Noche UFC: Silva vs Delgado Live Results, Updates and Highlights

Jean Silva is a dangerous man.

The Brazilian returned to action in the main event of Saturday's Noche UFC show in Glendale, Arizona, taking on short-notice replacement opponent Jose Miguel Delgado.

Delgado, a huge underdog, actually hurt Silva bad in round one. However, the Brazilian surged back in round two, and after stinging his opponent with a punch in round three, finished things off with a rear-naked choke.

That puts the Fighting Nerds representative on a two-fight win streak, having also defeated Arnold Allen by decision earlier this year. Nothing is certain, but he will probably fight the winner of the upcoming featherweight title showdown between champ Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Movsar Evloev next. Whatever is next, he is now 18-3 overall. That's a very good record, especially considering the level of competition he's been facing of late.

In defeat, Delgado drops to 12-3. This was frankly a losing battle for him from the get-go. He was always going to be very outmatched against Silva. That said, he performed well, and deserves props for the effort. He gains street cred, even in defeat. The future is bright for him.

It's now time for our main event of the evening—and it looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. 

Brazil's Jean Silva (17-3), one of the top contenders in the featherweight division, originally thought he'd be fighting former interim champ Yair Rodriguez atop this card. Rodriguez, however, failed to show up (again) and was replaced by an opportunistic Jose Miguel Delgado (12-2). 

Silva is riding a decision win over long-time contender Arnold Allen. Against Delgado, he will be looking for a highlight-reel win that cements him as the next contender for the featherweight belt, which will soon be up for grabs when legendary champion Alexander Volkanovski takes on unbeaten challenger Movsar Evloev. 

Delgado, who has won back-to-back decisions against Andre Fili and Austin Bashi, will look to disrupt that narrative. He has never faced a challenge like this before, and is justifiably a huge underdog against his Brazilian opponent, but stands to upend their whole division with a win.

This one should be a lot of fun, though it's hard to imagine it lasting more than a few rounds. 

Over to you, Bruce Buffer. 

Former UFC flyweight champ Brandon Moreno rebounded from back-to-back losses in Saturday's co-main event, defeating former TUF winner Joseph Morales by split decision. Morales had his moments in their fight, but Moreno's versatility and creativity were ultimately enough to earn the judges' favor.

Even after returning to the win column, it's hard to imagine Moreno returning to title contention. There are simply too many men ahead of him in the queue, such as Manel Kape, Lone'er Kavanagh, and Ramazan Temirov. That said, he is still clearly capable of beating all but the very best fighters in his division. He's now back on track after two-straight losses, and 24-10-2 overall.

In defeat, Morales slips to 14-3. That said, after four straight wins, this split loss to a former champion is not going to hurt his reputation that much. In fact, it may have boosted his standing as a UFC flyweight.

We've reached the co-main event of the evening: a flyweight fight between former champion Brandon Moreno (23-10-2) and rising contender Joseph Morales (14-2). 

Mexico's Moreno has lost back-to-back fights to Lone'er Kavangh and Tatsuro Taira, but both of those fighters are among the best in his division right now. He may never be champ again, but there's also no reason to assume he's no longer elite. 

Morales, a former TUF champ, has won his last four pro fights, including two in the UFC. He's never faced a challenge like this, but certainly has the skills to win. 

This should be some very high-level and creative MMA. It always is when Moreno is involved. 

In one of the best fights of the year so far, Tommy McMillen defeated Marwan Rahiki by unanimous decision.

McMillen started very strong in their featherweight showdown, leaning on the extremely aggressive style that carried him to victory in his first two UFC fights. Rahiki mounted a bit of a comeback in round two, even rattling his foe with a punch, but McMillen seemed to have a change of plans in the third, and just walked his opponent down for five straight minutes. He simply had no fear.

In victory, McMillen is now 12-0, and 3-0 in the UFC. He's still very unrefined, and will probably be brutally KO'd if he fights a serious striker in the top-15 without changing his approach. That said, there's no more denying his quality as a fighter. He finds a way to win, and if he keeps doing it, he could become a huge star. Seriously, he really seems to be catching on with fans.

In defeat, Rahiki falls to 9-1. This was a tough setback for him, but he has showed a lot of promise so far, and has time to rebound.

Up next, two unbeaten featherweights collide, as Sean O'Malley protege Tommy McMillen (11-0) takes on Marwan Rahiki (9-0).

McMillen is undeniably unpolished, but has dished out an unbelievable level of violence in his first two UFC fights, knocking out Manolo Zecchini and Alberto Montes. If he keeps winning, his fighting style and personality will turn him into a legitimate star. 

He's already being compared to legends like the Diaz brothers.

Morocco's Rahiki has also won two fights in the UFC, knocking out Harry Hardwick and Ollie Schmid. He's definitely more technically refined than the man he's about to fight, but we'll see if that matters.

This one seems almost guaranteed to win some kind of bonus. Don't blink.

Perhaps encouraged by her recent drubbing of Maycee Barber, Alexa Grasso showed newfound aggression in her main card flyweight fight with Manon Fiorot, and it paid off. While Fiorot definitely had her moments, particularly in the last half of the fight, the former champ from Mexico scored a knockdown in round one, and landed plenty in round two—more than enough to win a unanimous decision to the roar of a supportive crowd.

In victory, Grasso (18-5-1) is now on a two-fight streak against elite opposition. That will almost certainly set her up for an attempt at reclaiming the flyweight belt next time out, whether she fights Natalia Silva or Wang Cong.

Fiorot returns to the loss column after a stunning finish of Jasmine Jasudavicius. She's now 13-3 overall.

In the context of the official UFC rankings, the next fight of the night is the biggest, as No. 2-ranked flyweight Manon Fiorot takes on the third-ranked Alexa Grasso.

France's Fiorot, a former title challenger, is riding a blistering KO win over Jasmine Jasudavicius. That win separated her from a failed title bid against former champ Valentina Shevchenko. 

Grasso, one of Mexico's greatest mixed martial artists, is a former flyweight champ. In her last fight, she scored one of the most violent finishes in women's MMA history at the expense of Maycee Barber. 

The winner of this one is all but certain to take on the winner of Wang Cong vs. Natalia Silva—the fight for the vacant flyweight belt that will headline UFC 332 next month. Even without those stakes, this fight represents pretty much the highest level of women's MMA. 

Let's get to it. 

Despite their high standing in the heavyweight division, Curtis Blaydes and Waldo Cortes-Acosta didn't do a whole lot of anything in their main card showdown. After three rounds, though, the judges sided with Blaydes, whose tried-and-true wrestling gave him enough big moments to snag the win.

In his 20th UFC appearance, Blaydes improves to 20-6, and rebounds from his thrilling decision loss to Josh Hokit earlier this year.

Cortes-Acosta, on the other hand, is now on a two-fight skid. That's a definite bummer for a man who was closing in on title contention at the beginning of the year. He's now 17-4 overall.

Our next fight will be one of the biggest of the night, both in terms of its relevance for its division, and the size of the competitors involved. 

This one will be contested at heavyweight, as former interim title challenger and long-time contender Curtis Blaydes (19-6) takes on Dominican puncher Waldo Cortes-Acosta (17-3).

Both guys are ranked in their division's top 10. Blaydes will be making his return to action after an unforgettable three-round scrap with Josh Hokit—arguably the Fight of the Year so far. 

Cortes-Acosta will be looking to rebound from a close decision loss to top contender Alexander Volkov last time out.

This one could end in a blink. It could also be a tedious three-round affair that leaves both men gasping, as heavyweight fights occasionally are.

David Martinez was a step ahead of featherweight veteran Dan Ige in their main card bantamweight fight. Ige showed plenty of eagerness, but by the time three rounds were up, it was obvious the judges were seeing things Martinez's way.

Ige just couldn't find his opponent in the cage.

The win pushes Martinez onto a staggering 11-fight streak, with three of those occurring in the UFC. He's now 15-1 overall.

Ige is now unfortunately on a three-fight skid spanning two divisions. The move down to bantamweight clearly did not yield the results he wanted. His overall record stands at 19-12.

