Saturday, May 2, 2026 | Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, AZ
Fourteen fights. Eleven finishes. Three new amateur champions. RUF 68: Natividad vs Perez delivered a full night of regional MMA at Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, and most of the card never made it to the scorecards.
Kevin Natividad picked up the main event win over David Perez by split decision in a competitive bantamweight fight, but the story of the night was the co-main event. Ezra Elliott kept his undefeated record intact with a first-round TKO over veteran Ashton Caniglia, stopping him with strikes at 3:41. Elliott, fighting out of The MMA Lab, improves to 7-0 as a professional and looks like one of the more promising featherweights coming out of Arizona’s regional scene right now.
Below is the full breakdown of every result from fight night, plus where to find photos, video highlights, and all the coverage from MMA Stalker.
Main Event: Kevin Natividad def. David Perez | Pro Bantamweight 135 lbs
Result: Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
Natividad got it done, but Perez made him work for it. The split scorecards tell the story. Two judges had it 30-27 for Natividad while one scored it 28-29 in favor of Perez. Natividad, a staple of Arizona’s regional circuit with roots at Arizona Combat Sports, moves to 10-5-0 as a pro. He controlled enough of the fight to earn the nod, but Perez (1-4-0) showed he belonged in there.
Co-Main Event: Ezra Elliott def. Ashton Caniglia | Pro Featherweight 145 lbs
Result: TKO via Strikes, Round 1 at 3:41
This one didn’t need a second round. Elliott put Caniglia away with strikes before the midway point of round one, extending his professional record to 7-0. Caniglia (7-9-0) has seen plenty of cage time across 16 pro fights, but Elliott’s speed and precision were too much from the opening bell. If you’re not watching Elliott yet, you should be.
Pro Card Results
Adam Amado def. Alim Muhammad | Featherweight 145 lbs Submission via rear-naked choke, Round 2 at 3:46
Amado got the fight to the ground and locked up the RNC midway through the second round. A solid win that brings him to 3-4-0 as a pro. Muhammad (4-3-0) was competitive on the feet but couldn’t escape once Amado secured the position.
Iasmin Casser da Silva def. Gloria Dacosta | Featherweight 145 lbs TKO via Strikes, Round 2 at 2:38
Casser da Silva stays undefeated at 5-0-0. She controlled the pace and found her range in the second round, finishing Dacosta (1-2-0) with strikes on the feet. Another clean performance from a fighter who keeps collecting wins without much fanfare.
Alex Preissing def. Kendell Ward | Flyweight 125 lbs Submission via Triangle Choke, Round 1 at 1:06
Sixty-six seconds. Preissing locked in a triangle choke and Ward had no answer. That’s three straight pro wins for Preissing (3-0-0), who fights out of Fight Ready in Scottsdale. Ward (1-2-0) never got a chance to establish anything before the submission was in deep.
Roderick Agyeman def. Patrick Quick Jr | Bantamweight 135 lbs Submission via rear-naked choke, Round 3 at 4:59
Agyeman picked up the win in his pro debut with a rear-naked choke that came with one second left in the final round. One second. The fight went nearly the full 15 minutes before Agyeman found the neck and got the tap at 4:59 of round three. Coming from The MMA Lab with a 4-2-0 amateur record behind him, Agyeman starts his pro career at 1-0-0. Quick Jr drops to 0-1-0 in his own pro debut.
Amateur Title Fights: Three New Champions Crowned
All three amateur title bouts produced finishes or decisive wins.
Michael Burke def. Julius Vega | Bantamweight 135 lbs TKO via Strikes, Round 3 at 2:07
Burke and Vega went deep into the fight before Burke found the finish in the third round. Burke (8-4-0) put together a strong overall performance and closed it out with ground-and-pound. Vega (5-4-0) was game throughout but couldn’t survive the late pressure.
Eitan Kagan def. Jace Jones | Lightweight 155 lbs Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
The only amateur title fight to go the distance. Kagan (3-1-0), fighting out of Fight Ready, controlled the exchanges and kept Jones (3-2-0) on the outside for most of the fight. Jones, a 21-year-old out of Red Hawk Academy, showed flashes but couldn’t close the gap on the scorecards.
Marcos Encinas def. Niko Mills | Flyweight 125 lbs Submission via rear-naked choke, Round 1 at 1:03
Encinas needed just over a minute. The Arizona Combat Sports product locked in the RNC and got the tap to improve to 3-0-0 as an amateur. Mills (3-3-0) didn’t have time to get started. Encinas looks like a name worth tracking in the Arizona flyweight ranks.
Amateur Card Results
The prelim card set the tone early with four finishes in five fights, including two knockouts inside the first round.
Rashed Evans def. Dylan Pacheco | Catchweight 146 lbs KO via Kick, Round 1 at 0:13
Thirteen seconds. Evans opened the card with the quickest stoppage of the night, landing a kick that dropped Pacheco before most fans had found their seats. Both fighters entered at 0-0-0, but Evans made a statement in his debut.
Xavier Castillo def. Luis Olandez | Bantamweight 135 lbs TKO via Strikes, Round 3 at 1:53
Another debut fight, another finish. Castillo (1-0-0) got the stoppage in the third round over Olandez (0-1-0) with strikes.
Seve Zazueta def. Devan Apodaca | Light Heavyweight 205 lbs Submission via rear-naked choke, Round 1 at 1:11
Zazueta (2-0-0) made quick work of Apodaca (0-1-0) with a first-round RNC. Clean and efficient.
Issouf Doumbia def. Tafu Mamea | Catchweight 180 lbs KO via Spinning Back Fist, Round 1 at 1:32
The highlight reel finish of the night. Doumbia landed a spinning back fist that shut the lights off on Mamea at 1:32 of round one. That kind of finish gets shared. Doumbia moves to 2-2-0 and Mamea falls to 0-2-0.
Sear Sanjar def. Kadyn Marcantel | Catchweight 140 lbs TKO, Round 2 at 0:31
Sanjar needed 31 seconds into the second round to put Marcantel away. The MMA Lab product improves to 3-1-0 with the knockout win.
Photos and Video
More photos and video highlights from RUF 68 are coming. Stay tuned to MMAStalker.com for the full coverage.
Make sure you’re following MMA Stalker on all platforms so you don’t miss a thing:
Instagram: @mmastalker YouTube: @MMAStalker TikTok: @MMAStalker LinkedIn: MMA Stalker Facebook: @mmastalk X: @mmastalk
RUF 68: Natividad vs Perez was sanctioned under the authority of the Arizona Boxing and MMA Commission. For more information on RUF Nation events, visit rufnation.com.