Who were the winners at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Shevchenko? Click below to get the results for all the fights at the United Center on Saturday, July 23, 2016.
Holm vs Shevchenko | Barboza vs Melendez | Ngannou vs Mihajlovic | Herrig vs Curran | Saenz vs Wineland | Elkins vs Pepey | Usman vs Yakovlev | Prazeres vs Cottrell | Oliveira vs Moontasri | Alers vs Knight | Henrique vs Smoliakov
UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Shevchenko main card
Main event: Valentina Shevchenko defeats Holly Holm 
In a stunning upset, Valentina Shevchenko overcame a first-round knockdown to take out the former UFC champion Holly Holm by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46). Shevchenko made Holm miss, as “The Preacher’s Daughter” was only able to land 32 percent of her total strikes and 54 significant strikes compared to 82 for Shevchenko. “Bullet” improves to 2-1 in the UFC and after a close fight with Amanda Nunes – a split decision loss – Shevchenko made it known that she wants a rematch with Nunes for the title.
More from Fight Night Chicago: Final results | Postfight bonus recap | Talking Points after Chicago | Shevchenko stuns Holm | Barboza, Ngannou, Herrig claim big wins | Wineland returns to Octagon with TKO win | Oliveira, Knight, Henrique claim victories | Backstage interviews: Valentina Shevchenko, Edson Barboza, Francis Ngannou, Felice Herrig, Eddie Wineland | Octagon interviews: Shevchenko and Holm, Edson Barboza | Watch the UFC FIGHT PASS prelims on-demand | Best images from Fight Night
Co-main: Edson Barboza defeats Gilbert Melendez
Edson Barboza obliterated Gilbert Melendez’s lead left leg to the point he could barely stand on it late in the third round. That barrage was the exclamation point on a unanimous decision win for Barboza, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28. Barboza wins his second straight and the No. 6-ranked lightweight takes another step toward title contention.
They said it:
Edson Barboza: "It was a hard fight. Gilbert is a tough guy. He had some good shots and kicked hard, but was off balance. The strategy for the fight was always on target, but I had overall a better game and I am very happy with it. … I want to get back to training as soon a possible. I will be taking a few days off with my family and then getting back to fighting. I know I need to fix a few things, but overall the result came out as expected. I want to thank all my fans in Brazil."
Gilbert Melendez: “Physically, I’m a bit banged up. My leg took a beating. In the third I was really trying to apply pressure and that left me open to that leg kick. It made it hard to pressure him because my leg got chopped in the third. But I had a hell of a good time. It was fun being out there again and against such a good guy. I just couldn’t close the distance as well as I wanted to. … It’s a tough situation now. I love to fight, but obviously I’m far from the title. I’m fighting for respect nowadays and I feel like I still get that respect."
Francis Ngannou defeats Bojan Mihajlovic
It didn’t last long - as Francis Ngannou fights are quickly becoming known for. “The Predetor” laid waste to his latest victim in just 1:34 of the first round, finishing Bojan Mihajlovic by TKO. Ngannou landed a combo on the feet that dropped Bojan, and then he pounced and landed a few bombs before referee Herb Dean was forced to jump in to stop it. That’s three straight knockout victories for Ngannou to start his UFC career, tying him for the second longest active streak behind Mairbek Taisumov (4).
They said it:
Francis Ngannou: “This is just one part of my fighting career and I'm moving on to the next stage. I've been training hard and been focused. He was a good opponent and I felt confident that I was showing up with the right training. I want to keep growing and am excited for the next step.”
Bojan Mihajlovic: “I think the stoppage was early. I know I can show much more.”
Felice Herrig defeats Kailin Curran
Felice Herrig pulled off the second-fastest submission finish in UFC strawweight history, locking in a rear naked choke at 1:59 of the first round against Kailin Curran. The two 115-pounders exchanged hands early in the round and Curran got caught out of position as she charged in looking for a striking combo. Herrig got her to the mat and the rest was academic as she took Curran’s back and finished the fight.
They said it:
Felice Herrig: "I have suffered with a lot of anxiety lately. I had acupuncture during fight week to calm me down. Everything was about just being relaxed. I was scared about how I would be able to fight at the best of my abilities feeling this anxious. I will for sure continue fighting. I thought if I couldn't get my nerves under control that maybe it wasn't for me, but today I won. … People say you have the pressure of fighting in your hometown and I definitely had a little of that, but at the end of the day I fed off the Chicago energy and it was great."
Kailin Curran: “It’s unfortunate how things played out because I felt I had this one in the bag. It happens. Congratulations to Felice. She got a win in her hometown.”
UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Shevchenko FOX prelims
Eddie Wineland defeats Frankie Saenz
After a year away from the Octagon, bantamweight veteran Eddie Wineland returned in a big way in Chicago, finishing Frankie Saenz by TKO at 1:54 of the third round. Wineland earned his sixth knockout which is the most in the history of the UFC/WEC 135-pound division. Wineland was getting out-struck going into the third and final round, but the savvy veteran was simply waiting for his opening and when he found it he finished the fight.
