Main card:
Main event - Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Brian Ortega - Featherweight championship - Volkanovski wins via unanimous decision
Co-main event - Valentina Shevchenko (c) v Lauren Murphy - Women's flyweight championship - Shevchenko wins via fourth-round TKO
Robbie Lawler v Nick Diaz - Lawler wins via third-round TKO
Curtis Blaydes v Jairzinho Rozenstruik - Blaydes wins via unanimous decision
Jessica Andrade v Cynthia Calvillo - Andrade wins via first-round TKO
Preliminary card:
Merab Dvalishvili v Marlon Moraes - Dvalishvili wins via second-round TKO
Dan Hooker v Nasrat Haqparast - Hooker wins via unanimous decision
Chris Daukaus v. Shamil Abdurakhimov - Daukaus wins via second-round TKO
Talia Santos v Roxanne Modafferi - Santos wins via unanimous decision
Live updates
Main event - Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Brian Ortega - Featherweight championship - Volkanovski wins via unanimous decision
6:11pm - Two scores of 50-44 for Volk. The two share a moment post fight. Warriors.
The champ dedicates his win to the people of Aussie and his family and promises to keep proving his doubters wrong. There won't be too many of them left after this one.
Enjoyable afternoon of fights from Vegas, and great to see our beloved Dan Hooker back in the winners circle.
Check out a full wrap here.
6:10pm - Absolutely incredible fight, one of the best we've ever seen at featherweight. That said, This should be a handy 49-26 score in favour of the Aussie.
Round five - Volk looks like he's still building momentum here. He has looked sensational. Ortega needs a finish here. Ortega lands a heavy right hand. Incredible heart from the American, he looked down and out after the third round. Another hook lands, followed by an uppercut. He may steal a consolation round at the end here. Staggers Volk as the round closes. What a fight.
Round four - Ortega somehow convinces the doctor he's ready to continue, buying himself some time to recover. Ortega jumps another guillotine and the crowd goes up. Volk again manages to wrangle free. The Aussie moves to top position, Ortega holding on , still looking for submissions. I'm stunned he's still going. Volk throwing enormous shots from above now, Herb Dean taking a good look here. Ortega survives. Unreal.
Round three - City Kickboxing's Eugene Bareman in Volk's corner wth plenty of advice between rounds. Volk getting off to the legs, landing the heavier shots. To the body he goes, big jab. Head clash bloodies Ortega's nose, hat's a rough break. Volk really putting the foot down now. Ortega jumps for a guillotine! It looks deep but Volk battles his way free and takes top position. Some champion mettle, right there. Ortega with the triangle attempt now from the bottom! Again, Volk fights clear and to his feet, reigning blows from above. Ortega looks done on the stool here. This is as good as over. What an incredible round.
Round two - Ortega lands a combo to start. He's catching Volk's kicks and countering with success. Leg kick lands. Crisp right hand finds its mark for Ortega. Volk closes the gap and stings Ortega with a big elbow, one of his best shots of the fight. Both these guys so quick with their shots. Really technical contest here. Looks like Ortega's right eye is swelling. Bit of gamesmanship at the bell, ya love to see it.
Round one - Both fighters starting to open up a bit after a tentative start. Volk controlling the middle, having success with his jab. Straight left from Ortega, opens a cut under the champ's left eye. Slip and counter right from Volk. Heavy shot lands from Ortega and the crowd gasps. Follows that with a stiff jab. Tight opening round but I think Volk's boxing gave him the edge.
5:30pm - Volkanovski makes his entrance to 'Land Down Under'. Because, of course. Looking relaxed as ever.
Ortega and his team don 'Purge' masks for their entrance. What a sport.
5:17pm - The headline act up next, team.
Co-main event - Valentina Shevchenko (c) v Lauren Murphy - Women's flyweight championship - Shevchenko wins via fourth-round TKO
Round four - Murphy's corner doing her no favours, need a bit of honesty at times like these. She's doing a decent job of avoding Shevchenko's strikes but is offering nothing of her own. Shevchenko goes back to her kicks now, searching for that killer blow to the head. And there it comes! Follows with a check right hook and Murphy is staggered. To the mat they go, Shevchenko really needed to keep that standing, she had the finish in her grasp. No matter, she works into top mount and unleashes a torrent of elbows to force the referee stoppage. Her sixth title defence - the Bullet is unstoppable.
