UFC on FOX 29 live results: Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC On FOX 29: Poirier vs. Gaethje, emanating from the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

The Octagon heads to Glendale with an exciting main event that has the potential to live up to the hype as an early contender for fight of the year.

Lightweights Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje will square off in the five-round headline bout. Poirier is looking to score his second straight win and cement himself as next in line at 155 pounds while Gaethje is looking to rebound from his first career loss. Both men have reputations as being two of the most exciting fighters in the sport.

In the co-main event, former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit looks to end a three-fight losing skid as he takes on Alex Oliveira in another bout that has fireworks written on it. Also on the main card is exciting undefeated middleweight prospect Israel Adesayna, who fights Marvin Vettori, and women’s strawweights Michelle Waterson and Cortney Casey open the main show.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.

UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT

> Luke Sanders (11-2, 1-2 UFC) vs. Patrick Williams (8-5, 1-2 UFC)
Bantamweights

Becky Lynch was front row ringside and identified by Daniel Cormer as a former champion wrestler who was there to root on her boyfriend. Dolph Ziggler was also there and mentioned by Cormier, calling both of them “two of the biggest stars in WWE”

Sanders looked really good on the feet in round 1, landing a lot of nice punch combos and even some nasty elbows that opened a cut on Williams’ forehead. Williams got a couple of flash takedowns but couldn’t keep Sanders down. Sanders was clinching up a lot at the end of the round. Easy 10-9 Sanders

Williams looked very tired coming out for the 2nd but never stopped fighting. Sanders again had the advantage in the striking through most of the round but Williams did land some nice shots and opened up a huge cut under Sanders’ left eye. Williams landed a huge overhand right that rocked Sanders with about 30 seconds left and got a takedown at the end the round. 10-9 Williams, 19-19 overall

Close final round. Sanders pressed the action the whole way but barely even threw a strike for the first half of the round. Williams was landing leg kicks and the occasional punch but nothing sustained. Sanders got off a nice punch combo halfway through the round and picked up the striking a bit after that. 10-9 Sanders, 29-28 overall

Official result – Luke Sanders (12-2) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 2; 29-28)

Dolph Ziggler was at ringside with Becky after the fight, cheering on Sanders. 

> Matthew Lopez (10-2, 2-2 UFC) vs. Alejandro Perez (19-6-1, 5-1-1 UFC)
Bantamweights

Perez landing a lot of leg kicks early, which could have more of an effect later in the fight. Lopez got a couple takedowns and was able to take the back. On the first, he secured a rear naked choke that looked tight but Perez punched out of it and eventually reversed position. On the second, Lopez was able to again take the back and held Perez down for over a minute to end the round. 10-9 Lopez

Perez looked very off coming out for the second. Perez was landing occasional shots and Lopez was pushing the action but not even throwing strikes, let alone landing them. He went for a takedown that Perez stuffed and then Perez landed some knees to the body that hurt him. Perez all over him with punches and Lopez just basically stopped fighting back. Ref stepped in and stopped it before Lopez even went down.

Official result – Alejandro Perez (20-6-1) by TKO (punches) at 3:42 of the 2nd round

> Arjan Bhullar (7-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Adam Wieczorek (9-1, 1-0 UFC)
Heavyweights

Bhullar got a takedown almost immediately. He wasn’t terribly active on the ground but did land some punches to the head and body. Wieczorek threw some futile elbows from his back. Ref stood them up with about 45 seconds left without even warning, probably because the crowd was booing. Easy 10-9 for Bhullar

Bhullar rocked Wieczorek with punches early and then got a takedown. He was looking to do the same as the first when, from out of nowhere, Wieczorek was able to reverse and secure an Oma Plata for the submission, just the second time in UFC that someone won with that move. 

