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UFC On Fox 30 Results: Bonus Winners, Highlights (VIDEO), Analysis, Attendance And Gate

Brian Mazique
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Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
I cover video games and combat sports.
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This article is more than 5 years old.

Dustin Poirier ended his rivalry with Eddie Alvarez emphatically on Saturday night in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

In the UFC on Fox 30 main event, Poirier scored a second-round TKO over Alvarez to grab a clear victory in their rematch after the first fight ended in a no contest. Back in May 2017 at UFC 211, Poirier couldn't continue after Alvarez landed an illegal knee to the head while the former was down.

Alvarez accused Poirier of quitting. Poirier pursued Alvarez for a rematch and was met with initial resistance before Saturday's fight came to fruition. Poirier found himself in some trouble in the second round when Alvarez had him on his backside pinned against the fence. Unfortunately, Alvarez landed an illegal 12-6 elbow that cost him the position.

When referee Marc Goddard restarted the fighters, Poirier came out looking to do damage. He landed a knee that seemed to buzz Alvarez. An onslaught of punches, kicks, and knees followed and led to the finish.

When the fight was over, Poirier was vindicated as he spoke of his distaste for Alvarez's comments leading up to the fight. Poirier campaigned for a shot at lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, but it seemed like a half-hearted mention. Most everyone knows Conor McGregor is likely to receive the title shot despite not competing for over two years and injuring two fighters and promotion employees during an attack on a bus.

As it is, Poirier was outstanding and it would appear that a battle with Tony Ferguson might be more realistic with the winner of the fight facing the winner of McGregor-Nurmagomedov. Here is a look at all of the results as well as the bonus winners, attendance and gate.

  • Dustin Poirier def. Eddie Alvarez via second-round TKO (4:05)
  • Jose Aldo def. Jeremy Stephens via first-round TKO (4:19)
  • Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Tecia Torres via unanimous decision (30-27x3)
  • Alexander Hernandez def. Olivier Aubin-Mercier via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28x2)
  • Jordan Mein def. Alex Morono via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
  • Hakeem Dawodu def. Austin Arnett via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
  • Islam Makhachev def. Kajan Johnson via armbar (submission) (R1, 4:43)
  • Ion Cutelaba def. Gadzhimurad Antigulov via first-round TKO (4:25)
  • John Makdessi def. Ross Pearson via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-28)
  • Katlyn Chookagian def. Alexis Davis via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
  • Dustin Ortiz def. Matheus Nicolau via first-round KO (3:49)
  • Nina Ansaroff def. Randa Markos via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
  • Devin Powell def. Alvaro Herrera via first-round KO (1:52)

The Finishes

Devin Powell Stops Alvaro Herrera

With two well-placed and wicked left body kicks, Devin Powell got the card started off with a bang. Powell buried his toes into Alvaro Herrera's midsection with each kick. Herrera doubled over and could not recover from the shots.

Neither of these guys is a legit contender, nor does it appear they have the potential to rise to that level. However, Powell's toughness and perseverance after a horrific scrotum injury earlier in his career is noteworthy.

Dustin Ortiz Stops Matheus Nicolau

Matheus Nicolau was one of the biggest favorites on the card, but no one told Dustin Ortiz he wasn't supposed to win. Ortiz, known more as a wrestler than a striker, caught Nicolau with a vicious head kick that dropped the latter.

Without hesitation, Ortiz pounced on Nicolau to earn the stoppage win.

Ortiz has now won three fights in a row with explosive stoppages in two of them. He's suddenly become an interesting flyweight contender.

Ion Cutelaba Stops Gadzhimurad Antigulov

Stamina is important, and a lack of the valuable commodity was Gadzhimurad Antigulov's downfall on Saturday. He put all he had into a prolonged takedown attempt in the first round against Ion Cutelaba. When he couldn't gain an advantage, Antigulov gassed in pursuit of the takedown and the fresher Cutelaba took control.

Cutelaba pounded the weakened Antigulov until the referee was forced to stop the bout.

Cutelaba called out light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier who was on commentary, after the fight, but everyone knows the chances of that fight taking place are slimmer than Antigulov's lung capacity. Cutelaba is just 24 and will likely be entering the Top 15 next week, but Cormier probably won't fight more than two more times before retiring next year.

There are a number of guys ahead of Cutelaba in line at light heavyweight and heavyweight. The ages and career trajectories just don't match.

Islam Makhachev Submits Kajan Johnson

We saw some expert-level grappling from Islam Makhachev on Saturday. He took the fight with veteran Kajan Johnson to the ground and masterfully adjusted an armbar to force the submission.

Makhachev says he wants to face Ferguson next, but chances are he will likely have to wait a while before getting that kind of a matchup. Makhachev jokingly called out training partner Daniel Cormier and even Brock Lesnar. Without question, Makhachev is a force to be reckoned with at 155 pounds, but he's not quite at a point where he can make demands in the UFC.

Jose Aldo Stops Jeremy Stephens

In the co-main event, Jose Aldo proved he is far from finished as a fighter. He came into Saturday's fight with Jeremy Stephens as the underdog. Aldo fought through some early adversity before landing a vicious left hook to Stephens' body that crumpled him.

Aldo followed Stephens to the canvas with punches until referee Yves Lavigne stopped the bout. Stephens was upset with the stoppage, but it was the right thing to do. Stephens hadn't offered any defense in about 15-20 seconds and Aldo was teeing off on him.

Aldo was emotional after the win, which broke a two-fight losing streak (all to Max Holloway). Aldo looked sharp, fast and dangerous. Holloway is battling some health issues which forced him out of the title bout with Brian Ortega at UFC 226. If he is out for a prolonged period, an Aldo-Ortega bout makes a lot of sense.

I hate interim titles, but if there is a reason to create one, this could be it.

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Brian Mazique
Brian Mazique
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