A low-key card in Las Vegas turned into an all-action good time as the men and women who made their way into the Octagon exceeded all expectations, delivering a collection of breakout performances and outstanding finishes before the action shifts to Manchester next weekend for UFC 304.
Saturday night’s main event may have very well produced the next title challenger in the strawweight division, as Virna Jandiroba tapped out compatriot and recent championship challenger Amanda Lemos to close out an entertaining night of action inside the UFC APEX.
The former Invicta FC champ Jandiroba was a step ahead of Lemos on the canvas from the outset, showcasing her superiority on the mat through a scramble-heavy opening stanza before wrapping things up there in the second. In both instances, it was Lemos that brought the fight to the floor; a cardinal sin against a fighter as proven and dangerous there as her Brazilian compatriot.
In the second, Jandiroba worked her way to Lemos’ back, patiently looking for opportunities to secure the rear-naked choke. With time winding down and the openings not presenting themselves, “Cacara” opted to switch her attack, shifting her hips and quickly locking up an armbar that left Lemos dead to rights.
Jandiroba called for a championship opportunity in her post-fight interview, and she clearly has the best case of any active fighter in the division at the moment.
She and Tatiana Suarez are the only two fighters in the Top 5 that have yet to share the Octagon with champion Zhang Weili, and while Suarez is still unbeaten and ranked ahead of the Brazilian, she’s been out of action for nearly a year and has had a miserable time staying healthy over the course of her career. Conversely, Jandiroba has now registered a pair of victories already this year, with each of her four victories in her current winning streak coming against ranked opposition.
With Zhang having successfully defended the title in April at UFC 300, a return in the back half of the year would seem likely, and it could very well be Jandiroba standing opposite her whenever she returns to the Octagon.
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Steve Garcia made the most of his late shift into the co-main event on Saturday, registering his fourth straight stoppage win by putting down SeungWoo Choi in the opening frame.
The Jackson-Wink MMA representative wobbled Choi with a left hand in the early moments of the contest and never let off the gas, continuing to fire and land until the South Korean hit the deck, where Garcia quickly pounded out the finish. He’s now earned four straight stoppage wins and made sure to make the most of his time on the microphone following his victory, suggesting a matchup with Dan Ige later this year before challenging Daniel Cormier to 18 holes.
While neither callout may come to fruition, Garcia should get a step up in competition after quickly dispatching Choi, and treat himself to another couple of rounds at his favourite course after extending his winning streak in spectacular fashion to begin his 2024 campaign.
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Bruno Silva extended his winning streak to four in spectacular fashion, shifting the momentum in his clash with Cody Durden with a massive uppercut that became the kickoff to the finishing barrage.
Durden was in complete control of the action through the first seven minutes of the fight, out-striking Silva in the first before hurting the Brazilian on the feet and chasing submissions through the first half of the middle frame. But when the two rose to their feet, Silva uncorked a heavy, precise uppercut that sent Durden’s mouthguard flying and the fighter crashing to the canvas, where “Bulldog” promptly unleashed hell, splitting him open with a massive elbow and securing the finish.
The 34-year-old entered on a three-fight winning streak, having scored Performance of the Night bonuses in each of those contests, but his momentum constantly slowed as a result of lengthy layoffs. After a performance like this, Silva could find himself facing a ranked opponent and making a real push towards contention if he’s able to return to action in a timely fashion.
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Dooho Choi got his hand raised inside the Octagon for the first time in eight years on Saturday evening, collecting a second-round stoppage victory over Bill Algeo to halt a four-fight run without a victory.
Now 33 years old, “The Korean Superboy” has always been an all-action, must-see fighter throughout his career, but he was finally able to secure a victory on Saturday, with his power proving to be the differentiator against Algeo. While both landed quality shots in the opening stanza, Choi was able to crack the Pennsylvania native with a series of lefts to the eye that ultimately became too much for Algeo to endure, prompting him to retreat to the fence and take a knee, halting the fight.
A rising star in the promotion through his UFC 206 battle with Cub Swanson in Toronto, which has since be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame, injuries and his mandatory military service slowed the South Korean’s career, with tough matchups keeping him from the win column until this weekend. Having rediscovered the winning feeling, it’ll be curious to see what comes next for the fan favourite after this one.
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First-year featherweight Hyder Amil and JeongYeong Lee went bananas in the main card opener, planting their feet and trading blows in a 65-second fight that ended with Amil uncorking a 38-punch flurry to secure the victory.
Another member of the impressive Dana White’s Contender Series Class of ’23, Amil got clipped in the opening seconds of the contest, but that only seemed to wake him up, as from that point forward, he took things to Lee. After the two traded back-and-forth for a brief moment, Amil started to find a home for his shots with greater frequency and force, backing Lee into the fence and prompting referee Mark Smith to step in and halt the fight.
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Cody Gibson closed out the prelims with the first finish of the night, making quick work of fellow veteran Brian Kelleher.
The recent TUF finalist used his length early to keep Kelleher at range, but created the opportunity to seek out a finish after clipping “Boom” with an elbow along the fence. When the Long Island native looked for a guillotine choke, Gibson cleared his head, secured top position, and attacked an arm-triangle choke, quickly locking things up and securing the tap.
After giving up his teaching job and relocating to Las Vegas for this camp, this was the kind of performance the 36-year-old needed, securing the first win of his second stint with the promotion and his first UFC win in over a decade.
Miranda Maverick took in a sharp, tactical effort in her matchup with Dione Barbosa, navigating the dangerous short-notice matchup with aplomb to collect her third straight win.
Originally paired with Top 10 fighter Tracy Cortez, there was the possibility of a letdown for Maverick after Cortez was called up to face Rose Namajunas last weekend in Denver. Instead, the powerful Denver-based flyweight leaned on her top pressure and tactical awareness to ground Barbosa and grind out another solid win.
Rather than stumbling in a potential “trap fight,” the 27-year-old showed she was a level above the Brazilian, and should get another opportunity to fight a ranked opponent after this one.
The first three fights of the evening all went the distance, with Thomas Petersen, Luana Carolina, and Trey Ogden all collecting victories on the scorecards.
Petersen showed solid improvements in his sophomore appearance inside the Octagon, out-working Mohammed Usman in a fight largely contested on the feet, with Carolina doing the same against Lucie Pudilova to notch her third straight victory. Ogden played to his strengths against Loik Radzhabov, taking the fight to the canvas and advancing to a dominant position in all three rounds. Although he failed to find a finish, the Marathon MMA head man did more than enough to secure his second win of the year.
