Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to pay-per-view (PPV) TONIGHT (Sat., Aug. 20, 2016) with its most anticipated rematch in a very long time when Featherweight champion, Conor McGregor, once again packs on 25 pounds to rematch Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 202 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Diaz won their first encounter more than five months ago via second round submission after McGregor gave him everything he could handle in the opening frame. "Notorious" has vowed to correct his mistakes, improve his cardio and exact sweet revenge on Diaz at some point during their five-round, non-title match.
That's not all.
Top-ranked Light Heavyweight contenders Anthony Johnson (No. 1) and Glover Teixeira (No. 2) will lock horns in the co-main event to earn the next crack at Daniel Cormier's 205-pound belt, while Donald Cerrone looks to keep his Welterweight record perfect at the expense of the wrestling-minded Rick Story.
All that and much, much more.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 202 fight card below, starting with the Fight Pass "Prelims" matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, and then the remaining undercard balance on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.
Many of our readers check-in before, during and after the televised fisticuffs to share their thoughts on all the exciting action. Therefore, feel free to leave a comment (or 202) before you split and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show -- it always turns out to be a great discussion.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps and post-fight analysis after "McGregor vs. Diaz 2."
Without further delay, see below for the latest UFC 202 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC 202 QUICK RESULTS:
170 lbs.: Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor -- McGregor def. Diaz by majority decision (48-47, 47-47, 48-47)
205 lbs.: Anthony Johnson vs. Glover Teixeira -- Johnson def. Teixeira by KO (punches) at 0:13 of Round One
170 lbs.: Donald Cerrone vs. Rick Story -- Cerrone def. Story by TKO (strikes) at 2:02 of Round Two
170 lbs.: Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Mike Perry -- Perry def. Lim by TKO (punches) at 3:38 of Round One
170 lbs.: Tim Means vs. Sabah Homasi -- Means def. Homasi by TKO (punches)at 2:56 of Round Two
135 lbs.: Cody Garbrandt vs. Takeya Mizugaki -- Garbrandt def. Mizugaki by KO (punches) at 0:48 of Round One
135 lbs.: Raquel Pennington vs. Elizabeth Phillips -- Pennington def. Phillips by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
145 lbs.: Chris Avila vs. Artem Lobov -- Lobov def. Avila by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
135 lbs.: Randa Markos vs. Cortney Casey -- Casey def. Markos by submission (armbar) at 4:34 of Round One
170 lbs.: Neil Magny vs. Lorenz Larkin -- Larkin def. Magny by TKO (elbows) at 4:08 of Round One
170 lbs.: Colby Covington vs. Max Griffin -- Covington def. Griffin by TKO (punches) at 2:18 of Round Three
185 lbs.: Alberto Uda vs. Marvin Vettori -- Vettori def. Uda by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:30 of Round One
UFC 202 PLAY-BY-PLAY UPDATES:
Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor
Round one: McGregor opens with low kicks. Diaz tries a high kick, eats another low kick. Again. Another low kick by McGregor, Diaz lands a hook in response. More leg kicks by McGregor. One minute in. Diaz checks the next kick, lands a body kick in response. Low-high combo from McGregor, then another heavy low kick. Straight left drops Diaz. McGregor waves him up. Two minutes in. Right hook lands for Diaz. McGregor to the body, eats a 1-2. Another leg kick from McGregor, then a pair of left hands upstairs. Another low kick. Diaz right hook met by a straight left. Two minutes to go.
Another heavy left hand by McGregor. Leg kick again. Low-high punching combination. Another leg kick. Counter left lands. One minute to go. Another left hits home for McGregor and another buckling low kick afterwards. Diaz just misses with a long left. 3-2 by McGregor. Combination at the bell. 10-9 McGregor.
Round two: Diaz checks the first low kick. Right hook lands after he eats a low kick. BIG left hand drops Diaz again. McGregor waves him up once again. Counter left from McGregor and he drops him yet again. Diaz scoots after him, McGregor waves him up. One minute in. Another leg kick by McGregor. McGregor in total control thus far and he boots the leg once again. Two minutes in. Body shot by McGregor. Right hook upstairs and a leg kick behind it. Another counter left from McGregor. Another counter left by McGregor. Two minutes to go.
