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Back in Music City for the first time in four years, the action inside the Octagon started quickly and never let up, producing an entertaining night of fights at Bridgestone Arena.
From a promising debut and unheralded talents showing out to key wins for ascending figures and a cerebral, tactical main event, Saturday produced plenty of excitement and a great deal to discuss going forward.
Here’s a look at what transpired inside the cage. | Official Scorecards
Welcome to the UFC, Assu Almabayev!
The flyweight from Kazakhstan ran his winning streak to 14 straight with a second-round submission win over Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) alum Ode’ Osbourne. He put Osbourne on the canvas and kept him there throughout the first, and after returning him to the canvas early in the second, Almabayev worked around to the back, looked for the submission, and squeezed out the tap.
This was an excellent showing for the 29-year-old newcomer, who moved to 18-2 with the victory, instantly announcing his presence in the 125-pound weight class. | Official Scorecards
After nearly a year away from the Octagon, Sean Woodson turned in a strong return to action, out-working Dennis Buzukja on the way to earning a unanimous decision victory.
Woodson’s length and experience ruled the day, as he was able to chip away at Buzukja at range, stinging him with an accumulation of body shots and teep kicks to the midsection. When they grappled, it was the veteran that got the better of things there as well, spending the back half of the second round in top position hunting for chokes.
While the finish didn’t materialize, this was a sound, dominant showing for the DWCS graduate, who moved to 10-1-1 with the victory, extending his unbeaten streak to four. This was a tough ask of Buzukja on very limited notice, and the LAW MMA representative should look better with a full training camp next time out. | Official Scorecards
Everyone knew the fight between Cody Durden and Jake Hadley was going to be quality as soon as it was booked, but the flyweights managed to exceed expectations on Saturday’s prelims.
Durden controlled the opening frame, opening a cut over Hadley’s left eye and controlling the grappling exchanges before the British prospect nearly earned a finish in the second after attacking a belly-down armbar that had the American wincing in discomfort. The final round was a battle of attrition, with Durden again getting the better of the striking exchanges and controlling things on the canvas.
That’s four straight wins for the American Top Team representative, who moves to 15-4-1 overall with the victory, while Hadley falls to 2-2 in the UFC and 10-2 with the setback. | Official Scorecards
If this one doesn’t win Fight of the Night, it means something special happened later in the evening, because this was a fantastic featherweight battle.
Jackson dominated the opening round, taking the fight to Quarantillo both standing and on the canvas, trying to get the durable New York native out of there early. “Billy Q” rallied back in the second, his pace, conditioning, and constant pressure wearing on Jackson, and in the third, both men had their moments, with Quarantillo continuing to chip away and Jackson scoring with the single biggest strike of the round, a head kick late in the frame.
The judges were tasked with determining the winning, and all three saw it the same way, awarding Quarantillo the unanimous decision victory. Great fight between two veteran stalwarts in the 145-pound ranks. | Official Scorecards
What a comeback for Carlston Harris!
Through the first two rounds, Harris barely landed a strike, with Wells taking the fight to the canvas and dominating the action. But in the third, Harris defended Wells’ takedown attempt and quickly locked up an anaconda choke, squeezing tight and putting Wells to sleep.
What an incredible rally for the 36-year-old veteran, who picked up his second straight victory and moves to 4-1 in the UFC with the come-from-behind win. Just a gutsy, opportunistic effort from “Moçambique” to secure the finish. | Official Scorecards
Kyler Phillips and Raoni Barcelos closed out the prelims with a technical, competitive, closely contested battle in the bantamweight division, potentially foreshadowing what is to come in the main event.
The speed and laser-sighted right hand of Phillips was a key weapon for the former DWCS and Ultimate Fighter alum, as he dropped Barcelos with it in the first and continued to land it throughout. But nothing seemed to deter the Brazilian, as he constantly pressed forward, looking to land in kind and take the fight to Phillips, resulting in a tremendously entertaining, competitive affair that went down to the wire.
When the scores were added up, it was Phillips that came out ahead, giving the MMA Lab product his second consecutive victory and fifth win in six UFC starts. After starting his time in the Octagon with five straight victories, Barcelos has now dropped two straight and four of his last five to fall to 17-5 overall. | Official Scorecards
A significant height and reach disadvantage didn’t deter Ludovit Klein, who used a diverse striking attack and timely grappling to out-hustle Ignacio Bahamondes in the main card opener.
