UFC Fight Night Quick Results: Namajunas Shines in Historic Main Event

The UFC's three-day, three-event takeover of Las Vegas began with UFC Fight Night 80, the organization's first stop on American soil since UFC 192 on October 3rd. Broadcast entirely on UFC Fight Pass, the event's headlining honors were held by strawweight contenders Rose Namajunas and Paige VanZant, making it the first UFC card to be topped by a non-title women's bout.

Elsewhere on the card, we saw action in six of the UFC's most exciting divisions, though none heavier than middleweight. Highlighted by wars, unexpected stoppages, and big showings from a few prospects, it was a night that won't soon be forgotten—even in the sprawling shadow of UFC 194.

Here's a recap of the action for those who missed it!

The Main Card:

Namajunas Batters VanZant to Fifth-Round Submission

The main event of the evening went down inside the strawweight division, as Rose Namajunas mixed it up with Paige VanZant.

In advance of the bout, VanZant resided amongst the most hyped fighters in the UFC. In the end, however, Namajunas was a bit too much for the 21-year-old Team Alpha Male representative. For four and a half rounds, VanZant was out-struck and out-grappled, until finally, she succumbed to a rear-naked choke at 2:25 of the final round—the latest stoppage in UFC strawweight history.

Despite the one-sided beating she received, VanZant's biggest asset was on display all the same—that being her heart. Over the course of the fight, she weathered upward of 100 strikes, and fought her way out of 4 tight submission attempts in a display of rubbery resilience not seen since Dan Hardy survived five rounds with Georges St-Pierre. With the loss, she falls to 6-2 overall, and 3-1 in the Octagon.

Namajunas, meanwhile, was dynamite from start to finish. Showcasing a versatile stand-up attack, solid takedowns, and of course, plenty of her dangerous jiu jitsu, she looked every bit a title challenger in Las Vegas. And while she figures to enter a potential title fight with Joanna Jedrzejczyk as a sizable underdog, she certainly has the tools to pull off the upset. She's now 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the UFC.

Chiesa Survives Adversity for Second-Round Finish

The co-main event of the evening paired wily lightweights Jim Miller and Michael Chiesa, who entered the encounter with 22 submission wins between them. As expected, this one unfurled primarily on the canvas. And though Miller initially seemed to be the craftier man in that department, Chiesa eventually found a route to victory.

In the second round, The Ultimate Fighter 15 winner made Miller pay for a leg lock attempt with a spate of thudding punches. Having apparently dazed Miller, Chiesa then jumped into position for the rear-naked choke, and locked it up for a tap at the 2:57 mark of the second.

The victory, which is undoubtedly the biggest of the 28-year-old's career, moves him to 6-2 since winning The Ultimate Fighter. More importantly, he's now 13-2 overall, and is likely to take a step into the divisional top-15.

Miller, meanwhile, seems to be a few fights removed from his best days. Now 3-1 in his last four, with a split decision over Danny Castillo serving as his only good night in that stretch, he now sits at 25-7 overall. With 21 UFC bouts in the books, however, he can walk into the MMA sunset with pride.

Northcutt Taps Pfister in Round Two

In the bout's opening moments, it looked as though the completely unheralded Cody Pfister might actually give Sage Northcutt some trouble. The +600 underdog was quick to secure a takedown, and was able to keep the 19-year-old on his back for several minutes. When the referee stood the pair up, however, it was all downhill for the underdog.

Northcutt closed out round one with a takedown of his own, and accentuated it with some ground and pound. Round two, however, is where the tide turned for good. After a takedown gone awry, Pfister found his necked locked up in a guillotine choke. The tap came at 0:41 of the second frame.

In victory, Northcutt continues his rise into the MMA limelight and remains one of the game's most hyped competitors. And though he was never in any real danger, he did show that he's able to keep his cool when things aren't going his way—an invaluable quality in a young fighter. He is now a perfect 7-0 overall, and 2-0 in the UFC.

Pfister, on the other hand, returns to the loss column after a defeat of Yosdenis Cedeno. He's now 12-5 overall and 1-2 on the sport's biggest stage.

Santos Takes Theodorou's Zero in Middleweight War

The main card was kicked off by Brazilian gunslinger Thiago Santos and undefeated Canadian Elias Theodorou, who met in a high-stakes middleweight showdown. It was an excellent scrap.

Round one was clearly Theodorou's, who surprised with an effective barrage of kicks from all angles. Round two was closer, as Theodorou began to slow things down against the cage, and Santos punished him for it with elbows to the head and knees to the body. Round three, finally, was all Santos, who opened up a massive cut on the Canadian's brow, and picked him apart with a diverse onslaught of strikes.

In the end, Santos' showing in the second half of the fight were too much for the judges to ignore. The Brazilian will leave Las Vegas with a strong 12-3 record overall, and three impressive wins behind him. At 31, he appears to be coming into his own.

Theodorou, meanwhile, loses for the first time and will return to Toronto with a 12-1 record. That said, he showed plenty of improvements in defeat, and will probably rebound nicely down the road.

The Prelims:

Means Snuffs Howard in Round Two

The undercard was wrapped up by an intriguing welterweight showdown. In one corner, we had Tim Means, who looked to rebound from a tough loss to Matt Brown. In the other, we had John Howard, who looked to construct his first win-streak since 2013.

