UFC 249

Greg Hardy Vs. Yorgan De Castro

A former NFL all-pro, Hardy has experienced a fair amount of success so far in his MMA career. He won five of his first six bouts with the lone setback being via disqualification. 

Late last year, though, he faced his toughest test in former Bellator champion Alexander Volkov, dropping a decision. 

De Castro used his experience early on, peppering the lead leg of Hardy and turning it all sorts of different colors complete with bruising and welts. Everything Hardy throws is made to knock De Castro out. 

Plenty of leg kicks offered up by De Castro to keep Hardy at bay, but the former NFL standout finally starts to respond with his own. He’s also showing better cardio through the second round compared to De Castro. 

It appeared as if De Castro suffered a foot injury in the second, as Hardy was able to take control of the contest. Not a lot of offense from either men, but probably enough by Hardy to earn the victory.

Greg Hardy def. Yorgan De Castro via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Jeremy Stephens Vs. Calvin Kattar

In the early portion of the first round, Stephens was able to get the better of the exchanges. The veteran used his ring-prowess to keep Kattar off-balance. However, after a nice leg kick, Kattar went on a run, including a nasty series of shots that appeared to wobble Stephens. 

Both fighters wanted the finish in the second, but it was Kattar that capitalized. After backing Stephens up, he connected, landing a series of brutal shots that forced Stephens to cover up and end the bout. Both fighters were losing blood and Kattar’s nose appeared broke, but he was the winner.

Calvin Kattar def. Jeremy Stephens via TKO (strikes) at 2:42 of Round 2

Francis Ngannou Vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

A former UFC title contender, Ngannou would like nothing more than to hand Rozenstruik his first pro loss and derail his plans to challenge for the belt. This bout is being viewed as a title-eliminator, so the stakes are very high for both men.

Well, Ngannou made his statement, knocking Rozenstruik into next week with a thunderous attack the moment the bell sounded. This one is all over, folks.

Francis Ngannou def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik via KO (strike) at :20 of Round 1

Coverage of the two championship matches will continue on the next page.

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