UFC 196 final results: All the winners and news

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Mar. 6, 2016

Order the UFC 196 replay and re-live it all

Who were the winners at UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz? Click below to get the results for all the fights at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, March 5, 2016.

McGregor vs Diaz | Holm vs Tate | Villante vs Latifi | Anderson vs Lawlor | Nunes vs Shevchenko | Thatch vs Bahadurzada | Silva vs Taleb | Miranda vs Guimaraes | Elkins vs Skelly | Sanchez vs Miller | Saggo vs Salas | Erosa vs Ishihara
UFC 196 main card
Nate Diaz defeats Conor McGregor
Nate Diaz shocked the world and survived Conor McGregor's biggest shots and submitted the featherweight champion by rear naked choke at 4:12 of the second round. Diaz may have eaten the bigger shots in round one but he went punch for punch. In the second McGregor came on even stronger, but Diaz kept hanging in and taking the shots and eventually McGregor tired and Diaz took advantage. It was a one-two combo that rocked McGregor and that was the beginning of the end for the champ.

They said it:
Nate Diaz: “I’m always in good shape, I peak as I go. I thought I landed with some good punches that got him off. I started off slow but I’m faster than anyone later on. My jiu-jitsu is always there for me.”
Conor McGregor: “I thought I took him the first round. I’m humble in victory or defeat. I took a chance to move up in weight and it didn’t work.”

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Miesha Tate defeats Holly Holm for the women’s bantamweight championship
Holly Holm looked to be on her way to a decision win after a close call in the second round when challenger Miesha Tate had a tight rear naked choke locked in, but Holm survived. Holly couldn't survive in the fifth when Tate locked in another tight choke that turned the lights off on the now former champ Holm. Tate records the fourth-latest submission win in UFC history with the rear naked choke at 3:30 of the fifth and final round.

They said it:
Miesha Tate: “I’m so excited, I’m so emotional. I can’t describe it. I’m freaking out inside. I knew I had to play it cool with her because she’s so good. She’s so calculated with what she does. I definitely think she won the first few of those rounds. I knew once I got it to the ground I was going to find openings.”
Holly Holm: “It wasn’t the right move to shake her off my back, it was stupid and I should of fought it off more. When you are up against a wrestler like that of course that threat is there for a takedown and you have to recognize it.”

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Ilir Latifi defeats Gian Villante
Latifi runs away with a 30-27 on all scorecards for the unanimous decision win. Latifi improves to 5-2 in the UFC.

They said it:
Ilir Latifi: “I knew Gian was a tough fighter and I was prepared for a tough fight. I wanted to show the fans that I can go for three rounds. It’s a great experience to go three rounds so I can get the pace down. I’m coming for the belt, whoever is in my way, I am coming. I would like to fight Ryan Bader or anyone else in the top-five.”
Gian Villante: “I never felt in danger when he hit me with those strikes early on. He is very strong. I thought my kicks would do more but he caught them and I needed to set them up.”

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Corey Anderson defeats Tom Lawlor
Corey Anderson gets a clean sweep on two judges' scorecards and captures the unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). Anderson got rocked in the opening minute but from that point on he used his five-inch reach advantage to keep Lawlor at his range and ended up outstriking the UFC veteran.

They said it:
Corey Anderson: “It was a good fight, it was a battle and I enjoyed it because I knew it would be a tough fight with Tom. Early on I was backing up and I got lazy and when I got lazy he caught me. It was a great match-up for me and I contacted Tom on Twitter to make this fight happen. I just want to keep moving up the ladder and sometimes this game isn’t about beating ranked opponents but instead it’s about building yourself.”

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Amanda Nunes defeats Valentina Shevchenko
Amanda Nunes almost finished Valentina Shevchenko in the second round, but the dominant round was enough to secure a unanimous decision win (29-28, 29-27, 29-27). Nunes got a takedown early in the second round and then went to work, unleashing brutal ground and pound with huge elbows. Then nunes took the back and almost finished by submission. but Shevchenko is a warrior and made it to the end of the fight, even coming on late and almost finding a way to win.

They said it:
Amanda Nunes: “I think the third round I got tired a bit, but I did a lot of work in all three rounds. I think my cardio might have lacked a bit because I have never been three rounds before. I am ready to get my title shot, I’ve fought top-five opponents for a while now, but now it’s my time. Every day I am bringing in new training and technique and I am very proud of myself for what I am accomplishing.”

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UFC 196 FS1 prelims
Siyar Bahadurzada defeats Brandon Thatch
Siyar Bahadurzada slugged with Brandon Thatch when he needed to and took the fight to the mat, where he was obviously the better fighter, to take out Thatch by submission at 4:11 of round 3. Bahadurzada picks up his second UFC win and breaks a two-fight losing streak. Some staggering numbers in this one as Bahadurzada out-struck Thatch with 84 significant strikes to only 34. This is his first submission win since 2007.

They said it:
Siyar Bahadurzada: “When I came to Greg Jackson’s gym he told me to become a complete mixed martial artist you have to learn the takedown along with other styles. It wasn’t that Brandon’s striking was superior, it was just that I saw openings to take him down and submit him. I didn’t feel any pressure and I wanted to have fun because I’ve been through a lot in the last two years. I believe I am the most powerful striker in the welterweight division and if there is someone who says otherwise, I’d like to fight them.”