Official result – Adam Wieczorek (10-1) by submission (Oma Plata) at 1:59 of the 2nd round

> Dhiego Lima (12-6, 1-4 UFC) vs. Yushin Okami (34-11, 13-6 UFC)
Welterweights

Okami got an early takedown and basically held Lima down for the rest of the round.Okami did just enough to avoid a standup…maybe not enough honestly as a lot of refs would’ve stood this up but this was a relatively new official named Nic Jones. 10-9 Okami

It took a little longer for Okami to get him down this round but once he did, he basically held Lima there. Lima did get up at one point but Okami maintained control of his body and eventually took the back standing. Another 10-9 Okami, and 20-18 overall

Okami took him down 30 seconds in and, while Lima was able to briefly get up a few times, he basically held him down the entire round. Okami was a little more active this round, especially toward the end, and probably did enough to get a 10-8 and 30-26 overall

Official result – Yushin Okami (35-11) by decision (30-26 x 3)

> Shana Dobson (3-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Lauren Mueller (4-0, 0-0 UFC)
Women’s Flyweights

First round entirely on the feet. Mueller was more active and seemed to do more damage as well although Dobson did land a lot of nice shots. Dobson was stuffed on the only takedown attempt of the round. Mueller did have some swelling around her nose as the round ended. 10-9 Mueller

Another round that was exclusively on the feet. Mueller pressed the action the whole way but Dobson was landing far more strikes. Mueller did come on at the end of the round to make it closer but not enough to steal the round. 10-9 Dobson, 19-19 overall

Mueller did some damage with punches early and Dobson landed a takedown in desparation. She wasn’t able to do much on the ground and Mueller was able to get to her feet. Mueller got a knockdown and spent some time in guard but didn’t do a lot. Dobson got back up and Mueller got a takedown after that. Dobson was up quickly and hurt Mueller with shots to the body in the last minute. Very close but I gave the third round to Mueller 10-9 and 29-28 overall for Mueller

Official result – Lauren Mueller (5-0) by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

> Gilbert Burns (13-2, 5-2 UFC) vs. Dan Moret (13-3, 0-0 UFC)
Lightweights

Burns was throwing a lot of power shots early but Moret was more effective iwth combinations. With about 2 minutes left, Moret had Burns in trouble with a flurry of punches and Burns got a desparation takedown. He gathered his wits and held Moret down for most of the rest of the round and did a lot of ground and pound late to cinch it. 10-9 Burns

Burns hurt Moret with a punch combo that backed him up and just did let up. A beautiful uppercut/straight cross combo dropped Moret as his legs buckled underneath him and Burns just stopped punching before the ref even stepped in.

Official result – Gilbert Burns (14-2) by KO (punches) at 59 seconds of the 2nd round

FOX PRELIMS | 6 PM ET/3 PM PT

> Krzysztof Jotko (#13, 19-3, 6-3 UFC) vs. Brad Tavares (#15, 16-4, 11-4 UFC)
Middleweights

Kind of a boring first round. Neither guy threw much of anything for the first 90 seconds. Tavares was more active after that but with about 2 minutes left, Jotko started to find his range. Each tried a takedown and Tavares did get one with about 15 seconds left but Jotko got right up. You could almost flip a coin. 10-9 Jotko although you could easily say 10-10

Tavares landed a flying knee followed by a punch combo early that rocked Jotko. After that they were clinched up on the cage for most of the round doing nothing and the ref never even threatend to break them up. They finally separated on their own in the last minute. Tavares landing another nice knee but that was pretty much it. Boring fight. 10-9 Tavares, 19-19

Jotko was looking better in the third, landing a couple of high kicks. Then Tavares dropped him with a punch out of nowhere and then pounced on him with a flurry of punches on the ground to get the stoppage. 

Official result – Brad Tavares (17-4) by TKO (punches) at 2:16 of the 3rd round

That was the first stoppage win for Tavares since Phil Baroni in 2011. He should go into the top 10 with his 4th straight win and he called out Michael Bisping at UFC 226, which is on July 7th, so the same card as the previous callout. Seems awfully conveninent. I can’t see Bisping taking that fight for a variety of reasons. 

