UFC on ESPN 49 Prelims: Melsik Baghdasaryan Fends Off Tucker Lutz

29-28 across all of the scorecards 👏

🇦🇲 @Melsik_The_Gun is back in the win column! #UFCVegas77 pic.twitter.com/dRl6CP3hhf

— UFC (@ufc) July 16, 2023

Glendale Fighting Club member Melsik Baghdasaryan earned a hard-fought three-round verdict against fellow Contender Series alum Tucker Lutz in the evening’s featured prelim at UFC on ESPN 49 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. All three cageside judges scored the featherweight contest 29-28 in favor of Baghdasaryan (8-2, 3-1 UFC).

Lutz (12-4, 1-3 UFC) got out of the gates quickly, as he walked Baghdasaryan down with body kicks before ending Round 1 with a takedown and more than two minutes of top control. Baghdasaryan began to find a rhythm in the second frame, when a counter combination that included a left uppercut put his opponent on the retreat. Lutz did his best to make it a grind in Round 3, as he landed a takedown and threatened a back take. However, he did little with the position, and upon returning to his feet, Baghdasaryan landed a variety of impactful kicks at range and knees and elbows in close quarters to make a lasting impression.

Nunes Suffers Gruesome Elbow Injury

Istela Nunes suffered an apparent dislocated elbow while defending a takedown, bringing a premature ending to her strawweight clash against Victoria Dudakova. The Russian was declared the victor via technical knockout due to injury just 34 seconds into Round 1.

Related » UFC on ESPN 49 Round-by-Round Scoring

Dudakova (7-0, 1-0 UFC) dropped down to her opponent’s ankle for a takedown early in the bout, and when Istela attempted to post on the mat to defend, her elbow contorted at a gruesome angle. With Nunes (6-5, 0-4 UFC) screaming in agony on the canvas, the fight was waved off instantly.

Costa Outclasses Lingo

Melquizael Costa put on a clinic against Austin Lingo in a dominant decision triumph at featherweight. The Brazilian earned tallies of 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 to win for the third time in his last four professional outings.

Costa (20-6, 1-1 UFC) essentially used Lingo for target practice. He unleashed a wicked barrage of body kicks — lncluding rear kicks to the liver and spinning back kicks to the midsection — throughout the fight, an assault that had his opponent grimacing in Round 1. When he wasn’t working Lingo’s body, Costa landed head kicks, punches to the head and put the punctuation mark on his victory by grounding his adversary and threatening with submissions in the final stanza. Lingo (9-3, 2-3 UFC) was almost too tough for his own good, as he absorbed everything Costa had to offer to make it to the final horn.

Elder Notches First UFC Win

Nick Diaz Academy product Evan Elder outdueled Entram Gym export Genaro Valdez to win a unanimous decision in a lightweight slugfest. All three judges saw the fight in favor of Elder: 30-26, 29-28 and 29-28.

Elder hurt Valdez at the outset of each round: he clipped him with a counter right in Round 1, sat him down with a jab in Round 2 and staggered him with another jab while dislodging his mouthguard in Round 3. In between, Elder utilized the more versatile attack with powerful shots to the head and body and kicks to the legs. Valdez (10-3, 0-3), meanwhile, scored a massive knockdown in the second frame but was unable to capitalize on that moment.

Maksum Edges Nam

Azat Maksum kept his undefeated record intact with a split-decision victory against Tyson Nam at flyweight. Sal D’Amato and Chris Lee both submitted 29-28 tallies for the Kazakhstan native, while Brian Puccillo saw it 29-28 in favor of Nam (21-14-1, 3-5 UFC).

Maskum (17-0, 1-0 UFC) was a little quicker to the punch in exchanges, and his lead hand was especially effective in keeping Nam at bay. Nam, meanwhile enjoyed periodic success with low kicks before making a push in the final frame, when he landed a couple powerful right hands, stuffed multiple takedowns and worked the body in the clinch. It wasn’t quite enough to sway the scorecards in his favor, however.

Munoz Outpoints Deaton

Team Alpha Male export Alex Munoz secured his first promotional triumph with a unanimous decision over former PFL competitor Carl Deaton at lightweight. Munoz garnered tallies of 30-26, 30-27 and 29-28 in his first bout since April 17, 2021.

In a relatively low-volume affair, Munoz (7-2, 1-2 UFC) authored the fight’s most memorable moments. He buckled and cut Deaton (17-7, NC, 0-2 UFC) with a left elbow in the opening stanza and clipped him again in Round 2 with a left. Munoz’s best work came in the final period, when he dropped his opponent and swarmed with a barrage of left hands on the canvas. Though the finish didn’t arrive, Munoz implemented his wrestling for much of the final five minutes to clinch his victory. Deaton was able to periodically land straight rights, but his offense wasn’t as effective as that of his adversy’s.

Perez Mauls Evans-Smith

Takedowns, positional control and ground-and-pound propelled MMA Masters representative Ailin Perez to a clear-cut unanimous verdict over Ashlee Evans-Smith in a bantamweight showdown. All three cageside judges scored the fight for the Argentina native: 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26. Evans Smith (6-6, 3-6) has lost five of her last six Octagon appearances.

Perez (8-2, 1-1 UFC) rarely gave her opponent any room to breathe, as she grounded Evans-Smith multiple times in each frame. From there, Perez advanced to dominant positions — including mount on multiple occasions — and nearly finished “Rebel Girl” with a salvo of punches and hammerfists from above in Round 1. While Evans-Smith, who was making her first promotional appearance since 2020, stayed in the fight, she was unable to author any moments of note.