Amir Albazi Takes Split Decision Against Kai Kara-France in UFC on ESPN 46 Headliner

Amir Albazi showed he was ready for the step up in competition.

The Iraqi flyweight won his sixth straight fight — including five in the Octagon — by taking a split-decision triumph over former interim title challenger Kai Kara-France in the UFC on ESPN 46 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Judges Sal D’Amato and Chris Lee scored the bout 48-47 for Albazi (17-1, 5-0 UFC), while Mike Bell submitted a 48-47 tally for Kara-France (24-11, 7-4 UFC).

“I know it was a close fight. It’s not how I planned this fight to go, but it is what it is,” Albazi said. “I showed my guts.”

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Albazi was competitive throughout, but he did his most definitive work in Round 3, when he grounded Kara-France, logged more than three minutes of control time and drew a grimace from his opponent with a tight rear-naked choke attempt. Kara-France, meanwhile, appeared to have an edge on the feet, landing quick straight punching combinations while effectively blending in leg kicks. Albazi had his moments during exchanges, as he landed impactful left hooks and counter right hands on occasion. While Albazi was usually the advancing party, Kara-France held a 99-to-43 edge in signficant strikes landed, according to official UFCStats.com figures. The New Zealand native has lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his UFC tenure.

Caceres Wears Down Pineda

“The Ultimate Fighter 12” cast member Alex Caceres relied on punishing body work and crafty grappling to capture an entertaining unanimous decision win against Daniel Pineda in the evening’s featherweight co-main event. “Bruce Leeroy” received a trio of 29-28 scorecards from the cageside judges to win for the seventh time in his last eight UFC appearances.

Caceres showcased his grappling and submission defense in Round 1, as he scrambled and floated above Pineda for much of the frame before escaping what appeared to be a tight armbar attempt by the Texan. Pineda (28-15, 5-6 1 NC UFC) displayed a sense of urgency in the second stanza, as he attacked from the outset with heavy right hands during a wild initial exchange. “The Pit” later used a body triangle to assume full mount, where he banked the round with punches and elbows from above.

Caceres made his most definitive statement in the final frame. He targeted Pineda’s body repeatedly, visibly hurting his foe with a kick, punch and leaping knee to the liver at various times. Caceres appeared ready to close out his victory by taking Pineda’s back with about 60 seconds remaining, but “The Pit” was able to return to his feet and drop his adversary with a clubbing right hand in the waning seconds. Still, it wasn’t enough to undo the damage Pineda suffered for most of the round.

Miller Notches 25th UFC Win

Jim Miller became the first fighter in promotion history to reach 25 wins, as he made quick work of short-notice foe Jesse Butler in a lightweight contest. The Sparta, N.J., native ended the contest 23 seconds into Round 1 — the fastest finish of Miller’s nearly 15-year UFC tenure. Butler, a Fury Fighting Championship veteran who accepted the fight on two days’ notice, sees a five-fight winning streak come to an end.

Butler (12-5, 0-1 UFC) didn’t get a chance to find his footing in the abbreviated affair. Miller (36-17, 25-15 1 NC UFC) waited for his opening, backed his opponent up with a left hand and then buckled him against the fence with a left hook to the chin. One final left uppercut sent an unconscious Butler to the mat. Miller has finished 17 of his UFC triumphs inside the distance, the second-highest figure in the history of the Las Vegas-based organization.

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Elliott Smothers Altamirano

In his first fight in 15 months, Tim Elliott relied on takedowns and top control to cruise to a three-round verdict against former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Victor Altamirano in a flyweight duel. “The Ultimate Fighter 24” winner received tallies of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 from the cageside judges to win for the fourth time in five outings. Altamirano (12-3, 2-2 UFC) had a two-bout winning streak snapped in defeat.

Elliott grounded his opponent in each frame and stayed busy with ground-and-pound while navigating Altamirano’s active guard. Altamirano struggled to remain upright, but he did manage to land a pair of solid head kicks on the feet. To his credit, Elliott never wavered in his approach, as he continued to get the better of Altamirano with unorthodox striking, scrambling and wrestling.

Silva Kneebars Souza

Dana White’s Contender Series alum Karine Silva extended her professional finishing streak to seven, submitting former Invicta FC title holder Ketlen Souza in the first round of their flyweight matchup. The Gile Ribeiro Team member elicited a tap from Souza (13-4, 0-1 UFC) with a kneebar at the 1:45 mark of Round 1. Silva (16-4, 2-0 UFC) has finished all 16 of her victories inside the distance.

Silva landed a takedown early in the bout and shortly thereafter, she hovered over her fellow Brazilian before securing her opponent’s leg and falling back to the canvas. Silva cranked on the submission, causing Souza’s knee to pop and ending the contest immediately. A limping Souza had to be helped from the cage after the bout.

Dos Santos Takes Split Verdict Over Nurmagomedov

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos rallied for a hard-fought split-decision triumph over Professional Fighters League veteran Abubakar Nurmagomedov in a welterweight showdown. Ron McCarthy and Bryan Miner scored the bout 29-28 in favor of the Brazilian, while Derek Cleary saw it 29-28 for Nurmagomedov. It was dos Santos’ first Octagon appearance since October 2021 after serving a USADA-mandated suspension due to testing positive for a banned substance.

Nurmagomedov (17-3-1, 2-2 UFC) put dos Santos (24-7, 10-3 UFC) on the defensive with a pair of right hands during an initial exchange while racking up plenty of control time against the fence in the opening round, but it was all downhill from there for the Dagestani. Dos Santos landed punches to the head, knees to the body and a variety of kicks over the course of the final 10 minutes — all while thwarting the vast majority of his opponent’s attempts to get the action to the mat. The 36-year-old CM System member has won three of his last four UFC outings.



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