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Right hand and left knee by Royval, but Pantoja half-catches the knee and looks for a takedown.

No luck, and the flyweights get back to striking in the centre of the ring. That is, until Pantoja lands a neat trip.

Pantoja slides into half-guard, where he controls his challenger. Some boos from the restless fans in Las Vegas.

Referee Marc Goddard warns the fighters to work, and both land good punches. Eventually there’s a scramble, and the fight is standing again.

Pantoja with a crisp right hand. Royval tries a head kick but with no set-up, and Pantoja takes him down again.

Pantoja gets after Royval with a running overhand immediately. Now a body kick. He then tries a takedown against the fence. An electric pace from the champion early on.

Royval does well to stay composed. He’s standing southpaw and flicking out jabs. Again Royval prevents a takedown.

Brutal body kick by Pantoja; Royval winces. He tries a head kick, but Pantoja evades with ease then kicks low.

Nice knee in the clinch by Pantoja, who then drops down and lands a great takedown. He’s straight into half-guard.

Decent upkick by Royval, who then tries for a triangle choke as Pantoja looks to enter his guard. Royval with a scramble, but he ends up mounted!

Another scramble, and Royval is able to stand late in the round.

Here we go! Co-main event under way.

Middleweight champion Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, who challenges the American for the title in January, reportedly came to blows at ringside moments ago.

Du Plessis had some harsh words for Strickland at a press conference this week, with some feeling that the South African crossed a line by mentioning the champion’s difficult upbringing.

Update: No ‘reportedly’ about it. There is footage of Strickland jumping at Du Plessis and raining down elbows…

Next up, the co-main event. Alexandre Pantoja makes his first defence of the flyweight title, in a rematch with Brandon Royval.

Pantoja won the belt with a decision victory in a war with Brandon Moreno in July, and the Brazilian previously submitted Royval in 2021.

Since then, however, American Royval has won three fights in a row.

Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson via second-round submission (rear naked choke, 4:56).

Well-timed, short right hook by Thompson, then a side kick to the body.

Rakhmonov shoots for a takedown, and Thompson slithers away but eats a knee to the body as the Kazakh gets him against the fence. More solid takedown defence from “Wonderboy”. His balance is so impressive.

Eventually, though, Rakhmonov finishes a single-leg takedown.

Rakhmonov is controlling Thompson, pinning his hand behind his back and landing punches to the head and body.

Rakhmonov eventually flattens out the American and locks in a rear naked choke! It looks like it’s over, but SOMEHOW Thompson guts it out!

Rakhmonov lets go but is in side control, landing elbows. He’s looking for a D’Arce… but opts to take the back instead, as Thompson gives it up…

Rakhmonov locks in a rear naked choke… and Thompson taps with seconds left in the round!!

Here we go! Both men stand orthodox. Thompson kicks low from that typical karate stance.

Now Thompson goes southpaw as Rakhmonov closes range and grapples him against the fence.

Rakhmonov is working on a trip, but Thompson is defending stubbornly so far.

Rakhmonov eventually grabs a single-leg and lands a couple of hard punches, but Thompson is still standing.

Rakhmonov lets go and gets back to holding the American. Boos now from the crowd.

Finally Thompson gets free and lands a nice body kick. And another. Decent cross, but Rakhmonov times a jab well in response.

Rakhmonov last fought in March, submitting Geoff Neal in a bout in which the Kazakh fighter also showed off his striking ability.

However, the 29-year-old did absorb a lot of clean shots that night, which will give hope to Thompson.

“Wonderboy”, 40, always walks out to a Tenacious D song of the same name, and the band is walking him to the ring as we speak.

The American last fought 12 months ago, beating Kevin Holland via TKO.

Next up, a welterweight thriller?

Former title challenger and karate specialist Stephen Thompson faces Shavkat Rakhmonov, who is 17-0 with 17 finishes.