The first UFC event of the new ESPN era kicked off in Brooklyn, New York with a stacked card of fights in the Big Apple. RT Sport followed the action live, and you can recap the action via our main card updates.
20 January 2019
THANKS FOR FOLLOWING
That brings us to the end of our live updates from UFC Fight Night in Brooklyn, New York.
We had spectacular action, we had emotion, we had drama and we had controversy.
So, just another UFC event, really!
Check out our post-fight reaction on RT Sport and join us again for live updates on the next big event.
TJ Dillashaw is not happy with the stoppage, and said that Cejudo "didn't beat me".
He might want to watch the replay.
That was a clear and deserved stoppage win by Cejudo, who becomes the first man to win the new UFC legacy title belt.
FIRST-ROUND KNOCKOUT!
Henry Cejudo just smoked TJ Dillashaw in double-quick time.
The Olympic gold medalist rocked Dillashaw early, then swarmed the bantamweight champion before overwhelming him with strikes the claim the super-fast TKO victory.
Cejudo now has victories over the best flyweight of all time (Demetrious Johnson) and the best bantamweight of all time (TJ Dillashaw) in consecutive fights.
Absolutely incredible from Cejudo.
IT'S MAIN EVENT TIME
After the controversy of the co-main event, it's time for a truly elite-level mixed martial arts bout, as the UFC bantamweight world champion TJ Dillashaw moves down to 125lbs to challenge reigning champion and Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo for the UFC flyweight world title.
It's a matchup that showcases two supremely-talented athletes and, in Dillashaw, a man who may well be one of the top two or three best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
The big question tonight is whether he's physically at 100% after enduring the tough weight cut to 125lbs. He certainly seems to have done things the right way, and made weight with ease on Friday.
As for Cejudo, he's on a roll after dethroning the best fighter in the world, Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson, in his last fight. He wants to beat Dillashaw at 125lbs, then get a rematch for Dillashaw's bantamweight title at 135lbs in his next outing.
This one should be fascinating.
Kiwi UFC lightweight Dan "The Hangman" Hooker didn't mince his words when he reacted on Twitter to Greg Hardy's disqualification at UFC Brooklyn.
CONTROVERSY IN BROOKLYN
Hardy started the second round in composed fashion, but after Crowder started talking to him, the fight exploded into life once again.
And after Crowder's takedown attempt was well defended by Hardy, the former NFL star then landed a collossal knee to Crowder, sending him crashing to his back.
However, Crowder was clearly on one knee and clearly grounded. Referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the bout immediately and, after it became clear that Crowder couldn't continue, the experienced referee disqualified Hardy immediately, handing him his first professional loss.
It was a clear foul, a bad foul and one that drew a chorus of boos from the Brooklyn crowd - and it's done nothing to improve Hardy's bad-boy image.
To the surprise of many, that first round was largely dominated by Allen Crowder.
Hardy came out all guns blazing, as we all expected, but Crowder's chin held up well, and he took over with his wrestling and grappling as he took the former NFL star to the mat and looked to work his way towards a submission.
Eventually Crowder attempted a guillotine choke, but after that failed, he ended up in trouble, with Hardy looking to finish the round strongly.
But that proved that Crowder is not going to disappear quickly, as he took Hardy into the second round for the first time in his career.
Coming up next, it's the co-main event, as former NFL star turned MMA fighter Greg Hardy makes his octagon debut against Allen Crowder.
Hardy's presence in the UFC is controversial, to say the least.
He was found guilty of domestic violence offences, but had the charges dropped after his alleged victim refused to testify in the appeal.
The incident cost him his successful NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys, and saw him transition to mixed martial arts.
He competed twice in Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series and impressed with two huge quickfire knockouts and, for better or worse, White has thrown his support behind a rehabilitated Hardy as he looks to continue his athletic career in a new sport.
But the shadow of his past looms large over Hardy, with many people hoping to see Crowder score an unlikely knockout win against the heavy-handed former NFL star tonight.
TKO!
Gregor "The Gift" Gillespie extends his perfect professional record to 13-0 with a dominant stoppage victory over Yancy Medeiros.
Gillespie took Medeiros to the mat, took his back, flattened him out and battered him with strikes to finish him by TKO with one second remaining in the second round.
The official stats are incredible. Despite fighting for one second shy of two rounds against a dangerous fighter, Gillespie was hit with just one strike. ONE!
That shows just how dominant he was in this fight, and the only way is up for the man known as "The Gift".
Gregor Gillespie completely dominated Round 1 against Yancy Medeiros.
The former collegiate wrestling champion used his mat skills to good effect in the opening five minutes as he stifled the Hawaiian for the entire round.
The crowd aren't that thrilled, and we've heard a few boos at the lack of striking action, but make no mistake, Gillespie is executing his gameplan perfectly so far.
Meanwhile, backstage at the Barclays Center, Rachael Ostovich is chatting with the media with her arm in a sling.
PICK US A WINNER, GIAN!
The camera may have been on UFC featherweight champ Max Holloway, but light-heavyweight joker Gian Villante couldn't resist the opportunity to embarrass friend and former middleweight champ Chris Weidman on the big screen in Barclays Center...
... by picking his nose!
Lightweights enter the octagon next, as undefeated lightweight prospect Gregor "The Gift" Gillespie takes on Hawaiian scrapper Yancy Medeiros.
The UFC's lightweight class is jam-packed with big-name fighting talent, but the man who calls himself "The Best Fisherman in MMA" (he LOVES fishing) has the skills to break into that upper echelon of the 155lb division.
He'll look to prove that tonight against Medeiros, who is rarely - if ever - in a boring fight.