Round three - Murphy needs to start taking a few chances here. It's been a shutout to date. Shevchenko lands a heavy counter-right, Murphy just can't breach that defence.
Round two - Shevchenko shoots a takedown after an flurry to start the round. Shevchenko controlling Murphy on top and the American has little answer. Another in the bag for the champ.
Round one - Hesitant start from both fighters. Shevchenko gets off with a lightning combo, punctuated by a kick. Her speed advantage is already glaring. Easy 10-9 for Shevchenko.
4:45pm - The first of two title fights to finish up today. Will Murphy be the one to finally solve the Shevchenko puzzle? I highly doubt it, but crazier things have happened in MMA.
Nick Diaz v Robbie Lawler - Lawler wins via third-round TKO
Round three - Lawler lands a check right hook early and Diaz crumples. Lawler invites him back to his feet but Diaz wants no part of it and doesn't answer the referee's imperative. TKO win for Lawler.
Round two - Lawler lands with his elbows early and Diaz is stung, those hurt him. Cricles away and recovers, uses his head movement and goes back to his boxing, searching with uppercuts. Diaz throwing in combos but Lawler just keeps coming forward, landing less frequently than Diaz but with much more power. Both men still looking fresh.
Round one - Lawler comes out firing. Diaz withstands the early onslaught, starts to find his range. Lawler still landing regularly with some powerful shots, as Diaz ramps up the boxing offensive. Up top he goes, then back to the body. Finding his rhythm here. Both fighters with enormous outputs in the opening round, we have ourselves a goodie.
4:10pm - Here we go, the long-awaited and hugely anticipated return of Nick Diaz.
4:02pm - With his left-eye completely swollen shut, Blaydes goes back to the wrestling well in the third, much to the crowd's distaste, to close out a fairly handy unanimous decision win.
3:54pm - Curtis Blaydes with the upper hand through the opening two rounds against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, working his powerful top game to hold a comfortbale advantage heading into round three.
3:31pm - Jessica Andrade restamps her credentials with a first-round TKO of Cynthis Calvilla, before quickly calling out Rose Namajunas for a rematch.
3pm - Merab Dvalishvili rounds out the preliminary card with a scintillating TKO win against Marlon Moraes.
Stick with us, we'll be into the main pay-per-view card very shortly.
Dan Hooker v Nasrat Haqparast
2:30pm - Hooker wins via unanimous decision
Clinical performance from Hooker, who never looked in trouble in this one. What an effort from both men, after the week they've had.
Even scored a 10-8 round one on one of the judges' scorecard. Classy interview from Hooker, who immediately pays tribute to his opponent and condolences to his family, after the German lost his grandmother this week.
Draped in the NZ flag, Hooker leaves with a clear call-out for Beneil Dariush.
"You're a coward if you duck me!". Tell 'em, Dan.
Check out a full wrap here.
Round three - Haqparast needs a finish to win this. The crowd ging up ith every Hooker strike now, including that final kick to the groin. Haqparast increasing his volume. Hooker with a superb double-leg takedown! To the mat they go, Hooker into side control. Will he work for a sub here? Content to pepper away with mini-elbows to the head. Now he transitions to the back. Huge shots from behind. Briefly has a neck, up they come, and back they go down, Hooker jumps into guard leading with a big right hand. Hooker closes out a great pefromance with some ground and pound as the final hooter sounds.
Round two - Haqparast comes out with the first shots but Hooker quickly reclaims the centre of the Octagon. Hooker lunges with a knee that partly finds its mark and then in again on the single-leg, working for a takedown. Some effective dirty boxing from Hooker. Leaning on him aganst the fence, works for the Muay Thai clinch and throws a pair of heavy knees. Haqparast separates but Hooker is roght back on him with another helping of knees. Hooker clinches again with ease, landing more knees to Haqparast's legs. Heavy right finds its mark. Hooker ducks under a shot and scores a slick takedown. Hooker working into side control, landing a few shots before going back to his knees, nailing them into Haqparast's abdomen as the round ends. Huge round for the Kiwi, he's looking in complete control.
Round one - Hooker takes the middle early. Haqparast circles away, Hooker pressuring immediately. Hooker chants in the building! Hooker stalks, using his kicks to find his range. Upstairs with the head kick. All Hooker so far, the clear aggressor. Haqparast lands a right hand. Hooker continues circling and pressing, lands a jab. Haqparast lunges with a good one-two that finds its mark. Hooker kicks to the body. Hooker shoots! How about that. He has the high crotch single leg locked. Stings his opponent with knees in the clinch. Big knee on the break from Hooker as the round ends. That should be one in the bag for the Kiwi.
