When the main event pairing between Tatsuro Taira and Alex Perez was announced for Saturday’s Fight Night event at the UFC APEX, many wondered whether it was too much, too soon for the promising, undefeated fighter from Okinawa, Japan.
It was not.
Taira emerged with a second-round technical knockout victory after Perez suffered a knee injury while being dragged backwards to the canvas by the rising star, advancing his record to 16-0 overall and putting himself in the thick of the title conversation in the 125-pound weight class.
While Perez was a little more effective in the opening round in Las Vegas, the 24-year-old Taira did not look out of place sharing the Octagon with the former title challenger, who picked up a knockout win over top-10 fixture Matheus Nicolau at the end of April. In the second, it was Taira that changed levels and attacked a takedown, using the entanglement to climb on Perez’s back and immediately lock on a body triangle.
As Taira was searching for opportunities to attack a choke, he laced his “locking leg” from the body triangle behind the knee of Perez and tried to lean back, working to off-balance the California native and cause him to topple to the canvas. Though initially unsuccessful, Taira stayed with it, and when Perez was forced backwards, something in his right knee gave out and he immediately screamed out in agony and tapped out.
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Although certainly not how he had envisioned securing the biggest win of his career, this victory should elevate Taira into the top 5 in the flyweight division when the rankings update next week. He called for a championship opportunity against Alexandre Pantoja in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, and though he may not get the title shot he’s hoping for next time out, this victory puts him in the thick of the conversation and should set up another marquee assignment.
It’s already been a banner year for breakout performances in the flyweight division between Steve Erceg and now Taira, which should put all on eyes Muhammad Mokaev when he returns to action next month at UFC 304 in Manchester.
The co-main event on Saturday night saw Miles Johns pick up his second straight victory and push his overall unbeaten streak to four with a unanimous-decision win over Douglas Silva de Andrade.
A former standout prospect on the regional circuit, Johns is starting to find his groove in the UFC bantamweight division, using a low-output, high-power striking approach to get the better of things this weekend and as of late. He was able to avoid a late rush from the Brazilian veteran in this one, but it’s going to be interesting to see how his “throwing-heavy-singles” method translates as he keeps working forward in the division.
The featherweight contest between Lucas Almeida and Timothy Cuamba that preceded Johns’ win played out in a similar fashion, only this time it was the Brazilian Almeida racing out to an early lead and holding off the charging Cuamba down the stretch. Almeida’s power was too much for Cuamba over the first two rounds, as he couldn’t match the output or impact coming his way, but he hung tough, stayed in the fight, and closed things out having success.
For Almeida, the win snapped a two-fight skid and brought his UFC record level at two wins and two losses. As for Cuamba, moral victories don’t pay, but it should still provide the 25-year-old some positives to build upon as he remains in search of his first UFC win.
Brady Hiestand continued making his case for being a person of interest in the bantamweight division on Saturday, earning a third-round submission win over Garrett Armfield in an entertaining back-and-forth midway through the main card.
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The 25-year-old from Spokane, Wash. flashed his signature durability and resilience once again, somehow escaping a deep belly-down armbar in the first and getting sat down with strikes in the second. Each time, “Bam Bam” did the right things, getting into his own grappling in the first to threaten with a rear-naked choke before using it to tie up Armfield and buy himself recovery time.
When the third round started, Hiestand quickly closed the distance, grabbed a single leg, and dumped Armfield to the canvas, working to his back and sinking in the fight-ending choke. Hiestand is one of those young fighters that is still developing his weapons and sharpening his skills, but the grit and tenacity he’s shown throughout his UFC journey thus far are the kind of unteachable intangibles that can differentiate great fighters from good fighters.
Each of the first two bouts on Saturday’s main card went the distance, with Asu Almabayev collecting his third UFC win in as many starts by out-wrestling Jose Johnson, and Adam Fugitt landing on the happy side of a split decision verdict in a 15-minute stand-up battle with Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) grad Josh Quinlan.
The prelims offered an entertaining mix of competitive battles and quick finishes.
Nate Maness collected his second straight win at flyweight in the final bout of the early slate, out-working DWCS graduate Jimmy Flick. The Kentucky native utilized a more robust offensive attack and solid defensive skills to get the better of things against “The Brick,” moving his record to 5-2 in the UFC while taking another step forward in the competitive 125-pound weight class.
Both Gabriella Fernandes and Westin Wilson scored their first UFC victories, with the former registering a unanimous-decision win over newcomer Carli Judice and the latter submitting Road to UFC finalist Jeka Saragih less than two minutes into their featherweight battle. Each fighter entered on a two-fight skid, having faced tough opposition and bad stylistic matchups to open their time on the big stage, but did well to land on the right side of the results this weekend.
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Brazilian Melquizael Costa remained patient and composed through the first two rounds of his grappling-heavy matchup with Shayilan Nuerdanbieke, taking advantage of the Chinese athlete’s fading energy to find the finish in the third round. The colourful 27-year-old did well in the opening frames to minimize the damage landed by Nuerdanbieke and was quick to capitalize after stuffing the early, telegraphed shot in the third to secure the finish.
In the opening bout of the evening, Swedish strawweight Josefine Knutsson remained unbeaten by registering a unanimous-decision win over tough Brazilian Julia Polastri, further showcasing her strong standup skills. The 28-year-old is now 8-0 overall and positioned as one of the top emerging names to watch in the 115-pound weight class.
