Azamat Murzakanov is among the most unheralded top-level talents on the UFC roster and the undefeated Russian standout proved exactly why on the UFC 316 prelims.
Murzakanov improved to 15-0 in mixed martial arts with a first-round technical knockout of Brendson Ribeiro. Murzakanov bided his time early, eventually landing a heavy left hand that put his opponent on wobbly legs. After a series of follow-up strikes the referee stepped in to halt the action.
The 36-year-old southpaw is now 5-0 in the UFC since earning a contract in 2021 but many have criticized his relative inactivity. He entered the weekend as the No. 12-ranked contender in the 205-pound division, yet was paired with an unranked Ribeiro.
Murzakanov has finished four of his five UFC opponents, and after his win, he called for a five-round main event spot against any fighter who will get him closer to a title shot.
Ribeiro, 28, was on a two-fight win streak and coming off a March upset of Diyar Nurgozhay, a touted and previously unbeaten light-heavyweight. This was Ribeiro’s fourth first-round KO/TKO loss since 2022.
Earlier on the preliminary card, Joo-sang Yoo made a major impression during his UFC debut with a 28-second knockout of Jeka Saragih.
Yoo landed a picture-perfect counter left hook that saw Saragih fall face first to the canvas.
The undefeated 31-year-old caught the eye of UFC matchmakers thanks to a pair of wins in 2024 in The Korean Zombie’s new MMA organization, Z Fight Night, and showed why he’s one of the most hyped fighters coming out of South Korea.
Yoo is light on his feet with dynamic striking and even though he keeps his hands low, he is a name to watch in the featherweight division after improving to 9-0 as a pro. Saragih, meanwhile, fell to 1-3 at the UFC level.
Joshua Van and Bruno Silva put on a show in the featured preliminary bout with Van overwhelming his opponent with accurate boxing combinations that ended in a third-round finish.
The Myanmar native is just 23 years old and already has a 7-1 UFC record and possesses an aggressive style that endears him to fight fans. Those in attendance at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Saturday could be heard chanting “Let’s go Van!” throughout the final round before he secured the finish.
Van ranked first among all UFC fighters regardless of weight class with 8.1 significant strikes landed per minute entering UFC 316 and tied a flyweight record by earning three separate knockdowns during this flyweight contest. Van averages more than 100 significant strikes landed per fight and he accumulated another 125 against Silva en route to the finish.
Heavyweights Serghei Spivac and Waldo Cortes-Acosta went toe-to-toe for three rounds with Cortes-Acosta coming out on top.
The 33-year-old Dominican is now riding a five-fight winning streak, which is the longest active streak in the heavyweight division. It was only the fourth time Spivac had gone the distance in his career. Spivac has now lost two in a row after a February loss to Jailton Almeida.
Andreas Gustafsson is known for his pressure and seemingly limitless gas tank, and both were apparent in his UFC debut that ended in a decision win over Khaos Williams. Gustafsson didn’t afford Williams any room to move, using his Greco-Roman wrestling background to clinch along the cage and occasionally take the action to the ground.
Williams is known for his knockout power but was unable to generate much offence or space. Gustafsson landed 151 total strikes during the 15-minute match in the 170-pound division with his output increasing round-over-round.
This welterweight matchup was put together on short notice after Williams’ original opponent withdrew from the event late last month. Gustafsson had been slated to participate in a catchweight bout against Trevin Giles one week ago at a UFC Apex-based Fight Night event, however Giles was unable to weigh in and the matchup was cancelled. Gustafsson was quick to step in against Williams and there was no doubt who won when the judges rendered their decision.
Wang Cong picked apart Ariane da Silva (née Lipski) during their three-round bout that took place entirely on the feet. China’s Cong repeatedly hurt her opponent’s lead left leg with low kicks that forced frequent stance switches, affected mobility and even knocked her down in the second round. Cong landed 143 of her 222 significant strike attempts, good for 64 per cent accuracy, and defended all four of da Silva’s takedown attempts.
Cong swept the scorecards against da Silva who was the lone fighter on the card to miss weight on Friday. The Brazilian came in a significant six pounds over the non-title flyweight limit yet Cong decided to accept a catchweight bout and da Silva was fined a percentage of her purse.
Standout Australian Quillan Salkilld won his ninth consecutive fight since dropping his pro debut, getting his hand raised after 15 hard minutes against Yanal Ashmouz.
Salkilld is 25 years old with well-rounded skills, high-ceiling potential and now a 2-0 UFC record. He knocked out Anshul Jubli in 19 seconds in his organizational debut in February after earning a contract in September with a win on the Contender Series.
MarQuel Mederos fended off the wrestling attack of Mark Choinski and landed damaging leg kicks throughout the lightweight contest in the opening bout of the prelims.
