Prelim Results | UFC 332: Silva vs Wang

The Ultimate Fighter contestant and Contender Series grad was all over Coria from the jump, flashing his speed and power with his hands before digging his toes into the Houston resident’s belly. Coria let out an audible screech as he fell backwards to the canvas and clutched his midsection, with Rodriguez chasing him to the ground and sealing the win quickly.

That’s now consecutive stoppage wins to start his UFC journey for Rodriguez, who already looks like a rising star in the flyweight ranks. Coria was 3-0 in the UFC heading into this one and Rodriguez ran through him without pause, putting himself in a position for a significant step up in competition next time out.

“The Baba Yaga” slept Andrey Pulyaev in the first round on Saturday, leveling him with an uppercut along the fence that sent the Russian to The Shadow Realm. That’s now three straight first-round stoppage wins for Pinas since graduating from the Contender Series last year, and another statement performance from the menacing 24-year-old prospect.

This dude looks like a serious threat and someone that could become a genuine force in this division as he continues to develop and progress.

Romero started well, landing a few clean shots in the opening minutes of the contest as McGhee found his range. A stiff jab dropped Romero in the back half of the round and in the closing seconds of things, McGhee kept on the pressure and hurt Romero again, chasing him to the canvas and swarming with punches, bringing about the stoppage.

That’s now consecutive wins this year and victories in six of seven inside the Octagon for McGhee, who continued to show his level in the talent-rich bantamweight division. The MMA Lab product is thoughtful and skilled and should get a chance to fight forward in the division again after this outstanding effort in Salt Lake City.

Wint, who earned his UFC contract on August 11, swarmed Armand right out of the gates, bull-rushing him back to the fence and opening up from there, throwing smoke until “Do or Die” fell to the canvas and covered up.

The former NFL linebacker is a plus athlete with a perfect 9-0 record as a professional and is ready to start facing experienced UFC competition after registering two wins in less than five minutes combined. “Bow Down” is a big-time prospect and we’ll see how he does as he continues to get tested going forward.

The towering Brazilian made a statement in his divisional debut, knocking out British prospect Mick Parkin with a nasty Thai clinch knee up the middle in the first round. He had softened Parkin up with an elbow inside and a jumping knee that didn’t quite land clean, but then the subsequent attack found the mark and sent the Contender Series grad crashing to the canvas in a heap.

You couldn’t ask for a more impressive start to life in a new division than what Walker delivered on Saturday. The enigmatic big man has always flashed a ton of potential and explosiveness, and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do in his new surroundings.

The fight began with Smith landing a hard accidental low blow as both he and Whitehead were throwing knees, creating a pause in the action. Once they resumed, Smith was ultra-aggressive, bringing the fight to “The Goose” and slamming him to the mat before opening up with ground-and-pound that ended the contest.

A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series Class of ’24, Smith is now 13-0 overall with stoppage wins in each of his first four UFC appearances. The Oklahoma State product is a rising star in the welterweight ranks and it’s going to be interesting to see who he’s matched up with next.

The Brazilian veteran looked extremely sharp out of the gates, giving Hernandez no space and peppering him with shots throughout the first before Hernandez wobbled him just before the horn in the first. And then in the second, “El Gran Chango” stayed on the gas, stinging Dos Anjos early in the frame and putting him away just after the midway point of the round.

That’s a huge victory for Hernandez, who had a four-fight winning streak snapped last time out with a flat effort against Rafa Garcia. This was an outstanding belated birthday present to himself for Hernandez, who turned 34 during fight week, and should set up another marquee assignment next time out.

Naurdiev was the more effective of the two in the opening round, landing with more force and variety, carrying his advantage into the early portion of the second, where he had Vettori on skates at one point. While “The Italian Dream” found some success as the fight progressed, his output and impact was not enough to keep Naurdiev from continuing to find positive moments of his own down the stretch.

The judges were called upon to determine the victor and all three saw it the same, awarding Naurdiev the unanimous decision win. That’s now consecutive victories and wins in three of four since returning to the UFC as a middleweight, while Vettori dropped his fifth straight and sixth in his last seven appearances.

McGee came out sharp and was getting the better of things for much of the first round before Nolan landed an elbow on the break just before the horn that wobbled “The Crusher.” Over the next two rounds, the New Jersey native landed the bigger individual blows, stinging McGee and throwing with greater intent before hurting him in the back half of the third and chasing down the finish.

This was a good showing for Nolan, who really warmed into the fight and leaned into his power advantage to register his win under the UFC banner. For McGee, it’s a bittersweet final trip into the Octagon as he hangs up his gloves after 16 years competing at the highest level in the sport.