UFC on ESPN 50 Prelims: Kyler Phillips Makes Triumphant Return, Downs Raoni Barcelos

Kyler Phillips still looks like a man who intends to make some significant noise in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division.

In his first appearance in more than 500 days, the MMA Lab standout outstruck and outmaneuvered Raoni Barcelos to a unanimous decision in the featured UFC on ESPN 50 prelim on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28—all for Phillips (11-2, 5-1 UFC).

Related » UFC Nashville Round-by-Round Scoring

A short-notice substitution for Said Nurmagomedov, Barcelos, 36, looked his age at times and struggled to track down “The Matrix” in open space. Phillips sat him down with a clean one-two in the first round, troubled the Brazilian with a takedown in the second and managed to keep his head above water in the third. Barcelos surged late with takedowns and a right hook to the body, but by then, the die had been cast.

Harris Choke Stuns Wells

Onetime Brave Combat Federation titleholder Carlston Harris put Jeremiah Wells to sleep with a brabo choke in the third round of their welterweight confrontation. Harris (19-5, 4-1 UFC) drew the curtain 1:50 into Round 3, authoring his seventh victory in eight outings with one of the more remarkable comebacks of 2023.

Wells (12-3-1, 4-1 UFC) breezed through the first two rounds, as he took down the Guyanese veteran with surprising ease, fished for chokes and controlled the ground exchanges with a suffocating top game. Elbows entered the equation late in the middle stanza, and it appeared as though Harris was destined to go down to defeat on points. He had other ideas. Harris caught the neck on an attempted takedown, rolled into the choke and tightened his squeeze until his opponent lay motionless in his grasp.

The setback was Wells’ first since March 29, 2019.

Relentless Quarantillo Bests Jackson

Former King of the Cage champion and “The Ultimate Fighter 22” alum Billy Quarantillo overcame a difficult start to capture a unanimous verdict over Damon Jackson in a three-round featherweight firefight. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Quarantillo (18-5, 6-3 UFC), who bounced back from his Jan. 14 knockout defeat to Dan Ige.

Jackson (22-6-1, 5-4-1 UFC) did not make it easy on him. He turned the first round into a rout—in the standup and on the ground. The Fortis MMA mainstay unleashed a variety of attacks, including a front kick to the face. He secured a takedown in the second half of the period, advanced to the back and delivered some ground-and-pound. Quarantillo was undeterred. His heavy investment in shots to the body started to pay off in the second round, and he continued to attack Jackson’s midsection with savage punches and knees. Round 3 was a study in fortitude for both men. Jackson remained competitive but looked a step slower. Quarantillo connected with stout punching combinations and even staggered the Texan with a right hook at one point. Jackson completed a takedown with roughly a minute to go but lacked the necessary gas to make it matter.

Quarantillo has won 11 of his last 14 fights.

Surging Durden Outduels Hadley

American Top Team’s Cody Durden stepped in as a short-notice fill-in for Tagir Ulanbekov and took a unanimous decision from former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Jake Hadley in a highly competitive and entertaining flyweight encounter. Durden (16-4-1, 5-2-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 30-27 marks from the cageside judiciary.

Durden handled his business in the first round, where he outstruck, outwrestled and outgrappled the favored Fearless MMA export, opening a significant cut above his left eye with a crisp right hand. It was an effective weapon throughout the battle for the Covington, Georgia, native, along with a few sneaky standing elbows. However, Hadley (10-2, 2-2 UFC) answered the challenge in Round 2, as he trapped the underdog in a triangle armbar and appeared to have the elbow joint hyperextended for several tense moments. Durden bent but did not break. He fought through fatigue across the final five minutes, utilized an airtight sprawl and neutralized Hadley with ground-and-pound.

The 32-year-old Durden has rattled off four consecutive wins.

Woodson Spoils Buzukja Debut

Sean Woodson rebounded from a Aug. 20 draw with Luis Saldana, as he laid claim to a one-sided unanimous decision over former Ring of Combat champion Dennis Buzukja in a three-round featherweight affair. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Woodson (10-1-1, 4-1-1 UFC).

A short-notice replacement for Mairon Santos, Buzukja (11-3, 0-1 UFC) was game but outmatched. Woodson maximized his height and reach advantages in their standup exchanges, where he battered the Longo-Weidman MMA rep with kicks to the lower legs, a punishing jab and clean combinations. He mixed in takedowns at opportune times and arguably did his best work in Round 2, where he threatened Buzukja with a variety of chokes and a kimura. Woodson incorporated wicked hooks to the body from both hands and standing knee strikes at close range later in the match, flexing all his figurative muscle in a complete performance.

The loss snapped Buzukja’s seven-fight winning streak.

Newcomer Almabaev Dominates Osborne

Promising Kazakh prospect Abu Almabaev put away 2019 DWCS graduate Ode Osbourne with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their flyweight pairing. Almabaev (18-2, 1-0 UFC) brought it to a close 3:11 into Round 2, where he put his 14th consecutive victory in the books.

Osbourne (12-6, 4-4 UFC) mustered little meaningful resistance outside of a forearm strike from the bottom that resulted in a cut inside the first five minutes. Almabaev completed takedowns in both rounds, then went about dismantling the Jamaican. The 29-year-old M-1 Global veteran executed a beautiful inside trip in the second round, moved to the back and secured his position with a body triangle. Almabaev pestered his counterpart with ground-and-pound and made two passes at a rear-naked choke before cracking the code.

The 31-year-old Osbourne has lost two of his past three bouts.