UFC on ESPN 3 live results: Francis Ngannou vs. Junior dos Santos

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos, eminating from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Octagon heads back to Minneapolis for the first time since October 2012 with a heavyweight main event featuring two men looking to lock up the next title shot in the division.

Former title challenger Francis Ngannou takes on former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos in the night’s five-round headliner. Ngannou has won two straight fights by knockout in the first round to get himself back into the title picture while Dos Santos is the winner of three straight fights. The winner should find himself next in line to challenge the winner of the Daniel Cormier-Stipe Miocic title fight that takes place in August.

In the co-main event, it is another potential title eliminator bout, this time in the flyweight division as Jussier Formiga puts his four-fight win streak on the line against Joseph Benavidez, winner of two straight fights. Also on the main card is a welterweight bout between Anthony Rocco Martin and Demian Maia as well as a lightweight bout that sees Roosevelt Roberts put his undefeated record up against Vinc Pichel.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.

ESPN PRELIMS | 6 PM ET/3 PM PT

> Maurice Greene (7-2, 2-0 UFC) vs. Junior Albini (14-5, 1-3 UFC)
Heavyweights

They trade leg kicks to start. Greene lands a right hand that stuns Albini. Greene landing more kicks but Albini walking thru them. Albini lands a left hand and they clinch. They break and Greene lands a right hand. Albini throwing body punches. Greene lands a combo followed by a front kick to the body. Greene lands a right hand that drops Albini to a knee and then knocks Albini completely down with a combo. Greene gets into side control. Albini gets to his feet but eats a knee and then stuns Greene with a combo. They clinch again. They break and both land sloppy strikes. Greene knocks Albini down with another right hand and starts landing hammerfists and the referee steps in and stops it. Big win for Greene! That was fun while it lasted.

Official Result- Maurice Greene def. Junior Albini by TKO (punches) at 3:38 of Round 1

> Emily Whitmire (4-2, 2-1 UFC) vs. Amanda Ribas (6-1, 0-0 UFC)
Women’s Strawweights

Ribas is making her UFC debut after a USADA suspension. Whitmire throws a switch head kick to start. Ribas lands a combo and goes for a takedown against the fence. Whitmire defends well. Ribas gets the back and has the body triangle standing and working for a choke. Ribas gets the arm around the neck looking to complete. Whitmire fighting hands. Ribas has the arm across the chin but Whitmire escapes. Ribas landing punches from the back. They go to the ground and Ribas still has the back. Whitmire escapes and gets to her feet. Whitmire gets into Ribas’ guard. Whitmire lands some punches from the top. Ribas throwing elbows from the bottom. They ride the round out there. 10-9 Ribas.

Ribas lands a right hand and then a combo against the fence on Whitmire. Ribas gets a clinch against the fence. Ribas gets a takedown and takes the back of Whitmire again. Ribas landing punches from the back and gets the mount and lands some big ground-and-pound. Whitmire gives up her back and Ribas has the choke locked in deep and Whitmire taps! Impressive showing by Ribas and she looked really good in this one.

Official Result- Amanda Ribas def. Emily Whitmire by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:10 of Round 2

> Dalcha Lungiambula (9-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Dequan Townsend (21-8, 0-0 UFC)
Light Heavyweights

Townsend took this fight earlier this week. Townsend landed a quick jab. Townsend with a leg kick. Lungiambula misses an explosive combo. Lungiambula lands a combo. Lungiambula lands a left hook and stumbles as he tries for a takedown and they clinch against the fence. They trade knees against the fence. Lungiambula with a trip takedown into half-guard. They get up for a second and Lungiambula gets a big takedown. Lungiambula in Townsend’s full guard. Lungiambula with some punches from the top. 10-9 Lungiambula.

Townsend lands a kick and Lungiambula stumbles in for a takedown and completes it and is on top against the fence. They get up and Lungiambula has the back and gets another takedown and is in side control. Lungiambula moes to the half-guard and lands a couple of punches. Lungiambula now back in the full guard. Townsend with a couple of elbows from the bottom. Not much is happening. They are finally stood up by the referee as nothing at all happened. Townsend with a flying knee that just landed. 10-9 Lungiambula, 20-18 Lungiambula.

