UFC on ESPN 44 Prelims: Bill Algeo Clubs, Subs T.J. Brown

Bill Algeo forces the tap in round 2️⃣ #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/36IOGVLvsM

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 16, 2023

Bill Algeo got the best of an entertaining featherweight scrap, throttling T.J. Brown in the second round of the top preliminary bout at UFC on ESPN 44.

Both men had their moments in Round 1, as Algeo (17-7) landed a flying knee and a resounding slam takedown, but took plenty of clean punches from Brown, including one that busted his nose midway through the frame. Brown won the period with a late flurry that had Algeo hurt against the cage, and appeared to have the momentum going into Round 2, but “Senor Perfecto” turned things around in a flash, dropping the onrushing Brown with a left elbow, pouncing and taking a crucifix position. From there he moved to the back, cinched up a rear-naked choke and elicited the tap at 1:40 of the stanza.

The win brought Algeo’s promotional mark to 4-3, while fellow Dana White's Contender Series Season 3 alum Brown fell to 17-10 overall; 3-4 in the UFC.

Royval Posterizes Nicolau

This finish from @BrandonRoyval was BRUTAL #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/Mh09lpSdAC

— UFC (@ufc) April 16, 2023

Brandon Royval made his case for a flyweight title shot, blasting Matheus Nicolau with a gorgeous knee-to-punch combo in the first round of their prelim encounter.

“Raw Dawg” (15-6) was his characteristic hyper-aggressive self immediately, taking the fight to his more measured foe. However, things appeared to be settling into an intriguing chess match on the feet when, out of nowhere, Royval clipped Nicolau with a perfect right knee to the chin, followed by a long right hand that caught the Brazilian as he fell. Royval pounced immediately, tacking on several elbow strikes before referee Nick Berens jumped in for the righteous stoppage at 2 minutes, 9 seconds of Round 1.

The win brought Royval’s record in the Octagon to 5-2, while Nicolau fell to 19-3-1 overall, 4-1 in the UFC, and saw a six-fight win streak snapped in defeat.

Related » UFC Kansas City Round-by-Round Scoring

Hometown Hero Cummings Tops Herman in Dual Retirement Bout

Fighting for the first time in nearly three years in front of an adoring hometown crowd in Kansas City, 37-year-old Zak Cummings put an emphatic stamp on a pillar-to-post smashing of 41-year-old fellow grizzled veteran.

The first round was characterized by Cummings’ speed advantage on the feet, as he landed cleanly with both hands, but especially with his left, including one that dropped Herman. The round was also marked—of course, on this bizarre night—by controversy, as the supine Herman struck the kneeling Cummings with an illegal upkick to the face, only to have referee Dwayne Bess restart the two on the feet afterward.

The diet of left hands continued in Round 2, as Cummings rocked Herman with multiple clean left-hand counters, including one that dropped him to his seat with about a minute left in the round. Cummings pounced in search of the finish and was met by another illegal upkick from Herman, resulting in another break in the action and this time a point deduction by referee Bess, who once again restarted the fight standing.

By the final round, Herman’s left leg was clearly compromised as well, and Cummings was able to put him down twice with punches that more or less knocked him off-balance. The accumulation of damage finally overwhelmed Herman, who went down late in the round and was unable to withstand the swarm of follow-up blows from Cummings, forcing referee Bess to interpose himself for the stoppage at 4:13 of Round 3.

In the wake of the resounding win, with his small daughter in his arms in the cage, a teary Cummings announced his retirement. “Short Fuse” then followed suit, laying down his own gloves in an emotional moment.

A rare double retirement. Happy trails Zak Cummings and Ed Herman 🫡pic.twitter.com/FJSNWypeL1

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) April 16, 2023

Robertson Picks up Controversial Sub of Rodriguez in Strawweight Debut

The armbar gets it done for Gillian Robertson in round two 🔒 #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/dfmPVXkeNP

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 15, 2023

It was not without controversy, but Gillian Robertson made a successful 115-pound debut, vindicating her own decision to drop from flyweight while spoiling Piera Rodriguez’s undefeated record.

Robertson quickly showed that her grappling chops would be carrying over to her new division, as she took advantage of a Rodriguez takedown to sweep to top position and dominate the bulk of Round 1. Robertson’s offensive wrestling, often a sore spot at flyweight, was effective in Round 2, as she spilled Rodriguez to the canvas with a single-leg takedown within seconds. “The Savage” then spent the balance of the period in a series of dominant positions including side control and full mount, landed strikes and kept Rodriguez looking generally overwhelmed on the ground.

With under a minute left in Round 2, Robertson peeled off for an armbar and extended the Venezuelan’s right arm. Chaos ensued from there, as referee Keith Peterson moved in for the submission stoppage at 4:21, only to have Rodriguez spring up and protest. Replay showed what appeared to be a single tap, a second or two before the intervention.

