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Unanimous for the Young Punisher!@PedroMunhozMMA takes the decision over Chris Gutierrez at #UFCKansasCity 👏 pic.twitter.com/ChmGYA1Xqa

— UFC (@ufc) April 16, 2023

Pedro Munhoz righted the ship at Chris Gutierrez’s expense at UFC on ESPN 44, reminding the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division that he is one of its very best fighters.

Munhoz (20-7, 2 NC) entered the Octagon having won just once in his last six fights. Desperately in need of some positive momentum, he fought like it, using relentless pressure and pace to win what seemed like every minute of the fight. Munhoz got off to a hot start, dropping Gutierrez (19-5-2) with a big left and dominating the rest of the first round with ground-and-pound, submission attempts and a brief advance to side control.

There would not be another single moment of game-changing offense from “The Young Punisher,” but the tone had been set: Munhoz marched Gutierrez down for the…

Clay really had us in the first half 😮‍💨 #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/g6fuTwkaAb

— UFC (@ufc) April 16, 2023

Perhaps reasoning that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Rafa Garcia used a rinse-and-repeat approach to sweep all three rounds against the ageless Clay Guida at UFC on ESPN 44.

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Garcia (15-3) leaned heavily on his jab, punctuated by a few judiciously applied low kicks and right crosses, to frustrate Guida (38-23) in the UFC Kansas City main card opener. Guida, newly shorn of his trademark locks, was his usual self on the feet, bobbing and weaving while looking to bounce into range and land hooks, but his usual ground assault was nowhere to be seen, especially in Round 1, when he did not attempt a single takedown.

Garcia took the fight “The Carpenter” gave him, nearly doubling his previous personal best in terms of strikes landed and leaving Guida’s face bloodied and swollen by the end. After three rounds, …

George Hardwick with the first round KO ✅2nd successful title defence ✅10-punch combo for the highlight reel ✅🏆 What a moment for the Lightweight King 🏆#CW152 pic.twitter.com/oYYWnzTMHf

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 15, 2023

George Hardwick showed once again why he is one of Europe’s best lightweights at Cage Warriors 152 in Manchester, England.

In the CW 152 main event, Hardwick secured a victory over Yann Liasse with a first-round technical knockout at the 4:12 mark. Hardwick displayed both his grappling and striking prowess, landing clean, powerful punches with both hands that overwhelmed Liasse.

Nathan Fletcher also had a successful night, defeating Daan Duijs via triangle choke in Round 1 at 4 minutes and 15 seconds. The bantamweight prospect showcased his grappling skills, utilizing a well-executed triangle choke to force Duijs to tap out, earning him a submission victory.

In other notable matchups, James Power…

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 UFC on ESPN 44 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 str…

#UFCKansasCity Official Scorecard: Zak Cummings (@ZakCummings) vs Ed Herman

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

— UFC News (@UFCNews) April 16, 2023

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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 Ed Herman at UFC on ESPN 44.

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 r…

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 at UFC on ESPN 44.

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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…

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 at UFC on ESPN 44.

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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 Me…

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 at UFC on ESPN 44.

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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 stan…

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

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Gaston Bolanos made a successful Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, prevailing over Aaron Phillips in a wild bantamweight scrap at UFC on ESPN 44.

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 f…

Kicking off #UFCKansasCity with a split decision W!@joselyneMMA29 makes it 3 straight wins with a close one over Lucie Pudilova pic.twitter.com/IX6Eabr0Of

— UFC (@ufc) April 15, 2023

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 at UFC on ESPN 44.

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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…

The Olivier Aubin-Mercier riddle remains unsolved in the Professional Fighters League.

Aubin-Mercier (18-5, 7-0 PFL) opened the defense of his 2022 lightweight title with a unanimous decision over fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Shane Burgos in their PFL 3 headliner on Friday inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. All three members of the cageside judiciary struck 30-27 scorecards for the Canadian.

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Burgos (15-4, 0-1 PFL) did not enjoy his organizational debut. Aubin-Mercier outstruck him in the first round, then turned to other means. He stymied Burgos with clinches across the final 10 minutes, climbed to the back with standing body triangles on two occasions and stole valuable time from an increasingly frustrated opponent. Not until the final 20 seconds of the fight did Burgos break free with knees and punches, but by then, the die had been cast. Meanwhile, multi-punch volleys to the body and head paired with airtight sub…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League marches on with 2023 PFL 3 at 7 p.m. ET. The action airs live on ESPN and then continues on ESPN+ at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Discuss this evening’s card with the world’s largest combat sports community here.

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Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay…