It was a stacked night at the UFC Apex, culminating in a potentially huge jump up the rankings for rising middleweight star Caio Borralho following a decisive win over former contender Jared Cannonier.
Elsewhere, Tabitha Ricci also may have earned a shot at the women’s strawweight belt following a beat down of Angela Hill, dominating her over three rounds to move to 11-2.
But some of the fights of the night came from the TUF bouts, as Ryan Loder and Mairon Santos earned their UFC contracts with impressive finishes over Robert Valentin and Kaan Ofli respectively in the final of the 32nd edition of the competition.
Below are the full results from an electric Fight Night from Las Vegas.
MAIN CARD
Caio Borralho def. Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision (48-46, 49-45, 49-45)
Borralho left it all out there, getting former title contender Cannonier stumbling and putting him on the mat multiple times. Now standing at 17-1 and looking ahead to a serious jump in the rankings, the 31-year-old could see a serious shot at the title coming soon.
Tabatha Ricci def. Angela Hill via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
It was all gas, no brakes in this one as the two strawweight contenders let the fists fly. Not much separated the two competitors but the judges favoured Ricci in this one, lifting her to 11-2 in pro MMA.
Ryan Loder def. Robert Valentin via TKO at 1:49 of Round 2 (TUF 32 middleweight final)
The fight was ruled by some intense grappling throughout and ended with Loder on top, pounding Valentin with nasty elbows in the top position and forcing the ref to call the TKO, crowning the American as TUF middleweight champ.
Mairon Santos def. Kaan Ofli via KO at 1:30 of Round 2 (TUF 32 featherweight final)
Santos took home the TUF 32 featherweight title after feeding Ofli some wicked punches, combining a right and left hook to put him on his knees and out cold.
Michael Morales def. Neil Magny via TKO at 4:39 of Round 1
Morales has a bright future ahead as the Venezuelan swarmed Magny with strike after strike before getting him on his stomach and feeding him some nasty ground and pound for the TKO. The 25-year-old remains perfect with a 17-0 record in pro MMA.
Gerald Meerschaert def. Edmen Shahbazyan via submission at 4:12 of Round 2
It looked all but over for Gerald Meerschaert after a nasty punch to the gut and a flurry of punches, but he turned the tide in a big way to lock in the arm triangle and force the tap in the second round. With that win, Meerschaert earned the most finishes in UFC middleweight history.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Francis Marshall def. Dennis Buzukja via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Marshall thought the win would come sooner after a massive right hand but was unable to capitalize on it, with the bout eventually heading to the scoring table for a tight split decision victory.
Zachary Reese def. José Medina via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Reese came out swinging, landing heavy blow after blow right out of the gate but was unable to finish off Medina. However, that dominant work gave him more than enough love from the judges for a unanimous decision.
Viacheslav Borshchev def. James Llontop via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Despite a long stoppage due to an eye poke and an ensuing strike from Llontop, Borshchev earned the favour of the judges with a gritty performance in the split decision win.
Jacqueline Cavalcanti def. Josiane Nunes via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Despite an impressive third round for Nunes, Cavalcanti built up her five-fight win streak after a dominant first two rounds, complete with just enough striking to take her over the top for a split decision win.
Wang Cong def. Victoria Leonardo via KO at 1:02 in Round 1
Wang Cong remained undefeated in pro MMA after finding her spot with a wicked straight right jab to knock out Victoria Leonardo early on in Round 1.