Chase Sherman Vs. Ike Villanueva
Coming off a win in his UFC debut, Villanueva enters having won four in a row and is unbeaten at heavyweight. He will likely be returning to light heavyweight after his though, though, which is his normal division.
Sherman rebounded from three consecutive Octagon losses to win three fights in a row competing for Island Fights over the past year-plus. All three victories came inside of the first round.
These two like quick finishes and we could be positioned for a fast start.
Several leg kicks by Sherman are finding a home, but Villanueva continues to press forward with nice combinations. Huge overhand right misses by Villanueva, but his 1-2 lands to the face with some pop.
Sherman with heavy, heavy hands and lands a knee as Villanueva is stuck against the fence. However, he comes firing back in the final seconds of the round.
At the start of the second, the injured leg of Villanueva was obvious and Sherman took advantage, landing an elbow that led to the end of this one.
Chase Sherman def. Ike Villanueva via TKO (strikes) at :49 of Round 2
Hunter Azure Vs. Brian Kelleher
The unbeaten Azure is searching for his ninth victory overall, coming up from Dana White’s Contender Series. He earned his initial UFC victory over Brad Katona last year.
Kelleher has posted a record of 4-3 during his Octagon run, which started in 2017 with a submission of Iuri Alcantara. He is 20-10 overall including 16 finishes.
Nice little scrambles here early on as Kelleher searches for the takedown. Azure doing a fantastic job of defending. Power punches aplenty by Azure as he continues to dominate the striking portion of this featherweight contest.
All Azure through the first half of the second round, piling up strikes and not showing any signs of fatigue. Nice little knee up the middle lands as Kelleher is reeling. They separate with Kelleher landing one strike and Azure about four.
Kelleher finding his rhythm, putting together his own combination of strikes as he drops Azure out of nowhere. This one is all over with a great finish for Kelleher as he put it together. Perfectly-placed hook led to the finish in this one.
Brian Kelleher def. Hunter Azure via KO (strike) at 3:40 of Round 2
Gabriel Benitez Vs. Omar Antonio Morales
Nice battle of left-handed fighters here in the lightweight division between Benitez and Morales. Some heavy kicks are starting to find a home by Morales, who continues to advance.
Both men have some bruising on the face with blood trickling down. They are also talking smack to each other, throwing much of the same things. Morales with a huge connection near the end of the first round.
Really fun fight here featuring two evenly matched fighters that are doing a lot of the same attacks inside the Octagon. Straight-right followed by a kick to the body by Morales as he walks Benitez down.
Best round so far here in the third for Benitez, but Morales is not going anyway. As Daniel Cormier noted, whichever fighter is pushing forward and applying the pressure, is having more success.
They close with a flurry and we head to the scorecards for the first time.
Omar Antonio Morales def. Gabriel Benitez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Sijara Eubanks Vs. Sarah Moras
We conclude the prelims with the lone female fight of the night between Eubanks and Moras.
Eubanks has dropped two fights in a row, losing back-to-back decisions to former UFC title challenger Bethe Correia and Aspen Ladd. Moras has lost four of her last six, with three of them being decision defeats – including to ex-UFC champion Jessica Andrade.
Good first round from both as Eubanks appeared to get the better of Moras. Now, though here in the second, Moras is the more aggressive fighter. Her corner noted that Eubanks comes out fast and fades, and that has been the path of the second here.
However, Eubanks is still firing off with big, punishing shots. Eubanks fends off a takedown and immediately scores with one of her own. Eubanks would love to get the finish, but she should be up 2-0 and closing in on the win.
Moras on her back, which makes her dangerous with her submission game. And Moras tries to secure an arm, shifting ever-so-slightly to try and secure it. Eubanks is right in her own corner, listening in to her coaches.
Sijara Eubanks def. Sarah Moras via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
We start the main card next on the following page.