UFC Vegas 118 Prelims: Allesandro Costa shines on finish-heavy undercard

The UFC Fight Night 278 preliminary card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday delivered a finish-heavy slate of action, with multiple fighters seizing short-notice opportunities and established prospects extending their winning streaks.

Alessandro Costa capitalized on a last-minute call to replace Imanol Rodriguez, stopping Matt Schnell with first-round punches at 2:32 of their 130-pound catchweight bout. Costa (16-5, 4-3 UFC) dazed Schnell with a clean left hook, defended a desperate takedown, secured top position and finished with rapid-fire hammerfists.

Marcus McGhee, a 36-year-old MMA Lab product, outstruck John Yannis across three rounds in a bantamweight decision, earning all three judges' scorecards at 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. McGhee (11-2, 5-1 UFC) switched between orthodox and southpaw stances, landing persistent jabs and kicks while Yannis (10-5, 1-2 UFC), a late replacement himself, faded in the final round. McGhee has now won seven of his last eight fights.

Elsewhere on the card, Edgar Chairez, a former Combate Global champion, submitted Bruno "Bulldog" Silva with a rear-naked choke at 4:13 of their flyweight clash. Silva (15-9-2, 5-6 UFC) suffered his first submission loss since 2011 after Chairez dropped him twice and seized the opportunity to work from back control. Chairez (14-6, 4-2 UFC) has now strung together three consecutive victories.

Chelsea Chandler rebounded from back-to-back losses by submitting Priscila Cachoeira with an armbar at 3:42 of their women's bantamweight matchup. Chandler (7-4, 3-3 UFC) dropped Cachoeira (13-9, 5-9 UFC) with punches, moved to top position and transitioned to the submission—her first successful sub in nearly six years.

Joanderson Brito of Chute Boxe finished Jordan Leavitt with a ninja choke at 4:19 of their featherweight encounter. Leavitt (13-4, 6-4 UFC) attempted a double-leg takedown and was caught by Brito (19-5-1, 7-3 UFC), who now owns 16 finishes among his 18 professional wins.

In a women's strawweight rematch, former Invicta titleholder Ketlen Souza dispatched Ariane Carnelossi with an overhand right and head kick in just 94 seconds. Souza (17-6, 4-3 UFC) scored her sixth first-round stoppage of her career against Carnelossi (15-5, 3-4 UFC), reversing the outcome of their first meeting seven years prior.

Jeisla Chaves (8-0, 1-0 UFC) eked out a split decision over Yuneisy Duben (6-2, 0-2 UFC) in a women's flyweight bout, with judges scoring the three-rounder 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28.