Muhammad, Reis, Makhachev lead winners on UFC 208 preliminaries

Welterweight Bout: Belal Muhammad def. Randy Brown via unanimous decision

Belal Muhammad had to put Randy Brown through three rounds of unadulterated misery to get back in the win column.

Filling in for George Sullivan on just one week's notice, "Remember the Name" beat Brown's legs to a pulp on the feet and peppered his head from back control on the ground to atone for the knockout loss he suffered at Vicente Luque's hands at UFC 205 in New York City last November. The 28-year-old improved his promotional record to an even 2-2 with the dominant performance.

Muhammad walked Brown down from the jump and treated him to leg kick after leg kick in Round 1. The Chicago native flashed the remaining wrinkles in his arsenal over the latter two rounds, stuffing his fellow welterweight's takedown attempts before seizing his back and repeatedly raining bombs on his dome in Rounds 2 and 3 to secure a sweep of the scorecards.

Brown, a promising - albeit raw - prospect who calls New York home, sees a two-fight win streak snapped and his UFC record drop to 3-2 in his first fight in his adopted hometown.

Flyweight Bout: Wilson Reis def. Ulka Sasaki via unanimous decision

Wilson Reis rode his first-rate jiu-jitsu to notch his third straight win.

The 32-year-old neutralized Ulka Sasaki's length with a handful of perfectly timed takedowns and had his way on the ground en route to a sweep of the scorecards. The fifth-ranked Reis improved his UFC record to 6-2 with the victory.

Reis tasted the lanky Sasaki's leather on more than one occasion in the bout's early goings, but managed to fight through the Japanese native's punches to take the fight to the mat, where he staged a grappling clinic from both top position and back control through the opening pair of frames.

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The Brazilian promptly imposed his will in Round 2 and nearly finished Sasaki with a nasty neck crank, but the Japanese native valiantly fought his way out of the submission to make it to the next stanza.

Reis replicated the trusty formula in the final frame, but Sasaki capitalized on a sloppy transition to give him a taste of his own medicine and finish the fight glued to Reis' back. Luckily for the diminutive flyweight, Sasaki's last-ditch efforts weren't enough to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, as all three judges gave Reis the nod by a score of 29-28.

The 27-year-old Sasaki has now dropped three of his last four and holds a UFC record of 2-3.

Lightweight Bout: Islam Makhachev def. Nik Lentz via unanimous decision

The elite grappling of Islam Makhachev earned him his first UFC winning streak.

Makhachev's world Sambo champion pedigree was on full display as he controlled 17-fight UFC veteran Nik Lentz en route to taking a clear-cut unanimous decision that included two 30-25 scores from the judges.

(Courtesy: Action Images)

Post-fight, a hyped up Makhachev called for a fight with boxing star Floyd Mayweather in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the rumored bout between Mayweather and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor.

The 25-year-old Dagestani has now won his last two bouts. He improves to 3-1 in the UFC and 14-1 overall.

Makhachev's trips and smothering top game were the key to outscoring "The Carny." In all three rounds, Makhachev was able to bring Lentz down to the ground and keep him there. There was little in the way of significant offense, but Makhachev was rarely in danger other than a few guillotine choke attempts from Lentz.

While Lentz's defense held up enough for him to avoid a finish, it was clear that Makhachev would have his hand raised as he ended the bout punching away at Lentz from back control.

Lentz sees a two-fight win streak snapped. He suffers his first loss in three fights since returning to the 155-pound division and his UFC record now sits at 11-5-1 with one no-contest.

Featherweight Bout: Rick Glenn def. Phillipe Nover via split decision

Rick Glenn made Phillipe Nover's homecoming a bitter one.

"The Gladiator" rode an ugly, pressure-reliant performance to take two of three scorecards and spoil Nover's first fight in his native Brooklyn. The razor-close decision put Glenn back in the win column following a lopsided defeat at the hands of Evan Dunham in his promotional debut this past September.

Glenn took the center of the Octagon and walked Nover down from the opening bell, but his pressure was met with a varied attack from range, including a high kick that caught him flush on the noggin.

Nover's striking from distance put him ahead on the scorecards after the first frame, prompting The Gladiator to dial up the aggression in Round 2. The 27-year-old Glenn cut off Nover's movement with some slick footwork and increased his striking output while his foe's gradually waned, intermittently grinding Nover against the cage to even the tally heading into the final stanza.

Glenn repeated the formula in the final round, again smothering Nover against the fence as soon as the Brooklyn native's strikes hit paydirt. The WSOF import's uncharacteristically gun-shy performance was enough to earn him the nod, and while Nover proved to be the more prolific fighter on the feet, his efforts managed to convince only one judge.

The 33-year-old Nover now finds himself on the UFC chopping block for the second time following his third straight loss. The former "TUF 8" finalist holds a promotional record of 1-6 over his pair of UFC stints.

Welterweight Bout: Ryan LaFlare def. Roan Carneiro via unanimous decision

Ryan LaFlare made history as the first MMA fighter to pick up a win in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

A native of Long Island, LaFlare put on a steady performance in the UFC 208 preliminary opener to take a unanimous decision over Roan Carneiro. It was the second straight win for LaFlare and his UFC record improves to 5-1.

Fighting for the first time in over 400 days, LaFlare set the pace early.

He peppered Carneiro with kicks to the body while looking for opportunities to grapple. The New York native snagged a takedown to end the first round in top position and likely go up on the scorecards.

The second-round opened up with Carneiro being backed up against the cage and slipping to the mat in what looked like a knockdown. LaFlare went back to his right hand later in the round to put Carneiro down with a much more definitive blow:

LaFlare had the upper hand for almost the entirety of the 15-minute bout, though "Jucao" managed to finish the contest in full mount. However, it was too little, too late and LaFlare's accumulated work was enough to win over the judges.

This was Carneiro's first fight at 170 pounds since October 2014. He is now 2-2 in his second stint with the UFC and at 38 years old, this could have been his last chance to impress the promotion.