Kyler Phillips continues to prove his intention to make a significant impact in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight division. In his first appearance in over 500 days, the MMA Lab standout outshone Raoni Barcelos, securing a unanimous decision in the featured UFC on ESPN 50 prelim at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. All judges were in agreement, with scores of 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28 for Phillips, who now boasts an 11-2 record and 5-1 in the UFC.
Phillips’ Impressive Performance
Barcelos, a short-notice substitution for Said Nurmagomedov, seemed to show his age at 36 and struggled to keep up with Phillips in open space. Phillips brought Barcelos down with a clean one-two in the first round, troubled the Brazilian with a takedown in the second round, and managed to stay ahead in the third. Barcelos put in a late surge with takedowns and a right hook to the body, but it was too little too late for him.
Other Notable Fights and Results
In other UFC on ESPN 50 action, former Brave Combat Federation titleholder Carlston Harris put Jeremiah Wells to sleep with a brabo choke in the third round of their welterweight confrontation. Harris secured his seventh victory in eight bouts with this remarkable comeback. Former King of the Cage champion and “The Ultimate Fighter 22” alum Billy Quarantillo overcame a difficult start to capture a unanimous decision over Damon Jackson in a three-round featherweight firefight.
American Top Team’s Cody Durden stepped in as a short-notice fill-in for Tagir Ulanbekov and took a unanimous decision from former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Jake Hadley in a highly competitive and entertaining flyweight encounter. Durden has now won four consecutive fights. Lastly, Sean Woodson rebounded from a draw with Luis Saldana, as he claimed a one-sided unanimous decision over former Ring of Combat champion Dennis Buzukja in a three-round featherweight affair.
Promising Kazakh prospect Abu Almabaev put away 2019 DWCS graduate Ode Osbourne with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their flyweight pairing, securing his 14th consecutive victory. Osbourne has now lost two of his past three bouts.