The UFC returns for its first pay-per-view offering in 2018 when UFC 220 takes place tonight at the TD Garden in Boston.
The main event features Stipe Miocic (17-2) defending the UFC heavyweight championship against No. 1-ranked Francis Ngannou (11-1). In the co-main event, Daniel Cormer (19-1, 1 NC) defends the light heavyweight championship when he faces No. 2 ranked Volkan Oezdemir (15-1).
UFC 220 is a great way to kick off the new year featuring a top-heavy card. It could be the best main and co-main events of 2018 due to the uncertainty of whether Conor McGregor and Georges St-Pierre return, how long Jon Jones will be suspended following his latest drug test failure and Ronda Rousey (potentially) venturing off to the WWE.
Join us at Sporting News as we will be providing live updates and round-by-round coverage of what should be an amazing night of action.
(All times Eastern.)
UFC 220: Ngannou vs. Miocic results
7:30: In the final contest on Fight Pass, in featherweight action, Enrique Barzola goes up against Matt Bessette. Barzola is the season two winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America and has won back-to-back-fights. Bessette, who accepted the fight on nine days notice got a great ovation from the crowd is making his UFC debut after 30 career fights. He was on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender and is unbeaten in his last eight fights (7-0-1).
7:25: The featured fight on Fight Pass begins in about five minutes.
7:15: Makhachev def. Tibau by knockout at 0:57 of the first round. The American Kickboxing Academy product did what many didn't expect. He feignted a right hand and a straight overhand left which sent Tibau packing to the canvas. A great job by referee Dan Miragliotta who noticed Tibau was out cold when he hit the mat. That's three consecutive wins for Makhachev who demanded a top-15 opponent in his next fight. Agree with Dominick Cruz when he gave Makhachev credit for speaking English in his interview even though it is his second language. Most fighters in that position wold with what they are comfortable with. To get over in the United States, you need to speak English.
7:05: UFC 220 kicks off on Fight Pass, in lightweight action, Islam Makhachev faces Gleison Tibau. Makhachev is a fantastic grappler and has won three of his four fights inside the octagon. A lot of questions surround Tibau as he returns after a two-year USADA suspension. Lot of people think Makhachev is a future title contender and gets a stiff fight against the 26-fight UFC veteran.
5:15: We are less than two hours away until the first fight begins at 7. If you need to get more excited about tonight's card, here's the bone-chilling UFC 220 trailer. This was the best video the UFC has done in recent memory.
11:10: Hello, fight fans, I'm Steven Muehlhausen of Sporting News. In a few hours, UFC 220 will commence from the TD Garden in Boston featuring a world championship main event as Stipe Miocic looks to make history when he defends the heavyweight title against rising contender Francis Ngannou. The co-main event is another title fight as Daniel Cormier defends the light heavyweight championship against Volkan Oezdemir.
UFC 220 fight card
Main card
- Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou for Miocic's UFC Heavyweight Title
- Daniel Cormier vs. Volkan Oezdemir for Cormier's UFC Light Heavyweight Title
- Calvin Kattar vs. Shane Burgos; Featherweight
- Bantamweight Thomas Almeida vs. Rob Font; Bantamweight
- Gian Villante vs. Francimar Barroso; Light Heavyweight
Preliminary card
- Kyle Bochniak vs. Brandon Davis; Featherweight
- Dustin Ortiz vs. Alexandre Pantoja; Flyweight
- Islam Makhachev vs. Gleison Tibau; Lightweight
- Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Sabah Homasi; Welterweight
- Dan Ige vs. Julio Arce; Featherweight
- Enrique Barzola vs. Matt Bessette; Featherweight
UFC 220 preview
Miocic knocked out Junior dos Santos at UFC 211 and tied the UFC record for most heavyweight title defenses at two. With no contender in sight and going through tense negotiations with the UFC, Miocic had decided to not fight until a new deal could be reached.
Cain Velasquez battled a litany of injuries throughout 2017 and his return is uncertain. Miocic had already knocked Alistair Overeem in a back-and-forth slugfest at UFC 203, in which the champion won by first-round knockout. No new contenders had really emerged.
Ngannou has taken MMA by storm, winning his first five fights via stoppage — four by KO in the first round. Seeing they have a potential star in the making, the UFC made a No. 1 contender's fight between Ngannou and Overeem at UFC 218. Ngannou delivered a Mike Tyson style knockout, blasting Overeemwith a vicious left hook that sent the Dutchman flying back to the Netherlands.
A week later, the fight was made official. Miocic will be looking to make history while Ngannou looks to become the superstar the UFC is looking for.
Cormier is coming off a loss in his last fight when he got knocked out by Jon Jones at UFC 214. The loss didn't last long: Jones failed another drug test, and the loss was changed to a no-contest. The UFC made the decision to give Cormier the title back. Since the result was changed, he didn't technically lose.
Oezdemir rolls into the biggest fight of his career on a five-fight winning streak, three of those in the UFC — including his last two by knockout in a combined 70 seconds, all in a span of under six months. The dream of UFC gold for "No Time" almost came to a halt last month, when Oezdemir was arrested for an alleged assault outside a bar in Fort Lauderdale, FL. (which took place in August) and charged with second-degree felony charges of aggravated battery with serious bodily injury. The case is still pending and the UFC felt confident enough to still put Oezdemir in a high-profile position.
UFC 220 latest news
- Who wins the key fights at UFC 220? We give you our predictions .
- Daniel Cormier tells SN why he's fighting for himself and not the fans.
- Francis Ngannou explains to SN why he's ready to seize the moment and win the heavyweight championship.
- Volkan Oezdemir tells SN why he's ready to become the light heavyweight champion.
- Why Miocic vs. Ngannou will be the pinnacle of 2018 for the UFC.
- Don't know too much about UFC 220? We give you a breakdown of the card.
Steven Muehlhausen is an MMA and boxing writer and contributor for Sporting News. You can listen to his podcast, "The Fight Club Chicago," here . You can email him at [email protected] and can find him on Twitter @SMuehlhausenMMA .