Five fights, five decisions to round out the UFC Fight Island 7 prelims, but there were flashes of excitement including a potential Fight of the Night between Justin Tafa and Carlos Felipe.
Tafa and Felipe started slow in round one but fought in the phone booth for two tough rounds that boasted plenty of strikes and momentum swings. Take a look at the highlights below.
Joselyne Edwards-Laboriel def. Wu Yanan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Edwards emerged victorious thanks to a heavy and accurate striking.
Overwhelmed with emotion!@JoselyneMMA29 with the win at #UFCFightIsland7.
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2021
[ #InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/yhSx8C9Tlv
Carlos Felipe def. Justin Tafa via split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Felipe and Tafa slugged it out for two-out-of-three hard rounds, putting in work to earn a potential Fight of the Night bonus. It was a competitive fight that ultimately went Felipe's way, but commentator Daniel Cormier scored it in Tafa's favor.
That's how you end a round --
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2021
Swinging heavy headed into round 3️⃣! #UFCFightIsland7 pic.twitter.com/UFgnR1IUR7
This ending was WILD -- #UFCFightIsland7 pic.twitter.com/kOU4SKLrz5
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2021
Get hype @CarlosBoiMMA --
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2021
---- He takes home the dub after a slug fest! #UFCFightIsland7 pic.twitter.com/FSjuWwmsSs
Ramazan Emeev def. David Zawada via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Emeev and Zawada took the fight to one another, but it was ultimately Emeev who squeaked through the cracks with a split decision win.
Bring on the welterweights --
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2021
---- @DavidZawada vs ---- Emeev keeps #UFCFightIsland7 rolling!
[ #InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/rhydUZn0Uy
Vanessa Melo def. Sarah Moras via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Melo landed the hardest shot of the night and took the lead in a three-round scrap that was relatively competitive.
Ladies taking center stage --
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2021
---- @SarahCheesecake vs ---- Vanessa Melo is up now on #ESPNPlus.
[ #UFCFightIsland7 #InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/dYVSzXWMiJ
Showcasing some slick striking --
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2021
---- Vanessa Melo by UD at #UFCFightIsland7
[ Prelims continue on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/YtFiz5LypF
Austin Lingo def. Jacob Kilburn via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
Lingo beat Killburn from pillar-to-post across three rounds, even earning one 10-8 round on two of the judges' scorecards.
And we’re back! --@Killer_Kilburn vs @AustinLingo is the first bout of the new year.
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2021
[ #UFCFightIsland7 #InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/TyKuGDoj5N
Lights out! --@AustinLingo with the first win of 2021.
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2021
[ #UFCFightIsland7 #InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/QwNEFJYg3R
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