UFC on ESPN+ 92 live results: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker 2

The UFC kicks off their 2024 schedule back at their home base with UFC on ESPN+ 92: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The main event is a heated rematch at 205 pounds as Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker run it back over five rounds. The two squared off at UFC 294 in October but fought to a no contest after Ankalaev landed an illegal knee and Walker was deemed unable to continue. That wasn’t the end of it as both men tried to go after each other afterward and security, as well as Dana White, had to keep them separated.

In the co-main event, Jim Miller, the all-time leader in UFC fights and UFC wins, takes on Gabriel Benitez in a lightweight fight. Also on the main card is a bantamweight bout between Ricky Simon and Mario Bautista, a middleweight fight pitting Phil Hawes against Brunno Ferreira, and a heavyweight bout between former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski and Waldo Cortes-Acosta.

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> Flyweights- Joshua Van (9-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Felipe Bunes (13-6, 0-0 UFC)

Bunes lands a few leg kicks to start. Bunes lands a high kick then a right hand. Bunes lands a right hand and Van lands a body kick. Van lands a right hand then a front kick to the body. Bunes lands a right hand then a leg kick. Bunes lands a nice right hand that Van eats. They trade and Bunes gets a brief takedown but they scramble up. Bunes pushes it against the fence. Van lands a groin strike and we have a timeout. They get back to action. Van lands a right hand. Bunes lands a leg kick. Van starting to land with more volume but Bunes is able to score a takedown. Van reverses at the end. 10-9 Bunes.

Van lands to start before Bunes pushes it against the fence. Van landing some elbows and punches and has Bunes hurt. Bunes gets a takedown but Van gets up and is landing elbows and body shots. Van pressing forward and landing as he lands a head kick. Van gets a takedown and is landing elbows from the top. They get to their feet and Van lands a combination. Van lands a nice right hand and follows it with a flurry. Van lands punches and lands a few knees. Van drops Bunes and starts landing from the top. Van with shots from the top and he gets the stoppage. What a showing from Van to get the win.

Official Result- Joshua Van def. Felipe Bunes by TKO (strikes) at 4:31 of Round 2

> Lightweights- Nikolas Motta (13-5 1 NC, 1-2 1 NC UFC) vs. Tom Nolan (6-0, 0-0 UFC)

Nolan lands a leg kick then a body kick then back to the legs. They clinch for a moment and both land before breaking. Motta lands a body kick. He lands two more. Nolan lands a body kick. Motta lands a left hook. Motta drops Nolan with a right hand and starts landing as Nolan is trying to scramble up. Motta lands some more punches as he has the back of Nolan and it is stopped. Big upset victory from Motta.

Official Result- Nikolas Motta def. Tom Nolan by TKO (punches) at 1:03 of Round 1

> Featherweights- Westin Wilson (16-8, 0-1 UFC) vs. Jean Silva (11-2, 0-0 UFC)

Wilson lands a leg kick. Silva lands a hard body kick. He lands another body kick. Silva lands a left hook and Wilson goes to his knees but gets right back up. Silva gets a takedown and is in side control. They get to their feet. Wilson lands a combo. Silva lands a left hook as Wilson rushes in. Silva lands a right hand and Wilson stumbles back and down but gets up. Silva rocks Wilson again and then lands a right hand. Silva with another big combo. Silva lands a big right hand. Wilson gets a brief takedown but they get up and Silva breaks free. Silva lands a right hand and some big follow-up punches and knees. Silva with more big right hands standing and it is stopped. What a showing from Silva.

Official Result- Jean Silva def. Westin Wilson by TKO (punches) at 4:12 of Round 1

> Bantamweights- Farid Basharat (11-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Taylor Lapilus (19-3, 4-1 UFC)

Basharat lands some leg kicks to start. He lands some more after just missing an axe kick. Lapilus lands some punches. Basharat gets a takedown but Lapilus scrambles up. Basharat has the back near the fence and briefly got it down but they got up. Lapilus lands an elbow. He then lands a left hand as they get to their feet. Basharat lands a leg kick. Lapilus tried a front kick to the body but Basharat grabbed the leg and got a brief takedown. They scramble up and Lapilus lands a knee to break. Lapilus lands a left hand. Basharat lands a right hand. Basharat lands a pair of body kicks and tries a takedown against the fence and is able to complete it. 10-9 Basharat.

