ulberg cracked him with a clean left hook that sent him tumbling to the canvas. From there, it was academic.
That’s three straight victories and back-to-back first-round stoppage wins for Ulberg, while Negumereanu’s four-fight winning streak ends in MSG. | Official Scorecards
Frankie Edgar vs Chris Gutierrez
- Former lightweight champion and No. 12 ranked bantamweight Frankie Edgar (23-10-1, fighting out of Toms River, NJ) battles Chris Gutierrez (18-3-2, fighting out of Englewood, Colorado)
Dustin Poirier vs Michael Chandler
- No. 2 ranked lightweight contender Dustin Poirier (28-7, 1 NC, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Florida) collides with No. 5 ranked Michael Chandler (23-7, fighting out Deerfield Beach, Florida) in an exciting lightweight matchup
Co-Main Event: Carla Esparza vs Zhang Weili
- Two-time UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza (20-6, fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) looks to start her new campaign at the top with a dominant victory. Currently on a six-fight win streak, Esparza fought her way back to the title with notable wins over Yan Xiaonan, Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson. She now expects to secure her first successful title defense by neutralizing Zhang.
- Former title holder Zhang Weili (22-3, fighting out of Beijing, China) seeks to regain her lost crown and cement herself as one of the best fighters in MMA. The first and only Chinese champion in UFC history, she has entertained fans with victories over Joanna Jedrzejczyk (twice), Jessica Andrade and Jessica Aguilar. Zhang now plans to add another UFC champion to her resume by vanquishing Esparza.
Main Event: Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira
- Reigning middleweight king Israel Adesanya (23-1, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) plans to deliver another statement performance in his second MSG appearance. Arguably the most popular champion in the UFC today, he has established himself as one of the most skilled strikers to ever compete in MMA with wins over former champions Robert Whittaker (twice) and Anderson Silva, as well as Derek Brunson, Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa. Adesanya now seeks to avenge a pair of kickboxing losses to Pereira and prove he is the best martial artist on the planet.
- Alex Pereira (6-1, fighting out of Danbury, Conn. by way of Sao Paulo, Brazil) aims to make the most of his first UFC title opportunity. A former Glory kickboxing middleweight and light heavyweight champion, he has burst onto the MMA scene with impressive finishes over Sean Strickland and Andreas Michailidis. Pereira now has his sights set on showing that he is the best striker in MMA by defeating Adesanya once again and claiming 185-gold.
Don’t miss a moment of UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira, live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Prelims begin at 8pm ET/5pm PT. The main card kicks off at 10pm ET/7pm PT. Order now!