They trade punches and Lungiambula lands two big punches that drop Townsend. Lungiambula gets in the mount and is reigning down elbows and punches and he finishes it! Brutal finish by Lungiambula as he gets the win in his UFC debut.

Official Result- Dalcha Lungiambula def. Dequan Townsend by TKO (strikes) at :42 of Round 3

> Jared Gordon (14-3, 2-2 UFC) vs. Dan Moret (13-5, 0-2 UFC)
Lightweights

Moret lands an early right hand. Moret with a body kick and Gordon counters with a right hand. Moret with a hard left hand. Gordon lands a nice combo in close range. Moret with a head kick and Gordon turns it into a takedown and is in the half-guard of Moret. They scramble to their feet and Gordon has the back. Moret now landing knees to the body and they break and Moret with a big knee to the body. They break and both land punches. Moret with a good combo. Moret has the back and gets a takedown and they scramble up and Moret has the back. They trade knees in the clinch. Gordon lands an elbow as they break. They trade at the end. Close round. 10-9 Moret.

Gordon with a body kick to start the second and then follows with a short left hand. Moret with a step-in knee and Gordon gets the clinch and Moret with a head-and-arm throw into full mount. Gordon gives up his back to escape. Moret looking for a rear-naked choke but Gordon gets out. Gordon turns into Moret and is in his full guard. Gordon with some shots from the top. Gordon landing more shots from the top as he was trying to get the mount but Moret was blocking it. Gordon with punches from the top as he has taken over the second half of this round. Gordon ends the round with more punches from the top. 10-9 Gordon, 19-19.

Gordon lands a body kick and slips and Moret grabs the neck and Gordon is on top and lands some body punches as Moret has the neck. Gordon not in danger. Moret finally lets go and Gordon is in his full guard and landing punches. Moret not doing much to get himself out of danger. They transition to the feet and Gordon has the back and drags Moret back down. They get up and Gordon has the back. Gordon gets another takedown and they stand and Gordon gets the back but Moret slips him off and they stand. Moret with a body kick and then sprawls a takedown and slides to the back. They scramble and Gordon ends up in Moret’s full guard. Gordon now in the half-guard and landing punches as the fight ends. Good fight. 10-9 Gordon, 29-28 Gordon.

Official Result- Jared Gordon def. Dan Moret by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Eryk Anders (11-4, 3-4 UFC) vs. Vinicius Moreira (9-2, 0-1 UFC)
Light Heavyweights

Moreira with a body kick and tries a takedown but misses and Anders gets the mount and takes the back but they scramble up. Moreira still working for a single-leg takedown. Anders escapes and lands big punches and knocks Moreira down and then knocks him out cold with more punches on the ground. Wow, what a huge finish by Anders. The referee was way late in stopping it as Moreira was out cold and ate punches while he was out.

Official Result- Eryk Anders def. Vinicius Moreira by knockout (punches) at 1:18 of Round 1

> Ricardo Ramos (12-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. Journey Newson (9-1, 0-0 UFC)
Bantamweights

Newson took this fight on short notice. They trade kicks. Ramos with some leg kicks. Newson with a right hand. Newson with more kicks. Ramos with a head kick. Ramos tries for a flying knee but Newson backs away. Newson with a hard leg kick. Newson with a combo and then another leg kick. Newson tries a takedown but misses and Ramos gets the mount from it and Newson gives up his back and Ramos is now working for a choke. Newson escapes and they scramble to their feet. Newson has the neck looking for a guillotine but Ramos hops out and they stand and Ramos with a knee. Newson with a leg kick. Ramos with a right hand and Newson with a leg kick. Newson with a combo and Ramos with a spinning elbow as Newson was coming in. Good round. 10-9 Ramos.

Newson with a leg kick. Newson lands a right hand. They both look for openings. Ramos tries for a knee but Newson slips away. Both are throwing hands but neither landing much. Both landing leg kicks. They trade front kicks. Both men not doing a lot. Newson with a body kick. Newson with a right hand. Ramos with the jab. Newson with a spinning wheel kick. Close round. 10-9 Ramos, 20-18 Ramos.

