UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomed Post-Fight Results

Alexandr Romanov got back into the win column with a dominating victory over Blagoy Ivanov. Most of the fight was contested on the feet, and Romanov showed his improved stand-up game. He nearly doubled his opponent in significant strikes landed and secured two out of three takedowns. Romanov looked great in a much-needed win since he came into the fight on a two-fight skid. He now improves to 17-2 in his professional career and looks to get back into the Heavyweight rankings.

Result: Alexandr Romanov def. Blagoy Ivanov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Division: Heavyweight

Referee: Kerry Hatley

Ivana Petrovic vs. Luana Carolina

Nothing much to say than Luana Carolina showed her experience in the octagon over Ivana Petrovic. She spoiled the UFC debut of Petrovic in remarkable fashion. While all three judges had it 19-19 going into the third round, Carolina took control of the fight and earned the win. She doubled her opponents' significant strikes landed and was the more effective fighter throughout the duration of the fight. She gets back into the win column with her unanimous decision over Petrovic.

Result: Luana Carolina def. Ivana Petrovic via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Division: Women's Flyweight

Referee: Mark Smith

Guram Kutateladze vs. Elves Brener

One of the more entertaining fights of the night was between Guram Kutateladze and Elves Brener, as they earned the $50,000 bonus for Fight of the Night. Brener went into the fight as a massive betting underdog and had a tall task ahead of him. Kutateladze was going into the third round up 20-18 on all three judges' scorecards despite being competitive in those rounds. Kutateladze had Brener stunned at the end of the first and almost out. Brener bounced back in the second round and went toe-to-toe with Kutateladze. In the third round, Brener fought like his cornerman, Charles Oliveria, and went for broke. It paid off for him as Brener pushed the pace and got the finish. Just like Oliveira, Brener shocked the world and earned the finish victory as one of the biggest betting underdogs on the card.

Result: Elves Brener def. Guram Kutateladze via KO/TKO - Round 3: 3:17

Division: Lightweight

Referee: Chris Tognoni

Yana Santos vs. Karol Rosa

In a closely contested fight, Karol Rosa got two of the three judges to agree on the split decision win over Yana Santos. Despite Santos landing 30 more significant strikes than Rosa, the more damaging shots went to Rosa throughout the duration of the fight. There was a lot of clinch work from both women, but Rosa did more on the feet and was more effective in the fight to earn the victory.

Result: Karol Rosa def. Yana Santos via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Division: Women's Featherweight

Referee: Kerry Hatley

Joanderson Brito vs. Westin Wilson

Joanderson Brito defeats Westin Wilson in the first round with some vicious ground-and-pound to earn the victory. Wilson, who was making his UFC debut, was looking for a kneebar submission over Brito, but once he defended the attempt, it was all over for Wilson. Brito delivered some heavy shots, forcing Chris Tognoni to stop the fight. Brito had one of the most impressive finishes of the night as he made that three consecutive wins.

Result: Joanderson Brito def. Westin Wilson via KO/TKO - Round 1: 2:54

Division: Featherweight

Referee: Chris Tognoni

Kevin Lee vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov

The comeback of Kevin Lee was spoiled early in the first round by Rinat Fakhretdinov. Many fight fans worldwide were eager to see Lee back in the octagon. Once the first round started, it was the beginning of the end as Fakhretdinov came out blazing. He first caught Lee with a clean shot and dropped him. Fakhretdinov followed him to the ground and got the guillotine finish in just 55 seconds. While his comeback in the UFC ended early, Fakhretdinov looked great.

Result: Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Kevin Lee via Submission (Guillotine) – Round 1: 0:55

Division: Welterweight

Referee: Herb Dean

Brunno Ferreira vs. Nursulton Ruziboev

Despite making his UFC debut, Nursulton Ruziboev shuts the doubters up with an impressive finish win over Brunno Ferreira. Many fight fans on social media questioned whether he was ready for the UFC. Long story short, Ruziboev is more than ready. He caught the calf kick of Ferreira and threw a piston-right hand to knock him down. He then followed up on the ground and earned himself the finish win. After a successful UFC debut, fans will be eager to see who he fights next.

