Prelim Results | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Costa

The Croatian veteran came out firing heavy to start the contest, taking the fight to Tokkos, who weathered the storm and rallied back in the second half of an entertaining first round. Things slowed in the second, with Erslan landing the more telling blows before landing in top position and grinding out the clock before he was able to stuff a telegraphed takedown attempt early in the third, which allowed him to once again settle into top position and remain there for the duration.

All three judges scored the fight in favor of Erslan, who halted a three-fight slide with the win, advancing to 15-6 overall with the victory. This was a crucial performance from the 34-year-old, who took umbrage with some of what Tokkos said in the build to this contest and made him pay for his words.

The recent Dana White’s Contender Series grad controlled the opening stanza with his wrestling, staying stuck on his short-notice foe, repeatedly dragging him to the canvas and giving him no space. In the second, Gantt was able to keep Minev pinned to the canvas, and once that happened, the young Ukrainian began to break, allowing the North Carolina State product to turn up the pressure and output in order to earn the finish.

Unbeaten in 13 professional appearances, the 33-year-old has outstanding wrestling and pace. Gantt’s penchant for finishing, combined with his pedigree, should earn him an opportunity to continue competing regularly and making progress in the talent-rich lightweight division.

The Nova União representative was the more effective of the two in the opening round, landing the bigger blows before taking the fight to the canvas and roughing up Cavalcanti from top position. The Portuguese prospect was slightly more aggressive, pressing the action in the third, but it felt like a case of “too little, too late” for the ascending fighter.

When the scorecards were collected and totaled, it was Vieira that came out ahead. This was the Brazilian’s 10th UFC victory and another instance where the difference in experience and diversity of skill proved to be the deciding factor in a crucial and competitive fight.

After landing on the wrong side of a slow-paced, low-output first round, Brundage came out of the corner focused to begin the second, lunging in with a left hand that clipped Petroski and put him on the canvas. From there, the Factory X representative pounced and refused to let up, pounding out the finish.

This was an emotional win for Brundage, who had lost three straight and has gone winless in his previous four. Those struggles are a thing of the past for the birthday boy, who turned 32 today and is sure to have an even bigger celebration now.

Ardelean took the fight to Viana on the feet in the opening round, clipping her early and landing the better blows throughout the initial five minutes. The fight hit the canvas in the second with Viana locking up a body triangle from bottom and looking to land elbows off her back. But Ardelean wisely trapped Viana’s foot between their bodies and pressed forward, creating incredible pressure and forcing the Brazilian to submit.

The Romanian-born Ardelean continues to look better each time out, showing a ton of toughness and grit while constantly putting on entertaining scraps. She’s progressing in the strawweight division and should get another opportunity to fight someone ahead of her once she’s ready to return.

Barez came out attacking, bringing the fight to the Dana White’s Contender Series grad, but Gurule dealt with the early pressure and responded in kind, taking it to his Spanish foe in the back half of the round. In the second, Gurule hurt Barez multiple times, moving forward without pause, continuing the approach in the third to distance himself from the steely veteran.

Gurule wasn’t able to find a finish, but the outcome was never in question when the final horn sounded. After landing on the wrong side of the result in each of his first three outings, breaking into the win column with a wildly entertaining performance like this had to feel good for the Colorado-based DWCS alum.

Caliari came out aggressive and powerful, tossing Bannon to the ground and controlling the first round from top position. While cut to strawweight for the first time began taking a toll on the Brazilian midway through the second, allowing the Irish fighter to find some success, Caliari stung Bannon with a stiff jab early in the third that allowed her to bring the fight back to the ground. From there, she clamped onto an arm-triangle choke, securing the tap as soon as she floated to side control.

It was a gutsy effort from the Dana White’s Contender Series grad, who was fading in the third, but found another gear. As she gets more comfortable with the shift to 115 pounds, it will be interesting to see how Caliari progresses inside the Octagon.