Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, continues his march toward the 185-pound title, taking on long-time division bruiser, Kelvin Gastelum, in UFC Vegas 24’s main event TONIGHT (Sat., April 17, 2021) inside the promotion’s APEX facility LIVE on both ESPN and ESPN+. In UFC Vegas 24’s co-main event, Lightweight stalwart Jeremy Stephens make his return to 155 pounds against Michigan mauler Drakkar Klose, who aims to enter the Top 15 with a win over “Lil’ Heathen.”
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 24 fight card below, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Whittaker vs. Gastelum.”
Note: The UFC Vegas 24 live results will post from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC VEGAS 24 QUICK RESULTS:
Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin GastelumDrakkar Klose vs. Jeremy Stephens — CANCELED
Andrei Arlovski vs. Chase Sherman
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Jacob Malkoun
Alexander Munoz vs. Luis Pena
Tracy Cortez vs. Justine Kish
Juan Espino vs. Alexandr Romanov — Romanov def. Espino by technical decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Lupita Godinez vs. Jessica Penne — Penne def. Godinez by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Bartosz Fabinski vs. Gerald Meerschaert — Meerschaert def. Fabinski by technical submission (guillotine choke) at 2:00 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTSZarah Fairn vs. Josiane Nunes
Austin Hubbard vs. Dakota Bush — Hubbard def. Bush by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Anthony Birchak vs. Tony Gravely — Gravely def. Birchak by TKO (punches) at 1:31 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS
UFC VEGAS 24 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
185 lbs.: Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Round 4:
Round 5:
Final result:
155 lbs.: Drakkar Klose vs. Jeremy Stephens
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Final result:
265 lbs.: Andrei Arlovski vs. Chase Sherman
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Final result:
185 lbs.: Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Jacob Malkoun
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Final result:
155 lbs.: Alexander Munoz vs. Luis Pena
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Final result:
125 lbs.: Tracy Cortez vs. Justine Kish
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Final result:
265 lbs.: Juan Espino vs. Alexandr Romanov
Round 1: Romanov advancing, Espino circling. Romanov tries a front kick. Head kick attempt. Nice reactive takedown a minute in. Espino works to a knee, then his feet, Back down, back up. Romanov pressing him against the fence. Two minutes in. They separate. Lead left into the clinch. Espino counters with a throw into side control. Two minutes to go.
Espino patiently steps over into mount. Romanov holding onto him, then turns to his knees and stands. Espino drags him down again. Romanov stands and turns to face him. They separate and Espino buzzes him with a right hand before the bell. 10-9 Espino.
Round 2: Body kick from Romanov. Espino punches his way into the clinch and they slug it out. Romanov knocks him back with a right cross and puts him on the fence. Looking for a single-leg, eats a knee, avoids a guillotine to spin him into guard a minute in. Short shots from Romanov. Two minutes in. Now he postures up for some bigger shots. Espino rolls to his knees, eats right hands as he tries to work his way up against the fence. Two minutes to go.
Espino turns to face him, avoids a guillotine to put him on the fence in return. Romanov separates and punches his way into a single-leg attempt. He switches to a double. They separate before the bell. 10-9 Romanov.
Round 3: Espino lands an early right hand and takes Romanov down with a body lock. Back up, back down. Back up again, low blow from Espino. Romanov taking his time to recover, looks like he’s in a lot of pain. He says he can’t straighten his leg and the ref waves it off; I believe that’s a technical decision, and if so, that’s a 10-9 third round for Espino.
Final result: Romanov def. Espino by technical decision
115 lbs.: Lupita Godinez vs. Jessica Penne
Round 1: Some hard punches from Godinez to start, eats a knee in the clinch. Penne lands a a jab and unsuccessfully tries to take the back in the clinch. One minute in. Godinez takes her down, then lets her stand. Godinez body jab, lands punches inside. Penne punches her way into the clinch, gets tripped down. Godinez lets her up again. Two minutes in. Body kick from Penne. Hard lead right. Godinez comes back with one of her own. High-amplitude takedown puts Penne on her back and she lets her up again. Two minutes to go.
Godinez fires a right hand into a head-and-arm throw, only for Penne to take her back. Penne playing backpack. One minute to go. Godinez handfighting. 10-9 Penne.
Round 2: Jabs from Godinez, good combination. She ties up on the fence and Penne tries to jump on her back. Godinez separates. Godinez lands a left hook that Penne turns into a back take a minute in. Both hooks, body triangle. Two minutes in. Godinez manages to turn and face her, then separate. Jab from Godinez. Two minutes to go.
Godinez left hook, Penne jab. Counter 2-1 from Godinez, who dumps Penne to her back and disengages. Combination, counter jabs. One minute to go. Godinez to the body, cracks her with another jab. Penne tries a whizzer throw, ends up on her back. Godinez avoids a leglock attempt. 10-9 Penne.
