Events like Saturday’s fight card at the UFC APEX have a way of always producing something to talk about and this one was no different as the night ended with an undefeated rising star thirsting himself into the championship conversation in one of the most intriguing divisions in the UFC.
Here’s a look at how things played out during the event's prelims.
Official Scorecards | Main Card Results
UFC Fight Night: Perez vs Taira Results
- Tatsuro Taira defeats Alex Perez by TKO, Round 2, 2:59
- Miles Johns defeats Douglas Silva de Andrade by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Lucas Almeida defeats Timmy Cuamba by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Brady Hiestand defeats Garrett Armfield by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:52 of Round 3
- Asu Almabayev defeats Jose Johnson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Adam Fugitt defeats Josh Quinlan by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Nate Maness defeats Jimmy Flick by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Gabriella Fernandes defeats Carli Judice by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Westin Wilson defeats Jeka Saragih by submission (armbar) at 1:49 of Round 1
- Melquizael Costa defeats Shayilan Nuerdanbieke by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:50 of Round 3
- Josefine Knutsson defeats Julia Polastri by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
UFC Fight Night: Perez vs Taira Prelim Results
Josefine Knutsson defeats Julia Polastri by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Saturday’s action opened in the strawweight division with a competitive scrap between Josefine Knutsson and Julia Polastri.
Sweden’s Knutsson was the more effective of the two when the fight was standing, constantly peppering Polastri with the full complement of her kickboxing tools. But whenever Polastri looked to grapple, she was able to get Knutsson to the canvas with ease and get the better of things on the canvas.

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It was a competitive back-and-forth for the full 15 minutes, and when the scorecards were added up, Knutsson emerged victorious, collecting her second UFC win and remaining unbeaten. This was another positive effort for the undefeated Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) alum who stands as one of the top up-and-coming talents in the division.
Melquizael Costa defeats Shayilan Nuerdanbieke by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:50 of Round 3
Melquizael Costa rode out the aggressive, strong wrestling attack of Shayilan Nuerdanbieke, turning a stuffed takedown into a third-round submission finish.

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The Brazilian did well to minimize damage and land attacks of his own on Nuerdanbieke when the Chinese grappler was able to dump him to the canvas numerous times over the first two rounds. But in the third, Costa easily stuffed Nuerdanbieke’s first takedown attempt, transitioning to the back quickly and clamping onto a rear-naked choke in the center of the Octagon that ended the fight.
This was Costa’s first finish and second victory in the UFC, bringing his record to 2-2 in the promotion and 21-7 overall. He showed good patience and poise throughout, and continues to be an entertaining addition to the 145-pound weight class.
Westin Wilson defeats Jeka Saragih by submission (armbar) at 1:49 of Round 1
Westin Wilson got the submission win he was looking for on Saturday evening, connecting on a combination armbar and triangle choke to draw the tap from Jeka Saragih.

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Saragih shot across the cage at the outset, but Wilson avoided the instant storm and promptly put the Indonesian fighter on the canvas. He jumped into an arm-in guillotine after they transitioned back to their feet, and from there, the South Carolina native transitioned into a triangle choke, adding the armbar component to the mix after Saragih tried to slam his way free.
After facing dangerous Brazilians in each of his first two outings, Wilson finally lands in the win column, maintaining his 100 percent finishing rate in the process.
Gabriella Fernandes defeats Carli Judice by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
It was “all gas, no brakes” in the flyweight scrap between Gabriella Fernandes and Carli Judice in the penultimate preliminary card fight.

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Both women came out throwing and never really let up, with Fernandes connecting with the more immediately impactful single blows and the debuting American deploying more of a high volume approach. As the fight progressed, the Brazilian’s gas tank started running dry, allowing Judice to be the far more effective of the two in the third round.
The judges were tasked with determining the victor of this one and when their scorecard were collected and totalled, it was Fernandes that landed on the happy side of the split decision verdict. It’s the first UFC win in three tries for the former interim LFA champ, who moved to 9-3 overall with the victory.
Nate Maness defeats Jimmy Flick by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
The early part of the evening’s card wrapped in flyweight division, with Nate Maness and Jimmy Flick engaging in a competitive give-and-take for 15 minutes.

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From the outset, Maness did well in space, using a greater level of comfort and diversity of attacks to pick at Flick, but the DWCS grad regained ground in many of the grappling exchanges, threatening with submissions and forcing Maness to be defensively minded. With the fight close heading into the final five minutes, Maness did well to dictate the terms of engagement and continue to snipe at Flick at range before avoiding the Hail Mary submission attempt at the horn.
In the end, it was Maness that came away victorious, earning the nod on all three scorecards to collect his second straight win inside the Octagon and move to 5-2 under the UFC banner.
UFC Fight Night: Perez vs Taira took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 15, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!