UFC 273 LIVE results: Volkanovski vs Korean Zombie latest updates
Re-live updates from a stacked card, where two title fights followed Khamzat Chimaev vs Gilbert Burns
Rising star Khamzat Chimaev stayed unbeaten with a split-decision win against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 on Saturday.
Chimaev (11-0) had won his previous 10 fights via finish, absorbing just one significant strike across four UFC bouts prior to his welterweight meeting with former title challenger Burns in Jacksonville, Florida. And, while the Russian-born Swede lived up to the hype in beating the No 2-ranked 170lbs fighter in the UFC, he did not run through Burns (20-5) as some had predicted. Both men dropped one another and took each other down in a wildly entertaining fight that had the fans captivated from start to finish, with Chimaev, 28, eventually edging past the Brazilian via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
After that highly-anticipated bout, the co-main event saw Aljamain Sterling unify the men’s bantamweight belts against Petr Yan. Jamaican-American Sterling won the title from Yan last year when the Russian was disqualified for landing an illegal knee in a fight that he looked on course to win. Yan (16-3) went on to win the interim belt late last year while Sterling (21-3) recovered from neck surgery, and their rematch at UFC 273 was fuelled by bad blood.
Many fans expected Yan to ease past Sterling, but a highly-competitive fight saw Sterling dominate his rival on the canvas in the second and third rounds, before the Russian came on strong in the final two frames – as he so often does. It all came down to a close first round, and Sterling got the nod 48-47, 47-48, 48-47. In the main event, Alexander Volkanovski put on a clinic to retain the men’s featherweight title, stopping the “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung in the fourth round as referee Herb Dean stepped in with the challenger out on his feet.
Australian Volkanovski (24-1) had dropped Sung Jung (17-7) numerous times throughout the contest, proving too fast and slick for the 35-year-old veteran. Re-live updates from the UFC 273 main card and prelims, below.
UFC 273 LIVE
The prelims begin in 10 minutes! Our round-by-round updates will get under way then, and we’ll also give you a round-up of the early prelim results.
Stay tuned!
UFC 273 LIVE
Next up, here’s an excerpt from our preview of Alexander Volkanovski vs Chan Sung Jung...
“Since returning from a four-year absence in 2017, the ‘Korean Zombie’ has gone 4-2 in the UFC, beating Dan Ige last time out to rebound from a loss to Brian Ortega. Ige is a talented fighter but not (yet) considered an elite featherweight, while Ortega has twice challenged for the belt, so veteran Sung Jung’s credentials for a title fight have been questioned.
“In fact, the 35-year-old challenged then-champion Jose Aldo in 2013 and was stopped by the Brazilian in Sung Jung’s final fight before leaving MMA to undertake his compulsory stint of military service in South Korea.”
Read our analysis in full here (yep, it’s part of the same article as the last two posts):
Khamzat Chimaev’s moment of truth arrives in UFC 273 clash with Gilbert Burns
The most-hyped prospect in the UFC faces his toughest test yet, before two title fights top the card
UFC 273 LIVE
Next up, here’s an excerpt from our preview of Aljamain Sterling vs Petr Yan...
“Most fans believe Yan will claim the victory over Sterling that he was closing in on in their first meeting. Many think the interim champion will do so with ease.
“But it is worth looking at Sterling’s early success from their first clash; even if Yan was content to let the Jamaican-American expend his energy, Sterling was picking up points, and the defending champion can learn from his mistakes from that contest to make this bout more competitive than many fans expect.”
Read our analysis in full here (yep, it’s part of the same article as the last post):
Khamzat Chimaev’s moment of truth arrives in UFC 273 clash with Gilbert Burns
The most-hyped prospect in the UFC faces his toughest test yet, before two title fights top the card
UFC 273 LIVE
Ahead of UFC 273, we took a look at the storylines around this evening’s three biggest bouts. First up, here’s an excerpt from our preview of Khamzat Chimaev vs Gilbert Burns...
