The night before the big game kicked off at Allegiant Stadium, the best action in Las Vegas took place inside the UFC APEX, with a six-fight main card filled with middleweight matchups and capped by a classic “veteran versus prospect” battle between Jack Hermansson and Joe Pyfer.
After the prelims wrapped with a highlight reel finish, the main card featured a couple more, including a smooth submission to open things and a walk-off knockout in the co-main event.
Here’s a recap of what transpired on Saturday’s main card. | Prelim Results
Former Brazilian jiu jitsu world champion Rodolfo Vieira played to his strengths and scored a first-round submission win over Armen Petrosyan to kick off Saturday’s main card.
The grappling ace took his time getting the fight to the canvas, finally scooping and depositing Petrosyan to the ground near the fence midway through the frame. He effortlessly advanced to mount and offered the kickboxer a dilemma — stay put and catch heavy punches or look to escape and open the door to a submission.
Petrosyan picked the latter and Vieira took full advantage, cinching in the submission and squeezing out the tap in the final moments of the opening round. That’s now back-to-back wins for the talented Brazilian, who has finished all 10 of his professional wins, with nine of them coming by way of submission, and five of those by arm-triangle. | Official Scorecards
Tenured lightweight Michael Johnson leaned on his experience to outwork Contender Series alum Darrius Flowers.
“The Menace” flashed his trademark hand speed and body work, keeping Flowers out of rhythm on the feet while mixing in swift, timely takedowns at different points along the way. Johnson showed greater focus and pressure than he had in recent outings, remaining dialled in and attacking the entire way, giving Flowers few opportunities to build momentum.
A finalist on Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter, the 37-year-old collected his 14th UFC victory with the clean sweep of the scorecards, moving to 22-19 overall with the win. For Flowers, that’s consecutive setbacks to begin his UFC career after dropping his debut up a division against Jake Matthews last summer in Salt Lake City. | Official Scorecards
Gregory Rodrigues registered the biggest win of his career on Saturday, collecting a third-round stoppage win over tenured veteran Brad Tavares.
From the outset, “Robocop” showed a clear power advantage, landing the heavier shots in each and every exchange with Tavares. While the Hawaiian ran just a step behind through the first two frames, Rodrigues came out hunting for a finish in the third and found it, stinging Tavares and backing him into the fence, where the continued onslaught prompted referee Jason Herzog to step in and halt the action.
The Brazilian has quietly put together a strong resume since debuting in the UFC, advancing to 6-2 through his first eight starts with his finish of Tavares. He’s won back-to-back outings by stoppage and four of his last five, with this triumph carrying him one step closer to breaking into the Top 15 in the 185-pound weight class. | Official Scorecards
A change in weight class might have been just what the doctor ordered for Ihor Potieria.
Stepping on short notice against incoming middleweight Robert Bryczek, Potieira looked far more comfortable in the Octagon, displaying greater fluidity with his hands and a significantly better ability to deal with the return fire coming back his way. After a pause-filled opening round, Potieira settled in during the middle frame and did his best work in the third, wobbling the Polish newcomer and mixing things up well to salt away the victory.
This was the best Potieira has looked through his first five UFC appearances, with his weight miss on Friday being the only thing that marred his performance. Even that, however, can be somewhat excused as he stepped in late and was moving down from light heavyweight.
If this was a sign of things to come for the 27-year-old “Duelist,” he could end up being an intriguing addition to the middleweight division going forward. | Official Scorecards
Dan Ige delivered a walk-off knockout against Andre Fili in the co-main event.
After a couple minutes of the two men looking to find and establish their ranges and draw each other in, Ige countered a lazy jab with a ferocious right hand over the top that spun Fili to the canvas. He drove home one more shot for good measure before walking it off.
And now for the crazy part: the last time Ige and his wife were 37-weeks into their pregnancy, the Hawaiian scored a first-round knockout win over Gavin Tucker; his wife is 37-weeks pregnant with their second child right now. | Official Scorecards
This was exactly the type of fight everyone hoped to see when Hermansson and Pyfer were paired together, as the talented middleweights paired off for a competitive, entertaining clash to close out the show on Saturday.
Pyfer came out of the gates sharp, taking the fight to the returning veteran, attacking with low kicks and heavy punches to the body and head. But as the fight progressed, Hermansson worked back into things, coming forward behind his jab and busting up the ascending prospect. Likely deadlocked heading into the final frame, Hermansson was the fresher, more active of the two, continuing to stick the jab and lean on his wealth of experience to salt things away.
When the scorecards came back, they reflected what we saw in the Octagon, with “The Joker” garnering a unanimous decision victory to affirm his status as a contender in the middleweight division. For Pyfer, this will end up being a crucial learning experience that should, in time, only serve to help him going forward. | Official Scorecards
Don't miss a moment of UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer, live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prelims start at 4pm ET/1pm PT, while the main card kicks off at 7pm ET/4pm PT.
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Category:  Ufc