UFC on ESPN 48 Prelims: Fakhretdinov Spoils Lee’s Return, Wins 20th Straight Fight

Rinat Fakhretdinov made sure it wasn’t a happy homecoming for Kevin Lee.

The American Top Team-trained Russian made short work of the former interim lightweight title challenger, winning via technical submission 55 seconds into their 170-pound bout at UFC on ESPN 48 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. Fakhretdinov (21-1, 3-0 UFC) has won 20 straight professional outings dating back to June 30, 2013.

Related Content: UFC on ESPN 48 ‘Strickland vs. Magomedov’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring Lee (19-8, 11-8 UFC), who was making his first Octagon appearance since August 2021, never had a chance to make his mark. Fakhretdinov dropped “The Motown Phenom” with a perfectly-placed right hand on the chin early in the opening stanza. From there, Lee attempted to shoot for a desperation single-leg, but that only allowed Fakhretdinov to lock in a power guillotine. When Herb Dean moved in to take a closer look, Lee had been rendered unconcious by the choke — and the contest was subsequently waved off.

Brito Pounds Out Wilson

Joanderson Brito made short-notice foe Westin Wilson pay for his insistence on clinging to a kneebar. The 28-year-old Brazilian won his third straight bout, stopping Wilson via knockout with a heavy salvo of ground-and-pound 2:45 into the opening stanza of their featherweight encounter. Wilson (16-8, 0-1 UFC), a replacement for Khusein Askhabov, hasn’t seen the second round of a fight in his last 12 professional outings.

Brito countered a Wilson kick with a slew of power punches during an initial exchange before taking his adversary down. From there, Wilson transitioned to a kneebar and briefly appeared to have Brito in danger with the submission. However, his reluctance to relinquish the maneuver allowed “Tubarao” to unleash a barrage of heavy punches that eventually rendered Wilson unconscious.

Rosa Takes Split Verdict Over Santos

Karol Rosa took a significant step forward in a now wide-open female featherweight division with a split-decision triumph over former Invicta FC champ Yana Santos. Judges Ron McCarthy and Chris Lee scored the contest 29-28 for Rosa (17-5, 6-2 UFC), while Sal D’Amato saw it 29-28 in favor of Santos (14-8, 4-5 UFC).

Though she struggled at times to track down Santos, Rosa got better as the bout progressed. By Round 3, the Brazilian was walking her foe down and landing with superior power in exchanges. While Santos had the edge in volume and speed, her offense wasn’t impactful enough to get the nod on the scorecards.

Brener Rallies, Stuns Kutateladze

Chute Boxe Diego Lima representative Elves Brener survived some early adversity before rallying for a technical knockout victory over Allstars Training Center representative Guram Kutateladze at lightweight. Brener (15-3, 2-0 UFC) put his Georgian foe away for good at the 3:17 mark of Round 3. It marks the first time Kutateladze (12-4, 1-2 UFC) has been finished by strikes in his professional tenure.

Brener made his foe work by landing multiple takedowns early, but the momentum shifted when Kutateladze wobbled him with an elbow in close quarters. The “Georgian Viking” flurried with punches and elbows in hopes of a finish, but Brener survived the onslaught. The second stanza brought more of the same, when Kutateladze hurt his adversary with a knee to the body then denied a takedown, powered his way into top position and opened a significant gash on Brener’s forehead with an elbow from above. Once again, Brener was able to keep his composure and make it to the horn.

With Kutateladze slowing down, Brener took control in the final frame, consistently pushing the pace with multi-punch volleys to the head.

Carolina Tops Newcomer Petrovic

Dana White’s Contender Series Brazil alum Luana Carolina earned a three-round verdict against former Ares FC queen Ivana Siric Petrovic in a flyweight contest. The Brazilian known as “Dread” received a trio of 29-28 tallies from the cageside judges to end a two-fight skid.

Carolina (9-4, 4-3 UFC) landed the more damaging offense on the feet, attacking with punching combinations and the occasional high kick, and she was also able to rack up valuable control time in the clinch and on the mat. The only recourse for Petrovic (6-1, 0-1 UFC) was to repeatedly roll for leglocks during grappling exchanges, an approach that ultimately proved to be ineffective.

Romanov Pulls Away from Ivanov

Moldova native Alexander Romanov snapped a two-bout losing streak, as he outpointed former World Series of Fighting title holder Blagoy Ivanov in a heavyweight affair. All three judges scored the contest 30-27 in favor of “King Kong.” Ivanov (19-6, 3-5 UFC) has lost four of his last five Octagon appearances — all via decision.

Showcasing improved stamina from recent outings, Romanov (17-2, 6-2) got stronger as the fight progressed. He blended jabs and overhand lefts with kicks to the legs and body on the feet while also landing takedowns in the second and third stanzas. Meanwhile, effective ground-and-pound from Romanov in Round 2 opened a cut near Ivanov’s eye. Ivanov countered effectively in spurts, but he simply couldn’t match the volume of his opponent.