Main Card Results | UFC Fight Night: Perez vs Taira

For all three rounds, the duo stayed in striking range, with Quinlan exhibiting a speed advantage early and Fugitt offering a little more diversity and greater overall output, especially later in the contest. Neither landed anything with significant starch on it; this was death by a thousand cuts on both sides, with neither man delivering enough cuts to get a finish, but more than enough to keep fans entertained from start to finish.

Fugitt gets back into the win column and draws level at 2-2 inside the Octagon in the process. He’s fought a competitive slate since arriving on short notice, and it will be interesting to see how he continues to progress now that he’s working with the crew from Fight Ready MMA in Arizona.

The flyweight from Kazakhstan had a couple moments where he needed to shift his focus to escaping triangle choke attempts, but in almost every other instance, Almabayev was looking to wrestle and get to Johnson’s back, threatening with chokes of his own once he got there. Johnson’s considerable size made things interesting at times, however the superior fundamentals and foundations allowed Almabayev to consistently get the better of the entanglements.

All three judges saw the fight in favor of the 30-year-old rising talent, who extended his winning streak to 16 and his record to 20-2 overall with his third straight UFC win. Flyweight is growing increasingly deeper with every passing month and Almabayev is someone that should get a step up in competition next time out after another solid outing this weekend.

The former Ultimate Fighter finalist showcased his grappling prowess and trademark resiliency in this one, surviving a gnarly belly-down armbar attempt in the first and getting knocked down in the second to secure his third straight win. He rallied and controlled the back half of the first, threatening with a late rear-naked choke attempt, and put his tenacity on full display by tying up Armfield after he got dropped, giving himself time to collect his wits.

Hiestand was immediately in on takedown at the start of the third, working to the back and securing the fight-ending choke. The Sikjitsu representative just turned 25 at the end of May and continues to show promise, adding his name to the ever-growing list of fighters to track in the loaded bantamweight division.

From the outset, the superior power and pressure of Almeida were differentiating factors in this fight, as the Brazilian repeatedly hurt Cuamba with big, heavy shots that nullified the Las Vegas native’s edge in the speed department. Cuamba had a bit of a rally in the final half of the third round to claim the frame on all three scorecards, but it was too little, too late.

With the victory, Almeida snapped a two-fight skid and brought his record inside the Octagon level at two wins and two losses. The 33-year-old should remain an all-action combatant in the middle of the featherweight pack going forward, and possibly land opposite someone a little more established next time out.

The Marathon MMA representative made good use of his high power, measured output approach, picking spots to throw hammers, landing at a solid clip and stinging Silva de Andrade on multiple occasions. The 38-year-old Brazilian veteran tried to chase down a finish in the third, hurting Johnson as the former LFA champ started to fade, but he wasn’t able to find a fight-ending blow, sending the fight to the judges.

When the scores were tallied, it Johns that came out ahead, earning the nod on all three cards. He’s now earned back-to-back wins and stands unbeaten in his last four, bringing his record to 15-2 with one no contest overall while setting himself up for a step up in competition next time out.

After a competitive first round and early portion of the second, Taira initiated a takedown and swiftly took the back, locked in the body triangle, and started working to find a choke. While backpacking Perez, the undefeated 24-year-old off-balanced Perez, and as the former title challenger fell to the canvas, something in his knee popped, bringing the fight to an immediate halt.

That’s now six straight victories in the UFC and 16 consecutive wins overall for the promising standout from Okinawa, who continues to establish himself as one of the best emerging talents in the promotion. This was a huge opportunity and he made the most of it, up-ending a Top 5 fighter and former title challenger to put himself in the championship mix.