“This bout has captured the imagination of more fans than even the two title fights, with followers of the sport desperate to find out whether Chimaev is as genuine of a contender as some believe. The Swedish-born Russian is 4-0 in the UFC and 10-0 overall; all of his wins have come via finish and he has remarkably absorbed just one significant strike in the promotion. He has suffocating wrestling skills and easily-generated knockout power. [...]
“If Chimaev runs through Burns, we are looking at one of the most stunning rises in the history of the UFC – perhaps the single most stunning, and that is no hyperbole. Even if he narrowly beats Burns, he will have established himself as worthy of a title shot.”
Read our analysis in full here:
Khamzat Chimaev’s moment of truth arrives in UFC 273 clash with Gilbert Burns
The most-hyped prospect in the UFC faces his toughest test yet, before two title fights top the card
UFC 273 LIVE
This evening’s preliminary card will come to a head with Ian Garry’s second fight in the UFC.
The unbeaten Irish welterweight, who won his UFC debut via first-round knockout in November, faces Darian Weeks here. Ahead of that clash, the 24-year-old Garry took part in a roundtable interview, in which The Independent was involved. Here’s what he had to say:
“If f***ing Khamzat Chimaev walked by this door now and said something to me, me and him would go. I’m not afraid of anybody. I’ll punch him out if he wants to go, no problem. I don’t think anyone’s unbeatable.
“What I do so well is figure out ways to win. I find that victory and I make it look easy, then I go in and rock that mic better than anyone else. That makes me just that little bit better, the cream of the crop. I believe I’m going to be the best in the world. I’m on a rocket ship to the moon.”
Full interview here:
Ian Garry on UFC 273, Khamzat Chimaev and Conor McGregor
Interview: The unbeaten Irishman previews his second fight in the UFC and explains why he’s taking a measured approach as he targets a rise to the top
UFC 273 LIVE
Here is tonight’s card in full:
Main card
Alexander Volkanovski (C) vs Chan Sung Jung (featherweight title)
Aljamain Sterling (C) vs Petr Yan (IC) (bantamweight title)
Gilbert Burns vs Khamzat Chimaev (welterweight)
Mackenzie Dern vs Tecia Torres (women’s strawweight)
Vinc Pichel vs Mark Madsen (lightweight)
Prelims
Ian Garry vs Darian Weeks (welterweight)
Anthony Hernandez vs Josh Fremd (middleweight)
Raquel Pennington vs Aspen Ladd (women’s bantamweight)
Mickey Gall vs Mike Malott (welterweight)
Early prelims
Aleksei Oleinik vs Jared Vanderaa (heavyweight)
Piera Rodriguez vs Kay Hansen (women’s strawweight)
Julio Arce vs Daniel Santos (bantamweight)
UFC 273 LIVE
Two title fights top a stacked card at UFC 273 this evening, yet the majority of fans are most looking forward to the ‘people’s main event’: a welterweight clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns.
Unbeaten at 10-0 and having won all of his fights via finish, Chimaev is the most-hyped prospect in the UFC. The Russian-born Swede is set for his toughest test so far, however, when he takes on former title challenger Burns (20-4) here. A jiu-jitsu black belt with sharp striking and heavy hands, the 35-year-old Burns is a well-rounded combatant and marks a huge step-up in competition for Chimaev, 28, whose last outing was his first against a top-15 opponent in the UFC. In any case, Chimaev won that bout against Li Jingliang via first-round submission, choking the Chinaman out cold after slamming him to the mat while speaking to UFC president Dana White through the cage.
Following Chimaev’s contest with Burns in Jacksonville, Florida, the co-main event will see Petr Yan try to regain the men’s bantamweight belt from Aljamain Sterling, to whom the Russian lost the title via disqualification last year. Yan (16-2) landed an illegal knee to drop the belt to the Jamaican-American, who has not fought since due to neck surgery. Yan, meanwhile, claimed the interim title by outpointing Cory Sandhagen in a fight of the year contender in October.
In the main event, Alexander Volkanovski (23-1) defends his featherweight belt against the “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung (17-6), who received this title shot after Max Holloway withdrew from a trilogy bout against Australian Volkanovski.
We’ll have round-by-round live updates from the prelims and main card this evening, plus a round-up of the early prelim results.
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