In a recent press release, PFL officials announced two more fights for their 2026 U.S. debut. In one, Ariane Lipski da Silva (17-11) faces off with Sumiko Inaba (8-2) in women’s flyweight action. Da Silva’s fellow UFC alum Julio Arce (21-6), meanwhile, will fight in the PFL SmartCage for the first time against undefeated featherweight Alexei Pergande (7-0).

Known as the “Queen of Violence” or “Violence Queen” since her KSW days, da Silva went 6-8 in the UFC, after setting a perfect 5-0 record and capturing gold in her prior home. The Brazilian ended her UFC tenure on a three-fight skid that featured losses to Karine Silva, Jasmine Jasudavicius, and Wang Cong.

News of Ariane Lipski da Silva signing with the PFL made the rounds back in September. Things are a little different for Bellator vet Sumiko Inaba, however.

Inaba is 1-1 under the PFL banner (and took a fight on the Bellator Champions Series in between, which might as well be considered PFL), and is coming off a loss to promotional darling Dakota Ditcheva. The Hawaiian has just two losses in her professional career, with the other coming to former Bellator star and kickboxer Denise Kielholtz.

Julio Arce’s exit from the UFC early last year came as something of a surprise, considering he was coming off a victory over Herbert Burns. Arce, however, then linked up with the Global Fight League (GFL), a promotion that promised fair pay for fighters and health insurance, but one that never actually managed to hold an event.

Since then, Arce has picked up a pair of wins on the regional scene over Sheymon Moraes and Wilson Reis, both UFC veterans. That makes him the first true test for prospect Pergrande.

PFL Pittsburgh takes place on March 28, 2026 at the PMC Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The card is headlined by a middleweight showdown between Johnny Eblen and Bryan Battle.

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The flyweight bout should have gone no higher than 126lbs, but a 132lb catchweight was necessitated by Da Silva (formerly Lipski) missing by a full six pounds.

In the opening minute, a bit of back-and-forth played out with Wang going after Da Silva with leg kicks. About a minute in, Ariane fired off a decent right hand; Wang would land a better one shortly after. Wang would continue with her kicks as well, though Da Silva nearly dumped her off one, and later fired a knee after forcing Wang to retreat.

The leg kicks from Wang began to pile up late in the round, with the Chinese flyweight landing a nasty one with about a minute to go. Da Silva was hurt and Wang went on the attack, through she couldn’t keep the pressure up. Still, Da Silva was switching stances to protect the leg, something to keep an eye on in the coming rounds.

Da Silva landed her right hand in the opening minute of round two, but Wang continued to chop at the legs, forcing the Brazilian back to the southpaw stance. The kicking attacks continued throughout the frame with Wang going inside and outside, just hounding the legs of Ariane Da Silva. For her part, Da Silva was being forced to worry about protecting herself more than finding openings for her own attacks, leading to a slower back half of the round for her. Another nasty leg kick crumpled Da Silva in the final minute, though she stayed in the fight and got back to her feet. Round three was not looking promising for Da Silva however.

It was a credit to Da Silva’s toughness that she lasted to the third, but that alone wasn’t about to win her the fight, and she was most certainly behind after two rounds. And with the threat of the low kick constant from Wang Cong, Da Silva struggled to get her offense going. Instead, Wang worked her jab, fired a high kick, kept up her low kicks, and mostly led the dance. Da Silva briefly got in the driver’s seat towards the end of the round, pushing forward and briefly returning to her more natural orthodox stance- but she could not stay there long. And once the final horn sounded, there was no doubt as to the winner.

That was Cong, who notched a big victory over a former KSW champ in Da Silva, then called out Jessica Andrade.

Official Result: Wang Cong def. Ariane Da Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Amir Albazi

Amir was on the wrong end of a one-sided beating in main event on Saturday night, against the former flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno. Moreno entered the fight ranked at #2 in the UFC’s flyweight division after taking some time off. Albazi entered the fight ranked at #3. With the defeat Albazi had his 6-fight winning streak snapped- dating back to his April 2019, pre-UFC, loss against Jose ‘Shorty’ Torres. Albazi was 5-0 in the UFC heading into this fight; if he would have won impressively, he would’ve likely been the next person to fight for the belt (after Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura, of course).

Now, after being badly beaten and outclassed over the course of five rounds on Saturday, Albazi will have to pick up the pieces.