Basharat lands some kicks early. Lapilus lands a high kick. Basharat looks for a takedown as he pushes it against the fence. They separate. Lapilus lands a left hand then a high kick. Basharat lands a right hand. Basharat gets a takedown and has body control on the mat but Lapilus is able to scramble to his feet. Lapilus with a pair of jabs. Basharat gets another takedown. Basharat lands from the top to end the round. 10-9 Basharat, 20-18 Basharat.

Basharat lands a head kick that Lapilus blocks. Lapilus lands a jab. He follows with a combo. They trade leg kicks. Basharat gets a takedown against the fence. Basharat tried to drag him away but Lapilus got back to the fence and to his feet. Lapilus lands a left hand. Basharat gets another takedown and is in side control. Basharat trying to improve his position and has the neck. Basharat looks for an anaconda choke. Lapilus is holding on and is able to break it and they get to their feet at the end. 10-9 Basharat, 30-27 Basharat.

Official Result- Farid Basharat def. Taylor Lapilus by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Bantamweights- Marcus McGhee (8-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Gaston Bolanos (7-3, 1-0 UFC)

Bolanos lands a high kick. McGhee with a spin kick to the body. Bolanos with a leg kick. McGhee lands a combo ending with a left hand. McGhee scores a takedown. They get to their feet. They separate. Bolanos lands a pair of kicks. McGhee lands a right hand. Bolanos lands and McGhee counters with a right hand. Bolanos lands a right hand. McGhee rocks Bolanos with a punch and lands to the body. McGhee lands and gets a takedown. McGhee stands and lands some right hands. McGhee lands a left hand as Bolanos was getting up and he goes back down. They get to their feet and have a wild exchange. 10-9 McGhee.

They trade in close range to start. McGhee lands a combo. McGhee with a flurry of right hooks. Bolanos lands a right hand. McGhee lands a combo. Bolanos lands a leg kick. McGhee with a flurry inside the pocket. McGhee lands a left hand then a spin kick to the body. Bolanos lands a right hand but McGhee counters with a left hand. McGhee lands a right hook and Bolanos falls down but gets up. McGhee lands some more big punches and Bolanos is stumbling and it is stopped. Great finish from McGhee to pick up the win.

Official Result- Marcus McGhee def. Gaston Bolanos by TKO (strikes) at 3:29 of Round 2

> Welterweights- Matthew Semelsberger (11-6, 5-4 UFC) vs. Preston Parsons (10-4, 1-2 UFC)

They trade body kicks. Parsons lands a body kick and Semelsberger lands a right hand. Parsons scores with a leg kick. Semelsberger lands a combo. Parsons shoots for a takedown and is able to get it but they get right back to the feet. They clinch against the fence. They both land before separating. Semelsberger lands a leg kick. They clinch against the fence and Parsons lands to the body. Semelsberger lands a knee then they break. Parsons lands a combo. Parsons lands a leg kick and they tie up against the fence. They trade late. 10-9 Parsons.

Semelsberger lands a leg kick and a combo and they clinch against the fence. Semelsberger gets a takedown and is in side control. They get to their feet and Semelsberger has the back against the fence. They separate. They trade in close range. Semelsberger lands a leg kick. Parsons shoots for a takedown and is able to complete it. Semelsberger scrambles back to the feet and Parsons pushes it to the fence. Parsons picks Semelsberger up and puts him on the mat. They get right back up. Parsons briefly gets it down. They scramble to the mat and Parsons locks in an armbar. Semelsberger gets his arm out but Parsons is still on top. Parsons with some knees to the body. They get to their feet and Semelsberger lands a pair of knees. Parsons gets a takedown at the end of the round. 10-9 Parsons, 20-18 Parsons.

