UFC Vegas 97 took place last night (Sat., Sept. 7, 2024) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, and featured a welterweight showdown in which Sean Brady defeat the former title challenger, Gilbert Burnsafter 25 minutes of action (summary here). In the co-main event Natalia Silva defeated Jessica Andrade in a back-and-forth duel in the women’s flyweight division.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Biggest winner: Sean Brady

Since the defeat against Mohammed Belal Two years ago, Brady recovered with two wins in a row Kelvin Gastelum and now Burns, both former title challengers. Brady is now 7-1 in the Octagon and is looking to move into the top five after his recent win. If he can continue to rack up wins at this rate, he could eventually earn a rematch against Muhammad, who now sits atop the division throne.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Second place: Natalia Silva

Silva just keeps on piling up wins and secured her 12th consecutive victory. And she did it by winning the one-on-one against the former champion. Jessica Andrade. Silva improves her undefeated record in the Octagon to six straight wins, meaning she could be moving closer to the top five. To make things even sweeter, she and Andrade earned an additional $50,000 for the “Fight of the Night.”

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Honorable Mention: Steve Garcia

Garcia secured his fifth consecutive victory in the Octagon, all by stoppage after Kyle Nelson by technical knockout in the first round. Garcia has really found his rhythm and is always full steam ahead once the opening bell sounds. If he continues to rack up stoppage wins, he could soon be ranked in the top 15. Not to mention, he also won an additional $50,000 in bonus money after the fight.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Biggest Loser: Matt Schnell

Changing opponents is never easy, but it is especially difficult for the person who accepts a short-notice fight against someone who has already been in training camp. Cody Durden was up to the situation and agreed to compete against Schnell after Alessandro Costa withdrew from the contest. In fact, Durden did a great job, finally applying an Anaconda Choke in the second round to force Schnell to give up, who has now lost three fights in a row – four out of five in total – all by stoppage. After the loss, Schnell announced his retirement from boxing, so if this really is the end for him, he is not going out on a good note.

For complete results, coverage and highlights from UFC Vegas 97 click here HERE.