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By halting the momentum of an up-and-coming contender, Max Holloway proved the doubters wrong at UFC on ESPN 44.

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The Hawaiian veteran outstruck Arnold Allen for five rounds at in their featherweight headliner at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City Missouri, on Saturday night to earn a unanimous decision triumph and reaffirm his position as the best featherweight in the UFC not named Alexander Volkanovski. While “Blessed” is 0-3 against the reigning featherweight champion — including a clear-cut decision loss to Volkanovski in his last outing at UFC 276 — he also owns recent wins over featherweight contenders such as Allen, Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez.

“You’re only as good as your last fight and I told you guys I had that [third Alexander Volkanovski] fight, that was the last taste that they had of me. I was here with that Kattar fight, I heard the same thing all over again — that Arnold’s going to be the guy who’s going to break my chin, who’s …

Three BIG finishes earn your #UFCKansasCity POTN bonuses 💰

[ B2YB @BattleMotors ] pic.twitter.com/Doo4nW3I1z

— UFC (@ufc) April 16, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded five fighters performance bonuses on the UFC on ESPN 44 card.

The bonus for fight of the night went to Bill Algeo and T.J. Brown. The two had a back-and-forth war that eventually ended after Algeo rocked Brown with a short elbow and then sank in a rear-naked choke for the submission win in the second round. Algeo has now won three of his last four fights inside the Octagon.

Meanwhile, three fighters received individual performance bonuses. A mainstay of such bonuses, Edson Barboza once again dazzled with a perfect knee KO of Billy Quarantillo for an extra $50,000. Additionally, flyweight contender Brandon Royval picked up an extra 50 grand for his annihilation of Matheus Nicolau, which saw him land a knee and then follow up with a series of punches. …

Once again, Max Holloway proved that he is simply too much to handle for every featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship but one.

In the main event of UFC on ESPN 44 on Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri, the 31-year-old Hawaiian (24-7) took a decision over streaking contender Arnold Allen. However, it was a memorable scrap for all 25 minutes, as Allen (19-2) had more apparent success against Holloway than any featherweight not named Alexander Volkanovski has in nearly a decade.

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In a fight contested completely on the feet, “Almighty” landed in volume and with stinging power and, just as importantly, kept Holloway from getting his usual forward march truly going.

Nonetheless, Allen was clearly behind on the scorecards going into the final frame, and with his head coach Firas Zahabi’s acknowledgement between rounds that he needed a finish, the Brit did his best to oblige. Allen came out with a furious pace, landed numerous hard punches and s…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 44 coverage will begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Pudilova (-135), Edwards (+115)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Bolanos (-190), Phillips (+160)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Brasil (-170), Gomes (+145)Rou…

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.

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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 …

THIS KNEE 🤯@EdsonBarbozaJR isn’t going anywhere! #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/bRXF0So8Io

— UFC (@ufc) April 16, 2023

Edson Barboza may be in the final act of his career, but there is always room for one more on his legendary highlight reel.

Barboza (23-11) needed barely half a round to victimize Billy Quarantillo in their UFC on ESPN 44 co-headlining featherweight affair. The Brazilian, who turned 37 in January, came out looking as sharp and serious as ever, meeting Quarantillo’s pursuit with lateral movement, punch counters and some of his trademark leg kicks. On several occasions in the brief fight, Quarantillo looked to close the distance with an overhand right before changing levels. Halfway through the round, Barboza sniffed out one such attempt, ate the punch and met the level change with an intercepting right knee.

Quarantillo was separated from his senses instantly, collapsing in a heap at the base of the fence. No foll…

Still undefeated!!

Azamat Murzakanov moves to 13-0 with a decision win over Dustin Jacoby #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/yjqAg0838Z

— UFC (@ufc) April 16, 2023

Azamat Murzakanov kept his professional record spotless at UFC on ESPN 44, though Dustin Jacoby certainly made it interesting.

In their main card light heavyweight showcase, Murzakanov’s aggression, hand speed and power clearly had Jacoby uncomfortable, which was only exacerbated by the Russian’s sporadic but timely takedown attempts. “The Professional” dropped Jacoby with punches in Round 1, busting up his nose in the bargain. Murzakanov knocked him again late in Round 2, in a flurry that might have precipitated the end of the fight if time had not expired.

Clearly behind on the scorecards, Jacoby came roaring back in the final frame, fighting with aggression, hurting Murzakanov and even hitting a takedown of his own, but it was not enough. The judges awarded the fi…

HULK SMASH 👊 #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/io3sTjOhmH

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 16, 2023

Tanner Boser took over two years preparing to drop to light heavyweight at UFC on ESPN 44; Ion Cutelaba took barely two minutes to show him that his new division is not short on power, either.

Cutelaba (17-9-1) came out in typically aggressive fashion, moving forward and trying to land big right hands, while Boser (20-10-1) circled out and looked to counter. Ninety seconds in, the Moldovan mauler caught Boser with a right that staggered him badly, and from there the end was not long in coming. “The Hulk” flung Boser down and threw a torrent of punches as he tried to stand back up. Caught against the fence and eating a stream of unanswered blows, Boser was rescued by referee Keith Peterson, who stopped the mugging at 2 minutes, 5 seconds of Round 1.

The quick and brutal beating got Cutelaba back on track from a career-worst three-fight losi…

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…