Though Howard had some success with his takedowns in round one, he found himself staring up at the Jumbotron in round two, after a left hand sent him crashing to the mat.

The one-punch KO moves Means to a strong 5-2 in the UFC. The gritty 31-year-old is now 25-7 overall and can expect a big name in his next outing. Howard, meanwhile, falls to 3-4 in his second run with the UFC. This marks his second knockout loss in three fights, and moves him to 23-12 overall.

Moraes Surprises with Late TKO of Akhmedov

The second last bout of the undercard came courtesy of the welterweight division, as Brazilian submission specialist Sergio Moraes took on Dagestan's Omari Akhmedov in a compelling clash of styles.

When Moraes' takedowns failed to materialize, he looked like he was in for a tough night with the striker he shared the cage with. As the third round wound down, however, the Brazilian found a home for a rocket-fueled right hand. Seconds later, the referee was pulling him off his dazed opponent.

With the unexpected TKO win, Moraes moves onto a 4-fight streak. Unfortunately, those four wins are spread out over more than three years. Now 10-2 overall, he's making headway, but at 33, he'll need a busier schedule if he hopes to crack the top-15 in this decade.

Akhmedov, in contrast, has a 2-fight streak shattered by the loss. He's now 15-3 as a pro, and 3-2 in the UFC.

Eye Poke Renders Carlos Jr. vs. Casey a No Contest

Antonio Carlos Jr.'s undercard encounter with Kevin Casey looked like it could be a good one. Unfortunately, an accidental eye poke from the former stopped the action just 11 seconds into the fight. Casey admitted he couldn't see, and the referee closed the curtains on the affair.

With the unfortunate outcome, both middleweights leave the Octagon with the same record they entered it with. Carlos Jr. stays put at 5-1, while Casey goes home with a 9-3 record and an injured eye that we hope heals quickly.

Sterling Chokes Eduardo, Calls Out Floyd Mayweather

Back in May of 2014, 35-year-old bantamweight Johnny Eduardo burst onto the scene with a shocking knockout of Eddie Wineland. After more than a year on the shelf, he looked to build on that momentum and continue his climb up the bantamweight ladder. Unfortunately, his opportunity to do so came against surging 26-year-old Aljamain Sterling.

For all his striking accolades, Eduardo simply couldn't deal with the grappling of his young opponent. After surrendering a takedown in the second, he eventually found himself locked up tight in a guillotine choke. The tap came at 4:18 of round 2.

With the win, Sterling moves to 12-0 overall, and 4-0 in the UFC, with three stoppages in that stretch. And though he resides amongst the most intriguing contenders in the bantamweight division, this fight marked the last fight on his contract. He'll now follow in Benson Henderson's shoes with a test of free agency. Time will tell where he goes from here—though his post-fight callout of Floyd Mayweather seems like a bit of a stretch.

In defeat, Eduardo loses for the first time since August of 2011. He's now 2-2 in the UFC and 27-10 overall.

Ponzinibbio Crushes Stahl in The First

In Las Vegas, Argentinian welterweight Santiago Ponzinibbio looked to bounce back from a tough loss to Lorenz Larkin. He succeeded at the expense of Sweden's Andreas Stahl.

Ponzinibbio found the opening for his patented striking at 4:25 of round one, shutting Stahl down with a thunderous right hand and a duo of follow-up ground strikes. With the knockout win, he's now 3-1 in his last 4, and an impressive 21-3 overall.

Stahl, on the other hand, experiences his first knockout loss, and enters the first two-fight losing streak of his career. He's now 9-2 overall, and winless in two UFC bouts.

Danny Roberts Makes Quick Work of Nathan Coy

After competing in organizations like MFC, Strikeforce and Bellator, and on season 21 of the ultimate Fighter, American Top Team's Nathan Coy finally made his debut in the UFC. He did so replacing the injured Michael Graves against Danny Roberts. Unfortunately, Coy's debut did not go as planned, as he found himself wrapped up in a triangle choke at 2:46 of the first.

With the win, England's Roberts moves to a strong 12-1 overall, with 5 knockouts and 5 submissions amongst his victories. Having made a near-perfect UFC debut, the Blackzilians rep emerges as a face to watch in the welterweight division. Coy, meanwhile, experiences his second straight stoppage loss. He's now 14-6 overall.

Tukhugov Thumps Nover to Split Decision Victory

In the second bout of the evening, Chechnya's Zubaira Tukhugov returned to competition for the first time in 14 months. His opponent was the man once dubbed "the next Anderson Silva," Phillipe Nover.

Tukhugov made good on his return with a workmanlike performance, tenderizing his opponent with kicks throughout. His efforts culminated with a split decision triumph, though he seemed to have won all three rounds. In victory, he moves onto a 9-fight streak, and assumes a strong 18-3 overall record. Nover, meanwhile, has a 4-fight streak snapped by the loss. He's now 1-4 over the course of two UFC stints.

Kailin Curran Bounces Back with Second-Round Sub

The first bout of the evening came courtesy of the strawweight division, as Kailin Curran and Emily Peters Kagan walked onto the canvas in search of their first UFC wins. Though Kagan started strong, the woman to leave the canvas with the victory was Curran, who sealed the deal with a second-round rear-naked choke.

After an tear-jerking post-fight speech, Curran will return to her native Hawaii with a 4-2 overall record. The 34-year-old Peters Kagan, meanwhile, falls to the .500 mark with a 3-3 overall record.