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UFC on ESPN 53 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and the headliner saw an ex-champion return to form.
Rose Namajunas (12-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) snapped her two-fight losing skid with a unanimous decision win over Amanda Ribas (12-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in their women’s flyweight bout, but that wasn’t the result that captured the most headlines.
There was first-ever fight outcome on the prelims, and for more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 53.
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Event stats
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $148,000.
Debuting fighters went 2-3 at the event.
Payton Talbott, Fernando Padilla, Andre Lima, Jarno Errens and Steven Nguyen earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 53 fight-night bonuses.
The UFC sold VIP tickets to fans for UFC on ESPN 53, but the promotion did not make public the total number of tickets sold or the gate.
Betting favorites went 11-2 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 6-4 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 13-bout card was 2:24:36.
Rose Namajunas def. Amanda Ribas
Namajunas improved to 1-1 since she moved up to the women’s flyweight division in September 2023.
Ribas fell to 2-3 in UFC women’s flyweight competition. She’s 5-1 in the octagon when competing at strawweight.
Karl Williams def. Justin Tafa
Karl Williams’ (10-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) three-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is tied for the longest active streak in the division.
Williams has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.
Justin Tafa (7-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) has suffered three of his four career losses by decision.
Edmen Shahbazyan def. AJ Dobson
Edmen Shahbazyan (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has earned 12 of his 13 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 11 of those wins by knockout.
AJ Dobson (7-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) suffered the first stoppage loss of his career with a knockout defeat.
Payton Talbott vs. Cameron Saaiman
Payton Talbott (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned seven of his eight career victories by stoppage.
Cameron Saaiman (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 9-0.
Saaiman suffered the first stoppage loss of his career with a knockout defeat.
Billy Quarantillo vs. Youssef Zalal
Youssef Zalal (14-5-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC) was successful in his return to the UFC for a second stint. He earned his first victory with the organization since August 2020.
Billy Quarantillo (18-6 MMA, 6-4 UFC) suffered the first submission loss of his career.
Fernando Padilla def. Luis Pajuelo
Fernando Padilla (16-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned 14 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. That includes both of his UFC wins.
Luis Pajuelo (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first stoppage loss of his career with a submission defeat.
Trey Ogden def. Kurt Holobaugh
Trey Ogden (17-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
Kurt Holobaugh (20-8 MMA, 1-5 UFC) has suffered six of his eight career losses by decision.
Julian Erosa def. Ricardo Ramos
Julian Erosa (28-11 MMA, 7-7 UFC) improved to 6-3 since he returned to the UFC for a third stint in June 2020.
Erosa has earned 23 of his 28 career victories by stoppage.
Ricardo Ramos (16-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) fell to 3-4 since he moved up to the featherweight division in November 2019.
Ramos has suffered five of his six career losses by stoppage.
Dariya Zheleznyakova def. Montserrat Rendon
Montserrat Rendon (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had her six-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.
Andre Lima def. Igor Severino
Andre Lima (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned seven of his nine career victories by stoppage.
Igor Severino (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had his eight-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
Severino became the first fighter in UFC history to suffer a disqualification loss for biting.
Mick Parkin def. Mohammed Usman
Mick Parkin’s (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) three-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is tied for the longest active streak in the division.
Parkin has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on X @MJCflipdascript.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.