UFC Atlantic City: Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot: Full Results

UFC on ESPN 54, popularly known as UFC Atlantic City, just wrapped up. The event took place on March 30 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It featured top contenders, veteran fighters, and rising contenders in several divisions. So let's check out the full event results.

In the main event, No. 2-ranked UFC women's flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield fought No. 3-ranked Manon Fiorot.

Fiorot, who appeared to be a step ahead in the striking department, made it difficult for Blanchfield to impose her grappling. Blanchfield's entries were consistently intercepted with snappy strikes, and she found it hard to get in close as the fight progressed.

Fiorot assumed the role of a patient counter-striker as Blanchfield desperately tried to close the distance. However, the 24-year-old American appeared to be the fresher fighter in the later rounds and brought the fight to Fiorot until the final bell.

But Fiorot still maintained the lead and earned a unanimous decision victory, winning every round on the judges' scorecards.

In the co-main event, No. 11-ranked welterweight contender Vicente Luque took on Joaquin Buckley. Luque defeated former UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos in his last outing. Meanwhile, Buckley, who dropped to welterweight in 2023, was 2-0 in the division heading into the fight this weekend.

The fight was a competitive affair in Round 1, and both men had their moments. In Round 2, Luque ended up on his back after a failed takedown attempt, and Buckley attacked with vicious ground-and-pound.

Luque had no answer to the devastating shots and covered up to protect himself from the sustained assault. Referee Keith Peterson, who gave the Brazilian ample time to fight back, had seen enough as Buckley attempted 50+ strikes to the head and stopped the fight.

'New Mansa' will likely enter the welterweight top 15 with his win over the No. 11-ranked Luque.

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman fought Bruno Silva on the main card. Weidman, who suffered a horrific leg injury at UFC 261 in 2021, returned to competition after making a full recovery when he fought Brad Tavares at UFC 292.

Weidman and Silva put on gritty performances and gave each other everything they could handle in the cage. However, there were a few fouls, and one of them affected the outcome.

Weidman won the fight via third-round TKO after Silva went down during an exchange. The Brazilian protested the outcome, claiming that an eye poke initiated the finishing sequence.

The result was later changed to a unanimous decision win for Weidman (30-27 x 3) based on the scores until the final foul.

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UFC Atlantic City results: Prelims and main card fighters deliver impressive finishes

Middleweight fighter Nursultan Ruziboev, who has one of the highest finishing rates in MMA, defeated Sedriques Dumas via Round 1 TKO. However, the win was controversial as the replay showed Ruziboev's open palm glancing against his opponent's eye right before the finishing sequence.

Featherweight contender Kyle Nelson defeated Bill Algeo via TKO, hurting him several times on the feet before the referee stepped in to stop the action.

In the featured prelim bout, Nate Landwehr scored an impressive come-from-behind victory over Jamal Emmers. A perfectly-placed left hand from Emmers hurt Landwehr during the early exchanges.

However, Landwehr survived the onslaught and knocked Emmers down with a left uppercut. He followed up with ground-and-pound and was declared the winner by TKO.

No. 5-ranked UFC strawweight Virna Jandiroba used her experience and grappling advantage to control Loopy Godinez en route to a unanimous decision victory. The win extended her winning streak to three.

Elsewhere, Julio Arce, Dennis Buzukja, Ibo Aslan, and Jacob Malkoun secured impressive knockout wins on the preliminary card. Arce's opponent, Herbert Burns, landed several low blows during the fight. Referee Gary Copeland was praised for his intervention as he promptly took a point away from Burns.

Main Card

Women's flyweight - Manon Fiorot def. Erin Blanchfield via unanimous decision (50-45 X 3)

Welterweight - Joaquin Buckley def. Vicente Luque via TKO (R2, 3:17)

Middleweight - Chris Weidman def. Bruno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27 X 3) (R3, 2:18)

Middleweight - Nursultan Ruziboev def. Sedriques Dumas via TKO (R1, 3:18)

Featherweight - Kyle Nelson def. Bill Algeo via TKO (R1, 4:00)

Welterweight - Chidi Njokuani def. Rhys McKee via split decision (30-27 X 2, 28-29)

Preliminary Card

Featherweight - Nate Landwehr def. Jamall Emmers via TKO (R1, 4:43)

Strawweight - Virna Jandiroba def. Loopy Godinez via unanimous decision (29-28 X 2, 30-27)

Featherweight - Julio Arce def. Herbert Burns via TKO (R2, 2:00)

Featherweight - Dennis Buzukja def. Connor Matthews via TKO (R3, 0:22)

Light heavyweight - Ibo Aslan def. Anton Turkalj via TKO (R3, 1:32)

Middleweight - Jacob Malkoun def. Andre Petroski via TKO (R2, 0:39)

Bantamweight - Caolan Loughran def. Angel Pacheco via unanimous decision (30-27 X 2, 30-26)