It would be advantageous for Amir to do a complete reset. A fight against a veteran in Tim Elliott, a former title challenger, makes sense. Elliott is currently ranked at #11 and last fought in December of 2023 opposite of Sumudaerji. He scored a first-round sub that earned Tim a cool 50k. Elliot was supposed to compete against Tatsuro Taira in May but withdrew from the bout. At 37 years old and with an 11-year UFC run spanning 20 fights, Elliot is a good measuring gauge for Amir to see if he is 125lbs. top 10 caliber.

Amir’s next fight: Tim Elliott

Rose Namajunas

Erin Blanchfield mounted a comeback in the five-round co-main event on Saturday to defeat Rose Namajunas by unanimous decision. Rose’s striking looked good in the first two rounds but after tiring slightly, Blanchfield crept back up on the scorecards thanks to her ground game and aggression.

Rose is now 2-2 in her last four fights since moving up to the flyweight division in September of 2023. Rose’s losses to Manon Fiorot and now Blanchfield illustrate that while she’s still elite, she is not yet in the title picture at 125lbs.

With that being said, Rose should fight Katlyn Cerminara. Katlyn is currently ranked at #7 and her most recent fight was a unanimous decision loss opposite of Maycee Barber at UFC 299 in March. Rose was temporarily matched up to fight Maycee back in July but Barber, who is now ranked at #4, withdrew. With Barber on a five-fight win streak and Cerminara having lost her last two, it’s an obvious choice which opponent to go with here. Namajunas and Cerminara also share recent common opponents and outcomes as they both recently lost to Manon Fiorot and defeated Amanda Ribas.

Rose’s next fight: Katlyn Cerminara 

Caio Machado

Caio Machado lost his third straight at UFC Edmonton when he dropped a split decision to Brendson Ribeiro. Macha is now 0-3 in the UFC since earning a contract last August on the 2023 season of the Contender Series.

The former Battlefield Fight League heavyweight champion will likely be on the verge of getting cut. However, due to how shallow the UFC’s light heavyweight division currently is he could get one more fight.

Caio should take a fight against another Contender Series guy like Jose Medina. Jose would be a fun matchup. Medina won a contract from his October of 2023 slugfest with the undefeated Magomed Gadzhiyasulov, even though he lost the bout. Medina lost his UFC debut to Zach Reese and was outgunned in a similar fashion. But he showed heart and tenacity for all 30 minutes of both of those bouts. Medina fought at 205lbs. for the Contender Series and 185lbs. for his debut. Medina might give up some size but he’s a hard-nosed fighter and a good competition to see who stays with the promotional giant.

Caio’s next fight: Jose Medina

Ariane Da Silva

Ariane Da Silva got caught in an arm triangle in the last round of her bout with Jasmine Jasudavicius on the main card of UFC Edmonton. Ariane’s striking looked great for most of the fight but the skill gap on the ground was vast. Da Silva came into the fight ranked at #13 in the UFC’s women’s flyweight division, while her opponent was ranked at #14.

It’s a tough loss to stomach for Da Silva especially being a finish. The women’s flyweight division is incredibly active at the moment and snagging a ranked name could prove difficult.

Ariane Da Silva should fight Tereza Bleda in her next fight. Bleda is 7-1 and at just 22 years old, the fresh blood in the division. Tereza was an OKTAGON flyweight champion before she won a contract on the 2022 season of the Contender Series. Her first fight in the UFC was against Natalia Silva who is now ranked at #6 in the flyweight division. Bleda was finished by a spinning back kick in the third round but put on a good showing.  She bounced back in her last fight defeating Gabriella Fernandes in June of 2023. Tereza was scheduled for another step up in competition in the form of #15 ranked flyweight, Casey O’Neil at UFC 305. Unfortunately, Bleda had to withdraw from that bout, but this step up in competition still makes sense for her.

Ariane’s next fight: Tereza Bleda

Marc-Andre Bariault

Marc-Andre Bariault lost another fight turned barn burner brawl on Saturday when Dustin Stoltzfus KO’d him in a frantic exchange. Bariault has now lost three fights in a row and been stopped in the first round of two of those bouts.

Bariault is now 5-8, 1 NC in the UFC and his last win was over Eryk Anders in June of last year. With that in mind, Bariault is in a bit of danger of being cut. It’s likely the 34-year-old middleweight will get at least one more chance.

For that fight, Marc-Andre should take on Bruno Silva. Silva was last in action at UFC 308 when he lost an incredibly lackluster decision to Ismail Naurdiev. At points during the fight, the 10-fight UFC veteran in Silva looked like a shell of his former self. Silva has lost his last four fights against Brendan Allen, Shara Magomedov, Chris Weidman and Ismail Naurdiev. Perfect fight for both men to try and gain some confidence, loser would likely be sent packing.

