UFC Boston Quick Results: Cruz Completes His Comeback

The second UFC event of 2016 saw the Octagon touch down in Boston's TD Garden. Headlined by a long-awaited title fight between reigning bantamweight king TJ Dillashaw and former champion Dominick Cruz, the 13-fight card featured action in 6 of the UFC's most exciting divisions. And though the lineup was joggled by a series of unfortunate injuries, the card delivered as a fun one all the same. Highlighted by a slew of wild finishes and a fantastic main event, it was an unforgettable one for those in attendance in Boston, and those watching on screens around the world.

Here's the recap of the action for those who missed it!

The Main Card:

Cruz Edges Dillashaw in Instant Classic

After years on the shelf, spent watching the division he once ruled ebb on without him, former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz finally made his Octagon return in Boston. He did so against the division's dynamic defending champion TJ Dillashaw in the biggest fight in bantamweight history. And what a fight it was. For five dizzying rounds the two bantamweight greats battered each other, showcasing the groundbreaking footwork and versatility for which they've both become known.

The earlier rounds appeared to belong to Cruz, who was ghostlike in his defense, clever as ever in his offense, and successful on a trio of takedown attempts. The latter portion of the fight, however, seemed to belong to Dillashaw, who began to punish Cruz's legs with chopping kicks, and tag him repeatedly with damaging strikes to the dome. The end result: a split decision win for the former champion and a verdict that's sure to be debated over the coming weeks.

With the victory, Cruz completes one of the greatest comebacks in MMA history. After years on operating tables and behind the analysts' desk, he is once against the UFC bantamweight champion. His overall record now sits at a baffling 21-1, while his UFC record—which spans almost 5 years—sits at a mere 4-0.

In defeat, Dillashaw falls to 12-3, and loses for the first time since October of 2013. He's now 8-3 inside the Octagon, and though he returns to the contender pool at a time when the division is more stacked than ever, he's surely not far from another crack at gold.

Alvarez Grinds Pettis Down to Split Decision

The co-main event of the evening paired former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis with former Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. And while the odds pegged Pettis as a sizable favorite, Alvarez was able to score the upset.

The former Bellator king's game plan wasn't exactly pretty, but it was effective. Mimicking the strategies of Clay Guida and Rafael Dos Anjos—the two most recent men to beat Pettis—he was relentless in his pursuit of the takedown, completing 6 of 15 attempts, and earning a split decision triumph in the process.

Now riding a pair of split decisions over a former UFC champion in Pettis and a former Strikeforce champion in Gilbert Melendez, Alvarez is banging on the door of a title shot with both hands. He's now a fantastic 27-4 overall and 2-1 since making the jump to the UFC.

Pettis, meanwhile, falls onto the first two-fight skid of his illustrious career. And while he remains one of the lightweight division's most dynamic fighters, the blueprint for his defeat is now quite clear: pressure. Currently 18-4 overall, he'll need to patch up the holes in his game if he hopes to regain the divisional crown.

Browne Stops Mitrione After Two Eye Pokes

The lone heavyweight bout paired brick-fisted big men Travis Browne in Matt Mitrione in a fight that looked like it could be very exciting. Unfortunately, their encounter was somewhat marred by controversy.

The first round seemed to be all Mitrione, who landed the more meaningful punches and was even able to drop his rangy opponent. Round two, however, is where the chaos began to unfold, as Browne landed a pair of nasty-looking eye pokes that seemed to force Mitrione out of his groove. Round three, finally, is where Browne sealed the deal once and for all, securing a takedown and polishing Mitrione off with an onslaught of ground strikes. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a marquee win for the towering Hawaiian. Instead, however, it will be remembered as the latest development in MMA's ongoing eye poke problem.

That said, Browne will leave Boston with a new win on his record. With that win, he rebounds from a tough loss to Andrei Arlovski and assumes an overall record of 18-3. Mitrione, meanwhile, will embark on free agency with a 9-5 overall record and a plum-sized swollen eye.

Trinaldo Out-Strikes Pearson in Fun Fight

The first fight of Boston's main card paired England's Ross Pearson with Brazil's Francisco Trinaldo in an interesting bit of lightweight matchmaking. In advance of the bout, Pearson looked to assemble his first two-fight win streak since 2013, while Trinaldo looked to extend his streak to 5.

By the time the final bell chimed, the Brazilian had done more than enough to earn the judges favor, having out-landed his opponent 60-47 with a diet of punches, knees and head kicks.

The unanimous decision win moves Trinaldo to an impressive 19-4 overall and 9-3 inside the Octagon. Pearson, meanwhile, falls to 18-10 overall and 10-7 in the UFC. He has alternated wins and losses over the course of his last 7 fights.

The Prelims:

Cote Swarms Saunders in the Second

The preliminary card was wrapped up by an intriguing welterweight showdown. In one corner, we had former middleweight Patrick Cote, who looked to make it three in a row. In the other, we had the rangy Ben Saunders, who looked to make it 4-0 in the UFC after a 10-fight stint in Bellator. In the end, it was Cote who was successful on his mission.

After threatening with an armbar in the first, the French Canadian veteran went on to seal the deal in the second, swarming his opponent with a barrage of uppercuts in the clinch. Moments later, he was being peeled off Saunders by the referee.

The second-round TKO moves Cote on a 3-fight streak, and elevates his overall record to 23-9. And while it's hard to say how he'll do against the monsters that inhabit the upper end of the welterweight division, he seems to have earned a step up in competition.

The defeat marks Saunders' first since September of 2013, when he was knocked out by Douglas Lima. He's now 3-1 since returning to the Octagon, and 19-7-2 overall.