BENAVIDEZ GETS THE NOD AGAIN
History repeats itself as Joseph Benavidez takes the victory with scores of 29-28 across the board against the super-tough Dustin Ortiz.
"I knew I had improved. But man, he improved too," said Benavidez, who paid tribute to his opponent before calling for another shot at the UFC flyweight title, which will be contested in tonight's main event.
The bout goes the distance, and this one is a tough one to pick. Ortiz had plenty of pressure in that final round, but was it enough to secure victory in the eyes of the judges?
We're about to find out.
Round 2 was a better one for Dustin Ortiz, who battled his way back into the contest and nearly locked up a submission at the end of the round.
But his attempted rear-naked choke couldn't quite find its way fully under Benavidez's chin and the bout made it to the end of the round.
It's anyone's fight heading into the third and final round.
Good opening round for Benavidez, who threatened to finish Ortiz with both submissions and strikes in that opening five minutes.
Benavidez came close to locking up his go-to submission move - the guillotine choke - in the opening minute of the fight, but Ortiz stayed composed and managed to escape.
And Benavidez dropped Ortiz with a huge overhand left in the final moments of the round as he showed that he still has the sort of power that can end a contest in the blink of an eye.
Ortiz was competitive throughout the round, but he's undoubtedly one round down after the opening five minutes.
Our next fight sees a flyweight rematch between Joseph Benavidez and Dustin Ortiz.
Two-time title challenger Benavidez is generally considered to be the best UFC flyweight not to have held world championship gold, and the former Team Alpha Male veteran is looking to keep his championship hopes alive against a fellow contender in Dustin Ortiz.
Benavidez claimed the win the last time the two fought, earning a unanimous decision victory at UFC Fight Night in Austin, Texas back in 2014.
Will tonight's fight go the same way?
SUBMISSION!
Paige VanZant gets the win via a blink-and-you'll-miss-it armbar, catching Ostovich as she tried to escape out the back door after PVZ had taken the Hawaiian's back.
VanZant was clearly emotional at the win, but immediately stopped to console a crestfallen Ostovich, who has ridden a rollercoaster of emotions all week.
Real class from VanZant, and huge respect to Ostovich for even taking the fight this week.
Round 1 is a good one for Rachael Ostovich. The Hawaiian may have been the betting underdog heading into the contest, but she's taking the fight to VanZant so far.
Ostovich cracked PVZ with a big overhand right and landed a couple of solid takedowns. While on the mat she dominated much of the action, with only a brief leglock attempt at the end of the round causing any concern.
A strong start from Ostovich.
Coming up next, it's one of the most heart-warming storylines of the night as Paige VanZant and Rachael Ostovich make their respective returns to the octagon.
For VanZant, it's a chance to reboot her career after a lengthy spell on the sidelines after an horrific broken arm.
But for Ostovich, her return to the cage tonight is all the more remarkable.
She was the victim of an alleged domestic violence attack by her husband, fellow MMA fighter Arnold Berdon, that left her in hospital in November with a reported broken orbital bone.
After her family and management looked to cancel her fight this weekend, she persuaded them - and the UFC - that she would be good to go tonight, and now she's ready to step into the cage and fight.
Her story has been amplified by the fact that alleged domestic abuser Greg Hardy is also on the card, but the Hawaiian has taken a remarkable approach to the whole episode by seeking out Hardy to clear the air before their respective fights tonight.
Also on rt.com 'We were both very relieved': Rachael Ostovich reveals hotel chat with Greg Hardy at UFC BrooklynWith all respect and credit to VanZant, there would be no more popular - or emotional - victory tonight if Ostovich manages to beat the odds and claim the win tonight.
She's a truly remarkable woman and someone whose circumstances have turned her into a role model for people who have found themselves in similar circumstances.
Win or lose, her story is an incredible one.
SUBMISSION!
Glover Teixeira had to overcome some early adversity, but the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt was able to use his grappling skills to earn a first-round submission victory over Karl Roberson.
Roberson hurt Teixeira early and ended up in the mount position, where he rained down some heavy-duty ground and pound on the Brazilian veteran.
But Teixeira is made of tough stuff, and he managed to wriggle free, before eventually turning the tables on his less-experienced opponent and locking up an arm-triangle choke.
His first attempt was well defended by Roberson, but after some readjustment by Teixeira, there was no way out for the rising prospect, who was forced to tap out at the 3:21 mark of the opening round.
That's a huge win for Teixeira, who showed that he's still very much a factor at the top end of the UFC's light-heavyweight division.
Our first fight on the main card features a hot prospect against a seasoned veteran as American Karl Roberson looks to make an impact in the UFC's light-heavyweight division against Brazil's former world title challenger Glover Teixeira.
Teixeira is whopping 11 years older than his opponent. Will age prove a benefit or a hindrance here? Roberson can really bang, so Teixeira will need to be wary of the American's power.
Many expected rising lightweight contender Alexander "The Great" Hernandez to sweep aside octagon veteran and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, but the future Hall of Famer proved there's plenty still left in the tank as he dismantled the trash-talking contender in spectacular fashion, before declaring: "The old man's still got it!"
Cerrone's victory came on the occasion of his 40th fight for Zuffa, the longtime parent company of the UFC, as he proved that he's the wrong man to disrespect before a fight.
That fact might be worth considering if he gets his wish to fight Conor McGregor next. That's the fight he wants. And, after McGregor tweeted his approval, that could be an ideal bout to bring the Irishman back to the octagon in 2019.
Welcome to RT Sport's live coverage of UFC Fight Night in Brooklyn, New York. We're about to get underway with live updates from the main card in the Big Apple, and the crowd in the Barclays Center is buzzing after the featured preliminary bout.