Live Winners and Losers From UFC Fight Night 246, Results

The marquee appeal of the UFC's trip to Edmonton this weekend took a big hit when heavyweight slugger Derrick Lewis was pulled from the card with what the company labeled a "medical issue (non weight-cut related)" on Friday, but the show went on.

It was the promotion's third time in Alberta's northernmost major city, and it wasn't as if the 13 bouts remaining on the docket were completely without merit. In fact, the main event matched two of the top three flyweights in the world, both with an eye on a win and a title shot.

Ex-champ Brandon Moreno, now ranked second behind champion Alexandre Pantoja, had dropped two straight split decisions over five rounds and he tried to avoid a third consecutive loss against No. 3 contender Amir Albazi. Albazi was unbeaten in five fights in the UFC and had lost just once, five years ago, in 18 pro appearances.

Another former champion, two-time strawweight queen Rose Namajunas, continued her chase for another belt in the women's flyweight division, where she faced third-ranked contender Erin Blanchfield in the co-main. Namajunas, ranked fifth, was 2-1 since climbing from 115 pounds and Blanchfield, just 25 years old, had won six straight in the octagon before dropping a decision to now-second-ranked Manon Fiorot in March.

The B/R combat team was on top of the action in Oil Country and delivered a list of the show's definitive winners and losers. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the comments.

There's a case to be made for sleeping on Brandon Moreno.

After all, there are a lot of miles on his 30-year-old combat odometer–given that he turned pro at age 17, has fought more than 30 times, and has had a half-dozen turns in the UFC's championship fight spotlight.

But that doesn't mean it's a good idea.

The popular Mexican superstar restaked his claim to high-end status among the company's flyweights, turning back the challenge of streaking third-ranked contender Amir Albazi in Saturday's five-round main event.

It was a 22nd pro win and 11th in 18 UFC fights for Moreno, who'd arrived after consecutive split-decision losses that cost him his title belt (to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290) and his No. 1 contender slot (to Brandon Royval in a Fight Night main event) within seven months.

He was a unanimous winner this time over Albazi, taking all five rounds on two scorecards and four of five on the other from a foe who'd been a pristine 5-0 in the UFC and had just one loss in 18 fights dating back to his pro debut in 2009.

Moreno was the busier and more precise fighter for 25 minutes, throwing 83 more strikes than Albazi and landing 68 more. He also defended three of four takedown attempts and was under Albazi's positional control for just nine seconds.

"This was just a reminder for the rest of the division," Moreno said. "I'm very humble. I'm very respectful to everybody. But I'll be the baddest person on the planet."

One woman's title chase is over, or at least significantly sidetracked. Another's, it seems, has just begun again.

Two-time flyweight champ Rose Namajunas was hoping to earn a spotlight opportunity in her new surroundings at flyweight and appeared for two rounds as if she'd get it.

But 25-year-old Erin Blanchfield began establishing herself with pressure and a superior ground game from Round 3 on and closed strong enough to earn a narrow but fair unanimous decision in the meeting of the division's third- and fifth-ranked fighters.

Blanchfield had been on the uptick earlier in the year before her own belt pursuit was put on hold by a shutout loss to Manon Fiorot. She's right back in the mix, though, with the defeat of "Thug Rose," which came by official scores of 48-47 across the board.

All three judges gave Namajunas the first two rounds and Blanchfield the final three. The most critical five minutes came in a particularly competitive fourth, during which Blanchfield held a 40-25 in significant strikes and had 53 seconds of positional control time.

Overall, she had a 110-94 edge in significant strikes, a 2-1 advantage in takedowns, and had nearly nine minutes of control time compared to her foe's 15 seconds.

If nothing else has been accomplished in 2024, one thing is for certain: Jasmine Jasudavicius has made Canadian MMA great again.

The 35-year-old, who fights out of Niagara Falls, Ontario, has used her three fights in the calendar year to work into the flyweight title picture.

An anaconda choke felled Priscilla Cachoeira in January and Jasudavicius followed it up with a unanimous defeat of Fatima Kline five months later.

That victory got her to No. 14 in the rankings at 125 pounds, a spot she'll surely improve on with Saturday's d'arce choke wipeout of Ariane da Silva, who'd arrived a spot ahead at No. 13.

The fan favorite began asserting herself with ground offense late in the first round and advanced her position with another takedown and more punishing shots in the second.

It went to the floor again in the third and the end came seconds before the midway point when da Silva was finished with the d'arce at 2:28.

Jasudavicius is 5-1 in her last six and 6-2 in the UFC since her winning run on Dana White's Contender Series in 2021.

A little warning to Dustin Stoltzfus' future opponents.

Engage in a slugfest at your own risk.

Canadian fan favorite Marc-Andre Barriault chose stand-up violence over ground combat in Saturday's second main-card fight and wound up unconscious for his trouble.

Stoltzfus, a Germany-based middleweight scrapper, chased a full-mount position and tried for an armbar in the second half of Round 1 against Barriault, but was foiled when his foe bucked him off and got back to a vertical stance.

That clicked both men into full-on brawl mode and an extended exchange that ended abruptly when Stoltzfus landed a hard right hand that left Barriault flat on his back.

Two unfettered ground strikes arrived just as referee Marc Goddard intervened, giving Stoltzfus the official victory at 4:28.

It was just a third win in eight UFC fights for the 32-year-old Xtreme Couture team member, who's been similarly dumped by a spinning back elbow from Brunno Ferreira on a Fight Night show in Louisville in June.