> Wilson Reis (#6, 22-8, 6-4 UFC) vs. John Moraga (#10, 18-6, 7-5 UFC)
Flyweights

Fun first round. Moraga had the better striking early. Reis missed a couple of takedown attempts and on the third, Moraga grabbed a front choke. Reis ended up completing it but Moraga held onto the choke. By the time he let it go, Reis was in side control. They eventually got back to the feet and then Reis got another takedown. Moraga reversed into top position, Reis worked to his feet and then got another takedown, finishing the round in mount. 10-9 Reis

Reis got an early takedown but didn’t do much with it. Moraga landed a flying knee and followed up with a punch combo but Reis took him down again. Reis wasn’t doing a ton on the ground but was working for a submission in the last minute. Moraga reversed into top position and ended the round on top, landing punches. 10-9 Reis, 20-18 overall but round 2 was close

Third round was all Reis. He took Moraga down at least 3 times and did more damage on the ground than he had in either of the first two round. He was working submissions in the last minutes in addition to landing punches to the head. Round 2 was close but he should take the fight easily. 10-9 Reis, 30-27 overall

Offical result – John Moraga (19-6) by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

> Muslim Salikhov (12-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Ricky Rainey (13-4, 0-0 UFC)
Welterweights

Close first round that was entirely standup. Salikhov was trying all kinds of spinning moves and did land a couple but didn’t do a ton of damage. Both had takedown attempts. Rainey landed the best punch of the fight but didn’t follow up on it. 10-9 Salikhov but very close

Rainey was looking a little better, pressing the action for the whole round. He wasn’t landing much though. Then Salikhov dropped him face first with what looked like a glancing blow and finished him with two hard shots right to the face on the ground. It looked like an early stoppage on first viewing but on the replay you could see he was clearly out and not defending. 

Official result – Muslim Salikhov (13-2) by KO (punch) at 4:12 of the 2nd round

> Tim Boetsch (21-11, 12-10 UFC) vs. Antonio Carlos Junior (9-2 1 NC, 6-2 1 NC UFC)
Middleweights

Carlos Junior looked great here. He was landing all kinds of shots on the feet and then took down the All-American wrestler Boetsch. He wasted no time in taking the back and landing some punches to the head to set up a rear naked choke. Once he secured it, Boetsch tapped quickly and Carlos Junior picked up his fifth straight win. 

Official result – Antonio Carlos Junior (10-2) by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:28

Junior should get a top 10 opponent next and can’t be more than 1 or 2 wins away from a title shot. This was, by far, the biggest win of his career and Boetsch came in having won 3 of his last 4 so he’s no pushover. 

FOX MAIN CARD | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT

> Michelle Waterson (#7, 14-6, 2-2 UFC) vs. Cortney Casey (#10, 7-5, 3-4 UFC)
Women’s Strawweights

Casey was getting the better of the standup, landing several really nice combinations. Waterson’s main weapon was leg kicks but she didn’t land enough of them. Waterson managed a takedown with a minute left but Casey was active from her back, getting close on a triangle attempt. Waterson did some ground and pound but not enough to steal the round. 10-9 Casey 

Waterson got the takedown much earlier and held Casey down almost the entire round. Casey was going for submission and at one point had both a triangle and an armbar but Waterson escaped everything. They won’t close enough to make up for the fact that Casey spend so much time on her back though. Waterson stood up on her own with 30 seconds left and Casey followed her. Waterson dropped her with a front kick right before the bell. 10-9 Waterson, 19-19 after 2

Great round and a great fight. Waterson got a takedown 2 minutes in. Casey was again going for submissions, getting real close a couple of times. Waterson stood up on her own and Waterson followed. Both were landing good shots on the feet. Casey stuffed a takedown with a minute left and ended up taking the back. She got close with a rear naked choke and then secured a tight armbar just before the fight ended. 15 seconds more and Waterson probably has to tap. 10-9 Casey, 29-28 overall

Official result – Michelle Waterson (15-6) by split decision (29-28 x 2; 28-29)

> Israel Adesanya (12-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Marvin Vettori (12-3-1, 2-1-1 UFC)
Middleweights

Vettori was advancing most of the round and did land a lot of shots but he missed even more. Adesanya was very measured, maybe too much so, as he seemed to be willing to take shots just to figure out the timing of Vettori. It was close but I thought Vettori did more and took the round. 10-9 Vettori

