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<\/a><\/p>\nLAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 01: (L-R) Steve Garcia punches David Onama of Uganda in a featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n
The Mean Machine Builds Momentum<\/p>\n
The main event was supposed to be competitive. Instead, Steve Garcia ran over David Onama.<\/p>\n
It came down to a difference in intensity. Garcia opened the contest firing hard combinations with his weight behind every shot. He put out volume immediately, attacked the body right away, and generally got in Onama\u2019s face. Onama \u2014 a ferocious puncher in his own right \u2014 kept his guard high and circled off, but he didn\u2019t throw anything in return. Even the few jabs he flashed were less than full speed.<\/p>\n
Consequently, Garcia found his range first and only upped the pressure. Perhaps Onama hoped to settle into his first five-round fight, but Garcia never gave him the chance. Just a couple minutes into the opening frame, Onama was rocked and hit the canvas. Garcia surged forward, stunning him with more powerful lefts and digging a few Jiri Prochazka-esque teeps into the body between big swings.<\/p>\n
Onama crumbled a second time and a third, and the referee had to intervene. It feels like Onama could have provided a much greater challenge to Garcia, but he didn\u2019t show up ready for war from the first bell. Garcia did, and as a result, the veteran picks up the biggest win of his career and extends his win streak to seven.<\/p>\n
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 01: Waldo Cortes Acosta of the Dominican Republic reacts after a TKO victory against Ante Delija of Croatia in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Another Heavyweight Eye Poke<\/p>\n I have run out of words. How many times can we talk about eye pokes? The discussion is getting redundant and boring. The fact that it was Tom Aspinall\u2019s teammate, Ante Delija, who delivered the eye poke to Waldo Cortes-Acosta is peak hilarity \u2026 and yet the situation only grew more humorous as the clown show unfolded.<\/p>\n Let me take a step back: Cortes-Acosta vs. Delija was looking like a typical \u201cSalsa Boy\u201d fight. He was jabbing and clinching, using his size to slow down the more explosive knockout artist. Delija landed a good combination against Cortes-Acosta along the fence, and when he stepped in to do it again, he poked Cortes-Acosta right in the eye. The ref didn\u2019t see it, and Delija flurried for the TKO finish \u2026 until the review revealed the eye poke, and the bout was restarted a few minutes later \u2026 without a point deduction.<\/p>\n 2025 is the year of the restart.<\/a><\/p>\n Cortes-Acosta\u2019s eye was still bothering him, but he blasted Delija with a counter right hand shortly after the reset, immediately turning the tables for a knockout win of his own \u2014 pure comedy. If you\u2019re willing to overlook the bizarreness of it all, we should probably start giving \u201cSalsa Boy\u201d a little more credit. He\u2019s 3-1 this year against tough competition, and two of those victories came via knockout.<\/p>\n He\u2019s not the flashiest Heavyweight of all time, but he\u2019s definitely earned his Top 10 slot.<\/p>\n LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 01: (R-L) Yadier del Valle of Cuba secures a rear choke submission against Isaac Dulgarian in a featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n In the lead up to Isaac Dulgarian vs. Yadier Del Valle, I wrote, \u201cThere\u2019s going to be an early takedown battle, and Dulgarian is very likely to come out on top. Often, grapplers accustomed to winning from top position like del Valle really struggle when placed on bottom by a superior wrestler, so that\u2019s a concern here.\u201d As it turns out, I was totally correct \u2026 except for the part about Dulgarian winning that pivotal takedown battle!<\/p>\n Indeed, Dulgarian shot for a takedown in the opening 30 seconds, but it was Del Valle who sprawled expertly and circled his way into top position. Dulgarian looked horribly uncomfortable from bottom position, showing real inexperience in his insistence on trying to punch from bottom position. Even as Del Valle worked to the back and then slid under the neck, Dulgarian was throwing punches behind his own head rather than fully committing to latching onto a hand and halting the strangle.