Result: Nursulton Ruziboev def. Brunno Ferreira via KO/TKO - Round 1: 1:17

Division: Middleweight

Referee: Mark Smith

Ismael Bonfim vs. Benoit Saint Denis

Another shocking betting underdog gets it done as Benoit Saint Denis submits the highly touted prospect Ismael Bonfim. The fighter out of France got it done in an impressive fashion. Bonfim was coming off the Terrance McKinney knockout into this fight with a lot of momentum. Benoit put all that to a halt as he brought the fight to Bonfim from the start of the first round. He landed some vicious body kicks to start the fight, which set the tone. Benoit got the fight to the ground towards the end of the round and ended up taking the back of Bonfim. He worked his way into a rear naked choke and got the submission victory with just 12 seconds left in the round—an impressive win for the fighter out of France as he puts the Lightweight division on notice.

Result: Benoit Saint Denis def. Ismael Bonfim via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) - Round 1: 4:48

Division: Lightweight

Referee: Herb Dean

Ariane Lipski vs. Melissa Gatto

Another close women's fight ended with the judges being split at the end of the fight. Ariane Lipski got two of the three judges and earned herself the split decision win over Melissa Gatto. This was one of the closest scorecards in Verdict history as the final score favored Lipski by .02. One of the three judges had Lipski winning all three rounds, contradicting what the Verdict Community scored the fight. Nonetheless, Lipski earns a hard-fought victory over a durable Gatto.

Result: Ariane Lipski def. Melissa Gatto via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

Division: Women's Flyweight

Referee: Chris Tognoni

Max Griffin vs. Michael Morales

One of the other entertaining fights of the night goes to Max Griffin and Michael Morales. After a close first round, Morales separated himself and won the second and third round by outclassing Griffin. He outstruck his opponent and pushed the pace to get the unanimous decision. A huge part of earning the decision win was defending all eight takedowns. The fighter out of Ecuador has another great showing in the octagon and shows promise once again. Morales is one of the best prospects in the UFC and looks to be another representative of Ecuador alongside Marlon "Chito" Vera.

Result: Michael Morales def. Max Griffin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Division: Welterweight

Referee: Kerry Hatley

Damir Ismagulov vs. Grant Dawson

Grant Dawson proved everyone wrong as he put the Lightweight division on notice with a massive win over Damir Ismagulov. This was going to be a tough fight for Dawson, but he made it look easy. One judge ruled one of the round a 10-8, which shows how dominant he was in the fight. Dawson won all three rounds and found success with his takedowns against Ismagulov. The top pressure was too much for Ismagulov as Dawson sought a submission win but couldn’t get it. Dawson gets the dominant win over a formidable opponent and calls out Tony Ferguson and Beniel Dariush.

Result: Grant Dawson def. Damir Ismagulov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)

Division: Lightweight

Referee: Herb Dean

Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov

The main event did not disappoint as Sean Strickland shows Abus Magomedov that there are levels to this. Magomedov was strong in the first round and outstruck Strickland by 21 significant strikes. The kicks and range of Magomedov were causing Strickland some problems in the round, but it appeared that he was using a lot of energy. This was the case because once the second round started, Magomedov appeared to have been gassed out. The cardio was non-existent, and Strickland took advantage of it. He pushed the pace and put the patent pressure on Magomedov. Strickland landed some beautiful combinations and scored a knockdown toward the end of the round. He followed up with some vicious ground-and-pound and forced Mark Smith to stop the fight. An impressive showing for Strickland as he called out the champ for his next fight. Israel Adesanya has interest in fighting Strickland, and with a performance like that, this fight may come to fruition.

Result: Sean Strickland def. Abus Magomedov via TKO (punches) – Round 2: 4:20

Division: Middleweight

Referee: Mark Smith