Herman Knee Stops Boetsch

The last of Boston's three light heavyweight bouts paired Ed Herman with Tim Boetsch in a fun bit of matchmaking. The fight marked Herman's first as a light heavyweight, Boetsch's first in the division since November of 2010, and both men's 18th UFC appearance.

It did not turn out to be a good night for Boetsch. Though he found some success in round one, he then found himself on the receiving end of a thudding Herman knee in the second, which sent him plummeting to the canvas in a dazed heap.

The knockout win separates Herman from a TKO loss to Derek Brunson, and kicks off a promising looking light heavyweight career. He's now 23-11 overall. Boetsch, meanwhile, experiences his second consecutive knockout loss, having been flattened by Dan Henderson in June of 2015. He's now 18-10 overall, and an ugly 2-6 in his last 8.

Wade Stops Baghdad in the First

Initially, lightweight prospect Chris Wade was expected to mix it up with Mairbek Taisumov in Boston. In the end, however, Taisumov visa issues would force Wade to shift his focus to TUF 22 competitor Mehdi Baghdad.

The story of this one was Wade's grappling. Scoring with a takedown in the bout's opening moments, the decorated wrestler proceeded to lock up a tight rear-naked choke as the first round wore down. Seconds later, Baghdad was tapping.

The submission win moves the 28-year-old to a strong 11-1 as a pro and 4-0 in the UFC. He remains one of the most compelling prospects on the lightweight roster. Baghdad, on the other hand, is now 11-4 in total.

Sanders Taps Blanco in UFC Debut

The first bout of the televised prelims saw former RFA bantamweight champion Luke Sanders make a short-notice UFC debut, replacing Dennis Bermudez against brick-fisted featherweight Maximo Blanco. The 30-year-old did not let the opportunity go to waste.

Moments after fighting his way out of a Blanco submission attempt, Sanders floored his veteran opponent with a right hand. From there, he leapt into position for a rear-naked choke, earning the tap at the 3:38 mark of round one.

With a fantastic UFC debut in the books, Sanders moves to 11-0, and establishes himself as a definite fighter to watch. Blanco, meanwhile, has a three-fight streak derailed by the loss. He's now 12-7-1 in total.

Felder Chokes Cruickshank in the Third

The final bout of the Fight Pass prelims paired dynamic lightweights Paul Felder and Daron Cruickshank—both of whom are known for their spectacular spinning attacks. The fight did not disappoint.

For the duration of the first two rounds, the two lightweight tornados traded a barrage of nasty strikes from all angles—many of which would have stopped lesser fighters in their tracks. The end of this one, however, would not be a knockout. Instead, Felder would find an opening for a rear-naked choke in the third and coax out the tap with just over a minute left on the clock.

The submission win, which is the first on his record, separates Felder from a pair of decision losses to Edson Barboza and Ross Pearson. He's now 2-2 in the Octagon, and 11-2 in total. Cruickshank, in contrast, now finds himself on a three-fight losing streak—all of which have come via rear-naked choke. He's now 16-8 overall, and a tough 6-6 in the UFC.

Latifi Hammers O'Connell in 30 Seconds

In the second light heavyweight bout of the night, Sweden's Ilir Latifi lumbered onto the canvas with part-time radio host Sean O'Connell. 30 seconds and two clobbering punches later, and the Swede was being pulled away from his dazed opponent by the referee.

The win marks Latifi's second consecutive first-round knockout, and the eighth first-round stoppage on his record. He'll return to Sweden with an 11-4 overall record, and a 4-2 mark in the UFC. O'Connell, meanwhile, has a two-fight win-streak snapped by the loss. He's now 17-7 overall, and 2-3 since joining the UFC.

Rosa Out-Guns Bochniak in Close Fight

Originally, 29-year-old featherweight Charles Rosa was expected to take on Jimy Hettes in Boston. Two injured opponents later, however, and he found himself on the canvas with Kyle Bochniak, an undefeated prospect who stepped up for a UFC debut on just a few days' notice.

Despite the fact that the two fighters had very little time to prepare for each other, they put on an excellent show. Over the course of their three round scrap, the featherweights landed an identical 65 total strikes apiece, bloodying one another up in the process. In the end, however, the judges would side with Rosa.

With the unanimous decision victory, Rosa rebounds from a close loss to Yair Rodriguez. He's now 2-2 in the UFC, and 11-2 overall. Bochniak, on the other hand, loses for the first time as a pro, falling to 6-1 overall.

Font Snuffs Gomez in the Third

The second fight of the evening paired Rob Font with the undefeated Joey Gomez in a compelling bantamweight showdown. The bout marked Font's first since a July 2014 smashing of George Roop.

The long layoff didn't seem to slow Font down. After out-landing his opponent through rounds one and two, he sealed the deal in the third with a beautiful combination against the fence. With the TKO win, he's now 2-0 in the UFC and a fantastic 12-1 overall. Gomez, meanwhile, comes up short in his UFC debut and falls to 6-1 in total.

Barroso Out-Duels Mutapcic

The first bout of the evening came courtesy of the light heavyweight division, as middleweight veteran Elvis Mutapcic jumped up a weight class for a short notice UFC debut against Brazilian prospect Francimar Barroso.

Though it wasn't the most thrilling performance, it was a fairly decisive win for the Brazilian, who appeared to steal the first round with a takedown, and landed the more meaningful strikes throughout. With the win, he moves to 18-4 overall and 3-1 in the UFC. Mutapcic, meanwhile, is now 15-4 overall.