Vera extends finishes record at Bantamweight
Top bantamweight contenders No. 5 ranked Vera and former champion No. 8 ranked Cruz proved that styles make fights.
Cruz used his unique footwork to land punches in volume, while Vera stayed composed and countered with hard shots.
Going into the fourth round, Cruz was arguably ahead when Vera timed a perfect head kick that earned him a KO victory. With that result, Vera extended the record for the most finishes at bantamweight.
After the bout, Vera said, "Coach told me, 'Throw a bomb after your punches, and you will find him'. Thank you Coach, I love you. I came to this sport to be a world champion.
"I have the heart, I have the work ethic, and now I have the people to get me there. I believe it's all about performance. Whoever has the best finish, the flashiest one, is who gets the title shot. I will keep working... and Ecuador, I'm going to be a champion."
Landwehr stands tall in fight of the night
In the Fight of the Night, featherweights Landwehr and Onama delivered fireworks for all three rounds.
Momentum swung back and forth as they both went for knockouts and submissions non-stop. After the final bell, the judges' scorecards gave a majority decision win to Landwehr.
Following the decision win, Landwehr said: "I showed up, plain and simple. Nate 'The Train' in the UFC, I'm the roughest, toughest, buck-est mother, and I can fight pretty good too, baby! I'm the baddest man in the division!"
Other Main Card Action
Two of the youngest fighters on the UFC roster put on a show in their Octagon debuts, as 23-year-old Yazmin Jauregui scored a unanimous decision win over 20-year-old Iasmin Lucindo in a high-impact strawweight three-rounder.
Priscila "Zombie Girl" Cachoeira and Ariane Lipski were rebooked at bantamweight a week later than originally scheduled, and both came out eagerly trading punches. Cachoeira landed hard and dropped Lipski, winning the bout by TKO in just a minute and five seconds.
In the main card opener, veteran Gerald Meerschaert choked out Bruno Silva for a submission win in the third round of a middleweight bout, while Azamat Murzakanov also claimed a third round stoppage of Devin Clark in a light heavyweight bout.
Prelims Action
Angela Hill, Martin Buday and Nina Nunes earned decision wins, while the event opener between Youssef Zalal and Da'Mon Blackshear ended in a majority draw. Also, Gabriel Benitez, Nam and Josh Quinlan claimed stoppage wins in their respective bouts.
UFC San Diego 2022 Results
Main Card
1. Bantamweight Bout: Marlon Vera defeated Dominick Cruz via KO at 2:17 of the fourth round
2. Featherweight Bout: Nate Landwehr defeated David Onama via majority decision (28-28, 29-27, 29-27)
3. Women's Strawweight Bout: Yazmin Jauregui defeated Iasmin Lucindo via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
4. Light Heavyweight Bout: Azamat Murzakanov defeated Devin Clark via TKO (strikes) at 1:18 of the third round
5. Women's Bantamweight Bout: Priscila Cachoeira defeated Ariane Lipski via TKO (strikes) at 1:05 of the first round
6. Middleweight Bout: Gerald Meerschaert defeated Bruno Silva via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:39 of the third round
Preliminary Card
1. Catchweight (120 lb) Bout: Angela Hill defeated Loopy Godinez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2. Heavyweight Bout: Martin Buday defeated Lukasz Brzeski via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
3. Women's Flyweight Bout: Nina Nunes defeated Cynthia Calvillo via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
4. Lightweight Bout: Gabriel Benitez defeated Charlie Ontiveros via TKO (strikes) at 3:35 of the first round
5. Flyweight Bout: Tyson Nam defeated Ode' Osbourne via KO at 2:59 of the first round
6. Catchweight (180 lb) Bout: Josh Quinlan defeated Jason Witt via KO at 2:09 of the first round
7. Bantamweight Bout: Youssef Zalal and Da'Mon Blackshear (29-28) fight to a majority draw (28-28, 28-28)