The prelims for UFC Vegas 18 were book-ended by stoppage victories by first Ode Osbourne, and closed out by Devonte Smith in the featured prelims — watch Saturday's prelims video highlights here.
Devonte Smith def. Justin Jaynes via TKO (doctor stoppage) - 2:38 R2
Devonte Smith absolutely outclassed short notice replacement Justin Jaynes, almost finishing the fight with a rear-naked choke in the second, but once Jaynes got back to his feet, the fight was stopped due to a very ugly swelling directly on his left eye.
Karol Rosa def. Joselyn Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
After a very exciting back and forth first round, Brazil's Karol Rosa utilized brutal leg kicks to chop down the base of Panama's Joselyn Edwards and ride consistent pressure to a decision victory. Edwards had her moments, including opening up a nasty cut inside Rosaès mouth during a blitzing sequence in the second round, but it wasn't enough.
Lara Procópio def. Molly McCann via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 29-28)
Brazil's Lara Procópio utilized her plus grappling skills to a unanimous win over England's Molly McCann. Procopio's consistent takedown skills were threatened with an armbar from McCann in the second round, but once she had survived that scare she coasted down the stretch.
Of note, Molly McCann left her gloves in the cage after the fight, indicating she may be considering retirement, but she later clarified it was to honor her late father.
Seung Woo Choi def. Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
In his first fight back in the octagon in close to two years, Korean Seung Woo Choi utilized effective striking and avoiding the takedowns from Youssef Zalal to the best performance of his career.
Timur Valiev def. Martin Day via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)
Russia's Timur Valiev dominated Hawaii's Martin Day in a fight that featured Valiev using effective striking to get to his wrestling, and then dominate Day on the ground. Not an especially flashy fight, but an incredibly dominant performance by Valiev that was shown on the scorecards.
Note that while the above tweet says Valiev extended his undefeated streak, he was knocked out in his last fight vs. Trevin Giles, only to have the win vacated due to a positive marijuana test.
Ode' Osbourne def. Jerome Rivera via KO (punches) - 0:26, Rd 1
Jamaica's Ode' Osbourne got UFC Vegas 18 off to a fast start, catching Jerome Rivera's headkick, and delivering a counter right hand down the pipe to put an early end to Rivera's night.
UFC Vegas 18 takes place from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is headlined by a heavyweight fight between Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov. Stay tuned to Fightful for all the action from the card.
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