UFC Busan prelims results and video: Pantoja violently KO’s Schnell

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Check out the results and highlights from the UFC Busan prelims, including Alexandre Pantoja stopping Matt Schnell with a brilliant first-round knockout.

The UFC Busan prelims are in the books, concluding with Ciryl Gane taking a clean unanimous decision over Tanner Boser. Despite being a huge heavyweight, Gane showcased excellent footwork and looked quite light on his feet. He mixed up his striking attacks to not be predictable, his cardio held up, and he walked away with the win. Gane remains undefeated, now sitting at 6-0. Before that, Seung Woo Choi put on a striking clinic against Suman Mokhtarian to take the unanimous decision. Despite losing a point in the opening round for grabbing the fence, Choi still ran away with the scorecards. After starting out 0-2 in the UFC, Choi finally has a promotional win under his belt.

Also on the undercard, the UFC’s #4 ranked flyweight, Alexandre Pantoja, pulled out a brilliant first round knockout of the #9 ranked Matt Schnell. Both men were willing to stand and bang, but it was Pantoja who came up with the big shot to end it. This is how you rebound from a loss! Early on the prelims, Amanda Lemos returned to action after two years away to pull out a tech sub of Miranda Granger in the opening round. She was able to fight off a leg lock to cinch up an RNC and put her opponent to sleep.

**See complete results below

Prelims:

Ciryl Gane def. Tanner Boser by unanimous decision (30-26 x3): Heavyweight

The big men were using a lot of footwork in the opening round. They were both picking their shots without swinging wildly. Boser was mixing up his attack while Gane was looking to set up his right hand. Gane was able to cut open Boser around the right eye early in the second stanza. The punches and kicks were getting through for Gane. They were were coming from different angles and in a rather creative way, especially for a heavyweight. Boser kept throwing, but had issues connecting on the bigger man. Gane continued to lead there dance in the final frame. He stayed with his jab and continued to build off of it without being predictable. Boser was just a step behind and struggled to mount any meaningful offense of his own.

Seung Woo Choi def. Suman Mokhtarian by unanimous decision (29-26 x2, 29-25): Featherweight

Choi pressured right away, backing Mokhtarian to the fence. Once they locked up, Choi let off with some sweet elbows and knees. Up against the fence, Choi continued to throw volume with his knees. The referee stopped the action because Choi kept grabbing the fence, and then deducted a point for the infraction. Choi continued to own the round for the remaining time left on the clock.

Choi came out throwing a ton of volume in the second act. He flurried with an insane punching combo against the cage, and then landed a crushing body kick that dropped Mokhtarian. On the ground, Choi controlled from the top as he dropped down elbows.

Mokhtarian continued to struggle with the strong striking of Choi in the final round. He was flat out getting outclassed. An accidental eye poke from Mokhtarian caused a pause to the action. When the fight resumed, Mokhtarian landed a winging punch that wobbled Choi. He tried to stay aggressive but ended up on his back. As time ticked away, Choi dropped some more elbows from the top as he controlled from half guard.

Omar Morales def. Gong Hyun Ma by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-28): Lightweight

Morales caught a kick to take top position in the first act. Ma threatened with a Kimura from the full guard but the submission defense of Morales held up. Morales landed some solid body punches, but couldn’t do much else before the bell. The second round saw the fighters go strike for strike in a slow-paced kickboxing affair. There wasn’t a ton of volume being thrown but they were throwing with power. Neither man really dished out any significant damage in this round.

Ma came out for the third with Zabit more urgency, but still struggled to connect. Morales landed a sweet spinning kick to the face that dropped Ma, and then followed him to the floor in an attempt to finish. Ma was stuck on the bottom and didn’t make it back to his feet until there was about ten seconds left.

Alexandre Pantoja def. Matt Schnell by KO at 4:17 of round 1: Flyweight

Pantoja started throwing fists of fury right off the jump. He threw a a flurry that briefly wobbled Schnell in the opening sequence. Schnell responded with heavy hands of his own, and was able to stagger Pantoja with a combo of his own. Pantoja hit a pair of takedowns and was able to land some solid punches on the ground. Back on the feet, Pantoja landed a hard counter right hand that knocked out Schnell on impact! Eek!

Raoni Barcelos def. Said Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2): Bantamweight

Nurmagomedov opened the bout with spinning stuff to back off the aggression of Barcelos. The pressure returned for Barcelos as he moved forward behind his leg kicks. Nurmagomedov kept spinning with his backfist, but also kept missing the mark.

Nurmagomedov continued to use his movement and spinning attacks in the second round. Barcelos stuck to his gameplan and kept hammering with his leg kicks, causing Nurmagomedov to switch stances. Barcelos managed to take the back while Nurmagomedov was standing, but time ran out before anything happened.

The flashy strikes of Nurmagomedov kept coming in the final act. Barcelos addressed them by pressuring forward and making it ugly against the cage. Barcelos then caught a kick and took the fight to the floor. He worked his way tot he back, but Nurmagomedov worked his way back to his feet before the bell.

Amanda Lemos def. Miranda Granger by technical submission (RNC) at 3:43 of round 1: Strawweight

Lemos came out working her leg kicks before securing a body lock takedown. Granger attacked with the rubber guard before rolling for a leg. Granger responded with a modified RNC with tons of pressure and actually put Granger to sleep!

Heili Alateng def. Ryan Benoit by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Bantamweight

Benoit looked to pressure his opponent, backing Heili up with strikes. The body kick was cracking early for Ryan with Heili having few answers. Heili did start to let his hands go as the round went on, and was able to pressure Benoit backwards. He actually briefly dropped Benoit with a right hand towards the end of the frame.

Benoit brought the pressure again in the second act. He stayed with his body kicks and then tried to go high with the head kick. Heili ate the blows and then began to move forward himself behind his punches. He was able to bust open Benoit’s nose. Benoit tried to pressure back, but Heili’s counter punching kept him ahead.

Heili went to his takedown in the final frame. He was to put Benoit on his back on a few occasions. Benoit did do a good job of scrambling back to his feet each time. Towards the end of the round, Benoit began to stuff the takedowns and was able to land a bit more with his hands.