UFC on ESPN 51 Prelims: Marcus McGhee Decks Spiraling J.P. Buys in Las Vegas

MARCUS MCGHEE DID THAT 💥 #UFCVEGAS78 pic.twitter.com/d3S78uzMP4

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 12, 2023

A narrow opening was enough for Marcus McGhee to strengthen his position on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster.

The MMA Lab rep on Saturday punched out a reeling J.P. Buys in the featured UFC on ESPN 51 bantamweight prelim at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Buys (9-6, 0-4 UFC)—a short-notice substitution for Gaston Bolanos—packed his bags 2:19 into Round 1, his unsightly losing streak having been extended to four bouts.

McGhee (8-1, 2-0 UFC) utilized fluid stance switches, walked through a few chopping right hands from the South African grappler and let his quick, powerful punches fill in the blanks. After he stunned Buys with a clean one-two, the 33-year-old John Crouch disciple stepped into a counter right hook that dropped his adversary to all fours. It soon became apparent to everyone, including referee Jason Herzog, that Buys was in no condition to move forward.

Related » UFC on ESPN 51 Round-by-Round Scoring

Not to be upstaged, Warrior Camp export Terrance McKinney stepped in as a late replacement for Lando Vannata and swept aside Mike Breeden with punches in the first round of their featherweight scuffle. McKinney (14-6, 4-3 UFC) slammed the door 1:25 into Round 1, as he bounced back from consecutive defeats to Ismael Bonfim and Nazim Sadykhov.

It could not have gone much worse for Breeden (10-5, 0-3 UFC). McKinney established himself with accurate punches and two partially blocked head kicks, then turned his attention to other targets. A left hook to the body doubled over Breeden and put him in a state of retreat with nowhere to go. McKinney gave chase, battered him with collar-tie knees and trapped him along the fence, firing away with punches until it was over.

Breeden, a former International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers apprentice, remains winless under the UFC banner.

Meanwhile, Factory X prospect Isaac Dulgarian dazzled in his organizational debut and kept his perfect professional record intact, as he buried Francis Marshall with punches and elbows in the first round of their featherweight encounter. Dulgarian (6-0, 1-0 UFC) drew the curtain 4:48 into Round 1.

Marshall (7-2, 1-2 UFC) did not enjoy the experience. Dulgarian completed a double-leg takedown inside the first minute and proceeded to shred the Pellegrino MMA product with destructive ground-and-pound. He opened multiple cuts on Marshall—one on the right eyelid and another on the forehead—and methodically increased the intensity of attack. Once the blood started flowing, Dulgarian climbed to full mount and let fly with punches and elbows for the finish.

Dulgarian, 27, has stopped all six of his opponents in the first round.

Elsewhere, former Oktagon MMA champion Martin Buday subdued two-time Dana White’s Contender Series alum Josh Parisian with a kimura in the first round of their heavyweight affair. Parisian (15-7, 2-4 UFC) conceded defeat 4:11 into Round 1, losing for the second time in as many outings.

The 31-year-old Buday (13-1, 4-0 UFC) handled his business from the outset. The 6-foot-5 Slovakian closed the distance with punches, pressed Parisian into the fence and unleashed punches and a few knees. Buday later lured the Scorpion Fighting System product into the clinch, scored with close-range knees and secured a takedown. From there, he framed the kimura, stepped over Parisian’s head and torqued his exposed right arm behind his back. Pain did the rest.

Buday will ride a 12-fight winning streak into his next assignment, though he was not the only undercard participant to author a memorable submission.

Onetime Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Da’Mon Blackshear took out Jose Johnson with a twister in the first round of their bantamweight confrontation. A short-notice replacement for Brady Hiestand, Johnson (15-8, 0-1 UFC) bowed out 3:47 into Round 1.

Blackshear (14-5-1, 2-1-1 UFC) executed multiple takedowns, applied his ground-and-pound and eventually progressed to the back. Johnson failed to adequately defend himself, threw an ill-advised backward elbow and set the stage for his own demise. Blackshear captured the arm, set up the twister and contorted his counterpart’s torso to prompt the tapout.

It was the third twister submission in UFC history, as Blackshear joined Chan Sung Jung and Bryce Mitchell as the only fighters to pull off the maneuver inside the Octagon.

Further down the lineup, American Top Team’s Jaqueline Amorim rebounded from her April 8 loss to Sam Hughes in resounding fashion, as she disposed of Montserrat Ruiz with elbows and punches in the third round of their women’s strawweight clash. Amorim (7-1, 1-1 UFC) closed it out 3:41 into Round 3.

Ruiz (10-3, 1-2 UFC) was game, but the difference in skill was too great to overcome. Amorim was utterly dominant through two rounds. The former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion schooled Ruiz on the mat, where she floated between full mount and the back, unleashed elbow-laced ground-and-pound and threatened with a tight armbar, a rear-naked choke and an arm-triangle. Amorim accepted bottom position in the third round, swept into mount with a kimura and cut loose with elbows and punches until referee Chris Tognoni had seen enough.

The 30-year-old Ruiz has suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time as a pro.

Finally, promising promotional newcomer Luana Santos put away “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 30 winner Juliana Miller with punches in the first round of their women’s flyweight pairing. Santos (6-1, 1-0 UFC) brought it to an emphatic close 3:41 into Round 1.

Miller (3-3, 1-2 UFC) elected to throw caution to the wind with unbridled aggression and paid a steep price for her miscalculations. Santos staggered the flailing 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu rep on multiple occasions with clubbing right hands, so much so that she resorted to leaning against the cage to keep her upright. The 23-year-old prospect kept her foot on the accelerator, continued to batter the dazed-and-confused Miller with punches along the fence and forced Herzog to intervene.

Santos has rattled off three consecutive victories.