MESA, Ariz. -- When lightweight Greg “Punch First” Foster’s opponent reached for a glove touch, most fans expected the Arizona-based fighter to return the favor. 

However, Foster opened the fight with a flying-knee, knocking his opponent off balance. The move consequently led to a first-round technical knockout. 

Foster thanked his Ultimate Fighting Championship teammates for showing up to his fight. 

“They’re my brothers, we put a lot of blood, sweat and tears over the years at the gym making each other better.” Foster said. 

Freedom Fight Night 4 featured a plethora of amateur fighters looking to kickstart their career or make the jump to the pros at Mountain View High School on Saturday, April 5. Despite being amateurs, most fighters on the card outperformed their titles.

One of those amateurs, bantamweight Theya Swarts, entered the cage for the first time in her career.

Although inexperienced, Swarts ended the night winning her amateur debut by first-round technical knockout. 

The buildup to her fight made the finish even sweeter for the Red Hawk Academy fighter, she said. 

“I wasn't scared of her, I knew she was scared when I looked in her eyes.” Swarts said. 

Similar to Swarts, middleweight Seve Zazueta competed for the first time in his mixed martial arts career. 

During Zazuet’s walkout, the crowd showered the debuting fighter with a positive ovation and chanted his name relentlessly. 

Ultimately, the crowd's chants paired with mounted ground strikes led to a first-round technical knockout.

Saturday marked a homecoming for Zazuet, who not only fought in his home state but also at his old high school. 

Zazuet said he’d been looking for an opponent for the previous five months, being turned down three times, before he received the call to return to Mountain View High School.

Alongside Zazuet’s homecoming, the United Fight League faced a major dilemma just hours before the event. 

Undefeated featherweight Ezra Elliot was scheduled to take on veteran fighter Marlon Gonzales as the night's main event. However, Gonzales missed weight by 15 pounds, putting the match to a catch-weight fight. 

The massive weight miss led to Elliot’s opponent pulling out on the day of the fight. 

Foster moved up as Saturday’s new main event, replacing his teammate's spot on the card. 

“It doesn't matter if I fight early or fight later, I’m going to go out there and do my thing,” Foster said. “I was honored to take the main-event spot and compete for the United Fight League." 

Outside of the main event, popular Arizona MMA gyms, such as The MMA Lab and Red Hawk Academy, nearly cleaned out the competition. 

Fighters like Alec Schlink, Mathias Beckford and Joshua Cruz all walked away from the cage victorious while representing their gyms. 

Located in Peoria, Arizona, Red-Hawk Academy boasts countless elite fighters and coaches, Swarts said.

“We have Sugar Sean (Sean O’Malley) mentoring us, so I’m around the highest level in sport, bringing my confidence up.” Swarts said. 

The UFL looks to capitalize on Freedom Fight Night’s momentum by working on its long-awaited team-based fight card, UFL 7. 

“If we need another fight, we'll fight another time before June or July and set myself up for the back-half of the year.” Foster said.