UFC Fight Night 279 live results: Manel Kape vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
Less than a week after the historic event at The White House, the Octagon returns to its home base in Las Vegas this weekend for UFC Fight Night 279 inside the Meta Apex.
The main event is a potential title eliminator in the flyweight division as second-ranked Manel Kape battles fifth-ranked former title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi. This will be the second time the two square off, as Horiguchi submitted Kape in the third round in a December 2017 bout in the RIZIN promotion. Kape has won three straight fights, while Horiguchi is looking to improve to 3-0 since his return to the UFC.
The co-main event is an explosive light heavyweight fight pitting Ion Cutelaba against undefeated Navajo Stirling. The rest of the main card features three bouts in the featherweight division- Hyder Amil takes on Christian Rodriguez; Melski Baghdasaryan battles the debuting and undefeated Murtazali Magomedov; and Andre Fili squares off against Vinicius Oliveira.
PRELIMS | 5 PM ET | 2 PM PT
> Featherweights- Shane Collins (7-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Otari Tanzilovi (10-1, 0-0 UFC)
Tanzilovi lands a leg kick. He lands another. They trade punches and then leg kicks. Tanzilovi lands a spin kick. Collins lands against the fence and Tanzilovi fights off the fence and connects. They clinch and Tanzilovi lands a knee before they split. Tanzilovi scores a takedown but Collins snatches the neck and looks for a guillotine choke. Tanzilovi escapes and keeps top control. Collins with some elbows to the side and they work to their feet and separate. Collins connects to the body as they clinch against the fence. They break apart. They trade right hands. Tanzilovi with a right hand. Tanzilovi with a leg kick. Collins with a combo to the body as they clinch. Collins tries for a takedown but Tanzilovi defends. They trade knees. They break apart and Collins lands a pair of right hands. Collins with a knee up the middle and Tanzilovi connects with a pair of right hands. They clinch. 10-9 Collins.
Tanzilovi scores a takedown. They get to their feet and Collins lands a combination. Collins with a pair of right hands. Tanzilovi scores a takedown. Tanzilovi with some punches to the legs. They scramble up and Tanzilovi has the back, but they break apart. Tanzilovi lands a combo. Collins looks for a takedown against the fence and Tanzilovi lands a knee as they separate. Tanzilovi with a combination. Tanzilovi with a big body kick, but then Collins lands against the fence. Tanzilovi looks for a single leg and Collins defends as Tanzilovi pushes it to the fence. They break apart but quickly clinch back up. Both land knees against the fence. Tanzilovi scores a takedown and Collins looks for a D’Arce choke as the round ends. 10-9 Tanzilovi, 19-19.
Tanzilovi lands a leg kick then a right hand. Tanzilovi with an uppercut inside the pocket. Collins lands against the fence. Tanzilovi scores a takedown, but they quickly get up and Tanzilovi continues to look for a takedown. Collins reverses and lands a knee. They separate and both land. Collins lands better before Tanzilovi scores a takedown. Collins grabs the neck and looks for a guillotine choke. Tanzilovi escapes and they get to their feet. They trade with Collins landing better. Tanzilovi lands a right hand and a body kick. Tanzilovi looks for a takedown, but Collins sprawls. They trade along the fence. Collins shoots for a takedown against the fence but Tanzilovi defends and lands a right hand as they separate. Collins lands at the end. 10-9 Collins, 29-28 Collins.
Fight Result- Shane Collins def. Otari Tanzilovi by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Women’s Bantamweights- #8 Karol Rosa (19-7, 8-4 UFC) vs. #11 Luana Santos (10-2, 5-1 UFC)
Santos lands a body kick. Santos looks for a takedown and they crash into the fence. Rosa lands an elbow as she defends. Santos still looking for the takedown as Rosa is defending with small body shots. Santos continues to pressure but they break apart. Santos lands a body kick and Rosa lands a right hand. Santos lands a combination. Santos is able to score a takedown and has a headlock on. Santos with some punches from the top. 10-9 Santos.
Santos lands and scores a takedown as Rosa slips on a kick. Santos is pressuring from the top. Santos landing from the top. Santos mixing shots to the body and head. Rosa with short shots from the bottom but she is stuck there as Santos has her pinned flat down. Santos landing punches to body and head from the top. Santos with more shots from the top. 10-9 Santos, 20-18 Santos.
They trade and Santos presses Rosa against the fence looking for a takedown. Santos has the back and briefly gets it down but maintains back control on the feet. Santos keeps back control and gets the takedown and is looking to set up a choke. Santos lands some left hands from the back. Santos ends the fight dominating from the back. 10-9 Santos, 30-27 Santos.
Fight Result- Luana Santos def. Karol Rosa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Welterweights- Leon Shahbazyan (12-4, 0-0 UFC) vs. Levan Chokheli (14-3 1 NC, 0-0 UFC)
> Featherweights- Gaston Bolanos (8-5, 2-2 UFC) vs. Michael Aswell (11-4, 1-2 UFC)
> Flyweights- Allan Nascimento (22-6, 4-1 UFC) vs. Mitch Raposo (10-3, 1-2 UFC)
> Women’s Bantamweights- #13 Bia Mesquita (7-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Melissa Mullins (7-2, 2-2 UFC)
> Flyweights*- Andre Lima (11-0, 4-0 UFC) vs. Kevin Borjas (10-5, 1-4 UFC)
*Borjas missed weight by three pounds
MAIN CARD | 8 PM ET | 5 PM PT
> Featherweights- Andre Fili (25-13 1 NC, 14-11 1 NC UFC) vs. #12 BW Vinicius Oliveira (23-4, 4-1 UFC)
> Featherweights- Melsik Baghdasaryan (8-3, 3-2 UFC) vs. Murtazali Magomedov (10-0, 0-0 UFC)
> Featherweights- Hyder Amil (11-2, 3-2 UFC) vs. Christian Rodriguez (12-4, 5-4 UFC)
> Light Heavyweights- Ion Cutelaba (20-11-1 1 NC, 9-10-1 UFC) vs. Navajo Stirling (9-0, 4-0 UFC)
> Flyweights- #2 Manel Kape (22-7, 7-3 UFC) vs. #5 Kyoji Horiguchi (36-5 1 NC, 9-1 UFC)
MMA writer & live coverage specialist, contributor to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter