In his top-of-the-card welterweight (170-pound) fight, Usman scored a unanimous decision over UFC veteran Demian Maia ... while, in the strawweight (115-pound) battle leading up to the Usman-Maia fight, Suarez submitted Alexa Grasso in the first round.
Usman comes out on top
Kamaru Usman Beyond the scores, however, the recaps of the Usman-Maia provided differing perspectives on what happened in the Octagon.
"A crushing sprawl, superior athleticism and efficient standup spurred Usman to a unanimous decision over Maia ..." according to leading MMA website Sherdog.com ... while ESPN wrote: "Welterweight contender Kamaru Usman picked up the biggest win of his career on Saturday but may have failed to make a statement in doing so."
"The five-round bout was difficult to watch because of lack of big moments," ESPN continued.
That said, Usman dropped Maia in the fourth round with a straight right.
That said, the 40-year-old Maia had taken the fight with Usman on short notice, and may not have been in ultimate shape.
At the end of the bout, Usman -- who had qualified for the NAIA championships having wrestled one season at William Penn, then was a three-time NCAA Division II All-American and 2010 champ for University of Nebraska-Kearney -- described his opponent as "a legend of the game. It's an honor to come in and compete with him."
With the win, Usman has compiled a 13-1 overall record since launching his pro MMA career in November 2012 (and is 8-0 in UFC) ... while Maia drops to 25-9 overall, and 19-9 in UFC.
Suarez makes short work of Grasso
A decade ago, Tatiana Suarez Padilla was making a name for herself in international women's freestyle wrestling, having earned bronze medals at World championships in Tokyo in 2008 and in Moscow in 2010 at 55 kilograms/121 pounds.
Now, Suarez is an emerging force in women's MMA ... boosting her stock by submitting Alexa Grasso with a rear-naked choke at 2:44 of the first round of their bout at UFC Fight Night 129.
Grasso fought desperately to free herself but to no avail in what ESPN described as "a textbook submission victory."
"It just went by so fast," said Suarez said after the fight. "I had a long, long camp. I've known about this fight for ten weeks and it was over so quickly ..."
With her quick submission win, Suarez -- The Ultimate Fighter 23 champ -- is now 6-0, and 3-0 in UFC ... while Grasso drops to 10-2 overall and 2-2 competing in UFC.
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