Stipe Miocic vs Daniel Cormier - Cormier wins via KO
Cormier adds the heavyweight strap to the lightweight title he already owns. It's all a bit much to take in for the American.
"I'm a two division champion, baby!" DC shouts with his arm around Joe Rogan. Not bad for a 39-year-old.
DC takes the mic and invites Brock Lesnar to the cage. Lesnar enters with a shove on the new champ and the two exchange barbs before Lesnar unloads on all the "piece of sh*t" heavyweights he's seen tonight, before ending by smacking the mic against the camera.
"Push me now, you'll go to sleep later," DC responds to the hulking Lesnar.
Full WWE mode in effect.
Cormier excuses himself from the stoush; "I've got some pictures to take."
Round one - First of a potential five rounds is underway. Big shots both ways before Miocic looks to clinch, pressing Cormier against the cage and landing from behind. Reach advantage clearly in Miocic's favour. Miocic throwing and landing regularly. DC with a nice low-kick. DC rattles Miocic with a one-two but follows up with a clear eye poke. Miocic takes a moment. DC with another huge right as he breaks from the clinch and Miocic goes down, lights out. DC follows up but the ref gets there first. It's over.
The hulking Croatian sensation Stipe Miocic makes a confident stroll to the middle. Taking some inspiration from his compatriots in Russia this morning? We're almost ready to roll here.
There it is people! Called it.
A much more round Dan Cormier makes the first walk to the centre. The man is clearly enjoying life back at heavyweight.
WWE superstar Brock Lesnar makes his way Octagon-side, shaking hands before being greeted by Dana White. Maybe he'll face the Miocic vs Cormier winner?
Francis Ngannou vs Derrick Lewis - Lewis via unanimous decision
It's a shame somebody has to win this fight. Joe Rogan calls it the "worst heavyweight fight I've ever seen."
The boos rain down as the decision is read, and it's Lewis who gets the nod.
Round three - Nobody could've seen this coming. Ngannou likely needs a finish now to win this. The engagement levels remain almost non-existant as the round passes halfway. On track for the record for least amount of strikes thrown in a fight (23). And there we go. Gross.
Round two - Pretty turgid stuff here, no increase in urgency for either as we approach the halfway mark. Lewis is suffering back spasms, not sure what Ngannou's excuse is. Herb Dean takes exception to the inactivity and gives the fighters the hard word. It works, a little. Lewis gets that round by default.
Round one - The bell sounds and both men take their time, wary of each other's power. Understandable. Lewis with a flashy switchy, impressive dexterity from the big man. The crowd's starting to get antsy at the lack of action, Ngannou really yet to even throw a strike as we enter the round's final two minutes. Surprisingly patient approach from both fighters. Saving gas for the later round perhaps? Ngannou with a total of one strike landed so, yeah, we'll give that one to Lewis.
Excuse my while I wipe the drool from the corner of my mouth. I'm absolutely here for this one.
Ngannou looking as terrifying as usual as he makes his entrance. "The Black Beast" is waiting for him, let's get into this.
Paul Felder vs Mike Perry - Perry wins via split decision
Surpised the judges were split on the call, but hey...MMA.
"Platinum" says he didn't expect to win by decision, the first of his career, but he's more than happy to do so.
Round three - Felder confirms in between rounds that he has a broken arm. Well that's a game-changer. The natural welterweight is really starting to make his presence felt, pressing Felder against the fence and digging in with some hefty knees to the leg. The two stand and trade as the final 10 seconds tick away. Perry should have this.
Round two - Perry pressing to start again, picks Felder up above his head and slams him to the ground. Felder is back up quickly and they clinch, Perry lands with the elbow in close. Huge uppercut by Perry and that's opened a cut on Felder. Doctor wants to check this one. We're good to go. Perry immediately scores a takedown. Back to the feet and they exchange heavy shots to finish the round. Felder is awash with blood. One round apiece in my books.
Round one - Perry typically wild out of the gates and the two lock up against the cage briefly. Felder separates, feel for range and tags Perry with a crisp one-two. Spinning elbow lands and Perry is gushing blood early, big cut opened on his forehead. Perry stings with an uppercut and Felder creates some distance. Perry moves in and initiates a clinch, Felder replies with a spinning backfist and looks to shoot a takedown. Perry balances and defends as the round draws to a close. Slightest of edges to Felder.
