The action unfolds later tonight (Sat., Feb. 24, 2018) at UFC on FOX 28 from inside Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., as promotional staple Jeremy Stephens aims to ward off rising featherweight contender Josh Emmett in a tantalizing main event matchup.
In addition to Emmett vs. Stephens, women’s strawweights Jessica Andrade and Tecia Torres will duke it out for No. 1 contender rights, while light heavyweight veteran Ovince Saint Preux looks to lock down his fourth-straight win when he encounters Swedish finisher Ilir Latifi.
But, before the premier bouts get underway on FOX starting at 8:00 p.m. ET, UFC on FOX 28's “Prelims” action will go down on Fight Pass starting at 4:15 p.m. ET and FOX starting at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Find out what happened right here as the UFC on FOX 28 undercard recaps roll in real-time:
Renan Barao vs. Brian Kelleher
Former UFC bantamweight champion Barao (34-6, 1 NC) hoped to regain his elite form when he challenged rising contender Kelleher (19-8) in the FOX “Prelims” headliner. Kelleher swung for the fences early as Barao looked to land a timely head kick. Barao came over the top for a flush right hand. The Brazilian then stumbled “Boom” with a sweeping leg kick. Kelleher landed a slick head kick-right hand combination that briefly shook “The Baron.” Kelleher dropped Barao with one minute left in the round when he connected with a right hand to the temple. In Round 2, Kelleher looked for an early takedown but was denied. Barao came back with a nice one-two combination in the center of the cage. Kelleher temporarily secured a takedown along the cage. Kelleher came back with a hard left counter before finding a home for a timely head kick. The third and final frame saw Barao come out firing and land a few combinations. Kelleher came back with a flush left hand before landing another high kick. Kelleher turned the pressure up along the cage and really started to sap the Brazilian’s energy. Kelleher finally landed a spinning fist he was waiting for and really hurt Barao. From there, Kelleher battered Barao along the cage with countless combinations and uppercuts. In the end, “Boom” did more than enough over the course of three rounds to capture the unanimous decision win.
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Sara McMann vs. Marion Reneau
Former UFC women’s bantamweight title challenger McMann (11-5) looked to shed a recent submission loss to prospect Ketlen Vieira when she welcomed 40-year-old veteran Reneau (9-3-1) back to action. McMann came out aggressive on her feet before slamming Reneau to the ground with a takedown. From there, McMann scored some valuable ground-and-pound from the crucifix position as Reneau struggled to free her arm. McMann changed her attack and nearly sunk in a north-south choke, but Reneau defended nicely. In Round 2, Reneau leveled McMann with a hard left hand. McMann tried to save face by shooting for a takedown, but Reneau defended nicely. Reneau kept the pressure on with more strikes from distance before McMann scored another takedown. Reneau landed some good elbows from her back while threatening with a triangle choke. McMann tried to defend but ultimately had to tap.
40-Year Old WINNER! Marion Reneau teaches another lesson as she makes Sarah McMann tap! #UFCOrlando https://t.co/keObnuzLRN
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 25, 2018
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Angela Hill vs. Maryna Moroz
The first of three women’s matchups pitted talented strawweight striker Hill (8-4) against Ukrainian contender Moroz (8-3). Hill opened up with hard leg kicks and combinations over the top. Moroz tried to come back with her own set of strikes, including front push kicks and reaching jabs, but she couldn’t land. Hill kept busy with a hard counter right hand that did most of the damage early. Moroz was able to land a short combination inside that was probably her cleanest strikes of the first five minutes. In Round 2, Moroz missed more of her early striking attempts, as Hill landed a crisp overhand right to back her adversary up. Hill scored some control time along the cage with a strong clinch and hard uppercut inside. Hill eventually worked for a throw and put Moroz on her back. From there, Hill landed slicing elbows from full guard before Moroz was able to get back to her feet. Moroz started to take over a little bit as Hill looked like she was tiring. The third and final frame saw Hill go back to the lead leg of Moroz, while Moroz returned favor with a kick to Hill’s body. Hill was able to catch a follow-up kick and pushed Moroz on her butt. Moroz stayed busy in her output but didn’t find much consistency with actually landing strikes. Hill was able to press, absorb little damage, get inside, and score points with some knees in the clinch. Moroz was only able to land at 20 percent in this fight (compared to Hill’s 50), which ultimately allowed Hill to dictate the scorecards, record the more telling damage, and walk away with the unanimous decision nod.
