Ryan Spann Lights Up Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in Featured UFC 237 Preliminary Tilt

SUPERMAN!!@Superman_Spann silences the Rio crowd and puts Lil Nog away in round 1! #UFC237 pic.twitter.com/KjiqceRpD0

— UFC (@ufc) May 12, 2019

The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 237 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.

Light heavyweight contender Ryan Spann wanted to make a statement on Saturday in the featured UFC 237 preliminary bout on ESPN and he did, scoring the biggest win of his career in sensational fashion.

“Superman” stood toe-to-toe with local Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, landing the harder, cleaner punches. After “Minotouro” powered back to his feet following a takedown, Spann (16-5) pelted him with a straight right-left uppercut combo to the jaw. Nogueira (23-9) crumbled onto his back and was quickly knocked out when Spann slammed a pair of follow-up punches, officially ending the contest at 2:07 of the first.

Moises Bests Overmatched Holobaugh

After losing his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, former Resurrection Fighting Alliance lightweight champion Thiago Moises got on track inside the Octagon by edging Kurt Holobaugh (17-7) via unanimous decision. Moises (12-3) landed the far better strikes over the course of three rounds and scored multiple takedowns to nullify much of what Holobaugh tried.

Moises wasn’t able to finish off the Louisiana fighter, instead settling for a lopsided decision win via scores of 30-26 (twice) and 30-27.

Related » UFC 237 Round-by-Round Scoring

Alves Dominates, Finishes Moraes

Warlley Alves turned in arguably his finest performance inside the Octagon as he tore apart Sergio Moraes’ lead leg and confidence before knocking him out. Alves (13-3) disintegrated Moraes’ left leg with dozens of nasty low kicks and controlled the pace of the welterweight fight from the start.

Moraes (14-6-1) was never allowed to find a rhythm offensively as he had to wade through absolute hell in the form of kicks to the leg and scattered punches upstairs. Alves then turned out his foe’s lights by landing a flying knee to the head, followed by a brutal right uppercut that landed square on “The Panther’s” chin. Moraes crumbled in a heap as soon as the punch landed, officially ending the fight at 4:13 of the third.

Penn Loses UFC-Record Seventh Straight

Clay Guida did what he normally does inside the Octagon and that’s apply an endless amount of pressure, all the while landing scattered punches and kicks. His opponent, former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion B.J. Penn (16-14-2), tried to hold his own against “The Carpenter,” but Guida’s pressure and legendary cardio were the difference.

Guida (35-18) tore up the Hawaiian’s legs and rocked him with punches to the head and wore down Penn’s cardio, but he couldn’t put him away. In the end, “The Carpenter” won a unanimous decision with tallies of 29-28 (twice) and 29-27.

Carolina Decisions Cachoeira

Luana Carolina looked solid against Priscila Cachoeira in the featured preliminary bout on UFC Fight Pass. “Dread” busted Cachoeira (8-3) up with punches and kicks to the head and body and when they clinched, she slammed several knees to the ribs as well.

Carolina (6-1) floored her flyweight foe with a sizzling left head kick in the second and nearly stopped her, but “Pedrita” stormed back to her feet and wound up surviving until the end. After the final horn sounded, Carolina won a unanimous decision via tallies of 30-26 (twice) and 29-27.

Huachin Earns Stoppage of Barcelos

Late replacement Carlos Huachin made his UFC debut and looked great early on. The Peruvian was landing hard punches to the head and body and seemed like he was on his way to score an upset. That was, however, until Raoni Barcelos dropped him with a right hook to the jaw in the second.

The Brazilian pounced on the woozy Huachin (10-4) and dished out several punches and elbows, mixed in with a rear-naked choke and guillotine attempt. Barcelos (14-1) then moved to mount and proceeded to hammer down a stream of elbows, but even though Huachin was blocking them, referee Eduardo Herdy decided he had seen enough and stopped it.

Huachin didn’t protest, though; the end came officially at 4:49 of the second.

Araujo Flattens Bernardo with Right Hook

Viviane Araujo showed no ill effects from making her UFC debut on a week’s notice as she bombed betting favorite Talita Bernardo out with one punch.

Araujo (7-1) was sensational on her feet for two-plus rounds as she picked Bernardo (6-4) apart with low kicks and sharp punches to the head. Early in the third with Bernardo backing towards the cage, “Vivi” unfurled a massive overhand right, knocking her fellow Brazilian out with a single blow. The bantamweight contest came to end just 48 seconds into the third.