Marc Andre’s next fight: Bruno Silva 

Trevin Giles

Trevin Giles let the victory slip right through his fingers on Saturday night against Mike Malott. Giles was piecing up Malott for some of the fight, with his boxing, but his lack of volume triggered him to lose a unanimous decision. Giles is now 7-7 in the UFC and 2-4 since moving down to welterweight in January of 2022.

Because Giles has now lost three fights in a row and been stopped in two of them, he is also on the hot seat. Welterweight is crowded to say the least, and Giles could use a staple win.

For his next fight, Trevin should take on Alex Morono.  Alex has lost three of his last four fights. Morono was last in action last month when he was on the wrong side of a split decision opposite of Daniel Rodriguez. Good fight for Giles as he had a lot of trouble with his output in his last fight. Morono is a name as well. It would be a long night if Giles were to struggle with output against an awkward aggressive fighter like Morono. It’s a good fight to make.

Trevin’s next fight: Alex Morono

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Jasudavicius, #14 in the division, was looking to make it three wins in a row (and three wins in 2024) against the #13-ranked Da Silva, known as “The Queen of Violence.”

Ariane looked to find her range early throwing out a leg kick and a boxing combination that landed just short. Both fighters looked a bit nervous to get into that first exchange. Da Silva clipped Jasmine with a straight right hand and the power difference could be seen immediately. Jasmine landed a skipping leg kick and faked a level change midway thru the round that got a huge reaction out of her opponent. Seconds later, Jasudavicius faked grabbing a leg and looked to connect with some punches of her own. Jasmine began to advance and apply forward pressure. Da Silva lit her up with a boxing combination punctuated by a head kick getting a huge reaction from the crowd. Jasudavicius ate the head kick, caught the leg, and took her opponent down. Da Silva immediately rolled and attacked the leg. Jasmine rained down strikes and stacked her opponent landing some good strikes before the end of the round.

Both fighters opened up at the start of the second round. Da Silva continued to land the crisper strikes and snapped the head back of Jasmine. A little over a minute into the round and Jasmine landed a well-timed single leg takedown. Once on the ground, Jasudavicius quickly moved to side control a dropped stinging short strikes to the face of Ariane. With a minute left in the round Jasmine piled on more strikes. Somehow, Da Silva made it to the end of the round, badly lumped up on her forehead as the two broke when the timer sounded.

The final round began with Da Silva still throwing her long boxing combinations but keeping her hands very low and hips back. Jasudavicius waited till about a minute into the round and midway thru one of Da Silva’s combinations shot and successfully put her opponent back on the ground. Ariane really didn’t seem to have an answer for Jasmine’s grappling on the ground. Nearly midway thru the round and Jasmine skillfully moved to a d’arce choke. After securing the leg, Da Silva had no choice but to tap.

In her post fight interview Jasmine, clearly overjoyed, expressed how happy she was to get the victory and be on the main card in front of her hometown fans. “Thats just one of my favorite chokes.” Jasmine said when asked if an anaconda choke was something that she had identified as a weakness of her opponent.  And when asked who she would like to fight after this huge, ranked stoppage victory, Jasmine replied, “Whoever will take it.” and stated that she was on a mission to the belt.

Official Result: Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Ariane Da Silva by Submission (d’arce choke), Round 3, 2:28

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Jasudavicius actually sparked rumors of an Edmonton show roughly a month ago on The MMA Hour; on Thursday, the promotion made it official.

UFC President and CEO Dana White told SportsNet on Thursday that “I want to get back on a regular schedule up in Canada like we used to,” referring to the three annual trips the company traditionally made to the Great White North prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

There have been just two Canadian shows since 2019: UFC 289 in Vancouver last year, and UFC 297 in Toronto this past January.

News of Jasudavicius appearing on the card, while a given, was first reported by SportsNet’s Aaron Bronsteter, who revealed that the St. Catharines, Ontario-based fighter will take on Ariane Da Silva (nee Lipski), a former KSW champion known as the “Queen of Violence.”

Jasudavicius later confirmed the booking, adding “secret’s out” in a post to social media site Twitter/X. The 35-year old, who was instrumental to the UFC returning to Canada, has won her last two fights, and four of her last five. She’s currently ranked #14 in the women’s flyweight division, and is coming off a decision win over Fatima Kline in July.

The Niagara Top Team member is undefeated on Canadian soil over the course of her mixed martial arts career.

