Stay up to date with what’s happening today with the UFC 286 preliminary card, which is going down from the O2 Arena in London, England.
Opening up the prelims will be TUF 30 winner Juliana Miller mixing it up with the slightly more seasoned Veronica Hardy. Closing out this portion of UFC 286 will be two savvy grapplers going at it in the form of Jack Shore vs. Makwan Amirkhani. We’ve also got an undefeated flyweight prospect, Muhammad Mokaev, on the card, who will try to welcome promotional newcomer, Jafel Filho, to the Octagon in the worst way.
The early prelims begin at an extra start time of 12:30pm ET/9:30am, PT, immediately followed by the regular preliminary card. Both broadcasts can be streamed on ESPN+. The PPV main card is slated for 5:00pm ET/2:00pm PT, and can be purchased on ESPN+.
Prelims:
- Jack Shore vs. Makwan Amirkhani: Featherweight
- Chris Duncan vs. Omar Morales: Lightweight
- Sam Patterson vs. Yanal Ashmoz: Lightweight
- Muhammad Mokaev vs. Jafel Filho: Flyweight
- Lerone Murphy vs. Gabriel Santos: Featherweight
Christian Leroy Duncan def. Duško Todorović by TKO at 1:52 of round 1: Middleweight
The leg kicks were coming from both corners to get this one going. Then in a clinch exchange, Todorović stepped wrong and tweaked his knee. He immediately dropped to the canvas in agony, and the referee was on top of things to stop the fight right away. I really hope this isn’t too serious for Todorović, because knee injuries can easily be career-enders.
Jake Hadley def. Malcolm Gordon by TKO at 1:01 of round 1: Flyweight
This one did not last very long at all! Hadley got his hands going right away, and nuked the liver with a set of body shots. Gordon hit the deck, and Hadley went full Donkey Kong with his ground and pound to get the finish. What an electric performance!
** It should be noted that Malcolm Gordon missed weight by 3.5 pounds
Joanne Wood vs. Luana Carolina by split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29): (W) Flyweight
Carolina closed the distance right away here, but Wood was not interested in being taken down. On the feet, Carolina was staying at a range, and then would blitz in with wild combos. Wood began sneaking in several slick elbows on the inside, catching Carolina off guard. The longer the round went, the less technical Carolina appeared.
The fighters clinched up to open the second act, exchanging knees to the body back and forth. The fight was highly competitive on the inside, but Wood seemed to be getting in the better shots. In open space, they took turns crashing into one another, and both were finding about the same amount of success. Wood then hit a trip at the end of the round to hover over her opponent as the bell rang.
Carolina was looking sharp to start the final round. She was staying on the outside popping shots at a slightly more stationary Wood. As the round went on, Wood began to score again with her knees and elbows on the inside, but she couldn’t keep the fight in close quarters. The fighters slugged it out in the final moments, with Wood knocking over Carolina at the buzzer.
Ľudovít Klein vs. Jai Herbert result in a majority draw (29-27, 28-28): Lightweight
After some back and forth on the feet, Klein caught a kick to find top position with about four-minutes to go in the opening round. Herbert started to threaten with an armbar, but Klein was staying defensibly responsible, so Jai then started to spam strikes off of his back. The up kicks were doing damage, too, and gave him the space he needed to get up. Klein had a nasty gash open up on his left eyebrow, and the striking of Herbert began to pick up.
Klein started to walk down Herbert to begin he second round, followed by some jockeying for position in the clinch. Herbert tried to get the fight down tot he ground, but Klein had other ideas. In open space, Herbert stayed on his bike, chipping away with leg kicks as he tried to keep Klein at bay.
The final frame began with an accidental cup shot to Klein. After a short break, the fight got back underway. Klein was fiery, showing some urgency and pushing the pace. Then, Jai landed another cup shot, which resulted in another time out, as well as a point deduction for Herbert. The fight restarted and Herbert then showed some urgency. He hit a takedown and began to rip away with elbows. Klein scrambled up and exploded through with a takedown of his own, with about a minute to go in the match. Herbert quickly scrambled up and recovered top position again, to close out the round in a good position.
Veronica Hardy def. Juliana Miller by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): (W) Flyweight
Miller came out aggressive, but she was getting pieced up with some crisp boxing from Hardy. The technical polish may not have been there for Miller, but there is no denying her effort. She kept wading into the pocket, eating shots in order to close the distance. Miller attempted a takedown, but Hardy was the one who ended up on top.
Miller closed the distance right away to begin the second stanza, but again Hardy came up with top position. Miller quickly threatened with an armbar, but Hardy wisely worked her way out of danger. Again Miller went to the armbar, but again Hardy was able to shut it down. A massive elbow landed to the forehead of Miller, causing some pretty bad swelling.
The final round saw Miller punch her way into the clinch, which resulted in Hardy taking top position again. Miller rolled for a kneebar, and it was pretty deep, but the submission defense of Hardy was holding up. The fight returned to the feet, and Hardy landed a sweet head kick that was only partially blocked. Hardy hit another takedown to finish up the round on top. Not bad for being away from the cage of three years!
About the author: Eddie Mercado has covered combat sports since 2015. He covers everything from betting odds to live events and fighter interviews. He holds a 1-0 record in pro MMA and holds a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu. (full bio)
