Saturday’s return to the UFC APEX following international stops in Manchester and Abu Dhabi featured just 10 bouts, with a main card bookended by submission finishes and a preliminary card slate that delivered a quartet of quality performances.
Four-plus years after their first encounter, Serghei Spivac avenged his previous loss to Marcin Tybura, locking up the first armbar finish in the UFC heavyweight division since former champ Fabricio Werdum tapped out Alexander Gustafson on Fight Island in the summer of 2020 to close out the show.
Spivac, fighting for the first time since his main event loss to Ciryl Gane in Paris last September, looked to capitalize on Tybura’s tendency to start slow, pressing the action straight away and dragging the fight to the floor as soon as he could. While the Polish veteran defended and scrambled well through the initial entanglements, he left an arm available after reversing to top position and looking to posture, giving Spivac the opportunity to attack the submission, roll Tybura over, and collect the verbal tap.
Though he’s been in the UFC for a little over five years, Spivac remains one of the younger fighters in the Top 15 of the heavyweight ranks, and continues to show improvements. The 29-year-old is 7-2 since that first meeting with Tybura, losing only to a pair of interim titleholders — Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane — while posting five finishes.
Saturday’s win solidifies his place in the Top 10 and should land “The Polar Bear” an opportunity to face someone positioned ahead of him in the rankings next time out.
After nine years as a professional, Chepe Mariscal finally landed in the UFC last year, accepting a short-notice assignment in June. Since then, “Machine Gun” has gone 4-0 inside the Octagon, extending his winning streak by battering Damon Jackson in Saturday’s co-main event.
Over the course of the contest, Mariscal distanced himself from Jackson, going from edging out the Fortis MMA man in the first to collecting five 10-8 scores out of a possible six over the final two rounds, showcasing his scrambling ability and consistent output on the way to drowning Jackson. If he hadn’t missed weight on Friday, this would have been a perfect effort for the 31-year-old, who was originally scheduled to face Dan Ige before the Hawaiian made his same-day appearance at UFC 303 in June.
It was more competitive than he likely expected, but Danny Barlow made it out of the Octagon with his undefeated record intact, earning a split decision win over Nikolay Veretennikov to move to 9-0 overall through two UFC starts.
The Memphis, Tenn., native was a little more active, a little more effective than Veretennikov, who stepped in for Uros Medic on short notice. He was more judicious with his shot selection in this one, editing out some of the wildness from his previous efforts, earning the nod in two of three rounds from two of the three judges, while the third saw the contest entirely in Veretennikov’s favour.
Chris Gutierrez successfully navigated a competitive short-notice matchup with Quang Le midway through the main card, getting himself back into the win column in the process.
Working behind his signature leg kicks, “El Guapo” won the first and third on all three scorecards, slowing Le by returning to his standard consistent output after getting out-grappled in the second. Le gets full marks for stepping in for Javid Basharat and pushing Gutierrez, while the previously ranked divisional holdover affirms his level and holds his position in the ultra-competitive 135-pound weight class by collecting his ninth UFC victory in 13 trips into the Octagon.
Yana Santos was clearly annoyed with Chelsea Chandler missing weight for their bantamweight engagement by a considerable margin, and took out those frustrations on the Stockton, Calif., native on Saturday.
Through the first two rounds, Santos completely out-worked and out-classed Chandler, battering her with attacks from range and in close before things got a little more competitive over the final five minutes. Santos earned the nod on all three scorecards, snapping a three-fight slide in the process, further cementing her standing as a fixture in the Top 15 and a tough matchup for anyone looking to climb the divisional ladder at her expense.
In the main card opener, Road to UFC finalist Toshiomi Kazama collected his first UFC victory, wrapping up a second-round submission win over Charalampos Grigoriou.
The Japanese bantamweight grappled all throughout the opening round, controlling the DWCS grad for long stretches while chasing an armbar and generally neutralizing Grigoriou’s offence. While the Long Island resident came out swinging and hit Kazama with some heavy blows to begin the second, “The Silent Finisher” swiftly attacked a triangle choke, locking it in and forcing Grigoriou to tap.
Though there were only four preliminary card fights on Saturday, each contest produced a meaningful result and something worth noting for the future.
Five years into her UFC career, Karol Rosa has never looked better.
The Brazilian bantamweight conducted a one-sided symphony of violence to wrap up Saturday’s prelims, leaving Pannie Kianzid beaten, blooded, and barely able to walk after their 15-minute meeting at the APEX. Rosa attacked with thudding low kicks right out of the chute and never let up, taking the fight to Kianzad the whole way through to get herself back in the win column.
Though she’s been on the roster for five years and 10 fights now, Rosa is still just 29 years old and seems to be taking steps toward contention. Though she landed on the wrong side of the result in a slobber knocker with Irene Aldana at the end of last year, it was a gritty and game effort against a recent title challenger and looks like an effort that bolstered her confidence, contributing to Saturday’s standout showing to close out the early slate.
In the battle of heavyweight DWCS grads, Jhonata Diniz maintained his unblemished professional record with a unanimous decision win over Karl Williams.
The Brazilian kickboxer was more selective with his strikes and fluid with his movements, stinging Williams multiple times and keeping things on the feet for the first 12-plus minutes of the three-round affair. This was the first time the 33-year-old went the distance in his career, and he looked comfortable, collecting the second win of his UFC rookie campaign while further proving himself to be someone to keep tabs on going forward in the big boy ranks.
Youssef Zalal continued to look like a force at featherweight in his second start of the year, submitting Jarno Errens in the opening round to earn his second consecutive finish since returning to the promotion in March. “The Moroccan Devil” was a step ahead of Errens on the feet and quickly showed his class once he initiated a grappling exchange, climbing onto the Dutch fighter’s back and swiftly attacking the fight-ending rear naked choke.
Zalal began his first tour of duty in the UFC with three straight wins, but then went four bouts without a victory, resulting in him being released. Since then, the Factory X Muay Thai representative has posted five straight stoppage wins, adding Saturday’s rapid submission of Errens to his second-round submission victory over Billy Quarantillo in his short-notice return to the Octagon earlier this year.
He was considered a strong prospect when he first touched down in the UFC, and now, four years later, Zalal looks more equipped to live up to those expectations.
In the opener, Stephanie Luciano picked up where she left off the last time she shared the cage with Talita Alencar, registering a unanimous decision win over her fellow Brazilian in a rematch of their fight last season on Dana White’s Contender Series that ended in a draw.
Luciano dominated the final round of the first encounter, registering 10-8 scores across the board to force the draw with the tiring Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion. Saturday, she was sharp from the outset, using her considerable reach advantage well while forcing Alencar to spend the entirety of the fight on the feet.
Just 24 years old, the young Brazilian showed tremendous growth from their first meeting 11 months ago, which is something to continue watching as she moves forward in the strawweight division. She’s clearly a quality athlete with strong fundamentals, and if she continues showing this much improvement year-over-year, she could find herself in the rankings a couple of years from now.