Felder Irish-jgs his way to the middle, we're ready to go.
Two crowd-pleasers about to enter the Octagon. Love him or hate him, Mike Perry's always willing to engage. Felder's approach is a touch more measured, but he has the power to finish Perry.
Michael Chiesa vs Anthony Pettis - Pettis wins via submission
Pettis cuts an elated figure as he chats with Rogan, that's the kind of win that puts you back on the map in such a tough division.
Says he expects to get his black belt after that, deservedly so after that pretty triangle.
Round two - Pettis flattens him with a huge right down the pipe and pounces on Chiesa as he hits the mat, taking his neck and looking to work a a guillotine. He transitions to the triangle and clinically works it deeper until it's fully locked and Chiesa has no choice but to tap. Vintage Pettis right there.
Round one - Chiesa immediately closes the distance, Pettis with a loose guillotine which he promptly loses. Chiesa transitions into half-guard and threatens with a head and arm choke then moves to the back. Pettis shrugs him off and works his way back to his feet. Chiesa back into the clinch and gets another takedown.Pettis fights his way to his feet and gets off a pair of heavy leg kicks. The crowd gasps as he narrowly misses with the spinning attack with the round winding to a close. Have to award that one to Chiesa.
Tough one to call here. Pettis has all the tools but Chiesa always seems to find a way to grind out wins. He also missed weight, and the current UFC trend there is a direct translation to victory.
"Showtime" has really struggled to put his game together effectively since losing his lightweight title to Rafael Dos Anjos back in 2015. There are few better to watch in full flight, here's hoping he can make it happen today.
Gokhan Saki vs Khalil Rountree - Rountree wins via KO
Rountree just made a few heavyweights sit up and take notice.
"I'm here, let's go!" he screams at Joe Rogan. Indeed you are, Khalil.
Round one - Tentative start for both fighters, mutual respect for one another's power. Bang! Rountree plants an enormous straight-right which lands perfectly and sends Saki sprawling to the mat, follows up with piston-like hammer fists to force the stoppage. Wow.
2:17pm - Rountree is no stranger to punishment, but there's no way he's felt kicks like the ones Saki, a former Glory and K1 champion, is about to lay on him.
2:13pm - Turkish kickboxing icon Saki is back in action for his third MMA fight against hard-hitting American Rountree. Judging by both mens' previous efforts, this one should be a barn-burner.
2:05pm - Into the big show we go as we build towards a blockbuster dual-title fight between Cormier and Miocic.
1pm - Updates of the main card get underway at 2pm.
Hooker vs Burns - Hooker wins via first-round KO
Another huge win for the Kiwi MMA contingent. Check out the fight wrap here.
Round one - Here we go...heavy overhand right from Burns, that one hurt Hooker. Burns active early, mixing up his attacks and setting a hectic pace. Hooker clips him and send Burns wobbling to the mat! The Kiwi pounces, looks to have a guillotine choke locked but Burns escapes. Hooker evades the shot then plants a perfect left to the body and then the head to send him back to the mat. Follows up with the hammer fist but he doesn't need to. Ref jumps in and it's an emphatic win for the Hangman.
11:39am - Hooker soaks up the Buffer intro with the Kiwi flag hanging behind him.
11:37am - And here comes the laser-focused Hooker. Huge opportunity for "The Hangman" right here, and Joe Rogan agrees.
11:35am - The Brazilian makes the first walk to the Octagon, draped in his nation's colours.
11:32 - We should be a mere matter of minutes away until we hear the strains of David Dallas' "Runnin" ring through the arena.
Jamie Moyle vs Emily Whitmire - Whitmire wins via unanimous decision
Whitmire secures a straightforward unanimous decision win.
Round three - More of the same from Whitmire, maintaining top position and landing a variety of shots from above.
Round two - Whitmire nabs an early takedown, moves to half guard quickly. Remains there for the rest of the round but Moyle does well to llimit her offence.
Round one - Whitmire the more active fighter in a steady first round, varying her attacks effectively.
