Raoni Barcelos and Khalid Taha | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Raoni Barcelos and Khalid Taha stole the show on Saturday.
The two bantamweights engaged in a thrilling three-rounder, with Barcelos pulling out a convincing decision victory despite Taha exhibiting plenty of heart and toughness. For their efforts, Barcelos and Taha won the UFC Vegas 13 Fight of the Night award and an extra $50,000 each.
Giga Chikadze and Alexandr Romanov won their first Performance of the Night bonuses.
Chikadze scored his first UFC finish, making short work of late-notice replacement Jamey Simmons. Now 5-0 inside the octagon, Chikadze shined after their bout was bumped up to the main card (following the cancellation of Brendan Allen vs. Ian Heinisch), landing a spectacular head kick that led to the finish at the 3:51 mark of round one.
Romanov won his second UFC fight and improved to 13-0 as a pro with a first-round submission of veteran Marcos Rogerio de Lima. The undefeated heavyweight took de Lima to the ground and attacked with a forearm choke, forcing de Lima to pass out with just 12 seconds remaining in the first round. He has won all of his fights by knockout or submission.