UFC Vegas 93 Results: Winners And Losers From Perez Vs. Taira ...

8 days ago

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 15: (L-R) Tatsuro Taira of Japan punches Alex Perez in a flyweight fight ... [+] during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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The UFC was at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for Saturday’s UFC Vegas 93 fight card on ESPN2. An important flyweight matchup served as the main event for tonight’s fight card. In that matchup, Tatsuro Taira took a big step toward securing a title fight by stopping former UFC flyweight title challenger Alex Perez in the second round.

The big question heading into tonight’s main event was if the No. 13 ranked Taira could make the jump up in competition against the No. 5 ranked Perez. He did. Taira handled Perez with no issues. The 24-year-old showed a maturity beyond his years and experience, moving to 16-0 overall with the second-round TKO finish.

Taira was focused throughout the fight. He controlled the pace and range of the contest and never waivered from his game plan, preventing Perez from making the fight ugly on the feet and from implementing his wrestling. It was a masterful performance from the young rising star, and it should lead to him getting a fight against a top-four opponent in his next outing.

UFC Vegas 93 took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire card was broadcast on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+.

Below we look at the UFC Vegas 93 results, winners and losers will be updated live throughout tonight’s fight card.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 15: Tatsuro Taira of Japan reacts after his victory against Alex Perez in a ... [+] flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Zuffa LLC via Getty Images UFC Vegas 93 Winners

Tatsuro Taira: Tatsuro Taira did a good job fighting behind a jab and using Thai clinch strikes early in his flyweight matchup against Alex Perez. Taira was all the way in or all the way out when he was leading the dance in this matchup. That approach also negated Perez's wrestling game.

The fight ended when Taira took the back of his opponent in the center of the Octagon and forced him to the mat, puttingenormous pressure on Perez's knee and causing an injury that brought the fight to a halt in the second stanza. From all appearances, and judging from his comments after the victory, the moved that finished the contest was a designed technique.

At 24, Taira is a threat in the UFC's flyweight division.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 15: (R-L) Tatsuro Taira of Japan attempts to take down Alex Perez in a ... [+] flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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Miles Johns: Miles Johns was more efficient and landed the bigger blows in his matchup with Douglas Silva de Andrade. Johns did not throw a lot of punches in this bantamweight bout. Instead of volume, Johns threw one strike at a time, looking to do the most damage possible while not putting himself at too much risk. That approach paid off as Johns won the contest by unanimous decision while landing 52 percent of his attempted significant strikes (50 of 96) in the three-round scrap.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 15: (L-R) Miles Johns punches Douglas Silva de Andrade of Brazil in a ... [+] bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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Lucas Almeida: Lucas Almeida ended a two-fight losing skid on Saturday with a dominant striking performance over Timothy Cuamba. Almeida used his power and output to get the victory.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 15: (L-R) Lucas Almeida of Brazil punches Timmy Cuamba in a featherweight ... [+] fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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Brady Hiestand: Brady Hiestand’s resilience was on display in his third-round submission win over Garrett Armfield at UFC Vegas 93. He took the best shots Armfield had to offer and used his grappling acumen to take over when he had the opportunity. Hiestand is on a three-fight winning streak following his stoppage victory.

At just 25, Hiestand is a fighter to watch in the bantamweight division.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 15: (R-L) Brady Hiestand secures a rear choke submission against Garrett ... [+] Armfield in a bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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Asu Almabayev: Asu Almabayev moved his winning streak to 16 overall and three in the UFC with an effective wrestling-based decision win over the much taller Jose Johnson on Saturday night. A patient fighter with a stronggrappling base, Almabayev deserves a step up in competition in the 125-pound division.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 15: (L-R) Asu Almabayev of Kazakstan works for a submission against Jose ... [+] Johnson in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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Adam Fugitt: Adam Fugitt picked up a split decision win over Josh Quinlan by not engaging in a brawl. Instead, he fought from range and used his kicks to keep Quinlan at bay, which made it difficult for Quinlan to close range and blast him with power strikes.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 15: (L-R) Adam Fugitt kicks Josh Quinlan in a welterweight fight during the ... [+] UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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Nate Maness: Nate Maness used his length well against Jimmy Flick, using his jab to keep his opponent at distance and picking up the unanimous decision win.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 15: (R-L) Nate Maness punches Jimmy Flick in a flyweight fight during the ... [+] UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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Gabriella Fernandes: Gabriella Fernandes showcased power, aggression and output with her striking early, but those attributes left her the longer the fight went on, as she looked tired, flat-footed, and plodding, especially in the third stanza.

Fernandes and her team need to work on pacing and energy management. She got the win on Saturday, but Fernandes has some work to do. The win ended a two-fight losing skid for Fernandes.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 15: (R-L) Gabriella Fernandes of Brazil punches Carli Judice in a flyweight ... [+] fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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Westin Wilson: Westin Wilson opened his UFC career with two first-round knockout losses. At UFC Vegas 93, Wilson clearly did not want to deal with his opponent's striking in this featherweight fight, Jeka Saragih, and he succeeded in that goal, jumping for a guillotine early and then transitioning to a successful triangle armbar after that attempt failed. The win on Saturday might have saved the UFC career of the 35-year-old.

Wilson’s win marked the 12th triangle armbar in UFC history.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 15: (L-R) Westin Wilson secures an arm bar submission against Jeka Saragih ... [+] of Indonesia in a featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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Melquizael Costa: Melquizael Costa picked up his first finish as a member of the UFC roster with a third-round submission win over Shayilan Nuerdanbieke in a featherweight contest.