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Ben Saunders vs. Alan Jouban
In the FOX “Prelims” opener welterweight veteran Saunders (21-9-1) aimed to rebound after a recent knockout loss to Peter Sobotta when he locked horns with fighter/model Jouban (16-6). Saunders closed the gap early to land a hard right hand along the cage. Jouban remained mobile, but Saunders landed a good combination that temporarily stunned him. Jouban responded with a nice uppercut down the pipe in the clinch. Saunders kept the pressure up and stalked Jouban with more right hands, while “Brahma” came back with nasty leg kicks that hurt “Killa B.” A hard groin shot temporarily stopped the action. Another uppercut by Jouban put Saunders on his butt before the end of the round. In Round 2, Saunders mixed it up with some head kicks. Jouban slammed a big combination into Saunders in the clinch, adding kicks to the body and slicing elbows to the temple. Saunders regrouped and did more damage with his straight right. The leg kicks started to wobble Saunders and force him to move slowly around the cage. Jouban kept the pressure up and finally finished Saunders when he caught him with a huge left hand.
Alan Jouban finishes Ben Saunders with a vicious right hand to kickoff #UFCOrlando! WOW! https://t.co/54ORx4Ogl1
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 24, 2018
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Sam Alvey vs. Marcin Prachnio
The Fight Pass preliminary headliner saw middleweight knockout specialist Alvey (32-10) move up to 205 pounds to take on highly-touted Octagon newcomer Prachnio (13-3). Alvey was able to stuff an early spinning back kick by Prachnio, who eventually pushed the action against the cage in the clinch. Prachnio landed hard shots to the body after the action broke. Alvey came back with an outside kick that hurt the UFC newcomer. After Alvey stunned Prachnio with a hard right hook, Prachnio tried to man up and push forward with aggression. That proved to be his end as Alvey leveled him with a walk-off right hook to the applause of the Florida crowd.
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Rani Yahya vs. Russell Doane
In the second of three men’s bantamweight matchups on the card, Brazilian veteran Yahya (25-9, 1 NC) looked to capture his 10th UFC victory when he met talented Hawaiian finisher Doane (15-8). It was a quick takedown for Yahya, who effortlessly moved into half guard. The Brazilian grabbed a hold of Doane’s neck and started to crank a deep half nelson. Yahya was able to land a few knees to the body in the process. Doane couldn’t defend much other than keeping Yahya out of full mount. The fight was temporarily stopped and the Brazilian’s position was taken away after Yahya landed two knees to Doane’s spine. In Round 2, Yahya quickly shot for another takedown. Doane threatened with a guillotine choke, but Yahya was able to transition to the Hawaiian’s back and nearly sink in a rear-naked choke. Doane defended nicely, but Yahya kept the body triangle tight and scored short ground-and-pound from behind. Doane got back to his feet with Yahya stuck to his back and whipped the Brazilian on his head with seconds left in the round. The third frame saw Doane keep his distance and land with hands. Doane made a mistake by throwing a body kick which allowed Yahya to drag the action to the canvas. Once there, the Brazilian veteran controlled every exchange and absolutely smothered Doane with pressure along the cage. Yahya worked his way up Doane’s body and grabbed a hold of an arm triangle choke. Doane tried to defend but eventually had to tap.
Fourth career win by arm triangle by @RaniYahyaMMA! #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/mW7I4M4QCE
— UFC (@ufc) February 24, 2018
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Eric Shelton vs. Alex Perez
Former Ultimate Fighter standout Shelton (11-5) looked to capture his second-straight UFC victory when he took on 25-year-old submission specialist Perez (20-4). Perez pushed forward early with a powerful right hand. Shelton opted for a takedown attempt but that allowed Perez to scramble and end up in top position. The action returned to the feet and Shelton was able to land a short knee inside after Perez swung for another right. Perez scored even more with another takedown right before the first bell. In Round 2, Perez caught Shelton flush with a right hand straight out of the gate. Shelton started to open up with some kicks to keep Perez at range. Perez then landed another takedown which led to more top control than it did damage inflicted. The third round saw a desperate Shelton press forward and lead with his jab. Shelton found a home for combinations along the way, too, but Perez continued to control range and dictate spacing. Perez was able to land another takedown to stifle any momentum Shelton had regained on the feet. In the end, it was Perez who did enough over the course of three rounds to walk away with the unanimous decision win.
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Albert Morales vs. Manny Bermudez
The opening bout of the evening saw bantamweight veteran Morales (7-4-1) welcome undefeated UFC newcomer Bermudez (12-0) to the 135-pound division. Morales caught Bermudez with a straight right hand early that temporarily dropped the newcomer. Bermudez quickly scored a takedown and eventually worked for a triangle choke. Morales sat up and defended nicely which forced Bermudez to let go of the submission attempt. Bermudez switched things up and transitioned to top control where he scored short ground-and-pound. Morales got back to his feet, secured his own takedown, and landed hammer fists before the first bell sounded. In Round 2, Morales started to open up on the feet and press the action with his hands, defending a takedown in the process. Out of nowhere, Bermudez was quickly able to find Morales’ neck during a clinch inside and looked to sink in a guillotine choke. Bermudez dropped to the canvas and cranked the choke until Morales was forced to tap.
Tapout! @_MannyBermudez gets the finish via submission in round 2! #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/kjRUwkXy5B
— UFC (@ufc) February 24, 2018
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