UFC Vegas 96 Results: Bonus Winners and Highlights

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Caio Borralho will be in the UFC’s top five middleweights next week.

He won an impressive unanimous decision over Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC Vegas 96. The scrap was alive. Both fighters had their moments, but Borralho had the most memorable, especially in the fifth round when he nearly stopped Cannonier. A one-two combination rocked Cannonier badly.

Honestly, the fight could have been stopped based on how Cannonier crashed to the canvas. Veteran referee Dan Miragliota allowed it to continue, and Cannonier survived the round with grit and determination.

However, Borralho had clearly done enough to seal the win. After the fight, Borralho was asked for a summons. He may have missed an opportunity as he chose to call on reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis.

As the potential No. 5 ranked fighter, this isn’t a crazy concept. However, considering that Sean Strickland has already been promised his next shot at the title, there’s no point in asking for a title shot. The right call would be Israel Adesanya. The former champions have lost their last two matches but are still ranked third.

If Borralho takes that fight and wins, then he can claim a title shot and have a better chance. As it is, he closed out one of the event’s rewards as he and Cannonier won Fight of the Night for their entertaining brawl.

Here’s a look at all the results from UFC Vegas 96 and highlights of the finishes.

  • Caio Borralho defeats Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision (49-45×2, 48-46)
  • Tabatha Ricci defeats Angela Hill by unanimous decision (29-28×3)
  • Ryan Loder defeats Robert Valentin via TKO at 1:49 of Round 2

After overcoming a difficult first round, Loder recovered to dominate the second, forcing a TKO victory. Loder secured the uppercut with a cross, raining down elbows to force the referee to stop the fight.

Loder is the middleweight winner of Season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Take a look at the ending:

  • Mairon Santos defeats Kaan Ofli by KO at 1:30 of Round 2

Santos looked great in every second of the fight and put the lights out on Ofli with a perfect left hook to become the TUF Season 32 featherweight champion.

Here’s a look at the conclusion:

  • Michael Morales defeats Neil Magny by TKO at 4:39 of Round 1

Morales looks like a legitimate title contender at 170 pounds. He destroyed the tough welterweight by getting the TKO after flattening Magny and hitting non-stop.

Here is the conclusion:

  • Gerald Meerschaert defeats Edmen Shahbazyan by submission at 4:12 of round 2 (arm triangle)

Meerschaert had to dig deep after finding himself in trouble during the first round, but the veteran bounced back, securing the submission victory to give him the most finishes in UFC middleweight history.

Here is the conclusion:

  • Francis Marshall defeats Dennis Buzukja by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Zachary Reese defeats Jose Daniel Medina by unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
  • Viacheslav Borshchev defeats James Llontop by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Jacqueline Cavalcanti defeats Josiane Nunes by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Wang Cong defeats Victoria Leonardo by KO at 1:02 of Round 1

The big and powerful Chinese fighter made waves in her first UFC fight. Cong’s one-hit takedown was the most memorable finish of the evening, but she still didn’t get one of the rewards.

Here’s a look at KO:

UFC Vegas 96 Bonus Winners

FOTN: Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho

POTN: Gerald Meerschaert and Michael Morales

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