UFC 244's main event was supported by an insane undercard Saturday night in New York City.
After falling off a cliff at welterweight, #9 Darren Till made the move up to middleweight, taking on a fellow former 170-pounder in #4 Kelvin Gastelum. Till emerged victorious via unanimous decision, and subsequently called out all his detractors after the fight.
Hoping to stay relevant at 170 pounds, #8 Stephen Thompson welcomed emerging star #14 Vicente Luque. "Wonderboy" Thompson did much more than that, and turned back the clock in one of his most impressive, dominant performances ever. Thompson utilized excellent footwork and technical striking en route to a unanimous decision victory.
#5 Derrick Lewis was back in action against a former WSOF World Champion in #8 Blagoy Ivanov. The fight was an exciting affair, balancing Ivanov's grappling and takedown prowess to Lewis' heart and fists. Lewis edged out a split decision, and called out Donald Trump -- in attendance -- to turn things around in 2020. He also said he tried to hit Ivanov "in that bootyhole thing on his chest," which is actually a stab wound.
#10 Kevin Lee returned to lightweight after a brief attempt at 170 pounds, and took on the surging #11 Gregor Gillespie. Lee destroyed Gillespie with a head kick after a very un-Kevin Lee like performance and bit of patience. Lee said that he's moved to a new team and took Gregor seriously, and fought with his back against the wall.
You can see our full, live coverage of UFC 244 at this link, and make sure to check out our post-show podcast.
