UFC Fight Night 253: Live Winners and Losers, Results

The UFC was back in Las Vegas today, and there was no question it was one of the promotion's weaker Fight Nights in recent memory. As any hardcore fight fan knows, however, it's often the under-the-radar cards that deliver the most memorable action, and this one was good proof of that.

The main event was contested at flyweight, with No. 6-ranked knockout artist Manel Kape taking on the No. 8-ranked contender Asu Almabayev, who has won a ridiculous 17 straight fights. Despite some previous Octagon stumbles, Kape looked like he was on another level, stopping the surging wrestler with strikes in round three.

The co-main event—though it's hard to even call it that—was contested at middleweight, with Cody Brundage taking on Julian Marquez. Both guys were a few losses away from .500 records, but their fight ended up being very entertaining, with Brundage scoring a first-round stop after absorbing some huge punishment himself.

Elsewhere on the card, we were treated to a lightweight war between Nasrat Haqparast and Esteban Ribovics, which the former won by decision, and appearances from a number of undefeated prospects, who had varying results.

Keep scrolling for the full results of the card, and the real winners and losers of the night.

Main Card | 7 p.m. ET on ESPN

Manel Kape def. Asu Almabayev via TKO at 2:16 of the third round

Cody Brundage def. Julian Marquez via TKO at 4:45 of round one

Nasrat Haqparast def. Esteban Ribovics via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)

Hyder Amil def. William Gomis via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)

Hyder Amil def. William Gomis via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)

Sam Patterson def. Danny Barlow via KO at 3:10 of round one

Preliminary Card | 4:30 pm ET on ESPN

Mario Pinto def. Austen Lane via KO 0:39 of round two

Chepe Mariscal def. Ricardo Ramos via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Danny Silva def. Lucas Almeida via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)

JJ Aldrich def. Andrea Lee via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)

Ramazan Temirov def. Charles Johnson via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Cody Brundage and Julian Marquez frankly have no business fighting on a UFC main card, let alone in a UFC co-main event. At least, that's how it seemed heading into Saturday's card, when the two middling middleweights were given the second-last spot on the line-up.

While neither guy is ever going to be a serious contender in the middleweight division, they ultimately justified their lofty position on the card with a wild, back-and-forth brawl that ended inside the first frame.

In the end, it was Brundage who came out on top in their middleweight slugfest, putting Marquez down with a right cross with about 15 seconds left in the opening round. The win doesn't change much for Brundage, who has already been exposed by an unproven contender in Bo Nickal. He's not going to fight for a UFC title. That being said, he proved that he is must-watch TV, especially in matchups that he can win.

Keep him out of co-main events in the future, but nobody is going to complain about seeing him on main cards. He always delivers in terms of entertainment.

2024 was an incredible year for fights. It was the year that gave us Max Holloway's stunning, last-second KO of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300; Alex Pereira's KOs of Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree; and Ilia Topuria's stoppages of Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.

Those were all incredible finishes, but arguably the best fight of the year occurred in September, when the UFC debuted in the Las Vegas Sphere, and Esteban Ribovics defeated Daniel Zellhuber in a three-round firefight.

Ribovics' unforgettable win over Zellhuber, which saw the pair throw almost 300 combined strikes in 15 minutes, should have guaranteed him a spot on pay-per-view main cards for the remainder of his Octagon career. Instead, the UFC saw fit to banish him to the Apex, a venue that can only accommodate a few hundred fans and is known for having the energy of a dentist's waiting room.

This was a massive mistake. As all hardcore fans expected, Ribovics' fight with Haqparast delivered. Sure, he ended up losing a decision to his rival, but it was a fantastic fight, as expected, and unfortunately, there was almost nobody in the building to enjoy it.

There's little denying that professional football players represent the pinnacle of athletic performance. That doesn't not mean they're going to be good at fighting—especially if they arrive in the Octagon after their football careers flamed out.

The MMA history books are full of stories of former NFLers failing in the Octagon. Remember Matt Mitrione? He went pro with the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants. Sure, he had some great wins in the Octagon—and better wins in Bellator, where he KO'd Fedor Emelianenko—but he never got anywhere near a title shot. The same goes for Brendan Schaub, Marcus Jones, and of course Greg Hardy who, after proving he was a bad person in the NFL, proved he was an abysmal fighter in the UFC.

Former Jacksonville Jaguar and proven nice guy Austen Lane shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as somebody like Greg Hardy (even though Hardy knocked him out on Contender Series). However, Lane is the latest example of the fact that football is not a good background for MMA.

At UFC Fight Night 253, he suffered a brutal second-round KO at the hands of Mario Pinto, falling to 1-3 (with one no contest) in the Octagon. At this point, it's obvious that the 37-year-old isn't going to fare any better in the UFC than any linebacker or running back before him.

You could be forgiven for sleeping on Chepe Mariscal when he arrived in the UFC. The Colorado-based featherweight had a paltry 13-5 record at the time, and really hadn't given any indication that he could become a serious contender in the Octagon.

It's time for Mariscal's doubters to wake up. "Machine Gun" had won four-straight fights heading into Saturday's card in Las Vegas, and picked up a fifth consecutive victory on the night opposite the tough Ricardo Ramos, who he defeated by unanimous decision.

The win over Ramos isn't going to turn Mariscal into a title contender overnight, but as veteran MMA journalist Adam Martin pointed out on Twitter, he has absolutely earned a fight with a top-15 foe. Whether that means a matchup with the winner of an upcoming fight between Dan Ige and Sean Woodson, or a showdown with a veteran like Calvin Kattar remains to be seen. One way or the other, he deserves his shot.

The second bout of Saturday's card in Las Vegas was contested at flyweight, with Andrea Lee taking on JJ Aldrich. Anyone that watched the fight probably regrets not timing their bathroom breaks better. It was an objectively awful watch.

Lee, who was once a serious contender in the strawweight division, had lost five-straight fights heading into the contest. It was quite surprising that she still had a UFC contract heading into Saturday, and in the end, she did nothing to justify her position on the roster in the fight itself, spending most of the encounter punching at air from a distance.

The fight ended up going three rounds, and while it was admittedly close, the decision ultimately went to Aldrich, which meant a sixth-straight loss for Lee. After that result, it's clear that she doesn't belong in the UFC anymore. Clearer still is the fact that she should seriously consider retirement. In fact, if isn't considering it, it may be time for her team to intervene.

She looked completely uninspired in the Octagon—even with her job on the line. Clearly, it's time to hang up 'em, whether she knows it or not.

Anyone who watched Manel Kape fight in Rizin knew what was he was about long before he got to the UFC: at his best, he can knock out any flyweight or bantamweight in the world.

Outside of a fight with Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson, it's hard to imagine Kape having a tougher welcome to the UFC than he got. In his first fight with the promotion, he lost a decision to Brazil's Alexandra Pantoja, who is now the division's champ.

That debut loss may have given the impression that Kape was not a UFC championship-caliber fighter, but it's safe to say the former Rizin star has dispelled any such notion.

In Saturday's main event, Angola's "Starboy" improved to 6-1 in his last seven fights with a fantastic stoppage win over surging Kazakh contender Asu Almabayev, who had not lost in 17 fights.

The win may be enough to earn Kape a rematch with Pantoja, however, the next title shot is widely expected to go to Kiwi KO puncher Kai Kara-France. One way or the other, Kape has proven that, despite a hiccup in his first UFC bout, he's still the guy Rizin fans knew and loved: a ferocious and aggressive puncher with stopping power far above what we expect from the UFC's lightest weight class. And possibly, a future UFC champ.