UFC 231 prelim results and highlights: Katona gets decision win, Lima KOs Laprise in upset

The UFC 231 Fight Pass prelims just wrapped up with Canada’s own Brad Katona nearly securing a buzzer-beating sub on Matthew Lopez. Instead, Katona was awarded a unanimous decision to remain undefeated. Before that, Dhiego Lima snapped a three-fight losing skid with a sensational one-punch walk-off knockout of Chad Laprise in under two minutes. Total wow!

Diego Ferreira picked up a solid win over Kyle Nelson tonight. He was able to get the fight to the mat and end it with ground strikes in the second round. Ferreira now enjoys a three-fight winning streak. Opening up the event, Aleksandar Rakic overcame some being dropped early to rally and stop Devin Clarke with ground strikes in the opening round.

Fight Pass prelims:

Brad Katona def. Matthew Lopez by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2): Bantamweight

The bantamweights went right at it, standing in front of each other trading. Lopez was the aggressor, moving forward behind his pinches as Katona was more willing to look for the counter. A takedown was achieved by Lopez with less than 30 seconds remaining in the round, but it was Katona who landed the strikes from his back.

Lopez scored a short-lived takedown to open the second frame before the standup bout continued. Each man was getting in their licks, but it was Lopez who changed levels for another takedown. Katona was quick to blast back up to his feet before Lopez could do anything with it.

Katona seemed to have a lot more spring in his step to start the final round. The volume of Katona began to add up as the output of Lopez began to dwindle. In the final seconds of the fight, Katona jumped on an RNC. The bell sounded before a tap, but It looked as if Lopez went out just for a second. Nonetheless, Katona got the win.

Dhiego Lima def. Chad Laprise by KO at 1:37 of round 1: Welterweight

Laprise came out aggressive, pressing Lima and backing him up. Then seemingly out of nowhere, Lima stepped in with a lethal left hook that sent Laprise crashing to the canvas. In an act of pure class, Lima opted to not follow up with any unnecessary strikes to achieve the walk-off knockout.

Diego Ferreira def. Kyle Nelson by TKO at 1:23 of round 2: Lightweight

Nelson was tagging Ferreira early in this one as well as stuffing his takedowns. Just past the midpoint of the round, Ferreira finally got himself a takedown. Nelson was able to fend off a Kimora attempt from Ferreira, who was working hard for it. Ferreira took the back in the closing moments and landed several strikes before the first round ended.

Ferreira scored a takedown right away to start the second frame. It wasn’t very long before Ferreira was in full mount and raining down blows. All Nelson could do was cover up, giving the referee no choice but to stop the fight.

Aleksandar Rakic def. Devin Clarke by TKO at 4:05 of round 1: Light Heavyweight

Clarke blasted his opponent with a right hand before closing the distance up against the cage. Rakic found open space and began letting his leg kicks go, but was dropped by a left hook from Clarke. Then, a brutal set of knees, some seemingly illegal, came flying towards the head of Rakic. Clarke came rushing in and was knocked off balance with a spinning backfist, and Rakic seized the moment by dropping a plethora of ground strikes to get the finish.