UFC Fight Night BreakDown: Namajunas VS Cortez

 Written By: Danny Albers 

Welterweight Bout 

Evan Elder (9-2) VS Darrius Flowers (12-8-1) 

Result: Evan Elder wins by 2nd round submission (arm triangle) 

Evan Elder fought for the first time in a year after beating Genaro Valdez by decision. He looked like a completely different fighter that we saw in 2023. Elder was so dangerous on his feet and picked Flowers apart. He didn’t score a takedown, but did just fine on the ground when it went there. Flowers looked completely outmatched in this fight. Elder could be an interesting fighter to watch.   

Middleweight Bout 

Josh Fremd (11-6) VS Andre Petroski (11-4) 

Result: Andrei Petroski wins by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) 

Andre Petroski returned to what he does best and that’s wrestling. He now has 6 wins in his last 8 fights. He had nearly 13 minutes of control time and was 3 for 4 on takedown attempts. Fremd had a slight advantage on the feet, but had no answer for Petroski when he got in close and started grappling. This has to be a huge weight over Petroski’s shoulder as he was on a 2 fight losing streak. 

Women’s Flyweight 

Luana Santos (8-1) VS Mariya Agapova (10-5) 

Result: Luana Santos wins by 1st round submission (Rear-naked choke) 

Agapova came out and it was clear that she wanted to keep the distance and not let Luana Santos get too close. Santos has incredible grappling and that was obvious by her ground control and a nasty takedown. Once the fight was on the ground, Santos looked at home and Agapova looked like a fish out of water. Santos attempted 3 submissions while on the ground, finally getting the rear naked and choking out Agapova who tapped immediately once Santos locked in the submission. 

Bantamweight Bout 

Montel Jackson (14-2) VS Da’Mon Blackshear (14-7-1) 

Result: Montel Jackson wins by 1st round KO/TKO (punch) 

Montel Jackson flatlined Da’Mon Blackshear in this fight. You have to think that Jackson is going to get someone in the top 15 next after winning 5 fights in a row, 3 of those by 1st round knockout. His power and speed combination is so unique at Bantamweight. He reminds a lot of Cody Garbrandt when Cody was rising to win the championship. You always have to respect the fact Jackson could end the fight at any second. The fight only lasted 18 seconds, so this is easily the performance of the night. 

Women’s Flyweight Bout 

(15) Jasmine Jasudavicius (11-3) VS Fatima Kline (6-1) 

Result: Jasmine Jasudavicius wins by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) 

This was a humbling fight for Fatima Kline. I give her credit as she fought hard until the very end of the fight. But Jasmine showed why she’s a ranked fighter. She landed 4 takedowns on just 6 attempts, and she smothered Kline when they were on the ground. It was much more even when they were on the feet, but Jasmine was relentless and her pressure that she imposed on Kline was insane. She’s now on a little 2-fight win streak after losing to Tracy Cortez by decision. 

Flyweight Bout 

Joshua Van (10-2) VS Charles Johnson (16-6) 

Result: Charles Johnson wins by 3rd round KO/TKO (Punches) 

Charles Johnson just made a statement to the UFC. He took on one of the top prospects, and he handled him. Johnson’s striking looked clean, and his power looked unmatched. They got to the 3rd round, and Johnson ended the fight right away. He connected on a nasty hook that dropped Van. Johnson was a champion at LFA, and after slow start, he’s on a very impressive run as he knocked out another top prospect in Jake Hadley

Middleweight Bout 

Abdul Razak Alhassan (12-6, 1 NC) VS Cody Brundage (10-6, 1 NC)

Result: No Contest 

This was a really boneheaded move by Alhassan who I think had the win and was building to a finish. He began dropping elbows on the back of the head. When you're in this position, it’s easy to get carried away. But I’m not sure why Alhassan didn’t let up and get things back on their feet. Brundage was rocked, but didn’t look uncomfortable on the ground as he leaned on his wrestling to recover. This was a must win for both fighters, so this is a really disappointing no contest. 

Featherweight Bout 

Julian Erosa (30-12) VS Christian Rodriguez (11-2) 

Result: Julian Erosa wins by 1st round submission (Guillotine Choke)

I was a bit surprised at the way Christian Rodriguez crumbled under the pressure and the power of Julian Erosa. That’s a testament to how dangerous Erosa is. Rodriguez felt the pressure of some of the top featherweight prospects in the UFC. From Cody Saaiman to Raul Rosas Jr. were unable to break Rodriguez. But Julian Erosa is as seasoned and experienced as they come. When he got Rodriguez down at the end of the first, Rodriguez looked hurt and panicked. When Erosa locked in the guillotine, it didn’t take very long for Rodriguez to tap. On the feet, it was a pretty even exchange before the submission. Rodriguez's game plan was to work the legs and try to take the power out of Erosa’s striking early, converting clean on 5 leg kick attempts. 

Welterweight Bout 

Gabriel Bonfim (16-1) VS Ange Loosa (10-4) 

Result: Gabriel Bonfim wins by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) 

Gabriel Bonfim didn’t hold anything back with the striking. He outstruck Loosa 106-60, and had 101 significant strikes to Loosa’s 52. After getting finished by Nicholas Dalby in November, Bonfim looked like a different fighter. Looking back on the fight I think Bonfim is going to want to correct some of the grappling. He let Loosa get too much offense in and land 4 takedowns, even though Bonfim defended 9 of them. But this was a dominant performance coming off an ugly loss for one of the top prospects in the UFC. 

Lightweight Bout 

Drew Dober (27-14) VS Jean Silva (14-2) 

Result: Jean Silva wins by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) 

Two wins in two weeks for Jean Silva against two extremely tough veteran fighters is really impressive. The last UFC event, Jean Silva knocked out Charles Jourdain in the second round. He didn’t take much damage, and came to Denver to wage a war with the hometown boy. This fight was a little sloppy as the guys didn’t land a lot, but when they did land they did damage. Dober ended up being cut badly and the doctors called the fight. Jean is now 4-0 in the UFC, and after what we’ve seen out of him he could be ready to fight a top 15 lightweight. 

Welterweight Bout 

Santiago Ponzinibbio (30-8) VS Muslim Salikhov (20-5) 

Result: Muslim Salikhov wins by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 28-29) 

At 40 years old, the legendary striker Muslim Salikhov still has it. He lost in February to Randy Brown where he was knocked out in the 1st round. Some people thought that might be it at his age. He fought another veteran striker who’s had some recent struggles. Ponzinibbio is coming off a KO loss to Kevin Holland. The two were pretty evenly matched, with Muslim having the slight advantage on the feet. But Ponzinibio dominated Salikhov on the ground, controlling the fight for a total of 2:29 and scoring 2 takedowns. The call could have gone either way, but Muslim never stopped. His cardio is impressive at 40, as Ponzinibbio was tiring out towards the end.  

Women’s Flyweight Bout 

(6) Rose Namajunas (14-6) VS (11) Tracy Cortez (11-2) 

Result: Rose Namajunas wins by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) 

Rose showed Tracey that there are levels to this game, and that if she wants to be champion one day she will have to level up. Rose dominated this fight throughout. She picked Cortez apart on the feet, outstriking Cortez 119-85. Something that is even more impressive is that Rose embraced grappling in this fight. She was perfect on takedown attempts, landing 5 takedowns. Rose stepped away from the title picture after losing to Manon Fiorot to find herself again. She beat Amanda Ribas in an impressive war back in March. A quick turnaround, Rose looks better than ever.