30-year old Ariane Da Silva (17-9) will enter the fight off a loss to fellow Brazilian Karine Silva that snapped a three-fight win streak. She sits one spot above her opponent ranked at #13 in the division.

UFC Edmonton on November 2, 2024 will take place at the Rogers Arena in Edmonton, Alberta with Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas headlining. Derrick Lewis vs. Alexander Romanov serves as the night’s co-main event.

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For the first card back after UFC 300, UFC Vegas 91 boasted four finishes of the six fights on the main card. Alex Perez got the job done against Matheus Nicolau in a pivotal flyweight bout in the main event, earning his first win in years.

A couple of fighters are under some pressure after the results on Saturday so there could be some interesting matchups moving forward.

Matheus Nicolau

After previous opponent Manel Kape was forced out of the bout, Alex Perez stepped in on short notice against a top five fighter in Matheus Nicolau.

Perez was able to get the job done in round two, finishing Nicolau with a hook. Tough loss for Matheus as he has now lost two fights in a row. Nicolau has twice tried and twice failed to rematch Manel Kape after winning their first fight via split decision in March of 2021.

For the time being, Matheus should abandon that Kape rematch. Matheus should instead fight 15-2 Tagir Ulanbekov. Tagir is 4-1 in the UFC only having lost to top ranked veteran Tim Elliot in 2022 via unanimous decision.

Alex Perez was originally slated to fight Tagir Ulanbekov on June 15th before Perez was called to save the card when Kape fell out. Tagir has won two in a row, submitting Nate Maness and Cody Durden.

Ulanbekov was actually scheduled to fight Matheus for his second fight in the UFC back in 2021. But the fight would fall thru twice. Perfect fight to make.

Nicolau’s next fight: Tagir Ulanbekov

Ryan Spann

Just two fights into his UFC career, Bogdan Guskov finished Spann in the second round on Saturday night. Ryan Spann has now lost three fights in a row since stopping Dominick Reyes in the first round at the end of 2022.

Currently, there are a lot of moving parts on the outskirts of the UFC’s light heavyweight rankings. As well as a lot of fighters that are on impressive win streaks.

Spann lost to top 10 light heavyweight, Anthony Smith in a split decision just last August. Smith is fighting 11-0 Vitor Petrino, who is just breaking into the top 15, on UFC 301 at the end of the week. Giving Spann the loser of that fight doesn’t make much since at this current time.

Dustin Jacoby is slated to fight Dominick Reyes in June and even though giving Spann the loser is tempting its ultimately not the right move either. As Dominick’s most recent fight after some time away and several canceled fights was actually the fight against Spann.

The best fight to make for Ryan Spann would be a fight against Kennedy Nzechukwu. Spann is now 7-5 in the UFC and Kennedy is 6-5 with the promotion. Nzechukwu has lost two fights in a row being finished by Dustin Jacoby last year before losing a split decision to Ovince St. Preux earlier this year.

Spann’s next fight: Kennedy Nzechukwu

Ariane Lipski

Ariane entered the octagon on Saturday night on a three-fight win streak having defeated JJ Aldrich, Melissa Gatto and finishing Casey O’Neil. Lipski would lose a unanimous decision to Karine Silva who is undefeated at 4-0 in the UFC.

Lipski failed to secure the victory and now finds herself towards the bottom of the top 15 at flyweight.

Ariane should fight the loser of the upcoming Viviane Araujo vs Jasmine Jasudavicius bout on July 13th. Jasmine will be battling for Araujo’s top 10 ranking and the loser of the bout would be a good matchup for Ariane. Jasmine Jasdavicius is coming off of a third-round finish against Priscila Cachoeira who was Ariane’s most recent loss (before Saturday). And Araujo’s last win was in October of 2023 against Jennifer Maia.

Miranda Maverick would also be a solid backup if Ariane was ready to go earlier. Miranda last fought in February against Andrea Lee and before that defeated Priscila Cachoeira. Maverick also has the added bonus of currently being ranked in the Top 15.

Lipiski’s next fight: Jasmine Jasudavicius vs Viviane Araujo loser or Miranda Maverick

Austen Lane

Austen Lane is winless in his UFC career so far with an 0-2, 1 NC, record with the promotion. After the loss Saturday, Lane’s now been finished twice by men with under 10 fights and has a no contest due to eye pokes against Justin Tafa, the same man to later stop him.

