UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Muhammad Prelims

Welterweight prospect Matthew Semelsberger opened the event with a bang, as he knocked out Jason Witt in less than a minute.

Witt (18-7) started the fight throwing, but when he got too close on a leg kick attempt, Semelsberger (8-2) struck with a straight right on the button, and that was it, as Witt fell to the mat and got tagged with a follow-up 1-2, bringing in referee Chris Tognoni to halt the bout 16 seconds into the opening round.

Official Result: Matthew Semelsberger def. Jason Witt by KO at :16 of Round 1

Veteran strawweight Jinh Yu Frey used her ground game perfectly in taking a three-round unanimous decision victory over Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Gloria de Paula.

Frey (10-6) got the bout to the mat early and she proceeded to dominate there, all according to her game plan, but de Paula (5-3) recovered well in round two and was able to keep it standing and even the score. Frey did get the takedown in the opening minute of round three, though, and midway through the final frame, Frey took the Brazilian’s back. And while she didn’t get the finish, she did get the victory via three scores of 29-28.

Official Result: Jinh Yu Frey def. Gloria de Paula by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

JJ Aldrich’s grappling proved to be the difference in her flyweight bout against Cortney Casey, as she eked out a three-round split decision win.

Scores were 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 for Aldrich, now 9-4. Casey falls to 9-9.

There was plenty of solid action in the opening stanza, with Casey fighting with a lot of intensity throughout, even when Aldrich got her to the mat. And while those trips to the mat helped Aldrich’s cause, Casey’s work on the feet likely earned her the round.

Aldrich controlled much of the second-round action on the ground, making Casey’s aggressiveness work against her. But with the bout perhaps on the line in the third, Casey fought with a sense of urgency and was met in kind by Aldrich, wrapping up the fight with a close to call final frame.

Official Result: JJ Aldrich def. Cortney Casey by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

Lightweight prospect Nasrat Haqparast got a gritty effort out of short notice replacement Rafa Garcia, but he still pulled off the unanimous decision victory.

Scores were 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.

Garcia’s best shot at victory was getting the fight to the mat, but Haqparast kept the fight standing in the opening frame and was the busier striker. Garcia more than held his own, though, and he even landed a couple thudding shots that got Haqparast’s attention. In the second and third, Haqparast widened his lead as he mixed up his busy striking attack well as he once again kept the fight on the feet. And while Garcia impressed with his toughness, this was Haqparast’s night as he moved to 13-3. Garcia fell to 12-1.

Official Result: Nasrat Haqparast def. Rafa Garcia by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Brazilian ground wizard Rani Yahya was in top-notch form, as he submitted Ray Rodriguez in the second round of their bantamweight bout.

Rodriguez landed a hard right hand to open the bout, prompting Yahya to look for the takedown, and he got it, keeping the Texan grounded for the rest of the round. Yahya didn’t get the finish in the first, but in the second, another takedown led to a head and arm choke that forced Rodriguez to tap out at the 3:09 mark.

With the win, Yahya moves to 27-10-1, 1 NC. Rodriguez falls to 16-8.

Official Result: Rani Yahya def. Ray Rodriguez by submission (head and arm choke) at 3:09 of Round 2

Featherweight prospects Charles Jourdain and Marcelo Rojo went to war for nearly three rounds before Jourdain pulled out the win with a final round stoppage.

Stylistically, Jourdain and Rojo were almost mirror images of each other, and they fought on even terms for most of the first round. Rojo may have pulled the round out thanks to a quick takedown a minute in, but a strong body attack by Jourdain in the closing stages of the frame made it a tough one to call.

The second was another back-and-forth frame, with both fighters keeping a frantic pace. Rojo was landing with some flashy combinations, but a flying knee that started off a big combination for Jourdain again gave the judges a tough call to make.

A big right by Jourdain in the second minute of the third round floored Rojo, and the Canadian followed up with some ferocious ground strikes. But the ultra-game Rojo wasn’t about to go away, and he rose to his feet to slug away with his foe. But after a final knockdown by Jourdain, referee Mark Smith stepped in immediately to stop the fight at 4:31 of the third round.

Official Result: Charles Jourdain def. Marcelo Rojo by TKO (strikes) at 4:31 of Round 3

In a rematch of a 2017 bout, strawweight contender Angela Hill made it two for two over Ashley Yoder, winning a shutout three-round decision.

All three judges saw it 30-27 for the No. 12-ranked Hill, now 13-9. Yoder falls to 8-7.Hill had a big first round both at distance and in the clinch, with her striking looking sharp throughout. There was more of the same in the second, and it appeared that the end was near when a Hill knee with a minute left stunned Yoder. The Indiana native did recover enough to score her first takedown moments later, but it was Hill landing several elbows while on the mat.

Keeping her foot on the gas in the third, Hill landed a series of knees in the clinch, but left herself open for a takedown by Yoder, giving the “SpiderMonkey” one last chance to pull the comeback off. Hill got back to her feet with under a minute left, though, securing her clear-cut victory.