They’re trading to start the third and Semelsberger lands a nice left hand. Parsons shoots for a takedown but Semelsberger defends. Semelsberger looking for a guillotine choke. Parsons is able to reverse to the top. They get to their feet. Semelsberger looks for a guillotine choke again as he drops down. Parsons is defending. Parsons gets his head out and they stand. Parsons gets the takedown and has the back. Parsons now looks for the neck but Semelsberger gets out and they get to their feet. Parsons gets it back down. Parsons looks for a kimura but Semelsberger gets out of it. Parsons with some elbows from the top. He gets the mount. Parsons with some body shots and then big shots from the top at the end. 10-9 Parsons, 30-27 Parsons.

Official Result- Preston Parsons def. Matthew Semelsberger by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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> Heavyweights- Andrei Arlovski (34-22 2 NC, 23-16 1 NC UFC) vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (10-1, 3-1 UFC)

They trade kicks to start. Arlovski lands a jab then a leg kick. Arlovski lands a body kick. They trade kicks. Cortes-Acosta lands a right hand to the body. Arlovski with a leg kick. Cortes-Acosta lands a right hand. They trade punches. Cortes-Acosta with a leg kick. Cortes-Acosta with a body kick. Cortes-Acosta lands a left hook. Arlovski with a double jab. Cortes-Acosta lands some big punches but Arlovski is able to circle away. 10-9 Cortes-Acosta.

Cortes-Acosta lands some leg kicks. Arlovski lands a jab. They’re trading in close range but neither doing a lot. Arlovski lands an inside leg kick. Arlovski with the double jab. Cortes-Acosta lands a flurry. They trade. Cortes-Acosta lands a leg kick. Arlovski with a front kick up the middle. They trade late. Close round. 10-9 Cortes-Acosta, 20-18 Cortes-Acosta.

Cortes-Acosta lands a leg kick and Arlovski lands a right hand. Cortes-Acosta lands as he rushes in. Cortes-Acosta lands a big right hand. Arlovski with a body kick. Cortes-Acosta lands a jab. Cortes-Acosta lands a big punch. Arlovski lands a body kick. Cortes-Acosta lands a right hand and follows with a couple of big punches against the fence. Arlovski lands a right hook then a left hand. Cortes-Acosta lands a body kick. Arlovski lands a jab as Cortes-Acosta is dancing around. 10-9 Cortes-Acosta, 30-27 Cortes-Acosta.

Official Result- Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Andrei Arlovski by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Middleweights- Phil Hawes (12-5, 4-3 UFC) vs. Brunno Ferreira (10-1, 1-1 UFC)

Both missing on what they’re throwing until Ferreira lands a left hand. Both now landing punches. They clinch and Ferreira gets a takedown into side control. Ferreira controlling and stands and lands, but Hawes is able to get to his feet. Ferreira lands a left hand and Hawes lands one as a counter. Ferreira lands an uppercut then a left hook. Ferreira lands a grazing head kick then a big knee that Hawes eats. They scramble to the mat then to the feet. Ferreira lands a spinning back fist. Ferreira with a jab then a right hand. Ferreira drops Hawes late and a follow-up punch puts Hawes out cold.

Official Result- Brunno Ferreira def. Phil Hawes by knockout (punches) at 4:55 of Round 1

> Bantamweights- #13 Ricky Simon (20-4, 8-3 UFC) vs. Mario Bautista (13-2, 7-2 UFC)

They trade leg kicks. They trade them again. They trade punches. Bautista lands a flying knee that Simon eats. Bautista lands but Simon is able to score a takedown. Bautista is able to scramble out from the bottom as Simon was trying to find the neck. Simon lands two leg kicks. Simon grabs the single leg and tries for a takedown but Bautista defends. Bautista lands a knee to the body but Simon is able to push it against the fence. They separate and Bautista lands a right hand. Simon scores with a combo. Bautista lands a body kick. He lands another. Simon circling away and Bautista lands. Simon lands a kick as Bautista tried a flying knee and Bautista goes down and Simon gets the back but they get up. Wild round. 10-9 Simon.

