UFC Fight Night 219 Prelims: Nazim Sadykhov Gashes Evan Elder, Earns TKO Win

A cut above Evan Elder's eye results in a TKO victory via Doctor's Stoppage #UFCVegas69 pic.twitter.com/MIK4Ien0Jr

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 19, 2023

A perfectly-placed strike from Nazim Sadykhov propelled him to his first UFC triumph at the expense of Evan Elder.

The Longo and Weidman MMA representative defeated Elder via doctor stoppage in their preliminary lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 219 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. A cageside physician quickly waved off the contest 38 seconds into Round 3 due to Elder suffering a nasty cut above his right eye. The wound appeared to be a result of a knee from Sadykhov (8-1, 1-0 UFC) that landed directly on the eyebrow of his opponent.

Prior to the stoppage, Sadykhov and Elder (7-2, 0-2 UFC) engaged in a back-and-forth battle on the feet that saw both men land plenty of damaging offense. Sadykhov buckled his foe with a right hook in Round 1, and Elder responded by sitting his adversary down with a right of his own later in the frame. The battle continued from there, with Elder mixing in body strikes, takedowns and clinch work, while Sadykhov held an edge in head strikes. When the bout was called off, Elder held a 70-to-64 edge in significant strikes landed, according to UFCStats.com.

Related » UFC Vegas 69 Round-by-Round Scoring

Prior to the stoppage, Sadykhov and Elder (7-2, 0-2 UFC) engaged in a back-and-forth battle on the feet that saw both men land plenty of damaging offense. Sadykhov buckled his foe with a right hook in Round 1, and Elder responded by sitting his adversary down with a right of his own later in the frame. The battle continued from there, with Elder mixing in body strikes, takedowns and clinch work, while Sadykhov held an edge in head strikes. When the bout was called off, Elder held a 70-to-64 edge in significant strikes landed, according to UFCStats.com.

Bueno Silva Kneebar Foils Lansberg

Brazilian Contender Series competitor Mayra Bueno Silva continued her ascent through the bantamweight division, as she submitted Sweden’s Lina Lansberg in their 135-pound bout. Bueno Silva (10-2-1, 5-2-1 UFC) ended the contest with a kneebar 4:45 into the second frame, her third consecutive triumph within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Lansberg (10-8, 4-7 UFC), meanwhile, has lost four straight UFC appearances.

Bueno Silva showcased her striking ability in the early going by attacking Lansberg with punches and kicks to the legs and body along with knees and elbows in close quarters. “Sheetara” ended the opening stanza with a takedown and more elbows from top position. Lansberg plodded forward at the outset of Round 2, and she ate several punches and elbows for her efforts before Bueno Silva dumped her to the canvas within the first minute. Bueno Silva eventually assumed back control, but when Lansberg scrambled out of danger late in the stanza, she elected to go right back to the canvas with her opponent. Bueno Silva immediately spun for a kneebar, forced Lansberg over and extended the leg. Lansberg had no choice but to tap out in a matter of seconds.

Emmers Hands Askhabov First Defeat

Pinnacle MMA export Jamall Emmers authored a complete performance in a unanimous decision triumph against the previously undefeated Khusein Askhabov at featherweight. “Prettyboy” earned a trio of 30-27 scorecards from the cageside judges in his first Octagon appearance since Aug. 28, 2012.

After dominating on the regional scene, Askhabov (23-1, 0-1 UFC) struggled in his first venture to the big stage. Emmers (19-6, 2-2 UFC) moved well, countered effectively and landed strikes to all levels, including several heavy leg kicks and a right hand that sat his foe down in the second stanza. Askhabov responded with plenty of big movements on the feet — most notably a variety of spinning kicks — but he wasn’t able to connect consistently. Emmers shifted gears in the final frame, as he controlled the grappling and advanced to multiple dominant positions on the canvas before threatening with a kimura until the horn sounded.

Lins Blitzes OSP

Ex-Professional Fighters League champion Philipe Lins made short work of former interim title challenger Ovince St. Preux, overwhelming his foe with power punches for a first-round stoppage. The 37-year-old Brazilian ended the contest just 49 seconds into Round 1 to earn his second consecutive triumph. St. Preux (26-17, 14-12 UFC) has lost three of his last four outings.

Lins put St. Preux on the defensive at the outset, when he countered a kick with a clean left hand to the jaw. “OSP” spent the rest of the abbreviated fight covering up against the fence against a barrage of heavy hooks and uppercuts. As St. Preux attempted to circle out of danger, Lins (16-5, 2-2 UFC) put the nail in the coffin by dropping the former University of Tennessee football player with another left hand, and referee Mark Smith stepped in to intervene before any further damage could be done.

Fletcher Elbows, Guillotines Gorimbo

A.J. Fletcher earned his first promotional triumph in impressive fashion, as he submitted former Extreme Fighting Championship title holder Themba Gorimbo in the second stanza of their welterweight encounter. The Gladiators Academy representative snapped a two-bout skid when he used a guillotine to elicit a tap from his South African foe at the 1:37 mark of Round 2.

Though Gorimbo enjoyed a 10-inch reach advantage, Fletcher controlled the majority of the action. After Gorimbo (10-4, 0-1 UFC) landed an early takedown, Fletcher was able to reverse position and pass into full mount, where he dropped some heavy elbows from above. The momentum shifted for good following another grappling exchange in the second period, when Fletcher scrambled to his feet and rocked his opponent with a standing right elbow in close quarters. That prompted Gorimbo to shoot for an ill-advised takedown, which led to him being trapped in a guillotine choke. From there, Fletcher (10-2, 1-2 UFC) moved to mount while maintaining the hold to secure the finish.

Carpenter Chokes Out Ronderos

MMA Lab representative Clayton Carpenter displayed superb grappling en route to a submission victory over Colombia’s Juancamilo Ronderos in a flyweight tilt. Carpenter (7-0, 1-0 UFC) ended his Octagon debut by tapping his foe with a rear-naked choke 3:13 into Round 1. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum has four first-round finishes to his credit.

The combatants traded briefly in the center of the cage before Ronderos (4-2, 0-2 UFC) changed levels and planted Carpenter on his back. It got uncomfortable for the Xtreme Couture representative from there, however, as Carpenter framed a triangle before using an armbar attempt to sweep into top position. Carpenter then took his foe’s back and gradually worked his arm under the chin, connected his hands and forced Ronderos to call it quits.