Matt Schnell willed his way to the winner’s circle and reasserted himself in the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division.

Sound submission defense, unshakable resolve and damaging ground-and-pound carried the Fortis MMA rep to a unanimous decision over former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Jimmy Flick in the featured UFC on ESPN 66 prelim on Saturday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. All three judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Schnell (17-9, 7-7 UFC), who closed the book on a three-fight losing streak.

Flick (17-9, 2-4 UFC) completed multiple takedowns and moved to advantageous positions on more than one occasion but always seemed to leave his opponent an escape route. Schnell slowly but surely seized the reins—he opened a cut on Flick’s hairline with an elbow strike in the second round—and forced his counterpart to play defense as they drifted into deeper water. He threatened with a guillotine late in the third, rolled into top position and eventually advanced to the back. From there, Schnell made a pass at a rear-naked choke, bled the remaining time off the clock and slammed the door.

Meanwhile Flaglier’s MMA prospect Malcolm Wellmaker announced his arrival with a spectacular Octagon debut, as the undefeated Augusta, Georgia, native punched out Cameron Saaiman in the first round of their bantamweight scrap. Wellmaker (9-0, 1-0 UFC) pulled the plug 1:59 into Round 1.

Saaiman (9-3, 3-3 UFC) walked into a well-sprung trap. Wellmaker countered a right hook with one of his own. It landed with far more authority and sent Saaiman crashing to the canvas in a semi-conscious state. Referee Zach Teiberis was on the scene immediately to wave it off and shield the South African from further damage. Wellkmaker, 30, has stopped seven of his nine opponents, five of them in the first round.

Further down the undercard, ex-Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Jaqueline Amorim dismissed Polyana Viana with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their women’s strawweight clash. Viana (13-8, 4-7 UFC) conceded defeat 1:49 into Round 2 and now finds herself on a three-fight losing streak.

The 29-year-old Amorim (10-1, 4-1 UFC) set the tone with a dominant first round, as she secured a takedown and proceeded to teach a master class on the ground. The scene repeated itself in Round 2. There, Amorim completed another takedown, progressed to the back and secured position with a body triangle. The choke was in place soon after, and Viana had no choice but to tap.

Amorim has rattled off four straight victories, all of them finishes.

Elsewhere, Xtreme Couture export Timothy Cuamba disposed of Roberto Romero with a flying knee and follow-up punches in the second round of their featherweight encounter. Romero (8-5-1, 0-2 UFC) bowed out 3:55 into Round 2, suffering his third loss in four appearances.

Cuamba (9-3, 1-2 UFC) kept the Team Oyama rep at bay with clean one-twos, occasional counters and a steady jab. Romero answered with an effective clinch but failed to corral his counterpart in close quarters. Cuamba zapped him with a sharp one-two in the middle stanza, backed it up with a head kick and reset in open space. He then stepped forward and launched himself into a flying knee that floored Romero at the base of the cage. More punches followed, prompting the stoppage. The 26-year-old Cuamba has won six of his past eight bouts.

Finally, former King of the Cage champion Joselyne Edwards put away Chelsea Chandler with punches in the first round of their women’s bantamweight tilt. Chandler (6-4, 2-3 UFC) succumbed to blows 2:31 into Round 1, losing for the second time in as many outings.

Edwards (15-6, 6-4 UFC) softened the Cesar Gracie protégé with stout kicks to the body and legs, executed a trip takedown and pressed forward behind punches once the two women returned to their feet. Chandler was never a threat in the standup. Edwards pinned the Californian to the fence with punches, decked her with a left hook and flurried for the finish.

It was Edwards’ first knockout win in almost five years.

In other action, Evan Elder (10-2, 3-2 UFC) took a unanimous decision from Gauge Young (9-3, 0-1 UFC) in a three-round lightweight battle, drawing 30-27 scores from all three members of the assigned judiciary; Chris Gutierrez (22-6-2, 10-3-1 UFC) eked out a split decision—28-29, 29-28, 29-28—over John Castaneda (21-8, 4-4 UFC) in a three-round featherweight encounter; and Da’Mon Blackshear (17-7-1, 5-3-1 UFC) outstruck Heili Alateng (17-10-2, 5-3-1 UFC) to a unanimous decision in their three-round bantamweight confrontation, earning 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 marks from the cageside judges.