The UFC Fight Night 47 preliminary card started off with a bang as two fighters making their UFC debut put on a show in a three round affair. Nolan Ticman and Frankie Saenz went toe-to-toe for the duration of their bantamweight bout, with highlights coming left and right.
In the end, Saenz took home the unanimous decision with 30-27 scorecards across the board. Saenz will move up the ladder and undoubtedly get a stiffer test next time out. As for Ticman, he should get one more shot in the big leagues.
The second bout of the evening was yet another wild brawl between middleweights Tom Watson and Sam Alvey. After Watson dominated Alvey in the first two rounds, Alvey came alive in the third, battering Watson early on with a wild barrage. Watson held tough though and returned some heavy shots himself. Ultimately, Watson survived the round and he went on to win the unanimous decision.
The third fight provided us with yet another unfortunate decision. After Lauren Murphy outstruck former UFC title challenger Sara McMann 203 to 72 in total strikes, the judges gave the bout to McMann for her control on the mat. McMann, the former Olympic silver medalist in wrestling, did nothing while on top of Murphy yet somehow was given the decision. Time and again MMA judges reward takedowns far too heavily, and they did so once again tonight.
In the main event of the prelims, Jussier Formiga defied the betting odds and handily defeated the heavy favorite Zach Makovsky to put his name right amongst the challengers in the flyweight division. Formiga won the grappling and wrestling aspect of the fight to continually put Makovsky in precarious positions. With one more big win, Formiga could be fighting for the UFC title.
Here are the full UFC Fight Night 47 results:
Jussier Formiga defeats Zach Makovsky by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sara McMann defeats Lauren Murphy by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Tom Watson defeats Sam Alvey by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Frankie Saenz defeats Nolan Ticman by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