Again. Check hook by Diaz. Still no takedown attempts. Leg kicks from McGregor. Diaz marching after him. Good right hook by Diaz. Combination lands to the head. Diaz taunting, lands an uppercut inside. McGregor to the body and leg. Left hand wobles McGregor and Diaz opens up. One minute to go. Diaz ties up on the fence and opens up with some heavy blows inside. McGregor trying to fight him off with knees. Diaz with a knee upstairs. Right hook. Diaz rips to the body. He's seizing control of this fight. Still, 10-9 McGregor.
Round three: Diaz resumes his forward march. Diaz checks a low kick and they trade. McGregor to the body. Diaz pops him with a right hook as he circles off. 1-2 by Diaz and they tie up. McGregor reverses position on the fence. One minute in. Diaz reverses in turn. McGregor separates and blasts Diaz with a 2-3. Low kick soon after and another counter left. McGregor digs a right downstairs. Two minutes in. Diaz waving him on, eats a spinning back kick and ties up. Dirty boxing by Diaz. He changes levels, McGregor denies it. McGregor cracks him with an elbow and reverses position. Two minutes to go.
Diaz reverses in turn. Body shot on the exit. Diaz tauntin gMcGregor for retreating. McGregor low kicks. Right hook. Diaz shrugging off everything Conor can dish out. Swatting right hook and a combination answers a low kick. McGregor cannot stop this man. Diaz to the body inside. Two minutes in. 1-2 by Diaz. Again. They tie up and Daiz goes to work with shrot punches. Vicious shots by Diaz. Relentless. Diaz is beating the shit out of Conor McGregor. Vicious right to the body and a knee up top. Diaz does not stop. 10-8 Diaz.
Round four: Diaz with a right hook. McGregor still landing, he just can't budge Nate. Low kick lands for McGregor. Diaz bleeding from below his right eye. McGregor landing well in the first minute. Teeps to the body. One minute in. McGregor low kick stings Diaz. Body shots land. McGregor with a combination, heavy elbows. Diaz clinches up and takes him to the fence. Two minutes in. McGregor denies the level change. Good knees by Diaz. Body punches. More dirty boxing by Diaz. They trade big elbows. Two minutes to go.
McGregor reverses position and separates with a hard punching combination. Diaz lands a combination in response. Both land heavy shots in the center. McGregor rips to the body. One minute to go. Good left by McGregor as he pivots off. 2-1 counter. Another left cracks Diaz. Another. Diaz fires a combination and slips before the bell. 10-9 McGregor.
Round five: Low kick from McGregor, right hook soon after. Diaz moseying after McGregor. Hard counters by McGregor. Knee by McGregor and they tie up. Diaz grabs double underhooks. McGregor reverses position, avoids a throw, and separates. One minute in. McGregor low kick. They clinch once more. Diaz changes levels, McGregor fights it off. Dirty boxing from Diaz, nice right hook. Two minutes in. Diaz flips McGregor off as he circles away. Combination from McGregor. Diaz clubs him with a right hook and knee to the head. Body shots against the cage. Heavy shots by Diaz on the fence. Two minutes to go.
Diaz with a knee to the body and tries to change levels again. Nothing. Diaz continues to control in the clinch. McGregor reverses position and hits a brief takedown. Nice elbow, but Diaz pops back up and presses him against teh cage. More short shots by Diaz. Takedown by Diaz in the waning seconds and McGregor locks up his guard. 10-9 Diaz.
Final result: McGregor def. Diaz by majority decision
-end-
Anthony Johnson vs. Glover Teixeira
Round one: Within seconds, Johnson crushes Teixeira with a right uppercut and polishes him off with hammerfists. Teixeira is so far out of it that he's trying to wrestle the referee. Damn.
Final result: Johnson def. Teixeira by KO (punches)
-end-
Donald Cerrone vs. Rick Story
Round one: Story looking aggressive early. Low kick by Cerrone and he hits a nice takedown. Half butterfly guard for Story. Half guard now. Story sweeps his way to the feet and presses him against the fence. One minute in. Story hits an outside trip and Cerrone immediately looks for an omoplata. Ht transitions to a triangle, but Story gets his head out and moves to side control. Two minutes in. Cerrone rolls to his knees. Right hands from Story in the turtle position. Cerrone manages to scramble up to his feet. Two mintues to go.
Low kick from Story, knee from Cerrone and a front kick behind it. Cerrone low kick, Story answers in kind. Another leg kick from Cerrone. One minute to go. Another knee from Cerrone and he rushes. Good body kick. Good punching combination. Story looks for a single-leg, can't get it. Counter left from Story 10-9 Cerrone.
