UFC on ESPN 1 results: Ngannou finishes Velasquez in 26 seconds

Phoenix, February 18: Francis Ngannou took just under thirty seconds to finish the returning former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona on Sunday (February 17).

Ngannou needed just 26 seconds to win the heavyweight bout which was the main event of UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs Velasquez.

Ngannou evaded Velasquez's surprise shots with little issue as he patiently waited for his turn which came in the form of a left that wobbled Velasquez, who eventually dropped to the floor. Ngannou didn't stop there as The Predator began to unleash a barrage of shots that brought an end to the fight in less than 30 seconds into the first round.

WOW!@Francis_Ngannou gets it done in Arizona! #UFCPhoenix pic.twitter.com/xGF4ziuAZA

— UFC (@ufc) February 18, 2019

With that victory, Ngannou claimed his second successive win after dropping two in a row, including one in the heavyweight championship bout. However, he has now improved his chances of another shot at the title.

In the co-main event Paul Felder and James Vick were involved in a very close battle, and in the end it was "The Irish Dragon" who proved victorious with a decision win. After an evenly fought battle on the feet, Felder outscored Vick with scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.

In the main card opener, Andre Fili with his striking game in play earned a clearcut decision win over Myles Jury in a featherweight bout. The judges as expected awarded the fight to Fili with 29-28 on all three cards.

Next up, Vicente Luque and Bryan Barberena delivered a thrilling "Fight of the Year" candidate bout, and it was the former who earned a TKO with six seconds remaining in the welterweight bout.

In the final frame, Barberena opened with the attack, but Luque countered with a few big uppercuts and knees to floor Barberena. Luque then unleashed punches until the referee intervened to stop the contest 4:54 of the third round.

KNEES CLOSE THE SHOW #UFCPhoenix (via @espnmma) pic.twitter.com/LaxpVxeTLP

— ESPN (@espn) February 18, 2019

Later on the main card, UFC newcomer Kron Gracie submitted Alex Caceres in the first round of a featherweight bout.

With the legs locked around the body, Gracie worked on the choke and got the left arm under the neck of Caceres, who did his best to escape, but Gracie continued to squeeze, forcing his opponent to tap at the 2:06 mark of the frame.

THE LEGACY LIVES ON! #UFCPhoenix pic.twitter.com/JZtH9vq88j

— UFC (@ufc) February 18, 2019

In the women's strawweight bout that followed on the main card, Cynthia Calvillo earned a decision win over Cortney Casey with scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.

Earlier in the preliminary card headliner, Aljamain Sterling had the best performances of his career as he outworked Jimmie Rivera in all three rounds of a bantamweight bout. In the end, judges scored the fight with a trio 30-27 in favour of Sterling. With that win, Sterling now is on a three-fight winning streak, while Rivera loses second in his last three appearances.

Former pound for pound #1 Renan Barao goes out with a NASTY KO loss on early prelims. Quite the fall from grace. #UFCPhoenix pic.twitter.com/IjstcLSdcL

— Untitled MMA (@UntitledMMA) February 17, 2019

Meanwhile, the likes of Manny Bermudez, Andrea Lee, Nik Lentz, Luke Sanders and Emily Whitmire all won in the preliminary card. Plus, a women's catchweight bout between Jessica Penne and Jodie Esquibel was pulled hours before the card due to an undisclosed injury to Penne.

Here are the final results of UFC on ESPN 1:

Main Card

1. Heavyweight bout: Francis Ngannou defeated Cain Velasquez by KO (strikes) - Round 1, 0:26

2. Lightweight bout: Paul Felder defeated James Vick by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

3. Women's Strawweight bout: Cynthia Calvillo defeated Cortney Casey by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

4. Featherweight bout: Kron Gracie defeated Alex Caceres by submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:06

5. Welterweight bout: Vicente Luque defeated Bryan Barberena by TKO (punches) - Round 3, 4:54

6. Featherweight bout: Andre Fili defeated Myles Jury by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card

1. Bantamweight bout: Aljamain Sterling defeated Jimmie Rivera by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

2. Catchweight bout: Manny Bermudez defeated Benito Lopez by submission (D'Arce choke) - Round 1, 3:09

3. Women's Flyweight bout: Andrea Lee defeated Ashlee Evans-Smith by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

4. Lightweight bout: Nik Lentz defeated Scott Holtzman by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

5. Catchweight bout: Luke Sanders defeated Renan Barao by TKO (punches) - Round 2, 1:01

6. Women's Catchweight bout: Jessica Penne vs. Jodie Esquibel - cancelled as Penne pulled out

7. Women's Strawweight bout: Emily Whitmire defeated Aleksandra Albu by submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 1:01