Barriault has lost three straight, two by finish and one by decision, since his last win in June 2023.

Youssef Zalal is built for the big moments.

And now, he seems to know how better to handle them.

A dynamic 28-year-old featherweight, Zalal was a pedestrian 3-3 with a draw across seven fights in an initial UFC stint from 2020 to 2022 before returning as a short-notice replacement in March.

He turned that opportunity into a surprise second-round submission win and hasn't stopped progressing since, adding Welsh veteran Jack Shore to his list of victims with another punishing second-rounder that provided the night's first finish after four decisions.

"I told you guys when I came in here. I want to be a world champion," he said. "I will be a world champion."

Based on Saturday's performance, it'd be hard to argue the assertion.

Lest anyone forget, Zalal went three rounds with now-champion Ilia Topuria when they met on a Fight Night show in 2020, and it wouldn't be a surprise to the broadcast crew–based on their reactions to Saturday's sudden end–if they saw each other again at some point.

He's 3-0 since returning to the UFC, winning each by submission.

"What's so dang impressive about him is that he's using his striking to set up these submissions," analyst Daniel Cormier said. "This kid went back to the regional scene to work his way back to these moments. And he's taken advantage."

Dana White's Contender Series is a recognized means for a fighter to earn his or her way into a UFC contract. But it's no guarantee of success once the cage door closes.

In fact, of the eight fighters in Edmonton who'd reached the promotion via the now-seven-year-old feeder program, only three started their Saturday night fights with a better-than-.500 record in octagonal competition.

Brazilian behemoth Rodrigo Nascimento was one of those three–having won four of six fights alongside a no contest since 2020–but his trip to northern Alberta was a flop thanks to a unanimous decision loss to Alexandr Romanov in a tedious battle of ranked heavyweights.

A 31-year-old who turned pro in 2012, Nascimento was maddeningly non-violent against his plodding, 261-pound foe, landing just 41 strikes across 15 minutes and winding up on the rightfully short end of a unanimous decision in which all three judges scored a shutout.

Only Nascimento and Canadians Mike Malott and Jasmine Jasudavicius had won more than they lost since their respective Contender Series runs, while fellow graduates Caio Machado, Brendson Ribeiro, Dustin Stoltzfus, Chad Anheliger and Serhiy Sidey arrived to Rogers Place with a combined 4-12 record.

Serhiy Sidey had experienced the feeling of leaving a locker room, revving the engines in the cage-side inspection station, and climbing the stairs for an official fight.

But he'd never felt what it was like to win one.

Until Saturday. Sort of.

The 28-year-old Ukrainian was the closest thing to a UFC newbie across the show's 13 bouts–having made just one official octagonal appearance–and it seemed his wait to remove the 0 from the win column would be extended, until the judges gave him a split decision triumph over Garrett Armfield that even he looked like he hadn't expected.

Sidey barely celebrated when Bruce Buffer read the final scorecard in his favor and he sheepishly turned to a smirking Armfield and tapped gloves before leaving the cage.

Based on the numbers, his surprise was warranted.

Armfield finished with a 71-57 edge in significant strikes, had each of the fight's four takedowns, and ran up nearly five minutes of control time compared to 47 seconds for Sidey.

Nevertheless, Sidey is 1-1 in the UFC and 11-2 as a pro while Armfield dipped to 2-3 in the promotion and 10-5 since debuting in 2018.

"I thought (Armfield) won the fight," analyst Daniel Cormier said. "It's not a robbery. But it's one of those fights."

Chad Anheliger had the home court.

But that didn't mean he had the advantage.

The 37-year-old from Calgary strutted to the cage to the sounds of Nickelback and had the unquestioned support of the Canadian crowd, but it didn't go so well once he stepped in with fellow bantamweight veteran Cody Gibson.

Anheliger boxed well in the first minute but he was soon taken to the mat and had to sacrifice offense while perpetually scrambling to escape finishes on the way to dropping a clear and unanimous decision in the show's second prelim bout.

It was Anheliger's third loss in five UFC bouts while Gibson won for the second time in four tries since returning to the company after an initial stint that bridged 2014 and 2015.

Anheliger was the lone underdog of seven Canada-based fighters on the show.

The first Maple Leaf-bearing favorite, British Columbia flyweight Jamey-Lyn Horth, started off the night with an iffy split decision over Ivana Petrovic after 15 minutes in which she was taken down twice and controlled for better than half the fight.

One judge gave Horth all three rounds while another saw it 2-1 in her favor, overruling a dissenting scorecard that was 2-1 for Petrovic.

Main Card

Brandon Moreno def. Amir Albazi by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)

Erin Blanchfield def. Rose Namajunas by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)

Brendson Ribeiro def. Caio Machado by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Ariane da Silva by submission (d'arce choke), 2:28, Round 3

Dustin Stoltzfus def. Marc-Andre Barriault by KO (punch), 4:28, Round 1

Mike Malott def. Trevin Giles by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card

Aiemann Zahabi def. Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Charles Jourdain def. Victor Henry by submission (guillotine choke), 3:43, Round 2

Youssef Zalal def. Jack Shore by submission (arm triangle), 0:59, Round 2

Alexandr Romanov def. Rodrigo Nascimento by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Serhiy Sidey def. Garrett Armfield by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Cody Gibson def. Chad Anheliger by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 20-26)

Jamey-Lyn Horth def. Ivana Petrovic by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)