Main Card Results | UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Horiguchi

Horiguchi showed the diversity of his game through the first two rounds, mixing in solid striking and timely wrestling to get out to an early lead on Kape. Even in the third, the Japanese veteran seemed to have stung Kape again and compromised his leg when he checked a kick, but “Starboy” was undeterred. A right hand staggered Horiguchi and from there, he pounced, chasing down his fourth consecutive finish.

Just a tremendous effort from Kape, who had to navigate some tough moments to secure his fourth straight win and seventh victory in his last eight fights. It will be interesting to see what comes next for Kape, who is clearly amongst the best in the division, and has little left to prove other than potentially challenging for the title.

Cutelaba was in deep on a guillotine choke in the first that forced Stirling to be patient and defend, and even when he worked free, things weren’t entirely smooth as “The Hulk” continued to chase submissions and make the New Zealand man work. But after finding his range and having some success in the grappling realm himself, Stirling got Cutelaba seated up against the fence and just unloaded, dropping bombs and securing the finish.

That’s now five straight UFC wins for the DWCS Season 8 graduate, who came into the year without a finish inside the Octagon and now has two straight. After calling out and getting Cutelaba following his last win, Stirling was non-committal about a specific name this time but lobbied for a fall return.

Rodriguez looked sharp from the start, picking at Amil from range and mixing in takedown attempts, keeping the Bay Area veteran off balance and out of rhythm. After just missing with head kicks throughout the first round, Rodriguez finally landed one clean, sending Amil to the canvas, and as he tried to work his way to his feet, Rodriguez latched onto a high-elbow guillotine to secure the finish.

What an outstanding performance for “CeeRod” in his first appearance since the passing of his longtime coach Duke Roufus and relocating to Las Vegas. The finish snapped a two-fight losing streak and should serve as a reminder that Rodriguez is a talented young veteran in the 145-pound weight class.

The two men came out swinging to start, with Magomedov clipping Baghdasaryan and sending him to a knee, opening the door for a grappling entanglement. After taking the back, Magomedov left enough space for Baghdasaryan to turn in his guard, only when the Armenian featherweight attempted to do so, the undefeated newcomer clamped onto a twister and secured the tap.

Just an inventive and impressive way to finish your debut for Magomedov, who moved to 11-0 while maintaining his 100 percent finishing by becoming the fourth person to secure a twister finish inside the Octagon. Just as Oliveira is one to watch at featherweight, so too is Magomedov, who at turns 27 in August and said he wants to remain active going forward.

The divisional mainstay had a great deal of success in the first round, hurting Oliveira to the body and damaging his foot by checking kicks. But Oliveira persevered and started piling up the punishment as the second round progressed before stinging Fili along the fence in the final minute. As the onslaught continued, a couple elbows appeared to land to the back of the head, bringing about the finish.

Regardless of the questionable blows, there is no denying Oliveira looked much better as the fight progressed here than he did during his bantamweight days. Not that featherweight needs another threat, but it just may have gotten one with “LokDog” arriving this weekend.