UFC Fight Island 7 prelims results & video: Edwards impresses vs. Wu, Felipe wins brawl with Tafa

Check out the results and highlights from the UFC Fight Island 7 prelims, where Joselyne Edwards won a unanimous decision over Yanan Wu, and Carlos Felipe took a split over Justin Tafa in a banger of a bout.

Finishes on the UFC FIGHT ISLAND 7 preliminary card were non-existent as the promotion’s first event of 2021 is officially underway. The prelims closed out with UFC newcomer, Joselyne Edwards, taking a unanimous decision over Yanan Wu. Edwards threatened with a close armbar attempt in the opening round, and then did enough on the feet to sway the judges. Edwards showed off a well-rounded game and appears too be a solid addition to the UFC’s roster.

Before that, the heavyweight division enjoyed Justin Tafa and Carlos Felipe going to war on the feet for three-rounds. Both fighters landed solid strikes throughout, with plenty of forehead to forehead brawling from the big boys. When it was all said and done, it was Felipe who took home the split decision. Also on the prelims, Ramazan Emeev earned a split decision over a very game David Zawada, and the very first UFC bout of 2021 saw Austin Lingo hurt Jacob Kilburn several times on the feet en route to a unanimous decision victory.

**See complete results below

Prelims:

Joselyne Edwards def. Yanan Wu by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-29): (W) Flyweight

Wu found top position within the first 60-seconds. Edwards threatened with an armbar right away, with Wu trying to remain calm and defend the hold. Wu stood up in an attempt to slam Edwards, but decided against it and dropped back down to the mat. Wu finally escaped the sub attempt and landed a couple of ground strikes before taking the back. Edwards used Wu’s momentum against her and scrambled into full mount, and then ultimately to the back. Wu did spin around into the full guard just before the bell.

Wu backed off Edwards early in the second round, causing a bit of a wince. Once Edwards seemed to recover, she got more aggressive and pressed forward. She took top position and landed several unobstructed blows before Wu was able to stand back up. Edwards fell over but instinctually landed a cool double up kick to get back to her feet.

Edwards started to slow down a bit in the final frame, allowing Wu to dictate the pace. The bulk of this round took place on the feet, and as time ticked away, Edwards started to get her second wind. She started to throw much more volume than she was at the beginning of the round, and even added in a takedown attempt just before the bell.

Carlos Felipe def. Justin Tafa by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Heavyweight

The heavyweights met in the middle of the cage and started hesitantly trading, feeling out one another but still throwing with bad intentions. The action was back and forth with neither man really taking over. An accidental eye poke to Tafa brought a brief pause to the bout, but things got back underway rather quickly. Tafa was connecting with his leg kicks as Felipe would over-commit and stumble out of position.

Felipe came out more aggressive in the second round. He went right at Tafa throwing heaters. Tafa responded with a clean hook to the body and then an uppercut to the head. That early aggression from Felipe faded a bit, and Tafa started to score with his boxing. The referee paused the fight to give Felipe a hard warning about his fingers being extended. Upon the restart Felipe blitzed his foe with a combination to the head and body that had Tafa shelling up. The round ended with a forehead to forehead brawl.

The big men went back to fighting on a napkin in the final round. One man would rip the body, and then then other man would have a go. An accidental eye poke from Tafa briefly paused the bout. Tafa was the one that added a layer to his strategy by incorporating takedown attempts. He didn’t actually find top position, but he did put his opponent on the defensive. The final 30-seconds saw the giants brawl it out, slinging bricks back and forth until the bell.

Ramazan Emeev def. David Zawada by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Welterweight

The welterweights went right to work, trading in front of one another on the feet. Then, Emeev hit a slick bodylock takedown, but Zawada immediately sprung right back to his feet. They spent some time in the clinch against the cage before Emeev hit a trip to take top position. Back on the feet, Emeev landed a brilliant up elbow that dazed his opponent for just a moment.

Emeev didn’t waste much time before scoring a takedown in the second-act, but Zawada didn’t spend much time on his back. The better punches were being dished out by Emeev, but Zawada kept attacking the lead leg. Zawada was also starting to stuff the takedown attempts.

It took all of about ten-seconds for Emeev to blast a takedown in the final round. Zawada briefly threatened with a triangle attempt, but Emeev was wise to it and shut it down. Showing off some true grit, Zawada was able to explode up to his feet and secure a takedown of his own. Just as he reached full mount, Emeev was able to hit a reversal to get back on top.

Vanessa Melo def. Sarah Moras by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2): (W) Bantamweight

Melo took the center of the Octagon, keeping Moras skirting along on the outside. Moras was sticking and moving while trying to avoid the heavier punches of Melo coming back her way. There weren’t really any big wow moments in this round.

Melo clocked her foe early in the seocnd round with a well-placed right hand that knocked out the mouthpiece of Moras. After that, there was a lot of moving from Moras and a lot of chasing from Melo. There was a lot of volume being thrown from Moras, but the bulk of those strikes actually missed.

Austin Lingo def. Jacob Kilburn by unanimous decision (30-26 x2, 30-27): Featherweight

Lingo stung quickly, dropping Kilburn inside the first-minute of the fight with a hefty right hand. Kilburn somehow stood back to his feet, but Lingo was ready and waiting with a barrage of jabs and crosses. Lingo hurt his foe on several occasions, but Kilburn showed off tremendous toughness and leaned on his grappling to survive. There was a brief pause towards the end of the round due to an accidental cup check, and upon the restart Kilburn connected with a jarring spinning backfists.

Kilburn went tot he takedown in the second act, quickly earning top position, but elected to stand back up. The piston-like right hand of Lingo was still finding a home as Kilburn kept trying to close the distance. Lingo did a solid job of staying vertical and not allowing Kilburn to finish his entries. The final round saw more of the same. Kilburn came close to coming out on top in a couple of grappling exchanges, but Lingo did just enough to not get put in a bad position. Oh, and more flush right hands from Lingo scored with not much striking offense coming back his way.