Klein hurt Bahamondes on the feet in the first, wobbling the towering Chilean lightweight before roughing him up on the ground and slicing him open with an elbow. The striking battle was closer in the second, but Klein continued to be the quicker of the two, as well as the superior grappler, which held over and carried through in the third as well.
After starting his UFC run at featherweight, Klein is now unbeaten in four starts at lightweight, moving his record to 20-4-1 with the victory, while the setback halts the 25-year-old Bahamondes’ three-fight winning streak and dropped his record to 3-2 inside the Octagon. | Official Scorecards
Tanner Boser registered his first win at light heavyweight, out-working the returning Aleksa Camur to collect a unanimous decision victory in Nashville.
Much of the first round was spent with the two men trying to find their range and get reads on the other, with Boser working behind a sharp jab and check left hook and Camur looking to close the distance and land in tight. In the second, the Canadian found a rhythm, landing combinations on the DWCS grad and trying to drown him with a relentless pace. Camur endured and had some success in the third, but Boser stayed on him, matching his strikes and grinding in tight.
The judges were tasked with rendering a verdict and all three awarded the fight to Boser, who got himself back into the win column and moving forward in his new surroundings. For Camur, it’s a third consecutive loss, dropping him to 1-3 in the UFC and 6-3 overall. | Official Scorecards
Diego Lopes is quickly making a name for himself in the UFC.
After giving Movsar Evloev all he could handle in his short-notice debut, Lopes jumped on a triangle choke in the early stages of his fight with Gavin Tucker on Saturday. While Tucker was able to defend the hold momentarily, Lopes locked up the choke and then stretched out the Canadian’s arm, rolling through into mount and collecting the tap.
It’s been an outstanding couple of months for the Mexico-based Brazilian, and he’s just getting started. The 28-year-old is now 22-6 for his career and turning into a must-see attraction in the talent-rich featherweight division. | Official Scorecards
Dustin Jacoby did not waste any time on Saturday, halting Kennedy Nzechukwu’s momentum with a clean right hand.
The Fortis MMA man was pressing the action, backing Jacoby into the fence, but the veteran kickboxer fired back a counter right after catching one himself and put Nzechukwu on the deck, swarming to pound out the finish.
After suffering back-to-back losses ahead of this one, the first-round stoppage win gets Jacoby moving in the right direction again, as he moved to 7-2-1 in 10 fights since returning to the promotion. Big win for the Factory X Muay Thai man, who ended Nzechukwu’s three-fight winning streak in a hurry on Saturday. | Official Scorecards
Tatiana Suarez remains undefeated and keeps getting closer to challenging for UFC gold.
The former Ultimate Fighter winner out-grappled former champion Jéssica Andrade in Saturday’s penultimate contest, latching onto a guillotine choke early in the second round that left the Brazilian no choice but to tap. Although she didn’t have her hands connected, Suarez’s positioning and squeeze were such that Andrade knew she had no choice, resulting in the early second-round finish.
Now 2-0 since returning to action earlier this year, with both wins coming by way of guillotine choke in the second round, Suarez is now 11-0 overall. Suarez continues to impress each time out, and having now turned back a pair of former strawweight titleholders, she could very well be next in line to challenge for that title following the UFC 292 clash between Zhang Weili and Amanda Lemos. | Official Scorecards
Cory Sandhagen took the path of least resistance against Rob Font, using his wrestling to ground the New England Cartel representative and earn a clean sweep of the scorecards to close out the show.
The timing of Sandhagen’s takedowns and his ability to deal with sweep attempts while maintaining top position were all outstanding, as he needed one entry in every round to put Font on the deck and keep him there for long periods of time. While the fans weren’t always enthused, it was a smart, tactical approach from the cerebral bantamweight.
Sandhagen went hunting for a D’arce choke in the back half of the final stanza, but couldn’t find the finish, settling for a clean sweep of the scorecards instead. The Colorado native went seven-for-seven with his takedown attempts and has now won three straight to cement his standing as one of the top contenders in the bantamweight division. | Official Scorecards
UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Font took place live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on August 5, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!