UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Duncan Live Updates, Highlights and Results

Christian Leroy Duncan had some big moments in his main event showdown with Brendan Allen, and should be proud of his performance, but ultimately fell victim to his opponent's pace and grappling skill in round five.

It was a rear-naked choke that ended things—the 16th on Allen's resume. Duncan fought it briefly, but eventually tapped, seemingly on the very edge of consciousness.

It was really anyone's fight to that point, as both men had arguably banked two rounds, though Duncan's second-round point deduction loomed large.

That's now four wins in a row for Allen, who was already ranked No. 4 at middleweight heading into this fight. He's arguably deserving of a title shot at this point, but is likely behind the likes of Nassourdine Imavov and Khamzat Chimaev in the pecking order. A fight with Dricus Du Plessis, who he called out post-fight, could be a good option.

Whatever is next, he is now 28-7 overall, and clearly one of the best middleweights in the game.

For Duncan, this marks the end of a five-fight streak. That's going to be a tough pill to swallow, but he gave a good account of himself, even in defeat. There's no reason to assume he can't make some adjustments and work his way into title contention down the road.

His record now stands at 15-3.

The first three rounds have been very competitive, but Allen is probably slightly ahead, especially when Duncan's point deduction is factored in.

This is still anyone's fight with two rounds left.

After an inadvertent eye poke, referee Marc Goddard has taken a point from Christian Leroy Duncan. He didn't even get a warning. The referees are taking no prisoners tonight. It's great to see.

Duncan is fighting pretty well so far, but the point deduction is going to be a big problem for him if this fight goes to the scorecards.

We've reached the main event of tonight's card: a middleweight clash between longtime contender Brendan Allen and new arrival Christian Leroy Duncan.

Allen (27-2), who has spent years mixing it up with the promotion's top middleweights, is currently riding a three-fight streak, notably including a finish of Reinier de Ridder. If he wins here, he will assert himself as one of the top contenders in the weight class—assuming Sean Strickland and the UFC can come to an agreement to keep the division moving.

Duncan (15-2), from the UK, is closing in on title contention himself, having won his last five fights, including a defeat of former title challenger Jared Cannonier. This definitely seems like the toughest test of his career so far—Allen is experienced and versatile—but if he passes it, the striking specialist will become one of the top contenders in the division himself.

Duncan is nearly in the cage, and Allen will walk out momentarily.

Over to you, Joe Martinez.

Jai Herbert showed off all of his skill and experience in tonight's lightweight co-main event, weathering some early adversity in round one to win a three-round unanimous decision against Matheus Camilo.

Herbert had a decent first round, but was hurt in the final moments, which seemed like enough to score it for his opponent. The rangy British striker then flipped the script in rounds two and three, relying heavily on his grappling to regain control of the fight.

It wasn't a blowout, but it was a clear win.

With this result, Herbert is 15-6-1 overall. He's now on a two-fight streak. Not bad for 38 years old.

In defeat, Camilo falls to 2-2 in the UFC, and 11-4 overall.

We've reached the co-main event of the evening, which will be contested at lightweight, with Brazil's Matheus Camilo taking on England's Jai Herbert. 

Camilo (11-3) got off to a tough start in the UFC, losing his debut to Gabe Green via submission. Since then, he's rebounded with a decision win over Viacheslav Borshchev and a first-round stoppage of Nazim Sadykhov. 

Herbert, who has battled the likes of Ilia Topuria, Renato Moicano and Ludovit Klein over six years with the UFC, is 2-2 in his last five fights, most recently knocking out Canada's Mandel Nallo. 

Both guys have shown to be pretty good when they're firing on all cylinders, but this really feels like an odd choice for the co-headlining spot.

Hopefully it overdelivers, like the rest of this card has so far. 

Loopy Godinez had to eat some huge shots to get her hand raised against Ketlen Souza tonight, but she ultimately made it happen with a late grappling attack and a whole lot of tenacity through some tense exchanges on the feet.

The win distances the No. 8-ranked strawweight from a submission loss to Tatiana Suarez last time out. She's now 15-6 overall, and probably only a win or two away from a title shot, given the state of her division.