Simon lands a right hand. Bautista lands a combo and Simon is backing up. Bautista lands the jab and a leg kick. Bautista lands to the body. Simon lands a right hand and then pushes it against the fence. They separate and Bautista lands a combination. Both are landing on the feet with Bautista landing slightly more. Bautista with a nice body kick. Bautista lands a nice combination. Bautista with a pair of right hands. Bautista landing more late in the round. Simon shoots for a takedown but Bautista defends and lands a body kick. 10-9 Bautista, 19-19.

Bautista landing some punches and knees as Simon is working for a takedown. Simon picks Bautista up and carries him to his corner and slams him to the mat. They get to their feet and both are landing. Bautista lands a nice combination and is starting to pick up the volume. Bautista lands to the body and then lands a combination. Simon shoots for a takedown but Bautista defends. Simon tries for a takedown against the fence but Bautista defends. Bautista with a flurry of punches. Bautista lands a body kick. Bautista with a series of combinations. Simon trying for a takedown but Bautista is defending and lands to the body. Bautista lands late as he looks for a takedown. 10-9 Bautista, 29-28 Bautista.

Official Result- Mario Bautista def. Ricky Simon by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Lightweights- Jim Miller (36-17 1 NC, 25-16 1 NC UFC) vs. Gabriel Benitez (23-10, 7-6 UFC)

Benitez lands a combination. Miller lands some leg kicks. Miller landing more punches here in the early going. They trade punches. Both land at the same time. Miller rushes in landing and backs Benitez to the fence. Miller lands some knees in the clinch before they break. Benitez lands a combination. Miller lands a leg kick. Miller lands a combo ending with a leg kick. Miller lands a left hand before they tie up. They separate. Benitez lands a combo. Miller lands a right hand. Benitez lands a combo. 10-9 Miller.

Miller lands a leg kick after they trade punches. They trade leg kicks. Miller lands a nice left hand and Benitez lands a nice left hand in return. Miller lands a combination. Miller with a left hand to the body. Benitez lands a combination. Miller scores a takedown. Miller lands some elbows from the top. Benitez is looking for an arm but Miller gets it out and remains on top. Miller lands a big left hand and takes the back of Benitez. Miller lands from the back to end the round. 10-9 Miller, 20-18 Miller.

They’re trading to start the third. Miller lands a leg kick. He lands another. Benitez lands a left hand. Miller lands an uppercut then a leg kick. Miller with a combination ending with a leg kick. Benitez lands a jab. They trade jabs. Benitez lands a combo and Miller lands a left hand. Miller gets a takedown and is working in the half-guard. Benitez tries to scramble and Miller gets the back. Miller locks in a rear-naked choke and Benitez taps! Miller continues to add to his all-time UFC wins record.

Official Result- Jim Miller def. Gabriel Benitez by submission (face crank) at 3:25 of Round 3

> Light Heavyweights- #3 Magomed Ankalaev (18-1-1 1 NC, 9-1-1 1 NC UFC) vs. #7 Johnny Walker (21-7 1 NC, 7-4 1 NC UFC)

They trade punches. Walker with a spin kick and is pressuring early. Walker lands some leg kicks. They trade leg kicks and Walker lands some body kicks. Ankalaev lands a right hand. Ankalaev lands a leg kick. He lands another. Walker returns fire with a leg kick. Ankalaev lands a groin strike and we have a timeout. They get back to action and trade leg kicks. 10-9 Ankalaev.

Walker lands an axe kick then a leg kick. Ankalaev lands an inside leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Ankalaev lands a heavy inside leg kick. Walker with a series of leg kicks. Ankalaev lands a jab as Walker is circling away. They trade leg kicks and Ankalaev drops Walker with a right hand. One follow-up right hand ends it and Ankalaev gets the big win.

Official Result- Magomed Ankalaev def. Johnny Walker by knockout (punch) at 2:42 of Round 2