Round 3: Counter jab from Godinez. Penne puts her on the fence, gets reversed. Whizzer throw attempt. One minute in. They separate. Godinez digs a right to the body, then lefts upstairs. Penne shoots , denied with underhooks. Two minutes in. Penne tries a triangle and gets yeeted to the mat. Stiff jab by Godinez. Right hand. Counter knees catch Penne shooting. Godinez slings her to the mat again. 1-2 from Penne. Two minutes to go.
Penne shoots again. Godinez defends and separates. Penne shoots again, gives up the body lock and gets taken to the fence. Penne tries to jump on a triangle again. Denied. 10-9 Godinez.
Final result: Penne def. Godinez by split decision
185 lbs.: Bartosz Fabinski vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Round 1: 1-2 from Meerschaert to start, straight left on the exit. Fabinski marching forward, gets pressed against the fence. Fabinski reverses, lands a knee to the body, gets reversed in turn. One minute in. Fabinski separates and shoots directly into a guillotine. Meerschaert goes palm-to-palm and out go the lights.
Final result: Meerschaert def. Fabinski by technical submission (guillotine choke)
155 lbs.: Austin Hubbard vs. Dakota Bush
Round 1: Jabs and low kicks from Bush to start. Hubbard lands his own leg kick, absorbs some hard hooks. More low kicks from Bush. Glancing spinning back fist. One minute in. Counter left hook connects, another hard leg kick answers in kind. Good right hand after denying a takedown. Hubbard rips a body shot. Knee from Hubbard, who checks a leg kick and absorbs a 1-2. Two minutes in. Good body kick from Bush. Low kick to left hook to knee from Hubbard. They trade calf kicks. Bush lands a body shot, takes a finger in the eye in the process. They get right back to trading heat when they resume. Two minutes to go.
Stiff jab lands for Hubbard behind a knee. Bush tries a spinning back kick. Check hook. Body kick lands. Hubbard lands a leg kick, avoids a spinning back fist. Bush answers a front kick with right hands. One minute to go. Low kick exchange. Hubbard knocks him back with a teep. Hubbard with a knee to left hook to takedown. 10-9 Bush.
Round 2: Both land early right hands. Bush shoots in, absorbs a knee as he takes Hubbard to the fence. Hubbard gets his leg free and separates a minute in. Left hook connects. Bush overhand, failed trip, side kick connects. Bush tries to catch a leg kick, gets forced to his rear. Hubbard digs a knee to the body, takes a low mount. Half guard now. Elbow to the body. Bush trying to work his way up, gets forced back down and eats right hands. Full guard with two minutes to go.
Short elbows and punches from Hubbard. Bush with some elbows and hammerfists off his back. One minute to go. Bush nearly gets to his feet, ends up mounted against the fence. Hubbard can’t get the americana, takes the back at the bell. 10-9 Hubbard.
Round 3: Snap kick to the body lands for Hubbard. Bush tries a side kick to the face, lands a left hook. Left hook from Hubbard in return. Heavy exchange on the fence and Bush shoots against the fence. He moves to a rear waist lock, tries to take the back and ends up on his back in half guard a minute in. Hubbard quickly works his way back to mount. Hard elbow. Two minutes in. Awkward scramble ensues and Hubbard nearly locks up a triangle. Bush gets out and re-engages, but loses the scramble with two minutes to go.
Hubbard waits out a potential guillotine and takes half guard. Hard elbow. One minute to go. Hubbard staying heavy. Bush tries to bridge, gives up mount. 10-9 Hubbard.
Final result: Hubbard def. Bush by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Anthony Birchak vs. Tony Gravely
Round 1: Birchak answers a body kick with a right hand. Low kick to jab from Gravely and they trade right hands. Birchak lands leg kicks, eats an overhand right, and shoots in. Gravely spins him to the mat and looks for the back a minute in. Birchak manages to use the fence to stand, Gravely still attached. Gravely re-shoots, can’t get it, but drops Birchak with a right cross on the break. Birchak manages a nice scramble to land on top in half guard. Hard elbows. Gravely tries to stand and Birchak commits to an arm-in guillotine, only to lose it. Gravely on top in guard, heavy left hand. Birchak rolls to his knees and Gravely hurts him badly with shots under the armpit. Two minutes tog o.
Gravely continuing to pound, briefly considers an arm triangle. Birchak somehow survives and gets back to his feet, grabbing a kimura grip. Good takedown from Gravely, can’t establish, more punches from turtle after a mat return. Good knee on the way up, gets sprawled on. Birchak with a knee on the break, gets buzzed with a right hand at the bell. 10-8 Gravely.
Round 2: Gravely shoots in behind a right hand, changes levels after eating an elbow. He completes the takedown into half guard against the fence. One minute in. Birchak manages to work his way back to the feet, only to throw a naked low kick and get floored by a counter left hook. One more hammerfist and in comes the ref.
Final result: Gravely def. Birchak by TKO (punches)