Souza performed well enough that she's not going to lose much ground in defeat. Some people also understandably thought she deserved to win. Some are decrying the verdict as an outright robbery. Still, this marks the end of a two-fight streak for her. She's now 17-7 overall.

That was definitely the Fight of the Night so far.

The third bout of tonight's main card will be contested in the women's strawweight division, with Mexican-Canadian Loopy Godinez taking on Brazil's Ketlen Souza.

Godinez (14-6) got pretty close to a title shot a while back, but recently had her momentum derailed by a submission loss to former title challenger Tatiana Suarez.

Souza (17-6), who missed weight for this fight by a pound, is riding two wins in a row, most recently stopping Ariane Carnelossi with a first-round head kick. If she can find a way to beat Godinez, it will be the biggest win of her career, and give her a huge push toward title contention.

Andre Fili might not be known as a knockout striker, but he's got some serious stopping power when he really gets going.

Fili, the taller and rangier man in the cage, quickly got to work with his jab. Once he had Kamaka adequately frustrated in round two, he switched things up with a sizzling hook and vicious head kick that completely shut the lights out.

It was easily one of the best highlights of his long UFC career so far.

In victory, Fili rebounds from back-to-back losses. He's now 26-14 overall. At 36 years old, he's seemingly as good as ever.

Kamaka, meanwhile, has now lost two straight fights by knockout. The Hawaiian veteran is now 1-2 in his latest UFC run, and 18-9-1 overall.

Up next, we've got a fan-friendly featherweight fights between tough veterans Andre Fili and Kai Kamaka III. 

Fili (25-14) has been in the UFC for years, and has fought some of the toughest featherweights in the sport during his time with the promotion. At the moment, the 36-year-old is riding back-to-back losses to Jose Delgado and Vinicius Oliveira.

Kamaka (18-8-1), a 31-year-old PFL and Bellator veteran, is now in his second stint with the UFC. He's gone 1-1 in his latest run with the promotion, most recently suffering a stoppage loss to surging prospect Luke Riley. 

The experience and tenacity the two men share almost guarantees a fun fight. 

It should begin in moments. 

It's time to put some respect on Otari Tanzilovi's name.

The Georgian bantamweight suffered a tough loss in his UFC debut, which led to a lot of doubt about his cardio and heart ahead of his Saturday clash with Malcolm Wellmaker.

It's safe to say he didn't have any big problems in the cage this time around.

After a competitive first round, the Georgian put a decisive end to things in the second, flooring Wellmaker with a perfectly timed head-kick. The impact left the American looking totally bewildered on the ground, and a few follow-up punches later, he was seemingly out.

"I was working this technique for a long time," Tanzilovi said through his translator — none other than former bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili.

With this first UFC win, Otari Tanzilovi improves to 11-2 overall. It's way too early to make any big statements about his future, but he looked pretty good in the Octagon tonight—far better than he did in his debut.

Wellmaker, who once looked like a contender waiting to happen, has now lost three straight: one by decision, one by submission, and now one by knockout. He'll need to win his next fight if he intends to keep his job.

The UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Duncan main card starts now.

The main card will kick off with a bantamweight clash between two fighters with identical records: Malcom Wellmaker (10-2) and Otari Tanzilovi (10-2).

Until recently, Wellmaker was one of the brightest young prospects in his division. However, he is currently riding back-to-back upset losses to Ethyn Ewing and Juan Diaz, which took a lot of wind out of his sales.

Tanzilovi, from Georgia, recently came up short in his UFC debut, losing a decision to Shane Collins. 

Both men will be desperate for a win here, which should lead to an exciting fight.

In case you missed it, here's Gerald Meerschaert's final post-fight interview.

The Octagon veteran retires with a 37-23 pro record. He didn't always win, but he was one of the craftiest and most determined grappling specialists we've seen in the middleweight division.

Hats off to him.

Despite a massive disadvantage in terms of experience, Julius Walker was utterly dominant in his undercard light heavyweight fight with Gerald Meerschaert.

Early in the first round, Walker made the somewhat surprising decision to take the fight to the ground. However, he then justified that decision by spending the remainder of the first round battering his experienced opponent with ground and pound—to the point that the commentators debated scoring the round 10-8.

That trend continued into the second round, until the referee stepped in to wave off the fight.

