Next up, we have what may be a No 1 contender’s fight at light-heavyweight. Magomed Ankalaev takes on Aleksandar Rakic.

Ankalaev is a former title challenger, having fought ex-champ Jan Blachowicz to a draw in late 2022, while Rakic is looking to secure his first shot at the belt.

Ige continues to stalk forward. Murphy looks wary of his opponent’s power, and understandably so. Clean jab by Murphy, then a spinning back kick to the body.

Ige shoots for a takedown from range, driving Murphy all the way to the fence, but the Briton reverses the position. Murphy controls Ige for a while, before the 145lbers separate.

Jab to the body by Murphy, then a front kick. Cross to the body now. The “Miracle” (given that nickname after surviving a shooting to his face!) is fighting very smartly.

Now he takes down Ige and takes the back, but he gets too high up! Ige is able to reverse, and he ends up in Murphy’s closed guard.

Murphy tries a triangle late in the round, but has to settle for some elbows on Ige.

Round three

Ige is given a stern talking-to by his trainer Eric Nicksick, who coached Francis Ngannou to victory last weekend.

Murphy with more point fighting in this round. He sees a head kick blocked and tries a double-leg, but Ige sprawls well. A scramble ensues, and Ige has side control.

Ige seems to think about an arm-triangle, but he thinks better of it. Another scramble now, and Ige lands in half-guard. He might have a better chance of getting an arm-triangle this time. Nothing doing, though.

The pair transition, and Ige has the back as Murphy stands against the fence. Again Murphy reverses the position, and he trips Ige.

He rains down a few punches, before grabbing a front headlock. It’s been a close round, so Murphy might be better off opting to strike here! He tries a guillotine but lets go and loses the position!

More grappling along the fence, before we end the fight with a wild striking exchange! This one really could go either way...

Lerone Murphy def. Dan Ige via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

In an appetiser of our main event, we have a pair of featherweights up next. Manchester’s Lerone Murphy faces Hawaii’s Dan Ige. The fighters are in the ring, the bout is seconds away.

And off we go. Murphy puts his unbeaten record on the line tonight, in a fight that was first due to happen earlier this year. Ige is looking to get back to winning ways after losing a decision to Diego Lopes in June, when Ige stepped in on about an hour’s notice!!

Ige is on the front foot from the get-go. He kicks low. Murphy flicks out a front kick. A right hand gets through for Ige, and Murphy seemed to feel that.

Hard right hook to the body of Murphy, who flings a right cross back – to the head. Ige is actually already cut, despite his fast start! Blood is streaming down his forehead.

Another surprise: Ige, who loves to strike, picks up and dumps down Murphy. The Hawaiian wraps up the Mancunian’s legs against the fence.

Great defensive grappling from Murphy, who is able to twist and shuffle his weight up Ige’s torso. And Murphy is free! A replay suggests that an elbow cut Ige, rather than a punch.

The pace slows slightly now... OH! And right as I say that, Ige times a left hook to perfection, and Murphy collapses to the mat!

Ige swarms the Briton, who is able to stand and stay composed somehow! Murphy is even throwing back, wow! What an end to this round...

Murphy takes down Ige, then Ige sweeps Murphy with a Kimura effort! What is going on?!

Magomedov blocks a high kick, then fires a cross over the top of a body kick by Petrosyan. Good jab by Magomedov as he moves backwards, then he seems to absorb a low blow. A pause in the action now.

We’re soon back under way, though. Petrosyan presses forward, but Magomedov throws a body kick to deter the Armenian, then both men land punches at point-blank range.

A side kick troubles Petrosyan again. Magomedov complains of another low blow, but the kick looked clean. Petrosyan is tagged by a check hook as he closes range.

A head kick just misses for Petrosyan, and Magomedov’s counter hook is narrowly wide. Petrosyan with a pair of low kicks. Magomedov reallllly loads up on a right hook and misses, but he lands a high kick. Now Petrosyan has a break for an apparent low blow. That kick looked clean as well, though.

Petrosyan catches a side kick and lands a left hook. Again Magomedov swings fiercely on a hook but misses. Good body hooks by the Russian, however.

OH! Another side kick by Magomedov, then scores the knockout late in the round with a DOUBLE SPINNING BACK FIST! I’ve never seen anything like that. He stays unbeaten.

Petrosyan blocked the worst of the first one, but was tagged on the other side by the second! He fell to the mat and shelled up, and clearly wasn’t lucid.

Shara Magomedov def. Armen Petrosyan via second-round TKO (double spinning back fist, 4:52). Magomedov says the double spinning back fist was the first Muay Thai attack he was ever shown, and it was his brother who showed him.