Adesanya landed a lot more in the 2nd round and Vettori looked very confused at times. A body punch combo really seemed to hurt Vettori at one point but he stayed in there. Adesanya seemed to enjoy just making Vettori miss him and seemed to be showboating at times but easily took the second. 10-9 Adesanya, 19-19 overall

Vettori managed an early takedown and held Adesanya down the majority of the round. He did some ground and pound but not a lot. Ref Herb Dean warned them to work at least 5 times but never separated them until after Adesanya had stood them up and they were clinched on the cage. Standup was fairly even after that as Vettori never stopped throwing, even though he was clearly dog-tired. 10-9 Vettori, 29-28 overall

Official result – Israel Adesanya (13-0) by split decision (29-28 x 2; 28-29)

Adesanya has a definite hole in his game that he needs to patch up. He said he wasn’t happy with the win in his post-fight promo. He asked for another fight soon and he promised to be better next time. 

> Carlos Condit (#12, 30-11, 7-7 UFC) vs. Alex Oliveira (18-4-1 2 NC, 7-3 1 NC UFC)
Welterweights

Oliveira was getting the better of the standup and then he got a takedown midway through the round. He didn’t do a lot on the ground although he was trying to advance. Condit got to his feet and got a takedown of his own with a minute left. Condit took the back and was working for a rear naked choke, getting very close to a finish. Oliveira fought it off and Condit was landing punches as the round ended. 10-9 Condit

Oliveira gets a takedown 15 seconds in. Oliveira stands up at 45 seconds and eats some upkicks from Condit before backing off and letting him up. Oliveira takes him down again at 1:00. Condit trying to get to his feet and eating elbows but he makes it and then takes Oliveira right down. Condit bleeding badly from the elbows . Condit landing elbows and punches but Oliveira tying him up with a body lock. Condit stands up at 2:30 but Oliveira stays on his back. Oliveira to his feet and grabs a standing guillotine at 2:45. Oliveira drags him down to the canvas at 3:00 and Condit eventually taps.

Official result – ALEX OLIVEIRA (19-5-1) by submission (guillotine choke) at 3:17 of the 2nd round

> Dustin Poirier (#5, 22-5 1 NC, 14-4 1 NC UFC) vs. Justin Gaethje (#6, 18-1, 1-1 UFC)
Lightweights

Outstanding first round. Both guys throwing at an incredible pace. Poirier landed all kinds of combo, mixing in body punches with head strikes and Gaethje threw a ton of leg kicks that were really bothering Poirier. Gaethje had a cut under his left eye bleeding pretty badly and Poirier was cut on his right temple. 10-9 Poirier

Not quite the pace of the first but not far off. At one point the significant strikes count was 121-61 for Poirier and he’d landed 65% of his strikes thrown. He had to switch stances because of the legs kick landed and between rounds, the leg was hurting a lot. Gaethje closed the round with a crazy wheelbarrow kick and the crowd was loving every second of this. 10-9 Poirier, 20-18 overall

Gaethje come out stronger for round 3. The standup was more even except for the leg kicks, which Gaethje was landing at will, up to 37 by the end of the round. The big story of the round was that Gaethje was deducted a point for an eye poke, his 2nd of the fight. Poirier had an eye poke of his own at the end of hte round. 9-9 with the poiont deduction and 29-27 Poirier after 3

Poirier came out firing and was all over Gaethje. Gaethje was not even defending but wouldn’t go down. Poirier wouldn’t let up, landing all kinds of shots and eventually Gaethje dropped. Herb Dean let it go on as long as he could and it was a perfect stoppage. 

Official result – Dustin Poirier (23-5) by TKO (punches) at 33 seconds of the 4th round

Poirier asks the crowd to cheer him and Gaethje even though they were booing him the whole fight and they obliged. Poirier asks for a title shot with Khabib Nurmagomedov and he’s never had one and has definitely earned one with his 10th stoppage win since 2011, tied for 2nd in any weight class.