While we are likely to hear more about this one, Robertson elevated her record to 12-7 overall, 9-6 in the UFC since joining out of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 26; Rodriguez’s first professional loss left her at 2-1 in the promotion and 9-1 overall.

Zellhuber Pieces Up Vannata

The Golden Boys gets his first UFC victory! @GoldenboyZell takes the unanimous decision over Lando Vannata at #UFCKansasCity 👏 pic.twitter.com/x39yahiKz5

— UFC (@ufc) April 15, 2023

Daniel Zellhuber parlayed youth, size and speed into a win over Lando Vannata in a lightweight showcase.

For a moment, it looked as though the fight might not make it out of the first frame. Late in the round, Zellhuber rocked Vannata with a punch, then smashed him with a right knee to the head, dropping him to the canvas. Vannata hung on desperately, staying in motion and avoiding the worst of the punishment as referee Jason Herzog looked on closely, and managed finally to return to his feet near the fence. The veteran made adjustments between rounds, however, and used constant stance switches in Round 2 to confound Zellhuber, get inside the taller man’s kicking range and land several clean counters.

The 23-year-old Mexican took over again in the final round, keeping Vannata on the outside and stinging him with jabs, crosses and a couple of shockingly quick high kicks. There was little suspense, as the judges scored the fight for Zellhuber (29-27, 29-28, 30-27), who moved to 1-1 in the UFC since graduating from the 2021 season of Dana White's Contender Series.

In defeat, Vannata fell to 4-7-2 in the Octagon and has now lost two in a row, his first streak of any kind since joining the promotion seven years ago.

Gomes Blasts Brasil

BIG SHOTS FROM DENISE GOMES FOR THE 2ND ROUND FINISH 👊 #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/kTupYusLn9

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 15, 2023

Denise Gomes made a statement, punching out Bruna Brasil in the second round of their strawweight preliminary bout.

The story of the fight was Gomes’ power and aggression, as she effortlessly navigated Brasil’s greater height and reach to land numerous overhand rights. Gomes also managed a couple of takedowns, dragging the taller woman down with nifty trips from the clinch, while denying Brasil’s takedown attempts in the first round.

Midway through Round 2, Gomes came forward, landing a left hook to the body followed by a right overhand that dropped Brasil in her tracks. Gomes swarmed for the finish, and after a string of unanswered lefts and rights on the ground, referee Dwayne Bess dove in for the stoppage, which came officially at 2 minutes, 42 seconds of the stanza.

The win evened up Gomes’ UFC record at 1-1 since joining the promotion out of the 2022 season of Dana White's Contender Series; Brasil, who incidentally won on the very same episode of the show last fall, fell to 0-1 with the promotion.

Bolanos Edges Phillips

Made good on the debut!

Gaston Bolanos takes the unanimous decision over Aaron Phillips at #UFCKansasCity! pic.twitter.com/6SpW9dJFCk

— UFC (@ufc) April 15, 2023

Gaston Bolanos made a successful Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, prevailing over Aaron Phillips in a wild bantamweight scrap.

The bout featured major swings in momentum, with both men dominating the action in stretches. Round 2 saw Phillips execute a slick takedown directly into mount, then take Bolanos’ back and threaten with a rear-naked choke. The Peruvian survived, however, exploding to his feet and finishing out the round pummeling Phillips against the fence.


The final round offered more of the same: Phillips once again took Bolanos down, took his back and worked for chokes from a tight body triangle, while Bolanos appeared to get the better of the action while the two were standing.

In the end, the judges saw the fight unanimously in favor of Bolanos (30-27, 30-27, 29-28), who is now 1-0 in the promotion after having spent his entire career in Bellator MMA; Phillips remained winless in four UFC appearances.

Edwards Takes Controversial Decision over Pudilova

In the opening bout, Joselyne Edwards won a mystifying split decision over Lucie Pudilova despite spending much of the first two rounds as a grappling dummy.

Pudilova struck for a takedown in Round 1, then spent most of the balance of the period landing periodic ground-and-pound while controlling the Panamanian on the mat. The second frame was Pudilova’s best, as she grounded Edwards immediately, moved to side control and spent the rest of the stanza in the driver’s seat, threatening with chokes and briefly taking Edwards’ back. A much more competitive final stage saw Edwards stay upright and get the better of a sporadic striking battle.

Both fighters appeared surprised—and the crowd voiced its displeasure—at the 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 scorecards in favor of Edwards. “La Pantera,” who missed weight on Friday, moved to 4-2 in the UFC; Pudilova’s Octagon tally fell to 3-6 overall, 1-1 since her return to the promotion last year.

#UFCKansasCity Official Scorecard: Joselyn Edwards (@JoselyneMma29) vs Lucie Pudilova

See every scorecard from Fight Night here ➡️: https://t.co/nxcHo6EnUA pic.twitter.com/zDivLH1bDD

— UFC News (@UFCNews) April 15, 2023