Round two: Story slings a left, avoids a right cross. Cerrone fires a knee and they trade punches inside. Intercepting knee from Cerrone, punching combination lands. Story ducks a combo but can't get the single-leg. Low kick from Cerrone and a pair of heavy right crosses inside. One minute in. Cerrone controlling range thus far. Low kicks from Cerrone. Another knee by Cerrone. Right hand connects, leg kick soon after. Brutal combination, capped off by a head kick that rocks Story. Cerrone pours it on and a knee sends Story to the canvas. A few more punches and Cerrone is the first man to knock out Rick Story.
Final result: Cerrone def. Story by TKO (strikes)
-end-
Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Mike Perry
Round one: Lim the larger man by a fair margin. Perry slings a right, falls short. Low kick lands, Lim comes back with a straight right. Perry low kick. Perry slips, lands a leg kick after getting up. One minute in. Body kick and low kick from Perry, Lim catches it this time. 1-2 from Lim. HUGE right hand drops Lim; caught him right as he threw. Perry takes half guard, moves into the crucifix when Lim tries to bridge. Perry landing punches. Lim makes it to his knees and then to his feet. Left hook by Lim. 1-2 from Lim afterwards but he gets flattened with another right hand. Lim rolling ,trying to survive. Two minutes to go.
Perry standing over him and dropping punches. Perry takes side control and Lim works his way to his feet, only to get dropped a third time by a left hook. Lim goes down face-first and John McCarthy waves it off.
Final result: Perry def. Lim by TKO (punches)
-end-
Tim Means vs. Sabah Homasi
Round one: Counter left from Means off a body kick. Homasi circling away, moves in with a right hand. Means cracks him with a straight left. Homasi leg kicks. Straight right lands, Means comes back with a straight left. Brutal combo by Means and Homasi hits a very low single. One minute in. Means works his way back up thirty seconds later and lands a left hand. Means stalking forward. He grabs the bodylock and presses Homasi against the fence. Two minutes in. Homasi wings some shots inside. Lead hook lands, then a hard combination. Multiple left hands connect. Means walks through them and lands a knee. Snap kick to the body. Homasi shoots and brings him down on the fence, two minutes to go.
Means again works his way up and nearly gets kicked in the head. Hard elbows by Means inside, Homasi roars back with a right hand. Homasi's cut badly over his left eye. Sneaky left by Means, Homasi comes back with a right hand. One minute to go. Elbows by Means inside. Homasi falls well short with a wheel kick. Means fires a combo, tries a spinning elbow as Homasi throws heat. Another sharp Elbow by Means. Means continues to punish him near the fence. 10-9 Means.
Round two: Means lands a body kick, eats a 3-2. Homasi is landing some hard shots, but Means is eating them all. Punching combo by Means. Body knee and elbows upstairs. 3-2 by Means. One minute in. Another front kick to the body. Homasi tries a head kick, nearly eats one in return. Means drills him with a left downstairs and elbows up top. Means marching forward. Brutal left to the body and a flurry of knees and elbows upstairs. Two minutes in. More body shots. Cuffing right hooks and a left cross behind them. Straight left by Means. Homasi's face is a wreck and he eats another combination. Means just stalking him, uncorks a series of punches and Herb Dean has seen enough.
Final result: Means def. Homasi by TKO (punches)
-end-
UFC 202 FOX SPORTS 1 "PRELIMS" UNDERCARD:
Cody Garbrandt vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Round one: Garbrandt on the front foot early. Low kick lands for him and both men swing. Right hand by Garbrandt, left by Mizugaki and a low kick. Garbrandt tries a sweeping low kick, eats a right hand. Crazy flurry. BIG right hand drops Mizugaki and another puts him out. The ref, for reasons unknown, lets Mizugaki continue eating punches until the next time he goes out.
Final result: Garbrandt def. Mizugaki by KO (punches)
-end-
Raquel Pennington vs. Elizabeth Phillips
Round one: Low kick from Phillips to start. Pennington stalking forward. Body kick attempt. One minute in. Good low kick from Phillips. Phillips puts her on the fence. Two minutes in. Pennington reverses position, Phillips reverses in turn. Pennington with knees to the body, eats an elbow as they move along the fence. Two minutes to go.
They separate thirty seconds later. Pennington on the advance. One minute to go. Pennington lands a knee to the body and puts her on the fence. Phillips blatantly grabs the fence, but gets taken down anyway. Phillips works her way back to her feet and slaps on a guillotine. Pennington slips her head out and tries to flurry. 10-9 Pennington.