Our first fight of the main card will mark the bantamweight debut of former featherweight contender Dan Ige (19-11). He'll be taking on a highly relevant bantamweight in David Martinez (14-1). 

Ige will make his bantamweight debut following back-to-back losses to Melquizael Costa and Patricio "Pitbull" Freire up at featherweight—a knockout and decision respectively. At his best, he's capable of hanging with all but the most elite opposition. 

Martinez enters the fight on one heck of a streak, having won 10 fights in a row. His latest wins came against veteran contenders Marlon "Chito" Vera and Rob Font, both by decision.

This one will have a big impact on the division, no matter who wins. It should be underway in minutes.

Tim Elliott had a big scare in the first round of his 130-pound fight with Edgar Chairaz, suffering a knockdown after a big punch. He did not let that dissuade him. By the time the first round was over, he had regained control of the fight with his grappling, and by the the time the third ended, he still had the upper hand.

The resulting unanimous decision victory separates the former title challenger from a loss to Steve Erceg. Back in the win column, he's now 22-14-1 overall. Now bad for 39 years old.

In defeat, Chairez is back in the loss column after three straight victories. His overall MMA record stands at 14-7.

After six fun scraps, we've reached the final bout of the Noche UFC preliminary card. This one will see Missouri-based Tim Elliott (21-14-1) take on Mexico's Edgar Chairez (14-6). 

Both fighters generally compete in the 125-pound flyweight division, but this fight will contested at a 130-pound catchweight. 

Elliott, a former title challenger who has fought many of the best fighters in flyweight history, will be looking to rebound from a decision loss to dangerous Aussie Steve Erceg last time out. 

Chairez has won three fights in a row, including two wins by way of rear-naked choke. 

A win will be very important for both men, but for different reasons. No matter the outcome, this should be a nice way to wrap up our prelims, and set the stage for a stacked main card. 

Chile's Ignacio Bahamondes got the victory he sought in his welterweight debut, but he had to work hard for it, out-hustling 42-year-old veteran Muslim Salikhov over three rounds filled with spinning attacks.

With the win, Bahamondes recovers from back-to-back losses to Tofiq Musayev and Rafael Fiziev down at lightweight. He's now 18-7 overall.

Salikhov, meanwhile, is now on a two-fight skid, having also recently lost to Uros Medic. That's not a great look at his age in this sport, but he was riding three straight wins before that, so maybe he can still work his way back into the win column. Whatever the case, he's now 22-7 overall.

Our next fight is an awesome one at welterweight, as former lightweight contender Ignacio Bahamondes (17-7) takes on the ageless "King of Kung Fu," Muslim Salikhov (22-6).

Bahamondes, 29, will be debuting at welterweight following decision losses to Rafael Fiziev and Tofiq Musaev, both elite lightweights. Prior to that, the rangy Chilean striker was riding three-straight stoppage wins. 

Russia's Salikhov, who is remarkably still competitive at 42 years old, has not fought since he was violently knocked out by surging contender Uros Medic. Before that, however, he was riding three consecutive wins, including two highlight-reel KOs. 

It's youth vs. experience, and it should be awesome no matter how it ends. 

Yousri Belgaroui showed off all of his kickboxing experience in his undercard middleweight showdown with Djorden Santos, sniping his opponent at range before finishing him with a volley of punches in the final minute of round one.

In victory, Belgaroui is now 11-3 overall, and 3-0 in the UFC, with all of those Octagon victories coming by way of stoppage. He wasn't initially expected to have the success of other former kickboxers like his training partner Alex Pereira or Israel Adesanya, but suddenly, he looks like he could make some real waves in his division.

If he gets his way, it'll be a top-15 opponent next.

In defeat, Santos falls to 11-4, and 1-3 in the Octagon. If the UFC keeps him around, he will absolutely need to win his next fight.

Our next fight will be a very interesting one at middleweight, as Yousri Belgaroui (10-3) takes on Djorden Santos (11-3). 

Belgaroui is definitely the A-side of the matchup, having fought Alex Pereira three times in the kickboxing ring, before becoming one of the Brazilian's training partners. He will be looking for a third consecutive UFC win, after knocking out Mansur Abdul-Malik and Azamat Bekoev in his first two bouts with the promotion. 

