Friday night at Tuff-N-Uff 143 in the Palms’ Pearl Theater was a masterclass in intrigue, excitement, and spectacle. The debut of local prospect Pavlo Polishchuk (1-0) couldn’t have been more thrilling, with the Russian fighter knocking out Jake Johnston (1-1) in the first round at twenty seconds. Polishchuk’s intensity was contagious, with Sergo Khzarjyan (2-0) earning a TKO against Jordan Irizarry (3-9) and Chisom Ukoha (3-0) earning a TKO against Cory Owens (1-1).
The night of knockouts didn’t end there, as Vegas local Tyler Gibbons (3-0) spoiled the debut of Dallas local Luke Smith (0-1) with a TKO decision in the second round. Due to a doctor’s stoppage at the end of the second round, Niko Mills (3-0) beat Xander Ramirez (1-1) with a TKO at the end of the second round. The knockout streak broke with Maxim Rusu’s (2-0) split decision win against Demetri Clendinen (3-2). Xiaoya Luo (3-2) and Hannah Silva (6-5) went all three rounds, exchanging reflecting abdomen kicks and high punches, ultimately leading to a 29-28 win by Luo. Our bantamweight championship title fight delivered a clinic in grappling and striking skills between challenger Zane Finley (5-3) and contender Michael Burke (6-5). “Thank you, Tuff-N-Uff, for the second opportunity,” shouted a thankful Finley as he wrapped the silver and white belt around his waist in a unanimous decision win
The first match on our main card came and went in a flash, with Cobey Fehr Jr.’s (2-0-1) win versus Orlando Ortega (2-4) in the first round with submission by rear-naked choke. The heavyweight match of the main card featured a swift KO kick by O’Shay Jordan (3-2) onto Mark Currier (3-6) in the third round at nineteen seconds. “I feel great… hopefully we get a couple more wins and fight for the TUFF belt at 205,” Jordan exclaims in a post-match interview with Tuff-N-Uff announcer Justin Bernard.
In the third fight of the main card, Andrew Garrette (6-0) drew blood from Daniel Lacerda (12-7) with strikes to the brow in the first round, notching a TKO win and continuing his dominant MMA career. A bout between prospects John Moore (6-0) and Artiom Cula (11-6) ended with a TKO win earned by Calgary local John Moore, adding to his previous five-match win streak. Tuff-N-Uff’s co-main event featuring fighting veterans Kai Kamaka (15-6-1) and Joshua Weems (13-7) showcased the grappling skills of Kamaka and powerful strikes of Weems, ultimately ending in Vegas local Kamaka winning with a TKO in the second round.
Tuff-N-Uff’s welterweight world championship bout between Mahmoud Fawzy Sebie (5-3) and Ernesto Rodriguez (10-1) lived up to the hype echoed among Tuff-N-Uff fans. Rodriguez had all the energy at the beginning of the match, landing kicks on Sebie as the other showed his swiftness in grappling. Sebie latched onto the back of Rodriguez, an insane amount of strength highlighted among Rodriguez’s poise in the moment. This patience worked in Rodriguez’s favor, earning him the welterweight world championship title in the first round by TKO. The “Starboy” shined in the gold belt as he shouted during a post-fight interview, “This is my house! Nobody can break into my house!”
Tuff-N-Uff looks forward to welcoming fans in San Diego, California’s Observatory North Park at Tuff-N-Uff 144, as we expand our image beyond Las Vegas, Nevada! On May 22, 2025, fans can catch the main event of Tsogookhuu “The Mongol” Amarsanaa (10-3) versus Antonio “The Spartan” Caruso (10-2) alongside the co-main event in viral sensation Joel “King Bau” Bauman (7-3) versus UFC, Strikeforce, and World Series of Fighting veteran Jesse “JT Money” Taylor (33-17). For fans not able to attend, watch our main card exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS and our preliminary card on the Tuff-N-Uff YouTube channel.