UFC Fight Night 39 results: Roy Nelson scores walk-off against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
ABU DHABI – UFC heavyweight Roy Nelson‘s right hand is enough to end anyone’s night, and in the headliner of UFC Fight Night 39, it violently ended Antonio Rogridgo Nogueira‘s.
Nelson was looking for traction in the heavyweight division following two straight losses that halted his march to a title, and knocking out the former PRIDE and UFC interim champ in the first round put him back on the map in a big way.
Nelson sent Nogueira crashing lifeless to the mat at the 3:30 mark of the opening frame, ending the event with a bang.
The heavyweight bout headlined today’s UFC Fight Night 39 main card. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass from du Arena in Abu Dhabi.
“He’s a legend,†Nelson said after the performance. “If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be fighting in MMA. He’s the heavyweight.â€
Nelson then called for a shot at the title despite poor showings in previous outings against Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier.
“You know what, I always want to fight for the belt,†he said. “I don’t really care. Let me just start right there. I’ll work my way backwards.â€
As he repeatedly demonstrated throughout his decade-plus career, Nogueira proved an exceptionally difficult heavyweight to put away despite taking Nelson’s best punch early in the fight. “Big Nog†pressed early, several times landing a straight right hand in the opening moments of the headliner.
But when Nelson got inside, he found an opening, catching the Brazilian legend with a right uppercut that dropped him to the mat. Nogueira recovered, but when he returned to his feet, his gait was unsteady.
Nelson tried to finish off things with a right hand and yet showed a surprising level of patience, which he said was the result of Nogueira’s resilience.
“I was just waiting because he kept on throwing a left hand,†Nelson said. “He has a hard head, and I was like, ‘Oh, God.’ I’ve got to throw the right hand.â€
With two minutes on the clock, however, he again clubbed Nogueira with his trademark overhand right. Nogueira was on rubber legs after managing to return to his feet, but a perfectly timed follow-up from Nelson sent him lifeless to the mat.
Nogueira (34-9-1 MMA, 5-5 UFC) undoubtedly will face pressure to retire with back-to-back losses after a second-round submission defeat to Fabricio Werdum this past June. The former champ has hopscotched between wins and losses since winning the interim UFC heavyweight strap from Tim Sylvia in 2008 and has grappled with multiple injuries.
Nelson (20-9 MMA, 7-5 UFC), who also is 37 but doesn’t wear his years as visibly, gets back to the winner’s circle and makes a good argument for a top-five opponent.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 39 results include:
Roy Nelson def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:37
Clay Guida def. Tatsuya Kawajiri via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ryan LaFlare def. John Howard via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ramsey Nijem def. Beneil Dariush via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:20
Jared Rosholt def. Daniel Omielanczuk via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Thales Leites def. Trevor Smith via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:45
Jim Alers def. Alan Omer via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Johnny Bedford vs. Rani Yahya declared no-contest (accidental head butt) – Round 1, 0:39