Official Result: Angela Hill def. Ashley Yoder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

An illegal knee by Eryk Anders brought an early halt to his middleweight bout against Darren Stewart, with the fight being ruled a no decision.

"It was just a lapse in judgement it was in the heat of the moment. I should have just been throwing punches instead of worrying knees and kicks and stuff. It’s a mistake on my part."@ErykAnders reacts to his #UFCVegas21 No Contest bout with Darren Stewart.

All Results ⬇️:

— UFC News (@UFCNews) March 14, 2021

Stewart rocked Anders briefly in the second minute of the fight, prompting a takedown attempt by the Alabama product. The attempt soon turned to a clinch, and after catching Stewart with some hard shots, he decided to separate. A left hand dropped Stewart with a little over a minute left, and though the Brit rose to his feet, he caught another barrage of shots, sending him to the mat. While there, Anders threw and landed an illegal knee, bringing a momentary halt to the fight, and while Stewart wanted to continue, the doctor disagreed, and the bout was called off and ruled a no decision by referee Herb Dean at 4:37 of the first round.

Official Result: Eryk Anders and Darren Stewart’s bout was ruled a no decision (illegal knee – 4:37) in the first round

In his first UFC bout since 2018, Brazil’s Matheus Nicolau won a three-round split decision over Manel Kape in flyweight action.

Scores were 29-28 twice and 28-29 for Nicolau, now 16-3-1. Kape falls to 15-6.

Two minutes in, Nicolau got a takedown and quickly went to work, pushing Kape to the fence. As Kape rose, he got caught in a guillotine choke briefly, but he got his head out and was able to go back to his striking attack until another Nicolau takedown with under 90 seconds left.

Kape stunned Nicolau with an uppercut early in round two and he opened up with both hands as the Brazilian went on the defensive. After clearing his head, Nicolau fired back, but it was clear that Kape was a step ahead when it came to striking. 

Undeterred, Nicolau came out striking in round three and he was outworking Kape for a good stretch of the frame until Kape began finding his range again. A couple knees by Kape down the stretch jarred Nicolau, but it wasn’t enough to win him the round or the fight.

Official Result: Matheus Nicolau def. Manel Kape by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29

Known for his ground game, England’s Davey Grant scored his second consecutive knockout win, halting Jonathan Martinez in the second round of their bantamweight bout.

Martinez and Grant traded hard strikes throughout the first round, with Martinez holding the edge thanks to a series of thudding leg kicks. But the biggest shot of the frame came late when Martinez dropped the Brit with a left hand with under 30 seconds to go.

Undeterred by the knockdown in the previous round, Grant came out fast for the second and was outworking Martinez until a flush left hand dropped the Texan and ended the bout. The official time of referee Chris Tognoni’s stoppage was 3:03 of round two.

Official Result: Davey Grant def. Jonathan Martinez by KO at 3:03 of Round 2

Featherweight contender Dan Ige wasted no time getting down to business against Canada’s Gavin Tucker, and the result was a 22-second knockout victory for the expectant dad from Hawaii.

As the bout began, the two engaged and threw, Ige got there first with a flush right, and the fight was over. 

With the win, the No. 9-ranked Ige moves to 15-3. Tucker falls to 13-2.

Official Result: Dan Ige def. Gavin Tucker by KO at :22 of Round 1

In a meeting of light heavyweight contenders, Ryan Spann made short work of Misha Cirkunov, ending the UFC Fight Night co-main event in just 71 seconds.

Cirkunov came out fast, but Spann struck gold with a right hand that dropped Cirkunov hard to the deck. Spann looked for the finish, but Cirkunov survived the initial onslaught and Spann let him rise. The Texan soon scored a second knockdown, and this time, the follow-up barrage brought in referee Mark Smith to stop the fight 1:11 into the fight.

With the win, the No. 13-ranked Spann moves to 19-6. The No. 11-ranked Cirkunov falls to 15-6.

Official Result: Ryan Spann def. Misha Cirkunov by TKO at 1:11 of Round 1

The return of welterweight contender Leon Edwards didn’t end the way anyone expected, as an unintentional eye poke left Belal Muhammad unable to continue, forcing a no decision call in the second round of the UFC Fight Night main event.

In his first round since July 2019, Edwards looked sharp and he stayed busy, with a left head kick two minutes in briefly wobbling Muhammad. The Chicago product had his moments, but the first round belonged to Edwards.

Seconds into round two, Muhammad took an unintentional poke in the eye, and he fell to the mat in pain. The Octagonside doctor came in to check Muhammad out, and with the welterweight unable to see from his right eye, the fight was stopped. The official time of the stoppage was :18 of the second round.

The No. 3-ranked Edwards moves to 18-3, 1 ND. The No. 13-ranked Muhammad moves to 18-3, 1 ND

Official Result: Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad’s bout was ruled a no decision (eye poke – :18) in the second round