A two-time veteran of the Contender Series, Lane had his UFC dreams postponed by a now former UFC fighter, Gerg Hardy, back in 2018. Lane would win his second Contender Series bout in 2022 and has been struggling since then.

Caio Machado lost earlier on in the night against Don’Tale Mayes. Machado is also winless in the UFC at 0-2 and is also a Contender Series veteran. Timeline would also potentially matchup for that bout and that is the fight to make.

Lane’s next fight: Caio Machado

Jonathan Pearce

After Saturday night, Jonathan Pearce is now two tough losses removed from his remarkable five-fight win streak that lasted from 2020 to late 2022. A streak that featured finishes over Kai Kamaka III, Omar Morales and Makwan Amirkhani.

Bad luck struck Pearce, as he was injured and his scheduled fight against top ranked UFC featherweight, Bryce Mitchell, had to be cancelled.

Once he returned, Perce was ninja choked in the second round by Joanderson Brito in November of 2023. And now, Pearce lost a unanimous decision to David Onama. Pearce’s opponent missed weight before the bout and so it makes sense to throw Pearce a little bit of a bone here as he the bout could have very well have won fight of the night otherwise.

Pearce should fight the loser of the Sean Woodson and Alex Caceres bout that takes place May 11th. Pearce is now 5-3 in the UFC and was actually slated to fight Sean Woodson back in 2020 before Woodson withdrew. Woodson has not lost in five bouts, with a finish, three decisions, and a split draw to Luis Saldana in the time period. Caceres has won two of his last three only losing in his most recent bout, to Giga Chikadze via decision.

Pearce’s next fight: Sean Woodson vs Alex Caceres loser

Tim Means

40-year-old Tim Means has now lost four of his last five fights and has been finished three times. Means was brutally stopped by Uros Medic in the first round of their bout on Saturday.

Tim’s next fight in the UFC will be his 30th bout with the promotion, what better occasion to give him another equally tenured legend?

Matt Brown was last in action last May when he finished Court McGee in the first round. Brown, now 43 years old has won two of his last five fights including a split decision loss to Bryan Barberena in 2022.

It would be a rematch as the pair first met nearly nine years ago. Brown would get the victory on that night in 2015 as he submitted Means in the first round via guillotine.

It would be a fun fight to run back.

Means’ next fight: Matt Brown 

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Da Silva actually married in 2019, but due to holdups in paperwork with the U.S. government, she only recently received permission to use her married name. As for her nickname, she’s gone from “The Queen of Violence” to simply “The Queen,” something she attributed to renewing her faith during the UFC Vegas 91 media day.

New name or not, Ariane Da Silva was her dangerous self on Saturday, holding center early, catching a Karine Silva kick, and chopping at her opponent’s other leg. Karine remained upright, and about 90 seconds in secured a takedown off a bodylock that saw her land on top. Silva immediately looked to land elbows but was forced to back off by Da Silva, but failed to scramble up when she had the chance.

Karine Silva then moved into side control and looked to lock up a north-south choke, then threatened to mount before Ariane reclaimed half-guard. Da Silva might have connected with a questionable kick as she scrambled to her feet, but Silva appeared no worse for the wear. Now it was Ariane on her feet, with Karine on her back; Da Silva chose to get on top, working inside the dangerous guard of Karine Silva.

Round two saw kicks traded between Silva and Da Silva, with Ariane going high and coming close to catching the head. Karine Silva then caught a kick and used that to transition to a back-take, getting the fight down moments later. Karine was able to get on top, Silva holding on to half-guard. Eventually, despite Silva’s strong top game, Ariane grabbed a leg and locked in a heel hook; while unable to finish she did use the submission attempt to escape.

In the final minute of round two Karine Silva would draw “The Queen” back down; Da Silva defended with elbows and a kneebar attempt.

Karine Silva continued to prove to be a problem in round three. They’d hit the mat; Da Silva escaped, but Karine wound up taking her back to the fence. On the feet, there weree more kicking exchanges, with little else thrown. Da Silva went high for a kick that was locked again, but down in the fight, she would need to put something together. She finally did, firing a few hooks before Silva clinched up, leading to another takedown for Karine. In guard with just over a minute on the clock, that takedown likely put a final stamp on the fight.

Official Result: Karine Silva def. Ariane Da Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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News of the booking was first reported by MMA Hoje on X (the social media site formerly known as Twitter).

Lipski (17-8) comes into this one on a three fight win streak with victories over JJ Aldrich, Melissa Gatto, and Casey O’Neill. A win over another ranked fighter would go a long way to getting her closer to a top five fight.