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Nordine Taleb defeats Erick Silva
Nordine Taleb landed a straight right to the forehead of Erick Silva, sending him flying down to the mat and ending the fight by KO at 1:34 of the second round. Taleb has now won 4 of his last 5 UFC fights, and the KO over Silva is a serious feather in his cap. Even before the big punch landed, Taleb was winning the fight with his quickness and versatile striking attack. He out-struck Silva 28-11 in significant strikes and landed the only takedown of the night.

They said it:
Nordine Taleb: “Erick did the kick repetitively, I saw it three or four times and you can’t throw a shot like that without setting it up against me. This was my best camp ever, I brought it a striking coach from France, who is one of the top striking coaches in the country. I want to continue climbing the ladder, my goal is to be in the top-10 in 2016 or early 2017. I want a good fight, I was put to the test tonight and I want another. I’m moving forward, not backward.”

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Vitor Miranda defeats Marcelo Guimaraes
Vitor Miranda landed a serious of vicious elbows on the fence and then broke free and landed the final combination to finish starting with a perfect right head kick. Miranda wins by TKO at 1:09 of the second round.

They said it:
Vitor Miranda: “Training hard is the secret, well there really isn’t a secret. It’s just a matter of hard work, eating clean and supporting my family. When you do that, this is the result. I’m honored to hear that I’m second for the UFC’s longest active knockout streak (McGregor – 5, Miranda – 3), I’m going to keep working hard until I am first on that list. I’d like to fight as soon as possible, I’d love to be on that Curitiba card in May. It is very close to my hometown and I get the chills just thinking about all of my supporters who could attend. Then, next on my list is getting into the top-15 in the division.”
Marcelo Guimaraes: “It was my game plan to go for takedowns and grapple, but I regret that now because I felt that with my striking I was getting the better of the exchanges. I think what happened only happened because of how much I tried to grapple. The elbows he threw setup what happened, I couldn’t do anything after the elbows.”

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Darren Elkins defeats Chas Skelly
Darren Elkins took a few shots in the first round from Chas Skelly, who came into the bout riding a four-fight win streak, but other than that Elkins dominated the fight, capturing a UD 30-27, 29-27, 30-26. Elkins landed six takedowns in the bout and just grinded Skelly and made him work for everything.

They said it:
Darren Elkins: “The move to Team Alpha Male has been great. The energy has really changed for me and the coaching staff is great. I really needed a change and the environment over there has really rejuvenated me. I know Chas is a younger guy, but I knew a lot about him, my coaches studied him a lot and we had a lot of film on him. The hardest part for me was having the edge in experience, I knew I’d have to really push myself. I want to fight again in the next three to four months. Team Alpha Male versus the world. Anyone, anywhere, anytime.”

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UFC 196 FIGHT PASS prelims

REPLAY: UFC FIGHT PASS has the first three fights of the night

Diego Sanchez vs Jim Miller

Big win for Diego Sanchez, who picks up the unanimous decision win against Jim Miller (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Sanchez out-struck Miller, 58-49 in significant strikes and landed the only two takedowns of the fight. Sanchez fought with a very specific game plan, but it was effective.

They said it:
Diego Sanchez: “I was a little more cautious. I didn’t leave it all out there like I normally do, but I needed to get back in the win column. Jim is dangerous so I played it safe. He said he was going to choke me in his interviews, so I built that into my game plan and I was expecting him to look for it. I’ve worked hard to get back to my wrestling, that was my core and my background. I knew I had to get back in there as soon as possible after my fight in November. I enjoyed the Holidays with my family and then I got right back into camp. “The Nightmare” is back!”
Jim Miller: “I was not surprised by the takedowns, he was a grappler from the beginning so I knew it was there. I wasted the first by not scrambling more and I’m not a fan of scrambling when I’m stuck between the cage. The choke I had was there and he had to respect it, I felt him fading a bit but it was hard to finish a high level guy like him. I used the knees as well, but his head was a little low so it made it a little hard for those to be finishing shots. I’m just looking to get back soon and continue to fight on big cards, the only thing I can guarantee is when I fight, I’ll fight my butt off; I can’t guarantee that I’ll win.”

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Jason Saggo defeats Justin Salas
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Jason Saggo demonstrated his elite skills on the mat early against Justin Salas, working his top position before finishing by TKO at 4:31 of the first round. Saggo picks up his second UFC win and hands Salas his second straight loss.

They said it:
Jason Saggo: “I always want to go in there and finish the fight. Salas is a good opponent, it just happened to be my night where my game plan was on. He’s dangerous on the feet, but we were very weary of that in my camp and it’s a huge relief to walk away uninjured and this performance means a lot to me. I heard they announced a fight coming up in Ottawa, Canada and I would love to fight there because I’ve never been there.”

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Teruto Ishihara defeats Julian Erosa

While on the defensive after a convincing win in the first round, Teruto Ishihara landed a perfectly-placed counter punch to a charging Julian Erosa to knock him out at 0:34 of the second round. Ishihara, a product of Team Alpha Male: Japan, picks up the win in his UFC debut against former TUF 22 competitor “Juicy J.”

They said it:
Teruto Ishihara: “I didn’t even worry about being nervous in my first UFC fight. I really want to fight on the UFC 200 card because I am not injured and I am willing to get out there and fight hard. The punch I threw is in my nature, it’s like getting girls.”
Julian Erosa: “I really didn’t even fight like I normally do or like I train. I was too hesitant in the first and it didn’t go my way. When I came out in the second I wanted to put it on him more, but the next thing I knew I was coming up off the ground. I’m bigger and stronger than him so I figured I’d submit him, but he’s quick and I’m not going to take anything away from him. I just didn’t perform the way I normally do.”

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