They said it:
Eddie Wineland: “This victory is awesome. He is a tough striker that wasn't ready to go down yet, but I capitalized on that in the third round. The division has always respected my power, but you have to chance it and go for the win. My wife, little boy and family are all in the stands today and I hope they are proud. I am going to now enjoy some much needed family time and see what comes next.”
Frankie Saenz: “I have a lot of respect for Eddie. As for the fight, I felt it would have come down to a pretty close decision. I felt good, but I just got caught. That’s the name of the game. You’ve got to stay aware and keep your hands up, but I failed to do that.”
Darren Elkins defeats Godofredo Pepey
Darren Elkins got cracked a few times in the opening round but “The Damage” kept coming and took out Godofredo Pepey with his wrestling and a steady pace of significant strikes. Elkins took the unanimous decision win (29-27, 29-27, 30-26). Elkins out-struck Pepey, 144-63 and 85-24 (sign. Strikes) and the Team Alpha Male product landed all five of his takedown attempts.
They said it:
Darren Elkins: “He came out exactly like I thought he would — strong and a little wild. He landed a couple good strikes early. He hit me with a spinning kick that rocked me a bit, but I recovered fast. I got my bearings and started chipping away. Overall I thought it was a pretty good fight. I could have fought better than that, but I’ll take the victory and go back to the drawing board. … I want a top 10 guy next."
Kamaru Usman defeats Alexander Yakovlev
Ultimate Fighter season 22 winner Kasmaru Usman made easy work of Alexander Yakovlev, grinding his way to a unanimous decision win (30-25, 30-25, 30-25). Usman landed four takedowns and controlled Yakovlev for 13:04 of the 15-minute fight. Usman improves to 8-1 overall and 3-0 in the UFC.
They said it:
Kamaru Usman: "This victory means a lot to me, as he is a top-level guy that has beaten talented fighters and fought Demian Maia. He showed he is very tough and can hang on. Hopefully this proves that I'm ready for next-level competition. I need to rest up for now, but want to fight two more times before the end of the year."
Michel Prazeres defeats JC Cottrell
In a grapping clinic, Michael Prazeres landed seven takedowns en route to a dominant unanimous decision win against J.C. Cottrell (30-26, 30-27, 30-27). Cottrell had a difficult time staying on his feet and off his back and landed almost no offense. That’s four UFC wins now for Prazeres.
They said it:
Michel Prazeres: "This victory means everything to me. I feel it was a great performance. It was a good win for me. He had nothing to lose as was making his debut and that's why I had to be more cautious. The people in my area train a lot of jiu jitsu and wrestling and I feel that's a beautiful combination. … I want to go back and fight in the next Brazilian event. I have fought away now for my last three fights, I feel it's time to go back to my fans."
JC Cottrell: “He’s a tough guy and I took the fight on short notice. I just want a full camp and another fight.”
UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Shevchenko FIGHT PASS prelims
Replay the FIGHT PASS prelims on demand
(Don’t have FIGHT PASS? Start your free trial now!)
Alex Oliveira defeats James Moontasri
Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira landed the only takedown of the fight and out-struck James Moontasri, 164-33 and 68-14 in significant strikes to cruise to a one-sided unanimous decision win (30-26, 30-26, 30-25).
They said it:
Alex Oliveira: “I am very happy about this win as I came from a loss. The strategy was to grab him and finish him. He was a very strong guy and I was listening to everything my coaches were telling me. Now I want to go down a weight class and fight someone that is ranked.”
James Moontasri: “He had a good game plan. I feel that standing up I had the upper hand, but he had a good game plan.”
Jason Knight defeats Jim Alers
Jason Knight collected his first UFC win by split decision against Jim Alers (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) in an early Fight of the Night candidate. It was a curious split only because Knight controlled the fight and brought the fight to Alers for all 15 minutes. Knight out-landed Alers in significant strikes, 73-37, but Alers did land four takedowns versus only a pair for Knight.
They said it:
Jason Knight: “I have been waiting a long time for this moment. The feeling I have right now is great. I would like to thank all my family and friends.”
Jim Alers: “I thought I did enough to win the fight. I just felt it should have went my way. I don’t know what else to say.”
Luis Henrique defeats Dmitrii Smoliakov 
Luis Henrique overwhelmed Dmitrii Smoliakov in his UFC debut, grinding out a submission victory at 3:58 of the second round with a rear naked choke. Henrique landed some vicious ground and pound in the first round and busted up the face of the big Russian before taking the win in the second.
They said it:
Luis Henrique: “I am very happy with this victory and feel this is just the beginning. I trained hard and would like to thank my camp and everyone that helped me prepare for this fight. Now I get to relax with family and then get back to training hard in the gym for my next fight.”
Dmitry Smoliakov: “I have respect for all my opponents. The same goes for Luis. He is a good fighter. Everybody here is strong. … I didn’t listen to my coaches enough. I spent a lot of time boxing and completely left my wrestling skills. I thought he would spend more time boxing because he knows I’m a wrestler. I tried to gain more experience in boxing, but he competed more as a wrestler. It was a different world in the Octagon. I took a lot from this fight and next time I will be better."