Newson with a switch kick. Ramos with a takedown but Newson has the neck and a deep guillotine locked in. Ramos is in a lot of trouble but Newson lost the grip and Ramos popped his head out. Ramos is now on top. They get to their feet and Ramos with some leg kicks. Newson with a leg kick. Ramos then hurts Newson with a spinning elbow and Newson drops down for a moment but walks right through it. That was a hard elbow. Newson now circling away. Newson with a leg kick and Ramos is now hurt from it. Ramos switched stances as Ramos may have hurt his knee from that kick. Time runs out. Very good fight. 10-9 Ramos, 30-27 Ramos.

Official Result- Ricardo Ramos def. Journey Newson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

ESPN MAIN CARD | 9 PM ET/6 PM PT

> Alonzo Menifield (8-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Paul Craig (11-3, 3-3 UFC)
Light Heavyweights

Craig walks forward and Menifield gets the clinch. Craig with some knees with his back against the fence. Craig now trying to pull guard against the fence and Menifield escapes and breaks away. Craig tries a takedown but Menifield escapes away. Menifield lands a jab and Craig falls to the ground but gets up. Craig with a high kick. Craig with a spinning wheel kick. Menifield with a leg kick and they clinch. They break away. Craig with another spinning wheel kick. He goes for it again but misses and gets knocked down by a right hand from Menifield and then Menifield knocks him out cold with another right hand on the ground. That was a vicious knockout and impressive win for Menifield.

Official Result- Alonzo Menifield def. Paul Craig by knockout (punches) at 3:19 of Round 1

> Drew Dober (20-8 1 NC, 6-4 1 NC UFC) vs. Polo Reyes (8-4, 4-2 UFC)
Lightweights

Dober with a straight left hand. They are throwing in close range and Dober rocks Reyes with a left hand and Reyes goes for the leg but Dober gets away. Dober then lands more big punches and drops Reyes again with a left hand after a barrage and then finishes Reyes off with more punches on the ground. An excellent performance from Dober there as he rebounds in a big way.

Official Result- Drew Dober def. Polo Reyes by knockout (punches) at 1:07 of Round 1

> Roosevelt Roberts (8-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Vinc Pichel (11-2, 4-2 UFC)
Lightweights

Roberts with some low kicks to start. Pichel throws a leg kick. Roberts with a combo. They clinch and Pichel lands a knee to the body. They trade positions and Roberts grabs a leg but lets go and they separate. Roberts with the jab. Roberts lands a flying knee as Pichel was coming in. Pichel shoots in for a takedown against the fence. Roberts reverses position. Roberts working hard for a takedown but lets go. Pichel with some low kicks. They trade punches and Roberts closes in looking for a takedown. Roberts with a big slam. Pichel gets back to his feet and misses a late takedown. 10-9 Roberts.

Pichel with some low kicks early. Pichel with another hard leg kick after he ducks under Roberts’ punches. Roberts lands a right hand. Pichel shoots for a takedown but Roberts defends. Pichel gets it against the fence with a trip and is on top. Pichel trying to pull Roberts to where he can get mount. Roberts able to get to his feet and is now working for a takedown. They separate. Pichel with a combo but Roberts fires back with a bigger combo and a knee. Pichel slowing down a little. They trade in close range. Roberts lands a big knee. Roberts tries a takedown but Pichel gets the mount of it but time runs out. 10-9 Roberts, 20-18 Roberts.

Pichel with a right hand. Roberts with a nice combo in return. Pichel gets a takedown but Roberts is trying to push up against the fence to get back to his feet as Pichel is in north-south position. Pichel landing punches and looking for full back control. Pichel with the neck and landing punches. Roberts gets to his feet and Pichel has a standing guillotine. Pichel with a knee and the choke is in tighter but Roberts gets himself out. Roberts switches positions. Pichel with a big elbow on the break and follows with punches. They clinch. Pichel gets another takedown and is in full mount now and looking for a choke. Roberts trying to escape. Pichel in dominant position and landing punches. Roberts gives up his back. They stand and Pichel slides off. They get up at the end. This will be interesting scorecards. 10-8 Pichel, 28-28 DRAW.

