UFC Fight Night

Jared Cannonier's performance was not the kind that inspires long-term hope in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division, but it was enough ...

Dober (26-11, 12-7 UFC) [drew the curtain 2:45 into Round 2](/videos/highlightreels/UFC-Fight-Night-216-Highlight-Video-Drew-Dober-Decimates-Bobby-Green-19327). Oleksiejczuk got busy with his ground-and-pound, increasing the intensity of his punches and elbows with each passing second. Oleksiejczuk (18-5, 6-3 UFC) slammed the door 3:16 into Round 1, authoring his fastest finish in more than three years. A short-notice substitution for [Brandon Royval](/fighter/Brandon-Royval-83851), Costa (12-3, 0-1 UFC) bowed out 2:13 into Round 3. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Tsarukyan (19-3, 6-2 UFC), who bounced back from his June 25 defeat to [Mateusz Gamrot](/fighter/Mateusz-Gamrot-90605). Cannonier (16-6, 9-6 UFC) was effective with kicks to the lower extremities for much of the back-and-forth affair.

Check out what the UFC Fight Night 216 winners had to say backstage at Saturday's event.

Cannonier moves one step closer to UFC middleweight title in the final headliner of 2022.

Despite the punishment, he timed out the attack from Green (29-14-1), then dropped him with a counterpunch in the second round. That ties Dustin Poirier for most knockouts in UFC lightweight history, and Dober (26-11, 1 NC) ends the year undefeated, winning all three of his fights in 2022. Only 26, Tsarukyan (19-3) is only a win or two away from the title. This is a second straight loss for Strickland (25-5). His leg kicks (27 for Cannonier to only one for Strickland) were the constant answer to Strickland’s jab. Jared Cannonier picked up a critical win against Sean Strickland in the Fight Night main event.

If nothing else, MMA fans ended the competitive year with a prodigious haul. The UFC's final card of 2022 wasn't crammed full of high-profile stars but it ...

And given that he connected on 40 strikes to Dober's 17 in the first round, it was happening a lot. Vlismas was also 2-1 in the UFC after her own Contender Series stint and fared well early against McKenna with 17 significant strikes in an opening five minutes fought primarily at a distance. She finished 2022 with two straight victories after losing her first fight of the year by split decision to Elise Reed in March. "I have to credit my old trainer," said Caceres, who maintained his balance as he missed the punch and fired the kick in one motion. It was second straight loss after a six-fight win streak and his fifth in 17 fights in the UFC. "He is tougher than the guys in the top five. One of the answers that was working for us. Cannonier dropped a five-round decision to then-champ Israel Adesanya atop UFC 276 in July and Strickland hadn't fought since the same night when he was vaporized in barely more than half a round by Alex Pereira. I deserve a fight with someone in the top five. "(Kicking) was definitely one of the answers to his jab. Sal D'Amato was exactly the opposite, giving Strickland the first, second, fourth and fifth. He landed occasional volleys of power shots but was often stopped by Strickland's persistent left jab and subtle foot movement.

Check out which fighters took home a bonus for their performance in the final UFC event of 2022.

[The spectacular finish](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/12/ufc-fight-night-216-video-alex-caceres-vs-julian-erosa-knockout-video) earned Caceres the seventh bonus of his 26-fight UFC career. [Bobby Green](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/bobby-green) and [Drew Dober](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/drew-dober) turned in an all-action fight that produced a definitive second-round finish. Dober walked through fire to [land a fight-ending left hand](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/12/ufc-fight-night-216-results-drew-dober-vs-bobby-green-knockout-video) to win by knockout, putting an end to an exciting one in the lightweight division midway through the second round. Oleksiejczuk walks away with his sixth UFC win and his second bonus with the promotion. [Alex Caceres](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/alex-caceres) added Julian Erosa to his highlight reel at UFC Fight Night 216. After dealing with early grappling troubles from Cody Brundage, Oleksiejczuk reversed position and began letting his heavy hands fly.