The UFC Vegas 59 results on Saturday night were a heaping helping of Octagon violence from the promotion’s headquarters in Nevada as every single bout ended in a finish.
In the evening’s headliner, a pair of top 10 light heavyweights went to war when fast-rising star Jamahal Hill faced his greatest challenge yet in former title challenger Thiago Santos. In the end, despite some serious resistance from the Brazilian, “Sweet Dreams” scored the biggest win of his career with a fourth-round finish of “Marretta.”
The card also featured the two finals matchups in season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” as Mohammed Usman squared off with Zac Pauga at heavyweight and Brogan Walker faced Juliana Miller at flyweight. The winners of each bout earned a multi-fight UFC contract.
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The card from inside the UFC Apex also saw the return of several established Octagon veterans like Vicente Luque, Geoff Neal, and Augusto Sakai. Let’s take a look at 10 of the biggest winners and losers from a violent night in Las Vegas.
Winner: Jamahal Hill
Thiago Santos possibly won two of the first three rounds of tonight’s main event and took Hill to deep waters, but the rising star proved up to the task in his UFC Vegas 59 results. Despite being taken down more than he ever has before and incurring some notable damage, Hill persevered and was able to finally damage Santos in the fourth and pummel him with vicious ground and pound to get a TKO victory.
The win was by far the biggest of his career, and the 31-year-old is deserving of some top-five competition in his next matchup. A showdown of rising stars against Magomed Ankalaev could be in the cards next.
Loser: Vicente Luque
Vicente Luque entered 2022 right on the cusp of a title shot against welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Even after his tough loss against Belal Muhammad in April, he still wasn’t far outside the title picture. However, his stunning knockout loss to Geoff Neal at UFC Vegas 59 means he is likely two years and four more wins away from being a contender again. The differences in his 2021 and 2022 results show just how brutal MMA can be.
Winner: Mohammed Usman
On Saturday night, Usman made UFC history by joining his brother, welterweight king Kamaru Usman, as the only sibling duo to have won a season of TUF. During his short career, “The Motor’s” power has always been his calling card, and he showed it off when he landed a left hook on Pauga that put his season 30 teammate out cold. It was a career-changing victory for the 33-year-old and a great introduction to fans just realizing Kamaru has a talented brother in the cage fighting game.
Winner: Juliana Miller
Just like she showed throughout the 30th season of TUF, Miller has grappling that can be a handful. Despite having far less pro experience, “Killer” was the favorite and she showed why in constantly grounding Walker and keeping her back glued to the mat and eventually scoring a third-round TKO. At no point was she threatened and she dominated in a career-defining moment. That’s a good start in the UFC for the 26-year-old.
Loser: Augusto Sakai
After winning a contract on DWCS in 2018, Augusto Sakai got off to a red hot start winning four straight to being his UFC tenure. However, his career has completely flipped the other way as his UFC Vegas 59 results delivered a fourth straight knockout loss. There was a time when Sakai was closing in on heavyweight contender status. Now, he has to wonder if he will be looking for a new fighting home next week.
Winner: Terrance McKinney
Terrance McKinney has electrifying talent, and he proved that once again in his UFC Vegas 59 results. He looked spectacular at times in dominating a durable fighter in Erick Gonzalez for the majority of the 2:17 that their fight lasted. On Saturday night, “T. Wrecks” earned his eighth career submission victory and reminded fight fans that he is just as dangerous grappling as he is striking. Outside of Paddy Pimblett, McKinney might be the next best prospect in the lightweight division.
Loser: Erick Gonzalez
Combate Americas veteran Erick Gonzalez has not had a good start to his UFC career. Granted it was a short-notice fight, but his debut knockout loss was a tough pill to swallow because it came against a fighter not known for his punching power in Jim Miller. Then, his UFC Vegas 59 results saw him soundly dominated for just over two minutes against Terrance McKinney, before being submitted. “Ghost Pepper” may get one more chance in the UFC, and if he does it will most definitely be a win or be-cut scenario for the 30-year-old.
Winner: Bryan Battle
While the TUF Season 29 winner’s talents didn’t really jump off the screen in his previous UFC fights, they certainly did in his UFC Vegas 59 results. His spectacular head-kick knockout of Takashi Sato put the welterweight division on notice that he isn’t just a good grappler but has the stuff to put foes to sleep too. “Pooh Bear” has now won seven straight overall and three in a row inside the Octagon.
Loser: Sam Alvey
What is there really to say about Sam Alvey at this point? He needs to retire or at the very least see his eight-year run in the UFC come to an end. There is no better person in MMA, but having a fighter on the roster that is now winless in his last nine is not a good look for a promotion that prides itself on having the best MMA talent in the world. “Smile’n” isn’t a UFC-level competitor and he hasn’t been in a long time. The organization needs to step up and save Alvey from himself.
UFC Vegas 59 results winner: Cory McKenna
On Saturday night, the first female fighter from Wales in UFC history became the first woman to ever win with a Von Flue choke inside the organization. The Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner is the youngest female competitor in the promotion and is now 2-1 inside the Octagon. At only 23, and fighting out of Team Alpha Male, McKenna is a prospect to keep an eye on inside the UFC’s strawweight division.