Round two: Pennington tags her with a right hand. She puts Phillips on the fence. Phillips reverses position, eating a knee along the way. She ducks down for a single-leg and Pennington looks for a guillotine. One minute in. Phillips gets her down, Pennington still squeezing in an unfavorable angle. Phillips moves to side control and gets her head out. Pennington scrambles up, still grappled, and turns to face her. Phillips again ducks down for a takedown. Pennington still looking for the guillotine, manages to reverse position. Knee by Phillips. Two minutes to go.
Phillips still driving. Pennington sprawls on it, looking for elbows. One minute to go. Pennington moves to the rear waistlock and hits a suplex into side control. She ends the round dropping shots. 10-9 Pennington.
Round three: Low kick from Pennington. Jabs from Pennington, hard 1-2 and she ties up on the fence. She ducks down and completes a takedown, one minute in. Pennington moves to mount, then looks for the back. She steadily works her hooks in. Two minutes in. Pennington working for the choke while Phillips hand fights. Pennington takes mount and locks up an arm triangle, only to get rolled into guard. Two minutes to go.
Phillips staying heavy in Pennington's guard. One minute to go. Pennington gets to a knee and Phillips looks to put in a hook. Rear waistlock now. 10-9 Pennington.
Final result: Pennington def. Phillips by unanimous decision
-end-
Chris Avila vs. Artem Lobov
Round one: Quick clinch on the fence. Lobov to the body. Straight left lands for him, then a pair of low kicks. Left hand just misses. One minute in. Body kick from Lobov as Avila circles along the fence. They clinch, then separate. Another clinch, another separation. Left hand by Lobov as Avila ducks. Low kick lands. Two minutes in. Avila tries to change levels, nothing there. Leg kicks from Lobov. Again; Avila appears to share is mentors' disdain for checking kicks. Overhand left from Lobov, straight left soon after. More leg kicks. Two minutes to go.
Hard straight left from Lobov. Counter left this time. Avila not offering much, eats another low kick. Another overhand left hits home, then another leg kick behind it. One minute to go. Side kick by Lobov. Avila clinches up. Lobov gets the plum, then separates. Hard body kick and a looping left. Avila lands some short right hands in the clinch. 10-9 Lobov.
Round two: Lobov goes right back to the low kicks. Avila starting to feel them, still doing little to check them. Counters from Lobov off an Avila overhand right. Clinch. Lobov reverses position on the cage. They separate, one minute in. Lobov with a left downstairs and Avila again clinches. Lobov exits and cracks him with another left hand. 1-2 lands for Avila. Low kick from him, Lobov answers in kind. Two minutes in. Avila jabs the body, checks a leg kick. Brief clinch. Avila lands a right hand and ties up for a second. Avila again with the right hand into the clinch. Two minutes to go.
Lobov stuffs a shot, lands a hard leg kick. Lobov fully in control. Another leg kick and Avila's wearing these. Counter right lands for Avila, Lobov answers with a leg kick. One minute to go. Lobov waving him on, lands a left hand. Avila ties up and lands a slapping hook, then a body shot. Lobov with another leg kick and a takedown attempt before the bell. 10-9 Lobov.
Round three: Counter left hook from Lobov, then another cracking low kick. Counter right by Avila, who eats another low kick. He's really struggling to move at this point. Another low kick. Avila steps into the clinch a minute in. Left hand by Lobov on the exit. Another brief clinch. Avila checks a low kick, eats a body shot. Clash of heads opens a cut in the middle of Lobov's forehead; doesn't look bad. Two minutes in. Avila with a right downstairs. Another low kick by Lobov. Lead left hand. High kick attempt by Avila. Two minutes to go.
Lobov looks for a knee. Left hand from Lobov. Lobov slips on a kick and Avila takes top position. Lobov looks for a leg, uses it to stand. One minute to go. Body kick from Lobov, low kick checked. Left hand connects. Lead right lands for Avila. Lobov tries a wheel kick before the bell. 10-9 Lobov.
Final result: Lobov def. Avila by unanimous decision
-end-
Randa Markos vs. Cortney Casey
Round one: Low kick from Casey. Right hand as they trade. Low kick once again. One minute in. They trade at close range and Markos shoots. Casey sprawls on it, lands a good elbow as they stand, but falls victim to a head-and-arm throw. Casey looking to take the back as Markos thumps her with left hands. Two minutes in. Casey has a hook in, but can't take the back with her head caught. Two minutes to go.
