UFC on ESPN 54 Prelim Results: Nate Landwehr Uppercut KOs Jamall Emmers

NATE THE TRAIN PULLS OUT OF THE STATION 🚂💨@NateTheTrain gets the FIRST ROUND KO at #UFCAtlanticCity pic.twitter.com/tDLbOVlj6w

— UFC (@ufc) March 31, 2024

Nate Landwehr made a statement at the expense of Jamall Emmers in the UFC on ESPN 54 featured prelim.

The three-round featherweight fight saw Emmers (20-8) take control early, as his sharp punches cut Landwehr (18-5) above his left eye. However, "The Train" was as hard-hitting as his nickname and delivered a perfectly-timed uppercut that knocked out Emmers. Landwehr followed his foe to the floor with some punches and the fight was stopped at 4:43 of Round 1.

The 35-year-old has now won four of his last five fights, with the lone defeat coming to Dan Ige.

Jandiroba Edges Godinez

Women's strawweight contender Virna Jandiroba passed a tough test by edging out Lupita Godinez over 15 minutes.

Jandiroba (20-3) finished a back-and-forth opening round strong by taking the back of Godinez (12-4). The crafty Brazilian grappler kept "Loopy" on her toes throughout the fight, which saw both women have their moments in grappling exchanges. Ultimately, the judges preferred the aggressive submission attempts of Jandiroba, who took a unanimous decision with scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.

"Carcara" has now won three straight fights.

Overweight Arce Puts Away Burns

An overweight Julio Arce, who came in a pound over the featherweight limit, got back into the win column by pummeling a listless Herbert Burns.

The first round saw Burns lose a point for landing two low blows in what was largely an uneventful five minutes controlled by Arce on the feet. However, the second round saw Arce firing on all cylinders and repeatedly hurting Burns on the feet. A nice combination of punches saw Burns fall to the ground, and the fight waved off at 2:00 of Round 2.

Arce is now 6-4 inside the Octagon.

Related » UFC Atlantic City Round-by-Round Scoring

Buzukja Overwhelms Matthews

Dennis Buzukja put the featherweight division on notice by overwhelming Connor Matthews with punches.

The fight was competitive on the feet early on as Buzukja landed more volume and the power of Connor Matthews kept him from getting too aggressive. Matthews would vary up his attack in Round 2 by landing a takedown, but it increasingly became Buzukja's fight as long as it stayed standing. "The Great" finished the fight in style by knocking down Matthews with a left hook and then swinging away until he got the stoppage.

The TKO win was officially declared just 22 seconds into Round 3.

Aslan Floors Turkalj

Ibo Aslan got revenge over Anton Turkalj, who previously defeated the light heavyweight prospect in 2020.

Despite struggling so far in his Ultimate Fighting Championship career, Turkalj (8-4) looked sharper on the feet than "The Last Ottoman" in the opening round. However, both men would come out wildly swinging to start the second round, which was the turning point as Aslan (13-1) started to land the harder punches. Early in the final round, Aslan landed an overhand right that floored Turkalj and forced referee Gary Copeland to step in.

The official time of the stoppage was XX into Round 3.

Malkoun Soccer Kicks Petroski

Jacob Malkoun delivered a rather bizarre highlight reel performance against Andre Petroski.

The first round was a back-and-forth battle with Malkoun (8-3) and Petroski (10-3) both doing some damage on the feet. However, early in the second round, Malkoun was able to take advantage of Petroski losing balance after a takedown attempt. "Mamba" landed a vicious soccer kick to the body and swarmed with punches to secure the stoppage.

The stoppage came just 39 seconds into Round 2.

Loughran Outworks Pacheco

Bantamweight prospect Caolan Loughran picked up his first win inside the UFC.

"The Don" showed an immediate power advantage and hurt Angel Pacheco (7-3) with punches several times during the first round. Showing off a well-rounded game, Loughran (9-1) would secure a takedown and use ground-and-pound to dominate the second frame. Pacheco would be compromised most of the third round after taking damaging leg kicks but never backed down.

After 15 minutes of action, the judges awarded Loughran a unanimous decision win with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 in his favor.