UFC 269 Prelims: Josh Emmett, Dominick Cruz, Tai Tuivasa Victorious in Las Vegas

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Power was once again the great equalizer for Josh Emmett.

The Team Alpha Male mainstay kept his name relevant in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s featherweight division, as he took a three-round unanimous decision from Dan Ige in the featured UFC 269 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Scores were 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27, all for Emmett (17-2, 8-2 UFC).

Ige (15-5, 7-4 UFC) faced an uphill climb after a difficult first round. Emmett decked him with a thudding right hand, jumped into top position with his ground-and-pound and established an early advantage. Ige answered in Round 2, where he dazed the Phoenix native with a left hook and followed it with a burst of punches in a bid to finish. Those efforts failed to net the desired result, and Emmett slowly but surely regained his faculties. Ige appeared to connect more often down the stretch, but his unyielding adversary landed with more authority and greater effect.

Emmett, 36, has pieced together four straight wins.

Cruz Outpoints Munhoz in Barnburner

Former UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting champion Dominick Cruz leaned on surgical punching combinations, sublime footwork and a hearty chin, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Pedro Munhoz in a three-round bantamweight match. All three cageside judges arrived at the same verdict: 29-28 for Cruz (24-3, 7-2 UFC).

Munhoz (19-7, 9-7 UFC) nearly finished it in the first round, where he clipped the oncoming Alliance MMA cornerstone with a left jab. Cruz was immediately dazed by the impact of the blow and tried to right himself, only to be dropped by a left hook soon after. Munhoz flurried for a possible finish but failed to string together enough offense to slam the door. Cruz rebounded in the second and third rounds, where he let his hands fly with precision and purpose, remained resolute in the face of serious return fire and kept the American Top Team standout at bay.

Cruz has recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since 2016.

Resurgent Tuivasa Annihilates Sakai

Former Australian Fighting Championship titleholder Tai Tuivasa wrecked Augusto Sakai with punches in the second round of their heavyweight scrap. Tuivasa (13-3, 7-3 UFC) brought it to an emphatic close 26 seconds into Round 2, as the affable 28-year-old put his fourth consecutive victory in the books.

Sakai (15-4-1, 4-3 UFC) never seemed comfortable. Tuivasa backed him to the fence with power punches in the first round and outmaneuvered him in the clinch, his efforts setting the table for a violent conclusion. He clipped Sakai with a left hook early in the middle stanza, pressed him into the cage and unleashed his hands until the Gile Ribeiro protégé came to rest at his feet, motionless and unconscious.

The 30-year-old Sakai has lost three fights in a row.

Silva Weathers, Waylays Wright

Former M-1 Global champion Bruno Silva struck down Dynamix MMA rep Jordan Wright with punches in the first round of their middleweight confrontation. Wright (12-2, 2-2 UFC) succumbed to blows 88 seconds into Round 3.

Sailing was far from smooth for Silva (22-6, 3-0 UFC). Wright greeted him with kicks to the body and head, then turned his attention to the Thai clinch—a position from which he launched a series of knee strikes to the body. Silva managed to break free, staggered the Antoni Hardonk protégé with a right hook-left hook combination and drove him to the canvas with subsequent shots. The Brazilian hovered above his fallen prey, cut loose with standing-to-ground punches and forced referee Herb Dean to intervene.

Silva will ride a seven-fight winning streak into his next assignment.

Related » UFC 269 Round-by-Round Scoring

Muniz Armbar Dismisses Anders

Tata Fight Team standout Andre Muniz submitted former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Eryk Anders with an armbar in the first round of their middleweight clash. A short-notice substitution for Dricus Du Plessis, Anders (14-6, 6-6 UFC) raised the white flag 3:13 into Round 1.

Muniz (22-4, 4-0 UFC) struck for a takedown inside the first minute, maintained control as Anders stood and ultimately dragged him back to the mat. He progressed to the back and transitioned to the armbar during a subsequent scramble. Once Anders’ arm was isolated, surrender was the only option. The ex-University of Alabama linebacker had never before been submitted.

The 31-year-old Muniz has rattled off eight straight wins, six of them finishes.

Blanchfield Dominates Replacement Maverick

Repeated takedowns, stifling control and intermittent ground-and-pound spurred onetime Eddie Bravo Invitational winner Erin Blanchfield to a unanimous decision over Miranda Maverick in a three-round women’s flyweight tilt. Blanchfield (8-1, 2-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27 marks from all three judges.

A short-notice replacement for Maycee Barber, Maverick (9-4, 2-2 UFC) had no answers for the game plan her opponent employed.

Hall Rebounds, Decisions Minner

Hyperactive offensive grappling carried “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 22 winner Ryan Hall to a unanimous decision over Darrick Minner in a three-round featherweight battle. All three cageside judges scored it for Hall (9-2, 5-1 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and 29-27.

Minner (26-13, 2-3 UFC) spent a majority of the 15-minute encounter defending his neck and limbs from the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt’s relentless onslaught.

The victory was Hall’s ninth in 10 appearances, as he bounced back from his July 10 knockout loss to Ilia Topuria.

Kelley Elbows Bury Costa

Soul Fighters export Tony Kelley put away Randy Costa with elbows in the second round of their bantamweight affair. Costa (6-3, 2-3 UFC) bowed out 4:15 into Round 2, losing for the second time in as many outings.

Kelley (8-2, 2-1 UFC) outstruck the Sanford MMA representative by better than a 2-to-1 margin in the first round, then turned up the heat in the second. There, he folded Costa with a series of knee strikes to the body, pounced on his fallen counterpart with punches and sealed the deal with a volley of unanswered elbows.

The 34-year-old Kelley has won three of his last four bouts.

Robertson Choke Submits Cachoeira

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 26 graduate Gillian Robertson submitted Priscila Cachoeira with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their women’s flyweight pairing. Cachoeira (10-4, 2-4 UFC), who missed weight for the match by three pounds, conceded defeat 4:59 into Round 1.

The victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for Robertson (10-6, 7-4 UFC).