Casey manages to get her head free and takes the back, immediately unleashing punches and elbows. Brutal elbows as Markos turns to face her. Markos struggling to stand. Ground-and-pound from something approximating half guard. One minute to go. Casey looks for and arm and surrenders top position. She immediately tosses up an armbar, switches to a triangle, then goes back to the armbar for the tapout.
Final result: Casey def. Markos by submission (armbar)
-end-
UFC 202 FIGHT PASS "PRELIMS" UNDERCARD:
Neil Magny vs. Lorenz Larkin
Round one: Low kick from Larkin. Lead right upstairs, then a hard teep. Magny ties up, eats a knee, lands a right on the exit. One minute in. Another hard teep knocks Magny on his rear. He gets up, eats a low kick, and gets blasted with a straight right and uppercut. Hard elbow inside by Larkin. Again as they separate. Low kick by Larkin, uppercut as Magny shoots. Magny pulls guard, Larkin doesn't bite. Two minutes in. Heavy kicks to the calves and Magny is unsteady on his feet. Teep to the face. Low kick, 3-2. Larkin easily turns aside a takedown attempt. Magny stumbling, gets kicked in the calf again. Huge welt on there. Two minutes to go.
They tie up. More low kicks. Magny can barely stand, He ties up and pulls guard. Larkin simply stands. Larkin's shin bleeding quite a bit from the damage he's doing. Magny fires a desperate shot and Larkin crushes him with elbows until he goes limp.
Final result: Larkin def. Magny by TKO (elbows)
-end-
Colby Covington vs. Max Griffin
Round one: Covington flicks out a high kick, eats a counter right while throwing body kicks. Right by Griffin, counters from Covington and he tries to change levels. Covington muscles in, shoved aside. Single-leg this time and he brings Griffin down. Side control, one minute in. Griffin bridges and nearly gives up mount, but manages to catch him in half guard. Full guard now and Griffin turns for a Kimura. Covington moves to side control, but is forced to roll and scrambles up. Two minutes in. Covington again changes levels and Griffin again looks for the Kimura. Covington gets his arm out and wrenches Griffin to the ground, immediately taking mount. Two minutes to go.
Griffin regains half guard. Short ground-and-pound by Covington, who retakes side control. Griffin working hard to try to get his guard back, manages to do so with under a minute to go. Covington just takes side control again and lands elbows. Griffin bleeding from what looks like beneath his left eye. Covington takes mount, drops an elbow, and tries an arm-triangle before the bell. 10-9 Covington.
Round two: Covington looking to kick early, eats a pair of right hands. Griffin sprawls on a shot but gets rattled wiith punches, leading to another takedown into side control. Griffin giving up his back, eating punches. One minute in. Covington just manhandling him, drilling him with blows and dragging him along the cage. Two minutes in. Mount for Covington and he splits Griffin open once again with an elbow. Griffin bridges and gets to his knee, but Covington stays attached and drags him back to his knees. Two minutes to go.
All Covington so far. Griffin taking a lot of punches. Griffin stands, dragged back down. I mean "drag" literally, by the way. One minute to go. Covington continuing to punish his man. Covington lets him up, landing punches. Griffin storms after him before the bell. 10-8 Covington.
Round three: Griffin stuffs the first takedown and lands some right hands. Covington blastss through a leg kick and takes him down once again. Griffin struggling to stay on his knees. One minute in. Yet more punches by Covington, looking for the back. More left hands pile up. Two minutes in. Griffin just has no answers and the referee steps in.
Final result: Covington def. Griffin by TKO (punches)
-end-
Alberto Uda vs. Marvin Vettori
Round one: Vettori fires a high kick, then lands a left hand. Body kick from Uda. Vettori lands a left and grabs a bodylock. Short elbow by the Italian and Uda reverses position, hitting an outside trip. One minute in. Vettori turns into him and completes a single-leg into guard. Uda with the body triangle, lands a short elbow. Referee wants more work. Vettori trying to land short punches. Two minutes to go.
Uda still holding the body triangle. He's split Vettori open with an elbow from his back. Uda loses the triangle and Vettori stands over him, dropping shots. One minute to go. Uda looks for an armbar, eats a right hand. Uda rolls to his knees and Vettori slaps on an arm-in guillotine. It's a great squeeze and Uda soon taps.
Final result: Vettori def. Uda by submission (guillotine choke)
-end-