A former KSW women’s flyweight champ, Ariane Lipski bears the moniker “The Queen of Violence,” and following a rocky start to her UFC run has started to live up to that name.

Karine Silva (17-4) is ranked #12 in the women’s flyweight division with just four fights in the UFC. Silva won a fight at Dana White’s Contender Series getting her a contract with the promotion. Since then she’s gone 3-0 with finishes of Ketlen Souza, Maryna Moroz and Poliana Botelho.

With the women’s flyweight title having just been retained by champion Alexa Grasso the rest of the division is shuffling for a shot at her title.

No other bouts have been announced for the card as of this post.

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Ariane Lipski, a former KSW women’s flyweight champ, looked dominant against “King” Casey O’Neill in a battle of MMA royalty. Well, royalty-themed nicknames at least. The end result was a submission win over Casey, but Lipski lit her up on the feet ahead of the finish.

“I’m really happy with my performance tonight. Actually, I’m really happy with my performances this year,” Lipski (17-8) said following the win, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. “I think it was my best— I’m sure it was my best year in the UFC, three wins in a row in a year. And a win against Casey O’Neill, she’s a great fighter, and she’s already fought big names in the UFC.”

“I was definitely ready for a war, because I know she pushes hard. But I was definitely, I’m going to finish her, because I knew I could do that. I was expecting to win by KO, but I knew if I had the opportunity I could submit her.”

Lipski was sure to credit her team, noting how much her grappling had improved in the past year. “It’s not just by myself, it’s about the team.”

When it comes to her next steps, Lipski is looking at May for a possible return date. That will put her past the arrival of UFC 300, in any case. In terms of opponents, “it’s not just about rankings, it’s about fighting against opponents who have names in the UFC, and will bring me closer to my goal in the UFC. So that’s what I’m looking for next year. Good fights, [opponents with] good names in the UFC, and will put me on the top.”

Ariane Lipski also addressed the bumpy road she took to get to this point in her career, having gone 2-4 to start her UFC run.

“I had a really tough time at the beginning in the UFC, but I already had this kind of situation at the beginning of my career. At the beginning of my career, I was like three losses and two wins,” she told Cageside Press. “So I just keep on working, that’s who I am as a fighter. When I came to the UFC with a lot of high expectations, a lot of hype, I wasn’t ready. It wasn’t a good moment, and like you said I had more losses than wins in the UFC. So the only way that I find myself was to find a purpose for what I do. For what [do] I fight? Why [do] I do this?”

Lipski found that purpose through religion, and hasn’t looked back it seems. She also noted that she’s “lucky because I have followers and fans that really support me. I had really tough moments in the UFC, and they were always there supporting me, because they like my style, they like the way I fight. They see truth in what I do. And I feel really blessed because of that. I feel I have the real ones.”

Watch the full UFC 296 post-fight press conference with women’s flyweight Ariane Lipski above.

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The women’s bantamweight bout between Irene Aldana and Karol Rosa hadn’t exactly screamed fire on paper. Aldana was fresh off a loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 289 in June in a failed title bid; Rosa had been trading wins and losses and was returning to 135lbs.

Yet as the fight got underway, Rosa quickly showed off a smart game plan, chopping at the legs of the ex-title challenger. Aldana, eating some nasty leg kicks, stood firm, eventually getting her boxing going and busting up the face of Rosa— while being bloodied herself.

Aldana, with two prior Fight of the Night bonuses to her name, would go on to win a unanimous decision with triplicate 29-28 scores. She now owns three Fight of the Night and two Performance of the Night bonuses since arriving in the UFC in 2016. For Rosa, though defeated, the bonus money should soften the blow.

Three Performance of the Night bonuses were awarded at UFC 296, as Shamil Gaviev, Ariane Lipski, and Josh Emmett all collected. Emmett’s knockout of Bryce Mitchell came with such force that the Arkansas native was left convulsing on the mat afterwards, in a frightening scene. While he eventually came to and was able to stand, wobbly legs required him to be escorted from the cage with assistance; a lengthy medical suspension is no doubt in Mitchell’s future.

Emmett, meanwhile, remains one of the most hard-hitting featherweights in the business. As for Lipski, the “Queen of Violence” lived up to her moniker in the best performance of her UFC run, as she put on a one-sided drubbing of Casey O’Neill that ended with an arm-bar submission.

Heavyweight Gaziev opened the UFC 296 card with a TKO finish of Martin Buday. All four bonuses winning fighters will pocket an extra $50,000 on top of their show/win money.

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