Official Result- Vinc Pichel def. Roosevelt Roberts by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Demian Maia (#12, 26-9, 20-9 UFC) vs. Anthony Rocco Martin (16-4, 8-4 UFC)
Welterweights

Both men feeling each other out inside the first minute. Maia lands a left hand. Maia grabs the single leg against the fence and completes the takedown. Martin gets to the fence and looking to use the fence to get up but Maia keeping him down. Maia with punches to the body from the top and then to the face. Maia still on top as he has Martin trapped on the bottom. Martin gets to his feet but Maia has the underhooks. Martin reverses. They separate. Martin tries a flying knee but Maia too far away. 10-9 Maia.

Martin with a head kick as Maia was circling around. Maia shoots in and completes a takedown but Martin able to roll to the top. They get up and Maia immediately shoots and gets another takedown. Maia trying to get Martin completely down but Martin gets up and Maia takes him right back down. Maia trying to get to the mount and landing short body punches. Martin can’t get out of the bad positions. They are stood up by the referee. Martin goes right after Maia but Maia gets a takedown. Martin reverses positions to the top and they scramble and Maia ends the round on top. 10-9 Maia, 20-18 Maia.

Martin just misses a head kick. Both men looking for openings as they are just circling around each other. Martin misses a right hand. Martin with a high kick that is checked. Maia doing nothing. Martin with a right hand. Maia circling and dancing around. Maia not taking any chances. Maia shoots but Martin sprawls. They break. Martin with a right hand to the body. Martin lands a hard left hand. Maia circles away. Martin with no sense of urgency. Martin lands a right hand and Maia shoots for a takedown and they are grappling on the ground. Martin in the guard of Maia. Martin lands from the top as the fight ends. 10-9 Martin, 29-28 Maia.

Official Result- Demian Maia def. Anthony Rocco Martin by majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)

> Jussier Formiga (#1, 23-5, 9-4 UFC) vs. Joseph Benavidez (#2, 27-5, 14-3 UFC)
Flyweights

Benavidez with a high kick and then a big body kick. Right hand from Benavidez. Benavidez with another body kick. They trade punches. Formiga just misses a spin kick. Benavidez with a low calf kick. They clinch and Benavidez with some punches from the clinch. Benavidez is cut under his eye. They break and trade and Formiga gets the back of Benavidez. They scramble and get to their feet and Formiga has the neck. Benavidez gets his head out of trouble and lands some punches as they break. They trade punches. 10-9 Benavidez.

Benavidez with a body kick and they trade in close range. Benavidez with a leg kick. They trade and Formiga enters for a takedown and gets a big slam. They scramble and Benavidez is able to end up on top. Benavidez in the guard of Formiga and switches to the half-guard. Benavidez back to the full guard and they scramble to their feet. They break. Benavidez with the calf kick and Formiga’s leg is hurt. Benavidez with a knee to the body followed by a punch. Benavidez lands a left hook. Benavidez with a combo to the body. He goes for a head kick and connects and hurts Formiga, Benavidez with a punch and then unloads with a barrage of punches and Formiga goes down and Benavidez finishes him off! What a win for Benavidez in an impressive showing.

Official Result- Joseph Benavidez def. Jussier Formiga by TKO (strikes) at 4:47 of Round 2

> Francis Ngannou (#2, 13-3, 8-2 UFC) vs. Junior Dos Santos (#3, 21-5, 15-4 UFC)
Heavyweights

Ngannou with an immediate leg kick. He lands another. Dos Santos with a leg kick and it trips Ngannou up. Ngannou lands a big right hand. He lands another hard leg kick. Ngannou with a right hand that drops and hurts Dos Santos and he is turtling up and Ngannou lands more punches and it is over. Ngannou with another big win and he is back to being a scary man. Great win for Ngannou.

Official Result- Francis Ngannou def. Junior Dos Santos by TKO (punches) at 1:11 of Round 1