Diego Sanchez caps off UFC 196 Fight Pass prelims with win over Jim Miller

Lightweight Bout: Diego Sanchez def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision

Diego Sanchez and Jim Miller delivered like the two, hard-working veterans they are. But it was Sanchez who walked out with his hand raised.

Neither man was able to create much distance on the scorecards during their three-round fight. The exchanges were mostly even and the wrestling only tilted slightly in Sanchez's direction. Round 2 was Miller's best round, as he closed with knees to Sanchez's head and body while trapping him in a front headlock.

The third round could have gone either way, but Sanchez kept things close with a solid jab and another takedown in the final seconds. When the scores were read, it was a unanimous decision victory for Sanchez, the 15th win of his UFC career.

Sanchez and Miller have a combined 44 appearances in the Octagon.

Lightweight Bout: Jason Saggo def. Justin Salas via 1st-round TKO

The grappling expertise of Jason Saggo was on full display on Saturday night during his first-round TKO of Justin Salas.

It was actually Salas who initiated the mat action, catching a Saggo kick and bringing the Canadian to the ground. But Saggo used a slick rubber guard to threaten with a kimura, then to sweep Salas.

In top position, Saggo patiently opened Salas up with short punches until he could move to back control. Saggo unloaded on Salas with ground-and-pound, causing the stoppage with 30 seconds to go in the opening round.

For Saggo, this was more than just another win. He ruptured his achilles tendon last year and had not fought since October 2014.

Featherweight Bout: Teruto Ishihara def. Julian Erosa via 2nd-round KO

Teruto Ishihara's first fight in the UFC went to a draw and he made sure that didn't happen again.

From the opening glove tap, Ishihara was on the attack against the rangy Julian Erosa. He chopped away at the 6-foot-1 Erosa with kicks to the thigh that left Erosa's skin badly bruised by the end of the first round. Erosa looked unprepared for his opponent's pace and he was repeatedly caught by clean shots as Ishihara jumped in to engage.

The second round didn't last long, as Ishihara struck Erosa with a left hand that left him dazed on the mat. Ishihara cracked Erosa with heavy hammer fists and the fight was called off 34 seconds into round 2.

Ishihara cleansed his palette of an unsatisfying draw against Mizuto Hirota in his debut last March. He wins by KO for the seventh time in eight career victories.

In the cage post-fight, Ishihara yelled out "I love you, my bitches!" and his confidence apparently carried over to an interview with journalist Heidi Fang: