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The UFC entourage stopped over in Copenhagen, Denmark for Fight Night 160. Middleweight contenders Jack Hermansson and Jared Cannonier faced each other in the main event of the evening.
That wasn't the only fight worth looking forward to as 3-time Olympian and Olympic silver medalist Mark Madsen made his UFC debut against Italian slugger Danilo Belluardo.
Gunnar Nelson also featured as part of the card in a fight against Gilbert Burns in the Welterweight division.
That wasn't all, as Ion Cutelaba faced off against Muay Thai specialist Khalil Rountree in a mouth-watering contest.
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It was a fight fan's card that didn't disappoint when all was said and done.
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Here are the UFC results and highlights of UFC Fight Night 156 from Copenhagen, Denmark.
UFC Fight Night 156 Results: Prelims
John Phillips def. Alen Amedovski via TKO (punches) (0:14, Round 1)
Makhmud Muradov def. Alessio Di Chirico via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ismail Naurdiev def. Siyar Bahadurzada via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-25, 30-25)
Giga Chikadze def. Brandon Davis via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Lina Lansberg def. Macy Chiasson via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-28)
Marc Diakiese def. Lando Vannata via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Jack Shore def. Nohelin Hernandez via submission (rear-naked choke) (2:51, Round 3)
UFC Fight Night 156 Results: Main Card
#1. Nicolas Dalby vs. Alex Oliveira (Welterweight)
Denmark's favourite son, Nicolas Dalby is back in the UFC and his first test was against the Brazilian Cowboy, Alex Oliveira.
Did Dalby manage to get a victory on his highly-anticipated return? Let's find out.
Round 1: Oliveira drew first blood as he went for a leg kick and a rampaging three-piece combo.
Dalby also got his offence going with outside leg kicks to Oliveira's left leg. Both men looked to get their range in place before attempting a few combos.
Oliveira went for a wild spinning head kick but Dalby saw it coming. Dalby came into the pocket, ducked an incoming shot and landed a few good shots and a knee to the body.
Dalby stayed patient and waited for an opening to pounce. He then shot for the double leg but Oliveira defended it well.
Dalby pushed Oliveira against the cage. He even attempted a trip but Oliveira postured up to avoid losing balance. He then somehow got Dalby down, with the Danish fighter's back against the cage. Oliveira tried to get through Dalby's guard and land a few punches from the top, but Dalby flipped positions and ended the round on top.
Round 2: Oliveira went for a wild hook but Dalby was quick to get his head out of the way. The fight was stopped for a few seconds after Oliveira got poked in the eye. After a few fakes and feints, both men went for the hook and exchanged a few big shots.
Dalby then rocked Oliveira with a huge combination but Oliveira clinched and Dalby took the Brazilian down. Dalby pinned Oliveira down for the next three minutes and put in a decent ground and pound display. Oliveira somehow worked his way back to his feet but Dalby had him gasping for breath up against the cage. He connected with another beautiful combination that forced Oliveira to engage in the clinch.
Oliveira was brought down again and a timeout was called after he attempted an illegal up-kick from the ground.
Round 3: Dalby faked a right hook and shot for the takedown. Oliveira defended it well again, flipped over the position and dumped Dalby down to the mat. Slick stuff.
Oliveira then controlled the fight in side control, delivering short elbows and punches. However, in a weird decision from the referee, both men were asked to stand back up despite Oliveira putting in the work on the ground.
Oliveira reacted as if he'd won, until realizing he had to continue the fight.
He then got Dalby down again but this time Dalby smartly transitioned to get on top of Oliveira. He mounted Oliveira and unleashed big shots from the top, showing tremendous resilience in the third to end the fight in a very dominant position.
Result: Nicolas Dalby def. Charles Oliveira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Dalby and Oliveira put on one hell of a fight in the main card opener and the Copenhagen fans made it an exhilarating viewing experience.
#2. Ovince Saint Preux vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk (Light Heavyweight)
Round 1: Michal Oleksiejczuk took the fight to Ovince Saint Preux from the get-go. Michal kept getting into the pocket and tagging Saint Preux on multiple occasions in the first minute.
He then rocked Saint Preux with a big right, before cutting the reach advantage of his opponent and landing left-hand shots. Saint Preux did attempt a takedown but Michal put up a solid defence to stuff it.
Michal mixed it up with punches to the body and the head. He connected with a lead overhand and kept going back to the lefts. He connected with a few 1-2s and continued to go forward, a tactic OSP certainly didn't like. OSP attempted a head kick to end the round.
Round 2: OSP began with kicks to keep Michal at bay, however, Michal kept pushing forward to connect the lead left. They clinched for sometime before breaking up as OSP checked with a hook.
OSP, though, realized his mistakes from the first round and tried to maintain distance. He used some body kicks but also ate a few shots in the process.
Michal went for a wild left-hand shot, OSP ducked and took him down in half guard. He pushed him against the cage and then wrapped Michal's arm around his neck and put on the pressure with his shoulder to tighten the Von Flue choke.
Michal had nowhere to go and tapped as a result.
Result: Ovince Saint Preux def. Michal Oleksiejczuk via submission (Von Flue choke) (2:14, Round 2)
Saint Preux has done it again! The former Light Heavyweight title contender notched up his fourth Von Flue finish - the most in UFC history, and as a result, snapped a 2-fight losing streak.
#3. Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Ion Cutelaba (Light Heavyweight)
Khalil Rountree was coming off an impressive unanimous decision win over Eryk Anders while Ion Cutelaba's last fight ended in a loss to Glover Teixeira.
Round 1: Rountree's Muay Thai stance to begin the fight wasn't a surprising sight. Cutelaba looked for a way in but Rountree had his guard up.
Rountree landed a monstrous body kick. The sound of its impact reverberated around the arena. Rountree then went for another big kick but Cutelaba caught his feet. Rountree kept punching Cutelaba's face but 'The Hulk' still managed to take Rountree down.
They clinched and Rountree connected with an elbow that forced Cutelaba to step back. Rountree tried to keep up the offensive output with a two-piece counter before Cutelaba went for a Superman punch and pushed his opponent back against the fence.
Cutelaba scored a big takedown in the guard. Rountree got back up but Cutelaba smartly swept Rountree's left foot to take him down yet again. From there onwards, Hulk smashed.
Massive elbows and punches rained down from the top courtesy of Cutelaba, who stood and made sure the referee stepped in to put Rountree out of his misery. Pure dominance.
Result: Ion Cutelaba def. Khalil Rountree via TKO (2:35, Round 1)
Cutelaba is back in the win column and he did so by putting on a statement. He followed the gameplan, which was to counter Rountree and take the fight to the ground.
He did exactly that with the foot sweep and wrapped things up quickly with a blitzkrieg of elbows and punches.
#4. Gunnar Nelson vs. Gilbert Burns (Welterweight)
Gunnar Nelson was coming off of a loss against Leon Edwards in March while Gilbert Burns was on a 3-fight win streak.
Round 1: Both men observed each other in the first minute, looking extremely cautious until attempting a kick at the body.
Burns connected with a kick to the leg and then looked to blitz his way forward but Nelson's stance made it tough for him to get in. The round was mostly both men trying to get a read on each other.
Round 2: Burns got in a kick in the early going, but Nelson followed with a body kick of his own.
Nelson made inroads while eating a shot to clinch with Burns. He tried to get the underhooks for the takedown but Burns wasn't giving in. They broke up and got back into the body lock. Nelson continued to work for the takedown but Burns stayed firm on his feet.
Back in the centre, Burns landed a solid right. They locked up again and Nelson resumed in his attempts to get Burns down. Nelson landed a few knees before they broke up again.
Burns went for a shot but missed before Nelson got hold of his back in the standing position. Burns turned over and landed a flying knee. That stunned Nelson, who immediately went for the takedown. Burns, though, got Nelson on his knees in the front face lock. Nelson rolled over but Burns did the same and got back his positional advantage.
The round ended with Burns in Nelson's guard.
Round 3: They traded leg kicks to begin the final round. Nelson caught Burns' kick and wrapped his arms around the back. They settled for a body lock against the cage but broke up and exchanged elbows soon after.
Nelson kept trying to take Burns down but to no avail. Burns maintained his frame and avoided Nelson from taking him down. Nelson didn't do much work in the clinch and they separated to get the fight back to the centre of the Octagon.
Burns landed a few snappy kicks and then scored a big takedown in the final minute of the round, almost getting his opponent's back. A scramble ensued and they got back up to their feet. Burns ensured that Nelson stayed inactive with his back against the cage until the end of the fight.
Result: Gilbert Burns def. Gunnar Nelson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
It just wasn't Gunnar's day as Burns stuffed every takedown attempt posed by 'Gunnil'. Burns got into great positions at opportune moments and that was enough for the judges to give him the edge on the scorecards.
#5. Mark Madsen vs. Danilo Belluardo (Lightweight)
Greco-Roman wrestler and Denmark's national hero Mark Madsen was finally in the biggest fighting organization in the world. A debut in front of your own fans is the stuff of dreams and Madsen lived it. However, did the massive occasion get the better of him or did the Olympic Silver Medalist script a perfect beginning to his UFC career?
Round 1: Belluardo began in the southpaw position. Madsen pressed forward, swinging his hands and got passed Belluardo's guard. He locked his arms around Belluardo and yanked him down to the mat from the body lock. Madsen first looked for the Guillotine but he dropped the idea and resorted to some proper pounding.
Madsen unloaded with elbows and punches on Belluardo, who had no option but to concede defeat.
Result: Mark Madsen def. Danilo Belluardo via TKO (1:12, Round 2)
Madsen experienced a surreal moment after the fight when he basked in the adulation of the Danish fans. The 3-time Olympian looks like he is in for a successful UFC career based on his debut performance.
#6. Jack Hermansson vs. Jared Cannonier (Middleweight)
Jack Hermansson was on a 4-fight win streak, ranked #5 in the division and got the opportunity to headline the first-ever UFC event in front of his hometown fans in Denmark. His opponent, though, was one of the fastest rising stars in the Middleweight division. #9 ranked Jared Cannonier was stylistically a bad matchup for the Danish fighter but did that have any effect on the eventual outcome?
Let's find out what happened in the main event of the evening.
Round 1: Hermansson got straight to business with the leg kicks. He then shot for the takedown but Cannonier stayed on his feet.
Hermansson kept up the pace and got hold of Cannonier again. Cannonier resisted but Hermansson suplexed him down to the mat. He displayed great strength to prevent Cannonier from rolling over and worked towards getting his arms under the chin.
Cannonier scrambled and got back to his feet but Hermansson got him down again briefly before it became a stand-up fight.
Cannonier finally got his range going with a few jabs and kicks while Hermansson faked punches and attacked Cannonier's legs.
Cannonier too got in a few inside leg kicks. The round ended with both men reading each other's movements. Hermansson dominated the first half of the round with a few takedowns but Killa Gorilla grew into the fight and got in some significant strikes in the second half.
Round 2: After moving around a bit, Hermansson changed levels but got caught by a Cannonier right-hand. Hurt, Hermansson dropped down and covered up.
Cannonier knew a finish was around the corner and he went on to unleash a brutal beatdown. Hammerfists, monster rights and lefts and a relentless pace and aggression; Cannonier silenced the fans inside the Royal Arena with a huge finish.
Result: Jared Cannonier def. Jack Hermansson via TKO (0:27, Round 1)
Killa Gorilla is the real deal! The Middleweight division just got a new legit title contender and his name is Jared Cannonier.
