All it took was 32 seconds for Marlon Moraes to end the 20-fight win streak of Jimmie Rivera in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Utica, NY.

Moraes landed a precise head kick that knocked Rivera down and finished with strikes to establish himself as a true bantamweight title contender.

The bantamweight title will next be contested in Los Angeles at UFC 227 this August and with a win in this fashion, Moraes may be next in line for a title shot.

Prospects shine in Utica

Several fighters at UFC Fight Night proved that their futures are very bright.

To start the night, Jose "Shorty" Torres, considered by many to be one of the best flyweight prospects in the world, scored a second-round victory in very odd fashion over Jarred Brooks.

Brooks attempted a slam and ended up landing awkwardly on his head, essentially knocking himself out. Torres capitalized with ground strikes to win his UFC debut.

Former Cage Warriors champion Nathaniel Wood won his debut, as well, in the next fight with a second-round submission victory over Johnny Eduardo.

Wood has now won six straight fights inside the distance, which is impressive given that he is a bantamweight.

While on the older side, both 31-year-old Gregor Gillespie and 33-year-old Sijara Eubanks are pretty new to mixed martial arts and continue to shine.

Gillespie won the co-main event against Vinc Pichel with an arm triangle submission, while Eubanks won a lopsided decision over Lauren Murphy, establishing herself as a potential title challenger in the women's flyweight division.

Eubanks was originally supposed to fight for the vacant title in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter season that would crown the promotion's first women's flyweight champion, but she failed to make weight for the finals against eventual champion Nicco Montano.

Attendance and Bonuses

UFC Fight Night at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica drew 5,063 attendees for a gate of $322,825 (USD).

Performance bonuses went to Wood, Moraes, Gillespie and Ben Saunders for their respective wins inside the distance. Each earned an additional $50,000.

Rodriguez returns to the UFC following dispute

Mexican featherweight prospect Yair Rodriguez has mended fences with the UFC following his recent release that was a result of his refusal to accept a fight.

Rodriguez has not fought in over a year and wanted to take some time off to polish his skills.

The UFC did not do him any favours when they attempted to book him against one of the top prospects in the sport, Dagestan's Zabit Magomedsharipov.

Rodriguez was released after publicly refusing the fight.

On Saturday, Rodriguez announced on Instagram that he had met with matchmaker, Sean Shelby, thanks to a mutual friend and resolved their differences.

Rodriguez will now face Magomedsharipov at UFC 228 in September. Rodriguez alluded to the fight being in Las Vegas, but according MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani, a host city has not been selected and the event may be held in Houston or Dallas, which is the city where Rodriguez lost his previous fight to Magomedsharipov's training partner, Frankie Edgar, at UFC 211.

Oliveira steps in on short notice

With UFC 225 coming up in Chicago next weekend, Illinois native and fan favourite Clay Guida found himself without an opponent when Bobby Green withdrew due to injury.

The UFC was able to find a replacement opponent, who may be a tougher matchup for Guida, as they announced that Charles Oliveira would step in.

Oliveira presents a much different opponent for Guida, who could have comfortably used his high-level wrestling against Green and now will be faced with one of the most dangerous submission threats in the promotion.

More details of the UFC's ESPN deal

UFC senior vice president of international and content David Shaw relayed more details about the promotion's recently signed deal with ESPN and how it impacts international markets.

Shaw told TSN that the cards that will air on the linear ESPN channel will be treated as prestige events like the cards that the UFC has held on the FOX network.

Shaw also said that the UFC's digital deal with ESPN+ is only digital in the US and those cards would be televised internationally. As a result, the pacing of the cards would be similar to a television event rather than the faster paced events on UFC Fight Pass.

In terms of Canada, Shaw says that the UFC is hopeful that they will hold a pay-per-view in Canada.

Based on the available pay-per-view dates without a location, it would indicate that the card would take place at the beginning of December.