Costa’s grappling carried the day in this contest. He was the more active fighter on the mat, which helped him to secure the rear-naked choke finish.

Although the fight was not the most exciting affair, Costa showed patience and a decent fight IQ in taking what his opponent gave him in this matchup.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 15: Melquizael Costa of Brazil reacts after a submission victory against ... [+] Shayilan Nuerdanbieke of China in a featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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Josefine Lindgren Knutsson: Josefine Lindgren Knutsson did an excellent job in her strawweight fight against Julia Polastri. Her kickboxing background was evident and on display when the fight stayed on the feet. She controlled paceand location of the contest as long as the fighters were standing, effectively mixing up her techniques and targets. Her combinations were impressive and effective.

Knutsson needs to work on her takedown defense and ground fighting. When Polastri got the fight to the mat, Knutsson struggled in a big way. That's something future opponents will take note of and exploit. Not every future foe will want to fight to Knutsson's game plan, and she needs to be ready for that inevitability.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 15: (R-L) Josefine Knutsson of Sweden punches Julia Polastri of Brazil in a ... [+] strawweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Zuffa LLC via Getty Images UFC Vegas 93 Losers

Alex Perez: Alex Perez could not find the timing to make things ugly or to implement his wrestling against Tatsuro Taira. That was not due to any shortcomings on his end, but because of the technical skills of his opponent.

Douglas Silva de Andrade: Douglas Silva de Andrade looked like he was waiting to unload something big in the early going against Miles Johns. He didn’t look stiff so much as he appeared tightly coiled. He seemed to loosen up as the fight wore on, seeing that his opponent was looking for an opening to counter. Silva de Andrade tried his best to catch Johns, but his one-strike-at-a-time approach hurt him as he could not find the range to catch his foe with damaging blows.

Timothy Cuamba: Timothy Cuamba had nothing to offer Lucas Almeida on the feet, and his wrestling proved ineffective. The UFC commentary team noted his toughness and his ability to keep fighting, and they had a point, but those conversations usually take place when a fight is one-sided, which this contest was.

Garrett Armfield: A talented striker, Garrett Armfield had his moments against Brady Hiestand, but he could not overcome the grappling skills or deal with the cardio of his opponent and he tapped to a rear-naked choke in the third stanza.

Armfield’s defeat ended his two-fight winning streak.

Jose Johnson: A six-foot-tall flyweight, Jose Johnson needs to use his length better. He and his team thought a kicking-based game against a skilled wrestler would be wise. It wasn’t. Further, outside of the threat of a triangle on the mat, Johnson had very little to offer on the ground.

Josh Quinlan: Josh Quinlan has a lot of power but lacks the skills to close range effectively. That lack of fluidity cost Quinlan, as Adam Fugitt used his range fighting skills to pick up the win in the welterweight contest. With the setback, Quinlan is on a three-fight losing skid.

Carli Judice: Carli Judice weathered the early storm from her foe, Gabriella Fernandes, in their flyweight contest. Judice did not throw her stikes with much power, but her output was high, she mixed up her targets, and her cardio was on point for her UFC debut.

Judice was on the wrong end of a split decision to Gabriella Fernandes, but this was just her fifth pro MMA fight and there were a lot of positives to take away from this defeat. If there's one thing she needs to find, it's when to explode with power strikes and not just rely on racking up damage with output.

Jeka Saragih: Knowing his opponent did not have top-notch striking skills, Jeka Saragih came out hot against Westin Wilson and looked to take the fight to him. It did not work, and Saragih found himself on the wrong end of a first-round submission finish.

Shayilan Nuerdanbieke: Shayilan Nuerdanbieke had nothing to offer Melquizael Costa on the mat, which is where most of this featherweight fight took place. His ground game was based on strength and control and not much else.

Nuerdanbieke began his UFC career with a 3-1 record, he’s 0-2 in his past two fights with two stoppage losses.

Julia Polastri: Julia Polastri did not have a sense of urgency in her strawweight matchup against Josefine Lindgren Knutsson. She started slow and allowed Knutsson to control the early moments of the scrap.

Polastri had success when she was able to get the fight to the mat; the problem with that was that she did not initiate takedowns early enough in the second and third rounds after finishing the first stanza in a dominant position on the mat.

Polastri and her team need to work on their fight IQ.

UFC Vegas 93 Results

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 15: (L-R) Tatsuro Taira of Japan attempts to take down Alex Perez in a ... [+] flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Zuffa LLC via Getty Images UFC Vegas 93 Main Card:

Tatsuro Taira defeats Alex Perez via TKO at 2:59 of Round 1(Leg injury)

Miles Johns defeats Douglas Silva de Andrade via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Lucas Almeida defeats Timothy Cuamba via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

Brady Hiestand defeats Garrett Armfield via submission (Rear-naked choke at 1:52 of Round 3)

Asu Almabayev defeats Jose Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Adam Fugitt defeats Josh Quinlan via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

UFC Vegas 93 Preliminary Card

Nate Maness defeats Jimmy Flick via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Gabriella Fernandes defeats Carli Judice via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Westin Wilson defeats Jeka Saragih via submission (Triangle armbar from guard at 1:49 of Round 1)

Melquizael Costa defeats Shayilan Nuerdanbieke via submission (Rear-naked choke at 1:50 of Round 3)