UFC prelims featured a grotesquely swollen shin, the sound of brutal blows, and an MMA prospect on the rise

• Saturday's UFC Vegas 55 prelims at the Apex in Las Vegas were an action-packed undercard.
• A grotesquely swollen shin, and the sound of knockout shots, were reminders how painful UFC can be.

LAS VEGAS — The UFC prelims on Saturday featured a grotesquely swollen shin, the sound of brutal blows, and a new MMA star on the rise.

That new star, a 30-year-old Brazilian called Jailton Almeida, looks like one of the hottest new entrants in the heavyweight division.

Almeida caught the attention of UFC brass when he was competing for regional promotions like Thunder Fight in Sao Paulo.

In 2021, Almeida fought in Dana White's Contender Series and earned a UFC deal because of a second-round rear-naked choke submission win over Nasrudin Nasrudinov.

He scored a first-round knockout win over Danilo Marques earlier this year and returned Saturday to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for another first-round finish, this time by rear-naked choke again as he topped Parker Porter with relative ease.

Almeida is still new to the UFC, but could find himself ascending the heavyweight rankings in quick fashion if he repeats performances like the one over Porter. But that may be a tough feat, as he effectively threw a perfect game.

If it was bowling he'd have scored 300. He'd have returned a card without one bogey in golf. Or, if soccer was his thing, he'd have scored with his right foot, left foot, and header for a perfect hat trick of goals.

Almeida was just that good this weekend.

Against Marques, he did not absorb one strike. He didn't give up any control. He didn't concede any takedowns. He literally didn't allow Porter to do anything according to UFC statistics.

Almeida, meanwhile, landed 36 of his 58 strike attempts, enjoyed near enough all of the control time, and succeeded with one of his two takedowns before completing his sole submission attempt.

He danced when his official victory was announced, one which advanced Almeida's pro MMA record to 16 wins (six knockouts and 10 submissions) against two losses.

Watch the finish right here:

—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 21, 2022

A swollen shin and brutal blows

Elsewhere in the prelims, two separate bouts provided brutal reminders as to how painful competing in the UFC can really be.

Jonathan Martinez — a former street fighter with more experience than Jorge Masvidal and Kimbo Slice combined — gave an expert demonstration of kicking an opponent's leg to smithereens.

In his bantamweight bout against Vince Morales, which was the third fight of the evening, a close-up of the American's leg showed grotesque swelling.

That's what happens when an accurate leg kicker targets an area and just doesn't stop throwing.

Victory advanced Martinez's pro MMA record to 16 wins (seven knockouts, two submissions, and seven decisions) against four losses.

See the damage Martinez did to his opponent right here:

—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 21, 2022

Elsewhere, Uros Medic — another Dana White's Contender Series graduate — scored a thumping second-round knockout win over Omar Morales.

ESPN broadcast the entire event and posted footage from the fight on its Twitter feed, marveling at the sound of the shots on display.

Victory advanced Medic's pro MMA record to eight wins (six knockouts and two submissions) against just one defeat — a UFC 266 loss to Jalin Turner in September, which Medic rebounded from immediately with the statement-making win over Morales.

—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 21, 2022

Joseph Holmes threw a nasty knee strike at Alen Amedovski's face

Also on the prelims, Joseph Holmes — a 26-year-old Texan nicknamed "Ugly Man" — scored a rebound win of his own.

Holmes bounced back from a loss by decision to Jamie Pickett, to submit Alen Amedovski after cracking his jaw with a horrible knee strike.

See it all right here:

—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 21, 2022

Other results included Sam Hughes' third-round knockout win over Elise Reed in a women's strawweight fight, and Chase Hooper's third-round knockout win over Felipe Colares in a featherweight fight.