11:08 - It's a women's strawweight bout to get us underway today between two very green American prospects.
Kia ora and welcome to live coverage of Kiwi Dan Hooker squaring off with Brazil's Gilbert Burns on the undercard of the jam-packed UFC 226 event in Las Vegas.
Can "The Hangman" keep the momentum going in Sin City after his teammate Israel Adesanya's flawless victory on Saturday (NZ time)? Catch up with all that action here, if you missed it
Fight-by-fight coverage will start at around 11am before we move to the main card at around 2pm.
Head to head:
Dan Hooker - $1.70 Gilbert Burns - $2.05
Fight Card:
Main card
Stipe Miocic vs Daniel Cormier - Cormier wins via KO
Derrick Lewis vs Francis Ngannou - Lewis wins via unanimous decision
Paul Felder vs Mike Perry - Perry wins via unanimous decision
Michael Chiesa vs Anthony Pettis - Pettis wins via submission
Gokhan Saki vs Khalil Rountree - Rountree wins via KO
Early preliminaries
Dan Hooker vs. Gilbert Burns - Hooker wins via KO
Jamie Moyle vs Emily Whitmire - Whitemire wins via unanimous decision
Pre-match banter
Hooker thinking worst-case scenario at UFC 226
By Brad Lewis
Dan Hooker is preparing for the toughest fight of his life at UFC 226, but hopes it will end up being his easiest.
That's the mindset the 28-year-old believes has him covered, if his scheduled three-rounder with Brazilian Gilbert Burns doesn't go to plan.
The Kiwi is riding a three-fight win streak, all via stoppage, which has left Hooker on the brink of UFC's lightweight rankings.
A win over Burns in Las Vegas on Sunday would accomplish that and likely earn the Aucklander a high-profile feature fight later this year.
Hooker told Newshub he refused to be drawn into predicting the outcome, as that could lead to unwarranted over-confidence.
"I'm going in there expecting the three hardest rounds I've had in my life," Hooker told Newshub.
"If you mentally prepare for the worst, then nothing that happens is a surprise.
"If you spend the entire camp preparing for one of the best fighters in the world, then you are ready for worst-case scenario.
"Prepare for the worst and hope for the best."
'The Hangman' is under no illusions that Burns could very well prove to be his toughest opponent.
The Brazilian is on a two-fight win streak himself, holding an impressive UFC record of 6-2, with all six wins coming via stoppage.
The 31-year-old is a decorated Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt, having won a world championship gold medal in 2011.
Burns' only two professional losses have come via decision and in both, he struggled with his cardio.
But Hooker prefers to focus more on his opponent’s strengths in order to discover new weaknesses.
"I expect that whatever mistakes he has made in the past, he will have corrected. You have to look at it that way.
"That's exactly what I have done with my game. If you go back and look at mistakes that I have made in the past, you will see I am not that same fighter I was a few years ago.
"I look for his strengths, because that is what he is trying to do – I can't wait for him to make mistakes. What I can do is turn his strength into a weakness, because that's what good fighters do.
"This is a very good opponent. We are both coming off a couple of knockout wins and we are carrying a lot of momentum.
"Two guys just outside that top 15 in the world, riding a wave of momentum and both of us have had a hard time getting someone inside the rankings to fight, so whoever gets the job done this weekend catapults themselves into the top 15."
Hooker's clash with Burns will come 24 hours after teammate Israel Adesanya features in the headline fight on the Ultimate Fighter Finale against Hawaiian Brad Tavares.
The Nigerian-born Adesanya is on a sky rocket to UFC superstardom off the back of two impressive wins and his marketable personality.
While not in the Conor McGregor category, Adesanya is an exciting fighter, who isn't afraid to speak his mind.
Hooker is thrilled that young fighters in New Zealand now have role models to look up to, as the MMA's popularity continues to soar.
"It's very exciting for New Zealand having so many guys on the world stage, showing young Kiwis fighters it really is possible.
"When we first started in the sport, I know, me personally, that there was no-one else doing it at an international level.
Now you have three guys from this gym in Auckland, making a living fighting for this promotion and earning good money.
"You can point at us as an example that you can do it.
"It's motivating to me."
Newshub.