2:07pm - Anybody else nervous? Bruce Buffer launches into his introductions. Hooker looks laser-focused.
Big pop from the crowd for the Hangman. Let's go.
2:03pm - Both of these guys have had a rough week of admin, securing their US Visas late and only arriving in Sin City a couple of days ago. Remarkable effort by the pair to even make weight.
1:58pm - I get the sense we're going to see a statement win here for 'The Hangman', who will be itching to have his hand raised again after consecutive losses.
1:53pm - Mr Hooker should be making his way to the middle momentarily. Buckle up.
1:49pm - Daukaus switches off Abdurakhimov's lights with a huge right hand! Follows with some nasty elbows on the ground and this one is over.
1:38pm - Hooker's good mate Volk backstage with his City Kickboxing cohort, as he goes throgh his final preps. Looks to be set for around 2pm, with the heavyweight bout between Chris Daukaus and Shamil Abdurakhimov underway.
1:30pm - Santos seals a comfortable unanimous decision win over Modafferi, after dropping her in the third round with a heavy straight right.
1pm - Happy Dan Hooker fight day, team!
The preliminary card for today's stacked event is about to get started. NZ's beloved 'Hangman' should be making his Octagon entrance somewhere around the 2pm mark.
First up off the rank will be the one and only Roxanne Modafferi taking on Talia Santos in a women's flyweight bout.
***
Kia ora and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of Kiwi lightweight Dan Hooker's return to the Octagon at UFC 266 in Las Vegas.
'The Hangman' has endured a rollercoaster of a week to make his fight date, overcoming visa issues and the unique challenges of cutting weight on a plane to touch down in 'Sin City' less than three days before his bout with Haqparast.
Incidentally, the German had to negotiate his own set of Visa-related obstacles to make the bout, arriving in the US around the same time as his opponent.
Remarkably, both men comfortably made weight, an achievement that has left the MMA world shaking its collective head in disbelief.
Hooker's bout features on the preliminary undercard of a stacked schedule of fights, including Nick Diaz's comeback bout with Robbie Lawler and City Kickboxing regular Alex Volkanovski's featherweight title defence against Brian Ortega.
We'll have all the action for you from 1pm (NZ time), with Hooker's fight set to take place at approximately 2pm.
TAB betting odds
Volkanovski - $1.53 Ortega - $2.35
Shevchenko - $1.04 Murphy - $9.00
Hooker - $1.65 Haqparast - $2.13
Hooker stuns MMA world by making weight despite tumultuous fight week
Kiwi Dan Hooker has remarkably made weight for his UFC 266 bout with German Nasrat Haqparast.
The lightweight bout has been under threat all week with both fighters dealing with US entry visa issues and only arrived in Las Vegas 12 hours before weigh-in time.
Hooker told Newshub this week that he would be cutting weight on the 12-hour plane journey and was one of the first to step onto the scales on Saturday (NZ time), hitting the 156 (71kgs) pound limit with ease.
Haqparast came in a pound lighter to confirm the bout would go ahead, with UFC president Dana White noting during Friday's press conference that he would look after the pair regardless of if they made weight.
"I love those two guys," White said.
"Both of these guys are f***ing savages just getting here. They both want to fight and I'm sure they will be on point but we will look after them."
Hooker's had a tumultuous week just getting to Las Vegas, with a last-minute dash to an Auckland city chemist on Monday to update his passport photo another twist in a story the Kiwi told Newshub was "was pure comedy".
But the 'Hangman ' overcame several issues, including two shutdown fight camps, and now faces the challenge of resurrecting his UFC title hopes against the game German.
"I just want to focus on the positives," he says. "I want to fight so badly and everything else won't really matter, once I'm in the Octagon.
"I can't let my mind be clouded by doubts or feel sorry for myself, I just have to face this as a challenge and overcome it."
Hooker's City Kickboxing teammate Alexander Volkanovski was on the mark for his featherweight title defence against American Brian Ortega in the main event.
And the women's flyweight title fight between champion Valentina Shevchenko and Lauren Murphy is official with both hitting the 125-pound limit.