The main card is finally here! First up, middleweight action: the flashy up-and-comer Shara “Bullet” Magomedov faces Armen Petrosyan.

These two have trained together before, and know each other well from their amateur fighting days. The unbeaten Magomedov basically has one working eye, and there’s a belief he can’t get fights sanctioned in the US.

Petrosyan takes the centre of the ring early and kicks low a few times. “Shara” is the chant from the crowd.

Both men throw hooks at the same time, and Petrosyan follows up with two more – and a one-two! Magomedov seems a bit off... Was he buzzed there?

More low kicks from Petrosyan, who isn’t rushing despite that early success. Magomedov with a strong right hand, and another – a hook! Petrosyan lands a hook in that exchange, too, and now a long left hand! Also a knee in the clinch.

These two are fighting at quite a pace now... Magomedov with a clean left hook! Petrosyan didn’t like that. HARD low kicks from both middleweights.

Another stern left hook from Magomedov. More leg kicks by Petrosyan, who is managing range better for the time being.

A side kick knocks down the Armenian, though! He pops back up. Lots of punching and kicking output from both men. Spinning back fist by Magomedov late on!

Light-heavyweights wrap up the main card, as Ibo Aslan faces Rafael Cerqueira.

A bit of a wait for this one, as the UFC shows a promo for tonight’s main event: Ilia Topuria vs Max Holloway.

Okay, finally, the fighters are in the ring!

Both men stand orthodox at first, though Cerqueira quickly starts switching back and forth.

Short left hook from Aslan early, and Cerqueira backs up to the fence and covers up!

Aslan is pouring on punches, changing the target – going from head to body and back – and Cerqueira has no answer!

He’s rocked a few times, and the fight is waved off in 50 seconds!!

Ibo Aslan def. Rafael Cerqueira via first-round TKO (punches, 0:51).

Two more fights before the main card! First up, the pick of the prelims tonight: Geoff “Handz of Steel” Neal faces ex-lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos at welterweight.

Neal presses forward early. Both men stand southpaw.

RDA, who turned 40 today, is already dropped by a left hand! He still seems lucid, though, as Neal enters half-guard...

Now he backs off and lets RDA stand. Good move. OH! A one-two by Neal, and RDA falls again, but clutching his left knee this time! An injury ends this fight early...

Geoff Neal def. Rafael dos Anjos via first-round TKO (strikes and injury, 1:30).

Round three

A replay shows that a clash of heads caused the cut over Rebecki’s right eye.

OH! Rebecki floors Orolbai with a left hook, and Orolbai looks to be out?! But the ref lets it go, and Rebecki is pouring on punches, as Orolbai turtles up. Orolbai might have just been woken UP by those shots!!

Somehow, Orolbai – who has shown his toughness tonight – manages to stand and survive for now... There’s blood EVERYWHERE, some of it Rebecki’s, some of it Orolbai’s.

This fight should have been stopped. Orolbai can’t see and is just eating shots. He’s holding Rebecki and hoping for the best.

But as time passes, Rebecki tires, and Orolbai briefly gets on top of the grappling! Emphasis on ‘briefly’; Rebecki is back in control with 90 seconds left.

OH! But Orolbai reverses the position again! Now the fighters stand. They are COVERED in blood. One-two by Orolbai, and Rebecki staggers!

What a fight. What a card so far. Mateusz Rebecki def. Myktybek Orolbai via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Up next Mateusz Rebecki fights Myktybek Orolbai at a 160lb catchweight.

Rebecki stands southpaw; Orolbai is orthodox. Some bombs thrown by each man so far. Rebecki is sporting a little bruising on his face from Orolbai’s punches, already.

Rebecki lands an overhand left, but Orolbai is taking his opponent’s shots well so far. Lots of low kicks from the 160lbers, too.

Orolbai skips back to avoid a left hook – barely. He then blitzes forward. Now he lands a single shot, a long right hook.

Orolbai is sporting his own damage, though, and it’s BAD around his right eye! Severe swelling.

A delayed start to this round, as Orolbai’s swelling is checked. He’s allowed to continue, but for how long?

Under way, and there’s lots of close-range fighting so far. Both men land clean punches in the pocket. Rebecki looks sharper than his opponent, though.

The pair grapple against the fence, with Rebecki controlling Orolbai for a while. Now they separate, and it’s back to loading up on punches in the middle of the cage.

Orolbai with a great rear uppercut, inflicting his own damage on Rebecki, who is now pawing at a bloody cut around his right eye. Jeez, they’re both so beaten up!