Author: Dan Hiergesell

Things didn’t go as planned last night (Sat., Feb. 22, 2025) at UFC Seattle LIVE on ESPN+ from inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash., when a main event bantamweight fight between former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong ended in a technical decision after a controversial eye poke.

Luckily, UFC Seattle produced memorable action outside of the headlining act. We’ve compiled some of the best moments below so feel free to check them out and let us know which performances stood out the most.

• Bantamweight veteran Ricky Simon ended a three-fight losing streak with a monstrous knockout win over Javid Basharat
• Paige VanZant’s husband, Austin Vanderford, had to fend off an angry opponent post-fight after a dominant TKO debut (highlights HERE)
• Welterweight finisher Nursulton Ruziboev made easy work of UFC newcomer Eric McConico with a blistering second-round TKO
• Modestas Bukauskas looked better than ever at 205 pounds after swiftly stopping Raffael Cerqueira with a vicious first-round knockout

• Bluechip Contender Series prospect, Mansur Abdul-Malik, survived a wild spinning elbow to stop short-notice newcomer Nick Klein (watch HERE)
• Light heavyweight veteran Ion Cutelaba earned his first UFC submission finish after a wild brawl with knockout artist Ibo Aslan
• Jean Silva turned in his fourth-straight knockout finish to start his UFC career with a brutal stoppage over Melsik Baghdasaryan (highlights HERE)

To sift through the action and see which fighters took home an extra $50,000, we take a closer look at the official UFC Seattle post-fight bonus winners below:

• Fight of the Night: Alonzo Menifield vs. Julius Walker
• Performance of the Night: Jean Silva
• Performance of the Night: Ricky Simon

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For complete UFC Seattle results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

With UFC Seattle in the books after an exciting night (Sat., Feb. 22, 2025) of fights live on ESPN+ from inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash., fight fans can now check out the post-fight press conference video above for all the best reaction and official bonus winners.

On a night that featured a bantamweight main event between former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo and perennial contender Song Yadong, a co-headliner between former middleweight foes Anthony Hernandez and Brendan Allen, and appearances by the likes of Jean Silva, Rob Font, and Mr. Paige VanZant, there will be a lot to discuss now that the action has concluded.

The post-fight presser is scheduled to go LIVE in the above video player around 12:00 a.m. ET (Sunday). It will feature the biggest winners and losers from the card, as well as UFC CEO Dana White.

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For complete UFC Seattle results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Jean Silva continued his featherweight takeover earlier tonight (Sat., Feb. 22, 2025) at UFC Seattle LIVE on ESPN+ from inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash., stunning Melsik Baghdasaryan with a ferocious first-round TKO (punches and elbows).

If you watched MMA in 2024 then you certainly know who Silva is and what he has done so far into his UFC career. The Brazilian powerhouse turned in three-straight knockout finishes to begin his UFC tenure last year and has carried that momentum over into the new year. Saturday night’s main card matchup with fellow striker Baghdasaryan was a great way for Silva to cash in once more and start 2025 off with a bang.

Fortunately, The Fighting Nerd product delivered the goods yet again. After a brief feeling out period Silva was able to find his range and unloaded a monstrous right hand that connected flush. Baghdasaryan fell back onto the canvas and looked up with confusion. Silva tried walking off, but the referee didn’t stop the fight. That’s when Silva jumped on top for more punches and vicious elbows to the body to finally put Baghdasaryan away.

Check out the finish in the above player.

It was yet another dominant knockout performance for Silva as he pushes UFC record to 4-0 in the talent-rich featherweight division. The 28-year-old contender called out controversial UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell after his win so we’ll see if UFC gives Silva his wish.

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For complete UFC Seattle results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Ion Cutelaba turned in an incredible effort earlier tonight (Sat., Feb. 22, 2025) at UFC Seattle LIVE on ESPN+ from inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash., stopping surging light heavyweight prospect Ibo Aslan with a wild first-round submission (arm-triangle choke).

This was a fun one while it lasted. Both Cutelaba and Aslan came out firing with everything they had. Aslan seemed to have a slight power advantage, but “Hulk” was swinging heavy leather with ill intentions. It was a crazy exchange of 205-pound brawlers who were looking for an early finish.

Luckily for Cutelaba, he had more up his sleeve outside of just winging punches. “Hulk” eventually changed up levels and utilized his wrestling and grappling. Aslan started to gas, which allowed Cutelaba to turn up his efforts. The light heavyweight veteran worked his way towards the arm-triangle choke, squeezed with all he had, and forced Aslan to tap.

Check out the submission finish in the above player.

Cutelaba, 31, is hands down one the most entertaining fighters in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, but he’s far from the most consistent. In fact, this was his first submission finish since 2015 and his first under the UFC banner. If “Hulk” can fight with a little more patience and continue to find a home for his wrestling he could make a fun run at the division’s top 10 in 2025.

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For complete UFC Seattle results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Mansur Abdul-Malik nearly gave up a massive upset earlier tonight (Sat., Feb. 22, 2025) at UFC Seattle LIVE on ESPN+ from inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash., but the former Contender Series standout maintained his composure and eventually stopped short-notice replacement, Nick Klein, with a nasty second-round TKO (punches).

Abdul-Mailk came into this fight a ridiculous -1350 betting favorite as Klein was filling in on very short notice. The undefeated Abdul-Malik looked scary in his Octagon debut against Dusko Todorovic back in Nov. 2024 so fight fans assumed he’d be able to handily defeat an unknown newcomer who had little time to prepare.

MMA isn’t always what it seems to be.

Despite being a massive betting underdog and given limited time to train for his official UFC debut, Klein leveled Abdul-Malik with a sneaky spinning elbow midway through the first round. Abdul-Malik was stunned, which allowed Klein to work some grappling and shock those in attendance who were expecting an early wipeout.

Abdul-Malik showed resolve, though, as the bluechip prospect fought back in the second round and landed some powerful punches along the cage. Klein began to fade as Abdul-Malik unloaded more combinations to force the referee’s hand and earn himself the comeback TKO finish.

Check out the video highlights below and let us know what you thought of Abdul-Malik’s overall performance:

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For complete UFC Seattle results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Ricky Simon ended a grueling three-fight losing streak earlier tonight (Sat., Feb. 22, 2025) at UFC Seattle LIVE on ESPN+ from inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash., handing bantamweight contender Javid Basharat his first loss by way of finish with a monstrous first-round knockout (punch).

Simon, who hadn’t tasted victory in over two years entering Saturday night, had his back against the wall. Fortunately, Simon was fighting in front of his home crowd and had his foot on the gas pedal from the opening bell. This included a nice takedown that forced Basharat to keep guessing where the attacks would come from.

Basharat, who is a solid all-around fighter, started to stuff Simon’s takedowns so the veteran switched up his approach. Simon launched a crushing straight right hand that connected flush and sent Basharat violently crashing to the canvas. Simon flew in for a brutal follow-up punch, but it wasn’t needed. Basharat was seeing stars.

Check out the final moments in the above video player.

Simon, 32, is now back on the right path at 135 pounds. There was a time when fight fans thought Simon could make a run in the top 10, but things took a turn for the worse from 2023-2024. Maybe this is a sign of great things to come for Simon. Remember, he’s the only fighter to ever stop current UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.

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For complete UFC Seattle results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.