When the bout between Gadelha and Andrade was announced, fans seemed sure they would be treated to a three round war. The fighters delivered, but it was Andrade who pulled off the upset.

Early on it was Gadelha who impressed. For the majority of the first round Gadelha was timing her strikes perfectly and outlanding her opponent in almost every exchange. Attempting to capitalise on her momentum, Gadelha jumped guard and tried to finish a guillotine. Eventually Andrade broke free, and wound up in top position. It was an ominous end to a first round that Gadelha should have been awarded, even if all three judges thought otherwise.

The fight would get away from Gadelha in a hurry. As the second round progressed, Andrade was asserting her physical dominance and outmuscling Gadelha. Even the outstanding offensive wrestling usually on display by Gadelha was becoming desperate by the time the second round reached the mid point. Andrade was swinging for the fence, but Gadelha once again pulled guard to try and finish a guillotine before the round ended.

It was a last gasp attempt to win a fight that she couldn’t control. Andrade poured it on in the third, at times womanhandling Gadelha with massive slams, and controlling her on the mat for long periods. There was one final, futile guillotine attempt from Gadelha but it lacked the conviction of her previous efforts.

The judges turned in scorecards of 30-25, 30-26 and 30-27 all in favour of Andrade. The win moves the still-young Brazilian right back into title contention after a failed effort against Joanna Jedrzejczyk in May. For Gadelha, it snapped a two fight winning streak that dates back to her own title loss against Jedrzejczyk.

Jessica Andrade def. Claudia Gadelha by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-27)

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The UFC returned to the famous Saitama Super Arena for the first time since September 2015 on Friday. As has become almost customary for UFC events in recent years, the card fans got was not as planned.

2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix winner Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was originally scheduled to face Ovince Saint Preux in the main event, but was forced to pull out of the fight with a knee injury. Former UFC title challenger Yushin Okami stepped in to fill the void.

A bout between Naoki Inoue and Jenel Lausa also fell through, and Mizuto Hirota was pulled from the event by the UFC’s medical team after failing to make weight for his bout with Charles Rosa. The canceled scraps left us with a 10-fight card, including four preliminaries airing on FXX.

Of the eight fighters who graced the prelims, two were making their Octagon debuts — Pancrase standouts Daichi Abe and Syuri Kondo. Meanwhile, Alex Morono and Luke Jumeau were building on impressive recent runs. Morono had not tasted defeat since 2014, while Jumeau was last defeated in 2013.

Be sure to check back for a full recap of all the FXX preliminary card action, highlights, and results.

Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Daichi Abe

After winning Pancrase’s welterweight title in July, Daichi Abe was making his UFC debut in the show opener. In only his sixth professional bout, Abe faced a man desperate to get back in the win column, Hyun Gyu Lim. With a couple of canceled bouts sandwiched in between defeats to Neil Magny and Mike Perry, “the Ace” had not won since 2014.

Lim pushed forward in search of that win in the first round but was countered effectively often by Abe, who took up residence in the center of the octagon. By the end of the first frame, Lim sported significant swelling around both of his eyes.

After a brief pause for a Lim-on-Abe eye poke in the second round, both men continued to throw. Lim landed a fight-altering overhand right at the midway point, as he consistently found a home for his most effective counter.

It was more of the same in the third, with both fighters looking to pick their opponent off from range. With the final bell approaching and the result in the balance, Abe landed a crisp right hand that sat Lim down. Abe swarmed but had no time to work, with the final bell intervening as Abe drove Lim back to the mat with a throw.

All three judges scored the contest 29-28 for Abe, who made a winning start to his UFC career and improved to 6-0.

Daichi Abe def. Hyun Gyu Lim via Unanimous Decision (29-28 x 3)

Shinsho Anzai vs. Luke Jumeau

Shinsho Anzai returned to the octagon for the first time since 2015 looking to build on a third-round stoppage of Roger Zapata. His opponent, New Zealand’s Luke Jumeau, had won seven-straight including a decision victory over Dominique Steele in his UFC debut back in June.

It was Anzai who served as the aggressor in the first round, with Jumeau happy to work off the back foot. It was a strategy that did not serve Jumeau well, allowing Anzai to land with power and have some success with quick flurries and powerful work in the clinch.

Anzai started the second round as quickly as he had the first. Jumeau continued to pick his shots, attempting to assume the role of counter-puncher, but was being given no time to work by Anzai. The Japanese fighter’s pressure paid further dividends at the midpoint of the round, scoring a takedown before spending a couple of minutes smothering Jumeau from half guard.

Yet there were signs throughout that Jumeau might be capable of landing a punch that could end the fight. As the third round began, Jumeau likely needed to find that finish. Anzai’s pace had also slowed significantly, lunging forward for takedowns that Jumeau was able to defend. Jumeau got the better of a number of exchanges late in the fight, but never came close to putting Anzai away.

After three rounds of action, all three judges scored in favor of Anzai, who improved his UFC record to 2-1.

