Two rising contenders at UFC Vegas 97 positioned themselves for future bouts with their respective divisions’ top contenders, as welterweight Sean Brady and women’s flyweight Natalia Silva both scored hugely impressive decision victories over respected opposition at the UFC APEX.
The main event featured a battle in the 170-pound division, as Brady faced longtime contender Gilbert Burns, and delivered arguably his most complete performance to date to outwork the Brazilian and earn a deserved unanimous decision verdict with scores of 50-45, 50-45, 49-46.
Brady had responded angrily during fight week to previous suggestions by some on social media that he’d been “fraud checked” in his loss to Belal Muhammad, who went on to eventually capture the welterweight title. And, after his huge victory, Brady announced that he was expecting a baby daughter, before calling for a fight with one of the division’s top contenders, or a matchup against managerial stablemate and welterweight rival Ian Machado Garry.
In the co-main event, rising Brazilian contender Natalia Silva announced herself as a legitimate threat to the division’s best after turning in a brilliant performance to outpoint former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade.
Andrade pushed the pace on Silva for the full 15 minutes as she looked to wear down the younger fighter. But Silva delivered a masterclass in back-foot fighting as she circled the outside of the Octagon and scored consistently with slick boxing and a nasty kicking game, while covering up well to avoid the worst of Andrade’s power shots.
In the end, Silva’s performance earned her a shutout victory, with all three judges awarding all three rounds to her in a star-making performance.
Elsewhere on the main card, Steve Garcia extended his win streak to five with a first-round TKo finish of Kyle Nelson, while Cody Durden submitted Matt Schnell with a second-round ninja choke, after which Schnell removed his gloves and left them in the Octagon in the traditional signal of a fighter announcing his retirement.
The main card opener served up a back-and-forth war as Yanal Ashmouz defeated Trevor Peek via unanimous decision.
The preliminary card saw a host of impressive performances, including from Chris Padilla, who stopped Rongzhu with a nasty elbow to the eye that eventually led to a doctor stoppage. There was also a trio of submission finishes on the early portion of the card. Featherweight Isaac Dulgarian subbed Brendon Marotte via second-round arm-triangle choke, while Jaqueline Amorim needed just three and a half minutes to finish Vanessa Demopoulous with an armbar submission.
And the first bout of the night saw the Octagon debut of England’s Nathan Fletcher, who made the most of his first UFC appearance by finishing Zygimantas Ramaska with a second-round arm-triangle choke.
UFC Vegas 97: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Sean Brady def. Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
- Natalia Silva def. Jessica Andrade via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Steve Garcia def. Kyle Nelson via TKO (elbows and punches) – Round 1, 3:59
- Cody Durden def. Matt Schnell via submission (ninja choke) – Round 2, 0:29
- Yanal Ashmouz def. Trevor Peek via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Chris Padilla def. Rongzhu via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 2, 4:14
- Isaac Dulgarian def. Brendon Marotte via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:19
- Andre Lima def. Felipe dos Santos via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Gabriel Santos def. Yi Zha via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
- Jaqueline Amorim def. Vanessa Demopoulos via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:28
- Andre Petroski def. Dylan Budka vis unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Nathan Fletcher def. Zygimantas Ramaska via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 1:14
