Jamall Emmers went into enemy territory to take on Longo and Weidman MMA product Dennis Buzukja at UFC 295 on Saturday.
Buzukja entered the UFC on short notice earlier in 2023 and was entering this fight still in search of his first UFC win. The inexperience and lack of a UFC win did not bother the New York crowd, who got behind their guy in a raucous Madison Square Garden. However the support of a home crowd was not enough to buoy him over Jamall Emmers, who earned his third UFC win.
Emmers started the fight well, coming forward with combinations which landed and pushed Buzukja back to the fence. Jamall’s pressure held Dennis there until he landed a straight right hand which dropped the New Yorker like a sack of potatoes. Follow up strikes forced Keith Peterson step in for a TKO in under a minute.
Emmers had an emotional response post-fight, understandably, and shouted, ‘Fifty G’s!” but unfortunately was ineligible for a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus due to missing weight by one pound at Friday’s official weigh-in. The miss was the first for Emmers in the UFC; he moves to 3-3 in the promotion and returns to the win column following a loss to Jack Jenkins.
Official Result: Jamall Emmers def. Dennis Buzukja by TKO (right hand and ground strikes), Round 1, 0:49