TJ Dillashaw is still the UFC bantamweight champion.
After five tough rounds, the champion landed a high kick that left Joe Soto disoriented and allowed Dillashaw to go after the finish with punches.
A last-minute opponent, Soto proved to be worthy of the task that was put ion front of him.
The challenger landed some good strikes, but Dillashaw had much more volume with his striking.
After the fight, Dillashaw talked about the change of opponents and the victory: “It was crazy to get that call saying he was not making weight and that Soto would be the new opponent. I knew he was a good grappler so I was careful with my standing game. Now I want to rest a bit, but I will beat whoever the UFC put in front of me.”
Soto also talked about the incredible chain of events that put him on a title fight in his UFC debut: “It was a honor. I thought I would die without fighting in the UFC and today my dream came true.”
Here are the full results of the night.
Main Card (on Pay-Per-View)
TJ Dillashaw defeated Joe Soto by KO at 2:20 of R5
Tony Ferguson defeated Danny Castillo by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Bethe Correia defeated Shayna Baszler by TKO at 1:56 of R2
Carlos Diego Ferreira defeated Ramsey Nijem by TKO at 1:53 of R2
Yancy Medeiros defeats Damon Jackson by submission (guillotine) at 1:54 of R2
Preliminary Card (on Fox Sports 1)
Derek Brunson defeated Lorenz Larkin by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Anthony Hamilton defeated Ruan Potts by TKO (body shots) at 4:17, R1
Chris Wade defeated Cain Carrizosa by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:12, R1
Watch here the post-fight press conference.
The post UFC 177 – Dillashaw knocks out Soto on R5; other results first appeared on Graciemag.