UFC 250: Nunes Vs. Spencer Live Blog Coverage, Results

Welcome to another Saturday night filled with live MMA as UFC 250 goes down from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The card features reigning two-division female champion Amanda Nunes defending her featherweight title against top contender Felicia Spencer on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

Nunes, who also holds the UFC female bantamweight belt, has scored wins over the likes of Cris Cyborg, Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate and Holly Holm over the past few years. The Brazilian has defeated six reigning or former UFC champions during her career.

Sporting a 10-fight win streak, Nunes will be looking to add to her numerous Octagon records which include most wins, most title fight wins, most knockout wins and most stoppage victories. 

Spencer is a former Invicta FC featherweight champion who has won eight of her nine pro fights overall. The lone loss came in 2019 to Cyborg, with wins over Zarah Fairn Dos Santos, Megan Anderson and Pam Sorenson in recent years.

The card also features a pair of key bantamweight bouts. 

First, Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen square off in what UFC officials are declaring a No. 1 contender bout. Sterling has won each of his last four fights, while Sandhagen sports a seven-fight win streak including all five of his UFC appearances.

In the co-main event, former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt looks to snap a three-bout losing skid when he tackles Raphael Assuncao, who has lost his last two overall.

The action begins on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET with three bouts followed by a four-fight prelim on ESPN+ and ESPN. The pay-per-view main card kicks off at 10 p.m. ET.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhahSZwhI9Q

UFC 250: Nunes Vs. Spencer Quick Results

Amanda Nunes def. Felicia Spencer via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-45) to remain UFC featherweight champion

Cody Garbrandt def. Raphael Assuncao via KO (strike) at 4:59 of Round 2

Aljamain Sterling def. Cory Sandhagen via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:28 of Round 1

Neil Magny def. Anthony Rocco Martin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Sean O’Malley def. Eddie Wineland via KO (strike) at 1:54 of Round 1

Alex Caceres def. Chase Hooper via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Ian Heinisch def. Gerald Meerschart via TKO (strikes) at 1:14 of Round 1

Cody Stamann def. Brian Kelleher via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Maki Pitolo def. Charles Byrd via TKO (strikes) at 1:10 of Round 2

Alex Perez def. Jussier Formiga via TKO (leg kicks) at 4:06 of Round 1

Devin Clark def. Alonzo Menifield via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Herbert Burns def. Evan Dunham via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:20 of Round 1

Check out our live blog on the following page!

UFC 250 Live Blog Coverage

Coming off seeing his brother, Gilbert Burns, score a big victory, Herbert Burns followed up. After getting the better of Evan Dunham on the ground, Herbert Burns tightened his arm around the chin and neck of Dunham, earning the first round submission with Gilbert in his corner.

Burns, a featherweight, did suffer an injury during the quick match. He said his foot went through the Octagon and left him with a cut. The win was his fifth in a row, improving his record to 11-2 and positioning him for an even bigger match next time out. 

The biggest bout of the night featuring light heavyweights Alonzo Menifield and Devin Clark appeared to be over early when Menifield started finding a home for his strikes. To his credit, though, Clark pushed forward and the bout went to the scorecards.

All three judges ruled in favor of Clark for the win. 

The early prelims ended in stunning fashion as Alex Perez upset Jussier Formiga. Perez placed himself on the short list of flyweight contenders, finishing Formiga in the first round.

Perez targeted the leg, kicking and kicking Formiga down to force the referee to step in and end it.

With his only loss in the UFC over the course of seven fights coming to Joseph Benavidez, Perez has a very strong case to be in a title-eliminator next. He has finished five of those opponents. 

Maki Pitolo earned the biggest win of his career to open the ESPN prelims, finishing off Charles Byrd with strikes on the ground. Pitolo took advantage of Byrd, who appeared winded in the second with a barrage of ground-and-pound after a takedown.

Emotional Victory For Cody Stamman

Very emotional match for Cody Stamann on the prelims as he elected to remain in the fight with Brian Kelleher even after learning of the passing of his brother last week. Jacob Stamann was just 18 years old at the time of his passing and a high-level youth wrestler.

Stamann and Kelleher delivered a memorable performance, with Stamann earning the win via decision. Speaking with Joe Rogan after, the emotions overtook the fighter as he discussed his brother and competing in his honor.

Ian Heinisch spent much of Friday night letting people know that he was fighting Gerald Meerschaert. It had been reported that a cornerman tested positive for COVID-19, however he was re-tested and cleared allowing the fight to continue on.

Heinisch released all that frustration over the ordeal on Meerschaert, landing a series of shots to finish this one early. He capped off the performance with a back-flip inside the Octagon. 

We finish up the prelims in the featherweight division as Alex Caceres, better known as “Bruce Leeroy,” meets the unbeaten Chase Hooper. The veteran Caceres completely picked him apart over the first two rounds, holding over a 3-to-1 edge in strikes landed.

Caceres closed out the prelims with an impressive performance to earn his 11th career Octagon victory. 

We’ll continue with coverage of the main card on the following page.

Sean O’Malley Hype Train Moves Forward

The prospect train of Sean O’Malley continued in the main card opener, as the bantamweight took out Eddie Wineland.

Needing less than two minutes, O’Malley likely secured himself a bonus as the 25-year-old improved to a perfect 12-0. The win was his second this year and ninth career finish overall. 

For the 16th time in his career, Neil Magny had his hand raised inside the Octagon, besting Anthony Rocco Martin. The win moves him into a tie for second all-time in the UFC for victories in the welterweight division, sitting only behind former champion and soon-to-be UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre.

It was a complete effort by Magny, as he held a decided advantage in total strikes and significant strikes against Martin. 

Sterling Dazzles, Submits Sandhagen

Aljamain Sterling definitely made his mark to being the No. 1 contender in the bantamweight division, submitting Cory Sandhagen. 

UFC officials declared the bout such beforehand, and Sterling went out and dominated to earn the victory.

Sterling is tied for third on the all-time UFC list for submissions in the division, and sits at 19-3 overall with wins in each of his last five fights. That includes triumphs over Sandhagen, Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera. 

The UFC likely has three options for the vacant bantamweight title between Sterling, Marlon Moraes and Petr Yan. It will be interesting to see what they do with the top contenders. 

Former champion Cody Garbrandt finally got back in the win column, knocking out Raphael Assuncao with just one second left in the second round.

Garbrandt, who has lost three consecutive fights since besting Dominick Cruz for the belt back in 2016, earned his first finish since that same year. He is now 12-3 overall and likely right there on the doorstep as a contender again.

Fellow top contender Sean O’Malley, who picked up a knockout of his own, made mention of the finish. 

We’ve reached the main event as Felicia Spencer tries to make history and best Amanda Nunes. The reigning UFC female bantamweight and featherweight champion has knocked out a list a mile long of the best of the best. 

Spencer is a former Invicta FC champion, so she knows what it takes to wear gold.

Standing in her way is the greatest of all-time in the eyes of many in regards to the female division of MMA. Nunes owns wins over Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm and Cris Cyborg along with Valentina Shevchenko and others.

The champion did what she does in the first, dominating Spencer by landing 20 strikes to just one from the challenger. She also was in control for over half the round and that just continued through the second with more of the same. 

Just how powerful is Nunes? See for yourself.

According to the stats, Nunes out-landed Spencer through the first three rounds, 76-18, and 108-31 through four. A huge hematoma formed on the forehead of Spencer, but she just would not give in.

For the fight, Nunes finished with 127 strikes landing, with 120 of them being considered significant. She also had six takedowns, with Spencer landing just 37 total strikes.