The win separates Walker from back-to-back stoppage losses to Dustin Jacoby and Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev. He's now 8-3 overall.

In defeat, the former middleweight Meerschaert falls onto a brutal six-fight skid that now spans two weight classes.

The veteran, who just competed in his 60th pro fight, took off his gloves and retired after the setback. He rides into the sunset with a 37-23 pro record.

"Can't fight forever," he said in his final post-fight interview. "I had a hell of time out here performing for you guys.

"I'm gonna miss ya."

We'll miss ya too.

There's still about 45 minutes till tonight's main card is set to begin, but after a series of quick finishes, we have just one prelim bout left.

The final prelim of the card will be contested at light heavyweight, with Julius Walker (7-3) taking on the extremely experienced Gerald Meerschaert (37-22).

Walker will enter the fight with back-to-back knockout losses to Dustin Jacoby and Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev behind him.

The former middleweight Meerschaert, like an unfortunate number of fighters on tonight's bill, will enter the Octagon on a horrible losing streak, having come up short in his last five fights.

Truth is, both of these guys are probably fighting for their job.

A few extra pounds didn't do anything to help Ismael Bonfim against Francisco Prado.

After missing weight by a huge margin, Bonfim was absolutely dominated by his opponent en route to a first-round TKO loss.

Prado was aggressive from the opening bell, and before long, had assumed top position on the ground. He then rained down the ground strikes, until referee Jason Herzog was forced to intervene.

The win—his 10th first-round finish—corrects a four-fight skid for Prado, who is back down at lightweight after a rough stint at welterweight. He's now 13-5 overall, and is still just 24 years old.

The future is perhaps brighter than his recent skid suggested.

Bonfim has now lost four straight, and considering his repeated weight misses, will almost certainly be cut from the UFC. He's now 20-8.

Our next fight will see Francisco Prado battle Ismael Bonfim at a catchweight of 163 pounds—the product of a scale fail by the latter.

Prado (12-5), from Argentina, will be looking to get back on track after four-straight decision losses. Brazil's Bonfim has lost three straight, and given his repeated troubles making weight, will almost certainly be cut from the roster if he loses.

The truth is, like many fighters on tonight's bill, there's legitimate reason to question what either of these guys is doing on the roster to begin with. Let's see if either of them can provide a decisive answer to that question here.

In the end, Niko Price got the ending he wanted.

In fact, he seemed entirely unprepared to accept any other outcome.

The welterweight veteran was extremely aggressive from the opening seconds of his fight with Leon Shahbazyan, charging forward behind a barrage of punches, then winding up in top position on the ground. From there, he began a relentless assault of ground-and-pound that quickly seemed to have Shahbazyan reconsidering his UFC ambitions. None of the strikes really seemed to do much damage on their own, but the sheer volume of them—and Shahbazyan's total lack of credible defense—forced referee Chris Tognoni's hand.

"I have my wife and my 14-year-old daughter with me," Price said in his post-fight interview, before his family members were invited into the Octagon to join him. "It's been a blessing, the whole trip."

He then walked back his retirement call substantially.

"If you guys call me, I might answer," he said.

That kind of killed the whole triumphant retirement vibe of the moment, but this is MMA. Retirements almost never stick on the first attempt.

Back in March, Niko Price (16-11) stepped into the Octagon with a retiring Michael Chiesa. He actually intended to retire that night too, but when he lost by first-round submission, he didn't even get a chance to acknowledge his fans. That prompted him to make another attempt at a retirement fight, which will go down next.

With four straight losses behind him, Price will attempt a more suitable swan song against Leon Shahbazyan (12-5), who will be looking for his first UFC win after a 23-second stoppage loss to Levan Chokheli in his Octagon debut.

Let's get to it.

There was not a lot of reason to back Brendson Ribeiro against Felipe Franco on tonight's undercard. He had lost four consecutive fights, and six of his eight in the Octagon.

He looked like he was doomed to lose, and be sent packing by UFC brass.

That's not the way it happened.

Instead, Ribeiro executed a slick takedown in round one, which allowed him to lock up a deep guillotine choke. Franco briefly tried to fight out of it, but there was no escape, and he quickly tapped out.

