Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
For Quick Alerts
ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS  
For Daily Alerts

UFC Vegas 17 results: Thompson gets into title contention with victory to close 2020

Stephen Thompson got back into welterweight tile contention after closing 2020 with a victory over Geoff Neal in headliner of UFC Vegas 17: Thompson vs. Neal at the UFC Apex Facility in Las Vegas.

Stephen Thompson reacts after his victory over Geoff Neal in UFC Vegas 17 (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)

Las Vegas, December 20: Stephen Thompson got back into welterweight tile contention after closing 2020 with a victory over Geoff Neal in headliner of UFC Vegas 17: Thompson vs. Neal at the UFC Apex Facility in Las Vegas on Saturday (December 19).

In the main event, welterweight contenders No.5 ranked Thompson and No.11 ranked Neal ended UFC's 2020 with a bang.

Thompson's unique kempo karate style was on full display round after round, while Neal pressured him but never quite figured him out. The action was fast-paced right though the fifth round and Thompson rightfully earned the unanimous decision win.

After the bout, Thompson said, "In the fight game, you're going to have your ups and downs-your injuries. But you can hurt later and that's what your train for. I've been fighting since I was 15 years old... You take your bumps and bruises and then during the fight ignore that... I felt great."

Thompson was also full of praise for his opponent Neal.

"Geoff Neal is super tough. Every time I hit him, he felt like a rock. He just kept coming forward... I'm very happy with my performance, even with the injuries. I'm feeling great."

In the co-main event between exciting bantamweight rankers, former featherweight champion No.7 ranked Jose Aldo and No.15 ranked Marlon Vera, showcased three rounds of high level MMA action.

Aldo's full complement of Muay Thai and grappling skills were on display against the power and tenacity of Vera, and it ultimately earned him the unanimous decision.

Also on the Main card:

American football star Greg Hardy could not continue his success in 2020 due to the wrestling acumen of Marcin Tybura. Hardy's striking was impressive in the first round, but Tybura's game plan to wait it out and take him down in the second and expose his weaknesses there. Tybura got the TKO win by ground and pound.

Bantamweight's No.11 Rob Font made an impressive return to the Octagon against No.3 Marlon Moraes and set himself up for a climb. Font weathered a smart and early takedown, then used his Muay Thai skills to land strikes that eventually put Moraes on his back for a first round TKO victory.

Thrilling welterweights Michel Pereira and Khaos Williams gave a show of their very different striking techniques in the first round of their anticipated match up. While Pereira's footwork stood out, Williams' power amped up in the second, then a telling third saw Pereira add in some takedowns which swung a decision to him on the scorecards.


UFC Vegas 17 final results



Main Card


1. Welterweight bout: Stephen Thompson defeated Geoff Neal via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)

2. Bantamweight bout: Jose Aldo defeated Marlon Vera via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

3. Welterweight bout: Michel Pereira defeated Khaos Williams via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

4. Bantamweight bout: Rob Font defeated Marlon Moraes via first-round TKO at 3:47

5. Heavyweight bout: Marcin Tybura defeated Greg Hardy via second-round TKO at 4:31


Preliminary card


1. Welterweight bout: Anthony Pettis defeated Alex Morono via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

2. Women's Bantamweight bout: Pannie Kianzad defeated Sijara Eubanks via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

3. Catchweight (195 lb) bout: Deron Winn defeated Antonio Arroyo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

4. Women's Flyweight bout: Taila Santos defeated Gillian Robertson via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-28)

5. Middleweight bout: Tafon Nchukwi defeated Jamie Pickett via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26)

6. Flyweight bout: Jimmy Flick defeated Cody Durden via first-round submission at 3:18

7. Catchweight (160 lb) bout: Christos Giagos defeated Carlton Minus via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-28)

Story first published: Sunday, December 20, 2020, 13:11 [IST]
Other articles published on Dec 20, 2020