The UFC returned to the Mile High City for the first time in more than five years on Saturday night with a 12-fight event from Ball Arena.
There had been several changes to the card in the days and weeks leading up to it, including to the main event. Tracy Cortez filled in for Maycee Barber on short notice and took on former UFC champion Rose Namajunas who resides in Denver and had the crowd support.
Official results from UFC Fight Night Namajunas vs. Cortez below:
MAIN CARD
Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
Namajunas found a home for her jab early in the headliner and sat Cortez down with a sneaky left hook within the first two minutes of the fight. Cortez recovered and finished the round. Namajunas was a two-time strawweight champion competing for the third time since moving up to the flyweight division and her world class skill set was on display. Cortez found modest success throughout yet Namajunas began pulling away and on the scorecards.
Muslim Salikhov def. Santiago Ponzinibbio via split decision
Veteran welterweights got the co-main event slot on Saturday despite the fact both had lost three of four heading into the event. Ponzinibbio, 37, and Salikhov, 40, engaged in a tactical and technical bout that took place mostly on the feet with Salikhov getting back in the win column. Also, shout-out Aaron for another Cage Locks dart throw hit.
Jean Silva def. Drew Dober via technical knockout (doctor’s stoppage) at 1:28 of Round 3
This short-notice lightweight matchup was the frontrunner for Fight of the Night prior to the event and both men gave the crowd their money’s worth. Silva fought and won at UFC 303 just two weeks ago in a catchweight bout (he’s a featherweight who missed weight by 1.5 pounds) but showed out up a division against Denver’s own Dober who began bleeding over his right eye in the opening round and it only got worse from there.
Silva was the faster and more accurate striker throughout and was inflicting more damage. Dober at one point landed a Superman punch in the second round that sent the crowd into a brief frenzy, but it was Silva that landed a spinning elbow in the waning seconds that had Dober on wobbly legs as they entered the third round. Silva landed another elbow that opened Dober’s cut even more and the referee stepped in. The fight was called upon the cageside doctor’s advice and Silva extended his overall winning streak to 11 in a row.
Gabriel Bonfim def. Ange Loosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Brazil’s Bonfim rebounded from his first career loss by going the distance for the first time in his pro career. Bonfim improved to 16-1 and leaned on his powerful striking to overcome four landed takedowns from Loosa.
Julian Erosa def. Christian Rodriguez via submission at 4:49 of Round 1
These two wasted no time. Rodriguez, despite a five-inch height disadvantage, put the pressure on Erosa early and the two began to trade shots and brawl. Eventually the fight went to the ground and that’s where Erosa and his leverage took over. He locked in a guillotine choke that forced a quick tap to improve to 2-0 on the year. In fact, this was Erosa’s second first-round guillotine finish of 2024 after also tapping Ricardo Ramos in March.
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage ends in no-contest (accidental blows to back of the head) at 0:37 of Round 1
The first fight of the main card ended early and anticlimactically. Alhassan rocked Brundage with elbows as he defended a takedown along the fence but during the follow-up he landed multiple strikes to the back of Brundage’s head, which are illegal. Brundage was dazed and could be heard saying, “What happened?” The bout was called off after Brundage was examined by cageside doctors for several minutes. Referee Dan Miragliotta determined Alhassan did not intentionally land the illegal strikes so it was ruled a no-contest opposed to a disqualification.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Charles Johnson def. Joshua Van by knockout at 0:20 of Round 3
If you like high-octane flyweight striking matches then this one was for you. Johnson had a massive height, reach and experience advantage and attacked with frequent kicks but Van remained poised and found his timing on his punches. At the beginning of the third round, Johnson turned up the heat and began the third round extra aggressive. He rocked Van and followed up with a huge uppercut that put away his opponent. Johnson went 1-3 in 2023 but is already 3-0 in 2024.
Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Fatima Kline via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Canada’s Jasudavicius had a strong opening round once she gained top control following an early scramble. Kline, who also competes in the strawweight division, was making her UFC debut on short notice in a flyweight bout. Jasudavicius used her size advantage and leaned on the smaller Kline when the two were along the fence and on the mat. Kline proved she belongs in the big show but Jasudavicius controlled the back half of all three rounds to win on the scorecards.
Montel Jackson def. Da’Mon Blackshear via knockout at 0:18 second of Round 1
This one was over before it really began. Just as Dominick Cruz on the broadcast was saying how good Jackson’s straight punches are, Jackson landed a one-two down the pipe that put his opponent away less than 20 seconds into the fight.
Luana Santos def. Mariya Agapova via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:27 of Round 1
Santos improved to 3-0 in the UFC, making easy work of Agapova. After not being able to finish an arm-triangle choke following a nice judo takedown, she took the back and attacked with a RNC that forced a tap.
Andre Petroski def. Josh Fremd via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Petroski snapped a two-fight losing streak using a conservative, grappling-heavy game plan to sweep the scorecards against Fremd.
Evan Elder def. Darrius Flowers via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 1:46 of Round 2
The first preliminary bout was only added to the card a few days prior to the event but Elder looked fresh and handed Flowers his third consecutive loss in the UFC. Elder took control after a fast-paced opening round, eventually sinking in a choke on the ground.