Santos will be looking to rebound from a submission loss to Baisangur Susurkaev, which pushed his UFC record to 1-2. He has a lot to gain in this fight, but it's going to be an uphill battle.

For all his experience, Drakkar Klose had no answer for the elite grappling of Tommy Gantt.

After dominating rounds one and two of their lightweight fight with takedowns and top control, Gantt put a stamp on things in round three, submitting his veteran opponent with an awesome triangle choke.

The win pushes Gantt to a very impressive 13-0 overall, and 2-0 in the UFC. He is definitely a fighter to watch in the lightweight division, having now finished eight fights in a row.

Klose is now 1-2 in his last three fights, and 16-5-1 overall.

Up next, we've got another interesting looking lightweight fight.

In one corner, we'll have the veteran Drakkar Klose (16-3-1), who is riding a decision win over Edson Barboza—though that was over a year ago.

In the other, we'll have undefeated wrestler Tommy Gantt (12-0), who will look to build on the momentum of a TKO win over Artur Minev in his recent UFC debut.

Rongzhu and Rafa Garcia delivered a very entertaining brawl in their undercard lightweight scrap, but after three rounds, the Chinese fighter had simply done a little more. All three judges, who were likely swayed by his snapping uppercuts and jabs, scored the fight in his favor.

In victory, Rongzhu is 29-6 overall, and riding four straight wins. It's a bit hard to believe, given the losses he's suffered in his career, but he's suddenly closing in on a fight with somebody on the outer edge of the rankings.

In defeat, Garcia has a three-fight streak snapped. He's now 19-5 overall.

Up next, we head to the lightweight division for an interesting matchup between Mexico's Rafa Garcia (19-4) and China's Rongzhu (28-6).

Garcia has put together a sneaky three-fight streak, beating a trio of tough veterans in Alexander Hernandez, Jared Gordon, and Vinc Pichel.

Rongzhu is also riding three straight, having most recently knocked out Victor Martinez inside a round.

This should be a fun one.

It's not often we see fighters get knocked out by slams in MMA, but it happened again at Noche UFC, thanks to a vicious first-round sequence from the debuting Sean King.

The highlight-reel win came at the expense of Jessie Rosas, the elder brother of Raul Rosas Jr. He was out the moment his head hit the canvas.

With the win, King improves to 7-0, and is most likely looking at a post-fight bonus.

Rosas is now now 8-2, and is probably going to have a tough time stomaching such a tough setback in his UFC debut.

Up next, we've got a featherweight fight between Jessie Rosas and Sean King.

Rosas (8-1) is the elder brother of bantamweight contender Raul Rosas Jr. He was originally slated to make his UFC debut against Miles Johns early last month, but will do so tonight instead.

His opponent, King, will also be making his debut. He'll do so with a perfect 6-0 record.

After three fun rounds that were contested entirely on the feet, Regina Tarin wins a unanimous decision to improve to 9-0 as a professional mixed martial artist. She's now won two fights in the UFC, and if she wins a couple more, could be looking at a fight with a ranked flyweight.

She is definitely a prospect to watch.

Aldrich, who definitely gave a solid effort, tastes defeat again after defeats of Jamey-Lyn Horth and Andrea Lee. She's now 15-8 overall.

Noche UFC is officially underway! 

We'll get things started in the women's flyweight division, as JJ Aldrich takes on Regina Tarin in a nice appetizer for the main card's Alexa Grasso vs. Manon Fiorot showdown.

Aldrich (15-7) is riding back-to-back decision victories over Jamey-Lyn Horth and Andrea Lee. Tarin, from Mexico, is undefeated at 8-0 following a decision win over Ernesta Kareckaite in her UFC debut. She's finished four fights via strikes, and two via submission. 

Neither woman is going to crack the rankings with a win, but the victor will certainly take a big step in that direction. 

This year's Noche UFC card will kick off in about 15 minutes.

Here's whats on deck in Glendale. It may not be the biggest card of the year, but it definitely looks like it could be very fun on paper.