UFC Vegas 47 Results: Strickland Beats Hermansson via Decision in Main Event

That moment of excitement turned out to be a blip in an otherwise uneventful fight. Strickland continued to play the stick-and-move game, while Hermansson tried to land overhand rights with his kicks that just couldn’t find a home.

The Joker did put up a last-chance flurry of strikes in the fifth round as a last-ditch comeback attempt, but Strickland was able to handle it and ride out the decision victory.

The biggest surprise came when the scorecards were read and a judge saw it for Hermansson.

Strickland’s win streak now extends to six fights, with five of those coming after his move up to middleweight. This wasn’t the most exciting foot to put forward if he wants a title shot soon, but there’s no denying he has been effective.

Here’s a look at the rest of the fight card and a closer look at the main card bouts from the Apex facility in Las Vegas.

Main Card

• Sean Strickland def. Jack Hermansson via split decision (49-46 x2, 47-48)
• Nick Maximov def. Punahele Soriano via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
• Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Carlston Harris via first-round knockout (strikes) – 4:10
• Brendan Allen def. Sam Alvey via second-round submission (rear-naked choke) – 2:10
• Bryan Battle def. Tresean Gore via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
• Julian Erosa def. Steven Peterson via split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)

Prelims

• John Castaneda def. Miles Johns via third-round submission (arm-triangle choke) – 1:38
• Hakeem Dawodu def. Mike Trizano via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
• Chidi Njokuani def. Marc-Andre Barriault via first-round KO – 0:16
• Alexis Davis def. Julija Stoliarenko via unanimous decision (29-27 x2, 30-27)
• Jailton Almeida def. Danilo Marques via first-round TKO (strikes) – 2:57
• Philip Rowe def. Jason Witt via second-round TKO – 2:15
• Malcolm Gordon def. Denys Bondar via first-round submission (injury) – 1:22

Nick Maximov def. Punahele Soriano

To watch Nick Maximov fight, it would be hard to guess he comes from the Nick Diaz Academy. While the Diaz brothers are known for their high-volume striking, Maximov utilized a wrestling-heavy attack to get a split-decision win over Punahele Soriano.

Rakhmonov has been a runaway train since coming into the UFC. He is a perfect 15-0 in his career with three of those wins coming in the biggest organization. His first two UFC fights were submission wins over Alex Oliveira and Michel Prazeres.

Rakhmonov continues to look like the real deal. With a championship in the M-1 promotion and the quick success he’s found in the UFC, there’s no reason to believe that he won’t be getting a ranked opponent soon enough.

Brendan Allen def. Sam Alvey

Apparently, it doesn’t take much preparation to dispatch Sam Alvey. Brendan Allen took a fight against the Smile’n one on just five days’ notice and was still able to get the submission finish in the second round.

Alvey actually appeared to win the first round. Allen was willing to turn the fight into a slugfest, and the veteran had his moments.

However, that game turned out to be too dangerous for Alvey. Allen scored a knockdown late in the first, and it was a harbinger of things to come.

Allen once again floored Alvey in the second round, and this time, he had enough opportunity to sink in the rear-naked choke that drew the tap.

Because of the late notice, Allen fought this fight in the light heavyweight division. After dropping his last fight at middleweight, he may want to consider exploring life as a 205-pounder. Alvey, on the other hand, is now winless in his last eight fights.

Bryan Battle def. Tresean Gore

There’s no disputing it now, Bryan Battle is an Ultimate Fighter champion.

Battle was supposed to meet Tresean Gore in The Ultimate Fighter 29 finale back in February 2021. However, Gore was forced to pull out of the fight because of injury. Battle went on to beat replacement Gilbert Urbina to win the trophy.

So it was a significant gesture when Battle brought the trophy to hold it after beating Gore by unanimous decision.

Battle utilized a high-volume attack from distance to keep Gore off balance. He established an early lead with his leg kicks and had his opponent frustrated between rounds.

Gore landed some clean shots in the second round, but Battle was able to rebound in the third and final frame. His ability to control the fight with his kicks was too much for Gore to overcome.

Julian Erosa def. Steven Peterson

Julian Erosa and Steven Peterson kicked off the main card with a blood-and-guts fight that ended with Erosa getting his hand raised by split decision.

Both fighters threw caution to the wind and went for the knockout throughout the fight. The matchup was characterized by exchanges like this one where Erosa scored a knockdown with a spinning strike.