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UFC on Fox 30 Results: Dustin Poirier Wins Rematch over Eddie Alvarez Via TKO
July 29, 2018
Dustin Poirier had unfinished business going into his rematch with Eddie Alvarez, but he got the closure he was seeking against Alvarez in a second-round TKO win to close out UFC on Fox 30 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The two lightweights didn't necessarily start with the same quick pace that marked their first bout, but on Saturday, they both showed a willingness to throw strikes to score. Alvarez took less of a brawling approach and focused on being efficient with his attack:
The UFC passed along some of the highlights from a striking-heavy first round:
Round 2 had much more grappling. Poirier threatened early with two guillotine choke attempts, and Alvarez answered with a neck crank. However, a 12-to-6 elbow from Alvarez forced the referee to stand the two fighters up and gave Poirier the opportunity to score the knockout.
The Diamond landed a big knee to the body of Alvarez and followed up with a smooth combination that brought the end for the former champion. The UFC passed along part of the finish:
MMA analyst Josh Gross commented on the mistake by Alvarez that turned the momentum of the fight:
After the fight, Poirier wasn't quite willing to close the door on the rivalry after Alvarez talked about Poirier quitting in their first fight, which was ruled a no-contest because of illegal knees:
Alvarez wasn't the only former champion in action in Calgary, though. Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jose Aldo also got back to their winning ways to cap off a strong card for the Canadian crowd.
Here's a look at the complete results and a closer look at each of the main card bouts.
Main card
- Dustin Poirier def. Eddie Alvarez via second-round TKO
- Jose Aldo def. Jeremy Stephens via first-round TKO
- Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Tecia Torres via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- Alexander Hernandez def. Olivier Aubin-Mercier via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Undercard
- 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)
Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens
If you come at Aldo, you best be a champion. Stephens found that out the hard way as Aldo scored a first-round TKO victory in a fight that was thrilling from start to finish.
The two featherweights engaged in a slugfest from the outset, with Stephens taking the early lead. He pressured the Brazilian and landed some heavy shots.
But Aldo's signature explosiveness sneaked up on Stephens. The former champion stymied his opponent and ended a three-fight win streak with a massive body shot that turned the tide of the fight and set up the ending for Aldo.
Afterward, an emotional Aldo celebrated his first finish since 2013:
It was a great moment for a man who used to be the king of the division. Aldo—who was once 25-1—had lost three of his last four heading into the bout. Two losses to current champion Max Holloway is likely to keep Aldo out of the title picture for a while, but this performance shows that he can't be ruled out yet.
Stephens, on the other hand, will have some work to do as his three-fight win streak is now snapped in a stacked division.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Tecia Torres
Jedrzejczyk is back in the win column after a one-sided decision over Torres. It's Jedrzejczyk's first win since losing back-to-back fights against Rose Namajunas.
Torres, who came into the bout ranked No. 5 in the women's strawweight division, employed a clinch-heavy game plan early but quickly found that the former champion is quite adept at landing knees in the position. From there, Torres was unable to cover the distance created by the rangy Polish champion.
Even when Torres was able to mount some offense, it was answered by Jedrzejczyk:
It was a strong performance from Jedrzejczyk that reminded fans why she used to be champion.
The only question remaining is what the UFC will do with the winner now. She's fought Namajunas in back-to-back fights but also holds wins over the rest of the top six in the weight class.
Regardless, she used this stage to show that she's still in an elite group of women's strawweights.
Alexander Hernandez vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier
The first time fans saw Hernandez in an Octagon, it only lasted 42 seconds.
This time, fans got an extended viewing of the 25-year-old, but the result was the same: Alexander the Great getting his hand raised when the final bell rang. Hernandez scored a unanimous decision over Aubin-Mercier to kick off the main card.
After knocking out Beneil Dariush in his UFC debut, this was the kind of challenge that Hernandez needed to prove that he deserves the No. 13 ranking he holds in the lightweight division.
Hernandez put forth an aggressive game plan that was heavy on wrestling and wore down OAM over the course of three rounds.
It's hard to believe that the lightweight division could get any deeper than it already is, but Hernandez appears to be yet another strong prospect to throw into the mix.