<\/p>\n Hopefully, this loss will serve as a painful learning lesson. As for Yadier del Valle, this is the kind of statement win that really helps separate him from the Featherweight pack. Now 10-0, the jiu-jitsu black belt clearly has real athletic ability and technical skill alike.<\/p>\n LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 01: (R-L) Allan Nascimento of Brazil elbows Cody Durden in a 130-pound catchweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Cody Durden vs. Allan Nasciment0 was a banger.<\/p>\n Durden stepped up on short notice, which explains why this was a catchweight rather than proper Flyweight contest. Despite the lack of preparation, he brought the fight to Nascimento, boxing very nicely with crisp jabs and clubbing right hands. Nascimento\u2019s defense was rather flawed, but the Brazilian landed hard shots of his own. His calf kicks were finding the mark early, and Nascimento stung Durden with a few hard counter shots even early in the fight.<\/p>\n Durden was still pushing the pace in round two, but it\u2019s clear the low kicks were slowing him down a little bit. Then, a counter combo from Nascimento floored him, allowing the fight to finally move to the floor off a Durden desperation shot. Nascimento immediately attacked the neck, flipping Durden over with an anaconda choke that eventually finished the contest.<\/p>\n Strange circumstances aside, Nascimento has now won four straight and deserves a shot at a ranked opponent. Durden will hopefully get a full camp for his next bout, as his stock didn\u2019t fall despite the loss.<\/p>\n LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 01: (R-L) Billy Elekana punches Kevin Christian of Brazil in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n Charles Radtke defeats Daniel Frunza via third-round rear naked choke: It\u2019s a common MMA trope that a matchup of two grapplers will result in a standup battle, but how often does the opposite happen? Both Radtke and Frunza typically win fights via knockout, yet this whole fight took place on the canvas. Radtke, as it turns out, was the much better wrestler and had very little difficulty countering Frunza\u2019s aggression with well-timed reactive shots. Once on top, he tied up wrists and advanced position easily, breaking down Frunza repeatedly en route to the eventual submission win \u2014 the first of his pro career!Billy Elekana defeats Kevin Christian via first-round rear naked choke (highlights)<\/a>: I enjoyed this more than the average unranked Light Heavyweight collision! Christian looked sharp early in his UFC debut. Standing at 6\u20197\u201d with an 80 inch reach, Christian imposed his range well with punishing right kicks to the inside calf and body. Elekana stalked consistently and waited for his moment, eventually timing Christian\u2019s lateral movement with a well-timed right hook. Christian hit the floor in a world of trouble, and Elekana jumped his back to seal the deal with a sleep-inducing strangle.Donte Johnson defeats Sedriques Dumas via second-round guillotine (highlights)<\/a>: For a brief moment, this bout was intriguing. Johnson, a UFC newcomer with a 6-0 record filled entirely by first-round knockouts, came out swinging, and Dumas dumped him with a reactive single leg takedown. Dumas did a really good job of tying up Johnson and forcing his foe to wrestle, which is great strategy against an inexperienced young hitter. Unfortunately, Dumas is terrible. He failed to do anything with his wrestling, tired himself out while trying to outlast Johnson, and then tripped over his own feet on no fewer than three occasions while throwing the worst spinning backfists since Ben Askren vs. Demian Maia. The wrestling continued into the second when Dumas opted not to defend a guillotine choke, resulting in an easy strangle for Johnson\u2019s first career victory. Why is this guy on the UFC roster again?Talita Alencar defeats Ariane Carnelossi via third-round rear naked choke (highlights)<\/a>: The opening bout of the night proved to be surprisingly fun. Carnelossi opened the contest with pressure, taking advantage of her superior kickboxing. Unfortunately for her, Alencar was considerably better with both takedowns and general grappling. Carnelossi was scrappy and continually forced scrambles, but Alencar managed to stun her in the second with a hard shot and remain in control. With both women exhausted in the third, Alencar still found her way to top position one last time and forced the tap for her third UFC victory.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n