The win brings Ribeiro to 18-11 overall, and undoubtedly kept his UFC career alive. He's got to feel relieved about that, but with a rough 3-6 Octagon record, he'll need to keep winning if he wants to keep his job.

In defeat, Franco slips to 11-3 overall, and 1-2 in the Octagon.

Our next fight will be contested at light heavyweight, where Felipe Franco (11-2) will battle his fellow Brazilian Brendson Ribeiro (17-11).

Franco has gone 1-1 across his first two UFC fights, first losing a decision to Mario Pinto at heavyweight before dropping down a division and knocking out Levi Rodrigues Jr. He'll look to push his Octagon record above the .500 mark in this fight.

Ribeiro, the significantly more experienced party, has his back to the wall, to say the very least. He has lost four straight fights in the Octagon. That's more than enough to justify cutting him from the roster, but he's been granted what is surely a final chance to turn things around here.

Allen Frye Jr. made RJ Hines pay for his lack of defense in their undercard heavyweight fight.

Hines was the aggressor early, and landed some nice shots of his own, but pressed forward with the head movement of a parking meter. That allowed Frye to start landing himself, and before long, he landed four big punches in a row that put his opponent down.

Moments later, the ref was waving it off.

The win is Frye's first in the UFC. He's now 7-1 overall. Hines, meanwhile, tastes defeat for the first time, and assume's Frye's old record of 6-1.

Up next, we've got our lone heavyweight fight of the night: a clash between unranked prospects RJ Harris and Allen Frye Jr.

Harris (6-0), will look to follow-up a first-round knockout win over Alvin Hines in his July UFC debut. Frye (6-1) will attempt to get back on track after losing a decision to Guilherme Pat in his own UFC debut last December.

Generally, when unranked heavyweights collide in the Octagon, it goes one of two ways. You either get a quick finish, or a drawn-out slobber-knocker that leaves both men moving in slow motion and gasping for air.

Let's hope for the former.

Alice Pereira is heading for the UFC women's bantamweight rankings — and fast.

In the second bout of Saturday's card, the 20-year-old "Golden Girl" from Brazil picked up her second stoppage win in as many UFC fights. This time, her victim was Russia's Darya Zheleznyakova, who was battered and bloodied so severely in round one that she declined to return for the second.

That brings Pereira to 7-1 overall. While it's too early to talk about title shots, she definitely has the skill, power, and aggression to go far in her absolutely talent-starved division, which is now down to just 24 fighters.

In defeat, Zheleznyakova falls to 10-3 overall, and 2-3 in the UFC. In a more robust division, she might be at risk of getting cut, but the lack of talent in her weight class may mean she gets another chance. Time will tell.

The UFC women's bantamweight division is now down to just 24 fighters—less than any other weight class in the UFC—which means there is a very short path for fighters to reach the top-15. 

In our next fight, Russia's Darya Zheleznyakova (10-3) and Brazil's Alice Pereira (6-1) will look to take another step in that direction.

For Zheleznyakova , it will be an opportunity to rebound from a decision loss to Melissa Croden, and score the third win of her UFC career. 

Pereira, meanwhile, will look to build on the momentum of a second-round stoppage of Hailey Cowan last time out. 

In our first bout of the night, Brazil's Melissa Gatto and Lithuania's Ernesta Kareckaite fought to a rare majority draw.

The biggest factor in the scoring for the fight was a first-round point deduction for Kareckaite, who was penalized for a fence-grab by referee Chris Tognoni. Had that not happened, she might have won.

With this outcome, Kareckaite and Gatto don't really gain or lose any ground.

Kareckaite now stands at 6-2-2, while Gatto's record is 9-3-3. It's pretty wild either woman has more than one draw on their record, given how little they've both fought.

UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Duncan is now officially underway.

We'll get things started in the women's flyweight division, where Melissa Gatto (9-3-2) of Brazil and Lithuania's Ernesta Kareckaite (6-2-1) will collide.

Both women will be looking to rebound from losses. Gatto will be looking to get back on track after a decision loss to Dione Barbosa last time out, while Kareckaite is riding a loss to Regina Tarin, also a decision.

Both women need a win. Let's see who wants it more.

UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Duncan will get started in about 10 minutes.

Here's whats on deck for the evening!