Prelim Results | UFC Sacramento

The two men engaged in a little cat-and-mouse through the first three minutes and change of the contest, with Emmers circling on the outside of the cage and Douglas giving chase, each man landing occasional shots as they came forward an engaged. Late in the frame, Douglas looked to close the distance and Emmers planted and fired, connecting clean right hand that put the Brazilian “Gunslinger” down.

That’s now three straight wins and victories in four of five for the veteran Emmers. Though he’s a little older at 37, “Pretty Boy” has never looked better than he has of late, and this was a statement win over a highly regarded prospect.

The big man representing the Kingdom of Bahrain walked down his fellow Contender Series grad, who was operating with his hands lower than recommended against a thunderous puncher like Gaziev. After slipping the first straight right, Nzechukwu couldn’t avoid the second, which twisted his chin and sent him crashing to the canvas.

Just a brilliant effort to return to the win column for Gaziev, who entered on a two-fight skid. He has been ranked in the past and could find himself ranked again in the future, but it will all depend on who he’s matched up with next.  

Padilla is now 5-0-1 in the UFC and has proven himself to a consistently entertaining talent in the 155-pound weight class. This was the kind of third-round effort you want to see in a close, competitive fight and should earn the streaking California resident a step up in competition next time out.

The Brazilian was defensively sharp initially, stuffing newcomer Ryan Kuse’s desperate takedown attempts and keeping things in space, judiciously picking his shots, looking for finishing blows. As the two men skated around the outside the Octagon, Barbosa connected with a hook that only partially landed, but still sent Kuse to the canvas. “Ticoto” paused before jumping back in, but it was unnecessary as referee Jason Herzog recognized Kuse was out and stopped the fight.

That’s consecutive first-round finishes for the recent Dana White’s Contender Series grad, who stopped Dennis Buzukja in Winnipeg earlier this year. The powerhouse is a true threat in the featherweight division and it’s going to be interesting to see how he gets matched up next time out.

Young was the stronger and more effective of the two early, taking the fight to the short-notice newcomer in the first round, only to have Dorsainvil start to find his footing and work back into things in the second. Over the final five minutes, Dorsainvil landed the better shots and was able to work his way out of Young’s clinch attempts early, only to have Young find a little extra gas late to close the distance and leave to the judges to sort out.

When the scorecards were collected and totaled, it was Dorsainvil who came out ahead, earning his first UFC win and maintaining his unbeaten record. Just a brilliant, gutsy effort from the emotional 26-year-old who deserves top marks for his performance on Saturday.
 

Schultz chased a guillotine choke early in the contest, forcing McVey to defend and find a way to work back to his feet. Once he did, “The Moose” was in completely control, sniping at Schultz in space until he came forward and buried a knee into his guts, sending “Party Time” crashing to the canvas in a heap.

That’s consecutive quality wins for McVey, who dropped each of his first two UFC appearances. The MMA Lab product has looked good when he has had proper prep time and should get a step up in competition next time out after another brilliant finish here.

The young British prospect was sharp from the start, leaning on her speed and power advantages to snipe at Reed in space. The GB Top Team rep never allowed her veteran opponent to find her footing, punishing her at every turn and piling up the punishment until the referee mercifully stepped in with Dyer unloading along the fence.

This was a dominant, breakout effort for the 25-year-old Dyer, who advanced to 2-0 in the UFC and 8-1 overall with the win. As strong as she’s looked to date, there is still room for her to grow, and a future as a top 15 staple in the 115-pound ranks is certainly not out of the question.