The Real Winners and Losers from UFC Fight Night 203
Magomed Ankalaev picked up the most important victory of his career on Saturday night—but it wasn't pretty.
The Russian light heavyweight contender was back in action in the UFC Fight Night 203 main event in Las Vegas, taking on former title challenger Thiago Santos with a title shot potentially hanging in the balance. He ultimately scored a unanimous decision win, but the fight was widely panned by fans and pundits for its slow pace.
While Ankalaev's win over Santos was a bit of a stinker, the majority of the UFC Fight Night 203 broadcast was incredible. Of the 14 fights on the bill, eight ended with finishes: five knockouts and three submissions. Among the biggest winners were Chinese bantamweight Song Yadong, who sparked former title challenger Marlon Moraes in the co-main event, and light heavyweight destroyer Khalil Rountree, who mauled Karl Roberson earlier on the main card.
It was a night full of fun and surprises, and one we'll be talking about for days to come.
Keep scrolling to see the real winners and losers from the card.
Loser: Earning It
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There's a bit of a log jam at the top of the light heavyweight division right now. Czech knockout artist Jiri Prochazka will get the next crack at the champion Glover Teixeira, and beyond him, Aleksandar Rakic, Magomed Ankalaev and Jamahal Hill are all hovering on the cusp of title contention.
When Dagestan's Ankalaev stepped into the cage with former light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos in the UFC Fight Night 203 main event, he had an opportunity to stake his claim to a title shot. To make himself undeniable. To earn it.
That's not quite what happened.
While Ankalaev ultimately won the fight by unanimous decision, the fight itself was an undeniable snoozer, as the two light heavyweights swapped just 138 significant strikes combined over five forgettable rounds.
"I was expecting him to be more aggressive and grapple more, but he didn't," Ankalaev said post-fight. "He was very careful."
Beating Santos is impressive under any circumstances, but in this case, the victory will probably not be enough to earn the victor a title shot. Still, that didn't stop him from calling for the opportunity after his win.
"I feel like I deserve a title fight, but of course, it will be up to the UFC who I fight next," he said.
Winner: Making the Most of the Moment
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Chinese bantamweight contender Song Yadong picked up a career-changing victory in the UFC Fight Night 203 co-main event, knocking out former title challenger Marlon Moraes with a first-round uppercut.
Song was already ranked No. 14 at bantamweight heading into the fight, and his knockout over the 10th-ranked Moraes is bound to send him rocketing up the division's standings.
It remains to be seen who he will fight next, but he made his desires clear when he called out No. 7 ranked contender Dominick Cruz in his post-fight interview.
"I have a lot of respect for him," he told commentator Paul Felder in English. "But I want this fight with him."
Song was seconds removed from the biggest win of his career, with a microphone in his face, and he didn't let the opportunity go to waste. It's the kind of thing the UFC matchmakers love, so don't be surprised if he gets what he's asking for.
Throw in the fact that Cruz has a longstanding rivalry with Team Alpha Male, the Sacramento gym where Song now trains, and the fight really seems like a no-brainer.
Loser: Alex Caceres' Leg
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Sodiq Yusuff had an excellent strategy for dealing with Alex Caceres' trademark movement and agility at UFC Fight Night 203: Destroy his legs.
The Nigerian-born American, who was fighting for the first time since an April 2021 decision loss to Arnold Allen, began targeting Caceres' legs with kicks early. By the time the third round was over, he'd connected on 34 attempts and greatly hindered his foe's mobility.
The performance was enough to earn Yusuff a unanimous decision win.
"I did plan on being heavy kicks—that's why I had to change the shorts up," Yusuff said in his post-fight interview, noting that he selected shorts that would give him the freedom to throw kicks.
"My plan was to kick at his arm, but his stance was a bit too wide."
Now that he's back to winning ways, he's hoping for a fight with Arkansas' Bryce Mitchell, who impressed with a decision victory over Edson Barboza at UFC 272 last weekend.
"I think me and Bryce would put on a really cool fight," he said.
We're here for it.
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Winner: Spreading Your Message
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Light heavyweight knockout artist Khalil Rountree Jr. did what he does best on the UFC Fight Night 203 main card, battering former middleweight Karl Roberson to a first-round knockout win. It was an extremely impressive victory, but in the eyes of many viewers, Rountree's speech after the fight outshone his performance in the cage.
In his post-fight interview, the 205-pound destroyer opened up on his mental health struggles—a topic he has discussed before—and shared his desire to affect positive change through his career in the UFC.
"I don't want to wait until I'm a champion to be able to tell my story and where I come from being a 300-pound kid on the brink of suicide, burdened by depression, not knowing what to do with my life, not knowing where to go," Rountree, who is now on a two-fight win streak, said. "I want to be able to share that and really inspire people that feel just like I do. I want to be able to share my story with these types of people."
"I want to make a difference in the world. It's something I'm passionate about."
