Supported by a co-main event that saw Marvin Vettori submit his rival Karl Roberson after an animosity-filled build-up, it marked the third UFC event at the UFC Apex facility as the MMA world ticks on during the Coronavirus outbreak.
Cifers gets cracked again
Mariya Agapova def. Hannah Cifers via submission (rear-naked choke), round 1 (2:42)
Mariya Agapova dealt Hannah Cifers her second submission loss in as many weeks as the Kazakh's swift striking opened the door for a frst-round submission.
Cifers, who suffered a quick submission loss to Mackenzie Dern a fortnight prior in the same venue, came flying out of the gates but was quickly under siege from left hands coming over the top of the more rangier fighter. Cifers was trying to clip her coming forward and initiate some grappling, but that was unsuccessful and she soon ate a monstrous left head kick that stumbled her - and her survival ultimately lead to her demise as Agapova took her back and secured a rear-naked choke to get the submission win.
Espinosa deals De La Rosa a dominant loss
Jordan Espinosa def. Mark De La Rosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
It took no time at all for Jordan Espinosa to establish his striking advantage, but he also went on to demonstrate grappling prowess with a complete performance through three rounds to see off Mark De La Rosa.
The movement of Espinosa helped him to land jabs and remain mostly unfazed, also chopping away at the lead leg of his opponent. Midway through the round De La Rosa managed to close the distance and force a clinch but that would be to his detriment, eating an array of body shots and some huge elbows before the round was out.
Round two unfolded in similar fashion with De La Rosa again unable to complete a takedown. There was a slight glimmer of hope as he rushed forward and grazed his opponent with a right hand, however it was all one way traffic - Espinosa was controlling it at range and anytime De La Rosa tried to get it to the mat, he would be unsuccessful.
After all of the attempts from De La Rosa, it was Espinosa who scored the first takedown of the fight. His final decent ouput in the fight was a right hand which landed flush but a mere warning call in the grand scheme of things for Espinosa to not get too overzealous. The eventual fight winner Espinosa would chase a D'arce choke to no avail after his second takedown, cruising to a lopsided unanimous decision win.
Fili single-handedly gets by Jourdain
Andre Fili def. Charles Jourdain via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
His right hand may have been out of action early in the fight, and he hit the canvas later on in the first round - but Andre Fili picked up steam to top Charles Jourdain in a fiery encounter.
The opening round was mostly contested at kickboxing range as Fili attempted countless high kicks but found one of his preferred weapons, the right hand, injured. Things would go worse for him when an overhand left momentarily crumpled him, but he would recover and score a takedown to close out the round.
Fili was aggressive and loading up on his punches, while Jourdain continued to back away. Round two saw some decent leg kicks landed from the latter however it was Fili's pressure which was taking its toll, as damage began to show on Jourdain.
The final round saw Fili land a crucial takedown, followed up with some damage on the ground, closing out the fight strongly to get a split decision which was questionable - barring the knockdown Jourdian was being pressured pretty much the whole fight.
Rosa gets back on his feet
Charles Rosa def. Kevin Aguilar via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Charles Rosa carried a significant ground advantage over Kevin Aguilar, but he didn't need to use it, getting the better of the exchanges on the feet to secure a split decision win.
Rosa's aggression was evident right off the bat, as he aimed to bounce back from his shutout loss to Bryce Mitchell the month prior, although he was briefly wobbled by a right hand. He threw some good kicks to the legs while Aguilar appeared to be content to wait on the outside.
The confidence of the American picked up as the fight ticked on, landing a big shot at the end of the second round and going on to reach the distance in dominant fashion. Again the judges did throw some spice into the mix, one scoring it in favour of Aguilar, as Rosa got the win via split decision.
Vettori chokes out rival
Marvin Vettori def. Karl Roberson via submission (rear-naked choke), round 1 (4:17)
Vettori lands big left early on, Roberson exchanges, Vettori gets takedown Roberson switches but Vettori takes him down again, big ground and pound and then gets the choke
A grudge match initially slated for UFC 249 was finally settled in the co-main event, as Marvin Vettori forced a tap in the first round against bitter rival Karl Roberson.
Vettori landed a big trailing left hand early in the round, which was followed by some action-packed exchanges. There were some riveting scrambles on the ground as Vettori got a takedown but Roberson ended up on top, and then later Vettori had a front choke that Roberson rolled out like an alligator to escape. Roberson got taken down again and was subject to some ground-and-pound that almost got a TKO, but instead he went for the neck, secured a rear-naked choke and Roberson was forced to tap out.
Calvillo Eyes the flyweight title
Cynthia Calvillo def. Jessica Eye via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
Cynthia Calvillo announced herself to the flyweight division, outworking number one contender Jessica Eye over five rounds in the main event.
The first round was a formality, a feeling-out round as both fighters attempted to get to grips with one another on the feet.
In the second round, Calvillo's kicks were landing high and perhaps giving Eye flashbacks to her devastating KO defeat to the champion Valentina Shevchenko a year prior. She also secured a takedown which would be the beginning of a dominant grappling display.
After dominating that realm Calvillo's confidence grew and she was getting the better of the striking exchanges as well. As the fight wore on it was straightforward, Calvillo excelled in all departments. In a flyweight division that was already shallow, defeating the number one contender has thrown her straight into the mix. That could be a bad thing though, as the champion Valentina Shevchenko awaits.
