UFC Fight Night 173 Results: Winners, Bonuses And Analysis

Gilbert Burns looks like a legitimate title contender, and Tyron Woodley has to strongly consider retirement.

On Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Burns’ pressure, striking and desire were simply superior to Woodley in the UFC on ESPN 9 main event. Burns hurt and cut Woodley in the first round and the latter never really recovered.

Woodley reverted into an all-too-familiar passive shell that saw him skirt the Octagon fence without fighting with the proper sense of urgency. He turned 38 years old in April, and quite honestly, after being dominated similarly by Kamaru Usman last year, Woodley doesn’t look capable of competing on the highest level anymore.

Coming into the fight, Woodley’s path to victory was in the stand-up, but once he got caught in the first round, he became even more gun shy than normal to finish the fight.

On the other side, Burns looked phenomenal.

He has won six fights in a row. This victory over the man ranked No. 1 in the welterweight division has to launch him right into the conversation for the title. He called out Usman, his teammate, during the post-fight interview as he believes he is ready for a title shot.

Augusto Sakai Continues His Rise

Brazilian heavyweight Augusto Sakai ran his win streak to six on Saturday. In a close battle with Blagoy Ivanov, Sakai did just enough in the eyes of two judges who scored the fight 29-28 in the Brazilian’s favor.

One judge scored it 30-27 for Ivanov.

It was a back-and-forth affair with both heavyweights landing hard shots. Sakai focused on his opponent’s lower base and Ivanov directed his strikes to the belly and head.

The grappling sequences more mostly inconclusive, except Ivanov did secure a takedown in the second round, and Sakai got away with an egregious fence grab in the third round in a move that could have provided the path for his victory.

Had the referee penalized Sakai for the fence grab, even if he’d won the round, the final round would have been scored 9-9, which would have made the fight a majority draw.

If Ivanov was able to gain control after the takedown, he might have won the third round, and taken a unanimous decision.

It’s hard not to consider that event when discussing the results of this fight. Ivanov has now lost two in a row and both defeats have been a bit controversial. His last loss came against Derrick Lewis in a fight I felt Ivanov won.

Here is a look at all of the results.

Results

• Chris Gutierrez def. Vince Morales via TKO2 (Leg Kicks)
• Casey Kenney def. Louis Smolka via SUB1 (One-Arm Guillotine)
• Brandon Royval def. Tim Elliott via SUB2 (Triangle Choke)
• Jamahal Hill def. Klidson Abreu via TKO1 (Knee and strikes)
• Daniel Rodriguez def. Gabriel Green via UD (30-27×3)
• Katlyn Chookagian def. Valentina Shevchenko via UD
• Mackenzie Dern def. Hannah Cifers via SUB1 (Knee Bar)
• Roosevelt Roberts def. Brok Weaver via SUB2 (Rear-Naked Choke)
• Billy Quarantillo def. Spike Carlyle via UD (29-28×3)
• Augusto Sakai def. Blagoy Ivanov via SD (29-28×2, 27-30)
• Gilbert Burns def. Tyron Woodley via UD (50-45×2, 50-44)

The Bonuses

Quarantillo vs. Carlyle Battle in an Epic Brawl

I pointed this fight out in some of my previews as a battle that could be the most exciting bout of the night, and I’d have to say it delivered.

Carlyle came out on fire in the first round of the 150-pound catchweight bout. The Alpha Ginger definitely took the first round, but seemed to lose steam gradually in the second and into the third.

Quarantillo did enough to take the second and third in the eyes of all three judges. It was an absolute war with Quarantillo taking the unanimous decision. Here is how the MMA community reacted to the fight.

Details on the rest of the bonus-winning performances are coming up as they are announced.