It was a heartwarming message after a skull-rattling knockout. All in all, it was a great night for Rountree.
Winner: Flipping the Script
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Terrance McKinney was on an incredible streak ahead of UFC Fight Night 203, with first-round finishes in his last five fights—all in just 4:03 combined. The 27-year-old lightweight looked to keep his streak of lightning-quick wins alive against veteran Drew Dober on the event's main card and very nearly succeeded.
Early in the first round, McKinney sent Dober crashing to the canvas with a sizzling punch. He kept the pressure on, pummelling his more experienced foe to the brink of a stoppage. Yet Dober was able to recover, and that's when things took a dramatic turn.
Once he was back on his feet, Dober sent McKinney crashing to the canvas with a knee, and unlike his young foe, he was able to get the finish with a volley of ground strikes. The end came at the 3:17 mark of round one.
"The guy hits hard," Dober said in his post-fight interview. "It was one of the toughest first rounds of my career. I don't quit. I'm from Nebraska. This is how we're trained. He brought the heat, and I was able to bring it back."
It was as wild as comebacks get—shades of Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry—and it was a total departure from McKinney's recent fights.
You can't always be the hammer. Sometimes, you have to be the nail.
Loser: The Middleweight Top 15
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Brazilian middleweight Alex Pereira is the man behind the most famous loss of Israel Adesanya's career: a vicious 2017 knockout in the kickboxing ring. So, when he began his UFC career with a flying knee knockout Andreas Michailidis back in November, he was quickly mentioned as a future opponent for Adesanya, who now holds the promotion's middleweight title.
He took another step toward that opportunity at UFC Fight Night 203 when he defeated fellow Brazilian knockout artist Bruno Silva by unanimous decision.
Pereira looked extremely dangerous in the fight. As expected, he had great success with his world-class striking, out-landing his countryman by a 165-72 margin. But he also showed solid wrestling defense, popping up both times he was dragged to the mat and surrendering just 3:15 of control time over 15 minutes.
"We talk about MMA—a lot of people criticize my grappling and my ground, but I came here and show what I do every day," he said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder.
The Brazilian is still some distance away from a second fight with Adesanya, but the Top 15 is probably not far off. He called for a ranked opponent, and it is unlikely many people will be lining up to accept.
He's a terrifying fighter.
Winner: Getting Back on Track
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After beating Liana Jojua and Gillian Roberson in her first two UFC bouts, Miranda Maverick looked like she was destined for big things—maybe even a spot near the top of the flyweight division. Then the hype train went off the rails: She was defeated in back-to-back fights, losing decisions to Maycee Barber and Erin Blanchfield.
Those losses left Maverick in desperate need of a win when she stepped into the cage with Sabina Mazo on the UFC Fight Night 203 undercard—a fight she boldly took on short notice—and she knew it.
"It's one of those scary moments of, 'Am I going to get cut? Am I going to have a bad future ahead of me? Am I going to go lower from this?'" she said in a pre-fight interview with Cageside Press.
Maverick didn't let the pressure to perform get to her against Mazo. The 24-year-old flyweight was in relentless pursuit of the takedown from the early going, and after grounding the fight in round two, ending things with a rear-naked choke.
The performance reaffirmed what many initially felt about her: She's well-rounded, intelligent, and destined for the flyweight Top 15, where her recent foils Barber and Blanchfield already reside.
Loser: Skipping the Prelims
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UFC Fight Night 203 got started much earlier than the typical pay-per-view, with a 4:00 p.m. ET kick-off and a 7:00 main card start
Anyone too busy with afternoon errands to catch the earliest portion of the card unfortunately missed out
Russian light heavyweight Azamat Murzakanov kicked things off in style, shutting the lights out on Tafon Nchukwi with a third-round flying knee, moving to 11-0 in the process. It wasn't a perfect performance, but it established the Russian as a fighter to watch—especially in a division as thin as 205 pounds.
In the second fight of the night, Argentine bantamweight Guido Cannetti picked up an impressive standing TKO win over Kris Moutinho, who is known for his ability to take a beating after a lopsided loss to Sean O'Malley last year. The fact that Cannetti finished the human cinderblock at 42 years old is all the more impressive.
Next up, American middleweight Cody Brundage authored one of the most dramatic comebacks in recent memory, surviving a storm of ground and pound from the Democratic Republic of Congo's Dalcha Lungiambula to snatch up a fight-ending guillotine choke late in the first round.
Flyweight Miranda Maverick, whom we've already discussed, then kept the party going with a second-round submission of Sabina Mazo before featherweight grappler Damon Jackson made it five finishes in a row, slapping an arm-triangle choke on Kamuela Kirk. It was his 15th career submission and one he hopes will set him up for a big opportunity
"I want someone in the Top 15," he said in his post-fight interview with commentator Paul Felder.
Unfortunately, the stoppage streak ended at five, but it was an epic way to start the night.
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