Shinsho Anzai def. Luke Jumeau via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Syuri Kondo vs. Chan Mi Jeon

Inexperienced strawweights clashed in the third preliminary bout. Syuri Kondo and Chan Mi Jeon had only fought in a combined 11 professional mixed martial arts bouts. Kondo’s perfect 5-0 included wins over Kanna Asakura and Kimberly Novaes. Jeon was looking to rebound from a UFC debut defeat against J.J. Aldrich in June.

Kondo worked behind a solid jab throughout the first round as Jeon tried to maintain distance at all costs and strike from the outside. With Jeon on her bike, it was Kondo who landed the more telling blows.

As the fight progressed through the second round Kondo continued to beat her 20-year-old opponent to the punch, landing with power more often. A hard right hand staggered Jeon for a moment, as both women were happy to eat strikes to land their own. Jeon’s nose was bloodied as the second round came to a close.

Kondo’s relentless forward motion continued in the third frame as both fighters threw volume until the final bell. Ultimately, that is probably what prompted two of the three judges to score in the professional wrestler’s favor.

Syuri Kondo def. Chan Mi Jeon via unanimous decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)

Keita Nakamura vs. Alex Morono

33-year-old veteran Keita Nakamura was making his eighth UFC appearance, split over two runs with the promotion. Since returning to the UFC in 2015 Nakamura had gone 2-2. Alex Morono had won seven straight before his February no contest with Niko Price.

Morono came forward from the opening bell as Nakamura drew his opponent onto him. It was Nakamura who scored the first telling blow, landing a kick to Morono’s midsection that hurt him midway through the first round. A nip-tuck first frame saw both fighter’s corners tell them they thought their man was ahead in between rounds.

Morono continued to cut the cage off and walk Nakamura down in the second round, achieving greater success than he had in the first. Still, Nakamura remained dangerous, picking single shots with enough regularity to keep Morono honest.

A takedown early in the third round appeared to give Nakamura an opportunity to win the fight but Morono’s defensive instincts were sound and he was able to work back to his feet. With a little under two minutes left, a now bloodied Nakamura shot for another takedown. This time Morono tried to lock in a guillotine but was never close to forcing a submission before releasing the hold.

Just like the previous three prelims, this one went to the judges after three rounds of close, competitive action. The judges could not agree on a winner, with Nakamura getting the win by split decision.

Keita Nakamura def. Alex Morono via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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The event takes place at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania, and is headlined by a light-heavyweight championship bout between Ryan Bader and Linton Vassell. The news was first reported by ESPN on Tuesday.

Since Bellator began investing in its flyweight division in 2015, Macfarlane and Ducote have been far and away the company’s standout performers. The pair of fast-developing prospects hold a combined 9-1 record inside the Bellator cage.

The lone defeat in that joint ten-fight scrapbook is Ducote’s unanimous decision loss to Macfarlane at Bellator 167 in 2016. The fight was the biggest test either had faced to that point in their young careers. The result was a fast paced, back and forth three round encounter that yelped loudly for additional rounds.

Now fans will get exactly that, with Bellator’s best flyweights meeting over five championship frames for the newly created title belt.

Ducote rebounded from her prior defeat to Macfarlane with a first round submission of Katy Collins in March. The Oklahoma native followed that up with a decision victory against Jessica Middleton in July.

Macfarlane’s sole outing since the win over Ducote was also against Middleton, submitting her in the first round at Bellator 178 in April.

Now the two rekindle a respectful rivalry that has seen both women rise to the top of Bellator’s growing flyweight ranks.

The bout is part of a telling few months for the women’s flyweight division. With Bellator and the UFC crowning champions and aiming to become the major player at 125 pounds.

The UFC’s title is being introduced through their reality show The Ultimate Fighter. An underwhelming cast of 16 — currently whittled down to 13 — are competing for a spot in the promotion’s inaugural 125 pound championship bout on December 1.

Meanwhile outstanding Brazilian Jennifer Maia holds Invicta FC’s flyweight title. That belt has long been considered the top flyweight title in MMA. Andrea “KGB” Lee also has notable honours as Legacy Fighting Alliance’s flyweight champion. Lee defends that title against Jamie Thorton in Louisiana on Friday. It is expected that both Maia and Lee will wind up in either the UFC or Bellator before too long.

The division remains a complex puzzle, with pieces scattered across multiple promotions. It will take time for them to come together, and for fans to have a real understanding of who the number one flyweight in the world is.

Already many of the UFC’s strawweights and bantamweights — Paige VanZant, Jessica Eye and Valentina Shevchenko to name but three — are making the move to 125 pounds.

The bout between Macfarlane and Ducote on November 3 is an important piece of that puzzle. The winner will have staked their claim to be the best flyweight in the world and pushed the rest to try and prove them wrong.

Given the impressive Bellator careers of both fighters to date, expect the bar to be set high on November 3.

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