JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ilia Topuria put an exclamation point on another jam-packed UFC card in Jacksonville.
Next stop: the top half of the featherweight rankings as his ascent in mixed martial arts continues.
Topuria pounded Josh Emmett for five bloody rounds before winning a lopsided unanimous decision in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night on Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on Saturday. The day of action, which began just before noon and wrapped up before 6 p.m., drew 14,101 fans. They left satisfied after a rocking main card that featured a highlight reel knockout, a big disappointment and a glimpse of the next big thing in MMA.
Topuria showcased that he’s ready for the next step in his journey and likely fought for the final time on the UFC Fight Night ledger. He’s bound for the main UFC cards next and is a potential candidate to get a title shot at 145 pounds. Topuria’s dominance — crisp punches, tough defense and stifling leg kicks — drained the fast-paced Emmett.
The lone down moment on the five-fight main was a big one for Jacksonville’s Austen Lane. With “Duuuval” chants cascading throughout the arena for the former Jaguars player, Lane’s UFC debut ended with a letdown, a no contest after an accidental eye poke.
Just 29 seconds into his heavyweight fight with brawler Justin Tafa, Lane threw an overhand right that missed high. Lane’s momentum carried him forward in the exchange and his outstretched fingers on his left hand went into Tafa’s eye. The accidental poke left Tafa with nasty damage to his eye. The ringside doctor wouldn’t let Tafa continue.
“Justin Tafa… I apologize. Not how I wanted it to go down. That s*** is on me and I hope your eye is alright,” Lane said in a tweet.
“To the city I call home. The energy you gave me as I was walking out will be something I’ll remember the rest of my life. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you show.”
The four other fights on the main were superb, bouts that capped another successful trip to Jacksonville for the promotion. The co-main events were both bangers. Topuria hammered Emmett for most of the five rounds, turning his face into a bloody mess to improve to 14-0. The scores were lopsided — 50-44, 50-42, 49-45 — and Emmett’s face told the story of it.
Emmett, who lost to Yair Rodriguez in a bout for the interim featherweight title, clipped Topuria throughout the bout and came out energized in the fifth round. That opening minute was arguably his best of the night, forcing Topuria backwards with a round of punches. But he couldn’t sustain the attack and Topuria neutralized Emmett for a good portion of the rest of the round.
Topuria entered the fight ranked ninth to Emmett’s No. 5 ranking and he vowed to finish him early. That didn’t happen as the veteran absorbed punishment from open to close.
“If I connect to anyone, all the punches I connect to him, they [usually] give up, but he did not,” Topuria said. “It surprised me a little bit. But at the end of the day I get the win, which is the most important.”
The win likely positions Topuria for a shot, or at least to get in the queue, for the winner of Alexander Volkanovski and Rodriguez. Those two face off at UFC 290 next month.
While Topuria stretched out the punishment over five rounds, Maycee Barber outslugged Amanda Ribas in an action-packed women’s bout that ended in the second in the co-main.
Barber cracked Ribas with a head kick that triggered a wicked and bloody finish. Barber unloaded on Ribas with a barrage of punches before the referee jumped in and waved it off.
Featherweight David Onama had one of the highlight-reel KOs of the event, rocking Gabriel Santos with a right uppercut that landed flush under his jaw and sent Santos crashing to the canvas. Onama improved to 11-2.
Also on the main card, Brendan Allen won his fifth consecutive fight with a rear-naked choke out of Bruno Silva. That opened the main card with a bang after a lethargic eight-bout prelim card that featured seven fights going to the scorecards and cascades of boos. One of the fights that drew the most vocal of boos came from Phil Rowe and Neil Magny’s bout. Rowe, who graduated from Matanzas High School in Flagler County, never picked up the offense in a split decision loss. That fight was booed throughout by fans for its lack of action.
UFC Fight Night in Jacksonville results
Sedriques Dumas defeats Cody Brundage by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Jack Jenkins defeats Jamall Emmers by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Chepe Mariscal defeats Trevor Peek by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Joshua Van defeats Zhalgas Zhumagulov by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Tabatha Ricci (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) defeats Gillian Robertson by unanimous decision
Mateusz Rębecki defeats Loik Radzhabov by TKO (strikes) at 2:36 of Round 2
Randy Brown defeats Wellington Turman by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Neil Magny defeats Phil Rowe by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Brendan Allen defeats Bruno Silva by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:39 of Round 1
David Onama defeats Gabriel Santos by KO, Round 2, 4:13
Austen Lane vs Justin Tafa ruled a no contest (accidental eye poke) at 0:29 of Round 1
Maycee Barber defeats Amanda Ribas by TKO, Round 2, 3:42
Ilia Topuria defeats Josh Emmett by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-42, 49-45)